A process is disclosed for creating a print profile to control the operation of a direct-to-shape printing system for applying images on the exterior of an axially symmetrical media object that has a contoured, varying exterior surface, such as occurs on curved wine bottles and sports equipment like bats. The process takes a media recipe holding media geometry information and an image intended to be printed and processes that information to control a motion control subsystem and a print engine subsystem. The geometry information is manipulated to generate a CAM table suitable for the motion control subsystem, and the image file is processed to create a raster image file suitable for ink head expression. Various setup values are included in the process to prepare the direct-to-shape printing system for use of the media recipe.

A liquid discharge device includes: a piezoelectric element to which a drive voltage is applied; a nozzle from which a liquid is to be discharged in accordance with a change of the drive voltage; and circuitry configured to: generate: a first drive waveform including first multiple pulses switchable at first switch timings; and a second drive waveform including second multiple pulses different from the first multiple pulses switchable at second switch timings, at least one the first switch timings of the first multiple pulses of the first drive waveform and at least one of the second switch timings of the second multiple pulses of the second drive waveform are the same; select first selected pulses from the first multiple pulses in the first drive waveform; and select second selected pulses from the second multiple pulses in the second drive waveform.

In an example, there is provided a method and apparatus for controlling spit on page operation, the method comprising receiving at least one image to be printed, for each row of a plurality of rows of the image: identifying two or more pixels of the row of the image to be printed by a nozzle of a printhead, determining if a spacing between two consecutive pixels of the two or more pixels is greater than a threshold distance, and in response to a determination that the spacing between the two consecutive pixels is greater than the threshold distance, providing an indication that spit on page dots should be provided when printing the image.

A liquid ejecting apparatus is configured to drive a driving element in accordance with a driving signal applied by control of the controller. A driving signal includes a first ejection pulse for ejecting liquid, a second ejection pulse for ejecting liquid, and a non-ejection pulse for not ejecting liquid. The controller selects the first ejection pulse and the second ejection pulse to supply to the driving element, when a first amount of liquid is to be ejected from the nozzle in the unit period. The controller selects the non-ejection pulse and the second ejection pulse to supply to the driving element, when a second amount of liquid that is smaller than the first amount of liquid is to be ejected from the nozzle in the unit period. The second amount of liquid is larger than an amount of liquid ejected by only the second ejection pulse.

Disclosed is a printing device including at least one processor and a print head. The processor detects a nail region based on an image obtained by photographing a finger or a toe, sets at least a part of the detected nail region as a preceding print setting region, detects a region on which the preceding print is printed as a succeeding print region based on an image obtained by photographing the finger or the toe on which the preceding print is printed, sets a succeeding print region reference point corresponding to the succeeding print region, or sets a preceding print setting region reference point corresponding to the preceding print setting region and the succeeding print region reference point, and causes the print head to print a succeeding print on the nail region based on information on the preceding print setting region and a reference point that is set.

In image forming apparatus, a recording head is configured to eject ink corresponding to an image to be printed, using arranged nozzles. A control unit is configured to determine nozzles corresponding to the image to be printed, correspondingly to a position of a print sheet, and cause the recording head to eject ink from the nozzles. A correction processing unit is configured to perform a correction process corresponding to each of the plural ink ejection malfunction positions in the image. A head cleaning processing unit is configured to perform head cleaning for the recording head. Further, if the number of the detected ink ejection malfunction positions exceeds a predetermined upperlimit value when using a predetermined ink droplet size, the correction processing unit causes the head cleaning processing unit to perform head cleaning for the recording head and thereby decreases the number of the ink ejection malfunction positions.

A head unit includes a plurality of ejection portions that include a first ejection portion and a second ejection portion, a determination portion that determines a liquid ejection state of the first ejection portion and determines a liquid ejection state of the second ejection portion, and a storage portion that includes a first storage region storing first determination information indicating a determination result for the first ejection portion from the determination portion, and a second storage region storing second determination information indicating a determination result for the second ejection portion from the determination portion.

A head unit control device that controls a head unit including a plurality of ejection portions that includes a first ejection portion and a second ejection portion and a determination portion that determines a liquid ejection state of the first and second ejection portion, and includes a reception portion that receives, as one data set, determination result information including first determination information indicating a determination result of the liquid ejection state of the first ejection portion from the determination portion and second determination information indicating a determination result of the liquid ejection state of the second ejection portion from the determination portion, and ejection portion information including information indicating the number of the plurality of ejection portions included in the head unit, from the head unit, and an ejection control portion that controls the plurality of ejection portions based on the one data set received by the reception portion.

An aspect of the present invention is a liquid ejection apparatus including: a liquid ejection head including a heating element, a first protection layer, a second protection layer that functions as a first electrode, a second electrode that is electrically connected to the first electrode, and an ejection port; and a control unit configured to perform control of setting a potential difference between potentials of the first and second electrodes to a predetermined value by changing at least one of the potentials of the first electrode and the second electrode, in which the control unit sets the potential difference to a first value in a case where printing is performed, and the control unit sets the potential difference to a second value different from the first value and feeds power to at least one of a plurality of the heating elements in a case where printing is not performed.

A method of operating a printer distributes inkjet operations from frequently used inkjets to lesser used inkjets. The redistribution of the inkjet operations helps reduce the number of inkjets exhibiting cross-process direction error so printhead maintenance operations, such as purging, occur less frequently.