According to an example, in a method for mitigating damage to a plurality of drop generators in a printing system, data corresponding to an image to be printed on a media by the printing system may be accessed. In addition, the plurality of drop generators may be controlled to print the image on the media while mitigating damage to the plurality of drop generators and without shifting placement of the image on the media or shifting the plurality of drop generators in a direction perpendicular to a feed direction of the media.

An ink-jet head driving circuit includes: PMOS transistors each of which has an Nwell area, a drain terminal and a source terminal, the PMOS transistors connected to a piezoelectric element for jetting ink from a nozzle; and an NMOS transistor connected to the drain terminals of the PMOS transistors. The source terminals and Nwell areas of the PMOS transistors are connected respectively to power sources, and voltage of one of the power sources connected to the Nwell area of each of the PMOS transistors is equal to or higher than the highest voltage of the power sources connected to the source terminals of the PMOS transistors.

An image forming device includes an inkjet head unit, a count acquiring section, a determining section, and a head controlling section. The inkjet head unit includes an element. The count acquiring section acquires, based on job data, an element operation count of the element. The determining section determines whether the element operation count is equal to or greater than a warning threshold count that is smaller by a predetermined count than a life threshold count corresponding to a life end point of the element. The head controlling section controls, when the element operation count is equal to or greater than the warning threshold count, the inkjet head unit to form an image by suppressing the element operation count.

According to an example, a method for performing maintenance routines in a plurality of actuators comprises firing a set of actuators at different energies, determining turn on energy values for the set of actuators based on measurements measured via chamber sensors associated with the set of actuators at the different energies, determining turn on energy differences for the set of actuators based on the turn on energy values determined for the set of actuators and threshold turn on energy values associated with the set of actuators, and performing maintenance routines corresponding to the determined turn on energy differences.

There is provided a system that includes a transfer member configured to cyclically pass through a formation area of an ink image and a transfer area where the ink image is transferred to a cut sheet, including a plurality of areas that allow printing on a plurality of cut sheets in one round. The system controls the number of copies in one round of the transfer member so as to use some areas of the transfer member for the formation of the ink image, and decides, in accordance with a use count of each of the plurality of areas for printing, an area where the ink image of print data is transferred to the cut sheet so as to use, for printing, the area with the count smaller than the counts of the remaining areas more often.

A printing apparatus includes at least one transfer section, a print unit forming an ink image on the transfer section, a transfer unit performing a transfer operation of transferring, to a print medium, and a liquid absorbing unit absorbing a liquid component from the ink image. The liquid absorbing unit includes a liquid absorbing sheet moved cyclically, and a displacing unit displacing the sheet between a contact state and a retracted state. The printing apparatus further includes an acceleration control unit controlling, if the sheet is displaced from the retracted state to the contact state, an acceleration operation of the transfer section and the sheet, and a determination unit determining an acceleration operation start portion which is located at a liquid absorbing position where the sheet contacts the transfer section when the acceleration control unit starts the acceleration operation.

An electric potential difference between both ends of a first fuse portion is increased to more than the electric potential difference that is generated by an electric potential applied to drive print elements in a state where a first print element and a first covering portion are electrically connected to each other.

Disclosed is a printer that forms dots on a recording medium using a recording head that discharges an ink, as liquid droplets, from a nozzle formation surface, in which a nozzle opening is formed, as a result of deforming a meniscus of the ink in the nozzle using a piezoelectric element. The printer includes a liquid-repellent film that covers the nozzle formation surface, and a wiping process that wipes away a stain on the nozzle formation surface. The printer forms dots on the recording medium using a first liquid droplet discharging operation that discharges ink, which is separated from a wall surface of the nozzle and disposed on an inner side of the nozzle, as liquid droplets.

Methods and apparatus to control a heater associated with a printing nozzle are disclosed. A method comprising controlling a heater associated with a printing nozzle to reduce a heat output of the heater based on a determination that the printing nozzle is outside a print area and printing an image on a substrate using other printing nozzles while the heat output of the heater is reduced.

An integrated circuit to drive a plurality of fluid actuation devices includes a strain gauge sensor, an amplifier, and a voltage bias generator. The strain gauge sensor generates a strain gauge signal. The amplifier amplifies the strain gauge signal. The voltage bias generator offsets the amplified strain gauge signal.