A drive signal generator of an inkjet printer includes a first electronic component that generates a greater amount of heat than a second electronic component. A heat sink includes wall members and first and second ends. The wall members include first and second wall members having an outer wall. The heat sink has a tubular shape defined by the wall members and is open at the first and second ends. A portion of a cooling fan faces the first end of the heat sink, and another portion of the cooling fan protrudes at least from the first end toward the first wall member. The first electronic component is in contact with the outer wall of the first wall member, and the second electronic component is in contact with the outer wall of the second wall member.

There is provided a head module including: a head which has an inlet, a plurality of nozzles, and a plurality of driving elements, and in which the nozzles are aligned in rows in a longitudinal direction of a nozzle surface orthogonal to a attaching/detaching direction of the head module; a plurality of driver ICs; a heat spreader; a flexible substrate; and a rigid substrate. In the attaching/detaching direction, the driver ICs are arranged between the head and the heat spreader; the rigid substrate and the head are arranged side by side in the attaching/detaching direction; the rigid substrate and the heat spreader are arranged side by side in a short direction of the nozzle surface; and the rigid substrate has a thickness along the short direction of the nozzle surface.

A liquid discharging apparatus includes a print head that has a driving element and discharges a liquid, a drive signal generation circuit that generates the drive signal based on a drive signal generation control signal for controlling generation of the drive signal, and a drive circuit substrate on which the drive signal generation circuit is provided. The drive circuit substrate has an input connector that inputs the drive signal generation control signal into the drive circuit substrate and an output connector that outputs the drive signal from the drive circuit substrate. A distance between the input connector and the output connector is shorter than a distance between the drive signal generation circuit and the input connector. The distance between the input connector and the output connector is shorter than a distance between the drive signal generation circuit and the output connector.

A liquid ejecting head includes: a piezoelectric element driven with a drive signal; a switch circuit which is provided on a circuit substrate; a pressure chamber which is filled with liquid and changes pressure inside in accordance with the drive by the piezoelectric element; and a reserve chamber which reserves the liquid to be supplied to the pressure chamber. The piezoelectric element is provided in a sealed space defined by a plurality of members including the circuit substrate. The reserve chamber includes a first flow channel and a second flow channel. A first end of the first flow channel communicates with a first end of the second flow channel. A second end of the first flow channel communicates with a second end of the second flow channel. The circuit substrate and switch circuit are provided between the first flow channel and the second flow channel.

An object is to provide a liquid ejection head capable of efficiently dissipating heat generated at the time of liquid ejection. The liquid ejection head includes a storage portion storing liquid; an ejection portion provided with a nozzle to eject liquid and an element to generate energy to eject liquid from the nozzle; and a flow path portion having a flow path capable of supplying liquid from the storage portion to the ejection portion. In a second direction orthogonal to a first direction which is a direction of supply of liquid from the storage portion to the ejection portion, the flow path portion includes a narrow width portion smaller in width than the storage portion and the ejection portion.

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.

There is provided a head module including: a head which has an inlet, a plurality of nozzles, and a plurality of driving elements, and in which the nozzles are aligned in rows in a longitudinal direction of a nozzle surface orthogonal to a attaching/detaching direction of the head module; a plurality of driver ICs; a heat spreader; a flexible substrate; and a rigid substrate. In the attaching/detaching direction, the driver ICs are arranged between the head and the heat spreader; the rigid substrate and the head are arranged side by side in the attaching/detaching direction; the rigid substrate and the heat spreader are arranged side by side in a short direction of the nozzle surface; and the rigid substrate has a thickness along the short direction of the nozzle surface.

A head module includes a head, a driver IC, a heat spreader, a holder and a heat insulator. The head ejects liquid in response to the driver IC. The heat spreader is in thermal communication with the driver IC. The holder supports the head. The heat insulator is located to thermally isolate the heat spreader and the holder.

An inkjet printer includes plural inkjet heads that are aligned in a head alignment direction to form a head row, a blower that blows air to the head row from one side along the head alignment direction, and an aspirator that is disposed on an extended line of the head row and on the other side along the head alignment direction for aspirating air through its aspirator port. The aspirator includes a tubular duct that extends from the aspirator port toward the head row.

A drive circuit (100) for driving actuators of a printhead (97) from a common drive waveform has a switching circuit (32) for coupling the common drive waveform to an actuator (1,2), and a timing circuit (10) to control the switching circuit to form a drive pulse from the common drive waveform. The drive pulse is trimmed by controlling a duration (TTRIM) of a step at an intermediate level (VHOLD) in the drive pulse. This can improve the trade-off between available range of trimming and thermal efficiency because the voltage drop across the switching circuit can be reduced, compared to trimming only the height. Decoupling during a flat portion of the common drive waveform can enable the timing of the decoupling to be more relaxed compared to decoupling during a slope. Such relaxing can enable costs, complexity and thermal loading to be reduced.