An image forming apparatus includes a drawing data creating unit and a controller. The drawing data creating unit creates drawing data from a print job. The controller automatically sets at least one of a first dropping method of performing discharge in a drawing area and a second dropping method of performing the discharge outside the drawing area as a preliminary discharge method in accordance with a type of component elements of the created drawing data, and performs preliminary discharge in accordance with the set preliminary discharge method.

An image forming apparatus includes: an ink-jet head including a storage that stores phase transition ink, the ink jet head forms an image on a recording medium by ejecting the phase transition ink; and one or more hardware processors. The one or more hardware processors change a driving condition of the ink jet head for a case of ejecting the phase transition ink on a basis of a first reading result of a pattern image formed by the ink-jet head; estimate occurrence of a state change of the phase transition ink in the storage when the driving condition that is changed satisfies a predetermined condition; and determine whether a lifetime of the ink jet head is over in accordance with whether the occurrence of the state change is estimated.

In accordance with an embodiment, an inkjet head comprises a counter, a plurality of comparators, a head drive signal generation section and a head main body. The counter counts a count value at a predetermined interval. The plurality of the comparators sets a comparative value obtained from the count value and an offset value if a first transmission start signal is input from a first device, and outputs a second transmission start signal to a second device if the count value becomes the comparative value. The head drive signal generation section outputs a head drive signal if the second transmission start signal is input. The head main body ejects an ink to a print medium if the head drive signal is input.

A printer printing an image on a print medium based on print data including print dot data for each of print lines. The printer includes a print head including heating elements arranged along a direction of the print lines, and a controller finding the number of print dots on each print line and determining a first or second control mode as a control mode of the heating elements for printing each print line based on the found number of print dots. In the first control mode, the heating elements are divided into first groups including two or more adjacent heating elements and are heated at a different timing. In the second control mode, the heating elements are divided into second groups including two or more heating elements with at least two thereof spaced apart and are heated at a different timing.

An image forming apparatus includes a head unit that moves in a predetermined scanning direction and on which a first nozzle which discharges first ink including a black color material, a second nozzle which discharges second ink having higher brightness than that of the first ink, and a third nozzle which discharges third ink having higher brightness than that of the first ink are arrayed in the scanning direction, and a control portion. The control portion is set to perform a conversion processing which sets a type and amount of the ink which is discharged from the head unit according to color data included in the image data and use the first ink, the second ink, and the third ink according to the color data of the darkest point in the conversion processing.

A fluid ejection device includes a plurality of fluid actuation devices, a plurality of memory cells, and a configuration register. Each memory cell of the plurality of memory cells corresponds to a fluid actuation device of the plurality of fluid actuation devices. The configuration register stores data to enable or disable access to the plurality of memory cells.

A method for inkjet printing an image onto a curved region of an object surface includes applying a screen of ink drops to the region to create print dots, calculating the screen using a computer and generating and applying ink drops to the region using a print head having nozzles on a nozzle surface. The steps include a) providing data representing the print image, b) providing or calculating data representing the region, c) providing or calculating path data on paths for the print head or object, d) calculating application locations of ink drops using data from steps b) and c), e) calculating data based on tiling the region using data from step d), f) calibrating tone values using data from step e), g) screening the print image using data from step f), and h) printing the screened image onto the region. A device implementing the method is also provided.

A controller of an inkjet printer: calculates second density correction values for respective nozzles arranged in a predetermined direction to print a second line of an image data, by using gray-level values of pixels in the second line of the image data corresponding to the respective nozzles and first density correction values for the respective nozzles to print a first line of the image data printed immediately prior to the second line; and corrects the gray-level values of the pixels in the second line of the image data corresponding to the respective nozzles, by using the calculated second density correction values.

Various embodiments disclose a method for operating a printer apparatus. The method comprising monitoring a utilization rate of each heating element in a first set of heating elements defined by a print head arrangement. Further, the method comprises generating a utilization dataset based upon monitoring of the utilization rate of each heating element in the first set of heating elements print head arrangement. Furthermore, the method includes analyzing the utilization dataset to identify one or more overutilized heating elements of the first set of heating elements. Additionally, the method includes identifying a second set of heating elements defined by the print head arrangement. The second set of heating elements comprises a portion of the first set of heating elements exclusive of the one or more overutilized heating elements. The method further includes processing a print job. The processed print job utilized the second set of heating elements during printing.

A memory circuit for a print component including a plurality of I/O pads, including an analog pad, to connect to a plurality of signals paths which communicate operating signals to the print component, and a memory component to store memory values associated with the print component. A control circuit to, in response to identifying a sequence of operating signals representing a memory read, provide a first analog signal on the analog pad in parallel with a second analog signal from the print component to provide an analog electrical value on the analog pad representing stored memory values selected by the memory read.