An image forming apparatus includes a transportation belt, a print engine, and an ejection timing control unit. The transportation belt transports a print sheet. The print engine ejects ink onto the print sheet. The ejection timing control unit adjusts an ink ejection timing of the print engine. The transportation belt includes a flushing opening part. The print engine repeatedly performs ink flushing to the flushing opening part at predetermined timings. Further the ejection timing control unit derives an adjustment amount for the ink ejection timing of the print engine on the basis of: a number of the ink ejection timings in a period from a previous flushing time to a current flushing time, a distance from the flushing opening part for the flushing at the previous flushing time to the flushing opening part for the flushing at the current flushing time, and a print resolution.

An element substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of print elements and a plurality of drive elements for driving the plurality of print elements. The element substrate comprises a generation circuit configured to generate a first drive signal that drives drive elements belonging to a first group among the plurality of drive elements, and a second drive signal that drives drive elements belonging to a second group among the plurality of drive elements, using a selector configured to switch a signal transmitted from outside of the element substrate and an output destination of the signal within one block period in driving the plurality of drive elements by dividing the plurality of elements into the plurality of blocks. The first drive signal and the second drive signal are generated at different timings.

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.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes liquid discharge head units, an image sensor, and processing circuitry. The circuitry detects, based on image data detected by the sensor, an amount of deviation between positions on an object onto which liquid has been discharged by the head units; corrects a timing of discharging the liquid, based on the amount of deviation; switches between first control of conveying the object at a first speed while the sensor images the object with a first image size and second control of conveying the object at a second speed faster than the first speed while the sensor images the object with a second image size having a smaller number of pixels; and sets pixel positions of the sensor used for imaging during the second control, according to the amount of deviation detected based on the image data imaged with the first image size by the first control.

A liquid discharge method of discharging a liquid from a nozzle of a liquid discharge head by applying a drive pulse to a drive element of the liquid discharge head includes an acquisition step of acquiring a recording condition, and a driving step of applying the drive pulse to the drive element. The drive pulse includes a first potential, a second potential different from the first potential, and a third potential different from the first potential and the second potential. The second potential is to be applied after the first potential, and the third potential is to be applied after the second potential. In the liquid discharge method, in the driving step, the drive pulse having the first potential that varies depending on the recording condition acquired in the acquisition step is applied to the drive element.

A liquid ejection apparatus includes: an ejection unit that ejects from an ejection port a liquid in a pressure chamber communicating with the ejection port; a first flow channel that allows for communication between the pressure chamber and a liquid supply unit; a second flow channel communicating with the pressure chamber; a liquid transportation chamber communicating with a connection flow channel communicating with the first flow channel and the second flow channel; a liquid transportation unit that flows the liquid in the liquid transportation chamber in a predetermined direction by expanding and contracting the liquid transportation chamber with application of a driving voltage including a step-up waveform and a step-down waveform; and a control unit that performs control such that a liquid ejection timing does not coincide with a voltage application period in which one of the step-up and step-down waveforms that has a greater voltage change rate is applied.

A liquid ejection apparatus includes a liquid ejection unit with a plurality of nozzles and a corresponding plurality of actuators. A drive waveform generation circuit is configured to generate drive waveforms having different drive timings. An actuator drive circuit is configured to apply a first drive waveform to a first actuator in a liquid ejection operation and a second drive waveform to a second actuator in the liquid ejection operation during which the first and second actuators are to be driven at a same nominal time. The first driving waveform is different from the second drive waveform, and the first actuator is at a position electrically closer along a predetermined direction to a power supply electrode than is the second actuator.

A printer comprising a printhead comprising a number of non-staggered nozzles and a processor communicatively coupled to the printhead, in which the processor executes computer usable program code to adjust the firing time of a number of nozzles within a group of nozzles by a portion of a full dot row. A method comprising, with a processor, adjusting the firing time of a number of nozzles within a group of nozzles of a printhead by a portion of a full dot row by delaying the firing of a subset of those nozzles by a full dot row, in which the nozzles of the printhead are not staggered.

In a method and device for ascertaining print data for a print image to be printed, the print data is adapted and/or determined such that the time curve of the ink flow quantity, exhibits no quantity changes or flow rates due to which ink ejection errors might be produced, in particular nozzle failures. The device includes: a communication interface configured to receive the print data; and processing circuitry that ascertains, based on the print data, a time curve of an ink flow quantity of ink that, during the printing of the print image, flows in the print bar and/or is ejected from the one or more nozzles of the print bar; and determine, based on the time curve of the ink flow quantity, whether an ink ejection error will be produced.

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a head unit that includes a nozzle that ejects a liquid, a control circuit that outputs a control signal that controls an operation of the head unit, a power supply circuit that supplies a power supply voltage to the head unit, and a liquid container that stores the liquid. The head unit includes a first terminal to which the control signal is input, a second terminal to which the power supply voltage is supplied, and a liquid supply port to which the liquid is supplied, the first terminal and the second terminal are located side by side along a first direction, and the second terminal is located between the first terminal and the liquid supply port in a second direction intersecting the first direction.