Method of multi-color pagewide printing with optimized nozzle hydration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10377131-B2
Application number	US-201815879327-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2018
Priority date	Sep 21, 2011
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

A method of multi-color printing in a single pass using a fixed pagewide array of monochrome inkjet printheads. The printheads are aligned with each other in a media feed direction and the method includes the steps of: feeding print media along the media feed direction past a first printhead positioned furthest upstream in the array, a third printhead downstream of the first printhead and a second printhead positioned furthest downstream in the array; printing a yellow ink onto the print media using the first printhead; printing a black ink onto the print media using the third printhead; and printing a cyan or magenta ink onto the print media using the second printhead.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of multi-color printing in a single pass using a fixed pagewide array of monochrome inkjet printheads, the printheads being aligned with each other in a media feed direction, the method comprising the steps of:
feeding print media along the media feed direction past a first printhead positioned furthest upstream in the array, a third printhead downstream of the first printhead and a second printhead positioned furthest downstream in the array;
printing a yellow ink onto the print media using the first printhead;
printing a black ink onto the print media using the third printhead; and
printing a cyan or magenta ink onto the print media using the second printhead,
wherein:
each of the first, second and third printheads prints a respective keep-wet pattern onto print media;
each keep-wet pattern is defined by a plurality of dots printed at a frequency sufficient to maintain hydration of each nozzle of a respective printhead;
all nozzles of the first printhead print a first keep-wet pattern at a first average frequency, all nozzles of the second printhead print a second keep-wet pattern at a second average frequency, and all nozzles of the third printhead print a third keep-wet pattern at a third average frequency; and
the first average frequency is higher than the third average frequency.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
feeding the print media past a fourth printhead positioned between the first and second printheads; and
printing a magenta or cyan ink onto the print media using said fourth printhead.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first average frequency is higher than the second average frequency.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the print media is fed past the array at a speed of greater than 0.2 meters per second.

Assignees

• Memjet Technology Ltd

Inventors

• North Angus
• Palma Philip
• Brown Brian
• Mcrae Duncan
• Prashar Jognandan
• Jurevic Mile
• Mallinson Sam
• Mcbain Geordie
• Lin Chia-An
• Myers Sam
• Tsang Jeffrey
• Powell Benjamin

Classifications

• B41J2/21

  for multi-colour printing · CPC title

• B41J2/16579

  Detection means therefor, e.g. for nozzle clogging · CPC title

• B41J11/001

  Handling wide copy materials · CPC title

• B41J2/155 Primary

  for line printing · CPC title

• B41J2/04586

  controlling heads of a type not covered by groups B41J2/04575 - B41J2/04585, or of an undefined type · CPC title