US 7,588,305 B2
Dual drop printing mode using full length waveforms to achieve head drop mass differences
David L. Knierim, Wilsonville, Oreg. (US); Trevor J. Snyder, Newberg, Oreg. (US); and Joel Chan, West Linn, Oreg. (US)
Assigned to Xerox Corporation, Norwalk, Conn. (US)
Filed on May 31, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/139,700.
Prior Publication US 2006/0268036 A1, Nov. 30, 2006
Int. Cl. B41J 29/38 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 347—14  [347/41] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
10. An apparatus for ejecting a fluid in a pattern of at least first and second different drop sizes of a same fluid in accordance with a page patterning methodology, comprising:
a fluid ejector nozzle array having a plurality of fluid nozzles, each having a defined nozzle geometry;
a fluid ejector driver capable of driving each individual nozzle with a selected full length waveform so that the array ejects a predetermined repeating alternating pattern containing both the first and second drop sizes of the same fluid across an output page;
an image data input that receives image data from a source; and
a processor that analyzes the received image data globally on a page by page basis to set the predetermined repeating alternating pattern of first and second drop sizes globally for each page that optimizes overall image quality for each particular page, the predetermined repeating alternating pattern set being selected from a pattern having a ratio of first to second drops in the pattern of approximately 1:1 and one or more patterns having a ratio of first to second drops in the pattern substantially different from 1:1 so that one particular drop size is dominant in the pattern;
wherein the nozzle array is driven by the selected full length waveform based on the received image data to eject drops in accordance with the image data to print the image data on the page using the ejected fluid having the set repeating alternating pattern containing both first and second drop sizes, and
the individual nozzles of the nozzle array have a common nozzle geometry and a waveform selector selects one of at least two different full length waveforms to drive each nozzle to achieve the repeating alternating pattern of first and second drop sizes.