公开(公告)号：DE3469699D1

公开(公告)日：1988-04-14

申请号：DE3469699

申请日：1984-11-06

Applicant: IBM

Inventor： LEE FRANCIS CHEE-SHUEN ,  MILLS ROSS NEAL ,  PAYNE ROBERT NOLAN ,  TALKE FRANK EBERHARD

IPC: B41J2/045 ,  B41J2/055 ,  B41J2/205 ,  B41J2/21 ,  B41J3/04

Abstract: An ink jet drop-on-demand printing system comprising an ink jet print head (10) having an ink cavity (23) supplied with a suitable ink. An electromechanical transducer (16) is mounted in mechanical communication with the ink cavity, and a control means (14) is provided to selectively actuate the transducer to produce an ink drop of a selected size. To produce ink drops of a selected size a source of electrical signals comprised in the control means produces electrical drive signals (60a to 60n) each separated by a fixed time delay (τ) which is short with respect to the drop-on-demand drop production rate (T). Each electrical drive signal (60a to 60n) is capable of ejecting a predetermined volume of ink and all ejected the volumes of ink merge to form a single drop prior to the time the ink drops reach the print medium for printing. By selecting groups (e.g. 60a to 60d, or 60a to 60f) from the signals (60a to 60n) the size of the merged drop can be selected.