Liquid-repellent application process for use with ink drop printers

摘要

In an ink drop printer of the kind in which a print head is reciprocable lengthwise of a platen, there is provided an applicator for applying anti-wetting composition to the nozzle bearing face of the print head. As described, the applicator is placed beyond one end of the platen, and the print head is reciprocated into conjunction with it in dependance on the amount of use since the previous application. In a first embodiment the applicator (16, Fig. 3) comprises an extendable pad (20) located between a capping means (15) and the end of the platen. In another embodiment the applicator is combined with the capping means. The extent of use of the print head may be based on a count of either the number of reciprocations of the print head along the platen, or the number of printing pulses applied to the drop generator. IMAGE