The present invention involves the ejection of ink drops by way of forming gas or vapor bubbles in a bubble forming liquid. This principle is generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,120 (Stemme). Each pixel in the printed image is derived ink drops ejected from one or more ink nozzles. In recent years, inkjet printing has become increasing popular primarily due to its inexpensive and versatile nature. Many different aspects and techniques for inkjet printing are described in detail in the above cross referenced documents.
Fluidic cross talk between nozzles is a well known issue in inkjet printing. The pressure pulse created by the actuators in one ink chamber can be strong enough to affect the ejection characteristics of adjacent chambers. In printheads with a high nozzle packing density, this is more likely to be a problem. Lengthening fluid communication paths between adjacent nozzles can address cross talk but adversely affects the nozzle packing density. Constricting fluid communication paths between chambers can adequately contain pressure pulses within individual chambers, but this can also retard nozzle refill times which can have a direct bearing on print speeds.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds