Patent ID: 6454384
Filing Date: 2002-09-24
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A method of depositing a marking material onto a substrate, comprising the steps of:providing a gas propellant to a head structure, said head structure having a channel therein, said channel having an exit orifice with a width no larger than 250 &mgr;m through which said propellant may flow, said propellant flowing through said channel to thereby form a gas propellant stream having kinetic energy, said channel directing said propellant stream toward said substrate; and controllably introducing a liquid marking material, from a pool of such liquid marking material, into said propellant stream in said channel, the propellant stream carrying the marking material from an exit orifice of said channel in a marking material stream having a width which does not deviate by more than 10 percent from the width of the exit orifice for a distance, in a direction of travel of the marking material stream, of at least 4 times the exit orifice width, the kinetic energy of said propellant stream causing said introduced liquid marking material to impact said substrate.