Patent ID: 6517175
Filing Date: 2003-02-11
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A printer having an ink jet head with plural nozzles that ejects ink droplets and an ink reservoir that has a predetermined capacity to store ink, said ink jet head ejecting ink droplets to create ink dots on a printing medium and thereby print an image on the printing medium, said printer comprising:a supply condition detection unit that detects an ink supply condition, where the ink supply condition is based on an effect that the ejection of one ink droplet from one nozzle has upon an amount of ink ejected from the remaining nozzles in the ink jet head; an ink ejecting number counter that counts an ink ejecting number ejected by said ink jet head; and a residual ink quantity monitor that monitors a residual quantity of ink remaining in said ink reservoir by taking into account the ink supply condition detected by said supply condition detection unit, based on the ink ejecting number counted by said ink ejecting number counter and the predetermined capacity of said ink reservoir.