Patent ID: 8845072
Filing Date: 2014-09-30
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A condensation control system for use in an inkjet printing system having a plurality of inkjet printheads that eject ink droplets of an ink having a vaporizable carrier fluid toward a receiver that is moved past the printing module by a receiver transport system; the condensation control system comprising: a barrier between the inkjet printheads; a plurality of caps with each cap positioned at one of the plurality of inkjet printheads and extending from the barrier toward the receiver to create higher resistance flow areas between the inkjet printheads and the receiver, with the caps being separated to create lower resistance flow channels between the caps and further having openings through which ink droplets can pass from the inkjet printheads through the higher resistance flow areas and onto the receiver; a cross-module airflow generation system generating a cross-module airflow to remove a portion of any vaporized carrier fluid from between the barrier and the receiver, the cross-module airflow generation system including at least one of a blower and a vacuum system that generates the cross-module airflow; and wherein differences between a lower resistance to the cross-module airflow in the lower resistance flow channels and a higher resistance to the cross-module airflow in the higher resistance flow areas cause the cross-module airflow to flow through the lower resistance flow channels so that any portion of the cross-module airflow entering the higher resistance flow areas does not create variations in the travel paths of the ink droplets that are sufficient to form an observable artifact in a print made on the receiver using the ink droplets.