Patent ID: 6161914
Filing Date: 2000-12-19
Classification: B41J,G06K

Abstract:
A swath type printing system comprising:a print carriage movable along a carriage scan axis over a print zone;a motor for moving print media through said print zone along a media scan axis that is substantially orthogonal to said carriage scan axis;a plurality of print cartridges supported by said print carriage and having ink firing nozzles spaced apart a predetermined nozzle pitch distance from each other to print rows of dots in a single scan of said print carriage;a controller coupled to said print cartridges for sending activation signals to selected ink firing nozzles to print on said media a first test line segment from one of said print cartridges and a second test line segment from another of said print cartridges, with said first test line segment spaced apart from said second test line segment; andoptical sensing means carried by said print carriage and configured to detect the relative positions of said first test line segment and said second test line segment in order to cause appropriate data to arrive at said ink firing nozzles when said nozzles are over a appropriate location of said media.