Patent ID: 6474776
Filing Date: 2002-11-05
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
An inkjet printer system utilizing one or more cartridges having 2 m jet nozzles, wherein m is an integer, but whose cost of manufacture substantially is less the cost of manufacturing a conventional inkjet cartridge having the same number of jet nozzles, said printer comprising:a processor which receives print data; a memory, coupled to the processor, which stores at least one print mask; at least one ink jet cartridge having a first jet plate comprising m equally spaced jet nozzles mounted to a face of said ink jet cartridge, a second jet plate comprising m equally spaced jet nozzles mounted to said face of said cartridge adjacent to said first jet plate, wherein said first jet plate and said second jet plate are physically separated with a small gap therebetween devoid of any jet nozzles; and a print logic circuit, coupled to said processor, which receives signals from the processor to control the operation of said first and second jet plates, wherein each ink jet nozzle is assigned to print respective dots on a respective raster line of a recording medium in accordance with said at least one print mask stored within said memory, and wherein said print mask compensates for the lack of ink jet nozzles in said gap.