Patent ID: 7758171

Claim:
A method of forming a liquid pattern of print drops impinging a receiving medium according to liquid pattern data using a liquid drop emitter that emits a plurality of continuous streams of liquid at a stream velocity, v d , from a plurality of nozzles having effective diameters, D n , arrayed at a nozzle spacing, S n , along a nozzle array direction that are broken into a plurality of streams of print and non-print drops by a corresponding plurality of drop forming transducers to which a corresponding plurality of drop forming energy pulse sequences are applied, the method comprising: forming non-print drops by applying non-print drop forming energy pulses during a unit time period, τ 0 , and forming print drops by applying print drop forming energy pulses during a large drop time period, τ m , wherein the large drop time period is a multiple, m, of the unit time period, τ m =mτ 0 , and m≧2; forming the corresponding plurality of drop forming energy pulses sequences so as to form non-print drops and print drops according to the liquid pattern data; and substantially shifting in time the corresponding drop forming energy pulse sequences applied to adjacent drop forming transducers so that the print drops formed in adjacent streams of drops are not aligned along the nozzle array direction.