Patent ID: 7448719

Claim:
A printhead for an ink jet printer, comprising: a primary and a secondary array of nozzles in the printhead, the nozzles in said primary array of nozzles being in alignment with the nozzles in said secondary array of nozzles in a printing process direction; means for detecting defective nozzles in both said primary array of nozzles and in said secondary array of nozzles; means for selectively activating nozzles in said secondary array of nozzles that are in alignment with defective nozzles in said primary array of nozzles; and means, responsive to said detecting means, for translating said secondary array of nozzles in relation to said primary array of nozzles along a path to a first position to realigned the nozzles in said primary array of nozzles to nozzles in said secondary array of nozzles if defective nozzles are aligned in both said primary and said secondary array of nozzles.