Patent ID: 7628463

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a recording head including a nozzle from which liquid droplets are ejected, a pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle and containing liquid, and a pressure generation part changing a volume of the pressure chamber; and a drive signal generation part configured to generate a drive signal including a plurality of drive pulses, the drive signal causing the pressure generation part of the recording head to operate so that the liquid droplets are ejected from the nozzle, wherein the drive signal generated by the drive signal generation part includes, within a single print cycle, a resonant drive pulse causing a first one of the liquid droplets to be ejected using a natural vibration period of the pressure chamber, a non-resonant drive pulse causing a second one of the liquid droplets to be ejected without using the natural vibration period of the pressure chamber, and a slight drive pulse prevented from causing the ink droplets to be ejected.