Patent ID: 8714675

Claim:
A method of printing comprising: providing a printhead including: a nozzle; and a jet control element including: a continuous heater element positioned to surround the nozzle; a plurality of three or more electrical contacts in electrical communication with the continuous heater element, the plurality of three or more electrical contacts defining a plurality of three or more continuous heater element portions that are actuatable with sufficient independence so as to control jet steering, the number of the continuous heater element portions equaling the number of electrical contacts; providing liquid under pressure sufficient to eject a jet of liquid through the nozzle; applying a first waveform to at least one of the plurality of three or more electrical contacts using a controller to affect at least one of the plurality of independently actuatable continuous heater element portions to control the jet of liquid; and applying a second waveform to at least one of the remaining plurality of three or more electrical contacts using the controller, the first waveform being applied in response to jet steering data and the second waveform being applied in response to print content data.