DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A COLOR THERMAL INKJET PRINT CARTRIDGE.

The HP Paintjet Color Graphics Printer uses thermal inkjet technology to produce vivid color graphics for overhead transparencies and reports. Intended for personal computer applications, it produces text and graphics with 180-dots-per-inch resolution and near-letter-quality (NLQ) text at a speed of 167 characters per second. This paper discusses drop generator design, drop volume selection, reliable drop ejection, effect of bubbles in the ink, hydraulic cross talk between adjacent nozzles, reservoir design, initial pen prototypes, capillary reservoir thermal inkjet pens, ether-type polyurethane foam, preparation of the foam reservoir and testing program including print quality testing, reliability testing and system operational testing. 1 Ref.