Method and apparatus for high speed printing in a mailing machine

Abstract

A mailing machine includes structure for transporting a mailpiece at a constant speed through the mailing machine in a processing direction; structure for continuously determining a position of the mailpiece in the mailing machine; a first printhead having first nozzles aligned transverse to the processing direction; a second printhead having second nozzles aligned adjacent to the first nozzles and transverse to the processing direction; structure for coordinating the selective energizing of the first and second nozzles in synchronism with each other and the position of the mailpiece so that the first printhead only prints first predetermined columns of ink dots of an indicia image on the mailpiece and the second printhead only prints second predetermined columns of ink dots of the indicia image on the mailpiece, the second predetermined columns of ink dots being in interlaced relationship in the processing direction with the first predetermined columns of ink dots whereby the first and second columns of ink dots together form the indicia image. A method includes the steps of aligning at least first and second printheads in a processing direction of a substrate to be printed on; moving the substrate in the processing direction past the first and second printheads; selectively energizing the first printhead to only print first predetermined columns of ink dots of an image on the substrate; selectively energizing the second printhead to only print second predetermined columns of ink dots of the image on the substrate, the second predetermined columns of ink dots being in interlaced relationship in the processing direction with the first predetermined columns of ink dots whereby the first and second columns of ink dots together form the image.