Printing apparatus

Claim 1

A printing apparatus wherein ink is deposited onto a recording medium in response to electrical control signals comprising: a shaft; means for rotatably driving said shaft about its axis; a circular disc member coaxially and replaceably mounted on said shaft to be rotated by said shaft; an electrically operable metering ink jet mounted at the periphery of said disc member for directing jets of ink drops radially outward from said disc, said ink jet being of the type susceptible to the formation of bubbles; said disc member being arranged to serve as a replaceable ink cartridge wherein said disc member includes a cavity extending substantially throughout said disc member and located generally radially inward from said ink jet, said cavity forming an ink reservoir for storing said ink within said disc member and adapted to supply ink to said ink jet; said bubbles being urged radially inward in response to a pressure gradient established by centrifugal forces acting on said ink when said disc member is rotated; means responsive to said electrical control signals for controlling said ink jets to provide jets of ink drops in accordance with the information manifested by said signals; a warped surface guide member formed of a warped surface having a straight line portion at one end and a curved line portion at the opposite end, said curved line portion of said guide member being conformed to the circular periphery of said disc member and proximate therefrom; means for driving said recording medium contiguously through said guide member over said straight line portion to egress over said curved portion conforming said recording medium to the warped surface of said guide member as said recording medium is guided past the circular periphery of said disc member.