Method for controlling a printhead

1. A method for controlling a printhead for printing and maintaining a desired operating temperature of said printhead during said printing, said printhead having a plurality of ink ejectors and a plurality of addresses employed for ejecting ink from said plurality of ink ejectors, wherein each address of said plurality of addresses corresponds to a particular subset of said plurality of ink ejectors, comprising:

configuring a binary intensity word for applying non-nucleating heating to selected ink ejectors of said plurality of ink ejectors of said printhead;

repeatedly sequentially cycling through said plurality of addresses for said printing with said printhead; and

repeatedly applying said binary intensity word while performing said repeated sequentially cycling through said plurality of addresses.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

said binary intensity word includes a configurable plurality of assertable bits for modulating said non-nucleating heating from a minimum value to a maximum value; and

wherein said configuring said binary intensity word includes selecting from said configurable plurality of assertable bits a number of assertable bits to be asserted for providing a modulated non-nucleating heating of said printhead.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein:

said plurality of ink ejectors includes a plurality of arrays of ink ejectors; and

wherein said number of assertable bits asserted for said modulated non-nucleating heating is different as between at least two arrays of said plurality of arrays of ink ejectors.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein:

said printhead includes a plurality of regions; and

said number of assertable bits asserted for providing said modulated non-nucleating heating varies for each region of said plurality of regions in response to a respective temperature associated with said each region.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said respective temperature associated with said each region is determined based on at least one of a measured temperature corresponding to said each region and estimated heating data for said each region.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

said binary intensity word includes a configurable length; and

wherein said configuring said binary intensity word includes selecting a length of said binary intensity word as said configurable length.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said length of said binary intensity word is configured such that a number of assertable bits forming said binary intensity word is different than a number of addresses forming said plurality of addresses.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said number of assertable bits forming said binary intensity word is different than said number of addresses forming said plurality of addresses by a value equal to one.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein said number of assertable bits forming said binary intensity word is not a factor of said number of addresses forming said plurality of addresses and is not divisible by said number of addresses forming said plurality of addresses.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said binary intensity word is configured to apply said non-nucleating heating to a different address of said plurality of addresses for each successive cycling through said plurality of addresses.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

said binary intensity word includes a configurable length given by a configurable plurality of assertable bits for modulating said non-nucleating heating from a minimum value to a maximum value; and

said configuring said binary intensity word includes:

selecting a length of said binary intensity word in the form of a total number of assertable bits defining said configurable plurality of assertable bits; and

selecting from said configurable plurality of assertable bits a number of assertable bits to be asserted for providing a modulated non-nucleating heating of said printhead.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:

said printhead includes a plurality of regions; and

said number of assertable bits asserted for providing said modulated non-nucleating heating varies for each region of said plurality of regions in response to a respective temperature associated with said each region.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein said binary intensity word is configured to apply to a different address of said plurality of addresses for each successive cycling through said plurality of addresses.

14. A method for maintaining a desired operating temperature of a printhead during printing, said printhead having a plurality of ink ejectors and a plurality of addresses employed for ejecting ink from said plurality of ink ejectors, wherein each address of said plurality of addresses corresponds to a particular subset of said plurality of ink ejectors, comprising

establishing a configurable binary intensity word for applying non-nucleating heating to selected ink ejectors of said plurality of ink ejectors;

cycling through said plurality of addresses for said printing with said printhead;

applying said binary intensity word to said printhead in parallel with said cycling through said plurality of addresses; and

modulating said non-nucleating heating by changing a numeric representation of said binary intensity word.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein said binary intensity word includes a configurable plurality of assertable bits, and wherein said changing said numeric representation includes selecting from said configurable plurality of assertable bits a number of assertable bits to be asserted for providing said non-nucleating heating of said printhead.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said printhead includes a plurality of regions; and wherein said number of assertable bits asserted for providing said modulated non-nucleating heating varies for each region of said plurality of regions in response to a respective temperature associated with said each region.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein said respective temperature associated with said each region is determined based on at least one of a measured temperature corresponding to said each region and estimated heating data for said each region.

18. A method for maintaining a desired operating temperature of a printhead during printing, said printhead having a plurality of ink ejectors and a plurality of addresses employed for ejecting ink from said plurality of ink ejectors, wherein each address of said plurality of addresses corresponds to a particular subset of said plurality of ink ejectors, comprising

establishing a configurable binary intensity word for applying non-nucleating heating to selected ink ejectors of said plurality of ink ejectors;

cycling through said plurality of addresses for said printing with said printhead; and

applying said binary intensity word to said printhead in parallel with said cycling through said plurality of addresses,

wherein said binary intensity word is configured to apply said non-nucleating heating to a different address of said plurality of addresses while cycling through said plurality of addresses.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein said binary intensity word includes a configurable length; and wherein said binary intensity word is configured to apply said non-nucleating heating by selecting a length of said binary intensity word.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein a number of bits forming said binary intensity word is different than said number of addresses forming said plurality of addresses.