Ink tank filling processes are known. For a given filling process, several considerations are evaluated and balanced. Generally, it is desirable to maximize the amount of ink available for printing over the lifetime of the ink tank while at the same time minimizing the cost and time associated with filling the tank with ink.
Additionally, it is advantageous during printing to reduce the amount of required printhead over travel. As printhead over travel is related to the width of the printhead, it is advantageous to use narrow (length greater than width) ink tanks. However, as ink tanks become narrower, ink volume requirements cause ink tank lengths to be significantly increased creating the need to minimize the potential of trapping ink in the ink tank that is unavailable for use during printing. This is especially true for ink tanks containing a porous media that provides pressure regulation because capillary forces in the media play a dominant role in the long-term distribution of ink in these tanks.
As such, there is a need to be able to fill narrow ink tanks while reducing the likelihood of trapping ink in the ink tank and minimizing the cost and time associated with filling the tank with ink.