The present invention is directed to a method for driving a piezoelectric
ink jet head comprising a piezoelectric actuator AC that includes two
piezoelectric ceramic layers 7a, 7b having such a size that covers the
plurality of pressure chambers 2, wherein an electric field of opposite
sense to the polarizing direction is applied to the second piezoelectric
ceramic layer 7b by using the common electrodes 8a, 8b and, (1) for the
pressure chambers 2 from which the ink is discharged, an electric field
of the same sense as the polarizing direction of the layer is applied to
the first piezoelectric ceramic layer 7a by using the individual
electrode 10 and the first common electrode 8a, thereby causing the
region of the piezoelectric actuator AC to deflect toward the pressure
chamber 2, while (2) for the pressure chambers 2 from which the ink
should not be discharged, an electric field of the opposite sense to the
polarizing direction is applied to the first piezoelectric ceramic layer
7a by using the electrodes 10, 8a, thereby to maintain the region of the
piezoelectric actuator AC in the initial state, so as to discharge an ink
droplet selectively through the nozzle 3 that communicates with the
pressure chamber 2 described in (1) and form a dot.