Printer with vacuum device
AssigneeCanon Production Printing Holding B.V.
InventorsMarcel J. H. M. Haenen, Ludovicus M. Heijnders
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A printer includes a print station; a media transport mechanism arranged for conveying print media on a transport path past the print station, the transport mechanism having a support surface for supporting the media; and a vacuum device arranged for attracting the media against the support surface on a section of the transport path downstream of the print station. The vacuum device is divided, in the direction along the transport path, into at least two segments in which the media are attractable with different non-zero suction pressures.
Claims9
A printer comprising:
- a print station;
- a media transport mechanism arranged for conveying print media on a transport path past the print station, the transport mechanism having a support surface for supporting the media;
- and
- a vacuum device arranged for attracting the media against the support surface on a section of the transport path downstream of the print station,
- wherein the vacuum device is divided, in a direction along the transport path, into at least two segments in which the media are attractable with different non-zero suction pressures, and
- wherein the vacuum device has an upstream segment and a separate downstream segment,
- wherein the suction pressure in the upstream segment is larger than the suction pressure in the downstream segment, and
- wherein a ratio between the suction pressure in the upstream section and the downstream section is between 1.3:1 and 5:1.
An ink jet printing method comprising the steps of:
- moving a media sheet past a print station and printing an image onto the media sheet;
- conveying the media sheet with the printed image through a drying station while the media sheet is supported on a support surface;
- and
- attracting the media sheet against the support surface by means of a vacuum device;
- wherein the step of attracting comprises a first sub-step of attracting the sheet against the support surface with a high suction pressure in order to remove cockles from the sheet, and a second sub-step of holding the sheet in engagement with the support surface by applying a suction pressure that is lower than the suction pressure in the first sub-step, and
- wherein a ratio between the suction pressure in an upstream section and a downstream section is between 1.3:1 and 5:1.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.