Image forming method and image forming apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsMidori Ohara, Hiroshi Taniuchi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided are an image forming method and image forming apparatus capable of always stably transferring an ink image on an intermediate transfer body to a printing medium and stably obtaining an image with high quality. Formation and drying operation of the image using an inkjet method are repeated a plurality of times to obtain the image on the intermediate transfer body and the thus obtained image is transferred from the intermediate transfer body to a printing medium to form the image. At this time, a capability of the drying operation finally performed among a plurality of times of the drying operations is more lowered than those of all the drying operations except the drying operation finally performed.
Claims7
A method for forming an image, comprising the steps of:
- repeating a process a plurality of times, the process including an image forming step for forming an image on an intermediate transfer body by ejecting ink from an inkjet head onto the intermediate transfer body and a drying step for drying the image on the intermediate transfer body after the image forming step;
- and
- transferring the image, which is obtained through the plurality of times of processes, from the intermediate transfer body to a printing medium,
- wherein a drying power and drying time in the drying step included in a final process, of the plurality of times of drying steps included in the plurality of times of process, are the lowest and the longest respectively.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image forming unit configured to form an image on a intermediate transfer body by ejecting ink onto the intermediate transfer body from an inkjet head;
- a drying configured to perform a drying treatment for drying the image formed on the intermediate transfer body;
- a controller configured to control said image forming unit and said drying unit so that a process in which the drying treatment is performed by said drying unit after the image is formed by said image forming unit is performed a plurality of times;
- and
- a transferring portion for transferring the image, which is obtained through the plurality of times of processes, from the intermediate transfer body to a printing medium,
- wherein a drying power and drying time in the drying treatment included in a final process, of the plurality of times of drying treatments included in the plurality of times of process, are the lowest and the longest respectively.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of sections each of which includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a intermediate transfer body by ejecting ink onto the intermediate transfer body from an inkjet head, and a drying unit configured to dry the image formed on the intermediate transfer body;
- a transferring portion for transferring the image, which is obtained through the plurality of times of image forming and plurality of times of drying by said plurality of sections, from the intermediate transfer body to a printing medium,
- wherein a drying power and drying time by the drying unit which performs final drying, of the plurality of drying units included in said plurality of sections, are the lowest and the longest respectively.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.