US 2014/0232785 A1Published application

Inkjet printer

AssigneeDainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.

InventorsToshio MAEDA, Keisuke Hirayama, Tamio Fukui

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Abstract

In an inkjet printer, a first sparsely arranged portion of a first ejection head entirely overlaps in a movement direction with a second densely arranged portion of a second ejection head. A plurality of outlets of the first sparsely arranged portion include use outlets, and among a plurality of outlets of the second densely arranged portion, those that overlap in the movement direction with use outlets of the first sparsely arranged portion are non-use outlets. In an overlapping range of the first ejection head and the second ejection head, outlets of both of the ejection heads are used in recording an image onto a base material. Consequently, it is possible to prevent or suppress a reduction in print quality such as changes in density or the occurrence of voids due to displacement of the mounting positions of ejection heads in the overlapping range.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An inkjet printer comprising:

a head assembly for ejecting fine droplets of ink;
and
a conveying mechanism for causing a base material and said head assembly to move relative to each other in a predetermined movement direction,
wherein said head assembly includes:
a first ejection head having outlets arranged in an arrangement direction that intersects said movement direction;
and
a second ejection head having outlets arranged in said arrangement direction and being disposed at a position that is different from a position of said first ejection head in said movement direction and that is shifted from said first ejection head in said arrangement direction,
said first ejection head includes:
a first densely arranged portion in which outlets are arranged at a predetermined arrangement pitch in said arrangement direction;
and
a first sparsely arranged portion disposed adjacent to said first densely arranged portion on one side in said arrangement direction and in which outlets are more sparsely arranged in said arrangement direction than in said first densely arranged portion,
said second ejection head includes:
a second densely arranged portion in which outlets are arranged at said arrangement pitch in said arrangement direction;
and
a second sparsely arranged portion disposed adjacent to said second densely arranged portion on the other side in said arrangement direction and in which outlets are more sparsely arranged in said arrangement direction than in said second densely arranged portion,
said first sparsely arranged portion entirely overlaps in said movement direction with said second densely arranged portion,
said second sparsely arranged portion entirely overlaps in said movement direction with said first densely arranged portion,
said outlets of said first sparsely arranged portion include a use outlet that is used in recording an image onto said base material, and
among said outlets of said second densely arranged portion, an outlet that overlaps in said movement direction with said use outlet of said first sparsely arranged portion is a non-use outlet that is not used in recording an image onto said base material.

16 more elements

An inkjet printer comprising:

a head assembly for ejecting fine droplets of ink;
and
a conveying mechanism for causing a base material and said head assembly to move relative to each other in a predetermined movement direction,
wherein said head assembly includes:
a first ejection head having outlets arranged in an arrangement direction that intersects said movement direction;
and
a second ejection head having outlets arranged in said arrangement direction and being disposed at a position that is different from a position of said first ejection head in said movement direction and that is shifted from said first ejection head in said arrangement direction,
a size of the fine droplets of ink ejected from said outlets of said first ejection head and said second ejection head is switchable between a first size and a second size larger than said first size,
said first ejection head includes:
a first densely arranged portion in which outlets are arranged at a predetermined arrangement pitch in said arrangement direction;
and
a first sparsely arranged portion disposed adjacent to said first densely arranged portion on one side in said arrangement direction and in which outlets are more sparsely arranged in said arrangement direction than in said first densely arranged portion,
said second ejection head includes:
a second densely arranged portion in which outlets are arranged at said arrangement pitch in said arrangement direction;
and
a second sparsely arranged portion disposed adjacent to said second densely arranged portion on the other side in said arrangement direction and in which outlets are more sparsely arranged in said arrangement direction than in said second densely arranged portion,
said first sparsely arranged portion entirely overlaps in said movement direction said second densely arranged portion,
said second sparsely arranged portion entirely overlaps in said movement direction with said first densely arranged portion,
said outlets of said first sparsely arranged portion include a use outlet that is used in recording an image onto said base material,
among said outlets of said second densely arranged portion, an outlet that overlaps in said movement direction with said use outlet of said first sparsely arranged portion includes an auxiliary outlet that is used in an auxiliary manner in recording an image onto said base material, and
if a size of the fine droplets of ink ejected from said use outlet of said first sparsely arranged portion is greater than or equal to a predetermined size, said auxiliary outlet ejects fine droplets of ink of said first size.

18 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.