Pre-drier apparatus and method

A method for pre-drying an image receiving substrate with a pre-dryer including an oven, separate endless porous belts and a plurality of belt rolls about which the porous belts are guided within the oven, the oven having an inlet through which the image receiving substrate to be dried is passed, and an outlet downstream the inlet through which the image receiving substrate exits the oven as a dried image receiving substrate, the method comprising:

• recirculating the two separate endless porous belts within the oven while sandwiching the image receiving substrate along a sandwiched path length between the inlet and the outlet, with the first one of the porous belts maintaining contact with the first side of the image receiving substrate between the inlet and the outlet, and the second one of the porous belts maintaining contact with the second side of the image receiving substrate between the inlet and the outlet, the sandwiched path length representing the length where the two separate porous belts remain adjacent to sandwich the image receiving substrate therebetween;
• carrying the sandwiched image receiving substrate along the sandwiched path length to the outlet via the plurality of belt rolls about which the porous belts wind within the oven, the belt rolls configured to tension the porous belts during the recirculating step;
• and
• heating the porous belts and image receiving substrate within the oven while the image receiving substrate is sandwiched between the porous belts with a heat source to dry the image receiving substrate to a desired level in preparation for a subsequent printing thereon.

A pre-dryer for drying an image receiving substrate in preparation for a subsequent printing thereon, comprising:

• two separate endless porous belts recirculating within an oven having an inlet through which the image receiving substrate to be dried is passed and an outlet downstream the inlet through which the image receiving substrate exits the oven as a dried image receiving substrate, the porous belts configured to sandwich the image receiving substrate along a sandwiched path length between the inlet and the outlet, with a first one of the porous belts maintaining contact with a first side of the image receiving substrate between the inlet and the outlet, and a second one of the porous belts maintaining contact with a second side of the image receiving substrate between the inlet and the outlet, the sandwiched path length representing a length where the two separate porous belts remain adjacent to sandwich the image receiving substrate therebetween;
• and
• a plurality of belt rolls about which the porous belts wind within the oven, the belt rolls configured to tension the porous belts during recirculation and carry the sandwiched image receiving substrate along the sandwiched path length to the outlet,
• wherein the plurality of belt rolls are arranged as an array of belt rolls having a plurality of columns, the plurality of columns including outer columns adjacent opposite sidewalls of the oven and at least one inner column between the outer columns, the porous belts and image receiving substrate heated within the oven while the image receiving substrate is sandwiched between the porous belts to dry the image receiving substrate to a desired level in preparation for a subsequent printing thereon.