Ink jet printer architecture and method

A method of printing sheets of print medium with hot-melt ink from an ink jet print head having at least one orifice from which hot-melt ink is ejected toward the print medium carried by a rotatable thermally conductive drum, each sheet of print medium having a first edge, a second edge opposed to the first edge, and a pair of transversely spaced apart side edges, the ink jet print head being movable in a transverse direction, the method comprising the steps of:

• moving the ink jet print head to a home position spaced from the portion of the thermally conductive drum carrying the print medium, the drum having a continuous support surface;
• rotating the thermally conductive drum to position a drum-mounted clamp to a print medium receiving position;
• feeding the print medium to deliver the first edge of the print medium to the clamp and causing the print medium to buckle to align the first edge to the clamp;
• clamping the first edge of the print medium in the clamp and to the continuous support surface of the thermally conductive drum;
• rotating the thermally conductive drum in a first direction to position the print medium in a printing zone and at a start print position;
• applying a back-tension to the print medium to wrap the print medium from the first edge of the print medium to the second edge of the print medium about the drum;
• moving the ink jet print head transversely in repeated passes back and forth across the print medium while moving the thermally conductive drum in the first direction to transport the print medium through the printing zone while ejecting hot-melt ink from the ink jet print head to print on the medium;
• returning the ink jet print head to the home position;
• releasing the back-tension to the print medium;
• reversing the direction of the thermally conductive drum such that the second edge of the print medium travels in a second direction to deliver the second edge of the print medium to an exit path and along the exit path from the thermally conductive drum and releasing the clamp to permit a transfer of the print medium from the drum to the exit path and;
• delivering the print medium to pressure fusing apparatus to pass the medium therethrough to pressure fuse the hot-melt ink to the print medium.