Printing medium management apparatus

An apparatus for use with a large format hot melt ink jet printer to remelt ink forming an image on a printing medium comprising:

• a printing medium transport means for moving a printing medium carrying an image formed from solidified hot melt ink from a printing medium supply to a printing medium take-up mechanism;
• a heater having a heating surface positioned between the printing medium supply and the printing medium take-up mechanism, the heating surface having a width at least as great as a width of the printing medium, the heater being operable to heat the printing medium as the printing medium moves from the printing medium supply to the take-up mechanism;
• and
• a means for engaging the printing medium to maintain constant and uniform contact between at least a portion of the printing medium and the heater surface across the entire width of the printing medium, wherein said means for engaging includes at least two separate sub-means, the first for cross-web biasing the printing medium to the heater, and the second for axially tensioning a portion of the printing medium resident between the printing medium supply and printing medium take-up mechanism.

A method of first printing a digital image on a printing medium with a hot melt ink jet printer apparatus and thereafter curing the digital image with heat to briefly re-melt the hot melt ink prior to cooling the digital image to set the image onto the printing medium, comprising the steps of:

• providing a hot melt ink jet printer comprising:
• a printing medium supply assembly for supplying a length of roll-type printing medium to receive a printed image, the printing medium having a first side and a second side, and wherein a uniform hot melt ink emulsion coating covers the first side;
• at least one printing head for depositing hot melt ink on the first side of the printing medium;
• a printing medium advancement mechanism for advancing the roll-type printing medium past the printing head;
• a take-up mechanism for collecting a portion of the roll-type printing medium after it has passed the printing head;
• and
• a heating and quenching mechanism having a heating portion and a cooling portion for first heating and thereafter cooling the hot melt ink forming the printed image on the printing medium;
• supplying the printing medium to the advancement mechanism at a first printing medium tension;
• advancing the printing medium past at least one printing head at a predetermined rate;
• depositing ink on the first side of the printing medium with at least one printing head as the printing medium is advanced past the printing head;
• winding the printing medium containing the printed image on a first take-up spool while maintaining a second printing medium tension in the printing medium between the advancement mechanism and the take-up mechanism;
• cutting the printing medium after the image has been printed such that the printed image is contained on the first take-up spool;
• guiding the printing medium containing the printed image from the first take-up spool to a second take-up spool,the second side of the printing medium contacting the heating and quenching mechanism as the printing medium travels to the second take-up spool;
• and
• heating the printing medium as it passes the heating portion of the heating and quenching mechanism, thereby causing the hot melt ink of the printed image to briefly melt;
• and
• cooling the printing medium as it passes the cooling portion of the heating and quenching mechanism, thereby causing the hot melt ink of the printed image to set.

A method for treating an image formed on a printing medium from a plurality of propelled hot melt ink droplets, by reheating the image until the hot melt ink briefly re-melts, comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of predetermined printing medium heating profiles, each of the plurality of heating profiles having a printing medium type associated therewith;
• identifying the type of printing medium to be treated;
• selecting the predetermined heating profile for the printing medium to be treated;
• applying a slight axial tension to the printing medium;
• advancing the printing medium so that a portion of the printing medium which has an image formed thereon advances along a printing medium heat treatment pathway;
• and
• heating the printing medium according to the selected predetermined heating profile so that the image formed from a hot melt ink and resident thereon briefly re-melts and each discrete droplet of said hot melt ink flows to an adjacent available space upon the printing medium so that the droplets combine to form a continuous bed of hot melt ink forming the image.

A printing medium handling system for moving printing medium past a printing head to form images thereon, the printing medium handling system comprising:

• receiving means for receiving a supply of roll-type printing medium on which images are to be printed, the roll-type printing medium having inherent physical printing medium characteristics associated therewith;
• a printing medium profiler memory unit associated with the supply of roll-type printing medium for providing information relating to the inherent physical characteristics associated with the supply of roll-type printing medium;
• and
• a controller coupled to the printing medium profiler for controlling movement of roll-type printing medium as a function of the information provided by the printing medium profiler.

A printing medium handling system for moving printing medium past a printing head to form images thereon, the printing medium handling system comprising:

• receiving means for receiving a supply of printing medium on which images are to be printed, the printing medium having medium characteristics associated therewith;
• a printing medium profiler associated with the supply of printing medium for providing information relating to the characteristics associated with the supply of printing medium;
• a controller coupled to the printing medium profiler for controlling movement of printing medium as a function of the information provided by the printing medium profiler;
• and further comprising:
• a printing medium advancement mechanism for advancing the printing medium past the printing head;
• and
• a printing medium take-up mechanism for collecting the printing medium after is has passed the printing head, wherein the controller is coupled to the printing medium advancement mechanism and the printing medium take-up mechanism controlling the movement of the printing medium from the supply of printing medium to the printing medium take-up mechanism.

A printing medium handling system comprising:

• a printing medium supply assembly configured to receive a supply of a printing medium, the printing medium having printing characteristics;
• at least one printing head, a printing medium advancement mechanism for advancing printing medium past the printing head, and a printing medium take-up mechanism for collecting printing medium after it has passed the printing head;
• at least one storage unit associated with the printing medium, the storage unit adapted for providing information concerning the characteristics associated with the respective printing medium;
• and
• a controller means coupled to the storage unit, the printing head, the advancement mechanism, and the take-up mechanism, for controlling movement of the printing medium as a function of the information provided by the memory unit.

A printing medium handling apparatus comprising:

• a frame;
• a printing medium supply assembly releasably attached to the frame, the supply assembly carrying a supply of a printing medium having printing medium characteristics;
• at least one printing head;
• a printing medium advancement mechanism for advancing the printing medium past the printing head;
• a first printing medium take-up mechanism for collecting printing medium after it has passed the printing head;
• a heater for heating the printing medium after it has been collected by the first take-up mechanism;
• a second printing medium take-up mechanism for advancing the printing medium past the heater and collecting the heated printing medium;
• the printing medium supply assembly, printing head, printing medium advancement mechanism, first take-up mechanism, heater, and second take-up mechanism configured and arranged on the frame to allow printing medium to move consecutively from the printing medium supply assembly past the printing head and onto the first take-up mechanism, and then from the first take-up mechanism past the heater and onto second take-up mechanism;
• at least one memory unit adapted for storing information indicative of the characteristics of the printing medium;
• and
• a controller means electrically connected to the memory unit, the printing head, the printing medium advancement mechanism, the first take-up mechanism, the heater, and the second take-up mechanism, for operating the printing head, printing medium advancement mechanism, first take-up mechanism, heater, and second take-up mechanism based on the information supplied by the memory unit.

A method of moving a printing medium past a printing head to form printed images, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a supply of printing medium to be printed, the printing medium having characteristics associated therewith;
• providing a manually replaceable printing medium profiler memory unit associated with the supply of printing medium for providing information indicative of characteristics associated with the supply of printing medium;
• and
• controlling the movement of the printing medium under a predetermined axial web tension and as a function of the information provided by the manually replaceable printing medium profiler memory unit so that when the manually replaceable printing medium profiler is replaced a different sequence for controlling the printing medium occurs.