Ink jet printer
AssigneeHitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
InventorsMasao Mitani, Kenji Yamada, Osamu Machida
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In an ink jet printer, a belt-type preheating unit 2 pressingly heats a recording sheet 6 while transporting the recording sheet in a transport direction B on a belt. A suction transport device 3 is positioned downstream of the belt-type preheating unit 2 in the transport direction B. The suction transport means transports, on its transport belt, the recording sheet 6 heated by the belt-type preheating unit 2 in the transport direction B while fixing the recording sheet onto the transport belt by a vacuum suction. An ink jet print head, positioned confronting the suction transport device 3, records images by ejecting water-based ink onto the recording sheet which is being transported by the suction transport device.
Claims32
An ink jet printer for printing ink onto a recording sheet, the ink jet printer comprising:
- belt-type preheating means for pressingly heating a recording sheet while transporting the recording sheet in a transport direction;
- suction transport means, positioned downstream of the belt-type preheating means in the transport direction, the suction transport means including a transport belt, the suction transport means transporting, on the transport belt, the recording sheet heated by the belt-type preheating means in the transport direction while fixing the heated recording sheet onto the transport belt by a vacuum suction;
- and
- ink ejection means located facing the heated recording sheet being transported on the suction transport means, said ink ejection means for recording images by ejecting water-based ink onto the heated recording sheet.
A method of recording on a recording medium using an ink jet print head, the method comprising the steps of:
- preheating the recording medium directly before the recording medium is recorded;
- transporting the recording medium, after preheating, by a transport belt while fixing the recording medium to the transport belt by vacuum suction;
- and
- controlling an ink jet print head to jet ink droplets onto the recording medium while the recording medium is being transported by the transport belt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.