Printer and printing method

A printing method of effecting printing by discharging ink onto a recording medium by use of an ink jet head provided with a plurality of discharge means for discharging ink, said method comprising the steps of:

• mounting the ink jet head at a predetermined height above the recording medium, such that ink is discharged from the ink jet head in a downward direction onto the recording medium to perform printing;
• conveying the recording medium with respect to the ink jet head in a substantially horizontal direction in a print area where printing is performed in such a manner that ink is discharged from the ink jet head;
• providing head recovery means for stabilizing a print performance of the ink jet head;
• relatively moving the head recovery means and the mounted ink jet head, the recovery means executing an operation for stabilizing the print performance of the ink jet head in a state where the mounted ink jet is relatively positioned with respect to the head recovery means;
• mounting an ink tank for storing ink for supply to the ink jet head, the ink tank being mounted below a conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area of the ink jet head;
• and
• providing a sub ink tank arranged separate from the ink jet head in an ink supply route from the mounted ink tank to the ink jet head, for temporarily storing ink, an upper portion of the sub ink tank being above a conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area and a lower portion of the sub ink tank being below the conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area,
• wherein the ink jet head is mounted above the conveying surface of the recording medium and the head recovery means is provided above the conveying surface of the recording medium.

A full-line printer for printing one line at a time with a downwardly-facing, stand-alone ink jet head separated from an above-and-below-the-recording-medium ink supply, said printer comprising:

• a downwardly-facing, stand-alone ink jet head comprising a plurality of discharge means for discharging ink respectively through a plurality of discharge ports onto a recording medium to record an image, wherein the plurality of discharge ports are provided along a widthwise direction of the recording medium to permit printing of one line at a time without scanning the line in a main-scanning direction with the ink jet head, the widthwise direction being different from the conveyance direction of the recording medium;
• head mounting means for mounting said ink jet head, said head mounting means mounting said ink jet head at a predetermined height above the recording medium, such that ink is discharged from said inkjet head in a vertical downward direction onto the recording medium to perform printing;
• conveying means for conveying the recording medium with respect to said ink jet head in the conveying direction, said conveying means conveying the recording medium in a substantially horizontal direction in a print area where printing is performed in such a manner that ink is discharged from said ink jet head;
• head recovery means for stabilizing a print performance of said ink jet head;
• moving means for relatively moving said head recovery means and said head mounting means, said head recovery means executing an operation for stabilizing the print performance of said ink jet head in a state where said ink jet head to be mounted to said head mounting means is relatively positioned with respect to said head recovery means by said moving means;
• ink tank mounting means for mounting an ink tank for storing ink for supply to said ink jet head, said ink tank mounting means mounting the ink tank below a conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area by said ink jet head;
• and
• a sub ink tank, provided in an ink supply route from the ink tank mounted on said ink tank mounting means to said ink jet head, for temporarily storing ink, an upper portion of said sub ink tank being above the conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area and a lower portion of the sub ink tank being below the conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area,
• wherein said sub ink tank is arranged separate from and is spaced from said ink jet head, and
• wherein said head mounting means mounts said ink jet head above the conveying surface of the recording medium and said head recovery means is provided above the conveying surface of the recording medium.

A full-line printer for printing one line at a time with a downwardly-facing, stand-alone ink jet head separated from an above-and-below-the-recording-medium ink supply, said printer comprising:

• a downwardly-facing, stand-alone ink jet head comprising a plurality of discharge means for discharging ink respectively through a plurality of discharge ports onto a recording medium to record an image, wherein the plurality of discharge ports are provided along a widthwise direction of the recording medium to permit printing of one line at a time without scanning the line in a main-scanning direction with the ink jet head, the widthwise direction being different from the conveyance direction of the recording medium;
• head mounting means for mounting said ink jet head, said head mounting means mounting said ink jet head at a predetermined height above the recording medium, such that ink is discharged from said ink jet head in a vertical downward direction onto the recording medium to perform printing;
• conveying means for conveying the recording medium with respect to said ink jet head in the conveying direction, said conveying means conveying the recording medium in a substantially horizontal direction in a print area where printing is performed in such a manner that ink is discharged from said ink jet head;
• head recovery means for stabilizing a print performance of said ink jet head;
• moving means for relatively moving said head recovery means and said head mounting means, said head recovery means executing an operation for stabilizing the print performance of said ink jet head in a state where said ink jet head to be mounted to said head mounting means is relatively positioned with respect to said head recovery means by said moving means;
• ink tank mounting means for mounting an ink tank for storing ink for supply to said ink jet head, said ink tank mounting means mounting the ink tank below a conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area by said ink jet head;
• and
• separated means, separated and spaced from said ink jet head, for storing ink both above and below the recording-medium conveyance surface, closer to said ink jet head than said ink tank, said separated means comprising a sub ink tank, provided in an ink supply route from the ink tank mounted on said ink tank mounting means to said ink jet head, for temporarily storing ink, an upper portion of said sub ink tank being above the conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area and a lower portion of the sub ink tank being below the conveying surface of the recording medium in the print area,
• wherein said sub ink tank is arranged separate from and is spaced from said ink jet head, and
• wherein said head mounting means mounts said ink jet head above the conveying surface of the recording medium and said head recovery means is provided above the conveying surface of the recording medium.