Method of printing sheet-like recording medium and printer

A printing apparatus for printing plate-like recording media, the printing apparatus comprising:

• an ink-jet printer, a reciprocating medium tray for conveying a plate-like recording medium to be printed by the ink-jet printer, a medium feeding mechanism disposed on one side of the ink-jet printer from which a plate-like recording medium is fed to the ink-jet printer before printing, and a medium retrieving mechanism disposed on another side of the ink-jet printer from which the plate-like recording medium is discharged from the ink-jet printer after printing;
• the ink-jet printer has an ink-jet printing head, a tray setting section for supporting the reciprocating medium tray carrying the unprinted plate-like recording medium, a tray discharge section for discharging the reciprocating medium tray carrying the printed plate-like medium, and a tray conveyance mechanism for reciprocating the reciprocating medium tray along a straight conveyance path traversing a printing position of the ink-jet printing head, the straight conveyance path being formed between the tray setting section and the tray discharge section;
• the medium feeding mechanism has a medium storage section for storing a plurality of unprinted plate-like recording medium, and a medium carrier which conveys the unprinted plate-like recording medium stacked in the medium storage section, transfers it along a straight conveyance path to the reciprocating medium tray resting on the tray setting section of the ink-jet printer, and places it thereon;
• the medium retrieving mechanism has a medium retrieving section for retrieving the plate-like recording medium after printing, and a medium carrier which carries the plate-like recording medium from the reciprocating medium tray located at the tray discharge section of the ink-jet printer, transfers it along a straight conveyance path to the medium retrieving section, and places it thereon;
• each of said medium carriers has a blower, an openable cover attached at an air outlet of the blower, a cylinder defining an air intake of the blower, a perforated transparent turntable defining a medium suction surface and disposed in a circular open end of the cylinder, a rotational driver for rotating the transparent turntable, and detection means for detecting through the transparent turntable whether or not a plate-like recording medium is sucked onto the transparent turntable;
• and
• the detection means also detects through the transparent turntable a positioning index formed on the plate-like recording medium, and the detection means is movable from an outer edge of the transparent turntable toward an inner edge thereof depending on a position of the positioning index, and the perforated transparent turntable retaining the plate-like recording medium by suction being rotated until the positioning index is detected by the detection means.