Ink jet printer and ink jet printing method

An ink jet printer, comprising:

• at least one ink jet head, including plural nozzles arranged in a main scan direction, for ejecting a droplet of ink to recording material respectively at an ejected amount according to information of an image, said ink jet head printing said image at a printing width of at least 80 mm in said main scan direction;
• moving means for feeding one of said recording material and said inkjet head in a sub scan direction relative to a remaining one thereof to print said image to said recording material two-dimensionally said moving means fees said recording material at a feeding speed of at least 20 mm per second in said sub scan direction;
• at least one heater, including plural heater sections arranged in said main scan direction, controllable in heat quantity individually, for applying heat to said recording material respectively in a heating region, wherein one heater section of said plural heater sections is provided for said plural nozzles and said heater and said ink jet head being positioned on a same side of the recording material, said heater being operated before, during or after operation of said inkjet head;
• and
• a controller for driving said heater sections individually according to said ejected amount for said heating region, to promote drying of said droplet in said heating region by controlling said heat quantity for said heating region, said controller further deter said heat quantity high according to highness in said ejected amount.

All inkjet printer, comprising:

• at leg one ink jet head, including plural nozzles arranged in a main scan direction, for ejecting a droplet of ink to recording material respectively at an ejected amount according to information of an image;
• a head carriage for feeding said ink jet head in a sub scan direction relative to said recording material, to effect belt-shaped printing of said image;
• a moving mechanism for moving one of said recording material and said head carriage relative to a remaining one thereof in said main scan direction by an amount of said belt-shaped printing, to print said image in a frame printing manner;
• at least one heater, including plural heater sections arranged in said main scan direction, controllable in heat quantity individually, for applying heat to said recording material respectively in a heating region, one heater section of said plural heater sections being provided for said plural nozzles and said heater and said ink jet head being positioned on a same side of the recording material, and plural heaters are positioned upstream from respective plural nozzles in an alternative manner;
• and
• a controller for driving said heater sections individually according to said ejected amount for said heating region, to promote drying of said droplet in said heating region by controlling said heat quantity for said heating region.

An ink jet printing method comprising:

• a step of ejecting a droplet of ink to recording material through plural nozzles respectively at an ejected amount according to information of an image, said plural nozzles being arranged in a main scan direction, for constituting an ink jet head;
• a step of feeding one of said recording material and said ink jet head in a sub scan direction relative to a remaining one thereof, to print said image to said recording material two-dimensionally;
• a step of determining drying heat energy according to said ejected amount for a heating region defined on said recording material and arranged in said main scan direction;
• and
• a step of applying said drying heat energy to said heating region on a same side of the recording material as the ejected amount, to promote drying of said droplet in said heating region.

An inkjet printer, comprising

• at least one inkjet head, including plural nozzles arranged in a main scan direction, for ejecting a droplet of ink to recording material respectively at an ejected amount according to information of an image, said ink jet head printing said image at a printing width of at least 80 mm in said main scan direction;
• moving means for feeding one of said recording material and said inkjet head in a sub scan direction relative to a remaining one thereof, to print said image to said recording material two-dimensionally;
• at least one heater, including plural heater sections arranged in said main scan direction, controllable in heat quantity individually, for applying heat to said recording material respectively in a heating region, wherein one heater section of said plural heater sections is provided for said plural nozzles and said heater and said inkjet head being positioned on a same side of the recording material, said heater being operated before, during or after operation of said inkjet head;
• and
• a controller for driving said heater sections individually according to said ejected amount for said heating region, to promote dying of said droplet in said heating region by controlling said heat quantity for said heating region, said controller further determining said beat quantity high according to highness in said ejected amount,
• wherein the plural heaters are positioned upstream from respective plural nozzles in an alternative manner.