Printing apparatus, printing method, and sheet processing method

An apparatus for performing duplex printing comprising:

• a sheet feeding unit configured to feed a sheet along a path, wherein the sheet is continuous;
• a printing unit, disposed in the path, configured to perform inkjet printing on the sheet;
• a cutter unit, disposed downstream of the printing unit in the path, configured to cut the sheet:
• a drying unit, disposed downstream of the cutter unit in the path, configured to dry the sheet printed in the printing unit;
• and
• a reverse unit configured to reverse the sheet that has passed through the drying unit,
• wherein, in the duplex printing, the printing unit prints a plurality of images on a first surface of the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit, the sheet printed on the first surface passes through the drying unit and is led to the reverse unit, the reverse unit feeds the reversed sheet to the printing unit, the printing unit prints a plurality of images on a second surface that is a back of the first surface of the sheet fed from the reverse unit, the cutter unit cuts the sheet printed on the second surface into a plurality of cut sheets, and the cut sheets pass through the drying unit and are ejected,
• wherein the printing unit includes an inkjet print head that applies, from above, ink to the sheet passing through the printing unit, and wherein the printing unit is located above the drying unit, and wherein a direction in which the sheet moves in the printing unit is opposite to a direction in which the sheet moves in the drying unit.

A method, comprising:

• (1) feeding a sheet from a sheet feeding unit to a printing unit, wherein the sheet is continuous;
• (2) printing a plurality of images sequentially on a first surface of the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit using a printing unit;
• (3) allowing the sheet printed on the first surface to pass through a heating unit;
• (4) cutting the sheet, into a cut sheet, at a tail end of a last printed image using a cutter unit after printing on the first surface is completed;
• (5) winding the cut sheet around the winding rotary member until a trailing edge of the cut sheet passes through the drying unit and reaches the winding rotary member;
• (6) rotating the winding rotary member in an opposite direction after the winding is completed and feeding the sheet to the printing unit again;
• (8) printing a plurality of images on a second surface that is a back of the first surface of the sheet fed from the winding rotary member using the printing unit;
• (9) cutting the sheet printed on the second surface into the plurality of cut sheets each having the image printed thereon using the cutter unit;
• and
• (10) allowing the cut sheets to pass through the heating unit one by one.

A method, comprising:

• (1) feeding a sheet from a sheet feeding unit to a processing unit, wherein the sheet is continuous;
• (2) repeatedly performing a predetermined process that requires a heating process on a first surface of the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit;
• (3) allowing the sheet having the processed first surface to pass through a heating unit;
• (4) cutting the sheet, into a cut sheet, after a last process of the repeated processes on the first surface is completed;
• (5) winding the cut sheet around the winding rotary member until a trailing edge of the cut sheet passes through the heating unit and reaches the winding rotary member;
• (6) rotating the winding rotary member in the opposite direction after the winding is completed and feeding the sheet to the processing unit again;
• (8) repeatedly performing the predetermined process on a second surface which is the back of the first surface of the sheet fed from the winding rotary member using the processing unit;
• (9) cutting the sheet having the processed second surface into a plurality of cut sheets using the cutter unit;
• and
• (10) allowing the cut sheets to pass through the heating unit.