Printing apparatus and print method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10926554-B2
Application number	US-201916529735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2019
Priority date	Aug 31, 2018
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

A printing apparatus and a printing method are provided. The printing apparatus that performs a printing through an inkjet method includes: a conveyor driver which is a medium conveyor device; a plurality of ink ejection portions arranged side by side along a conveyance direction; and a plurality of ultraviolet light sources which are a plurality of fixing devices. Each of the ink ejection portions includes a plurality of inkjet heads arranged side by side along the conveyance direction. Each of the plurality of ultraviolet light sources is disposed on a downstream side in the conveyance direction with respect to any one of the ink ejection portions. After the medium passes a position facing the plurality of inkjet heads in one of the ink ejection portions, the ink ejected by the one of the ink ejection portions is fixed to the medium.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus that performs a printing through an inkjet method, the printing apparatus comprising:
a medium conveyor device that conveys a medium to be printed in a conveyance direction set in advance;
a plurality of ink ejection portions, arranged side by side along the conveyance direction;
a plurality of fixing devices that fix inks to the medium; and
a controller configured to control ejection of the inks from the plurality of ink ejection portions,
wherein
each of the ink ejection portions includes: a plurality of inkjet heads that eject inks of different colors,
the plurality of inkjet heads in each of the ink ejection portions are arranged side by side along the conveyance direction, and
wherein the plurality of ink ejection portions include at least:
a first ink ejection portion including the plurality of inkjet heads, each of which ejecting ink of a primary color, which is a basic color that in principle allows representation of colors in a subtractive color mixing method by color mixing; and
a second ink ejection portion including the plurality of inkjet heads, each of which ejecting ink of a secondary color obtained in principle by mixing a plurality of the primary colors,

at least one of the plurality of fixing devices is disposed on a downstream side in the conveyance direction with respect to the first ink ejection portion, and
after the medium passes a position facing the plurality of inkjet heads in the first ink ejection portion, the inks ejected by the first ink ejection portion are fixed to the medium,
wherein the controller is configured to control ejection of the inks in a way that:
the inks of the primary color different from each other are not ejected to the same position among the inks ejected from the first ink ejection portion, and
the inks of the secondary color are ejected from the second ink ejection portion to an ejection position where a color mixing of the primary color is required.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the inkjet heads in each of the ink ejection portions ejects the inks to the ejection position set according to a resolution of printing, and
the plurality of inkjet heads in one of the ink ejection portions eject the inks such that ink dots of different colors do not overlap at the same ejection position.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of inkjet heads of the first ink ejection portion ejects ink of each color of yellow, magenta, and cyan; and
each of the plurality of inkjet heads of the second ink ejection portion ejects ink of each color of red, green, and blue.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the second ink ejection portion is disposed on an upstream side of the first ink ejection portion in the conveyance direction.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
among the plurality of ink ejection portions, any one of the ink ejection portions includes an inkjet head that ejects black color ink, and
the ink ejection portion including the inkjet head that ejects the black color ink is disposed on an upstream side of any other ink ejection portions in the conveyance direction.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a dark ink in which a color strength is relatively dark and a pale ink in which a color strength is relatively light are used as inks of at least any one of the colors, and
for a color using the dark ink and the pale ink, the ink ejection portion including the inkjet head that ejects the dark ink is different from the ink ejection portion including the inkjet head that ejects the pale ink.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the ink ejection portion including the inkjet head that ejects the dark ink is disposed on an upstream side of the ink ejection portion including the inkjet head that ejects the pale ink of the same color in the conveyance direction.

8. A printing apparatus that performs a printing through an inkjet method, the printing apparatus comprising:
a medium conveyor device that conveys a medium to be printed in a conveyance direction set in advance;
a plurality of ink ejection portions, arranged side by side along the conveyance direction; and
a plurality of fixing devices that fix an ink to the medium;
wherein
each of the ink ejection portions includes: a plurality of inkjet heads that eject inks of different colors,
the plurality of inkjet heads in each of the ink ejection portions are arranged side by side along the conveyance direction, and
each of the plurality of fixing devices is disposed on a downstream side in the conveyance direction with respect to any one of the ink ejection portions, and
after the medium passes a position facing the plurality of inkjet heads in one of the ink ejection portions, the ink ejected by the one of the ink ejection portions is fixed to the medium,
the ink ejected by each of the inkjet heads in each of the ink ejection portions is an ink that fixes to the medium by evaporation of a solvent and that generates heat by absorbing an energy ray which is predetermined, and
each of the plurality of fixing devices heats the ink on the medium by irradiating the ink on the medium with the energy ray,
wherein the energy ray is ultraviolet light,
the ink contains an ultraviolet absorbing agent as a substance that absorbs the energy ray and generates heat.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
each of the inkjet heads in each of the ink ejection portions ejects the ink to an ejection position set according to a resolution of printing, and
the plurality of inkjet heads in one of the ink ejection portions eject the ink such that ink dots of different colors do not overlap at the same ejection position.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the plurality of ink ejection portions include at least:
a first ink ejection portion including the plurality of inkjet heads, each of which ejecting ink of a primary color, which is a basic color that in principle allows representation of colors in a subtractive color mixing method by color mixing; and
a second ink ejection portion including the plurality of inkjet heads, each of which ejecting ink of a secondary color obtained in principle by mixing a plurality of the primary colors.

11. The printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the plurality of ink ejection portions include at least:
a first ink ejection portion including the plurality of inkjet heads, each of which ejecting ink of each color of yellow, magenta, and cyan; and
a second ink ejection portion including the plurality of inkjet heads, each of which ejecting ink of each color of red, green, and blue.

12. The printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
among the plurality of ink ejection portions, any one of the ink ejection portions includes an inkjet head that ejects black color ink, and
the ink ejection portion including the inkjet head that ejects the black color ink is disposed on an upstream side of any other ink ejection portions in the conveyance direction.

13. The printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
a dark ink in which a color strength is relatively dark and a pale ink in which a color strength is relatively light are used as ink of at least any one of the colors, and
for a color using the dark ink and the pale ink, the ink ejection portion including the inkjet head that ejects the dark ink is different from the ink ejection portion including the inkjet head that ejects the pale ink.

14. A print method that performs

Assignees

• Mimaki Eng Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohnishi Masaru

Classifications

• B41J2/2146 Primary

  for line print heads · CPC title

• B41J11/00216

  using infrared [IR] radiation or microwaves · CPC title

• B41J11/00214

  using UV radiation · CPC title

• B41J2/2103

  Features not dealing with the colouring process per se, e.g. construction of printers or heads, driving circuit adaptations · CPC title

• B41J11/002 Primary

  Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating · CPC title