Method and device for double-sided printing to a recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11014349-B2
Application number	US-201916518268-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2019
Priority date	Jul 23, 2018
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

In an method for double-sided printing to a recording medium, a first side of the recording medium is printed to with a liquid first color separation, the liquid first color separation is pre-dried such that a predetermined final drying state remains unachieved, where the pre-dried state is a transportable intermediate state that is between a wet print image directly after printing and the predetermined final drying state, a second side of the recording medium is printed to with a liquid second color separation, and the pre-dried first color separation and the second liquid color separation are jointly dried to entirely achieve the predetermined final drying state for both the first and second color separations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for double-sided printing to a recording medium, comprising:
printing to a first side of the recording medium with a liquid first color separation;
pre-drying of the liquid first color separation to provide the first color separation in a pre-dried state, the pre-drying being configured such that a predetermined final drying state remains unachieved, wherein the pre-dried state is a transportable intermediate state that is between a wet print image directly after printing and the predetermined final drying state;
printing to a second side of the recording medium with a liquid second color separation; and
jointly drying the first color separation in the pre-dried state and the liquid second color separation to entirely achieve the predetermined final drying state for both the first and second color separations.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: following the pre-drying, transporting and/or deflecting the recording medium using a transport device, the pre-drying being configured to prepare the liquid first color separation to be touch-safe for a transport and/or deflection.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the transport device comprises one or more transport rollers and/or one or more deflection rollers.

4. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising: turning the recording medium by a turner between the pre-drying and the printing to the second side, wherein the pre-drying is configured to prepare the first liquid color separation to be touch-safe for turning of the recording medium.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: turning the recording medium by a turner between the pre-drying and the printing to the second side, wherein the pre-drying is configured to prepare the first liquid color separation to be touch-safe for the turning of the recording medium.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined final drying state is provided such that the first color separation and the second color separation may:
withstand handling by a takeup of the recording medium without damaging the first color separation and the second color separation, and/or
withstand a further processing of the recording medium without damaging the first color separation and the second color separation.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the further processing of the recording medium comprises: cutting, folding, enveloping, and/or bookbinding of the recording medium.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the pre-drying of the first color separation comprises a heating of the recording medium to a predetermined minimum temperature, and
the jointly drying of the pre-dried first color separation and the second color separation comprises a heating of the recording medium to a predetermined drying temperature, the predetermined minimum temperature being below the drying temperature.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the pre-drying further comprises cooling the recording medium to a temperature suitable for printing directly following the heating of the recording medium to the predetermined minimum temperature.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the jointly drying further comprises an intervening holding of the predetermined minimum drying temperature, or of a predetermined temperature profile, for a predetermined duration following the heating to the predetermined minimum drying temperature.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the printing to the first side, and/or the printing to the second side is performed by inkjet printing, and wherein the pre-drying and/or the jointly drying is performed by hot air flotation drying.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein, when executed, the program instructs a controller of a printing system to control the printing system to:
print to a first side of the recording medium with a liquid first color separation;
pre-dry the liquid first color separation to provide the first color separation in a pre-dried state, the pre-drying being configured such that a predetermined final drying state remains unachieved, wherein the pre-dried state is a transportable intermediate state that is between a wet print image directly after printing and the predetermined final drying state;
print to a second side of the recording medium with a liquid second color separation; and
jointly dry the first color separation in the pre-dried state and the liquid second color separation to entirely achieve the predetermined final drying state for both the first and second color separations.

13. A device for double-sided printing to a recording medium, comprising:
a first printing tower including a first printing station configured to print to a first side of the recording medium with a first color separation, and a first drying station configured to pre-dry the first color separation to provide the first color separation in a pre-dried state such that a predetermined final drying state of the first color separation remains unachieved; and
a second printing tower including a second printing station configured to print to a second side of the recording medium with a second color separation, and a second drying station configured to jointly dry the first color separation in the pre-dried state and the second color separation to entirely achieve the predetermined final drying state for both the first and second color separations.

14. The device according to claim 13 , wherein the second drying station comprises a second drying section configured to be longer than a first drying section of the first drying station.

15. The device according to claim 13 , wherein:
the first drying station comprises a first heater configured to heat the recording medium, and a cooler directly following the first heater and configured to cool the recording medium; and
the second drying station comprises a second heater configured to heat the recording medium, and a subsequently positioned holder configured to hold a drying temperature, or a predetermined temperature profile, over a predetermined duration.

16. The device according to claim 15 , wherein the first heater comprises a first heating section configured to be shorter than a second heating section of the second heater.

17. The device according to claim 13 , further comprising a transport device configured to transport the recording medium from the first printing tower to the second printing tower, wherein the first drying station is configured such that the recording medium with the pre-dried first color separation is transportable via the transport device without compromising the first color separation.

18. The device according to claim 17 , wherein the transport device comprises transport, drive, and/or deflection rollers with predetermined surface properties and, wherein the first drying station is configured to adapt the pre-drying to the predetermined surface properties such that the first color separation withstands transport to the second printing tower without damaging the first color separation.

19. The device according to claim 13 , further comprising a takeup and/or further processing device following the second printing tower, wherein the predetermined drying state of the first color separation and second color separation is configured such that the recording medium:
withstands handing by a takeup without damaging the first color separation and the second color separation, and/or
withs

Assignees

• Oce Holding Bv
• Canon Production Printing Holding Bv

Inventors

• Dedic Revdin
• Samweber Joachim
• Soldner Christoph
• Stendel Oliver

Classifications

• B41F23/0486 Primary

  Particular types of dryers · CPC title

• B41J11/0022 Primary

  using convection means, e.g. by using a fan for blowing or sucking air · CPC title

• B41J11/002

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

• B41F23/0483

  Drying combined with cooling · CPC title

• B41F23/08

  Print finishing devices, e.g. for glossing prints {(B41F23/005 takes precedence)} · CPC title