Screen Holdings Co., Ltd.

Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Mitsuru Tanemoto

Takahiro Uda

Yuki Tsutsui

Masaki Era

Katsuaki Takeuchi

Yuto Suzuki

Shoji Kakimoto

Hideaki Onishi

Susumu Takahashi

Hiroyuki Fuchioka

Takeshi Katayama

Motoyuki Anno

Kaisei Kajihara

Kazuyuki Tanoue

Hiroaki Kishida

Akira Taiji

Tomohisa Mizuta

Ryouichi Naoe

The cleaning liquid supply mechanism ejects the cleaning liquid to an ejection target that is one of the cleaning roller and the cap. In particular, the cleaning liquid supply mechanism switches the ejection target between the cap and the cleaning roller and ejects the cleaning liquid to the ejection target. Specifically, if the cap is set as the ejection target, the cleaning liquid is ejected from the cleaning liquid supply mechanism directly to the cap as the ejection target. If the cleaning roller is set as the ejection target, the cleaning liquid is ejected from the cleaning liquid supply mechanism directly to the cleaning roller as the ejection target.

Printer and cleaning liquid supply method

Disclosed is a printing apparatus in which web paper is transported to a printing face contact roller in a swirling form while a direction thereof is turned by first to fourth turning rollers. Heating units are arranged so as to face a printing face of the web paper between the two first and second turning rollers, between the two third and fourth turning rollers, and between the fourth turning roller and the printing face contact roller individually. Such arrangement can achieve a compact drying mechanism. The heating units each directly heat inks on the printing face, and thus do not overheat the web paper. Moreover, the heating units are not directed upward. This avoids contact of the web paper to a front side face of each of the heating units when the web paper slackens.

Printing apparatus for performing printing to an elongated print medium

When a disconnection detecting circuit detects failure, a controller of a temperature controller manipulates a duty ratio to distribute the duty ratio to normal heating rollers. Since the amount of heat decreased by failure of a heating roller can be compensated for by the other heating rollers, no defective drying will occur. It is not necessary to stop a printing process immediately when the disconnection detecting circuit detects failure, but a maintenance operation can be carried out after fully securing a preparation time for maintenance. The quick maintenance can be performed to restrain downtime of the printing apparatus.

Inkjet printing apparatus, and a control method therefor

A first printing unit and a second printing unit are supplied with ink from a first sub-tank and a second sub-tank, respectively. The first sub-tank and the second sub-tank are supplied with the ink from a first branch pipe and a second branch pipe, respectively. The first branch pipe is provided with a first valve, and the second branch pipe is provided with a second valve. A central control unit determines which one of the first sub-tank and the second sub-tank is to be preferentially supplied with ink based on at least one of the amount of remaining ink in each of the first sub-tank and the second sub-tank, and an estimated amount of consumption of ink in each of the first printing unit and the second printing unit, and controls the first valve and the second valve based on a result of the determination.

Printing apparatus

A printing apparatus for printing on printing media in a continuous business form. The apparatus includes a transport device, a detector for detecting a splice portion between the printing media transported by the transport device, a printing section for printing on the printing media transported by the transport device, a drying section for drying at a drying temperature the printing media printed in the printing section and transported by the transport device, and a controller for operating the transport device to reduce tension applied to the splice portion at least while the splice portion is located in the drying section.

Printing apparatus having a splice portion

An inkjet printing apparatus for printing on a printing medium by dispensing inks thereto. The apparatus includes a transport device; print heads for performing printing by dispensing the inks to the printing medium; and a drying section including a heat source for generating heat for drying the inks dispensed to the printing medium, and a shutter switchable between an open state and a closed state. In the open state, a drying amount of heat is applied for drying the inks dispensed to the printing medium, and in the closed state, the heat from the heat source is applied in a minute amount of heat smaller than the drying amount of heat. A controller switches the shutter to the open state when a transporting speed of the printing medium is faster than a predetermined threshold, and switches the shutter to the closed state when the transporting speed of the printing medium becomes equal to or less than the predetermined threshold.

Inkjet printing apparatus

An inkjet printing apparatus includes a first and second tanks, and a printer section including an inkjet head which ejects ink droplets toward a printing medium. The inkjet printing apparatus includes a first supply system which supplies ink from the first tank to the second tank, a second supply system which includes an ink supply pump and supplies ink from the second tank to the printer section, and a remaining amount detection unit which detects the amount of ink remaining in the first tank. The remaining amount detection unit calculates the amount of ink transferred from the first tank to the second tank in a measurement period during which ink is supplied from the first tank to the second tank, based on an increase in the amount of the ink stored in the second tank in the measurement period and the operation state of the pump in the measurement period.

Inkjet printing device and ink remaining quantity detection method in inkjet printing device

An inkjet printing device including a transporter that transports a print medium, a printer that discharges ink droplets onto the print medium and a heat roller that includes a peripheral surface with which the print medium comes into contact after printing is provided. The peripheral surface of the heat roller includes a paper contact region and a non-paper region. The device further includes a first heater for the paper region, a second heater for the non-paper region, a target temperature setter that provides a target temperature at the paper region side, and a sensor that measures the temperature at the paper region side. The target temperature and a sensor output are referenced when heating by the first heater is performed, to judge whether supplementary heating of the paper region by the second heater is necessary. If supplementary heating is necessary, the second heater is driven by a drive signal having an intensity that corresponds to a deficient heat amount equivalent value in the paper region.

Inkjet printing device and print-medium heating method of inkjet printing device

A printing apparatus comprises a main tank, an intermediate tank, and a control unit controlling an amount of the ink stored in the intermediate tank by a normal replenishing operation for increasing an ink remaining amount to a normal amount more than a first reference amount by feeding the ink from the main tank to the intermediate tank if the ink remaining amount falls below the first reference amount. The control unit controls the amount of the ink stored in the intermediate tank by an extraordinary replenishing operation for increasing the ink remaining amount to a second reference amount by feeding the ink from the main tank to the intermediate tank if the ink remaining amount falls below the second reference amount less than the first reference amount when the main tank held is exchanged.

Printing apparatus and ink replenishment method

An inkjet printer includes a maintenance solution supply mechanism. In response to switching of a three-way valve provided in an ink pipe, a maintenance solution is supplied from a maintenance tank to each head through a maintenance pipe. The maintenance tank is a common tank. This suppresses size increase of the printer compared to provision of an individual maintenance tank for each head. The maintenance pipe is connected to the ink pipe at a position downstream of an intermediary tank. This eliminates the need of replacement of ink in the intermediary tank by the maintenance solution during supply of the maintenance solution. This allows reduction in the consumptions of the ink and the maintenance solution.

Inkjet printer and maintenance method

An inkjet printing apparatus for forming images with ink droplets includes the following elements: an inkjet head, a plurality of holders for removably holding a plurality of ink tanks storing inks interchangeable with each other, branch pipes each having one end thereof connected to one of the ink tanks, a mixer provided at the other ends of the branch pipes, a pump for feeding the inks to the mixer, a feed pipe connecting the mixer and the inkjet head, and a controller for controlling ink feeding. The controller makes different a feed rate of the ink from each of the ink tanks.

Inkjet printing apparatus, and an ink feeding method therefor

At least one of an upstream drive roller and a downstream drive roller is operated, after printing on web paper and at a time of transportation halt of the web paper, to make a tension value of the web paper between the upstream drive roller and downstream drive roller lower than a tension value at a time of transporting the web paper, so that at least part of contact portions of the web paper in contact with five cooling rollers separate from the five cooling rollers. Consequently, gaps can be produced between the contact portions of the web paper in contact with the five cooling rollers and the five cooling rollers. This can reduce waterdrops due to dew condensation adhering to the web paper. As a result, paper break can be inhibited at a time of starting transportation of the web paper.

Printing apparatus, and elongate printing paper transporting method for printing apparatus

In an inkjet printing apparatus, heaters are enclosed with a heater casing, achieving accumulation of heated air and efficient performance of heating. A blowing fan blows air to the heaters. The heater casing includes a blowing port configured to narrow and blow warm air heated with the heaters to a transportation path outside the heater casing in a direction along the transportation path. The warm air narrowed at the blowing port obtains an increased air velocity thereof. In addition, uniform air-quantity distribution and uniform heat-quantity are obtainable. Moreover, the heaters face the transportation path. Consequently, the heaters are provided closer to the transportation path than a conventional external heater. This suppresses heat loss.

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Kyoto, Japan

Mitsuru Tanemoto