Printer

Abstract

To suppress volumes of light that reaches an ink head.SOLUTION: A printer 10 comprises: first and second frames 26a and 26b fixed to both sides in a main scanning direction Y of a support base 71; a printing jig 80 which is attachably and detachably supported on the support base 71, and can support a columnar printed matter 6 while rotating the matter; and a reflection suppressing jig 100 which is arranged between an ink head 43 and the printing jig 80 supported on the support base 71, and receives reflected light emitted from a light emission device 50. The reflection suppressing jig 100 is attachably and detachably hung across the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b, and comprises first and second reflection suppressing parts 101 and 103 separated in a sub scanning direction X. In a bottom surface view, a separation space 105 between the first reflection suppressing part 101 and a second reflection suppressing part 102 overlaps with at least a portion of a nozzle row 47 of the ink head 43. A first distance D11 in the sub scanning direction X of the separation space 105 is shorter than a length D21 of the nozzle row 47.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printer, and more particularly to a printer capable of printing on a cylindrical printing object, at least a portion of which has a cylindrical outer periphery, while rotating the object. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet printer that prints on a three-dimensional medium. The inkjet printer includes a support means for rotatably supporting the three-dimensional medium, an inkjet head formed with ink ejection ports above the three-dimensional medium for ejecting ink onto the print surface of the three-dimensional medium, and a UV light source that irradiates the three-dimensional medium with ultraviolet light. The inkjet head is configured to be movable in the Y direction. The UV light source is positioned below the inkjet head and is configured to be immovable.

[0003] In the inkjet printer, a shielding plate is disposed between the inkjet head and the support means. The UV light source is disposed below the shielding plate. Holes are formed in the shielding plate, and ink ejected from the ink ejection ports of the inkjet head passes through the holes in the shielding plate and lands on the print surface of the three-dimensional medium. Here, ultraviolet light irradiated from the UV light source is blocked by the shielding plate, making it difficult for it to reach the inkjet printer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-327142 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the inkjet printers described above, the UV light source is immovable. However, there are printers in which the UV light source moves along with the inkjet head. The inventors of the present application have considered reducing the amount of light, such as ultraviolet light, that reaches the inkjet head, even in printers in which the UV light source moves along with the inkjet head.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and its purpose is to provide a printer in which the light irradiation device can be moved together with the ink head, and which can reduce the amount of light that reaches the ink head. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The printer according to the present invention is capable of printing on a cylindrical printing substrate, at least a portion of which has a cylindrical outer periphery, while rotating it. The printer includes a support base, a guide rail, a carriage, an ink head, a light irradiation device, a head movement mechanism, a frame, a printing jig, and a reflection suppression jig. The guide rail extends in the main scanning direction above the support base. The carriage is slidably mounted on the guide rail. The ink head is mounted on the carriage and ejects ink. The light irradiation device is mounted on the carriage and irradiates light. The head movement mechanism moves the carriage in the main scanning direction. The frame includes a first frame fixed at a position on one side of the support base in the main scanning direction, and a second frame fixed at a position on the other side of the support base in the main scanning direction. The printing jig is detachably supported on the support base and is capable of supporting the cylindrical printing substrate while rotating it. The reflection suppression jig is disposed between the ink head and the printing jig supported by the support base and receives light irradiated and reflected from the light irradiation device. The ink head has a nozzle row, which is a row of nozzles aligned in a sub-scanning direction intersecting the main scanning direction in a plan view. The reflection suppression jig includes a first reflection suppression unit detachably spanning the first frame and the second frame and extending in the main scanning direction, and a second reflection suppression unit detachably spanning the first frame and the second frame, extending in the main scanning direction, and spaced apart from the first reflection suppression unit in the sub-scanning direction. In a bottom view, a separation space between the first reflection suppression unit and the second reflection suppression unit overlaps with at least a portion of the nozzle row. A first distance of the separation space in the sub-scanning direction is shorter than the length of the nozzle row.

[0008] According to the printer, a portion of the light emitted from the light irradiation device and reflected is received by the first reflection suppression unit or the second reflection suppression unit. Therefore, the light emitted from the light irradiation device and reflected does not reach the portion of the ink head that overlaps the first reflection suppression unit or the second reflection suppression unit in a bottom view. This reduces the amount of light that reaches the ink head. This reduces the likelihood of ink head ejection problems caused by the amount of light reaching the ink head. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printer in which the light irradiation device is movable together with the ink head, and which is capable of suppressing the amount of light that reaches the ink head. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a printer according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printer with a case and a cover removed in a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 3 is a perspective view showing the printer of FIG. 2 with a support stand unit removed. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the bottom surface of an ink head and a light irradiation device. [Figure 5] 1 is a block diagram of a printer according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a printing jig supported by a support table. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a printing jig supported by a support table. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the printing jig taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which reflection suppressing jigs are provided on a first frame and a second frame. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a reflection suppressing jig. [Figure 11] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the reflection suppression jig taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. 10, illustrating the positional relationship between the ink head and the cylindrical printing object. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the reflection suppression jig, illustrating the positional relationship between the ink head and the cylindrical printing material. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing the reflection suppression jig and illustrating its positional relationship with the ink head. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing the reflection suppressing jig in the second embodiment, illustrating its positional relationship with the ink head. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiment described here is not intended to limit the present invention in any particular way. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used to designate components and parts that perform the same functions, and redundant descriptions will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0012] First Embodiment First, a printer 10 according to a first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the printer 10 according to this embodiment. In the following description, when a user views the printer 10 from the front, the side facing away from the printer 10 is referred to as the front, and the side facing toward the printer 10 is referred to as the rear. The terms left, right, top, and bottom refer to the left, right, top, and bottom directions, respectively, when the user views the printer 10 from the front. The symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D in the drawings refer to the front, back, left, right, top, and bottom directions, respectively. Furthermore, the symbol Y in the drawings indicates the main scanning direction. Here, the main scanning direction Y is the left-right direction. The symbol X indicates the sub-scanning direction. The sub-scanning direction X intersects (here, is perpendicular to) the main scanning direction Y in a plan view. The sub-scanning direction X is, for example, the front-to-back direction. The symbol Z indicates the height direction, or in other words, the up-down direction. However, these directions are merely defined for convenience of explanation and do not limit the installation mode of the printer 10 or the present invention in any way.

[0013] The printer 10 is an inkjet printer. However, there are no particular limitations on the printing method of the printer 10. The printer 10 may be, for example, a dot impact printer, a laser printer, or a thermal printer.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer 10 with the case 30 and cover 31 removed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printer 10 with the support base unit 70 removed from the printer 10 of FIG. 2. The printer 10 according to this embodiment is capable of printing on a printing substrate 5 (see FIG. 2) supported by a support base 71 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later. Furthermore, the printer 10 can also print on the surface (i.e., the circumferential surface) of a cylindrical printing substrate 6 (see FIG. 6) using a printing jig 80 (see FIG. 6), which will be described later. Here, FIG. 2 shows the printing substrate 5 supported by the support base 71. The printing substrate 5 shown in FIG. 2 has at least a portion with a flat surface extending in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X. The printing substrate 5 is, for example, recording paper. However, the printing substrate 5 is not limited to paper such as recording paper. For example, the printing substrate 5 can be a relatively thick material such as a sheet made of a resin material such as PVC or polyester, a metal plate, a glass plate, or a wooden plate. Furthermore, the printing substrate 5 may be a three-dimensional object such as a smartphone case.

[0015] The cylindrical printing object 6 shown in FIG. 6 is a three-dimensional object having at least a portion of a cylindrical outer periphery. Here, the portion of the cylindrical printing object 6 having a cylindrical outer periphery refers to the portion that comes into contact with the printing jig 80 (more specifically, the roller 87 (see FIG. 6) described below). The cylindrical printing object 6 includes a three-dimensional object having an internal space, such as a cylindrical three-dimensional object. The type of the cylindrical printing object 6 is not particularly limited. The cylindrical printing object 6 is, for example, a bottle or a cup. Furthermore, the material from which the cylindrical printing object 6 is formed is not particularly limited. The cylindrical printing object 6 may be made of glass, resin, or wood. The cylindrical printing object 6 may be formed of a transparent or translucent material.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 2, the printer 10 includes a printer main body 20. The printer main body 20 is fixed to the object on which the printer 10 is installed (for example, a table or floor on which the printer 10 is installed). The printer main body 20 includes a base frame 21, a base frame 22, a frame 23, a support frame 24, a case 30 (see Fig. 1), and a cover 31 (see Fig. 1).

[0017] 2, the base frame 21 is a plate-like member that extends in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X, and forms the bottom of the printer body 20. The shape of the base frame 21 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, it is a hexagonal member in plan view, with both front left and right corners removed.

[0018] The underframe 22 is provided on the upper surface of the base frame 21. The underframe 22 is a frame that opens upward, and a support base unit 70 is provided inside. Here, the underframe 22 is provided in a central portion of the base frame 21 in the main scanning direction Y. In this embodiment, the underframe 22 has a front frame 25a, a rear frame 25b (see FIG. 3), a left frame 25c, and a right frame 25d. As shown in FIG. 2, the front frame 25a forms a front portion of the underframe 22 and extends in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. 3, the rear frame 25b forms a rear portion of the underframe 22 and extends in the main scanning direction Y. The rear frame 25b is arranged alongside the front frame 25a in the sub-scanning direction X and is parallel to the front frame 25a. The left frame 25c extends in the sub-scanning direction X and is connected to the left end of the front frame 25a and the left end of the rear frame 25b. The right frame 25d extends in the sub-scanning direction X and is connected to the right end of the front frame 25a and the right end of the rear frame 25b. The right frame 25d is arranged alongside the left frame 25c in the main scanning direction Y and is parallel to the left frame 25c.

[0019] The frame 23 is fixed to the base frame 21. Here, the frame 23 is fixed to the underframe 22 and indirectly fixed to the base frame 21 via the underframe 22. The frame 23 is plate-shaped and extends in the sub-scanning direction X and the up-down direction Z. In this embodiment, the frame 23 includes a first frame 26a and a second frame 26b, and is composed of two members. As shown in FIG. 2, the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y and face each other across the support base 71. The first frame 26a is fixed at a position on one side (here, the left side) of the support base 71 in the main scanning direction Y. The second frame 26b is fixed at a position on the other side (here, the right side) of the support base 71 in the main scanning direction Y. The first frame 26a and the second frame 26b extend in the sub-scanning direction X and the up-down direction Z. Here, the first frame 26a is arranged to the left of the second frame 26b.

[0020] In this embodiment, the first frame 26a is fixed to and supported by the left frame 25c of the underframe 22. The first frame 26a is attached to the right surface of the left frame 25c and extends upward from the left frame 25c. The second frame 26b is fixed to and supported by the right frame 25d of the underframe 22. The second frame 26b is attached to the left surface of the right frame 25d and extends upward from the right frame 25d.

[0021] The support frame 24 extends in the primary scanning direction Y and the vertical direction Z and is provided on the upper surface of the base frame 21. Here, the support frame 24 extends upward from the base frame 21. In this embodiment, the support frame 24 has a left support frame 27a, a right support frame 27b, and a main support frame 27c. The left support frame 27a is provided on the left side of the base frame 21 and extends in the primary scanning direction Y and the vertical direction Z. The left support frame 27a is disposed to the left of the underframe 22 and the first frame 26a. The right support frame 27b is provided on the right side of the base frame 21 and extends in the primary scanning direction Y and the vertical direction Z. The right support frame 27b is disposed to the right of the underframe 22 and the second frame 26b. The right support frame 27b is disposed alongside the left support frame 27a in the primary scanning direction Y and is spaced apart from the left support frame 27a.

[0022] The main support frame 27c extends in the primary scanning direction Y and the vertical direction Z, and spans the left support frame 27a and the right support frame 27b. The left end of the main support frame 27c is attached to and supported by the left support frame 27a. The right end of the main support frame 27c is attached to and supported by the right support frame 27b. The main support frame 27c is also supported by the upper end of the left support frame 27a and the upper end of the right support frame 27b.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the case 30 is placed on the base frame 21 and is supported by the base frame 21. Here, there is a space surrounded by the case 30 and the base frame 21, and printing takes place in this space. In this embodiment, the underframe 22, the frame 23, and the support frame 24 are arranged in the space surrounded by the case 30 and the base frame 21. As shown in Figure 1, an opening 32 is formed in the front and top of the case 30.

[0024] The cover 31 is supported by the case 30 so that the opening 32 can be freely opened and closed. The cover 31 is configured to be rotatable, for example, around an axis at the rear end. A window 33 is provided at the top of the cover 31. The window 33 is made of a transparent or translucent material, for example, an acrylic plate. A user can view the internal space surrounded by the case 30 and the base frame 21 through the window 33.

[0025] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, the printer 10 includes a guide rail 35, an ink head unit 40, and a light irradiation device 50. The guide rail 35 extends in the main scanning direction Y. The guide rail 35 is supported by the main support frame 27c of the support frame 24. Here, the guide rail 35 is attached to the front surface of the main support frame 27c and is provided so as to protrude forward from the main support frame 27c.

[0026] The ink head unit 40 includes a carriage 42 and an ink head 43. The carriage 42 is slidably engaged with the guide rail 35. The carriage 42 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 35.

[0027] The ink head 43 ejects ink toward the printing substrate 5 or cylindrical printing substrate 6 (see FIG. 6). In this example, the ink head 43 ejects ink downward. The ink head 43 is provided on the carriage 42 and is movable in the main scanning direction Y together with the carriage 42. The number of ink heads 43 is not particularly limited. Here, there are three ink heads 43. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the ink heads 43 and the bottom surface of the light irradiation device 50. As shown in FIG. 4, the three ink heads 43 are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y. The three ink heads 43 are positioned at the same position in the sub-scanning direction X.

[0028] Each ink head 43 has a plurality of nozzles 45 and a nozzle surface 46 in which the plurality of nozzles 45 are formed. The nozzle surface 46 forms the bottom surface of the ink head 43. In one ink head 43, the plurality of nozzles 45 are arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction X. Here, in one ink head 43, a row of the plurality of nozzles 45 arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction X is referred to as a nozzle row 47. In this embodiment, one ink head 43 has two nozzle rows 47, but it may also have one, or three or more nozzle rows.

[0029] The nozzle rows 47 of each ink head 43 eject ink of a different color. The ink ejected from the ink head 43 is, for example, any of process color inks and special color inks. Process color inks include cyan ink, magenta ink, yellow ink, black ink, etc. Special color inks include inks of colors other than process color inks, such as white ink, clear ink, and base ink.

[0030] Furthermore, there are no limitations on the material of the ink ejected from the ink head 43, and various materials that have been used as ink materials in conventional inkjet printers can be used. In this embodiment, the ink ejected from the ink head 43 is a photocurable ink, the drying of which is accelerated when irradiated with light. The light irradiated onto the ink is, for example, ultraviolet light. In this example, the ink is an ultraviolet curable ink, the hardening of which is accelerated when irradiated with ultraviolet light.

[0031] In this embodiment, the ink ejected from the ink head 43 is stored in, for example, an ink cartridge (not shown). For example, one ink cartridge is connected to each nozzle row 47. The ink cartridge is connected to the ink head 43 via, for example, an ink tube (not shown). The ink stored in the ink cartridge is supplied to the ink head 43 through the ink tube.

[0032] The light irradiation device 50 emits light. In this embodiment, the light irradiation device 50 is a device that irradiates light onto ink ejected from the ink head 43. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the light irradiation device 50 is configured to be able to irradiate light onto ink ejected onto the printing substrate 5 or cylindrical printing substrate 6 (FIG. 6) supported by a support base 71. In this embodiment, the ink ejected from the ink head 43 (more specifically, the nozzles 45) is ultraviolet-curable ink, the hardening of which is promoted when irradiated with ultraviolet light. Therefore, the light irradiation device 50 can be an ultraviolet irradiation device that irradiates ultraviolet light onto the ink ejected from the ink head 43.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4 , the light irradiation device 50 is provided on the carriage 42. The light irradiation device 50 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y together with the carriage 42 and the ink head 43. There is one light irradiation device 50. In this embodiment, the light irradiation device 50 is provided on the left side of the carriage 42. Here, the light irradiation device 50 is connected to the carriage 42 via a connecting member 55. More specifically, the connecting member 55 is provided on the left surface of the carriage 42, protruding to the left. The light irradiation device 50 is provided on the left surface of the connecting member 55, protruding to the left. The connecting member 55 is sandwiched between the carriage 42 and the light irradiation device 50.

[0034] The light irradiation device 50 may be provided on the right side of the carriage 42. The number of light irradiation devices 50 is not particularly limited, and may be more than one (for example, two). For example, when the number of light irradiation devices 50 is two, one light irradiation device 50 may be provided on each of the left and right sides of the carriage 42.

[0035] The configuration of the light irradiation device 50 is not particularly limited. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the printer 10 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the light irradiation device 50 includes an irradiation main body 51 (see FIG. 4) and a light source 52 (see FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 2, the irradiation main body 51 is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped and hollow. The irradiation main body 51 extends in the sub-scanning direction X. As shown in FIG. 4, an irradiation port 53 is formed on the bottom surface of the irradiation main body 51. The shape of the irradiation port 53 is rectangular, but is not particularly limited. The irradiation port 53 has an elongated hole shape that is longer in the sub-scanning direction X than in the main scanning direction Y. The light source 52 in FIG. 5 emits light (ultraviolet light in this case) and is disposed inside the irradiation main body 51. The light emitted from the light source 52 passes through the irradiation port 53 and is irradiated onto the printing substrate 5 or the cylindrical printing substrate 6 supported by the support base 71.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 10 includes a head movement mechanism 60. The head movement mechanism 60 moves the carriage 42, the ink head 43, and the light irradiation device 50 in the main scanning direction Y. The configuration of the head movement mechanism 60 is not particularly limited. Although not shown, the head movement mechanism 60 includes a pair of pulleys provided around the left and right ends of the guide rail 35, a belt wound around the pair of pulleys, and a head motor connected to one of the pulleys. The carriage 42 is fixed to the belt. When the head motor is driven, one of the pulleys rotates. As a result, the belt runs between the pair of pulleys, and the carriage 42, the ink head 43, and the light irradiation device 50 move in the main scanning direction Y.

[0037] The printer 10 includes a support table unit 70, a support table movement mechanism 65, and an elevation mechanism 68. The support table unit 70 is disposed on the base frame 21 of the printer main body 20, and is disposed within a base frame 22. The support table unit 70 includes a support table 71 and a support table carriage 72 that supports the support table 71 so that the support table 71 can move in the sub-scanning direction X.

[0038] The support table 71 selectively supports either the printing substrate 5 or the printing jig 80 (see FIG. 6 ). Here, as shown in FIG. 2 , when printing on the printing substrate 5, the printing substrate 5 is placed on the support table 71, and printing on the printing substrate 5 is performed on the support table 71. The upper surface of the support table 71, which selectively supports either the printing substrate 5 or the printing jig 80, is a surface that extends in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X. The support table 71 is disposed below the guide rail 35, the carriage 42, the ink head 43, and the light irradiation device 50. The support table 71 is disposed within the frame 22 in a plan view and is configured to be movable in the sub-scanning direction X within the frame 22. The support table 71 is disposed between the first frame 26 a and the second frame 26 b of the printer main body 20. Here, the first frame 26a is disposed to the left of the support base 71, and the second frame 26b is disposed to the right of the support base 71. The support base carriage 72 supports the support base 71 from below. The support base carriage 72 is configured to be movable in the sub-scanning direction X.

[0039] The support base moving mechanism 65 is a mechanism that moves the support base 71 in the sub-scanning direction X. The support base moving mechanism 65 includes a slide rail 66 and a moving device (not shown). The support base unit 70 is slidably mounted on the slide rail 66. The slide rail 66 includes a first slide rail 66a and a second slide rail 66b. The first slide rail 66a and the second slide rail 66b extend in the sub-scanning direction X. The first slide rail 66a is provided on the left frame 25c, and more specifically, is attached to the right surface of the left frame 25c. The second slide rail 66b is provided on the right frame 25d, and more specifically, is attached to the left surface of the right frame 25d. The first slide rail 66a and the second slide rail 66b are arranged parallel to each other.

[0040] The moving device is disposed, for example, within the base frame 22. Although not shown, the moving device includes a pair of front and rear support base pulleys, a support base belt wound around the pair of front and rear support base pulleys, and a drive motor connected to the rear support base pulley. When the drive motor is driven, the rear support base pulley rotates, causing the support base belt to run between the pair of front and rear support base pulleys. The support base carriage 72 is attached to the support base belt. Therefore, when the drive motor drives the support base belt to run, the support base carriage 72 and the support base 71 move in the sub-scanning direction X along the first slide rail 66a and the second slide rail 66b.

[0041] The lifting mechanism 68 is a mechanism for lifting and lowering the support base 71. Here, the support base 71 is configured to be able to lift and lower. The configuration of the lifting mechanism 68 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the lifting mechanism 68 is equipped with a lifting motor (not shown). Here, the support base 71 can be inserted into the support base carriage 72 from above and can slide up and down relative to the support base carriage 72. The lifting motor is connected to, for example, the support base 71. Here, when the lifting motor is driven, the support base 71 lifts and lowers relative to the support base carriage 72.

[0042] In this embodiment, when printing on the printing substrate 5, as shown in FIG. 2 , the printing substrate 5 is supported on a support table 71. Then, the head moving mechanism 60 is operated to move the ink head 43 in the main scanning direction Y, while ejecting ink from the ink head 43 toward the printing substrate 5 to print one line. Note that when printing one line, the light irradiation device 50 moves in the main scanning direction Y together with the ink head 43, and light is irradiated onto the ink ejected onto the printing substrate 5. As a result, curing of the ink ejected onto the printing substrate 5 is promoted. After printing one line, the support table moving mechanism 65 moves the support table 71 supporting the printing substrate 5 a predetermined distance in the sub-scanning direction X. Then, the ink head 43 and the light irradiation device 50 are moved in the main scanning direction Y to print the next line. In this way, printing one line and moving the support table 71 in the sub-scanning direction X are alternately and repeatedly performed, thereby printing on the printing substrate 5.

[0043] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the printing jig 80 supported by the support base 71. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the printing jig 80 supported by the support base 71. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the printing jig 80 taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7. As described above, the printer 10 according to this embodiment is capable of printing on a cylindrical printing substrate 6, at least a portion of which has a cylindrical outer periphery, as shown in FIG. 6, in addition to the printing substrate 5. In this embodiment, the printer 10 is equipped with the printing jig 80. The printing jig 80 is used when printing on the cylindrical printing substrate 6 while rotating it. The printing jig 80 supports the cylindrical printing substrate 6. The printing jig 80 is supported by the support base 71 and is placed on the top surface of the support base 71 in this example. The support base 71 indirectly supports the cylindrical printing substrate 6 via the printing jig 80. The printing jig 80 is detachably fixed to the support base 71.

[0044] The printing jig 80 is configured to be movable in the sub-scanning direction X and the up-down direction Z in accordance with the movement of the support table 71. The printing jig 80 is fixed to the support table 71 when printing on the cylindrical printing substrate 6, and is detached from the support table 71 when printing on the printing substrate 5.

[0045] The printing jig 80 includes a jig body 81, a first shaft 83, a second shaft 85, a roller 87, and a rotation mechanism 90. The jig body 81 is directly supported by the support base 71, and in this example, is placed on the upper surface of the support base 71. The jig body 81 is box-shaped and open at the top.

[0046] In this embodiment, the jig body 81 has a bottom plate 82D, a front plate 82F, a rear plate 82Rr, a left plate 82L, and a right plate 82R. The bottom plate 82D overlaps the upper surface of the support base 71 and extends in the primary scanning direction Y and the secondary scanning direction X. The front plate 82F extends upward from the front end of the bottom plate 82D. The rear plate 82Rr extends upward from the rear end of the bottom plate 82D. The left plate 82L extends upward from the left end of the bottom plate 82D and is connected to the left ends of the front plate 82F and the rear plate 82Rr. The right plate 82R extends upward from the right end of the bottom plate 82D and is connected to the right ends of the front plate 82F and the rear plate 82Rr.

[0047] The size of the jig body 81 is not particularly limited. Here, as shown in Fig. 7, the entire jig body 81 is large enough to overlap the support base 71 in a plan view. The jig body 81 is large enough not to protrude outside the support base 71 in a plan view.

[0048] The first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85 extend in the main scanning direction Y. The first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85 are rotatably supported by the jig main body 81. Here, the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85 are bridged between a left plate 82L and a right plate 82R of the jig main body 81. The left end of each of the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85 is rotatably supported by the left plate 82L, and the right end of each of the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85 is rotatably supported by the right plate 82R.

[0049] The second shaft 85 is arranged alongside the first shaft 83 in the sub-scanning direction X. Here, the second shaft 85 is arranged behind the first shaft 83. Here, as shown in FIG. 8 , the distance between the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85 is a predetermined distance D111. The distance D111 refers to the distance between the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85 in the sub-scanning direction X.

[0050] In this embodiment, the diameter D121 of the cylindrical substrate 6 to be printed is larger than the distance D111 between the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85. Therefore, the cylindrical substrate 6 to be printed is supported by the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85. As shown in FIG. 7 , when printing while rotating the cylindrical substrate 6 to be printed, the cylindrical substrate 6 to be printed is disposed between the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85 so that the direction of the central axis of the cylindrical substrate 6 to be printed is the main scanning direction Y. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8 , the front part of the cylindrical substrate 6 to be printed is supported by the first shaft 83, and the rear part of the cylindrical substrate 6 to be printed is supported by the second shaft 85.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 6, rollers 87 are inserted into the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85. Hereinafter, of the rollers 87, the roller inserted into the first shaft 83 will be referred to as the first roller 88a, and the roller inserted into the second shaft 85 will be referred to as the second roller 88b. The first roller 88a rotates together with the first shaft 83. The second roller 88b rotates together with the second shaft 85. As shown in FIG. 8, the first roller 88a and the second roller 88b are in direct contact with the cylindrical printing object 6. Here, the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85 indirectly support the cylindrical printing object 6 via the rollers 87.

[0052] The number of first rollers 88a and the number of second rollers 88b are not particularly limited, and here both are plural. The number of first rollers 88a and the number of second rollers 88b are the same, but may be different. The first rollers 88a and the second rollers 88b are detachable from the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85, respectively, and their numbers can be changed as appropriate. The spacing between the first rollers 88a and the spacing between the second rollers 88b can also be changed as appropriate. The material forming the rollers 87 is not particularly limited, but is an elastic body here. The rollers 87 are made of, for example, rubber. This makes it difficult for the cylindrical printing object 6 to slip on the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85.

[0053] 8, in this embodiment, the outer diameter of the first roller 88a is smaller than the outer diameter of the second roller 88b. Here, in order to make the height of the upper end of the first roller 88a the same as the height of the upper end of the second roller 88b, the first shaft 83 is disposed at a higher position than the second shaft 85. Note that the outer diameter of the first roller 88a may be the same as the outer diameter of the second roller 88b, or may be larger than the outer diameter of the second roller 88b. For example, when the outer diameters of the first roller 88a and the second roller 88b are the same, the height positions of the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85 may be the same.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 6, the rotation mechanism 90 is provided in the jig body 81, and in this case, is provided on the right plate 82R of the jig body 81. The rotation mechanism 90 is configured to rotate the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85. The rotation mechanism 90 is configured to rotate the cylindrical printing substrate 6 by rotating the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85. The configuration of the rotation mechanism 90 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the rotation mechanism 90 has a rotation motor 90A, a first gear 91, a second gear 92, a third gear 93 (see FIG. 7), a fourth gear 94, a support shaft 95, a first idler pulley 96, a second idler pulley 97, and a conveyor belt 98.

[0055] The rotation motor 90A is disposed, for example, inside the jig body 81, and in this case, is disposed to the left of the right plate 82R. The rotation motor 90A is disposed rearward of the second shaft 85. The first gear 91 is located outside the jig body 81, and in this case, is connected to the rotation motor 90A to the right of the right plate 82R of the jig body 81. The second gear 92 meshes with the first gear 91 in front of the first gear 91. As shown in FIG. 7, the third gear 93 is formed integrally with the second gear 92 to the left of the second gear 92. The second gear 92 and the third gear 93 are provided on a rotation shaft 90B extending rightward from the right plate 82R of the jig body 81. The fourth gear 94 meshes with the third gear 93 in front of the third gear 93. The support shaft 95 extends rightward from the right plate 82R of the jig body 81. The support shaft 95 is inserted into the fourth gear 94 and is formed integrally with the fourth gear 94 .

[0056] The first idler pulley 96 and the second idler pulley 97 extend rightward from the right plate 82R of the jig body 81. The first idler pulley 96 is disposed forward of the support shaft 95. The second idler pulley 97 is disposed forward of the support shaft 95 and rearward of the first idler pulley 96. Here, as shown in FIG. 6 , the first shaft 83 is located between the first idler pulley 96 and the second idler pulley 97 and is located higher than the first idler pulley 96 and the second idler pulley 97. The second shaft 85 is located between the second idler pulley 97 and the support shaft 95 and is located higher than the second idler pulley 97 and the support shaft 95. The conveyor belt 98 is wound around the support shaft 95, the first idler pulley 96, the right end 83R of the first shaft 83, the second idler pulley 97, and the right end 85R of the second shaft 85.

[0057] In this embodiment, the conveyor belt 98 runs when the rotary motor 90A is driven. The first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85 rotate when the conveyor belt 98 runs. In this embodiment, when the rotation mechanism 90 is activated and the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85 rotate in directions R11 and R21, respectively, as shown in FIG. 8, the cylindrical printing object 6 rotates in direction R31. On the other hand, when the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85 rotate in directions R12 and R22, respectively, the cylindrical printing object 6 rotates in direction R32.

[0058] In this embodiment, when printing on the circumferential surface of the cylindrical substrate 6, the cylindrical substrate 6 is placed between the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85 above the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85. This causes the cylindrical substrate 6 to be supported by the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85. In this state, while the ink head 43 and the light irradiation device 50 are moved in the main scanning direction Y by the head moving mechanism 60 (see FIG. 2 ), ink is ejected from the ink head 43 toward the cylindrical substrate 6 to print one line. This one line is printed on the top surface of the cylindrical substrate 6. Note that when printing one line on the cylindrical substrate 6, light is irradiated from the light irradiation device 50 onto the ink ejected onto the cylindrical substrate 6. As a result, curing of the ink ejected onto the cylindrical substrate 6 is promoted. After printing one line, the rotation mechanism 90 (see FIG. 6) of the printing jig 80 is operated to rotate the first shaft 83 and the second shaft 85, thereby rotating the cylindrical substrate 6 a predetermined amount. Thereafter, the ink head 43 and the light irradiation device 50 are moved in the main scanning direction Y, and the next line is printed on the top surface of the cylindrical substrate 6. In this way, by repeatedly printing one line and rotating the cylindrical substrate 6, it is possible to print on the circumferential surface of the cylindrical substrate 6.

[0059] When printing on the cylindrical substrate 6 using the printing jig 80, light is emitted from the light irradiation device 50 as described above. The light emitted from the light irradiation device 50 may be reflected by components such as the cylindrical substrate 6, the printing jig 80, and the support base 71. In particular, if the cylindrical substrate 6 is made of a transparent or translucent material, the light may pass through the cylindrical substrate 6 and be reflected by components located below the cylindrical substrate 6. The reflected light may then reach the nozzle surface 46 or nozzles 45 (see FIG. 4 ) of the ink head 43. If a large amount of light reaches the ink head 43, the ink in the nozzles 45 and the ink attached to the nozzle surface 46 may thicken. This thickening of the ink may cause ejection problems from the ink head 43, resulting in a decrease in print quality.

[0060] Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the reflection suppressing jig 100 is provided on the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b. Fig. 10 is a plan view showing the reflection suppressing jig 100. Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the reflection suppressing jig 100 along the line XI-XI in Fig. 10, and is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the ink head 43 and the cylindrical substrate 6 to be printed. Fig. 12 is a front view showing the reflection suppressing jig 100, and is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the ink head 43 and the cylindrical substrate 6 to be printed. Note that the printing jig 80 and the cylindrical substrate 6 are not shown in Fig. 9, and the printing jig 80 and the like are not shown in Figs. 10 to 12.

[0061] In this embodiment, to solve the above-mentioned problems, a reflection suppression jig 100 as shown in FIG. 9 is used to suppress light emitted from the light irradiation device 50 and reflected from it from reaching the ink head 43. Here, the printer 10 is equipped with the reflection suppression jig 100. As shown in FIG. 12, the reflection suppression jig 100 receives light emitted from the light irradiation device 50 and reflected from it. The reflection suppression jig 100 is disposed between the ink head 43 and the printing jig 80 (see FIG. 6) supported by the support base 71. More specifically, the reflection suppression jig 100 is disposed between the ink head 43 and the cylindrical printing object 6 supported by the printing jig 80 supported by the support base 71. Although not shown, the cylindrical printing object 6 shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 is supported by the printing jig 80. Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the reflection suppression jig 100 is disposed above the support base 71 and in a position overlapping the support base 71 in a plan view. The reflection suppression jig 100 is disposed above the support base 71, the printing jig 80, and the cylindrical printing object 6, and below the ink head 43 and the light irradiation device 50. The reflection suppression jig 100 is disposed between the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b, which are disposed on both the left and right sides of the support base 71, and is detachably supported by the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b.

[0062] 9, the reflection suppressing jig 100 includes a first reflection suppressing portion 101, a second reflection suppressing portion 102, and a connecting portion 103. The first reflection suppressing portion 101 and the second reflection suppressing portion 102 extend in the main scanning direction Y. Here, the first reflection suppressing portion 101 and the second reflection suppressing portion 102 are rectangular and are longer in the main scanning direction Y than in the sub-scanning direction X. The first reflection suppressing portion 101 and the second reflection suppressing portion 102 are plate-shaped members. However, the shapes of the first reflection suppressing portion 101 and the second reflection suppressing portion 102 are not particularly limited.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 10 , the first reflection suppression section 101 and the second reflection suppression section 102 are arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction X. Here, the first reflection suppression section 101 is arranged in front of the second reflection suppression section 102. However, the first reflection suppression section 101 may also be arranged behind the second reflection suppression section 102. The first reflection suppression section 101 and the second reflection suppression section 102 are parallel to each other. The second reflection suppression section 102 is arranged spaced apart from the first reflection suppression section 101 in the sub-scanning direction X. Here, the space between the first reflection suppression section 101 and the second reflection suppression section 102 is referred to as a separation space 105. The separation space 105 is a rectangular space that is longer in the main scanning direction Y than in the sub-scanning direction X in a plan view.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 9 , the first reflection suppression unit 101 is detachably mounted across the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b. Specifically, the first reflection suppression unit 101 spans between the upper end of the first frame 26a and the upper end of the second frame 26b. The length of the first reflection suppression unit 101 in the main scanning direction Y is slightly longer than the distance in the main scanning direction Y from the first frame 26a to the second frame 26b. Similarly, the second reflection suppression unit 102 is detachably mounted across the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b, specifically, spans between the upper end of the first frame 26a and the upper end of the second frame 26b. Here, the length of the second reflection suppression unit 102 in the main scanning direction Y is slightly longer than the distance in the main scanning direction Y from the first frame 26a to the second frame 26b.

[0065] Although not shown, a first fitting groove into which the first reflection suppressing portion 101 fits and a second fitting groove into which the second reflection suppressing portion 102 fits may be formed at the upper end of the first frame 26a and the upper end of the second frame 26b. In this way, fitting the first reflection suppressing portion 101 into the first fitting groove can facilitate alignment of the first reflection suppressing portion 101 with respect to the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b. Similarly, fitting the second reflection suppressing portion 102 into the second fitting groove can facilitate alignment of the second reflection suppressing portion 102 with respect to the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b.

[0066] FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the reflection suppressing jig 100, illustrating its positional relationship with the ink head 43. Note that in FIG. 13, the nozzle row 47 is shown as a straight line, but in reality, as shown in FIG. 4, it is a row in which a plurality of nozzles 45 are lined up in the sub-scanning direction X. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the first reflection suppressing unit 101 overlaps with and covers the front end of the ink head 43 (in other words, the front end of the nozzle row 47 and the front end of the nozzle face 46) in a bottom view. Furthermore, the second reflection suppressing unit 102 overlaps with and covers the rear end of the ink head 43 (in other words, the rear end of the nozzle row 47 and the rear end of the nozzle face 46) in a bottom view. In other words, a portion of the ink head 43 overlaps with and is covered by the first reflection suppressing unit 101 or the second reflection suppressing unit 102 in a bottom view. Furthermore, in bottom view, the separation space 105 between the first reflection suppressing unit 101 and the second reflection suppressing unit 102 overlaps with a portion of the ink head 43 (here, the central portion in the sub-scanning direction X). In other words, in bottom view, the separation space 105 overlaps with at least a portion of the nozzle row 47 and nozzle surface 46 of the ink head 43 (here, the central portion in the sub-scanning direction X).

[0067] The range of overlap with the ink head 43 in the separation space 105 in bottom view is determined, for example, according to the length in the sub-scanning direction X of the ink head 43 used when printing on the cylindrical substrate 6 (i.e., the length of the nozzle row 47 having the nozzles 45 that eject when printing on the cylindrical substrate 6). The separation space 105 preferably overlaps, in bottom view, with the range of the ink head 43 used when printing on the cylindrical substrate 6. The length in the sub-scanning direction X of the ink head 43 used when printing on the cylindrical substrate 6 is determined according to the diameter of the cylindrical substrate 6 (in other words, the curvature of the surface of the cylindrical substrate 6). For example, if the diameter of the cylindrical substrate 6 is large, the length in the sub-scanning direction X of the ink head 43 used will be long, and if the diameter of the cylindrical substrate 6 is small, the length in the sub-scanning direction X of the ink head 43 used will be short. Therefore, the overlapping range of the ink head 43 in the space 105 in the bottom view is determined according to the diameter of the cylindrical object 6 to be printed, and becomes wider as the diameter of the cylindrical object 6 to be printed increases. In this embodiment, for example, the space 105 may overlap 1 / 5 or more of the ink head 43 in the bottom view, preferably 1 / 4 or more of the ink head 43, and particularly preferably 1 / 3 or more of the ink head 43. Furthermore, the space 105 may overlap 4 / 5 or less of the ink head 43 in the bottom view, preferably 3 / 4 or less, and particularly preferably 2 / 3 or less.

[0068] In the following description, as shown in FIG. 13 , the distance in the sub-scanning direction X of the separation space 105 between the first reflection suppression unit 101 and the second reflection suppression unit 102 in a bottom view is referred to as a first distance D11. The first distance D11 is also the distance in the sub-scanning direction X between the first reflection suppression unit 101 (more specifically, the rear end of the first reflection suppression unit 101) and the second reflection suppression unit 102 (more specifically, the front end of the second reflection suppression unit 102). In addition, the distance in the sub-scanning direction X from the end of the first reflection suppression unit 101 opposite the second reflection suppression unit 102 in the sub-scanning direction X to the end of the second reflection suppression unit 102 opposite the first reflection suppression unit 101 in the sub-scanning direction X in a bottom view is referred to as a second distance D12. Here, the second distance D12 refers to the distance in the sub-scanning direction X from the front end of the first reflection suppression unit 101 to the rear end of the second reflection suppression unit 102 in a bottom view. The second distance D12 is longer than the first distance D11.

[0069] In this embodiment, the first distance D11 is shorter than the length D21 of the nozzle row 47 of the ink head 43. The length D21 of the nozzle row 47 is the length of the nozzle row 47 in the sub-scanning direction X. The first distance D11 is shorter than the length D22 of the nozzle surface 46 of the ink head 43 in the sub-scanning direction X. The second distance D12 is longer than the length D21 of the nozzle row 47. The second distance D12 is longer than the length D22 of the nozzle surface 46 of the ink head 43 in the sub-scanning direction X.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 9 , the connecting portion 103 connects the first reflection suppression portion 101 and the second reflection suppression portion 102. Here, the connecting portion 103 is detachably fixed to the frame 23 (specifically, the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b). Here, by attaching and fixing the connecting portion 103 to the frame 23, the first reflection suppression portion 101 and the second reflection suppression portion 102 are supported by the frame 23. By removing the connecting portion 103 from the frame 23, the first reflection suppression portion 101 and the second reflection suppression portion 102 are removed from the frame 23.

[0071] Here, the connecting portion 103 has a first connecting portion 111 and a second connecting portion 112, and is configured from two members. However, the connecting portion 103 may be configured from one member or three or more members. The first connecting portion 111 is detachably fixed to the first frame 26a. The first connecting portion 111 is connected to the left end of the first reflection suppression portion 101 and the left end of the second reflection suppression portion 102. The second connecting portion 112 is detachably fixed to the second frame 26b. The second connecting portion 112 is connected to the right end of the first reflection suppression portion 101 and the right end of the second reflection suppression portion 102.

[0072] The shapes of the first connecting portion 111 and the second connecting portion 112 are not particularly limited. Here, the first connecting portion 111 and the second connecting portion 112 are plate-like and extend in the sub-scanning direction X and the up-down direction Z. The plate-like first connecting portion 111 contacts the left surface of the first frame 26a and is detachably fixed to the left surface of the first frame 26a. The plate-like second connecting portion 112 contacts the right surface of the second frame 26b and is detachably fixed to the right surface of the second frame 26b.

[0073] Note that the configuration in which the connecting portion 103 is fixed to the frame 23, i.e., the configuration in which the first connecting portion 111 is fixed to the first frame 26a and the configuration in which the second connecting portion 112 is fixed to the second frame 26b, is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, for example, the connecting portion 103 (specifically, the first connecting portion 111 and the second connecting portion 112) is fixed to the frame 23 (specifically, the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b) via fasteners (not shown) such as screws. For example, the connecting portion 103 is fixed to the frame 23 by tightening the fasteners. The connecting portion 103 can be removed from the frame 23 by loosening the tightened fasteners.

[0074] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, the reflection suppression jig 100 includes a bridge portion 120. As shown in Fig. 10, the bridge portion 120 covers from above the end portion in the main scanning direction Y of the cylindrical object to be printed 6 supported by the printing jig 80 (see Fig. 6). The bridge portion 120 is disposed in the separation space 105 between the first reflection suppression portion 101 and the second reflection suppression portion 102. Therefore, the bridge portion 120 covers from above the portion of the end portion in the main scanning direction Y of the cylindrical object to be printed 6 that is disposed in the separation space 105. The bridge portion 120 bridges between the first reflection suppression portion 101 and the second reflection suppression portion 102.

[0075] In this embodiment, the bridging portion 120 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y relative to the first reflection suppression portion 101 and the second reflection suppression portion 102. Here, the bridging portion 120 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y between the first connecting portion 111 and the second connecting portion 112.

[0076] Here, the bridge section 120 has a first bridge section 121 and a second bridge section 122, and is composed of two members. However, the number of members constituting the bridge section 120 is not particularly limited and may be one, or three or more. The first bridge section 121 and the second bridge section 122 are plate-shaped members extending in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X. As shown in FIG. 10 , the first bridge section 121 covers from above a first end section 6a on one side (here, the left side) in the main scanning direction Y of the cylindrical printing material 6 supported by the printing jig 80. The second bridge section 122 covers from above a second end section 6b on the other side (here, the right side) in the main scanning direction Y of the cylindrical printing material 6 supported by the printing jig 80. The first bridge portion 121 and the second bridge portion 122 are both bridged between the first reflection suppression portion 101 and the second reflection suppression portion 102. The first bridge portion 121 and the second bridge portion 122 are both configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y relative to the first reflection suppression portion 101 and the second reflection suppression portion 102. The first bridge portion 121 and the second bridge portion 122 are movable in the main scanning direction Y independently of each other.

[0077] The configuration for moving the bridge portions 120 (specifically, the first bridge portions 121 and the second bridge portions 122) in the main scanning direction Y relative to the first reflection suppression portion 101 and the second reflection suppression portion 102 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11 , the bridge portions 120 (specifically, the first bridge portions 121 and the second bridge portions 122) are formed with a first groove 125 recessed rearward from a surface (here, the front surface) at one end side in the sub-scanning direction X, and a second groove 126 recessed forward from a surface (here, the rear surface) at the other end side in the sub-scanning direction X. The first groove 125 and the second groove 126 extend in the main scanning direction Y. Here, the first reflection suppression portion 101 is engaged with the first groove 125 so as to be slidable in the main scanning direction Y. The second reflection suppression portion 102 is engaged with the second groove 126 so as to be slidable in the main scanning direction Y. As a result, the first groove 125 moves in the main scanning direction Y relative to the first reflection suppression section 101, and the second groove 126 moves in the main scanning direction Y relative to the second reflection suppression section 102, causing the bridge section 120 to move in the main scanning direction Y relative to the first reflection suppression section 101 and the second reflection suppression section 102.

[0078] 12, in the following description, the length D31 of the bridge portion 120 in the main scanning direction Y refers to the length of the first bridge portion 121 in the main scanning direction Y and also refers to the length of the second bridge portion 122 in the main scanning direction Y. Here, the length D31 of the bridge portion 120 in the main scanning direction Y is longer than the length D41 of the irradiation port 53 of the light irradiation device 50 in the main scanning direction Y. Furthermore, the length D31 of the bridge portion 120 in the main scanning direction Y is shorter than a distance D42 in the main scanning direction Y from the end of the irradiation port 53 of the light irradiation device 50 opposite the ink head 43 in the main scanning direction Y (here, the left end) to the end of the ink head 43 on the light irradiation device 50 side (here, the left end). Here, the distance D42 refers to the distance in the main scanning direction Y from the left end of the irradiation port 53 to the left end of the leftmost ink head 43. The distance D42 can also be the distance from the left end of the irradiation port 53 to the left end of the nozzle surface 46 of the ink head 43 located at the leftmost position.

[0079] In this embodiment, a reflection suppression treatment is applied to the surface of the reflection suppression jig 100 to suppress light reflection on the reflection suppression jig 100. Here, the reflection suppression treatment is applied to the surfaces of the first reflection suppression section 101, the second reflection suppression section 102, the connecting section 103 (more specifically, the first connecting section 111 and the second connecting section 112), and the bridging section 120 (more specifically, the first bridging section 121 and the second bridging section 122) that constitute the reflection suppression jig 100. Here, the reflection suppression treatment refers to painting the surfaces of the components that constitute the reflection suppression jig 100, such as the first reflection suppression section 101 and the second reflection suppression section 102, with black ink or the like, applying a so-called light (e.g., ultraviolet) absorbent, or attaching a sheet made of a light-absorbing material.

[0080] The configuration of the reflection suppression jig 100 according to this embodiment has been described above. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 , the printer 10 includes a control device 130. The control device 130 controls printing. The configuration of the control device 130 is not particularly limited. The control device 130 is, for example, a microcomputer. The hardware configuration of the microcomputer is not particularly limited. The control device 130 includes an interface (I / F) that receives print data and the like from an external device such as a host computer, a central processing unit (CPU) that executes instructions of a control program, a read-only memory (ROM) that stores the program executed by the CPU, a random access memory (RAM) used as a working area for expanding the program, and a memory that stores the program and various data. The control device 130 is provided inside the printer main body 20. However, the control device 130 may also be realized by a computer or the like installed outside the printer main body 20. In this case, the control device 130 may be communicably connected to a control board (not shown) of the printer 10 via a wired or wireless connection.

[0081] In this embodiment, the control device 130 is communicably connected to the ink head 43, the light irradiation device 50 (more specifically, the light source 52), the head moving mechanism 60, the support table moving mechanism 65, the lifting mechanism 68, and the rotation mechanism 90 (more specifically, the rotation motor 90A) of the printing jig 80. The control device 130 is configured or programmed to be able to control the light irradiation device 50, the head moving mechanism 60, the support table moving mechanism 65, the lifting mechanism 68, and the rotation mechanism 90 of the printing jig 80.

[0082] 5, the control device 130 includes a storage unit 140, a first printing unit 141, and a second printing unit 142. The storage unit 140, the first printing unit 141, and the second printing unit 142 may be configured by software or by hardware. For example, the storage unit 140, the first printing unit 141, and the second printing unit 142 may be realized by multiple processors, or may be incorporated into a circuit.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 2, the first printing unit 141 is configured or programmed to print on a printing substrate 5 supported by a support table 71. When printing on the printing substrate 5, the printing jig 80 and the reflection suppression jig 100 are not used, and the reflection suppression jig 100 is detached from the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b. When printing on the printing substrate 5, the first printing unit 141 moves the ink head 43 in the main scanning direction Y and ejects ink from the ink head 43 based on image data (not shown), for example, stored in the memory unit 140, to perform printing. When printing on the printing substrate 5 supported by the support table 71, the first printing unit 141 controls the head moving mechanism 60 so that the carriage 42, the ink head 43, and the light irradiation device 50 move in the main scanning direction Y at a first speed S1. As shown in FIG. 5, the first speed S1 is a preset value stored in the memory unit 140.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 6, the second printing unit 142 in FIG. 5 is configured or programmed to print on a cylindrical substrate 6. When printing on the cylindrical substrate 6, a printing jig 80 is supported on the support base 71, and the printing jig 80 supports the cylindrical substrate 6. When printing on the cylindrical substrate 6, a reflection suppression jig 100 is used. As shown in FIG. 9, the reflection suppression jig 100 is disposed between the ink head 43 and the support base 71 so that the first reflection suppression unit 101 and the second reflection suppression unit 102 span the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b. At this time, as shown in FIG. 13, the front end and rear end of the ink head 43 are covered by the first reflection suppression unit 101 and the second reflection suppression unit 102, respectively, when viewed from the bottom. At this time, a part of the nozzle row 47 of the ink head 43 is also covered by the first reflection suppressing portion 101 or the second reflection suppressing portion 102.

[0085] Here, the second printing unit 142 controls the ink head 43 so that ink is not ejected from the nozzles 45 that constitute the part of the nozzle row 47 that is covered by the first reflection suppression unit 101 or the second reflection suppression unit 102 when viewed from the bottom.

[0086] In this embodiment, when printing on the cylindrical substrate 6, the second printing unit 142 moves the ink head 43 in the main scanning direction Y and ejects ink from the ink head 43 based on image data (not shown) stored in the memory unit 140, for example. When printing on the cylindrical substrate 6 supported by the printing jig 80 supported on the support base 71, the second printing unit 142 controls the head moving mechanism 60 so that the carriage 42, ink head 43, and light irradiation device 50 move in the main scanning direction Y at a second speed S2. This second speed S2 is slower than the first speed S1. As shown in FIG. 5 , the second speed S2 is a preset value stored in the memory unit 140. Here, when printing on the cylindrical substrate 6, the second printing unit 142 slows the moving speed of the ink head 43 compared to when printing on the substrate 5.

[0087] The second printing unit 142 may control the ink head 43 so that when printing on the cylindrical printing substrate 6, the ink droplets ejected from the ink head 43 are larger than the ink droplets ejected from the ink head 43 when printing on the printing substrate 5 by the first printing unit 141. In other words, the first printing unit 141 may control the ink head 43 so that when printing on the printing substrate 5, the ink droplets ejected from the ink head 43 are larger than the ink droplets ejected from the ink head 43 when printing on the cylindrical printing substrate 6 by the second printing unit 142. For example, ink of three different sizes, namely, small dots, medium dots, and large dots, are ejected from the ink head 43. In this case, the second printing unit 142 is configured to eject small dot ink droplets that are larger than the small dot ink droplets ejected from the ink head 43 by the first printing unit 141. The second printing unit 142 is configured to eject ink droplets of medium dots that are larger than the ink droplets of medium dots ejected from the ink head 43 by the first printing unit 141. The second printing unit 142 is configured to eject ink droplets of large dots that are larger than the ink droplets of large dots ejected from the ink head 43 by the first printing unit 141.

[0088] As described above, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the printer 10 is a printer capable of printing while rotating a cylindrical printing substrate 6, at least a portion of which has a cylindrical outer periphery. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 10 includes a support base 71, a guide rail 35 extending in the main scanning direction Y above the support base 71, a carriage 42 slidably mounted on the guide rail 35, an ink head 43 mounted on the carriage 42 and ejecting ink, a light irradiation device 50 mounted on the carriage 42 and emitting light, and a head moving mechanism 60 that moves the carriage 42 in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. 4, the ink head 43 has a nozzle row 47 that is a row of multiple nozzles 45 aligned in the sub-scanning direction X. The printer 10 further includes a frame 23 (see FIG. 2), a printing jig 80 (see FIG. 6), and a reflection suppression jig 100 (see FIG. 9). As shown in FIG. 2, the frame 23 includes a first frame 26a fixed to one side (here, the left side) of the support base 71 in the main scanning direction Y, and a second frame 26b fixed to the other side (here, the right side) of the support base 71 in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. 6, the printing jig 80 is detachably supported on the support base 71 and is capable of supporting the cylindrical printing object 6 while rotating it. As shown in FIG. 12, the reflection suppression jig 100 is disposed between the ink head 43 and the printing jig 80 (see FIG. 6) supported on the support base 71, and receives light irradiated from and reflected by the light irradiation device 50. As shown in FIG. 9, the reflection suppression jig 100 includes a first reflection suppression unit 101 and a second reflection suppression unit 102. The first reflection suppression unit 101 is detachably bridged between the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b and extends in the main scanning direction Y. The second reflection suppression unit 102 is detachably mounted between the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b, extends in the main scanning direction Y, and is spaced apart from the first reflection suppression unit 101 in the sub-scanning direction X. As shown in FIG. 13 , in bottom view, a separation space 105 between the first reflection suppression unit 101 and the second reflection suppression unit 102 overlaps with at least a portion of the nozzle row 47. A first distance D11 of the separation space 105 in the sub-scanning direction Y is shorter than a length D21 of the nozzle row 47.

[0089] As a result, a portion of the light irradiated from the light irradiation device 50 and reflected is received by the first reflection suppression unit 101 or the second reflection suppression unit 102. Therefore, when viewed from the bottom, the light irradiated from the light irradiation device 50 and reflected does not reach the portion of the ink head 43 that overlaps the first reflection suppression unit 101 or the second reflection suppression unit 102. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of light that reaches the ink head 43. This makes it possible to reduce the likelihood of ejection defects in the ink head 43 caused by the amount of light (e.g., ultraviolet light) reaching the ink head 43.

[0090] 13 , in this embodiment, a second distance D12 in the sub-scanning direction X from the end of the first reflection suppression unit 101 opposite the second reflection suppression unit 102 in the sub-scanning direction X (here, the front end) to the end of the second reflection suppression unit 102 opposite the first reflection suppression unit 101 in the sub-scanning direction X (here, the rear end) is longer than the length D21 of the nozzle row 47. This allows part of the nozzle row 47 to be covered by the first reflection suppression unit 101 or the second reflection suppression unit 102 in a bottom view. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of light reaching the nozzles 45 that make up the nozzle row 47. This makes it possible to reduce the likelihood of ejection defects in the ink head 43.

[0091] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the ink head 43 has a nozzle surface 46 in which a plurality of nozzles 45 are formed. As shown in Fig. 13, the second distance D12 is longer than the length D22 of the nozzle surface 46 in the sub-scanning direction X. This allows part of the nozzle surface 46 to be covered by the first reflection suppressing portion 101 or the second reflection suppressing portion 102 in bottom view. This reduces the amount of light that reaches the nozzle surface 46, making it difficult for ink adhering to the nozzle surface 46 to thicken.

[0092] 9, the reflection suppressing jig 100 includes a connecting portion 103 that connects the first reflection suppressing portion 101 and the second reflection suppressing portion 102. The connecting portion 103 is configured to be detachably fixed to the frame 23. This allows the first reflection suppressing portion 101 and the second reflection suppressing portion 102 to be easily removed from the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b by removing the connecting portion 103 from the frame 23.

[0093] In this embodiment, the connecting portion 103 has a first connecting portion 111 that is detachably fixed to the first frame 26a, and a second connecting portion 112 that is detachably fixed to the second frame 26b. By fixing the first connecting portion 111 to the first frame 26a and the second connecting portion 112 to the second frame 26b in this manner, the first reflection suppressing portion 101 and the second reflection suppressing portion 102 can be stably supported by the first frame 26a and the second frame 26b.

[0094] In this embodiment, a reflection suppression treatment that suppresses light reflection is applied to the surface of the first reflection suppression unit 101 and the surface of the second reflection suppression unit 102. This makes it possible to make the first reflection suppression unit 101 and the second reflection suppression unit 102 less likely to reflect light, even when light reaches the first reflection suppression unit 101 or the second reflection suppression unit 102.

[0095] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10 , the reflection suppressing jig 100 includes a bridge portion 120 that spans the first reflection suppressing portion 101 and the second reflection suppressing portion 102 and covers from above the end of the cylindrical substrate 6 in the main scanning direction Y supported by the printing jig 80. For example, if the cylindrical substrate 6 is formed of a transparent or translucent material, the light irradiated from the light irradiation device 50 may pass through the cylindrical substrate 6 and be reflected by the printing jig 80 or the support base 71. In this case, the reflected light may reach the ink head 43 from the side surface of the end of the cylindrical substrate 6 in the main scanning direction Y. However, in this embodiment, the light traveling from the side surface of the end of the cylindrical substrate 6 in the main scanning direction Y toward the ink head 43 is received by the bridge portion 120 that covers from above the end of the cylindrical substrate 6 in the main scanning direction Y. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for light traveling from the side surface of the cylindrical printing object 6 at the end in the main scanning direction Y to reach the ink head 43 .

[0096] In this embodiment, the bridging section 120 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y relative to the first reflection suppression section 101 and the second reflection suppression section 102. This makes it possible to change the position of the bridging section 120 relative to the first reflection suppression section 101 and the second reflection suppression section 102 depending on the size of the cylindrical object to be printed 6 in the main scanning direction Y. Therefore, even if the size of the cylindrical object to be printed 6 in the main scanning direction Y is changed, the end of the cylindrical object to be printed 6 in the main scanning direction Y can be covered from above by the bridging section 120.

[0097] 10, the bridging section 120 has a first bridging section 121 that covers from above a first end 6a on one side (here, the left side) in the main scanning direction Y of the cylindrical object to be printed 6 supported by the printing jig 80, and a second bridging section 122 that covers from above a second end 6b on the other side (here, the right side) in the main scanning direction Y of the cylindrical object to be printed 6 supported by the printing jig 80. This allows both end portions of the cylindrical object to be printed 6 in the main scanning direction Y to be simultaneously covered from above by the bridging section 120.

[0098] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the light irradiation device 50 has a light source 52 (see Fig. 5) and an irradiation main body 51 in which the light source 52 is arranged and in which an irradiation port 53 is formed. As shown in Fig. 12, the length D31 of the bridging portion 120 in the main scanning direction Y is longer than the length D41 of the irradiation port 53 in the main scanning direction Y. This ensures that the bridging portion 120 has a sufficient size in the main scanning direction Y, making it easier for the bridging portion 120 to receive light directed toward the ink head 43 from the side surface of the end of the cylindrical object to be printed 6 in the main scanning direction Y.

[0099] In this embodiment, the ink head 43 and the light irradiation device 50 are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y. The length D31 of the bridge portion 120 in the main scanning direction Y is shorter than the distance D42 in the main scanning direction Y from the end of the irradiation port 53 of the light irradiation device 50 opposite the ink head 43 in the main scanning direction Y (here, the left end) to the end of the ink head 43 on the light irradiation device 50 side (here, the left end). Here, ink cannot be ejected onto the portion of the cylindrical object to be printed 6 that overlaps with the bridge portion 120, and therefore printing cannot be performed. Therefore, it is preferable that the length D31 of the bridge portion 120 in the main scanning direction Y is not too long. Therefore, in this embodiment, the size of the bridge portion 120 in the main scanning direction Y can be reduced by making the length D31 of the bridge portion 120 shorter than the above-mentioned distance D42. Therefore, a wider printing range can be secured on the cylindrical object to be printed 6.

[0100] In this embodiment, the support base 71 is configured to selectively directly support either a printing substrate 5 (see FIG. 2) having a shape different from the cylindrical printing substrate 6, or a printing jig 80 (see FIG. 6). As shown in FIG. 5, the printer 10 includes a control device 130. The control device 130 includes a first printing unit 141 and a second printing unit 142. When printing on the printing substrate 5 (see FIG. 2) supported by the support base 71, the first printing unit 141 controls the head moving mechanism 60 so that the ink head 43 moves in the main scanning direction Y at a first speed S1 (see FIG. 5). When printing on the cylindrical printing substrate 6 (see FIG. 6) supported by the printing jig 80 supported by the support base 71, the second printing unit 142 controls the head moving mechanism 60 so that the ink head 43 moves in the main scanning direction Y at a second speed S2 (see FIG. 5) slower than the first speed S1. Here, when printing on the cylindrical substrate 6, a reflection suppression jig 100 is placed between the ink head 43 and the support base 71. Therefore, a distance in the vertical direction Z between the nozzle surface 46 of the ink head 43 and the top end of the cylindrical substrate 6 is ensured by the thickness of the reflection suppression jig 100. Therefore, when printing on the cylindrical substrate 6, the distance in the vertical direction Z between the nozzle surface 46 of the ink head 43 and the top end of the cylindrical substrate 6 is longer than when printing on the substrate 5. Even in this case, when printing on the cylindrical substrate 6, slowing the movement speed of the ink head 43, i.e., setting it to the second speed S2, can reduce the deviation of the ink landing position on the cylindrical substrate 6. Therefore, even when the reflection suppression jig 100 is used, a decrease in the quality of printing on the cylindrical substrate 6 can be suppressed.

[0101] 9, in this embodiment, the first bridge portion 121 and the second bridge portion 122 are configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y relative to the first reflection suppression portion 101 and the second reflection suppression portion 102. However, either the first bridge portion 121 or the second bridge portion 122 may be fixed relative to the first reflection suppression portion 101 and the second reflection suppression portion 102.

[0102] Second Embodiment Next, a printer 10A according to a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 14 is a bottom view of a reflection suppression jig 100A according to this embodiment, showing its positional relationship with the ink head 43A. Note that although the nozzle row 47 is shown as a straight line in Fig. 14, in reality, it is a row of multiple nozzles 45 aligned in the sub-scanning direction X, as shown in Fig. 4.

[0103] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the printer 10A includes an ink head 43A that ejects ink. The ink head 43A includes a first ink head 44A and a second ink head 44B. The first ink head 44A and the second ink head 44B are arranged in a staggered configuration. The first ink head 44A is offset in the sub-scanning direction X relative to the second ink head 44B, or in other words, protrudes in the sub-scanning direction X. A portion of the first ink head 44A is positioned forward of the second ink head 44B. Another portion of the first ink head 44A overlaps with the second ink head 44B in the sub-scanning direction X. For example, process color inks are ejected from the nozzles 45 of the first ink head 44A, and so-called base inks are ejected from the nozzles 45 of the second ink head 44B.

[0104] In this embodiment, the printer 10A is equipped with a reflection suppression jig 100A. The reflection suppression jig 100A is configured with three reflection suppression sections: a first reflection suppression section 101A, a second reflection suppression section 102A, and a third reflection suppression section 103A. Although detailed description will be omitted, the reflection suppression jig 100A is equipped with a connecting section 103 (see FIG. 9) and a bridging section 120 (see FIG. 9) similar to those of the reflection suppression jig 100 of the first embodiment.

[0105] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14 , the first reflection suppression portion 101A, the second reflection suppression portion 102A, and the third reflection suppression portion 103A each extend in the main scanning direction Y. The first reflection suppression portion 101A, the second reflection suppression portion 102A, and the third reflection suppression portion 103A are arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction X. Here, the second reflection suppression portion 102A is arranged behind the first reflection suppression portion 101A and in front of the third reflection suppression portion 103A. The second reflection suppression portion 102A is arranged so as to be sandwiched between the first reflection suppression portion 101A and the third reflection suppression portion 103A. However, the arrangement order of the first reflection suppression portion 101A, the second reflection suppression portion 102A, and the third reflection suppression portion 103A is not particularly limited. Although not shown here, the first reflection suppression unit 101A, the second reflection suppression unit 102A and the third reflection suppression unit 103A are detachably mounted across the first frame 26a (see Figure 9) and the second frame 26b (see Figure 9).

[0106] 14, the first reflection suppression section 101A, the second reflection suppression section 102A, and the third reflection suppression section 103A are arranged spaced apart in the sub-scanning direction X. Here, the space between the first reflection suppression section 101A and the second reflection suppression section 102A is referred to as a first separation space 105A. The space between the second reflection suppression section 102A and the third reflection suppression section 103A is referred to as a second separation space 105B.

[0107] In this embodiment, the first reflection suppressing unit 101A overlaps with and covers the front end of the first ink head 44A in a bottom view. The second reflection suppressing unit 102A overlaps with and covers the rear end of the first ink head 44A and the front end of the second ink head 44B in a bottom view. The third reflection suppressing unit 103A overlaps with and covers the rear end of the second ink head 44B in a bottom view.

[0108] In bottom view, a first space 105A between the first reflection suppression unit 101A and the second reflection suppression unit 102A overlaps with a part of the first ink head 44A (here, the center part in the sub-scanning direction X). In addition, in bottom view, a second space 105B between the second reflection suppression unit 102A and the third reflection suppression unit 103A overlaps with a part of the second ink head 44B (here, the center part in the sub-scanning direction X).

[0109] In this embodiment, the distance D11A in the sub-scanning direction X of the first space 105A is shorter than the length D21A of the nozzle row 47 of the first ink head 44A, and is shorter than the length D22A in the sub-scanning direction X of the nozzle surface 46 of the first ink head 44A. The distance D11B in the sub-scanning direction X of the second space 105B is shorter than the length D21B of the nozzle row 47 of the second ink head 44B, and is shorter than the length D22B in the sub-scanning direction X of the nozzle surface 46 of the second ink head 44B.

[0110] In this embodiment, the distance D12A from the front end of the first reflection suppressing unit 101A to the rear end of the second reflection suppressing unit 102A is longer than the length D21A of the nozzle row 47 of the first ink head 44A and is also longer than the length D22A of the nozzle surface 46 of the first ink head 44A in the sub-scanning direction X. Furthermore, the distance D12B from the front end of the second reflection suppressing unit 102A to the rear end of the third reflection suppressing unit 103A is longer than the length D21B of the nozzle row 47 of the second ink head 44B and is also longer than the length D22B of the nozzle surface 46 of the second ink head 44B in the sub-scanning direction X.

[0111] Even in this embodiment, a portion of the light emitted from the light irradiation device 50 and reflected is received by the first reflection suppression unit 101A, the second reflection suppression unit 102A, or the third reflection suppression unit 103A. Therefore, the light emitted from the light irradiation device 50 and reflected does not reach the portion of the ink head 43A that overlaps with the first reflection suppression unit 101A, the second reflection suppression unit 102A, or the third reflection suppression unit 103A in a bottom view. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of light that reaches the ink head 43A. This makes it possible to reduce the likelihood of ejection defects from the ink head 43A caused by the amount of light reaching the ink head 43A. [Explanation of symbols]

[0112] 5 Printing material 6 Cylindrical printed material 10, 10A printer 23 frames 26a 1st frame 26b 2nd frame 35 guide rail 42 Carriage 43, 43A ink head 45 nozzles 46 Nozzle surface 47 nozzle rows 50 Light irradiation device 51 Irradiation body 52 Light source 53 Irradiation port 60 Head movement mechanism 71 Support stand 80 Printing jig 100, 100A reflection suppression jig 101, 101A 1st reflection suppressor 102, 102A 2nd reflection suppressor 103 Connection part 105 Separate space 111 1st connection part 112 2nd connection part 120 Erection section 121 1st construction section 122 2nd construction section 130 Control device 141 No. 1 Printing Department 142 Second Printing Department

Claims

1. A printer capable of printing while rotating a cylindrical printing object having at least a part of its outer periphery formed in a cylindrical shape, A support base; a guide rail extending in a main scanning direction above the support base; a carriage slidably mounted on the guide rail; an ink head provided on the carriage and configured to eject ink; a light irradiation device provided on the carriage for irradiating light; a head moving mechanism that moves the carriage in the main scanning direction; a frame including a first frame fixed to a position on one side of the support table in the main scanning direction, and a second frame fixed to a position on the other side of the support table in the main scanning direction; a printing jig that is detachably supported on the support table and that can support the cylindrical printing object while rotating it; a reflection suppression jig that is disposed between the ink head and the printing jig supported by the support base, and that receives light irradiated from and reflected by the light irradiation device; Equipped with the ink head has a nozzle row that is a row of a plurality of nozzles aligned in a sub-scanning direction that intersects with the main scanning direction in a plan view, The reflection suppression jig is a first reflection suppressing unit detachably spanning the first frame and the second frame and extending in the main scanning direction; a second reflection suppressing unit that is detachably bridged between the first frame and the second frame, extends in the main scanning direction, and is disposed spaced apart from the first reflection suppressing unit in the sub scanning direction; Equipped with a separation space between the first reflection suppressing unit and the second reflection suppressing unit overlaps with at least a portion of the nozzle row in a bottom view; a first distance of the separation space in the sub-scanning direction that is shorter than a length of the nozzle row;

2. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein a second distance in the sub-scanning direction from an end of the first reflection suppression unit opposite the second reflection suppression unit in the sub-scanning direction to an end of the second reflection suppression unit opposite the first reflection suppression unit in the sub-scanning direction is longer than a length of the nozzle row.

3. the ink head has a nozzle surface on which a plurality of the nozzles are formed, The printer according to claim 2 , wherein the second distance is longer than a length of the nozzle surface in the sub-scanning direction.

4. the reflection suppressing jig includes a connecting portion that connects the first reflection suppressing portion and the second reflection suppressing portion, The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting portion is configured to be removably fixed to the frame.

5. The connecting portion is a first connecting portion detachably fixed to the first frame; a second connecting portion detachably fixed to the second frame; 5. The printer of claim 4, comprising:

6. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the first anti-reflection portion and a surface of the second anti-reflection portion are subjected to an anti-reflection treatment for suppressing light reflection.

7. A printer described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the reflection suppression jig has a bridge section that spans the first reflection suppression section and the second reflection suppression section and covers from above the end of the cylindrical printing material supported by the printing jig in the main scanning direction.

8. The printer according to claim 7 , wherein the bridge portion is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction relative to the first reflection suppressing portion and the second reflection suppressing portion.

9. The installation section is a first bridge portion that covers from above a first end portion on one side in the main scanning direction of the cylindrical printing object supported by the printing jig; a second bridge portion that covers from above a second end portion of the cylindrical printing object supported by the printing jig on the other side in the main scanning direction; 8. The printer of claim 7, comprising:

10. The light irradiation device is A light source and an illumination body in which the light source is disposed and an illumination port is formed; and The printer according to claim 7 , wherein the length of the bridge portion in the main scanning direction is longer than the length of the irradiation port in the main scanning direction.

11. the ink head and the light irradiation device are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction, 11. The printer according to claim 10, wherein a length of the bridge portion in the main scanning direction is shorter than a distance in the main scanning direction from an end of the irradiation port of the light irradiation device opposite the ink head in the main scanning direction to an end of the ink head on the light irradiation device side.

12. A control device is provided, the support table is configured to selectively directly support either a printing substrate having a shape different from that of the cylindrical printing substrate or the printing jig; The control device a first printing unit that controls the head moving mechanism so that the ink head moves at a first speed in the main scanning direction when printing on the printing substrate supported by the support table; a second printing unit that controls the head moving mechanism so that the ink head moves in the main scanning direction at a second speed slower than the first speed when printing on the cylindrical printing object supported by the printing jig supported on the support table; 10. The printer of claim 1, comprising:

Images