printer

Abstract

In a printer equipped with a heating device for heating the recording medium after printing, the print quality can be maintained by preventing the recording medium from coming into contact with and being rubbed against the surrounding area of ​​the outlet opening of the heating device. [Solution] The printer 10 includes a printing mechanism 6 for printing on the recording medium 5, a transport device 7 for transporting the recording medium 5, a heating device 110 for heating the recording medium 5 after printing, and a media clamp 150 positioned downstream of the heating device 110 in the transport direction of the recording medium 5, which presses down the widthwise end of the recording medium 5 in the thickness direction of the recording medium 5.

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printer. [[Background Art]]

[0002] Conventionally, printers that perform printing on a recording medium and heat the recording medium after printing are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such a printer includes a printing mechanism that prints on a recording medium, a conveying device that conveys the recording medium, and a heating device that heats the recording medium. [[Prior Art Literature]] [[Patent Literature]]

[0003] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2024-104439 [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0004] In a printer as described above, a recording medium is heated in the heating device after being printed by the printing mechanism. The heated recording medium flows out from the interior of the heating device to the outside through an outlet opening of the heating device. Incidentally, there is a large temperature difference or humidity difference between the interior and the exterior of the heating device. Depending on the recording medium, after flowing out from the interior of the heating device to the outside, end portions in the width direction may bend toward the center side due to a rapid temperature change or humidity change. That is, the end portions of the recording medium may curl. However, if the end portions of the recording medium curl, there is a risk that the end portions of the recording medium come into contact with a peripheral portion of the outlet opening of the heating device. As a result, the end portions of the recording medium may be rubbed, and printing quality may be degraded.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and its purpose is to enable good print quality in a printer equipped with a heating device for heating a recording medium after printing, by preventing abrasion of the recording medium due to contact with the surrounding portion of the outlet opening of the heating device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The printer disclosed herein comprises a printing mechanism for printing on a recording medium, a transport device for transporting the recording medium, and a heating device disposed downstream of the printing mechanism in the transport direction of the recording medium for heating the recording medium after printing. The heating device has an inlet opening into which the recording medium flows and an outlet opening into which the recording medium flows out. The printer further comprises a media clamp disposed downstream of the heating device in the transport direction of the recording medium for pressing the widthwise end of the recording medium in the thickness direction of the recording medium.

[0007] According to the above printer, the widthwise edges of the heated recording medium are pressed down in the thickness direction by a media clamp. Therefore, curling of the edges of the heated recording medium is suppressed, and contact and friction between the recording medium and the surrounding area of ​​the heating device's outlet opening are prevented. Consequently, good print quality of the recording medium can be maintained. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, in a printer equipped with a heating device for heating a recording medium after printing, good print quality can be maintained by preventing friction caused by contact between the recording medium and the surrounding area of ​​the outlet opening of the heating device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a front view of the printer according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of the printer along section II-II in Figure 1. [Figure 3]This is a schematic bottom view showing the configuration of the carriage and ink head bottom. [Figure 4] This is the back view of the media guide. [Figure 5] Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the heating device and media clamp. [Figure 6] This is a magnified view of the area near the outlet opening of the heating device. [Figure 7] This is a magnified view of the area near the outlet opening of the heating device when the edge of the recording medium is curled. [Figure 8] This is a perspective view of a media clamp. [Figure 9] This diagram schematically illustrates how a media clamp holds down the edge of a recording medium. [Figure 10] This diagram schematically illustrates how the position of the media clamp is changed according to the width dimension of the recording medium. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described herein are not intended to particularly limit the present invention. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used for members and parts that perform the same function, and redundant explanations are omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0011] Figure 1 is a front view showing the printer 10 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the printer 10 along line II-II in Figure 1. In the following description of the printer 10, left, right, up, and down refer to the left, right, up, and down directions as seen from the perspective of a user standing in front of the printer 10. The direction from the printer 10 towards the user is defined as the front, and the direction from the user towards the printer 10 is defined as the rear. The symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D in the drawings indicate the front, rear, left, right, up, and down of the printer 10, respectively. The symbol Y in the drawings indicates the main scanning direction. In this embodiment, the main scanning direction Y is the left-right direction. The symbol X in the drawings indicates the sub-scanning direction. The sub-scanning direction X is the direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction Y in a plan view, and in this case, the front-back direction. However, these directions are defined for the convenience of explanation and do not limit the installation configuration of the printer 10 or the present invention in any way.

[0012] The printer 10 according to this embodiment is an inkjet printer, a so-called inkjet printer. However, the printing method of the printer 10 is not limited to the inkjet method; for example, it may be a thermal printer or a laser printer. In this embodiment, the printer 10 is a so-called roll-to-roll type printer, but the form of the printer 10 is not particularly limited.

[0013] As shown in Figure 2, the printer 10 includes a printing mechanism 6 for printing on the recording medium 5, a transport device 7 for transporting the recording medium 5, a heating device 110 for heating the recording medium 5 after printing, and a media clamp 150 for suppressing curling of the edges of the recording medium 5 in the width direction after heating.

[0014] The printer 10 prints on a long recording medium 5. The recording medium 5 is attached to the supply roller 61 in a rolled state. After being fed out from the supply roller 61, the recording medium 5 is printed on on the support base 16, heated by the heating device 110, and then wound up by the winding roller 71.

[0015] In this embodiment, the recording medium 5 is a heat-raiseable medium that swells when heated. Here, the recording medium 5 swells because portions thereof heated to a predetermined heating temperature foam. Although not illustrated in the drawings, the recording medium 5 has, for example, a base portion formed of a material such as a film, and a heat-foamable layer formed of thermally expandable microcapsules coated on the base portion. The heat-foamable layer contains a foaming agent and an additive. The foaming agent is selected from azodicarbonamide and / or metal salts thereof, hydrazodicarbonamide, sodium bicarbonate, trihydrazino-sym-triazine, pp'-oxybisbenzenesulfonyl hydrazide, dinitrosopentamethylenetetramine, azobisisobutyro-nitrile, p-toluenesulfonyl hydrazide, bisbenzenesulfonyl hydrazide, and the like. The polyolefin material described above is selected from thermoplastic elastomer polyolefin, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, atactic polypropylene polymer, mixtures thereof, and the like. Among the heat-foamable layer of the recording medium 5, heated portions melt and foam, whereby the heated portions of the recording medium 5 swell. This makes it possible to produce a printed matter having irregularities formed thereon. However, the recording medium 5 is not limited to this. The recording medium 5 may be, for example, recording paper, or a sheet formed from a resin material such as PVC or polyester.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2, the printer 10 includes a printer main body 10a and legs 11 that support the printer main body 10a. The legs 11 are provided at a lower portion of the printer main body 10a and extend downward from the printer main body 10a.

[0017] A printing mechanism 6 of a printer 10 includes a support base 16. The support base 16 supports a portion of a recording medium 5 on which printing is performed. The support base 16 is a so-called platen. Printing on the recording medium 5 is performed on the support base 16. Hereinafter, among the surfaces of the recording medium 5, the surface to be printed is referred to as a printing surface or a front surface, and the surface opposite to the surface to be printed is referred to as a non-printing surface or a back surface. In the present embodiment, the support base 16 has a support surface 16B. The support surface 16B extends in a main scanning direction Y and a sub-scanning direction X. The recording medium 5 is placed on the support surface 16B. The back surface of the recording medium 5 is in contact with the support surface 16B. The recording medium 5 moves on the support surface 16B when being conveyed.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, a printer main body 10a has a casing 12 extending in the main scanning direction Y. The printing mechanism 6 of the printer 10 includes a guide rail 17, a carriage 20, and an ink head 22. The guide rail 17 is disposed above the support base 16. The guide rail 17 is disposed parallel to the support surface 16B (see FIG. 2) of the support base 16 and extends in the main scanning direction Y. The carriage 20 is engaged with the guide rail 17. The carriage 20 is slidably provided on the guide rail 17 and configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y.

[0019] The ink heads 22 are provided on the carriage 20. The number of the ink heads 22 is not particularly limited. FIG. 3 is a bottom view schematically showing the configuration of the bottom surfaces of the carriage 20 and the ink heads 22. In the present embodiment, the number of the ink heads 22 is two. The two ink heads 22 are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y. Each ink head 22 has a nozzle surface 25. Each nozzle surface 25 is formed with nozzles 26 that eject ink. A plurality of nozzles 26 are formed side by side in the sub-scanning direction X. Here, a row in which the plurality of nozzles 26 are arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction X is referred to as a nozzle row 28. The number of nozzle rows 28 per one ink head 22 is four. However, the number of nozzle rows 28 per one ink head 22 is not particularly limited, and may be any one of 1 to 3, or may be 5 or more.

[0020] In this embodiment, one of the two ink heads 22 is a foam suppression ink head 22A, and the other of the two ink heads 22 is a color ink head 22B. The ink head 22 has a foam suppression ink head 22A and a color ink head 22B. Here, the foam suppression ink head 22A and the color ink head 22B are positioned at different locations in the sub-scanning direction X, a so-called staggered arrangement. In this embodiment, at least a portion of the foam suppression ink head 22A is positioned in front of the color ink head 22B.

[0021] The foam-suppressing ink head 22A (more specifically, the nozzle 26 of the foam-suppressing ink head 22A) ejects foam-suppressing ink. Here, foam-suppressing ink is an ink that suppresses foaming of the recording medium 5 (more specifically, the heat-foaming layer of the recording medium 5). The foam-suppressing ink may be, for example, a solvent ink suitable for the polyolefin surface that forms the heat-foaming layer of the recording medium 5. The color ink head 22B (more specifically, the nozzle 26 of the color ink head 22B) ejects color ink. An image can be formed on the recording medium 5 by the color ink ejected from the color ink head 22B. The color ink ejected from the color ink head 22B may be, for example, cyan ink, magenta ink, yellow ink, and black ink. The material of the color ink is not limited in any way. The color ink may be, for example, a solvent-based pigment ink.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the printer 10 is equipped with a head movement mechanism 40. The head movement mechanism 40 is a mechanism that moves the carriage 20 relative to the recording medium 5 supported on the support base 16 in the main scanning direction Y. Here, since the support base 16 is immovable, the head movement mechanism 40 moves the carriage 20 in the main scanning direction Y. In this embodiment, the head movement mechanism 40 is equipped with a pulley 41, a pulley 42, a belt 43, and a scan motor 44. The pulley 41 is provided near the left end of the guide rail 17. The pulley 42 is provided near the right end of the guide rail 17. The belt 43 is wrapped around the pulleys 41 and 42. As shown in Figure 2, the belt 43 is fixed to the upper rear of the carriage 20. As shown in Figure 1, the scan motor 44 is connected to the right pulley 42. However, the scan motor 44 may also be connected to the left pulley 41. Here, the scan motor 44 is driven, causing the pulley 42 to rotate, which in turn causes the belt 43 to travel between the pulley 41 and the pulley 42. As a result, the carriage 20 moves in the main scanning direction Y, and the ink head 22 mounted on the carriage 20 moves in the main scanning direction Y.

[0023] The printer 10 is equipped with a media transport device 50. The media transport device 50 is a mechanism that transports the recording medium 5 relative to the ink head 22 in the sub-scanning direction X. Here, the media transport device 50 transports the recording medium 5 on the support base 16 in the sub-scanning direction X. As shown in Figure 2, the media transport device 50 has a grit roller 51, a pinch roller 52, and a feed motor 53. The grit roller 51 is provided on the support base 16. Here, the grit roller 51 is embedded in the support base 16 such that at least a part of the grit roller 51 is exposed above the support base 16. The pinch roller 52 presses down on the recording medium 5 from above and is positioned above the grit roller 51. The pinch roller 52, together with the grit roller 51, sandwiches the recording medium 5. The pinch roller 52 faces the grit roller 51. The pinch roller 52 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction. The installation positions and number of the grid rollers 51 and pinch rollers 52 are not particularly limited. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, a plurality of grid rollers 51 and pinch rollers 52 are arranged in line in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in Figure 2, the feed motor 53 is connected to the grid rollers 51. When the feed motor 53 is driven and the grid rollers 51 rotate with the recording medium 5 sandwiched between the grid rollers 51 and pinch rollers 52, the recording medium 5 is transported in the sub-scanning direction X.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the printer 10 is equipped with a feeding device 60 having a feeding roller 61. A recording medium 5 wound in a roll is detachably mounted on the feeding device 60. The feeding roller 61 is positioned behind and below the support base 16. The left end of the feeding roller 61 is rotatably supported by a left guide plate (not shown), and the right end of the feeding roller 61 is rotatably supported by a right guide plate 62R. As the media transport device 50 transports the recording medium 5, the recording medium 5 is fed from the feeding roller 61 toward the support base 16. In this embodiment, the printer 10 does not have a motor to rotate the feeding roller 61, but it may have such a motor.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2, the printer 10 is equipped with a winding device 70 for winding the recording medium 5 into a roll. The winding device 70 includes a winding roller 71 and a winding motor 75 (see Figure 1). The transport device 7 for transporting the recording medium 5 includes the aforementioned media transport device 50 and the winding device 70.

[0026] The winding roller 71 is positioned below the support base 16. As shown in Figure 1, the printer 10 includes a first left side wall 76L and a first right side wall 76R that rotatably support the winding roller 71.

[0027] The winding motor 75 is connected to the winding roller 71 and rotates the winding roller 71. The winding motor 75 is indirectly connected to the winding roller 71 via a reduction gear (not shown) or the like. The winding roller 71 rotates in response to the driving force of the winding motor 75. In this embodiment, when the winding motor 75 is driven, the recording medium 5 is transported from the support base 16 toward the winding roller 71 and wound onto the winding roller 71. In the following, the side from which the recording medium 5 has been transported is referred to as the upstream side in the transport direction, and the side from which the recording medium 5 is being transported is referred to as the downstream side in the transport direction.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, an upper guide rod 14 and a lower guide rod 15 are provided between the support base 16 and the winding roller 71 in the transport path of the recording medium 5. Note that the upper guide rod 14 is not shown in Figure 1. The upper guide rod 14 and the lower guide rod 15 are positioned in front of the support base 16. The upper guide rod 14 is positioned downstream of the support base 16 in the transport direction and upstream of the heating device 110 in the transport direction. The lower guide rod 15 is positioned downstream of the heating device 110 in the transport direction and upstream of the winding roller 71 in the transport direction. The upper guide rod 14 and the lower guide rod 15 play a role in changing the transport direction of the recording medium 5. The upper guide rod 14 guides the recording medium 5 from the support base 16 toward the heating device 110 as the recording medium 5 is wound onto it. The lower guide rod 15 guides the recording medium 5 from the heating device 110 toward the winding roller 71 as the recording medium 5 is wound onto it. The recording medium 5 is wrapped around the upper guide rod 14 and the lower guide rod 15, thereby applying tension to the recording medium 5 between the upper guide rod 14 and the lower guide rod 15. One or both of the upper guide rod 14 and the lower guide rod 15 may be rotatable, but in this embodiment, both are configured to be immobile.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the printer 10 is equipped with a media guide 130. The media guide 130 is positioned on the transport path of the recording medium 5, between the support base 16 and the heating device 110. Note that the media guide 130 is not shown in Figure 1. The media guide 130 is positioned downstream of the support base 16 in the transport direction of the recording medium 5, and upstream of the heating device 110 in the transport direction of the recording medium 5. When setting up the recording medium 5 in the printer 10, the media guide 130 guides the movement of the leading edge of the recording medium 5 from the support base 16 toward the heating device 110. Setting up the recording medium 5 means guiding the leading edge of the recording medium 5 wound on the supply roller 61 to the winding roller 71 via the support base 16, upper guide rod 14, heating device 110, and lower guide rod 15.

[0030] The media guide 130 is formed by a plate-shaped member extending in the main scanning direction Y. In this embodiment, the media guide 130 is formed in a bent plate shape, but it may also be formed in a flat plate shape. As shown in Figure 4, the media guide 130 is made of perforated metal with a plurality of holes formed therein. The media guide 130 has a plurality of through holes 131 formed therein.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, the casing 12 of the printer 10 is equipped with a cover 108 that covers the front and top of the heating device 110. Note that the cover 108 is not shown in Figure 1.

[0032] The heating device 110 heats and dries the ink that has landed on the recording medium 5. In this embodiment, the heating device 110 also heats the recording medium 5 and causes foaming and bulging of the portion of the recording medium 5 where foam-suppressing ink has not been discharged. As shown in Figure 2, the heating device 110 is located downstream of the support base 16 in the transport direction. Here, the heating device 110 is located in front of the support base 16. Also, the heating device 110 is located below the support base 16 and above the winding device 70. The heating device 110 is located on the transport path of the recording medium 5, between the support base 16 and the winding device 70. The heating device 110 is located on the transport path of the recording medium 5, between the upper guide rod 14 and the lower guide rod 15. The heating device 110 is located below the upper guide rod 14 and above the lower guide rod 15.

[0033] As shown in Figure 5, the heating device 110 comprises a case 111 and a heater 120.

[0034] A heating chamber 113 is partitioned inside the case 111. As shown in Figure 1, the case 111 extends in the main scanning direction Y. The case 111 is fixed to the printer body 10a. As shown in Figure 5, the case 111 has an upper wall 111a, a lower wall 111b, a rear wall 111c, and a front wall 111d.

[0035] The case 111 has an inlet opening 112 and an outlet opening 114. The printed portion of the recording medium 5 flows into the heating chamber 113 through the inlet opening 112 and flows out of the heating chamber 113 through the outlet opening 114. The inlet opening 112 is formed in the upper wall 111a of the case 111 and extends in the main scanning direction Y. The outlet opening 114 is formed in the lower wall 111b of the case 111 and extends in the main scanning direction Y. Both the inlet opening 112 and the outlet opening 114 are formed by elongated slit-shaped openings in the main scanning direction Y (see Figure 6). Here, the outlet opening 114 is located below the inlet opening 112. The inlet opening 112 is located behind the outlet opening 114.

[0036] Inside the case 111 (i.e., the heating chamber 113), there is a heating passage 116 through which the recording medium 5 passes. The heating passage 116 connects the inlet opening 112 and the outlet opening 114. The heating passage 116 extends linearly from the inlet opening 112 to the outlet opening 114. Here, the heating passage 116 extends forward and downward. In this embodiment, the heating passage 116 is partially partitioned by a plurality of passage members 116a. The passage members 116a are made of, for example, wire. The plurality of passage members 116a each extend parallel to the heating passage 116 and are arranged in the main scanning direction so as to be spaced apart from each other. The passage members 116a are also positioned in front of and behind the recording medium 5, respectively. The passage members 116a play a role in guiding the recording medium 5 from the inlet opening 112 to the outlet opening 114.

[0037] The heater 120 is located inside the case 111. The heater 120 is configured to heat the recording medium 5 in the heating chamber 113. The recording medium 5 is heated by the heater 120 as it passes through the heating passage 116. The heater 120 is located in front of the heating passage 116. The heater 120 is configured to heat the recording medium 5 from the front as it passes through the heating passage 116. The heater 120 faces the printed surface of the recording medium 5 and heats the printed surface. Although not shown in the figures, the heater 120 extends in the main scanning direction Y. The type of heater 120 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the heater 120 is made of a ceramic heater.

[0038] The heater 120 is equipped with a temperature sensor 120a. The temperature sensor 120a detects the temperature of the heater 120. The type of temperature sensor 120a is not particularly limited, but for example, it could be a thermistor. The heater 120 is controlled so that the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 120a is within a predetermined range.

[0039] In this embodiment, the heating temperature of the heater 120 is set to be higher than the temperature at which the heating foam layer of the recording medium 5 melts and foams (hereinafter referred to as the melting temperature of the recording medium 5). The melting temperature of the recording medium 5 is relatively high, for example, around 200°C. Therefore, it is preferable that the heating temperature of the heater 120 be around 350°C to 400°C. This allows the recording medium 5 to be sufficiently heated in the heating chamber 113, and the recording medium 5 to foam and rise well.

[0040] The inside of the heating chamber 113 is at a high temperature, resulting in a large temperature difference between the inside and outside of the heating chamber 113. Furthermore, because a portion of the recording medium 5 melts inside the heating chamber 113, a large humidity difference is created between the inside and outside of the heating chamber 113. When the recording medium 5 flows out of the heating chamber 113, significant temperature and humidity changes occur in the recording medium 5. As mentioned above, tension is applied to the recording medium 5 by the upper guide rod 14 and the lower guide rod 15, but these temperature and humidity changes can cause the edges of the recording medium 5 to curl. Specifically, the edges of the recording medium 5 in the width direction may bend towards the center. In the recording medium 5 according to this embodiment, due to the difference in shrinkage rates between the front and back surfaces, the edges of the recording medium 5 tend to curl towards the front. As shown in Figure 7, if the edges 5e of the recording medium 5 curl, there is a risk that the edges 5e of the recording medium 5 may come into contact with the surrounding portion 114a of the outlet opening 114 of the case 111. However, if the recording medium 5 is transported while its end portion 5e remains in contact with the surrounding portion 114a of the exit opening 114, the end portion 5e may rub against the surrounding portion 114a of the exit opening 114 of the case 111, potentially degrading the print quality. The media clamp 150 is a component designed to prevent the end portion 5e of the recording medium 5 from rubbing against the surrounding portion 114a of the exit opening 114 of the case 111.

[0041] Figure 8 is a perspective view of the media clamp 150 from the rear and left. The media clamp 150 is configured to press down on the end 5e of the recording medium 5 in the thickness direction of the recording medium 5. As described above, the recording medium 5 according to this embodiment tends to curl at both ends (i.e., the left and right ends 5e) after flowing out of the heating chamber 113. Therefore, as shown in Figure 1, a pair of media clamps 150 are provided on the left and right sides. The left media clamp 150 is configured to press down on the left end 5e of the recording medium 5 toward the rear. The right media clamp 150 is configured to press down on the right end 5e of the recording medium 5 toward the rear.

[0042] As shown in Figure 8, the media clamp 150 has a leaf spring 155 and a magnet 156. The leaf spring 155 includes a mounting plate 151, a pressing plate 152 inclined with respect to the mounting plate 151, and a vertical plate 153 perpendicular to the mounting plate 151. The mounting plate 151, the pressing plate 152, and the vertical plate 153 are integral parts. The magnet 156 is fixed to the upper surface of the mounting plate 151. The pressing plate 152 is pivotable around the connection portion 154 between the mounting plate 151 and the pressing plate 152 as a pivot point. As shown in Figure 5, the pressing plate 152 extends rearward and downward from the rear end of the mounting plate 151. The pressing plate 152 is pivotable back and forth around the rear end of the mounting plate 151 (i.e., the connection portion 154). The leaf spring 155 is configured to be elastically deformable. The pressing plate 152 is designed to impart elastic force to the recording medium 5.

[0043] The casing 12 of the printer 10 has a lower cover 109 fixed to the lower end of the cover 108. The lower cover 109 is made of a magnetic material. In this embodiment, the lower cover 109 is made of an iron plate. The media clamp 150 is detachably attached to the lower cover 109 by attracting a magnet 156 to the lower cover 109. The lower cover 109 extends in the main scanning direction Y. The media clamp 150 can be attached to any position on the lower cover 109 in the main scanning direction Y.

[0044] In the portion of the recording medium 5 downstream of the heating device 110, the temperature or humidity has not sufficiently decreased in the area near the outlet opening 114. The portion of the recording medium 5 near the outlet opening 114 is still soft. Therefore, if the media clamp 150 presses against the portion of the recording medium 5 near the outlet opening 114, there is a risk of leaving a mark on the surface of the recording medium 5. For this reason, the media clamp 150 according to this embodiment is positioned at a distance of a predetermined distance La or more from the outlet opening 114. The predetermined distance La is preferably a distance at which no mark is left on the surface of the recording medium 5 even if the media clamp 150 presses against it. Although not particularly limited, the position where the media clamp 150 contacts the recording medium 5 is set, for example, at a position 10 to 20 cm away from the outlet opening 114 along the transport direction of the recording medium 5. The position where the media clamp 150 contacts the recording medium 5 is preferably at a position where the temperature of the recording medium 5 is 80 degrees or less. The position where the media clamp 150 contacts the recording medium 5 is, for example, set at a position where the temperature of the recording medium 5 is 40 to 60 degrees.

[0045] As schematically shown in Figure 9, the media clamp 150 is configured to press the end 5e of the recording medium 5 in the thickness direction of the recording medium 5 when the end 5e of the recording medium 5 is about to curl (see arrow B) (see arrow F). Here, the media clamp 150 may be configured to contact the recording medium 5 regardless of whether the end 5e of the recording medium 5 is curled or not, or it may be configured not to contact the recording medium 5 when the end 5e of the recording medium 5 is not curled, and to contact the recording medium 5 when the end 5e is curled. In other words, the media clamp 150 may always be in contact with the end 5e of the recording medium 5, or it may be configured to contact the end 5e of the recording medium 5 only when the end 5e of the recording medium 5 is curled.

[0046] The above describes the configuration of the printer 10. During the printing operation of the printer 10, the recording medium 5 is supplied from the supply roller 61 (see Figure 2) onto the support base 16. Color ink is ejected from the color ink head 22B (see Figure 3) onto the portion of the recording medium 5 supported by the support base 16. An image is formed on the recording medium 5 when the ejected color ink lands on it. After printing the image with color ink, foam-suppressing ink is ejected from the foam-suppressing ink head 22A (see Figure 3) onto the portion of the recording medium 5 that should not be raised. The recording medium 5, from which the color ink and foam-suppressing ink have been ejected, passes through the upper guide rod 14 and then flows into the heating chamber 113 from the inlet opening 112 of the heating device 110. As the recording medium 5 passes through the heating passage 116 of the heating chamber 113, it is heated by the heater 120. As a result, the portion of the recording medium 5 to which the foam-suppressing ink has not been ejected foams. The partially foamed recording medium 5 flows out of the heating chamber 113 from the outlet opening 114. The recording medium 5, which has been transported outside the heating device 110, passes through the lower guide rod 15 and is then wound up by the winding roller 71.

[0047] As described above, with the printer 10 according to this embodiment, the portion of the recording medium 5 heated by the heating device 110 tends to curl at both ends due to rapid changes in temperature and humidity after flowing out of the heating chamber 113. However, according to this embodiment, a media clamp 150 is provided downstream of the outlet opening 114 of the heating device 110. Downstream of the outlet opening 114 of the heating device 110, the end 5e of the recording medium 5 is pressed in the thickness direction by the media clamp 150 (see Figures 5 and 9). Therefore, curling of the end 5e of the recording medium 5 is suppressed. Thus, according to this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, it is possible to prevent the recording medium 5 from coming into contact with the surrounding portion 114a of the outlet opening 114 of the case 111. Since it is possible to prevent the recording medium 5 from being rubbed by the surrounding portion 114a of the outlet opening 114 after printing, the print quality can be maintained well.

[0048] According to this embodiment, as shown in Figure 8, the media clamp 150 has a leaf spring 155 and a pressing plate 152 that applies elastic force to the recording medium 5. The pressing plate 152 presses the recording medium 5 with a relatively large force when the degree of curl of the recording medium 5 is large, and presses the recording medium 5 with a relatively small force when the degree of curl is small. The recording medium 5 is subjected to a pressing force corresponding to the degree of curl. Therefore, a pressing force of an appropriate size can be applied to the recording medium 5. If the recording medium 5 is pressed too hard, marks may be left on the surface of the recording medium 5. However, according to this embodiment, a pressing force of an appropriate size can be applied to the recording medium 5, so it is possible to prevent marks from being left on the surface of the recording medium 5.

[0049] According to this embodiment, the media clamp 150 is detachably attached to any location in the left-right direction on the lower cover 109 of the casing 12. Therefore, as shown in Figure 10, the position of the media clamp 150 can be changed according to the width dimension of the recording medium 5. According to this embodiment, regardless of the width dimension of the recording medium 5, the edges of the recording medium 5 can be pressed down by the media clamp 150. For example, for a recording medium 5 with a relatively small width, the left and right media clamps 150 can be positioned so that the distance between them is relatively small. For a recording medium 5 with a relatively large width, the left and right media clamps 150 can be positioned so that the distance between them is relatively large. Therefore, whether the recording medium 5 has a small width or a large width, the media clamp 150 can effectively press down the edges 5e of the recording medium 5 that are prone to curling.

[0050] According to this embodiment, the media clamp 150 is positioned at a predetermined distance La or more away from the outlet opening 114 of the heating device 110 (see Figure 5). The media clamp 150 can press down on the portion of the recording medium 5 whose temperature has decreased after heating. Therefore, the media clamp 150 can more reliably prevent marks from being left on the surface of the recording medium 5. The media clamp 150 can press down on the recording medium 5 so that no marks are left on the surface of the recording medium 5. Therefore, good print quality can be maintained.

[0051] According to this embodiment, the recording medium 5 is a foaming recording medium that foams up in at least a portion when heated. The recording medium 5 is a recording medium whose edges 5e tend to curl after being discharged from the heating device 110. Therefore, the media clamp 150 is particularly effective in suppressing the curling of the edges 5e.

[0052] A preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the media clamp 150 is configured to slide against the recording medium 5 when it is pressing down on the recording medium 5. That is, when the recording medium 5 is being transported, the recording medium 5 slides against the media clamp 150. However, the media clamp 150 is not limited to being configured to slide against the recording medium 5. For example, the media clamp 150 may have a rotating roller that presses against the recording medium 5. This can more reliably prevent marks from being left on the recording medium 5.

[0054] As long as the recording medium 5 does not rub against the surrounding portion 114a of the outlet opening 114 of the heating device 110 and the print quality does not deteriorate, the recording medium 5 may come into contact with the surrounding portion 114a of the outlet opening 110. For example, the surrounding portion 114a of the outlet opening 114 may be subjected to a surface treatment that suppresses rubbing of the recording medium 5 (e.g., a surface treatment that improves slipperiness), or a member that suppresses rubbing of the recording medium 5 (e.g., a roller) may be provided. As a result, even if the recording medium 5 comes into contact with the surrounding portion 114a of the outlet opening 114, rubbing of the recording medium 5 can be suppressed by the media clamp 150 pressing down on the recording medium 5, thereby preventing a deterioration in print quality.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the media clamp 150 has a magnet 156 (see Figure 8). The media clamp 150 in the above embodiment can be attracted to any position on the lower cover 109 in the left-right direction by the magnet 156. In the above embodiment, the configuration for detachably attaching the media clamp 150 to multiple locations on the lower cover 109 in the left-right direction is composed of the lower cover 109 made of a magnetic material and the magnet 156. However, the configuration for detachably attaching the media clamp 150 to multiple locations on the lower cover 109 in the left-right direction is not limited to the configuration using the magnet 156. For example, a first bolt hole may be formed in the mounting plate 151 of the media clamp 150, and second bolt holes may be formed in multiple locations on the lower cover 109 in the left-right direction, and the media clamp 150 may be attached to the lower cover 109 by fastening a bolt to either the first bolt hole or the second bolt hole. By appropriately selecting a second bolt hole from among multiple second bolt holes to fasten a bolt to together with the first bolt hole, the mounting position of the media clamp 150 in the left-right direction can be appropriately selected.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the media clamp 150 is attached to the lower cover 109 of the casing 12, but the mounting location of the media clamp 150 is not particularly limited. The media clamp 150 is not limited to the casing 12, but may also be detachably attached to the heating device 110. The media clamp 150 may also be detachably attached to the case 111 of the heating device 110.

[0057] In the above embodiment, since the recording medium 5 tends to curl towards the front when heated, the media clamp 150 is configured to press down on the end 5e of the recording medium 5 from the front to the back (i.e., from front to back) (see Figure 5). However, when using a recording medium that tends to curl towards the back when heated, the media clamp 150 should be configured to press down on the end 5e of the recording medium 5 from the back to the front (i.e., from back to front).

[0058] In the above embodiment, the recording medium 5 is a foaming recording medium that foams at least partially when heated, but the recording medium 5 is not limited to a foaming recording medium. The technology disclosed herein can be applied to any recording medium that has the property of curling at its edges when heated. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0059] 5. Recording media 6 Printing mechanism 7. Conveying device 10 Printers 12 Casing 16 Support stand 22 Inkheads 110 Heating device 111 cases 112 Entrance opening 114 Exit opening 120 Heater 150 Media Clamps 151 Mounting plate 152 Pressing plate (elastic part) 155 Leaf spring 156 Magnets

Claims

1. A printing mechanism that prints onto a recording medium, A transport device for transporting the aforementioned recording medium, The system includes a heating device positioned downstream of the printing mechanism in the transport direction of the recording medium, which heats the recording medium after printing. The heating device has an inlet opening into which the recording medium flows and an outlet opening into which the recording medium flows out. A printer comprising a media clamp positioned downstream of the heating device in the transport direction of the recording medium, which presses down the widthwise end of the recording medium in the thickness direction of the recording medium.

2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the media clamp has an elastic portion that imparts elastic force to the recording medium.

3. The heating device is provided with a casing that supports it. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the media clamp is configured to be detachably attached to a plurality of locations in the width direction of the recording medium in the casing or the heating device.

4. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the media clamp is positioned at a predetermined distance or more away from the outlet opening of the heating device.

5. The heating device comprises a case having the inlet opening and the outlet opening formed therein, and a heater disposed inside the case. The heater is positioned to face the printed surface of the recording medium within the case that has been printed by the printing mechanism. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the media clamp is configured to press down on the printed surface of the recording medium.

6. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium is a foaming recording medium that foams in at least a portion when heated by the heating device.

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