Pretreatment device, pretreatment method of pretreatment device, and printing device

Abstract

To provide a pre-treatment device which can inhibit scattering of mist of a pre-treatment agent, and to provide a pre-treatment method of the pre-treatment device and a printer.SOLUTION: A pre-treatment device 30 includes: a medium support part 31 which supports a transported medium 100; a pre-treatment agent injection part 32 which injects a pre-treatment agent 101; an absorber support part 33 which supports an absorber 102 which absorbs the pre-treatment agent 101 injected from the pre-treatment agent injection part 32 between the medium 100 and the pre-treatment agent injection part 32 in an injection direction of the pre-treatment agent 101; and a pressing part 34 which presses the absorber 102, to which the pre-treatment agent 101 is injected from the pre-treatment agent injection part 32, toward the medium 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a pretreatment apparatus, a pretreatment method for the pretreatment apparatus, and a printing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there are inkjet printers. For example, the printer of Patent Document 1 has a pretreatment engineering department, a printing processing engineering department, and a post-treatment engineering department. The pretreatment engineering department sprays and applies a pretreatment liquid onto the surface of a printing recording medium. The printing processing engineering department performs printing by spraying ink onto the surface of the printing recording medium onto which the pretreatment liquid has been applied. The post-treatment engineering department applies a post-treatment liquid onto the surface of the printed printing recording medium. The printing recording medium is paper, cloth, or the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When adopting a configuration in which a pretreatment liquid is sprayed and applied to a printing recording medium as in Patent Document 1, the following are concerns. That is, when the pretreatment liquid is sprayed onto the printing recording medium, mist of the pretreatment liquid may be generated, and there is a risk that this mist scatters around. In addition, there is also a concern that the scattered mist adheres to peripheral devices.

[0005] Therefore, in order to suppress the generation or scattering of mist of the pretreatment liquid, for example, it is conceivable to reduce the injection amount of the pretreatment liquid. However, in this case, there is a risk of so-called uneven coating of the pretreatment agent. Uneven coating means that the thickness of the applied pretreatment liquid is not uniform.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The pretreatment device for solving the above problems includes a medium support part that supports a conveyed medium, a pretreatment agent injection part that injects a pretreatment agent, an absorbent material that absorbs the pretreatment agent injected from the pretreatment agent injection part, an absorbent material support part that supports the absorbent material between the medium and the pretreatment agent injection part in the injection direction of the pretreatment agent, and a pressing part that presses the absorbent material onto which the pretreatment agent has been injected from the pretreatment agent injection part toward the medium.

[0007] The pretreatment method of the pretreatment device for solving the above problems is a pretreatment method of a pretreatment device including a medium support part that supports a conveyed medium, a pretreatment agent injection part that injects a pretreatment agent, an absorbent material that absorbs the pretreatment agent injected from the pretreatment agent injection part, an absorbent material support part that supports the absorbent material between the medium and the pretreatment agent injection part in the injection direction of the pretreatment agent, and a pressing part that presses the absorbent material onto which the pretreatment agent has been injected from the pretreatment agent injection part toward the medium. This pretreatment method of the pretreatment device includes injecting the pretreatment agent from the pretreatment agent injection part into the absorbent material, and transferring the pretreatment agent absorbed by the absorbent material to the medium by pressing the absorbent material onto which the pretreatment agent has been injected toward the medium by the pressing part.

[0008] The printing device for solving the above problems includes a pretreatment device and a liquid ejection device. The pretreatment device has a medium support part that supports a conveyed medium, a pretreatment agent injection part that injects a pretreatment agent, an absorbent material that absorbs the pretreatment agent injected from the pretreatment agent injection part, an absorbent material support part that supports the absorbent material between the medium and the pretreatment agent injection part in the injection direction of the pretreatment agent, and a pressing part that presses the absorbent material onto which the pretreatment agent has been injected from the pretreatment agent injection part toward the medium. The liquid ejection device is provided side by side with the pretreatment device in the conveyance direction of the medium, and has a liquid ejection head that forms an image by ejecting liquid onto the medium that has been pretreated by the pretreatment device.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which a pretreatment apparatus is embodied in a printing apparatus will be described. The printing apparatus is an inkjet printer that performs printing by ejecting a printing liquid, which is a liquid for printing, onto a medium that is the object of printing. The medium is, for example, a fabric including clothing and fabric. The printing liquid is, for example, ink for dyeing.

[0011] <Printing Apparatus> As shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 11 has a housing 12. The housing 12 has a first housing 13 and a second housing 14. The first housing 13 and the second housing 14 each have a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The long side of the first housing 13 extends along the X-axis in a rectangular coordinate system composed of the X, Y, and Z axes. Incidentally, the direction along the X-axis is the left or right direction, the direction along the Y-axis is the front or rear direction, and the direction along the Z-axis is the up or down direction. The second housing 14 is provided on the rear surface of the first housing 13. The interior of the first housing 13 and the interior of the second housing 14 communicate with each other.

[0012] The first housing 13 has an opening 15, a cover 16, and an operation panel 17. The opening 15 is provided on the front surface of the first housing 13. The opening 15 communicates the inside and outside of the first housing 13. The cover 16 is provided on the upper surface of the first housing 13. The cover 16 is openable and closable by rotating about a shaft provided at its proximal end. The cover 16 is opened, for example, when cleaning the inside of the first housing 13. The operation panel 17 is provided at the upper part on the front surface of the first housing 13. The operation panel 17 has various switches for operating the printing device 11 and a display for displaying the operating state of the printing device 11.

[0013] The printing device 11 has a conveyance device 18. The conveyance device 18 is provided inside the housing 12. However, a part of the conveyance device 18 projects forward from the opening 15 of the first housing 13. The conveyance device 18 has a tray 19. The tray 19 is supported via a support member (not shown) of the conveyance device 18. The support member is movable along the Y-axis. The tray 19 moves between a first position P1 shown by a solid line in FIG. 1 and a second position P2 shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 as the support member moves. The first position P1 is a position where the tray 19 is exposed outside the first housing 13 and is a position when setting a medium to be printed on the upper surface of the tray 19. The second position P2 is a position where the rear end of the tray 19 enters the inside of the second housing 14 and is a position where printing on the medium, for example, starts.

[0014] The printing device 11 has a liquid ejection device 20 and a pre-processing device 30. The liquid ejection device 20 and the pre-processing device 30 are provided inside the housing 12. The liquid ejection device 20 and the pre-processing device 30 are provided side by side in a direction along the Y axis, which is the medium transport direction. The pre-processing device 30 is located behind the liquid ejection device 20 along the Y axis. The pre-processing device 30 performs pre-processing on the medium. The liquid ejection device 20 has a liquid ejection head 21. The liquid ejection head 21 is capable of reciprocating in a direction along the X axis while being guided by a guide member (not shown). The liquid ejection head 21 forms an image by ejecting printing liquid onto the medium that has been pre-processed. This image includes characters, figures, etc.

[0015] Pretreatment device 30 applies a liquid pretreatment agent to the printing area of the medium or to an area slightly larger than the printing area as a pretreatment for the medium. The purpose of applying the pretreatment agent to the medium is as described in the following (A1) to (A3).

[0016] (A1) Suppression of deterioration in color development due to the printing liquid penetrating the medium. In particular, when the medium is black and the printing liquid used for printing on the medium is white, this has a significant effect.

[0017] (A2) Improving the abrasion resistance of the printed image by fixing the printing liquid to the medium. (A3) Applying a pretreatment agent to the medium hardens the fluff on the surface of the medium and suppresses raising. This prevents fluff from adhering to the liquid ejection head 21. This prevents the printing liquid from dripping due to the fluff adhesion, or prevents the fluff adhering to the liquid ejection head 21 from rubbing against the medium.

[0018] <Pretreatment device> Next, the pre-treatment device 30 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 2, the pretreatment device 30 has a medium support section 31, a pretreatment agent spray section 32, an absorbent support section 33, and a pressing section .

[0019] The medium support unit 31 supports the medium 100. The support member 18A of the transport device 18 and the tray 19 are also used as the medium support unit 31. The medium support unit 31 is movable in the direction along the Y-axis while supporting the medium 100.

[0020] The pretreatment agent injection unit 32 is located above the transport device 18. Below the pretreatment agent injection unit 32, the medium 100 is transported by the transport device 18. The medium 100 is in a state of being supported by the medium support unit 31. The pretreatment agent injection unit 32 injects the pretreatment agent 101. The pretreatment agent injection unit 32 has a spray or a head. The nozzles of the spray or the head face downward along the Z-axis. That is, the injection direction of the pretreatment agent 101 is downward. The pretreatment agent injection unit 32 injects the pretreatment agent 101 toward the medium 100 located below it. The pretreatment agent injection unit 32 is provided so as to be movable in the direction along the X-axis through the drive of a moving mechanism (not shown). The size of the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 is set to an appropriate size according to product specifications and the like.

[0021] The absorbent support unit 33 supports the absorbent 102 disposed between the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31 and the pretreatment agent injection unit 32. The absorbent support unit 33 is provided between the absorbent 102 and the medium 100 in the direction along the Z-axis, which is the injection direction of the pretreatment agent 101. The absorbent support unit 33 supports the absorbent 102 at a position where the absorbent 102 faces the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 in the injection direction of the pretreatment agent 101.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the absorbent 102 has a predetermined width in the direction along the Y-axis and extends continuously in the direction along the X-axis. The width of the absorbent 102 is set to a length shorter than, for example, the length of the medium 100 in the direction along the Y-axis. The absorbent 102 can absorb the pretreatment agent 101 sprayed from the pretreatment agent injection unit 32. The absorbent 102 may have a higher absorbency than the medium 100 with respect to the pretreatment agent 101. For the absorbent 102, for example, cloth, foamed urethane, or non-woven fabric is used. The size of the absorbent 102 is set to an appropriate size according to product specifications and the like.

[0023] The absorbent support unit 33 has, for example, two guide rollers 33A and 33B. Both guide rollers 33A and 33B are identical. Both guide rollers 33A and 33B extend in a direction along the Y axis. Both guide rollers 33A and 33B are parallel to each other. Both guide rollers 33A and 33B are rotatably supported, for example, via a support member (not shown) connected to the pretreatment agent spray unit 32. In other words, both guide rollers 33A and 33B are provided so as to be movable in a direction along the X axis in conjunction with the movement of the pretreatment agent spray unit 32.

[0024] 2, both guide rollers 33A and 33B are located between the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31 and the pretreatment agent spray unit 32. Both guide rollers 33A and 33B are provided so as to be spaced apart by the same predetermined distance in the direction along the Z axis from the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31. Furthermore, both guide rollers 33A and 33B are spaced apart by the same predetermined distance in the direction along the Z axis from the pretreatment agent spray unit 32.

[0025] The guide rollers 33A and 33B are spaced apart from each other in the direction along the X axis. The distance between the guide rollers 33A and 33B is set to, for example, approximately the same as the length of the pre-treatment agent spraying unit 32 in the direction along the X axis. In other words, the two guide rollers 33A and 33B are arranged to sandwich the pre-treatment agent spraying unit 32 when viewed in the direction along the Z axis. The pre-treatment agent spraying unit 32 is located between the two guide rollers 33A and 33B when viewed in the direction along the Z axis.

[0026] The two guide rollers 33A, 33B support the absorbent 102 from below along the Z axis. The portion of the absorbent 102 supported by the guide rollers 33A, 33B is maintained parallel to the upper surface of the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31. The absorbent 102 is maintained at a predetermined distance in the direction along the Z axis from the pre-treatment agent spraying unit 32. It is preferable to set the distance between the absorbent 102 and the pre-treatment agent spraying unit 32 as short as possible within an allowable range. The absorbent 102 is also maintained at a predetermined distance in the direction along the Z axis from the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31.

[0027] The pressing unit 34 presses the absorbent material 102 onto which the pretreatment agent has been sprayed from the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32, toward the medium 100. The medium 100 is supported by the medium support unit 31. As shown in FIG. 3 , the pressing unit 34 is arranged so as not to overlap the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 and the absorbent support unit 33 when viewed from the spraying direction of the pretreatment agent 101. More specifically, when viewed from the spraying direction of the pretreatment agent 101, the pressing unit 34 is located to the side of the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 and the absorbent support unit 33 in the direction along the X-axis, which is the direction of movement of the pressing unit 34 relative to the medium 100. The pressing unit 34 has, for example, a pressing roller 34A. The pressing roller 34A extends in the direction along the Y-axis. The pressing roller 34A is parallel to the two guide rollers 33A and 33B. The pressing roller 34A is rotatably supported, for example, via a support member (not shown) connected to the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32. In other words, the pressing roller 34A is arranged to be movable in the direction along the X-axis in conjunction with the movement of the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32. Therefore, the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32, the guide rollers 33A and 33B, and the pressure roller 34A are moved integrally in the direction along the X axis by the driving of the movement mechanism. The support member that supports the pressure roller 34A may be the same as the support member that supports the guide rollers 33A and 33B, or may be an independent member.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the pressing roller 34A is located on the side opposite to the guide roller 33B with respect to the guide roller 33A in the direction along the X-axis. That is, in the direction along the X-axis, the guide roller 33A is located between the pressing roller 34A and the guide roller 33B. The length of the outer diameter of the pressing roller 34A is set to be longer than the outer diameters of the two guide rollers 33A and 33B. However, the rotation center axis of the pressing roller 34A and the rotation center axes of the two guide rollers 33A and 33B are located on the same plane parallel to the XY plane. The pressing roller 34A is provided so as to be separated from the upper surface of the medium 100 supported by the medium support portion 31 by a distance approximately equal to or slightly shorter than the thickness of the absorbent material 102 in the direction along the Z-axis. Also, the pressing roller 34A is provided so as to be parallel to the upper surface of the medium 100 supported by the medium support portion 31. For this reason, the pressing roller 34A can sandwich the absorbent material 102 between itself and the medium 100 supported by the medium support portion 31. The pressing roller 34A is maintained in a state of being in contact with the upper surface of the absorbent material 102.

[0029] The pretreatment device 30 has a feeding portion 35 and a winding portion 36. The feeding portion 35 is a portion that feeds the absorbent material 102 to the medium support portion 31. The winding portion 36 is a portion that winds up the absorbent material 102 supported by the medium support portion 31. The feeding portion 35 and the winding portion 36 are separated from each other in the direction along the X-axis. The separation distance between the feeding portion 35 and the winding portion 36 is set to be at least longer than the length of the tray 19 in the direction along the X-axis. The feeding portion 35 is located on the side opposite to the guide roller 33A with respect to the pressing roller 34A in the direction along the X-axis. The winding portion 36 is located on the side opposite to the guide roller 33A with respect to the guide roller 33B in the direction along the X-axis. The feeding portion 35 and the winding portion 36 are provided so as not to interfere with the components of the pretreatment device 30 including the pretreatment agent injection portion 32 that moves in the direction along the X-axis, the two guide rollers 33A and 33B, and the pressing roller 34A.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, the feeding unit 35 has a feeding shaft 35A. The feeding shaft 35A extends in a direction along the Y-axis. The feeding shaft 35A is parallel to the pressing roller 34A and the two guide rollers 33A, 33B. Both ends of the feeding shaft 35A are rotatably supported via a support portion (not shown) provided inside the first housing 13, for example. The absorbent material 102 is held in a state of being wound around the feeding shaft 35A. The feeding shaft 35A rotates through the drive of a drive mechanism (not shown), thereby feeding the absorbent material 102 toward the medium support portion 31 along the X-axis.

[0031] The winding unit 36 has a winding shaft 36A. The winding shaft 36A extends in a direction along the Y-axis. The winding shaft 36A is parallel to the feeding shaft 35A. Both ends of the winding shaft 36A are rotatably supported via a support portion (not shown) provided inside the first housing 13, for example. The winding shaft 36A rotates through the drive of a drive mechanism (not shown), thereby winding up the absorbent material 102 supported by the medium support portion 31.

[0032] Incidentally, the portion of the absorbent material 102 between the feeding unit 35 and the winding unit 36 is maintained in a state of being supported by the two guide rollers 33A, 33B. Also, the pressing roller 34A is maintained in a state of being in contact with the upper surface of the absorbent material 102. The portion of the absorbent material 102 between the two guide rollers 33A, 33B is parallel to the moving direction of the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 along the X-axis. The portion of the absorbent material 102 between the pressing roller 34A and the guide roller 33A is inclined according to the difference in the outer diameters of the pressing roller 34A and the guide roller 33A, or the positional relationship in the direction along the Z-axis between the pressing roller 34A and the guide roller 33A. Among the absorbent material 102, the portion in contact with the guide roller 33A is located closer to the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 in the direction along the Z-axis than the portion in contact with the pressing roller 34A.

[0033] <Pretreatment Operation of the Pretreatment Device> Next, the operation of the pretreatment device 30 will be described. When pre-treating the medium 100, the absorbent material 102 fed from the feeding unit 35 remains supported by the absorbent material support unit 33. Furthermore, when pre-treating the medium 100, the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31 is moved to a pre-treating start position by the conveying device 18. The pre-treating start position is a position where the pre-treatment agent spraying unit 32 can pass above an application area of the pre-treatment agent 101 set on the medium 100 in the direction along the X-axis. The application area of the pre-treatment agent 101 is set based on, for example, a printing range of an image specified via an external device. The application area of the pre-treatment agent 101 may also be set, for example, along the outline of the image to be printed on the medium 100. Here, as an example, the application area of the medium 100 is a partial area on the top surface of the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31, and the entire area overlaps with the absorbent material 102 when viewed in the direction along the Z-axis. Furthermore, the width, which is the length along the Y axis of the application area of the pretreatment agent 101, is set to a length that fits within the spraying range, which is the range over which the pretreatment agent 101 is sprayed from the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32.

[0034] After the medium 100 has been moved to the pretreatment start position, the conveying device 18 remains stationary. In this state, the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 begins operation to apply the pretreatment agent 101 to the entire application area of the medium 100. The pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 sprays the pretreatment agent 101 toward the application area of the medium 100 while moving in a predetermined direction along the X-axis from its original position. The movement speed of the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 is maintained at a predetermined constant speed. The original position of the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 is set, for example, to the leftmost position within the movable range of the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 along the X-axis. When pretreatment of the medium 100 begins, the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 sprays the pretreatment agent 101 while moving rightward along the X-axis from its original position.

[0035] The pretreatment agent 101 is first sprayed onto the absorbent material 102 located between the pretreatment agent spraying section 32 and the medium 100. A part of the sprayed pretreatment agent 101 is absorbed by the absorbent material 102, while the remaining pretreatment agent 101 that cannot be completely absorbed passes through the absorbent material 102 and adheres to the medium 100. When the pretreatment agent 101 is sprayed onto the absorbent material 102, mist of the pretreatment agent 101 may be generated, and this mist is also absorbed by the absorbent material 102. Thereby, the scattering of the mist of the pretreatment agent 101 to the surroundings is suppressed. Also, the pretreatment agent 101 absorbed by the absorbent material 102 diffuses inside the absorbent material 102. For this reason, the pretreatment agent 101 is uniformly stored inside the absorbent material 102.

[0036] The two guide rollers 33A and 33B of the absorbent material support section 33 are interlocked with the movement of the pretreatment agent spraying section 32. The two guide rollers 33A and 33B move to the right along the X-axis while supporting the lower surface of the absorbent material 102. The two guide rollers 33A and 33B are held at positions deviated from the nozzles of the pretreatment agent spraying section 32 in the direction along the X-axis. For this reason, the two guide rollers 33A and 33B do not interfere with the spraying of the pretreatment agent 101. Also, the distance in the direction along the Z-axis between the pretreatment agent spraying section 32 and the portions of the absorbent material 102 supported by the two guide rollers 33A and 33B is maintained at a constant distance. For this reason, the pretreatment agent 101 is uniformly sprayed onto the absorbent material 102. Also, the distance in the direction along the Z-axis between the pretreatment agent spraying section 32 and the portions of the absorbent material 102 supported by the two guide rollers 33A and 33B is set to a shorter distance within an allowable range. For this reason, when the pretreatment agent 101 is sprayed onto the absorbent material 102, the generation of mist of the pretreatment agent 101 is suppressed.

[0037] The pressure roller 34A of the pressure unit 34 follows the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 and the two guide rollers 33A and 33B. The pressure roller 34A moves rightward along the X-axis while pressing the absorbent 102, onto which the pretreatment agent 101 has been sprayed, against the upper surface of the medium 100. When the absorbent 102 is pressed against the medium 100, the pretreatment agent 101 soaked into the absorbent 102 is transferred to the medium 100. In other words, when the absorbent 102 is pressed against the medium 100, the pretreatment agent 101 stored inside the absorbent 102 is squeezed out, and the squeezed pretreatment agent 101 is applied to the medium 100. The pretreatment agent 101 is uniformly stored inside the absorbent 102. This prevents uneven application of the pretreatment agent 101 to the medium 100. Furthermore, by pressing the absorbent 102 against the surface of the medium 100, the nap on the surface of the medium 100 is laid flat, thereby suppressing the raising of naps on the surface of the medium 100. Eventually, by pressing the absorbent 102 against the entire application area of the pretreatment agent 101 on the medium 100, the pretreatment agent 101 is applied to the entire application area of the pretreatment agent 101.

[0038] This completes the pre-processing of the medium 100. Incidentally, the used absorbent 102 may be collected each time pretreatment of the medium 100 is completed. However, if the area on the medium 100 to which the pretreatment agent 101 is applied this time is the same as the area previously, the used absorbent 102 may be reused. This is because if the area on the medium 100 to which the pretreatment agent 101 is applied this time is different from the area previously, reusing the absorbent 102 used previously may result in the pretreatment agent 101 not being properly applied to the current application area. For example, if the absorbent 102 used previously is pressed against the medium 100, the pretreatment agent 101 may adhere to a part different from the area currently applied.

[0039] When recovering the used absorbent 102, a new absorbent 102 is fed by rotating the feed shaft 35A of the feeding section 35 in the feeding direction. At the same time, the used absorbent 102 is wound up by rotating the winding shaft 36A of the winding section 36 in the winding direction. Further, the pretreatment agent injection section 32 is returned to its original position by moving it leftward along the X-axis. In conjunction with the movement of the pretreatment agent injection section 32, the pressing roller 34A and the two guide rollers 33A, 33B also return to their respective original positions. After the medium 100 on which the pretreatment has been completed is discharged, when a new medium 100 is conveyed to the pretreatment start position, pretreatment of the new medium 100 is performed using the new absorbent 102.

[0040] When reusing the used absorbent 102, the pretreatment agent injection section 32 is returned to its original position by moving it leftward along the X-axis. In conjunction with the movement of the pretreatment agent injection section 32, the pressing roller 34A and the two guide rollers 33A, 33B also return to their respective original positions. After the medium 100 on which the pretreatment has been completed is discharged, when a new medium 100 is conveyed to the pretreatment start position, pretreatment of the new medium 100 is performed using the absorbent 102 used previously.

[0041] Note that it is conceivable that the size of the application area of the pretreatment agent 101 in the medium 100 in the direction along the Y-axis exceeds the injection range of the pretreatment agent 101 by the pretreatment agent injection section 32. In this case, it is difficult to apply the pretreatment agent 101 to the entire application area of the pretreatment agent 101 in the medium 100 by only performing the pretreatment operation by the pretreatment apparatus 30 described above once. Therefore, by repeating the following operations (B1) to (B3), it becomes possible to apply the pretreatment agent 101 to the entire application area of the pretreatment agent 101 in the medium 100.

[0042] (B1) The first operation of returning the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 to its original position. In conjunction with the movement of the pretreatment agent injection unit 32, the pressing roller 34A and the two guide rollers 33A and 33B also return to their respective original positions. The used absorbent 102 may be recovered or reused according to the application area of the pretreatment agent 101 set on the medium 100, as described above.

[0043] (B2) The second operation of moving the medium 100 forward or backward along the Y-axis by a predetermined distance by the conveying device 18. The predetermined distance is determined according to, for example, the injection range of the pretreatment agent 101 by the pretreatment agent injection unit 32.

[0044] (B3) The third operation of applying the pretreatment agent 101 to the medium 100 by the pretreatment agent injection unit 32. Here, in the application area of the pretreatment agent 101 on the medium 100, the pretreatment agent 101 is applied to a portion that is displaced forward or backward along the Y-axis by a predetermined distance with respect to the portion where the pretreatment agent 101 was applied last time as a reference.

[0045] In this way, by combining the movement of the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 in the direction along the X-axis and the movement of the medium 100 in the direction along the Y-axis, the pretreatment operation by the pretreatment device 30 is executed only a plurality of times. Thereby, it is possible to apply the pretreatment agent 101 to the entire application area of the pretreatment agent 101 on the medium 100.

[0046] After the pretreatment of the medium 100 is completed, printing on the medium 100 may be continuously performed. By discharging the printing liquid from the liquid discharge head 21 of the liquid discharge device 20 to the portion of the medium 100 where the pretreatment has been performed, a predetermined image is formed in the printing range of the medium 100.

[0047] <Effect of the First Embodiment> Therefore, according to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) An absorbent material 102 is interposed between the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 and the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31. The pretreatment agent 101 injected from the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 is first sprayed onto the absorbent material 102. The mist of the pretreatment agent 101 generated when the pretreatment agent 101 is sprayed onto the absorbent material 102 is absorbed by the absorbent material 102. Therefore, the scattering of the mist of the pretreatment agent 101 is suppressed. Accordingly, the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 can inject more pretreatment agent 101 in a shorter time.

[0048] (2) The pretreatment agent injection unit 32 injects the pretreatment agent 101 while moving at a determined constant speed. Therefore, for example, the injection amount of the pretreatment agent 101 per unit surface area with respect to the medium 100 is kept more uniform. For this reason, the pretreatment agent 101 is stored more uniformly inside the absorbent material 102.

[0049] (3) A part of the pretreatment agent 101 sprayed onto the absorbent material 102 penetrates into the absorbent material 102 and diffuses inside. The absorbent material 102 penetrated by the pretreatment agent 101 is pressed against the medium 100 with a uniform force by the pressing roller 34A. As a result, the pretreatment agent 101 penetrated into the absorbent material 102 is squeezed out, and the squeezed-out pretreatment agent 101 is applied to the medium 100. Therefore, the occurrence of so-called coating unevenness of the pretreatment agent 101 is suppressed. In addition, the quality of the image printed on the medium 100 can be further improved. For example, color unevenness of the image printed on the medium 100 can be suppressed. Also, the occurrence of bleeding of the pretreatment agent 101 on the medium 100 is suppressed.

[0050] (4) By pressing the absorbent material 102 against the surface of the medium 100 by the pressing roller 34A, the fuzzing on the surface of the medium 100 can be suppressed. (5) The pretreatment device 30 and the liquid ejection device 20 are arranged side by side in a direction along the Y-axis which is the conveyance direction of the medium 100. Therefore, it becomes possible to continuously perform pretreatment and image printing on the medium 100.

[0051] (6) The pretreatment agent injection section 32, the absorbent support section 33, and the pressing section 34 are provided so as to be relatively movable in a direction intersecting the injection direction of the pretreatment agent 101 with respect to the medium 100. In accordance with the configuration of this pretreatment apparatus 30, the pretreatment agent 101 can be applied to the medium 100. That is, by relatively moving the pretreatment agent injection section 32, the pressing section 34, and the absorbent support section 33 with respect to the medium 100 in a direction along the X-axis that intersects the injection direction of the pretreatment agent 101, the pretreatment agent 101 can be applied to the medium 100. Further, the pressing section 34 is located on the side of the pretreatment agent injection section 32 and the absorbent support section 33 in the direction along the X-axis, which is the relative movement direction of the pressing section 34 with respect to the medium 100 as viewed from the injection direction of the pretreatment agent 101. For this reason, following the application of the pretreatment agent 101 to the absorbent 102, the pretreatment agent 101 can be transferred to the medium 100.

[0052] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment in which the pretreatment apparatus is embodied as a printing apparatus will be described. This embodiment basically has the same configuration as the previous first embodiment. However, this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in terms of the mounting direction of the pretreatment agent injection section, the absorbent support section, and the pressing section with respect to the housing of the printing apparatus, as well as the size of each component of the pretreatment apparatus. Therefore, the same members and configurations as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 4, the pretreatment apparatus 30 includes a medium support section 31 (not shown), a pretreatment agent injection section 32, an absorbent support section 33, and a pressing section 34. The medium support section 31 also serves as the support member 18A and the tray 19 of the conveyance apparatus 18, similar to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 above.

[0054] The pretreatment agent injection unit 32 is fixed inside the first housing 13. The pretreatment agent injection unit 32 has, for example, a linear head extending in a direction along the X-axis. The width of the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 is set to be at least as long as the width of the medium 100. The width is the length in the direction along the X-axis. The maximum coating width of the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 is set to be, for example, the same length as the width of the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31. The coating width refers to the length in the direction along the X-axis in which the pretreatment agent 101 can be injected. The pretreatment agent injection unit 32 can inject the pretreatment agent 101 over the entire length of the width of the medium 100.

[0055] The absorbent support unit 33 supports the absorbent 102 disposed between the medium 100 and the pretreatment agent injection unit 32. The medium 100 is in a state supported by the medium support unit 31. The absorbent 102 has, for example, a rectangular contour shape. The short side of the absorbent 102 extends in the direction along the X-axis. The long side of the absorbent 102 extends in the direction along the Y-axis. The size of the absorbent 102 is set to be, for example, a size that can cover the entire upper surface of the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31.

[0056] The absorbent support unit 33 has two guide rollers 33A and 33B. Both guide rollers 33A and 33B are of the same product and extend in the direction along the X-axis. Both guide rollers 33A and 33B are spaced apart from each other in the direction along the Y-axis. The separation distance between both guide rollers 33A and 33B is set to be, for example, the same length as or slightly longer than the length of the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 in the direction along the Y-axis. That is, the two guide rollers 33A and 33B are provided so as to sandwich the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 in the direction along the Y-axis when viewed from the direction along the Z-axis. Both ends of the guide roller 33A are rotatably supported, for example, via a support unit (not shown) provided inside the first housing 13. The same applies to the guide roller 33B as to the guide roller 33A.

[0057] The pressing unit 34 presses the absorbent 102 toward the medium 100. The medium 100 is supported by the medium support unit 31. The pressing unit 34 is arranged so as not to overlap the pretreatment agent spray unit 32 and the absorbent support unit 33 when viewed from the spraying direction of the pretreatment agent 101. More specifically, when viewed from the spraying direction of the pretreatment agent 101, the pressing unit 34 is located to the side of the pretreatment agent spray unit 32 and the absorbent support unit 33 in the direction along the Y axis, which is the direction of movement of the pressing unit 34 relative to the medium 100. The pressing unit 34 has a pressing roller 34A. The pressing roller 34A extends in the direction along the X axis. The pressing roller 34A is located on the opposite side of the guide roller 33B from the guide roller 33A in the direction along the Y axis. In other words, the guide roller 33A is located between the pressing roller 34A and the guide roller 33B in the direction along the Y axis. Both ends of the pressure roller 34A are rotatably supported via support portions (not shown) provided inside the housing 12, for example.

[0058] Next, the operation of the pre-processing device 30 will be described. However, the area of the medium 100 to which the pretreatment agent 101 is applied may be a partial area or the entire area of the upper surface of the medium 100 supported by the medium support section 31 .

[0059] When pre-processing the medium 100, the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31 is moved to the pre-processing start position by the conveying device 18. When the medium 100 reaches the pre-processing start position, the conveying device 18 is temporarily stopped. In this state, the absorbent material 102 is set by, for example, the aforementioned feeding unit 35 so that it is fed onto the top surface of the medium 100. However, the feeding unit 35 is configured to be able to feed out absorbent material 102 having a rectangular outline shape.

[0060] After the absorbent material 102 is set on the upper surface of the medium 100, an operation for applying the pretreatment agent 101 over the entire application area of the medium 100 is started. That is, the transport device 18 feeds the medium 100 forward along the Y-axis at a determined speed. At this time, due to the friction between the portion of the absorbent material 102 in contact with the medium 100 and the medium 100, the absorbent material 102 moves forward along the Y-axis integrally with the medium 100 while being supported by the two guide rollers 33A and 33B. Along with this movement, the absorbent material 102 is set in a state of being interposed between the pressing roller 34A and the medium 100 and being supported by the two guide rollers 33A and 33B by being guided by a guide member (not shown) provided inside, for example, the first housing 13. The pretreatment agent injection unit 32 injects the pretreatment agent 101 toward the application area set on the medium 100 moved by the transport device 18.

[0061] The pretreatment agent 101 is first sprayed onto the absorbent material 102 positioned between the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 and the medium 100. A part of the pretreatment agent 101 is absorbed by the absorbent material 102, while the remaining pretreatment agent 101 that cannot be absorbed passes through the absorbent material 102 and adheres to the medium 100. When mist of the pretreatment agent 101 is generated, this mist is absorbed by the absorbent material 102. The portion of the absorbent material 102 soaked with the pretreatment agent 101 is sequentially pressed against the medium 100 by the pressing roller 34A as the medium 100 moves. Thereby, the pretreatment agent 101 squeezed out from the absorbent material 102 is applied to the medium 100. Eventually, the absorbent material 102 is pressed against the entire application area of the pretreatment agent 101 on the medium 100, so that the pretreatment agent 101 is applied over the entire application area of the pretreatment agent 101.

[0062] Thus, the pretreatment of the medium 100 is completed. Incidentally, the used absorbent material 102 may be recovered or reused according to the application area of the pretreatment agent 101 set on the medium 100. The recovery of the medium 100 supported by the medium support portion 31 is performed by the winding portion 3 "However, the winding portion 36 is provided so as to be able to wind up the absorbent material 102 having a rectangular contour shape.

[0063] Note that the pretreatment agent injection unit 32, the two guide rollers 33A and 33B, and the pressing roller 34A may be provided so as to move integrally in the direction along the Y-axis through the drive of a moving mechanism (not shown) provided in the housing 12. Even in the case of adopting this configuration, the first moving unit including the pretreatment agent injection unit 32, the two guide rollers 33A and 33B, and the pressing roller 34A and the second moving unit including the medium 100 and the absorbent 102 may be relatively moved with respect to each other in the direction along the Y-axis. For example, as an operation when pretreating the medium 100, either one of the following two operations (C1) and (C2) may be adopted.

[0064] (C1) With the medium 100 and the absorbent 102 stopped, the pretreatment agent injection unit 32, the two guide rollers 33A and 33B, and the pressing roller 34A are integrally moved forward or backward along the Y-axis.

[0065] (C2) The medium 100 and the absorbent 102, and the pretreatment agent injection unit 32, the two guide rollers 33A and 33B, and the pressing roller 34A are moved in opposite directions to each other in the direction along the Y-axis.

[0066] <Effect of the Second Embodiment> Therefore, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (5) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0067] (7) The pretreatment agent injection unit 32 has a linear head. Also, the maximum coating width of the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 is set to a length approximately the same as the width of the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31, for example. For this reason, even when the coating area of the pretreatment agent 101 on the medium 100 is set over the entire upper surface of the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31, the pretreatment agent 101 can be applied over the entire coating area of the pretreatment agent 101 on the medium 100 by simply executing the pretreatment operation by the pretreatment device 30 once.

[0068] When adopting a configuration in which the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 is fixed inside the housing 12, a configuration for moving the pretreatment agent injection unit 32, the two guide rollers 33A and 33B, and the pressing roller 34A does not need to be provided. For this reason, the configuration of the pretreatment device 30, and thus the printing device 11, can be simplified. Also, it becomes possible to make the physical size of the pretreatment device 30, and thus the printing device 11, smaller.

[0069] (9) The pretreatment agent injection unit 32 is provided in a line shape extending along a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the medium 100. Also, the pretreatment agent injection unit 32, the pressing unit 34, and the absorbent support unit 33 are provided so as to be relatively movable along the conveyance direction with respect to the medium 100. In accordance with the configuration of this pretreatment device 30, the pretreatment agent 101 can be applied to the medium 100. That is, the pretreatment agent 101 can be applied to the medium 100 by relatively moving the pretreatment agent injection unit 32, the pressing unit 34, and the absorbent support unit 33 in a direction along the Y-axis, which is the conveyance direction, with respect to the medium 100.

[0070] <Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment in which the pretreatment device is embodied in a printing device will be described. This embodiment basically has the same configuration as the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 above. However, this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in terms of the moving direction of the pretreatment agent injection unit 32. Therefore, the same members and configurations as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 5, the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 is provided so as to be movable in the direction along the Y-axis through the drive of a first moving mechanism (not shown) provided in the housing 12. The size of the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 is set to an appropriate size according to product specifications and the like. The two guide rollers 33A and 33B and the pressing roller 34A are provided so as to be integrally movable in the direction along the X-axis through the drive of a second moving mechanism (not shown) provided in the housing 12. The width of the absorbent material 102 is set according to product specifications and the like, and is set to a length longer than the width of the absorbent material 102 used in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 above, for example. The width is the length in the direction along the Y-axis.

[0072] Now, when performing pretreatment of the medium 100, the absorbent material 102 fed out from the feeding unit 35 is maintained in a state of being supported by the absorbent material support unit 33. Further, when performing pretreatment of the medium 100, the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31 is moved to the pretreatment start position by the transport device 18. The pretreatment start position is a position where the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 can pass above the application region of the pretreatment agent 101 on the medium 100 in the direction along the Y-axis. Here, as an example, the application region of the pretreatment agent 101 on the medium 100 is a partial region on the upper surface of the medium 100 supported by the medium support unit 31, and when viewed from the direction along the Z-axis, the entire area thereof overlaps with the absorbent material 102. Further, the width of the application region of the pretreatment agent 101 on the medium 100 is set to a length that can be accommodated within the injection range, which is the range in which the pretreatment agent 101 is injected from the pretreatment agent injection unit 32. The width is the length in the direction along the X-axis. The pressing roller 34A is located on the side, here the left side, of the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 and the guide roller 33A when viewed from the direction along the Z-axis. That is, the pressing roller 34A is located on the left side along the X-axis with respect to the application region of the pretreatment agent 101 set on the medium 100 when viewed from the direction along the Z-axis.

[0073] After the medium 100 has been moved to the pretreatment start position, the conveying device 18 remains stationary. In this state, the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 begins operation to apply the pretreatment agent 101 to the entire application area of the medium 100. The pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 sprays the pretreatment agent 101 toward the application area set on the medium 100 while moving forward or backward along the Y axis by driving the first movement mechanism. After spraying of the pretreatment agent 101 is completed, the two guide rollers 33A and 33B and the pressure roller 34A move integrally to the right along the X axis by driving the second movement mechanism. The pressure roller 34A presses the portion of the absorbent 102 that has been soaked with the pretreatment agent 101 against the upper surface of the medium 100. As a result, the pretreatment agent 101 soaked in the absorbent 102 is transferred to the medium 100.

[0074] This completes the pre-processing of the medium 100. Incidentally, the pre-treatment agent spraying unit 32 may be provided so as to be movable not only along the Y axis but also along the X axis by driving the first movement mechanism, depending on product specifications and the like.

[0075] <Advantages of the third embodiment> Therefore, according to the third embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (5) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0076] (10) The pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 is provided so as to be movable relative to the medium 100 in a direction intersecting the spraying direction of the pretreatment agent 101 and the movement direction of the pressing unit 34 and the absorbent support unit 33. Furthermore, the pressing unit 34 and the absorbent support unit 33 are provided so as to be movable relative to the medium 100 in a direction intersecting the spraying direction of the pretreatment agent 101. The pretreatment agent 101 can be applied to the medium 100 in accordance with the configuration of this pretreatment device 30. That is, the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 is moved relative to the medium 100 in a direction along the Y axis intersecting the spraying direction of the pretreatment agent 101 and the movement direction of the pressing unit 34 and the absorbent support unit 33. Furthermore, the pressing unit 34 and the absorbent support unit 33 are moved relative to the medium 100 in a direction along the X axis intersecting the spraying direction of the pretreatment agent 101. These operations allow the pretreatment agent 101 to be applied to the medium 100.

[0077] (11) When the pretreatment device 30 is configured such that the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 moves in both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, it becomes possible to apply the pretreatment agent 101 to application areas of various sizes or contour shapes.

[0078] <Fourth embodiment> Next, a fourth embodiment in which the pretreatment device is embodied in a printing device will be described. This embodiment basically has the same configuration as the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3. However, this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the pressing unit 34. Therefore, the same members and configurations as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 6, the pressing unit 34 has a pressing roller 34A and another pressing roller 34B. The pressing roller 34B extends in the direction along the Y axis. The two pressing rollers 34A and 34B sandwich the medium 100 and the absorbent material 102 in the direction along the Z axis. The pressing roller 34B is rotatably supported, for example, via a support member (not shown) that is connected to the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32. Therefore, the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32, the two guide rollers 33A and 33B, and the two pressing rollers 34A and 34B move together in the direction along the X axis through the drive of the movement mechanism described above.

[0080] Between the two pressure rollers 34A and 34B, the medium 100 conveyed by the conveying device 18 can be interposed. However, as the conveying device 18, for example, a belt conveying type or roller conveying type conveying device is used.

[0081] The belt conveyor type conveying device has an endless belt 18B that travels in a circular motion by the rotation of two pulleys, and conveys the medium 100 placed on the upper surface of the belt 18B. The belt is made of, for example, rubber. The belt 18B and the medium 100 are interposed between two pressure rollers 34A, 34B through the drive of the conveying device.

[0082] The roller conveyance type conveying device has multiple rotatably supported rollers that convey the medium 100 placed on these rollers. Each roller extends in the direction along the X axis. The medium 100 is interposed between two pressure rollers 34A, 34B through the drive of the conveying device. When viewed in the direction along the Z axis, the pre-processing device 30 is located between two specific rollers that are adjacent to each other in the direction along the Y axis. The distance between the two specific rollers is set to a distance that does not interfere with the pressure roller 34B, which moves in the direction along the X axis.

[0083] Now, when performing the pretreatment of the medium 100, the two pressing rollers 34A and 34B follow the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 and the two guide rollers 33A and 33B. The two pressing rollers 34A and 34B move rightward along the X-axis while sandwiching at least the medium 100 together with the absorbent 102 sprayed with the pretreatment agent 101 therebetween. The absorbent 102 is pressed against the upper surface of the medium 100 at the timing when it is sandwiched between the two pressing rollers 34A and 34B. Thereby, the pretreatment agent 101 soaked in the absorbent 102 is transferred to the medium 100.

[0084] <Effect of the Fourth Embodiment> Therefore, according to the fourth embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (6) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0085] (12) The absorbent 102 sprayed with the pretreatment agent 101 is sandwiched by the two pressing rollers 34A and 34B together with at least the medium 100. Thereby, the pretreatment agent 101 soaked in the absorbent 102 can be preferably transferred to the medium 100.

[0086] <Fifth Embodiment> Next, a fifth embodiment in which the pretreatment apparatus is embodied as a printing apparatus will be described. This embodiment basically has the same configuration as the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 above. Therefore, the same members and configurations as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0087] As shown in Figure 7, the pretreatment device 30 has two pretreatment agent sprayers 32A and 32B. The two pretreatment agent sprayers 32A and 32B, the two guide rollers 33A and 33B, and the pressure roller 34A are arranged to be movable together in the direction along the X axis by driving the aforementioned movement mechanism. The two pretreatment agent sprayers 32A and 32B are arranged side by side, for example, in the direction along the Y axis. The positions at which the payout unit 35 and the take-up unit 36 are installed are adjusted so as not to interfere with the movement of the two pretreatment agent sprayers 32A and 32B, the two guide rollers 33A and 33B, and the pressure roller 34A.

[0088] The number of pretreatment agent spraying units and their arrangement direction may be changed as appropriate depending on product specifications, etc. For example, the number of pretreatment agent spraying units may be three or more. Furthermore, multiple pretreatment agent spraying units may be provided at positions offset in the direction along the X-axis. Furthermore, one pretreatment agent spraying unit may have one head or multiple heads.

[0089] <Advantages of the Fifth Embodiment> Therefore, according to the fifth embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (6) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0090] (13) By providing multiple pretreatment agent spraying units 32A, 32B, it is possible to apply pretreatment agent 101 to a wider area of medium 100 and more quickly. This reduces the time required to pretreat medium 100.

[0091] Sixth Embodiment Next, a sixth embodiment in which the pre-processing device is embodied in a printing device will be described. This embodiment basically has the same configuration as the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3. Therefore, the same members and configurations as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 8, the absorbent material 102 is provided from the viewpoint of preventing the pretreatment agent 101 injected from the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 from passing therethrough. For example, the thickness of the absorbent material 102 is set to be greater than the thickness of the absorbent material 102 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 above. The thickness refers to the length in the direction along the Z-axis of the absorbent material 102. The greater the thickness of the absorbent material 102, the greater the volume per unit surface area of the absorbent material 102. The thickness of the absorbent material 102 is set to a thickness such that, for example, it can absorb all of the pretreatment agent 101 injected from the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 and hold the absorbed pretreatment agent 101 therein.

[0093] Now, when performing pretreatment of the medium 100, the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 injects the pretreatment agent 101 while moving rightward along the X-axis. The pretreatment agent 101 is first sprayed onto the absorbent material 102 located between the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 and the medium 100. Basically, all of the sprayed pretreatment agent 101 is absorbed by the absorbent material 102. Therefore, it is suppressed that a part of the pretreatment agent 101 injected from the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 passes through the absorbent material 102 and adheres to the medium 100. Also, it is suppressed that the pretreatment agent 101 that could not be completely absorbed by the absorbent material 102 drips and adheres to the medium 100.

[0094] The pressing roller 34A follows the pretreatment agent injection unit 32 and the two guide rollers 33A and 33B. The pressing roller 34A moves rightward along the X-axis while pressing the absorbent material 102 onto which the pretreatment agent 101 has been sprayed against the upper surface of the medium 100. When the absorbent material 102 is pressed against the medium 100, the pretreatment agent 101 that has penetrated into the absorbent material 102 is transferred to the medium 100.

[0095] <Effect of the Sixth Embodiment> Therefore, according to the sixth embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (6) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0096] (14) The pretreatment agent 101 is prevented from adhering to the medium 100 before the pressure roller 34A presses the absorbent 102 against the medium 100. The pretreatment agent 101 stored inside the absorbent 102 can be transferred to the medium 100 simply by pressing the absorbent 102 with the pressure roller 34A.

[0097] <Other embodiments> The first to sixth embodiments may be modified as follows: Furthermore, each embodiment and the following modifications may be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0098] If the medium 100 is a smooth fabric, the pretreatment agent 101 may be sprayed with the absorbent material 102 superimposed on the medium 100. However, from the viewpoint of suppressing the generation of mist of the pretreatment agent 101, it is preferable to set the distance between the absorbent material 102 and the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 as short as possible within an allowable range. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the absorbent material support unit 33 is omitted as the pretreatment device 30.

[0099] The absorbent support unit 33 may have any configuration as long as it does not prevent the pretreatment agent 101 that has overflowed from the absorbent 102 from reaching the medium 100. For example, the absorbent support unit 33 may have two plate-shaped guide members or a mesh-shaped guide member instead of the two guide rollers 33A, 33B. The plate-shaped guide members are provided so as to extend in the direction along the Y axis. The mesh-shaped guide member has a rectangular shape when viewed in the direction along the Z axis, for example, and is provided so as to face the absorbent 102 in the direction along the Z axis.

[0100] The printing device 11 may include other devices, such as a heating device or a post-treatment device, in addition to the conveying device 18, the liquid ejection device 20, and the pre-treatment device 30. The heating device, for example, dries the medium 100 to which the pre-treatment agent 101 has been applied, thereby fixing the pre-treatment agent 101 to the medium 100. The post-treatment device, for example, applies a post-treatment agent to the printing area or heats the printing area to fix the printing liquid to the medium 100, after printing of an image on the medium 100 is completed.

[0101] The pretreatment device 30 may have an automatic cleaning function that automatically cleans the pressure roller 34A. An example of the procedure for cleaning the pressure roller 34A is as follows. First, the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 sprays a cleaning liquid, instead of the pretreatment agent 101, onto the absorbent material 102. However, the pretreatment agent spraying unit 32 is kept stopped. Next, with the pressure roller 34A pressed against the absorbent material 102, the absorbent material 102 is wound up, thereby rotating the pressure roller 34A. The absorbent material 102 is wound up, for example, by rotating the reel-out shaft 35A of the reel-out unit 35 in the direction opposite to the reel-out direction. As a result, the pretreatment agent 101 adhering to the surface of the pressure roller 34A is wiped off and removed by the absorbent material 102 soaked in the cleaning liquid. Incidentally, a drive device for rotating the pressure roller 34A may be provided, and the drive device may rotate the pressure roller 34A in the direction opposite to the winding direction of the absorbent material 102. In this way, it is possible to more effectively remove the pretreatment agent 101 adhering to the surface of the pressure roller 34A.

[0102] The pre-processing device 30 may be provided so as to be located forward along the Y axis relative to the liquid ejection device 20. If the pre-processing device 30 and the liquid ejection device 20 are provided side by side in a direction along the Y axis, which is the transport direction of the medium 100, it is possible to perform pre-processing of the medium 100 and printing of an image continuously.

[0103] The pre-processing device 30 may be provided as an independent device separate from the printing device 11. <Technical philosophy> The technical idea and its effects grasped from the above-described embodiments and modification examples are described below.

[0104] (A) The pretreatment device includes a medium support unit that supports the medium to be conveyed, a pretreatment agent injection unit that injects a pretreatment agent, an absorbent that absorbs the pretreatment agent injected from the pretreatment agent injection unit, and an absorbent support unit that supports the absorbent between the medium and the pretreatment agent injection unit in the injection direction of the pretreatment agent, and a pressing unit that presses the absorbent onto which the pretreatment agent has been injected from the pretreatment agent injection unit toward the medium.

[0105] According to this configuration, the absorbent is supported between the pretreatment agent injection unit and the medium by the absorbent support unit. Therefore, the pretreatment agent injected from the pretreatment agent injection unit is first sprayed onto the absorbent. At this time, there is a possibility that mist of the pretreatment agent may be generated, and this mist is absorbed by the pretreatment agent. Therefore, scattering of the mist of the pretreatment agent can be suppressed. Further, the pretreatment agent sprayed onto the absorbent penetrates into the absorbent, and the absorbent impregnated with the pretreatment agent is pressed against the medium by the pressing unit, so that the pretreatment agent impregnated with the absorbent is applied to the medium. In this way, by applying the pretreatment agent to the medium via the absorbent, the pretreatment agent can be diffused on the absorbent. Therefore, the distribution of the pretreatment agent on the medium can be made uniform.

[0106] (B) In the above pretreatment device, it may further include a feeding unit that feeds the absorbent to the absorbent support unit, and a winding unit that winds up the absorbent supported by the absorbent support unit. According to this configuration, it is not necessary to set the absorbent in the pretreatment device every time the medium is pretreated.

[0107] (C) In the above pretreatment device, the absorbent support unit may be provided between the absorbent and the medium in the injection direction of the pretreatment agent, and the absorbent may be supported at a position where the absorbent faces the pretreatment agent injection unit in the injection direction of the pretreatment agent.

[0108] According to this configuration, it is possible to set the gap between the pretreatment agent spraying portion and the absorbent material with high precision. (D) In the above pretreatment device, the pretreatment agent spraying unit, the pressing unit, and the absorbent material support unit may be configured to be movable relative to the medium in a direction intersecting the spraying direction of the pretreatment agent.

[0109] With this configuration, the pretreatment agent can be applied to the medium in accordance with the configuration of the pretreatment device. That is, the pretreatment agent can be applied to the medium by moving the pretreatment agent spraying unit, the pressing unit, and the absorbent support unit relative to the medium in a direction intersecting the spraying direction of the pretreatment agent.

[0110] (E) In the above pretreatment device, the pressing unit and the absorbent support unit may be configured to be relatively movable with respect to the medium in a direction intersecting the spraying direction of the pretreatment agent. Also, the pretreatment agent spraying unit may be configured to be relatively movable with respect to the medium in a direction intersecting the spraying direction of the pretreatment agent and the moving direction of the pressing unit and the absorbent support unit.

[0111] With this configuration, the pretreatment agent can be applied to the medium in accordance with the configuration of the pretreatment device. That is, the pretreatment agent can be applied to the medium by moving the pretreatment agent spraying unit relative to the medium in a direction intersecting the spraying direction of the pretreatment agent and the movement direction of the pressing unit and the absorbent support unit, and by moving the pressing unit and the absorbent support unit relative to the medium in a direction intersecting the spraying direction of the pretreatment agent.

[0112] (F) The pretreatment agent spraying unit may be provided in a line extending in a direction intersecting the medium transport direction. The pretreatment agent spraying unit, the pressing unit, and the absorbent support unit may be configured to be movable relative to the medium in the transport direction.

[0113] According to this configuration, the pretreatment agent can be applied to the medium according to the configuration of the pretreatment device. That is, the pretreatment agent can be applied to the medium by relatively moving the pretreatment agent injection part, the pressing part, and the absorbent support part in the transport direction of the medium with respect to the medium.

[0114] (G) In the above pretreatment device, the absorbent support part may include two rollers provided so as to sandwich the pretreatment agent injection part in the moving direction of the pressing part and the absorbent support part when viewed from the injection direction of the pretreatment agent.

[0115] According to this configuration, the absorbent support part can be smoothly moved while maintaining the gap between the pretreatment agent injection part and the absorbent. (H) In the above pretreatment device, the pressing part may be located on the side of the pretreatment agent injection part and the absorbent support part in the relative moving direction of the pressing part with respect to the medium when viewed from the injection direction of the pretreatment agent.

[0116] According to this configuration, following the application of the pretreatment agent to the absorbent, the pretreatment agent can be transferred to the medium. (I) The pretreatment method of the pretreatment device includes a medium support part that supports the transported medium, a pretreatment agent injection part that injects a pretreatment agent, an absorbent that absorbs the pretreatment agent injected from the pretreatment agent injection part, an absorbent support part that supports the absorbent between the medium and the pretreatment agent injection part in the injection direction of the pretreatment agent, and a pressing part that presses the absorbent to which the pretreatment agent has been injected from the pretreatment agent injection part toward the medium. The pretreatment method of this pretreatment device includes injecting the pretreatment agent from the pretreatment agent injection part into the absorbent, and transferring the pretreatment agent absorbed by the absorbent to the medium by pressing the absorbent to which the pretreatment agent has been injected by the pressing part toward the medium.

[0117] According to this pretreatment method, the same effects as the above pretreatment device can be obtained. (J) A printing device includes a pretreatment device having a medium support section that supports a medium to be transported, a pretreatment agent ejection section that ejects a pretreatment agent, an absorbent support section that supports an absorbent that absorbs the pretreatment agent ejected from the pretreatment agent ejection section between the medium and the pretreatment agent ejection section in the ejection direction of the pretreatment agent, and a pressing section that presses the absorbent onto which the pretreatment agent has been ejected from the pretreatment agent ejection section towards the medium, and a liquid ejection device that is arranged alongside the pretreatment device in the transport direction of the medium and has a liquid ejection head that forms an image by ejecting liquid onto the medium that has been pretreated by the pretreatment device.

[0118] This printing device provides the same effects as the above-mentioned pre-processing device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 11...printing device, 18...conveying device, 18A...support member, 19...tray, 20...liquid ejection device, 21...liquid ejection head, 30...pretreatment device, 31...medium support section, 32...pretreatment agent ejection section, 33...absorbent material support section, 33A, 33B...guide roller, 34...pressure section, 34A...pressure roller, 35...feeding section, 35A...feeding shaft, 36...winding section, 36A...winding shaft, 100...medium, 101...pretreatment agent, 102...absorbent material.

Claims

1. a medium support part for supporting the medium to be conveyed; a pretreatment agent injection part for injecting a pretreatment agent; an absorbent for absorbing the pretreatment agent injected from the pretreatment agent injection part, and the absorbent is supported between the medium and the pretreatment agent injection part in the injection direction of the pretreatment agent; an absorbent support part for supporting the absorbent between the medium and the pretreatment agent injection part in the injection direction of the pretreatment agent; a pressing part for pressing the absorbent on which the pretreatment agent has been injected from the pretreatment agent injection part toward the medium; and comprising, the pretreatment agent injection part, the pressing part, and the absorbent support part are configured to be relatively movable in a direction intersecting the injection direction of the pretreatment agent with respect to the medium, and a pretreatment device characterized by this.

2. a feeding part for feeding out the absorbent to the absorbent support part; a winding part for winding up the absorbent supported by the absorbent support part; and the pretreatment device according to Claim 1, characterized by comprising these.

3. The absorbent support part is provided between the absorbent and the medium in the injection direction of the pretreatment agent, and supports the absorbent at a position where the absorbent faces the pretreatment agent injection part in the injection direction of the pretreatment agent. The pretreatment device according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized by this.

4. The pressing part and the absorbent support part are configured to be relatively movable in a direction intersecting the injection direction of the pretreatment agent with respect to the medium, and the pretreatment agent injection part is configured to be relatively movable in a direction intersecting the injection direction of the pretreatment agent and the moving directions of the pressing part and the absorbent support part with respect to the medium. The pretreatment device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized by this.

5. The pretreatment agent injection part is provided in a linear shape extending along a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the medium, and the pretreatment agent injection part, the pressing part, and the absorbent support part are configured to be relatively movable along the conveyance direction with respect to the medium. The pretreatment device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized by this.

6. The absorbent support part includes two rollers provided so as to sandwich the pretreatment agent injection part in the moving direction of the pressing part and the absorbent support part when viewed from the injection direction of the pretreatment agent. The pretreatment device according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized by this.

7. The pressing part is located on the side of the pretreatment agent injection part and the absorbent support part in the relative moving direction of the pressing part with respect to the medium when viewed from the injection direction of the pretreatment agent. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The pretreatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by

8. a medium support part that supports the medium to be conveyed, a pretreatment agent injection part that injects a pretreatment agent, and the a pretreatment method of a pretreatment apparatus, comprising an absorbent material that absorbs the pretreatment agent injected from the pretreatment agent injection part, an absorbent material support part that supports the absorbent material between the medium and the pretreatment agent injection part in the injection direction of the pretreatment agent, and a pressing part that presses the absorbent material onto which the pretreatment agent has been injected from the pretreatment agent injection part toward the medium, wherein the pretreatment agent injection part, the pressing part, and the absorbent material support part are configured to be relatively movable in a direction intersecting the injection direction of the pretreatment agent with respect to the medium, injecting the pretreatment agent from the pretreatment agent injection part onto the absorbent material; and pressing the absorbent material onto which the pretreatment agent has been injected by the pressing part toward the medium, thereby transferring the pretreatment agent absorbed by the absorbent material to the medium. The pretreatment method of the pretreatment apparatus, characterized by including injecting the pretreatment agent from the pretreatment agent injection part onto the absorbent material; and pressing the absorbent material onto which the pretreatment agent has been injected by the pressing part toward the medium, thereby transferring the pretreatment agent absorbed by the absorbent material to the medium. The pretreatment method of the pretreatment apparatus, characterized by including

9. a medium support part that supports the medium to be conveyed, a pretreatment agent injection part that injects a pretreatment agent, and the a pretreatment method of a pretreatment apparatus, comprising an absorbent material that absorbs the pretreatment agent injected from the pretreatment agent injection part, an absorbent material support part that supports the absorbent material between the medium and the pretreatment agent injection part in the injection direction of the pretreatment agent, and a pressing part that presses the absorbent material onto which the pretreatment agent has been injected from the pretreatment agent injection part toward the medium, wherein the pretreatment agent injection part, the pressing part, and the absorbent material support part are configured to be relatively movable in a direction intersecting the injection direction of the pretreatment agent with respect to the medium, injecting the pretreatment agent from the pretreatment agent injection part onto the absorbent material; and pressing the absorbent material onto which the pretreatment agent has been injected by the pressing part toward the medium, thereby transferring the pretreatment agent absorbed by the absorbent material to the medium. The pretreatment method of the pretreatment apparatus, characterized by including a pretreatment apparatus configured to be relatively movable in a direction intersecting the injection direction of the pretreatment agent with respect to the medium; and a liquid discharge apparatus having a liquid discharge head that discharges liquid onto the medium that has been pretreated by the pretreatment apparatus to perform image formation, provided side by side with the pretreatment apparatus in the conveyance direction of the medium.

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