Printing device

Abstract

A printing device (1) comprises: a conveyance member (31) that conveys a medium (M); an ink head (421) that causes ink to adhere to the medium (M) supported by a support surface (311) of the conveyance member (31); a guide member (6) that guides the medium (M) to the support surface (311) of the conveyance member (31); a recovery member (7) that recovers liquid (L) present on the conveyance member (31); and a support unit (8). The support unit (8) supports the guide member (6) and the recovery member (7) such that the guide member (6) is positioned below the support surface (311) and the recovery member (7) is positioned between the support surface (311) and the guide member (6).

Description

printing device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to printing devices.

[0002] Printing devices are known that include a transport member that transports a print medium to which ink is to be applied and a member that cleans the transport member with a liquid. In this type of printing device, it is necessary to recover the liquid remaining on the transport member after cleaning. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-203499 discloses a printing device that includes an endless transport belt as a transport member, a brush roller that cleans a downward-facing area of ​​the surface of the transport belt with a liquid, and a wiping roller that wipes the liquid off the surface of the transport belt.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-122486

[0004] A printing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a transport member having a support surface capable of supporting a print medium and capable of transporting the print medium in a transport direction, an inking unit capable of depositing ink on the print medium supported on the support surface, a guide member located below the support surface and capable of guiding the print medium to the support surface, a recovery member located between the support surface and the guide member and having an upper end located below an upper end of the guide member and capable of recovering liquid present on the transport member, and a support unit capable of supporting the guide member and the recovery member. This printing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is capable of recovering liquid present on the transport member and ensuring a feed path for feeding the print medium from below relative to the transport member.

[0005] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a printing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing a state in which a guide member and a collection member provided in the printing device are supported by a support unit. Fig. 3 is a view showing a first modified example of a state in which a guide member and a collection member are supported by a support unit. Fig. 4 is a view showing a second modified example of a state in which a guide member and a collection member are supported by a support unit. Fig. 5 is a view showing a third modified example of a state in which a guide member and a collection member are supported by a support unit.

[0006] In the printing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, an intermediate roller is installed upstream in the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, below an upward-facing area on the surface of the conveyor belt. The intermediate roller guides the print medium to the upward-facing area on the surface of the conveyor belt, thereby forming a feed path for feeding the print medium from below onto the conveyor belt. Depending on the positional relationship between the intermediate roller and the wiping roller below the upward-facing area on the surface of the conveyor belt, the wiping roller may block the feed path for the print medium onto the conveyor belt.

[0007] Therefore, there is a demand for a printing device that can recover liquid present on the transport member and that can ensure a feed path for feeding the print medium from below the transport member.

[0008] A printing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that directional relationships will be described below using XY Cartesian coordinates that are orthogonal to each other on a horizontal plane. The vertical direction that is orthogonal to the X and Y directions is defined as the Z direction.

[0009] The printing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an apparatus equipped with an ink unit capable of applying ink to a medium M, which is a wide and long print medium. The printing apparatus 1 prints an image by applying ink to the medium M using the ink unit. Examples of the printing apparatus 1 include a screen printing apparatus and an inkjet apparatus. If the printing apparatus 1 is a screen printing apparatus, the ink unit includes a screen plate having multiple openings and a squeegee. In this case, the ink unit moves the ink along the screen plate in accordance with the movement of the squeegee, thereby applying the ink to the medium M through the openings in the screen plate. On the other hand, if the printing apparatus 1 is an inkjet apparatus, the ink unit ejects ink onto the medium M, thereby applying the ink to the medium M. The following describes in detail the case where the printing apparatus 1 is an inkjet apparatus.

[0010] The inkjet printing device 1 is suitable for digital textile printing, which prints images such as letters and patterns on a medium M, which is a fabric material such as a woven or knitted fabric. The fabric material includes multiple types of fabric with different elasticity. Of course, the printing device 1 can also be used to print various images on print media such as paper sheets or resin sheets.

[0011] The printing device 1 includes a device frame 2, a transport unit 3, a printing unit 4, a liquid tank unit 5, and a support unit 8 capable of supporting a guide member 6 and a recovery member 7. The device frame 2 forms the framework of the printing device 1. In the printing device 1, the transport unit 3, the printing unit 4, the liquid tank unit 5, and the support unit 8 are incorporated into the device frame 2.

[0012] The transport unit 3 is a unit for transporting the medium M in the Y direction. The transport unit 3 has a transport member 31, a first transport roller 32, and a second transport roller 33.

[0013] The transport member 31 is a member capable of transporting media M in a transport direction H1 along the Y direction. In this embodiment, the transport member 31 is an endless belt that has a width in the X direction and extends in the Y direction. The transport member 31, which is an endless belt, has a support surface 311 that can support media M in an upward-facing area of ​​the surface 31S of the transport member 31, and is capable of circular movement. By circularly moving along the Y direction, the transport member 31 can transport media M that contact the upward-facing support surface 311 of the surface 31S of the transport member 31 in the transport direction H1 from one side to the other in the Y direction. An adhesive layer made of an adhesive that adheres media M that contacts the surface 31S of the transport member 31 is formed on the surface 31S of the transport member 31.

[0014] The first transport roller 32 is a cylindrical roller extending in the X direction, around which the transport member 31 is wrapped at the most downstream position in the transport direction H1 of the media M on the transport member 31. The first transport roller 32 is rotated in response to the orbital movement of the transport member 31. The second transport roller 33 is a cylindrical roller extending in the X direction, around which the transport member 31 is wrapped at the most upstream position in the transport direction H1 of the media M on the transport member 31. The transport member 31 is stretched between the first transport roller 32 and the second transport roller 33 so that a support surface 311 formed by an upward-facing region and a non-support surface 312 formed by a downward-facing region on its surface 31S between the first transport roller 32 and the second transport roller 33 extend horizontally in the X and Y directions.

[0015] The printing unit 4 is a unit for printing an image on the medium M supported on the support surface 311 of the transport member 31. The printing unit 4 is a unit in which an inkjet head 42 having an ink head 421, a pretreatment liquid head 422, and a posttreatment liquid head 423 is mounted on a carriage 41. The printing unit 4 is located above the transport member 31 in the Z direction. Specifically, the printing unit 4 is located above the transport member 31 so as to face from above the support surface 311, which faces upward on the surface 31S of the transport member 31. The printing device 1 is a so-called serial printer that performs printing processing on the medium M using a serial printing method. In the serial printing method printing device 1, a discharge operation in which various liquids are discharged from the inkjet head 42 while the carriage 41 is moved back and forth in the X direction, which is orthogonal on the horizontal plane to the Y direction, which is the transport direction H1 of the medium M, and a transport operation in which the transport member 31 transports the medium M are repeatedly performed. Another embodiment of the printing device 1 is a so-called line printer in which the inkjet head 42 is fixed in position relative to the medium M transported in the Y direction by the transport member 31 .

[0016] A flat carriage guide 21 having a guide rail 211 extending in the X direction is attached to the device frame 2 at a position above the conveying member 31. The carriage 41 is fixed to a timing belt 212 that is attached to the carriage guide 21 so as to be able to move in circles relative to the carriage guide 21. The timing belt 212 is an endless belt that is driven to move in circles in the X direction while attached to the carriage guide 21. As the timing belt 212 moves in circles in the X direction, the carriage 41 is able to move back and forth in the X direction along the carriage guide 21 while being guided by the guide rail 211.

[0017] Each of the ink head 421, pre-treatment liquid head 422, and post-treatment liquid head 423 included in the inkjet head 42 mounted on the carriage 41 can move relative to the media M in the X and Y directions as the media M is transported in the Y direction by the transport member 31 and the carriage 41 moves back and forth in the X direction.

[0018] The carriage 41 is equipped with a plurality of ink heads 421. Each of the plurality of ink heads 421 is an ink unit that ejects ink containing a coloring material such as a pigment, thereby depositing the ink onto the medium M supported on the support surface 311 of the transport member 31. The plurality of ink heads 421 are mounted on the carriage 41 so as to be aligned in two rows in the X direction. Two ink heads 421 that eject pigment ink of the same color are mounted on the carriage 41 so as to be positioned at positions offset from each other in the X and Y directions. In another embodiment, a configuration in which a single ink head 421 is mounted on the carriage 41 can be cited.

[0019] The pretreatment liquid head 422 is mounted on the carriage 41 so as to be located upstream of the ink head 421 in the transport direction H1 of the medium M by the transport member 31. The pretreatment liquid head 422 is a pretreatment liquid unit that ejects a pretreatment liquid to deposit the pretreatment liquid onto the medium M supported on the support surface 311 of the transport member 31 before the ink. The pretreatment liquid is a treatment liquid that comes into contact with the ink when it is not dried on the medium M and is a non-color-forming treatment liquid that does not develop color even when it is attached to the medium M. The pretreatment liquid is a treatment liquid containing an aqueous solvent whose main component is water and a positively charged cationic resin. The ink ejected from the ink head 421 is a pigment ink containing a pigment as a colorant. The pigment ink is an ink containing an aqueous medium whose main component is water, a pigment, and a binder resin. The pigment may be an anionic pigment. The anionic pigment undergoes electrical reaction and aggregation with the cationic resin contained in the pretreatment liquid on the medium M, thereby preventing the binder resin contained in the pigment ink from penetrating into the medium M. This reduces the possibility that the binder resin will penetrate into the gaps between the fibers and bind the fibers together when the media M is a fabric material, thereby improving the texture, such as the feel of the fabric material.

[0020] The post-treatment liquid head 423 is mounted on the carriage 41 so as to be located downstream of the ink head 421 in the transport direction H1 of the medium M by the transport member 31. The post-treatment liquid head 423 is a post-treatment liquid unit that ejects post-treatment liquid to apply the post-treatment liquid after the ink to the medium M supported on the support surface 311 of the transport member 31. The post-treatment liquid is a treatment liquid that comes into contact with the ink when it is not dried on the medium M, and is a non-color-forming treatment liquid that does not develop color even when it is attached to the medium M. The post-treatment liquid has the function of increasing the fixation of the ink on the medium M. A treatment liquid containing silicone oil or the like can be used as such a post-treatment liquid.

[0021] In the printing unit 4, a liquid ejection operation is performed on the medium M supported on the support surface 311 of the transport member 31. The liquid ejection operation ejects pretreatment liquid from the pretreatment liquid head 422, ejects ink from the ink head 421, and, if necessary, ejects posttreatment liquid from the posttreatment liquid head 423. This prints an image on the medium M. That is, on the medium M on the transport member 31, the pretreatment liquid ejected from the pretreatment liquid head 422 adheres, and then the ink ejected from the ink head 421 adheres, and then, if necessary, the posttreatment liquid ejected from the posttreatment liquid head 423 adheres.

[0022] In the printing device 1, when the printing unit 4 ejects liquid onto the medium M, ink that has passed through the medium M, or, if the medium M is a fabric material, fibers that have fallen off the fabric material, may adhere to the surface 31S of the transport member 31. Adherents such as ink and fibers present on the surface 31S of the transport member 31 can stain the medium M and reduce the printing quality of the medium M. For this reason, it is necessary to remove adhering matters present on the surface 31S of the transport member 31.

[0023] The liquid tank unit 5 is a unit for removing deposits present on the surface 31S of the transport member 31 from the transport member 31. The liquid tank unit 5 is located below the transport member 31 in the Z direction. Specifically, the liquid tank unit 5 is located below the portion of the transport member 31 that is wrapped around the first transport roller 32, so as to face from below the non-support surface 312, which is the downward-facing area of ​​the surface 31S of the transport member 31. A slide rail 22 extending in the Y direction is attached to the device frame 2 below the transport member 31. The liquid tank unit 5 is supported by the slide rail 22 so as to be slidable in the Y direction along the slide rail 22. This allows the liquid tank unit 5 to slide between a reference position below the transport member 31 and a drawn-out position drawn outward in the Y direction relative to the device frame 2. When the liquid tank unit 5 is positioned at the reference position, an operation is performed to remove any adhesions present on the surface 31S of the conveying member 31, and when the liquid tank unit 5 is positioned at the withdrawal position, maintenance work on the liquid tank unit 5 is performed.

[0024] The liquid tank unit 5 includes a liquid tank 51, a transfer member 52, and a blade 53. The liquid tank 51 is disposed below the conveying member 31 and is capable of storing a liquid L. The liquid L is, for example, water. The transfer member 52 is a member capable of sending deposits present on the surface 31S of the conveying member 31 to the liquid tank 51. In this embodiment, the transfer member 52 is attached to the liquid tank 51 and is capable of sending deposits present on the conveying member 31 to the liquid tank 51 using the liquid L stored in the liquid tank 51. The transfer member 52 is capable of removing deposits present on the conveying member 31 from the conveying member 31 by sending them to the liquid tank 51, thereby cleaning the conveying member 31. The blade 53 is a plate-shaped rubber member attached to the liquid tank 51 so as to abut against the downward-facing non-support surface 312 of the surface 31S of the conveying member 31. The blade 53 can remove the liquid L remaining on the surface 31S of the transport member 31 after the transfer member 52 has cleaned the transport member 31 as the transport member 31 moves around.

[0025] A support unit 8 is attached to the device frame 2 at a position upstream in the transport direction H1 from the transport member 31. The support unit 8 is a unit capable of supporting each of the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7.

[0026] The guide member 6 is a cylindrical member extending in the X direction. The guide member 6 is located below the support surface 311 of the transport member 31, upstream of the support surface 311 in the transport direction H1. Specifically, the guide member 6 faces, from the upstream side in the transport direction H1, a wrapping region 313 of the surface 31S of the transport member 31 that is wrapped around the second transport roller 33, and is located below the support surface 311 of the transport member 31. The guide member 6 is located within the wrapping region 313 on the surface 31S of the transport member 31 as viewed in the transport direction H1. The guide member 6 can guide the media M onto the support surface 311 of the transport member 31. By guiding the media M onto the support surface 311 of the transport member 31, the guide member 6 forms a feed path SR for feeding the media M from below relative to the transport member 31.

[0027] The guide member 6 contacts a predetermined area MM of the media M in the transport direction H1 from below. When the predetermined area MM contacts the guide member 6, the tension applying member 9 is placed on the portion of the media M upstream of the predetermined area MM in the transport direction H1, and the portion of the media M downstream of the predetermined area MM in the transport direction H1 contacts the support surface 311 of the transport member 31. In this case, the media M is fed, guided by the guide member 6, through the feed path SR to the support surface 311 of the transport member 31 with a predetermined amount of tension applied to the tension applying member 9 according to its own weight.

[0028] The recovery member 7 is a cylindrical member extending in the X direction. The recovery member 7 is located between the support surface 311 of the transport member 31 and the guide member 6 in the transport direction H1. Specifically, the recovery member 7 is located between the guide member 6 and the wrapping region 313 of the surface 31S of the transport member 31 in the transport direction H1. The recovery member 7 can recover the liquid L present on the surface 31S of the transport member 31 by coming into contact with the wrapping region 313 of the surface 31S of the transport member 31. A liquid-absorbent cloth capable of absorbing the liquid L is wrapped around the recovery member 7. In this case, the recovery member 7 recovers the liquid L present on the surface 31S of the transport member 31 by absorbing it with the liquid-absorbent cloth.

[0029] The upper end 71 of the collection member 7 is located lower than the upper end 61 of the guide member 6. This prevents the collection member 7 from blocking the feeding path SR for the media M that is formed between the support surface 311 of the transport member 31 and the guide member 6.

[0030] Furthermore, the liquid absorbent wrapped around the recovery member 7 is replaceable. The replacement of the liquid absorbent is performed by accessing the recovery member 7, which is located between the support surface 311 of the transport member 31 and the guide member 6, from above. In this case, if the position of the recovery member 7 in the Z direction relative to the guide member 6 is too low, it becomes difficult to replace the liquid absorbent for the recovery member 7. For this reason, the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7 is located below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and above the lower end 62 of the guide member 6. This prevents the recovery member 7 from being located too low relative to the guide member 6, making it easier to replace the liquid absorbent.

[0031] The support unit 8 is a unit capable of supporting both the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7. The support unit 8 supports the guide member 6 so that the guide member 6 is located upstream of the support surface 311 of the transport member 31 in the transport direction H1 and below the support surface 311. Furthermore, the support unit 8 is located between the support surface 311 of the transport member 31 and the guide member 6 in the transport direction H1, and supports the recovery member 7 so that the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7 is located below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and above the lower end 62 of the guide member 6. By supporting both the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7, the support unit 8 can maintain the above-mentioned positional relationship between the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 below the support surface 311 of the transport member 31. This allows the recovery member 7 to recover the liquid L present on the surface 31S of the transport member 31, and also ensures the feed path SR for the media M that is formed between the support surface 311 of the transport member 31 and the guide member 6.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 2 , the support unit 8 has a pair of first support portions 81 arranged at a predetermined interval in the X direction and a pair of second support portions 84 located outside the pair of first support portions 81. The pair of first support portions 81 support the shaft portion 6S of the guide member 6 and the shaft portion 7S of the recovery member 7. The pair of first support portions 81 support the guide member 6 so that it can rotate about the shaft portion 6S, and support the recovery member 7 so that it can rotate about the shaft portion 7S. The pair of first support portions 81 are connected to each other by a connecting portion 82 extending in the X direction. This maintains the distance between the pair of first support portions 81 in the X direction. The pair of first support portions 81 have protrusions 83 protruding outward. The pair of second support portions 84 are attached to the device frame 2. The pair of second support portions 84 movably support the pair of first support portions 81 via the protrusions 83.

[0033] In the support unit 8, the pair of first support portions 81 support the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 in a positional relationship in which the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7 is located below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and above the lower end 62 of the guide member 6. The pair of second support portions 84 support the pair of first support portions 81 so that the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 can move while maintaining their positional relationship. This allows the support unit 8 to support the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 so that they can move together while maintaining their positional relationship. In this case, while both are supported by the support unit 8, the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 can move together so that the recovery member 7 moves between a position in contact with the wrapping region 313 on the surface 31S of the transport member 31 and a position separated from the transport member 31, while maintaining a positional relationship in which the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7 is located below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6. Because the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 move together while both are supported by the support unit 8, the positional relationship of the recovery member 7 with respect to the guide member 6 is maintained. This prevents the recovery member 7 from blocking the media M feed path SR formed between the support surface 311 of the transport member 31 and the guide member 6, making it possible to secure the feed path SR even when the recovery member 7 moves.

[0034] When the transport member 31 orbits to transport the media M in the transport direction H1, the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 move together so that the recovery member 7 comes into contact with the wrapping region 313 on the surface 31S of the transport member 31. While in contact with the wrapping region 313 of the transport member 31, the recovery member 7 rotates around the shaft 7S in accordance with the orbital movement of the transport member 31, thereby recovering the liquid L present on the surface 31S of the transport member 31 through absorption by the liquid absorbent wrapped around the recovery member 7. When the transport of the media M by the transport member 31 is stopped, the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 move together so that the recovery member 7 moves away from the transport member 31. By moving the recovery member 7 away from the transport member 31, it is possible to prevent the adhesive layer formed on the surface 31S of the transport member 31 from being transferred to the recovery member 7 while the orbital movement of the transport member 31 is stopped.

[0035] 2, the pair of second support portions 84 have concave guide rails 841 extending in a direction D1 along a line segment LS connecting the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7. With the protrusions 83 engaged with the guide rails 841, the pair of second support portions 84 support the pair of first support portions 81 so as to be able to move linearly along the guide rails 841.

[0036] As described above, in the support unit 8, the pair of first support portions 81 support the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 in a positional relationship in which the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7 is located below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and above the lower end 62 of the guide member 6. The pair of second support portions 84 support the pair of first support portions 81 so as to enable linear movement along the guide rails 841. This allows the support unit 8 to support the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 so as to enable linear movement in the direction D1 along the line segment LS connecting the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7. In other words, the support unit 8 can support the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 so as to enable linear movement together while maintaining a positional relationship in which the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7 is located below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and above the lower end 62 of the guide member 6. In this case, while both the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 are supported by the support unit 8, they can move linearly together in a direction D1 along a line segment LS connecting the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7. Specifically, while both the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 are supported by the support unit 8, they can move linearly together so that the recovery member 7 moves between a position where it contacts the wrapping region 313 on the surface 31S of the transport member 31 and a position away from the transport member 31, while maintaining a positional relationship in which the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7 is located below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and above the lower end 62 of the guide member 6. In this case, even when the recovery member 7 is positioned at a distance from the transport member 31, the position of the recovery member 7 in the Z direction relative to the guide member 6 is not too far downward, and a positional relationship in which the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7 is located below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and above the lower end 62 of the guide member 6 is maintained. This allows easy replacement of the liquid absorbent of the recovery member 7 by accessing the recovery member 7 located between the transport member 31 and the guide member 6 from above.

[0037] Furthermore, the guide member 6 contacts a predetermined area MM of the media M from below in the transport direction H1, and is supported by the support unit 8 so as to be rotatable about the shaft 6S in response to the movement of the guide member 6 together with the collection member 7. When the guide member 6, contacting the predetermined area MM of the media M from below, moves together with the collection member 7, a frictional force is generated between the guide member 6 and the media M in response to the movement of the guide member 6. The guide member 6 rotates about the shaft 6S due to the frictional force between the guide member 6 and the media M. This prevents the media M from stretching as the guide member 6 moves, even if the media M in contact with the guide member 6 is a fabric member made of a stretchy knit fabric.

[0038] The guide member 6 may be a member that has slipperiness such that the friction between the guide member 6 and the media M that comes into contact with the predetermined region MM is small. In this case, the guide member 6 does not need to be rotatably supported by the support unit 8. A guide member 6 that has slipperiness can prevent the media M from stretching as the guide member 6 moves, just as in the case where the guide member 6 is rotatably supported by the support unit 8.

[0039] Although the support unit 8 has been described as having a configuration in which a pair of first support portions 81 support the guide member 6 and the retrieval member 7, and a pair of second support portions 84 support the pair of first support portions 81 so as to be linearly movable, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which a pair of first support portions 81 support the retrieval member 7, and a pair of second support portions 84 support the guide member 6 and also support the pair of first support portions 81 so as to be linearly movable, is also possible. In this case, the support unit 8 can support the guide member 6 in a fixed state, and can support the retrieval member 7 so as to be linearly movable while maintaining a positional relationship in which the upper end 71 of the retrieval member 7 is positioned below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and above the lower end 62 of the guide member 6.

[0040] In this case, the collection member 7, while supported by the support unit 8 together with the guide member 6, is capable of linear movement relative to the transport member 31. Specifically, while supported by the support unit 8 together with the guide member 6, the collection member 7 is capable of linear movement between a position where it contacts the wrapping region 313 on the surface 31S of the transport member 31 and a position away from the transport member 31, while maintaining a positional relationship in which the upper end 71 of the collection member 7 is located below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and above the lower end 62 of the guide member 6. Even when the guide member 6 is fixed and only the collection member 7 moves, the positional relationship in which the upper end 71 of the collection member 7 is located below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and above the lower end 62 of the guide member 6 is maintained. This prevents the collection member 7 from blocking the feeding path SR for media M formed between the support surface 311 of the transport member 31 and the guide member 6.

[0041] The support unit 8 is not limited to a configuration that supports the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 so as to be linearly movable. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the support unit 8 may be configured to support the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 so as to be rotationally movable.

[0042] In a first modified example shown in FIG. 3 , the support unit 8 has a pair of first support portions 81 and a pair of second support portions 84 located outside the pair of first support portions 81. The pair of first support portions 81 support the guide member 6 rotatably about the shaft portion 6S and support the recovery member 7 rotatably about the shaft portion 7S. The pair of first support portions 81 have protrusions 83 that protrude outward on the axis of the shaft portion 6S of the guide member 6. The pair of second support portions 84 support the pair of first support portions 81 so that they can rotate about the protrusions 83. In the support unit 8, the pair of first support portions 81 support the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 in a positional relationship such that the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7 is located below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and above the lower end 62 of the guide member 6. The pair of second support portions 84 support the pair of first support portions 81 so that they can rotate about the protrusions 83 located on the axis of the shaft portion 6S of the guide member 6. As a result, the support unit 8 can support the guide member 6 in a fixed state, and can also support the recovery member 7 in a manner that allows rotational movement within a range that maintains a positional relationship in which the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7 is positioned lower than the upper end 61 of the guide member 6.

[0043] In this case, the collection member 7, while supported by the support unit 8 together with the guide member 6, is capable of rotational movement relative to the transport member 31. Specifically, while supported by the support unit 8 together with the guide member 6, the collection member 7 is capable of rotational movement between a position where it contacts the wrapping region 313 on the surface 31S of the transport member 31 and a position away from the transport member 31, within a range where the upper end 71 of the collection member 7 is positioned below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6. In this case, even when the guide member 6 is fixed and only the collection member 7 moves, the upper end 71 of the collection member 7 is maintained in a position where it is positioned below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6. This prevents the collection member 7 from blocking the feeding path SR for media M formed between the support surface 311 of the transport member 31 and the guide member 6.

[0044] In a second modified example shown in FIG. 4 , the support unit 8 has a pair of first support portions 81 and a pair of second support portions 84 located outside the pair of first support portions 81. The pair of first support portions 81 support the guide member 6 rotatably about the shaft portion 6S, and support the retrieval member 7 rotatably about the shaft portion 7S. The pair of first support portions 81 have protrusions 83 that protrude outward between the shaft portion 6S of the guide member 6 and the shaft portion 7S of the retrieval member 7. The pair of second support portions 84 support the pair of first support portions 81 rotatably about the protrusions 83. In the support unit 8, the pair of first support portions 81 support the guide member 6 and the retrieval member 7 in a positional relationship in which the upper end 71 of the retrieval member 7 is located below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and above the lower end 62 of the guide member 6. The pair of second support portions 84 support the pair of first support portions 81 so as to be capable of rotational movement around a protrusion 83 located between the shaft portion 6S of the guide member 6 and the shaft portion 7S of the recovery member 7. This allows the support unit 8 to support each of the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 so as to be capable of integral rotational movement within a range in which the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7 is positioned lower than the upper end 61 of the guide member 6.

[0045] In this case, the guide member 6 and the collection member 7 can rotate together while both are supported by the support unit 8. Specifically, while both are supported by the support unit 8, the guide member 6 and the collection member 7 can rotate together so that the collection member 7 moves between a position where it contacts the wrapping region 313 on the surface 31S of the transport member 31 and a position away from the transport member 31, within a range where the upper end 71 of the collection member 7 is positioned lower than the upper end 61 of the guide member 6. Because the guide member 6 and the collection member 7 rotate together while both are supported by the support unit 8, the positional relationship of the collection member 7 with respect to the guide member 6 is maintained. This prevents the collection member 7 from blocking the feeding path SR for media M formed between the support surface 311 of the transport member 31 and the guide member 6.

[0046] The support unit 8 is not limited to a configuration having a pair of first support portions 81 and a pair of second support portions 84 that movably support the pair of first support portions 81. As shown in Fig. 5 , the support unit 8 may have a configuration having only a pair of first support portions 81 connected by a connecting portion 82. In this case, the pair of first support portions 81 are assembled to the device frame 2.

[0047] 5 , the pair of first support parts 81 support the guide member 6 to rotate about the shaft part 6S, and support the recovery member 7 to rotate about the shaft part 7S. The pair of first support parts 81 have a guide support part 811, a first recovery support part 812, and a second recovery support part 813.

[0048] The guide support portion 811 is capable of supporting the guide member 6. The first recovery support portion 812 is capable of supporting the recovery member 7 at a position in contact with the wrapping region 313 on the surface 31S of the transport member 31. The second recovery support portion 813 is capable of supporting the recovery member 7 at a position spaced apart from the transport member 31.

[0049] The support unit 8 is capable of supporting the guide member 6 at the guide support portion 811 so that the guide member 6 is located upstream of the support surface 311 of the transport member 31 in the transport direction H1 and below the support surface 311. Furthermore, the support unit 8 is capable of supporting the recovery member 7 at the first recovery support portion 812 and the second recovery support portion 813 so that the recovery member 7 is located between the transport member 31 and the guide member 6 and so that the upper end 71 of the recovery member 7 is located below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and above the lower end 62 of the guide member 6. By supporting the guide member 6 at the guide support portion 811 and supporting the recovery member 7 at the first recovery support portion 812 and the second recovery support portion 813, the support unit 8 is able to maintain the positional relationship between the guide member 6 and the recovery member 7 below the support surface 311 of the transport member 31. This makes it possible to recover the liquid L present on the surface 31S of the transport member 31 using the recovery member 7, and also to secure a feed path SR for the media M formed between the support surface 311 of the transport member 31 and the guide member 6.

[0050] The support unit 8 may be capable of supporting the retrieval member 7 between the first retrieval support part 812 and the second retrieval support part 813 so as to be movable in direction D1 along a line segment connecting the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and the upper end 71 of the retrieval member 7. In this case, the retrieval member 7 is movable between the first retrieval support part 812 and the second retrieval support part 813 while maintaining a positional relationship in which the upper end 71 of the retrieval member 7 is positioned below the upper end 61 of the guide member 6 and above the lower end 62 of the guide member 6.

[0051] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Printing device 3 Transport unit 31 Transport member 4 Printing unit 42 Inkjet head 421 Ink head (ink unit) 6 Guide member 7 Recovery member 8 Support unit

Claims

1. a conveying member having a support surface capable of supporting a print medium and capable of conveying the print medium in a conveyance direction; an inking unit capable of depositing ink onto the print medium supported on the support surface; a guide member positioned below the support surface on the upstream side of the support surface in the transport direction, the guide member being capable of guiding the print medium to the support surface; a recovery member located between the support surface and the guide member, the upper end of which is located lower than the upper end of the guide member, and capable of recovering liquid present on the conveying member; a support unit capable of supporting the guide member and the collection member so as to maintain a positional relationship in which an upper end of the collection member is positioned lower than an upper end of the guide member.

2. 2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the recovery member, when supported by the support unit together with the guide member, is movable between a position in contact with the transport member and a position away from the transport member while maintaining a positional relationship in which the upper end of the recovery member is positioned lower than the upper end of the guide member.

3. 2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the guide member and the recovery member are both supported by the support unit and are movable together so that the recovery member moves between a position where it contacts the transport member and a position where it is spaced apart from the transport member, while maintaining a positional relationship in which the upper end of the recovery member is positioned lower than the upper end of the guide member.

4. 2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the guide member and the recovery member, when both supported by the support unit, are movable together such that the recovery member moves between a position where it contacts the transport member and a position where it is spaced apart from the transport member, while maintaining a positional relationship in which the upper end of the recovery member is located below the upper end of the guide member and above the lower end of the guide member.

5. The printing device according to claim 3 , wherein the guide member contacts a predetermined area of ​​the print medium in the transport direction, and is supported by the support unit so as to be rotatable in response to movement integrally with the collection member.

6. The support unit includes: a guide support portion capable of supporting the guide member; a first recovery support portion capable of supporting the recovery member at a position where the recovery member contacts the transport member; The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a second collection support portion capable of supporting the collection member at a position spaced apart from the transport member.

7. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the printing medium is a fabric member made of fabric.