JP2001097635A - Image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image recording device which can form a high quality of print with no unevenness by using a long size of image receiving nedium, in an ink jet recording system and the like to carry out the image recording by transferring an image forming material to the image receiving medium by using a noncontact recording head. SOLUTION: The purpose is attained by making the interval of a recording head and a cutter longer than the maximum length of a print to form, or forming a free loop between the recording head and the cutter by an image receiving medium, or, by using a noncontact cutter.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention belongs to the field of image recording such as an ink jet recording system in which an image forming substance is transferred to an image receiving medium and an image is recorded. The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus capable of creating an appropriate print using a long image receiving medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A color printer which outputs an image input to a personal computer or a processed image as a print (hard copy) is printed by ejecting ink from nozzles to transfer to an image receiving medium such as an image receiving paper. Ink-jet printers using an ink-jet recording method have become mainstream. In recent years, with the progress of image processing technology and recording technology, an image obtained by an ink jet recording method has recently obtained an image quality close to that of a silver halide photograph. For this reason, print production by the ink jet recording method tends to increase more and more.

[0003] Current ink jet printers usually produce prints using so-called cut sheets that have been cut to the size of the prints to be produced in advance. However, in view of the cost of receiving paper such as packaging costs and production costs, the efficiency of print production, and the ability to cope with prints of various sizes, long (web) receiving paper is required for producing large quantities of prints. Use is more advantageous.

When a print is made using a long receiving paper in an ink jet printer or the like, it is necessary to cut the print in accordance with the size of the print for making the receiving paper. By the way, when the receiving paper is cut, the cutting blade applies a force in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of the receiving paper and in the transport direction (longitudinal direction) of the receiving paper, so that at the time of cutting, the position of the receiving paper is shifted in the transport direction (position Fluctuation). For this reason, when the image receiving paper used for image recording is cut, the recorded image becomes uneven due to a positional shift of the image receiving paper, and the image quality deteriorates.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and to use a recording head that is not in contact with an image receiving medium, and to transfer an image forming substance from the recording head to the image receiving medium. In image recording such as an inkjet recording method in which image recording is performed after shifting, using a long (web) image receiving medium that is advantageous in terms of print production efficiency and cost as compared with cut sheets, unevenness, etc. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image recording apparatus capable of producing a print on which a high-quality image having no image is recorded.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is to provide a supply section for supplying a long image receiving medium, and an image receiving medium supplied from the supply section. In a transport unit that transports a long image-receiving medium in the longitudinal direction, a cutter that is disposed on a transport path by the transport unit and that cuts the print to create the image-receiving medium into a length, and a transport path by the transport unit, Using a non-contact recording head and an image receiving medium disposed downstream of the cutter away from the maximum length in the conveyance direction of the print to be created, a recording unit that transfers an image forming substance to the image receiving medium and records an image. There is provided an image recording apparatus characterized by having the above.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a supply section for supplying a long image receiving medium, and a conveying apparatus for conveying the image receiving medium supplied from the supply section in a longitudinal direction of the long image receiving medium. Means, disposed on a transport path by the transport means,
A cutter for cutting the image receiving medium to a print length, a loop forming unit disposed downstream of the cutter on a transport path by the transport unit, and forming a loop due to bending of the image receiving medium; A recording unit disposed downstream of the loop forming unit of the transport path, for recording an image by transferring an image forming substance to the image receiving medium using a recording head that is not in contact with the image receiving medium. A recording device is provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a supply section for supplying a long image receiving medium, and a conveyance for conveying the image reception medium supplied from the supply section in a longitudinal direction of the long image receiving medium. Means, disposed on a transport path by the transport means,
A recording unit that records an image by transferring an image forming substance to an image receiving medium using a non-contact recording head with the image receiving medium, and a recording unit that is disposed downstream of a recording unit on a transport path by the transport unit.
A loop forming unit that forms a loop due to the bending of the image receiving medium; and a cutter that is disposed downstream of the loop forming unit in the transport path by the transport unit and that cuts the print to create the image receiving medium. An image recording apparatus characterized by the following.

Further, a fourth aspect of the present invention is a supply section for supplying a long image receiving medium, and a conveying apparatus for conveying the image receiving medium supplied from the supply section in a longitudinal direction of the long image receiving medium. Means, and a recording unit that is arranged on a conveyance path by the conveyance unit, and that transfers an image forming substance to an image receiving medium using a non-contact recording head with the image receiving medium to record an image,
An image recording apparatus, comprising: a cutter disposed in a transport path by the transport unit, the cutter configured to cut the image receiving medium into prints in a non-contact manner.

[0010] In the fourth aspect of the present invention,
Preferably, the cutter performs cutting in a state where the image receiving medium is transported, and the cutter preferably performs cutting from the back side of the image forming surface of the image receiving medium, and further, the cutter is It is preferable to perform cutting also in the transport direction of the image receiving medium.

Further, in the image recording apparatus according to the present invention, in the transporting means, at least one of the nipping and transporting means disposed upstream and downstream of the recording head and the recording head have a maximum length in the transporting direction of a print to be produced. Preferably, it is located more than the length.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an image recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A is a conceptual diagram of a first embodiment of an image recording apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as a recording apparatus) of the present invention.
(B) shows a flowchart of the operation. The recording apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a so-called inkjet printer that uses a recording head 40 that is not in contact with an image receiving medium P as an image receiving medium and transfers an ink that is an image forming substance to the image receiving paper P to perform image recording. is there.

In the recording apparatus of the present invention, the image receiving medium is not limited to the image receiving paper P, but may be a cloth, a film, a resin,
Various things such as metals are available. In addition to the ink jet recording method, the present invention is also applicable to a coating recording method and the like, in which ink flows out of a nozzle that is not in contact with the image receiving medium and is applied to the image receiving medium to record an image.

The recording apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a supply unit 14 into which an image receiving paper roll 12 (hereinafter, referred to as a roll 12) around which a long image receiving paper P is wound is loaded. Transport means 18 for transporting the image receiving paper P in the longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction before cutting) along the path, and a cutter 20 and a recording unit 22 arranged on the transport path of the image receiving paper P by the transport means 18. It is composed.

In the recording apparatus 10, the transport means 18 for transporting the image receiving paper P includes a pair of nip rollers 24, a first transport section 26, and a second transport section toward the downstream (hereinafter simply referred to as downstream) in the transport direction. It has a portion 28 and a nip roller pair 30.

The image receiving paper P is pulled out of the roll 12 of the supply unit 14 by the nip roller pair 24,
Supplied to Accordingly, in the illustrated recording apparatus 10, the nip roller pair 24 forms a part of the supply unit 14 (or the nip roller pair of the supply unit forms a part of the conveying unit).

A cutter 20 is arranged between the nip roller pair 24 and the first transport section 26 to cut the image receiving paper P into a length corresponding to the size of the print to be formed. The cutter 20
It is a known sheet-like material cutting means, for example, a guillotine cutter, a rotary cutter, a laser cutter, and the like (the illustrated example illustrates a guillotine cutter).

The first transport section 26 downstream of the cutter 20
Rollers 32 (32a, 32b and 32c) and an endless belt 3 stretched around the rollers 32
, A support member 36 included in the belt conveyor and supporting the endless belt 34 in the conveyance path, and the image receiving paper P together with the endless belt 34 so as to be pressed by the upstream roller 32a.
And a nip roller 38 for nipping and transporting.

In the recording apparatus of the present invention, the means for transporting the image receiving paper P is not limited to such a pair of nip rollers or a belt conveyor, but may be a nip roller, a nip belt, or a transport using suction. Various known means for conveying a sheet-like material such as a mechanism can be used.

The first transport section 26 transports the image receiving paper P in order to perform image recording by the ink jet recording method, and forms the recording section 22 together with the recording head 40.

In the recording apparatus of the present invention, the recording head 4
0 is not particularly limited, and various types used in a known ink jet recording system can be used. Therefore,
A so-called page-wide type recording head in which a number of nozzles for ejecting ink onto the image receiving paper P are arranged in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the conveyance direction, or a nozzle array in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in the conveyance direction Has one to a plurality of rows in the main scanning direction, and performs recording by moving in the main scanning direction.
An ordinary small recording head may be used.

As is well known, if the recording head is a small recording head, the first transport unit 26 intermittently transports a predetermined length at a time during image recording (intermittent fixed-length feeding). The image recording is performed by two-dimensionally scanning the image receiving paper P with the recording head 40 by repeatedly performing the image recording while moving in the main scanning direction. On the other hand, in the case of a page-wide type recording head, the first transport unit 26 continuously transports the image receiving paper P at a predetermined speed (constant speed continuous feeding), so that the image receiving paper P is two-dimensionally moved by the recording head 40. Image scanning to perform image recording.

Here, in the recording apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the cutter 20 (the cutting position of the image receiving paper P by the cutter).
The distance Lc between the recording head 40 (the most upstream position of the recording position by the recording head 40 (the position at which ink is transferred to the image receiving paper P)) is the image receiving paper P of the print created by the recording apparatus 10.
The cutter 20 and the recording head 40 are arranged so as to be longer than the maximum length Pmax in the transport direction (Lc> Pmax). The present embodiment has such a configuration to prevent the image receiving paper P being used for recording from being cut during recording, and to provide a recording apparatus using the long image receiving paper P. It is possible to create a print in which a high-quality image is recorded without image unevenness due to the cutting of P.

A second transport unit 28 is disposed downstream of the recording unit 22. The second transport unit 28 includes the first transport unit 26 described above.
Roller 42 (42).
a, 42b and 42c) and the roller 42
Conveyor comprising an endless belt 44 stretched over the belt, and a support member 46 for supporting the endless belt 44
And a nip roller 48 for holding the image receiving paper P together with the endless belt 44 so as to be pressed by the downstream roller 42c. Above the second transport unit 28, a dry air blowing unit 50 that blows hot air onto the image receiving paper P on which an image is recorded to dry the image receiving paper P is disposed. In the illustrated example, the drying section 52 is configured by the second transport section 28 and the drying air blowing section 50, and the ink is dried while the image receiving paper P on which the image is recorded by the inkjet recording method is transported here. . If the ink dries quickly, the drying unit 52 may be omitted.

The image receiving paper P from which the ink has been dried in the drying section 52 is discharged by the nip roller pair 30 disposed downstream of the drying section 52, and is sorted and accumulated by, for example, a sorter or a stacker.

In the recording apparatus 10, the recording head 40
Is located upstream of the nip roller 38, which is constituted by the belt conveyor of the first transport section 26 and the nip roller 38. On the other hand, downstream of the recording head 40, a nipping / conveying unit constituted by the belt conveyor of the second conveying unit 28 and the nip roller 48 is located. Here, in the recording apparatus of the present invention including not only this mode but also all the following modes, the recording head 40 (the most upstream position of the recording position) and the nipping and conveying means upstream of the recording head 40 are provided. The interval Lf, the recording head 40 (the most downstream position of the recording position), and the recording head 4
It is preferable that at least one, especially both of the distance Lr and the distance Lr from the nipping / conveying means downstream of 0 is larger than the maximum length Pmax of the image receiving paper P (Lf> Pmax, Lr> Pmax).
x).

At the moment when the image receiving paper P is nipped by the nipping and conveying means and when the image receiving paper P is released from the nipping, the nipping and conveying means inevitably gives an impact to the image receiving paper P, so that the image receiving paper P vibrates. . Therefore, when the image receiving paper P on which the image is recorded by the recording head 40 is nipped by the nipping conveyance means or the nipping is released, the recorded image becomes uneven due to vibration, and the image quality deteriorates. Would. On the other hand, the above configuration (Lf> Pmax, L
By setting r> Pmax), the image receiving paper P on which image recording is recorded is not pinched by the pinch transporting means or the pinch is released, so that a high-quality image without image unevenness is recorded. It is possible to stably create a printed image.

Hereinafter, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 1B, the printing by the recording apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

First, the nip roller pair 24 and the first transport section 26 are driven to pull out the image receiving paper P from the roll 12 at a high speed according to the length of the print size to be created.
And transport. Next, the image receiving paper P is
Is cut to the print size to be prepared, and is transported at high speed by the first transport unit 26 to a predetermined position corresponding to image recording by the recording head 40.

After the image receiving paper P has been transported to a predetermined position, the recording paper 40 applies ink corresponding to the recorded image while the image receiving paper P is intermittently fed (or continuously fed at a constant speed) by the first transport unit 26. The process proceeds to the image receiving paper P, and image recording is performed. The image receiving paper P on which the image recording is recorded is dried by the air from the drying air blowing unit 50 while being transported by the second transport unit 28 in the drying unit 52, and is discharged by the nip roller pair 30. When the image recording is completed up to the rear end (upstream end) of the image receiving paper P, the image receiving paper P is pulled out from the roll 12 according to the next print size, and a print is created in the same manner. Alternatively, the image receiving paper P may be pulled out when a space for the next print is opened in the first transport unit 26 in accordance with the progress of image recording.

As is clear from the above description, according to the recording apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the distance Lc between the cutter 20 and the recording head 40 is set to the maximum length Pmax of the image receiving paper P in the transport direction.
Since the length is longer, the receiving paper P on which the image is recorded
Is not required to be cut, and no image is recorded on the receiving paper P before cutting, so that a high-quality image free of image unevenness due to a position change of the receiving paper P due to the cutting can be stably formed. Can be recorded. In a preferred embodiment, the distance Lf between the recording head 40 and the upstream nipping / transporting means of the recording head 40, and the distance Lr between the downstream nipping / transporting means,
Since the maximum length Pmax of the image receiving paper P is longer than the maximum length Pmax, it is possible to prevent image unevenness caused by the image receiving paper P being recorded being nipped or opened by the nipping and conveying means.

FIG. 2 shows a conceptual diagram of a second embodiment of the recording apparatus of the present invention. In addition, since the embodiment shown below including the example shown in FIG. 2 shares many members and configurations with the recording apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and The description focuses on the different parts.

The recording device 54 shown in FIG. 2 is different from the recording device 10 shown in FIG.
A nip roller pair 5 is provided between the conveyance unit 26 (recording unit 22).
6 and 58 are arranged, and a loop (free loop) due to bending of the image receiving paper P is formed between them.

As described above, the cutter 20 and the recording head 40
By forming a free loop between these steps, even if the image receiving paper P is cut by the cutter 20 during recording, the positional fluctuation of the image receiving paper P due to the cutting can be absorbed by the free loop. Therefore, also in this embodiment, in the recording apparatus using the long receiving paper P, high-quality images can be stably recorded without image unevenness due to the cutting of the receiving paper P. According to the aspect in which the free loop is formed as described above,
The distance between the cutter 20 and the recording head 40 is set to the maximum length Pmax.
Since it is not necessary to make the length longer, the conveyance length of the image receiving paper P can be shortened, and the recording apparatus can be made compact.

FIG. 3A is a conceptual diagram of a third embodiment of the recording apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a flowchart of its operation. Recording device 60 shown in FIG.
Similarly, from the recording head 40 that is not in contact with the image receiving paper P,
This is a so-called inkjet printer that performs image recording by transferring ink to the image receiving paper P.

In the recording device 60 shown in FIG.
Downstream, nip roller pairs 24 and 64, first
The transport unit 26, the nip roller pair 66, the second transport unit 28, and the nip roller pairs 68, 70, and 30 constitute a transport unit. In this example, the second transport unit 28
Does not have a nip roller 48. Further, as in the above-described example, the supply unit 1 in which the roll 12 is loaded
4, the recording section 22 is constituted by the first conveying section 26 and the recording head 40, and the drying section 52 is constituted by the second conveying section 28 and the drying air blowing section 50. Furthermore, the cutter 20 that cuts the image receiving paper P according to the print size,
It is arranged upstream of the most downstream nip roller pair 30.

In the recording apparatus 60, the nip roller pair 2
A nip roller pair 64 is disposed between the nip roller pair 24 and the nip roller pair 6.
4, a free loop of the image receiving paper P is formed. The free loop is arranged as a preferable mode in a configuration in which the image receiving paper P is cut according to the print size after the image is recorded, as in the recording apparatus 60.

In a configuration in which the image receiving paper P is cut after image recording, an image is recorded while the image receiving paper P is connected to the roll 12. Therefore, when the image receiving paper P is conveyed in the recording unit 22, a back tension for pulling out the image receiving paper P from the roll 12 is applied. This back tension varies depending on the amount of the image receiving paper P wound around the roll 12. Therefore, with the use of the roll 12, a load change occurs in the conveyance of the image receiving paper P in the recording unit 22, and the load change causes
An error occurs in the conveyance of the image receiving paper P, and in an extreme case, the printing may be improper. On the other hand, by forming such a free loop upstream of the recording unit 22, the back tension caused by drawing out the image receiving paper P from the roll 12 is absorbed by the free loop, and It is possible to eliminate fluctuations in the transport load and to stably perform appropriate image recording.

In the recording apparatus 60 of the illustrated example, the space between the recording section 22 and the drying section 52 (the first transport section 26 and the second transport section 2) is provided.
8), the discharge cutter 72 and the nip roller pair 66 are arranged. Discharge cutter 72 and nip roller pair 66
Is arranged as a preferred mode, does not work at the time of normal print creation, and cuts the receiving paper P at the end of image recording when ending the print creation work at lunchtime or at the end of work. is there. Therefore, the nip roller pair 6
6 is that the upper roller normally moves upward and the image receiving paper P
Not sandwiched. Note that the discharge cutter 72 is a cutter 2
It may be the same as 0.

By having such a discharge cutter 72, it is not necessary to send extra image receiving paper P to the cutter 20 and rewind it when the operation is completed, thereby enabling a quick operation. The unrecorded image receiving paper P due to the heat of the drying unit 52
Can be prevented.

In the recording apparatus 60 shown in FIG. 3, a pair of nip rollers 68 and 70 are disposed downstream of the drying unit 52, and a cutter 20 for cutting the image receiving paper P in accordance with a print to be produced is disposed downstream thereof. Further, a nip roller pair 30 for discharging the image receiving paper P on which the image is recorded to a sorter or the like is disposed downstream of the nip roller pair. A loop forming section 74 that forms a free loop of the image receiving paper P is provided between the nip roller pairs 68 and 70.

The recording device 60 in the illustrated example cuts the image receiving paper P according to the print size after image recording.
Accordingly, one sheet of the image receiving paper P is provided from the cutter 20 to the recording unit 22 (the recording position by the recording head 40). Therefore, when the image receiving paper P is cut by the cutter 20 along the normal transport path, the image receiving paper P moves in the transport direction due to the cutting as described above, which causes image unevenness.

On the other hand, in the recording apparatus 60 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, a loop forming section 74 for forming a free loop of the image receiving paper P between the recording section 22 (recording head 40) and the cutter 20. Is provided, the loop receiving portion 74 can absorb the image receiving paper P when the cutter 20 cuts. Therefore, in the recording apparatus using the long receiving paper P, high-quality images can be stably recorded without image unevenness due to the cutting of the receiving paper P.

Referring now to the flowchart of FIG. 3B, a description will be given of the print creation by the recording device 60 shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the image receiving paper P is drawn out of the supply unit 14 into the free loop by the nip roller pair 24, and the image receiving paper P is intermittently fed by the nip roller pair 64 and the first conveyance unit 26 of the recording unit 22 (or, alternatively, intermittently).
(Constant speed continuous feed), and the ink corresponding to the recording image is transferred from the recording head 40 to the image receiving paper P to perform image recording.

If the operation is not completed (N), the image receiving paper P on which the image is recorded is dried in the drying unit 52 by the air from the drying air blowing unit 50 while being conveyed by the second conveying unit 28. Then, the sheet is conveyed to the loop forming section 74 by the nip roller pair 68 to form a free loop between the nip roller pairs 68 and 70, and is conveyed to the cutter 20 by the nip roller pair 70. When the portion of the print to be cut is conveyed to the cutter 20, the nip roller pair 70 is stopped, the cutter 20 is operated, and the image receiving paper P is cut according to the print size to be produced, and is discharged by the nip roller pair 30. Is done. In addition,
The positional change due to the cutting is absorbed in the free loop of the loop forming section 74, and therefore does not affect image recording.

On the other hand, when the work is completed, the conveyance of the image receiving paper P is stopped when the final recording end of the image is conveyed to the discharge cutter 72, and the discharge cutter 72 is operated to cut the image receiving paper P. Thereafter, similarly, the paper is dried in the drying unit 52, cut by the cutter 20 according to the print size, and discharged by the nip roller pair 30.

In the third embodiment of the present invention, the image receiving paper P is set in accordance with the loop forming section 74 and the print to be made.
The cutter 20 for cutting is not limited to being disposed downstream of the drying unit 52. For example, as shown in FIG. 3C, a loop forming unit 74 and a cutter 20 may be arranged between the recording unit 22 and the drying unit 52. In this example, a discharge cutter is not provided, but a discharge cutter 72 may be provided downstream of the recording unit 22 as necessary.

FIG. 4A is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the recording apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The recording apparatus 76 is different from the recording apparatus 60 shown in FIG. 3A in that the nip roller pairs 68 and 70 (the loop forming section 74) and the cutter 20 are arranged downstream of the drying section 52. This is an example in which a non-contact cutter 78 is provided.

The non-contact cutter 78 is, for example, a laser cutter using a carbon dioxide gas laser, and cuts the image receiving paper P without contacting the image receiving paper P. Accordingly, since the receiving paper P is not subjected to a force due to the cutting, a high-quality image without image unevenness due to the cutting can be obtained without providing a free loop or the like of the receiving paper P between the cutter and the recording unit 22. Can be recorded. Further, by using a laser cutter or the like, since paper dust due to cutting is not generated, paper dust does not adhere to an image, and the occurrence of defective printing due to this can be prevented.

There is no particular limitation on the cutter that cuts without contacting the image receiving paper P, and various known cutters can be used. For example, an infrared laser such as a carbon dioxide laser, a YAG laser, or a semiconductor laser is used. A laser cutter and the like are exemplified. According to the study of the present inventor, as an example, using a carbon dioxide gas laser, output 200 W, cutting speed 2000 m
By irradiating a laser from the back surface or the front surface under the conditions of m / min and continuous output, the image receiving paper P (Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., inkjet paper, photo glossy paper E) is preferably used.
X) was able to be cut.

In this embodiment, cutting is preferably performed from the back side (non-image recording side). As a result, it is possible to prevent an adverse effect on an image due to non-contact cutting.
Further, in order to prevent scorching of the image receiving paper P by a laser or the like, the cutting is preferably performed while blowing an inert gas such as an argon gas. Further, in order to perform cutting with a low laser output satisfactorily, the image receiving paper P may contain a substance that assists cutting, such as an infrared absorbing material.

In the recording device 76 of the illustrated example, the cutting by the non-contact cutter 78
May be carried out while the image receiving paper P is continuously fed at a constant speed, may be carried out while being intermittently fed, or may be carried out with the conveyance completely stopped. The cutting by the non-contact cutter 78 is basically performed while moving the non-contact cutter 78 so as to cross the image receiving paper P in the short (width) direction. Here, in order to properly cut the image receiving paper P so as to be orthogonal to the transport direction, this movement is performed when the transport speed of the image receiving paper P is Vp and the moving speed of the non-contact cutter 78 is Vc. (B), as shown in the drawing, the angle θ with respect to the transport direction satisfies the following equation. Cos θ = Vp / Vc Therefore, it is preferable to perform cutting while feeding the image receiving paper P continuously at a constant speed in terms of controlling the movement of the non-contact cutter 78 and the like.

Alternatively, in order to enable cutting while the image receiving paper P is stopped and cutting with continuous feeding at a constant speed when recording is performed while intermittently feeding, an image receiving image is provided upstream of the non-contact cutter 78. A free loop of the paper P may be formed.

In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the cutting of the image receiving paper P is performed not only in the direction (width direction) perpendicular to the conveyance direction but also by the movement of the non-contact cutter 78 and the position adjustment in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 4C, the image receiving paper P may be cut in the transport direction to produce prints of various sizes. Further, by the movement of the non-contact cutter 78,
A borderless print may be created from a bordered print such as a white frame.

Although the image recording apparatus of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the paper of the present invention. For example, in a mode using a non-contact cutter, the non-contact cutter may be arranged downstream of the supply unit 14 and the image recording may be performed after the receiving paper P is cut.

[0057]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, in an image recording of an ink jet system or the like in which an image forming substance such as ink is transferred to an image receiving medium such as an image receiving paper to perform image recording. By using a long image receiving medium that is advantageous in terms of print production efficiency and cost, it is possible to stably produce prints on which high-quality images without unevenness are recorded.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a conceptual diagram of an example of a first embodiment of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a flowchart of a print creation operation thereof.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a second embodiment of the image recording apparatus of the present invention.

3A is a conceptual diagram of an example of a third embodiment of the image recording apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 3B is a flowchart of the print creation operation, and FIG. 3C is an image recording apparatus of the present invention. The conceptual diagram of another example of the 3rd aspect of an apparatus is each shown.

4A is a conceptual diagram of an example of a fourth embodiment of the image recording apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 4B is a conceptual diagram for explaining the cutting operation of the image receiving paper, and FIG. Shows an example of the cutting method.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 54, 60, 76 (image) recording device 12 (image receiving paper) roll 14 supply unit 18 conveyance means 20 cutter 22 recording unit 24, 30, 56.58, 64, 66, 68, 70 nip roller pair 26 first conveyance Unit 28 second transport unit 32 (32a, 32b, 32c), 42 (42a, 42
b, 42c) Rollers 34, 44 Endless belts 36, 46 Holding members 38, 48 Nip roller 40 Recording head 50 Dry air blowing section 52 Drying section 72 Discharge cutter 74 Loop forming section 78 Non-contact cutter

Continued on front page F term (reference) 2C058 AB17 AC07 AC11 AC12 AD01 AE04 AE09 AF06 AF20 AF27 AF51 LA02 LA18 LA24 LB07 LB09 LB17 LC12

Claims (8)

[Claims] A supply section for supplying a long image receiving medium; a conveying section for conveying the image receiving medium supplied from the supply section in a longitudinal direction of the long image receiving medium; and a conveying path by the conveying section. A cutter for cutting the image receiving medium to the length of the print to be produced, and an image receiving apparatus disposed downstream of the cutter at a distance of more than the maximum length in the transport direction of the print to be produced on the transport path by the transport means. A recording unit that transfers an image forming substance to an image receiving medium and records an image using a recording head that is not in contact with the medium. 2. A supply section for supplying a long image receiving medium, a conveying means for conveying the image receiving medium supplied from the supply section in a longitudinal direction of the long image receiving medium, and a conveying path by the conveying means. A cutter that cuts the print to create the image receiving medium, and a loop forming unit that is disposed downstream of the cutter on the transport path by the transport unit and that forms a loop due to bending of the image receiving medium. A recording unit disposed downstream of a loop forming unit of a transport path by the transport unit and configured to transfer an image forming substance to the image receiving medium using a recording head that is not in contact with the image receiving medium and record an image. An image recording apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. A supply section for supplying a long image receiving medium, transport means for transporting the image receiving medium supplied from the supply section in a longitudinal direction of the long image receiving medium, and a transport path by the transport means. A recording unit that transfers an image forming substance to an image receiving medium using a recording head that is not in contact with the image receiving medium and records an image; and a recording unit that is disposed downstream of a recording unit on a transport path by the transport unit. A loop forming unit that forms a loop due to the bending of the image receiving medium, and a cutter that is disposed downstream of the loop forming unit of the transport path by the transport unit and that cuts the print to create the image receiving medium. An image recording apparatus, comprising: 4. A supply unit for supplying a long image receiving medium, a conveying unit for conveying the image receiving medium supplied from the supply unit in a longitudinal direction of the long image receiving medium, and a conveying path by the conveying unit. A recording unit that records an image by transferring an image forming substance to an image receiving medium using a recording head that is not in contact with the image receiving medium, and a recording unit that is disposed on a transport path by the transport unit. An image recording apparatus, comprising: a cutter for cutting the print to a length for forming an image receiving medium. 5. The image recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said cutter performs cutting while said image receiving medium is being conveyed. 6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cutter cuts from a back side of an image forming surface of the image receiving medium. 7. The image recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said cutter also cuts in a direction in which said image receiving medium is transported. 8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the nipping and conveying means disposed upstream and downstream of the recording head and the recording head are located apart from a maximum length of the print to be produced in the conveying direction. The image recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,