JP2001205813A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable stable printing with no variation in transfer density by maintaining a temperature of a printer head constant. SOLUTION: In this printer, ink held by a capillary phenomenon to an ink transfer part having an uneven structure is heated by a heating means in accordance with information to be recorded, whereby the ink is let to fly towards a body to be recorded to record the information to the body to be recorded. The printer has the printer head including the ink transfer part. A heating means for heating the printer head, a cooling means for cooling the printer head and a temperature-measuring means for measuring the temperature of the printer head are set to the printer head.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer for recording information such as characters and images on a recording medium such as photographic paper. More particularly, the present invention relates to a printer that heats ink held by a capillary effect of a concavo-convex structure. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer that records information on a recording medium by flying ink (fine droplets or vaporized substances) toward the recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, for example, a color image processed by a personal computer or the like, or a color image captured by a video camera, an electronic still camera, or the like is printed out.
It is used for viewing and other purposes. For this reason, the need for a printer capable of obtaining high-quality full-color images has been increasing, especially for individuals and, for example,
There is a growing demand for relatively inexpensive printers for small offices, referred to as "small offices" or "home offices," to obtain high quality full color images.

As a color printing system, a sublimation type thermal transfer system (dye diffusion thermal transfer system), a melt thermal transfer system, an ink jet system, an electrophotographic system, a thermally developed silver salt system and the like have been proposed. In particular, a dye diffusion thermal transfer method and an ink jet method can be used to easily output a high-quality image with a relatively simple device.

In the dye diffusion thermal transfer system, an ink obtained by dispersing a high-concentration transfer dye in a suitable binder resin is applied to an ink ribbon or sheet to form an ink layer, which receives the transferred dye. By applying a constant pressure to a so-called thermal transfer paper coated with a dyeing resin, and applying heat from a thermal printer head (thermal head) from above the ink ribbon or sheet, the ink ribbon or the The transfer dye is thermally transferred from the ink layer of the sheet to the thermal transfer paper.

[0005] The thermal head is arranged to face the platen roller, and between them, for example, an ink ribbon or sheet on which an ink layer is formed and a thermal transfer sheet.
It runs while being pressed against the thermal head by the rotating platen roller. Then, according to the image to be printed, the ink in the ink layer selectively heated by the thermal head thermally diffuses into the dyeing resin of the thermal transfer paper heated in contact with the ink layer, for example, a dot pattern Is performed.

This operation is repeated, for example, for image signals decomposed into three subtractive primary colors, yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C), thereby providing a full-color image having continuous gradation. Can be obtained.

The dye diffusion thermal transfer system is an excellent technique which can easily reduce the size and maintenance of the printer, has immediacy, and can obtain high-quality images comparable to silver halide color photographs. However, in this method, generation of a large amount of waste and high running cost due to disposable use of the ink ribbon or the sheet were major drawbacks. In addition, it is necessary to use thermal transfer paper, and there is a problem that the cost is also increased in this respect.

On the other hand, the ink jet system is, for example, an electrostatic attraction system, a continuous vibration generation system (piezo system), a thermal system, as shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-59911 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-217. In this method, ink droplets are ejected from nozzles provided in a printer head by a method (bubble jet method) or the like, and the ink droplets are attached to printer paper or the like to perform printing.

Therefore, in this method, plain paper can be transferred, and no ink ribbon or the like is used.
The running cost is low, and there is almost no waste as in the case of using an ink ribbon or the like.

However, the problem with this ink jet system is that the image quality is extremely low as compared with silver halide photography. Recently, a method of realizing density gradation of several steps in the same pixel by modulating the size of the ink droplet to be ejected to two or three types or by using two or three types of ink densities using a light color ink However, in the ink jet method, it is difficult in principle to perform continuous density gradation within the same pixel, and it is difficult to print a high-quality image comparable to a silver halide photograph. In order to improve the image quality, it is effective to reduce the area of the unit pixel. However, if the area of the unit is reduced, there is a problem that the recording time becomes extremely long.

[0011] In addition, the fusion heat transfer system can transfer plain paper, but also uses an ink ribbon or a sheet, so that there is a problem of generation of a large amount of waste and high running cost due to disposable use. . The image quality was not as good as silver halide photography.

Although the heat-developable silver salt method has high image quality, the running cost is high because dedicated photographic paper and a disposable ribbon or sheet are used. There was also the problem of being expensive.

The electrophotography system has a low running cost and a high transfer speed, but has a problem that the image quality is not as high as that of silver halide photography and the cost of the apparatus is extremely high.

As described above, all of the above-mentioned methods cannot satisfy all requirements such as image quality, running cost, apparatus cost, and transfer time. Therefore, as a color printing method capable of satisfying all of these requirements, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 9-183235 and 9-183.
No. 239, etc., a thermal transfer recording system has been proposed.

In this thermal transfer recording system, the ink transfer section of the printer head selectively applies heat to the ink in accordance with the information to be recorded, so that the heated ink contains an ink vapor mainly containing ink vapor having a diameter of 10 μm or less. As ink from the ink transfer section,
For example, printing is performed by adhering to the surface of a recording medium, such as printer paper, which is arranged facing the printer head at intervals of about 50 to 300 μm.

The ink transfer portion of the printer head is provided with an ink holding structure having a concave-convex structure in which, for example, a large number of pillars having a width or a diameter of about 3 μm and a height of about 6 μm are arranged upright at a small interval of about 3 μm. Have been. And
A heater is provided below the ink holding structure so that the ink held in the ink holding structure can be heated according to information to be recorded.

In the thermal transfer recording system, the following effects can be obtained because the ink transfer portion of the printer head has the above-described structure. That is, (1) the ink is spontaneously supplied onto the heater by the capillary phenomenon.

(2) Due to the large surface area, the ink can be efficiently heated.

(3) By appropriately setting the height of the convex portion of the concave-convex structure, a predetermined amount of ink can always be held on the heater.

(4) Since the surface tension of the liquid generally has a negative temperature coefficient, the locally heated ink is subjected to a force directed to the outer periphery having a low temperature, but its movement is minimized by the ink holding structure. , And a decrease in transfer sensitivity is prevented.

Therefore, in the thermal transfer recording system, while the ink is stably held by the ink holding structure, the held ink is heated by the heater in accordance with the information to be recorded, and the amount of the ink corresponding to the heat amount is appropriately adjusted. In addition to being able to fly, a large number of small-sized ink droplets can be made to fly as compared with the above-described ink jet method, so that multi-value density gradation in a pixel becomes possible. As a result, for example, a high-quality image comparable to a silver halide color photograph can be obtained.

Further, in this method, since it is not necessary to use an ink ribbon or the like, the running cost is low, and an ink having good absorbency for plain paper is used, or an ink receiving layer is coated on plain paper. By doing so, it is possible to transfer the recording paper to a very inexpensive recording paper equivalent to plain paper, so that the running cost can be reduced.

In this method, printing is performed by using the flying of ink droplets generated by heating the ink. Therefore, the transfer unit of the printer head for heating the ink is provided with a transfer member such as printer paper. Of course, there is no need to contact with high pressure. Therefore, this method does not cause the problem of heat fusion between an ink heating unit such as an ink ribbon and a printer sheet or the like, which may occur in other thermal transfer methods.

That is, in this thermal transfer recording system, similar to the above-mentioned dye diffusion thermal transfer system, it is possible to realize the downsizing of the printer, the ease of maintenance, the immediacy, the high quality of the image, and the like. It is possible to achieve a reduction in waste and a reduction in running cost due to non-use of an ink ribbon and the like, and further, a reduction in cost by using plain paper.

[0025]

By the way, in the thermal transfer recording system, it is necessary to correct the thermal effect at the time of transfer due to the heat storage characteristic of the thermal head. That is, in the thermal transfer recording method, when scanning for printing, the printer head turns on the heater to heat the ink and rapidly raises the temperature, and when returning, the heater turns off and the temperature becomes lower. Descent rapidly.

Turning on the heater accompanying such scanning,
The temperature of the printer head itself gradually rises due to the repetition of the rise and fall of the temperature due to the continuous OFF. That is, scan start (heater ON)-scan end (heater OFF)-return-scan start (heater ON)
-End of scan (heater OFF)-The temperature at the start and end of each scan at the end of each scan gradually increases.
Moreover, this temperature varies depending on the position on the printer head.

As described above, there has been a problem that the temperature of the printer head itself rises and the temperature changes, so that the viscosity of the ink is not constant and the transfer density becomes uneven.

Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, as described in JP-A-11-291528, heating means for heating the printer head itself to the printer head,
A method has been proposed in which a means for measuring the heating temperature by the heating means is provided to keep the temperature of the printer head constant.

However, improvements have been made to the thermal transfer recording method, and there have been situations where the amount of heat stored in the printer head increases due to the following reasons.

(1) The number of heaters per head is 256
The number of heaters increased from 1216 to 1216, and the amount of heat generated by the heater increased accordingly.

(2) Since the size of the printer head has been reduced, the amount of heat radiation from the printer head has been reduced.

(3) Since the printing speed has been increased, the cooling time of the printer head has been reduced.

As a result, the amount of heat stored in the printer head is increased, so that the temperature of the printer head becomes too high, resulting in uneven transfer density and degraded print quality.

FIG. 28 shows the result of printing 1536 dots of solid using a printer head having 1024 heaters. Initial temperature is 24 ° C, 30 ° C, 40 ° C,
This shows the rise in the temperature of the printer head when the temperature is set to 50 ° C. and 60 ° C., and the temperature of the printer head rises by 25 to 26 ° C. at the maximum. FIG. 29 shows the density change at that time. From FIG. 29, it can be seen that a difference of about 0.3 occurs in the reflection density due to the difference in the initial temperature of the printer head, especially at the start of printing. The above value is a very large value, considering that the difference can be recognized by a general human being if the density difference is about 0.02. In order to perform high-quality printing, the printer head is driven in consideration of the effect of temperature.However, it is difficult to perform high-quality printing unless the temperature of the printer head is controlled within a certain temperature range. is there.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and the temperature of the printer head is kept constant, thereby enabling stable printing without uneven transfer density. It is an object to provide a printer head.

[0036]

The printer according to the present invention heats the ink held in the ink transfer section having the concave-convex structure by capillary action by heating means according to the information to be recorded. A microdroplet or a vaporized substance) flying toward a recording medium to record information on the recording medium, comprising a printer head having an ink transfer unit, and heating for heating the printer head. Means, cooling means for cooling the printer head, and temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the printer head are provided in the printer head.

In the printer according to the present invention, heating means for heating the printer head, cooling means for cooling the printer head, and temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the printer head are provided on the printer head. Have been. Therefore, if the heating or cooling temperature of the printer head is controlled based on the temperature information measured by the temperature measuring means, the temperature of the printer head can be kept constant. As a result, stable printing without density unevenness can be performed.

[0038]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 4 show an example of a printer to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a printer 1 to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a side view of the printer 1 as viewed from the direction of arrow A1 in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of the printer 1 as viewed from the direction of arrow A3 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the printer 1 as viewed from the direction of arrow A3 in FIG.

The printer 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is a so-called flat table type printer, and includes a flat table 2 on which photographic paper 100 as a recording medium is set. The flat table 2 has a first
And second pinch rollers 3 and 4 and first and second capstan rollers 5 and 6 are provided. These first
The first and second pinch rollers 3 and 4, and the first and second capstan rollers 5 and 6, respectively, sandwich the printing position indicated by oblique lines in FIG. It is arranged at a position slightly separated along the feeding direction.
Then, the first pinch roller 3 and the first capstan roller 5 sandwich one end near the printing position of the printing paper 100 and hold the same, and the second pinch roller 4
The second capstan roller 6 sandwiches the other end near the printing position of the printing paper 100 and holds it.

The first capstan roller 5 has a belt 7
Is connected to the capstan motor 8 via a motor, and the capstan motor 8 is driven to rotate. As a result, the photographic paper 100 sandwiched between the first capstan roller 5 and the first pinch roller 3 is fed in the direction of the arrow Y.

The printing paper 100 on the flat table 2
On the surface where is installed, a large number of minute through holes (not shown) are formed in a portion to be a printing position, and this portion is sucked by the vacuum pump 9.
As a result, the printing paper 100 placed on the flat table 2 has its print position adsorbed to the flat table 2 so that printing is performed without floating on the flat table 2.

The printer 1 includes three primary colors of subtractive color mixing: yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C).
A head support member 11 for supporting four printer heads 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d respectively corresponding to black (K) is provided. The head support member 11 is connected to a ball screw 12 and a pair of guide shafts 13 and 14, and the ball screw 12 and the pair of guide shafts 1 are connected.
1 and 2 can be moved in the head scanning direction indicated by an arrow X in FIGS.

The ball screw 12 is connected to a head feed motor 16 via a belt 15, and is rotated by driving the head feed motor 16. As a result, the head support member 11 connected to the ball screw 12 is moved in the head scanning direction indicated by the arrow X while being guided by the pair of guide shafts 13 and 14.

The head support member 11 has four head mounting blocks 17a, 17b, 17 corresponding to the four printer heads 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d.
c, 17d are attached. These head mounting blocks 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d are connected at their base ends to head lifting / lowering motors 19a, 19b, 19c, 19d via connection plates 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d, respectively. 19a, 19
By driving b, 19c, and 19d, the moving operation is performed in the up and down direction indicated by the arrow B in FIGS. 2 to 4, that is, in the direction in which the printing paper 100 placed on the flat table 2 approaches or separates from the printing paper 100. It has been done.

The head mounting blocks 17a, 1
The four printer heads 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d are attached to the tips of 7b, 17c, 17d. These four printer heads 10a, 10
Reference numerals b, 10c, and 10d denote portions for actually printing by causing ink to fly onto the photographic paper 100. That is, in the printer 1, the head support member 11 is moved in the head scanning direction indicated by the arrow X, and the printer heads 10a, 1
Printer heads 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d in a state in which ink transfer portions 0b, 10c, and 10d, which will be described later, face printing paper 100 at a printing position with a predetermined gap (hereinafter, referred to as a head gap). The ink is transferred from the ink transfer section toward the photographic paper 100 so that the flying ink is attached to the photographic paper 100 and printing is performed.

Here, the printer heads 10a, 10b,
Until the heads 10c and 10d move to the printing position, the head mounting blocks 17a, 17b, 17c and 17d are operated by the head elevating motors 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d to raise the printer heads 10a and 10d.
b, 10c and 10d are in a state of being largely separated from the printing paper 100. The head mounting block 17
The vertical positions of a, 17b, 17c, and 17d are determined by a pair of sensors 20 provided for each head mounting block.
a, 20b, 20c, 20d and 21a, 21b, 21
c, 21d.

The printer 1 includes a printer head 10
A cleaner 30 is provided for removing dust adhering to the ink transfer portions a, 10b, 10c, and 10d. The cleaner 30 is disposed at a position slightly apart from the printing position of the flat table 2 in the head scanning direction.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the cleaner 30 includes a support table 31, an intermediate table 33 disposed on the support table 31 via a pair of leaf spring members 32a and 32b, and A pair of leaf spring members 3 on the intermediate table 33
And a vibration table 35 arranged via the 4a and 34b. 5 is a perspective view of the cleaner 30, FIG. 6 is a side view of the cleaner 30 as viewed from the direction of arrow C1 in FIG. 7, and FIG.
It is the side view seen from two directions.

On the upper surface of the vibration table 35, cleaning members 36a, 36b, 36c, to which the ink transfer portions of the printer heads 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d come into contact.
36d is fitted. This cleaning member 36
a, 36b, 36c, and 36d, the printer head 10
a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are impregnated with the same type of ink as the ink supplied to the ink transfer units. As the ink, an ink having low volatility is used, as will be described in detail later. The cleaning members 36a, 36b, 36
As a substance to be impregnated into c and 36d, a solvent such as ethanol may be used. However, considering that the ink in the ink transfer unit is not diluted, the same kind of ink as the ink supplied to the ink transfer unit is used. It is more advantageous to impregnate it.

Further, as the cleaning member 36, a foam material or a porous material having good ink absorbency and excellent wear resistance is used. For example, Ruby Cell (trade name), a urethane rubber manufactured by Toyo Polymer Co., Ltd., and Loren (trade name), a silicon rubber manufactured by Toyo Polymer Co., Ltd., are manufactured by a manufacturing method called a liquid sintering method. Since it is excellent in water absorption and abrasion resistance, it is particularly suitable as the cleaning member 36.

A motor 38 is mounted on the vibration table 35 via a motor mounting member 37. A weight 39 having a predetermined weight is attached to a rotation shaft of the motor 38 with a position off the center as a fulcrum. Therefore, when the motor 39 is driven to rotate the rotation axis thereof, the weight 39 is rotated around a position deviated from the center thereof as a rotation center, thereby causing the motor 38 to vibrate. The vibration generated in the motor 38 is transmitted to the vibration table 35 via the motor mounting member 37.

The vibration table 35 includes a leaf spring member 34a,
It is connected to the intermediate table 33 via 34b. Therefore, when the vibration from the motor 38 is transmitted to the vibration table 35, the vibration table 35
The vibrations are made in the direction in which the a and b are bent, that is, in the direction of the arrow Y in FIGS. Further, the vibration transmitted from the motor 38 to the vibration table 35 is also transmitted to the intermediate table 33 via the leaf spring members 34a and 34b.

The intermediate table 33 includes a leaf spring member 32a,
It is connected to the support base 31 via 32b. Therefore, when the vibration from the motor 38 is transmitted to the intermediate table 33, the intermediate table 33
5b, that is, along the direction of the arrow X in FIG. 5 and FIG. Thus, the cleaning member 36 fitted on the upper surface of the vibration table 35
The motors a, 36b, 36c, and 36d vibrate in two directions of the X direction and the Y direction when the motor 38 is driven.

This cleaner 30, as shown in FIG.
The ink transfer portions of the printer heads 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are replaced with cleaning members 36a, 36b, 36c,
The motor 38 is driven in a state where the cleaning members 36a, 36b, 36c, and 36d are vibrated in two directions of the X direction and the Y direction in a state where the cleaning members 36a are in contact with the upper surface of the 36d. At this time, as shown in FIG.
b, 10c, 10d along the X direction, for example, 0.3 m
Move about m. Thereby, the printer head 10
The ink transfer portions a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are wiped by the cleaning members 36a, 36b, 36c, and 36d, and dust attached to the ink transfer portions is removed. In FIG. 9, only one printer head 10a and the cleaning member 36a with which the ink transfer unit contacts are illustrated.

The operation of printing a color image on photographic paper 100 by the printer 1 will now be described.

When the photographic paper 100 is mounted on a paper cassette (not shown) and a printing instruction is given to the printer 1, the photographic paper 100 mounted on the paper cassette is fed onto the flat table 2 and is first pinched. It is held in a state sandwiched between the roller 3 and the first capstan roller 5 and between the second pinch roller 4 and the second capstan roller 6. Then, when the vacuum pump 9 is operated, the printing paper 10 at the printing position indicated by oblique lines in FIG.
0 is sucked, and the printing paper 100 at the printing position is sucked to the flat table 2.

The printer 1 to which the present invention is applied
Prints by a so-called thermal transfer recording method. In the thermal transfer recording type printer 1, the ink transfer portions of the printer heads 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are provided with an uneven structure, and the ink is held in the ink transfer portions by capillary action. In the printer 1, the printer heads 10a, 1
A heater is buried in the ink transfer portions 0b, 10c, and 10d, and the heater is driven in accordance with an image to be printed to heat the ink held in the ink transfer portion, thereby forming a minute liquid of the ink. The droplet or the vaporized substance is made to fly toward a recording medium such as photographic paper, and an image or the like is printed on the recording medium.

Here, the printer heads 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d of the thermal transfer recording type printer 1 will be described in detail. In the following description, the printer heads 10a, 10b, 10 corresponding to the colors yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) will be described.
The printer heads c and 10d will be generically described.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 to 14, the printer head 10 provided in the printer 1 of the thermal transfer recording system has the above-described head mounting blocks 17a and 17a.
The head base 41 is attached to the tip of each of b, 17c and 17d. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the entire printer head 10 as viewed from the ink transfer unit side.
11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the printer head 10 in a state where the ink transfer unit is directed upward, FIG. 12 is a plan view of FIG. 11, FIG. 13 is a right side view of FIG. 11 (view A), and FIG. It is a bottom view.

The head base 41 is formed of, for example, aluminum or the like in a plate shape, constitutes a base of the printer head 10, and functions as a heat sink for radiating heat accumulated in the printer head 10.

On one main surface of the head base 41, a head chip 42 having an ink transfer portion is provided at one end thereof.
For example, they are joined by a heat conductive adhesive or the like. Also,
A printed wiring board 43 is joined to the other end of one main surface of the head base 41, and ink transfer of the head chip 42 onto the printed wiring board 43 based on a driving signal corresponding to image data or the like. A driver IC 44 for driving a heater provided in the unit is mounted.

Here, the head base 41 has a thickness at the portion where the printed wiring board 43 is joined to the head chip 4.
2 is formed so as to be slightly thinner than a portion to be joined. When the printed wiring board 43 is joined to the head base 41, the upper surface of the driver IC 44 mounted on the printed wiring board 43 and the heater chip 42 are formed. Are located at substantially the same height.

The driver IC 44 and the printed wiring board 43 are connected by wire bonding.
In order to protect the connection between the driver IC 44 and the printed wiring board 43, the driver IC 44 and the connection are provided, for example, with a silicon-based coating material JCR.
A protective material 45 made of (junction coating resin) or the like is applied and thermally cured.

On the head chip 42, a nickel sheet 46 is bonded by thermocompression bonding or the like to a portion other than the base end 42a and the tip end 42b adjacent to the printed wiring board 43. Then, an ink cover 47 made of, for example, stainless steel is attached so as to extend from the nickel sheet 46 to the printed wiring board 43. The ink cover 47 holds the ink to be supplied to the ink transfer section of the head chip 42, and is filled with ink.

In the printer head 10, the ink filled in the ink cover 47 is supplied to the head chip 42.
Is supplied to the ink supply path formed in the head chip 42 from the base end side 42a of the head chip 42, and is guided to the distal end section 42b of the head chip 42 via this ink supply path, and The ink is supplied to the formed ink transfer section. At this time, the nickel sheet 46 is adhered onto the head chip 42 and the upper surface thereof is closed, so that the ink passing through the ink supply path is spontaneously supplied to the ink transfer unit by the capillary phenomenon. Will be done.

As shown in FIG. 15, a large number of ink transfer portions 50 are formed on the tip end portion 42b of the head chip 42 by SiO.
_They are provided adjacent to each other in the width direction via partition walls 51 made of ₂ or the like. These ink transfer units 50 are provided on the photographic paper 100.
, And corresponds to one dot of an image to be printed by one ink transfer unit 50. The head chip 42 is provided with, for example, 256 ink transfer units 50 at a period of about 84.7 μm.
An image having a resolution of 00 dpi can be printed once for 256 dots.

Each of the ink transfer units 50 has the configuration shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), a large number of projections 52 are formed of the same material as the partition wall 51. These projections 52 are formed, for example, in the shape of a quadrangular prism having a height of about 6 μm and a square cross section of about 3 μm each in the vertical and horizontal directions. For example, each of the ink transfer portions 52 has a center-to-center distance of about 6 μm. They are arranged in a matrix. FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing one ink transfer unit 50 in an enlarged manner.

Each ink transfer unit 50 holds the ink supplied to the ink transfer unit 50 by a capillary phenomenon due to a concave-convex structure formed by the large number of protrusions 52 and the concave portions between the adjacent protrusions 52. .

The shape of the projection 21 of this uneven structure is as follows.
Although not limited to the above-described quadrangular prism, in order to effectively generate a capillary phenomenon in the uneven structure, a circle, an ellipse or a triangle, a columnar shape having a polygonal cross section including a square, a cone shape,
It is desirable to be formed in a frustum shape.

The size and interval of the projections 52 of the concavo-convex structure are not limited to the above-described example.
If the height of 2 is too small, the capillary phenomenon due to the uneven structure is reduced, the amount of retained ink is reduced, and the flying efficiency of the ink is reduced. On the other hand, if the height of the projections 52 is too large, heat conduction to the ink surface is slowed, and the flying efficiency of the ink is reduced. If the width of the projection 52 is too small, the projection 52
Of the projection 5 during printing or cleaning
In some cases, a defect may occur in 2 and hinder stable flight of ink. On the other hand, if the width of the projection 52 is too large, or if the distance between the centers of the projections 52 is too small, the area of the liquid surface of the ink becomes small, and the flying efficiency of the ink decreases. If the distance between the centers of the projections 52 is too large, the capillary phenomenon due to the uneven structure is reduced. Therefore, it is desirable to appropriately set the size and interval of the projections 52 of the uneven structure in consideration of these points. For example, the projections 52 having an uneven structure have a height of 1 to 50 μm and a width of 1 to 10 μm.
It is desirable that each of the ink transfer units 50 be arranged within a range of 2 μm and a center-to-center distance of 2 to 40 μm.

The head chip 42 has a base end portion 42a and an ink transfer portion 5 provided at the front end portion.
A ridge 53 having substantially the same height as the protrusion 52 of the ink transfer portion 50 is formed in the vicinity of 0. An area between the ridge 53 and the partition wall 51 serves as an ink supply path 54 for supplying the ink filled in the ink cover 47 to the ink transfer unit 50.

As shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, each of the ink transfer portions 50 provided at the tip end portion 42b of the head chip 42 is located below the uneven structure, and the ink is moved by capillary action due to the uneven structure. Heaters 55 for heating the ink held in the transfer unit 50 are provided. These heaters 55 are made of, for example, a polysilicon film or the like, have a substantially square planar shape, and each have a vertical and horizontal dimension of 2 mm.
It is formed to be about 0 μm. The heater 55 is connected to an individual electrode 56 and a common electrode 57 for driving the heater 55. 17 is an enlarged plan view showing a portion of the head chip 42 where one ink transfer section 50 is provided, FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X1-X2 in FIG. 17, and FIG. It is Y1-Y2 sectional drawing in FIG.

Here, an example of a method for manufacturing the head chip 42 having the above-described structure will be described.

When manufacturing the head chip 42 having the above-described structure, for example, first, a silicon substrate 60 having a thickness of about 650 μm is used as a base.
A heat insulating layer 61 made of a SiO ₂ film or the like is formed thereon.
Then, at the position where the heater 55 is formed on the heat insulating layer 61 and the position where the individual electrode 56 and the common electrode 57 are formed,
A polysilicon film 62 is formed. This polysilicon film 62 is patterned by a lithography technique,
It is formed only at the position where the heater 50 of each ink transfer unit 50 is formed and at the position where the individual electrode 56 and the common electrode 57 are formed.

The polysilicon film 62 formed at the position where the individual electrode 56 is formed and the position where the common electrode 57 is formed
An aluminum film 63 is further formed thereon.
The polysilicon film 62 on which the aluminum film 63 is formed functions as the individual electrode 56 and the common electrode 57. On the other hand, the polysilicon film 62 on which the aluminum film 63 is not formed functions as the heater 55.

The polysilicon film 62 and the aluminum film 63
On the heat insulating layer 61 on which is formed a protective film 64 made of a SiO ₂ film or the like. Then, on the protective film 64, the partition walls 51 for partitioning the above-described ink transfer portions 50, the projections 52 having an uneven structure, the ridges 53, and the like are formed.

The partition walls 51, the projections 52, the ridges 53, and the like are formed, for example, by etching a thick SiO ₂ film formed on the protective film 64 by a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method or the like into a predetermined pattern. Using a mask, RIE (Reactive I
(Etching on) method or the like. In addition, as a method of forming the projections 52 having the uneven structure, in addition to the above-described methods, for example, a method of forming by embossing, a method of forming by photoetching using a photosensitive resin, and a method of forming a photosensitive resin. Examples include a method of forming by wet etching using a mask, a method of forming by an electrolytic plating process using an electrochemical reaction, and the like. Among these,
When the projections 52 having the concavo-convex structure are formed by the electrolytic plating process, a process of forming a thick SiO ₂ film, a process of forming a metal mask, and a process of etching the SiO ₂ film, which are relatively time-consuming processes. Since it is not necessary to perform a step of performing the above, it is possible to form the concave-convex structure in a very short time, and it is possible to shorten the process time, improve mass productivity, and reduce the manufacturing cost.

The head chip 42 manufactured as described above
Is joined to one main surface of the head base 41 as described above. Then, the above-described nickel sheet 46 is adhered to the head chip 42, so that the upper surface of the portion serving as the ink supply path 54 is closed. At this time,
The nickel sheet 46 is used for the head chip 4 as described above.
2, the ink transfer unit 50 provided at the distal end 42b of the head chip 42 is exposed to the outside.

An ink cover 47 is attached to the base end 42a of the head chip 42, and the inside of the ink cover 47 is filled with ink. The ink filled in the ink cover 47 flows from the other end side 42 a of the head chip 42 into an ink supply path 54 provided in the head chip 42, and the capillary of the ink supply path 54 causes the tip of the head chip 42. The ink is spontaneously supplied to the ink transfer unit 50 provided in the unit 42b.
Then, the ink supplied to the ink transfer unit 50 is substantially at the same height as the projection 52 having the uneven structure due to the capillary phenomenon due to the uneven structure of the ink transfer unit 50,
It will be held at 0.

As described above, in the printer 1 of the thermal transfer recording system, the ink transfer unit 5 provided on the head chip 42
0 is spontaneously supplied, and a predetermined amount of ink is always held in the ink transfer unit 50.

The ink held in the ink transfer unit 50 is
The heater 55 provided for each ink transfer unit 50 is driven by a heater 55 based on a drive signal corresponding to image data and the like, so that the heater 55 is heated. Then, the ink heated by the heater 55 causes convection in the ink transfer unit 50.

In the printer 1 of the thermal transfer recording system, the convection of the ink in the ink transfer section 50 causes the flowing ink to collide with the projections 52 having the uneven structure, or causes the flowing ink to collide with each other. Thus, a part of the ink is made to fly out of the printer head 1 from the ink transfer unit 50 as an ink mist (fine droplets) having a diameter of 10 μm or less mainly containing ink vapor (vaporized material).

Here, factors causing convection in the ink held in the ink transfer unit 50 include unevenness in the surface tension of the ink caused by heating by the heater 55. In addition, the components constituting the ink are boiled by the heating by the heater 55, and the volume of the ink is thereby expanded, which is also considered to be a cause of the convection of the ink. Further, the fact that the dissolved air in the ink is heated by the heater 55 and the dissolved air in the ink expands or explodes while exploding is also considered to be a cause of the convection in the ink. In addition, the thermal expansion of the ink itself due to the heating by the heater 55 is also considered to be a cause of the convection of the ink. Further, the thermal expansion of the uneven structure of the ink transfer unit 50 due to the heating by the heater 55 is also considered to be a factor that causes convection in the ink.

The printer head 10 according to the present invention
As shown in FIG. 11, a heater 48 is provided on the opposite main surface of the head base 41 substantially corresponding to the head chip 42,
A cooling fan 70 is provided at a predetermined distance from the main surface of the head base 41 on which the heater 48 is provided, and a thermistor is provided on the main surface of the head base 41 on the side where the heater 48 is provided. A temperature sensor 49 is provided. Then, the head base 41 is heated by the heater 48.
The main surface of the head base 41 on the side where the heater 48 is provided is cooled by the fan 70, and the result of temperature detection by the temperature sensor 49 is output to a comparator 71, which will be described later, via the wiring 49 a. Heating and cooling by the fan 70 are controlled so that the temperature of the head base 41 is kept constant.

FIG. 20 is a schematic view showing the heater 48. For example, a wiring 72 is formed on both ends of a heating element 48a made of a metal foil resistance element with a positive electrode 72a and a negative electrode 72b to form a film. An elongated heater 48 is formed. As shown in FIG. 21, the heater 48 has a coil 74 as a heating element embedded in, for example, a metal plate 73 having high thermal conductivity, and a positive electrode 72a and a negative electrode 72b are provided at both ends of the coil 74. The wiring 72 may be used to form the sheet heater 48A.

FIG. 22 is a circuit diagram showing a temperature control mechanism of the head base 41 by the heater 48 and the temperature sensor 49. That is, the output from the temperature sensor 49 constituting the temperature measuring means is inputted to the comparator 71 constituting the temperature control means to identify the state of the voltage, and is compared with the reference temperature 75 to heat the head base 41 by the heater 48. State or head base 41 by fan 70
Is determined. When the temperature of the head base 41 is lower than the reference temperature 75, the comparator 71
Outputs a signal to a power supply circuit 76 constituting a heater circuit to operate the heater 48. When the temperature of the head base 41 is higher than the reference temperature 75, a signal is output from the comparator 71 to the power supply circuit 77 constituting the fan 70 circuit, and the fan 70 is operated. For example, since the temperature of the head base 41 is lower than the reference temperature 75 at the start of printing, a signal is output from the comparator 71 to the power supply circuit 76 constituting the heater circuit, and the heater 48 is operated to reduce the temperature of the head base 41. Heating is performed to raise. On the other hand, when printing is repeated to some extent and the temperature of the head base 41 becomes higher than the reference temperature 75, a signal is output from the comparator 71 to the power supply circuit 77 constituting the fan 70 circuit, and the fan 70 is operated. By doing so, cooling is performed to lower the temperature of the head base 41. Also, at this time, since the tip of the head chip is directly pressed against the recording medium, cooling air from the fan 70 for cooling the head base 41 enters the side where the transfer of the head base 41 is performed,
There is no problem that the recording medium floats or the flying ink is blown off by the cooling air.

The temperature of the head base 41, which provides favorable printing conditions by the printer head, is usually 40 to 80 ° C., and the temperature is set from 40 to 80 ° C. according to conditions such as the type of ink, viscosity and head gap. By selecting this, it is possible to establish a temperature servo composed of the heater 48, the fan 70, and the on-head sensor, and as shown in FIG. 23, the head which is the temperature of the main body of the printer head 10 according to the present embodiment. The temperature of the base 41 is set to, for example, approximately 67
° C.

As a cooling means, in addition to the fan 70, for example, a heat sink as shown in FIG. 24 may be provided on the main surface of the head base 41 on the side where the heater 48 is formed, and used in combination with the fan 70. good. By providing a heat sink as shown in FIG. 24 and using it in combination with the fan 70, the speed of cooling the head base 41 can be further increased, and the printing speed can be improved.

Further, the temperature sensor 49 constituting the temperature measuring means does not need to be one, that is, the number of temperature measuring points does not need to be one, but depends on conditions such as the size of the printer head 10 and the like. May be used depending on the temperature. By using a plurality of temperature sensors, the temperature measurement accuracy of the head base 41 can be improved, and as a result, the temperature control accuracy of the head base 41 can be improved.

In the printer 1 of the thermal transfer recording system, as described above, the printer head 10 is mounted on the tip of the head mounting block, and the ink transfer section 50 provided on the head chip 42 is flattened as shown in FIG. The printing paper 100 placed on the table 2 is opposed to the printing paper 100 via a head gap of, for example, about 50 to 300 μm. Then, with the ink transfer unit 50 facing the printing paper 100 via the head gap, the ink transfer unit 50
Is driven based on a drive signal corresponding to image data or the like. This allows
The ink 101 held by the ink transfer unit 50
5, a part of the heated ink 101 is converted into an ink mist containing ink vapor by the ink transfer unit 50.
Photographic paper 1 which flies from
00 will be attached. In order to always maintain the head gap between the ink transfer unit 50 and the printing paper 100 at a predetermined value, for example, as shown in FIG. 26, the corner of the head chip 42 on the side where the ink transfer unit 50 is formed, as shown in FIG. Part is chamfered across the width of the printer head 10,
The corners of the head chip 10 that has been chamfered are printed on photographic paper 1
What is necessary is just to print while making contact with 00 at a predetermined angle.

Here, an example of the operation of driving the heater 55 provided in the ink transfer unit 50 will be described. When driving the heater 55 provided in the ink transfer unit 50,
First, a drive pulse corresponding to information such as an image to be printed is applied to a heater 55 provided in the ink transfer unit 50 of the printer head 10 via a driver IC 44 provided on the printed wiring board 43. The drive pulse applied to the heater 55 is, for example, a rectangular 50 KHz drive pulse with a duty of 80%.

FIG. 27 shows an example of a drive pulse applied to the heater 55. In the example shown in FIG.
c corresponds to one pixel, in which the interval is 20 μsec, O
A unit pulse of N time of 16 μsec is repeated 0 to 255 times in accordance with gradation information of an image or the like and applied to the heater 55. The repetition number n of the unit pulse is
It increases as the transfer density increases.

When a drive pulse is applied to the heater 55,
The temperature of the heater 55 rises in accordance with the number n of repetitions of the drive pulse, and the ink 10 held in the ink transfer unit 50
1 is heated. As a result, a part of the ink 101 held by the ink transfer unit 55 flies from the ink transfer unit 50 as an ink mist containing ink vapor by an amount corresponding to the amount of heating by the heater 55, and It adheres to the opposing photographic paper 100 via the gap.

In the printer 1 of the thermal transfer recording system,
As described above, the amount of the ink 101 flying from the ink transfer unit 50 and adhering to the printing paper 100 is accurately controlled by the repetition number n of the unit pulse of the drive pulse applied to the heater 55, so that the same pixel , It is possible to express a continuous density gradation. For example, when the drive pulse shown in FIG. 27 is applied to the heater 55, 256 gradations can be expressed in a smooth manner in principle.

Here, the ink 101 used in the thermal transfer recording type printer 1 configured as described above will be described. The ink 101 used in the thermal transfer recording type printer 1 is composed of a dye, a solvent, and additives that are added as needed, so as to optimize transfer sensitivity, thermal stability, image quality, and storage stability. The selection of the materials and the ratio of the components are adjusted.

The dye suitable for the printer 1 has an appropriate vaporization rate, has sufficient heat resistance, has sufficient solubility in the solvent described below, has low toxicity to the human body, and has a low printing quality. Any dye having sufficient storage stability on paper 100 can be used. Specifically, disperse dyes, oil-soluble dyes, basic dyes and the like are preferable.
Particularly preferred dyes include JP-A-8-244363, JP-A-8-244364, and JP-A-8-24.
And dicyanostyryl yellow dyes, tricyanostyryl magenta dyes, anthraquinone magenta dyes, and anthraquinone cyan dyes described in JP-A-4366. These dyes are used after purification by some means, such as sublimation purification, recrystallization, zone melting, column purification, etc., in order to reduce evaporation residues and prevent thermal decomposition products from adhering to the recording section. It is desirable to do.

The solvent of the ink 101 suitable for the printer 1 has a melting point of less than 50 ° C. and a boiling point of 150 ° C. to 50 ° C.
Any compound can be used as long as it is less than 0 ° C., has a thermal decomposition temperature higher than the boiling point, has high compatibility with the dye, has low toxicity to the human body, and is colorless. Specifically, phthalic acid esters such as dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, diheptyl phthalate, dioctyl phthalate, diisodecyl phthalate, dibutyl sebacate, dioctyl sebacate, dioctyl adipate, diisodecyl adipate, Dioctyl azelate, dioctyl tetrahydrophthalate, dibasic acid esters of fatty acids, tricresyl phosphate, phosphates such as trioctyl phosphate, tributyl acetyl citrate, butyl phthalyl butyl glycolate, etc. Organic compounds and the like can be used.

The ink 101 includes the ink 10
In order to adjust the physical property values of 1, an appropriate additive such as a surfactant, a viscosity modifier, and a preservative can be added as necessary. However, these additives need to have the same boiling point as the solvent and the dye. Specifically, fluorinated fatty acid esters, silylated fatty acid esters, silicone oil, and the like can be used as the surfactant. Glycerin, tetraethylene glycol and the like can be used as the viscosity modifier.

[0100] The ink 101 is
It is prepared by dissolving the above-mentioned dye at a ratio of 5% by weight or more, preferably 10% by weight or more, more preferably 20% by weight or more. At this time, in order to increase the solubility of the dye, 2
A mixture of two or more dyes may be used. Also, two or more solvents may be used as a mixture. And an additive may be added as needed.

Next, a photographic paper 100 suitable for use as a recording medium in the printer 1 of the thermal transfer recording system will be described. The photographic paper 100 suitable for the thermal transfer recording type printer 1 is plain paper such as PPC paper, high-quality paper such as art paper, etc. In order to obtain a high quality image with particularly high gradation and density. As a resin for coloring a disperse dye or an oil-soluble dye, a special paper prepared by applying polyester, polycarbonate, acetate, CAB, polyvinyl chloride, or the like onto a base paper can also be used. In order to improve the absorption speed of the ink 101, silica,
A great effect can be obtained by adding a porous pigment such as alumina. Particularly in terms of high-quality recording, for example, from the viewpoint of smoothness, color development, gloss, and ink absorption speed, a porous pigment having a size of 0.1 μm or less for imparting gloss to a film base such as a PET film. The photographic paper 100 having the image receiving layer to which is added is excellent. In order to improve the storage stability of the transferred image, an effect can be obtained by adding an additive such as an ultraviolet absorber or a radical quencher to the image receiving layer. It is also effective to laminate a resin film on the photographic paper 100 after the transfer.

As described above in detail, in the printer 1 of the thermal transfer recording system to which the present invention is applied, the ink 101 is spontaneously supplied to the ink transfer section 50 of the printer head 10, and a predetermined amount of the ink 101 is always supplied. Since the ink is stably held by the transfer unit 50, it is possible to appropriately fly the amount of the ink 101 from the ink transfer unit 50 in accordance with the amount of heating by the heater 55 and print a high-quality image or the like. .

In the printer 1, the ink held in the ink transfer unit 50 is heated by the heater 55 so that a part of the ink contains an ink mist having a diameter of 10 μm or less mainly including ink vapor (vapor). Microdroplets)
Since the ink is transferred from the ink transfer unit 50, it is possible to express a multi-value density gradation in a pixel by controlling the amount of heating by the heater 55.

In the printer 1, a heater 48 is provided on the head base 41 to heat the head base 41, a fan 70 is provided to cool the head base 41, and a temperature sensor is provided to provide a temperature of the head base 41. Is measured. The measured temperature is compared with a reference temperature 75 by a comparator 71 to compare the measured temperature with the heater 48 and the fan 70.
Is fed back to the heater 48 and the fan 70 so as to turn ON and OFF, thereby controlling the heating temperature and the cooling temperature of the heater 48 and the fan 70, so that the temperature of the head base 41 can be kept constant.

Therefore, in the printer 1, even when printing is repeatedly performed, the temperature of the printer head does not change, and stable printing can be performed. For example, high-quality printing comparable to silver halide color photography can be performed. Images can be printed.

In the above, the flat table type printer 1 in which the photographic paper 100 is set on the flat table 2 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. The printing paper 100 may be wound around the peripheral surface of the drum, and the printing may be performed by scanning the printer head 10 on the printing paper 100 which is sent with the rotation of the drum.

Further, the printer 1 has been described as an example in which the printer head 10 is scanned in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the photographic paper 100 is fed, thereby performing printing for one line. The present invention is not limited to this example. For example, a printer head 10 having a size as large as the width of the photographic paper 100 is provided, and printing of one line is performed at once without causing the printer head 10 to scan. It may be configured.

In the above description, a heater 55 driven based on a drive signal is provided below the concave / convex structure of the ink transfer unit 50, and the heater 55 heats the ink 101 held by the ink transfer unit 50, that is, a so-called heater. Although the example in which the ink 101 is heated by the resistor heating method has been described,
The method of heating the ink 101 is not limited to this example, and any method may be applied as long as it can be driven at a frequency of 1 KHz or less.

More specifically, as a method for heating the ink 101, for example, an electromagnetic wave absorber for absorbing electromagnetic waves is provided in a part of the ink transfer unit 50 or a part of the ink 101 held in the ink transfer unit 50. An electromagnetic wave heating method of heating the ink 101 by irradiating the electromagnetic wave absorber with electromagnetic waves from outside the printer head 10 can be applied. As a specific example to which the electromagnetic wave heating system is applied, for example, a part of the ink transfer unit 50 or a part of the ink 101 held in the ink transfer unit 50 may be made of a photothermal conversion material that converts laser beam energy into heat. The light-to-heat conversion material is irradiated with the converged laser light to form the ink 1
01 is heated.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0111]

As described in detail above, the printer according to the present invention comprises a heating means for heating the printer head, a cooling means for cooling the printer head,
A temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the printer head is provided in the printer head. Since the heating or cooling temperature of the printer head is controlled based on the temperature information measured by the temperature measuring means, the temperature of the printer head can be kept constant. As a result, stable printing without density unevenness can be performed.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printer capable of performing stable high-quality printing without density unevenness.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a configuration example of a printer according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the printer according to the present invention as viewed from an arrow A1 in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the printer according to the present invention as viewed from an arrow A2 in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the printer according to the present invention as viewed from an arrow A3 in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cleaner.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the cleaner as viewed from an arrow C1 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the cleaner as viewed from arrow C2 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the printer head is in contact with a cleaning member.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the printer head is moved on the cleaning member.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the printer head as viewed from an ink transfer unit side.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the printer head with the ink transfer unit facing upward.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a right side view of FIG. 11 (view A).

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged plan view near the ink transfer unit.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of an ink transfer unit.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged plan view near the ink transfer unit.

18 is a sectional view taken along line X1-X2 in FIG.

19 is a sectional view taken along line Y1-Y2 in FIG.

FIG. 20 is a plan view of a film heater.

FIG. 21 is a plan view of a planar heater.

FIG. 22 is a circuit diagram of a temperature control mechanism of the printer head.

FIG. 23 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a temperature state of the printer head during scanning by the printer head.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a state in which a head base is cooled using a heat sink and a fan.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a state in which transfer is performed with the printer head opposed to photographic paper.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a state in which the tip of a head chip is in contact with photographic paper.

FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating an example of a drive pulse applied to a heater.

FIG. 28 is a characteristic diagram showing a change in temperature of the printer head when printing a solid of 1536 dots using a printer head having 1024 heaters.

FIG. 29 is a characteristic diagram showing a change in print density when 1536 dots of solid are printed using a printer head having 1024 heaters.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 printer, 10 printer head, 41 head base, 42 head chip, 43 printed wiring board, 4
4 driver IC, 47 ink cover, 48 heater,
49 temperature sensor, 50 ink transfer section, 70 fan, 78 heat sink

Claims (5)

[Claims] An ink held in an ink transfer section having an uneven structure by capillary action is heated by a heating means in accordance with information to be recorded, so that the ink flies toward a recording medium. A printer for recording information on a recording medium, comprising: a printer head having the ink transfer unit; a heating unit for heating the printer head; a cooling unit for cooling the printer head; A printer, wherein a temperature measuring means for measuring a temperature is provided on the printer head. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit is configured as a film heater on the printer head opposite to the ink transfer unit, and the temperature measurement unit is provided along the film heater. The printer according to claim 1, wherein 3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the cooling unit is configured as a fan at a position separated from the printer head on a side opposite to the ink transfer unit. 4. The printer according to claim 1, wherein said cooling means is configured as a heat sink on said printer head opposite to said ink transfer section. 5. A temperature control means for controlling a heating temperature and a cooling temperature of said heating means and cooling means based on temperature information measured by said temperature measuring means. Printer.