JP2001219553A - Ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an ink jet recorder in which photographic image data can be printed easily and surely on a sheet having the same size of width both with and without left/right margins while reducing the image data part being discarded to the outside of the left and right margins. SOLUTION: At the parts of a platen corresponding to the left/right sides of one kind or more of recording medium having a predetermined size being carried on the platen in the subscanning direction, ink receiving holes are formed to project outward from the left/right sides. A control section has first operation mode for executing recording operation while developing record data in a recording areas on the inside of the left/right sides for each recording medium having a predetermined size, and second operation mode for executing recording operation while developing the same record data in a recording areas on the outside of the left/right sides of a recording medium of the same size but on the inside of the outer edge of the ink receiving holes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink-jet recording apparatus, and more particularly to an ink-jet recording apparatus having a function of executing recording in which margins at both right and left ends of a recording material are zero.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printer described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-169155 is an example of an ink jet recording apparatus capable of executing printing with margins at both right and left ends of a recording material set to zero. This printer is configured so that the main scanning range of the ink jet recording head can be set to a position outside the edge of the recording material in order to enable printing in which the left and right margins of the recording material are zero. ing.
Further, there is provided an ink collecting means for collecting ink droplets ejected from the recording head at a position outside the edge of the recording material.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned printer is a printing machine for painting a recording material such as a tape without gaps, that is, a so-called solid printing machine. In addition, the problem to be solved is that a recording material to be conveyed is not left uncoated on an edge of a tape or the like at the time of solid printing, and ink droplets ejected at the time of solid printing are adhered to a guide member and conveyed. Don't pollute.

Accordingly, for example, for one piece of photographic image data, printing with left and right margins and printing without left and right margins can be easily and reliably executed on paper of the same size width. When printing without left and right margins, the amount of image data that is discarded outside the left and right edges of the paper is sufficiently reduced, and even in printing without margins, image data can be effectively printed without wasting as much as possible. No consideration has been given to the technical requirements of being able to use it. Further, in printing text data, it is necessary to avoid printing without left and right margins even if it is wrong. However, in this regard, the above-mentioned conventional example is neither disclosed nor suggested.

Further, the conventional ink collecting means can collect the ink droplets discarded outside the edge of the paper, but the floating ink mist generated from the discarded ink droplets causes a small amount of the ink to be collected on the paper. No consideration is given to the problem that the edges are soiled. Since the floating ink mist is generated during the flight of the ink, it is likely to occur when the flying distance of the ink is long. Also, when a sheet is placed on a screen mesh or the like and conveyed in a portion facing the recording head, a part of the ink collides not with the through-hole of the mesh screen but with the skeleton main body constituting the mesh. Even floating mist is generated.
An ink jet recording apparatus capable of performing high-quality printing at the same level as a photograph has a problem that it is particularly susceptible to the influence of quality deterioration due to the floating mist.

An object of the present invention is to easily and reliably execute both printing with left and right margins and printing without left and right margins on a piece of photographic image data on paper of the same size. Further, at this time, when printing without left and right margins, the image data portions that are discarded outside the left and right edges of the paper are sufficiently reduced, and even in printing without margins, image data is effectively used without wasting as much as possible. Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus which can be used for recording.

Still another object of the present invention is to reduce the occurrence of floating mist of ink, so that the side of the recording material is less likely to be stained by the floating mist. It is another object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus which can maintain the print quality and reduce the print quality.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is arranged such that dot forming elements are arranged along a sub-scanning direction and reciprocate in a main scanning direction. An ink-jet recording head to be moved, and a recording medium which is located at a position opposed to the recording head and which is intermittently conveyed in the sub-scanning direction when recording with the recording head. A platen that supports and defines a position with respect to the recording head, intermittent conveyance of the recording material in the sub-scanning direction, reciprocal movement of the recording head in the main scanning direction, and ink ejection operation of the recording head based on the recording data. And a control unit that controls one of the recording materials conveyed on the platen in the sub-scanning direction.
The dot forming element is formed on the platen portion corresponding to the left and right sides of the recording material of the kind or two or more kinds of the predetermined size so as to protrude outside of the left and right sides, and in the sub-scanning direction. Wherein the control unit develops recording data in a recording area inside the left and right sides of each of the recording materials having a predetermined size. A first operation mode in which the same recording data is developed in a recording area outside the left and right sides of the recording material of the same size and inside the outside edges of the ink receiving openings. A second operation mode for performing a recording operation by
When recording is performed on the recording material without left and right margins, the second operation mode is executed.

According to the present invention, the control unit executes a recording operation by developing recording data in a recording area inside the left and right sides of each of the recording materials having a predetermined size. A second operation mode in which the same print data is developed in a print area outside the left and right sides of a recording material of the same size and inside the outer edge of each of the ink receiving openings, and a print operation is executed. Since it has an operation mode, a certain 1
For one piece of photographic image data, normal recording with left and right margins can be executed by setting the first operation mode on a recording material having the same width, and by setting the second operation mode, there is no left and right margin Can be recorded. In other words, since the first and second operation modes are provided, recording of both left and right margins and no margins can be easily and reliably performed on a recording material having the same width for one piece of photographic image data. it can.

Further, at this time, since the first operation mode and the second operation mode are determined for the recording material having a predetermined size, the right and left sides of the recording material when recording is performed without left and right margins. It is easy to set the second mode so that the amount of image data that is to be discarded outside the edge is sufficiently reduced. Therefore, even in printing without margins, image data to be discarded can be reduced,
Thus, the image data can be effectively used for recording without wasting as much as possible.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet type recording head in which dot forming elements are arranged along the sub-scanning direction and reciprocated in the main scanning direction, and a position facing the recording head. And has a flat top surface,
The upper surface has a plurality of protrusions of the same protrusion size which are arranged at predetermined intervals in the main scanning direction and are separated from each other by a predetermined distance. A platen for supporting the recording material from below with a flat top surface of the plurality of protrusions and defining a position with respect to the recording head; intermittent conveyance of the recording material in a sub-scanning direction; A control unit for controlling the reciprocating movement of the head in the main scanning direction, and the ink ejection operation of the recording head based on the recording data, and a flat part on the platen upper surface where the protrusion is not formed, and One or two or more of the recording materials conveyed to the platen upper surface portion corresponding to the left and right sides of the recording material of a pre-specified size, respectively, protruding outside from the left and right sides, respectively. Formed and sub-scanning method And an ink receiving opening formed to be longer than the range of the dot forming element, and the control unit performs recording on each of the recording materials having a predetermined size inside the left and right sides thereof. A first operation mode in which print data is developed in a region and a print operation is performed, and a print region outside the left and right sides of a recording material of the same size and inside the outside edge of each of the ink receiving openings. A second operation mode in which the same recording data is developed to execute a recording operation, and the second operation mode is executed when recording is performed on the recording material without left and right margins. It is characterized by the following.

According to the present invention, there is provided a recording medium having a plurality of projections of the same projection size arranged on the upper surface thereof at predetermined intervals in the main scanning direction and intermittently conveyed in the sub-scanning direction. When recording on a recording material with the recording head, the inkjet recording apparatus includes a platen that supports the recording material from below with flat top surfaces of the plurality of protrusions and defines a position with respect to the recording head. In addition to obtaining the same operation and effect as the invention described in claim 1, the provision of the projections enables regular occurrence of cockling which is normally caused by being applied to ink. Can be stabilized in the width direction. Therefore, in setting the recording area in the second mode, it is not necessary to largely consider the positional deviation of the recording material due to cockling, so that the recording area in the second mode can be reduced accordingly, and there is no margin. Image data to be discarded for recording can be further reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet type recording apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the recording area in the second mode is four times wider than a width of a recording material to be recorded. It is set to be larger by 0.5 mm to 5.5 mm. Thus, recording without left and right margins can be executed almost without being affected by tolerances based on the design and manufacture of the conveyance path of the recording material.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet type recording apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the control unit causes the recording head to reciprocate in the main scanning direction. As the moving speed at the time, the acceleration gradient and the deceleration gradient between the stop state and the constant speed state are set to be the same in the first mode and the second mode, and the moving distance in the constant speed state is higher in the second mode. The first mode is set to increase substantially equally on both the acceleration side and the deceleration side.

Thus, in providing the first operation mode and the second operation mode, control for reciprocating the recording head in the main scanning direction can be simplified. Further, the recording execution throughput can be optimized in the first operation mode and the second operation mode.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein:
An ink absorbing material is provided in the ink receiving opening, and the ink absorbing material is provided such that an upper surface thereof is located near the recording head side opening in the ink receiving opening. Is what is being done.

[0017] This makes it possible to shorten the flying distance of the ink droplets discarded outside the left and right sides of the recording material,
Since the ink absorbing material whose upper surface is located near the recording head side opening surface in the ink receiving opening is immediately captured and collected, the generation of floating mist can be greatly reduced.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein
An ink absorbing material is provided in the ink receiving opening, and the ink absorbing material is provided such that an upper surface thereof is located near the recording head side opening in the ink receiving opening. Is what is being done. This allows
The same operation and effect as the fifth aspect of the invention can be obtained.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet type recording apparatus according to the fifth or sixth aspect, the ink absorbing material is drawn out to the head side at the opening edge of the hole at the head side. It is characterized in that a first retaining member for regulating is provided. According to the present invention, the position of the upper surface of the ink absorbing material can be firmly held by the first retaining member, so that the occurrence of floating mist can be stably prevented. Further, it is possible to surely reduce the risk of rubbing between the upper surface of the ink absorbing material and the conveyed recording material and rubbing with the recording material due to cockling.

[0020] The invention described in claim 8 of the present application is directed to an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:
The first retainer is formed by a step provided at the opening edge of the hole on the head side.
Thus, the first stopper can be easily manufactured by integral molding or the like, and the function as the stopper can be exhibited by simplifying the structure.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the hole is formed on a surface facing the recording head and on a side opposite the recording head. Characterized by being penetrated by With this penetrating structure, the ink absorbing material can be loaded by being pushed into the ink receiving hole from the opposite side, and assembly is simple.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet type recording apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the ink absorbing material comes out in a direction opposite to the recording head into the penetrated hole. A second retaining member for regulating the pressure is provided. The second retaining member can reliably prevent the ink absorbing material from coming out in the opposite direction of the recording head, and the ink retaining member can be inserted into the ink receiving hole by the pair with the first retaining member. Can be held firmly.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the tenth aspect, the second retaining member is provided with a projection provided on an inner surface of the hole along the penetrating direction. It is characterized in that it is formed by an article. With this ridge structure, when the ink absorbing material is loaded into the ink receiving hole, it is sufficient to simply push the ink absorbing material. In addition, the structure can be simplified to prevent the ink absorbing material from coming off, and can be easily manufactured by integral molding or the like.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the tenth aspect, the second retaining member is provided at an opening edge of the hole opposite to the recording head side opening. It is characterized by being formed by the step provided. With this step structure,
The structure can be simplified to prevent the ink absorbing material from coming off firmly, and can be easily manufactured by integral molding or the like.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the ink receiving opening is formed as a through hole. An inclined portion is provided in the ink receiving opening and inclined from the recording head side to the opposite side while maintaining the penetrating state, and an ink absorbing material laid and held on the inclined portion. It is characterized by the following.

According to the present invention, when printing is performed on the recording material with zero margins on both the left and right sides, any ink ejected from the recording head that protrudes outside both sides of the recording material is determined by the recording head. Directly into the ink receiving through-hole provided with an opening having a size surrounding the area of the dot forming element, and directly adheres to the ink absorbing member laid and held on the inclined portion provided in the through-hole. I do. Therefore, even if the ink-jet recording apparatus hardly generates the floating mist of the ink and performs high-quality photograph-level printing in which the left and right margins of the recording material are set to zero, the printing is performed on both the left and right sides of the recording material. There is almost no risk of quality deterioration. Further, when the ink attached to the ink absorbing material accumulates to some extent by the inclined structure, the ink flows down the inclined surface and is discharged from the ink receiving hole.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the ink receiving opening is formed as a through hole. An inclined portion is provided in the ink receiving opening so as to be inclined from the recording head side to the opposite side while maintaining the penetrating state, and a groove is formed on the inclined portion along the inclined direction. A plurality of groove-forming walls that stand apart from each other, wherein a top surface of the groove-forming wall is formed at a lower position apart from the opening surface of the through hole. It is assumed that.

According to the present invention, similarly to the invention according to the thirteenth aspect, when printing is performed on the recording material with zero left and right margins, the recording material within the ink ejected from the recording head is used. Are protruded from both sides of the recording head directly into the ink receiving through-hole having an opening large enough to surround the dot forming element of the recording head. Then, the top surface is separated from the opening surface of the through hole and reaches the groove bottom while being guided by the plurality of groove forming walls at lower positions.
Therefore, the groove-forming wall at the lower position exhibits an ink-capturing function similarly to the ink-absorbing material, and almost no floating mist of the ink is generated. As a result, even if a high quality image-level printing in which the left and right margins of the recording material are set to zero by the ink jet recording apparatus is executed, there is almost no possibility that the print quality is deteriorated in the left and right sides of the recording material. Further, when the ink attached to the bottom of the groove accumulates to some extent, the ink flows down the inclined surface and is discharged from the ink receiving hole.

[0029]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention for recording without left and right margins will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, the schematic structure of the platen of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 14 will be described based on the plan view of the platen.

The platen is provided with a plurality of projections 14 at a portion in contact with the recording material 50 at a distance from each other in the main scanning direction of the recording head. Has a flat top surface 10,
The top surface 10 is formed so as to define an interval between a recording material 50 which is a printing sheet conveyed on the top surface in the sub-scanning direction and the recording head, that is, a paper gap. The leading end of the printing paper sent from the upstream reaches the top surface 10 while being guided while contacting the upstream slope 11. Reference numeral 12 indicates a downstream slope of the projection 14.

The platen has through holes 1, 2, 3, 4
Are provided as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the printing paper is transported in the sub-scanning direction with one side located on the side where the through hole 1 is provided as a reference position, and the position of the other side of the paper changes depending on the difference in the paper width size. It has become. The through holes 2, 3, and 4 are provided in a platen portion corresponding to the other side in accordance with a sheet having a size to be printed by the recording apparatus. In the present embodiment, the through holes 2, 3, and 4 are provided using the space between the protrusions 14. Each of the through holes 1,
The ink absorbing material 7 is loaded in 2, 3, and 4. Details of the through holes 1, 2, 3, 4 and the loading structure of the ink absorbing material 7 will be described later. In FIG. 14, reference numeral 5 denotes a hole for so-called flushing (ejection capability recovery operation), and reference numeral 6 denotes a concave portion.

In this embodiment, of the plurality of protrusions 14, the top surface 10 of the protrusion 14a disposed near both ends in the main scanning direction is, as shown in FIG. The leading end side in the sub-scanning direction is formed to recede. This is formed according to the size of the printing paper most frequently used in the printer. However, when the printing paper of that size comes off the paper feed roller (not shown) and becomes a free end, the end of the paper is set. This is to escape corner deformation. Also,
The discharge roller 15 includes a drive roller 16 that is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown), and two types of driven rollers 17a,
17b, and the printing paper is discharged while being pressed.

Next, the mounting structure of the through holes 1, 2, 3, 4 and the ink absorbing material 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of a platen of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II, FIG. 3 is a rear view of a main part of the platen, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line IV-IV of FIG.

As described above, the platen scans an ink jet recording head (not shown) having dot forming elements arranged in the sub-scanning direction of the printing paper in the main scanning direction while scanning the recording head with the recording head. When printing is performed on a printing sheet located at an opposing position, the printing sheet is supported from below to define a position with respect to the recording head. The through holes 1, 2, 3, and 4 are provided on the platen portion corresponding to the other side (the side opposite to the reference side) of the printing paper of each size that is sub-scanned on the platen. It is formed as an ink receiving hole having an opening formed to protrude outward and longer than the range of the dot forming element in the sub-scanning direction. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the through holes 1, 2, 3, and 4 are provided between the adjacent protrusions 14b and 14c.

An ink absorbing material 7 is provided in the through holes 1, 2, 3, and 4, and the ink absorbing material 7 is provided in the through holes 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the side of the recording head. Is arranged in such a manner that its upper surface is located in the vicinity of the opening surface and below the opening surface. In the present embodiment, first stoppers 30, 31, 32 for restricting the ink absorbent 7 from coming out to the head side are provided on the head side opening edges of the through holes 1, 2, 3, 4 respectively. Have been. As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 32 is formed at the same time when the platen is integrally molded. In addition, pipe through holes 1, 2, 3,
4 means that the platen is penetrated from the surface facing the recording head to the opposite side.

Further, in this embodiment, the through holes 1 and
Each of 2, 3, and 4 is provided with a second stopper 8 for restricting the ink absorbing material 7 from coming out in the opposite direction of the recording head. The second stopper 8 is provided with the through holes 1 and 2.
The inner surface of each of 2, 3, and 4 is formed by a pair of ridges 8 provided along the penetrating direction, and the platen back side of the ridges 8 is formed with a taper 9 so that the ink absorbent 7 can be loaded. It is easy to do.

Based on the above description, the structure of an ink jet recording apparatus without left and right margins will be described with reference to FIG. An ink jet type recording head 51 (shown by a virtual line) in which dot forming elements are arranged along the sub scanning direction and reciprocated in the main scanning direction;
The recording head 5 is placed on a recording material 50 (indicated by a phantom line) which is intermittently conveyed in the sub-scanning direction.
1, a platen 53 supporting the recording material 50 from below and defining a position with respect to the recording head 51.
A control unit 52 for controlling the intermittent conveyance of the recording material 50 in the sub-scanning direction, the reciprocating movement of the recording head 51 in the main scanning direction, and the ink ejection operation of the recording head 51 based on the recording data. And the platen 53 corresponding to the left and right sides of one or more types of recording paper of a predetermined size among the recording papers conveyed on the platen 53 in the sub-scanning direction. And ink receiving opening holes 1, 2, 3, and 4 formed so as to protrude outside of each side and longer than the range of the dot forming element in the sub-scanning direction.

The control unit 52 develops recording data in a recording area inside the left and right sides of each of the recording materials 50 of a predetermined size (postcard size, A4 size, etc.) and performs a recording operation. Is the same as that in the first operation mode in which the recording area is outside the left and right sides of the recording paper 50 of the same size and inside the outside edge 54 of each of the ink receiving openings 1, 2, 3, and 4. A second operation mode in which data is developed and a recording operation is executed, and when recording without left and right margins is performed on the recording sheet 50, the second operation mode is executed.

According to this configuration, the control section 52 executes the recording operation by developing the recording data in the recording area inside the left and right sides of each of the recording sheets 50 of the predetermined size. In the first operation mode, the same print data is written in a print area outside the left and right sides of the recording material 50 of the same size and inside the outside edges 54 of the ink receiving openings 1, 2, 3, and 4. Since there is provided a second operation mode for developing and performing a recording operation, for a certain piece of photographic image data to be recorded, the first
By setting the operation mode, normal recording with left and right margins can be executed, and by setting the second operation mode, recording without left and right margins can be executed. In other words, since the first and second operation modes are provided, recording of both left and right margins and no margins can be easily and reliably performed on one piece of photographic image data on the recording paper 50 having the same width. it can.

Further, at this time, since the first operation mode and the second operation mode are determined for the recording material 50 having a predetermined size, the recording material 50 is used when recording is performed without left and right margins. It is easy to set the second mode so that the number of image data portions to be discarded outside the left and right edges of the second mode is sufficiently reduced. Therefore, even in printing without margins, image data to be discarded can be reduced, so that the image data can be effectively used for recording without wasting as much as possible. Here, the image data is used not only in printing but also in printing.

Further, according to the present invention, a plurality of protrusions 14 having the same protruding dimension are provided on the upper surface at predetermined intervals in the main scanning direction and are intermittently conveyed in the sub-scanning direction. When recording is performed on a sheet by the recording head, the inkjet head includes a platen 53 that supports the recording material from below with a flat top surface 10 of the plurality of protrusions 14 and defines a position with respect to the recording head 51. In the type recording apparatus, by having the projections 14, cockling that normally occurs when applied to ink can be generated regularly, so that the position of the recording material 50 in the width direction can be stabilized. Therefore, when setting the recording area in the second mode, it is not necessary to largely consider the positional shift of the recording material 50 due to cockling, so that the recording area in the second mode can be reduced accordingly. It is possible to further reduce image data to be discarded for the non-recording.

More specifically, in the ink jet recording apparatus provided with the first operation mode and the second operation mode, the recording area of the second mode is four times wider than the width of the recording material to be recorded. It is set to be larger by 0.5 mm to 5.5 mm. Thus, the recording without the left and right margins can be executed with almost no influence of the tolerance based on the design and manufacturing of the conveyance path of the recording paper 50.

In the ink jet recording apparatus having the first operation mode and the second operation mode, the control unit 52 determines the moving speed when the recording head 51 reciprocates in the main scanning direction as shown in FIG. As shown in
The acceleration gradient and the deceleration gradient between the stop state and the constant speed state are set to be the same in the first mode and the second mode, and the moving distance in the constant speed state is higher in the second mode than in the first mode. And on both the deceleration side and the deceleration side. In FIG. 15, the vertical axis indicates the moving speed of the carriage on which the recording head 51 is mounted.
The horizontal axis shows the operation area in the main scanning direction.

Thus, in providing the first operation mode and the second operation mode, control for reciprocating the recording head 51 in the main scanning direction can be simplified. Further, the recording execution throughput can be optimized in the first operation mode and the second operation mode. Note that the processing may be performed with a speed pattern as shown in FIG. 16 or FIG.

In the ink jet recording apparatus having the first operation mode and the second operation mode, an ink absorbing material 7 is provided in the ink receiving openings 1, 2, 3, and 4. In addition, the ink absorbing material 7 is disposed so that its upper surface is located near the recording head side opening surface in the ink receiving opening holes 1, 2, 3, and 4.

This makes it possible to shorten the flying distance of the ink droplets discarded outside the left and right sides of the recording material 50, and to provide the recording head side opening surfaces in the ink receiving openings 1, 2, 3, and 4. Is immediately captured and collected by the ink absorbing material 7 whose upper surface is located near the upper surface of the ink container, so that the generation of floating mist can be greatly reduced.

FIGS. 5 to 8 show another embodiment of the present invention, and correspond to FIGS. 1 to 4 respectively. In the present embodiment, the second retaining structure is formed by a pair of steps 28 provided at the opening edges of the through holes 1, 2, 3, 4 opposite to the recording head side opening. I have. Other configurations are the same as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, and the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

Next, another operation of the above embodiment will be described. According to the platen according to the present embodiment, the main scanning range of the ink jet recording head is set outside the left and right edges of the recording material, and printing is performed on the recording material with zero margins on both the left and right sides. At this time, the ink ejected from the recording head that protrudes outside of both sides of the recording material is the ink receiving hole 1 having an opening large enough to surround the range of the dot forming element of the recording head. , 2, 3, and 4 and directly adheres to the ink absorbing material 7 whose upper surface is located near the entrances in the holes 1, 2, 3, and 4. Therefore, there is almost no occurrence of floating mist of ink. As described above, the platen according to the present embodiment can reduce the occurrence of the floating mist of the ink, thereby reducing the possibility that both sides of the recording material are stained by the floating mist.

Further, if the upper surface of the ink absorbing material 7 is positioned lower than the opening surface on the recording head side in the holes 1, 2, 3, and 4, the recording material to be conveyed can be used. The recording material can be prevented from rubbing against the upper surface of the ink absorbing material 7 even if the recording material undulates due to the cockling phenomenon.

Also, first stoppers 30, 31, 32 for restricting the ink absorbent 7 from coming out to the head side are provided at the opening edges of the holes 1, 2, 3, 4 on the head side. Since the position of the upper surface of the ink absorbing material 7 can be firmly held by the first retaining members 30, 31, 32, the occurrence of floating mist can be stably prevented. In addition, it is possible to reliably reduce the risk of rubbing between the upper surface of the ink absorbing material 7 and the conveyed recording material and rubbing with the recording material due to cockling.

Further, the first retaining members 30, 31, 32
Can be easily manufactured by integral molding with the platen body, etc., and the structure can be simplified to exhibit a function as a stopper. .

In the case where the second stoppers 8 and 28 are provided in the through holes 1, 2, 3 and 4 to prevent the ink absorbing material 7 from coming out in the opposite direction of the recording head, The second stoppers 8, 28 can reliably prevent the ink absorbing material 7 from coming out in the opposite direction of the recording head, and the first stoppers 30, 31, 3 can be used.
2, the ink absorbing material 7 can be firmly held in the ink receiving holes 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Then, the second stoppers are provided in the holes 1, 2, 2
Ridges 8 provided on inner surfaces of 3, 4 along the penetration direction
When the ink absorbing material 7 is loaded into the ink receiving holes 1, 2, 3, and 4, it is sufficient to simply push the ink absorbing material 7 because of the protrusion structure.
In addition, the structure can be simplified to prevent the ink absorbing material 7 from coming off, and it can be easily manufactured by integral molding or the like.

The second stopper is formed by the step 28 provided at the opening edge of the hole opposite to the opening on the recording head side. As a result, the ink absorbing material 7 can be securely prevented from coming off, and can be easily manufactured by integral molding or the like.

9 and 10 show still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a plan view of a main part of a platen according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. It is. The platen according to the present embodiment has an inclined portion 35 that is provided in the through holes 1, 2, 3, and 4 for receiving ink while maintaining the penetrating state and inclined from the recording head side to the opposite side.
And a plate-shaped ink absorbing member 7 laid and held on the inclined portion 35. The ink absorbing material 7 has a slope 3
As shown in the figure, the pawl 36 is locked and fixed by a claw 36 which is integrally raised from 5. Other configurations are the same as those of the above-described embodiment, and the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

According to this embodiment, when printing is performed with zero margins at the left and right ends on the printing paper, any ink ejected from the recording head that protrudes outside both sides of the recording material is recorded. The ink receiving through-hole 1 having an opening large enough to surround the range of the dot forming element of the head;
2,3,4 directly and through holes 1,2,3,
The ink directly adheres to the ink absorbing material 7 laid and held on the inclined portion 35 provided in the inside 4. Therefore, even if the ink-jet recording apparatus hardly generates the floating mist of the ink and performs high-quality photograph-level printing in which the left and right margins of the recording material are set to zero, the printing is performed on both the left and right sides of the recording material. There is almost no risk of quality deterioration. Further, when the ink adhering to the ink absorbing material 7 accumulates to a certain extent by the above-described inclined structure, the ink flows down the inclined surface to form the ink receiving holes 1, 2, 3, and 4.
4 from inside.

11 to 13 show still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a plan view of a main part of a platen according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line XII-XII in FIG. ,
FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG. The platen of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment is:
An inclined portion 45 provided in the ink receiving through holes 1, 2, 3, 4 so as to be inclined from the recording head side to the opposite side while maintaining the penetrating state; A plurality of groove forming walls 38 erected apart from each other so as to form grooves 48 along the direction,
8 is formed so as to be at a lower position apart from the opening surfaces of the through holes 1, 2, 3, and 4. The other configuration is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, so that the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

According to this embodiment, as in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, when printing is performed with zero margins at both left and right ends on the recording material, the ink discharged from the recording head is used. The material that protrudes outside of both sides of the recording material directly enters the ink receiving through holes 1, 2, 3, 4 provided with openings large enough to surround the range of the dot forming element of the recording head. . And the top surface is the through hole 1, 2, 3, 4
While reaching the bottom of the groove 48 while being guided by the plurality of groove forming walls 38 located at a lower position away from the opening surface. Therefore, the groove forming wall 38 located at the lower position exhibits an ink capturing function similarly to the ink absorbing material 7, and floating mist of the ink is hardly generated. As a result, even if a high quality image-level printing in which the left and right margins of the recording material are set to zero by the ink jet recording apparatus is executed, there is almost no possibility that the print quality is deteriorated in the left and right sides of the recording material. Further, when the ink attached to the bottom of the groove 48 accumulates to some extent, the ink flows down the inclined surface and is discharged from the ink receiving holes 1, 2, 3, and 4 by the inclined structure.

By combining the first-described ink-jet recording apparatus for performing printing without margins with the upper and lower margins and the subsequently-described ink-jet recording apparatus for performing recording without upper and lower margins, both the upper and lower ends and the left and right ends are obtained. Recording without margins can be performed.

[0060]

According to the present invention, for one piece of photographic image data, both printing with left and right margins and printing without left and right margins can be easily and reliably executed on paper of the same size. Further, at this time, when printing without left and right margins, the image data portions that are discarded outside the left and right edges of the paper are sufficiently reduced, and even in printing without margins, image data is effectively used without wasting as much as possible. Can be used for recording.

Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of floating mist of the ink, and to reduce the possibility that the side portion of the recording material is stained by the floating mist. It is possible to reduce the possibility that the print quality is reduced. That is, high-quality printing comparable to that of a photograph can be maintained at both left and right sides of the recording material.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of a platen of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of a main part of the platen.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a main part of a platen of an ink jet recording apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of a main part of the platen.

8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a main part of a platen of an ink jet recording apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a main part of a platen of an ink jet recording apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line XII-XII of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view of a principal part of a platen of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between an operation area of a carriage on which a recording head is mounted and a carriage speed when recording without left and right margins and recording with margins are executed.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating another relationship between the operating area of the carriage on which the printhead is mounted and the carriage speed when printing without left and right margins and printing with margins are performed.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating another relationship between the operation area of the carriage on which the print head is mounted and the carriage speed when printing without left and right margins and printing with margins are performed.

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. An ink-jet recording head in which dot forming elements are arranged in a sub-scanning direction and reciprocated in a main scanning direction; and at an opposite position to the recording head, intermittently in a sub-scanning direction. A platen for supporting the recording material from below and defining a position with respect to the recording head when recording on the recording material to be conveyed by the recording head; and intermittent conveyance of the recording material in the sub-scanning direction. A control unit for controlling a reciprocating movement of the recording head in the main scanning direction and an ink discharging operation of the recording head based on recording data; and one of the recording materials conveyed on the platen in the sub scanning direction. The platen portions corresponding to the left and right sides of the recording material of the kind or two or more types specified in advance are formed so as to protrude outside the left and right sides, respectively, and the dot shape is formed in the sub-scanning direction. An ink receiving opening formed to be longer than the range of the constituent elements, wherein the control unit records the recording data in a recording area inside the left and right sides of each of the recording materials having a predetermined size. And a first operation mode in which a recording operation is performed by expanding the same, and the same recording data is recorded in a recording region outside the left and right sides of the recording material of the same size and inside the outside edge of each of the ink receiving opening holes. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a second operation mode for developing and performing a recording operation, wherein the second operation mode is executed when performing recording without left and right margins on the recording material. . 2. An ink jet recording head in which dot forming elements are arranged along a sub-scanning direction and reciprocated in a main scanning direction; and a flat upper surface located at a position facing the recording head. The upper surface has a plurality of protrusions of the same protrusion size which are arranged at predetermined intervals in the main scanning direction and are separated from each other by a predetermined distance. A platen for supporting the recording material from below with a flat top surface of the plurality of protrusions and defining a position with respect to the recording head; intermittent conveyance of the recording material in a sub-scanning direction; A control unit for controlling the reciprocating movement of the head in the main scanning direction, and the ink ejection operation of the recording head based on the recording data; and a flat portion on the platen upper surface where the protrusion is not formed, in the sub-scanning direction. Before being conveyed to One or more of the recording materials are formed on the upper surface of the platen corresponding to the left and right sides of the recording material of one or more types specified in advance, and each of the recording materials protrudes outward from the left and right sides, and An ink receiving opening formed in the sub-scanning direction so as to be longer than the range of the dot forming element, wherein the control unit is arranged inside the left and right sides of each of the recording materials having a predetermined size. A first operation mode in which print data is expanded in a print area to execute a print operation, and a print operation is performed outside the left and right sides of a recording material of the same size and inside the outside edge of each of the ink receiving openings. A second operation mode in which the same recording data is developed in the recording area and a recording operation is performed, and the second operation mode is executed when recording is performed on the recording material without left and right margins. Have been An ink jet recording apparatus. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a recording area of the second mode is set to be 4.5 mm to 5.5 mm larger than a width of a recording material to be recorded. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the acceleration gradient between a stop state and a constant speed state as a moving speed when the recording head reciprocates in the main scanning direction. And the deceleration gradient is set to be the same in the first mode and the second mode, and the moving distance in the constant speed state is increased so that the second mode increases almost equally on both the acceleration side and the deceleration side than the first mode. The set inkjet recording device. 5. The ink receiving opening according to claim 1, wherein an ink absorbing material is provided in the ink receiving opening, and the ink absorbing material is provided in the ink receiving opening near the recording head side opening. An ink jet recording apparatus is disposed such that its upper surface is located at the top. 6. The ink receiving opening according to claim 2, wherein an ink absorbing material is provided in the ink receiving opening, and the ink absorbing material is located near the recording head side opening in the ink receiving opening. An ink jet recording apparatus is disposed such that its upper surface is located at the top. 7. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a first retaining member is provided at an opening edge of the ink receiving opening on the head side to restrict the ink absorbent from coming out to the head side. apparatus. 8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first retaining member is formed by a step provided at a head side opening edge of the ink receiving opening. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink receiving opening is penetrated from a surface facing the recording head to a side opposite to the recording head. 10. An ink jet type ink jet printer according to claim 9, wherein said penetrated ink receiving hole is provided with a second stopper for restricting the ink absorbing material from coming out in a direction opposite to said recording head. Recording device. 11. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second retaining member is formed by a ridge provided along an inner surface of the ink receiving opening along the penetrating direction. 12. The ink-jet recording method according to claim 10, wherein the second stopper is formed by a step provided at an opening edge of the ink receiving opening opposite to the recording head side opening. apparatus. 13. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the ink receiving opening is formed as a through hole, and the penetrating state is maintained in the ink receiving opening from the recording head side. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: an inclined portion inclined to the opposite side; and an ink absorbing material laid and held on the inclined portion. 14. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the ink receiving opening is formed as a through hole, and the penetrating state is maintained in the ink receiving opening from the recording head side. An inclined portion provided to be inclined on the opposite side, and a plurality of groove forming walls erected from each other so as to be separated from each other so that a groove is formed along the inclined direction on the inclined portion, An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein a top surface of the groove forming wall is formed at a lower position apart from the opening surface of the through hole.