JP2003200560A - Ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive and compact ink jet printer in which an photo-curing ink is cured appropriately and fixed effectively to a recording medium. <P>SOLUTION: Light emitted from a light source 31 and diffused is divided by reflectors 321, 322,... and introduced to ranges A1, A2,... on a means 1 for carrying a recording medium M. Wavelength of light impinging on some region in the range A1, A2,... of the recording medium M is controlled by disposing a filter 331, 332,... transmitting light only of a specified wavelength region between the reflector 321, 322,... and the range A1, A2,.... <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inkjet printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as an image printing method capable of forming an image simply and inexpensively, many image printing methods using an ink jet printer have been used. Inkjet printers eject ink particles from a recording head toward a recording medium such as paper using a piezo element or a heater, and move the recording head on the recording medium while permeating or fixing the ink in the recording medium. As a result, an image is printed on the recording medium.

The photo-curing ink jet system uses, as an ink, a monomer (oligomer) which is, for example, a precursor of a polymer compound in addition to a pigment, a photo-polymerization initiator which advances a cross-linking and a polymerization reaction of the monomer by a photocatalytic reaction, and a photo-polymerization. A photocurable ink is used which is composed of an accelerator or the like and has a property of being cured by the crosslinking and polymerization of a monomer upon irradiation with ultraviolet rays. The photo-curing ink jet method has been attracting attention in recent years because it has a relatively low odor as compared with the solvent ink jet method and can record on a recording medium having no ink absorbability.

In an ink jet printer which performs printing by a photo-curing ink jet system, bleeding of the photo-curing ink landed on a recording medium due to ultraviolet irradiation is prevented,
In order to firmly fix the photo-curable ink on the recording medium, it is necessary to control the wavelength and irradiation energy of the ultraviolet rays to be irradiated to cure the photo-curable ink with an appropriate molecular weight distribution.

[0005]

By the way, in the conventional photo-curing ink jet printer, since the wavelength region and irradiation energy of the ultraviolet light to be irradiated to the photo-curing ink landed on the recording medium can be set only by one, It was difficult to properly cure the cured ink.

Specifically, for example, in order to prevent the photo-curable ink from bleeding on the recording medium, when the surface layer of the photo-curable ink is rapidly cured by irradiating with light having a short wavelength, the photo-curable ink that has landed The inside of the sheet did not cure sufficiently and did not firmly fix to the recording medium. On the other hand, when light having a long wavelength is irradiated so as to sufficiently cure the inside of the photocurable ink, there is a problem that the photocurable ink bleeds on the recording medium because it takes time to cure the photocurable ink. It was

As a solution to the above problems, a photo-curing ink jet printer is provided with a plurality of light sources having different wavelength regions and irradiation energies, and each light source irradiates a different area on a recording medium. A method of configuring can be considered. In this method, bleeding of the photocurable ink is prevented by irradiating with ultraviolet rays of a wavelength and irradiation energy according to the progress of the curing of the photocurable ink that has landed, as the recording medium is conveyed on the conveying means. At the same time, the photocurable ink can be cured so as to be firmly fixed to the recording medium.

However, this method has a problem in that the cost for producing the ink jet printer is increased due to the large number of light sources. In addition to that, since the inkjet printer has a large number of light sources, the inkjet printer becomes large in size, which causes various restrictions on the design of the inkjet printer.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet printer which can appropriately cure a photo-curable ink and effectively fix it on a recording medium, at a low cost and in a compact size.

[0010]

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 is an ink jet printer for printing an image by ejecting a photocurable ink onto a recording medium and irradiating the recording medium with light. A recording head that ejects the photo-curable ink toward the recording medium, a conveying unit that conveys the recording medium through a print area of the recording head, and irradiates the photo-curable ink on the recording medium with light. And a light source for dividing the light emitted from the light source into a plurality of optical paths, and the light on each of the divided optical paths is on a recording medium in a different range on the transporting means. It is characterized in that each area is irradiated.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the light emitted from one light source is divided into a plurality of optical paths and is applied to a plurality of areas on the conveying means. Therefore, a plurality of areas on the recording medium within the above range of the transport means are individually irradiated with the divided light. Thus, for the photo-curable ink that has landed on the recording medium, the operation of appropriately changing the light irradiation conditions according to the progress of curing of the photo-curable ink,
This can be done with one light source or with a smaller number of light sources than the number of regions. This makes it possible to inexpensively and compactly manufacture an inkjet printer that appropriately cures the photocurable ink and firmly fixes it on the recording medium.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer according to the first aspect, light of different wavelength regions is irradiated to respective regions of the recording medium which are in different ranges on the conveying means. It is characterized by

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of regions on the recording medium are irradiated with light of different wavelength regions, respectively.
The number of light sources may be one or less than the above range. By doing so, the photocurable ink that has landed on the recording medium conveyed on the conveying means is irradiated with light by appropriately changing the wavelength region in accordance with the progress of curing of the photocurable ink. This operation can be performed by one light source or a number of light sources smaller than the number of the above areas. Therefore, it is possible to inexpensively and compactly manufacture an inkjet printer that appropriately cures the photocurable ink and firmly fixes it on the recording medium.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer according to the first or second aspect, different ranges on the conveying means have different lengths in the conveying direction of the recording medium.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the different ranges on the carrying means have different lengths in the carrying direction of the recording medium, and thus different for the recording media within the respective ranges. Light can be emitted with irradiation energy. That is, the irradiation energy in each range on the conveying means is proportional to the irradiation time of light in each range, and since this irradiation time is proportional to the length of each range in the conveying direction of the recording medium, this length is adjusted. By doing so, the irradiation energy of light in each range can be adjusted. Therefore, light irradiation with different irradiation energies can be performed by one light source or a smaller number of light sources than the above-mentioned region.

By doing so, the irradiation energy of the photocurable ink that has landed on the recording medium conveyed on the conveying means is appropriately changed according to the progress of the curing of the photocurable ink. The operation of irradiating can be performed with one light source or with a number of light sources smaller than the number of the regions. Therefore, it is possible to inexpensively and compactly manufacture an inkjet printer that appropriately cures the photocurable ink and firmly fixes it on the recording medium.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer according to any one of the first to third aspects, the light emitted from the light source is divided into respective optical paths by a reflecting mirror or a prism and is recorded. It is characterized by being guided to each region of the medium.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the light emitted from the light source is efficiently split and reaches each area on the recording medium. Therefore, the same effect as that of any one of claims 1 to 3 can be obtained.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer according to the fourth aspect, a head carriage that has a reflecting mirror or a prism and holds and moves the recording head is provided, and light is emitted from the light source. It is characterized in that the light is split by a reflecting mirror or a prism provided in the head carriage and is applied to an area on the recording medium which overlaps with a moving range of the head carriage.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the head carriage has a reflecting mirror or a prism. And
The light emitted from the light source passes through this reflecting mirror or prism and is applied to the photocurable ink immediately after landing on the recording medium. As a result, it is possible to prevent bleeding of the photo-curable ink that has landed on the recording medium without increasing the weight of the head carriage. Therefore, it is possible to inexpensively and compactly manufacture an inkjet capable of effectively preventing the bleeding of the photocurable ink.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a filter that transmits light in a specific wavelength range is provided, and the light is emitted from the light source and split. The generated light is irradiated onto the recording medium via the filter.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, by providing the filter that transmits the light in the specific wavelength range, it is possible to efficiently irradiate only the light in the appropriate wavelength range to a certain area on the recording medium. You can By these things, claim 1
It is possible to obtain the same effect as that of any one of the above items.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, a lens for condensing or diffusing light is provided, and the light is emitted from the light source and divided. Light is irradiated onto the recording medium through the lens.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the light emitted from the light source is condensed or diffused by the lens so as to match the shape of each region on the recording medium and to efficiently irradiate the light. be able to. Thereby, claim 1
It is possible to obtain the same effect as that of any one of to 6.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An inkjet printer 100 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The inkjet printer 100 according to the present invention includes a transporting unit 1, a recording unit 2, an irradiating unit 3, a sheet feeding unit 4, and the like. In the present embodiment, the case where the inkjet printer 100 is provided with only one light source 31 will be described as an example, but the number of light sources 31 is a design matter.
In practice, the number of light sources 31 can be changed appropriately.

The conveying means 1 comprises a conveying guide 11, a conveying roller 12 and the like, and conveys the recording medium M supplied from the paper feeding means 4 via the recording means 2. The conveyance rollers 12, 12, ... Are connected to a conveyance motor (not shown), and intermittently in accordance with the progress of the image printing in the recording means 2, the direction is horizontal and perpendicular to the width direction of the recording medium M. It is moved in the direction of arrow X in 1 (X direction). The transport guide 11 guides the recording medium M transported by the transport roller 12.

The conveying means 1 is divided into an appropriate number of ranges along the X direction with respect to a printing region overlapping a moving range of a head carriage 21 described later and a site on the downstream side of this printing region. Then, the recording medium M within each range
Each of the above regions is irradiated with light in a different wavelength region and irradiation energy as described later. Here, the range of the transporting unit 1 is a range including the print area, and the range A1
After that, the range adjacent to the downstream side is defined as range A2, range A3, ...
And

The length of the ranges A1, A2, ... In the X direction is determined in proportion to the irradiation energy of the light with which the recording medium M is irradiated when the recording medium M passes through the respective ranges A1, A2 ,. It As described above, the conveying unit 1 intermittently conveys the recording medium M in accordance with the image printing in the recording unit 2, but in the actual image printing, the time required for the scanning of the recording head and the scanning of the recording head are performed. The conveyance distance of the recording medium M following the above is substantially constant, and the conveyance length of the recording medium M is substantially proportional to the conveyance time. Therefore, each range A1, A2, ...
It can be considered that the irradiation energy of the light irradiated when the recording medium M passes through and the lengths of the respective ranges A1, A2, ...

The recording means 2 uses a photo-curing ink jet recording method for ejecting a photo-curing ink onto the recording medium M.
Print images. The recording unit 2 includes a recording head (not shown), a head carriage 21, a carriage rail 22, and the like.

The recording head ejects the photo-curable ink toward the recording medium M. The head carriage 21 accommodates recording heads of a plurality of colors, and is moved in the width direction of the recording medium M by the operation of a head carriage moving means (not shown) to scan the recording heads. The carriage rail 22 movably supports the head carriage 21 in the width direction of the recording medium M. The head carriage 21 is a carriage rail 22.
At the time of scanning for moving the head, the head carriage 21
The recording head housed in the nozzle ejects ink toward a printing area that overlaps the moving range of the head carriage 21. In this way, the image is printed by the photo-curable ink landing on the area of the recording medium M which overlaps the print area.

Here, at both end portions of the head carriage 21 in the width direction of the recording medium M, reflecting mirrors 321, 32 to be described later are provided.
1 and filters 331 and 331 are installed. The reflecting mirrors 321 and 321 reflect the light emitted from the light source 31 described later toward an area within the range A1 of the recording medium M. As a result, the photo-curable ink ejected from the recording head and landed on the region of the recording medium M that overlaps with the print region is rapidly irradiated with light and cured.

The paper feeding means 4 stores the recording medium M as a roll R and feeds the recording medium M toward the paper feeding means 1.

The irradiation means 3 irradiates the recording medium M on which the photo-curable ink ejected from the recording head has landed with light. The irradiation unit 3 includes a light source 31, reflecting mirrors 321, 322, ..., Filters 331, 332 ,. Light source 31
Emits, for example, ultraviolet rays and visible rays in a wavelength range close to ultraviolet rays. As the light source 31, for example, a tubular UV lamp or a fluorescent lamp is applied. Here, the reflecting mirror 321 is installed on the head carriage 21 as described above, and moves along with the movement of the head carriage 21. Further, the other reflecting mirrors 322, 323, ... Are fixedly installed and do not move during image printing.

The reflecting mirrors 321, 322, ... Reflect the light emitted and diffused from the light source 31 to reach the areas A1, A2 ,. The reflecting mirrors 321 and 321 are installed at both ends of the head carriage 21 in the width direction of the recording medium M, in a shape and an attachment angle capable of reflecting light toward the entire range A1. Further, the reflecting mirrors 322, 323, ... Are in the range A2, A.
3, ... On the upper side, the respective areas A2, A3 ,.

The shapes and mounting angles of the reflecting mirrors 321, 322, ... Are appropriately selected according to the length of the ranges A1, A2 ,. The mounting positions of the reflecting mirrors 321, 322, ... Are appropriately determined so that the light emitted from the light source 31 and diffused can reach all the reflecting mirrors 321, 322 ,. At this time, the reflecting mirrors 321, 322, ... Are arranged so as not to block the optical path between the light source 31 and the reflecting mirrors 321, 322 ,. Become. In this way, the reflecting mirror 321,
By arranging 322, ..., Light is emitted from the light source 31,
The diffused light is efficiently divided toward the areas A1, A2, ... And is applied to each area in each area A1, A2 ,.

The filters 331, 332, ... Are reflecting mirrors 32.
Are installed on the optical path between the areas 1, 322, ... And the areas A1, A2, ..., Of the light emitted from the light source 31, only the components in the specific wavelength region are transmitted to the areas A1, A2 ,. To reach. Here, the filter 331 is installed on the head carriage 21 as described above, and
It moves with the movement of 1. Further, the other filters 332, 333, ... Are fixedly installed and do not move during image printing.

The filters 331 and 331 are the reflection mirror 32.
Head carriage 2 so that it is located directly below 1, 321
Among the light reflected by the reflecting mirrors 321 and 321, which are installed at both ends, only the component of the wavelength region required for irradiation in the range A1 is transmitted and reaches the range A1. Further, the filters 332, 333, ... Are reflecting mirrors 322, 323 ,.
Between the areas A2, A3, ... And the range A2 of the light reflected from the reflecting mirrors 322, 323 ,.
Only the components in the wavelength region required for irradiation with A3, ... Are transmitted to reach the ranges A2, A3 ,.

The filters 331, 332, ... Appropriate as the wavelength range of light required for irradiation in each of the ranges A1, A2, ... changes depending on the combination of the recording medium M on which an image is printed and the photo-curable ink. Will be exchanged.

The wavelength region and the irradiation energy of the light radiated toward each of the ranges A1, A2, ... Are fixed so that the photo-curable ink landed on the recording medium M is firmly fixed to the recording medium without bleeding. It is appropriately determined in consideration of the physical properties of M and the photocurable ink and the results of experiments performed for each combination of the recording medium M and the photocurable ink.

Ranges A1 and A determined as described above
The lengths of the ranges A1, A2, ... In the X direction are determined according to the irradiation energy of the light to be irradiated in 2 ,.
The shapes and mounting angles of 1, 322, ... Are set. Further, filters 331, 332, ... Which selectively transmit the components of the wavelength range according to the wavelength range of the light to be irradiated in the respective ranges A1, A2 ,. , And the ranges A1, A2, ... are installed in the optical path.

Next, image printing in the ink jet printer 100 according to the present invention will be described. Here, as an example of the light irradiation to the recording medium M, the wavelength range of the light irradiated to the recording medium M is near the wavelength 300 nm in the range A1 including the printing area, and the wavelength 400 nm in the range A2 adjacent to the range A1. 200 in the vicinity and in range A3
The description will be given assuming that the wavelength is in the vicinity of nm, and the wavelength is in the vicinity of 500 nm in the range A4. Further, the length in the X direction of each range A1, A2, ...
A length corresponding to the carry amount is 3 seconds in the range A1, 2 seconds in the range A2, 3 seconds in the range A3, and 5 seconds in the range A4. The wavelength range of light and the irradiation energy in each of the ranges A1, A2, ... Described here are examples, and the actual wavelength and irradiation energy are appropriately determined according to the combination of the recording medium M and the photocurable ink. .

The recording medium M stored in the paper feeding means 4 as a roll R is taken into the conveying means 1 and conveyed toward the recording means 2. In the recording unit 2, the head carriage 21 is moved in the width direction of the recording medium M by the operation of the head carriage moving unit so that the recording head scans the recording medium M. The recording head ejects ink onto the recording medium M while scanning the recording medium M,
Print the image. After that, the recording medium M is conveyed in the X direction by an appropriate distance every time the scanning by the recording head is performed an appropriate number of times.

At this time, the light emitted from the light source 31 is reflected by the reflecting mirrors 321 and 321 installed on the head carriage 21 and reaches the filters 331 and 331. Of the light reaching the filters 331 and 331, wavelengths of 300n
Only the component in the vicinity of m is transmitted and is irradiated onto the area within the range A1 of the recording medium M. For this reason, the photocurable ink that has landed on the recording medium M is irradiated with light as the recording head is operated, and begins to cure rapidly. In the irradiation in the range A1, the surface layer of the photocurable ink is rapidly cured by the short-wavelength ultraviolet light to prevent bleeding.

The area of the recording medium M which has been irradiated with the area A1 continues to enter the area A2 adjacent to the area A1. In the range A2, light having a wavelength near 400 nm, which has reached via the reflecting mirror 322 and the filter 332 while being transported for 2 seconds, is applied to a region within the range A2 of the recording medium M. Further, the areas of the recording medium M which have been irradiated with light in the ranges A1 and A2 are irradiated with ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of about 300 nm while being conveyed for 3 seconds in the range A3 of the conveying means 1, and are conveyed for 5 seconds in the range A4. In the meantime, it is irradiated with visible light having a wavelength of 500 nm. In this way, as the region of the recording medium M on which the photocurable ink has landed passes through A2, A3, and A4, light in the long wavelength region and light in the short wavelength region are alternately irradiated, so that the recording medium The curing of the photo-curable ink landed on M proceeds further.

That is, by irradiating light in the long wavelength region, the light reaches the inside of the photocurable ink and
A high molecular weight polymer is formed inside the photocurable ink to accelerate the curing of the ink. Further, by irradiating with light of a short wavelength, the curing of the surface layer of the photocurable ink proceeds. In this way, by changing the light irradiation conditions according to the progress of curing of the photo-curable ink, the photo-curable ink is cured with high strength and firmly fixed to the recording medium M.

After that, the image printing is completed, and the recording medium M on which the curing of the photo-curable ink is completed is sequentially conveyed toward a carry-out port (not shown).

In this way, the light emitted from the light source 31 is divided into a plurality of optical paths, and the recording medium M within the respective ranges A1, A2, ...
It is possible to irradiate the recording media M in 2, ... With light in different wavelength regions. In addition, the lengths in the X direction can be set to different values for each of the ranges A1, A2, ...
It is possible to irradiate light with the irradiation energy required for each area of the recording medium M located inside 2, ... Therefore, the light source 31 irradiates the respective ranges A1, A2, ... With light in different wavelength regions and irradiation energies to appropriately cure the photo-curable ink landed on the recording medium M, and the photo-curable ink. Can be prevented and the photocurable ink can be firmly fixed to the recording medium M.

That is, the recording medium M is conveyed by the conveying means 1 according to the progress of the curing of the photocurable ink that has landed on the recording medium M.
By irradiating light while changing the irradiation condition as it is transported in, the operation of curing the photo-curable ink at appropriate timing and molecular weight distribution can be performed by one light source 31. As a result, it is possible to provide the inkjet printer 100, which cures the photo-curable ink appropriately and firmly fixes it on the recording medium, at low cost and in a compact size.

Further, the light emitted from the light source 31 is provided with the reflecting mirrors 321 and 3 arranged so as not to block the optical paths thereof.
22 ..., It is efficiently divided. In this way, by dividing the light emitted from the light source 31 by the reflecting mirrors 321, 322, ..., The ink-jet printer 1 that appropriately cures the photocurable ink and firmly fixes it on the recording medium.
00 can be created with a simple structure. Therefore, it is possible to provide the inkjet printer 100, which is capable of appropriately curing the photo-curable ink and firmly fixing the photo-curable ink to the recording medium, more inexpensively and more compactly.

Further, the reflecting mirror 3 is attached to the head carriage 21.
21, 321 and filters 331, 331 are provided so that the photo-curable ink that has landed on the recording medium M is quickly irradiated with light, so that the bleeding of the photo-curable ink can be prevented without increasing the weight of the head carriage 21. It can be effectively prevented.

When a light source of light is installed on the head carriage 21 and the light on the recording medium M is irradiated by this light source, the head carriage 21 becomes heavier by the amount of the light source. in this case,
As the head carriage 21 becomes heavier, the carriage rail 22 and the head carriage moving means become expensive and large, and as a result, the entire inkjet printer 100 becomes expensive and large. On the other hand, according to the present invention, the inkjet 100 capable of effectively preventing the bleeding of the photo-curable ink that has landed on the recording medium M can be manufactured inexpensively and compactly.

Further, the reflecting mirrors 321, 322, ... And the range A
By providing the filters 331, 332, ... Between 1, A2, ..., It is possible to efficiently select the light to be applied to the areas within the ranges A1, A2 ,. In addition to this, when the recording medium M and the photo-curable ink are changed, when changing the wavelength region of the light irradiating the respective regions within the ranges A1, A2, ... Of the recording medium M, the filters 331 and 332 are used. The change can be easily dealt with by exchanging. Therefore, when performing image printing with a plurality of combinations of the recording medium M and the photo-curable ink,
It is possible to save printing time and costs.

The ink jet printer 100 according to the present invention is not limited to the above. One light source 31 is not always provided. For example, a plurality of light sources 31,
31 may be used in combination with a plurality of reflecting mirrors 321, 322, ... And filters 331, 332 ,.
Part of a plurality of reflecting mirrors 321, 32
, ... and filters 331, 332, ... may be used in combination. Also in these cases, the light source 31,
The number of installations of 31, ... is in the range A1, A2, ...
Inkjet printer 100 capable of appropriately curing the photo-curable ink because the number is less than the number of
Can be made inexpensively and compactly.

The ink jet printer 100 according to the present invention is not limited to the one in which the light emitted and diffused from the light source 31 is divided by the reflecting mirrors 321, 322, .... Instead of the reflecting mirrors 321, 322, ..., A prism may be used to appropriately split the light emitted and diffused from the light source 31.

Further, the reflecting mirrors 321, 322, ... And the range A
, A2, ..., and filters 331, 33 provided between them.
The numbers 2, ... Are not limited to the function of transmitting only the light in a specific wavelength region, and may also have the function of controlling the irradiation energy of the light with which the ranges A1, A2 ,.

Further, the specific ranges A1 and A of the recording medium M are
In the areas within 2, ..., If the light emitted from the light source 31 and diffused may be applied over the entire wavelength range, the filters 331, 33 in this range A1, A2 ,.
It is also possible to omit the installation of 2, ... And irradiate the areas A1, A2, ... With light directly from the reflecting mirrors 321, 321 ,.

In the ink jet printer 100 according to the present invention, the reflecting mirrors 321, 322, ... And the range A1,
A condensing lens or a diffusing lens may be provided between A2, .... As a result, it becomes easy to irradiate the light irradiation area in conformity with the shape of the areas A1, A2, ..., It is possible to cure the photocurable ink more efficiently.

Further, the paper feeding means 4 provided in the ink jet printer 100 according to the present invention does not always feed the recording medium M accommodated as the roll R to the recording means 2, but cut sheet type recording. The medium M may be fed to the recording means 2.

[0059]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the light emitted from the light source is divided into a plurality of optical paths, and the plurality of areas on the recording medium conveyed by the conveying means are irradiated with the light. It is possible to inexpensively and compactly manufacture an inkjet printer that appropriately cures the cured ink and firmly fixes it on the recording medium.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the irradiation of light of different wavelength ranges with respect to a plurality of ranges on the recording medium is performed.
By using one or a smaller number of light sources than the above range, it is possible to inexpensively and compactly manufacture an inkjet printer that appropriately cures the photocurable ink and firmly fixes it on the recording medium.

According to the third aspect of the invention, light irradiation with different irradiation energies is performed on a plurality of ranges on the recording medium by one light source or a number of light sources smaller than the above range. In addition, it is possible to inexpensively and compactly manufacture an inkjet printer in which the photo-curable ink is appropriately cured and firmly fixed to the recording medium.

According to the invention of claim 4, claim 1
It is possible to achieve the same effect as that of any one of 3 to 3.

According to the invention described in claim 5, since the head carriage is provided with the reflecting mirror or the prism, the bleeding of the photocurable ink can be prevented without making the head carriage heavy. Therefore, an inkjet that can effectively prevent the bleeding of the photocurable ink can be manufactured inexpensively and compactly.

According to the invention of claim 6, claim 1
It is possible to obtain the same effect as that of any one of the above items.

According to the invention of claim 7, claim 1
It is possible to obtain the same effect as that of any one of to 6.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an essential part showing a configuration of an inkjet printer 100 according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Transport means 2 recording means 3 irradiation means 4 Paper feeding means 21 head carriage 31 light source 100 inkjet printer 321, 322, ... Reflector 331, 332, ... Filter M recording medium

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet printer for ejecting photocurable ink onto a recording medium and irradiating the recording medium with light to print an image, the recording head ejecting the photocurable ink toward the recording medium. The recording medium is provided with a conveying unit that conveys the recording medium via the print area by the recording head, and a light source for irradiating the photo-curable ink on the recording medium with light. An ink jet printer characterized by being divided into optical paths, and the light of each of the divided optical paths is applied to respective areas on a recording medium within different ranges on the conveying means. 2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein light of different wavelength regions is irradiated to respective regions of the recording medium within different ranges on the conveying means. 3. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein different areas on the carrying means have different lengths in the carrying direction of the recording medium. 4. The light emitted from the light source is split into each optical path by a reflecting mirror or prism and is guided to each area of the recording medium.
3. The inkjet printer according to any one of 3. 5. A head carriage that has a reflecting mirror or a prism and moves while holding the recording head, wherein the light emitted from the light source is split by the reflecting mirror or the prism provided on the head carriage. At the same time, the ink jet printer according to claim 4, wherein the area on the recording medium that overlaps the moving range of the head carriage is irradiated. 6. A filter provided with a filter for transmitting light in a specific wavelength range, and the split light emitted from the light source is applied to a recording medium via the filter. 5. The inkjet printer according to any one of 5. 7. A recording medium is provided with a lens for condensing or diffusing light, and the divided light emitted from the light source is applied to the recording medium via the lens. The inkjet printer according to any one of claims.