KR100275015B1 - Printing device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The electrophotographic apparatus of the present invention provides a feed section and a photosensitive drum for supplying a cut section of cut paper, a stack section of fan fold paper, and a print sheet of cut paper or fan fold paper from one side of these stack sections along a separate supply path. A latent image forming section for forming an electrostatic latent image, a developing section for developing an electrostatic latent image to form a toner image, a conveying section for conveying the print paper received from the feed section along a common conveying path, and a common conveying path for A transfer section for transferring the toner image, a fixing section for fixing the toner image on the printing paper, an ejection section for receiving the printed paper from the fixing section, and a cutting device for cutting the fixed fan fold paper from the cutting line. The fanfold paper remaining on the common transport path after cutting does not interfere with the feeding of the cut paper in the feed section. Is returned to the position.

Description

Printing device and method

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an enlarged view of the periphery of the drum of FIG.

3 is a perspective view of a scarf roller unit disposed on the end side of the belt conveyor of FIG.

4 is a schematic side view of the scaffold roller unit.

5 is an enlarged view of the separator of FIG.

6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the fixing device of FIG.

7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fixing unit.

8 is a side view of a lamp holder disposed in the fixing unit.

9 is a bottom view of the fixing unit.

10 is a distribution diagram of light energy applied to printing paper from the flash lamp when the flash lamp built in the fixing unit emits light once.

11 is a distribution diagram of light energy given to printing paper when the flash lamp repeats irradiation.

12 is a perspective view of a part of the cutting device of FIG. 1 broken.

13 is a cross-sectional view when the cutting device is in an operating state.

14 is a perspective view of a cutting device of another embodiment.

15 is an enlarged view of a portion of the discharge section of FIG.

Fig. 16 is a state diagram in which a printing mode of cut sheet is started in the printing apparatus.

Fig. 17 is a time chart when the print mode of cut sheet is performed.

18 is a state in which the printing mode of fanfold paper is started in the said printing apparatus.

19 is a time chart when the printing mode of fanfold paper is performed.

20 is a state in which the printing mode of fanfold paper is finished in the printing apparatus.

21 is a flowchart of a processing sequence after the fanfold paper print mode is finished.

Fig. 22 is a perspective view of the cutting device in the state of Fig. 13;

FIG. 23 is a state in which paper parking of FIG. 21 is completed in the printing apparatus. FIG.

Fig. 24 is a state diagram in which the fanfold paper in the state of paper parking in the printing apparatus is discharged for offset.

25 is a view showing alignment of cutting lines of fan fold paper when the fan fold paper is turned off.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

2, 4: Stack section 6: Feed section

8: print section 10: discharge section

14: take out roller 18: tip detection sensor

20: separation roller 26: register roller

32: tractor unit 34: rotary encoder

36: counter 40: drum

42: charger 44: exposure apparatus

46: developing device 48: transfer / antistatic device

52: cleaner unit 54: joining guide

56, 58: guide plate 60: belt conveyor

66: conveyor belt 67: suction hole

68: suction device 70: scaffold roller unit

84: drive belt 90: separation device

92: support frame 102: roller shaft

110: support arm 116: coil spring

124: lamp housing 142: support plate

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a method which can be used by replacing continuous paper such as cut paper, fanfold paper and roll paper.

Printing apparatuses capable of printing not only cut paper but also continuous paper are disclosed, for example, in USP 4,929,982 and USP 4,941,377. These known printing apparatuses have a common conveyance path for conveying one sheet of cut paper or continuous paper, and a printing process for printing paper is performed in the process of conveying the printed paper in connection with this common conveyance path. In other words, in the case of the printing paper on the common conveyance path, the toner image is first transferred to the printing paper at the transfer position defined on the common conveyance path, and then the toner image is set at the fixing position specified downstream of the transfer position. It is settled on printing paper.

By the way, in the above-mentioned well-known printing apparatus, not only are the feed paths of a cut sheet and a continuous paper toward the said common conveyance path | route, but the supply method of the printing paper in an individual feed path also differs. Therefore, even if a cut sheet or a continuous sheet is sent out toward the transfer position on the common conveyance path through the supply path of the print, the cut sheet and the continuous sheet reach the transfer position after the output of the start command signal. It is unavoidable that a deviation occurs in the timing. For this reason, if the transfer timing is matched with one printing sheet, the transfer of the toner image with respect to the other printing sheet cannot be performed correctly. In this case, a shift may occur not only in the timing of the toner image but also in the fixing timing, leaving unfixed portions on the toner.

In addition, in the case of using a flash-type fixing unit, there is a disadvantage that the quality of fixing is deteriorated unless uniform light energy is given to the toner image on the printing paper, that is, the printing surface.

Moreover, when handling a continuous paper, it is desirable to be able to automatically cut a continuous paper after a series of printing is completed. However, since the cutting position when the continuous paper is fanfold paper must be a cutting line of the fanfold paper, the cutting of the fanfold paper is not easy.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned disadvantages and to facilitate the handling of cut sheets and continuous sheets, and to perform printing on printing sheets for each type of printing sheet, and to cut fanfold sheets automatically when the continuous sheets are fanfold sheets. It is to provide a printing apparatus and method that can be performed.

The above object is achieved by the printing apparatus of the present invention, which is a premise that the first supply means for supplying a cut sheet as printing paper toward a common conveyance path and the continuous sheet as printing paper are described above. Second supply means for supplying toward a common conveyance path, conveying means for receiving and conveying one printing paper supplied from one supply means, and image forming means for forming an image on the printing paper at a predetermined image forming position. Equipped.

One of the above-mentioned objects is a basic means of a printing apparatus, and the cutting means for cutting continuous paper at a cutting position defined on the downstream side from the image forming position in the conveying direction of printing paper, and on a common conveying path after cutting of the continuous paper. It can be achieved by additionally adding return means for returning the continuous paper remaining by the cutting to the position upstream of the common conveying path and to the position where the supply of the cut paper by the first supply means is not hindered.

According to such a printing apparatus, after the printing of the continuous sheet is completed, the continuous sheet is cut, and the upstream portion of the continuous sheet is automatically removed from the common conveyance path. Therefore, when the so-called paper parking of the continuous sheet is automatically enabled, the cut sheet can be printed immediately thereafter.

The printing apparatus also has separating means for separating the common conveying path from the image forming means when the continuous sheet is returned, which separating means preferably separates the common conveying path from the image forming means and the fixing means included therein. Do. With such separating means, it is possible to avoid interference of the continuous paper with the image forming means and the fixing means when the continuous paper is returned.

When the continuous paper is a fanfold paper, the cutting means includes means for aligning one cutting line to be cut to a predetermined cutting position of the fanfold paper, and a fanfold paper located upstream and downstream of the positioned cutting line. The restraining means which respectively restrains a site | part, and the cutter member which moves in connection with a position cut line, and pulls and presses it in the direction which cross | intersects this cut line are cut.

The cutter member of the cutting means can apply a tensile force to the cutting line even if the alignment of the cutting line with respect to the cutting line of the fan fold is not precise. Therefore, in the cutting of the fan fold, the precise alignment of the cutting line with respect to the cutting position becomes unnecessary, so that the cutting can be easily performed.

Not only the printing apparatus as an apparatus provided with the cutting means and return means mentioned above, but also the printing method to which the said cutting means and the return means were added can be achieved similarly to one object of the present invention.

Another object is achieved by the printing method of the present invention, which is also a basic process, in which the supply process of selecting one of cut and continuous paper and feeding the selected printing paper toward a common conveying path, and electrostatic on photosensitive media. A latent image forming step of forming a latent image, a developing step of developing an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive medium to obtain a toner image, and a common conveying path image when the printed sheet is conveyed, the photosensitive paper is exposed to the printing sheet at a transfer position defined on the common conveying path. A transfer step of transferring the toner image of the medium, and a fixing step of fixing the toner image transferred at the fixing position defined on the common conveyance path onto the printing paper.

In addition to the basic process, a printing method for achieving another object is performed in advance of one of the supply process and the transfer process, and has an output process for outputting different timing signals for the transfer process according to the selected printing paper. If such an output process is provided, the transfer process can be appropriately performed on the printing paper selected on the basis of the timing signal.

In order to achieve another object, the fixing process is carried out by a fixing unit accommodating a flash lamp, which is formed at 50% of the center of the flash light irradiation area in the conveying direction of printing paper by one flash of the flash lamp. It has a light energy distribution that concentrates 70 to 80% of the total irradiation energy.

When the conveyance speed of the printing paper is v, the length of the printing paper where 70% of the irradiation energy is concentrated in the conveying direction is W, the lighting frequency of the flash lamp is f, and the number of irradiation times of the flash lamp is n.

v / f = n

The number of irradiation times n indicated by is set in the range of 1.2 to 1.9.

As described above, by setting the number n of flash light irradiation times, the flash light is appropriately superimposed on the printing paper passing through the flash lamp, and as a result, uniform light energy can be given to the printing paper as viewed in the conveyance direction.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus is roughly divided into stack sections 2 and 4 of the printing paper, feed section 6, printing section 8 and discharge section 10 of the printing paper.

One stack section 2 is disposed above, and the stack section 2 is provided with a tray 12. Many sheets C are stacked in the tray 12. A take-out roller 14 is disposed above the tray 12, and this take-out roller 14 is located near the feed section 2. In addition, the take-out roller 14 is in contact with the cut sheet C at the uppermost level in the tray 12. Therefore, when the take-out roller 14 is rotated, the cut sheets in the tray 12 are fed one by one toward the feed section 6 at the rear end.

The other stack section 4 is disposed below the stack section 2, and this stack section 4 also has a tray 16. The fan 16 is stacked in this tray 16 in a folded state. The tip detection sensor 18 is arrange | positioned above the tray 16, and this tip detection sensor 18 is an optical sensor which has a light emitting element and a light receiving element.

The feed section 6 receives printing paper from the stack section of one selected side, and feeds the printing paper toward the printing section 8 at the rear end. That is, the feed section 6 is equipped with a pair of separation roller 20 arranged on the stack section 2 side. These separation rollers 20 are located close to the take-out roller 14 and are rotatable in opposite directions to each other. Therefore, as described above, the sheet C taken out from the tray 12 by the rotation of the take-out roller 14 passes through the separation rollers 20 and is sent out. The separation roller 20 allows passage of only one sheet of paper C from the tray 12. Therefore, sheet C is fed from the tray 12 to the feed section 6 one by one.

A pair of feed rollers 22 is arranged downstream from the separation roller 20 in the feed direction of the sheet C, and these feed rollers 22 are arranged at the boundary between the feed section 6 and the printing section 8. Is located. In addition, between the separation roller 20 and the feed roller 22, a register guide 24, a pair of register rollers 26, and a pair of introduction guides 28 having a plate shape are sequentially formed from the separation roller 20 side. It is arranged.

The cut sheet C is fed out from the separating roller 20, and the tip of the cut sheet C strikes the pair of register rollers 26, and the progress of the cut sheet C is stopped once. Therefore, the rear end of the sheet C is pressed against the register guide 24 and curved, and as a result, the conveyance posture of the sheet C so that the front end of the sheet C is parallel to the axes of the pair of register rollers 26. Is modified. That is, here, the register correction of the so-called cut sheet C is performed.

Then, when the pair of register rollers 26 are rotated, the sheet C passes through the register rollers 26 and is guided into the pair of introduction guides 28 toward the feed rollers 22 and again the feed rollers 22. Is supplied to the printing section 8 at the rear end.

A tip detection sensor 30 is disposed between the register roller 26 and the feed roller 22. This tip detection sensor 30 also includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element, which are positioned in such a manner as to sandwich the conveying path of the sheet C, that is, the introduction guide 28.

On the other hand, the tractor unit 32 is arrange | positioned under the feed section 6. The fanfold F on the tray 16 passes between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the tip detection sensor 18 and is guided to the tractor unit 32.

Here, the tractor unit 32 is equipped with a pair of tractor belts as well-known, and the feed pole paw1 of the tractor belt is inserted in the feed hole in the both sides of the fanfold paper F. As shown in FIG. The tractor unit 32 thus feeds the fanfold F toward the print section 8 at the rear end by running the tractor belt and the feed poles are sequentially inserted into the feed holes.

The rotary encoder 34 is provided in the drive shaft of the tractor unit 32, and this rotary encoder 34 is electrically connected to the counter 36. As shown in FIG. When the drive shaft of the tractor unit 32 is being rotated in the feed direction of the fanfolder F, the counter 36 adds the number of pulses output from the rotary encoder 34 to the counter value, while the drive shaft is reversed. If so, the counter 36 subtracts the number of pulses from the counter value. Accordingly, the counter value, that is, the integrated value of the pulse number, indicates the conveying length of the fan fold paper F supplied from the tractor unit 32 toward the print section 8 at the rear end.

In addition, the front end detection sensor 38 is disposed in front of the tractor unit 32 in the feed direction of the fanfold F paper, and the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the front end detection sensor 38 are conveyed by the fanfold paper F. It is located with the path in between.

The printing section 8 has a drum 40 located on the feed section 6 side, which is rotated at a constant speed in the counterclockwise direction as seen in FIG. On the outer side of the drum 40, a charger 42, an exposure device 44, a developing device 46, a transfer / antistatic device 48, peeling in a rotational direction from a position directly above the drum 40 The crawler 50 and the cleaner unit 52 are sequentially arranged.

In addition to the rotation of the drum 40, the charger 42 uniformly charges the outer circumferential surface of the drum 40, that is, the image forming surface, and then the image forming surface is exposed by the exposure apparatus 44. The exposure apparatus 44 includes an LED array in which light emitting diodes (LEDs) are arranged in a line, which emits light beams toward an image forming surface, whereby an image supplied from a computer to the image forming surface is provided. Form images based on data.

The image on the image forming surface is developed by the developing device 46 to form a toner image. Thereafter, the toner image is transferred by the transfer portion 48a of the transfer / antistatic device 48 to printing paper supplied in a manner that clings to the drum 40.

In order to peel the print paper from the drum 40 after the toner image is transferred, the alternating voltage from the static eliminator 48b of the transfer / antistatic device 48 is applied to the print paper, whereby the print paper in the charged state is discharged. Thereafter, the remaining toner on the image forming surface is removed by the cleaner unit 52.

The peeling crawl 50 prevents the printing paper to pass through the drum 40 from being wound around the drum 40.

The printing paper is either cut sheet or fanfold sheet F supplied from the feed sections 2 and 4 described above.

A joining guide 54 is arranged between the feed section 6 and the drum 40, the details of which are shown in FIG. 2.

The joining guide 54 has a pair of upper and lower guide plates 56 and 58, and defines a part of a conveyance path of printing paper between these guide plates. The upstream end of the upper guide plate 56 is bent toward the upper side in the vicinity of the feed roller 22 in the conveying direction of the printing paper, and the downstream end of the lower guide plate 58 is the front end detection sensor 38 described above. It is curved downward from the vicinity. Therefore, the inlet port defined between the upstream ends of the pair of guide plates 56 and 58 is largely opened in the vertical direction.

The sheet C passing through the feed roller 22 is guided between the guide plates 56 and 58 while being guided by the upstream end of the upper guide plate 56, while the fanfold paper F fed out from the tracker unit 32. Is guided between the guide plates while being guided by the upstream end of the lower guide plate 58.

As is apparent from FIG. 2, the lower guide plate 58 is longer than the upper guide plate 56, and the downstream end of the lower guide plate 58 is near the transfer position P0 of the drum 40, that is, the transfer portion. It is located at the position of 48a. Further, the downstream end of the lower guide plate 58 is convexly curved toward this image forming surface to be close to the image forming surface of the drum 40. Therefore, when considering a line segment that includes the downstream end of the lower guide plate 58 and may become a tangent to the upper surface, the angle θ formed between the line segment and the flat center portion of the lower guide plate 58 is determined by the transfer position P0. Is set to guide the printing paper appropriately and forcibly.

On the other hand, the downstream end of the upper guide plate 56 is formed in a triangular shape projecting toward the drum 40, and the side of the downstream end of the drum 40 side and the center of the lower guide plate 58 are formed. The angle to make is also set to θ.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, after the sheet C passes through the feed roller, the tip thereof is bent upwards and is bent up and guided between the guide plates 56 and 58 as it is. As indicated by the broken line in the middle, the downstream end of the upper guide plate 56 is forcibly guided toward the downstream end of the lower guide plate 58, and as a result, the sheet C is properly guided to the transfer position P0.

The function of the downstream end of the upper guide plate 56 is that when the stack section of the sheet C is disposed above the drum 40, as is apparent from FIG. 1, the inclination angle of the introduction guide 28 is increased. Especially valid.

In the vicinity of the drum 40 a belt conveyor 60 is arranged and the belt conveyor 60 extends horizontally from the vicinity of the transfer position P0 toward the discharge section 10. The belt conveyor 60 is equipped with the rollers 62 and 64 spaced back and forth in the conveyance direction of printing paper, and the some conveyor belt 66 wound around these rollers. Referring to FIG. 3, as is apparent, each conveyor belt 66 has a plurality of suction holes 67 and is moved back and forth between the return side belt portion and the return side belt portion of the conveyor belt 66. A pair of suction apparatuses 68 are arrange | positioned apart. These suction devices incorporate a suction fan (not shown), which generates a flow of air from above to below.

Therefore, the printing paper which has passed through the drum 40 is conveyed toward the discharge section 10 at the rear end with the running of the conveyor belt 66 in a state of being sucked by the conveyor belt 66 of the conveyor.

A scarf roller unit 70 is disposed downstream of the belt conveyor 60, that is, between the belt conveyor 60 and the discharge section. This capp roller unit 70 is provided with the support roller 72 as shown in FIG. 3, and this support roller 72 extends in parallel at the same level as the roller 64 of the belt conveyor 60. As shown in FIG. have. Directly above the support roller 72, a plurality of pre-polars 74 are arranged in connection with the support roller 72. These free fallers 74 are rotatably provided on the roller shaft, and the roller shaft is supported by a bracket (not shown). The compression coil spring 76 is arrange | positioned between this bracket and the both ends of each roller shaft, and these coil springs 76 push a roller shaft, ie the corresponding preroller 74, toward the support roller 72. As shown in FIG.

The double drive pulley 80 is provided in the roller shaft 78 of the support roller 72, and this drive pulley 80 has a drive belt 84 on the output pulley of the electric motor (see FIG. 1) on the one hand. ) Is connected to the pulley 86 on the belt conveyor 60 side via the transfer belt 88 on the other side. Accordingly, the driving force of the electric motor 82 is transmitted to the driving pulley 80 so that the support roller 72 is rotated, and the driving force is transmitted from the driving pulley 80 to the roller 64 of the belt conveyor 60 so that the conveyor belt ( 66) travel in one direction.

Here, the support roller 72 and the roller 64 on the belt conveyor 60 side have the same diameter dimension, so that the circumferential speed of the support roller 72 and the traveling speed of the conveyor belt 66, that is, the conveyance speed, are the same. It is supposed to be done.

When the fan folds F are further conveyed from the belt conveyor 60 through the support rollers of the scaffold roller unit 70, the support rollers 72 as shown in FIG. 4 even if the cut line of F protrudes. Since the free roller 74 is elastically pressed with respect to the cutting line, the cutting line can smoothly pass between the support roller 72 and the free roller 74. Therefore, fanfold paper F is conveyed at a constant speed regardless of the presence of the cutting line.

Each of the above-mentioned joining guide 54, the ws / antistatic device 48 and the belt conveyor 60 are supported by the separating device 90, which is shown in FIG. The separating device 90 has a support frame 92 disposed below the drum 40. This support frame 72 has a pair of side plates 94 facing away from the axial direction of the drum 40, which side plates 94 extend from the joining guide 54 to the end of the conveyor 60. .

A shaft 96 is provided at the upstream end of the support frame 92 in the conveying direction of the printing paper, the shaft 96 extending between the side plates 94 and both ends rotating to the side plates. Possibly supported. The shaft 96 is provided with a pair of holder plates 98 and these holder plates 98 are opposed to each other in the support frame 92.

The above-mentioned confluence guide 54 and the transfer / antistatic device 48 are fixed to the upper edge part of these holder plates 98 so as to span between the holder plates 98.

A rectangular opening 100 is formed in the center of the holder plate 98, and the roller shaft 102 extends through these openings 100. Both ends of the roller shaft 102 are rotatably supported by the side plate 94 of the support frame 92, and one end thereof is connected to a drive motor (not shown).

The eccentric roller 104 is arrange | positioned so that the roller shaft 102 may be located in each opening part 100, and these eccentric rollers 104 are rotatable in the opening part 100. As shown in FIG.

Moreover, one end of the short link 106 is rotatably provided in the vicinity of the opening part 100 in each holder plate 98, and this short link 106 extends downward. One end of the long link 108 is rotatably connected to the lower end of the short link 106, and the long link 108 extends downward of the belt conveyor 60 toward its end. The other end of the long link 110 is rotatably supported by the side plate 94 via the shaft 111.

The lower end of the support arm 110 is rotatably supported at the center of each long link 108. The support arm 110 extends upwardly toward the belt conveyor 60, and its upper end is formed as a hook 112 and is coupled to the pin 114 protruding from the side frame of the belt conveyor 60. Between the support arm 110 and one end of the long link 108 is connected by a tension coil spring 116. These tension coil springs 116 pivotally push the corresponding support arm 110 so that its hook l12 faces the pin 114, while pushing one end of the long arm 108 upwards. The arm 108 is rotatably pushed. In addition, a guide roller 1110 is rotatably installed on the surface of the belt conveyor 60 at the upper portion of each support arm 108, and the guide roller 118 is movable in connection with the guide groove 120. It is supposed to be done. The guide groove 120 is formed in the side frame of the belt conveyor 60 and extends in the conveying direction of the printing paper.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, each holder plate 98 is in a position pushed upwards through the short link 106 by the long link 108, thereby joining the guide 54 and the transfer / antistatic device ( 48 is located in an operating position proximate to the drum 40. On the other hand, the belt conveyor 60 is supported in a horizontal position via the pair of support arms 110.

When the eccentric roller 104 is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 5, these eccentric rollers 104 push the opening edge of the opening part 100 in the holder plate 98 downward as shown by the dashed-dotted line. Get off. As a result, the pair of holder plates 98 are rotated downward about the axis 96 and the joining guide 54 and the transfer / antistatic device 48 also simultaneously fall downward from the drum 40.

The lowering of the holder plate 98 is converted to the rotation of the long link 108 via the short link 106. That is, the long link 108 is rotated downward about the axis 111 in response to the pushing force of the tension coil spring 116. In addition, the support arm 110 is also pulled downward so that the belt conveyor 60 rotates downward about the roller 64 on the end side thereof, and the upstream end thereof is separated from the drum 40.

In addition, when the support arm 110 is rotated in the direction of releasing the engagement between the hook l12 and the pin 114 on the belt conveyor 60 side, the support arm 110 is guided as indicated by the two-dot chain line. The belt conveyor 60 is largely rotated through the roller 118. As a result, since the belt conveyor 60 is greatly opened with respect to the drum 40, clogging of the printing paper on the belt conveyor 60 can be easily removed.

A fixing unit 112 is disposed directly above the belt conveyor 60, and the fixing unit 112 is located at the end side of the belt conveyor 60. Details of the fixing unit 122 are shown in FIGS. 6 to 9. The fixing unit 122 is provided with a box-shaped lamp housing 124 and an opening 126 is formed in the lower surface of the lamp housing 124, that is, on the surface facing the printing paper conveyed by the belt conveyor 60. It is. The lamp housing 124 extends longer than the width of the printing paper in the direction crossing the belt conveyor 60.

In the lamp housing 124, a flash lamp 130 composed of a halogen lamp 128 for preheating and a xenon lamp for fixing is sequentially disposed from an upstream side in the conveyance direction of printing paper. These lamps extend in the longitudinal direction of the lamp housing 124, that is, the direction crossing the belt conveyor 60, and both ends thereof are supported by the lamp housing 124 by a pair of holders 132, 134. In the lamp housing 124, both lamps are covered by the reflecting plates 136 and 138 from above, and these reflecting plates are provided by mounting means (not shown) with respect to the lamp housing l24.

One holder 132 of the pair of holders described above has a socket 140 mounted at the end of the lamp as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and a support plate for hanging the end of the lamp through the socket 140. 142. The socket 140 is a stepped cylindrical shape made of an electrically insulating material having heat resistance such as polyimide or ceramic. The large diameter portion of the socket 140 is provided with a mounting hole into which the end of the lamp is fitted, while the small diameter portion can be inserted into the support hole 144 of the support plate 142. It is supposed to be. In detail with respect to this point, the support plate 142 is formed of a rectangular leaf spring, and the support hole 144 is formed in the center of the support plate 142 as is apparent from FIG. The upper end of the support plate 140 is bent and overlapped with the ceiling wall of the lamp housing 124 and fixed to the ceiling wall by the fixing screw 146. The support plate 142 is thus suspended from the ceiling wall of the lamp housing 142. The lower end of the support plate 142 is also slightly bent in the same direction as the upper end. From the support hole 144 of the support plate 142, the slit 148 which extends straight to the lower end is formed. If the slit 148 is formed in the support plate 142, the cord 150 extending from the socket 140 can be guided through the slit 148 to the support hole 144, so that the cord is not disturbed. The end of the lamp can be inserted into the support hole 144.

The other holder 134 has a structure similar to that of the holder described above, but the support plate 152 of the holder 134 is not a leaf spring but a normal metal plate having rigidity.

When both ends of the lamp are supported by the pair of holders 132 and 134 described above, the lamp is in a state of being elastically sandwiched between the holders. Therefore, even in the case where the lamp is a flash lamp 130, even if a vibration occurs in the lamp with the light emission of the flash lamp 130, the vibration is effectively absorbed by the elasticity of the support plate 142 of the leaf spring. There is no heavy load on the valve of the lamp. In addition, since the support plate 152 of the other holder has rigidity, there is no such thing as that the vibration of the lamp is amplified, and the vibration of the lamp is solved quickly. In addition, the vibration of the flash lamp 130 is considered to occur due to the rapid heating and expansion of the air around the valve during light emission.

When the support plate of one holder 132 is elastically deformed by lifting its lower end upward as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7, the end of the lamp from the support hole 144 of the support plate 142. Can be taken out and, as a result, the lamp can be removed from the pair of holders. Then, the new lamp is sandwiched between the pair of holders to complete the lamp replacement.

The above-described opening 126 of the lamp housing 124 has a rectangular rim 154 whose inner circumference protrudes downward, and the rim 154 is attached to the sponge 156 made of silicone rubber. Is surrounded by. The sponge 156 protrudes slightly below the rim 154.

The opening 126 is covered from the lower side by a rectangular transparent glass plate 158, and the glass plate 158 is formed on the lower surface of the lamp housing 124 with its peripheral edge as the mediation of the sponge 156 by a plurality of supports. The pressed and fixed glass plate 158 protects the halogen lamp 128 and the flash lamp 130, while preventing these lamps from being soiled by toner or dust.

The support described above is provided with a cross fastener 160 and a pair of side edge fasteners 162 as is apparent with reference to FIG. The cross fastener 160 is a plate extending along one end edge of the glass plate 158 located on the upstream side in the conveying direction of printing paper and having a step in the conveying direction. Thus, the cross fixture 160 is provided with a plurality of fixing screws on the lower surface of the lamp housing 124 in such a manner as to sandwich one end edge of the glass plate 158 with the sponge 156 between the step and the lower surface of the lamp housing 124. It is fixed by 164.

On the other hand, the pair of side edge fasteners 162 extends along both side edges of the glass plate 158 extending in the conveying direction of printing paper. These side edge fasteners 162 have the same shape as the cross fastener 160, whereby the side edge fasteners 162 allow the sponge 156 of the corresponding side edges of the glass plate 158 between the step and the lower surface of the lamp housing. The fixing screw 164 is fixed to the lower surface of the lamp housing 124 in such a manner as to sandwich the inner surface of the lamp housing 124.

At the other end edge of the glass plate 158, a pair of auxiliary fasteners 166 located at both sides thereof are disposed. These auxiliary fasteners 166 are sufficiently smaller than the cross fasteners 160 and the side edge fasteners 162, but have the same cross-sectional shape as those of these fasteners. Accordingly, the other side edge of the glass plate 158 is also sandwiched by the sponge 156 between the pair of auxiliary fasteners 166 and the lower surface of the lamp housing 124.

Here, the pair of auxiliary fasteners 166 are located far enough apart from the width of the printing paper so that when the printing paper is conveyed directly below the fixing unit 122 by the belt conveyor 60, the leading edge of the printing paper is paired. Can pass through the auxiliary fixture 100 with a margin.

The paper guide 168 is provided in the end surface of the lamp housing 124 of the cross fastener 160 side, and the lower end part of this paper guide 168 is attached to the belt conveyor 60 so that it may be parallel to the lower end of the cross fastener 160. Lightly and extends downstream of the belt conveyor 60. As a result, the sheet of paper reaching the fixing unit 122 is guided by the paper guide 168 and is reliably advanced to the lower side of the glass plate 158, and the leading edge of the sheet of paper is not caught by the cross fixture 160. .

On the other hand, the lower surface of the lamp housing 124 on the side of the auxiliary fastener 166 is provided with a separate paper guide 170, which is connected to the belt conveyor 60 and the belt conveyor 60. Extends toward downstream. Therefore, after the leading edge of the printing paper passes through the glass plate of the fixing unit 122, the paper guide 170 guides the leading edge of the printing paper and reliably discharges the leading edge outward of the fixing unit 122.

Although not shown, the fixing unit 122 is provided with cooling means for flowing cooling air through the lamp housing 124, and the cooling air prevents overheating of the halogen lamp 128 and the flash lamp 130.

Referring to FIG. 10, when the flash light is irradiated from the flash lamp 130 once, the distribution of the light energy given to the printing paper is shown in the conveying direction of the printing paper. As is apparent from this distribution, 70 to 80% of the total light energy is concentrated in the 50% part A2 in the center of the irradiation area Al in the irradiation area Al of the flash light on the printing paper. . Such distribution of the light energy is obtained by appropriately selecting the shapes of the above-described reflecting plates 136 and 138, but it is impossible to give uniform light energy to the entire area of the irradiation area Al only by using the reflecting plate alone.

Therefore, in order to give uniform light energy to the whole printing surface of the conveyed printing paper, it is necessary to repeat the flash light toward the printing surface in consideration of the conveying speed of the printing paper or the lighting frequency of the flash lamp.

Here, the conveyance speed of the printing paper is v, the lighting frequency of the flash light is f, the area where light energy is sufficient to fix the toner image in the irradiation area Al is W, and the number of irradiation of the flash light is n. and n are determined respectively.

v / f = n

Usually, the number of irradiation n is set to a natural number of 1 or 2, and when the number of irradiation n is 2, the light energy given to the printing surface has a distribution characteristic E2 indicated by broken lines in FIG. However, as is apparent from the distribution characteristic E2, the light energy to the printing surface fluctuates greatly in the conveyance direction of the printing paper.

For this reason, in the case of adopting such distribution characteristics, the output of the flash lamp is adjusted so that the level of light energy required for fixing is EL or EH. In the former case, the toner on the printing surface is explosively boiled in a portion of high light energy, so that the quality of the fixing is deteriorated, or that the printing paper and the surrounding members are soiled by the gas generated due to decomposition of the toner. . In the latter case, there is a disadvantage that the fixing strength of the toner is weakened and the toner image is easily peeled off from the printing surface.

On the other hand, the distribution characteristic E1 of light energy in the case where irradiation frequency n is 1 is shown with the dashed-dotted line in FIG. The variation of the light energy in this distribution characteristic E1 is small compared with that in the distribution characteristic E2, but in this case as well, the aforementioned disadvantages cannot be avoided.

For this reason, in the case of this embodiment, the number of irradiation times n is set to 1.2 to 1.8, preferably 1.3 to l.7. For example, the distribution characteristic E1.44 of the light energy when the number of irradiation n is 1.44 is shown by the solid line in FIG. As apparent from this distribution characteristic El.44, the fluctuation of the light energy is greatly suppressed as compared with the distribution characteristics El and E2, and as a result, almost uniform light energy can be given to the entire area of the printed surface to be conveyed.

As shown schematically in FIGS. 1 and 5, the cutting device 172 is disposed downstream of the discharge section 10 on the downstream side of the belt conveyor 60, whereby the scaffold roller unit 70 is disposed. It is located between the cutting device 172 and the belt conveyor 60.

Details of the cutting device 172 are shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. The cutting device 172 is provided with a hollow box-shaped beam 174 which is located below the support roller 72 side of the scaffold roller unit 70, that is, the conveying path of the printing paper. It extends horizontally in the direction crossing the path. Both ends of the beam 174 protrude to the outside of the conveying path, and inside these ends, a pair of pulleys 176 (only one side is shown) are arranged horizontally. The axes of these pulleys 176 extend upwardly and rotatably supported by the beam 174, and one poly axis protrudes from the beam 174 again and is connected to the drive shaft. The pair of pulleys 176 is fastened to the drive belt 178, and thus the drive belt 178 is capable of traveling reciprocally by forward and reverse rotation of the drive pulley 176.

As shown in FIG. 13, a part of the drive belt 178 located on the side of the scarf roller unit 70 is supported by a pair of pinch plates 180, and these pinch plates 180 are driven by the drive belt 178. As shown in FIG. It extends in connection with and connected to each other by a plurality of connecting bolts (182). The cutter shaft 184 protrudes horizontally from the pinch plate on the outer side, that is, the pinch plate located on the scarf roller unit 70 side. The base end of the cutter shaft 184 is supported at the center of the outer pinch plate 180, and the tip thereof penetrates the guide slot 186 of the beam 174 and protrudes outward of the beam 174. It is. Guide slot 186 protrudes into the side wall of beam 174 and extends in the longitudinal direction of beam 174.

The cutter disc 188 is provided at the distal end of the cutter shaft l84 via the holder sleeve 187, and the cutter disc 188 has a diameter dimension such as to project slightly upward from the conveyance path of the printing paper. At the same time, it has a constant thickness t suitable for pressing and tearing the cutting line of fanfold paper F.

In addition, a pair of guide wheels 190 are disposed on both sides of the cutter disk 188 in the longitudinal direction of the beam 174. Each guide wheel 190 connects a pair of pinch disks 192 sandwiching the sidewalls of the beam 174 and these pinch disks 192 to connect the guide pins 186 to the sliding wheel portion 194. Have. In addition, although not shown from the pinch disk 192 on the inside of each guide wheel 190, the wheel shaft is protruded, the wheel shaft is supported on the outer pinch plate 180 in the same manner as the cutter shaft 184 described above. have.

Thus, when the drive belt 178 travels, the cutter disc 188 reciprocates in connection with the side wall of the beam 174. At this time, each guide wheel 190 has a cutter disk (1) because the pair of pinch disks 192 sandwich the side wall of the beam l74 and the wheel portion 194 is guided in the guide slot 186 of the side wall. The posture of 188 is kept constant.

On the other hand, a plurality of clamping pads 196 are provided above the beam 174, and these clamping pads 196 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the axial direction of the beam 174. 12, only one clamping pad l96 is shown.

Each clamping pad 196 consists of a rubber cube and is connected to the lifting means not shown through the holder plate 198. Between the pinching pad 196 and the beam 174, a pair of guide plates 200 and 201 are arranged so as to sandwich the conveying path of the printing paper from above and below, and among these guide plates, the guide plate 200 on the upper side thereof is arranged. The opening 202 is formed in correspondence with the clamping pad 196. The opening 202 is sized to allow penetration through the sandwich pad 196.

In addition, the upper and lower guide plates 200, 201 extend from the printing section 8 into the discharge section 10, which discharge section 10. In the above, the upper guide plate 200 is curved upward, while the lower guide plate 201 is curved downward (see FIG. 1).

In addition, another upper guide plate 204 located above the belt conveyor 60 is disposed on the upstream side of the guide plate 200, and the upper guide plate 204 is disposed at the end side of the belt conveyor 60. It extends beyond the scaffolding unit 70. Therefore, the opening 206 is formed in the upper guide plate 204 corresponding to each preroller 74 of the scaffolding unit 70, so that each free roller 74 has a corresponding opening 206. It contacts with support roller 72 so that rolling is possible. Moreover, the lower guide plate 208 is arrange | positioned under the conveyance path between the scaffolding unit 70 and the cutting device 172.

A predetermined gap is secured between the lower guide plates 208 and 201, and this cap allows the movement of the cutter disk 188 described above. In addition, a detector 210 for detecting passage of printing paper is disposed between the scarf roller unit 70 and the cutting device 172 as schematically shown in FIGS. 1 and 5.

The cutting device 172 may use a triangular plate 212 as shown in FIG. 14 in place of the cutter disk 188.

In the discharge section 10, a first discharge gate 214 positioned between the upper guide plate 200 and the lower guide plate 201 described above and shown in FIG. 15 is disposed, and the first discharge is disposed. The gate 2l4 is capable of rotational movement about the support shaft 216 depending on whether the printed paper conveyed is cut sheet C applied or fanfold sheet F applied.

In addition, on the downstream side of the first discharge gate 214, the second discharge gate 218 and the discharge tray 220 are sequentially arranged. The second discharge gate 218 is also rotatable about the support shaft 222, and the discharge tray 220 is rotatable around the support shaft (not shown).

The upper guide plate 200 is connected to the discharge path of the sheet C as shown in FIG. 1, which is extended upward and then curved toward the belt conveyor 60 to face the upper surface of the printing apparatus. It is open.

Now, when cut sheet C is used for printing, it is in the lowered position, which is rotated downward, as indicated by the solid line in the first and second discharge gates 15, respectively. In this case, the first discharge gate 214 crosses the lower guide plate 201 and closes the path along the lower guide plate 201, and opens the path along the upper guide plate 200. . The second discharge gate 218 also opens a path along the upper guide plate 200. In this state, the sheet C discharged from the belt conveyor 60 is the first and second discharge gates 214 and 218 along the upper guide plate 200 as indicated by the solid arrows during the fifteenth period. Guided upwards. Thereafter, the sheet C is advanced along the discharge path described above and discharged toward the upper surface of the printing apparatus. In this case, the cut sheet C is in a so-called face down state with its printing surface downward, and is discharged to the outside of the printing apparatus.

When the above-described discharge tray 220 is rotated downward in the vertical posture indicated by the solid line in FIG. 15 and positioned in the horizontal posture indicated by the two-dot chain lines, in conjunction with the movement of the discharge tray 220, The second discharge gate 218 is rotated upward with respect to the support shaft 222 at the lowered position of the solid line, and is located at the raised position indicated by the dashed-dotted line. In this case, since the second discharge gate 218 closes the path along the upper guide plate 200 when the tip thereof crosses the upper guide plate 200, the sheet C has the upper guide plate 200 and the first discharge. After passing between the gates 214, it is advanced straight toward the discharge tray 220 as indicated by the broken arrow, and is stopped on the discharge tray 220. In order to reliably guide the sheet C toward the discharge tray 220, an auxiliary guide plate 224 is disposed between the first discharge gate 214 and the discharge tray 220. In this case, the sheet C is discharged onto the discharge tray 220 in the so-called face-up state with its printing surface upward.

On the other hand, in the case where the fan fold paper F is used for printing, the first discharge gate 216 is rotated from the lower position of the solid line to the rising position. In this raised position, the first discharge gate 216 closes the path along the upper guide plate 200 by crossing the upper guide plate 200 and opens the path along the lower guide plate 201. Accordingly, the conveyed fan folds F are guided downward along the lower guide plate 201 as indicated by the dashed-dotted arrows.

Also, even when the first discharge gate 216 is in the lowered position, when the second discharge gate 218 is in the raised position, the fanfold F passes through the discharge tray 220 and discharge is discharged from the discharge port of the printing apparatus. It becomes possible. In this case, if the processing apparatus of the rear end is connected to the discharge port of the printing apparatus, it is also possible to continuously supply the printed fanfold paper F from the printing apparatus to the processing apparatus.

A discharge stacker 226 is disposed below the discharge section 10. The fanfolds F guided along the lower guide plate are folded and stacked sequentially on the discharge stacker 226 from the cut. In order to ensure that the fanfold F is folded and stacked, the endless flat belt 228 and the chain belt 230 face each other between the discharge stacker 226 and the lower guide plate 201, respectively. It is. A plurality of hooks 232 protrude from the flat belt 228 at predetermined intervals. Thus, when the flat belt 228 and the chain conveyor 230 are driven in one direction, when the fanfold F passes between these flat belts and the chain conveyor, the hooks 232 of the flat belt 228 and The chain conveyors 230 cooperate with each other to fold the fanfolds F alternately at their cutting lines.

The discharge stacker 226 can be lowered in accordance with the height at which the fan folds F are stacked.

Next, the printing process of printing paper will be described.

First, when a control signal (not shown) of the printing apparatus is given a selection signal of sheet C from the host computer or the manual switch of the printing apparatus, the pair of feed rollers 22 of the printing section 8, the drum 40 ), The belt conveyor 60 and the scaffold roller unit 70 are driven respectively. At this time, as shown in FIG. 16, the circumferential speed VF of the feed roller 22 (VF and conveyance speed VCO of the belt conveyor 60 and the scaffold unit 70) with respect to the circumferential speed VD of the drum 40 is Each is controlled at the same speed, that is, their speed satisfies the following equation.

VD = VF = VCO

As is apparent from FIG. 16, the feed roller 22 and the drum 40 are rotated by the same electric motor 83, and the suction device 68 is also operated at the same time as the belt conveyor 60 is driven.

At this time, the separating device 90 is in a state of up operation in which the joining guide 54, the transfer / antistatic device 48 and the belt conveyor 60 are pushed up to the operating position, that is, the printing position, and the fan-folder F is at its tip. As described later, the trucker unit 32 is returned to the state. In the discharge section 10, the first discharge gate 214 is located in the lowered position, while the second discharge gate 218 is in either the lowered or raised position.

In the stack section 2, when a printing start signal from the host computer is given, the take-out roller 14 and the separation roller 20 are rotated, and one sheet of paper C is taken out of the tray 12. This cut sheet C is register-modified by the register roller 26, and is sent out from these register rollers 26 in a pair of introduction guides 28 at a constant speed. The sheet C which has entered the introduction guide 28 again passes through the confluence guide 54 by the feed roller 22 and is supplied toward the transfer position P0 of the drum 40. Here, the register roller 26 is rotating at the same circumferential speed as the feed roller 22.

When the sheet C is conveyed in the introduction guide 28, when the tip of the sheet C reaches the tip detecting sensor 30, the tip detecting sensor 30 detects the passage of the tip in the sheet C. This detection signal is output.

As shown in FIG. 17, when T1 time has elapsed from this output on the basis of the output time of the detection signal, the exposure apparatus 44 is based on the image data supplied from the host computer. Write the image on the surface.

On the other hand, the halogen lamp 128 of the transfer / antistatic device 48 and the fixing unit 122 is operated after the T2 time (T2 > Tl) has elapsed from the output of the detection signal. The T2 time is set to the time required from the output of the detection signal until the end of the sheet C reaches the transfer position of the drum 40.

The flash lamp 130 of the fixing unit 122 repeats the flashing light emission after the T3 time (T3> T2) has elapsed since the output of the detection signal. The T3 time is set to the time required from the output of the detection signal until the tip of the sheet C reaches just below the flash lamp 130 of the fixing unit 122.

If the above-described T1 time is appropriately set, the image written on the image forming surface of the drum 40 at the writing position θ during the sixteenth period is then developed by the developing unit 46 with the rotation of the drum 40 to become a toner image. . When the toner image reaches the transfer position P0 of the drum 40, the leading end of the sheet C also reaches the transfer position P0 at the same time. Therefore, the toner image on the drum 40 is transferred to the sheet C by the transfer portion 48a of the transfer / antistatic device 48 at the transfer position P0.

In order to peel the printing paper from the drum 40 after the transfer on the toner, the printing paper in the charged state is discharged by the static eliminator 48a of the transfer / antistatic device 48.

In addition, after the T4 time (T4 time is slightly longer than the T2 time) has elapsed from the output of the detection signal of the front end detection sensor 30, the peeled meat 50 is operated for a predetermined time to the drum 40. Abuts. Therefore, when the tip of the sheet C passes through the drum 40, the peeling hook 50 prevents the sheet C from being wound on the drum 40.

When the rear end of the sheet C passes through the feed roller 22, the front end of the sheet C reaches the belt conveyor 60. Therefore, the sheet C is subsequently turned over to the conveying belt conveyor 60 and suctioned and conveyed by the belt 66 of the conveyor.

When the sheet C on which the toner image is transferred on the belt conveyor 60 passes directly under the fixing unit 122, the toner image on the sheet C is first preliminarily heated by the halogen lamp 128, and the flash lamp The flash light at 130 is received and melted and fixed to the sheet C.

Here, since the number of times of irradiation of the flash light is determined as described above, the printing surface of the sheet C is given a light energy which is uniform and free from shortage. Therefore, not only can the fixing of the toner on the printing paper be secured, but also the generation of gas due to the decomposition of the toner can be reduced, and the contamination of the cut sheet C and the surrounding members due to the gas can be prevented.

In addition, with respect to the glass plate 158 of the fixing unit 122, the end edges of the glass plate 158 located on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the printing paper are fixed by the pair of auxiliary fasteners 166 as described above. These auxiliary fixtures 166 are located at positions away from the conveying area of the printing paper. Therefore, the tip of the sheet C is not caught by the fixing unit 122 when the printing sheet passes directly below the fixing unit 122.

In this embodiment, the light emission of the flash lamp is started when the tip of the sheet C reaches immediately below the flash lamp 130 with reference to the output time of the detection signal from the tip detection sensor 30. The flash lamp 130 does not waste light and can extend the life of the lamp.

The sheet C, which has passed through the fixing unit 122 and undergoes the fixing process, is then passed from the belt conveyor 60 through the capping roller unit 70 and the cutting device 172 which are driven in synchronism with the belt conveyor 60. It is sent out to the discharge section 10. At this time, the cutter disk 188 of the cutting device 172 is waiting at the position away from the conveyance path of the printing paper as shown in FIG. Therefore, the cutting disc 188 does not disturb the conveyance of the sheet C.

In the discharge section 10, the sheet C is received by the discharge tray 220 after the discharge posture is selected as one of face up or face down depending on the position of the second discharge gate 218, or of the printing apparatus. It is discharged to the outside.

If the rear end of the sheet C passes through the tip detection sensor 30 described above, the detection signal is lost from the front end detection sensor 30 at this point, and then the front end of the new sheet C turns off the front end detection sensor 30. When it passes, the detection signal is output again. That is, the tip detection sensor 30 repeatedly outputs a detection signal each time the sheet C is taken out of the tray 12.

On the other hand, the exposure apparatus 44 intermittently receives image data per sheet C 1 sheet from the host computer. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 17, the exposure apparatus 44 also intermittently performs the writing operation of the image onto the drum 40 in accordance with the supply of the sheet C. FIG.

The halogen lamp 128 of the transfer / antistatic device 48 and the fuser 122 is kept in operation until the last sheet C to be printed passes. That is, when the writing operation of the exposure apparatus 44 to the final cut sheet C ends, the operation of the transfer / antistatic device 48 is stopped after T5 time has elapsed from the end on the basis of the end of this writing operation, On the contrary, the operation of the halogen lamp 128 and the flash lamp 130 of the fixing unit 122 is sequentially stopped after the elapse of the T6 time and the T6 time Bobova slightly longer from the end.

Next, the printing process of the fanfold paper F will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19. FIG.

As is apparent from FIG. 18, the fanfold F is already taken out of the tractor unit 32 and is in an extended state on the belt conveyor 60 of the printing section 8 to the end of the belt conveyor 60. . That is, in this state, the selection signal of the fanfold paper F is supplied from the host computer or the manual switch to the control circuit of the printing apparatus, and the fanfold paper is set again after the previous printing on the fanfold paper F is completed. It is shown.

At this time, the fan fold F is stopped when its one cutting line coincides with the transfer position P0 of the drum 40, and then the separating device 90 is operated down, and the joining guide 54 and transfer are performed. The antistatic device 48 and the belt conveyor 60 are in an isolated state from the drum 40. Also in this case, it goes without saying that the first discharge gate 214 of the discharge section 110 is located in the raised position.

In this state, when the control circuit is given a print start signal from the host computer, the drum 40 is first rotated at a constant circumferential speed VD and the image forming surface is cleaned by the cleaning unit 52. When the cleaning is completed, the tractor unit 32 is stopped after being driven in the reverse direction by the electric motor 85 for a predetermined time. Therefore, the fanfold F is returned to the tractor unit 32 side by a certain length as indicated by the broken line arrow in FIG. 18. In this printing process, the electric motor 83 rotates only the drum 40, and the power transmission path between the electric motor 83 and the feed roller 22 is in a disconnected state.

As shown in FIG. 19, driving of the belt conveyor 60 and the scaffold roller unit 70 is started simultaneously with the stop of the tractor unit 32, and these conveyance speeds are set to VC1. Here, the electric motor 82 which is the drive source of the belt conveyor 60 and the scarf roller unit 70 is controlled so that the conveyance speed VC1 may become about 10% later than the circumferential speed VD of the drum 40. The suction device 68 of the belt conveyor 60 is also operated simultaneously with the drive of the belt conveyor 60.

Simultaneously with the drive of the belt conveyor 60 and the scaffold roller unit 70, the exposure apparatus 44 starts an image writing operation on the image forming surface of the drum 40 on the basis of the image data in the host computer.

When the writing operation by the exposure apparatus 44 is started, the tractor unit 32 is driven in the forward direction after the T8 time has elapsed from the starting time of this writing operation and the fanfold F is discharged. Is initiated. Here, the conveyance speed VT of the fan fold F by the tractor unit 32 corresponds to the circumferential speed VD of the drum 40. In addition, at the start time, the halogen lamp 128 of the transfer / antistatic device 48 and the fuser 122 is operated at the same time after the elapse of T9 time, and the flash lamp 130 of the fuser 122 is operated after the elapse of T10 time. It works.

The timing at which the operation of the flash lamp 130 is started coincides with the timing at which the cutting line of the first fan fold paper F is returned from the transfer position P0 to the tractor unit 32 side and the cutting line reaches the transfer position P0 again. .

By controlling such timing, the fan remaining in the toner image on the fan fold F which has not yet been fixed in the previous printing process, i.e., in the portion of the conveyance path between the drum 40 and the fuser l22. The fixing can also be reliably performed on the toner image on the fold paper F. FIG. Therefore, the operation start timing of the flash lamp in the printing process of fan-fold paper F is set at a time earlier than the printing process of sheet C. FIG.

In addition, the operation timing of the transfer / antistatic device 48 and the halogen lamp 128 is the same as in the printing process of the cut sheet C described above.

As described above, when the tractor unit 32 is driven after the elapse of T8 time at the start of driving the belt conveyor 60 and the scaffolding roller unit 70, that is, at the start of writing arrow data to the drum 40, This tractor unit 32 then shifts to constant speed operation and supplies the fanfold paper F at a constant conveyance speed VT. When Tl1 time elapses from the time when the tractor unit 32 reaches the constant speed operation, that is, the start time, the separating device 90 is up and the joining guide 54, the transfer / antistatic device 48 and the belt conveyor 60 are operated. ) Up to the operating position, ie the print position.

Therefore, the fanfold F is guided by the tractor unit 32 into the joining guide 54 at a constant conveying speed VT and guided by the joining guide 54 to be forced to the transfer position of the drum 40.

Thereafter, when the toner image on the image forming surface of the drum 40 reaches the transfer position P0 after the cutting line of the fan fold paper F returned to the tractor unit 32 side passes through the transfer position P0, the toner image is cut. In the same manner as in the case of C, the drum 40 is transferred to the fanfold paper F, and fixed by the fixing unit 122. The fanfold F printed thereafter is folded and wrapped in the discharge stacker 226 of the discharge section 10.

Here, since the conveyance speed VC1 of the belt conveyor 60 and the scaffold roller unit 70 is set faster than the conveyance speed VT of the tractor unit 32, fan fold F F receives the suction force from the belt conveyor 60. It is conveyed while sliding with respect to the support roller of the belt conveyor 60 and the scarf roller unit 70 in a state. Therefore, since the fan fold paper F is conveyed under tension, the printing surface of the fan fold paper F is firmly flattened at the transfer position P0 and the fixing position, whereby the transfer and fixing on the toner are performed stably.

When all of the image data to be printed from the host computer to the exposure apparatus 44 is supplied and the writing operation of the exposure apparatus 44 ends, as shown in FIG. 19, the fixing unit after the time of T12 hours from this end time point. The operation of the halogen lamp 128 and the flash lamp 130 of the 122 is stopped and at the same time the separator 90 starts the down operation and joins the guide 54, the transfer / charger 48 in the drum 40. ) And the belt coneyer 60 begins to be isolated. However, even when the down operation of the separating device 90 starts, the feeding of the fan fold paper F by the tractor unit 32 continues at this time, and the cutting line of this fan fold paper F is sent in more than the transfer position P0.

After the T13 time has elapsed at the start of the down operation of the separating device 90, the tractor unit 32 is decelerated, once stopped and then driven in the opposite direction to return the fanfold F to the predetermined length. As a result, the cutting line of the fan fold F is joined to the transfer position P0 of the drum 40. Alignment of the cutting line of the fan fold F with respect to the transfer position P0 can be implemented by controlling the drive of the tractor unit 32 based on the value of the counter 36 mentioned above. In addition, the operation stop timing of the belt conveyor 60 and the suction apparatus 68 corresponds with the timing which the tractor unit 32 stops once.

If the fanfold F prepared on the tray 16 in the stack section 4 during printing to the fanfold paper F disappears and the rear end of the fanfold paper F is detected by the front end detection sensor 18, the detection is performed. At this point in time, or from the time point at which the rear end of the fanfolder F passes through the tracker unit 32, the electric motor 82 of the belt conveyor 60 and the scaffold roller unit 70 is decelerated and the belt conveyor The conveyance speed of 60 falls to the conveyance speed VC0 equal to the circumferential speed VD of the drum 40. Therefore, even after the fan fold F is removed from the tractor unit 32, the fan fold F is conveyed at the same conveying speed as that of the tractor unit 32, so that the transfer and fixation on the toner to the final surface of the fan fold F is performed. It becomes possible to carry out stably. Deceleration of the conveyance speed of the belt conveyor 60 is performed in an instant or is performed gradually from the said detection.

Next, a description will be given of a process after the printing process of the fanfold paper F in the printing apparatus is finished.

First, when the printing process to fanfold F is finished, the separating device 90 is operated down as described above, whereby the joining guide 54 and the transfer / antistatic device 48 as indicated by the solid line during the 20th. And the belt conveyor 60 is in a state away from the drum 40. That is, in Fig. 21, a flowchart showing the procedure of post processing is displayed, and in this flowchart, steps S1 and S2 have already been executed.

As described above, when the selection signal of sheet C is output from the manual switch of the host computer or the printing apparatus, the determination result of step S3 becomes YES, and the fanfold sheet F cutting process (step S4) is performed.

In the cutting process, the tractor unit 32 is first driven in the forward direction, and the fan folder F is fed until the cutting line at the transfer position P0 reaches the position of the cutting device 172. In the meantime, the halogen lamp 128 and the flash lamp 130 operate to fix the unfixed toner image remaining between the transfer position and the fixing position in the previous printing process. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 13, the respective pinching pads 196 of the cutting device 172 are lowered, and located between the pinching pads 196 and the lower guide plate 201 downstream of the cutting line. The part of fan fleece paper F intervenes. On the other hand, the site | part of the fan fold | folder F located upstream rather than a cutting line is pinched | interposed between the support roller 72 and the free roller 74 of the capp roller unit 70.

Therefore, the fan-folded paper F is in the state which the upstream site | part and the downstream site | part were pressed together with the cutting line in between.

In this state, when the drive belt 178 of the cutting device l72 runs, the cutter disc 188, which has been in the standby position, is guided to the pair of guide foils 190 and moves along the cutting line of the fanfold paper F. do. Here, since the cutter disc 188 protrudes above the conveyance path of the fan fold paper F, this cutter disc 188 pushes up the cutting line of the fan fold paper F from the lower side as shown in FIG. To move forward. Since the upstream and downstream portions of the fan fold F with respect to the cutting line are sandwiched as described above, as the cutter disc 188 is pushed up, the ends of the cutting line are pressed and cut by the tension force at both sides. In this way, if a cutout occurs at the end of the cut line, the cut line is then easily pressed and cut by the cutter disk 188 being pushed forward while rotating, so that the fanfold F is completely separated from the cut line. The drive belt 178 then travels in the reverse direction, the curd disc 188 returns to the standby position, and each clamping pad 196 is raised.

Further, after being cut off, the portion on the upstream side of the fan folder F is conveyed toward the discharge section 10 as shown in FIG. 20 and folded and stacked on the discharge stacker 226.

The cutter disc 188 is not as sharp as its edges, but is in surface contact with a constant butterfly with respect to the cutting line of the fanfold paper F. As shown in FIG. Therefore, even if the outer circumferential surface of the cutter disc 188 does not exactly coincide with the cutting line of the fan fold paper F, the fan fold paper F is a weak part because the area near the cutting line is pushed up by the cutter disk 188. Press firmly on the cutting line.

Since the cutter disc 188 is pushed forward while rotating, smooth cutting of the cutting line is possible, but the same cutting can be performed on the triangular plate 212 of the cutting device shown in FIG.

When the cutting process is completed, the tractor unit 32 is driven in the opposite direction to return the fanfold F remaining on the vent conveyor 60. When the cut end of the fan fold F is detected by the tip detection sensor 38, the driving of the tractor unit 32 is stopped at this point, and the fan fold F is in a standby state as shown in FIG. do. In other words, paper parking is completed at this point (step S5). In addition, the standby position of the fan fold paper F may be a position which does not interfere with the conveyance of the sheet C. Therefore, the cut end of the fan fold paper F may be located in the confluence guide 54 even if the cutting end of the fan fold paper F is not located. good.

Thereafter, the separator 90 is operated up (step S6) and the first discharge gate 214 of the discharge section 10 is positioned at the lowered position (step S7), thereby printing the sheet C as described above. The process becomes possible (step S8).

On the other hand, if the determination result of step S3 is NO, it is determined whether or not to wait for the fanfold paper F (step S9). If the determination result is YES, the same cutting process and paper parking as the steps S4 and S5 are sequentially performed. (Step S10, S11). Therefore, at this stage, the fanfold paper F can be replaced. The determination in step S9 is performed based on the command signal from the host computer or the manual switch.

If the determination result of step S9 is NO, after a cutting process is performed (step S12), reset of F of fanfold paper is performed (step S13). In this reset, the edge of the fan folder F is set to the transfer position.

Next, as described above, the procedure for automatically setting the fan fold paper F again when the fan fold paper F is in the paper parking state will be described. In this case the separator 90 is in a down operation.

In the auto set, first, the tractor unit 32 is driven in the forward direction, and the fan folds F are sent out toward the joining guide 54. After the tip of the fan-fold paper F is detected by the tip detecting sensor 38, the feeding length of the fan-fold paper F passing through the tip detecting sensor 38 is continuously calculated by the rotary encoder 38 and the counter 36 described above. do.

The leading end of the fan fold F is contacted with the upper guide plate 56 of the confluence guide 54 in the lowered position as indicated by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. Accordingly, the tip of the fan fold F is guided by the joining guide 54 without being wound around the drum 40 and passes between the drum 40 and the transfer / antistatic device 48. Also, if the peeling claw 50 is in contact with the drum 40 when the fan fold paper F passes through the drum 40, the tip of the fan fold paper F is prevented from being wound against the drum 40 even in this case. can do.

When the fanfold F is sent back onto the belt conveyor 60, the detector 210 (see FIG. 1, FIG. 5) described above immediately after the tip passes through the scaffold roller unit 70. Is detected by the tractor unit 32, the driving of the tractor unit 32 is stopped when the cutting line of the fan fold F is matched to the transfer position based on the feeding length of the fan fold F.

Here, since the separation device 90 is operating down as described above, even if the cut line of the fan fold paper F is adjusted to the transfer position P0 based on the delivery length, if the separation device 90 is up, the fan is operated. Since the conveyance path of the fold paper F changes, the cutting line is diverted to the tractor unit 32 side at the transfer position P0. Therefore, in this case, in consideration of the up operation of the separating device 90, the cut line of the fan folder F is temporarily transferred from the transfer position P0 to the downstream side by a predetermined length DELTA L as shown in FIG. As a result, the cutting line and the transfer position P0 exactly coincide with each other when the separation device 90 is operated up.

In this manner, when the auto set of the fan folds F is completed, the above-described printing process can be performed in the same manner.

Claims (40)

First supply means for supplying a cut sheet as printing paper toward a common conveyance path; Second supply means for supplying continuous paper as printing paper toward the common conveyance path; A conveying means for receiving one print sheet supplied from one supply means and conveying it along the common conveyance path; Image forming means for forming an image on printing paper at a predetermined image forming position; Cutting means for cutting the continuous paper at the cutting position defined on the downstream side from the image forming position in the conveying direction of the printing paper; And a returning means for returning the continuous sheet remaining on the common conveying path after the cutting of the continuous sheet to an upstream side of the common conveying path and to a position which does not prevent supply of the cut sheet by the first feeding means. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising separating means for separating a common conveyance path from the image forming means when the continuous sheet is returned. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising separating means for separating a common conveyance path from the image forming means and the fixing means when the continuous sheet is returned. 2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image forming means is disposed at an upstream end of said common conveyance path, and said first and second supply means are located near an upstream end of said common conveyance path. And a joining guide for guiding the paper toward a common conveyance path and moving means for moving the joining guide in a direction approaching and separating from the image forming means. 4. An image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said image forming means is disposed at an upstream end of said common conveyance path, and said first and second supply means are located near an upstream end of said common conveyance path. And a joining guide for guiding the paper toward a common conveyance path and moving means for moving the joining guide in a direction approaching and separating from the image forming means. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising means for operating the separating means and the moving means in association. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming means includes a rotatable drum, the outer circumferential surface of the drum being defined as the image forming surface, and the first and second supply means supply the printing paper which is the same as the moving speed of the image forming surface. The conveying means has two conveying speeds for each type of printing paper when conveying the printing paper along a common conveying path, and the first conveying speed when the printing paper is cut paper is the same as the moving speed and the feeding speed. And a second conveyance speed in the case of coincidence and printing paper is continuous, which is faster than the moving speed and the feeding speed. 8. The conveying means according to claim 7, wherein the conveying means comprises: detecting means for detecting the end of the permanent paper on the second supply means, and from the time of detecting the detecting means until the end of the continuous paper passes the second supply means. And a drive source for lowering the second conveyance speed to the supply speed. Supply means for supplying fanfold paper as printing paper toward the conveying path, A conveying means for receiving the fan fold paper supplied from the supply means and conveying it along the conveying path; Image forming means for forming an image on the fanfold paper at a predetermined image forming position; Means for cutting the fan fold paper at a cutting position defined downstream from the image forming position in the conveying direction of the printing paper, the means for aligning one cutting line to be cut at the predetermined position with the cut line of the fan fold paper; Cutting means including restraining means for restraining portions of the fan folders located upstream and downstream of the cutting line, respectively, and cutter members moving along the positioned cutting line and pulling and pressing in the direction crossing the cutting line. Printing apparatus provided with. 10. A printing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said cutting means has a standby position at which said cutter member waits when not operating outside of a conveyance area of printing paper. 11. The printing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the cutter member is a disk that is movable while rotating along a cutting line of the fanfold paper. 10. The fan feeder according to claim 9, wherein the supplying means includes cut paper supplying means for supplying the cut paper to the conveying path, and the fanfold paper remaining on the conveying path after cutting of the fan fold paper is further cut upstream of the conveying path. And return means for returning to a position where the supply of cut sheets by the paper feed means is not impeded. 13. The printing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising separation means for separating a conveyance path from the image forming means when the fan fold paper is returned. 14. The conduit according to claim 13, wherein the image forming means is disposed at an upstream end of the conveying path, and the supply means is located near an upstream end of the conveying path and joins the sheet and fanfold paper toward the conveying path. And a moving means for moving the joining guide in a direction of approaching and separating from the image forming means. 15. A printing apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising means for operating the separating means and the moving means in conjunction. 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image forming means comprises a rotatable drum, the outer circumferential surface of the drum is defined as the image forming surface, and the supply means has a feeding speed of printing paper equal to the moving speed of the image forming surface. The conveying means has two conveying speeds for each type of printing paper when conveying the printing paper along the conveying path, the first conveying speed when the printing paper is cut paper coincides with the moving speed and the feeding speed, and the printing paper is a fan. A printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second conveyance speed in the case of fold paper is higher than the movement speed and the supply speed. 17. The conveying means according to claim 16, wherein the conveying means comprises: detecting means for detecting the end of the fan fold paper on the supply means side, and from the time of detection of the detecting means until the end of the fan fold paper passes the supply means. And a driving source for lowering the second conveyance speed to the supply speed. Supply means for selecting one of a cut sheet and a continuous sheet, and supplying the selected print sheet toward a common conveyance path; Image forming means for forming an image on printing paper at a predetermined image forming position; And a generating means operated before one of the supply means and the image forming means and generating different timing signals for the transfer process in accordance with the selected printing paper. 19. The fixing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the image forming means includes fixing means on the printing paper of the image, and the fixing means includes a fixing unit in which an operation start time is determined based on a timing signal from the generating means. Printing device with a built-in flash lamp. 19. The sheet forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the image forming means includes a rotatable drum, and also includes writing means for writing an image on the drum, wherein the generating means defines the leading edge of the sheet when the sheet is fed toward a common conveyance path. And detection means for detecting and outputting this detection signal as a timing signal, the timing signal determining an operation start timing of the writing means. 19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the image forming means includes a rotatable drum, and also includes writing means for writing an image on the drum, wherein the generating means outputs an operation start of the writing means for the continuous paper as a timing signal. And the timing signal determines a timing of feeding out the continuous sheet from the supply means. Supply means for supplying printing paper toward the conveying path, Latent image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive medium; Developing means for developing a latent electrostatic image on the photosensitive medium to obtain a toner image; Transfer means for transferring the toner image of the photosensitive medium onto the printing paper at the transfer position defined on the transportation path when the printing paper is conveyed on the conveying path; Means for fixing, on a printing paper, a toner image transferred at a fixing position defined on the conveyance path after transfer on a toner, including a fixing unit for irradiating flash light, the fixing unit carrying direction of printing paper by one flash light; Has a light energy distribution that concentrates 70-80% of the pre-irradiation energy in a 50% portion of the center of the irradiation area of the flash light, and at the same time, 70% of the pre-irradiation energy is concentrated in the conveyance direction of the printing paper v. When the length of printed paper is W and the lighting frequency of the flash lamp is f, v / f = n The printing apparatus provided with the fixing means which has the flash lamp set to the irradiation frequency n of the flash light represented by the range of 1.2-1.8. A supply step of supplying one of cut sheet and continuous sheet as printing paper toward a common conveyance path, A conveying step of receiving one printing sheet fed by the supplying step and conveying it along a common conveying path; An image forming step of forming an image on printing paper at a predetermined image forming position; A cutting step of cutting the continuous sheet at the cutting position defined downstream from the image forming position in the conveying direction of the printing sheet; And a returning step of returning the continuous sheet remaining on the common conveying path after the cutting of the continuous sheet to an upstream side of the common conveying path and to a position where the supply of cut sheets by the first supply means is not hindered. 24. The printing method according to claim 23, further comprising a separation step which is performed before the returning step and separates the common conveyance path from the image forming position. 24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the image forming process includes a process of moving an image holding medium, wherein printing paper is supplied toward the common conveyance path at a supply speed equal to a moving speed of the image holding medium. In the conveying step, when the printing paper is the cut paper, the cut paper is conveyed at a conveying speed coinciding with the moving speed and the feeding speed. When the printing paper is a continuous paper, the continuous paper is conveyed at a conveying speed faster than the moving speed and the feeding speed. The printing method returned. 27. The end of the continuous paper according to claim 25, wherein the end of the continuous paper is detected before the end of the continuous paper passes through the supply process to the conveying process, and the end of the continuous paper is supplied through the supply process after the end of the continuous paper is detected. The printing method further including the process of reducing the conveyance speed of the continuous paper in a conveyance process to the said supply speed until until. A supply step of supplying fanfold paper as printing paper toward the conveyance path, A conveyance step of receiving the fanfold paper supplied by the supply step and conveying it along the conveyance path; An image forming process of forming an image on the fanfold paper at a predetermined image forming position, A process of cutting a fan fold paper at a cutting position defined downstream from the image forming position in the conveying direction of the fan fold paper after the image forming step, wherein one cutting line to be cut at the fan fold paper is positioned at a predetermined cutting position. According to the process and the restraining process of restraining the portions of the fanfolds located upstream and downstream of the positioned cutting line, and the positioned cutting line, the tensile force is applied in the direction crossing the cutting line to form the cutting line. The printing method provided with the cutting process including the pressing process. 28. The process according to claim 27, wherein the supplying step includes a sheet supplying step of supplying the cut sheet to the conveying path, and the fanfold paper remaining on the conveying path after the cutting step is further provided at the upstream side of the conveying path. And a returning step of returning to a position which does not disturb the supply of the cut sheet by the printing. The printing method according to claim 28, further comprising a separation step which is performed before the returning step and separates the conveyance path from the image forming position. 29. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the image forming process includes a process for moving an image holding medium, wherein printing paper is supplied toward the conveying path at a supply speed equal to a moving speed of the image holding medium, In the conveying step, printing paper is conveyed at a conveying speed that is equal to or faster than the moving speed and the feeding speed. 31. The fan fold of claim 30, wherein the end of the fan fold paper is detected before the end of the fan fold paper passes through the supply step to the conveying step. And a step of lowering the conveying speed of the fanfold paper in the conveying step to the feed rate until the end of the sheet is fed. A supply step of selecting one of the cut sheet and the continuous sheet and supplying the selected print sheet facing a common conveyance path; An image forming step of forming an image on the printing paper at a predetermined image forming position; And a generating step which is executed in advance of one of the feeding step and the image forming step, and generates different timing signals for the image forming step according to the selected printing paper. 33. The printing method according to claim 32, wherein the image forming process includes a fixing step on a printing sheet of the image, and further comprising a step of determining an operation start timing of the fixing step based on a timing signal from the generating step. 33. The process according to claim 32, wherein the image forming process includes a writing process of writing an image on the image bearing medium, and the generating process includes: a detecting process of detecting the leading edge of the sheet when the sheet is fed toward a common conveyance path; And an output process for outputting a timing signal when the leading edge of the sheet is detected by this detection process, wherein the timing signal determines a start time of the writing process. 33. The image forming apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the image forming process includes a writing process of writing an image on the image bearing medium, and the generating process outputs a timing signal when a process of writing for continuous paper is started, and the timing signal is A printing method for determining the timing of feeding out continuous paper in a feeding process. A supplying step of supplying printing paper toward the conveying path, A latent image forming step of forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive medium; A developing step of developing a latent electrostatic image on the photosensitive medium to obtain a toner image; A transfer step of transferring the toner image of the photosensitive medium onto the printing paper at the transfer position defined on the conveying path when the printing paper is conveyed on the conveying path image; After this transfer step, a step of fixing a toner image transferred at a fixing position defined on a conveyance path to a printing paper is performed by a fixing unit accommodating a flash lamp. It has a light energy distribution that concentrates 70 to 80% of the pre-irradiation energy in the 50% portion of the center of the flash light irradiation area in the conveying direction, and the conveyance speed of the printing paper is 70% of the pre-irradiation energy in the conveying direction. When the length of the printed paper is concentrated, W is the flash frequency of the flash lamp and f is the irradiation frequency of the flash lamp. v / f = n A printing method comprising a fixing step in which the number of irradiation times n indicated by is set in the range of 1.2 to 1.8. Image forming means for forming an image on the continuous printing paper at the image forming position; First supply means for supplying printing paper toward the image forming position; Second supply means for feeding the printing paper toward the cutting position; Cutting means for cutting the fan fold paper at a cutting position downstream of the image forming position with respect to the feeding direction of the printing paper; Return means for withdrawing the printing paper after the cutting process is completed so that the leading edge of the printing paper is disposed at the image forming position when the printing paper is continuously printed or the leading edge of the printing paper is disposed at the position for removal of the printing paper when the printing paper is removed. A printing apparatus provided. The method of claim 37, Separating the printing paper from the image forming position in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the printing paper when the printing paper is continuously printed after the cutting process for the printing paper is completed, And the first supply means compensates for the deviation of the leading edge of the printing paper in the feeding direction of the printing paper caused by the movement of the separating means. An image forming process of forming an image on the continuous printing paper at the image forming position; A first supply step of supplying printing paper toward the image forming position; A second feeding step of feeding printing paper toward the cutting position; A cutting step of cutting the fan fold paper at the cutting position downstream of the image forming position with respect to the feeding direction of the printing paper; A return process of withdrawing the printing paper after the cutting process is completed so that the leading edge of the printing paper is disposed at the image forming position when the printing paper is continuously printed or the leading edge of the printing paper is disposed at the position for removal of the printing paper when the printing paper is removed. The printing method provided. The method of claim 39, And separating the printing paper from the image forming position in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the printing paper when the printing paper is continuously printed after the cutting process for the printing paper is completed, And the first supplying step compensates for the deviation of the leading edge of the printing paper in the feeding direction of the printing paper caused by the movement of the separating means.