The present application is based on, and claims priority from JP Application Serial Number 2020-218889, filed Dec. 28, 2020, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to a printing apparatus including a liquid ejecting unit for ejecting liquid and performing printing on a medium, a printing system, and a printing method for the printing apparatus.
JP-A-2015-218419 discloses an inkjet recording device for performing recording on a medium such as a fabric as an example of this type of printing apparatus. The inkjet recording device includes a transport means for transporting the fabric, a recording means for ejecting ink onto the fabric by an inkjet method and performing recording, and a cleaning means for cleaning the fabric. In the inkjet recording device described in JP-A-2015-218419, a configuration is disclosed in which a background image is printed on a medium by ejecting liquid from a head configured to perform scanning.
However, when printing the background image on a medium is performed by ejecting liquid from the head scanned by the inkjet recording device, there is a problem that banding occurs depending on transport accuracy of the printer. Note that the banding refers to a line (streak) formed in a streak shape along a head scanning direction in the image. The banding includes a white streak that extends along the head scanning direction in which a small gap where no ink is attached between scanning lines occur, and a dark streak that extends along the head scanning direction caused by overlapping and adhering of ink between adjacent scanning lines.
A printing apparatus for solving the above-described problems includes a transport belt including a support unit configured to support a medium, the transport belt being configured to transport a medium by moving the support unit, a liquid ejecting unit configured to eject liquid onto a medium supported by the support unit, and a dyeing unit configured to perform dyeing by immersing a medium in dyeing liquid, wherein the printing apparatus is configured to perform printing on a medium by combining dyeing by the dyeing unit and ejecting by the liquid ejecting unit.
A printing system for solving the above-described problems includes the above printing apparatus, and a drying mechanism configured to dry both a medium printed by the liquid ejecting unit and a medium dyed by the dyeing unit.
A printing system for solving the above-described problems is a printing system including the above printing apparatus, wherein the cleaning liquid storage unit is configured to store the cleaning liquid or the dyeing liquid, and the printing system includes a holding tank coupled to the cleaning liquid storage unit, the holding tank being configured to hold the cleaning liquid or the dyeing liquid stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit.
A printing apparatus for solving the above-described problems includes a transport belt including a support unit configured to support a medium, the transport belt being configured to transport a medium by moving the support unit, a liquid ejecting unit configured to eject liquid onto a medium supported by the support unit, and a dyeing unit configured to perform dyeing on a medium by dropping dyeing liquid, wherein the printing apparatus is configured to perform printing on a medium by combining dyeing by the dyeing unit and ejecting by the liquid ejecting unit.
A printing system for solving the above-described problems is a printing system including the above printing apparatus, and a drying mechanism configured to dry both a medium printed by the liquid ejecting unit and a medium dyed by the dyeing unit.
A printing system for solving the above-described problems is a printing system including the above printing apparatus, the system including a cleaning unit configured to perform cleaning operation on the transport belt using cleaning liquid, and a cleaning liquid storage unit configured to store the cleaning liquid, wherein the cleaning liquid storage unit is configured to store a pre-treatment agent in a case where the ink is ejected from the liquid ejecting unit, and pre-treatment is performed by immersing a medium in the pre-treatment agent stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit.
A printing method for a printing apparatus for solving the above-described problems is a printing method for a printing apparatus including a transport belt including a support unit configured to support a medium, the transport belt being configured to transport a medium by moving the support unit, a liquid ejecting unit configured to eject liquid onto a medium supported by the support unit, a cleaning unit configured to perform cleaning operation on the transport belt using cleaning liquid, a cleaning liquid storage unit configured to store the cleaning liquid, and a dyeing unit configured to perform dyeing by immersing a medium in dyeing liquid, the method including ejecting liquid from the liquid ejecting unit, storing the dyeing liquid in the cleaning liquid storage unit, and dyeing a medium with the dyeing liquid.
Hereinafter, a first exemplary embodiment of a printing apparatus including a liquid ejecting unit and a dyeing unit, a printing system including the printing apparatus, and a printing method will be described with reference to the drawings. The printing system includes, for example, an inkjet type printer in which a medium such as a fabric or paper is supported by a transport belt, and ink, which is an example of a liquid, is ejected onto the medium for printing.
In the drawings, a direction of gravity is indicated by a Z-axis while assuming that a printing apparatus 11 is placed at a horizontal surface, and directions along a plane intersecting the Z-axis are indicated by an X-axis and a Y-axis. The X, Y, and Z axes are orthogonal to each other. In the following description, the X-axis direction is also referred to as a width direction X, the Y-axis direction as a horizontal direction Y, and the Z-axis direction as a vertical direction Z. In this case, when distinguishing left and right in a device width direction, the left is referred to as the +X direction, and the right is referred to as the −X direction. When distinguishing between front and back in the device depth direction, the front is referred to as the +Y direction, and the back is referred to as the −Y direction. When distinguishing between upper and lower in the device height direction, the upper is referred to as the +Z direction, and the lower is referred to as the −Z direction.
Configuration of Printing System
As illustrated in
The liquid storage unit 40 is, for example, a cartridge or a liquid tank that stores liquid. The liquid storage unit 40 stores the same liquid as the liquid ejected by the liquid ejecting unit 20. The liquid is, for example, ink, but may be liquid other than ink. Examples of liquid other than ink include a pre-treatment agent or a post-treatment agent. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The cleaning unit 30 and the dyeing unit 50 are provided in a region inside the column beam structure of the housing 12 and below the glue belt 17. The cleaning unit 30 cleans the underside of the glue belt 17. The dyeing unit 50 is disposed at a position below the transport unit 16 to perform dyeing on the medium M.
As illustrated in
In addition, the liquid ejecting unit 20 is capable of ejecting at least one of a dye extracting agent for extracting the color of the medium M and a dye preventing agent for preventing coloring due to dyeing. As a result, the pre-treatment agent storage unit 40B stores the dye preventing agent as an example of the pre-treatment agent. In addition, the post-treatment agent storage unit 40C stores the dye extracting agent as an example of the post-treatment agent. The pre-treatment agent storage unit 40B and the post-treatment agent storage unit 40C are constituted by a cartridge or a tank, similar to the ink storage unit 40A.
Provided are the cleaning unit 30 that performs cleaning operation on the glue belt 17, which is an example of the transport belt, using the cleaning liquid, and a cleaning liquid storage unit 32 that stores the cleaning liquid. When dyeing is performed by the dyeing unit 50, the dyeing liquid is stored in a storage tank 34.
As illustrated in
The glue belt 17 is configured as an endless belt at which both ends of an elastic flat plate are joined. The glue belt 17 is wound around an outer circumferential surface of the driving roller 16a and an outer circumferential surface of the driven roller 16b. In other words, the glue belt 17 is provided at the housing 12 and is capable of transporting the medium M by being moved around.
A surface 18 of the glue belt 17 has, for example, adhesiveness, and is capable of supporting and adsorbing the medium M. The “adhesiveness” refers to a property that can be temporarily adhered to another member and capable of peeling from an adhered state.
At the surface 18, a direction that intersects with the +Y direction, which is the movement direction of the glue belt 17, is the X direction. Of the surface 18, a portion located in the +Z direction from the center of the driving roller 16a and along the XY plane is referred to as an upper surface portion 18a. The upper surface portion 18a supports the medium M. In other words, the upper surface portion 18a constitutes an example of a support unit that supports the medium M. In addition, of the surface 18, a portion wound around the driving roller 16a is referred to as a curved surface portion 18b. Furthermore, of the surface 18, a portion located in the −Z direction relative to the center of the driving roller 16a, and along the XY plane, is referred to as a lower surface portion 18c. In addition, the portion wound around the driven roller 16b is referred to as a curved surface portion 18d. Further, a pressurizing roller 16c that presses the medium M to adhere the medium M to the upper surface portion 18a is provided at a position upstream of the position where the liquid ejecting unit 20 faces the upper surface portion 18a in the transport direction Y.
The transport unit 16 can change the transport speed of the medium M by adjusting the rotational speed of the driving roller 16a per unit time. The medium M is peeled from the curved surface portion 18b by winding the medium M by a winding roller (not illustrated). The medium M that has been peeled from the curved surface portion 18b is dried by the drying mechanism 100 on the route to the winding roller. The medium M dried by the drying mechanism 100 is wound on the winding roller (not illustrated). Note that the drying mechanism 100 may be provided as part of a winding device that includes the winding roller.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As the liquid ejecting unit 20 performs recording on the medium M, liquid may adhere to the surface 18 of the glue belt 17. For example, when the medium M is a cloth, liquid such as a strike-through ink may adhere to the surface 18. Also, when the medium M is peeled from the surface 18, debris of the cloth may remain at the surface 18. The liquid such as ink adhered to the surface 18 causes the medium M to become contaminated, and the debris remaining at the surface 18 causes the adhesive force of the medium M to the surface 18 to be reduced. In the cleaning liquid storage unit 32, the surface 18 of the glue belt 17 is cleaned by the cleaning brush 37 in order to remove the liquid adhering to the surface 18 and the debris caused by the medium base material.
Thus, as illustrated in
The dyeing unit 50 uses the liquid stored in the liquid storage unit 40 as at least part of the dyeing liquid DL. The liquid (waste liquid) discharged from the liquid ejecting unit 20 is temporarily stored for each liquid type (for example, for each color) in maintenance operation by the maintenance unit 60, and the dyeing liquid DL for the color required when performing dyeing is stored in the storage tank 34. Then, in the storage tank 34, when the waste liquid used as the dyeing liquid DL is insufficient, the ink stored in the ink storage unit 40A is supplied as the dyeing liquid DL to the storage tank 34. For example, since there is no waste liquid due to the maintenance operation at the initial stage of using the printing apparatus 11, only the ink supplied from the ink storage unit 40A is used as the dyeing liquid DL. That is, all the dyeing liquid DL is supplied from the ink storage unit 40A. After a predetermined period of time has passed from the start of use of the printing apparatus 11, and when the waste liquid for each color is accumulated in the dyeing liquid storage unit 71 by flushing and cleaning, the waste liquid is supplied to the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 and used as at least part of the dyeing liquid DL.
As illustrated in
Configuration of Cleaning Unit
Next, a configuration of the cleaning unit 30 will be described in detail with reference to
As illustrated in
The storage tank 34 is disposed below the driving roller 16a and the glue belt 17. The storage tank 34 includes the bottom wall 35, a front wall 36a, a rear wall 36b, and a pair of side walls 36c. The bottom wall 35 is formed into a rectangular plate shape having a predetermined thickness in the Z direction and is disposed along the XY plane. The front wall 36a stands upright in the +Z direction at the end of the bottom wall 35 in the +Y direction. The back wall 36b stands upright in the +Z direction at the end of the bottom wall 35 in the −Y direction. The pair of side walls 36c are disposed at an end in the +X direction and an end in the −X direction of the bottom wall 35, and stands upright from the bottom wall 35 in the +Z direction. In other words, the storage tank 34 has a box shape in which the upper side thereof is open. The cleaning liquid CL for cleaning the surface 18 is stored in a space inside the box shape, which is enclosed by the bottom wall 35, the front wall 36a, the rear wall 36b, and the pair of side walls 36c. That is, the storage tank 34 stores the cleaning liquid CL supplied to the cleaning brush 37 when the cleaning operation is performed inside the box shape in which the upper side thereof is open.
The cleaning brush 37 has a cylindrical shaft portion 37a and a brush portion 37b that extends radially from the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion 37a. The shaft portion 37a extends along the X direction and is rotatably supported with respect to the brush support unit 34a provided at the inner surface of the pair of side walls 36c. The cleaning brush 37 is removably attached to the brush support 34a.
The brush portion 37b is configured to be able to contact the lower surface portion 18c in a state in which the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 rises in the +Z direction. The cleaning brush 37 is rotated by a motor 30M (see
The squeegee 38 is attached to a plate-like portion extending from near the rear wall 36b of the storage tank 34 in a posture inclined obliquely with respect to the lower surface portion 18c. The squeegee 38 scrapes the cleaning liquid CL, etc. remaining at the lower surface portion 18c after cleaning by the cleaning brush 37 from the lower surface portion 18c. Note that an inner frame 19 is provided inside the portion with which a tip portion of the squeegee 38 in the glue belt 17 comes into contact. The inner frame 19 is erected in the X direction in the housing 12 to support the glue belt 17 from inside. This allows the glue belt 17 to resist pressurization from the squeegee 38. In addition, the cleaning unit 30 includes a liquid volume sensor 39 that detects a liquid volume of the liquid stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32. When it is detected that the amount of the cleaning liquid CL is less than the lower limit amount by the liquid volume sensor 39, the control unit 26 replenishes the cleaning liquid CL or notifies the user of information indicating that the cleaning liquid is insufficient.
Configuration of Dyeing Unit
Next, the dyeing unit 50 will be described in detail with reference to
The cleaning liquid storage unit 32 is adjusted by the elevator mechanism 31 to a first position, which is a height position where the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 is disposed during cleaning when the cleaning brush 37 is attached, and a second position, which is lower than the first height position and is a height position where the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 is disposed during dyeing when the transport mechanism 51 is mounted. When the elevator actuator 31A of the elevator mechanism 31 is driven in contraction, the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 is disposed at the second position illustrated in
The transport mechanism 51 includes a pair of transport rollers 52, 53 disposed at both sides that sandwich a portion of the medium M immersed in the dyeing liquid DL in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 in the transport direction Y. In other words, the transport mechanism 51 includes a first transport roller pair 52 disposed at a position upstream of the transport direction Y with respect to the cleaning liquid storage unit 32, and a second transport roller pair 53 disposed at a position downstream of the transport direction Y. The first transport roller pair 52 transports the medium M by clamping an upstream portion of the medium M in the transport direction Y with respect to a portion immersed in the dyeing liquid DL in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32. The second transport roller pair 53 transports the medium M by clamping a downstream portion of the medium M in the transport direction Y with respect to a portion immersed in the dyeing liquid DL in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32.
The transport mechanism 51 includes a squeeze roller 54 at a position slightly upstream of the second transport roller pair 53. The squeeze roller 54 removes excess dyeing liquid DL from the medium M by sandwiching a portion of the medium M exiting from the dyeing liquid DL in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32. The dyeing liquid DL removed from the medium M by the squeeze roller 54 is returned to the storage tank 34 and then reused.
The control unit 26 drives the pair of transport rollers 52, 53 at the same speed while maintaining a portion of the medium M that hangs between the pair of transport rollers 52, 53 immersed in the dyeing liquid DL, the portion being sandwiched by each pair of transport rollers 52, 53 that constitute the transport mechanism 51. Further, the control unit 26 drives the squeeze roller 54 constituting the transport mechanism 51 at the same transport speed as the pair of transport rollers 52, 53. In addition, when it is detected that the liquid volume of the dyeing liquid DL in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 is below the lower liquid volume by the liquid volume sensor 39, the control unit 26 replenishes the dyeing liquid DL or notifies the user of information indicating that the dyeing liquid is insufficient.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Next, a liquid supply system of the liquid ejecting unit 20 and a dyeing liquid supply system of the dyeing unit 50 will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The maintenance unit 60 includes a cap 61 as an example of a liquid receiving unit that receives liquid discharged as waste liquid from the liquid ejecting head 21 by maintenance operation. During flushing, liquid is ejected from the nozzle 21N of the liquid ejecting unit 20 toward the cap 61 as waste liquid. During cleaning, liquid is discharged from the nozzle 21N of the liquid ejecting unit 20 toward the cap 61 as waste liquid. Note that the liquid ejecting unit 20 may include a flushing box dedicated to flushing that receives the liquid ejected by flushing. In this manner, the liquid receiving unit may be constituted only by the cap 61, or may be constituted by the cap 61 and the flushing box.
The maintenance unit 60 performs maintenance on the nozzle 21N of the liquid ejecting unit 20. As one of the maintenance, the liquid ejecting unit 20 performs flushing to eject liquid from the nozzle 21N as waste liquid. As one of the maintenance, cleaning is performed in which liquid in the liquid ejecting head 21 is discharged as waste liquid through the nozzle 21N.
Here, “capping” refers to operation in which the cap 61 comes into contact with the liquid ejecting head 21 so as to surround the opening of the nozzle 21N when the liquid ejecting head 21 does not eject liquid. As a result, a substantially closed space is formed between the nozzle opening surface where the nozzle 21N of the liquid ejecting head 21 is open and the cap. Thickening of the liquid in the nozzle 21N is suppressed by the capping, whereby the occurrence of eject defect can be prevented.
The “flushing” refers to ejecting operation in which a liquid droplet unrelated to the recording is discharged from the nozzle 21N as waste liquid. The flushing prevents clogging of the nozzle 21N by discharging thickened liquid, bubbles, or foreign matters that cause the eject defect from the nozzle 21N. The flushing is performed, for example, by the liquid ejecting head 21 ejecting the liquid droplet from the nozzle 21N into the cap 61 as waste liquid.
The maintenance unit 60 has a waste liquid feed flow path 62 that is a flow path coupled between the cap 61 and a dyeing liquid supply flow path 70A, and a waste liquid feed pump 63 provided in the middle of the waste liquid feed flow path 62. The waste liquid feed pump 63 feeds the waste liquid from the cap 61 towards the dyeing liquid storage unit 71 through the waste liquid feed flow path 62. Also, in a case of a configuration including the flushing box, the waste liquid is transferred from the flushing box toward the dyeing liquid storage unit 71 by the waste liquid feed pump 63. Note that the waste liquid feed pump 63 coupled to the cap 61 and the waste liquid feed pump 63 coupled to the flushing box may be supply pumps or separate pumps.
The cleaning refers to operation in which liquid is forcibly discharged as waste liquid from the nozzle 21N of the liquid ejecting head 21. The cap 61 is raised and lowered between a capping position at which the nozzle 21N comes into contact with the opening nozzle surface 21a and a retracted position separated from the nozzle surface 21a. During cleaning, the cap 61 is brought into a capping state in which the cap 61 comes into contact with the nozzle surface 21a. In this state, suction cleaning is performed in which negative pressure is generated in the closed space by driving the waste liquid feed pump 63, and the liquid in the liquid ejecting head 21 is discharged as waste liquid through the nozzle 21N. Note that the cleaning may be pressurized cleaning instead of the suction cleaning. In the pressurized cleaning, a pressing force is applied from the upstream of the nozzle 21N of the liquid ejecting head 21, so that the liquid is forcibly discharged as waste liquid from the nozzle 21N. This pressurized cleaning may utilize the pressurizing mechanism 42 to pressurize the liquid storage unit 40 with the pressurizing pump 43 to forcibly discharge the liquid from the nozzle 21N of the liquid ejecting unit 20.
As illustrated in
The liquids having a plurality of colors are combined and used as at least part of the dyeing liquid. The plurality of (N) dyeing liquid storage units 71, which are the same number as the number of colors, are coupled to the storage tank 34 through a plurality of (N) pipe paths 74. An open/close valve 75 capable of individually opening and closing the pipe path 74 is provided in the middle of the plurality of (N) pipe paths 74. The dyeing liquid stored for each color in the dyeing liquid storage unit 71 is supplied to the storage tank 34 by opening the open/close valve 75. When the dyeing liquid DL having the plurality of colors is supplied to the storage tank 34, the dyeing liquid DL having the plurality of colors is toned in the storage tank 34. In the present example, the maintenance unit 60 performs the maintenance operation, and the liquids having the plurality of colors ejected or discharged as waste liquid from the liquid ejecting head 21 are combined in the storage tank 34, so that the combined liquid is at least used as part of the dyeing liquid DL. In a case where the dyeing liquid is insufficient only with the liquids having the plurality of colors ejected or discharged from the liquid ejecting head 21 in the maintenance operation, the liquid from the liquid storage unit 40 is replenished.
The supply flow path 41 extending from the liquid storage unit 40 branches into a supply flow path 41A coupled to the liquid ejecting unit 20 and the dyeing liquid supply flow path 70A coupled to the dyeing liquid storage unit 71. The dyeing liquid storage unit 71 stores the dyeing liquid supplied to the storage tank 34 when dyeing is performed.
The waste liquid feed flow path 62 extending from the maintenance unit 60 is merged with the dyeing liquid supply flow path 70A. The ink received as waste liquid by the cap 61 of the maintenance unit 60 is supplied to the dyeing liquid storage unit 71 through the waste liquid feed flow path 62 and the dyeing liquid supply flow path 70A.
Liquid discharged by the maintenance operation of the liquid ejecting unit 20 is at least used as part of the dyeing liquid. When the dyeing liquid of the dyeing liquid storage unit 71 is insufficient, the liquid from the liquid storage unit 40 may be replenished as dyeing liquid. Between the liquid storage unit 40 and the dyeing liquid storage unit 71, an open/close valve 72 and a check valve 73 are provided in the middle of the dyeing liquid supply flow path 70A that is branched from the supply flow path 41. The check valve 73 permits liquid to flow from the liquid storage unit 40 to the dyeing liquid storage unit 71, and prevents liquid from flowing to the opposite orientation thereof.
The dyeing unit 50 includes a liquid volume sensor 76 that detects the liquid volume of the dyeing liquid DL stored in the dyeing liquid storage unit 71. The liquid volume sensor 76 detects the insufficiency of the dyeing liquid. The open/close valve 72 is opened when the liquid volume detected by the liquid volume sensor 76 is less than the predetermined lower limit value of the liquid volume, and is closed when the predetermined liquid volume upper limit value is reached. Thus, the required amount of the dyeing liquid DL for each color is stored in the dyeing liquid storage unit 71. Note that the printing apparatus 11 may include a dyeing liquid supply source dedicated to the dyeing liquid (a dyeing liquid supply tank), in addition to the liquid storage unit for storing the liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejecting unit 20. That is, a toning storage unit may be provided for storing the dyeing liquid DL having at least part of the selected colors of the dyeing liquid DL having the plurality of colors stored in the plurality of dyeing liquid storage units 71, and performing the toning. Furthermore, a configuration may be adopted wherein in a case where the liquid volume of the dyeing liquid storage unit 71 is insufficient even when using the waste liquid, the dyeing liquid may be supplied from the dyeing liquid supply source. Furthermore, when the dyeing liquid from the dyeing liquid supply source is also insufficient, the ink may be supplied from the ink storage unit 40A.
Configuration of Dyeing Unit
As illustrated in
Further, a first holding tank 55 that discharges and holds the stored cleaning liquid CL is coupled to the storage tank 34. The first holding tank 55 is a tank for holding the cleaning liquid CL temporarily discharged from the storage tank 34 when the liquid stored in the storage tank 34 is switched from the cleaning liquid CL to the dyeing liquid DL.
When the dyeing unit 50 performs dyeing, the dyeing liquid DL is stored in the storage tank 34 instead of the cleaning liquid CL. A drainage flow path 55A for discharging the cleaning liquid CL is coupled to the storage tank 34. A drainage valve 55B is provided in the middle of the drainage flow path 55A, and the cleaning liquid CL in the storage tank 34 is discharged to the first holding tank 55 through the drainage flow path 55A by opening the drainage valve 55B. In an example illustrated in
Further, a second holding tank 56 that discharges and holds the stored dyeing liquid DL is coupled to the storage tank 34. The second holding tank 56 is a tank for holding the dyeing liquid DL temporarily discharged from the storage tank 34 when the liquid stored in the storage tank 34 is switched from the dyeing liquid DL to another liquid such as cleaning liquid CL. A drainage flow path 56A for discharging the dyeing liquid DL is coupled to the storage tank 34. A drainage valve 56B is provided in the middle of the drainage flow path 56A, and the dyeing liquid DL in the storage tank 34 is discharged to the second holding tank 56 through the drainage flow path 56A by opening the drainage valve 56B. In the example illustrated in
By immersing the medium M in the liquid stored in the storage tank 34, the dyeing unit 50 performs treatment to attach the component of the liquid to the medium M. Furthermore, the dyeing unit 50 performs dyeing treatment by immersing the medium M in the dyeing liquid DL stored in the storage tank 34 so as to attach the dye, which is a component of the dyeing liquid, to the medium M.
The dyeing unit 50 may handle not only the dyeing liquid DL but also a pre-treatment agent L1 and a post-treatment agent L2 as the liquid for immersing the medium M. The pre-treatment agent L1 is treatment liquid for pre-treating the medium M by immersing the medium M in advance before the liquid ejecting unit 20 performs printing. The pre-treatment agent L1 may be, for example, an anti-bleeding agent. In this case, the surface of the medium M is subjected to the pre-treatment agent L1 prior to printing on the medium M in order to prevent bleeding of the ink ejected onto the medium M by the liquid ejecting unit 20 when printing. When the dyeing unit 50 performs pre-treatment, the medium M is immersed in the pre-treatment agent L1 stored in the storage tank 34. By applying the pre-treatment agent L1 to the surface of the medium M prior to printing, the surface of the medium M is subjected to the anti-bleeding treatment. Note that the pre-treatment agent L1 is not limited to the anti-bleeding agent, but may be treatment liquid applied to the medium M prior to printing.
In addition, the post-treatment agent L2 is applied to the surface of the medium M after printing in order to prevent the layer of ink (hereinafter, also referred to as “ink layer”) printed onto the medium M by the liquid ejecting unit 20 from being peeled off after drying by an external force such as friction. When the dyeing unit 50 performs post-treatment, the medium M is immersed in the post-treatment agent L2 stored in the storage tank 34. The post-treatment agent L2 may be, for example, a coating agent. By immersing the medium M in the coating agent, the ink layer of the medium M after printing is protected by the coating layer. Note that the post-treatment agent L2 is not limited to the coating agent, but may be treatment liquid applied to the medium M after printing.
As illustrated in
Furthermore, as illustrated in
The printing apparatus 11 may include the liquid volume sensor 39 for detecting the position of the liquid level of the liquid such as the cleaning liquid CL or the dyeing liquid DL in the storage tank 34. For example, when the liquid volume sensor 39 detects that the height of the liquid level of the storage tank 34 has been lowered to a predetermined position by evaporation of the water contained in the cleaning liquid CL, a message may be displayed in the display unit 46 illustrated in
As illustrated in
The control unit 26 is configured to include a CPU and a memory (not illustrated). The CPU is an arithmetic processing unit. The memory is a storage device ensuring a region for storing programs of the CPU, a working region, etc. and includes a storage element such as a RAM, EEPROM, etc. The CPU controls operation of each portion of the printing apparatus 11 in accordance with a program stored in the memory. The control unit 26 performs wired or wireless communication with the control unit (not illustrated) of the drying mechanism 100 and shares information with each other.
The control unit 26 controls the transport unit 16, the liquid ejecting unit 20, the cleaning unit 30, and the dyeing unit 50 based on the printing data. The printing data includes a command, and printed image data. The command includes a scan command for driving and controlling the carriage 22, a transport command for controlling the glue belt 17, etc. The control unit 26 drives and controls the carriage 22 based on the scan command, and controls transport of the glue belt 17, etc. based on the transport command.
The printed image data is dot data having a predetermined gradation. In the present example, the data is, for example, four-graduation dot data. The printed image data is configured by a plurality of plate data represented by dot data for each ink color. The liquid ejecting head 21 can distinguish the liquid droplets separately depending on whether or not the droplets are to be ejected, and can distinguish the liquid droplets separately in three gradations of dot size, for example, large dots, medium dots, and small dots, as the droplet size when ejected. Note that the graduation of the printed image data may have two graduations with only the presence or absence of ejecting, or three graduations for distinguishing large dots and small dots. The control unit 26 controls a duty value that determines the magnitude of the power supplied to a eject drive element contained in each nozzle of the liquid ejecting head 21. In other words, the control unit 26 performs liquid eject control in which the liquid droplets are ejected from the nozzle by duty-controlling the eject drive element for each nozzle of the liquid ejecting head 21 based on a pixel value of the printed image data.
The control unit 26 receives color information of the dyeing liquid from the operation unit 45 operated by the user. Tone table data is stored in a non-volatile memory (not illustrated) included in the control unit 26. The control unit 26 refers to the tone table data (not illustrated) based on the color information of the dyeing liquid received from the operation unit 45, and determines the ink supply amount to be supplied to the storage tank 34 from the plurality of dyeing liquid storage units 71 for each color. Then, the control unit 26 supplies the required ink supply amount of ink to the storage tank 34 by controlling the opening and closing of the open/close valve 75 for each color. Thus, the dyeing liquid DL for the required color is supplied from each of the dyeing liquid storage units 71 to the storage tank 34 at the required proportion. As a result, the color specified by the user with the operation of the operation unit 45 is toned by the dyeing liquid DL in the storage tank 34. Thus, the user can omit manual toning operation.
The N pipe paths 74 respectively supplying the dyeing liquid DL having N colors are coupled to the front wall 36a of the storage tank 34 and communicate with the storage tank 34 (see
Next, digital printing and analog printing of the printing apparatus 11 will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Furthermore, as illustrated in
For this reason, the printing apparatus 11 can perform the digital printing and analog printing on the medium M in a single apparatus. In addition, it is possible to appropriately select which of the digital printing and the analog printing is to be performed on the medium M.
Next, action of the printing apparatus 11 will be described.
The printing system 10 and the printing apparatus 11 according to the present exemplary embodiment perform printing (digital printing) by the inkjet type liquid ejecting unit 20 and dyeing (analog printing) by the dyeing unit 50 on the medium M. Here, the digital printing is a digital process for printing at least a portion of the medium M by digital processing that controls at least a dot position between a position (dot position) and a dot size, the dot being landed by ejecting liquid such as ink based on the printed image data (digital data). On the other hand, the analog printing is an analog process in which the medium M is immersed in the dyeing liquid and then the dyeing is performed.
The printing apparatus 11 is capable of ejecting liquid and performing a plurality of types (four types in the present example) of printing:
Note that printing can also be performed by combining the aforementioned (1) or (2) and the aforementioned (3) or (4).
The printing methods of (1) to (4) described above will be described in order below.
The printing method according to the present exemplary embodiment mainly includes a first printing process method illustrated in
Printing with Dye Extracting Step
First, a printing process with the dye extraction will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
Then, after the dyeing liquid is supplied to the storage tank 34, the control unit 26 drives the motor 30M to rotate the cleaning brush 37. The dyeing liquid stored in the storage tank 34 is supplied to the liquid level at which a portion including the lower portion of the cleaning brush 37 is immersed. Thus, rotation of the cleaning brush 37 for a period of time causes the dyeing liquid DL stored in the storage tank 34 to be agitated. As a result, the dyeing liquid DL in the storage tank 34 is toned to a uniform color. After this toning has ended, the user sandwiches, by the pair of transport rollers 52, 53 configuring the transport mechanism 51, the medium M drawn from a supply roll (not illustrated) disposed upstream in the transport direction Y. In addition, the user sets the portion hanging between the pair of transport rollers 52, 53 to a state of being immersed in the dyeing liquid DL.
After this, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Printing with Dye Preventing Step
Next, a printing process with the dye prevention will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
Next, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
Printing with Pre-Treatment Step
Next, a printing process with the pre-treatment will be described with reference to
When printing is performed by ejecting the ink IL from the liquid ejecting unit 20, the pre-treatment agent L3 is stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 prior to printing. The pre-treatment is performed by immersing the medium M in the pre-treatment agent L3 stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32. In other words, prior to ejecting the ink IL from the liquid ejecting unit 20 and printing on the medium M, the medium M is immersed in the pre-treatment agent L3 stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32, and the pre-treatment is performed.
First, as illustrated in
Next, as illustrated in
Printing with Post-Treatment Step
Next, a printing process with the post-treatment will be described with reference to
When printing is performed by ejecting the ink IL from the liquid ejecting unit 20, the post-treatment is performed by immersing the medium M in the post-treatment agent L4 stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 after printing.
First, as illustrated in
Next, as illustrated in
Printing Method
Next, the printing method in the printing apparatus will be described with reference to
The control unit 26 executes processing of the first printing method illustrated in the flowchart in
In step S12, the control unit 26 stores the dyeing liquid in the cleaning liquid storage unit. After the cleaning liquid is discharged from the cleaning liquid storage unit 32, the user operates the operation unit 45 to input color information of the dyeing liquid. The control unit 26 refers to the tone table data based on the color information received from the operation unit 45, and determines the ink supply amount to be supplied to the storage tank 34 from the plurality of dyeing liquid storage units 71 for each color. Then, the control unit 26 supplies the required ink supply amount of ink to the storage tank 34 by controlling the opening and closing of the open/close valve 75 for each color. Then, the dyeing liquid DL is stored in the storage tank 34 at a required proportion for the cleaning liquid storage unit 32. The control unit 26 rotates the cleaning brush 37 for a predetermined period of time required for toning to agitate the dyeing liquid DL having the plurality of colors supplied to the storage tank 34. As a result of this agitation, the dyeing liquid DL that has been toned to the specified color is stored in the storage tank 34.
In step S13, the control unit 26 performs dyeing on the medium M with the dyeing liquid DL. After the dyeing liquid DL has been stored, the user sandwiches, by the pair of transport rollers 52, 53 configuring the transport mechanism 51, the medium M drawn from a supply roll (not illustrated) set on the supply device disposed upstream in the transport direction Y. In addition, the user sets the portion hanging between the pair of transport rollers 52, 53 to a state of being immersed in the dyeing liquid DL. The user operates the operation unit 45 to initiate the driving of the dyeing unit 50. The control unit 26 drives the pair of transport rollers 52, 53 at a predetermined drive speed by driving the motor 30M, and continuously immerses the medium M in the dyeing liquid DL. As a result, the medium M is dyed to a predetermined color specified by the user.
Note that the process of step S11 may be a process in which the liquid ejecting unit 20 ejects the ink IL as an example of the liquid. In other words, the liquid ejecting unit 20 ejects the ink IL to perform printing on the medium M. In this case, the processing of steps S12 and S13 may be performed with the post-treatment agent L4 instead of the dyeing liquid. The post-treatment agent L4 may be, for example, the coating agent.
Next, the second printing method will be described. The control unit 26 performs processing of the second printing method illustrated in the flowchart in
In step S21, the control unit 26 stores the dyeing liquid in the cleaning liquid storage unit. Specifically, after the cleaning liquid CL is discharged from the cleaning liquid storage unit 32, the user operates the operation unit 45 to input color information of the dyeing liquid DL. The control unit 26 refers to the tone table data based on the color information received from the operation unit 45, and determines the ink supply amount to be supplied to the storage tank 34 from the plurality of dyeing liquid storage units 71 for each color. Then, the control unit 26 supplies the required ink supply amount of ink to the storage tank 34 by controlling the opening and closing of the open/close valve 75 for each color. Then, the dyeing liquid DL is stored in the storage tank 34 at a required proportion for the cleaning liquid storage unit 32. The control unit 26 rotates the cleaning brush 37 for a predetermined period of time required for toning to agitate the dyeing liquid DL having the plurality of colors supplied to the storage tank 34. As a result of this agitation, the dyeing liquid DL that has been toned to the specified color is stored in the storage tank 34.
In step S22, the control unit 26 performs dyeing on the medium with the dyeing liquid. After the dyeing liquid DL has been stored, the user sandwiches, by the pair of transport rollers 52, 53 configuring the transport mechanism 51, the medium M drawn from a supply roll (not illustrated) set on the supply device disposed upstream in the transport direction Y. In addition, the user sets the portion hanging between the pair of transport rollers 52, 53 to a state of being immersed in the dyeing liquid DL. The user operates the operation unit 45 to initiate the driving of the dyeing unit 50. The control unit 26 drives the pair of transport rollers 52, 53 at a predetermined drive speed by driving the motor 30M, and continuously immerses the medium M in the dyeing liquid DL. As a result, the medium M is dyed to a predetermined color specified by the user.
In step S23, the control unit 26 ejects the liquid from the liquid ejecting unit 20 onto the medium M. Specifically, the control unit 26 drives the motor (not illustrated) to drive the roller 16a to rotate and transport the medium M at a predetermined transport speed by the glue belt 17. The liquid ejecting unit 20 performs processing on the medium M by ejecting liquid onto the medium M transported by the glue belt 17. The liquid ejecting unit 20 ejects the post treatment agent L2 onto the medium M as an example of the liquid. Note that, in steps S21 and S22, the dyeing liquid may be replaced to the anti-bleeding agent as an example of the pre-treatment agent L3. In this case, in step S23, the liquid ejecting unit 20 may eject the ink IL.
According to the printing apparatus 11 of the present exemplary embodiment, the dyeing of the medium M immersed in the dyeing liquid DL and the ejecting of the liquid by the liquid ejecting unit 20 are used in combination, whereby banding that can be generated when printing a background image, etc. by the inkjet type liquid ejecting unit 20 can be suppressed.
According to the first exemplary embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1-1) The printing apparatus 11 includes the glue belt 17 as an example of the transport belt including the support unit 17a configured to support the medium M, the transport belt being configured to transport the medium M by moving the support unit 17a, the liquid ejecting unit 20 configured to eject liquid onto the medium M supported by the support unit 17a, and the dyeing unit 50 configured to perform dyeing by immersing the medium M in the dyeing liquid DL. Printing is performed on the medium M by combining dyeing by the dyeing unit 50 and ejecting by the liquid ejecting unit 20. According to this configuration, banding does not occur in the portion where the medium M is dyed (for example, background, etc.). Thus, high quality printing with suppressed banding can be performed.
(1-2) The liquid ejecting unit 20 is capable of ejecting at least one of a dye extracting agent for extracting the color of the medium M or a dye preventing agent for preventing coloring due to dyeing. According to this configuration, the dye extracting agent or the dye preventing agent can be ejected from the liquid ejecting unit 20, whereby a fine image or gradation can be generated with respect to the medium M.
(1-3) The printing apparatus 11 includes the cleaning brush 37 as an example of the cleaning unit that performs the cleaning operation on the glue belt 17 using the cleaning liquid CL, and the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 that stores the cleaning liquid CL. When dyeing is performed by the dyeing unit 50, the dyeing liquid DL is stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32. According to this configuration, when printing is normally performed by the liquid ejecting unit 20, cleaning of the glue belt 17 is performed using the cleaning liquid CL stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 while printing is performed. When the dyeing unit 50 performs dyeing, the cleaning liquid CL is extracted from the cleaning liquid storage unit 32, and the dyeing liquid DL is stored instead. This eliminates the need to provide a storage unit for dyeing to store the dyeing liquid DL.
(1-4) The printing apparatus 11 includes the liquid storage unit 40 (ink storage unit 40A) capable of supplying liquid to the liquid ejecting unit 20. The liquid stored in the liquid storage unit 40 is at least used as part of the dyeing liquid DL. According to this configuration, liquid (ink) obtained from the liquid storage unit 40 is used as part of the dyeing liquid DL. As a result, printing can be performed without newly preparing the dyeing liquid DL. In addition, even when the dyeing liquid DL is insufficient during printing, the need for new preparation is omitted.
(1-5) The liquid storage unit 40 stores liquids having a plurality of colors. The liquids having a plurality of colors are combined and used as at least part of the dyeing liquid DL. According to this configuration, by combining the ink having the plurality of colors stored in the liquid storage unit 40, the dyeing liquid DL having a specific color can be generated.
(1-6) The liquid discharged by the liquid ejecting unit 20 as maintenance operation is at least used as part of the dyeing liquid DL. According to this configuration, the liquid discharged in the maintenance operation that has been discarded in the recent configuration is used as the dyeing liquid DL, whereby the environmental load can be reduced.
(1-7) The printing system 10 includes the printing apparatus 11, and the drying mechanism 100 that dries both the medium M printed by the liquid ejecting unit 20 and the medium M dyed by the dyeing unit 50. According to this configuration, drying after ejecting in the liquid ejecting unit 20 and drying after dyeing in the dyeing unit 50 can be performed by one mechanism, so drying can be performed without increasing the size of the device.
(1-8) The printing apparatus 11 includes the cleaning brush 37 that performs the cleaning operation on the glue belt 17 using the cleaning liquid CL, and the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 that stores the cleaning liquid CL. In the case where the ink is ejected from the liquid ejecting unit 20, the pre-treatment agent is stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 prior to this ejecting. The pre-treatment is performed by immersing the medium M in the pre-treatment agent stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32. According to this configuration, by storing the pre-treatment agent in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32, a location for newly storing the pre-treatment agent is not provided, whereby the device can be made smaller.
(1-9) In the printing system 10 including the printing apparatus 11, the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 is capable of storing the cleaning liquid CL or the dyeing liquid DL, and the system includes the holding tank coupled to the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 and capable of holding the cleaning liquid CL or the dyeing liquid DL stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32. According to this configuration, the holding tank is provided that temporarily holds the liquid stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32, whereby the liquid stored prior to replacing the liquid is not wasted.
(1-10) The printing system 10 including the printing apparatus 11 includes the cleaning brush 37 that performs the cleaning operation on the glue belt 17 using the cleaning liquid CL, and the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 that stores the cleaning liquid CL. When printing is performed by ejecting ink from the liquid ejecting unit 20, the pre-treatment agent is stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32, and the pre-treatment is performed by immersing the medium M in the pre-treatment agent stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32. According to this configuration, by placing the pre-treatment agent in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32, a location at which the pre-treatment agent is newly stored is not provided, whereby the printing system can be made smaller.
(1-11) The cleaning liquid storage unit 32 is capable of storing the cleaning liquid CL or the pre-treatment agent, and the printing system 10 includes the printing apparatus 11, the holding tank 55 coupled to the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 and capable of holding the cleaning liquid CL discharged from the cleaning liquid storage unit 32, and the third holding tank 57 capable of holding the pre-treatment agent L1 discharged from the cleaning liquid storage unit 32. According to this configuration, the cleaning liquid CL or the pre-treatment agent L1 stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32 can be temporarily held in the holding tank 55, 57, whereby the previously stored liquid is not wasted when replacing the liquid.
(1-12) The printing apparatus 11 includes the glue belt 17 including the support unit 17a configured to support the medium M, the glue belt 17 being configured to transport the medium M by moving the support unit 17a, the liquid ejecting unit 20 configured to eject liquid onto the medium M supported by the support 17a, the cleaning brush 37 configured to perform cleaning operation on the glue belt 17 using the cleaning liquid CL, het cleaning liquid storage unit 32 configured to store the cleaning liquid CL, and the dyeing unit 50 configured to perform dyeing by immersing the medium M in the dyeing liquid DL. The printing method for the printing apparatus 11 includes the following steps. In other words, the printing method for the printing apparatus 11 includes the steps of ejecting the liquid from the liquid ejecting unit 20, storing the dyeing liquid DL in the cleaning liquid storage unit 32, and dyeing the medium M with the dyeing liquid DL. Note that each of the steps of the printing method is performed in no particular order. According to this method, dyeing and other printing can be performed by one printing apparatus 11, whereby banding does not occur in the portion where the medium M is dyed (for example, background, etc.). Thus, high quality printing with suppressed banding can be performed. In addition, dyeing and other printing can be performed by one printing apparatus 11, whereby printing can be performed in a space-saving manner.
Next, a second exemplary embodiment will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configuration of the dyeing unit is different from that of the first exemplary embodiment. In other words, in the first exemplary embodiment, the medium M is immersed in the dyeing liquid DL stored in the storage tank 34 of the cleaning unit 30 to perform dyeing on the medium M, however, the printing apparatus 11 according to the second exemplary embodiment includes a dropping unit 90 as an example of the dyeing unit configured to perform dyeing on the medium M by dropping the dyeing liquid DL onto the medium M supported by the support unit 17a. Note that the configuration is the same as that of the first exemplary embodiment except that the configuration of the dyed unit is different, so that in particular, only the configuration different from the first embodiment will be described.
Configuration of Printing System
As shown in
As illustrated in
In a case where dyeing by the dropping unit 90 needs to be performed prior to ejecting by the liquid ejecting unit 20, the user causes the dropping unit 90 disposed at a position upstream of the liquid ejecting unit 20. On the other hand, in a case where dyeing by the dropping unit 90 needs to be performed after ejecting by the liquid ejecting unit 20, the dropping unit 90 is disposed at a position downstream of the liquid ejecting unit 20 in the transport direction Y. Note that the dropping unit 90 may be provided at both a position on the upstream and a position on the downstream in the transport direction Y with respect to the liquid ejecting unit 20.
As illustrated in
The dropping unit 90 is capable of dropping the dyeing liquid DL onto the medium M. The dropping unit 90 performs dyeing on the medium M by dropping the dyeing liquid DL onto the medium M. The dropping unit 90 can perform dyeing in accordance with the printing data, and the dyeing liquid DL can perform dropping in accordance with the location at which the liquid is ejected by the liquid ejecting unit 20. Specifically, the control unit 26 (see
Configuration of Dropping Unit
As illustrated in
The dropping unit 90 may include a solenoid valve (not illustrated) common to all of the nozzles 90a, may include a valve for each group of the nozzles 90a, or may further include a valve corresponding to each nozzle 90a. The control unit 26 adjusts the amount of liquid dropped from the nozzle 90a by controlling the opening and closing of the valve of the dropping unit 90 and the opening degree at the time of opening the valve. Further, in a case of a configuration including a plurality of valves, the control unit 26 selects the valve to be opened and the opening degree of the opened valve, so that the amount of liquid dropped from the nozzle 90a may be adjusted for each nozzle group or for each individual nozzle 90a.
In the present exemplary embodiment, the dropping unit 90 is an example of the dyeing unit, and the medium M is dyed with the dyeing liquid DL dropped from the dropping unit 90. The configuration of the dyeing liquid supply unit 70 that supplies the dyeing liquid DL to the dropping unit 90 is basically the same as the first exemplary embodiment.
As illustrated in
The liquids having a plurality of colors are combined and used as at least part of the dyeing liquid. The plurality of (N) dyeing liquid storage units 71, which are the same number as the number of colors, is coupled to the storage tank 34 through a plurality of (N) pipe paths 74. An open/close valve 75 capable of individually opening and closing the pipe path 74 is provided in the middle of the plurality of (N) pipe paths 74. The dyeing liquid stored for each color in the dyeing liquid storage unit 71 is supplied to the storage tank 34 by opening the open/close valve 75. When the dyeing liquid DL having the plurality of colors is supplied to the storage tank 34, the dyeing liquid DL having the plurality of colors is toned in the storage tank 34. Note that the dyeing liquid DL that has been toned in the toning storage unit may be supplied to the storage tank 34 by providing the toning storage unit for storing the dyeing liquid DL having at least part of the selected colors of the dyeing liquid DL having the plurality of colors stored in the plurality of dyeing liquid storage units 71, and performing the toning.
The printing apparatus 11 includes the liquid storage unit 40 capable of supplying liquid to the liquid ejecting unit 20. The liquid stored in the liquid storage unit 40 is at least used as part of the dyeing liquid. The liquid storage unit 40 stores liquids having a plurality of colors. In other words, the liquid storage unit 40 includes the plurality of ink storage units 40A (see
The waste liquid feed flow path 62 extending from the maintenance unit 60 merges with the dyeing liquid supply flow path 70A. The ink received as waste liquid by the cap 61 of the maintenance unit 60 is supplied to the dyeing liquid storage unit 71 through the waste liquid feed flow path 62 and the dyeing liquid supply flow path 70A.
The liquid discharged by the liquid ejecting unit 20 as maintenance operation is at least used as part of the dyeing liquid. When the dyeing liquid of the dyeing liquid storage unit 71 is insufficient, the liquid from the liquid storage unit 40 may be replenished as dyeing liquid. Between the liquid storage unit 40 and the dyeing liquid storage unit 71, an open/close valve 72 and a check valve 73 are provided in the middle of the dyeing liquid supply flow path 70A branched from the supply flow path 41. The check valve 73 permits liquid flow from the liquid storage unit 40 to the dyeing liquid storage unit 71 and prevents liquid flow to the opposite orientation thereof.
The dyeing liquid supply unit 70 includes a liquid volume sensor 76 that detects the liquid volume of the dyeing liquid stored in the dyeing liquid storage unit 71. The liquid volume sensor 76 detects the insufficiency of the dyeing liquid. The open/close valve 72 is opened when the liquid volume detected by the liquid volume sensor 76 is less than the predetermined lower limit value of the liquid volume, and is closed when the predetermined liquid volume upper limit value is reached. Thus, the required amount of the dyeing liquid is stored in the dyeing liquid storage unit 71. Note that the printing apparatus 11 may include a dyeing liquid supply source dedicated to the dyeing liquid (a dyeing liquid supply tank), in addition to the liquid storage unit for storing the liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejecting unit 20. Furthermore, a configuration may be adopted wherein when the liquid volume of the dyeing liquid storage unit 71 is insufficient, the dyeing liquid may be supplied from the dyeing liquid supply source rather than from the liquid storage unit 40.
The dropping unit 90, which is an example of the dyeing unit of the present exemplary embodiment, is located above and facing the support unit 17a, and is located above the dyeing liquid storage unit 71. Therefore, the dyeing liquid DL is supplied from the dyeing liquid storage unit 71 to the dropping unit 90 by a pump 79 against gravity. The dyeing liquid storage unit 71 and the storage tank 34 are coupled through the dyeing liquid supply flow path. The toning storage unit 77 and the dropping unit 90 are coupled through the supply flow path 78. The pump 79 is provided in the middle of the supply flow path 78. The dyeing liquid DL is supplied from the toning storage unit 77 to the dropping unit 90 by driving the pump 79.
As illustrated in
The printing apparatus 11 includes the liquid storage unit 40 illustrated in
Next, action of the printing apparatus 11 will be described.
The printing system 10 and the printing apparatus 11 according to the present exemplary embodiment can perform printing (digital printing) on the medium M by the inkjet type liquid ejecting unit 20 and dyeing by the dyeing unit 50.
The printing apparatus 11 can perform a plurality of types (four types in the present example) of printing on the medium M.
Note that printing can also be performed by combining the aforementioned (1) or (2) and the aforementioned (3) or (4).
The printing methods of (1) to (4) described above will be described in order below.
Printing with Dye Extracting Step
First, a printing process with the dye extraction will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
Thereafter, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Printing with Dye Preventing Step
Next, a printing process with the dye prevention will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
Next, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
Printing with Pre-Treatment Step
Next, a printing process with the post-treatment will be described with reference to
First, as illustrated in
Next, as illustrated in
Printing with Post-Treatment Step
Next, a printing process with the post-treatment will be described with reference to
In a case where printing is performed by ejecting the ink IL from the liquid ejecting unit 20, the dropping unit 90 ejects the post-treatment agent L4 onto the medium M after printing to perform post treatment. First, as illustrated in
Next, as illustrated in
In addition, when the liquid ejecting unit 20 ejects the liquid and then the dropping unit 90 drops the dyeing liquid to perform dyeing on the medium M, printing is performed by the first printing method illustrated in
According to the second exemplary embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(2-1) The printing apparatus 11 includes the glue belt 17 including the support unit 17a configured to support the medium M, the glue belt 17 being configured to transport the medium M by moving the support unit 17a, the liquid ejecting unit 20 configured to eject liquid onto the medium M supported by the support unit 17a, and the dropping unit 90 as an example of a dyeing unit configured to dye the medium M by dropping the dyeing liquid DL. The printing is performed on the medium M by combining the dyeing by the dropping unit 90 and the ejecting at the liquid ejecting unit 20. According to this configuration, banding does not occur in the portion where the medium M is dyed (for example, background, etc.). Thus, high quality printing with suppressed banding can be performed.
(2-2) The dropping unit 90 includes a nozzle 90a to drop the dyeing liquid DL, wherein a plurality of the nozzles 90a are disposed side by side in the width direction of the medium M. According to this configuration, the dyeing liquid is dropped from the plurality of nozzles disposed side by side in the width direction of the medium, whereby the medium is dyed. The dyeing is performed on the entire width direction of the medium, so that banding that tends to occur in the scanning type liquid ejecting unit can be suppressed.
(2-3) The dropping unit 90 can perform dyeing in accordance with the printing data, and the dyeing liquid DL can perform dropping in accordance with the location at which the liquid is ejected by the liquid ejecting unit 20. According to this configuration, the dropping unit 90 drops the dyeing liquid DL in accordance with the printing data, whereby a high-quality printed material can be provided. The dropping unit 90 can perform dyeing while avoiding a handle pattern printed by the liquid ejecting unit 20 or the pattern printed therefrom. In addition, when the dye extracting agent and the dye preventing agent are ejected from the liquid ejecting unit 20, the dyeing liquid can be ejected to overlap the location at which the dye extracting agent or the dye preventing agent is imparted.
(2-4) The liquid ejecting unit 20 is capable of ejecting at least one of a dye extracting agent for extracting the color of the medium M or a dye preventing agent for preventing coloring due to dyeing. According to this configuration, the dye extracting agent or the dye preventing agent can be ejected from the liquid ejecting unit 20, whereby a fine image or gradation can be generated with respect to the medium M.
(2-5) The printing apparatus 11 includes the liquid storage unit 40 capable of supplying liquid to the liquid ejecting unit 20. The liquid stored in the liquid storage unit 40 is at least used as part of the dyeing liquid DL. According to this configuration, as part of the dyeing liquid DL, the ink obtained from the liquid storage unit 40 (ink storage unit 40A) is used. As a result, printing can be performed without newly preparing the dyeing liquid DL. In addition, when the dyeing liquid DL is insufficient during printing, the need for new preparation is omitted.
(2-6) The liquid storage unit 40 stores liquids having a plurality of colors. The liquids having a plurality of colors are combined and used as at least part of the dyeing liquid DL. According to this configuration, by combining the ink having the plurality of colors stored in the liquid storage unit 40, the dyeing liquid DL having a specific color can be generated.
(2-7) The liquid discharged by the liquid ejecting unit 20 as maintenance operation is at least used as part of the dyeing liquid DL. According to this configuration, the liquid discharged in the maintenance operation that has been discarded in the recent configuration is used as the dyeing liquid DL, whereby the environmental load can be reduced.
(2-8) The printing system 10 including the printing apparatus 11 includes the drying mechanism 100 configured to dry both the medium M onto which ink is ejected from the liquid ejecting unit 20 and the medium M dyed by the dropping unit 90. According to this configuration, drying after ejecting in the liquid ejecting unit 20 and drying after dyeing in the dropping unit 90 can be performed by one mechanism, so drying can be performed without increasing the size of the device.
Note that the above-described exemplary embodiment may be modified as the following modified examples. Furthermore, the above-described exemplary embodiment and the modified examples described below can be further modified as appropriate, or combinations of the following modified examples in appropriate combinations can be used as further modified examples.
Hereinafter, technical concepts and effects thereof that are understood from the above-described exemplary embodiments and modified examples will be described.
A printing apparatus includes a transport belt including a support unit configured to support a medium, the transport belt being configured to transport a medium by moving the support unit, a liquid ejecting unit configured to eject liquid onto a medium supported by the support unit, and a dyeing unit configured to perform dyeing by immersing a medium in dyeing liquid, wherein the printing apparatus is configured to perform printing on a medium by combining dyeing by the dyeing unit and ejecting by the liquid ejecting unit. In addition, “immersing” means dyeing by passing the medium through liquid, which is different from the configuration in which liquid is ejected and then printing is performed.
According to this configuration, dyeing and other printing can be performed by one apparatus, whereby banding does not occur in the portion where the medium is dyed (e.g., background, etc.). Thus, high quality printing with suppressed banding can be performed.
In the printing apparatus described above, the liquid ejecting unit may be configured to eject at least one of a dye extracting agent or a dye preventing agent, the dye extracting agent being configured to extract a color of a medium, the dye preventing agent being configured to prevent coloring due to dyeing.
According to this configuration, the dye extracting agent or the dye preventing agent can be ejected from the head, whereby a fine image or gradation can be generated with respect to the medium.
The printing apparatus described above includes a cleaning unit configured to perform cleaning operation on the transport belt using cleaning liquid, and a cleaning liquid storage unit configured to store the cleaning liquid, wherein when dyeing is performed by the dyeing unit, the dyeing liquid may be stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit.
According to this configuration, when the liquid ejecting unit is ejecting liquid, the transport belt is cleaned using the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit. When dyeing is performed by the dyeing unit, dyeing is performed by storing the dyeing liquid in the cleaning liquid storage unit. At this time, the cleaning liquid is extracted from the cleaning liquid storage unit, and instead the dyeing liquid is filled. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a tank for dyeing.
The printing apparatus described above includes a liquid storage unit configured to supply liquid to the liquid ejecting unit, wherein liquid stored in the liquid storage unit may be used as at least part of the dyeing liquid.
According to this configuration, liquid obtained from the liquid storage unit is used as part of the dyeing liquid. As a result, printing can be performed without newly preparing the dyeing liquid. In addition, when the dyeing liquid is insufficient during printing, the need for new preparation is omitted.
In the printing apparatus described above, the liquid storage unit may be configured to store liquids having a plurality of colors, and the liquids having the plurality of colors may be used as at least part of the dyeing liquid by combining the liquids having the plurality of colors.
According to this configuration, by combining the inks having the plurality of colors stored in the liquid storage unit, the dyeing liquids having a specific color can be generated.
In the printing apparatus described above, liquid discharged by the liquid ejecting unit as maintenance operation may be used as at least part of the dyeing liquid.
According to this configuration, the liquid discharged in the maintenance operation that has been discarded in the recent configuration is used as the dyeing liquid, whereby the environmental load can be reduced.
A printing system includes the above printing apparatus, and a drying mechanism configured to dry both a medium printed by the liquid ejecting unit and a medium dyed by the dyeing unit.
According to this configuration, drying after ejecting in the liquid ejecting unit and drying after dyeing in the dyeing unit can be performed by one mechanism, so drying can be performed without increasing the size of the device.
The printing apparatus described above includes a cleaning unit configured to perform cleaning operation on the transport belt using cleaning liquid, and a cleaning liquid storage unit configured to store the cleaning liquid, wherein the cleaning liquid storage unit may be configured to store a pre-treatment agent prior to the ejecting in a case where the ink is ejected from the liquid ejecting unit, and pre-treatment may be performed by immersing a medium in the pre-treatment agent stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit.
According to this configuration, by storing the pre-treatment agent in the cleaning liquid storage unit, a location for newly storing the pre-treatment agent is not provided, whereby the device can be made smaller.
The printing system is a printing system including the above printing apparatus, wherein the cleaning liquid storage unit is configured to store the cleaning liquid or the dyeing liquid, and the printing system includes a holding tank coupled to the cleaning liquid storage unit, the holding tank being configured to hold the cleaning liquid or the dyeing liquid stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit.
According to this configuration, the tank is provided that temporarily holds the liquid stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit, whereby the liquid stored prior to replacing the liquid is not wasted.
The printing apparatus includes a transport belt including a support unit configured to support a medium, the transport belt being configured to transport a medium by moving the support unit, a liquid ejecting unit configured to eject liquid onto a medium supported by the support unit, and a dyeing unit configured to perform dyeing on a medium by dropping dyeing liquid, wherein the printing apparatus is configured to perform printing on a medium by combining dyeing by the dyeing unit and ejecting by the liquid ejecting unit.
According to this configuration, dyeing and other printing can be performed by one apparatus, whereby banding does not occur in the portion where the medium is dyed (e.g., background, etc.). Thus, high quality printing with suppressed banding can be performed.
In the printing apparatus described above, the dyeing unit may include a nozzle configured to drop the dyeing liquid, a plurality of the nozzles being disposed side by side in a width direction of a medium.
According to this configuration, the dyeing liquid is dropped from the plurality of nozzles disposed side by side in the width direction of the medium, whereby the medium is dyed. The dyeing is performed on the entire width direction of the medium, so that banding that tends to occur in the scanning type liquid ejecting unit can be suppressed.
In the printing apparatus described above, the dyeing unit may be configured to perform dyeing in accordance with printing data, and configured to drop the dyeing liquid in accordance with a location at which liquid is ejected by the liquid ejecting unit.
According to this configuration, the dyeing unit drops the dyeing liquid DL in accordance with the printing data, whereby a high-quality printed material can be provided.
In the printing apparatus described above, the liquid ejecting unit may be configured to eject at least one of a dye extracting agent or a dye preventing agent, the dye extracting agent being configured to extract a color of a medium, the dye preventing agent being configured to prevent coloring due to dyeing.
According to this configuration, the dye extracting agent or the dye preventing agent can be ejected from the head, whereby a fine image or gradation can be generated with respect to the medium.
The printing apparatus described above includes a liquid storage unit configured to supply liquid to the liquid ejecting unit, wherein liquid stored in the liquid storage unit may be used as at least part of the dyeing liquid.
According to this configuration, liquid (for example, ink) obtained from the liquid storage unit is used as part of the dyeing liquid. As a result, printing can be performed without newly preparing the dyeing liquid. In addition, when the dyeing liquid is insufficient during printing, the need for new preparation is omitted.
In the printing apparatus described above, the liquid storage unit may be configured to store liquids having a plurality of colors, and the liquids having the plurality of colors may be used as at least part of the dyeing liquid by being combined.
According to this configuration, by combining the ink having the plurality of colors stored in the liquid storage unit, the dyeing liquids having a specific color can be generated.
In the printing apparatus described above, liquid discharged by the liquid ejecting unit as maintenance operation may be used as at least part of the dyeing liquid.
According to this configuration, the liquid discharged in the maintenance operation that has been discarded in the recent configuration is used as the dyeing liquid, whereby the environmental load can be reduced.
A printing system including the printing apparatus described above, the system including a drying mechanism configured to dry both a medium onto which ink is ejected from the liquid ejecting unit and a medium dyed by the dyeing unit.
According to this configuration, drying after ejecting in the liquid ejecting unit and drying after dyeing in the dyeing unit can be performed by one mechanism, so drying can be performed without increasing the size of the device.
A printing system including the printing apparatus, the system including a cleaning unit configured to perform cleaning operation on the transport belt using cleaning liquid, and a cleaning liquid storage unit configured to store the cleaning liquid, wherein the cleaning liquid storage unit may be configured to store a pre-treatment agent in a case where the ink is ejected from the liquid ejecting unit, and pre-treatment may be performed by immersing a medium in the pre-treatment agent stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit.
According to this configuration, by placing the pre-treatment agent in the cleaning liquid storage unit, a location at which the pre-treatment agent is newly stored is not provided, whereby the printing system can be made smaller.
In the printing system described above, the cleaning liquid storage unit is configured to store the cleaning liquid or the pre-treatment agent, and the printing system includes a holding tank coupled to the cleaning liquid storage unit, the holding tank being configured to hold the cleaning liquid or the pre-treatment agent discharged from the cleaning liquid storage unit.
According to this configuration, the cleaning liquid or the pre-treatment agent stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit can be temporarily held in the tank, whereby the previously stored liquid is not wasted when replacing the liquid.
A printing method for a printing apparatus including a transport belt including a support unit configured to support a medium, the transport belt being configured to transport a medium by moving the support unit, a liquid ejecting unit configured to eject liquid onto a medium supported by the support unit, a cleaning unit configured to perform cleaning operation on the transport belt using cleaning liquid, a cleaning liquid storage unit configured to store the cleaning liquid, and a dyeing unit configured to perform dyeing by immersing a medium in dyeing liquid, the method including ejecting liquid from the liquid ejecting unit, storing the dyeing liquid in the cleaning liquid storage unit, and performing dyeing on a medium with the dyeing liquid.
According to this method, dyeing and other printing can be performed by one printing apparatus, whereby banding does not occur in the portion where the medium is dyed (for example, background, etc.). Thus, high quality printing with suppressed banding can be performed.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2020-218889 | Dec 2020 | JP | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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20090045372 | Craamer et al. | Feb 2009 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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2015-218419 | Dec 2015 | JP |
2019026998 | Feb 2019 | JP |
2019-218636 | Dec 2019 | JP |
Entry |
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Usui, Machine TranslationofJP-2019026998-A, 2019 (Year: 2019). |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20220203748 A1 | Jun 2022 | US |