LIQUID EJECTING APPARATUS AND LIQUID EJECTING METHOD

• US 20100045727A1
• Filed: 08/24/2009
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kayahara, Naoki
• Application Number:
  US12/546,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20100045727A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/16
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0065 Means for printing without leaving a margin on at least one edge of the copy material, e.g. edge-to-edge printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/0027 in the printing section of automatic paper handling systems
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/38 Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism

Abstract

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a head that ejects a liquid on a medium positioned in a printable area; a transporting unit that transports a first medium and a second medium successively in a transport direction; a first supporting member that supports a transport-direction upstream side end portion of the first medium and moves in the transport direction according to transportation of the first medium; and a second supporting member that supports a transport-direction downstream side end portion of the second medium and moves in the transport direction according to transportation of the second medium.

Claims

1. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

a head that ejects a liquid on a medium positioned in a printable area;

a transporting unit that transports a first medium and a second medium successively in a transport direction;

a first supporting member that supports a transport-direction upstream side end portion of the first medium and moves in the transport direction according to transportation of the first medium; and

a second supporting member that supports a transport-direction downstream side end portion of the second medium and moves in the transport direction according to transportation of the second medium.

2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first supporting member supports the first medium, and the second supporting member supports the second medium.

3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detecting unit that detects an end portion of each medium,

wherein the transport-direction downstream side end portion of the second medium is detected by the detecting unit during the printing for the first medium.

4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transporting unit includes:

a first roller that transports the medium at the transport-direction downstream side with respect to the printable area; and

a second roller that transports the medium at the transport-direction upstream side with respect to the printable area, and

wherein, when the first supporting member supports the transport-direction upstream side end portion of the first medium and when the second supporting member supports the transport-direction downstream side end portion of the second medium, the first medium is transported by the first roller, and the second medium is transported by the second roller.

5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, while the second supporting member supports the second medium, the first supporting member moves to the transport-direction upstream side.

6. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the head does not eject the liquid, the first supporting member moves to the transport-direction upstream side to support the second medium.

7. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the head includes a first nozzle and a second nozzle,

wherein the second nozzle is disposed at the transport-direction upstream side with respect to the first nozzle, and

wherein, when the head forms dots on the transport-direction upstream side end portion of the first medium by using the first nozzle, the transport-direction downstream side end portion of the second medium is positioned in the printable area, and the head forms dots on the transport-direction downstream side end portion of the second medium by using the second nozzle.

9. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detecting unit that detects an end portion of each medium,

wherein the first supporting member supports the first medium, and the second supporting member supports the second medium,

wherein the transport-direction downstream side end portion of the second medium is detected by the detecting unit during the printing for the first medium,

wherein the transporting unit includes:

a first roller that transports the medium at the transport-direction downstream side with respect to the printable area; and

a second roller that transports the medium at the transport-direction upstream side with respect to the printable area,

wherein, when the first supporting member supports the transport-direction upstream side end portion of the first medium and when the second supporting member supports the transport-direction downstream side end portion of the second medium, the first medium is transported by the first roller, and the second medium is transported by the second roller,

wherein, while the second supporting member supports the second medium, the first supporting member moves to the transport-direction upstream side,

wherein, when the head does not eject the liquid, the first supporting member moves to the transport-direction upstream side to support the second medium,

wherein the head includes a first nozzle and a second nozzle,

wherein the second nozzle is disposed at the transport-direction upstream side with respect to the first nozzle, and

wherein, when the head forms dots on the transport-direction upstream side end portion of the first medium by using the first nozzle, the transport-direction downstream side end portion of the second medium is positioned in the printable area, and the head forms dots on the transport-direction downstream side end portion of the second medium by using the second nozzle.

8. A liquid ejecting method comprising:

transporting a first medium and a second medium successively in a transport direction;

supporting a transport-direction upstream side end portion of the first medium by using a first supporting member, and supporting a transport-direction downstream side end portion of the second medium by using a second supporting member;

moving the first supporting member in the transport direction according to transportation of the first medium, and moving the second supporting member in the transport direction according to transportation of the second medium; and

ejecting liquid on each medium positioned in a printable area.