Inkjet printer

• US 7,794,077 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2005
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Durst Phototechnik Digital Technology GmbH (Durst Phototechnik AG)
• Original Assignee: Durst Phototechnik Digital Technology GmbH (Durst Phototechnik AG)
• Inventors: Falser, Klaus, Obertegger, Franz, Duracher, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zimmermann; John P
• Application Number:
  US11/056,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20050200679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,041 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 347/104
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1433 Structure of nozzle plates
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/145 Arrangement thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2114 Ejecting transparent or white coloured liquids, e.g. processing liquids B41J2/211 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2117 Ejecting white liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/008 Sequential or multiple printing, e.g. on previously printed background; Mirror printing; Recto-verso printing; using a combination of different printing techniques; Printing of patterns visible in reflection and by transparency; by superposing printed artifacts

Abstract

An inkjet printer with a print head carriage is disposed above the printing bed for displacing a print head unit in a transverse feed direction, a print head unit with at least one print head being provided for every color to be printed and having at least one nozzle row oriented in the forward feed direction of the print medium. Another print head unit is provided for applying white ink, whereby the row length of the color print head unit and the row length of the other print head unit at least partially overlap with one another, and whereby of the nozzles of the nozzle row of the color print head unit, only those nozzles lying outside of the overlap region between the row length of the color print head unit and the row length of the other print head unit activated for applying white ink are activated.

Claims

1. Inkjet printer with a printing bed for displacing a print medium in a forward feed direction and with a print head carriage disposed above the printing bed for displacing at least one color print head unit in a transverse feed direction, one print head unit with at least one print head being provided for the at least one color print head unit, and every print head has at least one nozzle row oriented in the forward feed direction of the print medium and the at least one color print head unit has an effective row length, wherein another print head unit with nozzles disposed in at least one nozzle row and of an effective row length is provided, the another print head unit is provided as a means of applying white ink, and the effective row length of the at least one color print head unit and the effective row length of the another print head unit at least partially overlap each other in the transverse feed direction, and a control unit for a nozzle control is provided for activating the nozzles, and, of the nozzles of the nozzle row of the at least one color print head unit, only those nozzles lying outside of an overlap region between the effective row length of the at least one color print head unit and a row length of the another print head unit activated for applying white ink are activated.

2. Inkjet printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one color print head unit and the another print head unit are attached to a common print head carriage.

3. Inkjet printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second another print head unit is disposed lying opposite the another print head unit and the print head unit is disposed in front of the at least one color print head unit by reference to a first transverse feed direction, corresponding to an outward displacement, and the second another print head unit is disposed in front of the at least one color print head unit by reference to a second transverse feed direction corresponding to a return displacement.

4. Inkjet printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the another print head unit is disposed in a region of the print head carriage facing the front face of the print head carriage and the front face is directed towards a region of the print medium moving towards the print head carriage.

5. Inkjet printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein nozzles of the at least one nozzle row of the at least one color print head unit are offset from one another by reference to the forward feed direction by a nozzle distance D and the nozzles of the at least one nozzle row of the another print head unit are offset from one another by a second nozzle distance d by reference to the forward feed direction of the print medium and wherein the ratio derived from the nozzle distance D and the second nozzle distance d is equal to 2.

6. Inkjet printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of nozzles of the another print head unit is the same as the number n of the nozzles of the at least one color print head unit.

7. Inkjet printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one color print head unite has at least two print heads for each color to be printed, whereby a first print head of a color is disposed at a relative pitch Δ

B from a second print head of the same color in the forward feed direction of the print medium and the pitch Δ

B is equal to the sum of a whole-number multiple of the nozzle distances D and a fraction of the nozzle distances D.