PRINTING SYSTEM WITH MEDIA SIMULTANEOUSLY ENGAGING INPUT ROLLER AND MOVABLE MEDIA ENGAGEMENT OUTPUT
A printing system with a drive roller configured to engage and push media into a print zone and a movable media engagement assembly configured to engage one side of the media and pull the media while the drive roller remains engaged with the media.
1 . A printing system comprising:
a drive roller configured to engage and push media into a print zone; and,
a movable media engagement assembly configured to engage one side of the media and pull the media while the drive roller remains engaged with the media.
2 . The printing system according to claim 1 wherein the movable media engagement assembly has an apertured surface that has a media engagement side and low pressure region at a side opposite the media engagement side.
3 . The printing system according to claim 2 wherein the movable media engagement assembly has a vacuum belt configured to receive the media from the print zone.
4 . The printing system according to claim 3 wherein during use a leading edge of the media traverses from the drive roller to the vacuum belt during the first time period.
5 . The printing system according to claim 4 wherein the drive roller is configured to control a media translation speed until the media disengages from the drive roller.
6 . The printing system according to claim 5 wherein the vacuum belt is configured to control the media transport speed subsequent to disengagement of the media from the input roller.
7 . The printing system according to claim 1 further comprising:
a vacuum platen;
a printhead assembly; and,
a media encoder positioned in the vacuum platen and configured to produce timing signals for operating the printhead assembly.
8 . The printing system according to claim 7 wherein the vacuum platen is fixed and the printhead assembly overlays the vacuum platen and spans the print zone.
9 . The printing system according to claim 8 wherein the media encoder is configured to provide the timing signals while engaged with the print media.
10 . The printing system according to claim 1 wherein the drive roller is configured to engage the media more strongly than the movable media engagement assembly such that during use the media slips relative to the movable media engagement assembly whenever the media is simultaneously engaged with the drive roller.
11 . The printing system according to claim 10 wherein the movable media engagement assembly has an apertured surface that has a media engagement side and low pressure region at a side opposite the media engagement side.
12 . The printing system according to claim 11 wherein the movable media engagement assembly has a vacuum belt configured to receive the print media from the print zone.
13 . A printing system according to claim 10 wherein the media encoder is embedded within the vacuum platen.
14 . A printing system according to claim 13 further comprising a media feed path extending between the pagewidth printhead assembly and the vacuum platen wherein the pagewidth printhead assembly has a plurality of printheads, and the media encoder is positioned to engage the media between two of the printheads.
15 . A printing system according to claim 14 wherein the media encoder is positioned to engage the media proximate an upstream side of the print zone.
16 . A printing system according to claim 15 wherein the platen is a vacuum platen.
17 . A printing system according to claim 14 further comprising a scanner adjacent the vacuum belt to capture information from the media for feedback control of the pagewidth printhead assembly.
18 . A printing system according to claim 17 wherein the information captured by the scanner is used to align printing from each of the printheads with that of adjacent printheads in the array.
19 . A printing system according to claim 16 wherein the vacuum platen comprises a plurality of individual vacuum platens that are each aligned with a corresponding one of the printheads, each of the individual vacuum platens being movable relative to the printheads.
20 . A printing system according to claim 19 wherein the vacuum platen includes a plurality of service modules each corresponding to one of the printheads and configured to cross the media path to engage the printhead during a capping or servicing operation.