WIDE FORMAT PRINTER WITH SCANNER TO ALIGN PRINTHEAD ASSEMBLY
A wide format printer that has a printhead assembly, a vacuum platen assembly opposite the printhead assembly, a media path between the printhead assembly and the vacuum platen, a drive roller for moving media along the media path, a vacuum belt assembly to move the media away from the vacuum platen assembly and a scanner adjacent the vacuum belt to capture information from the media for feedback control of the printhead assembly. The media path is more than 432 mm (17 inches wide).
1 . A wide format printer comprising:
a printhead assembly;
a vacuum platen assembly opposite the printhead assembly;
a media path between the printhead assembly and the vacuum platen;
a drive roller for moving media along the media path;
a vacuum belt assembly to move the media away from the vacuum platen assembly; and,
a scanner adjacent the vacuum belt to capture information from the media for feedback control of the printhead assembly; wherein,
the media path is more than 432 mm wide.
2 . The wide format printer according to claim 1 wherein the printhead assembly has a staggered array of printheads that, during use, collectively span the media, and the information captured by the scanner is used to align printing from each of the printheads with that of adjacent printheads in the array.
3 . The wide format printer according to claim 2 wherein the vacuum platen assembly comprises a plurality of service modules, each with a vacuum platen configured for alignment with a corresponding one of the array of printheads.
4 . The wide format printer according to claim 3 wherein the service modules are configured to cross the media path to engage the printhead during a capping or servicing operation.
5 . The wide format printer according to claim 1 wherein the vacuum belt zone has a plurality of individual vacuum belts.
6 . The wide format printer according to claim 5 wherein the individual vacuum belts share a common belt drive mechanism.
7 . The wide format printer according to claim 1 further comprising a media encoder embedded within the vacuum platen.
8 . The wide format printer according to claim 1 wherein the drive roller moves the media past the printheads along a media feed axis, the printheads being arranged in two rows that are staggered with respect to each other and overlapping in a direction transverse to the media feed axis.
9 . The wide format printer according to claim 1 wherein the service modules are independently operable.
10 . The wide format printer according to claim 5 wherein the vacuum platen assembly further comprises a fixed vacuum platen in which the service modules are embedded, the fixed vacuum platen being positioned adjacent a section of the media path defining a print zone, the print zone encompassing an area simultaneously printable by the printheads.
11 . The wide format printer according to claim 10 wherein the service modules each have a wiper for wiping the corresponding printhead.
12 . The wide format printer according to claim 11 wherein the media path is between 914 mm and 1372 mm wide.
13 . The wide format printer according to claim 12 wherein the print zone has an area less than 129032 square mm.
14 . The wide format printer according to claim 13 configured to generate less than 0.2 psi pressure difference between one surface of the media and the other as the media is fed across the fixed vacuum platen.
15 . The wide format printer according to claim 13 configured to generate between 0.036 psi to 0.116 psi pressure difference between one surface of the media and the other as the media is fed across the fixed vacuum platen.
16 . The wide format printer according to claim 13 wherein the vacuum platen assembly is configured to generate a normal force on the media of between 4 lbs to 13.5 lbs as the media is fed across the fixed vacuum platen.
17 . The wide format printer according to claim 1 wherein the individual vacuum belts are configured to transport the media at a faster speed than the drive roller.
18 . The wide format printer according to claim 17 wherein during use, the media simultaneously engages both the drive roller and the individual vacuum belts such that the media slips relative to the individual vacuum belts.