Continuous web printer with air platen

1. A continuous web printer comprising:

an inlet for receiving a web of media from a media web roll unwinder;

an outlet for delivery to a media web roll winder;

a media feed path extending between the inlet and the outlet;

an air platen frame having a plurality of air platens for supporting the web of media through a print zone, each air platen having an air inlet and a flat apertured surface for generating an air cushion; and,

a plurality of pagewidth inkjet printhead assemblies positioned opposite the plurality of air platens.

2. A continuous web printer according to claim 1 wherein each of the air platens has a maintenance assembly and mounted for rotation such that the maintenance assembly is presented to one of the pagewidth inkjet printhead assemblies.

3. A continuous web printer according to claim 2 wherein the pagewidth inkjet printhead assemblies each comprise a set of inkjet printhead modules and the maintenance assembly comprises a set of maintenance stations, one maintenance station for each of the printhead modules respectively.

4. A continuous web printer according to claim 3 comprising an upper air platen frame and a lower air platen frame, the upper and lower air platen frames configured to generate air cushions defining upper and lower print zones respectively.

5. A continuous web printer according to claim 4 wherein the lower print zone is positioned vertically beneath the upper print zone.

6. A continuous web printer according to claim 4 wherein the upper and lower air platen frames each have a plurality of air platens, each of the air platens having an air inlet and a flat apertured surface for generating the air cushion.

7. A continuous web printer according to claim 4 wherein each of the air platens has a maintenance assembly and mounted for rotation such that the maintenance assembly is presented to one of the pagewidth inkjet printhead assemblies.

8. A continuous web printer according to claim 7 wherein the maintenance assembly comprises a set of maintenance stations, one maintenance station for each of the printhead modules respectively.

9. A continuous web printer according to claim 5 wherein during use the web is fed along the media feed path in a feed direction, the feed direction in the upper print zone opposing the feed direction in the lower print zone.

10. A continuous web printer according to claim 9 wherein the media feed path extends less than 10 meters from a point where during use, the web is blank, to a point where both sides of the web are printed.

11. A continuous web printer according to claim 4 wherein the lower print zone is less than 4 m downstream along the media feed path from the upper print zone.

12. A continuous web printer according to claim 1 wherein the web printer occupies a footprint of floor space, the footprint being less than 15 m 2 .

13. A continuous web printer according to claim 12 wherein the footprint is less than 10 m 2 .

14. A continuous web printer according to claim 1 wherein pagewidth inkjet printhead assemblies eject ink droplets with a volume less than 2 pico-liters.

15. A continuous web printer according to claim 1 further comprising a printhead drawer for mounting at least one of the pagewidth inkjet printhead assemblies adjacent the media feed path; wherein,

the printhead drawer is configured to move transverse to the media feed path such that the at least one pagewidth inkjet printhead assembly is exposed for servicing.

16. A continuous web printer according to claim 15 further comprising a chassis wherein the printhead drawer is mounted to the chassis via a pair of roller bearing slides, each of the roller bearing slides having a drawer track secured to the printhead drawer, a chassis track secured to the chassis and an intermediate track positioned between the chassis track and the drawer track, such that the drawer track and the intermediate track define a drawer roller bearing race and the chassis track and the intermediate track define a chassis bearing race.