Abstract: A printer comprising a carriage, a guide rail and a print surface, the carriage being movable along the guide rail and carrying a printhead that faces the print surface and is movable in a direction normal to the plane of the print surface, wherein a stop or brake mechanism responsive to a movement of the printhead in said direction normal to the plane of the print surface is provided and adapted to stop the movement of the carriage.

Abstract: A printing system including: a feed roller engaging a print substrate for intermittently advancing the same, a printhead arranged at a path of the substrate and configured to print an image composed of sub-images that are printed in successive advancing steps of the substrate, a worm wheel drivingly connected to the feed roller, a worm meshing with the worm wheel, a motor for driving the worm, and a motor driver controlling the length of the advance steps, wherein the motor driver is adapted to control the length of the advance steps to be an integral multiple of a unit length (?S) that corresponds to one full turn of the worm.

Abstract: A drive mechanism for a feed roller in a printer, which includes a worm wheel connected to the feed roller and forming a rotary unit therewith, a worm engaging said worm wheel, a motor driving said worm, an encoder detecting increments (??) in an angular position of the worm, and a servo controller for the motor, wherein the rotary unit has a sync mark defining a reference position (?0), a reference detector is provided for detecting the sync mark, and said servo controller has access to a calibration memory and is adapted to output a calibrated motor control signal (C) dependant on the angular position of the feed roller as determined from said reference position (?0) and said worm angular position increments (??).

Abstract: A printer including: a frame composed of a lower frame and an upper frame supported on the lower frame, a platen rotatably supported in the upper frame for advancing a recording medium, a guide rail extending in parallel with an axial direction (Y) of the platen, a carriage guided at the guide rail and carrying a printhead, and a drive mechanism adapted to drive the carriage reciprocatingly along the guide rail, wherein the drive mechanism is directly supported in said axial direction (Y) by the lower frame.

Abstract: A printer including a frame, a feed roller rotatably supported in the frame for advancing a recording medium, a sheet support plate for supporting said recording medium, a guide rail extending in parallel with an axial direction (Y) of the feed roller, and a carriage guided at the guide rail and carrying a printhead facing the recording medium on the sheet support plate, the frame being composed of a support structure and two plate-like function blocks, which are supported on said support structure at both ends of the feed roller so as to extend in respective planes (X-Z) normal to said axial direction (Y), and which support the guide rail and the sheet support plate, wherein the feed roller is rotatably supported in two bearings, each of which has a bearing case, each bearing case being supported on a member of the support structure, each of the function blocks defining a downwardly open V-shaped notch which is supported on the peripheral surface of one of the bearing cases at exactly two points, and the gui

Abstract: A printer including: a frame, a bearing assembly mounted to said frame, a platen rotatably supported in the bearing assembly for advancing a sheet of a recording medium, a guide rail mounted to the frame and extending in parallel with an axial direction (Y) of the platen, a ruler extending in parallel with the guide rail, a carriage driven to reciprocate along the guide rail and carrying a printhead, and a detector arranged to detect the position of the carriage relative to the ruler, wherein, in said axial direction (Y), the ruler is rigidly fixed at a location of the bearing assembly independently of the guide rail.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of printing a substrate using an inkjet printer which includes a holder to rotatably receive a roll on which the substrate is wound, a downstream print zone and an inkjet printhead for printing the substrate at the print zone, a transport means for engaging and transporting the substrate to the print zone during which transport the substrate is unwound from the roll, and a guide element which is situated downstream of the roll in front of the transport means to guide the substrate from the roll to the transport means, the method including the steps of transporting the substrate over a predetermined distance with control of the transport means, during which transport the guide element is moved from a first position which the guide element occupies prior to the transport, to a second position such that the distance over which the substrate extends between the roll and the transport means is smaller as a result of the movement and after the substrate has been transported over th

Abstract: An inkjet printer containing a print zone and an inkjet printhead for printing a substrate in the print zone, a supply unit for storing and delivering the substrate for printing, and a transport unit for transporting the substrate from the supply unit to the print zone, in which printer the supply unit contains a number of substrate holders, each holding a roll on which a substrate web is wound, each substrate holder being operatively connected to a sensor for detecting the end of the web in the substrate holder corresponding to that sensor, wherein the transport unit includes a first transport means for engaging and transporting the substrate emerging from the supply unit and a downstream, second transport means for further transporting the substrate and positioning the same in the print zone.

Abstract: A printing system for printing on a substrate which includes a holder, a roll containing a substrate wound thereon, said roll being rotatably held by the holder, a first transport means for engaging and transporting the substrate as it is unwound from the roll said transport means being disposed substantially parallel to the roll, a second transport means disposed downstream of the first transport means and substantially parallel to the roll, and a guide element disposed between the transport means and extending substantially parallel to the transport means, said guide element being constructed to feed the substrate at an angle of 0° and 180° from the first transport means to the second transport means, said guide element being at least partially rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the guide element extends, whereby the movement of the substrate at the guide element is allowed to extend in a direction substantially parallel to the direction in which the guide element