A textile feed for a stepped operation digital textile printer, comprises a textile feeding mechanism, and a tension storage mechanism. The textile feeding mechanism feeds the textile in a forward direction onto the printer, but is at the same time mechanically connected to a tension storage mechanism which is tensioned by the forward feeding. At the end of the feed step, the tension storage mechanism releases respectively stored tension to cause the feed mechanism to briefly reverse feed, thereby to pull the textile taut and take up any slack caused by the feeding step. The textile is thus kept taut, to allow effective digital printing by the printer.

A textile feed for a stepped operation digital textile printer, comprises a textile feeding mechanism, and a tension storage mechanism. The textile feeding mechanism feeds the textile in a forward direction onto the printer, but is at the same time mechanically connected to a tension storage mechanism which is tensioned by the forward feeding. At the end of the feed step, the tension storage mechanism releases respectively stored tension to cause the feed mechanism to briefly reverse feed, thereby to pull the textile taut and take up any slack caused by the feeding step. The textile is thus kept taut, to allow effective digital printing by the printer.

A printing apparatus includes: a printing unit; a feeding roller that feeds a print medium; a feeding-side movable roller that applies tension to the print medium, in a feeding-side buffer region positioned between the feeding roller and the printing unit; a front drive roller that is positioned between the feeding-side buffer region and the printing unit and with which the print medium is intermittently transported; and a control unit that controls feeding by the feeding roller. Control amounts controlled by the control unit include a feeding amount and a feeding speed of the feeding by the feeding roller. The control unit is configured to execute and switch between a print mode and a continuous transport mode, controls the feeding amount of the feeding roller when the print mode is executed, and controls the feeding speed of the feeding roller when the continuous transport mode is executed.

A printing apparatus includes: a printing unit; a feeding roller that feeds a print medium; a feeding-side movable roller that applies tension to the print medium, in a feeding-side buffer region positioned between the feeding roller and the printing unit; a front drive roller that is positioned between the feeding-side buffer region and the printing unit and with which the print medium is intermittently transported; and a control unit that controls feeding by the feeding roller. Control amounts controlled by the control unit include a feeding amount and a feeding speed of the feeding by the feeding roller. The control unit is configured to execute and switch between a print mode and a continuous transport mode, controls the feeding amount of the feeding roller when the print mode is executed, and controls the feeding speed of the feeding roller when the continuous transport mode is executed.

Provided is a plate material supplying apparatus that can supply a plate material to a plate material feeding device that intermittently conveys a plate material. The plate material supplying apparatus includes: an upper part that conveys a plate material substantially in a direction of a plate material feeding device; a central part that receives the plate material conveyed from the upper part and conveys the plate material in an obliquely vertical downward direction; and a lower part that receives the plate material conveyed from the central part and conveys the plate material substantially in the direction of the plate material feeding device.

Provided is a plate material supplying apparatus that can supply a plate material to a plate material feeding device that intermittently conveys a plate material. The plate material supplying apparatus includes: an upper part that conveys a plate material substantially in a direction of a plate material feeding device; a central part that receives the plate material conveyed from the upper part and conveys the plate material in an obliquely vertical downward direction; and a lower part that receives the plate material conveyed from the central part and conveys the plate material substantially in the direction of the plate material feeding device.