A printer includes a platen including a loading surface on which a target printing medium is loaded and in which through holes are formed, a printing unit performing printing on the target printing medium, a platen stand on which the platen is loaded, the platen stand including air chambers communicating with the through holes, communication tubes that individually communicate with the air chambers, an air blower configured to suck and exhaust air in the air chambers, and suction opening/closing valves individually provided in the communication tubes, the suction opening/closing valves configured to open and close communication between the air blower and the plurality of air chambers. The plurality of air chambers are provided at different positions adjacent to one another in a length direction and a width direction of the target printing medium loaded on the loading surface.

An inkjet printer includes an air-permeable media-support-layer positioned on top of a vacuum table. The vacuum table includes a plurality of cavity rooms, connected to a vacuum source, for forming a plurality of vacuum zones on the air-permeable media-support-layer; each cavity room from the plurality of cavity rooms is closed by an air-permeable part from the air-permeable media-support-layer for forming a vacuum zone from the plurality of vacuum zones. Each cavity room from the plurality of cavity rooms includes a) a space formed by a set of walls; and b) a bottom layer including a set of air-channels; wherein a ratio of width to length from the minimum bounding box of the area formed by the set of walls is between 1:1 and 2:5.

In one example, a media support includes a sheet of elongated suction cups. In another example, a media support includes an arrangement of elongated and/or circular suction cups in which the density of the suction cups varies between different parts of the support.

According to examples, there is provided a suction device, system and method for retaining media on a surface. The suction device comprising a suction cup having a vacuum port for coupling the suction cup to a vacuum source, a sealing piston configured to seal the vacuum port when the sealing piston is in a first position, wherein when the sealing piston is in a second, depressed, position the vacuum source is coupled to the suction cup the sealing piston further comprising a piston head extending above a rim of the suction cup when the sealing piston is in the first position, and a biasing element to bias the sealing piston to the first position.

A machine arrangement sequentially processes sheet-like substrates with multiple different processing stations each having a substrate-guiding unit and a substrate-processing unit. At least one of the processing stations has, as a substrate-processing unit, at least one non-impact printing device which prints on the substrate. The processing station with the at least one non-impact printing device has a printing cylinder. Each non-impact printing device is arranged at the circumference of the printing cylinder. The printing cylinder is triple-sized or quadruple-sized. A double-sized or a triple-sized transfer drum, or a corresponding feed cylinder, is arranged directly upstream of this printing cylinder. Alternatively, a double-sized or a triple-sized transfer drum, or a corresponding transfer cylinder, is arranged directly downstream of this printing cylinder.

In one example, a media support includes a sheet of elongated suction cups. In another example, a media support includes an arrangement of elongated and/or circular suction cups in which the density of the suction cups varies between different parts of the support.

In one example, a media support includes a sheet of suction cups in which each suction cup has a port through which air may be evacuated from the cup. In another example, a detachable cover fora vacuum table includes: a sheet having a flat front surface, a flat back surface and multiple suction cups arranged across the front surface of the sheet. Each suction cup has a port to the back surface of the sheet to connect to a corresponding vacuum hole in the table when the cover is attached to the table.

A system includes an image forming station, which is configured to apply droplets of one or more printing fluids to a target substrate, so as to form an image thereon, and a substrate conveyor, which includes one or more perforated plates having multiple openings, and is configured to grip and move the target substrate to and from the image forming station for forming the image, the substrate conveyor includes one or more rotatable elements, which are fitted in the respective openings, and are configured to provide mechanical support to the target substrate, and when the target substrate moves over the one or more rotatable elements, at least one of the rotatable elements is configured to rotate in response to a physical contact with the target substrate.

A system includes an image forming station, which is configured to apply droplets of one or more printing fluids to a target substrate, so as to form an image thereon, and a substrate conveyor, which includes one or more perforated plates having multiple openings, and is configured to grip and move the target substrate to and from the image forming station for forming the image, the substrate conveyor includes one or more rotatable elements, which are fitted in the respective openings, and are configured to provide mechanical support to the target substrate, and when the target substrate moves over the one or more rotatable elements, at least one of the rotatable elements is configured to rotate in response to a physical contact with the target substrate.

A recording medium transport device includes: a circulating member that forms a part of a transport path for transporting a recording medium; a holding member that is fixed to the circulating member and thereby circulates and holds a front end portion of the recording medium; plural transport cylinders around which the circulating member is suspended and having a recessed part in which the holding member is stored; and a selection part that selects any one of the plural transport cylinders. A mode for stopping the selected one of the plural transport cylinders so that the recessed part of the selected one of the plural transport cylinders is located at a maintenance position is prepared.