A thermal printer according to this embodiment forms a stereoscopic image by applying heat to a printing medium having a surface evenly coated with foaming capsules which foam when heated. More specifically, the thermal printer includes a conveyance guide which is formed into a convex shape whose apex is an image formation position where heat is applied to the printing medium, and regulates the position of the conveyed printing medium, and a thermal head assembly which is installed such that a thermal head distal end portion contacts with the printing medium conveyed by the conveyance roller from below the image formation position, and fauns a stereoscopic image by applying heat to the printing medium.

A winding apparatus that can restrain a medium from being wound unevenly when a long medium is wound around a winding roller and a printing apparatus that includes the winding apparatus are provided. A winding apparatus includes a winding section that has a winding roller rotatably supported therein and winds a long medium around the winding roller. The winding section also has a pressing portion that presses the medium toward the winding roller.

Provided are a printing device and a control method of a printing device that prevent accumulation of dirt on a drying device caused by a pretreatment liquid. In a printing device including an ink applying device that applies an ink to a printing surface of a long transported substrate, a pretreatment liquid applying device that applies a pretreatment liquid to the printing surface, and a first drying device that has a pass roller coming into contact with the printing surface and that dries the ink, transport of the substrate is stopped once an end part that is an end of a region of the printing surface of the substrate, to which the pretreatment liquid is applied, reaches between the first drying device and a winding device, in a case of stopping the transport of the substrate.

A printing device and method is described comprising: controlling movement of a printing medium along a printing medium path to position the printing medium relative to at least one printhead to allow printing on the printing medium by the at least one printhead; and applying a plurality of respective elastic forces in a direction substantially perpendicular to the printing medium path, wherein the respective elastic forces are applied by a plurality of elastic elements of a modular assembly arranged laterally across a width of the printing medium path, wherein the printing medium acts against the elastic forces of the respective elastic elements of the modular assembly.

The present invention generally relates to an industrial printing device (10) and an industrial printing process (42). The industrial printing device (10) comprises at least an input stage (12), an output stage (14), a cutting stage (18), and a printer stage (20). The printer stage (20) is arranged between the input stage (12) and the output stage (14). The cutting stage (18) is arranged upstream of the printer stage (20). The cutting stage (18) comprises a laser cutting device (19) such that material (16) is continuously processable between the input stage (12) and the output stage (14) by at least the cutting stage (18) and the printer stage (20).

A web transport assembly is provided for transporting a web along a processing unit for processing the web, the web transport assembly comprising: a transport device arranged for moving the web in a transport direction through a transport path along the processing unit, the transport device being arranged downstream of the processing unit relative to the transport direction; and a friction-based tensioning device arranged upstream of the processing unit relative to the transport direction; wherein the friction-based tensioning device comprises a guiding surface for guiding the web towards the processing unit and a plurality of suction holes distributed over the guiding surface for providing a suction force to a contact side of the web, the plurality of suction holes being arranged in fluid communication to a suction source, which generates the suction force, wherein the guiding surface is configured to exert a friction force on the web in response to the suction force provided to the contact side of the web; and wherein the friction-based tensioning device is configured for controlling a tension of the web between the guiding surface and the transport device.

A media processing device includes a cavity configured to receive a supply of media; a media exit; a fixed media guide configured to guide the media along a media feed path from the cavity to the media exit; a platen roller configured to move the media along the media feed path from the supply toward the media exit; and a movable media guide extending laterally across the media feed path at a position between the platen roller and the cavity. The movable media guide is biased toward the media feed path and is configured to apply a force to the media. The movable media guide is convexly curved toward the media feed path.

A print unit is disposed in an apparatus having a printing function. The print unit includes a print engine configured to perform printing on a continuous sheet, and a damper located on an upstream side of a sheet entrance of the print engine in a sheet traveling direction and configured to adjust tension applied to the continuous sheet to be fed to the print engine. The damper includes a sheet guide having a planar guide portion which guides the continuous sheet to the sheet entrance, and an end portion of the guide portion on a downstream side in a sheet traveling direction is configured as a fixed end resting on the sheet entrance, and another end portion thereof on an opposite side is configured as a swinging end which is elastically biased toward the continuous sheet by a spring force of a spring.

To alleviate the trouble of the color developing step and achieve miniaturization. A color developer that heats and color develops a print medium, on which an ink is attached, is arranged. The color developer includes a transportation path in which a carry-in port and a carry-out port of the print medium are communicated to outside air, and the transportation path is extended in a direction intersecting a horizontal direction.

In one example, a printed output inspection unit (300) for a web printing system (100). The inspection unit has a first L-inverter (310) disposed in a first plane (315), and a second L-inverter (320) disposed in a second plane (325) offset from the first plane in a direction orthogonal to the first plane. The inspection unit (300) also has an inspection area (340,350) between the first and second L-inverters to view a side (307,309) of a web substrate (305), the inspection area extending in the direction orthogonal to the first plane.