A high-speed, closed-loop fabric printer apparatus is provided, comprising a plurality of consecutive stations that can be managed by a single operator. In particular, shirts or other fabric garments may be individually loaded and secured on a pallet by an operator, and the loaded pallets may then cycle through a plurality of unmanned stations positioned along a contiguous path (e.g., oval). The pallet may be configured to expose a main print area and a neck tag area, to allow for both areas to be printed. The pallet may include a neck tag print plate that may elevate the neck tag area to be at the same level as the main print area. In some embodiments, a top coat printing station may apply a top coat to the main print area and/or neck tag area.

A light irradiator includes a housing having vents and a light-emission opening. The housing has a first surface having a first side with a first dimension and a second side with a second dimension, a second surface having the second side and a third side with a third dimension, and a third surface having the first side and the third side. The housing includes the light-emission opening in the first surface, and a first vent and a second vent in the second surface. The first vent is nearer the light-emission opening than the second vent. The second vent is opposite to the light-emission opening. The light irradiator includes an axial fan at the second vent that has a fan size greater than the first dimension and less than the second dimension, and a plate that faces the axial fan with a spacing with the first dimension or less.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a heater configured to heat a medium, a detector configured to detect a temperature of the heater, a conveyor configured to convey the medium during a printing operation, and circuitry configured to control the heater to heat the medium with a first output during a preheating operation before the printing operation, control the heater to heat the medium with a second output that is equal to or higher than the first output when the temperature of the heater reaches a predetermined threshold value to complete the preheating operation, and control the conveyor to start conveying the medium to start the printing operation.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a first liquid that generates heat in an absorption wavelength region of an active energy ray, a first discharger configured to discharge the first liquid, a second liquid that starts polymerization in the absorption wavelength region of the active energy ray, a second discharger configured to discharge the second liquid, and an irradiator configured to irradiate the first liquid and the second liquid with the active energy ray.

There is provide a printing apparatus including: a transport section that transports a medium in a first direction; a discharge section that discharges a liquid to the medium transported by the transport section; a signal generation section that outputs a first pulse signal; and a heating section that is provided downstream of the discharge section in the first direction, includes a first heater that generates heat in accordance with a first pulse included in the first pulse signal, and heats the medium, in which the signal generation section adjusts the first pulse in accordance with a heating amount for heating the medium by the heating section.

An image recording method includes a step of preparing a first ink containing water and at least one selected from the group consisting of a chromatic colorant and a black colorant, a step of preparing a second ink containing a white colorant and water, an applying step of applying each of the first ink and the second ink onto a resin base material by an ink jet method, and a drying step of including irradiating the first ink and the second ink applied onto the resin base material with microwaves.

A transport device includes a transport unit that transports a sheet-like transport material without holding a one-end-side portion of the transport material in a transport direction; and a blowing unit that blows air against a lower surface of the transport material that is transported by the transport unit via multiple blowing holes that open with respect to the lower surface, an arrangement interval of the multiple blowing holes in a direction of intersection with respect to the transport direction being smaller at two end portions than at a central portion of the blowing unit.

A dryer comprises at least one dryer that is configured to supply thermal energy to a substrate in order to dry said substrate via evaporation of fluid. Information with regard to the degree of drying of the substrate may be precisely determined via comparison of a measurement value of the temperature of the substrate with the equilibrium temperature that results given an equilibrium of latent heat and supplied thermal energy. Alternatively or additionally, the degree of drying of the substrate may be precisely set.

In a printing apparatus, in a first mode a head ejects a first type of liquid onto a printing medium and an energy applying device applies energy to the first type of liquid to form a background, and subsequently the head ejects a second type of liquid onto the background and the energy applying device applies energy to the second type of liquid on the background so that an image is formed on the background. In a second mode the head ejects the second type of liquid onto the printing medium without forming a background, and the energy applying device applies energy to the second type of liquid. The controller performs setting a quantity of the second type of liquid to be used in the first mode, to be greater than a quantity of the second type of liquid to be used in the second mode.

In example implementations, a system is provided. The system includes at least one fluid ejection apparatus, a heater and an energy source. The at least one fluid ejection apparatus dispenses a de-contented fluid onto a substrate during conveyance of the substrate. The heater is arranged after the at least one fluid ejection apparatus along a substrate conveying path. The heater removes a liquid from the de-contented fluid on the substrate such that the particles of the de-contented fluid remain on the substrate. The energy source is arranged after the heater along the substrate conveying path. The energy source applies energy to the substrate during the conveyance of the substrate to heat the substrate to a temperature that is approximately a melting temperature of the substrate to fuse the particles on the substrate to the substrate.