A thermal printing apparatus includes a frame, an endless ribbon to transport ink on its outer face, a coating device to coat the endless ribbon with ink, a printhead to print by thermal transfer a substrate with a part of the ink, a plurality of first rollers supporting and transporting the endless ribbon by its inner face along a path from the coating device to the printhead and from the printhead to the coating device in a cyclic manner, at least one first conveyor arranged to support the inner face of the endless ribbon between two adjacent first rollers along its path from the coating device to the printhead; the first conveyor including a plate fixed in translation and rotation with the frame and having a first convex surface supporting the inner face, a heat exchanger designed to cool down the first surface of the plate at a predefined temperature.

An ink supply system for supplying ink to a drop-forming unit of a print-head in a printing apparatus includes a reservoir for holding or storing a volume of liquid ink to be supplied to a drop-forming unit in a print-head, and a heating device arranged upstream of the reservoir for heating the ink to an desired operating temperature. The heating device includes a heating body for transferring heat to the ink, wherein the heating body includes a plurality of channels which extend from an top side of the heating body to an bottom side of the heating body for conveying the ink to the reservoir, whereby the ink is heated via contact with walls of the channels. The heating body typically includes a substantially monolithic body of a highly thermally conductive material and the plurality of channels are substantially parallel channels which extend through the heating body. A print-head of a printing apparatus incorporating the ink supply system, and a heating device are also disclosed.

A printing apparatus includes a printing cylinder (17) that holds and transfers a sheet (4), a supply-side transfer cylinder (16 (sheet supply unit)) that supplies the sheet (4) to the printing cylinder (17) at a supply position (P1), and first to fourth inkjet heads (27-30). The printing apparatus includes a transfer mechanism (18) that receives the sheet (4) after printing at a receiving position (P2) and transfers the sheet (4) to one of a discharge route (44) and a reversing route (42). The reversing route (42) employs an arrangement that returns the reversed sheet (4) to the printing cylinder (17) at a return position (P3) located on the downstream side of the receiving position (P2) in the transfer direction of the sheet (4) and on the upstream side of the supply position (P1) in the transfer direction of the sheet (4). A cooling means (45) for cooling the transfer surface (24 (outer peripheral surface)) of the printing cylinder (17) is provided between the receiving position (P2) and the return position (P3). It is possible to provide the printing apparatus that suppresses an increase in the temperature of the transfer surface of the printing cylinder and always sets the temperature of the sheet at an appropriate temperature.

An ink supply system for supplying ink to a drop-forming unit of a print-head in a printing apparatus includes a reservoir for holding or storing a volume of liquid ink to be supplied to a drop-forming unit in a print-head, and a heating device arranged upstream of the reservoir for heating the ink to an desired operating temperature. The heating device includes a heating body for transferring heat to the ink, wherein the heating body includes a plurality of channels which extend from an top side of the heating body to an bottom side of the heating body for conveying the ink to the reservoir, whereby the ink is heated via contact with walls of the channels. The heating body typically includes a substantially monolithic body of a highly thermally conductive material and the plurality of channels are substantially parallel channels which extend through the heating body. A print-head of a printing apparatus incorporating the ink supply system, and a heating device are also disclosed.

An apparatus including a communication unit configured to communicate with a communication device and be able to output data stored in a memory to the communication device even without power supplied from a power supply to the apparatus stores, in the memory, status information to specify the status of the apparatus in a state in which the power supply supplies the power to the apparatus.

An ink jet recording apparatus includes an ejector, a fixing unit, a reversing unit and a hardware processor. The ejector performs an ejection operation of ejecting a color material and an overcoat material onto a recording medium. The fixing unit fixes the overcoat material, thereby forming an overcoat on the medium. The reversing unit reverses the medium. The processor causes the fixing unit to form the overcoat on one side of the medium after causing the ejector to perform the ejection operation on the one side at a predetermined ejection position, causes the reversing unit to reverse the medium with the overcoat formed on the one side, and causes the fixing unit to form the overcoat on the other side of the medium after causing the ejector to perform the ejection operation on the other side at the ejection position.

A coating module for variable speed ribbon coating, the coating module including a ribbon including an inner face and an outer face; a conveyor system including a support element holding and transporting the ribbon on its inner face; a squeeze ink roller arranged in contact with the outer face of the ribbon; the squeeze ink roller including an outer layer made of elastic material; a reservoir assembly designed to hold ink thereon and to feed the squeeze ink roller with the ink, and a pressure controller including an active element for pressing the ribbon between the squeeze ink roller and the support roller along a coating zone.

An inkjet print head including a plurality of single jet elements. Each of the single jet elements includes an aperture configured to eject ink during a jetting event, and a channel for receiving ink, the channeling including a recirculation portion configured to receive ink during a non-jetting event. The print head also includes a first manifold structured to supply ink to the channel, and a second manifold structured to receive ink from the recirculation portion of the channel. The ink flows from the inlet portion to the second outlet portion during non-jetting through the second outlet portion.

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid chamber in communication with a nozzle, a volume changing unit configured to change a volume of the liquid chamber, an inflow passage through which the liquid flows into the liquid chamber, an outflow passage through which the liquid flows out of the liquid chamber, a passage resistance changing unit configured to change a passage resistance of the outflow passage, and a controller configured to control the volume changing unit to reduce the volume of the liquid chamber so as to cause the liquid to be ejected through the nozzle. In filling the liquid chamber with the liquid for ejection of the liquid through the nozzle, the controller controls the passage resistance changing unit to change the passage resistance of the outflow passage to an increased passage resistance and controls the volume changing unit to increase the volume of the liquid chamber.

An inkjet recording apparatus includes a conveying unit, a recording unit, a heat source, a heat source moving unit and a heat source moving control unit. The conveying unit performs a conveying operation to move a conveying member thereby conveying a recording medium placed on a conveying surface of the conveying member. The recording unit records an image by ejecting ink to the recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit. The heat source moving unit moves the heat source. The heat source moving control unit moves the heat source by the heat source moving unit such that a distance between the heat source and the conveying surface increases when the conveying operation which is performed by the conveying unit stops in a manner in which the conveying operation can be resumed in a state where the heat source is positioned in proximity of the conveying surface.