A vacuum belt conveyor sequentially delivers sheet articles to a digital printer. The sheets are held in position by vacuum on the underside of the sheets through apertures in the belt and covered by the sheets. A plurality of independent plenums on the underside of the belt have chambers respectively communicating with rows of apertures extending along the belt. Vacuum is selectively applied from a manifold only to the plenum chambers that supply apertures that are covered by the sheets so that the ink from the printer will not be directed from its intended position on the sheet by vacuum from adjacent uncovered belt apertures.

A sheet suction device includes a drum having multiple suction ports in a circumferential surface of the drum, the drum configured to bear a sheet on the circumferential surface and rotate in a circumferential direction of the drum, and a suction device configured to suck the sheet through the multiple suction ports to attract the sheet on the circumferential surface. The drum includes multiple suction regions aligned in the circumferential direction on the circumferential surface, each of the multiple suction regions includes the multiple suction ports aligned in the circumferential direction and in an axial direction of the drum on the circumferential surface, the multiple suction regions include an upstream region, a middle region, and a downstream region in the circumferential direction, and the middle region has the multiple suction ports at both outer sides in the axial direction of the drum.

The present application relates to a device for conveying flat pieces. The device comprises a belt with a transport surface, wherein the belt is movable along a transport axis; a support element with a support surface for supporting the belt; and a vacuum supply for providing vacuum suction; wherein a suction distributing structure at the support surface of the support element is in fluid connection with the vacuum supply; and wherein the suction distributing structure has a belt suction region and a card suction region, wherein the belt suction region is configured to provide suction to the belt and the card suction region is configured to provide suction to flat pieces on the transport surface of the belt. The present application also relates to a system for treating flat pieces, the system comprising a treatment device, for example a print head.

A belt conveyance device includes an endless belt, a duct having a suction port, and a rectifier inside the duct. The duct is surrounded by an inner circumferential surface of the endless belt. The rectifier extends in a width direction of the endless belt perpendicular to a direction of conveyance by the endless belt.

A printing system comprises printheads to eject ink to a deposition region. Print media are held by vacuum suction against a movable support surface, which moves over a vacuum platen. The vacuum platen comprises platen holes through which the vacuum suction is communicated. An airflow control system comprises airflow zones, each comprising a group of the platen holes, a duct, and a valve, the duct and the valve being arranged to selectively control vacuum suction through the group of the platen holes. For each of the printheads, at least one of the airflow zones is located under the respective printhead. Thus, airflow through platen holes under the printheads can be selectively controlled by selectively controlling the vacuum suction in the airflow zones.

A sheet 200 for an array of vacuum apertures 152 in a substrate support unit 150 of a printer is provided. The sheet 200 comprises a plurality of valves 202 formed into the sheet 200. The sheet 200 is made from a resilient material. Each valve 202 comprises a valve head 204 for sealing a vacuum aperture 152 in the substrate support unit 150, and a valve lever arm 206 for permitting movement of the valve head 204 towards and away from the vacuum aperture 152 in order to open and close the valve 202.

A substrate support system 10 for a conveyor printer is provided, comprising a support unit 100 comprising a plurality of vacuum apertures 108 arranged for fluidic communication with a source of negative pressure. The support unit 100 also comprises at least one air bearing 114 arranged for fluidic communication with a source of positive pressure. The air bearing 114 comprises porous media 116. The substrate support system 10 also comprises a conveyor belt 150 arranged over the support unit 100 for supporting a substrate 170 to be printed on. The conveyor belt 150 comprises a plurality of belt apertures. The vacuum apertures 108 are arranged to convey a negative pressure through the belt apertures for retaining the substrate 170 on the conveyor belt 150. The at least one air bearing 114 is arranged to convey a positive pressure to support the conveyor belt 150.

A printing system comprises a printhead to eject a print fluid to a deposition region. Print media are held against a movable support surface via vacuum suction, and the movable support surface transports the print media through the deposition region. A vacuum plenum comprises a vacuum platen over which the movable support surface moves. The vacuum platen has platen holes that communicate the vacuum suction from the vacuum plenum to the movable support surface. An airflow restriction mechanism forms a high impedance zone in the vacuum platen, the high impedance zone comprising a subset of the platen holes. The airflow impedance through the high impedance zone is relatively high compared to the airflow impedance through another subset of the platen holes, which are part of a low impedance zone. The high impedance zone may be located near the printhead to reduce airflow through uncovered platen holes near the printhead.

A printing system comprises printheads to eject ink to a deposition region. Print media are held by vacuum suction against a movable support surface, which moves over a vacuum platen. The vacuum platen comprises platen holes through which the vacuum suction is communicated. An airflow control system comprises airflow zones, each comprising a group of the platen holes, a duct, and a valve, the duct and the valve being arranged to selectively control vacuum suction through the group of the platen holes. For each of the printheads, at least one of the airflow zones is located under the respective printhead. Thus, airflow through platen holes under the printheads can be selectively controlled by selectively controlling the vacuum suction in the airflow zones.

A printing system comprises an ink deposition assembly, a media transport device, and an airflow control system. The ink deposition assembly comprises printheads to deposit a print fluid, such as ink, on print media, such as paper, transported through a deposition region. The media transport device holds the print media against a movable support surface, such as a belt, by vacuum suction through holes in the media transport device and transports the print media though the deposition region. The airflow control system comprises one or more valves that are actuatable between an open state and a closed state, each valve blocking a subset of the holes in the closed state. The airflow control system also comprises one or more actuators to actuate the valve(s). The actuator(s) selectively actuate the valve(s) between the open and closed states based on a position of an inter-media zone between adjacent print media.