Abstract:
A printer carriage has a bushing liner arranged to slide on a rod, the liner including a metal body with plastic inserts having, on their inside surfaces, ribs, which constitute the bearings of the bushing liner. The inserts are located in grooves of the metallic body by means of an injection moulding process. The external surface of the bushing liner comprises a plurality of flat and curved sections arranged asymmetrically to permit firm and accurate location in an aperture of the carriage.
Abstract:
A reciprocating belt drive arrangement for the printhead carriage of a printer comprises an endless belt looped around a toothed drive pulley, which engages a toothed part of the belt, and an idler pulley with circumferential grooves which are arranged to receive ribs on the remaining part of the belt to prevent transverse movements of the belt leading to wear. The ribs and grooves may be interchangeable. In an alternative embodiment the toothed and ribbed parts extend side-by-side along the belt.
Abstract:
Media printed in a printer is fed in an integrated operation to a laminator to be at least partly laminated, the media between the printer and the laminator device forming a loose media buffer. Synchronization is provided between the advance of the media in the printer and in the laminator. This is done preferably using counting devices associated to the printer and the laminator, or buffer shape sensors, or control indicia on the media. The apparatus may perform a resetting operation of the media buffer.
Abstract:
An apparatus includes a printer and a laminator operating in line with said printer, and a feeding device arranged along the media path between the printer and the laminator for feeding to the laminator the media that is outputted from the printer. The feeding device includes an arrangement to cause media advance by friction, such as belts, and an arrangement for generating an air stream, such as fans, arranged facing each other such that the fans urge the media against the belts and the latter drive the media by friction. The media can be fed to the laminator with the correct angle and without skew.
Abstract:
The printing apparatus comprises a printer and a laminator; media that advances and is printed in the printer is fed to the laminator device. The apparatus comprises means for loading in the laminator device the leading edge of the media leaving the printer, said loading means comprising a carrier, on which no printing is performed, attached to the leading edge of the media and to take-up means downstream of the laminator device, such that said carrier travels through the laminator device. Said carrier may comprise a length of lamination film, or a sheet or strips and means for their attachment to the media.The loading method comprises providing a carrier travelling through the laminator and attached to the leading edge of the media and to take-up means, and causing the carrier to advance leading the media through the laminator.
Abstract:
A printing apparatus includes a printer, a laminator device and feeding arrangement for feeding to said laminator device, in an integrated operation, media that is outputted from said printer. The apparatus also includes an arrangement for performing lamination only on selected portions of the print media.