Canon Production Printing IP Department

A hot steam generator (100) comprising: a thermally conductive and heatable body (1) having at least one internal channel (3), each with a channel inlet (2) and a channel outlet (6), into which a catching means (4) for catching carried-away water droplets is embedded; a water supply to the channel inlet adjustable to a feed volume rate; a heating device adapted to heat the body to a temperature greater than or equal to 100°C.

A printer comprising a plurality of displays for parallel user interaction, a print controller for controlling the printer, wherein the print controller comprises a session system which registers a session from a user via a display of the plurality of displays, wherein the session system keeps track of which session is requested per user per display and an authorization system which keeps track of rights given to the user of a display for a kind of action to be performed during a session.

Method for loading a print medium wound up as a roll in a printer wherein the method comprises the step of selecting by means of a user interface of the printer a manual media loading of the print medium instead of a default automatic media loading of the print medium. Upon receiving a trigger for automatic media loading, the print controller executes a default automatic media loading procedure, and upon receiving a selection of manual media loading, the print controller executing a manual media loading procedure.

A method of printing 3D structures distributed on a print medium on a scanning printer in a scanning direction, comprising the steps of printing one array (36) of out-of-surface pillars to have a first common angle with a surface of the print medium, and printing a neighbouring array (37) of out-of-surface pillars to have a second common angle with the surface of the print medium, wherein a direction of a vector component of a projection of a pillar of the neighbouring array to the surface of the print medium in the scanning direction is opposite to a direction of a vector component of a projection of a pillar of the one array to the surface of the print medium in the scanning direction.

A method of printing 3D structures spaced apart from each other and distributed across a 2D background image on a scanning printer comprises the steps of printing swaths for the 3D structures at a low resolution to create 3D structures of a predetermined height, printing swaths for the background image in high resolution, being a manifold of the low resolution. A number of passes for completing a segment of the background image is less than a number of passes for completing a segment of structures. In certain high resolution passes printing of both the background image and the 3D structures is combined, said passes being separated from one another by a number of low resolution passes.

A printing system comprising a print engine for printing on print media by means of printing elements, a print controller to control the printing on print media by a print engine and a cleaning system for cleaning an environment of the printing elements by means of at least one cleaning material, wherein the cleaning system is provided with at least one safety switch and at least one mechanical lock to respectively electrically shut down and physically isolate at least a part of the cleaning system in order to enable safe access for the operator for replacement of the at least one cleaning material during printing.

A method for a UV curable printer comprising a medium support surface for supporting the print media, a print head assembly for ejecting droplets of structure ink, white ink and coloured ink forming a relief print on the print media and a print controller for controlling the printing of the relief print in layers, each layer to be deposited in a predetermined plurality of passes of the print head assembly over the medium support surface. The print controller receives a print job comprising a colour image with colour information per pixel comprising a colour per pixel which is intended to be achieved by depositing the coloured ink, and a height image with height information per pixel comprising a height per pixel which is intended to be achieved by depositing a plurality of elevation layers of structure ink. The print controller determines besides the plurality of elevation layers at least one reflective layer of white ink and at least coloured layer of coloured ink to form the colour image. The print head assembly subsequently printing the plurality of elevation layers, the at least one white layer and the at least one colour layer. The print controller creates a last in time elevation layer intended to be printed in the predetermined plurality of passes, wherein the last in time elevation layer is formed by droplets of structure ink having a fixed coverage per pixel in a last pass of the last in time elevation layer.

The present invention relates to a print method for printing multilayer prints, wherein an intermediate layer is provided between a first and a third layer. The present invention further relates to a printer suitable for performing such a method. The present invention further relates to a software product.

A method for a UV curable printer (5) comprising a medium support surface (11) for supporting the print media, a print head assembly for ejecting droplets of structure ink (S), white ink and coloured ink forming a relief print on the print media and a print controller for controlling the printing of the relief print in layers. Each layer is deposited in a predetermined plurality of passes of the print head assembly over the medium support surface. The print controller receives a print job comprising a colour image with colour information per pixel comprising a colour per pixel which is intended to be achieved by depositing the coloured ink, and a height image with height information per pixel comprising a height per pixel which is intended to be achieved by depositing a plurality of elevation layers of structure ink. The print controller determines besides the plurality of elevation layers at least one anti-contouring layer of structure ink to prevent contouring artefacts and at least coloured layer of coloured ink to form the colour image. The print head assembly subsequently prints the plurality of elevation layers, the at least one anti-contouring layer and the at least one colour layer. The print controller creating a last in time elevation layer intended to be printed in the predetermined plurality of passes, wherein the last in time elevation layer is formed by droplets of structure ink and white ink.

To allow for printing on print media with pre-formed wrinkles a printer (1) is provided, which comprises :- a print assembly (2) which prints on a portion of a print medium (60, 70) at a print zone;- a transport mechanism (13) for moving the print medium (60, 70) with respect to the print assembly (2) in a first direction (X); and- a suction assembly (20) comprising:- a plurality of suction chambers (21-25), wherein at least one suction chamber (21-25) faces a print zone, and at least one other suction chamber (21-25) is arranged upstream and/or downstream of the print zone facing suction chamber (23) in the first direction (X), characterized in that the suction assembly (20) further comprises suction reduction means (51-52) configured to selectively prevent or reduce suction in the at least one other suction chamber (21-25).