Patent ID: 7360888
Filing Date: 2008-04-22
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A dot-recording device for recording ink dots on a surface of a print medium with the aid of a dot-recording head provided with a plurality of dot-forming elements for ejecting ink droplets, the dot-recording device comprising: a main scanning unit configured to drive the dot-recording head and the print medium to perform main scanning; a head driver configured to drive at least some of the dot-forming elements to form dots during the main scanning; a platen configured to extend in the main scanning direction and to be disposed opposite the dot-forming elements at least along part of a main scan path, and the platen being configured to support the print medium at a position opposite the dot-recording head; a sub-scanning unit configured to move the print medium to perform sub-scanning in between the main scans; and a controller configured to control the dot recording device, wherein the platen has a slot extending in the main scanning direction, a width of the slot in the sub-scanning direction corresponding to a specific sub-scanning range on a surface of the dot recording head including not entirety but part of the plurality of dot-forming elements, wherein the platen comprises: a first support configured to support the print medium, the first support extending in the main scanning direction at a position opposite a first sub-group of dot-forming elements selected from the plurality of dot-forming elements; a first slot for receiving the ink droplets extending in the main scanning direction at a position opposite a second sub-group of dot-forming elements which are disposed in the sub-scanning direction downstream from the first sub-group of dot-forming elements; a second support configured to support the print medium, the second support extending in the main scanning direction at a position opposite a third sub-group of dot-forming elements which are disposed in the sub-scanning direction downstream from the second sub-group of dot-forming elements; and a second slot for receiving the ink droplets extending in the main scanning direction at a position opposite a fourth sub-group of dot-forming elements which are disposed in the sub-scanning direction downstream from the third sub-group of dot-forming elements, wherein the controller has: a first image printing mode in which dots are formed on the print medium with the aid of the second to fourth sub-groups of dot-forming elements, wherein use of the first sub-group of dot-forming elements is prohibited in the first image printing mode, thereby printing images without blank spaces up to at least one of a front edge and a rear edge of the print medium; and a second image printing mode in which dots are formed on the print medium with the aid of the first to fourth sub-groups of dot-forming elements, thereby printing images with blank spaces along the front and rear edges of the print medium.