Patent ID: 8210635
Filing Date: 2012-07-03
Classification: B41J,B65H

Abstract:
1. A printing apparatus comprising: an image former that forms a plurality of images included in a single print job on a plurality of sheets; a circulation transfer route composed of a first transfer route that transfers each sheet fed from a sheet feeding route toward a sheet discharging route, and a second transfer route that is branched from the first transfer route and returns each sheet received from the first transfer route to the first transfer route; a printing rate detector that analyzes an ejecting amount of ink or a concentration of ink necessary to form each image on each sheet by the image former on the first transfer route and detects a printing rate of each image to be printed from image data; a circulation number determiner that determines a circulation number for each sheet necessary to decurl each sheet on the circulation transfer route based on the printing rate of each image; a scheduling coordinator that coordinates a sheet transfer schedule describing a forming speed of each image, a transfer speed of each sheet, a transfer order of each sheet, a feed timing of each sheet, a transfer timing of each sheet, a discharge timing of each sheet, and an assignment of blank spaces for decurl, based on the circulation numbers of each sheet; and a transfer drive controller that controls the forming speed of each image, the transfer speed of each sheet, the transfer order of each sheet, the feed timing of each sheet, the transfer timing of each sheet, and the discharge timing of each sheet, by controlling driving mechanisms provided on the circulation transfer route and switching between the first transfer route and the second transfer route based on the sheet transfer schedule, wherein the scheduling coordinator coordinates the sheet transfer schedule based on the feed timing of each sheet obtained by subtracting a circulation time required for each sheet to circulate on the circulation transfer route with the circulation number assigned to each sheet from the discharge timing of each sheet.