Abstract:
There is provided an image recording device, comprising: a platen that supports a recording medium; a carriage that is located to face the platen and is configured to move in a first direction along the recoding medium; a recordation head that is mounted on the carriage and performs image recordation on the recording medium; a long member elongated, to face the platen, in the first direction within a region in which the carriage moves; a support member that fixes the long member such that the long member does not move in the first direction relative to the platen; and a guide member that is located on the carriage to deform the long member such that the carriage and the platen face directly with respect to each other.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 from Japanese Patent Applications No. 2008-143827, filed on May 30, 2008, and No. 2009-045835, filed on Feb. 27, 2009. The entire subject matter of the applications is incorporated herein by reference. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Technical Field 
         [0003]    Aspects of the present invention relate to an image recording device having a recordation head mounted on a carriage moving in a predetermined direction to perform image recordation on a sheet of paper placed on a platen. 
         [0004]    2. Related Art 
         [0005]    Ink jet type printers which perform image recordation on a sheet of recording medium such as a sheet of paper have been widely used. In the printer of this type, the sheet of paper is carried to a platen while being sandwiched by a pair of rollers located to face with each other. When the sheet of paper reaches the platen, the pair of rollers are driven intermittently so that, while the rollers are stopped intermittently, ink drops are ejected from a recordation head during a reciprocating motion of the recordation head. By thus ejecting ink drops from the recordation head to the sheet of paper, a required image can be formed on the sheet of paper. That is, by repeating such motion, the image recordation is performed successively from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the sheet of paper. 
         [0006]    In general, the printer is capable of performing the image recordation on various types of recording medium including an envelope. Furthermore, there is a case where, after image recordation is performed on one side of a sheet of paper, image recordation is further performed on the other side of the sheet of paper in the image recording device, for the purpose of double-side printing or reuse of sheets of paper. In this regard, it should be noted that if the recording medium such as an envelope having a folded part is used, a possibility that a part of the envelope protruding toward the recordation head contacts a carriage or the recordation head arises. 
         [0007]    Regarding the double-side printing, there is a case where warpage is caused on a sheet of paper when the image recordation is performed on one side of the sheet of paper. In this case, the warped part of the sheet of paper might contact the carriage or the recordation head when the image recordation is performed for the other side of the sheet of paper. Regarding reuse of sheets of paper, there is a possibility that warpage is produced on a sheet of paper when the image recordation is performed, and the warped part of the sheet of paper contacts the carriage or the recordation head. 
         [0008]    If the sheet of paper contacts the carriage or the recordation head, the sheet of paper might be damaged. Recently, the interval between the sheet of paper and the recordation head is becoming shorter for the purpose of achieving high-precision image recordation, and therefore the possibility of paper jamming due to the above described reasons is increasing. 
         [0009]    Sheets of paper includes vertical paper grain type paper of which direction of fibers is oriented in the vertical direction and lateral paper grain type paper of which direction of fibers is oriented in the lateral direction. If the sheet of paper of the lateral paper grain type is used while being carried in the direction of the longer side of the paper, relatively larger warpage is produced on the sheet of paper in comparison with the vertical paper grain type paper. Therefore, in addition to the case of the double-side printing, the paper jamming may be caused in the single-side printing. Such a problem of paper jamming is caused not only in the inkjet printers but also in dot-impact printers. 
         [0010]    Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2002-240380A (hereafter, referred to as JP 2002-240380A) discloses a dot impact printer having a carriage on which a recordation head is mounted. More specifically, in this printer, a strip-shaped film is connected to the carriage, and the film is wound by winding rollers provided at both end portions defined in an opening in which the carriage moves. The film contributes to preventing occurrence of paper jamming by moving together with the carriage. 
         [0011]    Japanese Utility Model Provisional Publication No. HEI 5-41816U (hereafter, referred to as JP HEI 5-41816U) also discloses a printer having a belt connected to a carriage for preventing occurrence of paper jamming. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0012]    However, in the printers disclosed in JP 2002-240380A and JP HEI 5-41816U, the film or the belt moves together with the carriage. Therefore, when the film or the belt contacts the sheet of paper, the sheet of paper might be moved in the moving direction of the carriage by friction between the carriage and the sheet of paper, and thereby an image formed on the sheet of paper might be damaged. Such a problem becomes more pronounced as the interval between the recordation head and the sheet of paper decreases. 
         [0013]    There is a possibility that, if the film or the belt moves relative to the sheet of paper before ink drops fallen on the sheet of paper dries, the film or belt may contacts the not-dried ink on the sheet of paper and thereby the image on the sheet of paper may be damaged. Furthermore, ink adhered to the film or the belt may soil the sheet of paper which will subsequently be subjected to the image recordation. Such a problem may also occur when ink mist adheres to the film or the belt. 
         [0014]    In the inkjet type image recording device, a maintenance unit for maintenance operation, such as a purging operation in which ink is sucked fro nozzles of the recordation head and flushing operation in which ink drops are ejected from the recordation head, is provided for the purpose of preventing drying or clogging of nozzles or removing air bubbles from the nozzles. It is also desirable that the image recording device having such a maintenance unit is provided with the above described film or belt. 
         [0015]    Aspects of the present invention are advantageous in that an image recording device configured to prevent occurrence of paper jamming on a platen and to prevent sheets of paper from being damaged is provided. 
         [0016]    According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an image recording device, comprising: a platen that supports a recording medium; a carriage that is located to face the platen and is configured to move in a first direction along the recoding medium; a recordation head that is mounted on the carriage and performs image recordation on the recording medium; a long member elongated, to face the platen, in the first direction within a region in which the carriage moves; a support member that fixes the long member such that the long member does not move in the first direction relative to the platen; and a guide member that is located on the carriage to deform the long member such that the carriage and the platen face directly with respect to each other. 
         [0017]    According to the above describe configuration, the long member does not move in the first direction relative to the platen even if the carriage moves in the first direction. Therefore, it is possible to perform image recordation while moving the carriage in the first direction in a state where the recording medium is kept at a certain distance from the recordation head. Consequently, it becomes possible to prevent occurrence of paper jamming on the platen and to prevent an image form on the recording medium from being damaged because the recording medium is not moved on the platen. 
         [0018]    In at least one aspect, the guide member deforms the long member in accordance with movement of the carriage in such a manner that the long member deforms in a second direction to move away from or approach the platen. 
         [0019]    It is noted that various connections are set forth between elements in the following description. It is noted that these connections in general and unless specified otherwise, may be direct or indirect and that this specification is not intended to be limiting in this respect. Aspects of the invention may be implemented in computer software as programs storable on computer-readable media including but not limited to RAMs, ROMs, flash memory, EEPROMs, CD-media, DVD-media, temporary storage, hard disk drives, floppy drives, permanent storage, and the like. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating an outer appearance of a MFP (Multifunction Peripheral)  10  according to a first embodiment. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view illustrating an internal configuration of the MFP. 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating the inner configuration around an image recordation unit of the MFP. 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is a top view illustrating the inner configuration around the image recordation unit. 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a carriage and a guide film. 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating the carriage and the guide film viewed from a lower side. 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the carriage. 
           [0027]      FIG. 8  is a cross section viewed along a cut line VIII-VIII in  FIG. 4 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 9  is an enlarged cross section viewed along a cut line IX-IX in  FIG. 4 . 
           [0029]      FIGS. 10A and 10B  illustrate the situation where a part of the guide film deforms to follow movement of the carriage. 
           [0030]      FIG. 11  is an explanatory illustration for explaining winding of guide films with movement of the carriage in a reciprocating direction. 
           [0031]      FIG. 12  illustrates the configuration of the carriage and guide wires according to a third embodiment. 
           [0032]      FIG. 13  illustrates an arrangement of a purge mechanism, a wiper and a discarded ink tray. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0033]    Hereafter, embodiments according to the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       First Embodiment 
       [0034]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating an outer appearance of an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral)  10  according to a first embodiment.  FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view illustrating an internal configuration of the MFP  10 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the MFP  10  includes a print unit  11  and a scanner unit  12  which are integrally provided. The MFP  10  has a print function, a scanner function, a copy function and a facsimile function. The print unit  11  serves as an image recoding device. It should be noted one or more of the functions other than the print function may be omitted. For example, the present invention may be applied to a device having only the print function and not having the scanner unit  12  (i.e., not having the scanner and copy functions). 
         [0035]    In the MFP  10 , the print unit  11  is located on the lower side, and the scanner unit  12  is located on the upper side. The print unit  11  is connected to an external device such as a computer, and is able to record an image and text on a recording medium based on print data (e.g., image data or document data) transmitted from the external device. The scanner  12  is formed as a so-called flat-bed scanner. 
         [0036]    The MFP  10  has a wide and thin outer shape formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. That is, the MFP  10  has a width (in a direction indicated by an arrow  101 ) and a depth (in a direction indicated by an arrow  103 ) larger than a height (in a direction indicated by an arrow  102 ). On the front of the print unit  11 , an opening  13  is formed. In the inside of the opening  13 , a paper supply tray  20  and an output tray  21  are provided. The sheets of paper accommodated in the paper supply tray  20  are supplied to the inside of the print unit  11  one by one to form an required image on the sheet of paper, and the sheet of paper after image recordation is ejected to the output tray  21 . 
         [0037]    On the upper front portion of the MFP  10 , an operation panel  14  is provided. A user is able to input commands to control the print unit  11  and the scanner unit  20  to perform a required operation through the operation panel  14 . The operation panel  14  includes a plurality of buttons for input, and a display on which various types of information, such as a status of the MFP  10  or error information, is displayed. The MFP  10  is also able to operate in accordance with commands transmitted from the external device connected to the MFP  10  through a printer driver or a scanner driver. 
         [0038]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the paper supply tray  20  is located on the bottom of the MFP  10 . The output tray  21  is located on the upper side of the paper supply tray  20 . That is, the output tray  21  and the paper supply tray  20  form a two-layer structure. The paper supply tray  20  and the output tray  21  are connected through a paper carrying path  23  through which the sheet of paper is carried. The sheet of paper placed in the paper supply tray  20  is guided from the lower side to the upper side while turning in a form of a letter U, and is carried to an image recordation unit  24 . In the image recordation unit  24 , image recordation is performed, and the sheet of paper after image recordation is ejected to the output tray  21 . 
         [0039]    The paper supply tray  20  is formed to be a casing having an opening on the top side thereof. In the inner space of the paper supply tray  20 , a stack of image recording media (e.g., sheets of paper) can be accommodated. For example, in the paper supply tray  20 , various types of sheets of paper having a size smaller than or equal to A3 size (e.g., A4 size, B5 size, post card size) can be accommodated. 
         [0040]    The paper output tray  21  has a form of a tray, and is formed such that the sheet of paper can be ejected on the upper surface thereof. The output tray  21  is located on the front side of the MFP  10  with respect to the paper supply tray  20  in the depth direction (in the direction indicated by the arrow  103 ). 
         [0041]    In the deepest portion of the MFP  10 , a feed roller  25  is provided. The feed roller  25  serves to supply the sheet of paper stacked on the paper supply tray  20  to the paper carrying path  23 . The feed roller  25  rotates by receiving a driving force from a motor (not shown). The feed roller  25  is rotatably supported at a tip of a supply arm  26 . The supply arm  26  is provided to be rotatable. That is, the supply arm  26  is provided such that the tip at which the feed roller  25  is attached is able to swing with respect to a proximal end portion thereof. 
         [0042]    By the rotational motion of the supply arm  26 , the supply roller  25  moves up and down to approach or move away from the sheet of paper. The supply arm  26  is pressed downward by a pressing member (e.g., a spring) or the supply roller  25 &#39;s weight to be rotated downward, and moves upward in accordance with the amount of the sheets of paper accommodated in the paper supply tray  20 . Therefore, the supply roller  25  contacts the top of the stacked sheets of paper in the paper supply tray  20 . When the supply roller  25  is rotated in this state, the sheet of paper at the top of the stacked sheets of paper is sent out by friction between the surface of the supply roller  25  and the sheet of paper and is supplied to the paper carrying path  23 . 
         [0043]    The paper carrying path  23  is formed to extend upward from the back side of the paper supply tray  20 , to bend toward the front side, extend to from the back side to the front side of the MFP  10 , and then connect to the output tray  21  through the image recordation unit  24 . The paper carrying path  23  is formed by an outer guide face and an inner guide face facing with each other at a certain interval, excepting a portion around which the image recordation unit  24  is located. For example, in a portion where the paper carrying path  23  bends on the back side of the MFP  10 , the paper carrying path  23  is formed by an outer guide member  18  and an inner guide member  19 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating the inner configuration around the image recordation unit  24  of the MFP  10 . As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the image recordation unit  24  includes, as main parts, a recordation head  39  and a platen  42 . The recordation head  39  and the platen  42  are provided to face with each other at a predetermined interval. The image recordation unit  24  is explained in detail later. 
         [0045]    On the upstream side in a normal carrying direction  104  with respect to the image recordation unit  24 , a pair of a carrying roller  60  and a pinch roller  61  are provided. Although in  FIGS. 2 and 3  the pinch roller  61  is hidden, the pinch roller  61  is provided under the carrying roller  60  such that the pinch roller  60  is able to approach or move away from the carrying roller  60  and is closely contact the carrying roller while being pressed against the carrying roller  60  by an elastic member such as a spring as shown in  FIG. 9 . The carrying roller  60  rotates while receiving a driving force from a motor (not shown). In this embodiment, although explanations are made for the case where the sheet of paper is carried in the normal carrying direction  104 , it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to such a case where the sheer of paper is carried in one of the normal carrying direction  104  and the inversed carrying direction. 
         [0046]    The sheet of paper is carried in the normal carrying direction  104  by rotation of the carrying roller  60  while being sandwiched between the carrying roller  60  and the pinch roller  61 . In this case, the pinch roller  61  rotates in response to carrying of the sheet of paper. 
         [0047]    On the downstream side in the normal carrying direction  104  with respect to the image recordation unit  24 , a pair of an ejection roller  62  and a gearwheel are provided. Although in  FIGS. 2 and 3  the gearwheel is hidden by another member, the gearwheel is provided on the upper side of the ejection roller  62  such that the gearwheel is able to approach or move away from the ejection roller  62 , and closely contacts the ejection roller  62  while being pressed against the ejection roller  62  by an elastic member such as a spring. 
         [0048]    When viewed in an axis direction of the gearwheel, the gearwheel is formed such that a plurality of projections each projecting in a radial direction in a chevron shape are arranged along the circumferential direction of the gearwheel. A tip of each projection of the gearwheel contacts a recordation surface of the sheet of paper. The ejection roller  62  rotates while receiving a driving force from a motor (not shown). Rotations of the ejection roller  62  are controlled to be in synchronization with rotation of the carrying roller  60 . The ejection roller  62  and the gearwheel carry the sheet of paper after image recordation to the output tray  21  while sandwiching the sheet of paper therebetween. 
         [0049]    The carrying roller  60 , the pinch roller  61 , the ejection roller  62  and the gearwheel serve as a carrying unit. 
         [0050]    For image recordation, the carrying roller  60  and the ejection roller  62  are driven intermittently. In the intermittent driving of the rollers, each of the carrying roller  60  and the ejection roller  62  is continuously driven by a predetermined target carrying amount, and is stopped for a predetermined time period after the predetermined target carrying amount is reached. The predetermined target carrying amount is changed depending on the resolution of an image to be recorded. For example, when the image recordation is performed in an interlace scheme, the predetermined target carrying amount for a fine mode where image recordation is performed in a high resolution mode is set to a smaller amount than the predetermined target carrying amount for a normal mode where image recordation is performed in an intermediate resolution mode. 
         [0051]    It should be noted that while the image recordation is not executed, the carrying roller  60  and the ejection roller  62  need not be driven intermittently. Therefore, the carrying roller  60  and the ejection roller  62  may be rotated continuously for the supplying of the sheet of paper before the image recordation or for ejection of the sheet of paper after image recordation. 
         [0052]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , on the upstream side in the normal carrying direction  104  along the paper carrying path  23  with respect to the carrying roller  60 , a registration sensor  37  is provided. The registration sensor  37  detects presence or absence of the sheet of paper passing through the paper carrying path  23 . By checking an ON/OFF state of an output signal from the registration sensor  37 , it is possible to judge whether the leading edge or the trailing edge of the sheet of paper reaches the position of the registration sensor  37 . 
         [0053]    As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the image recordation unit  24  includes, as main parts, a carriage  38 , the recordation head  39  and the platen  42 . 
         [0054]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 to 4 , the carriage  38  and the platen  42  are located on the downstream side of the carrying roller  60  and the pinch roller and on the upstream side of the ejection roller  62  and the gearwheel, along the paper carrying path  23  in the normal carrying direction. The carriage  38  and the platen  42  are provided on the upper side and the lower side, respectively, with respect to the paper carrying path  23 , and face with each other with respect to the paper carrying path  23 . 
         [0055]    The carriage  38  has a rectangular parallelepiped shape (i.e., a hexahedron). On the carriage  38 , the recordation head  39  is mounted. The carriage  38  makes a reciprocating motion in a horizontal direction (i.e., a reciprocating direction  105 ) which is perpendicular to the normal carrying direction  104 . 
         [0056]    Although not shown in each figure, an ink cartridge is separately provided with respect to the recordation head  39 . From the ink cartridge, each of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (Bk) ink is supplied to the recordation head  39  via an ink tube (not shown). 
         [0057]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating the carriage  38  and a guide film  71  viewed from a lower side. As shown in  FIG. 6 , a part of the recordation head  39  is exposed on a surface where the carriage  38  faces the platen  42 . Hereafter, the exposed surface is referred to as a nozzle surface  40 . Although not shown in  FIG. 6  in detail, a plurality of nozzle orifices are formed on the nozzle surface  40 . The nozzles are arranged in a line along the normal carrying direction for each color of C, M, Y and Bk. Ink drops of respective colors are ejected from the nozzles through vibration of a piezoelectric element provided in the recordation head  39 . 
         [0058]    While the carriage  38  is reciprocated, a minute ink drop of each color is selectively ejected from each nozzle. Consequently, an image is recorded on the sheet of paper being carried on the platen  42 . It should be noted that the number of nozzles and the pitch of nozzles along the normal carrying direction can be adjusted depending on various factors such as resolution of an image to be recorded. Furthermore, the number of lines of nozzles can be increased or decreased depending on the number of ink colors. 
         [0059]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , a paper sensor  32  is provided on the carriage  38 . The paper sensor  32  is a reflective photosensor. Although not shown in figures in detail, the paper sensor  32  includes a light-emitting device and a photoreceptor. The light-emitting device emits light toward the platen  42 , and the photosensor receives light reflected from the platen  42 . The paper sensor  32  outputs an electric signal corresponding to the received level of light on the photoreceptor. 
         [0060]    The top surface of the platen  42  has a reflection coefficient different from a reflection coefficient of the sheet of paper. In general, since the sheet of paper is white, the top surface of the platen  42  is colored in black. Since the reflection coefficients of the platen  42  and the sheet of paper are different from each other, it is possible to detect presence or absence of the sheet of paper on the platen  42  in accordance with change of the signal level from the paper sensor  32 . 
         [0061]    As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a pair of guide rails  43  and  44  are provide on the upper side of the paper carrying path  23 . The guide rails  43  and  44  are located along the normal carrying direction to have a predetermined interval. That is, each of the guide rails  43  and  44  is provided such that the longitudinal direction thereof is along the reciprocating direction  105  of the carriage  38 . The guide rails  43  and  44  are provided in the inside of the casing of the print unit  11 , and form a part of a frame supporting components of the print unit  11 . 
         [0062]    The guide rail  43  provided on the upstream side in the normal carrying direction  104  has a form of a flat plate. The length of the guide rail  43  in the longitudinal direction (the reciprocating direction  105 ) is set to be larger than the reciprocating range of the carriage  38 . The guide rail  44  provided on the downstream side in the normal carrying direction  104  has a form of a flat plate, and has the length in the longitudinal direction substantially equal to the length of the guide rail  43  in the longitudinal direction. An edge  45  is formed on the guide rail  43  on the upstream side in the normal carrying direction  104  to be bent upward at substantially the right angle. 
         [0063]    The carriage  38  is mounted to bridge the guide rails  43  and  44 . That is, an upstream edge of the carriage  38  defined in the normal carrying direction  104  is placed on the guide rail  43 , and an downstream edge of the carriage  38  defined in the normal carrying direction  104  is placed on the guide rail  44 . Although not illustrated in the figures, the carriage  38  is configured to catch the edge  45  of the guide rail  44  with parts having a high degree of sliding property, such as resin. With this structure, the carriage  38  is properly positioned in the normal carrying direction  104 , and is able to slide in the reciprocating direction  105 . With sliding motion of the carriage  38 , a pair of rollers rotate and slide along the edge  45 . 
         [0064]    On the guide rail  44 , a belt driving mechanism  46  is provided. The belt driving mechanism  46  includes a driving pulley  47 , a driven pulley  48  and an endless belt  49 . The driving pulley  46  and the driven pulley  48  are located at end portions, respectively, in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail  44 . The belt  49  is hooked to the driving pulley  47  and the driven pulley  48 . On the inner surface of the belt  49 , a plurality of teeth are formed. The teeth form in the inner surface of the belt  49  engage with teeth of the driving pulley  47 . The driving pulley  47  is rotated while receiving a driving force from the motor  73  (not shown). With rotation of the driving pulley  47 , the belt  49  moves in a rotational motion. 
         [0065]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , a clip  36  is provided on the side of the nozzle surface  40  of the carriage  38 . Since the clip  36  catches the belt  49 , the carriage  38  is connected to the belt  49 . Therefore, in accordance with the rotational motion of the belt  49 , the carriage  38  reciprocates along the guide rails  43  and  44 . Since the recordation head  39  is mounted on the carriage  38 , the recordation head  39  reciprocates in the reciprocating direction  105  with the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38 . 
         [0066]    As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , an encoder strip  51  of a linear encoder is located along the guide rail  44 . The encoder strip  51  is a strip-shaped member. The encoder strip  51  is formed such that a transmitting part and a light-blocking part are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction. The encoder strip  51  is supported by supporting parts  33  and  34  respectively provided at end portions in the longitudinal direction, and is formed to extend in the longitudinal direction over the guide rail  44 . On the top surface of the carriage  38 , an optical sensor  35  which is a transmissive sensor is provided. The optical sensor  35  is located to face the encoder strip  51 , and detects a pattern of the encoder strip  51  when the carriage  38  moves on the reciprocating direction. A detection signal of the optical sensor  35  is output as a pulse signal from a head control board (not shown) mounted on the carriage  38 . 
         [0067]    Based on the pulse signal, the moving direction and speed of the carriage  38  are calculated, and the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38  is controlled. 
         [0068]    Under the guide rails  43  and  44 , the platen  42  is located to face the recordation head  39 . The platen  42  is provided to occupy a central portion in which the sheet of paper passes and which is defined within a region in which the carriage  38  reciprocates. The platen  42  holds the sheet of paper on the top surface thereof. The width of the top surface of the platen  42  in the reciprocating direction  105  is sufficiently larger than the maximum width of the sheet of paper which the print unit  11  supports. The distance between the recordation head  39  and the sheet of paper held on the top surface of the platen  42  is kept constant. 
         [0069]    In the MFP  10 , a main board and the head control board of the recordation head  39  is connected via a flat cable  52  through which various signals are transmitted. For example, a recordation signal is transmitted from the main board to the head recordation board via the flat cable  52 . The flat cable  52  is a thin strip-shaped member configured by covering a plurality of wires for transmitting electric signals with a synthetic resin film such as a polyester film. Similar to the ink tube, the flat cable  52  elastically deforms along with the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38 . 
         [0070]    As described above, the carriage  38  is reciprocated while the carrying roller  60  and the ejection roller  62  are stopped. While the carriage  38  reciprocates, the recordation head  39  is controlled to eject a minute drop of ink of each color selectively from the nozzles toward the platen  42 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , an ejecting direction  108  in which a drop of ink is ejected from the nozzle surface  40  is a vertically downward direction. Therefore, the ejection direction  108  is perpendicular to both of the normal carrying direction  104  and the reciprocating direction  105 . By selectively ejecting drops of ink from the nozzle surface  40  to fall on the sheet of paper on the platen  42 , a required image is recorded on the sheet of paper. 
         [0071]    As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the carriage  38  is provided with four rollers  72  to  75 . The carriage  38  is provided with brackets  76  and  77  respectively provided on the upstream and downstream end portions of the carriage  38  to protrude in the reciprocating direction. A rotation axis of each of the rollers  72  to  75  is supported by the brackets  76  and  77 . That is, each of the rollers  72  to  75  is attached to the carriage  38  to be rotatable about an axis direction which is in parallel with the normal carrying direction. 
         [0072]    The length of each of the rollers  72  to  75  in the axis direction is substantially equal to or slightly larger than the width of the guide film  71 . The rollers  72  to  75  are provided at upper and lower edges of the both end portions defined in the reciprocating direction  105 . That is, the rollers  72  to  75  are located at four corners of the carriage  38 . 
         [0073]    The rollers  72  to  75  reciprocate with the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38 , and each of the rollers  72  to  75  moves relative to the guide film  71  while rotating, in accordance with the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38 . 
         [0074]    As shown in  FIG. 7 , an ink absorber  78  is provided on the top surface of the carriage  38 . The ink absorber  78  is made of material capable of absorbing and holding ink ejected from the recordation head  39 . For example of such material, water-absorbing resin or water-absorbing fabric can be used. The ink absorber  78  has a rectangular parallelepiped shape formed to occupy substantially the entire region defined by the rollers  73  and  74  located at the upper ends of the carriage  38  and the brackets  76  and  77 . The top surface of the ink absorber  78  is positioned to be slightly higher than the top of each of the rollers  73  and  74 . That is, the ink absorber  78  is positioned between the carriage  38  and a facing surface  82  of the guide film  71  sliding relatively over the carriage  38  while being taken up by the rollers  73  and  74 , and contacts the guide film  71 . The carriage  38  slides with respect to the guide film  78  with the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38 . 
         [0075]    As shown in  FIGS. 4 to 6 , the guide film  71  has a strip-shaped shape. Ends of the guide film  71  are respectively connected to both edge portions in the region of the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38 . More specifically, an end of the guide film  71  is fixed to a frame of the print unit  11  via a fixing member  65  so that the one end does not move relative to the platen  42 , while the other end of the guide film  71  is directed downward while being taken up by the roller  66 , and is fixed to the frame of the print unit  11  via a fixing member (not shown) so as not to move relative to the platen  42 . 
         [0076]    Although not shown in the figures, the tension of the other end of the guide film  71  can be adjusted by the fixing member. 
         [0077]    The guide film  71  is deformed to surround the carriage  38  excepting the nozzle surface  40  while being taken up by the rollers  72  to  75 . A part of the guide film  71  being deformed around the carriage  38  is referred to as a deformed part  80 . Excepting the deformed part  80 , a part of the surface of the guide film  71  facing the top surface of the platen  42  is referred to as a facing part  81 . 
         [0078]    As shown in  FIG. 8 , the deformed part  80  of the guide film  71  is formed to move away from or approach the platen  42  along the sides of the carriage  38  while being taken up by the rollers  72  and  75  located at the lower end portions defined in the reciprocating direction  105  of the carriage  38 , and is extended along the top surface of the carriage  38  while being taken up by the rollers  73  and  74 . Further, the guide film  71  contacts the ink absorber  78  on the side of the top surface of the carriage  38 . A direction in which the guide film  71  approaches or moves away from the platen  42  along the sides of the carriage  38  is defined as a deforming direction  106  (see  FIG. 8 ). 
         [0079]    As shown in  FIG. 8 , the facing part  81  of the guide film  71  is positioned to be slightly closer to the platen  42  than the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39 , and is formed to extend in the reciprocating direction  105  from each of the both ends of the carriage  38 . The direction in which the part of the guide film  71  other than the deformed part  80  extends is defined as the longitudinal direction, while a shorter side direction of the guide film  71  is defined as a direction which is parallel with the normal carrying direction. A surface which is selected from front and back surfaces of the guide film  71  and which faces the platen  42  is referred to as the facing surface  82 . 
         [0080]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , the width  83  of the guide film  71  defined in the normal carrying direction  104  is larger than the length  84  of the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation unit  39  defined in the normal carrying direction  104 . Further, the guide film  71  is positioned such that in the normal carrying direction, the nozzle surface  40  is located within the width  83  of the guide film  71 . The paper sensor  32  provided on the carriage  38  is also positioned within the width  83  of the guide film  71 . 
         [0081]    As shown in  FIG. 8 , around the carriage  38 , a first interval  85  between the facing surface of the guide film  71  and the top surface  42  of the platen  42  is slightly smaller than a second interval  86  between the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation unit  29  and the top surface of the platen  42 . It should be noted that the nozzle surface  40  is defined as a position of the recordation unit  39  closest to the platen  42 . 
         [0082]    With the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38 , the guide film  71  deforms such that the deformed part  80  follows the reciprocating carriage  38 . For example, as show in  FIGS. 10A and 10B , when the carriage  38  moves in the direction indicated by an arrow  117  (i.e., in the leftward direction on  FIGS. 10A and 10B ), the guide film  71  deforms such that the deformed part  80  follows the carriage  38  while being guided by the rollers  72  to  75 . That is, the facing part  81  becomes the deformed part  80  while being taken up by the roller  72  of the carriage  38 , and the deformed part  80  becomes the facing part  81  after the roller  74  passes the deformed part  80 . Even though the deformed part  80  of the carriage  38  follows the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38 , the facing part  81  does not move relative to the platen  42 . 
         [0083]    As shown in  FIG. 9 , an introducing film  87  is provided to be elongated from the downstream side of the carrying roller  60  in the normal carrying direction  104  toward the guide film  71 . The introducing film  87  has a form of a thin film, and is located such that a first edge  88  defined on the upstream side in the normal carrying direction  104  is situated at a position which is an immediately downstream position with respect to the surface of the carrying roller  60  and which is slightly higher than the nipping position between the carrying roller  60  and the pinch roller  61 . A second edge  89  of the introducing film  87  is situated at a position which is on the downstream side of an upstream edge  70  of the guide film  71  and which does not reach the position facing the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39  and the paper sensor  32 . The sheet of paper being carried while being nipped by the carrying roller  60  and the pinch roller  61  is introduced into the gap between the guide film  71  and the platen  42  while being guided by the introducing film  87 . 
         [0084]    As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 13 , at the both ends of the platen  42  in the reciprocating direction  105 , a purge mechanism  130 , a wiper  131  and a discarded ink tray  132  are provided. In  FIG. 4 , the purge mechanism  130 , the wiper  131  and the discarded ink tray  132  are hidden by the guide film  71 . The purge mechanism  130  and the wiper  131  are located on the same end portion in the reciprocating direction  105  with respect to the platen  42  (i.e., on the right side on  FIG. 13 ), and only the discarded ink tray  132  is located on the opposite end portion in the reciprocating direction with respect to the platen  42  (i.e., on the left side on  FIG. 13 ). 
         [0085]    The purge mechanism  130  includes, as main parts, caps  133  and  134 , and a suction pump  135 . Each of the caps  133  and  134  is driven to approach or move away from the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39  as indicated by an arrow  109  shown in  FIG. 13  through a driving mechanism (not shown). Each of the caps  133  and  134  closely contacts the nozzle surface  40  to cover each nozzle orifice with enclosed space. The cap  133  covers the nozzle orifices for ejecting cyan, magenta and yellow ink, and the cap  134  covers the nozzle orifices for ejecting black ink. A lip part of each of the caps  133  and  134  closely contacting the nozzle surface  40  is formed of an elastic member such as rubber. By deformation of the lip part of each of the caps  133  and  134 , the lip part is able to closely contact the nozzle surface  40  so as to form the enclosed space as the inner space of each of the caps  133  and  134 . 
         [0086]    On the bottom of each of the caps  133  and  134 , an opening is formed. Through channels  136  and  137  respectively communicating with the openings of the caps  133  and  134 , the caps  133  and  134  are connected to the suction pump  135 . When the suction pump  135  is activated, suction pressure is caused in each of the inner spaces of the caps  133  and  134  through the channels  133  and  134 . When each of the caps  133  and  134  closely contacts the nozzle surface  40 , ink is sucked from the nozzles of the recordation head  39  to the inside of each of the caps  133  and  134  by the suction pressure. When ink of each color is sucked from the recordation head  39 , air bubbles and dusts caused in the recordation head  39  are also sucked together with the ink to the inside of each of the caps  133  and  134 . In this specification, such a sucking operation is frequently referred to as a purge motion. 
         [0087]    The wiper  131  wipes the ink adhered to the nozzle surface while contacting the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39 . The wiper  131  is a plate-like member formed of elastic material such as rubber. The wiper  131  has a width longer than the range within which all the nozzle orifices are arranged on the nozzle surface  40  in the normal carrying direction  104 , and the wiper  131  is positioned such that the width direction of the wiper  131  is equal to the normal carrying direction  104 . The wiper  131  is driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) to approach or move away from the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39  as indicated by the arrow  109 . 
         [0088]    The wiper  131  is located on the side of the platen  42  with respect to the purge mechanism  130 . The wiper  131  is used mainly for the purpose of wiping residual ink on the nozzle surface  40  purged by the purging mechanism  130 . The wiper  131  contacts the nozzle surface  40  when the purged recordation head  39  returns to the position facing the nozzle surface  40  along with the carriage  38 , and wipes the ink adhered to the nozzle surface  40  by the relative movement of the wiper  131  with respect to the nozzle surface  40 . In this specification, such motion of the wiper  40  to wipe the ink on the nozzle surface  40  is frequently referred to as “wiping”. 
         [0089]    The discarded ink tray  132  is formed to receive ink ejected from the recordation head  39  for maintenance. The recordation head  39  has a form of a tray corresponding to the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39 , and accommodates therein an ink absorber. The ink absorber absorbs drops of ink ejected from the recordation head  39  and holds the ink. For example, when the ink on the nozzle surface  40  has purged and then wiped by the wiper  131 , a possibility that ink of different color is mixed into each nozzle orifice or a possibility that a meniscus shape of a drop of ink formed on each nozzle orifice is deteriorated arises. Therefore, by ejecting drops of ink from all the nozzle orifices of the recordation head  39  after the purging, it is possible to eject the mixed ink from each nozzle orifice and to restore the condition of each nozzle orifice to a normal condition. In this specification, such ejecting motion is frequently referred to as “flushing”. 
         [0090]    As shown in  FIG. 13 , the guide film  71  is extended in the reciprocating direction  105  to cover the caps  133  and  134  of the purge mechanism  130 , the wiper  131  and the discarded ink tray  132 . Further, the carriage  38  is able to move to the positions facing the caps  133  and  134  of the purge mechanism  130 , the wiper  131  and the discarded ink tray  132 . 
         [0091]    Hereafter, the image recordation operation is explained in detail. 
         [0092]    When a command for starting the image recordation is inputted, for example, through the operation panel  14 . The sheet of paper  90  accommodated in the paper supply tray  20  is supplied to the paper carrying path  23 . The sheet of paper  90  supplied to the paper carrying path  23  is carried to the platen  42  while being nipped by the carrying roller  60  and the pinch roller  61 . In the process where the sheet of paper  90  passes the registration sensor  37 , the leading edge of the sheet of paper is recognized by the MFP  10 . 
         [0093]    The leading edge of the sheet of paper  90  being supplied while being nipped by the carrying roller  60  and the pinch roller  61  is guided by the introducing film  87 , and is directed to the space between the guide film  71  and the platen  42 . When the leading edge of the sheet of paper  90  enters the image recordation region by the recordation head  39 , the carrying roller  60  is controlled to rotate intermittently on the basis of a predetermined carrying amount. When the carrying roller  60  is stopped intermittently, the carriage  38  is controlled to reciprocate in the reciprocating direction  105 . While the carriage  38  reciprocates, ink of each color is ejected selectively from the nozzles of the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39  in the ejecting direction  108 . 
         [0094]    Such ejection motion of ink drops may be performed in both directions of the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38  or in either of directions of the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38 . The ink drops ejected from the nozzle surface  40  fall on the sheet of paper  90  placed on the platen  42 . Consequently, the image recordation for one pass is finished. 
         [0095]    After the carriage  38  reciprocates one time, the carrying roller  60  is rotated by the predetermined carrying amount to carry the sheet of paper  90  in the normal carrying direction on the platen  42 . Then, when the carrying roller  60  is stopped intermittently, the carriage  38  is reciprocated in the reciprocating direction  105 , and the ink drops are selectively ejected from the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39  to finish the image recordation for the second pass. By repeating such operations, a required image is formed on the sheet of paper  90 . 
         [0096]    For rimless printing on the sheet of paper  90 , the rim of the sheet of paper on the platen  42  is detected based on the output signal from the paper sensor  32 . Since as described above the paper sensor  32  is located within the width  83  of the guide film  71  on the lower surface of the carriage  38 , the light emitted from the paper sensor  32  reaches the sheet of paper  90  on the platen  42  without being blocked by the introducing film  87 . Then, the ink drops are ejected to the position corresponding to the rim of the sheet of paper  90  so that the rimless printing is performed on the sheet of paper  90 . 
         [0097]    Regarding the above described image recordation operation, it should be noted that the guide film  71  is located in the region in which the carriage  38  reciprocates. As shown in  FIGS. 10A and 10B , the deformed part  80  of the guide film  71  follows the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38 , while the facing part  81  of the guide film  71  does not move in the reciprocating direction relative to the platen  42 . Therefore, the sheet of paper  90  on the platen  42  is positioned by the facing surface  81  of the guide film  70  at a position nearer to the platen  42  with respect to the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39 . 
         [0098]    As described above, according to the configuration of the print unit  11 , the facing part  81  of the guide film  71  extended in the reciprocating direction  105  within the region where the carriage  38  reciprocates does not move in the reciprocating direction  105  relative to the platen  42  even when the carriage  38  reciprocates. Therefore, it becomes possible to position the sheet of paper  90  on the platen  42  at a position nearer to the platen  42  with respect to the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39 . In this state, the image recordation by the recordation head  39  is performed while the carriage  38  reciprocates in the reciprocating direction  105  with respect to the sheet of paper  90 . Therefore, even if a sheet of paper  90  a part of which is folded is carried to the platen  42  or a sheet of paper on which ink drops have fallen is bent largely on the platen  42 , the jamming of the sheet of paper  90  due to contact with the carriage  38  or the recordation head  39  can be prevented, and the image on the sheet of paper can be prevented from being damaged because the sheet of paper is not moved in the reciprocating direction  105  on the platen  42 . 
         [0099]    Since the facing part  81  of the guide film  71  does not move in the reciprocating direction  105  relative to the sheet of paper  90  on the platen  42 , it becomes possible to prevent the ink drops fallen on the sheet of paper  90  from being damaged due to contact with the carriage  38  or the recordation head  39 . 
         [0100]    Since the facing surface  82  of the guide film  71  slides on the ink absorber  78  when the carriage  38  reciprocates, the ink transferred from the sheet of paper  90  to the facing surface  82  or ink mist adhered to the facing surface can be absorbed by the ink absorber  78 . Consequently, it becomes possible to prevent the sheet of paper  90  is soiled with the ink or ink mist adhered to the facing surface  82  of the guide film  71 . 
         [0101]    As described above, the deformed part  80  of the guide film  71  moves to follow the movement of the carriage  38 , it is possible to provide a sheet of film, as the guide film  71 , over the entire reciprocating region of the carriage  38 . Therefore, it is possible to stabilize the tension to hold the guide film  71  over the entire reciprocation region of the carriage  38 . Consequently, the resistance given from the guide film  71  to the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38  can be reduced, and therefore the precise movement of the carriage  38  can be secured. 
         [0102]    As described above, the guide film  71  has a form of a strip, and is configured to have the facing surface  82  facing the top surface of the platen  42 . Therefore, it is possible to reliably press the sheet of paper  90  on the platen  42  with a flat face. 
         [0103]    Around the carriage  38 , the first interval  85  between the facing surface  82  of the guide film  71  and the platen  42  is slightly smaller than the second interval  86  between the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39  and the platen  42 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sheet of paper  90  on the platen  42  from contacting the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39 , and thereby to prevent the sheet of paper  90  from jamming due to the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38 . 
         [0104]    Since the width  83  of the facing part  81  of the guide film  71  is larger than the length  74  of the nozzle surface  40  in the normal carrying direction  104 , it is possible to reliably prevent occurrence of paper jamming due to contact between the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39  and the sheet of paper  90 . Since the sheet of paper is positioned to have the predetermined distance from the platen  42  in the reciprocating region of the nozzle surface  40 , the image recordation can be performed with a high degree of precision. 
         [0105]    Since the paper sensor  32  is positioned within the width  83  of the guide film  71  on the carriage  38 , the introducing film  87  does not exist between the platen  42  and the paper sensor  32 . Therefore, it becomes possible to detect the sheet of paper  90  on the platen  42  by the paper sensor  32  without being effected by the introducing film  87 . 
         [0106]    The introducing film  87  is provided on the upstream side in the normal carrying direction with respect to the guide film  71 , the sheet of paper  90  is guided to the space between the guide film  71  and the platen  42 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the sheet of paper  90  from contacting the frame of the guide film  71 . 
         [0107]    As described above, the ink absorber  78  slides on the facing surface  82  of the guide film  71  with the reciprocation motion of the carriage  38 . Therefore, even if the ink mist or the ink which has fallen on the sheet of paper adheres to the facing surface  82 , the ink can be removed from the facing surface  82 . Consequently, it is possible to prevent the sheet of paper  90  from being soiled by the ink or ink mist adhered to the facing surface  82 . 
         [0108]    The purge mechanism  130 , the wiper  131  and the discarded ink tray  132  arranged in the reciprocating direction  105  with respect to the platen  42 , and the recordation head  39  is situated at positions facing the purge mechanism  130 , the wiper  131  and the discarded ink tray  132  when the carriage  38  is moved in the reciprocating direction  105 . Such a configuration makes it possible to perform the maintenance operation while contacting the purge mechanism  130  and the wiper  131  with the recordation head  39 . 
         [0109]    When the recordation head  39  is not situated at the positions of the purge mechanism  130 , the wiper  131  and the discarded ink tray  132 , the purge mechanism  130 , the wiper  131  and the discarded ink tray  132  are covered by the guide film  71 . Consequently, it is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the purge mechanism  130 , the wiper  131  and the discarded ink tray  132 , and to prevent the purge mechanism  130 , the wiper  131  and the discarded ink tray  132  from being touched by a user. 
       Variations of First Embodiment 
       [0110]    In the above described first embodiment, the ink absorber  78  is provided on the top surface of the carriage  38  so that the ink absorber  78  can slide on the guide film  71  with the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38 . However, in place of providing the ink absorber  78 , an ink absorber may be provided on the surface of each of the rollers  73  and  74  provided on the upper side of the carriage  38 . In this case, when the carriage  38  reciprocates, the guide film  71  moves relative to the roller  73  and  74  while rotating each of the rollers  73  and  74 , and the facing surface  82  of the guide film  71  contacts the surface of each of the rollers  73  and  74 . Therefore, by providing an ink absorber on the surface of each of the rollers  73  and  74 , it is possible to remove the ink or ink mist adhered to the facing surface  82  of the guide film  71 . 
       Second Embodiment 
       [0111]    Hereafter, a second embodiment is described. Since the basic configuration of an MFP according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, in the following the explanation focuses on the feature of the second embodiment for the sake of simplicity. Therefore, in the following, the reference numbers in the first embodiment are also used for the explanation of the second embodiment. The feature of the second embodiment is that the MFP has guide films  91  and  92 . 
         [0112]      FIG. 11  is an explanatory illustration for explaining winding of the guide films  91  and  92  with movement of the carriage  38  in the reciprocating direction  105 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , the carriage  38  is provided with two winding rollers  93  and  94 . Each of the winding rollers  93  and  94  is rotatably attached to the carriage  38  to have an axis direction which is in parallel with the normal carrying direction  104 . The length of each of the winding roller  93  and  94  in the axis direction is substantially equal to or slightly larger than the width of each of the guide films  91  and  92 . The winding rollers  93  and  94  are provided at both end portions of the carriage  38  in the reciprocating direction  105 . Each of the winding rollers  93  and  94  is positioned such that the lower most position of each of the winding rollers  93  and  94  is nearer to the platen  42  with respect to the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39 . 
         [0113]    Although not shown in  FIG. 11 , each of the winding rollers  93  and  94  is provided with a coil spring to press the winding roller ( 93 ,  94 ) to rotate in the winding direction for winding the guide film ( 91 ,  92 ). By the pressing force of the coil spring, the winding roller  93  is pressed to rotate in the counterclockwise direction on  FIG. 11 , and the winding roller  94  is pressed to rotate in the clockwise direction on  FIG. 11  as indicated by arrows in  FIG. 11 . By the two winding rollers  93  and  94 , the guide films  91  and  92  are wound or withdrawn. 
         [0114]    Similarly to the guide film  71  in the first embodiment, each of the guide films  91  and  92  has a form of a strip. The guide films  91  and  92  are connected to the carriage  38  at both end portions in the reciprocating direction  105 . One end of the guide film  91  ( 92 ) is wound by the winding roller  93  ( 94 ). Therefore, the guide films  91  and  92  are respectively extended from the both ends of the carriage  38  in the reciprocating direction at the position slightly nearer to the platen  42  that the nozzle surface of the recordation head  39 . 
         [0115]    The guide film  91  is fixed with a fixing member  65  at the end of the reciprocating region of the carriage  38  so as not to move relative to the platen  42 , and is extended to the winding roller  93  in the reciprocating direction  105  to be wound by the winding roller  93 . The guide film  92  is fixed with a fixing member  65  at the end of the reciprocating region of the carriage  38  so as not to move relative to the platen  42 , and is extended to the winding roller  94  in the reciprocating direction  105  to be wound by the winding roller  94 . The direction in which each of the guide films  91  and  92  is extended is defined as the longitudinal direction, and the shorter side direction of each of the guide films  91  and  92  is parallel with the normal carrying direction  104 . 
         [0116]    By winding the guide films  91  and  92  extended from the both ends in the reciprocating region of the carriage  38  with the winding rollers  93  and  94 , the guide films  91  and  92  can be provided over the entire reciprocating region of the carriage  38 . The guide films  91  and  92  are withdrawn from the winding rollers  93  and  94 , or are wound by the winding rollers  93  and  94 . By winding the guide films  91  and  92  with the winding rollers  93  and  94 , the guide films  91  are  92  are moved away from the platen  42  in the deforming direction  106 . On the other hand, by withdrawing the guide films  91  and  92  from the winding rollers  93  and  94 , the guide films  91  and  92  approach the platen  42  at the both ends of the carriage  38 . 
         [0117]    Both sides of each of the guide films  91  and  92  are extended horizontally. The surface of the guide film  91  facing the platen  42  is referred to as a facing surface  95 , and the surface of the guide film  92  facing the platen  42  is referred to as a facing surface  96 . 
         [0118]    A part of the guide film  91  wound by the winding roller  93  is referred to as a deformed part  97 , and the other part of the guide film  91  other than the deformed part  97  facing the platen  42  is referred to as a facing part  98 . A part of the guide film  92  wound by the winding roller  94  is referred to as a deformed part  99 , and the other part of the guide film  92  other than the deformed part  99  facing the platen  42  is referred to as a facing part  100 . 
         [0119]    Although not shown in  FIG. 11 , the width of each of the guide films  91  and  92  defined in the normal carrying direction  104  is larger than the length  84  of the nozzle surface  40  in the normal carrying direction  104 . In addition, each of the guide films  91  and  92  is positioned with respect to the carriage  38  such that the nozzle surface  40  is positioned within the width of each of the guide films  91  and  92 . Furthermore, the paper sensor  32  on the carriage  38  is also positioned within the width of each of the guide films  91  and  92 . 
         [0120]    As in the case of the first embodiment, the guide films  91  and  92  are provided in the reciprocating region of the carriage  38 , and each of the deformed parts  97  and  98  of the guide films  91  and  92  moves to follow the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38  while winding or ejecting the guide film. On the other hand, the facing parts  98  and  100  of the guide films  91  and  92  do not move relative to the platen  42  in the reciprocating direction regardless of the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38 . Therefore, the sheet of paper  90  on the platen  42  is situated by the facing parts  98  and  100  of the guide films  91  and  92  at the position nearer to the platen  42  with respect to the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39 . With this configuration, the same advantages achieved by the first embodiment are also obtained. 
       Variations of the First and Second Embodiments 
       [0121]    Hereafter, variations of the first and second embodiments are described. The introducing film  87  may have transparency. In this case, it is possible to visibly recognize the condition of the sheet of paper  90  on the platen  42  through the introducing film  87 . The paper sensor  32  may not be located within the width of each of the guide films  71 ,  91  and  92 , but may be located, for example, on the upstream side in the normal carrying direction  104  with respect to the carriage  38 . In this case, it is also possible to optically detect the sheet of paper  90  through the introducing film  87 . 
         [0122]    The introducing film  87  may be configured to have one or more hole penetrating through the film in the deforming direction  106  (i.e., the thickness direction). With this structure, it becomes possible to visibly recognize the condition of the sheet of paper  90  on the platen  42  through the hole of the introducing film  87 . In this case, even if the paper sensor  32  is not positioned within the width of each of the guide films  71 ,  91  and  92  (for example, if the paper sensor  32  is located on the upstream side of the carriage  38  in the normal carrying direction), it is possible to optically detect the sheet of paper  90  through the hold of the introducing film  87 . 
       Third Embodiment 
       [0123]    Hereafter, a third embodiment is described. Since the basic configuration of an MFP according to the third embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, in the following the explanation focuses on the feature of the third embodiment for the sake of simplicity. Therefore, in the following, the reference numbers in the first embodiment are also used for the explanation of the third embodiment. The feature of the third embodiment is that the MFP has guide wires  54 . 
         [0124]    As in the case of the first embodiment, the carriage  38  is provided with the four rollers  72  to  75 , and on the top surface of the carriage  38 , the ink absorber  78  is provided.  FIG. 12  illustrates the configuration of the carriage  38  and the guide wires  54  according to the third embodiment. As shown in  FIG. 12 , each guide wire  54  has a funicular shape. The guide wire  54  is connected to both ends of the carriage  38  in the reciprocating direction, and is stretched in the reciprocating direction  105  to have a certain tension. In this embodiment a plurality of guide wires  54  are arranged at predetermined intervals in the normal carrying direction  104 . 
         [0125]    By being wound by the rollers  72  to  75  provided on the carriage  38 , the guide wire  54  is deformed to surround the surface of the carriage  38  other than the nozzle surface  40 . A part of the guide wire  54  deformed around the carriage  38  is referred to as a deformed part  55 . A part of the guide wire  54  other than the deformed part  55  facing the platen  42  is referred to as a facing part  56 . The direction in which the guide wire  54  is wound by the rollers  72  and  75  to approach or move away from the platen  42  around the deformed part  55  is referred to as a deforming direction  106 . 
         [0126]    The facing part  56  of the guide wire  54  is extended in the reciprocating direction from the both ends of the carriage  38  in the reciprocating direction at the position nearer to the platen  42  with respect to the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39 . The guide wire  54  is fixed at end portions in the reciprocating region of the carriage  38  with the fixing member  65  and the roller  66  so a not to move relative to the platen  42 . The direction in which the part of guide wire  54  other than the deformed part  55  is extended is defined as the longitudinal direction. The length of the region in which the plurality of guide wires  54  are arranged in the normal carrying direction is larger than the length  84  of the nozzle surface  104  in the normal carrying direction  104 . 
         [0127]    Although not shown in  FIG. 12 , the interval between the facing part of the guide wire  54  and the top surface of the platen  42  is slightly smaller than the interval between the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39  and the top surface of the platen  42 . 
         [0128]    As in the case of the guide film  71  according to the first embodiment, the deformed part  55  of the guide wire  54  moves to follow the reciprocation motion of the carriage  38 . When the deformed part  55  moves to follow the reciprocating motion of the carriage  38 , the facing part  56  does not move in the reciprocating direction  105  relative to the platen  42 . Therefore, the sheet of paper  90  on the platen  42  is situated by the facing part  56  of the guide wire  54  at the position nearer to the platen  42  with respect to the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39 . With this configuration, the same advantages achieved in the first embodiment are also obtained. 
         [0129]    Since the plurality of guide wires  54  are arranged along the normal carrying direction, it is possible to position the sheet of paper  90  to have the predetermined interval from the platen  42  at a plurality of points along the normal carrying direction. 
         [0130]    Although the plurality of guide wires  54  are provided in the third embodiment, only one wire  54  may be provided in the MFP. Even if only one guide wire is provided in the MFP, it is possible to position the sheet of paper  90  on the platen  42  to be nearer to the platen  42  than the nozzle surface  40  of the recordation head  39 .