Patent ID: 7367555

Claim:
A recording medium transfer apparatus for feeding a recording medium, on which recording or printing is performed by ejecting liquid, to a liquid ejection area in which said liquid is ejected onto said recording medium, comprising: a feed roller for feeding said recording medium towards said liquid ejection area; a discharge roller for discharging said recording medium, on which recording or printing has been performed, out of said liquid ejection area; a motor for driving said feed and discharge rollers; a control unit which: controls said motor to rotate at higher speed when said recording medium is fed to said liquid ejection area than that when said recording medium is discharged out of said liquid ejection area, and controls a next recording medium to be fed simultaneously with discharge of said recording medium, if a position of a rear end of said recording medium when recording or printing has been finished is situated upstream of a predetermined position, which is upstream of said discharge roller as much as a distance between a feed start position of said recording medium and said liquid ejection area, and which controls said next recording medium to start to be fed after discharge of said recording medium has been finished, if said position of said rear end of said recording medium when recording or printing has been finished is situated downstream of said predetermined position; and a recording medium sensor disposed at said predetermined position for detecting said recording medium, wherein said control unit controls said next recording medium to be fed simultaneously with discharge of said recording medium, if said recording medium sensor detects said recording medium when recording or printing has been finished, and controls said next recording medium to be fed after discharge of said recording medium has been finished, if said recording medium sensor does not detect said recording medium when recording or printing has been finished.