Patent ID: 8870332

Claim:
A transport device for transporting a printing medium along a transportation path, comprising: a plurality of transporters configured to transport the printing medium on the transportation path; a divided accelerating interval setter configured to set a transportation speed in a divided accelerating interval, the divided accelerating interval corresponding to a time generated by dividing a time in an acceleration interval where the transportation speed of the printing medium changes from 0 to a given value in accordance with an acceleration rate; a divided decelerating interval setter configured to set a transportation speed in a divided decelerating interval, the divided decelerating interval corresponding to a time generated by dividing a time in a decelerating interval where the transportation speed of the printing medium changes from the given value to 0 in accordance with an decelerating rate; a basic shaft transporter, as one of the plurality of transporters, configured to be driven at the transportation speed set for every divided accelerating interval or for every divided decelerating interval and to function as a basic shaft upon transporting the printing medium; and a controller configured to switch the transportation speeds of the transporters of the plurality of transporters other than the basic shaft transporter in synchronization with a switching timing of the divided accelerating interval or the divided decelerating interval by the basic shaft transporter so as to increase or decrease the transportation speed of the printing medium.