Patent ID: 8764012

Claim:
A sheet transfer mechanism of a printer to form an image on a sheet being transferred in a transfer route by propelling ink at an image former, comprising: a transfer belt that has a plurality of adhesion through-holes for holding a sheet and transfers the sheet being held thereon; a platen that slidably supports the transfer belt in an area facing the image former and has a plurality of suction through-holes uniformly arranged all over the platen in an area through which the plurality of the adhesion through-holes pass; an aspirator that generates airflow with negative pressure for holding the sheet on the transfer belt through the plurality of the suction through-holes and the plurality of the adhesion through-holes; and an adjuster that adjusts a number density of suction through-holes in the platen depending on an arrangement of the image former; wherein the platen has a plurality of concave portions communicated with the plurality of the suction through-holes and opened toward an upper surface of the platen; and wherein the number density of open suction through-holes in an image forming area of the platen including an area under the image former is more than the number density of open suction through-holes in an area outside the image forming area.