Rapid drying and low feathering in a plain paper ink-jet printer

A new method for high speed drying of wet ink on media, essential for the operation ofa high-speed full-color ink-jet printer, is proposed and studied experimentally. Immediately prior to jetting of ink drops, a medium is heated to a very dry condition by bringing it into contact with a moving-belt-type preheater. Experimental results show a clear print quality with low feathering, for such paper as plain paper for laser printers and recycled paper. Also, features such as high-speed drying, short warmup times, low power consumption, compactness, and safety, all inherent in the proposed drying method, are confirmed.