Printer for forming a full-width image on a receiver exclusive of a transverse side of the receiver, and method of assembling the printer

摘要

A printer for forming a full-width image on a receiver exclusive of a transverse side of the receiver, and method of assembling the printer. The printer comprises an ink jet print head adapted to eject a plurality of ink droplets onto a receiver sheet for forming an image that extends a full-width of the receiver sheet. To achieve this result, the print head commences ejection of ink droplets beginning at a predetermined distance from a transverse side of the receiver sheet. A reservoir is disposed adjacent the transverse side and along the predetermined distance for collecting ink droplets ejected along the predetermined distance, so that none of the ink droplets are inadvertently deposited onto the transverse side or onto components housed in the printer. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reservoir is an absorbent material that absorbs the ink droplets ejected along the predetermined distance. Alternatively, the reservoir can be a drain for collecting the ink droplets ejected along the predetermined distance. As another alternative, the ink droplets are caused to possess an electrostatic charge of a first polarity and the reservoir is caused to possess an electrostatic charge of a second polarity opposite the first polarity, so that the ink droplets ejected along the predetermined distance are preferentially attracted to the reservoir.