Abstract
When loading rigid substrates into a printer, aligning the substrate with the printer is not easy when the sheets are large. In some cases, the edges are not necessarily square; one side of the substrate might not be perpendicular to its adjacent edge. Sometimes, depending on the application, if the substrate is not isotropic or has an irregular shape, the orientation of the substrate inside the printer might be determined by the orientation of the form factor, corrugation, fibers, or any other directional feature of the substrate. Any combination of the boundary conditions described above could force the user to align the substrate along the side edge rather than the front edge.
This disclosure describes a laser emitter that projects a visible line across the entire substrate input area. The emitter is positioned so that the projected line is aligned with the mechanical datum used to position the substrate near its front edge.
Using these two references, the mechanical datum as a positional reference and the laser line as a directional reference, the substrate can be accurately aligned regardless of the characteristics of the substrate loading surface. If the straightness of the side edge is not guaranteed due to poor quality of the previous cut, the line also helps the user place the substrate in the most convenient alignment.
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Recommended Citation
INC, HP, "Laser Substrate Alignment in Printer", Technical Disclosure Commons, ()
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/12992