APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ADVANCING PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT PAPER

摘要

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ADVANCING PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT PAPER An improved paper advance apparatus for advancing photographic paper in a photographic printer advances print paper held against a bottom side of a vacuum platen with the leading edge of the print paper being otherwise unsupported. The apparatus includes a paper supply, a drive roller assembly for moving the paper along a paper path to an exposure station located after the drive roller assembly. A vaccum platen is positioned after the drive roller assembly and includes a pair of spaced apart guides along the bottom side thereof defining a print paper engaging surface along the paper path. A vacuum force is supplied to the paper-engaging surface through a plurality of vacuum ports for holding the print paper against the print-engaging surface. The holding force provided by the vacuum is such that the print paper is held flatly against the print-engaging surface during advancement of the paper and during exposure at the exposure station without the leading edge of the print paper needing any further support. At the beginning of a print run the paper is advanced past the exposure station to a reference point and then is pulled back so that the leading edge of the print paper is aligned with a forward edge of the exposure station eliminating waste of a 1eader section of the photogrsphic paper, 4900P 3 D 84