US Patent 7766472 Inkjet drawing device and inkjet drawing method

The inkjet drawing device and method form an image on a sheet-like image recording medium relatively transported in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to a main scanning direction by using photocurable ink with an inkjet head moving in the main scanning direction. The device and method cause the inkjet head to eject the photocurable ink as an ink droplet imagewise to perform direct drawing, irradiate the image recording medium with active light by moving a point or substantially point active light source in the main scanning direction and by causing the active light to scan in the main scanning direction at a backward position distant from a position subjected to the drawing by the inkjet head by a predetermined distance toward a sub-scanning transport downstream side of the image recording medium, and curing the photocurable ink ejected onto the image recording medium.