Printer including microwave dryer

The present invention relates generally to inkjet printers. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for removing water from printed sheets. This invention relates to the art of printing, that is, using inks to print onto paper or other media. This invention relates to a dryer for removing water from printed sheets of paper or other print media. The dryer may emit evanescent microwave radiation which attenuates quickly in air. The frequency of the microwaves may be about 2.45 GHZ or any other frequency at which the electromagnetic field excites the dipole moments in water molecules. This results in friction which causes the water to evaporate. In one embodiment the invention is a printer having the dryer as a feature of the printer. In another embodiment, the invention is a dryer for a printer. The microwave radiation emitting dryer has a modest cost. It is suitable for use with low throughput printers as well as high throughput printers. The dryer does not cause discoloration of the print media.