阅读说明：本技术 打印设备、打印方法和存储介质 (Printing apparatus, printing method, and storage medium ) 是由 永瀬知之 古宇田武 于 2020-03-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：打印设备、打印方法和存储介质。打印设备包括：打印头,其构造成基于打印数据喷墨；输送单元,其构造成在输送方向上输送打印介质；接收部,其构造成在与所述输送方向交叉的交叉方向上接收喷出超过所述打印介质的第一端的墨；和分切机,其构造成在预定位置处沿所述输送方向切割所述打印介质,其中,从所述第一端通过所述接收部进行沿所述交叉方向对所述打印介质的一侧的打印,并且超出所述预定位置朝向第二端侧进行沿所述交叉方向对所述打印介质的另一侧的打印,所述第二端侧位于所述第一端的相反侧。(A printing apparatus, a printing method, and a storage medium. The printing apparatus includes: a print head configured to eject ink based on print data; a conveying unit configured to convey a printing medium in a conveying direction; a receiving portion configured to receive ink ejected beyond a first end of the printing medium in an intersecting direction intersecting the conveying direction; and a slitter configured to slit the printing medium in the feeding direction at a predetermined position, wherein printing is performed on one side of the printing medium in the crossing direction from the first end through the receiving portion, and printing is performed on the other side of the printing medium in the crossing direction beyond the predetermined position toward a second end side located on an opposite side of the first end.)

1. A printing apparatus, comprising:

a print head configured to eject ink based on print data;

a conveying unit configured to convey a printing medium in a conveying direction;

a receiving portion configured to receive ink ejected beyond a first end of the printing medium in an intersecting direction intersecting the conveying direction; and

a slitting machine configured to cut the printing medium in the conveying direction at a predetermined position,

printing on one side of the printing medium in the cross direction from the first end through the receiving portion, and

printing the other side of the printing medium in the cross direction beyond the predetermined position toward a second end side, the second end side being located on an opposite side of the first end.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing medium on which printing has been performed beyond the predetermined position toward the second end side is cut in the conveying direction by the dividing machine at the predetermined position in the crossing direction.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the predetermined position is determined from print data.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined position corresponds to a position of an end of printing on the second end side according to the print data.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein printing is performed with an instruction for borderless printing included in the print data.

6. The printing device of claim 5, further comprising:

a second receiving portion arranged at a position different from the receiving portion in the intersecting direction and configured to receive ink,

wherein whether cutting by the slitter is performed or not is switched according to a length of the printing medium in the cross direction, the printing medium being loaded in the printing apparatus.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein cutting by the slitter is performed in a case where a length of the printing medium in the crossing direction does not correspond to a length between the receiving portion and the second receiving portion.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein cutting by the slitter is not performed in a case where a length of the printing medium in the crossing direction corresponds to a length between the receiving portion and the second receiving portion.

9. The printing device of claim 5, further comprising:

a second receiving portion arranged at a position different from the receiving portion in the intersecting direction and configured to receive ink,

wherein whether to perform cutting by the slitter is switched based on the length of the printing medium in the cross direction loaded in the printing apparatus and the print data.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein cutting by the slitter is performed in a case where a length of the printing medium in the crossing direction corresponds to a length between the receiving portion and the second receiving portion, and the print data indicates that there is an area where printing is not performed on the second end side.

11. The printing apparatus of claim 6, wherein ink is ejected from the printhead to the second receptacle without cutting by the slitter.

12. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second receiving portion is arranged at a position corresponding to a standard size.

13. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a cutter configured to cut the printing medium, which has completed cutting by the slitting machine and printing by the printing head, in the crossing direction.

14. The printing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the cutter is disposed downstream relative to the printhead and upstream relative to the slitting machine in the transport direction.

15. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a moving unit provided with the dividing machine and configured to move in the crossing direction.

16. A printing method of a printing apparatus including a print head configured to eject ink based on print data, a conveying unit configured to convey a printing medium in a conveying direction, a receiving portion configured to receive ink ejected beyond a first end of the printing medium in an intersecting direction intersecting the conveying direction, and a dividing machine configured to divide the printing medium in the conveying direction at a predetermined position,

characterized in that the printing method comprises:

printing on one side of the printing medium in the cross direction from the first end through the receiving portion; and

printing on the other side of the printing medium in the cross direction beyond the predetermined position toward a second end side located on an opposite side of the first end.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute a printing method of a printing apparatus, the printing apparatus including a printing head configured to eject ink based on print data, a conveying unit configured to convey a printing medium in a conveying direction, a receiving portion configured to receive ink ejected beyond a first end of the printing medium in a cross direction that crosses the conveying direction, and a dividing machine configured to cut the printing medium in the conveying direction at a predetermined position, the printing method comprising:

printing on one side of the printing medium in the cross direction from the first end through the receiving portion; and

printing on the other side of the printing medium in the cross direction beyond the predetermined position toward a second end side located on an opposite side of the first end.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a printing apparatus, a printing method, and a storage medium.

Background

In a printing apparatus such as an inkjet printing apparatus, borderless printing is performed for enabling printing of an image up to left and right ends of a printing medium. In borderless printing, the image can be printed all the way out of the width of the print medium. In order to treat ink ejected outside the width of the printing medium, an ink treatment port is provided in advance. Therefore, in the printing apparatus having the ink processing port, borderless printing can be performed only on the printing medium having a predetermined size corresponding to the ink processing port.

Japanese patent laid-open No. 2017-13438 (hereinafter referred to as document 1) discloses a printed matter discharging device provided with a slitter (slider) for slitting a long print medium in parallel with a conveying direction of the print medium. The splitting machine disclosed in document 1 is a pair of left and right splitting machines that are movable in the width direction of the printing medium, respectively, so as to be able to cut the left and right ends of the printing medium. Therefore, by printing an image up to the outside of the width of a desired printing medium and cutting the printing medium to the desired width using a slitter, borderless printing can be achieved regardless of the size of the printing medium.

However, in the technique of document 1, since the left and right ends of the print medium are cut by a pair of left and right slitting machines, there is a possibility that the load of cutting increases.

Disclosure of Invention

A printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a print head configured to eject ink based on print data; a conveying unit configured to convey a printing medium in a conveying direction; a receiving portion configured to receive ink ejected beyond a first end of the printing medium in an intersecting direction intersecting the conveying direction; and a slitter configured to slit the printing medium in the feeding direction at a predetermined position, wherein printing is performed on one side of the printing medium in the crossing direction from the first end through the receiving portion, and printing is performed on the other side of the printing medium in the crossing direction beyond the predetermined position toward a second end side located on an opposite side of the first end.

Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of a printing apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the printing apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration adjacent a slitting machine;

fig. 4A and 4B are views for explaining a movable blade of the slitting machine.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the configuration near the slitting machine;

fig. 6 is a schematic block diagram showing a control configuration of the printing apparatus;

fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart for performing borderless printing;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing how images are printed and rolled sheet is cut;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing how images are printed and rolled sheet is cut;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how images are printed and rolled sheet is cut;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing how images are printed and rolled sheet is cut;

fig. 12 is a diagram showing how an image is printed and a rolled sheet is cut;

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing how images are printed and rolled sheet is cut;

FIG. 14 is a view showing a configuration with two slitting machines installed; and

fig. 15 is a diagram showing a slitting machine.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the present invention. Furthermore, not every combination of features described in the present embodiment is essential to the solution of the present invention. Like reference numerals are used to describe like constructions. In addition, the relative positions, shapes, and the like of the constituent elements described in the embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention to the scope of the examples.

First embodiment

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of an inkjet printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The inkjet printing apparatus 100 (which may be hereinafter referred to as a printing apparatus 100) performs printing on a printing medium having a long sheet shape. In the present embodiment, the printing medium is a rolled sheet 1. The rolled sheet 1 held in the inkjet printing apparatus 100 is conveyed in a conveying direction (Y direction) by a conveying path formed by an upper guide 6 and a lower guide 7. The rolled sheet 1 is nipped by a conveying roller 8 and a pinch roller 9 and conveyed to an image printing unit. The image printing unit is configured to include a print head 2, a carriage 3 mounting the print head 2, and a platen 10 arranged at a position facing the print head 2. The rolled sheet 1 is conveyed onto a platen 10 by a conveying roller 8. Ink is ejected by the print head 2 onto the rolled sheet 1 that has been conveyed to the image printing unit, thereby printing an image.

The carriage 3 is supported in a manner slidable along a guide shaft 4 and a guide rail (not shown in the figure), the guide shaft 4 and the guide rail being arranged in parallel to each other in the inkjet printing apparatus 100. The carriage 3 includes a reflection type detection sensor 12 facing the platen 10 so as to be able to detect the reflectance of the spot position. That is, in the case where the platen 10 is black and the rolled sheet 1 is white, the reflectance of the platen 10 and the rolled sheet 1 is greatly different. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the platen 10 or the rolled sheet 1 is present at the spot position by using the detection sensor 12. The leading edge of the rolled sheet 1 can be detected by utilizing the following facts: when the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed by the conveying roller 8, the reflectance greatly changes in the case where the leading end of the rolled sheet 1 passes the spot position of the detection sensor 12 in the conveying direction.

The carriage 3 scans in the X direction along the guide shaft 4 while holding the print head 2, and the print head 2 ejects ink while the carriage 3 scans, so as to print on the rolled sheet 1. After scanning by the carriage 3 to perform printing on the rolled sheet 1, the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed by a predetermined amount by the conveying roller 8, and the carriage 3 is scanned again on the rolled sheet 1 to perform printing. In this way, by repeating printing and conveyance, the entire printing is completed. Further, since the detection sensor 12 is mounted to the carriage 3, it is also possible to detect the position of the paper edge in the width direction (X direction) of the rolled sheet 1 by the reciprocating operation of the carriage 3. Instead of the above-described serial system, the printing system may be a full line system (full line system) in which an image is printed while continuously conveying the rolled sheet 1 by using a long print head extending in a direction crossing the conveying direction of the rolled sheet 1.

Downstream of the carriage 3 in the conveying direction of the rolled sheet 1, a cutter 5 for cutting the rolled sheet 1 in a cross direction (X direction) intersecting the conveying direction is provided, and further downstream, a slitter 13 for cutting the rolled sheet 1 in the conveying direction is provided. Downstream with respect to the slitting machine 13, a discharge guide 17 is provided for discharging the rolled sheet 1 that has been cut.

The cutter 5 includes a cutter unit 300 (refer to fig. 2) as a cutting mechanism for cutting the rolled sheet 1 and a unit for moving the cutter unit 300 in the X direction. Further, the slitter 13 includes a slitter unit 303 (refer to fig. 2) as a cutting mechanism for cutting the rolled sheet 1 and a unit for moving the slitter unit 303 in the X direction.

Fig. 2 is a plan view for explaining the platen 10, the cutter 5, and the slitting machine 13. At one end of the platen 10, an ink processing port 11 (ink receiving portion) is provided. In the case of printing by scanning of the carriage 3, borderless printing can be performed at one end of the rolled sheet 1 by ejecting ink across the first end 1a which is one end in the width direction (X direction intersecting the conveying direction) of the rolled sheet 1, so that the ink is ejected to the ink processing port 11.

The platen 10 is provided with ink processing ports 11a and 11b in addition to the ink processing port 11. In the case where the second end 1b located on the opposite side in the X direction of the first end 1a of the rolled sheet 1 and the ink processing ports 11a and 11b overlap each other, borderless printing can be performed by using the ink processing ports at both ends in the X direction. In the configuration of the present embodiment, the first end 1a side of the rolled sheet is taken as a reference regardless of the width of the rolled sheet, and the rolled sheet 1 is disposed such that the position of the second end 1b side varies depending on the rolled sheet width. Therefore, since the first end 1a of the rolled sheet is always disposed at a position corresponding to the ink processing port 11, borderless printing can be performed at the first end 1a regardless of the width of the rolled sheet.

On the other hand, depending on the size of the rolled sheet, the second end 1b side of the rolled sheet may not coincide with the positions of the ink processing ports 11a and 11b, and therefore, borderless printing by using the ink processing ports 11a and 11b may not be possible. If printing is performed beyond the width of the rolled sheet 1 up to a position where the ink processing ports 11a and 11b are not present, ink adheres to the platen 10. Thereafter, if the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed on the platen 10 to which the ink is attached, the rolled sheet 1 may be stained with the ink. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when borderless printing cannot be performed only by using the ink processing port, borderless printing is realized by using the later-described slitter 13.

The guide rail 101 is configured to guide the cutter frame 200 in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the rolled sheet 1. The cutter carriage 200 integrally connects the cutter unit 300 and the belt 102. Further, the belt 102 is configured to bridge a motor pulley 107 and a tensioner pulley 108 disposed on the left and right sides of the guide rail 101, respectively, and is configured to be moved by a cutter motor 103 connected to the motor pulley 107. The cutter motor 103 is provided with a cutter encoder 104. The cutter encoder 104 counts the number of pulses corresponding to the driving of the cutter motor 103. Based on the origin position of the cutter frame 200 and the number of pulses obtained by the cutter encoder 104, the movement positions of the cutter unit 300 in the X1 and X2 directions can be controlled.

The cutter unit 300 includes an upper movable blade 301 and a lower movable blade 302 so that the rolled sheet 1 is cut at the contact point of the upper movable blade 301 and the lower movable blade 302 while the cutter unit 300 is moved in the X1 direction. Further, the upper movable blade 301 and the lower movable blade 302 are connected to the cutter motor 103 via the belt 102 and the cutter frame 200, and are configured to be rotationally driven. In the case of cutting the rolled sheet 1, the rolled sheet 1 is cut while the lower movable blade 302 and the upper movable blade 301 in contact with the lower movable blade 302 rotate together. In the example of fig. 2, the cutter 5 performs cutting from the first end 1a of the rolled sheet 1 to the second end 1b of the rolled sheet 1. The first end 1a of the rolled sheet 1 is an end on the standby position P1 side of the cutter unit 300. After the rolled sheet 1 is cut, the cutter frame 200 is reversed at a predetermined reverse position. Further, the cutter frame 200 moves to a position as a standby position P1 to await the next cutting operation. Although the cutter unit 300 is mounted to the cutter frame 200 in the example of the present embodiment, the cutter unit 300 may be mounted to the carriage 3 that moves the print head 2 or the like, for example.

The slitter 13 is disposed on the downstream side with respect to the cutter 5 in the conveying direction of the rolled sheet 1. The slitter unit 303 is movable to given positions in the X1 direction and the X2 direction, and is capable of slitting the rolled sheet 1 in a direction parallel to the conveying direction (+ Y direction).

Fig. 3, 4A, 4B, and 5 are views for explaining details of the slitting machine 13. Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing a configuration in the vicinity of the slitting machine 13. Fig. 4A and 4B are views for explaining the movable blade of the slitter unit 303. Fig. 4A is a schematic top view of the slitter unit 303, and fig. 4B is a schematic side view of the slitter unit 303. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the configuration in the vicinity of the slitter unit 303. The details of the cutting machine 13 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in fig. 3, the slitting machine 13 including the slitting machine unit 303 is provided with a slitting machine guide 307 in addition to the slitting machine unit 303, the slitting machine guide 307 supporting the slitting machine unit 303 and capable of guiding the slitting machine unit 303 in the X direction. Further, a slitter moving motor 14, a slitter tension pulley 308, and a slitter belt 331 are provided, and the slitter moving motor 14 is used to apply a driving force for moving the slitter 13 in the X direction.

The driving force is transmitted from the slitter moving motor 14 to the slitter unit 303 via the slitter belt 331, and the slitter unit 303 is configured to be movable in the X direction along the slitter guide 307.

As shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the slitting machine unit 303 includes a slitting machine upper movable blade 304 and a slitting machine lower movable blade 305. The upper movable blade 304 and the lower movable blade 305 of the slitter are arranged to have a circular blade overlap amount 313 in the vertical direction and a predetermined amount of angle (crossing angle) θ with respect to the conveying direction Y as the cutting direction. The rolled sheet 1 is cut at the contact point 311 of the upper movable blade 304 and the lower movable blade 305 of the slitting machine. The movable blade 304 on the slitting machine is connected to the slitting machine drive motor 16 via a gear.

When the upper slitter movable blade 304 is rotated by the driving force of the slitter drive motor 16, the upper slitter feed rollers 320 coaxially connected to the upper slitter movable blade 304 are also rotated. The outer diameter of the upper slitter feed roller 320 contacts the outer diameter of the lower slitter feed roller 321 coaxially coupled to the lower slitter movable blade 305 at the roller nip point 312. Thus, by driving using friction transmission, while the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed by the upper and lower cutter conveying rollers 320 and 321, the upper and lower blades are rotated together to cut the rolled sheet 1 in the conveying direction. Since the slitter drive motor 16 is provided with the slitter drive encoder 310, the slitter drive motor 16 can be controlled at a predetermined rotational speed and a predetermined amount of rotation. The slitter drive motor 16 is controlled to be driven by a drive amount (specifically, a rotation speed and a rotation amount) synchronized with and corresponding to the conveyance amount of the conveyance roller 8.

As shown in fig. 3, the slitter moving motor 14 is provided with a slitter moving encoder 309 and an encoder sensor 333. At the standby position P3 of the slitter unit 303, there is a slitter standby sensor 334. The moving position of the slitter unit 303 in the X direction can be controlled by the following pulse count: the pulse count is started from the start point based on the detection of the slitter unit 303 by the slitter standby sensor 334 using the slitter movement encoder 309 and the encoder sensor 333. In addition, as shown in fig. 5, the slitter drive motor 16 is provided with a slitter drive encoder 310 and an encoder sensor 332. The amount of rotation of the slitter drive motor 16 can be controlled by using the pulse count of the slitter drive encoder 310 and the encoder sensor 332.

As shown in fig. 2, before image printing is performed on the rolled sheet 1, the slitter unit 303 stands by at a standby position P3, which is outside the area (in the X direction) where the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed. In the case of cutting the rolled sheet 1, the slitter unit 303 moves in the X direction from the standby position P3 before the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed up to the position of the slitter unit 303, thereby cutting the conveyed rolled sheet 1 in the conveying direction. Here, the slitter 13 moves the slitter unit 303 in the X direction according to the cutting position of the image to be printed. After the rolled sheet 1 is cut, the rolled sheet 1 is cut by a cutter 5 at a given Y-direction position and discharged. In the case where the rolled sheet 1 disappears from the scanning area of the slitter unit 303, the slitter unit 303 returns to the standby position P3 along the slitter guide 307 again, and waits for the next slitting operation.

By driving the cutter 5 and the slitter 13 in accordance with the conveyance of the rolled sheet 1 in the above-described manner, the rolled sheet 1 can be cut in the X direction and the Y direction as needed.

Next, a description will be given of a general operation of the slitting machine 13 to perform slitting. First, the slitter unit 303 moves to the cutting position, and the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed by the conveying rollers 8 with the conveying motor 51 and the slitter drive motor 16 driven at the same speed. In the case where the leading edge of the rolled sheet 1 reaches the contact point 311 of the slitting machine 13, the rolled sheet 1 is slit by the upper movable blade 304 and the lower movable blade 305 of the slitting machine. Further, the rolled sheet 1 is nipped and conveyed by the upper slitter conveying roller 320 and the lower slitter conveying roller 321 while being slit, so as to be discharged through the discharge guide 17.

In addition, the cutting by the slitter unit 303 can be performed together with the image printing. The slitter unit 303 moves from the standby position to a predetermined cutting position in the X1 direction and the X2 direction according to the setting of the user. Then, the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed by the conveying roller 8 while the conveying motor 51 and the slitter drive motor 16 are driven at the same speed. In the image printing unit, the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed by a predetermined pitch by the conveying roller 8 and the pinch roller 9 in response to forward or return scanning of one line by the carriage 3 for printing an image. Then, the carriage 3 is moved again to perform image printing of the next line. In a case where printing is performed and the leading edge of the rolled sheet 1 reaches the contact point 311, the rolled sheet 1 is cut by the rotating upper slitter movable blade 304 and the lower slitter movable blade 305. Further, the rolled sheet 1 is nipped and conveyed by the upper slitter conveying roller 320 and the lower slitter conveying roller 321 while being slit. Then, the image printing ends and the cutting by the slitter unit 303 ends. Subsequently, the slitter unit 303 moves to a predetermined standby position. The rolled sheet 1 is conveyed up to a position to be cut where the cutter 5 can cut the rolled sheet 1, and then the rolled sheet 1 is cut by the cutter unit 300 to be discharged through the discharge guide 17.

The configuration of the slitting machine 13 described above is merely exemplary. That is, the slitting machine 13 may have any configuration as long as the slitting machine 13 can move in the width direction of the rolled sheet 1 and can cut the conveyed rolled sheet 1 in the conveying direction at a given position in the width direction. Further, there may be the following modes: the upper slitter feed roller 320, the lower slitter feed roller 321, the upper slitter movable blade 304, and the lower slitter movable blade 305 are independently driven.

Fig. 6 is a schematic block diagram showing a control configuration of the printing apparatus 100. The printing apparatus 100 includes a control unit 400. Further, the control unit 400 includes a CPU 411, a ROM 412, a RAM 413, and a motor driver 414. The control unit 400 effects control of the conveying motor 51, the cutter motor 103, the slitter moving motor 14, the slitter driving motor 16, the carriage motor 52, and the print head 2. The control unit 400 obtains signals from the conveying roller encoder 112, cutter encoder 104, slitter movement encoder 309, slitter drive encoder 310, carriage encoder 21, and detection sensor 12. Further, the control unit 400 obtains signals from the encoder sensors 332 and 333 and the slitter standby sensor 334. Further, the control unit 400 controls various motors and the print head 2 based on the signals.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart for performing borderless printing in the present embodiment. Further, fig. 8 to 13 are diagrams showing how an image is printed on the rolled sheet 1 and how the rolled sheet 1 is cut. Hereinafter, a description is given of specific operations and respective states with reference to the flowchart of fig. 7 and the diagrams of fig. 8 to 13. The processing of fig. 7 is performed by the CPU 411 of the printing apparatus 100 fetching the program code stored in the ROM 412 into the RAM 413 and executing the program code. Alternatively, part or all of the functions corresponding to the steps in fig. 7 may be implemented by hardware such as an ASIC or an electronic circuit. The symbol "S" in the description of each process indicates that this is one step in the sequence. Hereinafter, for the sake of simplifying the explanation, it is assumed that the control unit 400 of the printing apparatus 100 performs various processes according to the above-described processes.

The process of fig. 7 is a process starting from a standby state in which the power of the printing apparatus 100 is turned on.

In S701, the control unit 400 acquires print data. For example, the print data is included in a print job transferred from an external host apparatus (not shown in the figure). Alternatively, the print data (print job) may be acquired from an external medium (not shown in the figure) mounted to the printing apparatus 100. It is also possible to acquire print data generated in response to an instruction input to the printing apparatus 100 by a user via an operation panel (not shown in the figure) or the like.

In S702, the control unit 400 determines whether the print data obtained in S701 includes an instruction for performing borderless printing. For example, it is assumed that print data is transferred in a state where execution of borderless printing has been set on a print setting screen of a host apparatus (not shown in the figure). In this case, the print data is transferred in a state where an instruction for borderless printing is included in the predetermined information area. The control unit 400 determines whether to perform borderless printing with reference to the obtained print data. Alternatively, in a case where execution of borderless printing has been set via an operation panel (not shown in the figure) of the printing apparatus 100, it can be determined that the print data obtained in S701 is print data for borderless printing. In the case where the print data is print data for borderless printing, the process proceeds to S703. In the case where the print data is not print data for borderless printing, the process advances to S715.

In S703, the control unit 400 determines whether borderless printing can be performed at both left and right ends in the width direction (X direction) of the rolled sheet 1 by using the existing ink processing ports 11, 11a, and 11 b. As described above, in the present embodiment, the first end 1a (right end portion) on one side of the rolled sheet 1 is taken as a reference. Hereinafter, in the width direction (X direction) of the rolled sheet 1, an end portion side corresponding to the first end 1a of the rolled sheet 1 is referred to as a home side, and the other end portion side corresponding to the second end 1b is referred to as a remote side. The ink processing port 11 corresponds to the home position side as described above. Therefore, by comparing the position of the second end 1b (left end portion) of the other side of the rolled sheet 1 and the positions of the ink processing ports 11a and 11b on the far side, it is determined whether borderless printing on the left and right ends is possible. More specifically, it is determined whether the ink processing ports 11a and 11b are located on the remote side of the second end 1b of the rolled sheet 1. For example, to make this determination, the size in the width direction of the rolled sheet 1 corresponding to the positions of the ink processing ports 11a and 11b is stored in advance in the ROM 412 or the like, and it is determined whether or not the loaded rolled sheet 1 has a size corresponding to the size. The size of the loaded rolled sheet 1 can be detected by a sensor or the like mounted to a sheet guide (not shown in the figure). Alternatively, the size of the loaded rolled sheet 1 can be detected based on input via an operation panel (not shown in the figure) of the printing apparatus 100, setting information from an external host apparatus, the detection sensor 12 mounted to the carriage 3, and the like.

In the present embodiment, the positions of the ink processing ports 11a and 11b arranged on the far side correspond to the standard size. Therefore, it can be determined whether borderless printing can be performed by using the existing ink processing ports 11, 11a, and 11b according to whether the size in the width direction of the rolled sheet 1 loaded in the printing apparatus 100 is a standard size.

As a result of S703, if the size of the rolled sheet 1 does not correspond to the ink processing port, the process proceeds to S705, and if the size of the rolled sheet 1 corresponds to the ink processing port, the process proceeds to S704. If printing is performed beyond the width of the rolled sheet 1 up to a position where the ink processing ports 11a and 11b are not present, ink adheres to the platen 10. Thereafter, if the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed on the platen 10 to which the ink is attached, the rolled sheet 1 is stained with the ink. For this reason, in the present embodiment, printing beyond the width of the rolled sheet 1 is not performed at a position where the ink processing ports 11a, 11b are not present.

In S704, the control unit 400 determines whether a blank appears at the second end 1b of the rolled sheet 1 at the remote side. The control unit 400 compares the size of the image corresponding to the print data of S701 with the size of the loaded rolled sheet 1 to determine whether a blank occurs. In the case where a margin occurs, it is necessary to cut off the margin area to realize borderless printing. For example, assume that the size of the loaded rolled sheet 1 is a1 size, and the size of the image corresponding to the print data is a2 size. In this case, the image is printed only in a half area in the width direction of the rolled sheet 1, and the other half area is a blank area. In the case where an instruction for borderless printing is included, processing is performed to cut out such a remaining margin area to realize borderless printing. For this reason, in S704, if a blank occurs at the second end 1b of the rolled sheet 1 located on the remote side, the process proceeds to S705, so that borderless printing is performed by cutting by the slitting machine 13. If no blank occurs, the process proceeds to S707.

As described above, by the determinations in S704 and S705, it is determined whether or not the cutting operation using the slitter 13 is performed in the case where the borderless printing is performed.

In S705, the control unit 400 determines the borderless cutting position. That is, if the size of the rolled sheet 1 is not the size corresponding to the ink processing ports 11a and 11b in S703 or if a blank occurs, borderless printing is realized by cutting by the slitter 13. In S705, the control unit 400 determines a predetermined position corresponding to the size of the image corresponding to the print data as the position of the slitter unit 303 (a cutting position X3 in fig. 8 described later). In S706, the control unit 400 moves the slitting machine unit 303 from the standby position P3 to the determination position. Further, the control unit 400 drives the slitter drive motor 16 to rotate the upper movable blade 304 and the lower movable blade 305 of the slitter unit 303 that has reached the predetermined borderless printing position and thereby complete the slitting preparation.

Next, in S707, the control unit 400 conveys the rolled sheet 1 onto the platen 10, and starts printing by the print head 2. That is, the control unit 400 performs printing on the rolled sheet 1 based on the print data obtained in S701.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the slitting machine unit 303 is moved from the standby position P3 to the cutting position X3 determined in S705 and is rotationally driven. Further, in fig. 8, the printing operation in S707 is started. The hatched portion in fig. 8 indicates an area of the print image. As shown in fig. 8, on the home position side, borderless printing is performed until the ink processing port 11 beyond the first end 1a of the rolled sheet 1. Further, on the remote side, printing is performed on the second end 1b side of the rolled sheet 1 beyond the cutting position X3 of the rolled sheet 1. That is, printing by the print head 2 is performed until a position exceeding the cutting position X3 to be cut by the slitter unit 303 in the X direction.

Since the rolled sheet 1 is nipped and conveyed by the conveying roller 8 and the pinch roller 9, the conveying amount of the rolled sheet 1 in the conveying direction can be controlled in detail. Therefore, in the case of borderless printing, printing is performed by the print head 2 from the leading edge position of the rolled sheet 1 in the conveying direction. It is also possible to start printing of an image with a predetermined length of the leading end portion of the rolled sheet 1 as a margin, and in a case where the trailing end of the margin reaches the cutting position of the cutter 5 in the conveying direction, the trailing end of the margin is cut by the cutter 5, and then printing and conveying are continuously performed.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which printing and conveyance have been performed and cutting of the rolled sheet 1 by the slitter unit 303 has been started. At the cutting position X3, the rolled sheet 1 enters the slitter unit 303, and cutting of the rolled sheet 1 is started in parallel with the conveying direction (i.e., in the Y direction). Here, in the slitter unit 303, the slitter upper movable blade 304 and the slitter lower movable blade 305 are driven to keep rotating by the above-described slitter drive motor 16, so as to cut the rolled sheet 1 in accordance with the conveyance of the rolled sheet 1.

The printing ends in S708. In S709, the control unit 400 determines whether the cutting by the slitter 13 has been performed on the rolled sheet 1 whose printing ended in S708. If the cutting by the slitter 13 has been performed, the process proceeds to S710, otherwise, the process proceeds to S712.

If the cutting has been performed by the cutter 13, the control unit 400 conveys the rolled sheet 1 so that the rolled sheet 1 is cut by the cutter unit 303 up to the position to be cut Y4 defined by the print data in S710. That is, even after the printing is finished, the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed by a predetermined conveying amount, so that the cutting of the rolled sheet 1 by the slitter 13 is continued.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the following states: the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed and cut even after the end of printing, so that the cutting of the rolled sheet 1 by the slitter unit 303 is completed up to a to-be-cut position Y4, which is a position where the printing of the image corresponding to the print data ends, Y4. The slitter unit 303 can also cut the image corresponding to the print data beyond a predetermined length. That is, the cutting by the slitter unit 303 can be further performed by a predetermined length from the position to be cut Y4 (i.e., the rear end of the image).

In S711, the control unit 400 stops the operation of the slitting machine 13 in which the cutting has been performed up to the position to be cut Y4. That is, the control unit 400 stops the operation of the slitter drive motor 16.

In S712, the control unit 400 conveys the rolled sheet 1 to a position where the cutter 5 cuts the rolled sheet 1 in the width direction (X direction). Fig. 11 is a view showing how the cutter 5 performs cutting in the X direction (direction intersecting the conveying direction of the rolled sheet 1) after the cutting by the slitter 13 is finished. After the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed to a predetermined position, the control unit 400 controls the cutter 5 to cut the rolled sheet 1. In the present embodiment, the cutter 5 is disposed upstream with respect to the slitting machine 13 in the conveying direction of the rolled sheet 1. Therefore, by conveying the rolled sheet 1 in the direction opposite to the conveying direction, the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed up to a predetermined position. That is, the rolled sheet 1 is conveyed all the way so that the position of the position to be cut Y4 of the rolled sheet 1 is at the position of the cutter 5 in the Y direction. Upon completion of conveyance of the rolled sheet 1, the cutter unit 300 having been on standby at the standby position P1 is moved in the X direction by driving of the cutter motor 103, thereby cutting in the X direction. By the movement of the completion cutter frame 200 up to the reverse rotation position P2, the cutting is completed, so that the printed product and the cut piece are produced from the rolled sheet 1. The print product and the cut-off piece are discharged outside the apparatus by their own weight.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a state after cutting by the cutter 5 at the position to be cut Y4. The printed product 18 and the cut piece 19 are separated from the rolled sheet 1 loaded in the printing apparatus 100 by cutting with the cutter 5. The right end 18a of the print 18 corresponds to the first end 1a of the rolled sheet 1 before separation. The left end 18b of the print 18 corresponds to a position to be cut before separation at the cutting position X3 of the rolled sheet 1.

After the printing at S708 is finished, or in the case where the cutting by the slitter 13 at S710 has been performed up to a position beyond the position to be cut Y4 by a predetermined length, the cutting may be performed by the cutter 5 after the rolled sheet 1 is further conveyed by the predetermined length.

In S713, the control unit 400 determines whether the slitter unit 303 is located at the standby position P3. If the slitter unit 303 is not located at the standby position P3, the process proceeds to S714, where the slitter unit 303 is moved to the standby position P3 for the next slitting and returned to the standby state. If the slitter unit 303 is already at the standby position P3, S714 is skipped. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing how the printed product 18 is discharged to the outside of the printing apparatus 100. Further, it is shown how the slitting machine 13 is moved to the standby position P3.

Next, a description is given of the processing of S715, which is performed in a case where an instruction for performing borderless printing is not included in S702. In S715, the control unit 400 determines whether to move the slitter unit 303. For example, if the rolled sheet 1 is to be cut in accordance with the size of the image included in the print data, the process proceeds to S716, otherwise, the process proceeds to S707. S716 is the process equivalent to S706. That is, the slitter unit 303 is moved to a predetermined position to start a cutting operation.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, borderless printing can be achieved regardless of the size of the loaded rolled sheet 1. Further, by using one slitter unit 303, borderless printing can be realized regardless of the size of the rolled sheet 1. Further, the cut amount of the rolled sheet 1 to be discarded can be reduced as compared with the case where borderless printing is performed by using two slitter units. As shown in fig. 13, the printed product 18 produced in the above-described manner is printed up to the sheet ends at the left and right ends or the right and left ends 18a, 18b of the printed product 18, and thus borderless printing is achieved. In particular, in the present embodiment, the first end 1a of the rolled sheet 1 is a reference for conveying the rolled sheet 1, and borderless printing at the right end 18a (located on the home position side) of the print 18 is achieved by using only the ink processing port. On the other hand, borderless printing on the left end 18b side (on the distant side) of the print 18 is realized by cutting in accordance with the width and print data of the rolled sheet 1 using the ink processing ports 11a and 11b or by the slitter unit 303. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the generation of a plurality of cut pieces, as compared with a configuration in which the left and right end portions of the region of the rolled sheet 1 corresponding to the printed product are cut by using a plurality of slitter units. Further, the rolled sheet 1 can be cut in a given width. Further, by using the ink processing ports 11a and 11b together, borderless printing can also be achieved without cutting by the splitting machine 13.

Although the example of determining the cutting position X3 of the slitter unit 303 based on the print data is explained in the present embodiment, the cutting position X3 can also be determined by measuring the range in which an image is printed on the rolled sheet 1 using, for example, an optical sensor or the like mounted to the carriage 3.

Further, although an ink receiving portion that receives ink is provided in the platen 10 in the present embodiment, there may be an ink receiving portion configured with a member for receiving and processing ink different from the platen 10. For example, instead of the ink treatment port, a member such as an ink absorber or a member provided with an opening for sucking ink may be arranged.

Second embodiment

In the first embodiment, the mode in which the printing apparatus 100 includes one slitter unit 303 is explained. In the present embodiment, a mode in which the printing apparatus 100 includes two slitter units 303 is explained. That is, an example including two slitter units 303 capable of cutting the left and right end portions of the rolled sheet 1 is explained.

Referring to fig. 14, a description is given of a configuration in which two slitter units 303 are mounted. That is, a description is given of an example in which the slitter units 303L and 303R are mounted. The slitter units 303L and 303R have the same configuration, but the component parts are reversed left and right in the X1 direction and the X2 direction. In fig. 14, reference numerals are mainly assigned to constituent parts of the slitter unit 303L for the sake of simplicity.

Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining the slitter unit 303L. The slitter unit 303L includes a slitter moving motor 14L, and is configured such that a driving force is transmitted to a slitter moving roller 306L via a gear. The slitter moving roller 306L abuts on the slitter guide 307, and the slitter unit 303L is configured to be movable in the X1 direction and the X2 direction by friction between the front surface of the slitter moving roller 306L and the slitter guide 307. In other words, the upper slitter movable blade 304L, the lower slitter movable blade 305L, the upper slitter feed rollers 320L, and the lower slitter feed rollers 321L are integrally movable along the slitter guide 307.

As described above, even in the case where two slitter units 303 are mounted, the same operation as that of the first embodiment is performed. However, in the present embodiment, the same processing as that of the first embodiment is performed only on one of the two slitter units 303R and 303L. Specifically, in the case where the instruction for performing borderless printing is included, the operation of S705 is performed only by using the slitter unit 303L. The slitter unit 303L is a slitter unit located on a remote side which is an opposite side to a home position side where the ink processing ports 11 are arranged. The slitter unit 303R is a slitter unit located on the home position side where the ink processing port 11 is arranged. Here, in the slitter unit 303R, the upper slitter conveying roller 320 and the lower slitter conveying roller 321 are arranged on the home position side where the ink processing port 11 is arranged. For this reason, if the slitter unit 303R is used instead of the slitter unit 303L, the area where the image is printed is pressed by the upper slitter conveying roller 320 and the lower slitter conveying roller 321, and thus the image quality may be deteriorated due to sheet wrinkles. Therefore, the cutting as described in the above-described first embodiment is performed by using one of the two mounted slitter units (that is, by using the slitter unit 303L located on the distant side).

Although the slitting machine moving roller 306L is driven by friction in the present embodiment, the slitting machine moving roller 306L may have a rack and pinion configuration in which the slitting machine moving roller functions as a pinion and the slitting machine guide functions as a rack.

Other embodiments

In the above-described embodiment, a printing apparatus in which the carriage 3 scans in the X direction while holding the print head 2 to perform a printing operation has been described as an example. However, the following modes may exist: a print head provided with ejection ports corresponding to the size of a print medium in the width direction is used, and this print head may be referred to as a line head.

The embodiments of the present invention can also be realized by a method in which software (programs) for executing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or an apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer or a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a Micro Processing Unit (MPU) of the system or the apparatus reads out and executes the methods of the programs.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.