JP2001285546A - Facsimile machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To save time and labor of a user in replacing an ink ribbon, according to data to be printed or a form to be used and to eliminate wastage of many ribbons in black-and-white print, due to attaching a multicolor ribbon at all times where periodically divided colors such as yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are collected in one group with respect to an image recorder which is incorporated in facsimile equipment and heats the ink ribbon by a thermal head and transfers color materials to a form to form a picture. SOLUTION: A ribbon changer, capable of automatically replacing the ink ribbon, is provided to automatically replace the ribbon according to print data or a form to be used. Furthermore, the combination of plural ink ribbons held simultaneously and a print system according to the combination are selected to provide flexibility in selection of flexible and various photoprint systems.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus having a built-in image recording apparatus for forming an image by transferring a color material onto paper by heating an ink ribbon by a thermal head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a thermal transfer type image recording apparatus incorporated in a conventional facsimile apparatus, only one type of ink ribbon can be held. Therefore, printing is only monochrome black-and-white printing, and the user needs to replace the ink ribbon during multicolor printing, which is not practical. Or, each color is periodically colored, for example, yellow, magenta,
A multi-color ribbon with a so-called gradual coating, which is a group of cyan and black, is always attached, and when printing in black and white, only the winding black is used without using the yellow, magenta and cyan ribbons. The ribbon was wasted.

[0003]

For devices such as facsimile machines that can print from black and white binary data to multi-tone color images, inks are used in accordance with the data to be printed and the paper to be used. It is desirable to be able to automatically change the ribbon. That is, print data of two gradations of black and white is classified into a single-color black ink ribbon, and print data such as a photograph is classified into one group, for example, yellow, magenta, and cyan. Automatically replace multicolor ribbons. This not only improves user convenience by eliminating the need for ribbon replacement, but also eliminates wasteful use of multicolor ink ribbons to print black-and-white binary data, and reduces printing time. It also leads to effective use of resources.

[0004]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a ribbon changer to which a plurality of ink ribbons are attached is provided, and the ink ribbon can be automatically changed according to data to be printed or paper to be used. I did it. The number of ink ribbons attached to the ribbon changer is not limited to two. Further, the ribbon attached to the ribbon changer may be made of a material other than the color material, for example, an image receiving medium or an overcoat.

[0005]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIG. 1, this device is roughly divided into ribbon changers 1,
It comprises a sheet 2, a platen 3, a thermal head 4, a sheet cutter 5, an ink ribbon A6, and an ink ribbon B7. Here, in FIG. 1, the paper 2 is supplied in a roll form, but the present invention is not limited to this form.

[0006] When the explanation is made along the actual printing process, first, data to be printed and paper to be used are determined, and a suitable ink ribbon and printing method are selected. For example, the ink ribbon A 6 is a single-color black fusion-type thermal transfer ribbon, and the ink ribbon B 7 is periodically colored in each color.
For example, when a sublimation type multicolor ribbon in which yellow, magenta, and cyan are grouped into one group and paper 2 having an image receiving layer is used, when printing black and white binary data, an ink ribbon A6 is used to perform a fusion transfer method. When printing a color image, printing is performed by the sublimation transfer method using the ink ribbon B7. Here, the case where the ink ribbon B7 is selected for printing a color image will be described.

Next, the ribbon changer 1 is moved so that the selected ink ribbon B7 comes to the printing position. FIG. 2 shows the positional relationship at this time. The method of movement is not limited, such as driving by a motor or driving by a solenoid. At this time, the thermal head 4 is retracted to a position where it does not interfere with the ribbon changer 1.

Next, the thermal head 4 is moved to bring the paper 2 and the ink ribbon B 7 into close contact with the platen 3. Subsequently, the paper 2 is moved, and in the thermal head 4, an arbitrary heater is energized and generates heat in accordance with the print data in a form synchronized with the movement of the paper, and the heated coloring material is transferred from the ink ribbon B 7 to the paper 2. An image is formed.

After the printing of the first color is completed, the thermal head 4 is opened, and the paper 2 is rewound to perform cueing, thereby cueing the next color of the ink ribbon B7. Printing is performed for the second and subsequent colors in the same manner as for the first color, and this is repeated a required number of times to form an image. After the printing of the final color, if the paper is supplied in a roll form, the paper is fed, cut to a required length by the paper cutter 5, discharged, and a series of operations is completed. In the case of sheet feeding, the sheet is ejected after printing is completed, and a series of operations is ended.

Here, needless to say, when a single-color ink ribbon is selected, the printing operation is performed for only one color. In the case where the paper does not have an image receiving layer, the ink ribbon A is a single-color black fusion-type thermal transfer ribbon, and the ink ribbon B is periodically colored in each color. For example, the image receiving medium, yellow, magenta, and cyan When a sublimation type multicolor ribbon is formed as a group and color printing is performed, each color can be printed after the image receiving medium is transferred onto paper. Furthermore, since the number of ink ribbons attached to the ribbon changer 1 is not limited to two, it is also possible to attach ink ribbons in combinations other than those described above and select various printing methods according to paper and print data. For example, a fusion type monochromatic black ribbon, a sublimation type ribbon that is divided into each color, for example, an image receiving medium, yellow, magenta, and cyan as one group, a combination of an overcoat ribbon that protects a printing surface, or a single color, a special color, For example, a combination of a monochromatic ribbon such as a red ribbon and silver is used.

[0011]

According to the present invention, in an image recording apparatus built in a facsimile apparatus, an image forming method according to an image to be printed and a sheet to be used can be selected, and color output of photographic quality, which has been rapidly progressing in recent years, can be achieved. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a product design that meets the needs of customers, reduce unnecessary waste of ink ribbons, eliminate the need to replace ink ribbons with print data, and provide flexibility and flexibility in selecting various printing methods. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an internal side view showing a main part of an image recording apparatus in a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an internal side view showing a state where the ribbon changer 1 is moved in a main part of the image recording apparatus in the facsimile apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ribbon changer 2 Paper 3 Platen 4 Thermal head 5 Paper cutter 6 Ink ribbon A 7 Ink ribbon B

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A facsimile apparatus including an image recording apparatus having a ribbon changer capable of holding a plurality of ink ribbons. 2. A facsimile machine having a built-in image recording apparatus having a function of automatically selecting and switching between an ink ribbon and a printing method in accordance with data to be printed or paper to be used.