JP2003025656A - Method for correcting printing position - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for correcting a printing position whereby a positional deviation of printing is prevented at the middle of a ticket face or the last of the ticket face, by correcting feeding papers at a preset arbitrary position, for example, a part where printing is not carried out regardless of kinds of printing papers whether the papers are non continuous cut papers or continuous forms papers. SOLUTION: In a printer in which each ticket face of the paper for printing has two or more printing start marks and is transferred and printed in accordance with a step number, there are set a counting stage for counting the number of count steps between two marks set for each ticket face when the printing paper is fed, and a comparison stage for comparing the number of count steps with a regulated number of steps determined by a distance between the marks of each ticket face. A paper feed amount is corrected at the preset arbitrary position and by an arbitrary correction ratio amount on the basis of the comparison result.

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for correcting a printing position of a printer. 2. Description of the Related Art When printing is performed by a printer, printing is started by detecting the mark position using a sheet having a print start mark for each sheet. In this case, it is inevitable that the printing position shift occurs at the middle of the sheet or at the end of the sheet only by adjusting the printing start position. In addition, a change in the printing environment, a deterioration of the platen, an error in the diameter of the platen, and the like change the paper feed amount of the printing paper and cause a shift in the printing position. According to the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-343774, a print start mark is added and the line feed shift at the time of printing is corrected by a 1/2 step, Even odd errors such as / 3 steps can be corrected. [0004] However, in the above-described conventional technique, the line feed correction is performed at an even position on one sheet surface. For this reason, it is necessary to print at a predetermined position on a pre-printed (pre-printed) form.However, even if the correction amount is uniform, it may overlap with the pre-printed part or shift Depending on the direction and the correction amount, there is a problem that printed portions overlap. In addition, the number of marks is one per sheet, and the counting step is determined by the mark interval between the sheet to be printed and the next sheet, and correction can be made for continuous sheets of printing paper. However, there is a problem that correction cannot be performed for cut sheet paper in which printing paper is not continuous. [0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to perform correction of paper feed at an arbitrary predetermined position, for example, a portion where printing is not performed, regardless of the type of cut-sheet paper and continuous paper that are not continuous. Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing position correcting method in which a printing position shift does not occur in the middle of a sheet or at the end of a sheet. According to the present invention, there is provided a print position correction apparatus having two or more face marks for each face and correcting a transport error of a sheet which is transported and printed according to the number of steps. In the method, the number of marks on one sheet, the number of steps for each mark defined by the distance between the marks,
A row for which correction is performed is stored for each mark. When the paper is fed, the number of steps between the marks is counted to obtain the number of counting steps. A comparison step of comparing the number of steps between the marks with a specified number of steps stored in the nonvolatile storage device, and at the time of subsequent paper feeding, determine a correction amount based on the comparison result for each mark, The correction amount is equally divided by the number of lines for which correction is performed for each mark. The correction is performed only on the line in which the correction is performed by the equally divided correction amount. Further, between the last mark on the sheet and the first mark on the next sheet, the number of specified steps is stored and the number of counting steps is measured, and the number of steps is compared to determine a correction amount. The correction amount is equally divided by the number of lines for which the correction is executed by the final mark on the sheet. The correction is performed only on the line in which the correction is performed by the equally divided correction amount. In the case of cut-sheet paper, the last mark is provided at the print end position, and after the detection of the last mark, only the paper feed is performed without executing printing. An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, taking a thermal printer as an example. FIG. 1 shows a part of a continuous paper 1 used in a thermal printer having a printing position correcting method according to the present invention. The sheet 1 is fed in the direction indicated by the arrow. The mark 2a is located at the right end near the front end of each area demarcated by the broken line, and the mark 2b is located at the right end at an arbitrary position.
Is printed. FIG. 2 shows a cut sheet 3 used in a thermal printer having a printing position correcting method according to the present invention. The sheet 3 is fed in the direction indicated by the arrow. A mark 2a is printed on the right end near the leading end of the sheet, and a mark 2b is printed on the right end near the end of the sheet. FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a thermal printer having the printing position correcting method of the first aspect. The thermal printer 20 is driven by a stepping motor 7 via a thermal head 5 for printing on the printing paper 1 by heat generation and a gear box 8 having a gear mechanism, and is provided at a position facing the thermal head 5. Platen 6
And the mark sensor 9 for detecting the mark 2a or the mark 2b when the paper 1 is fed and generating a detection signal, the number of the marks 2 on one sheet surface, the line for executing printing from the mark 2a, and executing the correction. A non-volatile storage device 10 that stores a row and a specified number of steps determined by a distance between marks from the mark 2a to the next mark 2b, and the detection signal, storage data of the non-volatile storage device 10, and the like. The control device 11 controls the driving of the stepping motor 7 accordingly. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the present invention.
When printing the paper 1 of FIG. 1 by the thermal printer 20 of FIG. 3, the non-volatile storage device 10 stores the paper type (whether continuous paper or cut-sheet paper), the number of marks 2 on the sheet surface, and each mark 2 The line for printing, the line for correction, and the specified number of steps up to the next mark are stored (S1).
The first mark 2a is detected by the mark sensor 9 (S3), and the next mark 2b is detected (S3).
The controller 11 counts the number of drive steps of the stepping motor 7 up to 5) (S4). The number of counting steps is compared with the specified number of steps stored in the nonvolatile memory device 10 (S6). If the number of counting steps is larger (S7).
As a result Y), the number of change steps is calculated (S7). The number of line feed steps in the line to be corrected is changed in the increasing direction, and is stored in the non-volatile storage device 10 as information of the mark (S8). Here, the number of change steps may be obtained by subtracting the prescribed number of steps from the number of counting steps and dividing the value by the number of non-printing lines. If the number of counting steps is smaller (result N in S7), the number of changing steps is calculated (S
9). The number of line feed steps in the line to be corrected is changed in the decreasing direction, and is stored in the nonvolatile storage device 10 as information of the mark (S10). The paper type stored in the nonvolatile storage device 10 is determined (S11). In the case of continuous paper (result Y in S11), the current mark is the same as the number obtained by adding 1 to the number of marks 2 on one sheet (S12).
The process from S4 to S12 is repeated until the result Y) is obtained, and the number of change steps of the line for which correction is performed for each mark is stored. When the current mark becomes equal to the number obtained by adding 1 to the number of marks 2 on one sheet (the result Y in S12), the paper feeding work for collecting correction data is terminated (S13), and a print execution command is input. Wait (S17). Here, when the printing paper is cut sheet (S1)
The result N) of S1 is from S4 to S4 until the current mark is the same as the number of marks 2 on one sheet (result Y of S14).
The process of 14 is repeated to calculate and store the number of change steps of the line for which correction is performed for each mark. The current mark is 1
When it becomes the same as the number of the marks 2 on the bill (the result Y in S14), the paper feeding operation of the correction data collection is finished, the current paper is discharged (S15), the next paper is taken in, and the first mark is read. The paper is fed until it is detected (S16), and the process waits until a print execution command is input (S17). When the print execution command is input, the line for executing the correction designed in advance in accordance with the post-change step number of the line for executing the correction of the mark for each mark 2 stored in the nonvolatile storage device 10 Only make corrections. Although there are two marks 2 in the drawing, the same correction control can be performed with a plurality of marks 2 or more as shown in the above-mentioned flowchart. In the above description, a thermal line printer has been described as an example. However, the print position correction control of the present invention is possible regardless of the printing mode of the printer. As described above, according to the present invention, the influence of the variation of the paper feeding mechanism of the printing paper and the influence of the expansion and contraction due to the environment of the printing paper are set in advance without discrimination between the continuous paper and the cut paper. Since the paper feed correction of the printing paper is performed only in the line where the correction is performed, the printing portion is not overlapped due to the printing deviation or the correction, which is particularly effective when printing must be performed at a specified position in a specified format.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of continuous paper on which detection marks are printed in advance. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a cut sheet on which detection marks are printed in advance. FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view of a thermal printer. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the present invention. [Description of Signs] 1 ... continuous printing paper, 2 ... mark, 2a ... tip vicinity mark, 2b ... arbitrary position mark, 3 ... cut sheet printing paper, 5 ...
Thermal head, 6 platen, 7 stepping motor, 8 gear box, 9 mark sensor, 10 nonvolatile storage device, 11 control device, 15 input device, 20
... a thermal printer.

   ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page    (72) Inventor Kazuo Suda             800 Tomita, Ohira-cho, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture             Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Masami Kishi             800 Tomita, Ohira-cho, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture             Hitachi, Ltd. F-term (reference) 2C058 AB05 AD01 AE02 AE04 AF15                       AF31 AF54 GA02 GB30 GB53                       GE03

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A printer which has two or more printing start marks for each sheet of printing paper and is conveyed and printed according to the number of steps when feeding the printing paper. A counting step of counting the number of counting steps between two marks provided for each face, and the number of counting steps;
A comparing step of comparing with a specified number of steps determined by a distance between marks on each sheet side, and correcting the paper feed amount at an arbitrary position set in advance and an arbitrary correction ratio amount based on the comparison result. Characteristic print position correction method.