JP2005041060A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer capable of performing automatic control of left end marginal quantity when a continuous form paper is cut apart and fed through a single form feeding port for printing. <P>SOLUTION: This printer comprises controlling a paper detection sensor to detect sprocket holes provided to a continuous form paper relative to a paper fed from a single form suction port (S20), making the print start position as the value for the single form when the sprocket holes are not detected (S40), making the print start position as the value for the continuous form when the sprocket holes are detected (S50), and shifting the print start position for a print carrier to right by a predetermined value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printer apparatus, and more particularly to a printer that automatically controls a margin position.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, a printer apparatus employs a configuration in which printing is performed while reciprocating a print carrier having a print head mounted on a sheet. A printer using a form as a print medium can print on various forms such as continuous form sheets (hereinafter referred to as “continuous form sheets”) and single form sheets. The continuous paper is a continuous paper having sprocket holes on both sides of the normal paper, and has a perforation or the like for each page and can be separated. For example, a continuous form having a width of about 20 cm is used in a home delivery slip or the like. A cut sheet is a sheet that is cut one by one and is continuously supplied in a cassette or manually.
[0003]
Conventionally, when printing on cut sheet paper, the paper detection sensor (normal light is projected onto the paper and the reflected light is detected) mounted on the print carrier is moved left and right, and the left edge position of the fed paper By controlling the print start position based on the detected left end position of the paper, the left end margin amount is made constant regardless of the paper setting position (Patent Literature). 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-5068
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The continuous paper is usually set on a tractor, and paper is fed by sprocket holes to continuously print. However, in some cases, the continuous paper is separated into pages and fed from a single sheet feed port for use. At this time, the left end margin has the same left end margin amount as that of the cut sheet, and printing may occur in a place other than the print area.
[0006]
This is because the sprocket holes for paper feeding are on the left and right sides of the paper in the continuous paper, so the left-end printing prohibited area of the continuous paper is smaller than the left-end printing prohibited area of the cut paper. This is because the area is widened.
[0007]
For this reason, when separating continuous form paper into pages and feeding it from the single-sheet feeder, it is necessary to use the document creation software printing application or slip printing application according to the left-most print prohibited area of the continuous form paper. It was necessary to adjust or set the left margin with, etc., and the operation was troublesome.
[0008]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a printer apparatus that can be used without adjusting or setting margins when separating continuous form sheets and printing from a single sheet feed port.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a sprocket hole detection unit for detecting a sprocket hole of a medium fed from a single sheet feeding unit in the printer device, and when the sprocket hole is detected, printing is performed. The start position is moved by a predetermined amount.
[0010]
Further, the present invention provides a printer apparatus that uses a sheet detection unit that detects a cut sheet and detects a portion where the medium does not exist at the edge of the medium fed from the cut sheet feeding unit. The start position is moved by a predetermined amount.
[0011]
The sprocket hole detection unit and the paper detection unit may scan the end of the medium surface in the paper feeding direction, or may include an optical sensor.
[0012]
Since the present invention employs such a configuration, it is not particularly necessary to adjust or set the left margin when the continuous paper is separated and fed from the single sheet feeder. In addition, a special sprocket hole detection unit can be used for a device equipped with a sprocket hole detection unit, and a device equipped with a paper detection unit can be used not only for continuous paper with sprocket holes. Also, there is an effect that it is not necessary to adjust the left end margin even for a paper having a file hole or the like.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0014]
FIG. 1 shows a sheet suction operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0015]
In step S10, the sheet to be printed is sucked from the cut sheet inlet of the printer. This may be an ordinary single-cut sheet or a continuous form sheet. When the paper is fed, the printer device moves the print carrier in the scanning direction to detect the left end position of the paper fed by a paper detection sensor mounted on the print carrier.
[0016]
Next, in step S20, the print carrier is moved so that the position of the paper detection sensor mounted on the print carrier is about 6 mm to the right from the detected left edge position of the paper. In this state, the paper being fed is turned about 1 inch (2.54 cm), and the paper detection sensor mounted on the print carrier is operated during that time. If there is a sprocket hole, there is no paper in that portion, so the sensor signal changes and the sprocket hole is detected. If it is a normal cut sheet, the sensor does not change and the sprocket hole is not detected. When the sprocket hole detection operation is completed, the line is then reversed to return the paper to the suction position.
[0017]
FIG. 2 shows a conceptual diagram of detecting the sprocket holes of the separated continuous paper with a sensor.
[0018]
The paper detection sensor 2 mounted on the print carrier (not shown) moves relative to the separated continuous paper 1 having the sprocket holes 3 and the perforations 4. Detection light from the light emitting unit 21 of the paper detection sensor 2 is emitted to the paper 1 and the reflected light is received by the light receiving unit 22 of the sensor 2. By receiving the reflected light from the sprocket hole 3, the intensity of the reflected light changes, and the sprocket hole is detected.
[0019]
Returning to FIG. 1, as a result of the sprocket detection operation in step S20, it is determined whether or not a sprocket hole is detected in step S30. If there is no sprocket hole, the process proceeds to step S40, and if there is a sprocket hole, the process proceeds to step S50.
[0020]
In step S40, since the sprocket hole is not detected, it is determined that the sheet is a normal sheet, and the start position of the first printing column is determined by setting the left edge printing prohibited area to a predetermined sheet value, for example, 5 mm. .
[0021]
In step S50, since the sprocket hole has been detected, it is determined that the paper has been separated from the continuous paper, and the left end printing prohibited area is set to a predetermined value for continuous printing such as 15 mm (sprocket hole and perforation). The starting position of the first printing column is determined as a size for excluding etc.).
[0022]
In this way, even if the continuous paper is separated and has a sprocket hole at the left end of the paper, it is not necessary to adjust or set the left end margin on the application side when feeding as a cut sheet. The right margin can be set to a desired value regardless of whether the right margin is determined in advance corresponding to the left end print prohibited area or the number of print characters is defined.
[0023]
In this example, the paper detection sensor is described as being mounted on the print carrier. However, even if the paper detection sensor is mounted on a carrier other than the print carrier and moves, the detection range is somewhat wide in the paper, that is, the medium width direction. It may be of a fixed position type. Further, although the paper detection sensor is used for detecting the sprocket hole, another sprocket hole detection mechanism may be used, and a mechanical / electrical sensor may be used instead of the optical sensor. Furthermore, the sprocket hole at the left end is detected. However, when the right end of the paper is used as the reference position, the right margin is naturally controlled by detecting the splat hole at the right end. The present invention can be applied not only to the sprocket hole of the paper but also to printing on a single sheet having a filing hole or other notch on the left end.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an operation flow of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sprocket hole detection operation of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Separated continuous paper 2 ... Paper detection sensor 21 ... Light emission part 22 ... Light receiving part 3 ... Sprocket hole 4 ... Perforation

Claims (6)

A single-sheet feeder for feeding single-sheet paper,
A sprocket hole detecting unit for detecting a sprocket hole of a medium fed from the single sheet feeding unit,
When the sprocket hole detecting unit detects a sprocket hole in the medium, the printing start position is moved by a predetermined amount. The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sprocket hole detecting unit scans the end of the medium surface in the paper feeding direction. The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sprocket hole detection unit includes an optical sensor. A single-sheet feeder for feeding single-sheet paper,
A sheet detecting unit for detecting the cut sheet,
A printer apparatus characterized by moving a print start position by a predetermined amount when the paper detection unit detects a portion where the medium does not exist at the edge of the medium fed from the cut sheet feeding unit. The printer apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the paper detection unit scans the edge of the medium surface in the paper feeding direction. The printer apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sheet detection unit includes an optical sensor.

Images