JP2005078154A - Printing device, printing method, and program for printing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To generate print data of proper size corresponding to the size of a printing medium. <P>SOLUTION: This printing device(printer 22 and computer 90) for printing predetermined information on a printing medium(print sheet P) is provided with a detection means(optical sensor 39) for detecting the size of the printing medium(print sheet P) and a generation means(computer 90) for generating print data PD from the image data according to the size of the printing medium(print sheet P) detected by the detection means(optical sensor 39). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a printing method, and a printing program.

  In recent years, printers that print information such as images or text on printing paper, which is a printing medium, with ink or toner are widely used as a kind of output device of a computer.

  In such a printer, when printing information such as an image or text, the size of the printing paper is designated in the application program or the printer driver program, and the printing paper of that size is supplied to the printer stocker, etc. The printing process is executed by performing the above operation.

  By the way, when the paper size specified in the application program is different from the size of the printing paper actually supplied to the stocker or the like, normal printing processing may not be executed.

  Therefore, in such a case, the applicant of the present application has already proposed a method for automatically enlarging or reducing an image for printing (see Patent Document 1).

JP 08-258362 A (claims, abstract)

  However, the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 is described by taking an example of printing status information indicating the setting state of a printer. For example, the processing for printing image data is not described in detail. Absent.

  In recent years, printers that can perform so-called “borderless printing” in which an image is fully printed up to the edge of the printing paper have been put on the market. There is no mention of printing.

  The present invention has been made based on the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, a printing method, and a printing apparatus capable of generating print data having an appropriate size according to the size of the printing medium. It is intended to provide a program.

  In order to solve the problem, the present invention provides a printing apparatus that prints predetermined information on a print medium using a print head, a detection unit that detects the size of the print medium, and a print medium size that is detected by the detection unit. And generating means for generating print data from the image data.

  For this reason, it is possible to generate print data having an appropriate size according to the size of the print medium.

  According to another invention, in addition to the above-described invention, the detection means detects the size of the print medium once taken into the printing apparatus. For this reason, since it becomes possible to measure the size of the print medium in a form that includes mechanical errors, it is possible to print at an appropriate size.

  In another invention, in addition to the above-described invention, the detection means detects the size of the print medium by an optical sensor provided in the print head. For this reason, it becomes possible to easily detect the size of the print medium using existing components.

  In another invention, in addition to the above-described invention, when the borderless printing is performed, the generation unit prints larger than the size of the print medium detected by the detection unit by a predetermined size. Print data is generated. For this reason, borderless printing can be appropriately performed without forming a blank portion at the edge portion of the print medium.

  In another invention, in addition to the above-described invention, a predetermined size is designated in advance. Therefore, by appropriately setting the predetermined size, it is possible to reduce the amount of ink that is wasted when the print medium is removed.

  Further, in addition to the above-described invention, in another aspect of the invention, the generation unit may print image data if the aspect ratio of the size of the print medium is different from the aspect ratio of the image data when performing borderless printing. After the enlargement or reduction process is performed with the aspect ratio maintained, the print data is generated by cutting out part of the image data in accordance with the size of the print medium. For this reason, even when the aspect ratio of the image data and the print medium is different, the image can be printed in an appropriate range.

  In addition to the above-described invention, another invention further includes preview means for previewing the contents of the print data generated by the generation means. For this reason, before printing, it is possible to determine whether or not to print in a desired range by comparing with the actually measured size of the print medium.

  In addition to the above-described invention, another invention further includes a resetting unit that refers to the image displayed by the preview unit and resets the size and print range of the image generated by the generation unit. Yes. For this reason, it is possible to perform fine adjustment or the like based on the result confirmed by the preview means and print an image in a more appropriate range.

  According to the present invention, in a printing method of a printing apparatus that prints predetermined information on a print medium by a print head, according to a detection step of detecting the size of the print medium, and the size of the print medium detected by the detection step, A generation step of generating print data from the image data.

  For this reason, if this printing method is used, it becomes possible to generate print data of an appropriate size according to the size of the print medium.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing program for causing a computer to perform a process of printing predetermined information on a print medium by a print head. The computer detects a size of the print medium, and the print medium detected by the detection means. According to the size of the image data, the image data is made to function as a generation unit that generates print data.

  For this reason, if this printing program is installed in a computer, it is possible to generate print data of an appropriate size according to the size of the print medium.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to generate print data having an appropriate size according to the size of the print medium.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, an outline of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Hereinafter, the combination of the printer 22 and the computer 90 is referred to as a “printing apparatus”.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the printer 22 constituting the printing apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of the printer 22 with a control circuit 40 as a center.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 22 reciprocates a carriage 31 in the axial direction of the paper feed roller 26 by a sub-scan feed mechanism that transports a print paper P that is a printing medium by a paper feed motor 23 and a carriage motor 24. And a main scanning feed mechanism. Here, the feed direction of the printing paper P by the sub-scan feed mechanism is called a sub-scan direction, and the moving direction of the carriage 31 by the main scan feed mechanism is called a main scan direction.

  The printer 22 is mounted on the carriage 31 and includes a print head unit 60 including the print head 12, a head drive mechanism that drives the print head unit 60 to control ink ejection and dot formation, and these papers. A control circuit 40 that controls the exchange of signals with the feed motor 23, the carriage motor 24, the print head unit 60, and the operation panel 32 is provided.

  Next, the configuration of the print head 12 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the carriage 31 includes a cartridge 71 containing black (K) ink, a cartridge 72 containing cyan (C) ink, a cartridge 73 containing magenta (M) ink, and yellow ( Four ink cartridges 71 to 74 of the cartridge 74 containing the ink Y) are detachably mounted.

  A print head 12 is provided below the carriage 31. In the print head 12, nozzles as ink discharge locations are arranged in a line in the transport direction of the printing paper P, and a nozzle line corresponding to each color ink is formed.

  In addition, a piezoelectric element that is one of electrostrictive elements and excellent in responsiveness is arranged for each nozzle in a nozzle row that is provided below the carriage 31 and is associated with each ink. The piezo element is installed at a position in contact with a member that forms an ink passage that guides ink to the nozzle. Piezo elements have a crystal structure that is distorted by the application of voltage, and perform electro-mechanical energy conversion at an extremely high speed.

  In the present embodiment, by applying a voltage having a predetermined time width between the electrodes provided at both ends of the piezo element, the piezo element is extended for the voltage application time, and one side wall of the ink passage is deformed. As a result, the volume of the ink passage contracts according to the expansion of the piezo element, and the ink corresponding to the contraction becomes ink droplets and is ejected at high speed from the tip of the nozzle. The ink droplets soak into the printing paper P along the paper feed roller 26, whereby dots are formed and printing is performed. The size of the ink droplet can be changed by a method of applying a voltage to the piezo element. As a result, three types of dots having different sizes, large, medium, and small, can be formed.

  The control circuit 40 is connected to the computer 90 via the connector 56. A computer 90, which is a part of the printing apparatus, a generation means, a part of the preview means, and a resetting means, is loaded with a printer driver program for the printer 22 as will be described later, and is an input device. A user interface that accepts a user's command by operating a certain keyboard, mouse, or the like and presents various information in the printer 22 by screen display of the display device is configured.

  The sub-scan feed mechanism that transports the printing paper P includes a gear train (not shown) that transmits the rotation of the paper feed motor 23 to a paper feed roller 26 and a paper transport roller (not shown).

  The main scanning feed mechanism for reciprocating the carriage 31 is an endless drive between the carriage motor 24 and a slide shaft 34 that is laid in parallel with the axis of the paper feed roller 26 and slidably holds the carriage 31. A pulley 38 for stretching the belt 36 and an optical sensor 39 for detecting the origin position of the carriage 31 are provided. The optical sensor 39, which is a part of the detection means, includes a light source that projects light onto the printing paper P, and a photodiode (or CCD element) that converts reflected light from the printing paper P into a corresponding image signal. And is composed of.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control circuit 40 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 41, a programmable ROM (P-ROM (Read Only Memory)) 43, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 44, and a character that stores a dot matrix of characters. The arithmetic logic circuit includes a generator (CG (Character Generator)) 45, an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable ROM) 46, and encoders 47 and 48. The encoder 47 which is a part of the detection unit is a part of the detection unit provided in the carriage motor 24 and is based on the detection signal from the detection unit which is also a part of the encoder 47. A position in the main scanning direction is detected. The encoder 48 is a part of the detection means provided in the paper feed motor 23, and the position of the printing paper P in the sub-scanning direction based on a detection signal from a detection unit that is also a part of the encoder 48. Is detected. Note that some or all of the encoders 47 and 48 may be provided in the motors 23 and 24.

  The control circuit 40 further drives an I / F dedicated circuit 50 that is an interface (I / F (Interface)) with an external motor or the like, and the print head unit 60 connected to the I / F dedicated circuit 50. A head drive circuit 52 that ejects ink, and a motor drive circuit 54 that drives the paper feed motor 23 and the carriage motor 24. A part or all of the motor drive circuit 54 may be provided in each of the motors 23 and 24.

  The I / F dedicated circuit 50 incorporates a parallel interface circuit and can receive print data PD supplied from the computer 90 via the connector 56.

  Next, the configuration of the computer 90 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the computer 90 includes a CPU 91, ROM 92, RAM 93, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 94, video circuit 95, I / F 96, bus 97, display device 98, input device 99, and external storage device 100. Has been.

  Here, the CPU 91 is a control unit that executes various arithmetic processes according to programs stored in the ROM 92 and the HDD 94 and controls each unit of the apparatus.

  The ROM 92 is a memory that stores basic programs executed by the CPU 91 and data. The RAM 93 is a memory that temporarily stores programs being executed by the CPU 91 and data being calculated.

  The HDD 94 is a recording device that reads data and programs recorded on a hard disk as a recording medium in response to a request from the CPU 91 and records data generated as a result of arithmetic processing of the CPU 91 on the hard disk.

  The video circuit 95 is a circuit that executes a drawing process in accordance with a drawing command supplied from the CPU 91, converts the obtained image data into a video signal, and outputs the video signal to the display device 98.

  The I / F 96 is a circuit that appropriately converts the expression format of signals output from the input device 99 and the external storage device 100 and outputs print data PD to the printer 22.

  The bus 97 is a signal line that connects the CPU 91, the ROM 92, the RAM 93, the HDD 94, the video circuit 95, and the I / F 96 to each other and enables data exchange between them.

  The display device 98 which is a part of the preview means is configured by, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor, and displays an image corresponding to the video signal output from the video circuit 95. It is.

  The input device 99 is configured by, for example, a keyboard and a mouse, and is a device that generates a signal corresponding to a user operation and supplies the signal to the I / F 96.

  The external storage device 100 includes, for example, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-ROM) drive unit, an MO (Magneto Optic) drive unit, and an FDD (Flexible Disk Drive) unit, and is recorded on a CD-ROM disc, an MO disc, and an FD. This is a device that reads out data and programs that are stored and supplies them to the CPU 91. In the case of the MO drive unit and the FDD unit, the data is supplied from the CPU 91 to the MO disk or FD.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining functions of programs and drivers installed in the computer 90. Note that these functions are realized by the cooperation of the hardware of the computer 90 and the software recorded on the hard disk of the HDD 94. As shown in this figure, an application program 201, a video driver program 202, and a printer driver program 210 are installed in a computer 90, and these operate under a predetermined operating system (OS).

  Here, the application program 201 is, for example, an image processing program, which processes an image captured from a digital camera or the like or processes an image drawn by a user, and then processes the printer driver program 210 and the video. Output to the driver program 202.

  The video driver program 202 is a program for driving the video circuit 95. For example, the video driver program 202 generates a video signal after performing gamma processing, white balance adjustment, or the like on the image data supplied from the application program. It is supplied to the display device 98 and displayed.

  The printer driver program 210 includes a resolution conversion module 211, a paper information table 212, a color conversion module 213, a color conversion table 214, a halftone module 215, a recording rate table 216, and a print data generation module 217, and is an application program. The image data generated in 201 is subjected to various processes described later to generate print data PD, which is supplied to the printer 22.

  Here, the resolution conversion module 211 performs processing for converting the resolution of the image data supplied from the application program 201 in accordance with the resolution of the print head 12.

  The paper information table 212 is a table for storing information related to the paper size of the printing paper P when the printing paper P is fed to the printer 22. For example, as the paper size, information related to the vertical and horizontal lengths of the printing paper P is stored.

  The color conversion module 213 refers to the color conversion table 214 with respect to image data expressed in the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color system, and the CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) color system image. Process to convert to data.

  As will be described later, the halftone module 215 refers to the image data represented by the CMYK color system by dither processing, referring to the recording rate table 216, and is a bit composed of a combination of three types of large, medium, and small dots. Convert to map data.

  The print data generation module 217 generates print data PD including raster data indicating the dot recording state during each main scan and data indicating the sub-scan feed amount from the bitmap data output from the halftone module 215. Then, it is supplied to the printer 22.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5, processing when image data is printed by the computer 90 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The processing shown in FIG. 5 is executed when predetermined image data (image file) stored in the HDD 94 is designated by the input device 99 and the application program 201 associated with the image data is activated. . When this flowchart is started, the following steps are executed.

  Step S 10: The application program 201 acquires information for displaying the editing screen of the application program 201 from the HDD 94 and supplies it to the video circuit 95. As a result, a screen 250 as shown in FIG.

  In the display example illustrated in FIG. 6, a file 251, an edit 252, and an option 253 are displayed as menus at the top of the screen 250. Below that, there is a display area 255 in which an image to be edited is displayed. In this example, an image is displayed in the display area 255, but in reality, no image is displayed when the process of step S10 is completed.

  Step S11: The application program 201 reads from the HDD 94 the image data specified when starting the application program 201.

  Step S12: The application program 201 displays the image data read in step S11 in the display area 255. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, an image photographed by a digital camera or the like is displayed in the display area 255.

  Step S13: The application program 201 determines whether or not an operation for printing the image displayed in the display area 255 has been performed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, it is determined whether or not “print” has been selected from the pull-down menu 254 displayed when the file 251 is operated, and if selected, the process proceeds to step S14. In other cases, the same processing is repeated.

  Step S14: The application program 201 displays a print screen on the display device 98. As a result, a screen 270 as shown in FIG. 8 is newly displayed on the display device 98.

  In this display example, a title 271, radio buttons 272 and 273, and a button 274 are displayed on the screen 270. Here, “print” as the title 271 indicates that the screen 270 is a screen for printing. The radio button 272 is selected when executing normal printing. The radio button 273 is selected when sensing printing is executed. Here, sensing printing refers to performing printing processing after measuring (sensing) the size of the printing paper P in advance with an optical sensor provided in the print head 12 and measuring the accurate size, as will be described later. Say. Further, normal printing refers to performing printing on the assumption that printing paper of a specified size is set. The button 274 is operated to start the printing process with the input content.

  Step S15: The application program 201 determines whether or not the “OK” button 274 shown in FIG. 8 has been operated. If it has been operated, the process proceeds to step S16, and otherwise the same processing is repeated.

  Step S16: The application program 201 proceeds to step S17 when the radio button 272 is selected on the screen 270 shown in FIG. 8, that is, when normal printing is selected, and the radio button 273 is selected. If so, that is, if sensing printing is selected, the process proceeds to step S18. In the example shown in FIG. 8, since the radio button 273 is selected, the process proceeds to step S18.

  Step S17: The application program 201 executes normal printing processing. That is, the application program displays a screen (not shown) for inputting the size of the printing paper, the number of prints, etc., generates print data according to the input information, supplies it to the printer 22 and prints it. . Since this process is the same as that in a normal printer, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Step S18: The application program 201 executes processing for reading the size of the printing paper P. Specifically, the application program 201 first displays the screen 280 shown in FIG. 9 on the display device 98. In this display example, “Sensing Print” is displayed on the screen 280 as the title 281. Below that, a message 283 is displayed: “Sensing process starts. Set the printing paper in the printer and operate the OK button when preparation is complete”. Below that, a button 284 is displayed.

  With reference to such a screen 280, when the user operates the button 284 after setting the printing paper P in the printer 22, the application program 201 determines that the start of sensing processing has been instructed, and The carriage 31 is requested to move from the home position onto the path of the printing paper P. As a result, the printer 22 drives the carriage motor 24 to move the carriage 31 to the path of the printing paper P. Next, the application program 201 requests the printer 22 to feed paper. As a result, the printer 22 drives the paper feed motor 23 to feed only one print paper P.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 10A, since light is emitted from the optical sensor 39, the leading end portion of the printing paper P (the portion fed first with respect to the printer 22) is the optical sensor. When it is located directly below 39 (when the printing paper P reaches the position indicated by the solid line), the light is reflected and a sensor detection signal is output. Upon receiving the sensor detection signal, the application program 201 stores the output value of the encoder 47 obtained based on the detection signal in the detection unit in the paper feed motor 23 at that time when the sensor detection signal is detected.

  Subsequently, the application program 201 requests to measure the length of the printing paper P in the lateral direction by moving the carriage 31 in the main scanning direction. As a result, the printer 22 drives the carriage motor 24 to move the carriage 31 from end to end of the printing paper P as shown in FIG. Then, the application program 201 obtains the output value of the encoder 48 at each change point based on the detection signal in the detection unit in the carriage motor 24 corresponding to the change point of the output of the optical sensor 39. The application program 201 measures the length of the printing paper P in the horizontal direction by obtaining the difference between the output values of the obtained encoder 48.

  Subsequently, the application program 201 requests the printer 22 to discharge the printing paper P. As a result, the printer 22 drives the paper feed motor 23 and discharges the printing paper P. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10A, since light is continuously emitted from the optical sensor 39, the end portion of the printing paper P (the portion fed later to the printer 22) is the optical sensor. When the position deviates from just below 39 (when the printing paper P reaches the position indicated by the broken line), the detection signal is turned off or decreased. The application program 201 that has received the change in the detection signal stores the output value of the encoder 47 when the change in the detection signal is detected. Then, by calculating the difference from the stored value of the front end portion of the printing paper P stored previously, the length of the printing paper P in the vertical direction can be measured.

  Information regarding the vertical and horizontal lengths of the printing paper P measured as described above is temporarily stored in the paper information table 212.

  Step S19: The application program 201 determines whether to perform borderless printing or bordered printing. When performing borderless printing, the process proceeds to step S20. When performing bordered printing, step S23 is performed. Proceed to Specifically, the application program 201 displays a screen 290 as shown in FIG. 11 on the display device 98, and determines whether to perform borderless printing or bordered printing.

  In the display example shown in FIG. 11, “sensing printing” is displayed as the title 291 at the top of the screen 290. Below that, radio buttons 292 and 293 are displayed, and further below that, a button 294 is displayed. Here, the radio button 292 is selected when performing borderless printing. The radio button 293 is selected when printing with a border is executed. The button 294 is operated when selection of the radio buttons 292 and 293 is completed. In this example, since the radio button 292 is selected, when the button 294 is operated, the process proceeds to step S20.

  Step S20: The application program 201 displays a setting screen and receives input of setting contents. Specifically, the application program 201 displays a screen 300 as shown in FIG. 12 on the display device 98 and receives an input of print setting contents. In this display example, “print without sensing border” is displayed as the title 301 at the top of the screen 300. Below that, a text box 302 is displayed, radio buttons 303 to 305 are displayed below it, and a button 306 is displayed at the bottom.

  Here, in the text box 302, when performing borderless printing, “extruding dimension” that is a dimension that the image protrudes from the printing paper P is input as a numerical value. That is, in borderless printing, it is necessary to print so that there is no blank portion at the edge portion of the printing paper P. However, if the printing range is the same size as the printing paper P, the conveyance error of the printing paper P, etc. Due to this, a blank part may occur. Therefore, this is prevented by printing an image in a range larger than the printing paper P by the protruding dimension.

  The radio button 303 is selected when the size of the image is enlarged or reduced according to the size of the printing paper P when the printing paper P and the size of the image are different. In this case, the enlargement / reduction means changing the size by changing the ratio between the vertical and horizontal directions. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13A, when the size of the printing paper PA is larger than the size of the image 320, as shown in FIG. 13C and FIG. A process of enlarging the size of the image 320 is executed while changing the horizontal ratio. At this time, the image 320 is enlarged so as to be larger than the printing paper PA by 3 mm in each of the vertical and horizontal directions (“extension dimension” in FIG. 12).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13B, when the size of the printing paper PB is smaller than the size of the image 325, as shown in FIGS. , And a process of reducing the size of the image 325 is executed. At this time, the image 325 is reduced so as to be larger than the printing paper PB by 3 mm (the “protrusion dimension” in FIG. 12) in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  However, if the vertical / horizontal ratio changes significantly due to enlargement / reduction processing, the image status changes. If it is necessary to change the ratio to a predetermined ratio or higher, a warning or the like is displayed. You may do it.

  The radio button 304 is selected when the print paper P is different from the image size in the case where the image size is enlarged or reduced in accordance with the size of the print paper P and the remaining portion is cut out. In this case, the enlargement / reduction means changing the size while fixing the ratio between the vertical and horizontal directions. In this case, when the vertical and horizontal ratios of the printing paper P and the image are different, a portion that protrudes from the printing paper is generated. In this case, a process of cutting out the protruding portion is executed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14A, when the printing paper PC is larger than the image 330, the vertical and horizontal ratios of the image 330 are shown in FIG. The image 330 is enlarged so that a margin of 3 mm can be secured in each of the vertical and horizontal directions of the printing paper PC, and the protruding region 331 is cut out. At this time, the image 330 after the enlargement process is made to be larger than the printing paper PC by 3 mm in each of the vertical and horizontal directions (“extension dimension” in FIG. 12).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14C, when the printing paper PD is smaller than the image 335, the vertical and horizontal ratios of the image 335 are fixed as shown in FIG. The image 335 is reduced so that a margin of 3 mm can be secured in each of the vertical and horizontal directions of the printing paper PD, and the protruding region 336 is cut out. At this time, the image 335 after the reduction process is made to be larger than the printing paper PD by 3 mm (the “extension dimension” in FIG. 12) in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  The radio button 305 is selected when a process for cutting out the protruding portion of the printing paper P is performed when the size of the image is larger than the size of the printing paper P. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14E, when the image 340 is larger than the printing paper PE, a process of cutting out the protruding portion 345 is executed. At that time, the image 340 after being cut out is cut out to be larger than the printing paper PE by 3 mm in each of the vertical and horizontal directions (“projection dimension” in FIG. 12).

  Step S21: The application program 201 displays an image obtained by enlarging / reducing or cutting out the image according to the processing method selected on the screen 300 shown in FIG. 12 as a preview screen. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, a preview screen 360 and a screen 350 for inquiring whether printing is possible are displayed.

  In the example of FIG. 15, a dashed line 361 indicating the size of the print paper P is displayed on the preview screen 360, and the print range of the image can be known. Also, on the screen 350, “print without sensing border” is displayed as the title 351, and below that, “Check the print status on the preview screen and press the OK button to print” is displayed as the message 352. Has been. A button 353 and a button 354 are displayed at the bottom. The button 353 is operated, for example, when returning to FIG. On the other hand, the button 354 is operated when printing in the state displayed on the preview screen 360.

  For example, the solid line 360 may be designated by a cursor, and the print range may be changed by moving the solid line 360 in an arbitrary direction. Alternatively, the vertex of the solid line 360 may be designated with a cursor and moved to change the size of the image with the vertical and horizontal ratios fixed. In this way, it is possible to appropriately set the area to be printed while viewing the preview screen 360.

  Step S22: The application program 201 executes a process of enlarging / reducing the image data and cutting out a predetermined range according to the information obtained by the above process. The obtained image data is supplied to the printer driver program 210. In the printer driver program 210, the resolution conversion module 211 converts the resolution (dot / inch) of the image data supplied from the application program 201 in accordance with the resolution of the print head 12.

  The color conversion module 213 converts image data expressed in the RGB color system into image data in the CMYK color system with reference to the color conversion table 214.

  The halftone module 215 converts the image data represented by the CMYK color system into bitmap data composed of a combination of three types of large, medium, and small dots with reference to the recording rate table 216 by dither processing. To do.

  The print data generation module 217 generates print data PD including raster data indicating the dot recording state during each main scan and data indicating the sub-scan feed amount from the bitmap data output from the halftone module 215. To do. Then, the process proceeds to the printing process in step S26.

  Step S23: When printing with borders is selected in step S19, the application program 201 displays a setting screen and receives input of setting contents. Specifically, the application program 201 displays a screen 380 as shown in FIG. 16 on the display device 98 and receives an input of print setting contents. In this display example, “print with sensing edge” is displayed as the title 381 at the top of the screen 380. Below that, text boxes 382 to 385 are displayed, radio buttons 386 to 388 are displayed below it, and a button 389 is displayed at the bottom.

  Here, in the text boxes 382 to 385, margins (edge widths) in the upper, lower, left, and right directions when printing an image on the printing paper P are input. The radio button 386 performs a process of enlarging or reducing the image while changing the vertical and horizontal ratio when the image print range (the range excluding the area corresponding to the margin from the print paper P) is different from the image size. Selected when executing. This process is the same as that when the previous radio button 303 is selected. The radio button 387 is selected when the printing range of the image is different from the size of the image, when the vertical / horizontal ratio of the image is fixed or enlarged or reduced, and the remaining area is cut out. . This process is the same as that when the previous radio button 304 is selected. The radio button 388 is selected when executing a process of cutting out a part of the image in accordance with the print area when the image is larger than the size of the print area. This process is the same as that when the previous radio button 305 is selected. The button 389 is operated when executing print processing according to the set information.

  Step S24: The application program 201 displays an image obtained by enlarging / reducing or clipping the image according to the processing method selected on the screen 380 shown in FIG. 16 as a preview screen. As for the enlargement / reduction process and the cut-out process, in the case of step S20, the enlargement / reduction and cut-out processes are executed based on the size of the print paper P. However, in the process of step S23, the print paper P The same processing may be performed with reference to the print area. In this case, it is not necessary to consider the protruding dimension.

  When the preview image is generated, the application program 201 displays a preview screen 410 and a screen 400 for inquiring whether printing is possible, as shown in FIG.

  In this example, on the preview screen 410, a one-dot chain line 411 indicating the size of the print paper P, a broken line 412 indicating the print area, and a solid line 413 indicating the image are displayed. In this example, a print area (broken line 412) is set by securing margins of 3 mm and 4 mm on the top, bottom, left, and right of the printing paper P in correspondence with the settings in FIG. 16, and an image (solid line 413) is printed. They are arranged so that they protrude slightly from the area to the left and right and protrude greatly from the top and bottom.

  Also, on the screen 400, “Print with sensing edge” is displayed as the title 401, and below that, “Check the print status on the preview screen and press the OK button to print” is displayed as the message 402. Has been. A button 403 and a button 404 are displayed at the bottom. The button 403 is operated, for example, when returning to FIG. On the other hand, the button 404 is operated when printing in the state displayed on the preview screen 410.

  Note that the solid line 413 may be designated by a cursor, for example, and moved to change the print range. In addition, the vertex of the solid line 413 may be designated with a cursor and moved to change the print range while fixing the vertical and horizontal ratios.

  Step S25: The application program 201 executes a process of enlarging / reducing the image data and cutting out a predetermined range according to the information obtained by the above process. The obtained image data is supplied to the printer driver program 210. The printer driver program 210 generates print data PD by the same process as in step S22. Then, the process proceeds to the printing process in step S26.

  Step S26: The printer driver program 210 supplies the print data PD generated by the above processing to the printer 22 and starts printing. In the printer 22, first, the control circuit 40 drives the paper feed motor 23 to feed only one print paper P into the printer 22. Next, the control circuit 40 drives the carriage motor 24 to move the carriage 31, and refers to the output of the optical sensor 39 to detect the upper end portion (the first sucked portion) of the printing paper P. As a result, it is detected that the printing paper P is normally sucked, and the position of the upper end portion of the printing paper P is detected.

  When the detection of the printing paper P is completed, the printer 22 performs the main scanning operation by driving the carriage motor 24, and the ink of the corresponding color from the print head 12 according to the printing data PD supplied from the printer driver program 210. To discharge. When printing for one line is completed, the paper feed motor 23 is driven to perform sub-scanning. By repeating such an operation, a desired image is printed on the printing paper P.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the size of the printing paper P is detected by the optical sensor 39, and an image is printed according to the detected size. In the case of printing, it is possible to print an image in an appropriate range so that no edge is generated.

  In the case of borderless printing, the amount of ink deviated from the printing paper P, that is, the amount of wasted ink can be minimized by appropriately setting the amount of protrusion.

  Further, in the above embodiment, even when a paper other than a standard paper (for example, A4, B5, etc.) is used, the size of the printing paper P is detected in advance by the optical sensor 39, so that It becomes possible to print an image in a range suitable for the printing paper P.

  In the above embodiment, since the preview screen is displayed after the size of the printing paper P is detected by the optical sensor 39, the range in which the image is printed is appropriately set in relation to the printing paper P. It becomes possible to grasp.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the print range of the image can be appropriately set on the preview screen, so that the image can be appropriately printed within the desired range.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be variously modified in addition to this. For example, in the above embodiment, four colors of CMYK are used as the ink, but in addition to these four colors, light-colored ink (light cyan (LC), light magenta (LM), dark yellow (DY) )) Ink may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the printer 22 having a head for ejecting ink using a piezo element is used. However, various ejection drive elements other than the piezo element can be used. is there. For example, the present invention can be applied to a printer including a discharge driving element of a type in which a heater disposed in the ink passage is energized and ink is discharged by bubbles generated in the ink passage.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the printing paper P stored in the stocker is automatically fed and printed has been described as an example. However, for example, when the printing paper P is supplied manually, It is also possible to execute the same processing. In addition to the printing paper, any printable medium such as an optical recording medium such as a CD-ROM, various plate materials such as cloth, a metal plate, and wood can be used as the printing medium.

  In the above embodiment, the case where an image is printed on one printing paper P has been described as an example. For example, when printing the same image on a plurality of printing papers of the same size, After executing the process of detecting the size of only the first sheet, the same image data may be repeatedly output to the printer 22. Also, when printing a plurality of different images on the same size of printing paper, the size of the first sheet is detected, the print area is changed based on the data, and then output to the printer 22 And print it. That is, the printing paper P may be detected on a job basis.

  In the above embodiment, the measured size of the printing paper P is stored in the paper information table 212. For example, information for uniquely specifying the printing paper P (for example, serial number or In the case of printing on the same paper at a later date, the information stored in the HDD 94 is specified by, for example, the serial number or the paper name, It is also possible to print using this information. According to such a method, the trouble of measuring the size of the printing paper P at every printing can be omitted.

  In the above embodiment, the size of the print paper P is detected by the optical sensor 39 provided in the print head 12. However, for example, a line sensor is provided on the path of the print paper P, and this is detected. Thus, the size of the printing paper P may be detected. In the case of a printer equipped with a scanner, the size of the printing paper P may be detected using the scanner. Further, as the surface shape of the print medium, the present invention can be applied to various shapes such as a circle, a triangle, a pentagon, and a trapezoid in addition to the rectangle as in the above-described embodiment. As described above, in the case of a shape other than the quadrangle, the shape is detected instead of the size, and the print data is generated according to the shape. The “size” includes this shape.

  In the above embodiment, the above-described processing is executed by the application program 201 stored in the HDD 94 (or the external storage device 100). However, a program having an equivalent function is stored in the P-ROM 43 of the printer 22 so that the above-described processing is executed by this program, or the computer 90 and the printer 22 share these processing. It is also possible to do.

  The program describing the above processing functions can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, and a semiconductor memory. Examples of the magnetic recording device include a hard disk device (HDD), a flexible disk (FD), and a magnetic tape. Examples of the optical disk include a DVD, a DVD-RAM (Random Access Memory), a CD-ROM, and a CD-R (Recordable) / RW (ReWritable). Magneto-optical recording media include MO.

  When distributing the program, for example, portable recording media such as a DVD and a CD-ROM on which the program is recorded are sold. It is also possible to store the program in a storage device of a server computer and transfer the program from the server computer to another computer via a network.

  The computer that executes the program stores, for example, the program recorded on the portable recording medium or the program transferred from the server computer in its own storage device. Then, the computer reads the program from its own storage device and executes processing according to the program. The computer can also read the program directly from the portable recording medium and execute processing according to the program. Further, each time the program is transferred from the server computer, the computer can sequentially execute processing according to the received program.

  The present invention can be used in printing apparatuses that use print media of various sizes.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a main part of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration example of a control circuit of the printer illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a block diagram which shows the detailed structural example of the computer shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the processing function implement | achieved when the hardware and software of the computer shown in FIG. 3 cooperate. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing executed when an image is printed in the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. 6 is an example of a screen displayed on the display device shown in FIG. 3 when the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 is executed. FIG. 7 is an example of a pull-down menu displayed when “file” as a menu is operated on the screen shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is an example of a screen displayed when “Print” is selected in the pull-down menu shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is an example of a screen displayed when a radio button for selecting “Sensing printing” shown in FIG. 8 is selected. FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of measuring the size of printing paper, (A) is a figure explaining the operation | movement which measures the length of a vertical direction, (B) is the operation | movement which measures the length of a horizontal direction. It is a figure explaining. It is a display example of a screen for selecting either borderless printing or bordered printing. FIG. 12 is an example of a screen displayed when a radio button for selecting “Borderless printing” is selected on the screen shown in FIG. 11. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement in the case of enlarging or reducing an image, (A) shows the state where printing paper is larger than an image, (B) shows the state where printing paper is smaller than an image. (C) and (D) show the operation of enlarging the image in a state where the vertical and horizontal ratios are variable, and (E) and (F) show the state where the vertical and horizontal ratios are variable. The operation of reducing the image is shown. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement in the case of enlarging or reducing an image, (A) And (B) shows the operation | movement which expands an image in the state which fixed the vertical and horizontal ratio, (C) and (D) shows the operation of reducing the image with the vertical and horizontal ratios fixed, and (E) shows the operation of cutting out the image when the image is larger than the printing paper. It is a figure which shows an example of the preview screen displayed after the screen shown in FIG. 12 is an example of a screen displayed when a radio button for selecting “print with border” is selected on the screen shown in FIG. 11. It is a figure which shows an example of the preview screen displayed after the screen shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

22 Printer (part of printing device)
39 Optical sensor (part of detection means)
47 Encoder (part of detection means)
48 detector (part of detection means)
49 Detection part (part of detection means)
90 Computer (part of printing device, generation means, part of preview means, resetting means)
98 Display device (part of preview means)
PD print data

Claims (10)

In a printing apparatus that prints predetermined information on a print medium by a print head,
Detecting means for detecting the size of the print medium;
Generating means for generating print data from image data in accordance with the size of the print medium detected by the detection means;
A printing apparatus comprising:   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects the size of the print medium once taken into the printing apparatus.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects a size of the print medium by an optical sensor provided in the print head.   In the case of performing borderless printing, the generation unit generates print data that is printed larger than a size of the print medium detected by the detection unit by a predetermined size. The printing apparatus according to claim 1.   The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined size can be designated in advance.   In the case of borderless printing, the generation means enlarges while maintaining the aspect ratio of the image data when the aspect ratio of the size of the print medium is different from the aspect ratio of the image data. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the reduction process is performed, a part of image data is cut out according to a size of the print medium to generate the print data.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a preview unit that previews the content of the print data generated by the generation unit.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a resetting unit that resets a size and a print range of the image generated by the generation unit with reference to the image displayed by the preview unit. In a printing method of a printing apparatus that prints predetermined information on a print medium by a print head,
A detection step of detecting the size of the print medium;
A generation step for generating print data from image data in accordance with the size of the print medium detected by the detection step;
A printing method characterized by comprising: In a printing program for causing a computer to function to print predetermined information on a print medium by a print head,
Computer
Detecting means for detecting the size of the print medium;
Generating means for generating print data from image data in accordance with the size of the print medium detected by the detecting means;
A printing program characterized in that it functions as a computer program.

Images