JP2007139977A - Printer and printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing method with which suitable reverse printing is made possible by using only one printing head capable of only one-line printing, and to provide a printer. <P>SOLUTION: Depending on whether the number of characters is larger than a predetermined number or not, the printer is automatically switched to an optimal mode between the forty-character mode in which forty characters are printed in the feeding direction and the eighty-character mode in which eighty characters are printed. When the number of characters is less than forty, the forty-character mode is used, and when it is forty-one or larger, the eighty-character mode is used. This prevents lowering of visibility or failure to print within one line. When the number of characters exceeds forty-one, the eighty-character mode is used such that two printing areas 10 are arranged side by side with a space 16 corresponding to one character between them, and characters up to eighty in total are printed. Thus, by printing characters of two lines by using a single printing head 20, the characters can be printed within the printing area 10. When the number of characters is equal to or smaller than forty, printing can be carried out using the single printing head 20 common to the eighty-character mode. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing method, and more particularly to a printing apparatus and a printing method for printing information as character data on a non-recording surface of an image recording material.

  At the time of creating a photo print, information accompanying the created photo print (for example, a frame number and a correction amount for standard printing conditions) has been conventionally printed as characters on the back of the photo print. There is an increasing demand for printing more information on the back of photographic prints. In particular, an APS film provided with a magnetic track for magnetic recording of information can record various information (eg, shooting date, shooting location, comments, etc.) on the magnetic track, etc. It is also required that a large amount of characters (for example, 40 characters / line × 2 lines) can be printed on the back surface of a photographic print created by printing the image on photographic paper.

  Or, for digital cameras that do not have negatives after shooting, if various information (for example, shooting date, shooting data, comments, etc.) is not recorded at the time of printing, when the information on the camera / PC side is deleted Since the data is lost, printing on the back side is necessary.

  In contrast, printing on the back side of photographic prints is a dot matrix printer that prints characters as dot patterns on a photographic printer that has the function of exposing and recording images recorded on photographic film of various sizes on photographic paper. And the like, and the dot pitch is fixedly set by the dot matrix printer (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the above example, in the printing apparatus that prints the back surface of the photosensitive material with a dot pattern, the dot interval is changed according to the number of characters to be printed.

  However, for example, if printing is performed with a minimum dot pitch in preparation for printing a large number of characters, the aspect ratio of the characters becomes extremely large (or small), and the printed characters are difficult to read. There's a problem.

  For example, when printing is performed with a dot matrix as shown in FIG. 7A, if the paper feed size L is Lm (FIG. 7C), even if the character has an appropriate aspect ratio and is easy to read, the feed size When L is as small as Ls (FIG. 7B), the dot pitch becomes very small, resulting in a character with an extreme aspect ratio, making the character difficult to read. Conversely, when the feed size is large, such as Ll (FIG. 7D), the character spacing becomes large and conversely difficult to read.

  Also, the size of the printable printable area (printing area) varies depending on the photoprint print size (the size of the image printed on the photographic paper), so dots are printed so that the printed characters are easy to read. When the pitch is set, the number of characters that can be printed on a photographic print of a small size print (for example, a service version) is limited, and the characters to be printed may not be printed within the print area.

  In particular, according to the amount of print information corresponding to the type of film, for example, in the case of 240 films, a configuration has been proposed in which the back surface is printed in two lines (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  In the above example, it is described that two printers capable of printing one line are arranged side by side, and the one-line printing mode for 135 films and the two-line printing for 240 films are properly used. However, in order to perform such two-line printing, it is necessary to prepare two printers or to prepare a printer capable of two-line printing. It is very uneconomical.

  The back print character string is generated externally (input device / acceptor, etc.), but in the existing print character string pattern, only a specific line is printed and not worn out in the case of 2-line printing. Therefore, there is a pattern in which characters exist only in the second line. For this reason, it is necessary to appropriately print not only the character string made for single line printing but also the above pattern.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printing method for an image recording apparatus that enables appropriate back printing using a print head capable of printing only one line.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing method and a printing apparatus that enable appropriate back printing using only one print head capable of printing only one line.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 03-000266 JP-A-10-090805

  In consideration of the above-described facts, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing method and a printing apparatus that enable appropriate back printing using a print head capable of printing only one line.

  The printing method according to claim 1 is provided in an image recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording surface of a recording medium, and prints one line of character information acquired from outside on the back side of the recording surface while transporting the recording medium. A printing method using one printing means for selecting one of a plurality of print modes having different numbers of print characters per unit length according to the number of characters of the character information, and selecting the selected print mode. Correspondingly, either the front end or the rear end in the transport direction of the recording medium is selected as a reference for the print start position.

  In the invention with the above configuration, since the printing mode is determined according to the number of characters, various orders such as film reception including two-line printing and digital image reception using only one print head capable of one-line printing. An appropriate print pattern can be configured according to the above.

  The printing method according to claim 2 is characterized in that the character interval and the dot interval are determined according to the number of characters included in the character information and the transport length of the recording medium.

  In the invention of the above configuration, since the print pattern (print pitch) in the print mode is determined based not only on the number of characters but also on the length of the recording medium, the print area of the recording medium fits within the feed length of the recording medium, It is possible to obtain an appropriate print pitch that does not impair visibility according to the length of the recording medium.

  A printing apparatus according to a third aspect is characterized in that character information is printed on the back side of the recording surface by the printing method according to the first or second aspect.

  In the invention having the above-described configuration, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus that enables appropriate back printing using only one print head capable of printing only one line.

  Since the present invention has the above-described configuration, it is possible to provide a printing method and a printing apparatus that enable appropriate back printing using only one print head capable of printing only one line.

<Configuration of printing device>
FIG. 1 shows a printing apparatus of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, a printing area 10 is provided on the back side of the recording surface of the recording material 12 (hereinafter referred to as “back side”), such as a frame number and exposure correction / color correction data sent from an external device. Character information is recorded by characters 13.

  The character 13 is printed on the back surface of the recording material 12 by a dot impact printer constituted by dot pins 22 arranged in a pattern as shown in FIG. 1B, for example, and in subsequent steps (for example, development processing). It must be readable until it reaches the user's hand without being lost.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 1C, the recording material 12 may be cut into a predetermined print size in advance and subjected to exposure processing to perform printing / development processing. In other words, character information is printed on the back surface by the printer 20 while conveying the exposed recording material 12 and conveyed to a subsequent process such as development processing.

  The printer 20 uses, for example, a 9-pin dot printer, and prints an 8 × 6 dot matrix using 8 of them. The pitch in the width direction is fixed, and the dot pitch in the feed direction is variable, so that the character size (dot pitch) and character spacing in the feed direction can be adjusted.

At this time, the printer 20 controls the number of characters and the character interval / dot interval in the feeding direction of the recording material 12 by controlling the print start instruction, the print data, and the impact interval from a control unit (not shown). In this configuration, the dot interval in the feeding direction of the recording material 12 is controlled by controlling the interval between the impact start instructions. There are two patterns of printing modes of 40 characters per line or 80 characters per line, and the optimum printing mode is automatically selected according to the number of characters to be printed.
<Print mode>
FIG. 2 shows an example of a print pattern according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the print area 10 is set on the back surface of the recording material 12, and the characters 13 are formed by the dots 11. The character 13 has a font size of 8 × 6 dots, and the pitch in the width direction is fixed. However, by changing the dot pitch Dp in the feed direction, the size of the character 13 in the feed direction can be adjusted.

  Further, by making the inter-character space 15 variable, the print area 10 of the recording medium 12 can be accommodated within the feed length of the recording medium 12, and an appropriate print pitch that does not impair visibility according to the length of the recording medium 12 can be obtained. can do.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a print mode according to the present invention.

  As described above, an optimal print area can be arranged by automatically selecting an optimum mode from a plurality of print modes in accordance with the number of characters in the character information. In other words, visibility is improved by automatically switching between the 40-character mode that prints 40 characters in the feed direction and the 80-character mode that prints 80 characters, depending on whether the number of characters is greater or less than a predetermined number. It is possible to print reliably without damage. Specifically, if the number of characters is less than 40 characters, 40 character mode, if it is 41 characters or more, 80 character mode, the character pitch is too wide and the visibility deteriorates, or characters do not fit on one line. Failure can be prevented.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the number of characters exceeds 41 characters, the 80 character mode is set, and the two print areas 10 are arranged side by side in the feed direction with a blank space 16 for one character interposed therebetween, for a total of 80 characters. It is possible to print up to. As a result, 80 characters that conventionally required two print heads can be stored in the print area 10 by printing two lines using one print head 20. Further, the margin on the rear end side in the feeding direction can be used as a reference for the printing position by fixing the margin at 5 mm, for example.

When the number of characters is up to 40 characters, the 40-character mode is set, and the print area 10 is arranged as shown in FIG. 3B, and printing up to 40 characters can be performed. Thus, printing can be performed with one print head 20 common to the 80-character mode. The margin on the rear end side in the feed direction can be used as a reference for the print position by fixing it at 5 mm, for example.
<Pitch setting>
At this time, by making the dot pitch Dp and the inter-character space 15 variable according to the length of the recording material 12 in the feed direction, the pitch in the feed direction can be optimized.

  FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the recording material length and the printing area in each printing mode according to the present invention.

  The print character 13 has a font size of 8 × 6 dots, the pitch in the width direction is fixed, and the dot pitch in the feed direction is variable. In the 40-character printing mode, a variable pitch (0.25 mm to 0.36 mm) is used up to a sheet feed length of 111 mm, and a fixed pitch (0.36 mm) is used for 111 mm or more. In the 80-character printing mode, a variable pitch (0.125 mm to 0.36 mm) is used up to a sheet feed length of 215 mm, and a fixed pitch (0.36 mm) is used for 215 mm or more.

  As described above, when the print data is for one line, printing is performed in the 40-character mode format, and for two lines, printing is performed in the 80-character mode format. Printing modes in each mode / feed length are shown in FIGS. Printing is done with the trailing edge aligned, and the trailing edge margin 14 is fixed at 5 mm (the blank character is also one character, so it may not match the margin from the last character of printing).

  The methods for obtaining the feed direction pitch Dp and the print start timing T1 in 40 character mode printing and 80 character mode printing will be described below.

The feed direction pitch Dp and dot interval time Td in the 40 character format are obtained by the following calculation.
Dp (mm) = (0.36−0.25) / (111−82.5) × (L−82.5) +0.25
(If Dp ≧ 0.36, Dp = 0.36 mm.)
Td (sec) = Dp / V
Here, L (mm) represents the feed length, and V = 100 (mm / s) represents the printer conveyance speed.

The time T1 from the start of conveyance to the start of printing is obtained from the following calculation.
Front margin 18: Lt (mm) = L− (Dp × A × B + rear margin (5 mm))
The conveyance print start timing is after T1 has elapsed from the start of the conveyance resumption process,
T1 (sec) = ((Dc-L) + Lt) / V
Where Dc = 234.5 (mm): distance between cutter and print head 20,
A = 40 [Character]: Number of print characters,
B = 7 [Dot]: Font width (6 [Dot]) + character space (1 [Dot]).

  As described above, when the feed material length L of the recording material 12 is less than 111 mm (FIG. 4A), the dot pitch Dp is a variable pitch of 0.25 to 0.36 mm, and L is 111 mm or more (FIG. 4). 4 (b)), the dot pitch Dp is a fixed pitch of 0.36 mm.

On the other hand, the feed direction pitch Dp and the dot interval time Td in the 80 character format are obtained by the following calculation.
Dp (mm) = (0.36−0.125) / (215-82.5) × (L−82.5) +0.125
(If Dp ≧ 0.36, Dp = 0.36 mm.)
Td (sec) = Dp / V
Here, L (mm) represents the feed length, and V = 100 (mm / s) represents the printer conveyance speed.

The time T1 from the start of conveyance to the start of printing is obtained from the following calculation.
Front margin 18: Lt (mm) = L− (Dp × A × B + rear margin (5 mm))
The conveyance print start timing is after T1 has elapsed from the start of the conveyance resumption process,
T1 (sec) = ((Dc-L) + Lt) / V
Where Dc = 234.5 (mm): distance between cutter and print head 20,
A = 81 [Character]: The number of print characters (80 character print + one blank character), Dc, and B are common to the values in 40 character mode print.

As described above, when the feed direction length L of the recording material 12 is less than 215 mm (FIG. 4C), the dot pitch Dp is a variable pitch of 0.125 to 0.36 mm, and L is 215 mm or more (FIG. 4). 4 (d)), the dot pitch Dp is a fixed pitch of 0.36 mm.
<Dot printing timing>
FIG. 5 shows the operation timing of the dot impact printer according to the present invention.

  In the present invention, as described above, by changing the dot pitch Dp according to the feed direction length L of the recording material 12 and the number of print characters, an appropriate print pitch that does not impair visibility can be obtained.

The dot ON time is 360 μsec ± 10 μsec, the dot impact timing is 1. Set the first print data, and start the print timer 2. Set the data of Dot1 and Dot2 at the fall of CLK. (8bit × 2)
3. Output the Dot signal at the rising edge of CLK. (Hardware control) and the timer is stopped at the falling edge of CLK of the last print data.

  At this time, since the conveyance speed V, the dot ON time (360 μsec), and the time required for the data set are fixed, the dot interval time Td is controlled by changing the CLK in order to change the dot pitch Dp as described above.

That is, the dot interval time Td is CLK + data set time + dot ON time in the figure, and since the data set time + dot ON time is fixed, Td can be changed to Td = 0.125 (mm) / 100 ( mm / s) to 0.36 (mm) / 100 (mm / s)
Can be controlled within the range.
<Flowchart>
FIG. 6 shows a flow of the printing operation according to the present invention.

  When the printing mode is determined and the printing process is started, first, in step 102, the dot interval time Td and the printing start timing T1 are obtained from the feed length L of the recording material 12.

  Next, at step 104, the input print character string data is developed into a dot pattern (for example, 8 × 6 dots) on the memory of the control unit.

  Next, in step 106, it is determined whether or not the time has elapsed since the resumption of conveyance by the print start timing T1. If NO, the determination is continued until the elapsed time reaches T1, and the process proceeds to step 108 when the elapsed time reaches T1.

  In step 108, impact printing is performed for one line (for 8 × 6 dots, one column for 8 dots), and the process proceeds to step 110 to determine whether or not all character data has been entered.

  If all the character data has been entered, the process ends. If it is determined that there is remaining data, the process proceeds to step 112, waits for a time (CLK in FIG. 5) until the next one line of data is printed, returns to step 108, and prints one line. .

By changing the waiting time in step 112 among the above steps, the dot interval time Td can be made variable and an appropriate print pitch can be obtained without impairing visibility.
<Others>
As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to said Example at all, and can implement in a various aspect in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.

  For example, the configuration of the present invention can be used as long as the system includes a process for performing printing on a sheet-shaped or roll-shaped object.

It is a figure which shows the printing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the printing area | region which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the printing area | region for every printing mode which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the printing area according to feed length for every printing mode which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement timing of the printing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the printing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the conventional printing system.

Explanation of symbols

10 Print area 11 Dot 12 Recording material 13 Character 14 Trailing margin 15 Character space 18 Leading margin 20 Printer 22 Dot pin

Claims (3)

A printing method using a printing unit provided in an image recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording surface of a recording medium and printing one line of character information acquired from the outside on the back side of the recording surface while conveying the recording medium Because
According to the number of characters of the character information, select one of a plurality of print modes with different number of print characters per unit length,
A printing method comprising: selecting one of a leading end and a trailing end in the transport direction of the recording medium as a reference for a print start position corresponding to the selected print mode. The printing method according to claim 1, wherein a character interval and a dot interval are determined according to the number of characters included in the character information and a conveyance length of the recording medium. A printing apparatus that prints character information on the back side of the recording surface by the printing method according to claim 1.

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