JP2007260966A - Printing apparatus, method for informing printing and its program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing apparatus more surely informing the number of remaining sheets printable in accordance with the kinds of a plurality of printing mediums to a user by a cartridge storing a coloring agent. <P>SOLUTION: Using the cartridge with a printing warranty point determined which is the amount of ink corresponding to the upper limit of the number of printable sheets, when the printed point being the amount of the ink used reaches the printing warranty point, printing using this cartridge is not performed (S130 and 160), and when the printed point does not reach the printing warranty point, printing is performed by this cartridge (S210). By dividing the difference value between the printing warranty point and the printed point by the printing necessary point being the amount of the ink needed for printing a sheet, the number of remaining sheets printable is obtained on each paper size (S230), and it is informed to the user (S150). There exists no possibility of making printing of printing warranty number of sheets or more by the cartridge, and also there exists no possibility that printing can not be made to the number of remaining sheets printable as the printing necessary point is increased during using process. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

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

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a printing apparatus, an apparatus that performs printing by ejecting ink and presents information regarding the remaining amount of ink to a user has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). The apparatus described in Patent Document 1 manages the amount of ink consumed in printing performed in the past as usage amount information, and calculates the printable number of sheets for each sheet calculated based on the usage amount information. And display it on the display unit. In this way, the printable number of printable sheets from the present time is obtained based on the usage amount information relating to past printing, and the obtained printable number of sheets for each sheet is displayed.
JP 2002-283670 A (FIG. 15)

  However, in the printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, for example, when printing is performed under conditions different from those performed in the past since the present, the displayed printable number and the actual printable number And sometimes it was different. The user has a plan to print a predetermined number of sheets, and there is a request to grasp the number of sheets that can be printed by the cartridge and to secure the number of sheets to be printed. It is desired to be able to grasp.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and can inform the user of the remaining number of printable sheets according to the types of a plurality of print media with more certainty by using a cartridge containing a colorant. It is an object to provide a printing apparatus, a printing notification method, and a program thereof.

  The present invention adopts the following means in order to achieve the above-mentioned object.

The printing apparatus of the present invention includes:
An informing means capable of informing information;
Printing means capable of printing an image on a print medium using a cartridge containing at least a colorant having a print guarantee colorant amount that is a colorant amount for printing the upper limit number of prints set as the upper limit of the number of printable sheets;
Storage means for storing required amount information including a required amount of colorant, which is an amount of colorant required for printing a predetermined number of each of a plurality of types of print media;
When the printed colorant amount printed by the printing unit reaches the print guarantee colorant amount, the print unit does not perform printing using the cartridge, and the printed colorant amount becomes the print guarantee colorant amount. If not, let the printing means print an image on the printing medium using the cartridge, and based on the printed colorant amount, the print guarantee colorant amount, and the necessary amount information stored in the storage means Control means for determining the remaining number of printable remaining sheets for each of the plurality of types of print media, and causing the notification means to notify the determined remaining number of sheets;
It is equipped with.

  In this printing apparatus, when the printed colorant amount reaches the print guarantee colorant amount, printing using the cartridge containing at least the print guarantee colorant amount of the colorant is not performed, and the printed colorant amount is the print guarantee coloration. When the amount is not reached, the cartridge is used to print an image on the print medium, and the amount of the printed colorant, the amount of print guarantee colorant, and the necessary amount information including the required amount of colorant for a plurality of types of print media are used. The remaining number of sheets is obtained for each of a plurality of types of print media, and the obtained remaining number of sheets is notified. In other words, the remaining number of each of a plurality of types of printing media during printing using the cartridge up to the upper limit number of prints that can be printed is used for the print guarantee colorant amount corresponding to the upper limit number of prints and printing. It is obtained by using the printed colorant amount and necessary amount information including a predetermined necessary amount of colorant. Therefore, there is no upper limit on the number of prints that can be printed with the cartridge, and there are more reliable types of print media than those in which the remaining number of print media is determined and notified based on the amount of colorant printed in the past. The remaining number of printable sheets can be notified to the user.

  In the printing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the control unit may determine the remaining number of the plurality of types based on the printed colorant amount, the print guarantee colorant amount, and the necessary amount information stored in the storage unit. When determining each of the print media, the remaining amount of the colorant that can be printed is determined by the difference between the amount of the printed colorant used in the printing and the amount of the print-guaranteed colorant, and the determined coloring The remaining number may be obtained for each of the plurality of types of printing media by dividing the remaining amount of the agent by the necessary amount of the colorant included in the necessary amount information.

  In the printing apparatus of the present invention, the storage unit also stores the amount of the printed colorant, and the control unit prints the image when the printing unit prints an image on the printing medium using the cartridge. The amount of the printed colorant may be stored in the storage unit by adding the amount of the colorant used in the storage. In this way, the amount of printed colorant is updated and stored, so that the amount of printed colorant can be managed relatively easily. Here, “stores the amount of printed colorant” means not only storing the printed colorant itself, but also the remaining amount of colorant that can be calculated by subtracting from the print guarantee colorant amount. It also includes indirectly storing the amount of printed colorant by storing.

  In the printing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the storage unit also stores the remaining number of sheets, and the control unit uses the printing unit to print an image on the printing medium using the cartridge. The amount of the printed colorant is obtained by adding the amount of the colorant, and the remaining number is calculated based on the obtained amount of the printed colorant, the amount of the print guarantee colorant, and the necessary amount information stored in the storage unit. It may be determined for each of the plurality of types of print media, and the determined remaining number may be stored in the storage unit. In this way, when printing on the printing medium by the printing means, the remaining printable remaining number is stored in the storage means. The number of sheets can be notified. Here, “storing the remaining number of sheets” means not only storing the remaining number of sheets itself, but also storing the remaining number of sheets indirectly by storing the number of printed sheets that can be calculated by subtracting from the upper limit number of printing sheets. To include.

  In the printing apparatus of the present invention in which the amount of the colorant that has been printed and the remaining number of sheets are stored in the storage unit, the storage unit may be a storage element provided in the cartridge. In this way, since the cartridge information (printed colorant amount and the like) is stored in the storage element provided in the cartridge, it is possible to reliably associate the cartridge with the information on the cartridge.

  The printing apparatus of the present invention includes an acquisition unit capable of acquiring a notification command for notifying the remaining number of sheets to the notification unit, and the control unit obtains the request when the acquisition unit acquires the notification command. The remaining number may be notified to the notification means. In this way, the remaining number can be notified when the user needs it.

  In the printing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the storage unit includes the necessary amount in which the necessary amount of the colorant is determined based on printing conditions including at least one of bordered printing or borderless printing and normal image quality printing or high image quality printing. Information is stored, and the control unit determines the remaining number of print media based on the printed colorant amount, the print guarantee colorant amount, and the necessary amount information stored in the storage unit. When determining each of the print media, the remaining number may be determined for each of the printing conditions for each of the plurality of types of print media. By so doing, the remaining number of sheets corresponding to the printing conditions is notified for each of a plurality of types of printing media, so that the user can obtain more detailed information on the remaining number of sheets.

  In the printing apparatus of the present invention, the control means uses the cartridge for the printing means on the assumption that the printed colorant amount reaches the print guarantee colorant amount when the obtained remaining number is less than one. It is also possible not to prevent printing. In this way, printing does not exceed the print guarantee colorant amount.

  In the printing apparatus of the present invention, the notification unit may be a display unit capable of displaying an image, and the control unit may cause the display unit to display the obtained remaining number. In this way, the user can visually recognize the remaining number from the image.

  In the printing apparatus of the present invention, the printing unit may print a photographic image on the printing medium using a cartridge containing ink as the colorant. In this way, when printing a photograph, beautiful printing can be performed using ink as a colorant.

The printing notification method of the present invention includes:
An image on a print medium using an informing means capable of informing information and a cartridge containing at least a colorant of a print guarantee colorant amount that is a colorant amount for printing the upper limit number of prints set as the upper limit of the number of printable sheets And a storage device for storing necessary amount information including a necessary amount of colorant, which is an amount of colorant required for printing each of a plurality of types of printing media. Is a printing notification method for controlling a computer by software,
(A) When the amount of the printed colorant printed by the printing unit reaches the print guarantee colorant amount, the printing unit does not perform printing using the cartridge, and the printed colorant amount is the print guarantee coloration. A step of causing the printing means to print an image on the print medium using the cartridge when the amount is not reached;
(B) Remaining number of sheets that can be printed based on the amount of the printed colorant including the printing in step (a), the amount of colorant for which printing is guaranteed, and the necessary amount information stored in the storage unit For each of the plurality of types of print media, and causing the notification means to notify the determined remaining number of sheets,
Is included.

  In this printing notification method, when the printed colorant amount reaches the print guarantee colorant amount, printing using the cartridge containing at least the print guarantee colorant amount of the colorant is not performed, and the printed colorant amount is the print guarantee. When the amount of the colorant has not been reached, the cartridge is used to print an image on the print medium, and the amount of printed colorant, the amount of print guarantee colorant, and the necessary amount of colorant required amount information including a plurality of types of print media are obtained. Based on this, the remaining number of sheets is determined for each of a plurality of types of printing media, and the determined remaining number of sheets is notified. In other words, the remaining number of each of a plurality of types of printing media during printing using the cartridge up to the upper limit number of prints that can be printed is used for the print guarantee colorant amount corresponding to the upper limit number of prints and printing. It is obtained by using the printed colorant amount and necessary amount information including a predetermined necessary amount of colorant. Therefore, there is no upper limit on the number of prints that can be printed with the cartridge, and there are more reliable types of print media than those in which the remaining number of print media is determined and notified based on the amount of colorant printed in the past. The remaining number of printable sheets can be notified to the user. In this printing notification method, various aspects of the above-described printing apparatus may be adopted, and steps for realizing each function of the above-described printing apparatus may be added.

  The program of the present invention is for causing one or more computers to realize each step of the above-described print notification method. This program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium (for example, hard disk, ROM, FD, CD, DVD, etc.), or from a computer via a transmission medium (communication network such as the Internet or LAN). It may be distributed to another computer, or may be exchanged in any other form. If this program is executed by one computer or if each computer is assigned to each step and executed, each step of the above-described print notification method is executed, so that the same effect as the print notification method can be obtained. It is done.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the ink jet printer 20 of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the ink cartridge 50, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of cartridge information 54a stored in the storage element 54. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the operation panel 60. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of cartridge information 75a, print necessary point information 75b, printable remaining number calculation information 75c, and printable remaining number information 75d stored in the flash memory 75. It is. The ink jet printer 20 of the present embodiment uses a photographic image taken with a digital camera or the like as an image for printing, and is a so-called photographic printer capable of printing a plurality of papers such as a photo size (L version) and a postcard size as a paper S. The ink cartridge 50 is guaranteed to be printed in a guaranteed number of sheets (also referred to as a guaranteed number range) set in accordance with the amount of ink contained in the ink cartridge 50. Here, the total number of sheets printed by the ink cartridge 50 is equal to or greater than the maximum number when only postcard size paper is printed and equal to or less than the maximum number when only L size paper is printed (the upper limit number of prints). The range is defined as the guaranteed number range. In other words, in the inkjet printer 20, in order to guarantee printing within the guaranteed number of sheets, when the maximum number of sheets in the guaranteed number of sheets range is printed and the amount of stored ink is consumed by calculation, it is assumed that the ink actually remains. Is also set to finish printing with the ink cartridge 50. In this embodiment, the function that disables printing with the cartridge after printing the maximum number of sheets in the guaranteed number range is called the “shutoff function”. The function that disables printing with the cartridge is called “shutoff”. It will be called “Yes”. In the present embodiment, the print medium is described as “paper”, but it is not intended to specify the material, and includes other materials such as film in addition to paper.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet printer 20 of the present embodiment includes a printer mechanism 21 that performs printing by ejecting ink droplets onto a sheet S that is conveyed from the back to the front of the platen 40, and a drive motor 33. A paper feed mechanism 31 including a paper feed roller 35 driven by the capping device 41, a capping device 41 formed at one end of the platen 40, an operation panel 60 for a user to input various instructions, and a controller for controlling the entire inkjet printer 20. 70.

  The printer mechanism 21 includes a carriage 22 that reciprocates left and right along a guide 28 by a carriage belt 32, cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), red (R), blue (B), and black ( K) ink cartridges 50 that can individually store ink of each color and can supply ink to the carriage 22, and a print head 24 that applies pressure to each ink supplied from the ink cartridge 50. As the carriage 22 is driven by the carriage motor 34a, the carriage belt 32 laid between the carriage motor 34a attached to the right side of the mechanical frame 48 and the driven roller 34b attached to the left side of the mechanical frame 48 is driven. Move. Here, a so-called off-carriage type in which the ink cartridge 50 is not mounted on the carriage 22 is employed. The print head 24 is provided in the lower part of the carriage 22, and each color is applied from a nozzle 23 provided on the lower surface of the print head 24 by applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element to deform the piezoelectric element and pressurize the ink. Ink is ejected. The print head 24 may employ a method in which ink is pressurized by bubbles generated by applying voltage to a heating resistor (for example, a heater) to heat the ink. A linear encoder 25 that detects the position of the carriage 22 is disposed on the rear surface of the carriage 22, and the position of the carriage 22 can be managed using the linear encoder 25.

  The ink cartridge 50 is detachably attached to the mechanical frame 48, and as shown in FIG. 2, cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow containing a dye or pigment as a colorant in water as a solvent. (Y), red (R), blue (B), and black (K) ink containers 52a to 52f, each containing ink used for printing, and the waste ink discharged by the cleaning process are absorbed and stored. And a storage element 54 that stores information on the ink cartridge 50 and the like. The ink cartridge 50 can supply ink to the carriage 22 by driving a supply pump (not shown) via a supply tube 29 connected between the ink supply ports 51a to 51f and the carriage 22 (see FIG. 1). . The storage element 54 is a readable / writable nonvolatile IC memory, and when the ink cartridge 50 is mounted on the main body, the output terminal 55 provided on the surface thereof and the connection terminal 47 provided on the main body are connected, Reading and writing by the controller 70 is possible. As shown in FIG. 3, the storage element 54 stores cartridge information 54 a that is information about the ink cartridge 50. The cartridge information 54a includes a print guarantee point that represents the amount of ink that can be printed with the upper limit number of prints that can be printed with the cartridge, and a print that represents the amount of ink that has been printed with the cartridge so far. And a printable remaining point representing the remaining ink amount that can be printed by the cartridge. In the present embodiment, the upper limit number of prints is set to 100, which is the number when only the L size paper S is printed, and ink is ejected over the entire L size size paper. The amount of ink that can be stored is accommodated in at least each of the ink containers 52a to 52f. Therefore, no matter what printing is performed, the upper limit number of prints (L size 100 sheets) is reliably ensured. In addition, when printing one sheet, since it is set to calculate the printed points on the assumption that all colors of ink are ejected over the entire surface, not the ink of each color but the entire ink cartridge 50. Printing guarantee points are established. Here, the print guarantee point is set to 70 points. Although not reflected in the print guarantee point, the ink amount of ink used for printer maintenance such as cleaning processing necessary for printing the upper limit number of prints is also stored in each of the ink containers 52a to 52f. And

  The capping device 41 is provided at a position off the right side in FIG. 1 from the printable region of the platen 40, and includes a casing that is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped and has an upper portion opened. The capping device 41 is also used when sealing the print head 24 in order to prevent the print head 24 from drying out during a printing pause or the like. Further, a suction pump 42 is connected to the capping device 41, and when the suction pump 42 is operated, a negative pressure is generated in the internal space of the capping device 41. By generating this negative pressure when the capping device 41 seals the nozzle 23, the ink in the print head 24 is forcibly sucked out. The ink sucked out by the suction pump 42 is absorbed by the waste liquid pad 53 of the ink cartridge 50 through the waste liquid tube 43 and the waste liquid introduction port 53a (see FIG. 2) as waste ink. The capping device 41 performs a so-called flushing operation in which ink droplets are ejected periodically or at a predetermined timing regardless of print data in order to prevent the ink from drying and solidifying at the tip of the print head 24. Also used when doing.

  The operation panel 60 is a device for a user to input various instructions to the inkjet printer 20, and as shown in FIG. 4, a display unit 62 that displays characters, figures, or symbols according to the various instructions. In addition, an operation unit 64 for performing various operations is provided. The display unit 62 includes a liquid crystal panel that displays a color image. The operation unit 64 includes a cursor key 64a that is pressed when the user moves a cursor that selects a process, characters, and the like, a determination key 64b that is pressed when determining a process selection, and various types of information. A screen display key 64c that is pressed when the image is displayed and a print execution key 64d that is pressed when the selected image is printed are arranged. The printable remaining number display screen 80 will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 70 is provided on a main board 49 attached to the back surface of the mechanical frame 48, and is configured as a microprocessor centered on the CPU 72. The ROM 73 stores various processing programs; A RAM 74 that temporarily stores and saves data, a flash memory 75 that can write and erase data, an interface (I / F) 79 that exchanges information with external devices, and an input / output (not shown) And a port. The ROM 73 stores a print / display control routine described later. The RAM 74 is provided with a print buffer area, and print data transmitted from the user PC 90 is temporarily stored in the print buffer area. As shown in FIG. 5, in the flash memory 75, in addition to the cartridge information 75a including the same contents as the cartridge information 54a described above, printing including a printing necessary point representing the amount of ink necessary for printing one sheet of paper is performed. Necessary point information 75b, printable remaining number calculation information 75c used when calculating the remaining printable number of sheets that can be printed with the cartridge, and printable including the printable remaining number corresponding to each print sheet of the cartridge The remaining number information 75d is stored. The cartridge information 75a is read and stored from the currently installed ink cartridge 50 in preparation for removal or re-installation of the ink cartridge 50. The printing necessary point information 75b includes printing necessary points (0.7 points) necessary for printing the entire surface of one L-size sheet and necessary printing for the entire surface of one postcard-sized sheet. Print points (1.0 points). The printable remaining number calculation information 75c includes a calculation formula for dividing the printable remaining point corresponding to the printable remaining ink amount by the printing necessary point for each paper size as a calculation formula for calculating the remaining printable number. Yes. The remaining printable sheet number information 75d includes the maximum number of sheets that can be printed on the sheet S of the sheet size and the current remaining printable sheet number for each sheet size. Here, the maximum number of L size is 100, and the maximum number of postcard size is 70. Therefore, in the ink cartridge 50, when the user prints using only L size paper, printing of 100 sheets is guaranteed, and when printing using only postcard size paper, printing of 70 sheets is guaranteed. If both are mixed and printed, printing in the range of 70 to 100 sheets is guaranteed as a whole. A signal from the storage element 54 and a signal from the operation panel 60 are input to the controller 70 via an input port (not shown), and a print job output from the user PC 90 is input via the I / F 79. Is done. The controller 70 also shows a control signal to the print head 24, a control signal to the drive motor 33, a drive signal to the carriage motor 34a, an operation control signal to the suction pump 42, a control signal to the operation panel 60, and the like. In addition to the output port, the print status information to the user PC 90 is output via the I / F 79.

  Next, the operation of the ink jet printer 20 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a print / display control routine executed by the CPU 72 of the controller 70. This routine is stored in the ROM 73 and executed by the CPU 72 after the ink jet printer 20 is turned on. When this routine is started, the CPU 72 first determines whether or not the ink jet printer 20 has just been turned on or whether or not the ink cartridge 50 has been replaced (step S100). This determination is performed so that the content of the cartridge information 75a is the same as that of the ink cartridge 50 attached to the printer mechanism 21. The determination as to whether or not the ink cartridge 50 has been replaced can be made based on, for example, whether there is a difference between the contents of the cartridge information 54a and the contents of the cartridge information 75a.

  The CPU 72 reads the cartridge information 54a stored in the storage element 54 of the ink cartridge 50 and prints the remaining printable information immediately after the power of the ink jet printer 20 is turned on or when the ink cartridge 50 is replaced. The number of sheets is calculated (step S110), the contents of the cartridge information 54a are written into the cartridge information 75a, and the calculated remaining printable number is written into the remaining printable number information 75d (step S120). Here, the printable remaining number can be printed using the calculation formula included in the printable remaining number calculation information 75c, and the printed point corresponding to the total amount of ink in the ink cartridge 50 used for printing and the upper limit number of prints can be printed. The remaining printable point, which is the difference from the print guarantee point corresponding to the correct ink amount, is divided by the print necessary point corresponding to the ink amount included in the print necessary point information 75b and necessary for printing one sheet of paper. Thus, the calculation is performed for each paper size. Further, the maximum number of sheets corresponding to each paper size included in the remaining printable sheet number information 75d is also calculated by using a print guarantee point instead of the remaining printable point in the printable remaining sheet number calculation information 75c. Then, the remaining printable sheet number and the maximum sheet number corresponding to each calculated paper size are written in the remaining printable sheet number information 75d. Since the number of printed sheets is handled as an integer, the numerical value after the decimal point calculated using the calculation formula of the remaining printable sheet number calculation information 75c is rounded down.

  After step S120, or after determining that the ink cartridge 50 has not been replaced not immediately after the power of the inkjet printer 20 is turned on in step S100, the CPU 72 is ready to print the ink cartridge 50. Whether or not (step S130). Whether or not the ink cartridge 50 is in a printable state is determined by determining whether or not the remaining printable number of ink cartridges 50 included in the printable remaining number information 75d stored in the flash memory 75 is 0. To do. When it is determined that the ink cartridge 50 is not in a printable state, a warning message indicating that printing cannot be performed with the ink cartridge 50 is displayed on the display unit 62 (step S270).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S130 that the ink cartridge 50 is in a printable state, it is determined whether there is a print instruction (step S140). Whether or not there is a print instruction is determined based on whether or not print data has been received from the user PC 90 or whether or not the print execution key 64d has been pressed. When it is determined that there is no print instruction, the CPU 72 performs the processing after step S100 described above, and when it is determined that there is a print instruction, the CPU 72 notifies the user of the number of sheets that can be printed with the ink cartridge 50 thereafter. As shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, a printable remaining number display screen 80 is displayed on the display unit 62 (step S150). On this printable remaining number display screen 80, a title display portion 80a for displaying the title of the screen and a printable remaining number that displays the paper name of each paper and the remaining printable number corresponding to each paper size in numbers. A number display unit 80b, a message display unit 80c for displaying a message to the user, and the like are provided. The printable remaining number corresponding to each paper size displayed on the printable remaining number display portion 80b is set to use the value read from the printable remaining number information 75d.

  When the remaining printable sheet number display screen 80 is displayed on the display unit 62, the CPU 72 determines whether or not the remaining printable sheet number is equal to or less than the threshold value Nend (step S160). The threshold value Nend is a threshold value for determining that printing cannot be performed with the ink cartridge 50, and is set to the value of the remaining printable number when all the printable numbers are printed, that is, the value 0. When it is determined that the remaining printable number is equal to or less than the threshold value Nend, the CPU 72 considers that the attached ink cartridge 50 cannot perform further printing, and the cartridge information 75a and the storage element stored in the flash memory 75 The value 0 is set to the remaining printable point of the cartridge information 54a stored in 54 (step S170). In this way, when the remaining printable point is divided by the printing necessary point, and the remaining printable number is a value after the decimal point (that is, the remaining printable number is less than 1), the value 0 is set to the remaining printable point. It is assumed that the printed point has reached the print guarantee point. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7, the CPU 72 displays a warning message indicating that printing cannot be performed with the ink cartridge 50 on the message display section 80c of the printable remaining number display screen 80 (step S270).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S160 that the remaining printable number is not less than or equal to the threshold value Nend, the CPU 72 determines whether or not the remaining printable number of sheets S of each sheet size is smaller than the threshold value Nlow (step S180). ). This threshold value Nlow is a threshold value for notifying the user that the printable number of ink cartridges 50 is small, and can be set to an arbitrary value. Here, the threshold value Nlow is set to a value that is 20% of the maximum printable number of postcard-size paper S. When it is determined that the remaining printable number is smaller than the threshold value Nlow, the CPU 72 displays a warning message indicating that the number of printable sheets with the ink cartridge 50 has decreased, as shown in FIG. Is displayed on the message display unit 80c (step S190).

  When it is determined in step S180 that the remaining printable number is equal to or greater than the threshold value Nlow, or after a warning message is displayed in step S190, the CPU 72 prints the paper size of the print data instructed for printing stored in the RAM 74. Obtained based on the information included in the data (step S200), print processing of the print data instructed to be printed is executed (step S210). Specifically, in the printing process, the CPU 72 drives the drive motor 33 to rotate the paper feed roller 35 and the like to convey the paper S to the printable area on the platen 40, and print data in the print buffer of the RAM 74. Is developed into a bitmap image, and the voltage to the print head 24 is controlled so that the developed data is printed on the paper S. At this time, the carriage motor 34a is driven to move the carriage 22 in the carriage movement direction, and for example, the carriage 22 is moved to the capping device 41 at regular intervals to execute flushing processing, cleaning processing, and the like.

  As described above, when the printing process for one page is completed, the CPU 72 calculates the current printed point (step S220). In the calculation of the printed points, the printing necessary points corresponding to the printing point used in the current printing corresponding to the paper size acquired in step S200 are read from the printing necessary point information 75b, and the read printing necessary points are read in the previous printing. Do this by adding to points. Subsequently, the CPU 72 calculates the remaining printable number corresponding to each paper size based on the printed points (step S230). Calculation of the remaining printable number is performed in the same manner as in step S110 described above. Here, since it is rare that each color ink is ejected to the entire surface of the paper S in the printing process, the ink actually consumed in printing is larger than the ink amount corresponding to the print point for which the remaining printable number is calculated. The amount is less. That is, by continuing printing while estimating the number of printed points that is larger than the amount of ink actually used, it is ensured that there is an ink amount that can print the remaining printable number of sheets. As described above, in the inkjet printer 20, the set number of guaranteed prints is ensured rather than the number of prints being uncertain by using up all the ink contained in the ink cartridge 50 and performing as many prints as possible. This is the priority. Now, after calculating the remaining printable number, the CPU 72 stores in the cartridge 54a and the flash memory 75 stored in the storage element 54 according to the calculated numerical values such as the printed point, the remaining printable point, the remaining printable number, and the like. The cartridge information 75a and the printable remaining number information 75d are updated (step S240).

  Subsequently, the CPU 72 determines whether or not all print processing of the print data has been completed (step S250), and when it is determined that the print processing has not ended, the processing after step S150 is executed. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S250 that the printing process has been completed, or after a warning message is displayed on the display unit 62 in step S270, the CPU 72 determines whether the power is turned off (step S260). When the power is not turned off, the processing from step S100 described above is executed, and when the power is turned off, this routine is terminated. As described above, when it is determined in step S130 that the printable state is not reached, or when the remaining printable number is equal to or less than the threshold value Nend in step S160, the ink cartridge 50 is not subjected to the printing process, and the ink cartridge Each time printing is performed at 50, the remaining printable number is updated.

  Here, the correspondence between the components of the present embodiment and the components of the present invention will be clarified. The display unit 62 of this embodiment corresponds to the notification unit and display unit of the present invention, the printer mechanism 21 corresponds to the printing unit, the controller 70 corresponds to the control unit and the acquisition unit, and the storage element 54 and the flash memory 75 include It corresponds to storage means. Further, the ink of this embodiment corresponds to the colorant of the present invention, the paper S corresponds to the print medium, the print guarantee point corresponds to the print guarantee colorant amount, and the print necessary point corresponds to the colorant necessary amount. The printed point corresponds to the amount of printed colorant, the remaining printable number corresponds to the remaining number, and the remaining printable point corresponds to the remaining amount of colorant. In the present embodiment, an example of the print notification method of the present invention is also clarified by describing the operation of the inkjet printer 20.

  According to the inkjet printer 20 of the present embodiment described in detail above, when the printed point reaches the print guarantee point, printing using the ink cartridge 50 containing at least the ink of the print guarantee point is not performed, and the printed point is When the print guarantee point has not been reached, the ink cartridge 50 is used to print an image on the paper S, and based on the print necessary point information 75b including the printed point, the print guarantee point, and the print necessary point for a plurality of types of paper S. Thus, the remaining printable sheet number is obtained for each of the plurality of types of sheets S, and the obtained remaining printable sheet number is displayed on the display unit 62. That is, the printable remaining number of each of the plurality of types of paper S during printing using the ink cartridge 50 up to the upper limit number of prints that is the upper limit printable value is used as a print guarantee point and print corresponding to the upper limit number of prints. The remaining printable point, which is a difference value from the used printed point, is obtained by dividing each by a predetermined printing required point on the paper. For this reason, printing exceeding the upper limit number of prints using the cartridge is not performed, and there is no possibility that the necessary printable number fluctuates during the use of the cartridge, and the printable remaining number of sheets cannot be printed. Therefore, there is no upper limit on the number of prints that can be performed with the ink cartridge, and a plurality of sheets S that are more reliable than those in which the remaining printable number of sheets S is obtained and notified based on the amount of ink printed in the past. It is possible to notify the user of the remaining printable number according to the type. For this reason, the user is not confused by the difference between the notified remaining printable number of sheets and the actual number of printed sheets. Further, since the obtained remaining printable number is displayed on the display unit 62, the user can visually recognize the remaining printable number from the image.

  Further, when an image is printed on the paper S using the ink cartridge 50, the print points used for the current printing are added and the printed points are stored in the flash memory 75 and the storage element 54, so that printing is relatively easy. Can manage completed points. Further, when an image is printed on the paper S using the ink cartridge 50, a printed point is obtained by adding the printing point used for the current printing, and the obtained printed point, printing guarantee point, and printing necessary point information are obtained. 75b is obtained for each of a plurality of types of paper S, and the obtained remaining printable number is stored in the flash memory 75 or the storage element 54. When printing on the paper S, subsequent printing is possible. Since the remaining printable remaining number is stored in the flash memory 75 or the storage element 54, the remaining printable number is notified more quickly than, for example, the case where the remaining printable number is obtained after an instruction to notify the remaining printable number is issued. be able to.

  Further, since the information (printed points, printable remaining points, etc.) of the ink cartridge 50 is stored in the storage element 54 provided in the ink cartridge 50, the ink cartridge 50 and the information of the ink cartridge 50 are securely linked. be able to. Furthermore, when a notification command for displaying the remaining printable sheet number on the display unit 62 is acquired by receiving the print command, the obtained remaining printable sheet number is displayed on the display unit 62. The remaining printable number can be displayed (when the user needs it). Then, when the remaining printable point is divided by the print necessary point, when the value is less than the decimal point, that is, when the obtained remaining printable number is less than 1, the value 0 is set to the remaining printable point. Since the printed point is shut off as if it has reached the print guarantee point, printing does not exceed the print guarantee point. In addition, since the photographic image is printed on the paper S using the ink cartridge 50, beautiful printing can be performed using the ink.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modes as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the printing required point information 75b including the printing required point of the L size and the printing required point of the postcard size is used as the paper size. However, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to use print necessary point information 75e in which print necessary points are determined based on a plurality of print image quality-related printing conditions including normal image quality (normal) printing and high image quality (clean) printing. At this time, the printable remaining number information 75f obtained for each printing condition for each of a plurality of types of paper S based on the necessary printing point information 75e may be stored in the flash memory 75. In this way, the remaining number of printable sheets corresponding to the printing condition relating to the print image quality is notified for each of the plurality of paper sizes, and thus the user can obtain more detailed information on the remaining number of printable sheets. Or, in addition to or instead of the printing conditions related to the print image quality for each paper size, the printing necessary points in which the printing necessary points are determined based on the printing conditions related to the ink ejection range including the printing with margins and the printing without margins. Information may be used. Even in this case, the user can obtain more detailed information on the remaining printable number of sheets.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printing necessity point is determined for the paper size as a plurality of types. However, in addition to or instead of this, a plurality of types of paper materials such as glossy paper and plain paper, It is good also as what defines a printing required point with respect to a film sheet, a cardboard, etc. Even in this case, it is possible to notify the user of the remaining printable number according to the types of the plurality of sheets S that are more reliable. In the above-described embodiment, the paper size is two types, the L size and the postcard size, but three or more types may be set.

  In the above-described embodiment, the user is notified by displaying the remaining printable number on the display unit 62. However, the inkjet printer 20 includes a speaker (not shown), and converts the remaining printable number into sound. It is good also as what alert | reports to a user by outputting the converted audio | voice from this speaker. In this way, the user can be informed of the remaining printable number of sheets by voice.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cartridge information 54a including the printed point and the remaining printable point is stored in the storage element 54, but one of these may be omitted. This is because if one of the printed point and the remaining printable point can be grasped, the other can be calculated by the difference from the print guarantee point. In this way, the cartridge information 54a can be simplified. The same applies to the cartridge information 75a stored in the flash memory 75. Further, the remaining printable number may be stored in the storage element 54. In this way, it is possible to obtain the remaining printable number, which is information about the ink cartridge 50, simply by reading from the storage element 54.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printed point, the remaining printable point, and the remaining printable number are calculated and updated every time one piece of print data instructed to be printed is printed. The size and the number of printed sheets are acquired, and based on the acquired information, the printed points, the remaining printable points, and the remaining printable number of sheets are calculated collectively before or after the printing of the print data, and the cartridge information 54a The cartridge information 75a and the remaining printable sheet number information 75d may be updated. In this way, processing can be simplified. At this time, if the number of prints is larger than the remaining printable number, the processes of steps S170 and S270 may be performed when the remaining printable number is 0.

  In the above-described embodiment, the remaining printable number of sheets is stored in the flash memory 75. Instead of this, the number of printed sheets that can be calculated by subtracting from the upper limit number of prints is stored in the flash memory 75. May be. This is because the remaining printable number can be calculated from the difference between the upper limit number of prints and the number of printed sheets.

  In the embodiment described above, the cartridge information 75a, which is information about the ink cartridge 50, is always stored. However, the cartridge information 75a is not stored in the flash memory 75, and the cartridge information 54a of the storage element 54 is stored in the RAM 74 when necessary. It is good also as what reads in. In this way, memory consumption of the flash memory 75 can be suppressed.

  In the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that when the print instruction is issued in step S140, the display unit 62 displays the remaining printable number on the assumption that the printable remaining number display command has been issued. The remaining printable number of sheets may be displayed on the display unit 62 when the user's display instruction corresponding to pressing or the like is acquired. In this way, the user can check the remaining printable number when desired. At this time, in the ink jet printer 20 described above, the remaining printable number is calculated immediately after activation or after cartridge replacement and stored in the flash memory 75, so that the printable remaining number is calculated after receiving the display instruction. Thus, the remaining number of printable sheets can be quickly displayed on the display unit 62.

  In the above-described embodiment, the paper size of the print data instructed to be printed is acquired based on the information included in the print data. However, the carriage 22 is provided with an optical sensor that can detect the edge of the paper, and printing is possible. The paper size is detected by detecting the left and right edges of the paper S based on the output value of the reflected light that is irradiated from the sensor and reflected by the paper S by scanning the carriage 22 when the paper S is conveyed to the area. It may be a thing.

  In the embodiment described above, the printable remaining number display screen 80 is displayed on the display unit 62, but the printable remaining number display screen 80 may be displayed on the display of the user PC 90.

  In the above-described embodiment, at least each of the ink containers 52a to 52f contains an ink amount of ink that can be ejected on the entire surface of the paper size corresponding to the upper limit number of prints. The maximum number of prints was ensured even when performing simple printing, but the amount of ink added to the amount of ink necessary for standard photographic image printing plus a predetermined margin amount for safety was added. You may accommodate in each ink container 52a-52f, and may set the printing guarantee point according to it, the printing required point, etc. By so doing, it is possible to reduce the amount of ink remaining at the time of shut-off.

  In the above-described embodiment, the ink amount consumed in the printer maintenance process such as the cleaning process and the flushing process is not considered as the print point. However, the print point including the ink amount consumed in the printer maintenance process is not included. It may be managed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the off-carriage type printer mechanism 21 in which the ink cartridge 50 is mounted on the main body is used. However, an on-carriage type printer mechanism in which the ink cartridge 50 is mounted on the carriage 22 may be used. The color ink jet printer 20 using ink as a colorant has been described. However, a color laser printer using toner as a colorant may be used, or these monochrome printers may be used. Alternatively, in the above-described embodiment, a printer for photo printing is used. However, the present invention is not particularly limited thereto, and a printer capable of printing document data may be used. Also, a composite printing apparatus such as a FAX machine or a copier may be used.

  For convenience of explanation, the cartridge information 54a, the cartridge information 75a, the print necessary point information 75b, and the remaining printable sheet number information 75d have been described using specific values in the present embodiment. Of course, the value of may be used.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of an inkjet printer 20. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of an ink cartridge. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of cartridge information 54a stored in a storage element 54. FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the operation panel. 6 is an explanatory diagram of information stored in a flash memory 75. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a print / display control routine. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a remaining printable sheet number display screen 80. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a remaining printable sheet number display screen 80. It is explanatory drawing of the other information memorize | stored in the flash memory.

Explanation of symbols

  20 Inkjet printer, 21 Printer mechanism, 22 Carriage, 23 Nozzle, 24 Print head, 25 Linear encoder, 28 Guide, 29 Supply tube, 31 Paper feed mechanism, 32 Carriage belt, 33 Drive motor, 34a Carriage motor, 34b Driven roller , 35 paper feed roller, 40 platen, 41 capping device, 42 suction pump, 43 waste liquid tube, 47 connection terminal, 48 mechanical frame, 49 main board, 50 ink cartridge, 51a to 51f ink supply port, 52a to 52f ink container, 53 Waste liquid pad, 53a Waste liquid inlet, 54 Storage element, 54a Cartridge information, 55 Output terminal, 60 Operation panel, 62 Display section, 64 Operation section, 64a Cursor key, 64b Enter key, 64 Screen display key, 64d print execution key, 70 controller, 72 CPU, 73 ROM, 74 RAM, 75 flash memory, 75a cartridge information, 75b printing necessary point information, 75c printable remaining number calculation information, 75d printable remaining number information, 75f Printable remaining number information, 79 interface (I / F), 80 printable remaining number display screen, 80a title display portion, 80b remaining printable number display portion, 80c message display portion, 90 user PC, S paper.

Claims (12)

An informing means capable of informing information;
Printing means capable of printing an image on a print medium using a cartridge containing at least a colorant having a print guarantee colorant amount that is a colorant amount for printing the upper limit number of prints set as the upper limit of the number of printable sheets;
Storage means for storing required amount information including a required amount of colorant, which is an amount of colorant required for printing a predetermined number of each of a plurality of types of print media;
When the printed colorant amount printed by the printing unit reaches the print guarantee colorant amount, the print unit does not perform printing using the cartridge, and the printed colorant amount becomes the print guarantee colorant amount. If not, let the printing means print an image on the printing medium using the cartridge, and based on the printed colorant amount, the print guarantee colorant amount, and the necessary amount information stored in the storage means Control means for determining the remaining number of printable remaining sheets for each of the plurality of types of print media, and causing the notification means to notify the determined remaining number of sheets;
Printing device with   The control means obtains the remaining number for each of the plurality of types of print media based on the printed colorant amount, the print guarantee colorant amount, and the necessary amount information stored in the storage means. The amount of remaining colorant that can be printed is determined by the difference between the amount of printed colorant used in the printing and the amount of print-guaranteed colorant, and the remaining amount of the obtained colorant is the required amount. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remaining number is obtained for each of the plurality of types of print media by dividing by a necessary amount of colorant included in the information. The storage means also stores the amount of the printed colorant,
When the control unit causes the printing unit to print an image on the print medium using the cartridge, the amount of the colorant used for the printing is added and the amount of the printed colorant is stored in the storage unit. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The storage means also stores the remaining number of sheets,
When the control unit causes the printing unit to print an image on the print medium using the cartridge, the amount of the colorant used for the printing is added to determine the amount of the printed colorant, and the determined printed Based on the colorant amount, the print guarantee colorant amount, and the necessary amount information stored in the storage unit, the remaining number is obtained for each of the plurality of types of print media, and the obtained remaining number is stored in the storage. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, which is stored in a means.   The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the storage unit is a storage element provided in the cartridge. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An acquisition unit capable of acquiring a notification command for informing the notification unit of the remaining number,
When the acquisition unit acquires the notification command, the control unit causes the notification unit to notify the calculated remaining number of sheets.
Printing device. The storage means stores the necessary amount information in which the necessary amount of colorant is determined based on printing conditions including at least one of bordered printing or borderless printing and normal image quality printing or high image quality printing,
The control means obtains the remaining number for each of the plurality of types of print media based on the printed colorant amount, the print guarantee colorant amount, and the necessary amount information stored in the storage means. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remaining number is obtained for each of the printing conditions for each of the plurality of types of printing media.   The control means does not cause the printing means to perform printing using the cartridge on the assumption that the amount of the printed colorant has reached the print guarantee colorant amount when the obtained remaining number is less than one. The printing apparatus in any one of 1-7. The notification means is a display means capable of displaying an image,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays the calculated remaining number on the display unit.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing unit prints a photographic image on the printing medium using a cartridge containing ink as the colorant. An image on a print medium using an informing means capable of informing information and a cartridge containing at least a colorant of a print guarantee colorant amount that is a colorant amount for printing the upper limit number of prints set as the upper limit of the number of printable sheets And a storage device for storing necessary amount information including a necessary amount of colorant, which is an amount of colorant required for printing each of a plurality of types of printing media. Is a printing notification method for controlling a computer by software,
(A) When the amount of the printed colorant printed by the printing unit reaches the print guarantee colorant amount, the printing unit does not perform printing using the cartridge, and the printed colorant amount is the print guarantee coloration. A step of causing the printing means to print an image on the print medium using the cartridge when the amount is not reached;
(B) Remaining number of sheets that can be printed based on the amount of the printed colorant including the printing in step (a), the amount of colorant for which printing is guaranteed, and the necessary amount information stored in the storage unit For each of the plurality of types of print media, and causing the notification means to notify the determined remaining number of sheets,
A printing notification method including:   A program for causing each step of the printing notification method according to claim 11 to be realized by one or more computers.

Images