JP2008105834A - Printing device and printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically remove dust such as paper powders deteriorating the detection level of a sensor portion. <P>SOLUTION: A label gap (only pasteboard part between labels) which becomes a standard position of a label to be printed during carrying of the label on a pasteboard which is a printing medium is detected by a paper sensor 9. Carrying action by a motor control portion 16 and printing action by a printing control portion 17 is controlled by a CPU 11 according to the detection result. According to the determination of a detection level on the basis of the detection result of the paper sensor 9, if the CPU11 determines that the detection level is below a predetermined threshold value, a paper sensor vibrating element 19A is driven to shake off deposit adhered to the paper sensor 9. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing method that automatically remove dust such as paper dust attached to a sensor unit of a printing apparatus.

  As a printing apparatus, for example, there is a label printer that prints characters on a print medium such as an IC tag or a label. In such a label printer, for example, a position detection mark provided on the print medium is detected by a paper sensor provided between the guide roller and the print unit, so that the print position on the print medium can be determined. To be controlled.

  Some of such label printers include, for example, a cutter for cutting and issuing printed labels one by one. The cutter includes a rotary type in which a rotary blade makes one rotation with respect to a fixed blade, or a guillotine type in which a movable blade moves forward and backward with respect to the fixed blade.

  In these rotary type and guillotine type cutters, for example, in order to cut a printed label at an accurate position, the feed amount of the label is controlled based on the detection result by the paper sensor described above, for example. .

  In a rotary cutter, the position of the rotary blade is detected by a cutter sensor, and for example, a cutting operation is detected to determine whether the printed label has been cut normally or whether the label has been hindered. ing. In the guillotine type cutter, the position of the movable blade is detected by the cutter sensor, and similarly the cutting operation is performed to check whether the printed label has been cut normally or whether the label has been hindered. Detected.

For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133867, a paper sensor that detects the edge of a label is provided between a printing unit and a cutter unit, and an intermediate point between the edge positions detected by the paper sensor is disclosed. A label printer is proposed in which the cutting position is determined from the starting point.
JP 2003-26134 A

  By the way, when a paper sensor that detects a label edge or the like is mounted like the label printer in Patent Document 1, when the paper is transported to the printing position by various transport rollers during printing, Paper dust may be generated due to friction or the like, and the paper dust may adhere to the paper sensor.

  Further, in a label printer equipped with a cutter and a cutter sensor such as the above-described rotary type and guillotine type, paper dust may be generated when the paper is cut by the cutter, and the paper dust may adhere to the cutter sensor.

  Depending on the environment in which the label printer is used, fine dust or the like may enter the label printer and adhere to the paper sensor or cutter sensor. If dust such as paper dust adheres to the paper sensor or cutter sensor in this way, the detection level of the paper sensor or cutter sensor will decrease, resulting in a detection error, or an improper printing may not be performed. The paper is not cut.

  In such a case, it is necessary to remove dust such as paper dust adhering to the various sensors described above, but not only the removal work is complicated, but in particular, in a small one such as a portable label printer, Since the internal mechanism is complicated, there is a problem that the various sensors described above cannot be reached, and it may be difficult to remove dust such as paper dust.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a printing apparatus and a printing method capable of solving the above problems.

The printing apparatus of the present invention is a printing apparatus that detects a reference position of a printing medium to be printed and performs printing on the printing medium, and includes a printing unit that performs printing on the printing medium, and the printing medium. Conveying means for conveying to the printing means side, first detection means for detecting the reference position during conveyance of the print medium by the conveying means, and first vibration applying means for applying vibration to the first detecting means, Control means for controlling a transport operation by the transport means and a printing operation by the printing means based on a detection result of the first detection means, wherein the control means is a detection level based on the detection result by the first detection means. If the detection level is determined to be below a predetermined threshold value, the first vibration applying means is driven.
Further, a cutting means provided on the downstream side of the printing means for cutting the printing medium, a second detection means for detecting whether the printing medium has reached a cutting position by the cutting means, and the second detection means And a second vibration applying means for applying vibration to the second vibration applying means. The control means determines a detection level based on a detection result by the second detection means, and determines that the detection level is lower than a predetermined threshold value. The applying means can be driven.
The printing method of the present invention is a printing method for performing printing on the printing medium by detecting a reference position of the printing medium to be printed, the step of printing on the printing medium by printing means, and the printing Conveying the medium to the printing means, detecting the reference position by the first detection means during conveyance of the printing medium, and applying vibration to the first detection means by the first vibration applying means. And a step of controlling the transport operation and the printing operation based on the detection result of the first detection means, determining a detection level based on the detection result by the first detection means, and the detection level being a predetermined level If it is determined that the value is below the threshold value, the first vibration applying means is driven.
A step of cutting the print medium by a cutting means provided on the downstream side of the print means; a step of detecting by a second detection means whether the print medium has reached the cutting position; And a step of applying a vibration to the second detecting means by the second vibration applying means, determining a detection level based on a detection result by the second detecting means, and determining that the detection level is below a predetermined threshold value, The two vibration applying means can be driven.
In the printing apparatus and printing method of the present invention, the reference position of the print medium to be printed during the conveyance of the print medium is detected by the first detection means, and the conveyance operation and the print operation are controlled according to the detection result. If it is determined by the detection level determination based on the detection result by the detection means that the detection level has fallen below a predetermined threshold value, the first vibration applying means is driven, and the adhering matter adhering to the first detection means is shaken off. It is.

  According to the printing apparatus and the printing method of the present invention, when it is determined that the detection level is lower than the predetermined threshold value, the first detection unit is driven so that the deposits attached to the first detection unit are shaken off. Therefore, it is possible to automatically remove dust such as paper dust that lowers the detection level of the first vibration applying means.

  In the present embodiment, the first detection means detects the reference position of the print medium to be printed while the print medium is being conveyed by the conveyance means, and the control means detects the conveyance operation by the conveyance means and the printing by the printing means according to the detection result. When the operation is controlled and the detection level is determined by the control means based on the detection result by the first detection means, and the detection level is determined to be below a predetermined threshold value, the first vibration applying means is driven and the first detection is performed. The adhering matter adhering to the means is shaken off, and dust such as paper dust that lowers the detection level of the first vibration applying means is automatically removed.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment in which the printing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a label printer.

  The label printer shown in the figure is a continuous label body in which, for example, a base 2 on which a plurality of labels 1 having a peelable adhesive surface on the side opposite to the print surface is releasably wound is wound in a roll shape. 3, a supply shaft 4 that rotatably supports the print head 3, a print head 5 that prints on the label 1, guide rollers 6 a and 6 b that guide the label 1 toward the print head 5, and a platen that presses the label 1 against the print head 5. A roller 6 and a stepping motor 7 that applies a rotational driving force to the platen roller 6 via a belt 8 are provided.

  Further, the label printer shown in the figure has a light emitting portion 9a and a light receiving portion 9b so as to sandwich the mount 2 and the label 1, and is a transmissive paper that is a sensor portion for detecting the reference position of the label 1 to be printed. A sensor 9; a control unit 10 that controls the operation of each unit; a light emitting unit 24a that sandwiches a label 1 on a mount 2 and a fixed blade 23a and a movable blade 23b that cut the printed label 1 for each label 1; And a light receiving unit 24b, and a cutting unit 23A having a transmissive cutter sensor 24 which is a sensor unit for detecting whether the label 1 has been conveyed to the cutting position.

  Note that the reference position of the label 1 detected by the paper sensor 9 may be the gap of the label 1 (the portion of the mount 2 only between the labels 1), the edge of the label 1, or even Not only the transmission type but also a reflection type sensor that detects a predetermined position detection mark on the label 1 or the mount 2 may be used.

  Further, the detection of whether or not the label 1 has been conveyed to the cutting position by the cutter sensor 24 is performed when the cutter sensor 24 is arranged at a position close to the fixed blade 23a and the movable blade 23b as shown in FIG. This is done by detecting the edge. That is, the cutter sensor 24 detects the edge of the label 1 immediately before the gap of the label 1 cut by the cutting portion 23A (the portion of the mount 2 only between the labels 1) reaches the position of the fixed blade 23a and the movable blade 23b. It is provided at a position where it can be detected.

  Depending on the arrangement of the cutter sensor 24, the gap of the label 1 (the portion of the mount 2 only between the labels 1) may be detected. That is, whether or not the label 1 is conveyed to the cutting position by detecting the gap of the label 1 can be determined by counting the number of steps to the stepping motor 7 as described later after the gap is detected. The cutter sensor 24 is not limited to the transmissive type, but may be a reflective type that detects the predetermined position detection mark described above.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the transmissive paper sensor 9 and the cutter sensor 24 described above. As shown in FIG. 2A, a paper sensor vibrating body 19 </ b> A is attached to the paper sensor 9. Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, a cutter sensor vibrating body 22A is attached to the cutter sensor 24. As these paper sensor vibrating body 19A and cutter sensor vibrating body 22A, a small vibration motor, ultrasonic vibration body, or the like can be used.

  Note that the attachment positions of the paper sensor vibrating body 19A and the cutter sensor vibrating body 22A with respect to the paper sensor 9 and the cutter sensor 24 may be positions that do not hinder at least the detection operation by the paper sensor 9 and the cutter sensor 24.

  The sheet sensor vibrating body 19A and the cutter sensor vibrating body 22A give vibration to the paper sensor 9 and the cutter sensor 24 under the control of the control unit 10, and the light emitting unit 9a and the light receiving unit 9b of the sheet sensor 9 are caused by the vibration. Then, dust such as paper dust attached to the light emitting unit 24a and the light receiving unit 24b of the cutter sensor 24 is shaken off.

  That is, when the label 1 on the mount 2 is conveyed to the print head 5 side by the guide rollers 6a, 6b, etc., paper dust is generated due to friction with the guide rollers 6a, 6b, etc., and dust such as the paper dust is transferred to the paper sensor. Even if it adheres to the light emitting portion 9a and the light receiving portion 9b, dust such as paper dust is shaken off by the vibration of the paper sensor vibrating body 19A.

  Similarly, when the printed label 1 is cut for each label 1 by the cutting unit 23A, even if dust such as paper dust adheres to the light emitting unit 24a and the light receiving unit 24b of the cutter sensor 24, the cutter 1 The dust such as paper dust is shaken off by the vibration of the sensor vibrating body 22A.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the details of the control unit 10. As shown in the figure, the control unit 10 includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, an external interface 14, an interface 15, a motor control unit 16, a print control unit 17, a paper sensor control unit 18, a paper sensor vibrating body control unit 19, and a cutter control. Unit 20, cutter sensor control unit 21, and cutter sensor vibrating body control unit 22.

  The CPU 11 as control means operates according to a control program stored in the ROM 12 and controls each part. Here, as the main control by the CPU 11 in this embodiment, when the detection level of either the paper sensor 9 or the cutter sensor 24 falls below a predetermined threshold, the paper sensor vibrating body control unit 19 or the cutter sensor vibrating body control is performed. That is, the sheet sensor vibrating body 19A or the cutter sensor vibrating body 22A is individually vibrated with respect to the unit 22.

  In the control by the CPU 11, when the detection level of either the paper sensor 9 or the cutter sensor 24 falls below a predetermined threshold, the paper sensor vibrating body control unit 19 and the cutter sensor vibrating body control unit 22 are Both the paper sensor vibrating body 19A and the cutter sensor vibrating body 22A may be vibrated simultaneously.

  Further, in the control by the CPU 11, the timing for vibrating the sheet sensor vibrating body 19A and the cutter sensor vibrating body 22A (every month, every three months, every six months, etc.) is arbitrarily set by the user, The paper sensor vibrating body 19A and the cutter sensor vibrating body 22A may be vibrated at that timing. Further, at the timing set by the user, the vibrations of the sheet sensor vibrating body 19A and the cutter sensor vibrating body 22A may be individually performed.

  The ROM 12 stores a control program and the like necessary for the operation of the CPU 11. In the RAM 13, print data such as characters, graphics, and barcodes to be printed is developed.

  The external interface 14 transmits and receives data to and from a device such as a host computer connected to the outside. The interface 15 accepts input data from the input unit 25 and sends a display signal to the monitor 26.

  The motor control unit 16 supplies a pulse signal to the stepping motor 7 to drive the stepping motor 7. Here, the motor control unit 16 and the stepping motor 7, and the platen roller 6 and the belt 8 described above constitute a conveying means.

  The print control unit 17 generates a control signal corresponding to the print data and supplies the control signal to the print head 5 to perform a printing operation. Here, the printing control unit 17 and the printing head 5 constitute printing means.

  The paper sensor control unit 18 controls the detection operation of the paper sensor 9 as the first detection unit, receives the detection result from the paper sensor 9, and supplies it to the CPU 11. That is, when the paper sensor control unit 18 takes in the detection result from the paper sensor 9 as an electrical signal, the paper sensor control unit 18 converts the electrical signal into digital data and gives it to the CPU 11. At this time, the digital data level corresponds to the detection level of the paper sensor 9.

  The paper sensor vibrating body control unit 19 vibrates a paper sensor vibrating body 19A as a first vibration applying unit provided in the paper sensor 9 under the control of the CPU 11. The time for vibrating the paper sensor vibrating body 19A can be arbitrarily set. That is, for example, when the paper sensor 9 detects the gap of the label 1 (the portion of the mount 2 only between the labels 1) as described above, the paper sensor 9 detects the gap of the label 1 and then What is necessary is just to set so that it may be within the time until the gap of label 1 is detected. Thereby, since the vibration by the paper sensor vibrating body 19A does not occur during the detection of the gap of the label 1 by the paper sensor 9, the detection error of the gap of the label 1 by the paper sensor 9 can be prevented.

  The cutter control unit 20 drives a cutter motor (not shown) under the control of the CPU 11 to move the movable blade 23b of the cutter 23 as a cutting means to a cutting start position (position shown in FIG. 1) and a cutting position (fixed blade 23a in FIG. 1). To move forward and backward.

  The cutter sensor control unit 21 controls the detection operation of the cutter sensor 24 as the second detection means, receives the detection result from the cutter sensor 24, and supplies it to the CPU 11. That is, when the cutter sensor control unit 21 captures the detection result from the cutter sensor 24 as an electrical signal, the cutter sensor control unit 21 converts the electrical signal into digital data and gives it to the CPU 11. At this time, the digital data level corresponds to the detection level of the cutter sensor 24.

  The cutter sensor vibrating body control unit 22 vibrates the cutter sensor vibrating body 22A as the second vibration applying unit provided in the cutter sensor 24 under the control of the CPU 11. The time for vibrating the cutter sensor vibrating body 22A can be arbitrarily set as described above. That is, for example, as described above, after the cutter sensor 24 detects the edge of the label 1 or the gap of the label 1 (the portion of the mount 2 only between the labels 1), the edge or edge of the next label 1 is detected. It can be set to be within time. Thereby, vibration by the cutter sensor vibrating body 22A does not occur during the detection of the edge or gap of the label 1 by the cutter sensor 24, so that a detection error by the cutter sensor 24 can be prevented.

  Next, a printing method in the above-described label printer will be described. In the following description, when the detection level of either the paper sensor 9 or the cutter sensor 24 falls below a predetermined threshold value, the CPU 11 causes the paper sensor vibrating body control unit 19 or the cutter sensor vibrating body control unit 22 to pass through. The case where the sheet sensor vibrating body 19A or the cutter sensor vibrating body 22A is individually vibrated will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4, when the CPU 11 receives a print command from the input unit 25 (step S1), the digital counter is cleared by giving a reset signal to a digital counter (not shown) (step S2).

  Next, the stepping motor 7 is step-driven by giving a pulse signal having a fixed number of pulses to the stepping motor 7 by the motor control unit 16 controlled by the CPU 11. Accordingly, the platen roller 6 and the guide rollers 6a and 6b are rotated by the driving force of the stepping motor 7 transmitted through the belt 8, and label conveyance is started (step S3). In this case, the mount 2 on which the plurality of labels 1 are temporarily peeled from the roll-shaped continuous label 3 is conveyed to the print head 5 side.

  Here, when the mount 2 on which the plurality of labels 1 are temporarily attached is conveyed to the print head 5 side, for example, a gap (a portion of only the mount 2 between the labels 1) of the label 1 is caused by the sheet sensor 9. When detected (step S4) and the detection result is taken into the paper sensor control unit 18 as an electrical signal, the electrical signal is converted into digital data by the paper sensor control unit 18 and applied to the CPU 11.

  At this time, a counter start control signal is given from the CPU 11 to a digital counter (not shown), and counting of the number of steps of the stepping motor 7 is started (step S5).

  At this time, the level of the digital data given from the paper sensor control unit 18 to the CPU 11 corresponds to the detection level by the paper sensor 9, and the CPU 11 determines whether the detection level is below a predetermined threshold. (Step S6).

  Here, if the detection level is not lower than the predetermined threshold value (step S6: No), a detection error does not occur, so the paper sensor provided in the paper sensor 9 via the paper sensor vibrating body control unit 19 is used. The vibration control of the vibrating body 19A is not performed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the detection level is below a predetermined threshold (step S6: Yes), the paper sensor vibration body control unit 19 controlled by the CPU 11 controls the paper sensor vibration provided in the paper sensor 9. The body 19A is vibrated for a predetermined time (step S7).

  Since the vibration by the sheet sensor vibrating body 19A is applied to the entire sheet sensor 9, dust such as paper dust attached to the light emitting unit 9a and the light receiving unit 9b of the sheet sensor 9 is shaken off. As a result, since a decrease in detection level due to adhesion of dust such as paper dust by the paper sensor 9 is avoided, detection errors by the paper sensor 9 can be prevented in advance.

  Along with the counting of the number of steps described above, the label 1 on the mount 2 is further conveyed to the print head 5 side, and it is determined whether or not the number of steps has reached the start of printing (step S8). In this case, the print control unit 17 controlled by the CPU 11 generates a control signal corresponding to the print data and supplies it to the print head 5. Thereby, printing on the label 1 is performed by the print head 5 (step S9).

  Next, when necessary printing is performed on the label 1 on the mount 2 by the print head 5, the label 1 is conveyed to the cutting portion 23A side. Here, for example, when the edge of the label 1 is detected by the cutter sensor 24 (step S10), the detection result is taken into the cutter sensor control unit 21 as an electrical signal, and the electrical signal is converted into digital data by the cutter sensor control unit 21. Is converted to and given to the CPU 11.

  Then, a cutter motor (not shown) is driven by the cutter controller 20 controlled by the CPU 11, and the gap of the label 1 (the portion of the mount 2 only between the labels 1) is cut by the movable blade 23b of the cutter 23 (step S11). ).

  At this time, the level of the digital data given from the cutter sensor control unit 21 to the CPU 11 corresponds to the detection level by the cutter sensor 24, and the CPU 11 determines whether the detection level is below a predetermined threshold ( Step S12).

  Here, if the detection level is not lower than the predetermined threshold (step S12: No), a detection error does not occur, so the cutter sensor provided in the cutter sensor 24 via the cutter sensor vibrating body controller 22 is provided. The vibration control of the vibrating body 22A is not performed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the detection level falls below a predetermined threshold (step S12: Yes), the cutter sensor vibration provided in the cutter sensor 24 is controlled by the cutter sensor vibrating body control unit 22 controlled by the CPU 11. The body 22A is vibrated (step S13).

  Since the vibration by the cutter sensor vibrating body 22A is applied to the entire cutter sensor 24, dust such as paper dust attached to the light emitting unit 24a and the light receiving unit 24b of the cutter sensor 24 is shaken off. As a result, a decrease in detection level due to adhesion of dust such as paper dust by the cutter sensor 24 is avoided, so that a detection error by the cutter sensor 24 can be prevented in advance.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the gap of the label 1 serving as the reference position of the label 1 to be printed during the conveyance of the label 1 on the mount 2 which is a printing medium (the portion of the mount 2 only between the labels 1) is the sheet. The CPU 9 controls the conveyance operation by the motor control unit 16 and the printing operation by the print control unit 17 according to the detection result, and the CPU 11 determines the detection level based on the detection result by the paper sensor 9 according to the detection result. If it is determined that the detection level has fallen below a predetermined threshold value, the paper sensor vibrating body 19A is driven so that the adhering material adhering to the paper sensor 9 is shaken off. Such dust can be automatically removed.

  In this embodiment, the CPU 11 determines the detection level based on the detection level based on the detection result by the cutter sensor 24 that detects whether the label 1 on the mount 2 has been conveyed to the cutting position of the cutting unit 23A. If the cutter sensor vibrating body 22A is driven and the adhered matter adhering to the cutter sensor 24 is shaken off, it is possible to remove dust such as paper dust that lowers the detection level of the cutter sensor 24. Can be performed automatically.

  In this embodiment, the label printer that performs printing on the label 1 that is temporarily attached to the mount 2 is described. However, printing is performed on another printing medium such as an IC tag. It can also be applied to a label printer.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the detection level determination based on the detection result by the paper sensor 9 and the detection level determination based on the detection result by the cutter sensor 24 are performed during printing on the label 1 has been described. Without being limited to the example, the detection level of the paper sensor 9 and the cutter sensor 24 is determined before the start of printing, and the paper sensor vibrating body 19A or the cutter of the paper sensor 9 or the cutter sensor 24 in which it is determined that the detection level is below a predetermined threshold value. Printing may be started after the sensor vibrating body 22A is driven.

  In this case, when it is determined that the detection level of either the paper sensor 9 or the cutter sensor 24 is below a predetermined threshold, both the paper sensor vibrating body 19A and the cutter sensor vibrating body 22A may be driven simultaneously.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the cutting portion 23A is a guillotine type is described, but the present invention can be applied even if the cutting portion 23A is a rotary type.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the description has been given in the case of the label printer including the cutting unit 23A that cuts the printed label 1 for each label 1, but the present invention can also be applied to a label printer that does not include the cutting unit 23A. is there.

  The present invention is not limited to the label printer, and can be applied to other printing apparatuses such as a serial printer, a line printer, and a page printer.

It is a figure which shows one Example at the time of applying the printing apparatus of this invention to a label printer. It is a figure which shows the paper sensor and cutter sensor of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the detail of the control part of FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a printing method in the label printer of FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols

1 Label (printing medium)
2 Mount 3 Label continuum 4 Supply shaft 5 Print head (printing means)
6 Platen roller (conveying means)
6a, 6b Guide roller 7 Stepping motor (conveying means)
8 Belt (conveying means)
9 Paper sensor (first detection means)
9a Light emitting unit 9b Light receiving unit 10 Control unit 14 External interface 15 Interface 16 Motor control unit (conveying means)
17 Print controller (printing means)
18 Paper sensor control unit 19 Paper sensor vibrating body control unit 19A Paper sensor vibrating body (first vibration applying means)
20 Cutter control unit 21 Cutter sensor control unit 22 Cutter sensor vibrating body control unit 22A Cutter sensor vibrating body (second vibration applying means)
23 Cutter (cutting means)
23A Cutting part 23a Fixed blade 23b Movable blade 24 Cutter sensor (second detection means)
24a light emitting unit 24b light receiving unit 25 input unit 26 monitor

Claims (4)

A printing device that detects a reference position of a printing medium to be printed and performs printing on the printing medium,
Printing means for printing on the printing medium;
Conveying means for conveying the printing medium to the printing means;
First detection means for detecting the reference position during conveyance of the print medium by the conveyance means;
First vibration applying means for applying vibration to the first detecting means;
Control means for controlling the transport operation by the transport means and the print operation by the printing means based on the detection result of the first detection means,
The control unit determines a detection level based on a detection result by the first detection unit, and drives the first vibration applying unit when determining that the detection level is lower than a predetermined threshold value. . Cutting means provided on the downstream side of the printing means for cutting the printing medium;
Second detection means for detecting whether the print medium has reached a cutting position by the cutting means;
A second vibration applying means for applying vibration to the second detecting means;
The said control means determines the detection level based on the detection result by the said 2nd detection means, and if it determines with this detection level having fallen below the predetermined threshold value, it will drive the said 2nd vibration provision means. The printing apparatus according to 1. A printing method for detecting a reference position of a printing medium to be printed and performing printing on the printing medium,
Printing on the printing medium by printing means;
Conveying the printing medium to the printing means;
Detecting the reference position by first detection means during conveyance of the print medium;
Applying vibration to the first detection means by first vibration application means;
A step of controlling the conveying operation and the printing operation based on a detection result of the first detecting means;
A printing method comprising: determining a detection level based on a detection result by the first detection unit; and driving the first vibration applying unit when determining that the detection level is below a predetermined threshold. Cutting the print medium by a cutting means provided on the downstream side of the printing means;
Detecting by the second detection means whether or not the print medium has reached the cutting position;
Applying a vibration to the second detection means by a second vibration applying means,
4. The printing according to claim 3, wherein a detection level based on a detection result by the second detection unit is determined, and if it is determined that the detection level is below a predetermined threshold, the second vibration applying unit is driven. Method.

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