JP2012113320A - Label with release paper and label printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a label printer capable of printing on a label without missing.SOLUTION: A label 10 has a plurality of separated labels 14 stuck on a surface 12a of a release paper 12, and reference marks 85, each of which is printed on a rear surface 12b thereof from the tail edge of a separated label to the front edge of the next separated label. A tail edge 85a of the reference mark is a front edge 15a of the separated label regardless of whether or not the space between the separated labels is a reference space. The printing processing is controlled using the tail edge of the reference mark as a reference. For this purpose, a read sensor reads the reference mark, converts a waveform into pulses and determines a printing start point Pc using a rising point (or a falling point) equivalent to the tail edge as a reference. Thus, even if the space between the separated labels are not uniform, a piece of information can be printed precisely in a printing area on the separated label. No missing occurs in printed information.

Description

  The present invention relates to a label with release paper and a label printer that performs printing on a label individual.

  Specifically, the reference mark for detecting the position of the label individual is printed on the surface of the release paper in a position corresponding to the gap between the label individual and the label individual in advance, thereby It can be used for detection.

  In addition, by detecting the leading edge of the label individual from the reference mark printed on the label with release paper and performing print control, the print information can be reliably printed at a predetermined position of the label individual without loss. Is.

  Starting with labels for various products, labeling of products at supermarkets and other food departments, shipping slips, in-stock slips, parts labels at product manufacturers, etc. The printer to play an active part.

  As a label used in this label printer, a label with release paper is usually used. FIG. 9 shows an example of the label 10 with release paper. As shown in FIG. 9A, a predetermined interval (label interval) is formed on one surface of the release paper (mounting paper) 12 having a strip shape, for example, the surface 12a. ) A plurality of label individuals 14 are attached with W.

  When printing predetermined information on the label individual 14, it is necessary to detect the leading edge of the label individual 14. This detection of the leading edge is based on the difference in transmittance between the label individual 14 and the release paper 12. The reference mark 16 is printed on the back surface 12b opposite to the sticking surface (front surface) 12a of the label individual 14 and the reference mark 15 is detected to detect the sticking position of the label solid 14 Is known to detect.

  In the latter case, as shown in FIG. 9B, the reference mark 16 may be printed with reference to the rear edge of the label individual 14 (for example, Patent Document 1). The reference mark 16 is a rod-like mark, and in Patent Document 1, it is printed in a strip shape with reference to the left and right edges of the release paper.

JP 2005-178303 A

  In the printer disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, the print formation position of the reference mark is set so that the trailing edge of the reference mark overlaps the trailing edge of the individual label.

  Since the label individual 14 shown in FIG. 10 is usually individualized by punching, it is based on the assumption that the interval W between the label individuals 14 is substantially constant, with the rear edge of the label individual 14 as a reference. The leading edge of the next label individual 14 is determined. Although there are some differences depending on the size of the individual labels, the interval W is usually set to about 2 to 3 mm in consideration of cutting of the release paper 12.

  By the way, as described above, the distance to the leading edge with respect to the label individual 14 is calculated with reference to the rear edge of the label individual 14 attached immediately before. This process is based on the premise that the interval W between the label individuals 14 is normally constant.

  However, as shown in FIG. 10, it has been found that the interval W may vary due to variations in the punching process. For example, when the interval Wx is a reference interval (set value), the interval Wy may be punched as a longer interval Wy, or may be punched as a shorter interval.

  On the other hand, the printing area 14 b for the label individual 14 is set in advance according to the size of the label individual 14. In particular, since there is a large amount of information to be printed recently, an area close to the size of the label individual 14 is being set as the print area 14b.

  For this reason, variations in the interval W may affect the printing process. When the variation is shorter than the reference interval Wx, there is no particular problem except that printing is not performed with good balance. On the contrary, for example, when the difference is widened such that Wy> Wx as shown in FIG. 10, the first print may be lost. In some cases, only one line may not be printed.

  Further, recently, there is a label individual 14 printed with predetermined individual information in advance.

  Referring to FIG. 11, in this case, the latter half of the label individual 14 is often set as a print area 14a for printing specific information. The individual information is individual identification information. As shown in FIG. 12, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the name of the product provider (manufacturer, distributor, etc.), the address, telephone number, etc. Information can be considered.

  If the print area 14a is secured in the label individual 14, the print area 14b that can be actually printed is further narrowed. Therefore, in order to print a necessary amount of information, printing is started from a position near the leading edge 15a of the label individual 14. There must be. Therefore, in such a case, even a slight variation in the interval W may be affected. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the case where the interval Wy is particularly wider than the reference interval Wx is a serious problem in the printing process. Such a problem in the printing process cannot be solved by using the rear edge 15b of the label individual 14 as a reference as described above. This is because the position of the leading edge 15a of the label individual 14 is nothing but the distance estimated with reference to the trailing edge 15b of the label individual 14.

  Therefore, the present invention solves such a conventional problem, and particularly by printing a reference mark in a gap (interval) between the label individual and the label individual, the leading edge of the label individual can be reliably detected. By performing print control based on this reference mark, it is possible to print accurately without leaking the necessary amount of information.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a label with a release paper according to the present invention described in claim 1 includes a label individual attached to one surface of the release paper at regular intervals, and another surface of the release paper. In a label with a release paper comprising a reference mark for the label individual printed from the trailing edge of the printed label individual to the leading edge of the next label individual, on the other surface of the release paper A print prohibition mark for prohibiting printing is printed corresponding to the print prohibition area of the individual label.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a label printer according to the present invention, comprising: a label individual provided with a print prohibition area adhered to one surface of the release paper at a predetermined interval; and the label on the other surface of the release paper. Printed on the other side of the release paper on the other side of the release paper, corresponding to the print-prohibited area, printed between the trailing edge of the individual and the leading edge of the next label individual A reading sensor for reading the reference mark and the printing prohibition mark, and a processing unit for processing each mark signal read by the reading sensor. The printing process for the label is prohibited based on the mark signal corresponding to the print prohibition mark.

  In the label with release paper according to the present invention, a plurality of individual labels are attached to one surface (for example, the surface) of the release paper at a predetermined interval. On the other surface (back surface), a reference mark is printed from the rear edge of the label individual to the front edge of the next label individual. The reference mark is a single mark in the shape of a strip.

  In this way, if the reference mark is printed so that the space from the trailing edge of the label individual to the leading edge of the next label individual is filled, the reference mark is used regardless of whether the interval between the label individuals is the reference interval. The trailing edge is the leading edge of the label individual.

  Therefore, the printing process is controlled based on the trailing edge of the reference mark. Therefore, the reference mark is read by the reading sensor, the waveform is shaped into a pulse wave, and the printing start point is determined based on the falling point (or rising point) corresponding to the trailing edge. By doing so, even if there is a variation in the interval between the label individuals, information can be accurately printed in the print area of the label individuals. There is no loss of print information.

  When the print area is secured in the label individual, a print prohibition mark is printed on the back surface of the release paper corresponding to the leading edge of the print area. The print prohibition mark is set slightly longer than the maximum interval between the individual labels in consideration of variation. The trailing edge of the print prohibition mark is aligned with the leading edge of the print area.

  This print prohibition mark is read in the print mode. There is no need to execute the process of reading the print prohibition mark immediately before the print mode. Whether the mark is a print prohibition mark or a reference mark is determined by, for example, the length of the mark. If it is a print prohibition mark, the print prohibition process is performed from the trailing edge. As a result, the print information is not overlapped and recorded in the print area.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a label with release paper on which the print prohibition mark is printed on the other side of the release paper, and the print is prohibited in correspondence with the print prohibition area of the label individual. Also provided is a label printer that prohibits printing processing on the individual label based on a mark signal corresponding to the print prohibition mark read from the label with release paper.

  According to this, it becomes possible to avoid printing in a print area (location) or the like in which a manufacturer, a seller, its address, a contact address, etc. are printed in advance. In addition, even if there is variation in the interval between the label individuals, the trailing edge of the reference mark can always correspond to the leading edge of the label individual, so that the reference mark can be used as a mark for printing processing.

  Also, according to this label printer, when the read mark is a print prohibition mark, the print prohibition process is performed from the trailing edge, so that the print information is not recorded in the print area. Moreover, even if there is a variation in the distance between the individual labels, it is possible to control the printing by always detecting the leading edge of the individual labels, so there is no loss of printing during the printing process. It has the feature that information can be printed in the designated area.

It is a systematic diagram of the principal part showing an example of a label printer according to the present invention. It is a side view which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship between a print head and label detection means. It is a top view which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship between a print head and a label detection means. It is a figure of the front and back which shows the structural example of the label with release paper which concerns on this invention (the 1). It is a figure of the front and back which shows the structural example of the label with release paper which concerns on this invention (the 2). It is a figure which shows the relationship between a printing area and a reference mark, and the relationship between a printing area and a reference mark. It is a timing chart which shows the example of a printing start process using a reference mark. 6 is a timing chart illustrating an example of a print prohibition process and a print start process using a print prohibition mark and a reference mark. It is a front and back view which shows an example of the label with the conventional release paper. It is a figure of the label individual which shows the relationship between a label individual and a printing area. It is a figure of the label individual | organism | solid which shows the relationship between a printing area and a printing area. It is a figure which shows the printing content of a printing area.

  Next, an embodiment of a label with a release paper and a label printer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a main part of a label printer 20 according to the present invention. 4 and 5 show an example of a main part of the label with release paper 10 according to the present invention. First, the label 10 with release paper will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the label 10 with release paper is composed of release paper 12 and a plurality of individual labels 14 attached to the front surface 12a in this example of one surface. The release paper 12 is a mount having a strip shape, and a translucent film is used in this example.

  The label individual 14 shown in FIG. 4A is thermal paper, and several types of thermal paper having different quality are prepared. This includes high-quality thermal paper, glossy thermal paper, thermal transfer art paper, and the like. This label individual 14 to which the double-sided adhesive is applied is adhered to one surface (front surface) of the release paper 12. The label individual 14 is generated by being punched. Accordingly, the individual labels 14 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the release paper 12 with a constant interval W (Wx, Wy, Wz, etc.). Actually, there are some variations, so Wx, Wy, and Wz are often not the same. In some cases, it may vary from 1 to 3 mm. The example of FIG. 4A shows a case where punching is performed with variations such as Wy> Wx and Wx> Wz when the interval Wx is set as a reference set interval.

  In this example, only one type of label individual 14 is prepared. An excessive amount of information to be printed on the label individual 14 is generated depending on the product to be attached. The excessive amount of information is adjusted by the number of lines to be printed, the printing interval, and the like. Since the label individual 14 is one type, when the label 10 with release paper is set in a label printer, which will be described later, the label 10 with release paper is not replaced until printing on the last label individual 14 is completed. In other words, it is used up. Of course, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such use examples.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, a reference mark 85 used as a reference for the printing process is printed on the other surface (back surface) 12b of the release paper 12.

  With reference to the label individual 14, a reference mark 85 is defined between the rear end edge 15 b of the label individual 14 and the leading edge 15 a of the next label individual 14. The reference mark 85 is a strip-like mark having a strip shape, and is printed using ink (black ink) having low transmittance.

  The reference mark 85 is printed and formed from the rear end edge 15b of the label individual 14 to the front end edge 15a of the next label individual 14 with the end edge of the punched label individual 14 as a reference. Accordingly, the leading edge 85 b of the reference mark 85 corresponds to the rear edge 15 b of the label individual 14, and the rear edge 85 a of the reference mark 85 corresponds to the leading edge 15 a of the label individual 14. As a result, the reference mark 85 is formed with a width corresponding to the variation in the interval W.

  By using the release paper-attached label 10 on which the reference mark 85 is printed in this way, even if there is a variation in the interval W, it is possible to avoid printing defects and printing leakage. This is because the rear end edge 85a of the reference mark 85 coincides with the front end of the label individual 14, and the print start position can be determined from this front end.

  The reference mark 85 may be printed on the entire width of the release paper 12 as shown in FIG. 4B, or may be intermittently printed in a strip shape (not shown), and only on the left and right edge sides as shown in FIG. 9B. You may print.

  In addition to the reference mark 85, a print prohibition mark corresponding to the printed area 14a can be printed on the back surface 12b of the release paper 12. This will be described with reference to FIG.

  As described above, the print area 14a is an area for recording individual identification information and the like (FIG. 5A), and this print area 14a becomes a print inhibition area during the printing process.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, a print prohibition mark 87 is further printed on the back surface of the release paper 12 corresponding to the print area 14a. In this case as well, the relative positional relationship is selected so that the front end (front edge) of the print area 14 a matches the rear end (rear edge) of the print prohibition mark 87. The length Wp of the print prohibition mark 87 is related to the interval W. It is set slightly longer than the interval Wmax when there is the largest variation. This is to distinguish the print prohibition mark 87 from the reference mark 85.

  When the print area 14a does not exist, the print area 14b can secure a certain area as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, but when the print area 14a exists, the print area 14b as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6C. Is limited.

  When the print area 14a exists, the print area 14b becomes narrow. However, by using the reference mark 85 as described above, even in such a case, information can be accurately stored in the print area 14b.

  In the example of FIG. 5B, the print prohibition mark 87 is printed on the leading end side of the print area 14a. However, as shown in FIG. 5C, the belt-like print prohibition mark 87 is printed in an area corresponding to the area of the print area 14a. It can also be integrated.

  In this case, in the processing for the mark reading information, which will be described later, it becomes unnecessary to distinguish between the reference mark 85 and the print prohibition mark 87, and only the reference mark is provided only by providing mark detection means on one side of the label. There is an advantage that printing can be performed only in the printing area 14b as in the conventional printing.

  In the label printer 20, the above-described reference mark 85 and the like are read, and the print control process is performed. An example using the print prohibition mark 87 of FIG. 5B is shown below. FIG. 1 is a system diagram of an essential part showing an example of a label printer 20 according to the present invention, which has a function of detecting the position of a label individual.

  In FIG. 1, a platen roller 24 is driven by a motor, in this example, a stepping motor 22, and as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. A traveling force is applied in the direction a at a predetermined speed. The release paper-attached label 10 is sequentially fed by the stepping motor 22 one pitch at a time.

  A print head (in this example, a thermal head in the form of a line) 26 is pressed against the platen roller 24 via a label 10 with release paper, and the above-described print layout information is supplied to the print head 26 so that the layout information is labeled. Printed on the individual 14.

  A means for detecting the position of the label individual 14 at a position preceding the print head 26 by a predetermined interval La, specifically, a detecting means 30 functioning as a reading sensor for reading the reference mark 85 is arranged. As the mark detection means 30, a reflection type detection means is used. As shown in the drawing, the mark detection means 30 is arranged on the back surface 12b side of the release paper 12. As the mark detection means (reflection type sensor) 30, a light emitting element and a light receiving element accommodated in the same housing are used, and the reference mark 85 is read from the difference in reflectance.

  The label printer 20 is provided with a cutter means 32 for cutting the release paper-attached label 10, more specifically the release paper 12, on the outlet side of the print head 26. The cutter means 32 has an upper blade 32a and a lower blade 32b arranged so as to sandwich the label 10 with the release paper, and either or both of the upper blade 32a and the lower blade 32b are moved up and down to remove the release paper 12. Cutting processing is performed.

  A series of printing processes for the label 10 with release paper described above is performed under the control of the information processing unit 40. The information processing unit 40 is a computer, and includes a CPU 42 that controls the entire label printer 20, a memory unit (ROM) 44 that stores a control program necessary for printing processing, and a working memory unit ( RAM) 45 or the like constitutes the information processing unit 40. In the information processing unit 40, a process for controlling the print start position is also performed during the above-described print process.

  This print prohibition mark is read in the print mode. Therefore, it is not necessary to execute the printing prohibition mark reading process immediately before the printing mode. This is because the printing start point can be determined based on the leading edge 15a of the label individual 14, and real-time processing is possible.

  Further, after the sensor output obtained by the mark detection means 30 is supplied to the IV conversion unit 46 and subjected to current-voltage conversion, the information processing unit 40 finally performs a binarization process and finally generates a print start pulse. The

  The print data generated by the information processing unit 40 is supplied to the print head 26 via the print data output unit 50. At this time, the information processing unit 40 generates a drive signal (line drive signal) for the stepping motor 22, and the platen roller 24 is rotationally driven in synchronization with this drive signal to perform printing processing line by line. A cutter processing signal for the label 10 with release paper is also generated by the information processing unit 40, but details thereof are omitted.

  The information processing unit 40 includes an input unit (keyboard) 52 for inputting print data and the like, a display unit (LCD or the like) 54 for displaying the input print data, a memory means 56 for storing the input print data and the like Warning means 58 such as a lamp and a buzzer used at the time of the above are associated. The memory means 56 can use removable memory means such as a memory flash or a card-like memory element. The information processing unit 40 is further provided with a USB terminal 72 in this example, and exchanges information with the terminal device 70 that creates print layout information.

  In this way, in the information processing unit 40 having the CPU configuration, detection processing for the reference mark 85 and the like, label travel control processing, label remaining amount display processing, and the like are executed.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of detection processing of the reference mark 85 described above. When the label with release paper 10 starts running and the reference mark 85 passes over the mark detection means 30, a mark signal is obtained corresponding to the reference mark 85 as shown in FIGS. Since the mark signal is an analog signal, the mark detection signal Ma shown in FIG. 7C is obtained by binarizing the mark signal. The pulse width Wa of the mark detection signal Ma corresponds to the length of the reference mark 85 (relative to the label running direction), the rising edge of the mark detection signal Ma corresponds to the leading edge 85b of the reference mark 85, and the mark detection signal Ma The trailing edge corresponds to the rear edge 85a of the reference mark 85.

  Since the front edge 85b of the reference mark 85 corresponds to the rear end edge 15b of the label individual 14 as described above, and the rear end edge 85a of the reference mark 85 corresponds to the front end edge 15a of the label individual 14, FIG. A printing start pulse (FIG. 7D) is generated at a position Pc advanced by a predetermined length ΔWa with reference to the trailing edge of the mark detection signal Ma as in C. The printing process starts in synchronization with this printing start pulse.

  In this way, a print start pulse is generated with reference to the leading edge 15a of the label individual 14 corresponding to the trailing edge 85a of the reference mark 85. Therefore, even if the punching accuracy is poor as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B and the interval W varies, the printing process can always be started from the set printing start point Pc. As a result, it is possible to print predetermined print information on the label individual 14 without losing the print.

  This is the same when the print area 14a is set in the label individual 14. This will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the label with release paper 10 starts running, the print prohibition mark 87 passes over the mark detection means 30 prior to the reference mark 85. When the print prohibition mark 87 passes, a mark signal is obtained corresponding to the print prohibition mark 87 as shown in FIGS. Since the mark signal is an analog signal, the mark detection signal Mb shown in FIG. 8C is obtained by binarizing the mark signal.

  The pulse width Wb of the mark detection signal Mb corresponds to the length of the print prohibition mark 87 (relative to the label running direction), but the interval between the labels is shorter than the print area 14a. The pulse width corresponding to the mark 85 is longer than the maximum value Wmax. The information processing unit 40 determines the length of the length, and therefore determines that the mark signal corresponds to the print area 14a when the print prohibition mark 87 passes.

  Here, the rise of the mark detection signal Mb corresponds to the leading end portion 87 b of the print prohibition mark 87, and the fall of the mark detection signal corresponds to the rear end portion 87 a of the print prohibition mark 87. The rear end portion 87a of the print prohibition mark 87 corresponds to the front end edge 17a of the print area 14a. Further, when the reference mark 85 passes, a mark signal corresponding to the reference mark 85 is obtained, and the mark signal is formed into a mark detection signal Ma (FIGS. 8B and 8C).

  Therefore, a section ΔWc from the first falling edge of the first detected mark detection signal Mb to the next rising edge of the mark detection signal Ma corresponds substantially to the print prohibition area, and printing processing in this section ΔWc is prohibited. Is done. Therefore, even if there is information to be printed in the section ΔWc, the information is ignored and the printing process is not performed.

  As described above, the print start pulse (FIG. 8E) is generated based on the falling edge of the mark detection signal Ma corresponding to the reference mark 85, and the print processing is started in synchronization with the print start pulse.

  The above-described embodiment is merely an example of the present invention, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  The present invention can be applied to label printers used in the logistics industry, product manufacturers, supermarkets, and the like.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Label with release paper, 12 ... Release paper, 14 ... Label individual, 12a ... Front surface, 12b ... Back surface, 14a ... Print area, 14b ... Print area, 20 , Label printer, 22 stepping motor, 26 print head, 30 mark detection means, 40 information processing section, 42 CPU, W label interval, 85 ... Reference mark, 87 ... Print prohibition mark

Claims (10)

Labels attached to one side of the release paper at regular intervals,
On the other side of the release paper, a label with release paper consisting of a reference mark for the label individual printed between the rear edge of the label individual and the leading edge of the next label individual,
A label with release paper, wherein a print prohibition mark for prohibiting printing is printed on the other surface of the release paper in correspondence with the print prohibition area of the label individual. 2. The peeling edge according to claim 1, wherein a leading edge of a printing prohibition mark is printed on the other surface of the release paper attached to the label individual, corresponding to the leading edge of the printing prohibition area. Label with paper.   3. The label with release paper according to claim 1, wherein a reference mark for the individual label and a print prohibition mark corresponding to the print prohibition area are printed together. The print prohibition area corresponding to the above print prohibition mark is
4. The label with release paper according to claim 3, wherein the label is adjacent to the space between the rear edge of the label individual and the front edge of the next label.   5. The label with release paper according to claim 1, wherein the print prohibition area corresponding to the print prohibition mark is a print area on which predetermined information is printed in advance. The label with release paper according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a length of the print prohibition mark is set longer than a length of the reference mark in a longitudinal direction of the release paper. A label individual having a print prohibition area adhered to one surface of the release paper at regular intervals;
On the other surface of the release paper, a reference mark for the label individual printed between the rear edge of the label individual and the leading edge of the next label individual;
A reading sensor that reads the reference mark and the print prohibition mark of a label with a release paper that includes a print prohibition mark printed in correspondence with the print prohibition area on the other surface of the release paper;
A processing unit for processing each mark signal read by the reading sensor,
In the above processing unit,
A label printer, wherein printing on the label is prohibited based on the mark signal corresponding to the print prohibition mark. The label printer according to claim 7, wherein the reference mark of the label with release paper and the print prohibition mark of the print prohibition area are printed integrally. The reference mark of the label with release paper and the print prohibition mark of the print prohibition area are distinguished from each other by the pulse width of the mark signal based on the length of the printed release paper in the length direction. The label printer according to claim 8.   10. The label with release paper according to claim 7, wherein the print prohibition area is a print area on which predetermined information is printed in advance.

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