JP2012192681A - Printing apparatus, printing method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a decurl method and a printing apparatus that can decurl while preventing or suppressing the occurrence of cracks or the like on a melting ink transferred on a print sheet or a recording sheet even when printing is performed with the melting ink.SOLUTION: The printing apparatus includes: a decurl unit 7 that curls a rolled printing sheet 12 in an opposite direction of the curl (curling tendency) by pressing the decurl unit on the rolled printing sheet 12; a main controller 201 as an ink type decision unit, the main controller determining whether the type of ink used before the decurl unit 7 decurls the printing sheet 12 is sublimation inks 33, 34, 35 or the melting ink 36; and the main controller 201 as a decurl amount changing unit, the main controller changing the degree of the curl by the decurl unit 7 based on decision results by the ink type decision unit.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a printing method, and a program that can correct curling that occurs on printing paper, recording paper, and the like.

  In recent years, printing apparatuses that can capture and print image data captured by an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera have been widely used in general households. Such a home-use printing apparatus can easily perform high-quality printing by simply loading image data and giving a print instruction after setting an ink ribbon and printing paper or recording paper in advance. be able to. For this reason, recently, an increasing number of people enjoy photo printing at home.

  Such household printing apparatuses include those using cut paper type printing paper or recording paper, and those using roll-shaped printing paper or recording paper. In recent years, printing apparatuses using roll-shaped printing paper, recording paper, and the like have come to be widely used because they are advantageous in terms of cost for printing with high image quality. The roll-shaped printing paper or recording paper is obtained by winding a long printing paper or recording paper on which an ink receiving layer is formed in a cylindrical shape. A general printing device that uses roll-shaped printing paper or recording paper feeds the required length of printing paper or recording paper each time it is printed, and cuts it to a predetermined length after printing is completed. Then eject the paper.

  By the way, curl (= curl) may occur (or remain) on roll-shaped printing paper or recording paper. Curling of printing paper or recording paper may cause troubles in printing or paper supply / discharge. For example, if the curl of printing paper or recording paper is large, the printing paper or recording paper may be caught by a conveyance roller or a guide inside the printer. Furthermore, if the curl of the printing paper or the recording paper is large, the mounting property to the conveyance roller and the guide is deteriorated, and the workability is deteriorated. In addition, there is a possibility that the adhesion between the printing paper or recording paper and the print head (for example, a thermal head) may deteriorate during printing.

  In order to deal with such a problem, for example, configurations such as Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 have been proposed. In Patent Document 1, in a method of correcting curl by pressing a decurling roller while applying tension to printing paper or recording paper, the outer diameter of the wound printing paper or recording paper and the winding angle to the decurling roller A configuration is disclosed in which these are limited to predetermined values. On the other hand, Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which a thermal transfer type printing apparatus estimates a residual curl amount and a residual curl direction such as printing paper or recording paper, and optimizes the degree of curl correction based on the estimation result. It is disclosed.

Japanese Patent No. 4321398 JP 2006-016157 A

However, the following problems may occur in the correction of curling of printing paper and recording paper. In order to protect the ink receiving layer, roll-shaped printing paper or recording paper may be wound with the surface on the ink receiving layer side inward. On such printing paper and recording paper, curling occurs such that the surface on the ink receiving layer side is concave. For this reason, in order to correct the curl, it is necessary to squeeze the printing paper or recording paper so that the surface on the ink receiving layer side is convex. By the way, the molten ink used in the sublimation printing apparatus includes a resin composition having a predetermined hardness such as an acrylic resin. For this reason, if the surface of the ink receiving layer (that is, the surface to which the molten ink is transferred) is convex with the printing paper or recording paper to which the molten ink has been transferred, Ink may crack. When cracks are generated in the transferred molten ink, the cracks appear to be streaks, and the printing quality is deteriorated. Furthermore, moisture and ozone may invade from the cracks, which may reduce the weather resistance.
In order to solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a curl correction method and a printing apparatus that can prevent or suppress the occurrence of cracks in ink and can correct curl (= curl). In particular, when printing with molten ink, a curl correction method and a printing apparatus capable of preventing or suppressing the occurrence of cracks in the molten ink transferred to printing paper or recording paper and correcting the curl are provided. It is.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a printing apparatus that pulls out a printing paper wound in a roll shape, and prints an image by transferring sublimation ink and molten ink to the drawn printing paper. Is bent in the direction opposite to the curling direction of the printing paper, and the decurling part for correcting the curling of the printing paper and whether the ink transferred to the printing paper is sublimation ink or molten ink And a curl correction amount changing unit for changing the degree of curl correction by the decurling unit.
The present invention relates to a printing method in which a printing paper wound in a roll is pulled out, and an image is printed by transferring sublimation ink and molten ink onto the drawn printing paper. The printing paper is a curl of the printing paper. The curling of the printing paper is corrected depending on whether the ink transferred to the printing paper is sublimation ink or molten ink by bending the printing paper in a direction opposite to the direction. And a process of changing the degree of.
The present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute a printing method of a printing apparatus that pulls out a printing paper wound in a roll shape, transfers sublimation ink and molten ink onto the drawn printing paper, and prints an image. The printing paper is bent in the direction opposite to the curling direction of the printing paper to correct the curling of the printing paper, and whether the ink transferred to the printing paper is sublimation ink or molten ink And a program for causing a computer to execute a process of changing the degree of curl correction of the printing paper.

  According to the present invention, when sublimation ink and molten ink are determined and the molten ink is transferred, the degree of curl correction can be reduced. For this reason, it is possible to correct the curl and prevent the transferred molten ink from being cracked.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the printing apparatus and cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the main part of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the ink ribbon applied to the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the decurling unit. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the guide portion and the decurling portion extracted, and schematically showing a configuration for changing the degree of curl correction. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the cause of cracking in the molten ink of the printed matter and the mode of cracking of the molten ink. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a problem that occurs when curl correction is insufficient. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the overall processing flow of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the printing process of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the decurling unit of the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the decurling unit and the printing unit of the printing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The curl correction method according to the embodiment of the present invention is a method of correcting curl (= curl) of roll-shaped printing paper or recording paper. In the curl correction method according to the embodiment of the present invention, the degree of curl correction (= decal amount) can be changed according to the type of ink transferred onto printing paper or recording paper. A printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a printing apparatus that can correct curl of printing paper, recording paper, and the like using the curl correction method according to the embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of explanation, “printing paper, recording paper, etc.” is simply referred to as “printing paper”. Further, a curl in which the surface on which the ink receiving layer of the printing paper is formed (that is, the surface to be printed) is concave is referred to as “top curl”, and the curl becomes convex (= to the opposite side of the top curl). Is called “back curl”.

<First embodiment>
First, the curl correction method and the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention uses a cartridge 110 in which a roll-shaped printing paper 12 and an ink ribbon 30 are stored. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a cartridge 110 used in the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a main part of the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a display unit 102 and an operation unit 103 are provided on the upper portion of the housing 101. The display unit 102 has a display screen such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The display screen of the display unit 102 can display information about an image to be printed, a menu for inputting setting data necessary for printing, and the like. The operation unit 103 is provided with a power switch 104, a selection switch 105, and cursor keys (= left and right keys 106 and up and down keys 107). The power switch 104 can perform power ON / OFF operation of the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The selection switch 105 can select various menus displayed on the display unit 102. The cursor keys 106 and 107 can move the cursor displayed on the display unit 102 to a desired position. Further, the housing 101 has a configuration in which a side surface can be opened and closed so that the cartridge 110 can be attached and detached.

  The cartridge 110 has a housing 111. The housing 111 accommodates the roll-shaped printing paper 12, the roller 112 of the printing paper 12, the ink ribbon 30, the supply roller 113 of the ink ribbon 30, and the winding roller 114 of the ink ribbon 30. . Note that the roll-shaped printing paper 12 and the ink ribbon 30 are not visible in FIG. An ink receiving layer is formed on one surface of the roll-shaped printing paper 12. The roll-shaped printing paper 12 is wound around the roller 112 of the printing paper 12 with the surface on which the ink receiving layer is formed facing inward. For this reason, a curl (top curl) in which the ink receiving layer side is concave may remain on the roll-shaped printing paper 12. In a state before the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the roll-shaped printing paper 12 is completely covered with the housing 111. For this reason, the user or the like cannot directly touch the printing paper 12. The configuration of the ink ribbon 30 will be described later.

  With reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the structure of the apparatus arrange | positioned inside the housing 101 of the printing apparatus 100 concerning 1st embodiment of this invention, and the printing apparatus 100 concerning 1st embodiment of this invention. A functional block will be described.

  Inside the housing 101 are a grip roller 9, a pinch roller 8, a guide portion 6, a decurling portion 7, a print head (thermal head) 3, a platen roller 4, and a pair of paper discharge rollers 10 and 11. The cutter unit 5 is disposed. The decurling unit 7 is a part that corrects curling of the printing paper 12. The guide unit 6 is a part that guides the printing paper 12. The print head 3 and the platen roller 4 are portions that transfer the ink 33, 34, 35, 36 of the ink ribbon 30 to the printing paper 12. Furthermore, the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an unillustrated paper feed mechanism and an ink ribbon supply mechanism. An arrow A in FIG. 2 indicates the direction of conveyance of the printing paper 12 during printing. As shown in FIG. 2, the decurling unit 7 is disposed downstream of the print head 3 in the printing direction.

  With reference to FIG. 3, functions of the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The main controller 201 performs overall control of the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The main controller 201 can control the motor drivers 211, 214, 216, 218, 220, 230, 231, the display control unit 222, the driver controller 225, and the head drive circuit 226. Furthermore, the main controller 201 can generate print data used for printing using the image data input from the image data input unit 229. The print data includes color data for each color of the image (= yellow color data, magenta color data, and cyan color data) and data that is not color data (for example, overcoat data). Further, the main controller 201 can execute predetermined processing in accordance with the operation of the operation unit 103 by the user. The ROM 202 and RAM 203 can store computer programs (software) executed by the main controller 201 and various settings. The main controller 201 can read a computer program (software) from the ROM 202 or the RAM 203 and execute it.

  When the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the roller 112 of the printing paper 12 is rotated by the rotation mechanism (of the paper feed motor 215 of the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention). (Not shown). The supply roller 113 of the ink ribbon 30 and the winding roller 114 of the ink ribbon 30 are connected to a motor 217 that winds up the ink ribbon 30. The roller 112 of the printing paper 12, the supply roller 113 of the ink ribbon 30, and the hoisting roller 114 of the ink ribbon 30 are respectively set by the main controller 201 of the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The rotation is controlled.

  The printing paper transport motor driver 211 drives the drive motors 212 and 213. The drive motors 212 and 213 are connected to the grip roller 9 and the pair of paper discharge rollers 10 and 11 via a rotational power transmission mechanism (not shown). When the printing paper transport motor driver 211 drives the drive motors 212 and 213, the grip roller 9 and the pair of paper discharge rollers 10 and 11 rotate, and the printing paper 12 is transported. The paper feed motor driver 214 controls the rotation of the paper feed motor 215. The rotation shaft of the paper feed motor 215 is connected to the roller 112 of the printing paper 12 via a rotational power transmission mechanism (not shown). The paper feed motor driver 214 drives the roller 112 of the printing paper 12. The ink ribbon winding motor driver 216 drives the ink ribbon winding motor 217. The winding roller 114 of the ink ribbon 30 and the ink ribbon winding motor 217 are coupled to each other via a rotation mechanism (not shown). Then, the ink ribbon winding motor driver 216 winds and winds up the ink ribbon 30. The head up / down motor driver 218 drives the head up / down motor 219. The head up / down motor 219 moves the print head 3 to the print position or the retracted position by moving the print head 3 up and down. The “printing position” of the print head 3 is a position where the ink ribbon 30 can be heated to transfer the inks 33, 34, 35, 36 to the printing paper 12. On the other hand, the “retreat position” refers to a position where the ink 33, 34, 35, 36 cannot be transferred to the printing paper 12. The cutter motor driver 220 drives the cutter motor 221. The cutter motor 221 drives the cutter and the cutter receiving blade of the cutter unit 5. Then, the cutter motor driver 220 drives the cutter motor 221 to cut the printing paper 12. The head pressure changing motor driver 231 can control the driving of the motor 14. For this reason, the printing pressure of the print head 3 can be changed, and the nip force generated between the print head 3 and the platen roller 4 can be changed.

  Each image memory 224Y, 224M, 224C, 224O can hold print data for one screen generated by the main controller 201. Specifically, the image memory 224Y can hold yellow color data of print data for one screen. The image memory 224M can hold magenta color data of print data for one screen. The image memory 224C can hold cyan color data of print data for one screen. The image memory 224O can hold data that is not color data.

  The driver controller 225 transfers the print data read from the image memories 224Y, 224M, 224C, 224O to the head drive circuit 226. The driver controller 225 controls the head drive circuit 226, and the head drive circuit 226 drives the print head 3. As described above, the head drive circuit 226 performs printing using the transferred print data.

  The decurling unit driving motor driver 230 controls the motor 13 that drives the decurling unit 7. The decurling unit driving motor driver 230 drives the motor 13 to change the degree of curl correction (= decal amount). A configuration for changing the degree of curl correction will be described later.

  When the cartridge 110 is mounted, the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention first feeds the printing paper 12 wound around the roller 112 to a place where it is sandwiched between the grip roller 9 and the pinch roller 8. Furthermore, the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is configured to print the paper 12 between the guide unit 6 and the decurling unit 7, between the print head 3 and the platen roller 4, and a pair of paper discharge rollers. Between 10 and 11. A position where the printing paper 12 passes through the pair of paper discharge rollers 10 and 11 is referred to as a “print standby position”. At the print standby position, the portion of the printing paper 12 that contacts the heat generating portion (not shown) of the print head 3 is the print start position. The print head 3 and the platen roller 4 do not apply pressure to the print paper 12 until the print paper 12 is pulled out to the print standby position. For this reason, the printing paper 12 can pass between the printing head 3 and the platen roller 4 without being pressurized until reaching the printing standby position.

  The ink ribbon 30 is fed from the ink ribbon supply roller 113, passes through a position overlapping the printing paper 12, and is taken up by the ink ribbon winding roller 114.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the ink ribbon 30 applied to the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the ink ribbon 30 has a surface of sublimation inks 33, 34, and 35 and a surface of molten ink 36. The sublimation inks 33, 34, and 35 have a yellow sublimation ink 33 surface, a magenta sublimation ink 34 surface, and a cyan sublimation ink 35 surface. The surface of the molten ink 36 has an optional ink surface. The option ink is an ink that is not a color ink. For example, as the optional ink, an overcoat ink for protecting the surface of the printed material and enhancing the weather resistance and abrasion resistance is applied. Then, each surface is printed on a surface-by-surface basis (printed for each ink). The molten ink 36 of the ink ribbon 30 used in the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention contains a resin composition such as an acrylic resin composition. For this reason, when the molten ink 36 transferred to the printing paper 12 is deformed beyond the crack limit value, cracks may occur.

  The ink ribbon 30 shown in FIG. 4 has a surface of three colors of sublimation inks 33, 34, and 35 and a surface of one type of molten ink 36. The configuration of the ink ribbon 30 is the same as that shown in FIG. It is not limited. That is, the type and number of sublimation ink surfaces and the type and number of molten ink surfaces are not limited. For example, a configuration including a monochrome sublimation ink surface (for example, a black sublimation ink surface) and one type of molten ink surface may be employed. Further, a special color (= color other than yellow, magenta, and cyan) ink surface may be added as the molten ink surface. That is, the surface of the yellow sublimation ink 33, the surface of the magenta sublimation ink 34, and the surface of the cyan sublimation ink 35 are provided as the surface of the sublimation ink. The ink surface may be provided. Further, all the ink surfaces need not be arranged in the order of printing on one ink ribbon 30. For example, the ink ribbon 30 may be replaced for each color.

  When printing is started, the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention sandwiches the printing paper 12 with a predetermined pressure by the print head 3 and the platen roller 4 and does not slip by the pinch roller 8 and the grip roller 9. Hold it like this. In the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the printing paper 12 is wound around the roller 112 by the rotation of the pinch roller 8 and the grip roller 9 (direction of arrow A in FIG. 2). Transport. The printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention heats the ink ribbon 30 by the heat generating portion of the print head 3 while moving the printing paper 12. Thereby, the sublimation inks 33, 34, 35 or the melted ink 36 formed on the surface of the ink ribbon 30 is transferred to the surface of the printing paper 12 on the side where the ink receiving layer is formed. Thus, the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention performs printing by transferring the ink 33, 34, 35, 36 of the ink ribbon 30 onto the printing paper 12. Note that the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention performs surface-sequential printing for each ink of the ink ribbon 30.

  Since the decurling unit 7 is disposed on the downstream side in the printing direction, the printing paper 12 to which the inks 33, 34, 35, and 36 are transferred passes between the guide unit 6 and the decurling unit 7. In the meantime, the printing paper 12 is squeezed by the decurling unit 7 in the direction of the back curl (= in the direction opposite to the curl direction). Thereby, the curl of the printing paper 12 is corrected. The printing paper 12 is conveyed by being bent by the decurling unit 7 in the direction opposite to the curling direction. For this reason, the guide unit 6 guides the printing paper 12 so that the printing paper 12 is not removed from the conveyance path. A specific configuration for curl correction is as follows. In the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the printing paper 12 is sandwiched between the guide portion 6 and the decurling portion 7 at two locations, the front and the rear. In other words, the printing paper 12 is sandwiched between two places, and the decurling unit 7 is pressed between these two places. The printing paper 12 is bent and bent by the decurling unit 7 toward the opposite side of the curling direction. In other words, the surface on which the ink receiving layer is formed (= the surface on which the inks 33, 34, 35, and 36 are transferred) is bent and creased. In this way, the printing paper 12 is bent and squeezed on the opposite side of the curl direction (= in the direction of the back curl), whereby the curl (= top curl) is corrected.

  In the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the degree of curl correction (= decal amount) can be changed by the decurling unit driving motor driver 230 driving the motor 13 and rotating the decurling unit 7. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views schematically showing the configuration of the decurling unit 7. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the decurling unit 7 is a substantially rod-shaped or substantially cylindrical member. Decal portion 7 has a plurality of portions having different radii of curvature. 5 (a) and 5 (b) show a configuration having two portions having different curvature radii (= a portion having a radius of curvature r1 and a portion having a radius of curvature r2). Note that r1 <r2. For convenience of explanation, a portion having a radius of curvature r1 is referred to as a “portion having a small radius of curvature”, and a portion having a radius of curvature r2 is referred to as a “portion having a large radius of curvature”.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which a portion with a large radius of the decurling unit 7 is pressed against the printing paper 12. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the decurling unit 7 of the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. A portion of the decurling unit 7 having a small radius of curvature is pressed against the printing paper 12. It is a figure which shows a state. As described above, the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention switches which of the portion with the larger radius of curvature and the portion with the smaller radius is pressed against the printing paper 12 by the rotation of the decurling unit 7. be able to. A state in which a portion having a small curvature radius is pressed against the printing paper is referred to as “strong mode”, and a state in which a portion having a large curvature radius is pressed against the printing paper 12 is referred to as “weak mode”. The degree of curl correction of the printing paper 12 can be changed by switching between the “strong mode” and the “weak mode”. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, in the “weak mode”, a portion having a large curvature radius is pressed against the printing paper 12. For this reason, the force which bends the printing paper 12 in the direction of the back curl becomes small, and the degree of curl correction (= decal amount) becomes small. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, in the “strong mode”, a portion having a small curvature radius is pressed against the printing paper 12. For this reason, the force to bend the printing paper 12 to the opposite side of curl (= back curl direction) increases, and the degree of curl correction (= decurl amount) increases.

  In the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the decurling unit 7 is disposed downstream of the printing head 3 in the printing direction. Therefore, the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention corrects the curling of the printing paper 12 after transferring the sublimation inks 33, 34, 35 and the molten ink 36 to the printing paper 12. When printing is performed using the sublimation inks 33, 34, and 35 before the decurling unit 7 corrects the curl, the degree of curl correction is switched to the “strong mode”. Then, the degree of curl correction is increased. On the other hand, when printing is performed using the melted ink 36 before the decurling unit 7 corrects the curl, the degree of curl correction is switched to the “weak mode”. Then, the degree of curl correction is reduced. In other words, the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention reduces the degree of curl correction when transferring the molten ink 36 compared to when transferring the sublimation inks 33, 34, and 35. .

  1, 4, and 5 show the configuration in which the decurling unit 7 has two portions with different curvature radii, but the decurling unit 7 may have three or more portions with different curvature radii. Good. That is, the shape of the decurling unit 7 is not particularly limited. The point is that the decurling unit 7 may have a plurality of portions having different radii of curvature and can selectively press any one of the plurality of portions against the printing paper 12.

  Here, a problem that occurs when curling is corrected will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the cause of cracking in the molten ink 36 transferred to the printing paper 12 and the cracking mode of the molten ink 36. As shown in FIG. 7A, even after the molten ink 36 is transferred to the surface of the ink receiving layer of the printing paper 12, cracks are generated in the molten ink 36 before the decurled portion 7 is smeared. Not. When the portion where the molten ink 36 is transferred is squeezed by the decurling unit 7, the printing paper 12 is curved in a form that forms a back curl (= opposite to the curl direction). Therefore, a tensile force is applied to the transferred molten ink 36. If the crack limit value of the melted ink 36 is exceeded, cracks occur in the melted ink 36 as shown in FIG. Once cracks occur in the molten ink 36, the cracks remain even after the curl is corrected, as shown in FIG. For this reason, as shown in FIG.7 (d), when the printed matter in which the crack generate | occur | produced is observed visually, a crack will look like a streak. In this way, when cracks occur in the transferred molten ink 36, the quality of the printed matter is lowered. Furthermore, if moisture or ozone enters from cracks, the weather resistance of the transferred molten ink is lowered.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a problem that occurs when curl correction is insufficient. FIG. 8A shows a state where the curl correction is sufficient, and FIG. 8B shows a state where the curl correction is insufficient. If the curl correction is insufficient, the printing paper 12 is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 120 with the curl remaining as shown in FIG. If curls remain on the discharged printing paper 12, the number of sheets that can be discharged to the paper discharge tray 120 may be less than the specification due to the curling of the printing paper 12. In addition, the newly ejected printing paper 12 may collide with the already ejected printing paper 12, and the stacking position may be shifted. If the curl correction is sufficient, such a problem does not occur as shown in FIG. However, if the curl correction is too strong, cracks may occur in the transferred molten ink 36 as described above.

  Therefore, the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention changes the degree of curl correction according to the type of ink. That is, when the molten ink 36 is transferred, the mode is switched to the “weak mode” to reduce the degree of curl correction. On the other hand, when the sublimation inks 33, 34, and 35 are transferred, the “strong mode” is set to increase the degree of curl correction. In other words, when the molten ink 36 is transferred, the degree of curl correction is made smaller than when the sublimation inks 33, 34, and 35 are transferred. The configuration and method for changing the degree of curl correction are as described above. As described above, the curl correcting method according to the first embodiment of the present invention and the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention prevent the cracking from occurring in the transferred molten ink 36, while preventing the printing paper 12 from being cracked. The curl can be corrected. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a printed matter in which the molten ink 36 is not cracked and the curl is corrected.

  Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The following operations and processes are stored as a computer program (software) in the ROM 202 or the RAM 203, and are read and executed by the main controller 201.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an overall processing flow of the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In step S <b> 1-1, the main controller 201 relates to image data selected as a print target by the user via the operation unit 103 from the image data input from the image data input unit 229 and displayed on the display unit 102. Receive information. In step S <b> 1-2, the main controller 201 determines whether there is a print instruction from the user via the operation unit 103. If it is determined in step S1-2 that a print instruction has been given (if “YES” is determined), the process proceeds to step S1-3. If it is not determined in step S1-2 that a print instruction has been given (if "NO" is determined), the process waits until it is determined that a print instruction has been given.

  In step S1-3, the main controller 201 determines whether or not the selected image data can be printed. Here, the main controller 201 determines whether or not all the image data selected in step S <b> 1-1 can be printed based on the remaining amount of the printing paper 12. In step S <b> 1-3, when it is determined that all the selected image data cannot be printed (when “NO” is determined), the main controller 201 controls the display control unit 222. The display unit 102 displays a message indicating that printing is not possible. Then, the process proceeds to step S1-6. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1-3 that printing is possible (if “YES” is determined), the process proceeds to step S1-4. In step S1-4, the main controller 201 generates print data of the selected image data. As described above, the print data includes color data for each color and data that is not color data. Then, the main controller 201 stores the generated print data in the image memories 224Y, 224M, 224C, and 224O through the driver controller 225. In step S1-5, the main controller 201 performs print processing using the generated print data. Details of the printing process in step S1-5 will be described later.

  In step S1-6, the main controller 201 determines whether there is next image data (= image data that has not yet been subjected to print processing) selected as a print target. If it is determined in step S1-6 that there is the next image data selected as a print target (if “YES” is determined), the process returns to step S1-3, and steps S1-3 to S1. The process of -5 is executed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1-6 that there is no next image data selected as a print target (if “NO” is determined), the process proceeds to step S1-7. Even when it is determined in step S1-3 that printing is not possible (even when “NO” is determined), the process proceeds to step S1-7.

  In step S1-7, the main controller 201 performs an end process. Specifically, the main controller 201 drives the print paper transport motor driver 211 to move the print head 3 to the retracted position, and drives the head up / down motor driver 218 to move the print paper 12 to the print preparation position. Let

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the printing process of the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. First, printing processing is started using the generated print data for the image designated for printing in step S1-5.

  In step S2-1, the main controller 201 prepares print data for one screen as a print target. That is, it is read from the image memories 224Y, 224M, 224C, 224O. In step S2-2, the main controller 201 determines whether the type of ink used for printing is sublimation ink or melted ink before curl correction. Thus, the main controller 201 functions as an ink type determination unit of the present invention. The determination of the ink type is performed based on whether the image data is color data. Specifically, the main controller 201 as the ink type determination unit determines that the ink type is color ink if the print data is color data (= any one of yellow, magenta, and cyan). If it is color ink, it is determined that it is sublimation ink. On the other hand, the main controller 201 as the ink type determination unit determines that the ink type is not color ink if the print data is not color data (for example, if it is overcoat data). If it is not color ink, it is determined to be molten ink. As described above, the curl correction method according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an ink type determination step of determining whether the type of ink used for printing is sublimation ink or melted ink. In this ink type determination step, when the ink used for printing is a color ink, it is determined that the ink type is a sublimation ink, and when it is not a color ink, it is determined that the ink is a molten ink.

  The main controller 201 changes the degree of curl correction by the decurling unit 7 based on this determination result (= the determination result in the ink type determination step). That is, the main controller 201 drives the motor 13 using the decurling unit driving motor driver 230 to change the direction of the decurling unit 7. Specifically, when it is determined in step S2-2 that the ink type is sublimation ink (when it is determined "YES"), the main controller 201 determines the degree of curl correction (= Set Decal Amount to “High Mode”. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S2-2 that the type of ink is molten ink (when “NO” is determined), the main controller 201 sets the degree of curl correction to “weak mode”. Set to. Thus, the main controller 201 changes the degree of curl correction by the decurling unit 7 based on the determination result of the ink type determining unit in the printing process. That is, the main controller 201 also has a function as a curl correction amount changing unit of the present invention. The printing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a curl correction amount changing step of changing the degree of curl correction according to the type of ink determined in step S2-3 (that is, the ink type determination step). .

  In step S2-5, the main controller 201 reads the print data for one screen prepared in step S2-1 using the driver controller 225. Then, the print head 3 is driven using the head drive circuit 226, and the read image data for one screen is printed. In step S2-6, the main controller 201 performs curl correction based on the degree of curl correction set in step S2-3 or step S2-4. The curl correcting method is as described above.

  In step S2-7, the main controller 201 determines whether there is print data of an image to be printed next. If it is determined that there is print data for the next image to be printed (if “YES” is determined), the process returns to step S 2-1. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no print data for an image to be printed next (when it is determined “NO”), the printing process is terminated.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that parts different from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and description of parts common to the first embodiment may be omitted.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the decurling unit 7b of the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The same configuration as that of the printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention can be applied to portions other than the portion shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the decurling unit 7 b of the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention can reciprocate in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the printing paper 12 (in other words, the thickness direction of the printing paper 12). . Then, by changing the amount of entry of the decurling unit 7b into the printing paper 12 (in other words, the relative position between the decurling unit 7b and the printing paper 12), the contact length between the decurling unit 7b and the printing paper 12 is changed. The tension applied to the printing paper 12 can be changed. The “rush amount” refers to the distance that the decurling unit 7b presses the printing paper 12 from one side to the other side in the thickness direction. The arrows in FIG. 11 indicate the direction of entry of the decurling unit 7b.

  Increasing the amount of the decurling portion 7b entering the printing paper 12 increases the contact length between the printing paper 12 and the decurling portion 7b, and increases the tension applied to the printing paper 12. For this reason, the squeezing force of the printing paper 12 is increased, and the degree of curl correction is increased. On the other hand, when the amount of rush of the decurling unit 7b into the printing paper 12 is reduced, the contact length between the printing paper 12 and the decurling unit 7b is shortened, and the tension applied to the printing paper 12 is reduced. For this reason, the strength of the printing paper 12 is weakened, and the degree of curl correction is reduced. As described above, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the degree of curl correction of the printing paper 12 is changed by changing the amount of the decurling portion 7b entering the printing paper 12.

  In the second embodiment, when the sublimation inks 33, 34, and 35 are transferred, the amount of entry of the decurling portion 7b is increased to increase the degree of curl correction. On the other hand, when transferring the melted ink 36, the amount of the decurling portion 7b is reduced to reduce the degree of curl correction. A state in which the amount of the decurling portion 7b entering the printing paper 12 is large is the “strong mode”, and a state in which the decurling portion 7b is small is the “weak mode”. Thus, in the second embodiment, the degree of curl correction is changed by changing the position of the decurling unit 7b (= the amount of entry into the printing paper 12). Other configurations and processes are the same as those in the first embodiment of the present invention. That is, also in the second embodiment of the present invention, the main controller 201 functions as a curl correction amount changing unit. Then, the main controller 201 as a curl correction amount changing unit changes the amount of curl correction by changing the amount of decurling unit 7 entering the printing paper 12.

<Third embodiment>
Next, a curl correction method and printing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, description is abbreviate | omitted about the part which is common in 1st embodiment of this invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the guide unit 6, the decurling unit 7c, the print head 3, and the platen roller 4 of the printing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In addition, about the part other than the part shown in FIG. 12, the same structure as the printing apparatus 100 concerning 1st embodiment of this invention is applicable. As shown in FIG. 12, the printing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention can change the pressure (that is, the printing pressure) between which the printing paper 12 is sandwiched by the print head 3 and the platen roller 4. The arrows in FIG. 12 schematically show the force applied to the printing paper by the print head 3 and the platen roller 4. The printing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention changes the degree of curl correction by changing the pressure between the print head 3 and the platen roller 4 to sandwich the printing paper 12.

  Specifically, the head pressure changing motor driver 231 controls the driving of the motor 14 to change the printing pressure of the print head 3 and change the nip force generated between the print head 3 and the platen roller 4. . Then, by changing the nip force, the tension of the printing paper 12 generated between the print head 3 and the grip roller 9 can be changed. When the tension applied to the printing paper 12 changes, the force applied to the printing paper 12 in the decurling portion (= the force that bends in the direction of the back curl) changes, so the degree of curl correction also changes. That is, in the third embodiment of the present invention, the state where the printing pressure of the print head 3 is large is the “strong mode”, and the state where the printing pressure is small is the “weak mode”.

  In the third embodiment of the present invention, when transferring the sublimation inks 33, 34, and 35, the printing pressure of the print head 3 is increased to increase the degree of curl correction (= “strong mode”). ). On the other hand, when transferring the molten ink 36, the printing pressure of the print head 3 is reduced to reduce the degree of curl correction (= "weak mode"). Other than that, the same processing as in the first embodiment of the present invention can be applied. That is, also in the third embodiment of the present invention, the main controller 201 functions as a curl correction amount changing unit. Then, the main controller 201 as the curl correction amount changing unit changes the degree of curl correction by changing the tension applied to the portion of the printing paper 12 against which the decurling unit 7 is pressed.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software that implements the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media. The system or apparatus computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) reads out and executes the program.

  Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It is.

  In the embodiment, the degree of curl correction is two stages, “strong mode” and “weak mode”, but the number of stages of curl correction is not limited. There may be three or more stages, or a non-stage (configuration in which the degree of curl correction changes smoothly and continuously).

  The type of ink used for printing in the present invention is not limited. In short, the type of ink is not limited as long as it is a printing device that may cause cracks in the transferred ink, and can be applied to various printing devices.

1: printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, 7: decurling unit, 30: ink ribbon, 33, 34, 35: sublimation ink (color ink), 36: molten ink (ink which is not color ink), 201: main Controller, 12: Rolled printing paper

Claims (10)

A printing apparatus that draws out a roll of printing paper, transfers sublimation ink and molten ink to the drawn printing paper, and prints an image.
A decurling unit that corrects the curling of the printing paper by bending the printing paper to the side opposite to the curling direction of the printing paper;
A curl correction amount changing unit that changes the degree of curl correction by the decurling unit according to whether the ink transferred to the printing paper is sublimation ink or melted ink;
A printing apparatus comprising:   The curl correction amount changing unit, when the ink transferred to the printing paper is a molten ink, reduces the degree of curl correction compared to the case of sublimation ink. Printing device.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an ink type determination unit that determines whether the ink used for printing is sublimation ink or melted ink. Having a print head for transferring sublimation ink and molten ink to the printing paper;
4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the decurling unit corrects curling of the printing paper onto which ink is transferred by the printing head. 5.   The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the decurling unit is disposed downstream of the printing head in the printing direction.   The decurling unit includes a plurality of portions having different radii of curvature, and the curl correction amount changing unit changes a degree of curl correction by changing a portion of the decurling unit pressed against the printing paper. A printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   6. The curl correction amount changing unit changes a degree of curl correction by changing a rush amount of the decurling unit into the printing paper. 6. Printing device.   6. The curl correction amount changing unit changes a degree of curl correction by changing a tension of the printing paper applied to a portion pressed against the decurling unit. The printing apparatus according to item. A printing method in which printing paper wound in a roll shape is pulled out, and sublimation ink and molten ink are transferred to the drawn printing paper to print an image,
A process of correcting the curl of the printing paper by bending the printing paper to the side opposite to the curling direction of the printing paper;
A process of changing the degree of curl correction of the printing paper depending on whether the ink transferred to the printing paper is a sublimation ink or a molten ink;
A printing method comprising: A program for causing a computer to execute a printing method of a printing apparatus that pulls out printing paper wound in a roll shape, transfers sublimation ink and molten ink to the drawn printing paper, and prints an image,
A process of correcting the curl of the printing paper by bending the printing paper to the side opposite to the curling direction of the printing paper;
A process of changing the degree of curl correction of the printing paper depending on whether the ink transferred to the printing paper is a sublimation ink or a molten ink;
A program that causes a computer to execute.

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