JP2015128847A - Liquid droplet discharge device, discharge state confirming method, and printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid droplet discharge device capable of confirming a discharge state of ink droplets conveniently without wasting a printing medium.SOLUTION: A liquid droplet discharge device (an ink jet printing device 100) comprises an ink discharge head 11 having a nozzle for discharging liquid droplets to a cloth 2 and a test printing medium 3 and supported movably. The liquid droplet discharge device can be set, within a range for the ink discharge head 11 to move, to a printing start position, at which a printing image is formed by discharging liquid droplets to the cloth 2, and an inspection start position, at which a discharge testing image of the nozzle is formed by discharging liquid droplets to the test printing medium 3.

Description

  The present invention relates to a droplet discharge device, a discharge state confirmation method, and a printing method.

  The ink jet printer as a droplet discharge device has been technologically advanced, and various forms of printing can be performed on various print media. For example, printing (printing) on fabrics such as cotton, silk, wool, chemical fibers, and blends has been conventionally performed using a screen printing apparatus using a dyeing die, but in recent years, printing by an ink jet printer has attracted attention. Yes.

  Patent Document 1 describes an inkjet printing apparatus that performs printing (printing) on a long cloth wound in a roll shape. This ink jet printing apparatus includes a conveyance belt having adhesiveness on the surface, and performs printing by discharging droplets (ink droplets) onto a cloth that is adhesively supported on the conveyance belt. As described above, since textile printing is often performed continuously on a long cloth, liquid droplets are normally ejected at the start of printing, switching of an image to be printed, or during printing. It is necessary to make sure of this. Checking nozzles that discharge droplets is easy and reliable to visually check the images that are actually formed by discharging droplets, so there are nozzles that do not discharge nozzles normally. It is often done by printing a special inspection pattern that is easy to check.

JP 2009-173443 A

However, in the ink jet textile printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when the inspection pattern is printed on the cloth, the problem is that the cloth is wasted, and a continuous image (pattern or design) is cut off due to the inspection pattern. Therefore, there is a problem in that the inspection pattern may not be printed on the cloth.
Therefore, in order to prevent the test pattern from being printed on the cloth, a method of laying paper (cut sheet) on which the test pattern is printed on the cloth has been taken. There is a problem in that it may not be sufficiently fixed on the surface of the ink jet and may float, and may be mechanically buffered with the ink discharge head.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following application examples or forms.

  Application Example 1 A droplet discharge device according to this application example includes an ink discharge head that has a nozzle that discharges droplets on a print medium and an inspection print medium and is movably supported. Within a movable range, a print start position where a print image is formed by discharging the droplet onto the print medium, and a discharge inspection image of the nozzle is formed by discharging the droplet onto the inspection print medium. The inspection start position to be set can be set.

  According to this application example, the droplet discharge device includes the ink discharge head that is movably supported by the nozzle that discharges droplets to the print medium and the test print medium. In addition, within the range in which the ink discharge head can move, a print start position where a print image is formed by discharging droplets onto the print medium, and a nozzle discharge inspection image by discharging droplets onto the test print medium. The inspection start position to be formed can be set. That is, since it is not necessary to form a nozzle discharge inspection image by placing an inspection print medium (for example, a cut sheet) on the print medium, it is mechanically buffered with an ink discharge head in which the inspection print medium moves relatively. Trouble that you do.

  Application Example 2 In the liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to the application example, the droplet ejection apparatus includes a conveyance unit that conveys the print medium and the inspection print medium in a conveyance direction, and the ink ejection head is in a scanning direction that intersects the conveyance direction. It is characterized by being supported so as to be movable.

  According to this application example, the transport unit that transports the print medium and the test print medium in the transport direction is provided, and the ink discharge head is supported so as to be movable in the scanning direction that intersects the transport direction. That is, a serial head type ink jet printer or the like corresponds to this. Even in the droplet discharge device having such a configuration, it is not necessary to form a nozzle discharge inspection image by placing an inspection print medium on the print medium, so that the inspection print medium moves in the scanning direction. Troubles that mechanically buffer the discharge head are eliminated.

  Application Example 3 In the liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to the application example, the print image is printed by setting an end position of the print range and an end position of the inspection range within a range in which the ink ejection head can move. A range and an inspection range of the ejection inspection image are set.

  According to this application example, the print range and the inspection range are set by setting the end position of the print range and the end position of the inspection range within a range in which the ink discharge head can move. That is, in a serial head type ink jet printer or the like, the print range and the inspection range can be easily set separately by setting the start position of the print range and the start position of the inspection range.

  Application Example 4 In the liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to the application example, the timing for forming the ejection inspection image can be set.

  According to this application example, since the timing for forming the ejection inspection image can be set, for example, when printing is continuously performed for a long time on a print medium (for example, a long cloth), it is periodically performed. It is possible to set so that a nozzle discharge inspection image is formed. As a result, it is possible to easily perform periodic monitoring of print quality.

  Application Example 5 A method for checking an ejection state according to this application example is provided in a droplet ejection apparatus including an ink ejection head that has a nozzle that ejects droplets on a print medium and an inspection print medium and is movably supported. A method for confirming a discharge state of the nozzle, wherein the ink discharge head is movable in a region that does not overlap a print range in which a droplet is discharged onto the print medium to form a print image. A discharge inspection image of the nozzle is formed by discharging the droplet onto a print medium.

  The method for confirming the ejection state of this application example is to confirm the ejection state of a nozzle in a droplet ejection apparatus having a nozzle that ejects droplets on a print medium and an inspection print medium and having an ink ejection head supported so as to be movable. Is the method. In the range where the ink ejection head can move, eject the droplets onto the test print medium and eject the nozzles in an area that does not overlap the print range (the area where the print image is formed by ejecting the liquid droplets onto the print medium). An inspection image is formed. In other words, the printing range and the range where the nozzle ejection inspection image is formed are divided so that the nozzle ejection inspection image is not formed in the printing range. As a result, there is no need to place an inspection print medium on the print medium to form a nozzle discharge inspection image, and there is no trouble that the inspection print medium is mechanically buffered with the ink discharge head.

  Application Example 6 In the ejection state confirmation method according to the application example described above, the ejection inspection image is formed at a desired timing before the formation of the print image and / or during the formation of the print image. It is characterized by.

  According to this application example, the ejection inspection image is formed before starting the formation of the print image and / or at a desired timing during the formation of the print image. In the range in which the ink ejection head can move, the print range and the range where the nozzle ejection inspection image is formed are separated so that the print image can be printed even if the ejection inspection image is formed during the formation of the print image. Will not be affected. That is, it is possible to make a setting for forming an ejection inspection image at a desired timing during the formation of a print image. For example, it is possible to perform periodic inspection of print quality (observation of the state of the nozzles) by forming ejection inspection images at a desired period (a constant time interval or a constant print area) during printing. As a result, the formation of the printed image can be continued more stably.

  Application Example 7 A printing method according to this application example includes the above-described discharge state confirmation method.

  According to the printing method of this application example, for example, when continuous printing is performed, an ejection inspection image is formed at a desired cycle (a constant time interval or a constant print area). , Periodic inspection of print quality (nozzle state observation) can be performed. As a result, the formation of the printed image can be continued more stably.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a droplet discharge device according to a first embodiment. The perspective view which shows a conveyance part and an ink discharge head typically The top view which looked at the perspective view of FIG. 2 from the top

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following is one embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the present invention. In the following drawings, the scale may be different from the actual scale for easy understanding.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of an inkjet textile printing apparatus 100 as a “droplet ejection apparatus” according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction, the + Z direction is the upward direction, the Y-axis direction is the front-rear direction, the + Y direction is the front direction, the X-axis direction is the left-right direction, the + X direction is the left direction, and the XY plane The surface is parallel to the floor on which the printing apparatus 100 is installed.

  The ink jet textile printing apparatus 100 ejects ink as “droplets”, thereby serially printing an image on a cloth 2 supplied in a roll form as a “printing medium” (hereinafter referred to as printing). Inkjet printer. The ink jet textile printing apparatus 100 includes a printing unit 10, a supply unit 20, a storage unit 30, a transport unit 40, a control unit (not shown), and the like.

The printing unit 10 is a part that forms (prints) an image on the cloth 2 in accordance with image information provided in the control unit. The printing unit 10 includes an ink ejection head 11 having nozzles that eject ink onto the surface of the cloth 2, a head moving mechanism ( (Not shown).
A plurality of ink discharge heads 11 are provided for each type of ink to be discharged. For example, yellow, magenta, cyan, black, clear, etc. are used as the ink type.
The head moving mechanism supports the ink ejection head 11 so as to be movable in the scanning direction (Y-axis direction) intersecting the conveyance direction (X direction) of the cloth 2 by the conveyance unit 40 under the control of the control unit. .

  The supply unit 20 is a print medium supply unit that stores the cloth 2 before printing, and is provided on the upstream side of the printing unit 10 in the conveyance path of the cloth 2 and includes a feeding reel 21 on which the cloth 2 is loaded. . The supply reel 21 is rotated by a supply motor (not shown) to supply the cloth 2 toward the printing unit 10 disposed on the downstream side of the supply unit 20.

  The storage unit 30 is a storage unit for a print medium that takes up and stores the printed fabric 2. The storage unit 30 is positioned on the downstream side of the printing unit 10 in the transport path of the fabric 2, and takes up a take-up reel 31 that winds up the fabric 2. I have. The take-up reel 31 is rotated by a take-up motor (not shown) and takes up the cloth 2 sent through the printing unit 10 arranged on the upstream side of the storage unit 30.

The conveyance unit 40 includes a conveyance belt 41, conveyance rollers 42 and 43, and the like.
The conveyor belt 41 is a loop-like endless belt and is stretched around the conveyor rollers 42 and 43. The conveyance roller 42 is rotated by a drive motor (not shown) that is driven along with image formation under the control of the control unit, and rotates the conveyance belt 41 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. Transport. The transport roller 43 is a driven roller and rotates according to the rotation of the transport belt 41.

  An adhesive pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (not shown) called a glue is provided on the surface of the transport belt 41, and the cloth 2 fed out from the feed reel 21 or the inspection print medium 3 (described later) placed on the surface. Is supported on the surface of the conveyor belt 41 by adhesion. The cloth 2 is conveyed below the printing unit 10 according to the rotation of the conveyance belt 41.

  In addition, the conveyance roller with which the conveyance part 40 is provided, and its arrangement | positioning are not limited to the structure by the conveyance rollers 42 and 43. FIG. The auxiliary roller for assisting the conveyance of the conveyance belt 41 and the lower part of the printing unit 10 between the conveyance rollers 42 and 43 so that the cloth 2 attached to the surface of the conveyance belt 41 is stably conveyed. A platen roller or the like that supports the belt may be provided.

The cloth 2 is a long cloth such as cotton, silk, wool, chemical fiber, and blend. The cloth 2 before printing is fed from the feeding reel 21 and guided to the conveyance belt 41 of the conveyance unit 40 via the intermediate rollers 44 to 46.
The intermediate rollers 44 to 46 are driven rollers. The intermediate roller 46 disposed immediately before the upstream side of the transport belt 41 is disposed slightly below the height of the transport surface of the transport belt 41 so that the cloth 2 can be easily attached to the surface of the transport belt 41. .
The cloth 2 printed by the printing unit 10 is peeled off from the transport belt 41 and taken up on the take-up reel 31.

  The control unit is a control unit that performs centralized control of the inkjet textile printing apparatus 100, and performs conveyance control of the cloth 2, printing control for image formation, scanning movement control of the ink ejection head 11, and the like. In addition, the control unit includes an input / output unit that inputs and outputs necessary information with an external device, a display unit that displays necessary information, and the like (not shown).

  In the configuration as described above, the ink jet textile printing apparatus 100 has a printing range in which a print image is formed by ejecting ink onto the cloth 2 within a range in which the ink ejection head 11 can move, and ink on the inspection printing medium 3. It is characterized in that the inspection range in which the nozzle discharge inspection image is formed can be individually set by discharging the nozzle.

The inspection printing medium 3 is a cut sheet for forming a nozzle discharge inspection image by discharging ink in order to check the discharge state of the nozzle. For example, A3 size paper, resin film, resin plate, etc. Can be used.
The nozzle ejection test image is an image (test chart) that allows the state of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle to be confirmed (viewed). The presence or absence of ejection for each nozzle, variation in ejection position, and the dot size to be formed Any image may be used as long as variations can be easily confirmed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the transport unit 40 and the ink discharge head 11.
The ink discharge head 11 drops on the print medium while reciprocating (scanning) in the Y-axis direction by a head moving mechanism above the print medium (cloth 2 or inspection print medium 3) that is adhesively supported by the transport belt 41. (Ink) is discharged. An image is formed on the print medium by alternately repeating the operation of ejecting droplets on the print medium and the operation of transporting the print medium in the transport direction (X direction) by the transport unit 40.

The range in which the ink ejection head 11 is movable is a range in which ink can be ejected within the range in the width direction of the conveyor belt 41 (a range from P1 to P2 shown in FIG. 2). Hereinafter, the effective discharge range LP is referred to. In the range that exceeds the effective discharge range LP, the adhesive support of the cloth 2 is not reliably performed, so that the quality of an image to be printed may be deteriorated. In the effective discharge range LP, a print range for forming a print image and an inspection range for forming a nozzle discharge inspection image can be individually set.
The ink discharge head 11 may be moved to a range exceeding the effective discharge range LP (for example, the + Y direction side exceeding the width of the conveyor belt 41) for maintenance and the like.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the perspective view of FIG. 2 as viewed from above. In addition, illustration of the ink discharge head 11 is abbreviate | omitted.
In FIG. 3, A1 is the start position of the inspection range, A2 is the end position of the inspection range, B1 is the start position of the print range, and B2 is the end position of the print range. Further, the range from the start position A1 of the inspection range to the end position A2 of the inspection range is the inspection range LA, the range from the start position B1 of the print range to the end position B2 of the print range is the print range LB, and the print medium 3 for inspection The width in the Y-axis direction is MA, and the width of the cloth 2 is MB. The lengths of the width MA of the inspection print medium 3 and the width MB of the cloth 2 are known, and MA + MB ≦ LP.
The start position refers to the + Y side end of a certain range in the range in which the ink discharge head 11 scans, and the end position refers to the −Y side end.

In the inkjet textile printing apparatus 100, the print range LB and the inspection range LA are set by setting the print range start position B1 and the inspection range start position A1 in the effective discharge range LP.
More specifically, the start position P1 of the effective discharge range LP is set to the origin coordinate 0, and the start position A1 of the inspection range LA and the start position of the print range LB are matched with the position and width of the cloth 2 and the print medium 3 for inspection. Coordinates of B1 are input to the control unit in units of mm. Under the control of the control unit, the inkjet textile printing apparatus 100 forms a desired print image at the start position B1 of the print range LB, and forms a discharge inspection image of a desired nozzle at the start position A1 of the inspection range LA. . The end position B2 of the print range LB varies depending on the size of the desired print image, and the end position A2 of the inspection range LA varies depending on the discharge inspection image of the desired nozzle, but the start of the print range LB When the position B1 and the start position A1 of the inspection range LA are set, and the print image and the discharge inspection image are determined, the end position B2 of the print range LB and the end position A2 of the inspection range LA are set based on these information. be able to.

  The inkjet textile printing apparatus 100 having such a configuration simultaneously performs printing of a desired print image on the cloth 2 and printing of a discharge inspection image on the inspection print medium 3 (while the ink discharge head 11 is positioned on the same scanning line). )It can be carried out.

  The ejection inspection image can be formed at an arbitrary timing for confirming the ejection state of the nozzles, such as before printing on the cloth 2, or set at a desired timing during the formation of the print image. You can also. For example, the ejection inspection image can be set to be formed at a desired cycle (a constant time interval at which the ink jet textile printing apparatus 100 operates or a constant printing area).

  Next, an example of a method for confirming a nozzle discharge state and a printing method when printing on the cloth 2 using the inkjet textile printing apparatus 100 will be described.

  First, the cloth 2 is set on the supply unit 20, and the leading portion thereof is adhered to the printing range LB in which the necessary inspection range LA remains within the effective discharge range LP of the transport belt 41 through the transport path. Further, the inspection print medium 3 is adhered to the inspection range LA.

Next, coordinates of the start position A1 of the inspection range LA and the start position B1 of the print range LB are input to the control unit in units of mm.
Next, a discharge inspection image is printed on the inspection print medium 3, and the discharge state of the nozzles is confirmed. When an abnormal discharge is confirmed, necessary maintenance is performed, and the inspection print medium 3 is adhered to the inspection range LA to print a discharge inspection image, and the discharge state of the nozzle is confirmed.

When the ejection state of the nozzles is good, the ejection inspection image is set to be formed at a desired cycle (a constant time interval at which the ink jet textile printing apparatus 100 operates or a constant printing area).
Next, the leading portion of the cloth 2 is wound around the storage unit 30, and desired printing is started.

  Since the ejection inspection image is formed on the inspection print medium 3, it is necessary to place the inspection print medium 3 so as to be adhesively supported on the transport belt 41 before forming the ejection inspection image. Accordingly, when the ejection inspection image is set to be formed at a certain time interval or every certain printing area, the inkjet textile printing apparatus 100 temporarily stops the formation of the printing image and the driving of the conveying unit 40 at the set timing. And report to the operator that it has stopped. After placing the inspection print medium 3, the operator instructs the control unit to form a discharge inspection image, prints the discharge inspection image on the inspection print medium 3, and confirms the discharge state of the nozzles.

As described above, according to the liquid droplet ejection apparatus, the ejection state confirmation method, and the printing method according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
The inkjet textile printing apparatus 100 includes an ink ejection head 11 that has a nozzle that ejects droplets (ink) onto the cloth 2 and the inspection print medium 3 and is movably supported. Further, in a range in which the ink discharge head 11 can move, a printing range LB in which a print image is formed by discharging droplets onto the cloth 2 and a nozzle discharge inspection by discharging droplets onto the test print medium 3 An inspection range LA for forming an image can be set. In other words, by setting the print range LB and the inspection range LA as separate areas, it is possible to set so that the nozzle discharge inspection image is not formed in the print range to be printed on the cloth 2. As a result, print media (eg, cloth) is not wasted for nozzle inspection. In addition, since it is not necessary to form a nozzle discharge inspection image by placing an inspection print medium 3 (for example, a cut sheet) on the cloth 2, the ink discharge head 11 and the machine on which the inspection print medium 3 moves relatively. The problem of buffering is eliminated.

In addition, the print range LB and the inspection range LA are set by setting the start position B1 of the print range LB and the start position A1 of the inspection range LA within a range in which the ink discharge head 11 can move. That is, in a serial head type ink jet printer such as the ink jet textile printing apparatus 100, the print range LB and the inspection range LA can be simply set by setting the start position B1 of the print range LB and the start position A1 of the inspection range LA. Can be divided into
In the embodiment described above, the case where the inspection print medium 3 is on the + Y side on the front side of the cloth 2 is described. However, depending on the operator's work position and the position of the cloth 2, the inspection print medium is used. Since it is possible to set the start position B1 of the print range LB and the start position A1 of the inspection range LA so that 3 is on the −Y side which is the back side of the cloth 2, the usability of the apparatus is greatly improved. Is possible.

  In addition, since the timing for forming the ejection inspection image can be set in the inspection area LA, for example, when printing is continuously performed for a long time on a print medium (for example, a long cloth), it is periodically performed. It can be set so that a discharge inspection image of the nozzle is formed. As a result, it is possible to easily perform periodic monitoring of print quality.

  Further, since the print range LB and the range for forming the nozzle discharge inspection image are not overlapped in the range in which the ink discharge head 11 can move, the discharge inspection image is formed during the formation of the print image. However, the print image is not affected. That is, it is possible to make a setting for forming an ejection inspection image at a desired timing during the formation of a print image. For example, it is possible to perform periodic inspection of print quality (observation of the state of the nozzles) by forming ejection inspection images at a desired period (a constant time interval or a constant print area) during printing. As a result, the formation of the printed image can be continued more stably.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. A modification will be described below. Here, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

(Modification 1)
When the printing range LB and the inspection range LA are set by setting the start position B1 of the print range LB and the start position A1 of the inspection range LA in the effective discharge range LP, the inkjet textile printing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. As described above, the method of dividing the print range LB and the inspection range LA is not limited to this. Any method can be used as long as it can be set so that the region where the print image is formed and the region where the ejection inspection image is formed do not overlap as shown in FIG. An example of variation for division setting will be described as a first modification.

For example, as a simpler method, the start position A1 and the end position A2 are input to set the inspection range LA, and the start position B1 and the end position B2 are input to set the print range LB. It may be. However, in this case, it is necessary to set the end position A2 of the inspection range LA so as not to exceed the start position B1 of the print range LB. There may be a mechanism for issuing an alert when the number exceeds the limit.
This method has an advantage that the print area of the print image and the print area of the discharge inspection image can be set more clearly according to the size of the print medium (cloth 2 or inspection print medium 3).

In addition, as a method that requires less information to be input, a method of setting the inspection range LA and the print range LB simply by inputting a position that becomes a boundary between the inspection range LA and the print range LB. Also good. As shown in FIG. 3, when the inspection range LA is on the + Y side on the front side of the print range LB, the boundary is always between the end position A2 of the inspection range LA and the start position B1 of the print range LB. By setting in advance the width from the end position A2 of the inspection range LA to the boundary and the width from the boundary to the start position B1 of the printing range LB, the degree of freedom of the place where the cloth 2 and the inspection print medium 3 are placed is set. Can be secured.
Similarly, when the inspection range LA is on the −Y side on the back side of the print range LB, the boundary is always between the end position B2 of the print range LB and the start position A1 of the inspection range LA. By setting in advance the width from the end position B2 of the range LB to the boundary and the width from the boundary to the start position A1 of the inspection range LA, the degree of freedom of the place where the cloth 2 and the inspection print medium 3 are placed can be increased. It can be secured.

(Modification 2)
In the first embodiment, the inspection print medium 3 is a cut sheet. For example, A3 size paper, a resin film, a resin plate, or the like can be used. However, the print medium 3 is not necessarily a cut sheet. The inspection print medium 3 may be a long print medium such as the cloth 2. In this case, it is desirable to provide a reel and a conveyance path that can be supplied and stored in the same manner as the cloth 2. In addition, it is preferable that the printed ejection inspection image can be repeatedly used by cleaning and erasing.

  Advantages of using a long print medium as the inspection print medium 3 include, for example, forming a discharge inspection image at regular time intervals and at regular print areas in order to regularly observe the ejection state of the nozzles. When set to do so, an ejection inspection image can be formed while being conveyed simultaneously with the cloth 2. That is, it is not necessary to stop the inkjet textile printing apparatus 100 and set a cut sheet (inspection print medium 3) in order to form a discharge inspection image.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Cloth, 3 ... Test printing medium, 10 ... Printing part, 11 ... Ink discharge head, 20 ... Supply part, 21 ... Feeding reel, 30 ... Storage part, 31 ... Take-up reel, 40 ... Conveying part, 41 ... Conveying belt, 42, 43 ... Conveying roller, 44-46 ... Intermediate roller, 100 ... Inkjet printing apparatus.

Claims (7)

An ink ejection head having a nozzle for ejecting liquid droplets on a print medium and an inspection print medium and supported movably;
In a range in which the ink discharge head can move, a print start position where a print image is formed by discharging the droplets onto the print medium, and the nozzles by discharging the droplets onto the inspection print medium. An inspection start position for forming an ejection inspection image can be set. A transport unit that transports the print medium and the inspection print medium in a transport direction;
The liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink ejection head is supported so as to be movable in a scanning direction that intersects the transport direction.   The print range of the print image and the inspection range of the discharge inspection image are set by setting the end position of the print range and the end position of the inspection range within a range in which the ink discharge head can move. The droplet discharge device according to claim 2.   The droplet discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a timing for forming the discharge inspection image can be set. A method for confirming the ejection state of the nozzles in a droplet ejection apparatus comprising an ink ejection head having a nozzle for ejecting droplets on a print medium and an inspection print medium and supported movably,
In the range in which the ink discharge head is movable, the nozzles are configured to discharge the droplets to the inspection print medium in an area that does not overlap a print range in which the droplets are discharged onto the print medium to form a print image. A method for confirming a discharge state, comprising forming a discharge inspection image.   6. The ejection state confirmation method according to claim 5, wherein the ejection inspection image is formed at a desired timing before starting the formation of the print image and / or during the formation of the print image.   A printing method comprising the method for confirming an ejection state according to claim 5.

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