JP2024033145A - Dye-sublimation printer and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a sublimation printer and a sublimation printer control method that can prevent jams without increasing the number of parts. SOLUTION: In the printer 1, when the paper conveying section 23 conveys the paper P in the reverse direction RD and passes between the platen roller 25 and the thermal head 39 during non-printing, the ink ribbon T does not come into contact with the paper P. The ink ribbon T is fed out from the ribbon feeding roll 31 in synchronization with the feeding of the paper P by the paper feeding section 23 until the ink ribbon T is wound up by the ribbon winding roll 33. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the ink ribbon T from being caught in the paper transport section 23. [Selection diagram] Figure 6B

Description

Application filed for application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act Citizen Systems Co., Ltd. sold to Fujifilm Corporation on November 18, 2021 [Publications, etc.] On December 15, 2021, Citizen Systems Co., Ltd.・Sales by Systems Co., Ltd. to Fujifilm do Brasil Limited

The present invention relates to a dye-sublimation printer and a method of controlling the same.

A dye-sublimation printer prints on paper by bringing an ink ribbon into close contact with the paper and heating it. When not printing, the ink ribbon is kept away from the paper, but when the paper is transported near the ink ribbon, depending on the type of paper and the state of the paper, the paper and ink ribbon may come into contact with each other. , the ink ribbon sometimes stuck to the paper. In this case, the ink ribbon may be pulled out along with the paper to the rollers that convey the paper, causing a jam of the ink ribbon. Therefore, ways to prevent jams are being considered.

For example, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, air is injected between the paper and the ink ribbon to prevent the paper and the ink ribbon from sticking together, thereby preventing jams.

JP2010-64318A

However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, a blower for ejecting air must be provided, which increases the number of parts of the sublimation printer. Furthermore, there are multiple possible causes of paper sticking to the ink ribbon, and simply blowing air may not be enough to prevent jams.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sublimation printer and a sublimation printer control method that can prevent jams without increasing the number of parts.

In order to achieve the above object, the printer of the present invention includes: a paper transport unit that transports paper in forward and reverse directions along a transport path; a ribbon delivery roll that winds an ink ribbon so that it can be delivered; a ribbon take-up roll that takes up and winds the let-out ink ribbon, and a transfer surface of the ink ribbon stretched by a guide section between the ribbon take-up roll and the ribbon take-up roll; an ink ribbon part that is disposed toward the paper being transported along the transport path and feeds out the ink ribbon in the opposite direction along the transport path; and the transfer of the ink ribbon stretched by the guide part. The ink ribbon placed on the opposite side of the transfer surface and stretched by the guide section is pressed against the paper conveyed through the conveyance path, and the ink on the transfer surface is transferred to the paper by heat. a thermal head that performs printing; and a thermal head that is disposed on the opposite side of the paper sheet to which the ink ribbon is pressed by the thermal head, and the ink ribbon is pressed by the thermal head. A platen roller that supports paper.

The ink ribbon section prevents the ink ribbon from coming into contact with the paper when the paper transport section transports the paper in the opposite direction and passes between the platen roller and the thermal head during non-printing. The ink ribbon is fed out by the ribbon payout roll in synchronization with the conveyance of the paper by the paper conveyance unit, and the ink ribbon is wound up by the ribbon take-up roll until the ink ribbon is wound up by the paper conveyance unit. prevent.

By doing so, in the present invention, the ribbon take-up roll winds up the ink ribbon so that the ink ribbon advances in synchronization with the conveyance of the paper, so that if the ink ribbon comes into contact with the paper, Even if the ink ribbon sticks to the paper and is transported together with the paper, the ink ribbon is forcibly moved along the path where it is wound around the ribbon take-up roll and is separated from the paper. Therefore, in the present invention, the ink ribbon does not get caught up in the paper transport section. Therefore, jams can be prevented without increasing the number of parts.

Note that this synchronous winding operation of the ink ribbon to the ribbon take-up roll during non-printing may be performed at least within a range or period during which the ink ribbon does not come into contact with the paper.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a sublimation printer. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a vertical plane passing through the center of the printer in the width direction and along the front-rear direction. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a state in which the main body is pulled out from the exterior cover. FIG. 3 is a left side view of the ribbon mechanism of the printer. FIG. 3 is a simplified sectional view showing a standby state. FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing the flow of printing. FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing the flow of printing. FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing the flow of printing. FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing the flow of printing. FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing the flow of printing. FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing the flow of printing. FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing the flow from printing to transitioning to a standby state. FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing the flow from printing to transitioning to a standby state. FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing the flow from printing to transitioning to a standby state. FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing the flow from printing to transitioning to a standby state.

Embodiments of a dye-sublimation printer according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a dye-sublimation printer 1 (hereinafter referred to as printer 1), and FIG. 2B is a sectional view showing a state in which the main body is pulled out from the exterior cover, and FIG. 3 is a left side view of the ribbon mechanism of the printer 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole and includes a main body 3 and a trash can 5. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a left-right direction (width direction) W, a front-back direction (length direction) L, and an up-down direction (height direction) H are defined.

The main body portion 3 is formed by covering the outside of a metal frame with a metal exterior cover 7 and a resin front case 9. As shown in FIG. 2A, inside the main body 3, a paper storage chamber 11 that stores the roll paper 10 and a ribbon storage chamber 13 that stores the ink ribbon unit 12 are formed.

The front case 9 is arranged at the upper front part of the main body part 3. The front case 9 is arranged to face the cutter unit 15 arranged at the front upper part of the main body part 3 and covers the cutter unit 15.

A discharge port 17 is formed on the front surface of the front case 9 to discharge the paper P conveyed from inside the main body section 3 to the outside. The discharge port 17 is formed with a dimension longer than the width of the paper P.

In addition to the paper storage chamber 11 and the ribbon storage chamber 13, the main body section 3 includes a power source, a paper transport section, a ribbon transport section, a cutter unit 15, a control section, and the like.

The trash can 5 is removably attached to the main body 3 so as to close the front opening of the main body 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the trash can 5 is engaged with the main body 3 in the closed state to maintain the closed state, and can be disengaged and removed from the main body 3 by pulling it forward. . Further, by pressing the trash can 5 toward the rear R from the state where it is removed from the main body portion 3, the trash can 5 is engaged with and attached to the main body portion 3, and is maintained in the attached state.

The trash can 5 has a box shape with an open top end and an internal space 5a. The opening 5b at the upper end of the trash can 5 is formed below a gap K formed between the outlet 17 of the front case 9 and the cutter unit 15.

When the margin of the paper P is cut off by the cutter unit 15 into an elongated strip of paper in the width direction W of the paper P, the paper piece falls and forms a gap between the discharge port 17 and the cutter unit 15. K, and is accommodated in the internal space 5a of the trash can 5 through the opening 5b.

The paper storage chamber 11 accommodates a roll paper 10 obtained by winding a long strip of paper P into a roll. As the paper P, for example, photo paper is used, which is thicker and more stiff than plain paper. The roll paper 10 can be replaced by pulling out the main body 3 from the exterior cover 7, flipping up the front upper part of the main body 3 with the front case 9, and removing the trash can 5, as shown in FIG. 2B. It has become.

The main body 3 is provided with a transport mechanism 19 that unwinds the paper P from the roll paper 10 housed in the paper storage chamber 11 and transports it along the transport path CP. The conveyance path CP is a path indicated by a chain line extending from the position of the roll paper 10 to the discharge port 17 shown in FIG. 2A. In this embodiment, the transport direction from the position of the roll paper 10 to the discharge port 17 is defined as a forward direction FD, and the opposite direction is defined as a reverse direction RD. The paper P is transported by the transport mechanism 19 in the forward and reverse directions along the transport path CP, and is finally discharged from the discharge port 17. The roll paper 10 rotates counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 2A when transporting the paper P in the forward direction FD of the transport path CP, and rotates clockwise when transporting the paper P in the reverse direction RD.

The transport mechanism 19 is arranged along the transport path CP. The transport mechanism 19 includes a roll paper feed roller 21, a grip roller (paper transport section) 23, a platen roller 25, and a feed roller 27, which are arranged in order from the paper storage chamber 11 along the transport path CP.

The roll paper feed roller 21 has a drive roller 21A and a driven roller 21B. The drive roller 21A and the driven roller 21B sandwich the paper P, and the paper P is conveyed by rotation of the drive roller 21A. Further, the grip roller 23 has a drive roller 23A and a driven roller 23B. Similarly, the drive roller 23A and the driven roller 23B sandwich the paper P, and the paper P is conveyed by the rotation of the drive roller 23A. Ru. The platen roller 25 is disposed at a position facing a thermal head, which will be described later, and supports the paper P on which the ink ribbon is pressed. The feed roller 27 transports the paper P and discharges the paper P from the discharge port 17. The rotations of the drive roller 21A, the drive roller 23A, and the feed roller 27 are controlled by a control section. The control unit is driven by power supplied from a power source.

Further, the main body portion 3 is provided with an ink ribbon portion IR that conveys the ink ribbon T of the ink ribbon unit 12 accommodated in the ribbon storage chamber 13. The ink ribbon T is a belt-shaped sheet in which yellow Y, magenta M, and cyan C ink areas and overcoat OP areas are repeatedly and alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction. The ink ribbon T is indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2A. The ink ribbon unit 12 can be replaced by pulling out the main body 3 from the exterior cover 7, as shown in FIG. 2B. The ink ribbon unit 12 includes a ribbon delivery roll 31, a ribbon take-up roll 33, and two driven rollers 35 and 37.

The ribbon feeding roll 31 winds a long strip-shaped ink ribbon T into a roll so that it can be fed out. The ribbon take-up roll 33 is arranged closer to the grip roller 23 than the ribbon pay-out roll 31, and winds up the drawn-out ink ribbon T.

The two driven rollers 35 and 37 serve as a guide between the ribbon pay-out roll 31 and the ribbon take-up roll 33. The two driven rollers 35, 37, the ribbon feeding roll 31, and the ribbon take-up roll 33 move between the two driven rollers 35, 37 as the ink ribbon T approaches the conveyance path CP from the ribbon feeding roll 31 toward the driven roller 35. The ink ribbon T is arranged so that the transfer surface of the stretched ink ribbon T faces the paper conveyed along the conveyance path, and the ink ribbon T moves away from the conveyance path CP from the driven roller 37 toward the ribbon take-up roll 33. There is. As a result, the ink ribbon T passes between the platen roller 25 and the thermal head 39, but the ink ribbon T passes between the drive roller 23A of the grip roller (paper conveyance unit) 23, which is located on the opposite direction RD side than the driven roller 37, and the driven roller 23A. It is designed not to pass between the rollers 23B. That is, when the paper P advances in the reverse direction RD, the position of the driven roller 37 is the branching point between the paper P and the ink ribbon T.

The ribbon feeding roll 31 rotates clockwise as shown in FIG. 2A to feed out the ink ribbon T, and is wound in the opposite direction along the conveyance path CP by being wound up by the ribbon winding roll 33 that rotates clockwise in synchronization. The ink ribbon T is fed out to the RD. During printing, the ink ribbon T is fed out in the reverse direction RD along the conveyance path CP in synchronization with the paper P traveling in the reverse direction RD along the conveyance path CP.

Referring to FIG. 3, a drive mechanism for the ribbon feeding roll 31 and the ribbon take-up roll 33 will be described. The drive mechanism DM1 for the ribbon feeding roll 31 includes a feeding side motor 31A, a wheel train 31B having a plurality of gears, and a ribbon feeding shaft 31C. The ribbon payout shaft 31C is fixed to the center of one of the gears of the wheel train 31B, and is equipped with a torque limiter.

The drive mechanism DM2 for the ribbon take-up roll 33 includes a take-up motor 33A, a wheel train 33B having a worm gear and a worm wheel, and a ribbon take-up shaft 33C. The ribbon winding shaft 33C is fixed to the center of the worm wheel of the wheel train 33B, rotates as the winding motor 33A rotates, and winds up the ink ribbon T. A self-lock occurs between the worm gear and the worm wheel, so that the worm gear does not rotate even if the ribbon take-up shaft 33C (ie, the worm wheel) is rotated.
When feeding the ink ribbon T from the ribbon feeding roll 31 side to the ribbon winding roll 33 side, the winding side motor 33A is rotated, and the ribbon winding shaft 33C is rotated, so that the ink ribbon T is fed from the ribbon feeding roll 31 to the ribbon winding roll 33 side. is brought out. At this time, in order to activate the torque limiter and feed out the ink ribbon T with a constant torque, the feeding side motor 31A is rotated in the reverse direction.
When rewinding the ink ribbon T from the ribbon take-up roll 33 side to the ribbon pay-out roll 31 side, the take-up side motor 33A is reversely rotated, the ribbon take-up shaft 33C is reversely rotated, and the ink ribbon T is let out. The feed-out motor 31A is reversely rotated while synchronizing with the ribbon feed-out shaft 31C, and the ink ribbon T is wound up.

The drive mechanisms DM1 and DM2 for the ribbon feeding roll 31 and the ribbon winding roll 33 are controlled by a control section.

The thermal head 39 is disposed on the opposite side to the transfer surface of the ink ribbon T stretched by a guide section (two driven rollers 35 and 37), and receives ink stretched by the guide section and fed out in synchronization with the paper P. The ribbon T is pressed against the paper P conveyed through the conveyance path CP, and the ink on the transfer surface is transferred to the paper P by heat to perform printing. The state in which the ink ribbon T is pressed against the paper P by the thermal head 39 is also called head-down, and the state in which it is not pressed is also called head-up. Head-down and head-up of the thermal head 39 is controlled by a control section. Further, the thermal head 39 generates heat when energized by the control section. By controlling the head-down, head-up, and heat generation of the thermal head 39 in parallel with controlling the conveyance of the ink ribbon T and paper P, printing is performed by transferring the ink of the ink ribbon T onto the paper P.

On the conveyance path CP, an end detection section 41 for detecting the leading edge position of the paper P is provided on the side closer to the ribbon payout roll 31 than the ribbon take-up roll 33. The printer 1 is in a standby state waiting for a printing command in a state in which the end detection section 41 detects the leading edge position of the paper P unwound from the roll paper 10.

<Print processing>
4, 5A to 5F, and 6A to 6D schematically show the movements of the paper P and the ink ribbon T when the printer 1 prints on the paper P unwound from the roll paper 10. It is a simplified cross-sectional view. The flow of printing processing will be explained using these.

[Standby state]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the above-mentioned standby state of waiting for a printing command. As shown in the figure, the leading edge position of the paper P is located at the position of the edge detecting section 41.

[Print]
5A to 5F are diagrams showing the flow of printing with the printer 1. When image data is input to the printer 1 and a printing command is issued to start the printing operation, the roll paper 10 rotates counterclockwise and the paper P is fed out in the forward direction FD, as shown in FIG. 5A. Then, in synchronization with the transport mechanism 19, the printing start position is located. At this time, the margin portion of the paper P is cut off by the cutter unit 15 as necessary.

When the printing start position is reached, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, the roll paper 10 is reversed and rotated clockwise to advance the paper P in the opposite direction RD, and the ribbon payout roll 31 and ribbon take-up roll 33 rotates clockwise to pay out and wind up the ink ribbon T. During this time, the thermal head 39 is energized and generates heat, presses the ink ribbon T against the paper P being conveyed through the conveyance path CP (head down), and the heat transfers the ink on the transfer surface onto the paper P. Transfer and print. After printing is completed, the thermal head 39 is raised, and the steps in FIGS. 5D and 5E are repeated as images of each color (yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C, overcoat OP) are formed, and the paper P is moved back and forth repeatedly. An image combining each color is formed in the same area of the paper P.

As shown in FIG. 5F, when printing is completed, the roll paper 10 rotates counterclockwise and the paper P is fed out in the forward direction FD. Then, the printed portion of the paper P is discharged from the discharge port 17 and cut from the roll paper 10 by the cutter unit 15 to obtain the printed paper P (photo).

[Transition to standby state]
6A to 6D are diagrams showing the flow from printing by the printer 1 to transitioning to a standby state.

As shown in FIG. 6A, after the printed paper P is discharged from the discharge port 17, the roll paper 10 is reversed and rotated clockwise to advance the paper P in the reverse direction RD (passing step). Although this is a non-printing time, if the paper P is passed between the platen roller 25 and the thermal head 39 as it is, the paper P and the ink ribbon T will come into contact with each other, and the ink ribbon T will stick to the paper P and the ink will be ink. The ribbon T may be pulled out together with the paper P to the grip roller (paper transport section) 23, causing the ink ribbon T to jam on the grip roller 23. Therefore, in this embodiment, at this time, the ribbon feeding roll 31 and the ribbon winding roll 33 are rotated clockwise, and the ribbon feeding roll 31 feeds out the ink ribbon T, and the ribbon winding roll 33 Wind it up. During this time, the thermal head 39 presses the ink ribbon T against the paper P conveyed through the conveyance path CP (head down) in a state where the thermal head 39 is not energized and does not generate heat. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the ink ribbon T is let out and wound up in synchronization with the conveyance of the paper by the conveyance mechanism 19 until the ink ribbon T no longer contacts the paper P (ink ribbon payout step). Thereby, it is possible to prevent the ink ribbon T from being caught in the grip roller (paper transport section) 23 of the transport mechanism 19.

Note that when the paper P is advanced in the forward direction FD, even if the paper P sticks to the ink ribbon T, the ribbon winding shaft 33C does not rotate due to the self-lock occurring in the wheel train 33B, and the ink ribbon T Since the ink ribbon T is not fed out, the ink ribbon T does not become jammed in the transport mechanism 19.

As shown in FIG. 6C, when the ink ribbon T is no longer in contact with the paper P, the pressure by the thermal head 39 is released (head up), and the ribbon feeding roll 31 and ribbon winding roll 33 are rotated counterclockwise. The length of the ink ribbon T that was fed out along with the paper P in FIG. 6B is rewound onto the ribbon feeding roll 31.

Thereafter, the roll paper 10 rotates counterclockwise, the paper P is fed out in the forward direction FD, the leading edge position of the paper P advances to the position of the edge detection section 41, and the state returns to the standby state shown in FIG. 4. .

[Printer action]
The operation of the printer 1 and the control method will be explained below.

A paper conveyance section 23 that conveys the paper P in the forward direction FD and reverse direction RD along the conveyance path CP, a ribbon payout roll 31 that winds the ink ribbon T so that the ink ribbon T can be fed out, and It has a ribbon take-up roll 33 that takes up and winds the ribbon, and the transfer surface of the ink ribbon T stretched by the guide section (driven rollers 35, 37) between the ribbon pay-out roll 31 and the ribbon take-up roll 33. , an ink ribbon part IR that is arranged toward the paper P being transported along the transport path CP and feeds out the ink ribbon T in the opposite direction RD along the transport path CP, and a guide part that transfers the ink ribbon T stretched. An ink ribbon T placed on the opposite side of the surface and stretched by a guide section is pressed against the paper P conveyed through the conveyance path CP, and the ink on the transfer surface is transferred to the paper P using heat for printing. A thermal head 39 is placed on the opposite side of the paper P on which the ink ribbon T is pressed by the thermal head 39, and a paper P on which the ink ribbon T is pressed is placed on the opposite side to the side where the thermal head 39 is arranged. and a platen roller 25 that supports the ink ribbon section IR, when the paper conveyance section 23 conveys the paper P in the reverse direction RD and passes it between the platen roller 25 and the thermal head 39 during non-printing, the ink ribbon section IR The ink ribbon T is fed out by the ribbon feeding roll in synchronization with the conveyance of the paper P by the paper conveyance section 23 until the ribbon T no longer comes into contact with the paper P, and is wound up by the ribbon winding roll, and then the ink ribbon T is transferred to the paper conveyance section. It is characterized by preventing the ink ribbon T from being caught in the 23.

By doing so, in the present invention, since the ribbon winding roll 33 winds up the ink ribbon T so that the ink ribbon T advances in synchronization with the conveyance of the paper P, it is possible for the ink ribbon T to come into contact with the paper P. As a result, even if the ink ribbon sticks to the paper P and is transported together with the paper P, the ink ribbon is forcibly moved to the path where it is wound around the ribbon winding roll 33 and is separated from the paper P. Therefore, in the present invention, the ink ribbon T is not caught in the paper transport section 23. Therefore, jams can be prevented without increasing the number of parts.

The printer 1 further includes an end detecting section 41 that is arranged closer to the ribbon payout roll 31 than the ribbon take-up roll 33 on the transport path CP and detects the end of the paper P. The paper P is transported in the reverse direction RD until the ink ribbon T no longer contacts the paper P, and then the paper P is transported in the forward direction FD until the end of the paper P is detected by the edge detection section 41. It's okay. By doing so, the paper P can be transported to the standby position for printing.

The thermal head 39 transfers the ink ribbon T to the paper P without emitting heat when the paper transport unit 23 transports the paper P in the reverse direction RD and passes between the platen roller 25 and the thermal head 39 during non-printing. You may also press against it. In this way, the ink ribbon T and the paper P can be held down by the thermal head 39, so that the paper P can be stably transported.

The ink ribbon unit IR transports the paper P in the reverse direction RD until the ink ribbon T no longer contacts the paper P, and then reversely rotates the ribbon payout roll 31 and ribbon take-up roll 33 to take up the ribbon during non-printing. The length of the ink ribbon T fed out onto the roll 33 may be rewound onto the ribbon feeding roll 31. By returning the fed-out ink ribbon T, the ink ribbon T on which ink has not been transferred can be used for transfer during the next printing, so that the ink ribbon T is not wasted.

It can also be considered as a method of controlling the printer 1. In this case, a passing step is executed in which the paper conveyance section 23 transports the paper P in the reverse direction RD and passes between the platen roller 25 and the thermal head 39 during non-printing. The ink ribbon feeding step may include a step of feeding out the ink ribbon T in synchronization with the conveyance of the paper P by the paper conveyance unit 23 and winding it up until it no longer makes contact with the paper P.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and it goes without saying that changes can be made within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. It is.

In the above embodiment, in the state shown in FIG. 6A, the paper P and the ink ribbon T are advanced in synchronization with the thermal head 39 in the head down state. However, if the paper P and the ink ribbon T are advanced in synchronization, It is also possible to advance the head 39 in a head-up state.

Further, in the embodiment described above, in the case of FIG. 6C, the ink ribbon T of the length that was fed out together with the paper P in the case of FIG. 6B was rewound onto the ribbon feeding roll 31. However, it is also possible not to rewind the ink ribbon T. Furthermore, by adjusting the unwinding position of the ink ribbon T in advance and setting the ink ribbon T that is synchronously unwound as a used portion, it is possible to avoid the need to rewind it later. Furthermore, it is also possible to change the order of FIGS. 6C and 6D, advance the leading edge position of the paper P to the position of the edge detecting section 41 first, and then rewind the ink ribbon T to the ribbon feeding roll 31. Of course.

Further, in the above embodiment, the passing step and the ink ribbon feeding step are performed when transitioning to the standby state, but when the paper is passed between the platen roller 25 and the thermal head 39 during other non-printing periods, However, it is of course possible to carry out the passing step and the ink ribbon feeding step.

1 Printer 3 Main unit 5 Trash can 7 Exterior cover 9 Front case 10 Roll paper 11 Paper storage chamber 12 Ink ribbon unit 13 Ribbon storage chamber 15 Cutter unit 17 Outlet 19 Conveyance mechanism 21 Roll paper feed roller 23 Grip roller (paper conveyance section)
25 Platen roller 27 Feed roller 31 Ribbon payout roll 33 Ribbon take-up rolls 35, 37 Followed roller 39 Thermal head 41 End detection section CP Conveyance path T Ink ribbon IR Ink ribbon section H Height direction L Back and forth direction W Width direction FD Order Direction RD Reverse direction

Claims (5)

a paper transport unit that transports the paper in forward and reverse directions along the transport path;
a ribbon winding roll that winds the ink ribbon so as to be able to unwind it; and a ribbon winding roll that winds the unreeled ink ribbon; an ink ribbon section that is disposed so that a transfer surface of the ink ribbon stretched by a guide section faces the paper that is conveyed along the conveyance path, and that feeds out the ink ribbon in the opposite direction along the conveyance path; ,
The ink ribbon is placed on the opposite side of the transfer surface of the ink ribbon stretched by the guide part, and the ink ribbon stretched by the guide part is pressed against the paper conveyed through the conveyance path and heated. a thermal head that performs printing by transferring the ink on the transfer surface to the paper;
a platen roller that is disposed on a side opposite to the side on which the thermal head is arranged with respect to the paper on which the ink ribbon is pressed by the thermal head, and supports the paper on which the ink ribbon is pressed;
Equipped with
When the ink ribbon section is not printing, the paper transport section transports the paper in the opposite direction and passes between the platen roller and the thermal head, until the ink ribbon no longer contacts the paper. The ink ribbon is paid out by the ribbon payout roll in synchronization with the conveyance of the paper by the paper conveyance unit, and the ink ribbon is taken up by the ribbon take-up roll to prevent the ink ribbon from being caught in the paper conveyance unit. A dye-sublimation printer that is characterized by: further comprising an edge detection section that is arranged on the transport path closer to the ribbon payout roll than the ribbon take-up roll and detects an edge of the paper;
The paper transport section transports the paper in the reverse direction until the ink ribbon no longer contacts the paper, and then transports the paper in the order until the edge of the paper is detected by the edge detection section. The dye sublimation printer according to claim 1, wherein the dye sublimation printer is conveyed in a direction. The thermal head is configured to move the ink ribbon onto the paper without emitting heat when the paper transport unit transports the paper in the opposite direction and passes between the platen roller and the thermal head during non-printing. The dye-sublimation printer according to claim 1, characterized in that the printer is pressed against. The ink ribbon unit transports the paper in the opposite direction until the ink ribbon no longer contacts the paper, and then rotates the ribbon feeding roll and the ribbon take-up roll in the opposite direction to wind the ribbon during non-printing. The dye-sublimation printer according to claim 1, wherein the ink ribbon of a length that has been fed out onto a take-up roll is rewound onto the ribbon feeding roll. a paper transport unit that transports the paper in forward and reverse directions along the transport path;
a ribbon winding roll that winds the ink ribbon so as to be able to unwind it; and a ribbon winding roll that winds the unreeled ink ribbon; an ink ribbon section that is disposed so that a transfer surface of the ink ribbon stretched by a guide section faces the paper that is conveyed along the conveyance path, and that feeds out the ink ribbon in the opposite direction along the conveyance path; ,
The ink ribbon is placed on the opposite side of the transfer surface of the ink ribbon stretched by the guide part, and the ink ribbon stretched by the guide part is pressed against the paper conveyed through the conveyance path and heated. a thermal head that transfers the ink on the transfer surface to the paper to print an image;
a platen roller that is disposed on a side opposite to the side on which the thermal head is arranged with respect to the paper on which the ink ribbon is pressed by the thermal head and supports the paper on which the ink ribbon is pressed;
A method for controlling a dye-sublimation printer, comprising:
a passing step in which the paper transport section transports the paper in the opposite direction and passes between the platen roller and the thermal head during non-printing;
an ink ribbon feeding step, executed together with the passing step, of feeding out and winding up the ink ribbon in synchronization with the conveyance of the paper by the paper conveyance unit until the ink ribbon no longer contacts the paper;
A method for controlling a dye-sublimation printer, comprising: