JP3002067B2 - Image forming apparatus and image forming method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image output apparatus and method for outputting a color image on a recording medium by receiving supply of image data, and more particularly to an image output apparatus which scans a recording medium with a recording head in a predetermined direction. The present invention relates to a so-called serial scan type image output device and method for performing output.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in this type of image output apparatus, three colors of three subtractive primary colors, cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), or black in order to clearly reproduce black. In many cases, recording is performed using a four-color recording agent (color toner, color ink, or the like) to which (BK) is added.

In an image output device, these C, M,
It may be desired to use a recording agent of a color other than Y and BK (hereinafter referred to as a special color such as a metal color or cobalt blue).
This is because when colors that cannot be expressed by C, M, Y, and BK are required for the output image (especially in the field of gravure printing such as printing and posters, it is strongly desired that the design created by the designer be faithfully reproduced. This is often the case), or when the amount of coloring material used such as ink or toner is reduced.

[0004] On the other hand, there are many cases where it is desired to improve the recording density and the number of recording gradations.

[0005] Further, depending on the image, not all of the recording colors may be required.

[0006]

As described above, with the spread of the image output device and the field where the image output device is used, the demands for the image output device have been diversified. It is strongly desired to provide an image output device that does not cause any problem. This is because, for example, in the case where the recording head is scanned a plurality of times on the same recording surface to improve the recording density, a decrease in the recording speed cannot be avoided.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has been made in consideration of the above-described problems by scanning a plurality of recording heads used for image formation over a common recording area of a recording medium in a predetermined direction. An image forming apparatus which forms an image by applying ink from a recording head, wherein a carriage for performing the scanning by mounting a plurality of recording heads used for the image formation in the predetermined direction, and the carriage Recognition means for recognizing information on a plurality of printheads used for image formation among a plurality of printheads mountable on the image forming apparatus; and the carriage based on information on the plurality of printheads used for image formation recognized by the recognition means. Setting means for setting a scanning range of the plurality of recording heads used in the image forming in the predetermined direction. In response to the magnitude of the mounting range of the carriage is set to be different the scanning range, and setting is small the scanning range as the mounting range is small.

Further, according to the present invention, an image is formed by applying ink from the plurality of recording heads while scanning a plurality of recording heads used for image formation on a common recording area of a recording medium in a predetermined direction. Forming a plurality of recording heads used for image formation in the predetermined direction and mounting the plurality of recording heads on a carriage; and a plurality of recording heads used for image formation among a plurality of recording heads mountable on the carriage. Recognizing information about the head;
Setting a scanning range of the carriage based on information on a plurality of print heads used for image formation recognized by the recognition step, wherein the setting step includes the step of setting the plurality of print heads used for image formation in the predetermined range. The scanning range is set differently in accordance with the size of the mounting range on the carriage in the direction, and the smaller the mounting range is, the smaller the scanning range is set.

[0009]

According to the present invention, among a plurality of recording heads mounted on a carriage, information relating to a recording head used for image formation is recognized, and based on the recognized information, a recording head used for image formation is recognized. According to the size of the mounting range on the carriage, the scanning ranges in the printing area, the idle discharge area, the wiping area, etc., that is, the start position and the stop position are made different, and the smaller the mounting range is, the smaller the scanning range becomes. As a result, the processing in each area can be performed efficiently, and the throughput can be improved.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the following, a case where the present invention is applied to a textile printing apparatus will be described as an example. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can take various forms such as a printing apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a structural example of an ink jet printer as a textile printing apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part thereof. The printing apparatus (printer) of this example is roughly divided into a feeding section B for sending out a cloth on a roll that has been subjected to a pretreatment for printing, and a feeding section that feeds the sent cloth precisely to print with an ink jet head. And a winding section C for drying and winding the printed cloth. The main body part A further includes a precision feeding part A for the cloth including the platen.
-1 and a print unit A-2.

The pre-treated roll-shaped cloth 3 is sent out to the cloth feeding section, and is fed stepwise to the main body section A.

The cloth 3 which has been fed stepwise is printed by the ink jet head 13 from the front side with the recording surface regulated by the platen 12 in the first printing section 11. Each time one line is printed,
It is stepped by a predetermined amount and then dried by heating by the heating plate 14 and hot air from the surface supplied / discharged by the hot air duct 15. Subsequently, in the second printing unit 11 ', the overprinting is performed in the same manner as in the first printing unit.

The printed fabric is dried again in a post-drying unit 16 comprising a heating plate and a heater (or warm air), guided to a guide roll 17 and wound up by a take-up roll 18. Then, the wound cloth is removed from the present apparatus, and is colored, washed, and dried in a batch process to be a product.

In FIG. 2, the cloth 3 as a recording medium is fed stepwise upward in the figure. In the lower first printing section 11 in the figure, there is a first carriage 24 on which ink jet heads for Y, M, C, BK and spot colors S1 to S4 can be mounted, that is, a total of eight ink jet heads can be mounted ( In the figure, Y, M, C,
BK and S1 to S4 heads). The ink jet head (recording head) in this example uses an element having a device that generates thermal energy that causes film boiling of ink as energy used for discharging ink, and has a 400 DPI (dots / inch). ) And an arrangement of 256 ejection ports with a density of).

Downstream of the first printing unit, a drying unit 25 comprising a heating plate 14 for heating from the back and a hot air duct 15 for drying from the front is provided. The heat transfer surface of the heating plate 14 is strongly heated from the back by high-temperature and high-pressure steam passing through the hollow inside. Fin 1 for heat collection is inside the heating plate
4 'is provided so that heat can be efficiently concentrated on the back surface of the cloth 3. The side opposite to the cloth 3 is covered with a heat insulating material 26 to prevent loss due to heat radiation.

On the front side, dry hot air is blown from the supply duct 27 on the downstream side, so that the cloth being dried is
The effect is improved by hitting the air with lower humidity. The air that flows in the opposite direction to the cloth transport direction and contains sufficient moisture is sucked from the suction duct 28 on the upstream side by a much larger amount than the amount of the spray, so that the evaporated moisture leaks and the surrounding air is leaked. Prevents condensation on mechanical devices. The hot air supply source is located on the back side in FIG. 5, and suction is performed from the near side. The pressure difference between the outlet 29 and the suction port 30 facing the cloth is uniform over the entire area in the longitudinal direction. It is made to become. The air blow / suction unit is offset downstream with respect to the center of the backside heating plate so that the air hits the well heated area. As a result, the first print unit 11 strongly dries a large amount of water in the ink, including the thinning liquid, received by the cloth.

Downstream (upper) of the second printing unit 1
1 ', and a second print section is formed by a second carriage 24' having the same configuration as the first carriage. Note that the first carriage 24 and the second carriage 24 'may be integrated in advance or integrated via an appropriate connecting member, and a drive source, a transmission mechanism, and the like for driving them may be shared.

Next, the configuration of the control system of the apparatus will be described.
3 and 4 show the configuration of the ink jet printer of the embodiment and a configuration example of the operation unit thereof.
3 conceptually shows an example of the internal configuration of the control board 102 in FIG. 3 along the flow of data.

The control board 1 is transmitted from the host computer H via an interface (here, GPIB).
In addition to sending the print image data to 02, color pallet data or the like for determining the mixing ratio of Y, M, C or a special color for excellent reproduction of the color selected by the designer is sent. This is described in Japanese Patent Application No. 4-20397 filed by the present applicant.
No. 3 or the like can be used.

A device for transmitting image data is not particularly limited.
In addition, the transfer form may be transfer via a network or off-line via a magnetic tape or the like. The control board 102 is composed of a CPU 102A, a ROM 102B storing various programs, a RAM 102C having various register areas and work areas, and the components shown in FIGS. An operation / display unit 103 includes an operation unit for the operator to give necessary instructions to the printer P and a display for displaying a message or the like to the operator. 104
Reference numeral denotes a cloth transporter including a motor or the like for transporting a recording medium such as a cloth to be printed. Reference numeral 105 denotes a driver unit input / output unit for driving various motors (suffixed with "M") and various solenoids (denoted by "SOL") shown in FIG. Reference numeral 107 denotes a relay board for supplying a drive signal to each head, receiving information about each head (information such as whether or not the head is mounted and the color presented by the head) and supplying the information to the control board 102. The information is transferred to the host computer H and used to request transfer of color pallet data of a color to be used, and also used for recognizing a mounting range of the head on the carriages 24 and 24 'or setting a scanning range. . Reference numeral 111 denotes a drive unit such as a motor for scanning the carriages 24 and 24 '.

When the information of the image data to be printed is received from the host computer H, the image data is
It is stored in the image memory 505 via the B interface 501 and the frame memory controller 504 (see FIG. 5). The image memory according to the embodiment has a capacity of 124 Mbytes, and the A1 size is configured with 8-bit palette data. That is, 8 bits are assigned to one pixel. 503 is a DM for speeding up memory transfer.
A controller. When the transfer from the host computer H is completed, printing can be started after predetermined processing.

As described before and after, the host computer connected to the printing apparatus of the embodiment transfers the image data as a raster image. Since a plurality of ink ejection nozzles are arranged in a vertical direction in each recording head, the arrangement of image data must be converted so as to match the recording head. This data conversion is performed by raster @ BJ conversion controller 5.
06. The data converted by the raster / BJ conversion controller 506 is supplied to the pallet conversion controller 508 through the enlargement function of the next enlargement controller 507 for scaling the image data. The data up to the enlargement controller 507 is data sent from the host computer, and in this embodiment is an 8-bit pallet signal. Then, the pallet data (8 bits) is passed in common to a processing unit (described below) for each recording head and processed.

In FIGS. 5 to 7, it is assumed that a head for recording special colors S1 to S4 in addition to yellow, magenta, cyan and black is provided.

The pallet conversion controller 508 supplies the pallet data and the corresponding color conversion table input from the host computer H to the conversion table memory 509.

In the case of an 8-bit palette, there are 256 types of colors that can be reproduced, from 0 to 255, and an appropriate table is developed in a table memory 509 corresponding to each color.

In the case of an 8-bit palette, there are 256 kinds of reproducible colors from 0 to 255. For example, when 0 is input, when light gray printing is input, when 1 is input, solid printing of spot color 1 is performed. When 2 is input Solid printing of spot color 2 When 3 is input Printing of blue color with mixed color of cyan and magenta When 4 is input Solid printing of cyan When 5 is input Mixed color of magenta and yellow When a red color print 254 is input, a solid yellow print 255 is input, and a process of printing nothing is performed.

As a specific circuit configuration, the pallet conversion table memory 509 performs its function by writing conversion data at an address position corresponding to pallet data. That is, when the pallet data is actually supplied as the address, the memory is accessed in the read mode. The pallet conversion controller 508 manages the pallet conversion table memory 509 and interfaces between the control board 102 and the pallet conversion table memory 509. In addition, a circuit (a circuit for multiplying the output by 0 to 1) for setting the mixed amount of the special color is interposed between the HS controller 510 of the next stage and the HS system including the HS conversion table memory 511 for the special color. May be variable.

The HS conversion controller 510 and the HS conversion table memory 511 store the print density variation corresponding to each ejection port of each head based on data measured by the head characteristic measuring device 108 including an appropriate density unevenness correction unit. Make corrections. For example, data is converted to a darker density for a discharge port with a low density (small discharge amount), data is converted to a low density for a discharge port with a high density (high discharge amount), and Is performed as it is. This processing will be described later.

The following γ-conversion controller 512 and γ-conversion table memory 513 are table conversions for increasing or decreasing the overall density for each color. For example, when nothing is performed, a linear table indicates that 0 input is 0 output, 100 input is 100 output, 210 input is 210 output, 255 output is 255 output.

The binarization controller 514 at the next stage has a pseudo gradation function, inputs 8-bit gradation data, and outputs binarized 1-bit pseudo gradation data. is there. The multivalued data is converted into binary data by a dither matrix, an error diffusion method, etc., but these are also adopted in the embodiments, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted. What is necessary is just to express the gradation by the number of dots per area.

Here, the binarized data is stored in the link memory 515 and then used for driving each recording head. Then, the binary data output from each connection memory is output as C, M, Y, BK, S1 to S4. Since the same processing is performed on the binarized signal of each color, the description will be given with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows the configuration for the recording color cyan, which has the same configuration for each color. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration at a stage subsequent to the connection memory 515 shown in FIGS.

The binarized signal C is supplied to a sequential multi-scan generator (hereinafter referred to as an SMS generator) 5
22 is output to the pattern generator 51.
In some cases, test printing of the apparatus alone may be performed by 7, 518, so the data is supplied to the selector 519. Of course, this switching is controlled by the CPU of the control board 102, and the operator
When a predetermined operation is performed for (see FIG. 3), data from the binary pattern controller 517 is selected to perform test printing. Therefore, normally, the data from the binary controller 514 (connection memory 516) is selected. 520 is the selector 520 and the SMS
This is a logo input section inserted between the generator 522 and the printer. In the case of textile printing, a logo mark such as a brand of a maker or a designer is often put on an end of the cloth, so that it corresponds to this. The configuration may include, for example, a memory for storing logo data, a controller for managing print positions, and the like.

The SMS generator 522 prevents density unevenness of an image due to a change in the ejection amount of each nozzle. Multi-scan is performed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application No. 4-79858.
No. has been proposed. Whether to give priority to image quality by performing multi-scan, that is, to perform ink ejection from a plurality of ejection openings for one pixel, or to give priority to high-speed performance without performing such multi-scan, It can be specified by an input unit, for example, the operation display unit 103 or the host computer H.

The link memory 524 is a buffer memory for correcting the physical position of the head, that is, the position between the upper and lower print units in FIG. 2, and the position between the heads. Output at a timing corresponding to the physical position of the head. Therefore, the capacity of the link memory 524 differs for each recording color.

After performing the above data processing, data is sent to the head via the head relay board 107.

Based on the above configuration, the main part of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 8 schematically shows a so-called recovery means for performing a process for improving the ejection state of the head shown in FIGS. Capping member 51
Has a function of preventing the ejection surface of the head from drying, and covers the ejection surface of the head by capping it during non-recording or standby. The empty ejection box 53 is where the thickened ink is ejected inside the ejection opening of the head, and the carriage 24 or 24 'moves along the shaft 55 while the ink is ejected from the S4 head to the C head one after another. Is discharged. Wiping member 57
Is an elastic member or a porous member for removing foreign matter adhering to the ejection surface of the head, and engages with the respective ejection surfaces from the S4 head to the C head one after another during the movement of the carriage 24 or 24 '. , To wipe out.

In the case of textile printing, the basic colors of printing are cyan,
In addition to the four primary colors of magenta, yellow, and black, a color that is difficult to express by mixing these colors is added in the form of a special color. For example, bright cobalt blue, gold, silver or the like. Which color is added as a special color depends on the requirements of the design original image, so it can be said that the special color changes each time depending on the print pattern. However, assuming that the apparatus can handle almost all designs if the maximum number of special colors used is four, in this example, four areas for mounting the special color heads are secured.

FIG. 9 shows a case where four special color heads are mounted in addition to the basic color of printing (i) a carriage movement range required for the discharging operation to the empty discharge box and only one special color head is mounted. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a movement range of a carriage in (ii). As is apparent from this figure, it is preferable to switch the moving distance of the carriage by recognizing the number of mounted heads or the mounting range in order to improve the printing speed, that is, the movement required when eight heads are mounted. It can be seen that when five distances L1 are mounted, L2 is sufficient.

It goes without saying that this can be applied not only to the idle discharge operation but also to the wiping operation and the recording operation.

In the case of (ii) in FIG. 9, in the image processing system, the pallet conversion table 509, HS conversion table 511, and γ conversion table 513 of FIG.
"00" may be set in the 2nd to S4 tables so that no output occurs.

FIG. 10 shows C, M, and C as in FIG. 9 (i).
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a case where heads of Y, K and special colors S1 to S4 are mounted (i), and a case of mounting two cyan heads without using special colors (ii). In printing for swimwear, ski wear, and the like, very dark printing may be required. In such a case, it is conceivable to improve the density by scanning the same printing surface a plurality of times and performing overprinting, but this will inevitably reduce the printing speed. Therefore, in this example, a plurality of heads corresponding to the color desired to be printed darkly are mounted using the head mounting area of the special color on the carriage.

In this case, the image processing systems shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 may be adapted as follows. That is, regarding the pallet conversion table 508 in FIG. 6, the C conversion table is left as it is, the M conversion table is used as the C conversion table, the Y conversion table is used as the M conversion table, the K conversion table is used as the Y conversion table, and the S1 conversion table is used as the K conversion table. The conversion table is replaced with a conversion table.
The conversion table may be set to "00" so that no output occurs. Also, the HS conversion table in the next and subsequent stages
The replacement may be performed similarly for each of the γ conversion tables.

By performing the above processing, the binary output 516 in FIG. 6 becomes C, C, M, Y, and K. Here, if only cyan is to be doubled in density and it is desired to further reduce the density, the inclination of the cyan γ conversion table may be made small enough to obtain a desired density reduction.

By arranging a head whose density is to be increased in the special color area as described above, the density of the color can be improved. Also in such a case, by recognizing the number and range of the heads used, it is possible to improve the printing speed or productivity by setting the amount of carriage movement during idle discharge, wiping, and printing to a minimum value. .

FIG. 11 shows an example of a processing procedure for setting the contents of the conversion table and the scanning range according to the head mounted on the carriage.

First, in step S1, recognition of the head mounted on the carriage, that is, recognition of its color, number, or mounting range is performed. For example, as means for recognizing the number or range of mounted heads,
From the signal line between the relay board and the head shown in FIG.
The determination may be made by 2A or by turning on / off a switch disposed at the head mounting position on the carriage. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-187, proposed by the present applicant, has a device in which the recording head of the printer has means for presenting its own information (pattern cutting) so that the printer body can recognize the information from the means.
No. 343 or the like can also be used.
Means for presenting the information include EPROM and DIP
A switch or the like may be used. To apply this example, the information may be the ink color used by the recording head, and by reading the information with a printer, it is possible to recognize the color and the number or range in addition to the color. further,
The operator may input such information using the operation display unit 103 or the like.

On the basis of such a recognition result, the control board 102 notifies the host computer H of a required notification, and develops the conversion data transmitted in response to the notification in the conversion tables 509, 511 and 513. (Step S3) Further, according to the number or range of mounted heads, a process of setting the scanning range in the idle discharge, wiping, and printing area is performed as described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 (Step S5).

In the present invention, all or a part of the recording head may be detachably mounted on the carriage, or may be a fixed type which does not assume easy detachment. In order to enable the scanning range to be set only by information on the number of heads when the head is detachable, the heads may be juxtaposed so as not to create a space in the head mounting portion on the carriage. When all the heads are fixed or when only a part of the mounted head is used for printing, information on the head to be used is input, or the color of the original image is analyzed in the host computer H. To recognize the information of the head to be used,
The scanning range can be set in response to this.

(Others) Incidentally, the present invention can adopt not only the ink jet system but also various recording systems.
In the case of employing the ink jet recording method, among them, a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for performing ink ejection is provided, and the ink is used by the thermal energy. The present invention brings about an excellent effect in a recording head and a recording apparatus of a system that causes a change in the state. This is because according to such a method, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.

The typical configuration and principle are described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
Although it can be applied to any type of continuous type, in particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to a sheet holding liquid (ink) or an electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and giving a rapid temperature rise exceeding the nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and film boiling occurs on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis.
This is effective because air bubbles inside can be formed. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of a liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination configuration (a linear liquid flow path or a right-angled liquid flow path) of a discharge port, a liquid path, and an electrothermal converter as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications. U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat.
A configuration using the specification of Japanese Patent No. 59600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an aperture for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is provided. The effect of the present invention is effective even if the configuration is based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration corresponding to a discharge unit. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be reliably and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium on which a recording apparatus can record. Such a recording head may have a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as one integrally formed recording head.

In addition, even in the case of the serial type as described above, a recording head fixed to the apparatus main body or an electric connection to the apparatus main body or ink from the apparatus main body when mounted on the apparatus main body. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be supplied or a cartridge-type recording head in which an ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself is used.

Further, it is preferable to add ejection recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like as the configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If these are specifically mentioned, the recording head is heated using capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, an electrothermal transducer, another heating element or a combination thereof. Pre-heating means for performing the pre-heating and pre-discharging means for performing the discharging other than the recording can be used.

Regarding the type and number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, in addition to the recording head having only one corresponding to a single color ink, it corresponds to a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities. A plurality may be provided. That is, for example, the printing mode of the printing apparatus is not limited to a printing mode of only a mainstream color such as black, but may be any of integrally forming a printing head or a combination of a plurality of printing heads. The present invention is also very effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of the recording modes of full color by color mixture.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid. However, an ink which solidifies at room temperature or lower and which softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used. In general, the ink jet method generally controls the temperature of the ink itself within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. Sometimes, the ink may be in a liquid state. In addition, in order to positively prevent temperature rise due to thermal energy by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or to prevent evaporation of the ink, the ink is solidified in a standing state and heated. May be used. In any case, the application of heat energy causes the ink to be liquefied by the application of the heat energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink to be ejected, or to start solidifying when it reaches the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable to a case where an ink having a property of liquefying for the first time is used. In such a case, the ink
JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-7
As described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1260, it is also possible to adopt a form in which the sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter in a state where it is held as a liquid or solid substance in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, the embodiments of the present invention take the form of a copying machine combined with a reader or the like and a facsimile machine having a transmission / reception function, in addition to those used as image output terminals of information processing equipment such as a computer. Or the like.

Next, as the fabric for ink-jet printing, (1) the ink can be colored to a sufficient concentration;
(2) high ink dyeing rate; (3) quick drying of the ink on the fabric; (4) less occurrence of irregular ink bleeding on the fabric; And high performance such as excellent transportability. In order to satisfy these required performances, in the present invention, the fabric can be subjected to a pretreatment beforehand, if necessary. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-53492 discloses cloths having an ink receiving layer, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-46589 proposes a cloth containing a reduction inhibitor or an alkaline substance. I have. As an example of such a pretreatment, there can be mentioned a treatment in which a cloth contains a substance selected from an alkaline substance, a water-soluble polymer, a synthetic polymer, a water-soluble metal salt, urea and thiourea.

Examples of the alkaline substance include alkali metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide;
Examples thereof include amines such as mono-, di-, and triethanolamine, and alkali metal carbonates or bicarbonates such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, and sodium bicarbonate. Furthermore, there are organic acid metal salts such as calcium acetate and barium acetate, ammonia and ammonia compounds. Further, sodium trichloroacetate which becomes an alkaline substance under steaming and dry heat may be used. Particularly preferred alkaline substances include sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate used for dyeing reactive dyes.

Examples of the water-soluble polymer include starch substances such as corn and wheat; cellulosic substances such as carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose and hydroxyethylcellulose; sodium alginate;
Locust bean gum, tragacanth gum, guar gum,
Examples include polysaccharides such as tamarind seeds, protein substances such as gelatin and casein, and natural water-soluble polymers such as tannin substances and lignin substances.

Examples of the synthetic polymer include a polyvinyl alcohol compound, a polyethylene oxide compound, an acrylic acid-based water-soluble polymer, and a maleic anhydride-based water-soluble polymer. Among them, polysaccharide polymers and cellulose polymers are preferable.

Examples of the water-soluble metal salt include compounds which form typical ionic crystals and have a pH of 4 to 10, such as halides of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals. Representative examples of such compounds include, for example, NaCl, Na ₂ S
O ₄ , KCl and CH ₃ COONa, and the like, and examples of the alkaline earth metal include CaCl ₂ and Mg
Cl _{2 and the} like. Among them, salts of Na, K and Ca are preferred.

The method for incorporating the above substances and the like into the fabric in the pretreatment is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a commonly used dipping method, padding method, coating method and spraying method.

Further, the printing ink applied to the fabric for ink-jet printing simply adheres to the fabric when applied to the fabric, so that a process of fixing the dye to the fiber by a reaction (dyeing process) is performed continuously. Is preferred. Such a reaction fixing step may be performed by a conventionally known method, for example, a steaming method, an HT steaming method, a thermofix method, or an alkaline pad steam method or an alkaline blotch steam method when a cloth which has been previously alkali-treated is not used. , Alkali shock method, alkali cold fix method and the like.

Further, the removal of unreacted dye and the substance used in the pretreatment can be carried out by washing after the above-mentioned reaction fixing step according to a conventionally known method. In addition, it is preferable to use a conventional fixing process in combination with this cleaning.

[0069]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Among the plurality of print heads mounted on the carriage, information on the print head used for image formation is recognized, and based on the recognized information, the size of the mounting range of the print head used for image formation on the carriage is determined. Correspondingly, the scanning range, that is, the start position and the stop position in the printing area, the idle ejection area, the wiping area, and the like are made different, and the smaller the mounting area is, the smaller the scanning range is. Processing can be performed efficiently and throughput can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view schematically showing a mechanical configuration of a printer applied to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration example around the recording head.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical schematic configuration of the printer illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram similarly.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a part of the internal configuration of the control board in FIG. 3 focusing on the flow of data.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram similarly.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram similarly.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing recovery means for the head shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 shows a case where all the heads for special colors are mounted on the carriage in addition to the basic colors for printing, and one head for special colors is used.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a movement range of a carriage when only one is mounted.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a case where all the heads for a special color are mounted on a carriage in addition to a basic color for printing, and a case where one head for a basic color is mounted without using a special color.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of various setting processing procedures according to a mounting head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 H Host computer 3 Recording medium (cloth) 24, 24 'Carriage 51 Capping member 53 Empty ejection box 57 Wiping member 102 Control board 102A CPU 102B ROM 102C RAM 104 Cloth feeder 108 Head characteristic measuring device 501 GPIB interface 504 Frame memory (FM) ) Controller 505 Image memory 509 Palette conversion table memory 511 HS conversion table memory 513 γ conversion table memory 515 Connection memory 717 Unevenness correction RAM

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI B41J 29/00 B41J 29/00 H (72) Inventor Hiroshi Endo 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Eiichi Takagi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (56) References JP-A-62-116169 (JP, A) JP-A-5-77494 (JP, A) JP-A-2-307766 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/21 B41J 2/01 B41J 2/175 B41J 3/54 B41J 19/18 B41J 29 / 00

Claims (13)

(57) [Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus for forming an image by applying ink from a plurality of recording heads while scanning a plurality of recording heads used for image formation on a common recording area of a recording medium in a predetermined direction. A carriage for performing the scanning by mounting a plurality of recording heads used for the image formation in the predetermined direction, and among a plurality of recording heads mountable on the carriage,
A recognition unit for recognizing information on a plurality of recording heads used for image formation; and a setting unit for setting a scanning range of the carriage based on the information on the plurality of recording heads used for image formation recognized by the recognition unit. The setting unit sets the scanning range differently in accordance with the size of the mounting range of the plurality of recording heads used for the image formation on the carriage in the predetermined direction. An image forming apparatus, wherein the scanning range is also set small. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is an inkjet recording head that uses ink as a recording agent and discharges the ink. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the ink jet recording head has an element for generating thermal energy for causing film boiling of the ink as energy used for discharging the ink. apparatus. 4. A recovery unit which faces the recording head in a process of moving the recording head and is provided for a recovery process for maintaining a good ejection state of the ink, wherein the setting unit includes the recovery unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a scanning range for the image forming apparatus can be set. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cloth is used as the recording medium. 6. An image forming method for forming an image by applying ink from a plurality of recording heads while scanning a plurality of recording heads used for image formation on a common recording area of a recording medium in a predetermined direction. A step of arranging a plurality of recording heads used for the image formation in the predetermined direction and mounting the plurality of recording heads on a carriage;
Recognizing information on a plurality of recording heads used for image formation; and setting a scanning range of the carriage based on the information on the plurality of recording heads used for image formation recognized in the recognition step, In the setting step, the scanning range is set differently in accordance with the size of the mounting range of the plurality of recording heads used for the image formation on the carriage in the predetermined direction. An image forming method, wherein the range is set to be small. 7. The image forming method according to claim 6, wherein the recording head is an inkjet recording head that uses ink as a recording agent and discharges the ink. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the ink jet recording head has an element for generating thermal energy for causing film boiling of the ink as energy used for discharging the ink. Method. 9. A recovering step facing the printhead in the process of moving the printhead and providing recovery processing for keeping the ink ejection state favorable, wherein the setting step includes the recovery step. The image forming method according to claim 7, wherein a scan range for the image can be set. 10. The image forming method according to claim 6, wherein a cloth is used as the recording medium. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a step of applying ink to the recording medium and performing recording, and then fixing the ink to the recording medium. Method. 12. After the step of fixing the ink,
The image forming method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of cleaning the recording medium on which the recording has been performed. 13. The recording medium according to claim 6, further comprising a preprocessing step of causing the recording medium to contain a pretreatment agent before recording by applying ink from the recording head. Image forming method.