JP4941577B2 - Inkjet printing method and inkjet printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet printing method and an ink jet printing apparatus that regularly perform flushing for discharging ink from all nozzles of an ink jet head.

  In a conventional inkjet printer (inkjet printing apparatus), in order to prevent thickening of ink ejected from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head, flushing is performed to eject ink from all nozzles periodically. In this case, the flushing is performed toward the cap disposed at a position deviated from the printing paper feeding path.

  By the way, flushing is performed regularly every tens of seconds mainly during printing. For this reason, there has been a problem that the flushing operation is performed and the printing is paused, and the printing speed is reduced by the time required for flushing.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printing method and an ink jet printing apparatus capable of shortening the time for flushing without affecting image printing.

  The inkjet printing method of the present invention detects an image and the position of the image on a printing object in an inkjet printing method in which flushing is periodically performed to eject ink from all nozzles of an inkjet head in a series of printing operations. When printing a mark for printing, the mark is printed by ejecting ink from all nozzles.

  Similarly, the inkjet printing apparatus of the present invention prints an image and a mark for detecting the position of the image on a print object, and periodically performs flushing for ejecting ink from all nozzles in a series of printing operations. An inkjet head to be performed and a control unit for controlling driving of the inkjet head are provided, and the control unit performs printing of the mark by ejecting ink from all nozzles.

  According to these configurations, since the mark is printed by ejecting ink from all the nozzles, both flushing and mark printing can be performed. This eliminates the need to pause printing during flushing.

  In this case, it is preferable to print the image and the mark while moving the ink jet head in the main scanning direction and feeding the printing object in the sub scanning direction.

  Similarly, a head moving mechanism for moving the ink jet head in the main scanning direction and an object feeding mechanism for feeding the printing object in the sub scanning direction are further provided, and the control means further includes the head moving mechanism and the object feeding mechanism. It is preferable to print the image and the mark by controlling and feeding the printing object in the sub-scanning direction and moving the inkjet head in the main scanning direction.

  According to these configurations, it is possible to appropriately perform printing (flushing) of images and marks by a printing operation of an inkjet head in a general serial printer.

  In this case, it is preferable that the printing object is a tape-like continuous paper, and the printing object is sent in the extending direction during printing.

  Similarly, it is preferable that the print object is a tape-like continuous paper, and the object feeding mechanism feeds the print object in the extending direction during printing.

  According to these configurations, as the continuous paper is narrower, the time loss due to flushing can be reduced as compared with the prior art.

  Further, it is preferable that the image and the mark are printed by moving the inkjet head in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction with respect to the print object.

  Similarly, an XY movement mechanism that moves the inkjet head in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction is further provided, and the control unit further controls the XY movement mechanism to move the inkjet head to the print object. It is preferable to print an image and a mark while moving in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction.

  According to these configurations, it is possible to appropriately perform printing (flushing) of images and marks even in a printer having a special printing form in which the inkjet head moves in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction.

  In this case, it is preferable that the printing object is a tape-like continuous paper, and printing is performed with the extending direction and the width direction of the printing object as the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, respectively.

  Similarly, it is preferable that the print object is a tape-like continuous paper, and the control unit performs printing with the extending direction and the width direction of the print object as the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, respectively.

  According to these configurations, as the continuous paper is narrower, the time loss due to flushing can be reduced as compared with the conventional technique, and printing on the continuous paper is coupled with the printing form. Speed can be increased.

  Also, the print object is a continuous tape-like paper, the extending direction and the width direction of the print object are the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, respectively, the feeding of the printing object is stopped, and the inkjet head is moved in the main scanning direction. In addition, it is preferable to print the image by moving in the sub-scanning direction, and printing the mark while feeding the print object in the extending direction with the inkjet head fixed after the image printing is completed.

  Similarly, the print object is a tape-like continuous paper, and a paper feed mechanism that feeds the print object in its extending direction, and the inkjet head is in the main scanning direction and the width direction that are the extending direction of the print object. An X / Y movement mechanism for moving in the sub-scanning direction, and the control unit further controls the paper feed mechanism and the X / Y movement mechanism to stop the feeding of the print target and move the inkjet head in the main scanning direction. In addition, it is preferable to print the image by moving in the sub-scanning direction, and printing the mark while feeding the print object in the extending direction with the inkjet head fixed after the image printing is completed.

  According to these configurations, the printing time can be shortened as a whole by driving only the inkjet head and performing printing (flushing) of the mark using the non-image printing time for sending the print object.

  Another inkjet printing method of the present invention is an inkjet printing method in which printing is performed on a print target in which a printing area for printing an image for labeling and a non-printing area for not printing an image are set. Periodic flushing for ejecting ink is performed on a non-printing area.

  Similarly, another inkjet printing apparatus of the present invention is an inkjet printing apparatus that performs printing on a printing object in which a printing area for printing an image for a label and a non-printing area for not printing an image are set. And an inkjet head that performs regular flushing for discharging ink from all nozzles of the inkjet head, and a control unit that controls driving of the inkjet head, and the control unit causes the regular flushing to be performed on the non-printing area. It is characterized by that.

  According to these configurations, when performing regular flushing, it is not necessary for the inkjet head to move to a position away from the printing object, and therefore the head movement time for regular flushing can be shortened.

1 is a plan view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the printing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. 1 is an external perspective view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows movement operation | movement of a head unit. It is an external appearance perspective view of a head unit. FIG. 3 is a structural diagram schematically showing a head unit. It is a cross-section figure of a storage unit. It is the top view of the storage unit and head unit which represented typically. It is a cross-section figure of a cleaning unit. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing a cleaning unit and a head unit. 2 is a block diagram of a control system of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the printing result by various printing methods.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an inkjet printing method and a printing apparatus to which an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention are applied will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This printing apparatus is a large-sized color printer for business use, and prints labels continuously by an ink jet method. In other words, the printing apparatus continuously prints a large number of unit images that are cut out later and used as labels on a printing tape with peeling, which is continuous paper. For example, a label that is stuck on a wrap film of fresh food. Can be printed in a small lot.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the printing apparatus, FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof, and FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the printing apparatus. As shown in these drawings, the printing apparatus 1 prints along a machine base 2, a print mechanism 3 installed on the machine base 2, and a tape feed path (paper feed path) 4 that runs vertically on the machine base 2. A tape feeding mechanism 5 for feeding the tape A, a suction table 6 disposed in the center of the tape feeding path 4, and a controller (control means: see FIG. 11) 7 for controlling the mechanisms 3 and 5 are provided. In addition, the printing apparatus 1 includes a tape supply mechanism 8 that supplies the tape feeding mechanism 5 while feeding the printing tape A wound in a roll shape, and the printed printing tape A received from the tape feeding mechanism 8 in a roll shape. And a tape take-up mechanism 9 for taking out.

  On the other hand, the printing tape A which is a printing object is a roll paper with a so-called release paper, and a plurality of types having a tape width of 50 mm to 150 mm are prepared. In printing, an image (unit image) B serving as a label is continuously printed in the extending direction of the printing tape A (see FIG. 12), and each unit image B is half-cut by another cutting device and adhered. A label with an agent is created.

  The ink used for this printing, that is, the ink used for one-line color printing, is cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), light cyan (LC), and light magenta (LM). ) And a total of six reference colors. As will be described in detail later, these six colors of ink are supplied from the ink tank (fixed tank) to each inkjet head 22 of the head unit 21 via the ink tube.

  Although not shown in the figure, a safety cover is provided on the machine base 2 so as to cover the above-described mechanisms and the like, and an opening / closing door 11 is provided on the front surface of the safety cover (see FIG. 1). The safety cover is provided with a detection switch (detection sensor) 12 for detecting the blockage of the door 11, and the main power is turned on only when the detection switch 12 detects the blockage of the door 11. It can be turned on. Further, when the door is opened while the main power is on, the main power is turned off via the detection switch 12.

  Note that reference numeral 13 in FIG. 3 denotes a warning lamp (actually erected on the upper surface of the safety cover), an ink display lamp section 13a for displaying the ink end, and a tape display lamp section for displaying the tape end. 13b and an operation indicator lamp section 13c for displaying that the printing operation is being performed (during operation of the apparatus). Reference numeral 14 in the figure denotes an inclamp group, which displays the presence or absence of six-color inks described later. Further, reference numeral 15 in the figure denotes an operation panel on the surface of which a power switch (main power), an emergency stop switch, a temporary stop switch, a restart switch, a tape feed switch (idle feed), a head cleaning switch, etc. Is arranged. A circuit board constituting the controller 7 is built in the operation panel 15.

  The machine base 2 is configured by assembling angle members 17 in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and fixing a base plate 18 on the upper part thereof. Six legs 19 are attached to the lower part of the machine base 2 so as to be adjustable in height. An extension working portion 18a for performing the addition work of the printing tape A is extended to one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the base plate 18 (see FIG. 3).

  Although not shown, a main ink tank (fixed tank) for storing ink of each color is installed on the base plate 18 via a small gantry, and ink is supplied to the sub ink tank (fixed tank) installed on the base plate. It can be supplied. Also, ink of each color is supplied from the sub ink tank to each inkjet head described later via an ink tube. The display on the ink indicator lamp unit 13a and the inclamp group 14 is performed based on the detection result such as the presence or absence of ink detected in the main ink tank.

  The print mechanism 3 includes a head unit 21 on which a large number of inkjet heads 22 are mounted, an XY movement mechanism 23 that freely moves the head unit 21 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, and storage of the inkjet heads 22 (non- And a storage unit 24 used for flushing and a cleaning unit 25 used for cleaning the inkjet head 22 (manual operation).

  The X / Y moving mechanism 23 is a so-called X / Y robot installed on the machine base 2. The X / Y moving mechanism 23 moves the head unit 21 in the X-axis direction (main scanning direction), and the X-axis stage 27 is moved to Y. A Y-axis stage 28 that moves in the axial direction (sub-scanning direction) and a Y-axis guide rail 29 that guides the movement of the X-axis stage 27 are configured. The X-axis stage 27 accommodates a main scanning ball screw 31 that reciprocates the head unit 21 in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction), a main scanning motor 32 that rotates the main scanning ball screw 31 forward and backward, and these components. An X-axis case 33 is included.

  The Y-axis stage 28 accommodates these components, a sub-scanning ball screw 34 that reciprocates the head unit 21 in the sub-scanning direction (Y-axis direction), a sub-scanning motor 35 that rotates the sub-scanning ball screw 34 forward and backward. A Y-axis case 36 is included. The Y-axis guide rail 29 is disposed in parallel to the Y-axis stage 28, supports the X-axis stage 27 with both ends together with the Y-axis stage 28, and guides the reciprocation of the X-axis stage 27.

  1 is an X-direction detection sensor that detects a reference position (home position) of the head unit 21 in the X-axis direction, and reference numeral 38 indicates the position of the head unit 21 via the X-axis stage 27. This is a Y-direction detection sensor 38 that detects a reference position (home position) in the Y-axis direction. When the main power supply of the printing apparatus 1 is turned on, the XY movement mechanism 23 is always reset to this reference position.

  Although not shown, the head unit 21 is provided with a female screw block extending from the horizontal slit formed in the X-axis case 33 into the X-axis case 33, and this female screw block is screwed into the main scanning ball screw 31. . Similarly, a female screw block extending into the Y-axis case 36 from a horizontal slit formed in the Y-axis case 36 is attached to one end of the X-axis stage 27, and this female screw block is attached to the sub-scanning ball screw 34. It is screwed. Further, two guide rollers 39, 39 are attached to the other end portion of the X-axis stage 27, so that the guide rollers 39, 39 roll on the rail portion 29 a of the Y-axis guide rail 29. (See FIG. 3).

  The main scanning motor 32 and the sub scanning motor 35 are connected to the controller 7 described above, and the head unit 21 reciprocates in the main scanning direction by rotating the main scanning motor 32 in the forward and reverse directions. By rotating forward and backward, the head unit 21 reciprocates in the sub-scanning direction via the X-axis stage 27. One line is printed by the movement of the head unit 21 in the main scanning direction, and the head unit 21 is moved to the next line by the movement in the sub-scanning direction.

  More specifically, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, for example, when printing is started with the upper left as the print start position P1, the head unit 21 is moved rightward (main scanning direction) from this position. The first line is printed (main scanning) by moving the head unit 21 toward the front at the right end, thereby moving the head unit 21 to the second line (sub-scanning). The second line is printed (main scan) by moving in the direction (main scan direction). The operation is repeated in this way to print all lines (see FIG. 4B). For example, when printing is completed at the lower right position, the next printing after feeding the tape is performed by printing all lines from the print end position P2 toward the print start position P1 by the reverse operation. This is done (see FIG. 4C). Thereby, the movement loss of the head unit 21 is reduced.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the head unit 21 includes a support bracket 41 having the female screw block mounted on the back surface, a unified carriage 42 horizontally attached to the lower portion of the support bracket 41, and a unified carriage 42. The partial carriage 43 includes four partial carriages 43 that are detachably attached. The partial carriage 43 has three side by side, that is, a total of twelve inkjet heads 22 attached to all the partial carriages 43.

  In this case, each inkjet head 22 is bonded and fixed to a partial carriage 43, and each partial carriage 43 is detachably mounted on the unified carriage 42 by positioning mounting means 44 comprising a plurality of pins. The ink jet head 22 mounted on each partial carriage 43 has a main body portion 22a formed with ink nozzles projecting downward from the unified carriage 42, and the main body portion 22a is disposed so as to face the ink nozzle row group. 46 are arranged in a concentrated manner (see FIG. 6).

  As schematically shown in FIG. 6, the six-color ink nozzle row group 46 constituting one line of the reference color is divided into four, and the divided six-color divided ink nozzle row group 47 includes three pieces. It is incorporated in the inkjet head 22 and mounted on each partial carriage 43. Specifically, in the first head 22-1 of the three inkjet heads 22 mounted on each partial carriage 43, two divided ink nozzle rows 47a of black (K) and cyan (C) are incorporated, The second head 22-2 incorporates two divided ink nozzle rows 47a of magenta (M) and yellow (Y), and the third head 22-3 has light cyan (LC) and light magenta (LM). Two divided ink nozzle rows 47a are incorporated.

  These divided nozzle row groups 47 are arranged in a staggered manner so as to partially overlap each other, and constitute a color ink nozzle row group 46 of approximately 4 inches (1 line) as a whole. As described above, the ink nozzle row group 46 for one line is divided into four and the ink jet head 22 is configured by incorporating the ink nozzle row group 46, so that the yield of the head unit 21 can be increased by appropriately replacing the defective ink jet head 22. Can be improved.

  The storage unit 24 is disposed on the machine base 2 in the vicinity of the X-axis stage 27 deviated to the near side from the tape running path 4. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the storage unit 24 stores the storage cap 51, an elevating mechanism 52 that moves the storage cap 51 toward and away from the head unit 21, and ink that flows down from the storage cap 51. And a waste ink tank 54. Needless to say, the lifting mechanism 52 is connected to the controller 7 described above.

  The storage cap 51 includes a cap body 54, an ink absorbing material 55 laid on the bottom of the cap body 54, and a seal member 56 formed of a substantially square O-ring attached to the upper end of the cap body 54. . In this case, the seal member 56 is formed to have a size including all the inkjet heads 22 of the head unit 21, and is in close contact with the lower surface of the unified carriage 42 to seal all the inkjet heads 22. .

  The elevating mechanism 52 maintains the storage cap 51 in the lowered position with respect to the head unit 21 facing directly above the storage cap 51 for flushing, while moving the head mechanism 21 facing directly above for storage. On the other hand, the storage cap 51 is raised and brought into close contact with the head unit 21. The ink ejected by the flushing is absorbed by the ink absorbing material 55, but when the ink absorbing material 55 is saturated, the ink is disposed in the waste ink tank 53 disposed below the base plate 18 through the tube 57. Flow down. On the other hand, when the storage cap 51 is in close contact with the head unit 21 for storage, the inside of the storage cap 51 is maintained in a high humidity state by the ink absorbed by the ink absorber 55, and the inkjet head Drying of the (ink nozzle) 22 is effectively prevented.

  The cleaning unit 25 is disposed on the machine base 2 at a position off the front side from the tape feeding path 4. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the cleaning unit 25 includes a pair of cap bases 61A and 61A each including three cleaning caps 61, and a total of six cleanings via the pair of cap bases 61A and 61A. An elevating mechanism 62 that separates the cap 61 toward the head unit 21 and a total of six ink pumps 63 that suck ink through the cleaning caps 61 are provided. The lifting mechanism 62 and each ink pump 63 are connected to the controller 7 described above.

  Each cleaning cap 61 includes a cap body 64, an ink absorbing material 65 laid on the bottom of the cap body 64, and a seal member 66 attached to the upper end of the cap body 64. The pair of cap bases 61A and 61A are connected to each other, and each cap base 61A is arranged side by side so as to correspond to the three inkjet heads (each head group 48) 22 mounted on the partial carriage 43. Each cleaning cap 61 is mounted.

  That is, one cap base (cap 1 in the figure) 61A corresponds to the first head group 48-1 (and third head group 48-3), and the second head group 48-2 (and fourth head group 48-). 4) corresponds to the other cap base (cap 2 shown in the figure) 61A. Further, the pair of cap bases 61A, 61A are arranged so as to be displaced in the Y-axis direction so as to correspond to the two adjacent head groups (first and second head groups and third and fourth head groups) 48. It is installed. And the raising / lowering mechanism 62 raises / lowers a pair of cap base 61A, 61A integrally.

  When the first head group 48-1 and the second head group 48-2 face the pair of cap bases 61A, 61A of the cleaning unit 25 for cleaning, the elevating mechanism 62 is driven, and the pair of cap bases 61A, 61A, All the cleaning caps 61 are raised and brought into close contact with the head unit 21 via 61A. Subsequently, each ink pump 63 is driven to suck ink from each inkjet head 22 of the first head group 48-1 and the second head group 48-2 (cleaning).

  Here, the lifting mechanism 62 is driven again to lower all the cleaning caps 61 and the XY movement mechanism 23 is driven to drive the third head group 48-3 and the fourth head group 48- of the head unit 21. 4 is moved in the Y-axis direction so as to face the pair of cap bases 61A and 61A. Then, the cleaning caps 61 are lifted and pump suction is performed, and ink suction (cleaning) of the inkjet heads 22 of the third head group 48-3 and the fourth head group 48-4 is performed.

  On the other hand, the ink sucked by each ink pump 63 is guided to the waste ink tank 53 via the ink tube 67. Thus, by appropriately moving the head unit 21 by the XY movement mechanism 23, the number of caps can be reduced, and the cleaning unit 25 can be made compact. If the number of caps is to be reduced, one cap base (cap 2 shown in the figure) 61A is omitted. In such a case, cleaning is completed with four pump suctions. Of course, although the number of times of pump suction increases, the cleaning unit 25 can be configured by a single cleaning cap 61.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the suction table 6 is configured on the lower side of the suction plate 72, the housing 71 fixed on the machine base 2, the suction plate 72 attached to the upper surface of the housing 71. A suction chamber 73 and a pair of suction fans 74, 74 connected to the suction chamber 73 are configured. The suction plate 72 is formed long in the extending direction of the tape feed path 4, and a plurality of suction holes 75 communicating with the suction chamber 73 are formed on the upper surface thereof. Further, the suction plate 72 is disposed horizontally, and is directly opposed to the inkjet head 22 moving in the X and Y directions directly above the suction plate 72. That is, the printing tape A adsorbed on the upper surface of the suction plate 72 faces the ink jet head 22 in parallel with a predetermined space for ink ejection.

  In this case, the pair of suction fans 74, 74 are connected to the controller 7 and are driven in synchronism with turning on the main power. That is, when the printing tape A is stopped, the printing tape A is sucked even when the printing tape A is fed. In particular, the feeding of the printing tape A is performed against the suction force of the suction table 6. . Further, the arrangement width of the large number of suction holes 75 to prevent leakage of suction air corresponds to the minimum width of the printing tape (tape width 50 mm) A. The exhaust air from the pair of suction fans 74 and 74 may be guided to the tape feed path 4 on the downstream side of the suction table 6 to promote ink drying.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the tape feed mechanism 5 includes a paper feed roller 81 disposed on the downstream side in the feed direction of the suction table 6, a paper feed motor 82 that rotationally drives the paper feed roller 81, and a suction table. 6 has a tension roller 83 disposed on the upstream side in the feed direction, and a pair of guide rollers 84, 84 disposed on the upstream side and downstream side of the suction table 6. The paper feed roller 81 includes a drive roller 81a and a free roller 81b facing each other with the print tape A interposed therebetween, and a paper feed motor 82 is connected to the drive roller 81a.

  Similarly, the tension roller 83 includes a braking roller 83a and a free roller 83b facing each other with the printing tape A interposed therebetween, and a torque limiter 85 is pivotally attached to the braking roller 83a. The pair of guide rollers 84, 84 are in front of and behind (upstream and downstream) the suction table 6, position the print tape A in the width direction, and horizontally expose the print tape A on the suction table 6. I will. In such a configuration, when the paper feed motor 82 is driven, the printing tape A is accurately fed while being stretched between the tension roller 83. Accordingly, the portion of the printing tape A that faces the suction table 6 is also sucked horizontally by the suction table 6 in a stretched state and in a positioned state.

  A paper feed sensor 86 is disposed between the paper feed roller 81 and the suction table 6 so as to face the tape feed path 4. The paper feed sensor 86 and the paper feed motor 82 are connected to the controller 7. The paper feed sensor 86 detects a mark C on the printing tape A described later, and the paper feed motor is based on the detection result. The driving (feed stop) of 82 is controlled. Thereby, the feeding of the printing tape A, that is, the intermittent feeding with the printable area Aa described later as a unit is always performed with high accuracy.

  The tape supply mechanism 8 and the tape take-up mechanism 9 are arranged in the front and rear (upstream side and downstream side) in the tape feeding direction with the machine base 2 interposed therebetween. The tape supply mechanism 8 feeds the printing tape A by free rotation, and the tape The winding mechanism 9 winds the printing tape A by forced rotation. The tape supply mechanism 8 includes a supply case 91 and a support shaft 92 that is wound in a roll shape and rotatably supports a printing tape (raw tape) A. In addition, it is preferable to introduce the printing tape A to be fed into the tape feeding mechanism 5 with a slack so as to eliminate the influence (tension and skew) on the tape feeding mechanism 5.

  The tape winding mechanism 9 includes a winding case 94, a winding shaft 95 provided in the winding case 94, and a winding motor 96 that winds the printing tape (printed tape) A through the winding shaft 95. Have. Also in this case, it is preferable that the wound printing tape A has a slack with the tape feeding mechanism 5 in order to eliminate the influence (tension and skew) on the tape feeding mechanism 5.

  Next, the main control system constituted by the controller 7 and various printing methods will be described in detail. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 11, the control system of the printing apparatus 1 includes an input unit 101 that inputs image data created by an external device such as a personal computer by operating the operation panel 15, and a printing mechanism (head unit 21. , X / Y moving mechanism 23) 3 and paper feed motor 82, printing unit 102 for printing an image at a predetermined position of printing tape A, and a printer driver and a paper feed driver. A driving unit 103 for driving, a detecting unit 104 having a paper feed sensor 86, and a control unit (controller 7) 105 for controlling each mechanism of the printing apparatus 1 are provided.

  The control unit 105 includes a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a CG-ROM 113, a RAM 114, and a P-CON 115, which are connected to each other via a bus 116. The ROM 112 has a control data area for storing control data including a character table and a color conversion table in addition to a control program area for storing a control program processed by the CPU 111. The CG-ROM 113 stores bitmap data such as characters, symbols, and graphics, and outputs corresponding bitmap data when given code data specifying characters and the like.

  The RAM 114 stores each color (black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow, in addition to an image data area for storing image data input from the outside and a print image data area for storing image data for printing. (Y), light cyan (LC), and light magenta (LM)) corresponding to color conversion buffer areas and various register groups are used as a work area for control processing.

  In the P-CON 115, a logic circuit for supplementing the function of the CPU 111 and handling an interface signal with a peripheral circuit is configured by a gate array or a custom LSI. For this reason, the P-CON 115 is connected to the operation panel 15 and fetches various commands, image data, and the like from the input unit 101 into the bus 116 as they are or after being processed. Further, in conjunction with the CPU 111, the P-CON 115 outputs data and control signals output from the CPU 111 and the like to the bus 116 as they are or after processing them and outputs them to the drive unit 103.

  With the above configuration, the CPU 111 inputs various detection signals, various commands, various data, and the like via the P-CON 115 according to the control program in the ROM 112, and the bitmap data from the CG-ROM 113 and the various data in the RAM 114. Data and the like are processed, and a control signal is output to the drive unit 103 via the P-CON 115. As a result, the printing mechanism 3 and the paper feed motor 82 are controlled to control the entire printing apparatus such as performing image printing and tape feeding on the printing tape A under predetermined printing conditions.

  For example, when the input image data is color, the color image data is stored for each color in a color conversion buffer in the RAM 114, and the three inkjet heads 22 are controlled according to the control program in the ROM 112. Specifically, the first head 22-1 is operated based on the data read from the magenta (M) and yellow (Y) buffers based on the data read from the black (K) and cyan (C) buffers. The second head 22-2 is also controlled based on the data read from the light cyan (LC) and light magenta (LM) buffers.

  Here, an image printing method will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 12. In this printing apparatus 1, first, the tape feeding mechanism 5 is driven to feed the portion to be printed on the printing tape A, that is, the printable area Aa, onto the suction table 6. In this state, the suction table 6 is driven, and the printable area Aa of the printing tape A that has stopped feeding is sucked by the suction table 6 and is held stationary. Subsequently, the X / Y moving mechanism 23 is driven to move the head unit 21 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction (see FIG. 4), and ink is ejected from each inkjet head 22 of the head unit 21 to generate an image. Is printed.

  The printing of the image is to continuously print a plurality of label portions as the unit image B with a gap (non-printing portion Ab) between them, and by repeating printing and feeding of the printing tape A, A desired number of unit images B are printed on the printing tape A. Along with this unit image B, a mark C for representing the position of each unit image B is also printed. When the printing of the unit image B and the mark C in the printable area Aa is completed, the X / Y movement mechanism 23 is stopped, and then the tape feeding mechanism 5 is driven so that the next printable area Aa becomes the suction table. 6 is introduced. Here, the X / Y moving mechanism 23 is driven again to move the head unit 21 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction toward the original print start position P1, and the ink (unit image B and Mark C) is printed (see FIG. 4).

  In this way, the printing tape A is held on the suction table 6, and printing on one printable area Aa by the main scanning and sub-scanning of the head unit 21 and the next printable area Aa are taken on the suction table 6. Since an arbitrary number of labels are printed on the long printing tape A by repeating the feeding introduced in FIG. 4, printing at the dot level can be performed with high accuracy and the actual printing time of the head unit 21 can be increased. The acceleration / deceleration time ratio can be made extremely small, and dead time other than actual printing can be extremely reduced. Therefore, the printing time can be shortened. In addition, the required number of labels can be printed without waste.

  In the above embodiment, while the print tape A is being fed, the head unit 21 is moved to the original print start position P1 by the XY movement mechanism 23 so that printing is always started from the print start position P1. It may be. Alternatively, the printing of the unit image B and the printing of the mark C may be performed separately, and the printing operation of the mark C may be performed while the printing tape A is being sent. That is, in the printable area Aa, an area for printing the mark C (mark printing area AC) is set outside the area for printing an image (image printing area AB) (see FIG. 12A). The head unit 21 is moved to a portion where C is printed, and the mark C is printed when the printing tape A is sent in this state.

  In this mark printing method, the feeding of the printing tape A is the main scanning, and the feeding time of the printing tape A that is essentially the printing pause time is assigned to the mark printing that does not require a relatively high resolution. It is. For this reason, the printing time can be shortened as a whole. In this case, if the mark printing is performed at a lower resolution than the image printing, the printing tape A can be fed relatively quickly.

  FIG. 12 shows a result of printing on one printable area Aa of the printing tape. In FIG. 5A, a plurality of unit images (labels) B are printed in the extending direction of the printing tape A with a predetermined gap, and a large number of marks C are printed at equal intervals in parallel therewith. ing. In FIG. 5B, a plurality of marks C are printed in correspondence with each unit image B. The mark C printed in this way is used to detect the position of the unit image B when half-cutting the printed tape later, and as described above, adsorbs the next printable area Aa. It is used when feeding into the table 6 accurately. Note that the printing tape A is fed so that the gap between the images (non-printing portion Ab) is positioned at the boundary portion between one printable region Aa and the next printable region Aa. Not too long.

  On the other hand, (c) and (d) in the figure show the case where the flushing of the inkjet head 22 is performed not on the storage unit 24 but on the printing tape A. In FIG. 5C, when printing of the unit image B and the mark C in one printable area Aa is completed, all the inkjet heads 22 are driven with respect to the last gap (non-printing area Ab) as regular flushing. Ink discharge is performed.

  As described above, the end user uses only the half-cut label portion of the printing tape A and discards the other portions. Therefore, there is no problem even if flushing is performed on the non-printed portion Ab. Conversely, by performing regular flushing in this manner, the flushing unit 24 can be flushed compared with the case where flushing is performed on the storage unit 24. The moving time of the head unit 21 is shortened, and the printing speed can be increased as a whole.

  Further, in the same figure (d), it is configured to perform both the regular flushing and the printing of the mark C. That is, the ink is discharged by all the ink jet heads 22 to print the mark C in the gap (non-printing area Ab) between the adjacent unit images B. Thus, by combining the regular flushing with the printing of the mark C, the time loss for flushing can be reduced to zero, and the printing speed can be further increased.

  Note that the configuration in which the regular flushing is performed on the printing tape (printing object) can be applied to a general ink jet printer that sends the printing object in the sub-scanning direction while reciprocating the head unit in the main scanning direction. Needless to say.

(The invention's effect)
As described above, according to the ink jet printing method and the ink jet printing apparatus of the present invention, the flushing of the ink jet head that discharges ink from all the nozzles and the mark printing are combined. The printing speed can be increased accordingly.

  In addition, according to the other inkjet printing method and inkjet printing apparatus of the present invention, the regular flushing is performed on the non-printing area of the printing object, so the head moving time for the regular flushing can be shortened. Therefore, the printing speed can be increased accordingly.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing apparatus, 2 units | sets, 3 printing mechanism, 4 tape feeding path, 5 tape feeding mechanism, 6 adsorption table, 7 controller, 8 tape supply mechanism, 9 tape winding mechanism, 21 head unit, 22 inkjet head, 23 X -Y movement mechanism, 81 paper feed roller, 86 paper feed sensor, A printing tape, AB image printing area, AC mark printing area, Aa printable area, Ab non-printing part, B unit image, C mark.

Claims (4)

A printing object, have rows printing mark for detecting the position of the print and the image by discharging an ink image from the ink jet head, after the printing of the image and the mark is completed, the inkjet head nozzles in the image and line power sale inkjet printing method to a region where the mark is not printed in the flushing for ejecting ink the printing object from,
An inkjet printing method , wherein the mark is printed at a lower resolution than the printing of the image by speeding up the feeding of the printing object when printing the mark . The printing object is in a tape form,
The extending direction and the width direction of the print object are respectively a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction,
While stopping the feeding of the printing object, moving the inkjet head in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction to print the image,
The inkjet printing method according to claim 1, wherein the mark is printed while feeding the printing object in the extending direction. In an inkjet printing apparatus that prints an image on a print object,
An inkjet head that performs printing of the image and a mark for detecting the position of the image, and performs flushing for discharging ink from the nozzles of the inkjet head;
A feed mechanism for feeding the print object;
Control means for controlling the drive of the inkjet head and the feed mechanism ,
The ink jet printing apparatus characterized in that the control means speeds up the feeding of the printing object when printing the mark and prints the mark at a lower resolution than printing the image . The printing object is in a tape form,
An XY movement mechanism that moves the inkjet head in a main scanning direction that is an extending direction of the print object and a sub-scanning direction that is a width direction;
The control means further controls the XY movement mechanism,
While stopping the feeding of the printing object, moving the inkjet head in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction to print the image,
The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the mark is printed while the printing object is fed in the extending direction.

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