JP5471305B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art There is known a printing apparatus that performs printing using a liquid (for example, UV ink) that is cured by irradiation with light (a kind of electromagnetic wave, for example, ultraviolet (UV)). In such a printing apparatus, after ejecting ink from the nozzles of the head onto the medium, the dots formed on the medium are irradiated with light. By doing so, the dots are cured and fixed to the medium, so that it is possible to perform good printing even on a medium that hardly absorbs liquid (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2000-158793 A

Further, as the above-described printing apparatus, one that performs two-stage curing has been proposed. For example, by irradiating light with weak irradiation energy immediately after dot formation, bleeding between inks and spread of dots are suppressed (temporary curing). After that, the pre-cured dots are irradiated with light of strong energy. As a result, the dots are completely cured (main curing).
However, in such a printing apparatus, when the surface is coated with clear ink instead of color ink, if the clear ink is temporarily cured in the same manner as the color ink, the surface may be uneven and the image quality may deteriorate. was there.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to improve image quality.

  The main invention for achieving the above object is a plurality of heads in which inks that are cured by light irradiation are ejected, arranged in the medium transport direction, and a plurality of cartridges that contain the inks, each being detachable A plurality of pre-curing light sources, each of which is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of heads and irradiates light for pre-curing to the dots formed on the medium by each head, and A main curing light source for irradiating light for main curing to dots irradiated with light from a plurality of temporary curing light sources, and a certain cartridge is replaced with a cartridge for clear ink, and the clear ink is When the ejecting head is located downstream of the other heads ejecting color ink in the transport direction, the temporary hard corresponding to the head ejecting the clear ink The irradiation energy of the use source is a printing apparatus characterized by smaller than the irradiation energy of the light from the pre-curing light sources respectively corresponding to the other head for ejecting the color ink.

  Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of an overall configuration of a printer. FIG. 3 is a schematic view around a print area. It is the figure which looked at FIG. 2 from the top. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of processing performed by a printer driver during printing. It is explanatory drawing of the nozzle arrangement | positioning of each head. It is sectional drawing of a head. It is the schematic of the structure of a cartridge and a cartridge mounting part. 8A to 8C are explanatory diagrams of the relationship between the shape of the UV ink landed on the medium and the UV irradiation energy for temporary curing. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the printing mode and ink of 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the image formed by the printing mode of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the process at the time of ink replacement | exchange of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the printing mode and ink of 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the image formed by the printing mode of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the printing mode and ink of 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the image formed by the printing mode of 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the process at the time of ink replacement | exchange of 3rd Embodiment.

  At least the following matters will become clear from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

A plurality of heads in which heads for discharging ink that is cured by light irradiation are arranged in a medium transport direction; a plurality of cartridges that contain the ink; and a plurality of cartridges that are detachably mounted; A plurality of provisional curing light sources that irradiate the dots formed on the medium by the respective heads, respectively, and the light from the plurality of provisional curing light sources. And a main curing light source for irradiating the cured dots with light for main curing. A certain cartridge is replaced with a cartridge for clear ink, and a head for ejecting clear ink ejects color ink. When located downstream of the head in the transport direction, the irradiation energy of light from the temporary curing light source corresponding to the head that discharges the clear ink is Printing apparatus characterized by smaller than the light irradiation energy from the pre-curing light sources corresponding to the other head for ejecting color ink becomes apparent.
According to such a printing apparatus, the surface of the coating with clear ink can be smoothed, and the image quality can be improved.

In this printing apparatus, the first printing mode in which the head that discharges the clear ink is downstream of the other head that discharges the color ink in the transport direction, and the head that discharges the clear ink includes the color ink. There is a second print mode that is located upstream of the other head that discharges ink in the transport direction, and it is preferable that the first print mode or the second print mode is selected in accordance with replacement of each cartridge. .
According to such a printing apparatus, the print mode can be automatically set.

In this printing apparatus, the irradiation energy of light emitted from the temporary curing light source corresponding to the head that discharges the clear ink in the second printing mode is the clear energy in the first printing mode. It is desirable that the energy is smaller than the irradiation energy of the light emitted from the temporary curing light source corresponding to the head that ejects ink.
According to such a printing apparatus, bleeding between the clear ink and the color ink can be suppressed in the first printing mode, and the surface can be smoothed (glossiness improved) in the second printing mode.

In this printing apparatus, it is preferable that each of the plurality of cartridges includes a storage element that stores information regarding the type of ink contained therein.
According to such a printing apparatus, the cartridge (ink) attached to the head can be detected by reading the information in the storage element.

  Further, a plurality of heads in which inks that are cured by light irradiation are ejected are arranged in the medium transport direction, a plurality of cartridges that contain the ink, and a plurality of cartridges that are detachably mounted, A plurality of provisional curing light sources that are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of heads and irradiate the dots formed on the medium by the respective heads, respectively, and light from the plurality of provisional curing light sources A main curing light source for irradiating the main curing light to the dots irradiated with, a cartridge is replaced with a cartridge for background ink, and a head for ejecting background ink ejects color ink When located on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the other head, the irradiation energy of light from the temporary curing light source corresponding to the head that discharges the background ink is Printing apparatus characterized by smaller than the light irradiation energy from the pre-curing light sources corresponding to the other head for ejecting color ink becomes apparent.

  In the following embodiments, a line printer (printer 1) will be described as an example of a printing apparatus.

=== First Embodiment ===
<About printer configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the overall configuration of the printer 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic view around the print area. FIG. 3 is a top view of FIG.

  The printer 1 is a printing device that prints an image on a medium such as paper, cloth, or film, and is communicably connected to a computer 110 that is an external device.

A printer driver is installed in the computer 110. The printer driver is a program for displaying a user interface on a display device (not shown) and converting image data output from an application program into print data. This printer driver is recorded on a recording medium (computer-readable recording medium) such as a flexible disk FD or a CD-ROM. The printer driver can also be downloaded to the computer 110 via the Internet. In addition, this program is comprised from the code | cord | chord for implement | achieving various functions.
Then, the computer 110 outputs print data corresponding to the image to be printed to the printer 1 in order to cause the printer 1 to print an image.

  The printer 1 of the present embodiment is an apparatus that prints an image on a medium by ejecting ultraviolet curable ink (hereinafter referred to as UV ink) that is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet light (hereinafter referred to as UV) as an example of a liquid. The UV ink is an ink containing an ultraviolet curable resin, and is cured by undergoing a photopolymerization reaction in the ultraviolet curable resin when irradiated with UV.

  The printer 1 according to this embodiment includes a transport unit 20, a head unit 30, an irradiation unit 40, a detector group 50, and a controller 60. The printer 1 that has received print data from the computer 110 that is an external device controls each unit (the transport unit 20, the head unit 30, and the irradiation unit 40) by the controller 60, and prints an image on a medium according to the print data. The controller 60 controls each unit based on the print data received from the computer 110 and prints an image on a medium. The situation in the printer 1 is monitored by the detector group 50, and the detector group 50 outputs the detection result to the controller 60. The controller 60 controls each unit based on the detection result output from the detector group 50.

  The transport unit 20 is for transporting a medium (for example, paper) in a predetermined direction (hereinafter referred to as a transport direction). The transport unit 20 includes an upstream transport roller 23 </ b> A, a downstream transport roller 23 </ b> B, and a belt 24. When a transport motor (not shown) rotates, the upstream transport roller 23A and the downstream transport roller 23B rotate, and the belt 24 rotates. The medium fed by a paper feed roller (not shown) is conveyed by the belt 24 to a printable area (area facing the head). As the belt 24 transports the medium, the medium moves in the transport direction with respect to the head unit 30. The medium that has passed through the printable area is discharged to the outside by the belt 24. Note that the medium being transported is electrostatically attracted or vacuum attracted to the belt 24.

  The head unit 30 is for ejecting UV ink onto a medium. In the following embodiments, color inks for forming an image (cyan, magenta, yellow, black, orange, green), colorless and transparent clear ink, and white ink for a background image are used as the UV ink.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, six heads (heads 31a to 31f) arranged in the transport direction are provided. Each of these heads ejects ink to the medium being transported to form dots on the medium and print an image on the medium. As shown in FIG. 2, the head 31a, the head 31b, the head 31c, the head 31d, the head 31e, and the head 31f are arranged in this order from the upstream side in the transport direction. Of ink. The printer 1 of the present embodiment is a line printer, and each head of the head unit 30 can form dots for the medium width at a time.

  The irradiation unit 40 irradiates UV toward the UV ink that has landed on the medium. The dots formed on the medium are cured by receiving UV irradiation from the irradiation unit 40. The irradiation unit 40 of the present embodiment includes provisional curing irradiation units 42 a to 42 f and a main curing irradiation unit 44, and two-stage curing (preliminary curing and main curing) for dots formed on the medium ( UV irradiation).

  The pre-curing irradiation units 42a to 42f irradiate UV for temporarily curing the dots formed on the medium. In the present embodiment, the term “temporary curing” refers to curing performed to suppress bleeding between UV inks and spreading of dots.

  The provisional curing irradiation unit 42a is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the head 31a, and the provisional curing irradiation unit 42b is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the head 31b. Further, the pre-curing irradiation unit 42c is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the head 31c, and the pre-curing irradiation unit 42d is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the head 31d. Further, the pre-curing irradiation unit 42e is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the head 31e, and the pre-curing irradiation unit 42f is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the head 31f.

  The length in the medium width direction of each of these pre-curing irradiation portions is equal to or greater than the medium width. Each temporary curing irradiation unit irradiates the dots formed by the corresponding head of the head unit 30 with UV.

  Note that the pre-curing irradiation units 42a to 42f of the present embodiment include light emitting diodes (LEDs) as UV light sources. The LED can easily change the irradiation energy by controlling the magnitude of the input current. In addition, the wavelength of LED is 375-420 nm in any case of temporary hardening and this hardening.

  The main curing irradiation unit 44 irradiates UV for main curing the dots formed on the medium. In the present embodiment, the main curing is curing performed to completely cure the dots, and the UV irradiation amount in the main curing is larger than the UV irradiation amount in the temporary curing.

  The main curing irradiation section 44 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction from the provisional curing irradiation section 42f. Further, the length of the main curing irradiation unit 44 in the medium width direction is equal to or greater than the medium width. Then, the main curing irradiation unit 44 irradiates the UV for main curing to the dots formed by the respective heads and temporarily cured by the respective temporary curing irradiation units.

  The main curing irradiation unit 44 of the present embodiment includes a lamp (a metal halide lamp, a mercury lamp, or the like) as a UV irradiation light source. An LED may be used as the light source of the main curing irradiation unit 44.

  The detector group 50 includes a rotary encoder (not shown), a paper detection sensor (not shown), and the like. The rotary encoder detects the rotation amount of the upstream side conveyance roller 23A and the downstream side conveyance roller 23B. The transport amount of the medium can be detected based on the detection result of the rotary encoder. The paper detection sensor detects the position of the leading edge of the medium being fed.

  The controller 60 is a control unit (control unit) for controlling the printer. The controller 60 includes an interface unit 61, a CPU 62, a memory 63, and a unit control circuit 64. The interface unit 61 transmits and receives data between the computer 110 that is an external device and the printer 1. The CPU 62 is an arithmetic processing unit for controlling the entire printer. The memory 63 is for securing an area for storing a program of the CPU 62, a work area, and the like, and includes storage elements such as a RAM and an EEPROM. The CPU 62 controls each unit via the unit control circuit 64 in accordance with a program stored in the memory 63.

<Printer driver processing>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of processing performed by the printer driver when the printer 1 performs printing.

  The printer driver receives image data from the application program, converts it into print data in a format that can be interpreted by the printer 1, and outputs the print data to the printer. When converting image data from an application program into print data, the printer driver performs resolution conversion processing, color conversion processing, halftone processing, rasterization processing, command addition processing, and the like. Various processes performed by the printer driver will be described below.

  The resolution conversion process is a process for converting image data (text data, image data, etc.) output from an application program into a resolution (print resolution) for printing on paper. For example, when the print resolution is specified as 720 × 720 dpi, the vector format image data received from the application program is converted into bitmap format image data with a resolution of 720 × 720 dpi. Note that each pixel data of the image data after the resolution conversion process is multi-gradation (for example, 256 gradations) RGB data represented by an RGB color space.

  The color conversion process is a process for converting RGB data into data in a color space corresponding to the ink color forming the image. For example, when printing an image using CMYK ink, RGB data is converted into a CMYK color space. The color conversion processing in this case is performed based on a table (color conversion lookup table LUT) in which the gradation values of RGB data and the gradation values of CMYK data are associated with each other. In this case, the pixel data after the color conversion process is CMYK data of 256 gradations represented by the CMYK color space.

  The halftone process is a process for converting high gradation number data into gradation number data that can be formed by a printer. For example, data representing 256 gradations is converted into 1-bit data representing 2 gradations or 2-bit data representing 4 gradations by halftone processing. In the halftone process, a dither method, a γ correction, an error diffusion method, or the like is used. The data subjected to the halftone process has a resolution equivalent to the print resolution (for example, 720 × 720 dpi). The image data after halftone processing corresponds to 1-bit or 2-bit pixel data for each pixel, and this pixel data is data indicating the dot formation status (presence / absence of dot, dot size) in each pixel. become.

  The rasterizing process rearranges the pixel data arranged in a matrix for each pixel data in the order of data to be transferred to the printer 1. For example, the pixel data is rearranged according to the arrangement order of the nozzles in each nozzle row.

  The command addition process is a process for adding command data corresponding to the printing method to the rasterized data. The command data includes, for example, conveyance data indicating the medium conveyance speed.

  The print data generated through these processes is transmitted to the printer 1 by the printer driver.

<About printing operation>
When the printer 1 receives print data from the computer 110, the controller 60 first rotates a paper feed roller (not shown) by the transport unit 20 and sends a medium to be printed onto the belt 24. The medium is conveyed on the belt 24 without stopping at a constant speed, and passes under the head unit 30 and the irradiation unit 40. During this time, the controller 60 intermittently ejects ink from the nozzles of each head of the head unit 30 to form dots on the medium and irradiates UV from each irradiation unit of the irradiation unit 40. For example, the controller 60 causes ink to be ejected from the head 31a when the medium passes under the head 31a. Then, when the medium passing through the head 31a passes under the temporary curing irradiation unit 42a, the temporary curing UV is irradiated from the temporary curing irradiation unit 42a. Thereby, the dots formed on the medium by the head 31a are temporarily cured. Hereinafter, similarly, as the medium is transported in the transport direction, ink is ejected from each head, and then UV for pre-curing is irradiated from the pre-curing irradiation unit 42 corresponding to each head. Finally, when the medium passes under the main curing irradiation unit 44, the main curing UV is irradiated from the main curing irradiation unit 44. As a result, the dots formed on the medium are completely cured. Thus, an image is printed on the medium. Then, the controller 60 discharges the medium on which image printing has been completed.

<About ink>
In a printer, “subtractive color mixture” is used to express various colors. The subtractive primary colors are three colors, cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). Cyan (C) absorbs red (R) and reflects green (G) and blue (B). Magenta (M) absorbs green (G) and reflects red (R) and blue (B). Yellow (Y) absorbs blue (B) and reflects red (R) and green (G). In other words, cyan ink, magenta ink, and yellow ink represent a visually recognized image by adjusting the absorption amounts of the three primary colors RGB of light. Hereinafter, cyan ink, magenta ink, and yellow ink are also referred to as C ink, M ink, and Y ink, respectively.

In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, in addition to CMY ink, black ink (hereinafter also referred to as K ink), green ink (hereinafter also referred to as G ink), and orange ink (hereinafter also referred to as Or ink) are used as color inks. use. Note that red, blue, metallic, violet, or the like may be used as the color ink.
The reason why K ink is used is that strong black (deep black) cannot be expressed even if inks of three colors CMY are mixed.

The G ink is used for the following reason.
For example, in landscape photography, it is important to express a bright green tree. In order to express green only with CMY ink, C ink and Y ink are mixed. However, when two inks of C ink and Y ink are mixed, the color may become cloudy. For this reason, the saturation of the green is lowered, and vivid green cannot be expressed. Therefore, in this embodiment, G ink that can express green independently is prepared.

Or ink is used for the following reason.
For example, in landscape photography, it is important to express a bright orange sunset. In this case, if Or ink is used, it becomes possible to express a bright orange.
In landscape photography, it is important to express the bright blue of the sky. In this case, if blue ink (hereinafter also referred to as B ink) is used, it becomes possible to express vivid blue.

In the following description, dots formed with these color inks are also referred to as color dots.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, clear ink (hereinafter also referred to as CL ink) and white ink (hereinafter also referred to as W ink) are used. In the following description, a dot formed by CL ink is also called a clear dot, and a dot generated by W ink is also called a background dot.

  W ink is white ink for printing the background color (white) of a color image, for example, when printing on a transparent medium. Thus, by making the background white, it becomes easier to see the color image.

  The CL ink is a colorless and transparent ink, and is used for surface coating (hereinafter referred to as surface coating) and to improve the adhesion of the color ink to the medium (hereinafter referred to as anchor coating). Since CL ink contains no pigment, it is more likely to adhere to the medium than color ink. For this reason, the adhesion of the color dots to the medium is better when the color dots are formed after the clear dots are formed on the medium than when the color dots are directly formed on the medium to which the ink hardly adheres.

As described above, CL inks used for both the surface coat and the anchor coat include, for example, those having the following compositions.
(Example of CL ink composition)
Phenoxyethyl acrylate 30%
2- (2-vinyloxyethoxy) ethyl acrylate 15%
Tripropylene glycol diacrylate 15%
Dipropylene glycol diacrylate 15%
Vinyl caprolactam 10%
Dicyclopentenyl acrylate 11.45%
Urethane oligomer 4%
Photopolymerization initiator (Irgacure 819) 4%
Photopolymerization initiator (Darocur TPO) 4%
Photopolymerization initiator (Irgacure 127) 1%
Thermal polymerization inhibitor (MEHQ) 0.05%
Surfactant (BYK-UV3500) 0.5%

  Each of these inks is housed in a cartridge (described later) that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the printer 1. When these cartridges are mounted on each head, the corresponding ink is ejected from each head. . That is, the ink ejected by each head can be changed by changing (replacement) the cartridge to be mounted.

<About the nozzle arrangement of each head>
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the nozzle arrangement of each head. Each of these heads is provided with two nozzle rows of “A row” and “B row” as shown in the figure.
The nozzles in each row are arranged at an interval (nozzle pitch) of 1/180 inch along a direction (nozzle row direction) intersecting the transport direction. Further, the position in the nozzle row direction of the nozzles in the A row and the position in the nozzle row direction of the nozzles in the B row are shifted by a half nozzle pitch (1/360 inch). This makes it possible to form dots of each color with a resolution of 1/360 inch.

<About the configuration of the head>
Next, the configuration of the head will be described.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the head. FIG. 6 shows a cross section of a portion corresponding to one nozzle of FIG. As shown in the figure, the head includes a drive unit 32, a case 33 for housing the drive unit 32, and a flow path unit 34 attached to the case.

  The drive unit 32 includes a piezo element group composed of a plurality of piezo elements 321, a fixing plate 323 to which the piezo element group is fixed, and a flexible cable 324 for supplying power to each piezo element 321. . Each piezo element 321 is attached to the fixed plate 323 in a so-called cantilever state. The fixed plate 323 is a plate-like member having rigidity capable of receiving a reaction force from the piezo element 321. The flexible cable 324 is a flexible sheet-like wiring board, and is electrically connected to the piezo element 321 on the side surface of the fixed end opposite to the fixed plate 323. On the surface of the flexible cable 324, a head controller HC, which is a control IC for controlling driving of the piezo element 321 and the like, is mounted.

  The case 33 has a rectangular parallelepiped block-like outer shape having a storage empty portion 331 in which the drive unit 32 can be stored. The flow path unit 34 is joined to the front end surface of the case 33. The housing empty portion 331 has a size that allows the drive unit 32 to be fitted exactly. The case 33 is also formed with an ink supply pipe 332 for supplying ink from a corresponding cartridge (described later) to the flow path unit 34.

  The flow path unit 34 includes a flow path forming substrate 35, a nozzle plate 36, and an elastic plate 37. The flow path forming substrate 35 is laminated and integrated so that the flow path forming substrate 35 is sandwiched between the nozzle plate 36 and the elastic plate 37. Constructed. The nozzle plate 36 is a thin plate made of stainless steel on which the nozzles Nz are formed.

  In the flow path forming substrate 35, a plurality of empty portions to be the pressure chambers 351 and the ink supply ports 352 are formed corresponding to the respective nozzles Nz. The reservoir 353 is a liquid storage chamber for supplying the ink stored in the cartridge to each pressure chamber 351 and communicates with the other end of the corresponding pressure chamber 351 through the ink supply port 352. The ink supplied from the cartridge is introduced into the reservoir 353 through the ink supply pipe 332.

  The drive unit 32 is inserted into the housing empty portion 331 with the free end portion of the piezo element 321 facing the flow path unit 34, and the distal end surface of the free end portion is bonded to the corresponding island portion 373. Further, the back surface of the fixed plate 323 is bonded to the inner wall surface of the case 33 that partitions the housing empty portion 331. When a drive signal is supplied to the piezo element 321 via the flexible cable 324 in this stored state, the piezo element 321 expands and contracts to expand and contract the volume of the pressure chamber 351. Due to such a change in the volume of the pressure chamber 351, pressure fluctuation occurs in the ink in the pressure chamber 351. Then, ink droplets can be ejected from the corresponding nozzle Nz by utilizing the variation in the ink pressure.

<Configuration of cartridge and cartridge mounting portion>
FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing an example of the structure of the cartridge and the cartridge mounting portion 38. The cartridge mounting portion 38 is provided corresponding to each head. That is, the cartridge is mounted for each head. Since the cartridge and cartridge mounting portion 38 have the same configuration for each head, one of them will be described. The cartridge mounting method may be a method in which the cartridge is mounted on the head (on-carriage method), or the cartridge is mounted away from the head (on the printer main body), and the head is mounted from the cartridge through the tube. A system (off-carriage system) for supplying ink to the ink may be used.

In FIG. 7, the cartridge includes a cartridge main body 391 constituting an ink storage portion 391 </ b> K that stores UV ink therein, and a storage element 392 provided in a side frame portion of the cartridge main body 391. The storage element 392 is an element that exchanges various data with the printer 1 (controller 60) when the cartridge is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 38 of the main body of the printer 1, and includes a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory. It is composed of elements capable of storing various data. A plurality of connection terminals (not shown) are exposed on the surface of the memory element 392.
On the other hand, the cartridge mounting portion 38 includes a connector 381 disposed on the inner wall of the cartridge mounting portion 38. The connector 381 is formed with a plurality of connection terminals (not shown) that are electrically connected to the plurality of connection terminals of the storage element 392 when the cartridge is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 38, respectively.

  When the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 38, ink can be supplied from the ink storage portion 391K of the cartridge to the head through the ink supply pipe 332. When the cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 38, the plurality of connection terminals of the storage element 392 of the cartridge and the plurality of connection terminals of the connector 381 of the cartridge mounting portion 38 are electrically connected to each other, and the printer 1 ( Data can be exchanged between the controller 60) and the storage element 392.

  The storage element 392 stores, for example, information indicating characteristics such as the color, density, and viscosity of ink stored in the cartridge, various print control programs, and the like. Further, the storage element 392 may store information related to the time when the ink (cartridge) is generated, information related to the time when the cartridge is mounted, and the like.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the printer 1 (controller 60) can read out information related to the cartridge from the storage element 392 by mounting the cartridge in the cartridge mounting unit 38 of the printer 1.

<About temporary curing and main curing>
In the present embodiment, the dots are cured by irradiating UV to the UV ink that has landed on the medium. In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, as the irradiation unit 40, provisional curing 42a to 42f that perform UV irradiation for temporary curing of UV ink and a main curing irradiation unit 44 that performs UV irradiation for main curing are provided. Two-stage curing is performed. The temporary curing is for suppressing bleeding between UV inks that have landed on the medium and the spread of dots, and the main curing is for completely curing the UV ink. For this reason, the UV irradiation energy of the main curing is larger than the UV irradiation energy of the temporary curing. The UV irradiation energy (mJ / cm ² ) refers to UV irradiation intensity (mW / cm ² ) × time (sec). Specifically, the UV irradiation energy for temporary curing is 3 to 30 mJ / cm ² (preferably 5 to 15 mJ / cm ² ), whereas the UV irradiation energy for main curing is 200 to 500 mJ / cm ² . is there.
In this way, the temporary curing is to control the spread between the UV inks that have landed on the medium and the spread of the dots, and the shape of the dots is substantially determined by the temporary curing.

8A to 8C are explanatory diagrams of the relationship between the shape of the UV ink (dots) landed on the medium and the UV irradiation energy for temporary curing. Note that the UV irradiation energy decreases in the order of FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C.
When the UV irradiation energy for temporary curing is large, for example, as shown in FIG. 8A. In this case, it is possible to suppress bleeding between inks and spread of dots, but the gloss becomes worse because the unevenness of the medium surface constituted by the dots becomes large.
On the other hand, when the UV irradiation energy for temporary curing is small, for example, as shown in FIG. 8C. In this case, the gloss is good. However, bleeding easily occurs between other inks, and the spread of dots increases.

<Regarding the Printing Process of the First Embodiment>
In the present embodiment, as described above, the ink supplied to each head can be changed according to the cartridge mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 38 of the printer 1.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the print mode and the ink according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an image formed by the printing mode of the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 9, in the first printing mode, six color inks (K ink, Y ink, M ink, C ink, Or ink, G ink) are used to form an image. For example, a cartridge for K ink is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 38 corresponding to the head 31a. As a result, K ink is ejected from the head 31a. Further, for example, a G ink cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 38 corresponding to the head 31f. As a result, the G ink is ejected from the head 31a.

  In the first printing mode, as shown in FIG. 10, color inks of K ink, Y ink, M ink, C ink, Or ink, and G ink are sequentially ejected onto the medium to form a color image. Although explanation is omitted here, after ink is ejected from each head, UV for pre-curing is irradiated from the corresponding pre-curing irradiation section, and temporary curing is performed immediately after dot formation. The same applies to the following description.

  On the other hand, in the second printing mode, four color inks (K ink, Y ink, M ink, C ink), W ink, and CL ink are used. For example, a W ink cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 38 corresponding to the head 31a. As a result, W ink is ejected from the head 31a. For example, a CL ink cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 38 corresponding to the head 31f. As a result, CL ink is ejected from the head 31f.

  In the second print mode, as shown in FIG. 10, a white background image is printed on the medium with the W ink. A color image is formed on the background image with C ink, M ink, Y ink, and K ink, and a surface coat layer is formed thereon with CL ink.

  The controller 60 can detect the type (color) of the cartridge mounted on each head by reading information from the storage element 392 of each cartridge, and can select a corresponding print mode. Then, the controller 60 transmits the read information to the printer driver of the computer 110. The printer driver creates print data corresponding to each print mode and transmits it to the printer 1. Thus, in this embodiment, the print mode can be automatically changed by exchanging the cartridge.

  By the way, in the second printing mode, the CL ink is ejected after the other color inks because the head 31f that ejects the CL ink is downstream in the transport direction from the other heads (31a to 31e). Become. However, in the case of this second printing mode, if the CL ink is temporarily cured under the same conditions as other color inks, the surface may become uneven and the image quality may deteriorate (see FIG. 8). Therefore, in the present embodiment, when CL ink is used for the surface coat (when CL dots are formed after other color dots), the UV irradiation energy for temporary curing applied to the CL dots is reduced.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process at the time of ink replacement in the first embodiment.
First, the controller 60 determines whether or not the cartridge corresponding to each head has been replaced (S101). If it is determined that the cartridge has been replaced (YES in S101), the controller 60 determines whether there is a CL ink cartridge in the mounted cartridge (S102).

  If it is determined that there is a cartridge for CL ink (YES in S102), it is determined whether or not the head on which the cartridge for CL ink is mounted is downstream in the transport direction with respect to other heads that discharge color ink. (S103). If the controller 60 determines that the head mounted with the CL ink cartridge is downstream in the transport direction with respect to the other head that discharges the color ink (YES in S103), the controller 60 performs temporary curing corresponding to the head that discharges the CL ink. The UV irradiation energy of the irradiating unit is made smaller than a predetermined value for temporary curing (S104). That is, the UV irradiation energy of the pre-curing irradiation unit corresponding to the head that ejects the CL ink is made smaller than the UV irradiation energy of the other pre-curing irradiation units. Then, the process returns to step S101.

  When it is determined in step S102 that there is no CL ink cartridge (NO in S102), and in step S103, the head on which the CL ink cartridge is mounted is closer to the downstream side in the transport direction than the other heads that discharge color ink. If it is determined that there is not (NO in S103), the irradiation energy of each temporary curing irradiation section is set to a predetermined value (S105), and the process returns to step S101.

  For example, in FIG. 9, since the CL ink is not used in the first printing mode, the irradiation energy of each temporary curing irradiation unit is set to a predetermined value. When changing from the first printing mode to the second printing mode, the G ink cartridge of the head 31f is replaced with a CL ink cartridge. When the controller 60 detects that the CL ink cartridge is mounted, the controller 60 determines whether the head (head 31f) on which the CL ink cartridge is mounted is downstream in the transport direction from the other heads that discharge the color ink. . Here, since the head 31f is on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the other head that discharges the color ink, the input current to the light source (LED) of the provisional curing irradiation section 42f corresponding to the head 31f is reduced, and the provisional The UV irradiation energy from the irradiation unit for curing 42f is lowered. In this case, the UV irradiation energy for temporary curing irradiated to the CL ink (clear dot) is reduced, but since the color ink previously ejected to the medium has already been temporarily cured, the space between the color dot and the clear dot The problem of bleeding does not occur. Further, since the UV irradiation energy for pre-curing the clear dots is small, the surface of the surface coat layer formed by the clear dots becomes smooth and gloss is improved.

  In the present embodiment, the irradiation energy for temporary curing is the same (predetermined value) for each color ink other than the CL ink, but a value of irradiation energy suitable for temporary curing is set for each ink color. May be. For example, since K ink is harder to cure than other color inks, the UV radiation energy for pre-curing may be made slightly larger than other inks.

  In this embodiment, the UV irradiation energy of the pre-curing irradiation unit 42f corresponding to the head 31f that ejects CL ink is reduced in step S104 of FIG. 11, but UV is emitted from the pre-curing irradiation unit 42f. You may make it not irradiate. In this case, the surface of the surface coat layer becomes smoother and the gloss is further improved.

=== Second Embodiment ===
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the printing mode and the ink according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an image formed by the printing mode of the second embodiment.
Compared to the first embodiment, the first print mode is different. In the second embodiment, in the first printing mode, CL ink is used as an anchor coat for improving the adhesion between the color ink and the medium. That is, in the second embodiment, there is a print mode in which the CL ink is ejected before other inks. In the second embodiment as well, as in the first embodiment, the print mode is selected according to the replacement of the cartridge.

As shown in FIG. 12, in the first printing mode of the second embodiment, five color inks (K ink, Y ink, M ink, C ink, B ink) and CL ink are used to form an image.
In the first printing mode of the second embodiment, first, CL ink is ejected from the head 31a on the most upstream side in the transport direction. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 13, a clear dot (anchor coat layer) is formed on the medium. This anchor coat layer is for enhancing adhesion between a color image to be formed later and the medium. Thereafter, five color inks (K ink, Y ink, M ink, C ink, and B ink) are ejected from the head 31b to the head 31f on the anchor coat layer to print a color image.
Note that the second printing mode is the same as that in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the same process as that of the first embodiment (FIG. 11) is performed when the ink cartridge is replaced. In this case, in the first printing mode, the head 31a that ejects CL ink is more upstream in the transport direction than the other heads, and therefore NO is determined in step S103 in FIG. That is, the UV curing energy irradiated to the CL ink (in this case, the UV irradiation energy of the temporary curing irradiation unit 42a) is the same as the UV irradiation energy irradiated to other dots.

  If the UV irradiation energy applied to the CL ink (anchor coat layer) is reduced in the first printing mode, blurring may occur between the color dots formed thereafter. Therefore, in this embodiment, only when the CL ink is formed after the other ink (second printing mode), the UV irradiation energy applied to the CL ink is reduced. In other words, the pre-curing UV irradiation energy for irradiating the clear dots in the second printing mode is smaller than the pre-curing UV irradiation energy for irradiating the clear dots in the first printing mode.

  By doing so, bleeding can be suppressed when CL ink is used for anchor coating, and gloss can be improved when CL ink is used for surface coating. Therefore, the CL ink can be used effectively for each of the anchor coat and the surface coat.

=== Third Embodiment ===
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the print mode and ink according to the third embodiment. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of an image formed by the print mode of the third embodiment.
In the third embodiment, a mode for printing a printed material for viewing an image from the printing surface (hereinafter referred to as front printing mode) and a mode for printing a printed material for viewing an image from the medium side using a transparent medium (hereinafter referred to as back printing mode). Two printing modes are performed. As in the above-described embodiment, the print mode is selected according to the replacement of the cartridge.

  In the front printing mode, first, W ink is ejected from the head 31a on the most upstream side in the transport direction. As a result, a white background image is printed on the medium. Thereafter, four color inks (K ink, Y ink, M ink, and C ink) are ejected from the head 31b to the head 31e on the background image to print a color image. Finally, CL ink is ejected onto the color image from the head 31f that is most downstream in the transport direction to form a surface coat layer on the color image.

  In the reverse printing mode, for example, on the transparent medium, first, CL ink is ejected from the head 31a on the most upstream side in the transport direction to form an anchor coat layer. Then, a color image is printed thereon using four color inks (K ink, Y ink, M ink, C ink). Then, the W ink is ejected onto the color image from the head 31f on the most downstream side in the transport direction to form a background image. As a result, an image viewed from the medium side is printed.

  As described above, in the reverse printing mode, the background W ink is ejected after the other color inks. In this case, it is desirable that the UV irradiation energy to the W ink is small. This is because the color ink (color image) has already been temporarily cured when the W ink is ejected, so that there is little risk of bleeding between the color ink and the W ink, and the UV irradiation energy of the temporary curing is low. This is because the smaller the surface, the smoother the surface.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process at the time of ink replacement according to the third embodiment.
First, the controller 60 determines whether or not the cartridge corresponding to each head has been replaced (S201). If it is determined that the cartridge has been replaced (YES in S201), the controller 60 determines whether there is a CL ink cartridge in the mounted cartridge (S202).

  If it is determined that there is a cartridge for CL ink (YES in S202), it is determined whether or not the head on which the cartridge for CL ink is mounted is downstream in the transport direction with respect to other heads that discharge color ink. (S203). If the controller 60 determines that the head mounted with the CL ink cartridge is downstream in the transport direction with respect to the other head that discharges the color ink (YES in S203), the controller 60 performs temporary curing corresponding to the head that discharges the CL ink. The UV irradiation energy of the irradiating unit is made smaller than a predetermined value for temporary curing (S204). That is, the UV irradiation energy of the pre-curing irradiation unit corresponding to the head that ejects the CL ink is made smaller than the UV irradiation energy of the other pre-curing irradiation units. Then, the process returns to step S201.

  When it is determined in step S202 that there is no CL ink cartridge (NO in S202), and in step S203, the head mounted with the CL ink cartridge is not downstream in the transport direction from other heads that discharge color ink. If NO (S203: NO), the controller 60 determines whether there is a background ink cartridge (W ink in this embodiment) in the mounted cartridge (S205).

  If it is determined that there is a cartridge for W ink (YES in S205), it is determined whether or not the head on which the cartridge for W ink is mounted is downstream in the transport direction with respect to other heads that discharge color ink. (S206). If it is determined that the head mounted with the W ink cartridge is on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the other head that discharges the color ink (YES in S206), the controller 60 performs temporary curing corresponding to the head that discharges the W ink. The UV irradiation energy of the irradiating unit is made smaller than a predetermined value for temporary curing (S207). That is, the UV irradiation energy of the pre-curing irradiation unit corresponding to the head that discharges the W ink is made smaller than the UV irradiation energy of the other pre-curing irradiation units. Then, the process returns to step S201.

  When it is determined in step S205 that there is no W ink cartridge (NO in S205), and in step S206, the head on which the W ink cartridge is mounted is closer to the downstream side in the transport direction than the other heads that discharge color ink. If it is determined that there is not (NO in S206), the irradiation energy of each temporary curing irradiation unit is set to a predetermined value for temporary curing (S208), and the process returns to step S201.

  For example, in the front printing mode shown in FIG. 14, the CL ink cartridge is mounted on the head 31f (YES in S202), and the head 31f is downstream in the transport direction (YES in S203) with respect to the other heads. The input current to the light source (LED) of the pre-curing irradiation unit 42f corresponding to 31f is reduced, and the UV irradiation energy from the pre-curing irradiation unit 42f is reduced (S204).

  Also, in the reverse printing mode, the W ink cartridge is mounted on the head 31f (YES in S205), and the head 31f is downstream in the transport direction (YES in S206) with respect to the other heads. The UV irradiation energy from the pre-curing irradiation unit 42f is lowered (S207).

  The front printing mode and the back printing mode may be performed without using the CL ink. For example, color ink (for example, Or ink or G ink) may be used instead of the CL ink in the front printing mode and the back printing mode of FIG. In this case, in the front printing mode, there is no clear ink (NO in step S202), and the head that discharges W ink is upstream in the transport direction (NO in step S206) with respect to the other heads. The irradiation energy of the illumination unit is set to the same (predetermined value) (S208).

  Thus, in the front printing mode, the UV irradiation energy for temporary curing of the CL ink is reduced, and in the reverse printing mode, the irradiation energy for temporary curing of the CL ink is set to be the same as the irradiation energy of temporary curing for the color ink. ing. Thereby, in the surface printing mode, the surface of the surface coat layer formed by the clear dots can be smoothed, and the gloss when viewed from the printing surface can be improved. In the reverse printing mode, bleeding between the anchor coat layer (clear dots) and the color image (color dots) can be suppressed.

  In the reverse printing mode, the UV irradiation energy for temporary curing of the background image (W ink) is reduced. In the front printing mode, the irradiation energy for temporary curing of the W ink is the same as the irradiation energy of temporary curing for the color ink. I have to. Thus, in the front printing mode, bleeding between the background image (background dots) and the color image (color dots) can be suppressed, and in the back printing mode, the surface on the printing surface side is smoothed. can do.

=== Other Embodiments ===
Although a printer or the like as one embodiment has been described, the above embodiment is for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and it is needless to say that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In particular, the embodiments described below are also included in the present invention.

<About the printer>
In the above-described embodiment, a printer has been described as an example of a printing apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, color filter manufacturing apparatus, dyeing apparatus, fine processing apparatus, semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, surface processing apparatus, three-dimensional modeling machine, liquid vaporizer, organic EL manufacturing apparatus (particularly polymer EL manufacturing apparatus), display manufacturing apparatus, film formation The same technology as that of the present embodiment may be applied to various printing apparatuses to which ink jet technology is applied, such as an apparatus and a DNA chip manufacturing apparatus.
Moreover, although it was a line printer in the above-mentioned embodiment, it is not restricted to this. For example, a printer in which a plurality of heads and a plurality of provisional curing irradiation units are alternately provided facing the peripheral surface of a cylindrical conveyance drum, and a main curing irradiation unit is provided on the most downstream side in the conveyance direction. May be. In this case as well, the irradiation conditions of the pre-curing irradiation unit can be changed according to the replacement of the cartridge, as in the embodiment described above.

<About ink>
In the above-described embodiment, ink (UV ink) that is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays (UV) is ejected from the nozzles. However, the liquid ejected from the nozzle is not limited to ink that is cured by UV light, but may be ink that is cured by visible light. In this case, each irradiation unit irradiates visible light (light) having a wavelength at which the ink is cured.
In the above-described embodiment, cyan, magenta, yellow, black, orange, green, and blue inks are used as the color ink. However, inks of other colors (for example, red ink) may be used.
In the above-described embodiment, the white ink (W ink) is used as the background ink. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a background having a color different from that of the medium may be printed using ink having a color different from that of the medium.

<About the number of heads>
In the above-described embodiment, the number of heads (and corresponding provisional curing irradiation units) is six, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the number of heads (and corresponding pre-curing irradiation portions) may be 5 or less, or 7 or more. In this embodiment, one head is used for one color. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of heads may be used for one color. In other words, a plurality of cartridges of the same ink color may be mounted.

<About the printer driver>
The processing of the printer driver in FIG. 4 may be performed on the printer side. In that case, a printing apparatus is configured by the printer and the PC on which the printer driver is installed.

1 printer,
20 transport unit, 23A upstream transport roller,
23B downstream conveying roller, 24 belt,
30 head unit, 31a to 31f head, 32 drive unit,
321 piezo element, 323 fixed plate, 324 flexible cable,
33 Case, 331 Storage space, 332 Ink supply pipe,
34 channel unit, 35 channel forming substrate, 351 pressure chamber, 352 ink supply port,
353 reservoir, 36 nozzle plate, 37 elastic plate, 373 island,
38 cartridge mounting portion, 381 connector 391K ink containing portion, 391 cartridge main body, 392 storage element,
392 storage element,
40 irradiation units, 42a-42f provisional curing irradiation unit, 44 main curing irradiation unit,
50 detector groups, 60 controllers,
61 interface unit, 62 CPU, 63 memory,
64 unit control circuit, 110 computers

Claims (4)

A plurality of heads in which heads for ejecting ink that is cured by light irradiation are arranged in the conveyance direction of the medium;
A plurality of cartridges containing the ink, each of which is detachably mounted;
A plurality of provisional curing light sources that are provided corresponding to the plurality of heads and irradiate the dots formed on the medium by the respective heads for provisional curing;
A light source for main curing that irradiates light for main curing to the dots irradiated with light from the plurality of light sources for temporary curing,
When a cartridge is replaced with a cartridge for clear ink, and the head that discharges clear ink is located downstream of the other head that discharges color ink in the transport direction, the head that discharges the clear ink the irradiation energy of the light from the corresponding the temporary curing light source is smaller than the light irradiation energy from the pre-curing light sources respectively corresponding to the other head for ejecting the color ink,
The first printing mode in which the head that discharges the clear ink is upstream of the other head that discharges the color ink in the transport direction, and the head that discharges the clear ink and the other head that discharges the color ink. And a second printing mode on the downstream side in the transport direction,
The irradiation energy of the light emitted from the temporary curing light source corresponding to the head that discharges the clear ink in the second printing mode corresponds to the head that discharges the clear ink in the first printing mode. The printing apparatus is characterized by being smaller than the irradiation energy of the light irradiated from the temporary curing light source . The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
The printing apparatus, wherein the first printing mode or the second printing mode is selected according to replacement of each cartridge. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of cartridges includes a storage element that stores information on a type of ink stored therein. A plurality of heads in which heads for ejecting ink that is cured by light irradiation are arranged in the conveyance direction of the medium;
A plurality of cartridges containing the ink, each of which is detachably mounted;
A plurality of provisional curing light sources that are provided corresponding to the plurality of heads and irradiate the dots formed on the medium by the respective heads for provisional curing;
A main curing light source for irradiating light for main curing to the dots irradiated with light from the plurality of temporary curing light sources;
With
When a certain cartridge is replaced with a cartridge for background ink, and the head that discharges background ink is located downstream of the other head that discharges color ink in the transport direction, the head that discharges the background ink A printing apparatus characterized in that light irradiation energy from the corresponding temporary curing light source is made smaller than light irradiation energy from the temporary curing light source corresponding to each of the other heads that discharge the color ink. .

Images