JP6111585B2 - Printing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing system capable of producing a printed matter having a full surface printed without a portion perpendicular to a corner, and a printing paper used in the printing system.

  For example, the thermal transfer printer performs printing while sandwiching a print sheet between a feed roller and a pinch roller, rotating these rollers, and feeding them together with an ink ribbon between a print head and a platen roller. Thereafter, the printing paper is returned in the direction opposite to the feeding direction, and printing is performed again using different colors while feeding the printing paper between the print head and the platen roller. Thus, a color image is printed on the printing paper by performing printing a plurality of times while repeating the sending and returning a plurality of times.

  Using such a thermal transfer printer, it is required to produce a printed matter that is printed on the entire surface without a margin on the outer periphery.

  However, in order to perform printing appropriately without causing a positional shift, a portion that becomes a so-called gripping margin that is sandwiched between the feed roller and the pinch roller at the time of printing is necessary, and in order to perform printing on the entire print area, It is widely performed to provide a grip margin at a position different from the print area.

  For example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose a print sheet in which cut lines (perforations) are provided in the width direction at both ends in the conveyance direction of the print sheet, and a thermal transfer printer using such a print sheet. This print sheet can be suitably printed in the print area, with the portion outside the cut line serving as a grip allowance. Then, after printing, the user can produce a printed matter that is printed on the entire surface without a margin on the outer periphery, by cutting off the portion that becomes the grip margin along the perforation.

JP 2006-240179 A JP 2000-326531 A

  Further, in addition to full-surface printing, there is also a demand for a printed matter having a shape in which the four corners are not right angles but are rounded, for example.

  As a means for producing such a printed matter, it is conceivable to use a printing paper 50 on which a perforation 52 having a shape as shown in FIG. 6 is formed. Specifically, the perforation 52 is formed on the one end side 54a in the conveyance direction in a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction and curved in the vicinity of both ends, and the other end side in the conveyance direction. It is formed at a corner 51 of 54b and is shaped to bend outward. When such a printing paper 50 is used, the portion 53 serving as a grip allowance can be separated after printing, and a printed matter with full-surface printing with rounded corners 51 can be produced.

  However, when the portion 53 serving as a grip allowance is cut along the perforation 52, a part of the portion 53 serving as the grip allowance and a portion separated from the corner 51 on the other end side 54b in the transport direction are formed on the side surface of the printed matter. Since a part remains as a plurality of minute convex portions, there is a problem that the appearance and feel of the printed matter are deteriorated.

  Further, the print paper 50 provided with the perforation 52 has a problem that the manufacturing cost is high.

  An object of the present invention is to effectively solve such a problem. Specifically, a printed matter that is printed on the entire surface and has a good appearance and a good touch and does not have a portion perpendicular to at least one corner is inexpensively produced. An object of the present invention is to provide a print system that can be used and a print paper used therefor.

  The present invention takes the following means in order to achieve such an object.

That is, the printing system of the present invention uses a printer that includes a pair of conveyance rollers that convey a print sheet while pinching the print sheet, a print head that prints an image on the print sheet, and a cutting unit that cuts the print sheet. The print sheet is configured to include a substantially square-shaped print portion in which no perforation is provided on the inside, and a grip margin portion protruding from one side of the print portion, and the grip margin portion is provided. The one side and a side perpendicular to the one side are connected by a connecting edge extending in a direction different from these sides, and the length of the gripper portion in the direction perpendicular to the one side is determined by the pair of transport rollers. A method in which the one side is transported by the transport roller using a paper sheet sandwiching position and a print position in the print head that are set at a distance or more. After printing an image on the printing unit by the print head in a state of being perpendicular to the cutting position of cutting the connecting edge by the cutting means becomes the inside of the printing unit in the vicinity of the boundary between the gripping margin portion and the printed portion And cutting the print paper.

  By using the printing paper including the printing portion having such a shape and cutting the printing paper at or near the boundary by the cutting means, it is possible to produce a printed matter without a portion perpendicular to at least one corner. In addition, since a minute convex portion is not formed on the cut surface along the perforation, a printed material having a smooth side surface, good appearance and touch can be produced.

  By setting the length in the direction perpendicular to one side of the gripping margin part to be equal to or greater than the interval between the clamping position and the printing position, when the image is printed near the one end of the printing unit, the gripping margin part is The position can be regulated by being sandwiched between a pair of rollers, and it can function reliably as a grip for the pair of rollers, so an image can be printed up to both ends in the transport direction of the print unit, and the entire image can be printed. Can be produced.

  Further, since it is only necessary to process the outer shape in order to produce a print paper having the above-described shape, the production cost of the print paper can be reduced as compared with the case where perforations are formed.

  In order to stably regulate the position of the print paper by a pair of rollers that pinch the print paper and print a high-quality image on the print section, a gripping margin is formed on the print section with the entire side as a boundary line. It is desirable that it is formed so as to be continuous and has a shape having a width of at least one side in the protruding direction.

  In addition, at least one corner that can recognize a smooth roundness is provided, and in order to stably produce a good-looking printed matter by cutting normally with a cutting means, the connection edge includes an arc portion and an arc portion. The arc portion is formed such that the other end is continuous with a side connected to the one side via a connection edge, and the linear portion is an arc portion of the arc portion. It is desirable to extend in the same direction as the tangent line at one end, and to be connected to the boundary line so that the angle formed by the extension line and the boundary line is 30 ° or more and 50 ° or less. .

  When the connection line has such a shape, when the inside of the print part near the boundary between the print part and the gripping allowance part is cut by the cutting means so that the connection edge is cut, the cutting edge of the cutting means is a straight part. Since the contact is made at a relatively large angle of 30 ° or more and 50 ° or less, the printed portion is easily cut. Accordingly, since the elongated portion sandwiched between the cutting means and the connection edge of the print portion can be relatively shortened, the printed portion can be prevented from being sandwiched or torn off by the cutting means, and a good-looking printed matter can be produced. can do.

  Further, even when the cutting position is shifted in the conveyance direction of the print paper, the cutting position does not become a gripping margin, and the end of the gripping margin is reliably prevented from remaining on the produced printed matter. For this purpose, it is preferable that the cutting position is set inside the printing unit in the vicinity of the boundary between the printing unit and the gripping allowance unit.

  As the print paper, a paper sheet set so that the grip margin protrudes from only one side is used, and the printer further includes a paper feed cassette for stacking and storing the print paper. It is desirable that it is configured in a shape corresponding to the print paper. As a result, the user can store the print paper in the paper feed cassette in the correct orientation.

  According to the present invention described above, it is possible to inexpensively produce a printed matter that is printed on the entire surface and has a good appearance and a good touch and does not have a portion perpendicular to at least one corner.

1 is a side view of a thermal transfer printer used in a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a top view showing a paper feed tray provided in the thermal transfer printer. FIG. 2 is a top view showing a print sheet used in the print system according to the embodiment of the invention. The figure which expands and shows a part of print paper. The figure which expands and shows a part of print paper of another form. The top view which shows the conventional print paper.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a thermal transfer printer 10 used in the print system 100 of the present embodiment. The thermal transfer printer 10 is configured as a so-called sublimation printer, and includes a conveying unit 7, a printing unit 9, a discharging unit 11, a cutting unit 25, and a paper feeding unit 16. FIG. 2 is a top view showing the paper feed tray 17 provided in the thermal transfer printer 10. FIG. 3 is a top view showing the printing paper 1 used in the thermal transfer printer 10. 4 and 5 are enlarged views of a part of the printing paper 1. Note that the print sheet 1 shown in FIG. 3 is formed as a cut sheet cut in advance to a predetermined length.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transport unit 7 includes a feed roller 5 and a pinch roller 6. The feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6 are cylindrical or columnar members whose surfaces are formed of metal or rubber. The pinch roller 6 is provided in parallel with the feed roller 5 and can be elastically contacted with the feed roller 5 with a predetermined contact pressure and can be driven to rotate. A pressing position Q is formed at a portion where the pinch roller 6 is elastically contacted with the feed roller 5.

  The printing unit 9 includes a print head 4, a platen roller 3, an ink ribbon 2, a supply side bobbin 21, and a take-up side bobbin 22. The print head 4 and the platen roller 3 are configured to be elastically contactable. In the thermal transfer printer 10, a printing position P is formed at a portion where the print head 4 is elastically contacted with the platen roller 3. The print head 4 can be moved back and forth with respect to the opposing platen roller 3 by an advancing / retreating mechanism (not shown), and is elastically contacted with the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 3 during printing as shown in FIG. State.

  The print position P thus formed can be fed in a state in which the print paper 1 and the ink ribbon 2 are superposed by the rotation of the feed roller 5. The print head 4 has a plurality of heating resistors arranged in the width direction (depth direction in the figure) at a position corresponding to the printing position P, and each heating resistor is energized in a pattern corresponding to the print information. Heat is generated and the dye on the surface of the ink ribbon 2 is transferred to the surface of the print paper 1.

  At the time of printing, the print paper 1 is conveyed in the printing direction (A direction in FIG. 1) while energizing each heating resistor of the print head 4 to generate a heating action as a printing operation. In the present invention, the conveyance direction of the printing paper 1 when performing printing in this way is referred to as a printing direction A, and the opposite direction is referred to as a return direction B. After the printing is completed, the printing paper 1 is conveyed in the printing direction A and discharged from a discharge port (not shown).

  The ink ribbon 2 has Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and OP (overcoat) dye regions in the length direction in order, and the same print region of the print paper 1 On the other hand, four colors of Y, M, C, and OP are sequentially superimposed and transferred. Therefore, until all four colors are printed, the printing operation is performed while transporting the printing paper 1 in the printing direction A, and the printing paper 1 is transported in the return direction B opposite to the printing direction A and aligned. The rewinding operation to be performed is repeatedly performed. The ink ribbon 2 is in the form of a roll wound around the outer periphery of the supply-side bobbin 21, pulled out from the supply-side bobbin 21, passed through the printing position P while being positioned by the guide rollers 71 to 74, After being used for printing, it is wound up by the winding side bobbin 22.

  The supply-side bobbin 21 and the take-up-side bobbin 22 are rotatably supported, respectively, and the ink ribbon 2 can be conveyed to match the dye area used for printing with the print area of the print paper 1. At the time of printing, the ink ribbon 2 and the printing paper 1 at the printing position P are brought into close contact with each other due to heat generated by the printing head 4, so that the conveyance speed is a feed that holds the printing paper 1 as described above. It is determined by the rotation of the roller 5. That is, at the time of printing, the supply-side bobbin 21 and the take-up-side bobbin 22 only rotate following the rotation of the feed roller 5 and do not actively determine the conveyance speed of the ink ribbon 2. .

  In the thermal transfer printer 10, a desired color printing can be performed by repeatedly printing each dye on the same print area of the print paper 1 using a plurality of dyes. During printing, the printing paper 1 needs to be repeatedly conveyed while being precisely aligned in the return direction B and the printing direction A.

  The discharge means 11 includes a plurality of discharge rollers 12 to 15 provided in the vicinity of a discharge port (not shown). Among the plurality of discharge rollers 12 to 15, the first discharge roller 12 and the second discharge roller 13 face each other, and the third discharge roller 14 and the fourth discharge roller 15 face each other.

  The cutting means 25 has a fixed blade 26 having a linear first blade edge portion 26a extending in the width direction of the print paper 1, that is, a direction orthogonal to the printing direction A, and a second blade edge portion 27a at the outer peripheral edge portion. And a disk-shaped rotary blade 27 that cuts the print paper 1 by rotating while abutting along the first blade edge portion 26 a, and is provided between the first discharge roller 12 and the third discharge roller 14. It is done.

  The sheet feeding means 16 includes a sheet feeding tray 17, a sheet feeding roller 18, and a plurality of guide rollers 19 to 21.

  The paper feed tray 17 can stack and store a plurality of print sheets 1 and is configured to be drawn out to the thermal transfer printer 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed tray 17 is provided on a rectangular bottom surface 57, a wall surface 58 extending vertically from the outer periphery of the bottom surface 57, and a plate-like movable on which the print paper 1 is stacked. It includes a plate 61, lifting means (not shown) that lifts and lowers the movable plate 61, a pair of side regulating members 59, 59, and an end regulating member 60.

  The pair of side regulating members 59, 59 are provided so as to be relatively movable in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction X of the print paper 1, and the positions thereof are set according to the length of a gripping margin portion 40 (to be described later) of the print paper 1. As a result, the deviation of the stacked print sheets 1 in the direction orthogonal to the feed-out direction X is regulated. The end regulating member 60 is provided so as to be relatively movable in the feeding direction X of the printing paper 1, and by setting the position thereof according to the length of the printing direction A of the printing paper 1, The deviation in the delivery direction X is regulated.

  In this manner, the paper feed tray 17 is configured in a shape based on the shape of the print paper 1, so that the user can store the print paper 1 in the paper feed cassette 17 in the correct orientation.

  The sheet feeding roller 18 shown in FIG. 1 can sequentially supply the uppermost printing sheet 1 among the printing sheets 1 stored in the sheet feeding tray 17 toward the printing unit 9. The plurality of guide rollers 19 to 21 convey the print paper 1 supplied from the paper feed tray 17 toward the printing unit 9.

  In such a thermal transfer printer 10, a printing paper 1 as shown in FIG. 3 is used. The print paper 1 is characterized by its shape, and includes a substantially rectangular print portion 30 and a grip allowance portion 40.

  Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the print unit 30 includes a first side 41 and a third side 43 that face each other, and is orthogonal to the sides 41 and 43 (that is, the first side 41 and the third side). 43) and the second side 42 and the fourth side 44 facing each other, and the first to fourth connection edges 31 to 34 connecting them. The first connection edge 31 connects the first side 41 and the fourth side 44 and extends in a direction different from the sides 41 and 44. The second connection edge 32 connects the first side 41 and the second side 42, and extends in a direction different from the sides 41 and 42. The third connection edge 33 connects the second side 42 and the third side 43 and extends in a direction different from the sides 42 and 43. The fourth connection edge 34 connects the third side 43 and the fourth side 44, and extends in a direction different from the sides 43 and 44.

  The first connection edge 31 is continuous from the first straight portion 31a extending from the one end 44a of the fourth side 44 (that is, the end on the first side 41 side) toward the first side 41, and the first straight portion 31a. The first arc portion 31b is connected to the first side 41 while extending.

  The second connection edge 32 is continuous from the second linear portion 32a extending from the one end 42a of the second side 42 (that is, the end on the first side 41 side) toward the first side 41, and the second linear portion 32a. The second arc portion 32 b extends and is connected to the first side 41.

  The third connection edge 33 is continuous from the other end 42b of the second side 42 (that is, the end on the third side 43 side) toward the third side 43, and the third linear part 33a. And a third arc portion 33 b connected to the third side 43.

  The fourth connection edge 34 is continuous from the other end 44b of the fourth side 44 (that is, the end on the third side 43 side) toward the third side 43, and the fourth straight line 34a. And a fourth arc portion 34 b connected to the third side 43.

  The gripping margin 40 protrudes from the fourth side 44 in the same plane as the print unit 30, and the fourth side 44 becomes a boundary line 44 between the print unit 30 and the gripping margin 40.

  The cutting means 25 shown in FIG. 1 cuts the print paper 1 at a cutting position 38 (see FIG. 3) at or near the boundary between the printing unit 30 and the gripping allowance 40. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the cutting position 38 is set to be slightly inside the printing unit 30 in the vicinity of the boundary between the printing unit 30 and the gripping allowance 40.

  In this way, a certain amount of space is ensured between the boundary line 44 between the print unit 30 and the gripping allowance 40 and the cutting position 38, so the cutting position 38 is slightly in the printing direction A of the printing paper 1. Even if there is a deviation, the cutting position 38 does not become inside the grip margin 40. If the cutting position 38 is inside the gripping margin 40, the end of the gripping margin 40 remains in the produced printed matter, and the appearance of the produced printed matter is deteriorated, but as described above, the cutting position 38 is By being set to be slightly inside the print unit 30 in the vicinity of the boundary between the print unit 30 and the gripping allowance 40, it is possible to reliably prevent the end of the grip allowance 40 from remaining on the produced printed matter. Can do.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the grip margin 40 has a length 36 in a direction orthogonal to the fourth side 44, and the position Q (see FIG. 1) of the print paper 1 by the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6 and the print head. 4 is set to be equal to or larger than the interval with the printing position P (see FIG. 1).

  As a result, when the image is printed on the fourth side 44 side of the print unit 30, the gripping margin portion 40 can be sandwiched and regulated by the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6, and the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller can be regulated. 6 can be surely functioned as the gripping allowance of 6, so that the image can be printed up to both ends in the printing direction A of the print unit 30, and a printed matter on which the image is printed can be produced.

  The grip allowance portion 40 is formed so as to be continuous with the print portion 30 with the entire fourth side 44 as a boundary line 44, and has a shape having a width 37 that is at least the length of the fourth side 44 in the protruding direction. It is preferable to do.

  By making the gripping margin portion 40 in such a shape, the position of the print paper 1 can be stably regulated by the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6 that sandwich the print paper 30, so that the print portion 30 has a high quality. Images can be printed.

  On the other hand, when the gripping allowance portion 40 protrudes only from the central portion of the fourth side 44, or when the width becomes narrower in the protruding direction, the feed roller 5 and Since the area of the gripping margin portion 40 that can be sandwiched by the pinch roller 6 is reduced and the position of the print paper 1 is difficult to be regulated by the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6, the print paper 1 is conveyed back and forth many times during printing. In the thermal transfer printer 100 that superimposes a plurality of colors, the quality of the image printed on the print unit may be deteriorated.

  In addition, the grip allowance portion 40 can be used as a portion that the user holds by hand when carrying the print paper 1. By preventing the user's hand from touching the print unit 30, it is possible to prevent a decrease in print density and adhesion of dirt, and it is possible to produce a high-quality printed matter.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing the first connection edge 31. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the first arc portion 31 b of the first connection edge 31 has one end 31 c continuous with the first straight portion 31 a and the other end 31 d continuous with the first side 41. The first straight portion 31a extends in the same direction as the tangent to the one end 31c of the first arc portion 31b, and the angle θ between the extension line 31e and the fourth side 44 is 30 ° or more and 50 ° or less. It connects with respect to the 4th edge | side 44 so that it may become.

  The ease of cutting of the printing paper 1 by the cutting means 25 (see FIG. 1) depends on the angle at which the cutting edge of the cutting means 25 abuts against the edge of the printing paper 1, and the cutting is closer to 90 °. As the angle becomes smaller (that is, the cutting edge of the cutting means 25 and the edge become parallel), the cutting becomes more difficult.

  When the first connecting edge 31 has the shape as described above, when the print unit 30 is cut at the cutting position 38 by the cutting unit 25 as in the present embodiment, the cutting edge of the cutting unit 25 is changed to the first linear portion 31a. On the other hand, since the contact is made at a relatively large angle of 30 ° or more and 50 ° or less, the print unit 30 is easily cut. Therefore, the printed portion 30 has a slender portion (a hatched portion in FIG. 4) 45a sandwiched between the cutting means 25 and the first connection edge 31. The printed material has a good appearance without being sandwiched or torn off by the cutting means 25. Can be stably produced. Further, it is possible to produce a printed matter having at least one corner 35 capable of recognizing smooth roundness.

  The first connecting edge 31 that does not include the first straight portion 31a and the first arc portion 31b continues to each of the first side 41 and the fourth side 44, or the angle θ is 0 ° as shown in FIG. If the first connecting edge 31 includes the first straight portion 31a that is less than 30 ° beyond 30 °, when the printing unit 30 is cut at the cutting position 38 by the cutting unit 25, the cutting edge of the cutting unit 25 is Since the contact is made at a relatively small angle (an angle close to parallel) exceeding 0 ° and less than 30 ° with respect to one straight line portion 31a, it becomes difficult to cut the print portion 30. Therefore, the elongate portion (the hatched portion in FIG. 5) 45b sandwiched between the cutting means 25 and the first connection edge 31 of the print unit 30 is likely to be sandwiched or torn off by the cutting means 25 and may not be cut normally. There is. As a result, it is not possible to produce a printed material that looks good, and a part of the torn print unit 30 may remain inside the apparatus 10 and cause a failure.

  The first connecting edge 31 including the first linear portion 31a such that the angle θ exceeds 50 °, or the first linear portion 31a including the first linear portion 31a extending in a direction different from the tangent to the other end 31d of the first arc portion 31b. If it is one connection edge 31, it becomes difficult to recognize a smooth roundness at the corner 35.

  The second connection edge 32, the third connection edge 33, and the fourth connection edge 34 have substantially the same configuration as the first connection edge 31.

  Such print paper 1 is accommodated in the paper feed tray 17 shown in FIG. 1, pulled out one by one by the paper feed roller 18, and conveyed between the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6 by the guide rollers 19 to 21. Is done. The conveyed printing paper 1 is regulated between the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6 so as to pass through the printing position P. After passing through the printing position P, the paper is conveyed toward the discharge port by the third discharge roller 14 and the fourth discharge roller 15, and is cut at the cutting position 38 by the cutting means 25 before the discharge port. It is discharged outside through the outlet. The gripping allowance 40 is accommodated in a collecting means (not shown) provided in the thermal transfer printer 10.

  As described above, it is possible to produce a printed matter that is printed on the entire surface without a portion perpendicular to the four corners. Moreover, since this printed matter does not have a minute convex portion formed on the cut surface unlike when cut along the perforation, the side surface is smooth, and looks and feels good. As such a printed matter, for example, it can be suitably used for various applications such as a card or business card with rounded corners, a seal with release paper on the back surface, and the like.

  Further, in order to manufacture the print paper 1 having the above-described shape, it is only necessary to process the outer shape, so that the manufacturing cost of the print paper 1 can be suppressed as compared with the case where the perforation is formed.

  Note that the pass lines of the print paper 1 and the ink ribbon 2 in the drawing are schematic. Actually, the pass line changes depending on the elastic deformation of the roller surface, the frictional resistance with the roller surface, the close contact between the print paper 1 and the ink ribbon 2 accompanying printing, and the like.

  As described above, the printing system 100 according to this embodiment cuts the print paper 1, the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6 that convey the print paper 1 while sandwiching the print paper 1, the print head 4 that prints an image on the print paper 1, and the print paper 1. The thermal transfer printer 10 including the cutting unit 25 is used, and the print sheet 1 includes a substantially square-shaped print unit 30 and a grip margin 40 protruding from one side 44 of the print unit 30. The fourth side 44 provided with the portion 40 and the first side 41 orthogonal to the fourth side 44 are connected by the first connection edge 31 extending in a direction different from the sides 44, 41, and the grip margin portion 40, the length 36 in the direction orthogonal to the fourth side 44 is determined by the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6 between the holding position Q of the print paper 1 and the print head 4. After printing an image on the printing unit 30 by the print head 4 in a state where the fourth side 44 is orthogonal to the printing direction A by the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6 using the one set at the interval with the printing position P or more, The cutting means 25 is configured to cut the print paper 1 at the cutting position 38 at or near the boundary between the printing unit 30 and the gripping margin 40.

  By using the printing paper 1 including the printing section 30 having the shape as described above, the cutting means 25 cuts the printing paper 1 at or near the boundary between the printing section 30 and the gripping margin section 40, so that at least 1 It is possible to produce a printed matter without a portion perpendicular to one corner 35. In addition, since a minute convex portion is not formed on the cut surface as in the case of cutting along the perforation, it is possible to produce a printed matter having a smooth side surface, good appearance and touch.

  Further, by setting the length in the direction perpendicular to the fourth side 44 in the gripping allowance portion 40 to be greater than or equal to the interval between the clamping position Q and the printing position P, an image is printed in the vicinity of the fourth side 44 of the printing unit 30. The gripping allowance portion 40 can be sandwiched between the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6 and the position thereof can be regulated, and the gripping allowance portion 40 can be surely functioned as a gripping allowance for the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6. An image can be printed up to both ends in the printing direction A, and a printed matter having an image printed on the entire surface can be produced.

  Further, since it is only necessary to process the outer shape in order to manufacture the print paper 1 having the above-described shape, the manufacturing cost of the print paper 1 can be suppressed as compared with the case where the perforation is formed.

  Therefore, by using the printing system 100 of the present invention, it is possible to produce a printed material that has a good appearance and a good touch and that has no portion perpendicular to the at least one corner 35 at a low cost.

  Further, the gripping allowance portion 40 is formed so as to be continuous with the print portion 30 with the entire fourth side 44 as a boundary line 44, and has a shape having a width of at least the fourth side 44 in the protruding direction. Therefore, the position of the print paper 1 can be stably regulated by the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6 that sandwich the print paper 1, and a high-quality image can be printed on the print unit 30. .

  When the gripping allowance portion 40 protrudes only from the central portion of the fourth side 44, or when the width becomes narrower in the protruding direction, the gripping portion 40 is sandwiched between the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6. The area of the gripping allowance 40 can be reduced, and it becomes difficult to regulate the position of the print paper 1 by the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6, so that the print paper 1 can be repeatedly applied during printing as in the case of the thermal transfer printer 10. If a printer that reciprocates and superimposes a plurality of colors is used, the quality of the image printed on the printing unit 30 may be reduced.

  The first connecting edge 31 is formed of a first arc portion 31b and a first straight portion 31a continuous to one end 31c of the first arc portion 31b. The first arc portion 31b has the other end 31d. It is formed to be continuous with the first side 41 connected to the fourth side 44 via the first connection edge 31, and the first straight line portion 31a extends in the same direction as the tangent to the one end 31c of the first arc portion 31b. In addition, the extension line 31e and the boundary line 44 are configured to be connected to the boundary line 44 so that the angle θ is 30 ° or more and 50 ° or less.

  When the first connection edge 31 has such a shape, the inside of the print unit 30 near the boundary between the print unit 30 and the gripping margin unit 40 is cut by the cutting means 25 so that the first connection edge 31 is cut. Since the cutting edge of the cutting means 25 comes into contact with the first straight portion 31a at a relatively large angle of 30 ° or more and 50 ° or less, the print portion 30 is easily cut. Therefore, the print part 30 can be cut | disconnected normally and the printed matter with a good appearance can be produced stably. Further, it is possible to produce a printed matter having at least one corner 35 capable of recognizing smooth roundness.

  In addition, since the cutting position 38 is set to the inside of the printing unit 30 in the vicinity of the boundary between the printing unit 30 and the gripping allowance unit 40, the cutting position 38 is slightly shifted in the printing direction A of the printing paper 1. Even so, the cutting position 38 does not become the gripping margin 40, and it is possible to reliably prevent the end portion of the gripping margin 40 from remaining on the produced printed matter.

  Further, the print paper 1 is set so that the gripping margin portion 40 protrudes only from the fourth side 44, and the thermal transfer printer 10 further includes a paper feed cassette 17 for stacking and storing the print paper 1. Since the paper feed cassette 17 is configured to correspond to the print paper 1, the user can store the print paper 1 in the paper feed cassette 17 in the correct orientation.

  Furthermore, the printing paper 1 of the present embodiment is used in the printing system 100 and includes a substantially square-shaped printing unit 30 and a gripping margin 40 protruding from the fourth side 44 of the printing unit 30. The provided fourth side 44 and the first side 41 orthogonal to the fourth side 44 are connected by a first connection edge 31 extending in a direction different from these sides 44, 41, and the fourth side in the grip allowance portion 40. The length in the direction orthogonal to the side 44 is configured to be equal to or greater than the interval between the position Q of the print paper 1 held by the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6 and the print position P of the print head 4.

  By using such a printing paper 1 in the printing system 100, it is possible to produce a printed material that has a good appearance and a good touch and has a rounded corner and is inexpensively produced.

  The specific configuration of each unit is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the fixed blade 26 and the rotary blade 27 are used as the cutting means 25, but two rotary blades provided so as to be sandwiched in the thickness direction of the print paper 1 may be used. In this case, the print paper 1 is cut by rotating the two rotary blades in a direction orthogonal to the printing direction A while sliding them together. Further, as the cutting means 25, a cutter provided with a blade extending in a direction orthogonal to the printing direction A and moving in the thickness direction of the print paper 1 at the time of cutting may be used. Further, the cutting position 38 may be a boundary between the printing unit 30 and the gripping margin unit 40.

  In the above-described embodiment, the print paper 1 including the first to fourth connection edges 31 to 34 including the linear portion and the arc portion is used, but the first including only one of the linear portion and the arc portion is used. The print paper 1 including the fourth connection edges 31 to 34 may be used. Further, among the four corners, for example, the print paper 1 having a portion perpendicular to the corner 35 that is not continuous with the boundary line 44 may be used. Further, the third connection edge 33 and the fourth connection edge 34 may be configured by only arc portions, and in this case, a printed matter having a smooth roundness at the corner 35 on the second side 42 side can be obtained. . Furthermore, at least one of the first to fourth connection edges 31 to 34 may be formed of an inward (concave) arc portion.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the grip allowance portion 40 protrudes from only one end of the printing unit 30 in the printing direction A, but may protrude from both ends of the printing unit 30 in the printing direction A. Further, in the present embodiment, the gripping allowance portion 40 is formed in a rectangular shape, but as long as the position of the print paper 1 can be stably regulated by being sandwiched between the feed roller 5 and the pinch roller 6, The shape is not limited. For example, it is also preferable that the grip allowance portion 40 is formed in a trapezoidal shape in which the width gradually increases as it protrudes to the left in the drawing from the boundary line 44 shown in FIG. Further, if a width equal to or larger than the boundary line 44 is secured, it is possible to partially provide a portion where the width becomes smaller on the way. Further, it is not essential to have a polygonal shape, and a part or all of the outer shape line that forms a portion protruding from the boundary line 44 may be a curved shape such as an arc. Further, when the first and fourth connection edges 31 and 34 are formed of inward (concave) arc portions, the first and fourth connection edges 31 and 34 in the print unit 30 are smoothly connected. This is also preferable in terms of facilitating the production of the entire print paper 1.

  Other configurations can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Print paper 4 ... Print head 5 ... Feed roller 6 ... Pinch roller 30 ... Print part 31 ... 1st connection edge 31a ... 1st linear part 31b ... 1st circular arc part 31c ... One end 31d of the first arc portion 31 ... The other end 31e of the first arc portion ... Extension line 36, 37 ... Length of the grip margin portion 40 ... Grip margin portion 41 ... First side 44 ... 4th side (boundary line)
θ ... Angle

Claims (4)

Using a printer comprising a pair of transport rollers that transport while sandwiching the print paper, a print head for printing an image on the print paper, and a cutting means for cutting the print paper,
As the print paper,
It is configured to include a substantially square-shaped print portion in which no perforation is provided on the inside, and a gripping margin portion protruding from one side of the print portion,
While connecting the one side provided with the grip margin and the side orthogonal to the one side by a connection edge extending in a direction different from these sides,
Using the length in the direction perpendicular to the one side of the grip margin portion set to be equal to or greater than the interval between the print paper clamping position of the pair of transport rollers and the print position of the print head,
After printing an image on the print unit by the print head with the one side orthogonal to the conveyance direction by the conveyance roller, the inside of the print unit near the boundary between the print unit and the gripping margin unit by the cutting unit The printing system is characterized in that the printing paper is cut at a cutting position where the connection edge is cut.   The gripping margin portion is formed to be continuous with the print portion with the entire one side as a boundary line, and has a shape having a width of at least the one side in a protruding direction. Item 2. The printing system according to Item 1. The connection edge is formed of an arc part and a straight line part continuing to one end of the arc part,
The arc portion is formed such that the other end is continuous with a side connected to the one side via a connection edge,
The linear portion extends in the same direction as a tangent at one end of the arc portion, and is connected to the boundary line so that an angle formed between the extension line and the boundary line is 30 ° or more and 50 ° or less. The printing system according to claim 2, wherein the printing system is configured as described above. As the print paper, use what is set so that the grip margin portion protrudes only from the one side,
The printer further comprises a paper feed cassette for stacking and storing the print paper;
The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the paper feed cassette is configured in a shape corresponding to the print paper.

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