JP6737145B2 - Post-Processing Agent Application Control Device, Image Forming System, Post-Processing Agent Application Control Method, Post-Processing Agent Application Control Program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a post-treatment agent application control device, an image forming system, a post-treatment agent application control method, and a post-treatment agent application control program.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an image forming apparatus used for outputting digitized information or used for copying an original has become an essential device. Among such image forming apparatuses, there is known an image forming apparatus that applies a post-treatment agent to a printing surface of a printed matter after printing.

In such an image forming apparatus, in order to reduce the cost per page (CPP: Cost Per Page) and improve the drying property, it is necessary to reduce the amount of the post-treatment agent applied. Therefore, a technique of applying the post-treatment agent only to the printing portion has been proposed and already known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

When the post-treatment agent is applied only to the printing portion as in the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-163, it is deviated from the printing portion depending on the printing accuracy, the post-treatment agent application accuracy, and the recording medium conveyance accuracy. A post-treatment agent may be applied to the position. That is, the post-treatment agent may not be applied to the region to which the post-treatment agent is desired to be applied. In order to prevent this, when the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used, it is necessary to apply the post-treatment agent to a region wider than the printing portion in consideration of the above accuracy.

However, when the post-treatment agent is applied to a wider area than the printing portion, the post-treatment agent is also applied to a part of the area other than the printing portion (hereinafter referred to as “non-printing area”). There is a gloss difference at the boundary between the non-printing area where the agent is applied (hereinafter referred to as "application area") and the non-printing area where the post-treatment agent is not applied (hereinafter referred to as "non-application area"). There is a problem that it will end up.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to reduce the gloss difference at the boundary between the post-treatment agent application region and the non-application region.

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is a post-treatment agent application control apparatus that controls application of the post-treatment agent to the recording medium by a post-treatment agent application apparatus that applies the post-treatment agent to the recording medium. And a first post-treatment agent application amount determination unit that determines the application amount of the post-treatment agent applied to the image formed on the recording medium, and the determined post-treatment agent application amount is the recording amount. A first glossiness determination unit that determines a first glossiness that is the glossiness of the non-image area when applied to the non-image area of the medium; the determined first glossiness and the post-processing A glossiness difference between the second glossiness which is the glossiness of the non-image area of the recording medium before the agent is applied, and a magnitude relation comparing unit that compares the magnitude relation between a predetermined value and a predetermined value. A second post-treatment agent application amount determination unit that gradually changes the application amount of the post-treatment agent from the image area to the non-image area when the gloss difference is larger than the predetermined value. Is characterized by.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the difference in gloss at the boundary between the post-treatment agent application area and the non-application area.

FIG. 1 is an overall view (schematic side view) showing an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a schematic diagram of an arrangement configuration example of the liquid droplet ejection heads of the image forming means and the post-treatment liquid applying means according to the embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is an enlarged view of a part of (a). .. 2A and 2B are a bottom view and an enlarged view illustrating a case where a line-type head is used as an example of an image forming unit and a post-treatment liquid ejecting unit of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. 1A is a conceptual diagram of an example of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a host device. 3 is a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a functional block diagram explaining an example of the data management part of the control means in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a functional block diagram explaining an example of image output of the control means in the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the image forming apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of applying the post-treatment liquid by the post-treatment liquid applying means in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a process when the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention determines the application amount of the post-treatment liquid. It is a figure which shows an example of the post-processing liquid application amount determination table in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the non-printing area glossiness determination table in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the non-printing area glossiness determination table in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the raw glossiness determination table in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the provision area glossiness determination table in embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the functional structure of the control means in the high-order apparatus in embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of a control unit in the printer device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The image forming apparatus 100 includes four color ejection heads of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). The image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to those including these ejection heads. That is, the image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applicable further includes an ejection head corresponding to green (G), red (R), light cyan (LC) and/or other colors, or black (K). Including those having only a discharge head. In the following description, “K, C, M, Y” used as a subscript in the numeral of the sign will be used to represent one corresponding to each of black, cyan, magenta and yellow.

Further, in this embodiment, continuous paper wound in a roll shape (hereinafter, referred to as “roll paper Md”) is used as the recording medium, but the image forming apparatus according to the present invention can form an image. The medium is not limited to roll paper. That is, the recording medium on which the image forming apparatus according to the present invention can form an image may be a cut sheet. The recording medium on which an image can be formed by using the image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes plain paper, high-quality paper, thin paper, thick paper, recording paper and roll paper, OHP sheet, synthetic resin film, and metal. It includes a thin film and other sheets which are capable of forming an image with ink or the like on a specific surface.

Here, the roll paper is continuous paper longer than the standard size. Roll paper includes continuous paper in which cuttable perforations are formed at predetermined intervals and continuous paper in which perforations are not formed. When a form is formed using continuous paper on which perforations are formed, one page of the form is formed by the area sandwiched by the perforations.

(1. Configuration of image forming apparatus 100)
As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a carry-in unit 10, a pretreatment liquid applying unit 20, a pretreatment liquid drying unit 31, an image forming unit 40, and a post-treatment agent. It is provided with a post-treatment liquid application unit 50 including an application device, a permeation unit 55, a post-treatment liquid drying unit 32, and an unloading unit 60. The carry-in unit 10 carries the roll paper Md, which is a recording medium, into the image forming apparatus 100. The pretreatment liquid applying unit 20 applies the pretreatment liquid to the roll paper Md that has been carried in. The pretreatment liquid applying means 20 is a pretreatment means for applying the pretreatment liquid to the roll paper Md as the pretreatment. The pretreatment liquid drying means 31, which is a kind of the drying means 30, dries the roll paper Md on which the pretreatment is performed. The image forming unit 40 forms an image on the surface of the roll paper Md to which the pretreatment liquid has been applied. The post-treatment liquid applying unit 50 applies the post-treatment liquid, which is a kind of post-treatment agent, to the roll paper Md on which the image is formed. The post-treatment liquid applying unit 50 is a post-treatment unit that applies the post-treatment liquid to the roll paper Md as the post-treatment. The permeation means 55 permeates the liquid droplets on the roll paper Md. The post-treatment liquid drying unit 32, which is a kind of the drying unit 30, dries the ink and the post-treatment liquid on the roll paper Md. The carry-out unit 60 takes up the post-processed roll paper Md and carries it out from the image forming apparatus 100. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 100 has a control unit 70 that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 100, as described later.

Each component of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below. The image forming apparatus 100 does not include any one or more of a pretreatment liquid application unit 20, a drying unit 30 (a pretreatment liquid drying unit 31 and a posttreatment liquid drying unit 32), a permeation unit 55, and the like, which will be described later. It can also be configured.

(2. Configuration of carry-in means 10)
The carry-in unit 10 is a unit that conveys the roll paper Md to the pretreatment liquid application unit 20 or the like. The carry-in means 10 is composed of, for example, a paper feed unit 11 and a plurality of transport rollers 12. The carry-in unit 10 uses the transport roller 12 or the like to roll the roll paper Md, which is held around the paper feed roll of the paper feed unit 11, and is held downstream of the roll paper Md in the transport direction. Move towards.

(3. Structure of the pretreatment liquid application means 20)
The pretreatment liquid application unit 20 is a unit that performs a process on the roll paper Md before an image is formed. The pretreatment liquid application unit 20 is a unit that performs pretreatment using the pretreatment liquid on the surface of the roll paper Md carried in by the carry-in unit 10.

Here, the pretreatment in the present embodiment is a treatment for uniformly applying a pretreatment liquid having a function of aggregating ink to the surface of the roll paper Md. By this pre-processing, the image forming apparatus 100 can effectively agglomerate the ink on the surface of the roll paper Md even when forming an image on the roll paper Md other than the ink jet type special paper.

(4. Structure of pretreatment liquid drying means 31)
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a pretreatment liquid drying unit 31 for drying the roll paper Md pretreated by the pretreatment liquid applying unit 20 and a roll post-treated by the post-treatment liquid applying unit 50. A drying unit 30 including a post-treatment liquid drying unit 32 for drying the paper Md is provided. The drying unit 30 is a unit that dries the roll paper Md by heating the roll paper Md to evaporate the water content which is the solvent of the pretreatment liquid.

The pretreatment liquid drying means 31 includes a plurality of heat rollers. Each of these heat rollers is heated to 80 to 100° C., for example, and is arranged so as to come into contact with the back surface of the roll paper Md. A warm air heater may be added to the pretreatment liquid drying means 31.

(5. Structure of image forming means 40)
The image forming unit 40 is a unit that forms an image on the roll paper Md. The image forming unit 40 forms an image on the surface of the roll paper Md by ejecting ink onto the roll paper Md dried by the pretreatment liquid drying unit 31.

An example of the outer shape of the image forming unit 40 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 2A is a schematic plan view showing an example of the overall configuration of the image forming unit 40 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2B is an enlarged plan view showing an example of the black (K) ejection head 40K, which is one of the main parts of the image forming unit 40.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the image forming unit 40 includes a full line type head. This full line type head includes four ejection heads 40K, 40C, 40M corresponding to black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M) and yellow (Y) from the upstream side in the transport direction Xm of the roll paper Md. And 40Y are arranged.

Here, in the present embodiment, the black (K) ejection head 40K includes four head units 40K-1, 40K-2, 40K-3, and 40K-4 in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction Xm of the roll paper Md. They are arranged in a staggered pattern. As a result, the image forming unit 40 can form an image in the entire widthwise direction of the image forming area of the roll paper Md. In other words, the image forming unit 40 forms an image with the entire area in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the roll paper Md as the print area.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the head unit 40K-1 includes a plurality of nozzles 40N on the nozzle surface (the outer surface of the nozzle plate 43 of FIG. 3A described later). Here, the plurality of nozzles 40N are ejection ports for ink that is a liquid, and are also called printing nozzles. The nozzles 40N form a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in one row in the longitudinal direction of the head unit 40K-1. The head unit 40K-1 is a single-pass inkjet method having a nozzle row in the main scanning direction. The head unit 40K-1 may include a plurality of nozzle rows.

Here, a detailed configuration of the ejection head 40K included in the image forming unit 40 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3A, in the ejection head 40K, a flow path plate 41 forming a passage of ink to be ejected and a vibration plate 42 joined to the lower surface of the flow path plate 41 (inward direction of the ejection head 40K). A nozzle plate 43 joined to the upper surface of the flow path plate 41 (outward of the ejection head 40K), and a frame member 44 that holds the peripheral edge of the vibration plate 42. Further, the ejection head 40K has a pressure generating means 45 which is an actuator means for deforming the vibration plate 42.

In the ejection head 40K according to the present embodiment, the flow passage plate 41, the vibration plate 42, and the nozzle plate 43 are stacked to form the nozzle communication passage 40R and the liquid chamber 40F that are the flow passages that communicate with the nozzle 40N. Is forming. Further, in the ejection head 40K, an ink inlet 40S for supplying ink to the liquid chamber 40F and a common liquid chamber 40L for supplying ink to the liquid chamber 40F are formed by further stacking the frame member 44. ..

Further, the frame member 44 is provided with an accommodating portion for accommodating the pressure generating means 45, a recess serving as the common liquid chamber 40L, and an ink supply port 40IN for supplying ink to the common liquid chamber 40L from outside the ejection head. There is.

The pressure generating means 45 includes a piezoelectric element 45P that is an electromechanical conversion element, a base substrate 45B that joins and fixes the piezoelectric element 45P, and a supporting column that is arranged in a gap between the adjacent piezoelectric elements 45P. In addition, the pressure generating means 45 includes an FPC cable 45C for connecting the piezoelectric element 45P to a drive circuit.

FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of a part of the piezoelectric element 45P. As shown in FIG. 3B, a laminated piezoelectric element (PZT) in which a piezoelectric material 45Pp and an internal electrode 45Pe are alternately laminated is used as the piezoelectric element 45P. The internal electrode 45Pe has a plurality of individual electrodes 45Pei and a plurality of common electrodes 45Pec. The internal electrodes 45Pe are configured by alternately connecting the individual electrodes 45Pei or the common electrodes 45Pec to the end faces of the piezoelectric material 45Pp.

The operation of the ejection head 40K ejecting ink from the nozzle 40N (pull-push operation) will be specifically described below.

In the ejection head 40K, first, the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 45P forming the pressure generating means 45 is lowered from the reference potential, and the piezoelectric element 45P is reduced in the stacking direction. The contraction of the piezoelectric element 45P causes flexural deformation of the diaphragm 42. Due to the bending deformation of the vibration plate 42, the volume of the liquid chamber 40F of the ejection head 40K is increased. In other words, the volume of the liquid chamber 40F is expanded by lowering the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 45P from the reference potential. By this series of operations, in the ejection head 40K, ink is caused to flow from the common liquid chamber 40L into the liquid chamber 40F.

Next, the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 45P of the ejection head 40K is raised above the reference potential to extend the piezoelectric element 45P in the stacking direction. The vibration plate 42 is deformed in the direction of the nozzle 40N by the expansion of the piezoelectric element 45P. The deformation of the vibrating plate 42 reduces the volume of the liquid chamber 40F in the ejection head 40K. In other words, by raising the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 45P above the reference potential, the volume of the liquid chamber 40F is contracted. By this series of operations, pressure is applied to the ink in the liquid chamber 40F in the ejection head 40K. By pressurizing the ink in the ejection head 40K, the ink is ejected from the nozzle 40N.

Then, the ejection head 40K returns the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 45P to the reference potential. As a result, the diaphragm 42 returns to the initial position and is restored. At this time, in the ejection head 40K, since the liquid chamber 40F expands, the internal pressure of the liquid chamber 40F is reduced, and ink is filled into the liquid chamber 40F from the common liquid chamber 40L and replenished. Next, the ejection head 40K shifts to an operation for ejecting the next ink after the vibration of the meniscus surface of the nozzle 40N is attenuated and stabilized. The ejection head 40K repeats the above operation.

As described above, the ejection head 40K uses the pressure generating means 45 to flexibly deform the vibration plate 42 to change the volume of the liquid chamber 40F and change the pressure acting on the ink in the liquid chamber 40F. Ink is ejected from 40N.

The driving method of the ejection head 40K to which the present invention is applicable is not limited to the above example (pull-push ejection). For example, the ejection head 40K may be driven by pulling, pushing, or the like by controlling the voltage (driving waveform) applied to the piezoelectric element 45P. Further, the pressure generating means 45 uses a heating resistor to heat ink in the liquid chamber 40F to generate bubbles, or a vibrating plate and an electrode are arranged to face each other on the wall surface of the liquid chamber 40F. An electrostatic type in which the diaphragm is deformed by the electrostatic force generated between the electrode and the electrode may be used. The other ejection heads 40C, 40M, and 40Y have the same configuration as that of the black (K) ejection head 40K. Therefore, their detailed description will be omitted.

As described above, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present exemplary embodiment uses the image forming unit 40 (four ejection heads 40K, 40C, 40M, and 40Y) to perform a single transport operation of the roll paper Md, and the entire image forming area. To form a black and white or full color image.

(6. Structure of the post-treatment liquid application means)
The post-treatment liquid applying unit 50 is a unit that performs a process on the roll paper Md after the image is formed. The post-treatment liquid applying unit 50 is a unit that performs post-treatment using the post-treatment liquid on the surface of the roll paper Md on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 40. As shown in FIG. 2A, the post-treatment liquid applying unit 50 is arranged downstream of the image forming unit 40 in the transport direction Xm of the roll paper Md. Further, in the post-treatment liquid application unit 50, the ejection heads 50H are arranged in a staggered manner in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction Xm of the roll paper Md, as in the image forming unit 40.

The post-treatment liquid applying unit 50 controls the ejection amount of the post-treatment liquid by controlling the drive waveform input to the ejection head 50H. In other words, in other words, the image forming unit 40 forms an image with the entire area in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the roll paper Md as the print area. Can eject the post-treatment liquid over the entire width direction of the image forming area of the roll paper Md by using the ejection head 50H. In other words, the post-treatment liquid applying unit 50 applies the post-treatment liquid to the printing area which is the entire area in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the roll paper Md. The ejection head 50H has the same configuration as the ejection head 40K of the image forming unit 40 described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Therefore, the detailed configuration of the ejection head 50H will be described by appropriately reading the configuration of the ejection head 40K, and thus the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The post-treatment in the present embodiment is a treatment for ejecting and depositing the post-treatment liquid on the print area of the roll paper Md. By this post-treatment, it is possible to prevent the peeling of the ink due to the surface of the roll paper Md on which the image is formed rubbing against another object (for example, another surface of the roll paper Md). That is, the post-treatment can improve the scratch resistance and the scratch resistance of the printed image. Furthermore, the post-treatment can improve the glossiness of the printed surface, storage stability, and the like. The storage stability referred to in this embodiment includes water resistance, light resistance, gas resistance, and the like.

(7. Configuration of Penetration Means 55)
The permeation means 55 is means for permeating the solvent in the ink into the roll paper Md. In the permeation means 55, the time for the solvent to permeate is gained by increasing the transport distance of the roll paper Md. Further, the heating means 56 shown in FIG. 1 heats the roll paper Md and the ink by setting the atmosphere temperature inside the permeation means 55 and the temperature at which water does not evaporate from 30° C. to 100° C. As a result, the viscosity is lowered and the permeation speed is accelerated in the state of the aqueous solution containing the high boiling point solvent in the ink.

(8. Structure of the post-treatment liquid drying means 32)
As shown in FIG. 1, the post-treatment liquid drying means 32 includes a plurality of heat rollers. Each of these heat rollers is heated to 80 to 100° C., for example, and is arranged so as to come into contact with the back surface of the roll paper Md. A warm air heater may be added to the post-treatment liquid drying means 32. The post-treatment liquid drying means 32 is a means for evaporating the water, which is a solvent of the ink and the post-treatment liquid, to dry the roll paper Md.

(9. Configuration of carry-out means 60)
The carry-out means 60 is means for carrying out the roll paper Md on which an image is formed. As shown in FIG. 1, the carry-out means 60 includes a storage unit 61, a plurality of transport rollers 62, and the like. The carry-out means 60 uses the carrying roller 62 or the like to wind and store the roll paper Md on which the image is formed on the storage roll of the storage unit 61.

When the roll paper Md is wound around the storage roll of the storage unit 61, the pressure acting on the roll paper Md becomes large, and there is a high possibility that another image will be transferred to the back surface of the roll paper Md. In this case, in order to prevent the transfer of the image to the back surface of the roll paper Md, a drying means for further drying the roll paper Md immediately before winding may be provided.

(10. Configuration of control means 70)
The control unit 70 has a configuration equivalent to that of a computer, and controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 100 by executing a program stored in the storage unit in the arithmetic processing unit. In this embodiment, the control unit 70 instructs each component of the image forming apparatus 100 to operate and controls the operation. The control means 70 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.

The image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention can also be used as a printing system for production printing. Here, production printing is a type of image forming system, and is a manufacturing system capable of printing images and the like on a large number of image forming media in a short time by efficiently performing job management and print data management. Is. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of devices, for example, a RIP (Raster Image Processor) device and a printer. The RIP device is a device that controls the printing order of print data and converts the print data into raster image data, and the printer is a control device that controls the printing operation based on the converted raster image data. is there.

Further, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can construct a workflow system that manages from creation of print data to distribution of printed materials. That is, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can speed up printing by separating the devices such as the RIP device and the printer and distributing the processes in a system having a long processing time such as the workflow. To do.

FIG. 4A is a conceptual diagram of an example of an image forming system in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a host device.

As shown in FIG. 4A, in the image forming system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 70 of the image forming apparatus 100 includes a host device (RIP device, DFE, Digital Front End) 71 that performs RIP processing and the like. It can be distributed to the printer devices 72 that perform print processing and the like. Here, the host device 71 and the printer device 72 are connected by a plurality of data lines 70LD and control lines 70LC. The data line 70LD is a data bus used when transmitting print image data from the higher-level device 71 to the printer device 72. The control line 70LC is a control bus for communicating print information data between the higher-level device 71 and the printer controller 72C included in the printer device 72.

<Upper device 71>
A higher-level device 71 corresponding to a part of the control unit 70 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention outputs print job data (from the host device that instructs the image forming apparatus 100 about the content of the printing process). This is a device that performs RIP processing based on (job data, print data). That is, the higher-level device 71 according to the present embodiment creates print image data corresponding to each color based on the print job data. The print image data according to the present embodiment includes “image data regarding post-treatment” regarding ejection of the post-treatment liquid ejected by the post-treatment liquid applying unit 50.

Further, the higher-level device 71 according to the present embodiment creates control information data for controlling the printing operation based on the print job data, the information of the host device, and the like. Here, the control information data includes, as printing conditions, print form, print type, paper feed/discharge information, print surface order, print paper size, print image data data size, resolution, paper type information, gradation, and color information. And data relating to information on the number of pages to be printed. In addition, the control information data according to the present embodiment includes post-treatment liquid control data relating to the ejection of the post-treatment liquid ejected by the post-treatment liquid applying unit 50.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the host device 71 in this embodiment is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 71a, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 71b, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 71c, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). 71d. The host device 71 also includes an external I/F 71e, a control information I/F 71f, and an image data I/F 71g. Further, the host device 71 includes the bus 71h that connects the CPU 71a and the like, respectively, so that the host device 71 can mutually transmit and receive the CPU 71a and the like via the bus 71h.

The CPU 71a controls the overall operation of the upper device 71. The CPU 71a realizes the function of controlling the operation of the higher-level device 71 using a control program, a post-treatment agent application control program, etc. stored in the ROM 71b and/or the HDD 71d. The functional blocks implemented in the host device 71 will be described later.

The ROM 71b, the RAM 71c, and the HDD 71d are storage means for storing data and the like. A control program for controlling the CPU 71a is stored in advance in the ROM 71b and/or the HDD 71d. The RAM 71c is used as a work memory for the CPU 71a.

The external I/F 71e controls communication with a host device or the like that is an external device of the image forming apparatus 100. The control information I/F 71f controls communication of control information data. The image data I/F 71g controls communication of print image data.

<Printer device 72>
FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and mainly shows the functional blocks of the printer device 72 that constitutes the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 70 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can also be configured by the functional blocks included in the printer device 72. The printer device 72 is a device that controls the operation of forming an image on a recording medium based on the print image data and the control information data input from the higher-level device 71. The printer device 72 has a printer controller 72C and a printer engine 72E.

The printer controller 72C controls the operation of the printer engine 72E. The printer controller 72C transmits/receives control information data and the like to/from the higher-level device 71 via the control line 70LC. Further, the printer controller 72C transmits/receives control information data and the like to/from the printer engine 72E via the control line 72LC. Further, the printer controller 72C controls the printer engine 72E based on the control information data, and executes printing in accordance with the control information data including the type of recording medium, the printing speed, the volume of droplets to be ejected, and the like. You can

As shown in FIG. 5, the printer controller 72C has a CPU 72Cp and a print controller 72Cc. Further, the printer controller 72C connects the CPU 72Cp and the print controller 72Cc to each other via a bus 72Cb so that they can transmit and receive each other. Here, the bus 72Cb is connected to the control line 70LC via the communication I/F.

The CPU 72Cp controls the overall operation of the printer device 72 using a control program stored in the ROM 71b (FIG. 4B). The print control unit 72Cc sends and receives commands and status information to and from the printer engine 72E based on the control information data sent from the higher-level device 71, and the print control unit 72Cc controls the operation of the printer engine 72E. ..

The printer engine 72E is a device that controls the operation of forming an image on a recording medium based on the print image data input from the higher-level device 71 and the control information data input from the printer controller 72C. Further, the printer engine 72E controls the operation for post-processing based on the print image data and the post-processing ejection pattern data input from the higher-level device 71, and the control information data and the post-processing control data input from the printer controller 72C. It is a device.

As shown in FIG. 5, the printer engine 72E is connected to a plurality of data lines 70LD (70LDY, 70LD-C, 70LD-M, 70LD-K, and 70LD-P). The printer engine 72E receives print image data from the higher-level device 71 via the plurality of data lines 70LD. As a result, the printer engine 72E can perform the printing operation for each color and the post-processing operation based on the received print image data.

The printer engine 72E has a plurality of data management units 72EC, 72EM, 72EY, 72EK and 72EP. Further, the printer engine 72E has an image output unit (for example, a head module) 72Ei to which print image data and the like are input from the data management unit 72EC and the like, and a conveyance control unit 72Ec that controls the conveyance of the recording medium. Further, in the present embodiment, the printer engine 72E has a post-processing liquid output unit 72Ep to which image data regarding post-processing is input from the data management unit (post-processing control unit) 72EP.

The printer engine 72E may further include or be connected to a post-treatment drying control unit, a pre-treatment liquid application control unit, a pre-treatment post-drying control unit, a permeation control unit 73, a pre-winding drying control unit, and the like. ..

Here, the configuration of the data management unit 72EP relating to post-processing will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the data management unit 72EP includes a logic circuit 72EPl and a memory 72EPm. The logic circuit 72EPl is connected to the host device 71 via the data line 70LD-P. Further, the logic circuit 72EPl is connected to the print control unit 72Cc of the printer controller 72C via the control line 72LP.

The logic circuit 72EPl stores the image data regarding the post-processing output from the higher-level device 71 in the memory 72EPm based on the control signal output from the print control unit 72Cc.

The memory 72EPm stores the print image data output from the higher-level device 71 based on the control signal output from the print control unit 72Cc.

In addition, the logic circuit 72ECl included in the data management unit 72EC reads the print image data Ic corresponding to cyan (C) from the memory 72ECm based on the control signal output from the print control unit 72Cc, and outputs it to the image output unit 72Ei. Output.

Further, the logic circuit 72EPl is provided with a print control unit (control unit) 72Cc which is a control unit for the entire image forming system, such as a recording medium type, a total ink amount regulation value, a printing speed, the resolution of an image to be created, and a droplet configuration ( Information such as large droplet, non-ejection binary, large droplet, medium droplet, small droplet, non-ejection four values) and ink type (hereinafter referred to as “operation parameter information”) is received.

The recommended total ink amount regulation value is determined by the type of recording medium, the printing speed, and the resolution of the image to be created. Therefore, when the logic circuit 72EPl is set to adopt the recommended value for the total amount regulation value of ink, it is not necessary to receive it from the print control unit (control unit) 72Cc, and the type of the recording medium, the printing speed, and the creation are performed. It may be configured to determine the recommended value from the resolution of the image.

The logic circuit 72EPl, based on the above information received from the higher-level device 71 (or the print control unit Cc), the droplet ejection amount (ejection density) per unit area of the post-treatment liquid (hereinafter, referred to as “post-treatment liquid application amount”). "And)).

The logic circuit 72EPl outputs to the post-treatment liquid output unit 72Ep a drive waveform corresponding to the post-treatment liquid ejection pattern Ip, which is a specific ejection pattern according to the amount of post-treatment liquid applied determined as described above. The temporary post-treatment liquid discharge pattern Ip is temporarily stored in the memory 72EPm, and is output to the post-treatment liquid output unit 72Ep according to the control signal.

Here, the data management unit 72EP may use a hardware logic circuit configured by a combination of logic circuits and the like.

The configuration of the image output unit 72Ei will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the image output unit 72Ei, which is a head module for ejecting ink liquid, includes an output control unit 72Eic and ejection heads 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 40K. The output control unit 72Eic outputs the print image pattern based on the print image data corresponding to each color to the ejection heads 40C, 40M, 40Y and 40K corresponding to each color. Accordingly, the output control unit 72Eic can control the operation of the ejection head 40C and the like based on the print image data.

Specifically, the drive waveforms corresponding to the image forming patterns (Ic, Im, Iy, Ik) created by the logic circuits of the data management units 72EC, 72EM, 72EY, and 72EK are controlled in timing by the conveyance control unit 72Ec. , Is applied to the piezoelectric element 45P which is the pressure generating means of the ejection heads 40C, 40M, 40Y and 40K. When the drive waveform is applied, the piezoelectric element 45P expands and contracts. An expansion/contraction force acts from the piezoelectric element 45P to the ink in the nozzle communication passage 40R via the vibration plate 42, and a pressure change occurs in the nozzle communication passage 40R, whereby ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle 40N. In this way, the output control unit 72Eic can control the operation of the ejection head 40C and the like based on the print image data Ic to Ik.

The output control unit 72Eic individually controls the plurality of ejection heads 40C and the like. Further, the output control unit 72Eic may simultaneously control the plurality of ejection heads 40C and the like by using the input print image data (for example, Ic in FIG. 5). Further, the output control unit 72Eic may control the ejection head 40C and the like based on the control signal input from the control unit 70. The output control unit 72Eic may control the ejection head 40C and the like, for example, based on a user's operation input.

Similar to FIG. 7, the post-treatment liquid output unit 72Ep, which is a head module for ejecting the post-treatment liquid, includes an output control unit and the ejection head 50H. The output control unit outputs the post-treatment liquid ejection pattern Ip to the ejection head 50H (see FIG. 2). Specifically, the drive waveform corresponding to the post-treatment liquid ejection pattern Ip created by the logic circuit 72ECl of the data management unit 72EP is applied to the piezoelectric element 45P of the ejection head 50H while the output control unit controls the timing. Ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle 50N due to a pressure change generated in the nozzle communication path 40R via the vibration plate 42. The output control unit can control the operation of the ejection head 50H based on the post-treatment liquid ejection pattern Ip.

In this way, the printer device 72 can control the image formation of each color independently of each other. Further, the printer device 72 may change the configuration of the printer engine 72E according to the number of colors (C, M, Y and K, or only K colors) of the print image data or the number of ejection heads.

Returning to FIG. The printer device 72 uses the permeation control unit 73 and the post-treatment liquid drying control unit that are connected to the print control unit 72Cc to determine the type of the recording medium and the amount of ink or post-treatment liquid applied, and the drying unit 30 and the permeation unit. Control means 55.

Further, the printer device 72 appropriately controls the pre-processing operation of the pre-processing control section and the pre-processing drying control section connected to the print control section 72Cc according to the type of recording medium and image data.

(11. Control of post-treatment liquid discharge pattern)
Next, the operation when the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment forms an image will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation when the image forming apparatus 100 forms an image. Each unit in the image forming apparatus 100 performs an image forming operation according to the following steps.

The control unit 70 included in the image forming apparatus 100 starts image formation and printing based on print job data, operation parameter information, and the like input from the outside (S801). As described above, the control unit 70 included in the image forming apparatus 100 can also be configured with the functions dispersed like the host device 71 and the printer device 72. In the following description, it is assumed that the control unit 70 in the image forming apparatus 100 is realized by the print control unit 72Cc included in the printer device 72. Therefore, following step S801, the control unit 70 of the image forming apparatus 100 stores the input print job data, operation parameter information, and the like in storage units (ROM 71b, RAM 71c, HDD 71d, and the like) that are above the control unit 70. (Set) (S802).

The image forming apparatus 100 uses the control unit 70 to generate print image data, control information data, and the like based on the contents stored in the ROM 71b, the RAM 71c, and the HDD 71d that are storage units (S803).

The image forming apparatus 100 uses the control means 70 to determine the applied amount of the pretreatment liquid and the dry strength of the pretreatment liquid in S808 based on the generated control information data (S804).

The image forming apparatus 100 uses the control unit 70 to determine the applied amount of the post-treatment liquid and the dry strength of the post-treatment liquid in S812 based on the set operation parameter information (S805). That is, in this embodiment, the control unit 70 functions as a post-treatment agent application control device. The image forming apparatus 100 may be configured to perform the process of S805 using the host device 71. That is, the higher-level device 71 may be configured to function independently as a post-treatment agent application control device. Further, the image forming apparatus 100 may be configured to perform the process of S805 using the printer device 72. That is, the printer device 72 may be configured to independently function as a post-treatment agent application control device. The method of determining the applied amount of the post-treatment liquid in S805 is one of the gist of the present embodiment. The method of determining the applied amount of the post-treatment liquid in S805 will be described later with reference to FIG.

The image forming apparatus 100 uses the carrying-in means 10 to start carrying-in (conveying) the recording medium to the pretreatment liquid applying means 20 or the like (S806). The image forming apparatus 100 may perform S806 immediately after the start of image formation in S801.

The image forming apparatus 100 performs the pretreatment by using the pretreatment liquid applying unit 20 and applies the pretreatment liquid (S807). Here, the pretreatment liquid drying unit 31 applies the pretreatment liquid based on the application amount of the pretreatment liquid determined in S804.

The image forming apparatus 100 uses the pretreatment liquid drying unit 31 to dry the recording medium (S808). Here, the pretreatment liquid drying means 31 dries the recording medium based on the pretreatment liquid drying strength determined in S804.

The image forming apparatus 100 uses the image forming means 40 to form an image on the surface of the recording medium based on the print image data generated in S803 (S809).

Here, the image forming unit 40 can form an image by further using the type of recording medium and the resolution of the image to be formed. Further, the image forming unit 40 can control the operation of forming an image by controlling the drive voltage applied to the piezoelectric element.

The image forming apparatus 100 uses the post-treatment liquid application unit 50 to perform post-treatment on the recording medium (S810). Here, the post-treatment liquid application means 50 applies the post-treatment liquid based on the application amount of the post-treatment liquid determined in S805.

The image forming apparatus 100 causes the recording medium to permeate the ink and the post-treatment liquid using the permeation unit 55 (S811).

The image forming apparatus 100 uses the post-treatment liquid drying unit 32 to dry the recording medium (S812). Here, the post-treatment liquid drying means 32 dries the recording medium based on the drying strength determined in S805.

The recording medium is unloaded using the unloading unit 60 (S813). After that, the image forming apparatus 100 ends the operation of forming an image.

(12. Post-treatment liquid application method by post-treatment liquid application means)
Next, a method for applying the post-treatment liquid by the post-treatment liquid applying means 50 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b). 9A and 9B are views for explaining the method of applying the post-treatment liquid by the post-treatment liquid applying means 50 according to the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the post-treatment liquid application means 50 is configured to apply the post-treatment agent to the printing surface of the printed matter after printing in order to improve the fixability (scratch resistance) of the printing portion. At this time, in the present embodiment, the post-treatment liquid applying unit 50 is configured to apply the post-treatment liquid only to the printing portion. This is because it is necessary to reduce the applied amount of the post-treatment liquid in order to reduce the cost per page (CPP: Cost Per Page) and improve the drying property.

When the post-treatment liquid is applied only to the printing portion, the post-treatment liquid may be applied to a position deviated from the printing portion depending on the printing accuracy, the application accuracy of the post-treatment liquid, and the conveyance accuracy of the recording medium. Therefore, the post-treatment liquid application unit 50 according to the present embodiment is configured to apply the post-treatment liquid to an area wider than the printing portion (image area) in consideration of the above accuracy.

However, when the post-treatment liquid is applied to an area wider than the printing portion, the post-treatment liquid is applied to a part of the non-printing area which is an area (non-image area) other than the printing portion. An area that is a part of the non-printing area and to which the post-treatment liquid is applied is referred to as an “application area”. The glossiness of the application area is different from the glossiness of the non-application area which is the non-printing area to which the post-treatment liquid is not applied. That is, there is a difference in gloss level at the boundary between the applied area and the non-applied area.

Therefore, when the difference in glossiness at the boundary between the imparted area and the non-applied area exceeds the maximum glossiness difference (predetermined value: X) that is acceptable as quality, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment performs the following. It is configured to determine the applied amount of the post-treatment liquid. The glossiness in the present invention is an index representing the degree of specular reflection of light on the surface of an object. The glossiness in the present invention may be measured directly or indirectly using some glossiness meter or the like, or may be calculated from the measurement result using some glossiness meter. For example, a discrete value may be obtained by using a gloss meter and a function may be calculated from the discrete value. It is desirable to use a gloss meter that conforms to the ISO standard or JIS standard, but is not limited thereto. The gloss difference in the present invention refers to the difference in gloss.

That is, in such a case, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, has a difference in gloss at the boundary between adjacent application areas and an adjacent application area. The application amount of the post-treatment liquid is gradually changed from the application region to the non-application region so that the difference in glossiness at the boundary with the non-application region is less than or equal to the maximum gloss difference. The stepwise change in the amount of the post-treatment liquid applied is to decrease or increase the amount of the post-treatment liquid applied as compared with the adjacent application regions. A specific method for determining the applied amount of the post-treatment liquid will be described with reference to FIG.

The image forming apparatus 100 according to the present exemplary embodiment is configured in this way, and reduces the gloss level difference at the boundary between the post-treatment liquid application area and the non-application area while reducing the post-treatment liquid application amount. It becomes possible.

In the following, the application area to which the same amount of the post-treatment liquid as the printing portion is applied is referred to as application area 1. It should be noted that the application area 1 is an area wider than the printing portion in consideration of the application accuracy of the post-treatment liquid, and is an area to which the post-treatment liquid is applied. In addition, as described with reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B, the areas where the application amount of the post-treatment liquid is gradually changed from the application area 1 to the non-application area are “application area 2” and “application area”. The area is described as "3", and the added area is indicated by a numeral.

(13. Method of determining applied amount of post-treatment liquid)
A process (post-treatment agent application control method) when the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment determines the application amount of the post-treatment liquid will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the process when the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment determines the application amount of the post-treatment liquid.

When the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment determines the application amount of the post-treatment liquid, first, the control unit 70 causes the type of recording medium, the resolution of the image to be created, the printing speed, the total ink amount regulation value, and the droplet. The configuration and the type of ink are set (S1001 to S1006). Note that these setting contents may be set by the user or may be set in advance.

The control unit 70 refers to the post-treatment liquid application amount determination table, the type of the recording medium set in S1001 to S1006, the resolution of the image to be created, the printing speed, the total amount regulation value of the ink, the droplet configuration, the type of the ink. From the above, the application amount: a of the post-treatment liquid required to ensure the scratch resistance of the printing portion is determined (S1007). That is, in the present embodiment, the control unit 70 functions as the first post-treatment agent application amount determination unit.

Here, the post-treatment liquid application amount determination table will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the post-treatment liquid application amount determination table according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11, the post-treatment liquid application amount determination table according to the present embodiment is based on the type of recording medium, the resolution of the image to be created, the total amount regulation value of ink, the droplet composition, and the type of ink, and the fixing of the printing portion. 9 is a table for determining the amount of post-treatment liquid to be applied, which is necessary to secure the property (scratch resistance). This post-treatment liquid application amount determination table is stored in advance in the storage means (ROM 71b, RAM 71c, HDD 71d, etc.).

Then, the control means 70 refers to the non-printing area glossiness determination table corresponding to the type of recording medium set in S1001, and determines the post-treatment liquid application amount: a from the post-treatment liquid application amount: a determined in S1007. Determines the glossiness A when applied to the non-printing area of the recording medium of the type set in S1001 (S1008). That is, in the present embodiment, the control unit 70 functions as a first glossiness determination unit and determines the glossiness: A as the first glossiness.

Here, the non-printing area glossiness determination table will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the non-printing area glossiness determination table according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 12, the non-printing area glossiness determination table according to the present embodiment exists for each type of recording medium, and the non-printing area of the corresponding type of recording medium is changed from the applied amount of the post-treatment liquid to the non-printing area. It is a table for determining the glossiness when an amount of post-treatment liquid is applied. This non-printed area glossiness determination table is stored in advance in the storage means (ROM 71b, RAM 71c, HDD 71d, etc.). Note that the non-printing area glossiness determination table may be stored not as a table but as a function having the applied amount of the post-treatment liquid as a variable, as shown in FIG.

Then, the control unit 70 refers to the elementary glossiness determination table to determine the elementary glossiness: P of the recording medium of the type set in S1001 (S1009). The elementary glossiness is the glossiness of the recording medium itself. That is, in the present embodiment, the control unit 70 functions as the second glossiness determination unit and determines the elementary glossiness: P as the second glossiness.

Here, the plain glossiness determination table will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the plain glossiness determination table according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 14, the plain glossiness determination table according to the present embodiment is a table for determining the plain glossiness of a recording medium of that type from the type of the recording medium. This elementary glossiness determination table is stored in advance in the storage means (ROM 71b, RAM 71c, HDD 71d, etc.).

Then, the control unit 70 determines whether the difference between the glossiness A of the non-printing area determined in S1008 and the plain glossiness P determined in S1009 exceeds the maximum glossiness difference X permitted as quality. It is determined whether or not, that is, whether |AP|>X is satisfied (S1010). That is, in the present embodiment, the control unit 70 functions as a magnitude relationship comparing unit.

Then, when it is determined in the determination process in S1010 that |AP−>X is not satisfied (S1010/NO), the control unit 70 ends the post-treatment liquid application amount determination process as it is.

On the other hand, when the control unit 70 determines in the determination processing in S1010 that |AP−>X is satisfied (S1010/YES), the control unit 70 refers to the applied area glossiness determination table and determines the non-printing area determined in S1008. From the glossiness A of A and the glossiness P of the element determined in S1009, the glossiness difference at the boundary between the adjoining application areas and the glossiness difference at the boundary between the adjoining application area and the non-application area are maximum. Glossiness difference: The glossiness of the applied area 2 and subsequent areas is determined so as to be X or less (S1011). That is, in the present embodiment, the control unit 70 functions as a third glossiness determination unit and determines the glossiness of the applied area 2 and the subsequent areas as the third glossiness.

Here, the applied area glossiness determination table will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the applied area glossiness determination table according to the present embodiment. Note that FIG. 15 shows an example in which the maximum glossiness difference: X=10.

As shown in FIG. 15, in the applied area glossiness determination table, from the glossiness A of the non-printed area and the original glossiness P, the glossiness difference at the boundary between the adjacent application areas and the adjacent application areas. It is a table for determining the glossiness of the applied area 2 and subsequent areas so that the glossiness difference at the boundary between the non-added area and the non-added area is equal to or less than the maximum glossiness difference: X.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the control unit 70 according to the present exemplary embodiment, the larger the difference between the plain glossiness of the recording medium and the glossiness of the non-printing area, the more the area from the applying area to the non-applying area is increased. The number of processing liquids applied is reduced or the number of steps is increased.

With such a configuration, the control unit 70 according to the present exemplary embodiment has a difference between the plain glossiness of the recording medium and the glossiness of the non-printing area larger than twice the maximum glossiness difference: X ( |A−P|>2X), the difference in glossiness at the boundary between adjoining application areas and the difference in glossiness at the boundary between adjoining application areas and non-application areas are maximum glossiness difference: X or less. It becomes possible.

In order to reduce the cost per page, the smaller the applied amount of the post-treatment liquid on and after the applying area 2, the more desirable. Therefore, in the application area glossiness determination table, the application amount of the post-treatment liquid after the application area 2 is preferably set to be as small as possible.

Then, the control unit 70 refers to the non-printing area glossiness determination table (FIG. 12) corresponding to the type of recording medium set in S1001, and determines the post-treatment liquid after the application area 2 from the glossiness determined in S1011. The applied amount is determined (S1012). That is, in the present embodiment, the control unit 70 functions as the second post-treatment agent application amount determination unit.

The image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment determines the application amount of the post-treatment liquid by the above-described post-treatment liquid determination process.

In the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the maximum glossiness difference: X and the distance between the application area N (N is a natural number) and the application area N+1 can be set by the user.

As described above, in the case where the post-treatment liquid application unit 50 according to the present embodiment, the glossiness difference at the boundary between the application area and the non-application area exceeds the maximum glossiness difference, the gloss at the boundary between adjacent application areas is increased. Degree difference, and so that the difference in glossiness at the boundary between the application area and the non-application area adjacent to each other is less than or equal to the maximum glossiness difference, the application amount of the post-treatment liquid is gradually reduced from the application area to the non-application area, Alternatively, it is configured to increase.

The image forming apparatus 100 according to the present exemplary embodiment is configured in this way, and reduces the gloss level difference at the boundary between the post-treatment liquid application area and the non-application area while reducing the post-treatment liquid application amount. It becomes possible.

In the present embodiment, the inkjet type image forming apparatus that applies the post-treatment liquid to the recording medium has been described, but the present invention applies the post-processing toner, which is a kind of post-treatment agent, to the recording medium. The same can be applied to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

(14. Functional configuration of control means 70)
Next, the functional configuration of the control unit 70 included in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As described above, the control unit 70 according to the present embodiment can be distributed to the host device 71 and the printer device 72 (see FIGS. 4 to 7). Further, the higher-level device 71 and the printer device 72 each include an arithmetic processing means. The functional blocks of the control unit 70 described below are realized by the arithmetic processing unit and the post-treatment agent application control program according to the present invention.

<Upper device 71>
FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration when the function of the control unit 70 according to the present embodiment is realized in the CPU 71a which is the calculation unit included in the higher-level device 71. As shown in FIG. 16, the higher-level device 71 includes a first post-treatment agent application amount determination unit 711, a first glossiness determination unit 712, a second glossiness determination unit 713, a magnitude relationship comparison unit 714, and a third glossiness determination unit 713. And a second post-treatment agent application amount determination unit 716.

The first post-treatment agent application amount determination unit 711 is configured by the user or preset, the type of the recording medium, the resolution of the image to be created, the printing speed, the total amount regulation value of the ink, the droplet composition, the type of the ink. From the above, the application amount: a of the post-treatment liquid required to secure the scratch resistance of the printed portion is determined.

The first glossiness determination unit 712 refers to the non-printing area glossiness determination table set by the user or set in advance corresponding to the type of the recording medium, and refers to the first post-processing agent application amount determination unit. From the application amount: a of the post-treatment liquid determined by 711, the glossiness A when the amount of the post-treatment liquid is applied to the non-printing area of the recording medium of the set type is determined. The "glossiness: A" determined here is the first glossiness.

The second glossiness determination unit 713 refers to the base glossiness determination table to determine the base glossiness: P of the type of recording medium set by the user or preset. The elementary glossiness is the glossiness of the recording medium itself.

The magnitude relationship comparison unit 714 determines the difference between the glossiness A of the non-printing area determined by the first glossiness determination unit 712 and the plain glossiness P determined by the second glossiness determination unit 713. To compare. As a result of this comparison, it is determined whether or not the maximum glossiness difference allowed as quality: X is exceeded, that is, |AP−>X is satisfied.

When the third glossiness determining unit 715 determines that |AP−>X is satisfied as a result of the comparison in the size relationship comparing unit 714, the third glossiness determining unit 715 refers to the imparted region glossiness determination table and refers to the non-printing region. From the glossiness A: and the elementary glossiness: P, the maximum glossiness difference is the difference in glossiness at the boundary between adjacent application areas and the difference in glossiness at the boundary between adjacent application areas and non-application areas: The glossiness of the applied area 2 and the subsequent areas is determined so as to be X or less.

The second post-processing agent application amount determination unit 716 refers to the non-printing area glossiness determination table (FIG. 12) corresponding to the type of recording medium set by the user or set in advance, and determines the third glossiness. The application amount of the post-treatment liquid on and after the application region 2 is determined from the glossiness determined by the degree determination unit 715.

According to the control unit 70 according to the present embodiment having the above functional configuration, it is possible to reduce the gloss level difference at the boundary between the post-treatment liquid application area and the non-application area while reducing the post-treatment liquid application amount. You can

<Printer device 72>
FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration when the function of the control unit 70 according to the present embodiment is realized in the CPU 72Cp that is the calculation unit included in the printer device 72. As shown in FIG. 17, the printer device 72 includes a first post-treatment agent application amount determination unit 721, a first glossiness determination unit 722, a second glossiness determination unit 723, a magnitude relationship comparison unit 724, and a third glossiness determination unit 724. And a second post-treatment agent application amount determination unit 726.

The first post-treatment agent application amount determination unit 721 is configured by the user or preset, the type of recording medium, the resolution of the image to be created, the printing speed, the total ink amount regulation value, the droplet composition, the type of ink. From the above, the applied amount: a of the post-treatment liquid required to ensure the scratch resistance of the printed portion is determined.

The first glossiness determination unit 722 refers to the non-printing area glossiness determination table set by the user or set in advance corresponding to the type of recording medium, and refers to the first post-processing agent application amount determination unit. From the applied amount of the post-treatment liquid: a determined by 721, the glossiness: A when the amount of the post-treatment liquid is applied to the non-printing area of the recording medium of the set type is determined. The "glossiness: A" determined here is the first glossiness.

The second glossiness determination unit 723 refers to the base glossiness determination table to determine the base glossiness: P of the recording medium of the type set or preset by the user. The elementary glossiness is the glossiness of the recording medium itself.

The magnitude relationship comparing unit 724 calculates the difference between the glossiness A of the non-printing area determined by the first glossiness determining unit 722 and the plain glossiness P determined by the second glossiness determining unit 723. To compare. As a result of this comparison, it is determined whether or not the maximum glossiness difference allowed as quality: X is exceeded, that is, |AP−>X is satisfied.

When the third glossiness determination unit 725 determines that |AP−>X is satisfied as a result of the comparison in the size relation comparison unit 724, the third glossiness determination unit 725 refers to the applied region glossiness determination table, and refers to the non-printed region. From the glossiness A: and the elementary glossiness: P, the maximum glossiness difference is the difference in glossiness at the boundary between adjacent application areas and the difference in glossiness at the boundary between adjacent application areas and non-application areas: The glossiness of the applied area 2 and the subsequent areas is determined so as to be X or less.

The second post-treatment agent application amount determination unit 726 refers to the non-printing area glossiness determination table (FIG. 12) corresponding to the type of the recording medium set by the user or set in advance and refers to the third glossiness. The application amount of the post-treatment liquid on and after the application area 2 is determined from the glossiness determined by the degree determining unit 725.

According to the control unit 70 according to the present embodiment having the above functional configuration, it is possible to reduce the gloss level difference at the boundary between the post-treatment liquid application area and the non-application area while reducing the post-treatment liquid application amount. You can

100 image forming apparatus 1000 image forming system (recording apparatus)
40 image forming means (image forming apparatus)
40 Ink ink (image)
50 Post-treatment liquid applying means (post-treatment liquid applying device)
50H ejection means (ejection head)
50 L Post-treatment liquid 71 Upper device (calculation means)
72EPl logic circuit (control means)
72EIC output control unit 72EPm memory unit (storage unit)
Md roll paper (recording medium)
Ip Post-treatment liquid ejection pattern (ejection pattern)
711 First post-treatment agent application amount determination unit 712 First glossiness determination unit 713 Second glossiness determination unit 714 Size comparison unit 715 Third glossiness determination unit 716 Second post-treatment agent application amount determination Part 721 First post-treatment agent application amount determination unit 722 First glossiness determination unit 723 Second glossiness determination unit 724 Size comparison unit 725 Third glossiness determination unit 726 Second post-treatment agent application amount Deciding part

JP, 2014-176997, A

Claims (9)

A post-treatment agent application control device for controlling application of the post-treatment agent to the recording medium by a post-treatment agent application device for applying a post-treatment agent to a recording medium,
A first post-treatment agent application amount determination unit that determines the application amount of the post-treatment agent applied to the image formed on the recording medium,
A first glossiness determination unit that determines a first glossiness that is the glossiness of the non-image area when the determined application amount of the post-treatment agent is applied to the non-image area of the recording medium,
A glossiness difference between the determined first glossiness and a second glossiness which is the glossiness of the non-image area of the recording medium before the post-treatment agent is applied, and a predetermined value determined in advance. A magnitude comparison section that compares the magnitude relationship with
If the gloss difference is larger than the predetermined value, a second post-treatment agent application amount determination unit that gradually changes the application amount of the post-treatment agent from the image area toward the non-image area,
A post-treatment agent application control device comprising: The second post-treatment agent application amount determination unit, when the gloss difference is larger than the predetermined value, the gloss difference from the first gloss, and the gloss difference from the second gloss. The post-treatment agent application control device according to claim 1, wherein the application amount of the post-treatment agent to the non-image area is determined such that the difference is equal to or less than the predetermined value. When the difference in glossiness is larger than the predetermined value, the difference in glossiness from the first glossiness and the difference in glossiness from the second glossiness are glossinesses that are equal to or less than the predetermined value. Equipped with a third glossiness determination unit that determines the third glossiness,
The second post-treatment agent application amount determination unit sets the glossiness of the non-image area when the post-treatment agent is applied to the non-image area to be the determined third glossiness. The post-treatment agent application control device according to claim 1, wherein the application amount of the post-treatment agent to the non-image area is determined. The second post-treatment agent application amount determination unit increases the number of steps for changing the application amount of the post-treatment agent from the image region to the non-image region as the gloss difference is larger. The post-treatment agent application control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The first post-treatment agent application amount determination unit determines the application amount of the post-treatment agent to be applied to the image, based on control information when operating the post-treatment agent application device. Item 4. The post-treatment agent application control device according to any one of items 1 to 4. The post-treatment agent application control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second glossiness determination unit that determines the second glossiness. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium,
A post-treatment agent applying device for applying a post-treatment agent to the recording medium,
The post-treatment agent application control device according to claim 1, which controls application of the post-treatment agent to the recording medium by the post-treatment agent application device.
An image forming system comprising: A post-treatment agent application control method for controlling application of the post-treatment agent to the recording medium by a post-treatment agent application device for applying a post-treatment agent to a recording medium,
The amount of the post-treatment agent applied to the image formed on the recording medium is determined,
Determining the first glossiness, which is the glossiness of the non-image area when the determined amount of post-treatment agent is applied to the non-image area of the recording medium,
Determining a second glossiness that is the glossiness of the non-image area of the recording medium before the post-treatment agent is applied,
A glossiness difference between the determined first glossiness and a second glossiness which is the glossiness of the non-image area of the recording medium before the post-treatment agent is applied, and a predetermined value determined in advance. Compare the magnitude relationship with
The post-treatment agent application control method, wherein when the difference in glossiness is larger than the predetermined value, the application amount of the post-treatment agent is changed stepwise from the image area toward the non-image area. To the computer that controls the post-treatment agent application device that applies the post-treatment agent to the recording medium,
Determining the amount of the post-treatment agent applied to the image formed on the recording medium,
A step of determining a first glossiness that is a glossiness of the non-image area when the determined amount of the post-treatment agent is applied to the non-image area of the recording medium;
A glossiness difference between the determined first glossiness and a second glossiness which is the glossiness of the non-image area of the recording medium before the post-treatment agent is applied, and a predetermined value determined in advance. The step of comparing the magnitude relationship with
If the gloss difference is larger than the predetermined value, stepwise changing the application amount of the post-treatment agent from the image area toward the non-image area,
A post-treatment agent application control program for executing the following.