JP7185505B2 - printer with cutting head - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to printers with cutting heads.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printer with a cutting head that prints an image on a medium and cuts the medium has been known. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a printer with a cutting head that includes a print head and a cutting head.

Further, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a printer with a cutting head that performs cutting before printing. One of the purposes of the printer with a cutting head described in Patent Document 2 is to reduce the waiting time due to waiting for the ink to dry. In the printer with a cutting head disclosed in Patent Document 2, since printing is performed after cutting, there is no need to wait for the ink to dry. Thus, there is a need to perform cutting prior to printing in printers with a cutting head.

JP 2018-12163 A JP 2013-159079 A

By the way, in a printer with a cutting head, work data including print data and cutting data is generally stored in a computer or the like connected to the main body, and the main body temporarily stores only part of the work data being executed in a buffer memory. I keep it. Printing and cutting are performed based on the work data temporarily stored in the buffer memory. The working data is transmitted from the working data storage location to the buffer memory.

In transmitting the work data to the buffer memory, the work data is transmitted to the buffer memory in order from the beginning of the data. Therefore, for example, if the work data starts with the print data, the transmission of the cutting data is not started until the transmission of the print data is completed. Therefore, even if cutting is performed before printing, cutting cannot be started until the print data is completely transmitted to the buffer memory. Similarly, if the work data starts with cutting data, printing cannot start until the cutting data has been sent to the buffer memory. Since the print data is usually larger in capacity than the cutting data, especially in the former case, there is a lot of waiting time for data transmission to the buffer memory.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printer with a cutting head capable of reducing the waiting time for data transmission caused by the order of execution of printing and cutting.

A printer with a cutting head disclosed herein includes a print head, a cutting head, a support base for supporting a medium, a first moving device for moving the print head with respect to the medium, and the cutting head with respect to the medium. A second moving device for moving relative to the object, a control device, and an operation terminal connected to the control device. The controller controls the print head, the cutting head, the first moving device and the second moving device.
The operation terminal includes a data storage section, a mode setting section, and a data transmission section.
The data storage unit stores work data including at least one of print data and cutting data. When the work data includes print data and cutting data, the mode setting unit determines whether to execute the work data in a first mode in which cutting is performed after printing, or in a second mode in which printing is performed after cutting. Decide whether to execute the work data. The data transmission unit transmits work data from the data storage unit to the control device.
The control device includes a buffer memory, a print control section, and a cutting control section.
The buffer memory temporarily stores the work data transmitted by the data transmission unit. The print control unit controls the print head and the first moving device to print on the medium based on the print data stored in the buffer memory. The cutting control unit controls the cutting head and the second moving device to cut the medium based on the cutting data stored in the buffer memory.
The data transmission unit transmits cutting data to the control device after transmitting print data to the control device when the mode is determined to be the first mode by the mode setting unit. is determined to be the second mode, the printing data is transmitted to the control device after the cutting data is transmitted to the control device.

According to the above printer with a cutting head, in the case of the second mode in which cutting is performed before printing, cutting data is sent to the control device first. Therefore, there is no time to wait for transmission of print data. Also, in the first mode in which printing is performed before cutting, print data is sent to the control device first, so there is no time to wait for data transmission. Therefore, according to such a printer with a cutting head, it is possible to reduce the waiting time for data transmission caused by the order of execution of printing and cutting.

1 is a perspective view of a printer with a cutting head according to a first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a front view of the print head and cutting head with the first carriage and the second carriage coupled; FIG. 4 is a front view of the print head and cutting head with the first carriage and the second carriage separated; FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printer with a cutting head according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing the steps of printing and cutting according to conventional methods; 4 is a flow chart showing the steps of printing and cutting; FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a printer with a cutting head according to a second embodiment; FIG.

(First embodiment)
An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer 10 with a cutting head (hereinafter referred to as printer 10) according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 10 according to this embodiment is a device that performs printing and cutting on a medium 5. As shown in FIG. Although illustration is omitted, the medium 5 according to the present embodiment is a sealing material composed of a backing paper and a release paper laminated on the backing paper and coated with an adhesive. However, the medium 5 is not particularly limited as long as it can be printed and cut. The medium 5 may be recording paper, a resin sheet, or the like. In this specification, the terms “cutting” and “cutting” refer to the case of cutting the entire thickness of the medium 5 (for example, the case of cutting both the mount and the release paper of the sealing material), and the case of cutting the thickness of the medium 5. It also includes the case of cutting part of the direction (for example, the case of cutting only the release paper without cutting the backing paper of the sealing material).

The printer 10 includes a main body 11, a platen 12 that is provided in the main body 11 and supports the medium 5, a transport device 30 that transports the medium 5, a heater 13 that heats the medium 5 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B), and a medium. 5, a cutting head 70 for cutting the medium 5, a head moving device 40 for moving the printing head 60 and cutting head 70, and a sensor 55 for detecting crop marks (FIGS. 2A and 2B). ) and a control device 100 . The printer 10 also has an operation terminal 120 connected to the control device 100 . Although details will be described later, the print head 60 and the cutting head 70 are configured to be movable in the Y direction in the drawing. Also, the medium 5 is configured to be transported in the X direction in the drawing. Hereinafter, the Y direction is also called the main scanning direction, and the X direction is also called the sub scanning direction. The main scanning direction Y is the horizontal direction here. The sub-scanning direction X is the front-rear direction here. Here, the front is the front of the printer 10 . The rear is the rear of the printer 10 . The main scanning direction Y corresponds to the width direction of the medium 5 , and the sub-scanning direction X corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the medium 5 . References F, Rr, L, R, U, and D in FIG. 1 represent front, rear, left, right, up, and down, respectively.

The transport device 30 is configured to move the medium 5 in the sub-scanning direction X. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the conveying device 30 includes a grit roller 31, a pinch roller 32, and a feed motor 33 (see FIG. 3). A grit roller 31 is provided on the platen 12 . The grit roller 31 is rotated by being driven by the feed motor 33 . The pinch roller 32 is arranged above the grit roller 31 . The pinch roller 32 is provided so as to face the grit roller 31 . The pinch roller 32 is configured to swing up and down so that it can approach and separate from the grit roller 31 . When the medium 5 is sandwiched between the pinch roller 32 and the grit roller 31 and the grit roller 31 rotates, the medium 5 is transported forward or backward. Although only three grit rollers 31 and two pinch rollers 32 are shown in FIG. 1, actually more grit rollers 31 and pinch rollers 32 may be arranged in the main scanning direction Y, respectively. . Feed motor 33 is electrically connected to and controlled by control device 100 .

The head moving device 40 is configured to move the print head 60 and the cutting head 70 in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. 2A and 2B are front views of print head 60 and cutting head 70. FIG. Among them, FIG. 2A shows a state in which the first carriage 51 on which the print head 60 is mounted and the second carriage 52 on which the cutting head 70 is mounted are connected. FIG. 2B shows a state in which the first carriage 51 and the second carriage 52 are separated. The head moving device 40 integrally moves the first carriage 51 and the second carriage 52 when they are connected. Further, the head moving device 40 moves only the second carriage 52 alone when the first carriage 51 and the second carriage 52 are separated. A sensor 55 for detecting crop marks is also mounted on the second carriage 52 .

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the head moving device 40 includes guide rails 41, belts 42, and scan motors 43 (see FIG. 3). A guide rail 41 is provided above the platen 12 . The guide rail 41 extends in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. A first carriage 51 and a second carriage 52 are slidably engaged with the guide rail 41 . The first carriage 51 carries a print head 60 . The second carriage 52 carries a cutting head 70 . The print head 60 and cutting head 70 are engaged with the guide rail 41 via the first carriage 51 and the second carriage 52, respectively. The second carriage 52 is engaged with the guide rail 41 to the left of the first carriage 51 .

A belt 42 extending in the main scanning direction Y is fixed to the upper back surface of the second carriage 52 . Belt 42 is connected to scan motor 43 . The belt 42 runs in the main scanning direction Y when the scan motor 43 rotates. As a result, the second carriage 52 moves in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. Scan motor 43 is electrically connected to and controlled by control device 100 .

The conveying device 30 and the head moving device 40 are examples of the moving device 20 that moves the print head 60 and the cutting head 70 . Here, the transport device 30 moves the medium 5 in the sub-scanning direction X, and the head moving device 40 moves the print head 60 and the cutting head 70 in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. However, the configuration of mobile device 20 is not limited to such a configuration. The moving device 20 has a first function of moving the print head 60 with respect to the medium 5 in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X, and a function of moving the cutting head 70 with respect to the medium 5 in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X. The configuration for realizing it is not limited as long as it has the second function of moving to . The mobile device may be separated into a first mobile device performing the first function and a second mobile device performing the second function. For example, the print head 60 and the cutting head 70 may be engaged with separate guide rails and moved by separate drives. Further, which of the medium 5, the print head 60, and the cutting head 70 is moved in the main scanning direction Y, and which is moved in the sub-scanning direction Y is not limited.

The first carriage 51 and the second carriage 52 are connected or separated by a connecting member 80 . As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the connecting member 80 has a first connecting member 81 provided on the first carriage 51 and a second connecting member 82 provided on the second carriage 52 . The first connecting member 81 is provided on the left side portion of the first carriage 51 . The second connecting member 82 is provided on the right side portion of the second carriage 52 . In this embodiment, the connecting member 80 connects the first carriage 51 and the second carriage 52 using magnetic force. One of the first connecting member 81 and the second connecting member 82 has a magnet, and the other has a magnetic body that attracts the magnet. However, the connecting member 80 is not limited to one that utilizes magnetic force, and may be provided with another configuration such as an engaging member. The first carriage 51 and the second carriage 52 are connected by the contact between the first connecting member 81 and the second connecting member 82 .

An L-shaped receiving fitting 53 is provided on the right side of the first carriage 51 . A locking device 90 for fixing the first carriage 51 is provided near the right end of the guide rail 41 . Hereinafter, the right end position of the guide rail 41 to which the first carriage 51 is fixed is referred to as the standby position. The locking device 90 includes a hook 91 hooked on the receiving metal fitting 53, and a locking solenoid 92 (see FIG. 3) that moves the hook 91 between a locked position (see FIG. 2B) and an unlocked position (see FIG. 2A). It has The locking solenoid 92 is electrically connected to and controlled by the control device 100 .

As shown in FIG. 2A, when printing with the print head 60, the hook 91 is set to the unlocked position. When the second carriage 52 moves to the right and the first connecting member 81 and the second connecting member 82 come into contact with each other, the second carriage 52 and the first carriage 51 are connected. As a result, the first carriage 51 can move in the main scanning direction Y together with the second carriage 52 . The head moving device 40 moves the print head 60 and the cutting head 70 in the main scanning direction Y while the first carriage 51 and the second carriage 52 are connected.

During cutting by the cutting head 70, as shown in FIG. 2B, the first carriage 51 is positioned at the standby position and the hook 91 of the lock device 90 is set at the lock position. This prevents the movement of the first carriage 51 . When the second carriage 52 moves to the left, the first connecting member 81 and the second connecting member 82 separate, and the connection between the second carriage 52 and the first carriage 51 is released. As a result, the second carriage 52 can move in the main scanning direction Y while the first carriage 51 stands by at the standby position.

The print head 60 prints on the medium 5 . The print head 60 is mounted on the first carriage 51 . The print head 60 has a plurality of ink heads 61 . Here, the print head 60 has five ink heads 61 . A plurality of ink heads 61 are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. A plurality of nozzles (not shown) for ejecting ink are formed on the lower surface of each of the plurality of ink heads 61 . A plurality of nozzles are arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction X. As shown in FIG. The five ink heads 61 are configured to eject five different colors, such as yellow ink, magenta ink, cyan ink, black ink, and white ink. However, the number of ink heads 61 is not limited to five, and the color of ink ejected by the ink heads 61 is not limited at all.

Thermosetting ink is used in this embodiment. A thermosetting ink is, for example, a solvent ink or the like, and is dried and cured by heat. The print head 60 prints on the medium 5 by ejecting thermosetting ink. However, the ink does not have to be thermosetting, and may be, for example, an ultraviolet curable ink that is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays.

The ink head 61 is configured by, for example, an inkjet head. However, the printing method of the print head 60 is not limited to the ink jet method, and the print head 60 is not limited to one having an ink jet head. The print head 60 may comprise, for example, a print head that performs dot impact printing.

A cutting head 70 is mounted on the second carriage 52 . The cutting head 70 has a cutter 71 and a solenoid 72 . The cutter 71 is configured to be vertically moved by a solenoid 72 . When the solenoid 72 is turned on/off, the cutter 71 moves up and down to contact or separate from the medium 5 . The cutter 71 can cut the medium 5 by contacting the medium 5 . Solenoid 72 is electrically connected to and controlled by control device 100 .

The second carriage 52 is provided with a sensor 55 for detecting crop marks. The type of sensor 55 is not particularly limited, and various conventionally used sensors such as optical sensors can be suitably used. A crop mark is a reference mark that serves as a reference for the cutting position, and is printed on the medium 5 . The printer 10 detects the crop marks with the sensor 55 in a predetermined case, and corrects the cutting data based on the positions of the crop marks.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a heater 13 is provided below the platen 12 . A heater 13 is provided so as to contact the lower surface of the platen 12 . The heater 13 includes, for example, a heating wire. The heater 13 indirectly heats the medium 5 by heating the platen 12 . However, the heater 13 may be a heating device that heats the medium 5 by blowing hot air onto the medium 5, for example. A method of the heater 13 is not particularly limited.

Although not shown, the printer 10 has a supply roller around which the medium 5 before printing is wound. The supply roller is arranged obliquely behind the platen 12 . During printing or cutting, the medium 5 wound around the supply roller is moved back and forth over the platen 12 .

As shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 110 having buttons and a display is arranged on the front surface of the right side cover of the printer 10 . An operation panel 110 is connected to the control device 100 . The configuration of the control device 100 is not particularly limited. and a storage device such as a memory for storing the programs and various data.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the printer 10. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 100 includes the heater 13, the feed motor 33, the scan motor 43, the sensor 55, the ink head 61, the solenoid 72, the locking solenoid 92, and the operation panel 110. connected and controlling their operation. The operation terminal 120 is provided outside the main body 11 and connected to the control device 100 . The operating terminal 120 is a computer here. The operation terminal 120 is configured to be able to create or modify work data and store a plurality of work data. Each work data includes at least one of print data and cutting data.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the operation terminal 120 includes a data storage section 121 , a mode selection section 122 , a mode setting section 123 , a data transmission section 124 and a crop mark setting section 125 . The control device 100 also includes a buffer memory 101 , a print control section 102 , a cutting control section 103 and a position correction section 104 . The control device 100 and the operation terminal 120 may have other processing units, but illustration and description thereof are omitted here.

The data storage unit 121 stores work data. The work data includes at least one of print data and cutting data. In other words, work data includes work data consisting only of print data, work data consisting only of cutting data, and work data consisting of both print data and cutting data. When executing work data composed only of print data, the printer 10 only prints the image in the print data. When executing work data composed only of cutting data, the printer 10 only processes the cutting lines in the cutting data. When executing work data containing both print data and cutting data, the printer 10 prints images, processes cut lines, and prints crop marks as necessary. The work data that includes both print data and cutting data includes print data for crop marks. However, in some cases, the printing of crop marks is omitted. This will be discussed later.

Mode selection unit 122 receives a mode for executing work data. The mode selection unit 122 is configured to be able to select one mode from the first mode and the second mode when both print data and cutting data are included in the work data. A first mode is a mode in which cutting is performed after printing. A second mode is a mode in which printing is performed after cutting. The mode selection unit 122 is configured to be able to input whether the work data is to be executed in the first mode or in the second mode. The mode selection unit 122 causes the display of the operation terminal 120, for example, to display an operation screen for user operation.

The mode setting unit 123 determines whether to execute the work data in the first mode or the second mode when the work data includes print data and cutting data. The mode setting section 123 has a first setting section 123a. In this embodiment, the first setting unit 123a determines the mode selected by the mode selection unit 122 as the mode for executing the work data. In other words, the first setting unit 123a sets the mode selected by the user via the mode selection unit 122 as the mode for executing the work data.

The data transmission unit 124 transmits work data from the data storage unit 121 to the control device 100 . Specifically, the data transmission unit 124 transmits the work data from the data storage unit 121 to the buffer memory 101 of the control device 100 . The printer 10 executes printing or cutting based on work data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 101 . The data transmission unit 124 transmits the work data from the data storage unit 121 to the control device 100, for example, based on the user's operation. The data transmission unit 124 is set to transmit the cutting data to the control device 100 after transmitting the print data to the control device 100 when the mode setting unit 123 determines that the mode is the first mode. . In other words, the print data is set to be sent before the cutting data. Further, when the mode setting unit 123 determines that the mode is the second mode, the data transmission unit 124 is set to transmit the printing data to the control device 100 after transmitting the cutting data to the control device 100 . ing. In other words, the setting is such that the cutting data is transmitted before the print data.

The crop mark setting unit 125 determines whether to print crop marks when both printing and cutting are performed. The crop mark setting unit 125 is set to delete the crop mark print data from the work data that the data transmission unit 124 transmits to the control device 100 when the work data is executed in the second mode. Therefore, no crop marks are printed in the second mode. When the work data is executed in the first mode, the crop mark setting unit 125 does not delete the crop mark print data from the work data that the data transmission unit 124 transmits to the control device 100 . Therefore, when the first mode is selected, the work data stored in the data storage unit 121 is transmitted to the control device 100 as it is. In the first mode, crop marks are printed. Details of these operations will be described later.

A buffer memory 101 is provided in the control device 100 . The buffer memory 101 is configured to temporarily store the work data transmitted by the data transmission section 124 . The control device 100 temporarily stores one work data selected from the work data in the data storage unit 121 of the operation terminal 120 in the buffer memory 101 and executes the content of the work data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 101 . The data transmission unit 124 of the operation terminal 120 divides the work data into a capacity that can be temporarily stored in the buffer memory 101 and sequentially transmits the divided work data to the buffer memory 101 . The executed work data are sequentially erased from the buffer memory 101 .

The print control unit 102 is set to print on the medium 5 by controlling the print head 60 and the moving device 20 based on the print data stored in the buffer memory 101 . When both printing and cutting are performed and the execution mode is the first mode, the print control unit 102 prints the crop marks on the medium 5 together with the image. Crop marks are not printed when the execution mode is the second mode. Details of the printing operation will be described later.

The cutting control unit 103 cuts the medium 5 by controlling the cutting head 70 and the moving device 20 based on the cutting data stored in the buffer memory 101 . Details of the cutting work will be described later.

A position correction unit 104 corrects the cutting data based on the position of the crop mark when the crop mark is printed (when both printing and cutting are performed and the execution mode is the first mode). The position correction unit 104 controls the sensor 55 to detect the crop mark image. Correction of the cutting data by the position correction unit 104 will be described later.

The printing and cutting methods of the printer 10 according to the present embodiment will be described below in comparison with conventional printing and cutting methods. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the printing and cutting steps according to the conventional method. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of printing and cutting steps according to the present embodiment. In both the case shown in FIG. 4 and the case shown in FIG. It is assumed that print data is written in the data first.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the conventional printing and cutting method, print data is sent to buffer memory 101 in step S11. The print data includes image print data and crop mark print data. In general, print data has a large data volume, and step S11 requires a certain amount of time. The execution mode of printing and cutting in the case of FIG. 4 is a mode of "executing cutting before printing", and a printer with a cutting head cannot start cutting while print data is being sent. Therefore, a waiting time related to transmission of work data occurs here.

In the subsequent step S12, the cutting data is transmitted to the buffer memory 101. FIG. Step S12 is started after the end of step S11. Cutting data generally has a small data volume, and step S12 ends in a short time.

Crop marks are printed on the medium 5 in step S13. In step S13, first, the first carriage 51 and the second carriage 52 are connected. Thereby, the print head 60 can be moved by the head moving device 40 . In printing, the print head 60 is moved in the main scanning direction Y together with the first carriage 51 and ejects ink. Thus, printing at one position in the sub-scanning direction X is completed. The medium 5 is then transported forward. Next printing is performed at the position in the sub-scanning direction X after this movement. Crop marks are printed on the medium 5 by repeating this operation.

In step S14, the cutting data is corrected based on the print positions of the crop marks. In step S14, for example, the image detected by the sensor 55 is taken into the control device 100. FIG. Then, a correction value is calculated from the difference between the position of the crop mark recognized by the control device 100 and the position of the crop mark actually detected by the sensor 55 . The control device 100 corrects the cutting data based on this correction value. Various techniques are known as detailed correction methods, and the methods are not particularly limited.

In step S15, cutting is performed based on the cutting data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 101. FIG. In step S15, first, the first carriage 51 and the second carriage 52 are separated. Thereby, the cutting head 70 can be moved independently. Also, the cutter 71 is lowered to contact the media 5 . In cutting, the medium 5 is moved in the sub-scanning direction X while moving the cutting head 70 in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. Thereby, the cutting edge of the cutter 71 moves along the cutting line on the medium 5 . Printing and cutting by the conventional method ends after step S15, where the image is printed in step S16.

As described above, when printing and cutting are performed in the mode of "executing cutting before printing" according to the conventional method, a waiting time for transmission of print data occurs in step S11. This time is generally long and reduces the throughput of printers with cutting heads. This method also requires the printer with the cutting head to have a buffer memory large enough to store an entire piece of work data. In the worst case, cutting may not be executed first due to lack of buffer memory capacity.

In view of the problems described above, the printer 10 according to the present embodiment is configured so as to reduce the waiting time for data transmission caused by the order of execution of printing and cutting. Moreover, it is configured so that the data capacity of the buffer memory does not need to be increased. The printer 10 according to the present embodiment is set to transmit print data to the control device 100 after transmitting cutting data to the control device 100 when the execution mode is the second mode. When the execution mode is the first mode, the printer 10 transmits the cutting data to the control device 100 after transmitting the print data to the control device 100 .

The printing and cutting steps according to this embodiment will be described below. As shown in FIG. 5, in step S01 of the present embodiment, print data for crop marks is deleted from the work data. The printer 10 is set to delete the crop mark print data from the work data sent to the buffer memory 101 when the work data is executed in the second mode, and this is the case in the case described here. ing. Therefore, no crop marks are printed in this case. Note that when the work data is executed in the first mode, the printer 10 does not delete the crop mark print data from the work data to be transmitted to the buffer memory 101 . Thus, in the first mode, crop marks are printed.

In step S02, the cutting data is transmitted to the buffer memory 101 of the control device 100. FIG. In this embodiment, when the execution mode is the second mode, the cutting data is set to be sent to the buffer memory 101 before the print data, and this applies to the case described here. Since cutting data generally has a small data volume, step S02 is completed in a short period of time.

After step S02, step S03 is executed. In step S03, cutting is performed based on the cutting data temporarily stored in the buffer memory 101. FIG. After step S03, printing is divided and executed. In step S04-1 following step S03, the first print data is sent to buffer memory 101. FIG. The first print data is the first one of the print data divided into a plurality of pieces so as to fit within the data capacity of the buffer memory 101 . In the subsequent step S04-2, printing is performed based on the first print data. The second print data is sent to the buffer memory 101 in the next step S05-1. In step S05-2, printing is performed based on the second print data. Similarly, the last part of the divided print data is transmitted, and the steps continue until printing is executed based on the last part (steps after step S05-2 are not shown). However, the above-described transmission of print data and division of printing are merely one example of a data processing method. good too.

Although illustration is omitted, when the first mode is selected as the execution mode for printing and cutting, the printer 10 prints the image and crop marks while sequentially transmitting the print data to the buffer memory 101. After that, the cutting position is corrected based on the crop marks, and then the cutting is performed. The main reason for correcting the cutting position based on the crop marks in the case of the first mode is that the medium 5 expands and contracts due to printing, and the position of the medium may deviate from the position assumed by the printer 10 . Specifically, expansion and contraction of the medium 5 due to printing is, for example, due to absorption of ink by the medium 5 or due to heating of the medium 5 by the heater 13 .

As described above, when the mode setting unit 123 determines that the mode is the first mode, the printer 10 according to the present embodiment transmits the cutting data to the control device 100 after transmitting the printing data to the control device 100. A data transmission unit 124 is provided which is set to transmit the printing data to the control device 100 after transmitting the cutting data to the control device 100 when the mode is determined to be the second mode by the mode setting unit 123. - 特許庁According to such a configuration, in the case of the second mode in which cutting is performed before printing, cutting data is sent to the control device 100 first. Therefore, there is no time to wait for transmission of print data. In addition, in the first mode in which printing is performed before cutting, print data is sent to the control device 100 first, so there is no time to wait for data transmission. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the waiting time for data transmission caused by the order of execution of printing and cutting. In addition, in the present embodiment, when cutting is performed first, the cutting data is sent first. can prevent the increase in size.

Further, the printer 10 according to the present embodiment includes a mode selection unit 122 configured to enable input of whether to execute work data in the first mode or the second mode. is selected by the mode selection unit 122 as the mode for executing the first setting unit 123a. According to such a configuration, the user can select whether to perform cutting first or to perform printing first, thereby improving usability.

Further, when the work data is executed in the second mode, the printer 10 according to the present embodiment has a crop mark setting that deletes the print data of the crop mark from the work data that the data transmission unit 124 transmits to the control device 100. A portion 125 is provided. According to this configuration, in the second mode, printing of the crop marks and correction of the cutting position based on the crop marks are not performed, so the time required for printing and cutting can be further shortened.

The inventor of the present application has confirmed that, in the second mode, printing and cutting can be performed without quality problems without correcting the cutting position based on the crop marks. Specifically, it has been confirmed that printing and cutting can be performed at a level where there is no problem with positional deviation between the image and the cut line. One of the causes of deviation of the cutting position is expansion and contraction of the medium 5 due to printing, and such expansion and contraction of the medium 5 does not affect cutting when cutting is performed prior to printing. Therefore, when cutting is performed before printing, it is possible to perform printing and cutting without quality problems without correcting the cutting position based on the crop marks.

(Second embodiment)
The second embodiment is an embodiment in which work data includes an execution mode instruction, and the execution mode can be set based thereon. A printer with a cutting head according to the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except for the above points. Therefore, common members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted or simplified.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the printer 10 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the mode setting section 123 according to this embodiment includes a first setting section 123a and a second setting section 123b.

In this embodiment, the work data includes a command that indicates whether the work data should be executed in the first mode or the second mode. The second setting unit 123b is set to determine the mode for executing the work data to the mode specified by the command. This command may be a command that explicitly indicates the execution mode. Alternatively, the print data or the cutting data, whichever is entered first in the work data, may be executed first. The command method is not particularly limited.

In this embodiment, the printer 10 is configured so that the second setting section 123b works unless the user performs any particular operation. Therefore, the mode included in the work data is automatically set to the execution mode. When the user wants to change the execution mode, the user operates the first setting unit 123a. This makes it possible to change the execution mode of work data. However, the method of selecting the first setting section 123a and the second setting section 123b is not limited to this. For example, the printer 10 may be configured to select in advance whether the execution mode should be set automatically or set manually.

Thus, the second embodiment is configured to be able to determine the execution mode according to commands included in work data. According to the printer 10, the execution mode of printing and cutting is automatically selected, so the user's work can be reduced.

A number of preferred embodiments have been described above. However, the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the technology disclosed herein can be implemented in various other forms.

For example, the printer with a cutting head according to the embodiment described above prints and cuts a medium wound in a roll, but the present invention is not limited to this. Also, the configuration of the print head and the cutting head of the printer with the cutting head, the configuration of the connecting portion that connects the two, the configuration of the moving device that moves the print head and the cutting head, and the like are merely examples. Other mechanical configurations of the printer with a cutting head are merely one preferred example, and do not particularly limit the technology disclosed herein.

In addition, the embodiments described herein do not limit the invention unless specifically stated otherwise.

5 medium 10 inkjet printer with cutting head 20 moving device (first moving device, second moving device)
60 print head 70 cutting head 100 control device 101 buffer memory 102 print control unit 103 cutting control unit 120 operation terminal 121 data storage unit 122 mode selection unit 123 mode setting unit 123a first setting unit 123b second setting unit 124 data transmission unit 125 Crop mark setting section (reference mark setting section)

Claims (3)

a print head;
cutting head and
a support for supporting the medium;
a first moving device for moving the print head relative to the medium;
a second moving device for moving the cutting head relative to the medium;
a control device that controls the print head, the cutting head, the first moving device, and the second moving device;
an operation terminal connected to the control device;
with
The operation terminal is
a data storage unit storing work data including at least one of print data and cutting data;
When the work data includes print data and cutting data, whether to execute the work data in the first mode in which cutting is performed after printing or in the second mode in which printing is performed after cutting a mode setting unit that determines
a data transmission unit that transmits work data from the data storage unit to the control device;
with
the work data includes a command indicating whether to execute in the first mode or in the second mode;
The mode setting unit includes a setting unit that determines a mode for executing the work data to a mode indicated by the command,
The control device is
a buffer memory that temporarily stores the work data transmitted by the data transmission unit;
a print control unit that controls the print head and the first moving device to print on the medium based on the print data stored in the buffer memory;
a cutting control unit that controls the cutting head and the second moving device to cut the medium based on the cutting data stored in the buffer memory;
with
The data transmission unit transmits cutting data to the control device after transmitting print data to the control device when the mode is determined to be the first mode by the mode setting unit. is determined to be the second mode, the printing data is transmitted to the control device after cutting data is transmitted to the control device.
Printer with cutting head. The operation terminal includes a mode selection unit configured to allow input of whether the work data is to be executed in the first mode or the second mode,
The mode setting unit includes another setting unit that determines the mode selected by the mode selection unit as a mode for executing the work data.
A printer with a cutting head according to claim 1. When the work data includes print data and cutting data, the print data of the reference mark that serves as a reference for the cutting position is included,
The operation terminal includes a reference mark setting section that deletes the print data of the reference mark from the work data that the data transmission section transmits to the control device when the work data is executed in the second mode. ,
A printer with a cutting head according to claim 1 or 2 .

Images