JPH03254977A - Printing width setting method in printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To set a printing width appropriately without knowing the paper size by a method wherein paper is fed in a paper width direction, and a paper width is automatically measured by referring to a feed amount from the detection of the leading end of the paper to the detection of the trailing end of the paper. CONSTITUTION:Paper is horizontally set on a suction position so as to be fed in a paper width direction. By depressing a printing width setting switch, the horizontally-set paper is sucked, line-fed, and discharged. A line feed amount counting is started at the time when a PE sensor is changed from ON (paper absent state) to OFF (paper present state) during a paper suction action. After that, the count value is increased with increasing line feed amount of the paper. The line feed amount counting is stopped at the time when the PE sensor is changed from OFF to ON during a paper discharge action. By referring to the count value at this time, a line feed amount from the left and to the right end of the paper is obtained. A paper width is calculated using this line feed amount. A printing area is calculated from the paper width. Based on this value, a left margin and a right margin are stored. In this manner, a printing width suitable for paper can be automatically set.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application fields] The present invention relates to a method for setting the print width of a printer.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, the printing width of printers has been set by two methods: setting the left margin and right margin using switches on the printer's operation panel, and sending margin setting control codes online to the printer. Is there a way to set it?

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] With the conventional printer print width setting method described above, only the margins can be set unless the size of the paper to be used is clearly known. When using this method, the disadvantage is that the margin must be set by resetting the margin several times while printing through trial and error, or by measuring the width of the paper and calculating the number of digits that can be printed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing width setting method for a printer that can set the optimum printing width even if the paper size is not known.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A printing width setting method for a printer according to the present invention is such that in a printer having a paper detection sensor, paper fed in the width direction is transported, and during transport, the leading edge of the paper is Based on the conveyance amount until the paper detection sensor detects that the paper has passed a predetermined position of the printer and the paper detection sensor detects that the trailing edge of the paper has passed the predetermined position,
The width of the paper is calculated, and the printing width of the printer is set according to the calculated width.

[Operation] In the present invention, the width of the paper is measured from the leading edge and the trailing edge while the paper is fed in the paper width direction, and the printing width is set.

[Example] Next, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a printing width setting method for a printer according to the present invention.

A printer (not shown) to which the present invention is applied includes a paper detection sensor (hereinafter referred to as PE sensor), a print width setting switch, a paper transport mechanism that performs suction, line feed, and ejection related to paper transport, a PE sensor, and a print width setting switch. The printer is equipped with a control section that manually inputs a signal from a width setting switch to operate a paper transport mechanism, calculates a paper width by counting the number of line feeds, and sets a print width according to the calculated paper width.

Next, the print width setting by this printer will be explained.

First, the paper is set horizontally at the suction position so that it can be transported in the paper width direction (step 1). When the print width setting switch is pressed (step 2), suction, line feed, and ejection operations related to conveying horizontal paper are executed (step 3).

When the PE sensor changes from on (no paper state) to off (paper present state) during the paper suction operation (step 4), line feed amount counting is started (step 5). After this, the count up is performed according to the line feed amount of the paper. Next, when the PE sensor changes from off to on during the paper ejection operation (step 6), counting of the line feed amount is stopped (step 7). The line feed amount from the left edge to the right edge of the paper is obtained from the count value at this time, and the paper width is calculated from this line feed amount (step 8).

By calculating the print range from the actual paper width and storing the left margin and right margin based on the calculated values, it is possible to automatically set the print width to match the paper (step 9).

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the paper and the PE sensor in automatic measurement of paper width.

By performing the suction operation, the changeover operation, and the subsequent ejection operation, the relationship between the PE sensor 11 and the paper 12 changes from Fig. 2(a) to Fig. 2(b), (c), (d),
Transition to (e) and (f). When the PE sensor 11 is at the right end of the paper 12 as shown in FIG. 2(b), the line feed count starts from 0, and when the PE sensor 11 is at the left end of the paper 12 as shown in FIG. 2(e), the line feed is started. If the amount counting is stopped, the count value at this time becomes the actual paper width.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention conveys paper in the paper width direction and automatically measures the paper width from the amount of paper transport while detecting the leading and trailing edges of the paper. You can set the optimal print width for the paper size without separately measuring the paper width, that is, the left margin,
This has the effect that the light margin can be easily set.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the printing width setting method for a printer according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between paper and a PE sensor in automatic measurement of paper width. 1.2. 〜, 9...Step, 11...PE sensor, 12...Paper.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a printer having a paper detection sensor, the paper fed in the width direction is transported, and the paper detection sensor detects that the leading edge of the paper has passed a predetermined position of the printer during transport. The width of the paper is calculated based on the conveyance amount from when the sensor detects it until the paper detection sensor detects that the trailing edge of the paper has passed the predetermined position, and the printer adjusts the width of the paper according to the calculated width. How to set the printer's print width.