JPH0443065A - Ink ribbon for color hard copy - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten the length of an ink ribbon by forming a ribbon of the last printing color among respective colors used in the printing of one screen so as to make the same longer than a ribbon of other printing color. CONSTITUTION:Driving force is supplied to only a taking-up bobbin 13 through a taking-up reel and, after the printing of the last color is completed, a supply reel engaged with a supply bobbin 12 is locked and the taking-up reel is driven to take up the taking-up bobbin 13 to remove the slackening of a ribbon. The length of each of ribbons of yellow (Y) and magenta (M) being the first and second printing colors is set to length short by the difference c-b of slackening removing surplus length with respect to the length (l) of a ribbon of cyan (c) being the last printing color. Therefore, the use length in the printing of one screen becomes short as compared with the conventional one in the printing of one screen.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an ink ribbon used in a thermal transfer type color hard copy device such as a video printer.

(Prior Art) As is well known, in a thermal transfer type color hard copy device such as a video printer, inks of different colors are applied serially to an ink ribbon, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6152060, for example. , is configured to perform recording by transferring the image onto the recording paper using the heat of the thermal head.

FIG. 4 shows an ink ribbon used in a conventional video printer.

In this figure, the ink ribbon 11 is yellow (Y
> , magenta (M), and cyan (C) ink are applied sequentially from the supply side bobbin 12 to the winding side bobbin 1.
3. Ink ribbon 11
In front of each color area, there is a marker Y for detecting the position of each color.
O, Mo, C.

(shown with diagonal lines) is placed.

To obtain color prints for one screen, print yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) on the same recording paper.
It is necessary to print the three colors superimposed, and each time each color is printed, the markers YO, Mo,
Move Co to a predetermined position. First, printing is performed in the first color yellow (Y) area, then in the second color magenta (M) area, and then in the third color cyan (C).
Record in area. Here, the length 1 obtained by adding the ink application length to the position detection marker length of each color is the same for all three colors. Therefore, the length of the ink ribbon used for one screen printing is 31.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of an ink ribbon running system of a video printer. In this figure, an ink ribbon 11 is conveyed from a supply side bobbin 12 to a winding side bobbin 13. The thermal head 14 is fixed to a head plate 15, and the head plate 15 is rotatable about a shaft 16 as shown by arrow A. A detection element 17 for reading each color position detection marker YO, Mo, and Co of the ink ribbon 11 is arranged at the end of the rotation side of the head plate 15, and a detection element 17 for reading the position detection markers YO, Mo, and Co of each color of the ink ribbon 11 is arranged, and at the tip side of the thermal head 14, ink is detected during printing. A roller 19 for contacting the ribbon 11 and pressing the ink ribbon 11 against the platen roller 18 is provided, and the six detection elements 17 and the roller 19 move together with the thermal head 14.

During a series of operations during printing, the thermal head 14
A, 14b, 14c and a plurality of positions q are taken, and the path of the ink ribbon 11 is 11a depending on each position.
, llb, and llc (respectively indicated by a dashed line, a dotted line, and a solid line).

Comparing the length of each route (path length), 11a
<1 lb<11c. Each head position 14a
, 14b, 14c have lengths 11a, llb, ll, respectively.
It corresponds to c.

Referring to FIG. 5, the printing operation for one screen will be explained. Simultaneously with the start of printing, the thermal head 14 moves from the standby position 14a to the intermediate position 14b. In this state, the ink ribbon 11 is conveyed from the supply side bobbin 12 to the take-up side bobbin 13, and by reading the position detection marker YO of the ink ribbon 11 with the detection element 17 that moves together with the thermal head 14, the ink ribbon Then, the recording paper 20 is conveyed from a paper feeding means (not shown), and after the recording paper 20 and the ink ribbon 11 come to a predetermined position, the thermal head 14 is
move from b to 14c and print the first color with the thermal head 14 pressed against the platen roller 18;
At this time, the recording paper 20 and the ink ribbon 11 are simultaneously conveyed by one screen, and printing of the first color is performed. After the printing of the first color is completed, the recording paper 20 and the ink ribbon 11 stop conveying, and the thermal head 14 again moves from 14c to 14b (
The recording paper 20 is conveyed in the reverse direction to the first printing start position, and the ink ribbon 11 is moved to the first position for the second color.

This cueing is performed by reading the position detection marker Mo. The subsequent operation is the same as for the first color. After printing the final color, the thermal head 14 moves from 14c to 14
After passing through the position b, it returns to the initial standby position 14a.

By the way, the thermal head 14 changes from 14c to 14b, 14
Since the path lengths of the ink ribbon 11 are different when moving from b to 14a, the ink ribbon 11 becomes slack. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, some margin length (b and C) is required between each color printing portion of the ink ribbon 11 and the position detection marker of the next color. The allowance length b is the amount of slack when the thermal head 14 moves from 14c to 14b (that is, when the ink ribbon 11 moves from llc to llb), and the allowance length C is the amount of slack when the thermal head 14 moves from 14c to 14b.
This is the slack amount when the ink ribbon 11 moves to 4a (that is, when the ink ribbon 11 moves to 1lc-11a after printing the final color). There is a relationship between b and C: b<c.

However, in conventional ink ribbons, each color has the same length 1 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, and the distance from the printing end position of the first and second color ink ribbons to the marker of the next color is The margin length is c, which is the same as the margin length from the print end position of the final color to the marker of the next color. Therefore, in the first color printing section and the second color printing section, an extra ink sheet length is required by the difference c-b (=Δa) in the slack removal allowance length.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As mentioned above, in conventional ink ribbons, the extra length for removing slack is longer than the actually necessary length, so extra ink sheets are required. There was a problem.

In view of these problems, the present invention provides a color hard copy ink that eliminates the drawback that the extra length of the ink ribbon is set longer than the actually required length, and can shorten the length of the ink ribbon. The purpose is to provide ribbons.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides an ink ribbon on which a plurality of different colors of ink are applied in a circulating order, the final print color of each color used to print one screen. Or, the length of the ribbon for the first printing color is longer than the length of the ribbon for the other printing colors.

(Function) In the present invention, in view of the fact that the amount of slack in the ink ribbon after printing each color becomes longer only after the final printing is completed, the present invention is designed to provide The length of the ribbon for printing colors is made longer. For this reason, the conventionally wasteful slack removal allowance length is shortened, and the ink ribbon length required for one screen printing is shortened.

(Example) Examples will be described with reference to the drawings.

The ink ribbons of the following examples are 1. Yellow (Y)
This is an ink ribbon used in a thermal transfer type video printer to obtain a color print by superimposing three colors: , magenta (M), and cyan (C).

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ink ribbon for color hard copies according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The ink ribbon 11 of the embodiment shown in this figure has a configuration in which, after printing the final print color, the amount of slack in the ribbon that occurs due to the movement of the thermal head is removed by winding the ink ribbon on the winding side bobbin 13. This invention relates to ink ribbons used in printers. That is, the driving force is supplied only to the take-up bobbin 13 via the take-up reel (not shown), and after the final color printing is completed, the driving force is supplied only to the take-up bobbin 13. Ink used in a video printer configured to take up slack in the ribbon by locking a supply reel (not shown) and driving a take-up reel to take up a take-up bobbin 13. It's a ribbon. During printing, the ink ribbon is conveyed from the supply bobbin 12 to the take-up bobbin 13, as in the conventional example shown in FIG.

However, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the ribbon lengths of the first and second printing colors, yellow (Y) and magenta (M) (including the lengths of the position detection markers Yo and MO2C0) ) is the difference c-b(
= Δa) is set to a shorter length (1−Δa).

Therefore, the print usage for one screen L' becomes 31-2Δa, which is shorter by 2Δa compared to the conventional print usage for one screen. In this embodiment, unlike the case shown in FIG. 6, there is no colorless portion between each color, and only position detection markers YO, MO, and Co of each color are present.

When the ink ribbon of this embodiment is used in the video printer shown in Fig. 5, the thermal head 14
moves from 14a to 14b, and after locating the first color of the ink ribbon, the thermal head 14 moves from 14b to 14c, prints the first color, and after printing the first color, the thermal head 14 At the same time as the head 14 moves from 14c to 14b, the second color of the ink ribbon is located.

Thereafter, the thermal head 14 is moved from 14b to 14c to print the second color.The same operation is performed for printing the third color, that is, the final color. moves from 140 to 14a (that is, the ink ribbon 11 moves from llc to lla). At this time, the supply reel, that is, the supply side bobbin 12, is locked, and only the winding side bobbin 13 rotates, and the thermal The amount of slack C caused by the head 14 moving from 14c to 14a is wound up.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an ink ribbon according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the ribbon length of the second color and the final color is shortened by Δa compared to the ribbon length of the first color, which is 1. In this case as well, the print usage for one screen L' is 31-2Δa, which is shorter by 2Δa compared to the conventional print usage for one screen.

In the ink ribbon 11 of the embodiment shown in this figure, after the final print color is printed, the amount of slack in the ribbon that occurs due to the movement of the thermal head is reduced by winding the ink ribbon onto the supply bobbin 12 (the direction in which the ribbon is conveyed is This invention relates to an ink ribbon used in a video printer that is removed by winding the ribbon in the opposite direction. That is, the configuration is such that driving force is supplied to the winding side bobbin 13 via a winding side reel (not shown), and the driving force is also supplied to the supply side bobbin 12 via a supply side reel (not shown). After the thermal head 14 moves from 14c to 14a after printing the final color, the supply reel engaged with the supply bobbin 12 moves in the opposite direction to the ribbon conveyance direction. This is used in a video printer configured to rotate in the direction of the ribbon to wind up slack in the ribbon.

In the above embodiment, a configuration was explained in which a position detection marker was provided at the head of each color of the ink ribbon. It can also be applied to an ink ribbon that has only Yo and no marker for each color after the second color. (a) is the case where there is no blank space between the first color and the second color, and between the second color and the final color, and (b) is the case between the first color and the second color, and between the second color and the final color. This shows the case where a blank area to which no ink is applied is provided in each of the figures. Figure 3 shows (a), (
b) Both correspond to the ink ribbon shown in Fig. 1, but the second
The same applies to the case where the ink ribbon shown in the figure is used.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the length of the ink ribbon can be set to the actually required length, so the length of the ink ribbon can be shortened and the cost of the ink ribbon can be reduced. At the same time, the time required for conveying the ink ribbon can be shortened.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ink ribbon for color hard copy according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a conventional ink ribbon, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an ink ribbon running system in a color hard copy device, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a conventional ink ribbon. 11... Ink ribbon, 12... Supply side bobbin, 13
... Winding side bobbin, Yo, MO, Co... Each color position detection marker. Figure 1 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] An ink ribbon on which inks of a plurality of different colors are applied in a circulating order, and a color print for one screen is obtained by overlappingly transferring each color to a recording paper using heat from a thermal head. In the ink ribbon for color hard copy, the ribbon length of the final printing color or the first printing color is made longer than the ribbon length of the other printing colors among the colors used to print one screen. Ink ribbon for color hard copies.