JPH0469069B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Technical Field) The present invention relates to a printer that uses complementary color technology to solve the problem that image quality is determined depending on the color of the recording material when using various recording materials.

(Technical field) Among various printers conventionally used as terminals for host devices such as microcomputers, for example, color inkjet printers that drive a recording head to eject ink toward a recording medium are used. , the color of the ejected ink is
The color is determined by the host device, regardless of the color of the recording medium such as recording paper. However, with this, when the recording paper is different from the specified color,
It is not possible to record in easily visible colors. Therefore, there is a system in which colors can be specified from the keyboard of the host device, but this requires extremely troublesome operations. Also, roll paper, which is most commonly used as recording paper, has a colored area at the end to notify the operator when to replace the paper.
When recording is made in this colored area, the recorded content in this area becomes difficult or impossible to read.

(Objective) The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inject printer that is easy to operate and that can always produce records that are easy to see regardless of the color of the recording medium.

(Summary of the Invention) The present invention has been made to achieve the above-mentioned object, and includes a recording means capable of recording in different colors, a recording material on which an image can be formed, and the recording means. A printer having a moving means for relatively moving the recording material, a detecting means for detecting information corresponding to the color of the recording material, and a color having a complementary color relationship with the information based on the information to the recording means. and a control means for recording.

The present invention can achieve highly visible recording by performing recording based on information regarding the color of the recording material using a color complementary to that information.

Note that the colors that have a complementary relationship with the information about the color of the recording material here refer to the combination of a pair of colors that become white or gray when additively mixed, or the combination of colors that have different hues (lightness, saturation). It also includes combinations of colors that are in a relationship such that the final color of the image recorded on the recording material is obtained as a desired color, and that the image has high visibility. It broadly includes the relationships between the resulting colors.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows an inkjet printer that is an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a platen around which recording paper 2 is wound. 3 is a carriage that moves left and right along two guide rails parallel to the platen 1. A recording head 4 is mounted on the carriage 3. The recording head 4 consists of ink-on-demand type ink jet nozzles 5, 6, and 7 that eject ink of cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), respectively. Signal lines 8, 9, and 10 are connected to each nozzle for individually controlling ink ejection timing, respectively. The ejection axes of the nozzles 5, 6, and 7 intersect at one point on the recording paper 2, so that ink of a desired color can be produced at one point on the recording paper 2 by mixing the inks. Further, a detection device 11 for detecting the color of the recording paper 2 is mounted on the carriage 3. This detection device is generally known, and light emitted from a light source 12 such as a lamp passes through an optical system 13 including a lens group and is incident on the recording paper 2 at a predetermined angle. The light reflected from the recording paper 2 passes through the color separation filter 14 and reaches the light receiving section 15. The received reflected light is divided into colors (Y, M,
For each item C), it is determined whether it is above or below a predetermined threshold.

FIG. 2 shows the block circuit of this embodiment. In the comparison calculation unit 17, when the reflected light detected by the light receiving unit 15 is not normal white or a light color below a predetermined density level, that is, when the discrimination circuit 16 determines that it is colored, the light detected by the host device 18 is used. This instructs the nozzle driving section 19 to ignore the color determined by the discrimination circuit 16 and print in a color complementary to the color discriminated by the discrimination circuit 16. The nozzle drive unit 19 determines the type of nozzle to be driven based on the command instructed by the comparison calculation unit 17, and further selectively discharges ink of each color onto the recording paper 2 according to the print command sent from the host device. do. Note that since the recording position of the recording head 4 and the color detection position of the detection device 11 are shifted in the direction of carriage movement as shown in FIG. 1, the ejection timing of the recording head 4 is adjusted in advance by this shift. This delay is adjusted by the nozzle drive section 19. Although the carriage position detector is not shown, it uses well-known technology including a slit plate, a light receiving element, a lamp, and the like.

FIG. 3 shows the density detection results of each color of yellow (Y), cyan (C), and magenta (M) at each position obtained by scanning the recording paper 2 with the detection device 11. The density of each color as a result of this detection is determined by the discrimination circuit 16 only when the density of each color is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value.
It is determined that the color is colored.

FIG. 4 shows the color detection results recognized by the discrimination circuit ₁₆ based on the detection results shown in _FIG . It is determined that magenta (M) is colored in the area from L ₃ to _{L 4} , and cyan (C) is determined to be colored.
The section L ₅ to L ₆ is determined to be colored.
Based on the discrimination result of the discrimination circuit 16, the comparison calculation section 19 calculates from each nozzle as shown in FIG.
A command is given to the nozzle driving section 19 so that ink having a complementary color relationship with the color of the paper is ejected onto the recording paper. That is, cyan (C) and magenta (M) ink is ejected in the section L ₁ to _{L 3} , cyan (C) is ejected in the section L ₃ to L ₅ , and yellow (Y) (or white) is ejected in the section L ₅ to L ₆ . , cyan (C) for L ₆ to _{L 4} , cyan (C) for L ₄ to _{L 2}
and magenta (M). Furthermore, L ₀ to L ₁ and L ₂ which were not determined to be colored by the discrimination circuit 16
~L∞, each ink is ejected onto the paper in the color instructed by the host device 18.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the entire recording paper or a predetermined portion has a colored portion with a density of a predetermined level or higher, the color is not the color specified by the host device, but the color is approximately complementary to the colored color. Since recording is performed in a certain color, it is possible to perform recording with good visibility even in a colored area at the end of the recording paper, for example. Further, even if ink or the like is spilled on an unused recording paper and a part of the recording paper becomes colored, the recording paper can be used for recording and there is no need to discard it. Furthermore, it is possible to record with extremely high visibility even on patterned recording paper.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments; for example, if a white nozzle is provided in addition to cyan, yellow, and magenta nozzles, recording can be performed in complementary colors for all colors of recording paper. I can do it. In addition to recording paper, the recording medium may be a synthetic resin sheet with ink retention properties or any other material.

Furthermore, in order to judge the color of the recording medium, one line or several lines may be read in advance and stored in a buffer, and this may be compared with the host device side. Alternatively, the read results may be sent back to the host device and compared within the host device to determine the color to be recorded. Also, in Figure 1,
The nozzle axes for each color of Y, M, and C are directed toward the same point, but the shape does not have to be like this, as it is sufficient that the droplets emitted from the three nozzles overlap on the same point. . Furthermore, the configuration of the detection device 11 that discriminates the color of the recording medium is not limited to this example, but may be of other commonly used configurations.

Also, if the density of each color is compared with the threshold value and the complementary color is not printed for each color, the color of the recording paper is not black or a color close to black, and the ejected color according to the recording command is other than black, If the color is black or a color close to black, it may be recorded in white or yellow. In this case, only one color of ink, black, white, or yellow, is needed, so there is less risk of dot misalignment when overlapping multiple colors, and by increasing only the capacity of black ink compared to other inks, You can also extend your running time. Also, when the color of the recording medium and the color of the recording ink are the same color, regardless of the complementary color,
It does not matter if the image is converted to a certain predetermined color and recorded in that color.

(Effects) As described above, according to the present invention, since the color to be recorded is determined in consideration of information regarding the color of the recording material, a recorded image with high visibility can be obtained. Furthermore, even if a predetermined area of the recording material has information regarding a color that is different from other areas, it is possible to record such an area using a color that provides an appropriate recorded image with high visibility. be exposed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of an inkjet printer that is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block circuit diagram, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the results of detecting colored portions of recording paper.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of coloring determination based on the detection results of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of combinations of ejected inks. 2... Recording paper, 5, 6, 7... Inkjet nozzle, 11... Detection device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A printer having a recording means capable of recording in different colors, and a moving means for relatively moving the recording material on which an image can be formed and the recording means, comprising: It is characterized by comprising a detection means for detecting information corresponding to the color of the recording material, and a control means for causing the recording means to record a color complementary to the information based on the information. printer. 2. The detecting means is provided adjacent to the recording means in a carriage which is provided with the recording means so as to be movable across the recording width. printer. 3. The detecting means detects information corresponding to the color of the recording material prior to the recording means, and causes the recording means to immediately improve the recording. printer. 4. The control means specifies that when the detection means detects that the information corresponding to the color of the recording material is a light color below a predetermined density level, recording is performed in a predetermined specific color. A color mode and a selection of selectively recording a color complementary to the information when it is detected that the information corresponding to the color of the recording material is a dark color of a predetermined density level or higher. 2. The printer according to claim 1, comprising: a mode.