JPH062399B2 - Plate-making device that doubles as a printer - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a printer / plate making apparatus capable of selectively performing thermal transfer recording and thermal plate making using a heating element such as a thermal head.

"Prior Art" Japanese word processors and computers have been rapidly spread, and a large amount of documents created by various printers have been used. By the way, the dot printer expresses characters such as Chinese characters in dot (pixel) units. Therefore, when trying to express complicated characters such as Japanese in high quality, the number of dots occupied in one page of the document becomes enormous, and those printing speeds are the same except for some expensive printers. It is not possible to support mass production.

For this reason, even if the conventional method requires two or more copies for one document, the printer normally prints one copy.
I was printing out each part. Then, a method was adopted in which the printed document was used as the original and the missing portion was copied by a copying machine.

"Problems to be solved by the invention" However, if such a method is adopted, when a large number of copies are required for one document, there is a disadvantage that the cost of making the document becomes expensive due to various expenses required for copying. It was

Therefore, various low-priced light printing systems have been developed in place of copying machines in preparation for preparing a large number of copies of documents. For example, Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 52-4969 describes a thermal copying method for stencil printing. In this method, an original master plate is superposed on a heat-sensitive stencil printing master plate obtained by laminating a stretched vinyl-based thermoplastic synthetic resin film and a porous support. Then, an electron flash discharge tube filled with xenon gas is used to irradiate a light beam having a wavelength of 0.7 to 1.5 .mu.m with flash light to perforate an image on the heat-sensitive stencil printing plate.

However, according to this heat-sensitive copying method, if the ink or the like used for the original original plate has poor infrared absorption efficiency, heat may not be sufficiently generated even by irradiation of flash light, and perforation may not be clearly performed. There was a drawback.
Further, if the original original plate or the ink or the like described therein is melted by heating, there is a definite defect that the original plate is damaged to the extent that it cannot be reused by irradiation of flash light.

On the other hand, there is also a plate-making machine of the type that directly punches holes using a wire dot printer or a discharge printer.
However, since the former plate-making machine punches holes by using wire dots, there are problems that the processing speed is slow and the sound during plate-making is noisy as in the case of the above-mentioned printer. Further, in the latter case, there is a non-modern problem that not only the plate making processing speed is slow but also a bad odor is generated due to discharge breakdown.

Therefore, as a method for eliminating these defects, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-55
No. 103957 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-39457 propose an invention in which a heat pulse is applied to a heat-sensitive stencil sheet or a copy sheet to make a stencil. However, even the apparatus embodying these inventions necessarily requires an original plate for plate making. Therefore, when preparing a small number of documents, the price of the original plate greatly affects the cost of preparing the entire document, which is rather uneconomical. Of course, if a plate making apparatus, a printer, and a copying machine are gathered in one place and a system for making a document is made, such a problem can be solved. However, this makes the overall system expensive and bulky.

In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a printer / plate making apparatus for economically producing not only a small number of documents but also a large number of documents.

Further, in the present invention, it is possible to provide a plate making apparatus that also serves as a printer, which uses a transport mechanism that transports a recording sheet and a heat-sensitive perforation original plate by running a long transport body, and prevents wasteful consumption of the transport body. For other purposes.

"Means for Solving Problems" In the present invention, it is possible to economically create a document by a printer / plate making apparatus that can perform both printing and plate making using a common heating element, and discharge It is possible to prevent the generation of a bad smell as in the destruction method. Further, the ink donor sheet, which is a common carrier for the recording paper and the heat-sensitive perforation original plate used in this device, is allowed to travel a predetermined amount in the opposite direction to the perforation before or after the perforation operation is started in the plate making mode setting. Prevents wasteful consumption of the carrier.

When the plate-making apparatus that also serves as a printer performs printing by the thermal transfer recording method, the thermal transfer recording medium can be used as a carrier. In this case, in the plate making mode, the heat-sensitive perforated original plate is superposed and conveyed on the supporting substrate side of the thermal transfer recording medium, and the heat-shrinkable film layer formed on the porous support of the heat-sensitive perforated original plate is brought into sliding contact with the heating element. Heat sensitive perforation. The conveyance direction of the conveyance body may be the same for the recording paper and the heat-sensitive perforation original plate, or may be the opposite direction.
Various transport controls are possible depending on these transport directions.

[Examples] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to Examples.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows a principle configuration of a printer / plate making apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This apparatus is provided with a thermal transfer printing means 1 for printing character information and the like on a recording paper by a thermal transfer method, and a stencil base paper perforating means 2 for thermally perforating a stencil base paper as a heat-sensitive perforating master plate. These two means 1 and 2 share a thermal head 3 as a heating element, and an ink donor film 4 as a stencil base paper and recording paper conveyance body. In this embodiment, the recording paper and the stencil base paper are conveyed in opposite directions during recording and perforation. The transporter drive control means 5 controls the transport during recording and punching according to the contents designated by the mode designating means 6, and sets the ink donor film 4 before the transport of the stencil base paper is started in the plate making mode. Only a fixed amount is run in the opposite direction to prevent wasteful consumption.

FIG. 2 shows an essential part of such a plate-making apparatus which also serves as a printer. A stencil base paper insertion port 13 for inserting the stencil base paper 12 is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus 11. Gate 14 from stencil base paper insertion slot 13
The stencil stencil sheet 12 that has been inserted after passing through the sheet is provided between the thermal head 3 and the platen roll 16, between the stencil resist rolls 17 and 18, and the pair of stencil discharge rolls
Stencil base paper discharge tray 22 through 9 and 20 in order
It is designed to be discharged to. The stencil base paper discharge tray 22 has a front end accommodating portion 22A for accommodating the front end portion of the stencil base paper 12 that can be opened and closed by a hinge 23, and is closed as shown by a broken line 24 in the figure when the stencil base paper 12 is not perforated. Is held in a state.

As shown in FIG. 3, the stencil base paper 12 is made by adhering a stretched plastic resin layer 26 on a porous base paper base 25, is thin, and the base paper itself is not so strong. Therefore, in this apparatus, the ink donor film 4 as a thermal transfer recording medium carries the stencil base paper 12. The ink donor film 4 is wound around the supply roll paper tube 29, and is sequentially fed out from there, and is wound between the base paper resist rolls 17 and 18, the thermal head 3 and the platen roll 16, and the paper separation roll 31. The roll paper tube 32 is wound up. However, in the plate making mode in which the stencil base paper 12 is used, the ink donor film 4 is conveyed in the opposite direction and rewound.

The ink donor film 4 is formed by forming a thermal transferable ink layer 34 on a film base 33 as shown in FIG. 4, and is originally used for performing thermal transfer printing in a print mode. The recording paper 35 for thermal transfer printing is stacked on a paper supply tray 36 which is detachably arranged near the bottom of the apparatus. Recording paper 35
In the print mode, the paper is fed one by one by the paper supply roll 37, and the conveyance timing is adjusted by the pair of paper registration rolls 38 and 39. Then, thereafter, the pair of sheet conveying rolls 41 and 42, the base sheet resist rolls 17 and 18, the thermal head 3 and the platen roll 16, and the pair of sheet discharging rolls 43 and 44 are sequentially conveyed to discharge the recording sheet. It is discharged to the tray 45.

FIG. 5 shows the plate-making and plate-making apparatus 11 having the above-mentioned configuration.
FIG. 3 shows a part of the operation panel in FIG. The operation panel 47 is the stencil base paper insertion slot 1 of the device.
3 (FIG. 2) and is turned on by turning on a power switch (not shown) arranged on the side panel of the apparatus. That is, when the power is turned on by operating the power switch, the leading end accommodating portion 22 of the stencil raw paper discharge tray 22
When A (FIG. 2) is closed, the print mode is automatically set and the print mode lamp 48 is turned on. Further, when the tip end accommodating portion 22A is open, the plate making mode is set and the plate making mode lamp 49 is turned on. The ready lamp 51 is turned on when the apparatus is ready for printing or plate making, and the in-process lamp 52 is turned on when the apparatus is in the process of printing or plate making. The start button 53 is a button for instructing the start of printing or the like, and the stop button 54 is a button for forcibly stopping the process for some reason.

Use the numeric keypad 55 to set the number of copies to print.
Done by The set number of sheets and the current number of printed sheets are displayed in a dot pattern on the display unit 56. If the set number of prints is greater than or equal to a certain number, the displayed number blinks, prompting a change to the plate making mode. In this state, if the operator opens the front end accommodating portion 22A of the stencil base paper discharge tray, the characters "mode change" are displayed on the display portion 56, and the set number is automatically cleared. By operating the ten-key pad 55 in combination with other button switches, it is possible to perform self-diagnosis of the device or set the device to a special mode.

FIG. 6 shows an outline of a circuit configuration of the plate making apparatus which also serves as the printer. This device is equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 61, and a bus line 6 such as a data bus.
2 is connected to each part. Of these, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 63 is a memory in which a program for circuit control is written. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 64 stores image data for printing or plate making, while temporarily storing other processed data. The operation panel input section 65 is a data input section for inputting various data on the operation panel 47, and the image data input section 66 is a circuit section for receiving image data 67 from a host computer (not shown). The sensor input port 68 is a circuit portion that inputs and processes data 69 output from various sensors, which will be described later, and sends the data 69 to the bus line 62. The display driver 71 is the display 5
6 is a drive circuit for displaying letters and numbers. The gate driver 72 controls the gate 14 in the print mode.
Is a drive circuit that closes and opens it in the platemaking mode. This is to prevent the stencil base paper 12 from being carelessly supplied to the thermal head 3. The first motor driver 73 replaces the first motor 74 with
The second motor driver 75 is a circuit that drives each of the second motors 76. The first motor 74 drives the paper supply roll 37 (FIG. 2), and the second motor 76 drives the base paper registration roll 17, the take-up roll paper tube 32, and the like. The second motor 76 has a feature that the rotation directions are opposite in the print mode and the plate making mode. The solenoid driver 77 is a circuit that controls the excitation of the head solenoid 78. When the head solenoid 78 is excited, the thermal head 3 moves upward by several mm. A thermal head driver 79 for driving the thermal head 3 is also connected to the bus line 62.

The operation of the plate-making machine that also serves as a printer will be specifically described below with reference to the flowchart.

When the apparatus is powered on, the CPU 61 causes the tip accommodation portion 2
It is determined whether or not 2A is in the closed state (step in FIG. 7). This is performed by checking whether or not the magnet (not shown) attached to the tip end accommodation portion 22A is detected by the magnetic sensor (not shown) arranged on the apparatus main body side by the data 69 as the detection output. Done. If the front end accommodating portion 22A is closed (Y), the print mode is executed (step). If it is in the open state (N), the plate making mode is executed (step). In the print mode, the display driver 71
The print mode lamp 48 is turned on by driving the plate making mode lamp 49, and the plate making mode lamp 49 is turned on by the display driver 71 in the plate making mode.

Outline of Print Mode FIG. 8 shows an outline of the operation of the printer / plate making apparatus 11 in the print mode. When the apparatus 11 is set to the print mode, the CPU 61 determines whether or not the ink donor film 4 is present (step), the recording paper 35.
Presence or absence (step), occurrence of jam (paper jam) (step), and presence or absence of completion of image data reception (step) are sequentially determined. Other matters except the presence / absence of the reception of the image data are determined by the data 69 as the detection output of various sensors provided inside the apparatus 11.

When the ink donor film 4 is not present or the remaining amount is small (step; N), the display driver 71 is driven and the display 56 displays "sheet replenishment" (step). When there is no recording paper 35 in the paper supply tray 36 (step; N), "paper supply" is similarly displayed on the display unit 56 (step). If a jam of the ink donor film 4 or the recording paper 35 has occurred (step; N), the "jam removal" instruction is similarly displayed on the display unit 56 (step). The image data 67 is the image data input unit 66.
It is demodulated by and is loaded into the RAM 64, but until the loading of one page is completed (step; N),
The display unit 56 displays "Receiving" (step).

On the other hand, when all the conditions for printing are provided (step to Y), the display driver 71 turns on the ready lamp 51 (step). In this state, the CPU 61 determines whether or not the set number N input by the ten keys 55 and displayed on the display unit 56 is smaller than a predetermined reference number N ₀ (step). Here, the reference number N ₀ refers to the economical number of border lines between plate making with stencil base paper and printing one by one with thermal transfer recording. This reference number N ₀
Can be set in the device by, for example, pressing the start button 53 and the stop button 54 at the same time and inputting a numerical value from the ten-key pad 55.

If the reference number N ₀ is 40, for example, and the set number N is 50, which exceeds this, (step;
N), the set number "50" displayed on the display unit 56 is displayed blinking (step). This is to prompt the operator to shift to the plate making mode, as already described. In this situation, the operator follows the instructions and the tip accommodation portion 22
When A is opened and the stencil base paper discharge tray 22 is set (step; Y), the set number of sheets is cleared, and instead, "mode change" is displayed for a certain period of time (step). After this, the device will transition to platemaking mode (step).

On the other hand, when the operator wants to force the print mode for various reasons, the operator presses the start button 53 (step; Y) without setting the stencil base paper discharge tray 22 (step; N). As a result, the apparatus prints the set number N (step). Even when the set number N is less than the reference number N ₀ (step; Y),
By pressing the start button 53 (step; Y),
Only a predetermined number of prints are printed. During these printing operations, the processing lamp 52 is turned on.

Outline of plate making mode On the other hand, FIG. 9 shows an outline of the operation of the apparatus in the plate making mode. Printer and plate making device 11
When is set to the plate making mode, the CPU 61 sequentially determines whether a jam has occurred (step) and whether image data has been received (step). If a jam has occurred (step; N) or the image data for one page has not been received (step; N), plate making cannot be performed. In such a case, "jamming removal" or "receiving" is displayed as described above (step).

If such conditions for operating the device are satisfied (step, Y), the ready lamp 51 is turned on (step). After this, when the operator presses the start button 53 for starting plate making (step;
Y), one ink donor film 4 is reversely run (step). That is, the second motor 76 starts normal rotation, and the ink donor film 4 is started to be conveyed in the same direction as when printing. In this state, the transport amount of the ink donor film 4 is sequentially detected by a rotary encoder (not shown), and the sensor input port 6 is stored as data 69.
Sent to 8. The CPU 61 counts the pulse-shaped conveyance data with a built-in counter, and stops the forward rotation of the second motor 76 when the stencil base paper 12 is conveyed by the length of one sheet.

When the reverse running of the ink donor film 4 is completed in this way, the CPU 61 causes the display unit 56 to display "base paper set" to set the stencil base paper 12 in the apparatus (step). At the same time, the head solenoid 78 is excited. As a result, the gate 14 is opened and the stencil base paper 12 is set (step). That is, when the operator manually inserts the stretched plastic resin layer 26 of the stencil base paper 12 upward from the stencil base paper insertion port 13, the gate 1
It passes through 4, and a photosensor (not shown) arranged at the rear part thereof detects the stencil base paper 12. The CPU 61 controls the solenoid driver 77 by the data 69 based on this detection to excite the head solenoid 78.

FIG. 10 shows the vicinity of the thermal head 3 in this state. The stencil base paper 12 guided by the guide plate 81 connected from the stencil base paper insertion port and manually inserted passes through the gap between the thermal head 3 and the ink donor film 4, and strikes the base paper resist roll 18. An optical sensor 82 for detecting the stencil base paper 12 is arranged in front of the base paper resist roll 18, and the CPU 61 demagnetizes the head solenoid 78 by the data 69 based on the detection. As a result, the heating resistor 3R of the thermal head is pressed against the stencil base paper 12.

When the setting operation of the stencil base paper 12 is completed as described above (step; Y), the set stencil base paper 12 is perforated (step). During the plate making operation, the in-process lamp 52 is turned on.

The outline of the print mode and the plate making mode has been described above.
Next, how the printing operation or punching operation is performed in these modes will be specifically described.

Printing Operation in Print Mode First, when the start button 53 is pressed in the print mode (see step), the first motor 74 starts rotating and the paper supply roll 37 feeds out only one recording paper 35. The recording sheet 35 hits the sheet registration rolls 38 and 39, and stops with a slight loop formed. The conveyance of the paper supply roll 37 is stopped after a lapse of a predetermined time t ₁ after the paper sensor 84 arranged in front of the paper registration rolls 38 and 39 detects the leading end of the recording paper 35. This time control is data 69 like other controls.
Based on the time management of the CPU 61.

At the same time when the rotation of the paper supply roll 37 is stopped, the second motor 76 starts forward rotation, and the paper registration rolls 38, 3
9, paper transport rolls 41, 42, platen roll 16,
Base paper resist rolls 17 and 18 and take-up roll paper tube 3
2 starts to rotate. In this state, a predetermined braking force is applied to the supply roll paper tube 29 by a slip clutch or the like (not shown), and the ink donor film 4 is fed out with a constant tension. This is to prevent the ink donor film 4 from slackening or overtensioning. The leading edge of the recording paper 35 is the base paper registration roll 17, 1
8 and a sheet sensor 8 disposed between the platen roll 16
When it is detected by 5, the reading of the image data from the RAM 64 is started, and the thermal head driver 79 drives the thermal head 3. The thermal head 3 is provided with a line type heating resistor 3R, and the printing operation is performed line by line. If the host computer cannot be used exclusively for a long period of time even when copying a large number of sheets, the paper sensor 85 causes the recording paper 35
It is also possible to transfer the image data 67 from the host computer at the stage when the leading edge of the image is detected and supply these to the thermal head driver 79 to perform the printing operation.

FIG. 11 shows the principle of printing in the thermal transfer recording system. The ink donor film 4 superposed on the recording paper 35 is in contact with the heating resistor 3R on the side of the film base 33 and is supplied with a heat pulse according to image information. The ink layer 34 is sublimated or melted at the portion to which the heat pulse is applied, and is transferred to the recording paper 35 and then solidified.

The recording paper 35 is conveyed in a state of being overlapped with the ink donor film 4 even after this, but when it passes near the paper separating roll 31, its stiffness acts to separate it from the ink donor film 4. . Recording paper 35 separated
Is discharged onto the recording paper discharge tray 45 by the paper discharge rolls 43 and 44. When the printing of the set number of sheets is completed in this way, all the printing operations are completed and the in-treatment lamp 52 is turned off.

Punching operation in plate making mode Next, the plate making mode will be described. When the start button 53 is pressed in the plate making mode (see step), the reading of image data from the RAM 64 is started. As described above, the image data 67 may be fetched line by line from the host computer at this point. The image data is read from the RAM 64 in the order of writing for each line.

By the way, the image for plate making needs to be a "mirror image" of the image to be printed. However, in the printer / plate-making apparatus 11 of the first embodiment, since the ink donor film 4 is conveyed in the opposite directions in the print mode and the plate-making mode, a special mirror image conversion circuit for this is unnecessary. This will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 3A shows an image forming state at the time of plate making by the thermal head 3, and FIG. 3B shows that at the time of printing. Sub-scanning direction (conveying direction) S _A , S of the stencil base paper 12 and the recording paper 35
_{Since B} is reversed, it is possible to carry out plate making as a mirror image without changing the image data set on the thermal head 3.

When the setting of the stencil base paper 12 is completed (see step), the second motor 76 starts the reverse rotation, and the conveyance of the ink donor film 4 and the stencil base paper 12 is started in the direction opposite to that at the time of printing. In this way, punching work is performed line by line according to the image data.

FIG. 13 shows the principle of plate making using stencil base paper. The stencil base paper 12 passes between the thermal head 3 and the platen roll 16 such that the stretched plastic resin layer 26 is in contact with the heating resistor 3R. At this time, the ink donor film 4 is used only as a carrier for the stencil base paper 12.

The stretched plastic resin layer 26 of the stencil base paper 12 is made of, for example, vinylidene chloride-based copolymer resin, polyvinyl chloride and vinyl chloride-based copolymer resin, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polyethylene, or polyethylene and ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer. It is a layer having a thickness of 5 to 250 .mu.m, which is obtained by stretching synthetic resin such as 1: 1 or more by an inflation method or a biaxial stretching method. The base paper base 25 is a porous material having a relatively high melting point, such as gauze made of fibers such as Tetron, nylon, silk, rayon, and cotton, and non-woven fabric made of glass fiber, asbestos, natural or artificial fiber. Made of sheets. For laminating the stretched plastic resin layer 26 and the base paper base 25, a thermoplastic synthetic resin solution such as a vinyl acetate-based copolymer, a vinyl chloride-based copolymer, or a vinylidene chloride-based copolymer, which is generally used as an adhesive. Is used.

Therefore, the portion of the stretched plastic resin layer 26 to which the heat pulse is applied by the heat generating resistor 3R is opened by heating, contracts, is entangled with surrounding fibers and the like, and is perforated. Therefore, no residue is generated in the portion where the holes are formed.

The stencil base paper 12 is separated from the ink donor film 4 when passing through the base paper resist roll 18, and the base paper discharge roll 1
It is discharged onto the stencil base paper discharge tray 22 by means of 9, 20. Since almost no thermal energy is transferred from the thermal head 3 to the ink donor film 4 used as the carrier for the stencil base paper 12, it can be reused in the print mode. Ink donor film 4
Also, a predetermined braking force is applied to the take-up roll paper tube 32 so as not to cause "crease" in the stencil base paper 12, as in the case of the supply roll paper tube 29 described above.

When the plate making work is completed in this way, the in-process lamp 5
2 goes out. When the plate making is further continued, the front end accommodating portion 22A may be held in the open state and the operation already described may be repeated.

According to the printer / plate making apparatus of the first embodiment described above, the plate making is prohibited in the print mode by the control of the gate 14 and the first motor 74, and the printing is prohibited in the plate making mode. Accordingly, for example, the stencil base paper 12 is not inserted from the stencil base paper insertion port 13 during printing, and it is possible to avoid a situation in which the print image is partially lost or the stencil base paper 12 is wasted.

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 14 shows a main part of a plate-making apparatus which also serves as a printer according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the device of the second embodiment, substantially the same parts as those of the previous embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be appropriately omitted.

In the printer / plate-making device 90 of the second embodiment, the ink donor film 4 is conveyed in the same direction in both the print mode and the plate-making mode. Further, the stencil base paper discharge tray 91 has a structure in which it cannot be opened / closed like the recording paper discharge tray 45. Further, the stencil base paper 12 inserted from the stencil base paper insertion opening 13
Is automatically set on the thermal head 3 when required by the rotation control of the pair of timing rolls 92, 93. A pair of resist rolls 94 and 95 provided after the thermal head 3 is for aligning the front end of the stencil base paper at this time.

FIG. 15 shows a part of the operation panel of this apparatus in correspondence with FIG. The operation panel 97 is provided with a mode button 98 for mode setting. When the apparatus is powered on, one of the modes preferentially used, for example, the print mode is automatically set.
After that, each time the mode button 98 is pressed, the plate making mode and the print mode are alternately set. The currently set mode is determined by the blinking states of the print mode lamp 48 and the plate making mode lamp 49. The mode button 98 can also be used in combination with the numeric keypad 55 or the like to set the device to a special mode. For example, if a predetermined number key is pressed while the mode button 98 is pressed, it is possible to set the self-diagnosis mode in which the failure of the device 90 is automatically diagnosed.

FIG. 16 shows an outline of a circuit configuration in the printer / plate making apparatus 90 of this embodiment. This device 9
At 0, the first motor 74 is used to control the rotation of the paper supply roll 37 in the print mode and the timing rolls 92 and 93 in the plate making mode. The rotations of the timing rolls 92 and 93 must be stopped in the print mode, and the rotation of the paper supply roll 37 must be stopped in the plate making mode. Therefore, a printing clutch 101 that transmits the driving force of the first motor 74 only in the print mode and a plate-making clutch 102 that transmits the driving force only in the plate making are provided and selectively driven by the clutch driver 103. It has become so.

In the ROM 104 in which the control program of the device is written, in addition to the control program of the clutch driver 103,
A mirror image conversion program for reading the image data written in the RAM 64 line by line in the reverse direction of the writing is stored. This is because, in this apparatus 90, the ink donor film 4 is conveyed in the same direction in the print mode and the plate making mode, so that it is necessary to convert the image into a mirror image at the time of plate making. Instead of such a program, a mirror image conversion circuit composed of a line buffer, an address counter and the like is provided in the device 90.
Needless to say, it may be provided in the above.

Next, differences in the operation of the device 90 from the previous embodiment will be described. The mode selection (see FIG. 7) is performed by operating the mode button 98. The operation in the print mode (see FIG. 8) is the same as that of the previous embodiment except that the print clutch 101 is activated. However, as shown in FIG. 17, when the set number is large enough to be uneconomical, the mode is changed by pressing the mode button 98 once (step; Y).

FIG. 18 shows an outline of the operation in the plate making mode in correspondence with FIG. 9 of the previous embodiment, focusing on the differences. In the apparatus of this modified example, the base paper sensor 106 is arranged in front of the timing roll 93, and this is detected when the stencil base paper 12 is manually inserted (step;
Y). When the stencil base paper 12 is detected, the CPU 61 energizes the head solenoid 78 (step). When a gap is created between the thermal head 3 and the ink donor film 4 by this, the timing rolls 92, 93 to which the power is transmitted by the plate-making clutch 102 rotate for a predetermined time (step). The stencil base paper 12 is conveyed by the timing rolls 92 and 93, and is stopped with its leading end hitting the registration rolls 94 and 95. When the CPU 61 completes the rotation of the timing rolls 92 and 93, the head solenoid 78
Demagnetize (step). In this way, the stencil base paper 12 is set.

If there is no jam or other trouble (see step) in the device 90, the ready lamp is turned on (step). When the start button 53 is pressed in this state (step; Y),
The in-process lamp 52 starts to light up (step), and only one plate is made (step). At the time of plate making, the second motor 76 rotates in the normal direction, and the image data obtained by the mirror image conversion is used for punching. The stencil base paper 12 on which the plate making is completed is separated from the ink donor film 4 by the stencil base paper separating roll 108, and is discharged onto the discharge tray 91 by the stencil base paper discharging rolls 19 and 20 (step). At this time, the second motor 76 stops its normal rotation when the rear end of the stencil base paper 12 is separated from the stencil base paper separation roll 108, and then starts reverse rotation (step).

The ink donor film 4 is rewound on the supply roll paper tube 29 by the reverse rotation of the second motor 76. This rewinding operation is performed until the ink donor film 4 just returns to the position before plate making (step). The rewinding amount is detected by detecting the moving amount of the ink donor film 4 by the rotary encoder described above. When the ink donor film 4 returns to the position before plate making, the driving of the second motor 76 is stopped, and the in-process lamp 52 is turned off (step). In this state, the operator can start the next punching work of the stencil base paper 12 if necessary.

In the printer / plate-making apparatus of the second embodiment described above, the discharge tray 4 for the recording paper 35 and the stencil base paper 12 is used.
Since 5 and 91 are arranged on the same side surface, the operability of the device is good. Further, the timing rolls 92 and 93 can prevent the stencil base paper 12 from being erroneously inserted in the print mode, and the timing rolls 92 and 93 can convey the stencil base paper 12 to accurately set it in the apparatus.

Although the printing on the recording paper and the perforation on the stencil base paper have been described in the first and second embodiments above, the plate-making apparatus combined with the printer of the present invention can be used for the following purposes.

(I) Creation of OHP sheet.

When a vinyl chloride sheet with fine holes inside is inserted from the stencil base paper insertion port 13, the thermal head 3
OHP (Overhead Projector) sheets can be produced by selective heating of

(Ii) Making a plate for gravure printing.

Heat-shrinkable vinyl chloride / vinyl acetate copolymer film coated with diisooctyl phthalate is used as a plate material, and when inserted from the stencil base paper insertion port instead of the stencil base paper, a gravure printing plate (frost plate) is obtained. Can be created.

(Iii) Creation of heat sensitive color print.

By removing the ink donor film and setting a thermosensitive coloring type recording paper instead of the recording paper (plain paper), a thermosensitive coloring type print can be obtained. The recording paper may be removed, and a thermosensitive coloring type thermosensitive paper roll may be set instead of the ink donor film.

"Effects of the Invention" As described above, according to the present invention, since printing and plate making can be performed simultaneously by one device, the cost and noise are lower and the odor is eliminated as compared with the combined device having the same function. In addition, it can contribute to environmental hygiene and office efficiency as a speeded up device. Further, since the apparatus of the present invention inputs an image signal to perform printing or plate making, not only does the document not be damaged but also it can be connected to a communication means such as a telephone line or a communication satellite, so that information can be transmitted from a remote location. It is possible to receive and immediately print or make a plate. Further, according to the present invention, since the ink donor sheet is used as a carrier during plate making, it is possible to carry the heat-sensitive perforated original plate having a weak stiffness without causing creases or wrinkles. Further, when the plate making mode is set, the ink donor sheet as a thermal transfer medium can be economically used because the plate is made to travel in a direction opposite to that at the time of punching before or after the punching operation is started.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 13 are for explaining the first embodiment of the present invention. Of these, FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a plate-making apparatus which also serves as a printer, and FIG. 2 which also serves as a printer. FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of a stencil base paper, FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of an ink donor film, and FIG.
5 is a plan view showing the main part of the operation panel, FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the main part of the electric circuit, FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the operation of mode selection, and FIG. 8 is the operation of the device in the print mode. 9 is a flow chart showing the operation of the apparatus in the plate making mode, FIG. 10 is a layout drawing near the thermal head when the stencil base paper is inserted, and FIG. 11 is a principle view showing the principle of thermal transfer printing, FIG. FIG. 13A is a plan view showing a mirror image converted image formation state on the stencil base paper 12, FIG. 13B is a plan view showing an image formation state on the recording paper 35, and FIG. Principles, FIGS. 14 to 18 are for explaining a second embodiment of the present invention. Of these, FIG. 14 is a schematic configuration diagram of a plate-making apparatus also serving as a printer, and FIG. A plan view showing the part, 16 is a block diagram showing a main part of an electric circuit, FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a part of the operation of the apparatus in the print mode, and FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a part of the operation of the apparatus in the plate making mode. . 1 ... Thermal transfer printing means, 2 ... Stencil base paper punching means, 3 ... Thermal head, 4 ... Ink donor film, 12 ... Stencil base paper, 35 ... Recording paper, 61 ... CPU, 63, 104 ... ROM, 76 ... Second motor, 98 ... Mode button.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A recording / plate-making unit which is equipped with a heating element for performing thermal recording and plate-making, and a print mode in which heat-sensitive transfer printing is performed on a recording sheet or a plate-making mode in which a heat-sensitive perforation original plate is perforated. When the print mode is designated, the heating element is slidably contacted with the heating element in a state of being overlapped with the recording sheet to transfer the heat transferable ink to the recording sheet, while the plate making mode is designated. An ink donor sheet for transporting a heat-sensitive perforation original plate to the recording / plate making section, wherein the plate making apparatus also serves as a printer. 2. The ink donor sheet is conveyed in opposite directions during printing of the recording paper and during perforation of the heat-sensitive perforation original plate, and the ink donor is conveyed in the conveyance direction during printing of the recording paper prior to perforation of the heat-sensitive perforation original plate. The plate-making apparatus for both printer and printer according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance body drive control means is controlled so that the sheet travels by a predetermined amount. 3. The ink donor sheet is conveyed in the same direction when printing a recording sheet and when punching a heat-sensitive punch.
The plate-making apparatus for both printer and printer according to claim 1, characterized in that the transporter drive control means is controlled so that the ink donor sheet travels in a reverse direction by a predetermined amount after completion of punching of the heat-sensitive punching master plate. .