JPH07102711B2 - How to set print density of thermal transfer ink ribbon - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for setting a print density of a thermal transfer ink ribbon, and more particularly to a method for setting a print density of a thermal transfer ink ribbon which is set to an appropriate density by test printing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The conditions for determining the print density of a thermal transfer ink ribbon and a thermal printer are the thermal transfer characteristics of the ink used for the ink ribbon and the amount of printing energy of the thermal head. The thermal transfer characteristics of the ink differ depending on the ink material, and the heat generation characteristics of the thermal head also differ from product to product. Therefore, the user adjusts the print density by visually adjusting the dial for adjusting the print energy of the thermal head while printing, according to the ink ribbon to be used.

[0003]

Conventionally, the print energy is adjusted by observing the print result during printing, but it is not easy to accurately grasp the optimum adjustment point. Therefore, it is necessary to reciprocate before and after the optimum adjustment point many times, which lacks swiftness. Further, when a printing energy amount exceeding the optimum point at which the ink of the ink ribbon is completely transferred is added, the printing density does not increase any more, so the user judges that an excessive energy amount is applied. Is difficult. In this case, inconveniences such as fusing of the ink ribbon and stains of the thermal head may occur, and there is a risk that the life of the thermal head will be shortened due to excessive energy.

Therefore, the optimum amount of energy is detected without the user's visual judgment, the print density is controlled by the detected value to improve the print quality, and the adverse effect on the ink ribbon and the thermal head due to incorrect setting is caused. There will be technical problems to be solved in order to eliminate the fear,
The present invention aims to solve the problems.

[0005]

The present invention is proposed in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, and a thermal head 6 is provided.
The test energy is set to a low level to start the test printing, the printing energy amount is continuously increased to measure the transmitted light amount of the ink ribbon 12, and the printing energy amount when the transmitted light amount reaches a predetermined value is calculated. Stored in the control unit 4,
The present invention provides a method for setting the print density of a thermal transfer ink ribbon, which controls the print density based on the print energy amount.

[0006]

When the test printing is started, the amount of energy applied to the thermal head gradually increases from a low level, and the amount of ink transferred from the ink ribbon to the transfer target also increases. Therefore, the amount of ink remaining on the ink ribbon decreases and when the transfer rate reaches 100%, the amount of remaining ink becomes 0, and the transparent base film of the ink ribbon remains.

The transmitted light rate of the ink ribbon after the transfer is measured by a light amount detecting means including a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, and is approximately 1.
The amount of printing energy applied to the thermal head when it reaches 00% is stored, and this stored value is used as the amount of printing energy in the subsequent normal printing to control the printing density.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing a main part of the thermal printer 1. Data from a keyboard 2 and a transmitted light amount detection circuit 3 described later are input to a CPU 5 of a control unit 4, and the CPU 5 transfers data to a thermal head 6. It controls the head driver 7 and the feed motor 8 for printing paper or lettering tape.

The transmitted light amount detection circuit 3 is composed of a light emitting portion 9 such as an LED and a light receiving portion 10 such as a photodiode, and is arranged on the front and back sides of an ink ribbon 12 of an ink ribbon cassette 11 mounted on a thermal printer as shown in FIG. The amount of light transmitted through the ink ribbon 12 is detected. FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the test mode by the thermal printer 1 having a built-in print density setting program for the thermal transfer ink ribbon. When a print density setting program start command is input from the keyboard 2 or the like of the thermal printer 1 (step 101), the ink ribbon cassette and paper or The presence or absence of a transfer target such as a lettering tape is detected (step 102), and if it is present, all dots of the thermal head 6 start printing at a density of a fraction of the normal printing density (step 10).
3). This print density control is performed by any method such as pulse width control or power control and is not particularly limited. Then, with the start of printing, the CPU 5 gradually increases the printing energy amount of the thermal head 6.

FIG. 4 shows the surface of the ink ribbon 12 which is test-printed and wound onto the take-up reel in the ink ribbon cassette. Since the print density is low at the start of printing in step 103, A in FIG. As shown in, the amount of remaining ink is large. Then, as the printing energy amount of the thermal head 6 increases, the amount of ink transferred increases, and the amount of ink remaining on the ink ribbon 12 decreases. Reference numeral B indicates that the ink has been completely transferred to the transfer target, and only the transparent base film 12a of the ink ribbon 12 remains. At the beginning of printing, the amount of remaining ink on the ink ribbon 12 is large, so the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 10 shown in FIG. About 100% of the transmitted light reaches the light receiving unit 10. The received light amount at this transmittance is set and stored in the ROM 13 in advance, and when the received light amount is reached (step 104 in FIG. 3), the control amount such as the pulse width to the head driver 7, that is, the thermal head 6 is sent. The applied energy amount of R
Writing to the AM 14 (step 105 in FIG. 3), and ends.

When printing is performed in the normal printing mode, the printing energy amount of the thermal head 6 is controlled based on the data of the RAM 14 described above, and the ink of the ink ribbon 12 is completely transferred to the transfer target. Print with the optimum amount of energy. Therefore, the optimum energy amount, which differs depending on the type and color of the ink ribbon, can be reliably and easily set, the operation is simplified, and the risk of erroneous operation is eliminated.

The present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it goes without saying that the invention extends to the modified version.

[0013]

As described in detail in the above one embodiment, the present invention automatically detects the optimum amount of printing energy on the ink ribbon and prints based on the detected value, so that the manual adjustment of the printing density becomes unnecessary. , The deterioration of printing quality is prevented.
Further, there are no fears of erroneous setting due to manual adjustment, and various effects such as the possibility that the ink ribbon is blown out due to excessive printing energy and the possibility that the life of the thermal head is adversely affected are eliminated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of a thermal printer.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a positional relationship between an ink ribbon and a transmitted light amount detection circuit.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a print density setting method.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the ink remaining on the ink ribbon during test printing.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Thermal Printer 3 Transmitted Light Amount Detection Circuit 4 Control Unit 6 Thermal Head 9 Light Emitting Unit 10 Light Receiving Unit 12 Ink Ribbon

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A test printing is started with the printing energy amount of the thermal head 6 at a low level, the printing energy amount is continuously increased to measure the transmitted light amount of the ink ribbon 12, and the transmitted light amount reaches a predetermined value. A printing density setting method for a heat-sensitive transfer ink ribbon, in which the printing energy amount when reaching is stored in the control unit 4, and the printing density is controlled based on the printing energy amount.