JP2018062126A - Image formation device, image formation system, and control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image formation device that can prevent generation of image stain, and to provide an image formation system and an image formation control program.SOLUTION: An image formation device includes: an image formation part for forming an image on a transfer medium based on a job; a transportation part for transporting the transfer medium; and a control part for controlling image formation and transportation. The control part can execute trim processing of changing a width of a non-utilization region at each end in a width direction of the transfer medium in forming an image when using the transfer medium provided with an adhesive material layer for the job.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a control program capable of forming an image on a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer.

  In the image forming apparatus, printing is performed by conveying a sheet and forming a toner image on the sheet. When transporting paper, toner or the like may adhere to the transport path and cause the paper to become dirty. For paper with an adhesive layer such as label paper, the adhesive protrudes from the paper during transportation and adheres to the rollers on the transportation path, and then adheres from the rollers to the transported paper surface. This can cause paper smears. In order to deal with these problems, a technique for cleaning the conveyance path has been proposed.

For example, in Patent Document 1, as an invention relating to a label printer, a cleaning mode is employed in which deposits on a conveyance path are heated with a thermal head, a medium for peeling the heated deposits is passed, and the deposits are adhered to the medium. Label printers that can be implemented have been proposed.
Further, in Patent Document 2, when the relationship between the transfer sheet width L2 to be passed first and the transfer sheet width L1 to be transferred next is L1> L2, the portion of the preceding JOB where there is no recording material is affected by the development fog. In order to solve the problem that the transfer paper becomes dirty when the transfer roller is changed to a large size, an image forming apparatus that performs a cleaning mode when the transfer paper width changes from L1> L2 has been proposed.

JP2012-240202A JP 2012-42641 A

  However, the conventional cleaning method can remove the adhesive attached to the conveyance path, etc., but the paper to which the adhesive is attached becomes unusable, and at least the part to which the adhesive is attached becomes scraped paper. There is a problem of end.

  The present invention has been made against the background of the above circumstances, and when a job is output using a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer, the transfer medium is soiled by the adhesive and cannot be used. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a control program.

That is, among the image forming apparatuses of the present invention, the first form is an image forming unit that forms an image on a transfer medium based on a job;
A transport unit for transporting the transfer medium;
A control unit that controls image formation and conveyance;
When the transfer medium provided with the adhesive layer is used in a job, the control unit can perform trim processing to change the width of the unused area at the end in the width direction of the transfer medium when forming an image. It is characterized by.

  The image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the above aspect, the control unit performs trim processing based on information relating to an amount of protrusion of the adhesive material to the outside of the transfer medium during conveyance.

  According to another aspect of the invention of the image forming apparatus, in the above aspect, the control unit is characterized in that the information related to the amount of protrusion is a setting amount that affects the predicted amount of protrusion or the amount of protrusion. .

  The image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the above aspect, the control unit changes the width of the unused area in a range larger than the width of the unused area in the machine setting.

  In another aspect of the invention of the image forming apparatus, the unused area is at least an area where image formation is not performed.

  Another aspect of the invention of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above embodiment, the control unit forms an image in a use area of a transfer medium.

  According to another aspect of the invention of the image forming apparatus, in the above-described form, the use area includes an image formation area after printing and a blank area associated with the image formation area.

  In another aspect of the invention of the image forming apparatus according to the above aspect, the control unit may include an adhesive layer provided on the transfer medium used in the job or when the adhesive material layer is not provided on the transfer medium used in the job. In the case where the adhesive layer is not provided at the edge in the width direction, the trim processing is not performed at the time of image formation, or the width of the unused area is made larger than that of the transfer medium provided with the adhesive layer on the entire surface. The trim processing is performed in a small range.

  The image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the above aspect, the control unit determines whether the transfer medium used in the job is provided with an adhesive layer.

  According to another aspect of the invention of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, in the above embodiment, the control unit is configured to transfer the transfer medium, the transfer medium type, the feed start time, and the transfer medium on which the adhesive layer is provided. The width of the unused area is changed in accordance with one or more of the widths of the edge portions that do not have a gap.

  In another aspect of the invention of the image forming apparatus according to the above aspect, when the width of the unused area is changed, the control unit determines that an image defect is generated in an image formed on the transfer medium after the width is changed. In this case, the layout of the image on the transfer medium is changed so as not to cause image loss.

  An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the above aspect, the transfer medium is a continuous transfer medium.

  In another aspect of the invention of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, in the above embodiment, when the transfer medium provided with the adhesive layer is used in a job, the control unit is not used according to a travel distance from a normal conveyance start. The width of the area is set.

  In another aspect of the invention of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, in the above embodiment, the control unit is provided with an adhesive layer in a job after the transfer medium on which the adhesive layer is provided and trimmed is used in the job. When a transfer medium that has not been transferred is conveyed, trim processing is performed for a predetermined time.

  According to another aspect of the invention of the image forming apparatus, in the above embodiment, the control unit is provided with an adhesive layer, acquires an image reading result of the transfer medium on which the image is formed, and stains at an end on the transfer medium. The trimming process is continued until becomes below a predetermined value.

  The invention of an image forming apparatus according to another aspect is characterized in that, in the above aspect, the control unit returns the width of the unused area to the width before the change after the trim processing.

  In another aspect of the invention of the image forming apparatus according to the above aspect, the control unit is a post job of a job in which trim processing is performed using a first transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer. When a second transfer medium having a width smaller than that of the first transfer medium and not provided with an adhesive layer is conveyed, trim processing is not performed on the second transfer medium.

  According to another aspect of the invention of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, in the above embodiment, the control unit includes a job that uses a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer as a job, and a transfer medium that is not provided with an adhesive layer. When a job to be used is executed, a job using a transfer medium without an adhesive layer is output in preference to a job using a transfer medium with an adhesive layer. To do.

  In another aspect of the invention of the image forming apparatus according to the above aspect, the control unit is provided with an adhesive layer, and a job using a transfer medium having no adhesive at the edge includes an adhesive layer. It is characterized in that the output is given priority over a job using a transfer medium provided on the entire surface.

Among the inventions of the image forming system of the present invention, a first aspect is an image forming system having a management device that manages an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a transfer medium,
A control unit that communicates with the image forming apparatus and manages the image forming apparatus;
When the transfer medium provided with the adhesive layer is used for a job, the control unit enables trim processing to change the width of the unused area at the widthwise end of the transfer medium when forming an image. It is characterized by performing.

  In another aspect of the invention of the image forming system of the present invention, in the above embodiment, the control unit may use a job that uses a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer as a job and a transfer medium that is not provided with an adhesive layer. When managing use jobs, control to output jobs that use transfer media without an adhesive layer in preference to jobs that use transfer media with an adhesive layer. It is characterized by.

  In another aspect of the invention of the image forming system according to the above aspect, the control unit manages a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and uses a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer and a job using the transfer medium. When managing a job that uses a transfer medium that is not provided with a material layer, a job that uses a transfer medium that is provided with an adhesive layer is printed by the first image forming apparatus, and the adhesive layer is provided. The second image forming apparatus is controlled to print a job using an untransferred transfer medium.

  According to another aspect of the invention of the image forming system, in the above aspect, the control unit is a job that uses a transfer medium that is provided with an adhesive layer and does not have an adhesive on the edge. Control is performed so that printing is performed by the forming apparatus.

  An image forming system according to another aspect is characterized in that, in the above aspect, the image forming apparatus is provided.

Of the control programs of the present invention, the first form is a program executed by a control unit that controls the image forming apparatus,
When a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer is used in a job in an image forming apparatus, trim processing is performed to change the width of an unused area at the widthwise end of the transfer medium when forming an image. To do.

  According to the present invention, when a job is output using a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer, the width of the unused area at the time of image formation is changed so that it cannot be used in the used area of the transfer medium. There is an effect to prevent the.

1 is a diagram showing a mechanical outline of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram of an image forming system including an image forming apparatus. FIG. Similarly, it is a figure for demonstrating the adhesion state of the glue at the time of conveying roll paper. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the example of a change of the print layout accompanying the change of the width | variety of an unused area | region. Similarly, it is a flowchart showing a procedure for changing the trim amount according to the presence or absence of glue on the paper used in the job. Similarly, it is a flowchart showing a procedure when changing the trim amount. Similarly, it is a flowchart showing a procedure for changing the trim amount based on the type of paper used in the immediately preceding job. Similarly, it is a flowchart showing a procedure for managing a job that uses a roll paper with glue and a job that uses a roll paper without glue.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a mechanical outline of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes a paper feed unit 200, a paper feed adjustment unit 300, an apparatus main body 10, a paper discharge adjustment unit 400, a paper discharge unit 500, and a mount paper discharge unit 600 in order from the upstream side in the paper conveyance direction. Yes. These apparatuses are mechanically and electrically connected to each other, and can convey a sheet and transmit / receive signals between the apparatuses. The image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a conveyance path 22, and the conveyance path 22 passes from the paper feed unit 200 via the paper feed adjustment unit 300, the apparatus main body 10, the paper discharge adjustment unit 400, and the paper discharge unit 500. Then, it extends to the mount paper discharge unit 600. The sheet is transported along the transport path 22. The conveyance path 22 of the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a conveyance roller 23 and the like, and the conveyance roller 23 and the like are rotated by a motor (not shown) to convey the sheet.

  In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus is described as being configured by the apparatus main body 10 and other apparatuses, but the combination of the apparatus main body 10 and which apparatus constitutes the image forming apparatus. Is not particularly limited. Further, the image forming apparatus may be configured by the apparatus main body 10, and the image forming system may be configured together with other apparatuses.

Hereinafter, each apparatus will be described in order from the upstream side along the sheet conveyance direction.
The paper feed unit 200 stores roll paper, and supplies the roll paper to the paper feed adjustment unit 300 on the rear stage through the conveyance path 22. The roll paper corresponds to the transfer medium of the present invention. In the image forming apparatus 1, in addition to using roll paper without glue as roll paper, it is possible to use roll paper with glue provided with a paste layer. As the roll paper with glue, it is possible to use a sheet constituted by a surface base material, a mount, and a glue layer provided between the surface base material and the mount. However, in the present invention, the configuration of the transfer medium is not limited to the above. The glue layer corresponds to the adhesive layer in the present invention, and the glue corresponds to the adhesive material of the present invention. Note that the adhesive is not limited to glue, and may be synthetic resin or the like, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a material used for adhesion. The adhesive layer may be provided on the entire surface of the transfer medium, or may be provided on a part of the transfer medium, for example, by providing an adhesive layer excluding both ends of the transfer medium.

  In this embodiment, roll paper, which is a continuous transfer medium, is used as the transfer medium, but it is also possible to use transfer media such as sheet paper that is not continuous. Even in the case where a continuous transfer medium is used, the continuous transfer medium is not limited to roll paper in the present invention, as long as the paper is continuous, and continuous form paper or the like may be used. . The transfer medium is not limited to paper, and may be composed of an appropriate material such as cloth or plastic film.

  The paper feed adjustment unit 300 connected to the downstream side of the paper feed unit 200 functions as a buffer mechanism that absorbs speed differences and deviations between apparatuses. The roll paper that has passed through the paper feed adjustment unit 300 is conveyed to the apparatus main body 10.

The apparatus main body 10 is provided with a document reading unit 135 on the upper side of the casing and an operation display unit 140 on the upper side of the housing 10A. The tilt sensor 24 is arranged inside the housing 10A in the order of the paper transport direction. The image forming unit 110 and the dirt detection sensor 25 are provided.
Furthermore, the apparatus main body 10 has a control unit 105. The control unit 105 can be configured by a CPU, a program executed by the CPU, a storage unit, and the like. The hardware in the control unit 105 corresponds to the computer of the present invention, and the program executed on the computer includes the control program of the present invention. The control unit 105 controls printing on the roll paper, and when the roll paper has glue, trim processing can be performed. Details of the trim processing will be described later.

  The document reading unit 135 reads an image of a document. The read document image is once recorded in an image memory (not shown) and used for image formation. The document reading unit 135 includes an ADF (automatic document feeder), a platen glass, a scanner unit, and the like, and an image on a document is read by the scanner unit.

  The operation display unit 140 accepts an operation by the operator and can display information. The operation display unit 140 may be a unit in which the operation unit and the display unit are separate, or may be a unit in which the operation unit and the display unit are integrated like an LCD touch panel.

  A tilt sensor 24 provided in the transport path 22 detects the tilt of the transported paper. The tilt sensor 24 is composed of an optical reading sensor such as a CCD sensor, and the control unit can determine the tilt of the sheet based on the detection result of the tilt sensor 24. It can be applied to the correction of the image forming position.

  The image forming unit 110 forms an image on the roll paper transported through the transport path 22. The image forming unit 110 includes a photoconductor 110A prepared for each color (cyan, magenta, yellow, black, etc.), an intermediate transfer belt 110B, a secondary transfer roller 110C, and a fixing unit 110D. A charger, a writing unit, and a developing unit (not shown) are disposed on the peripheral portion of the. The surface of the photoconductor is uniformly charged by a charger. On the charged surface of the photoconductor, image exposure is performed by a writing unit such as an LD on the basis of image information of a document recorded in a storage unit such as an image memory. A latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 110A. The formed latent image is developed by the developing unit to become a toner image. The toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 110B, and the image on the intermediate transfer belt 110B is transferred to the roll paper conveyed through the conveyance path 22 while being pressed by the secondary transfer roller 110C. In the present invention, the color image forming apparatus having the photoconductor 110A for each color and the intermediate transfer belt 110B has been described. However, in the present invention, the image forming apparatus includes a monochrome image forming apparatus. It may be a thing.

Further, in the image forming unit 110, around each photoconductor 110A, cleaning (not shown) is performed at a position on the rotation direction side with respect to the contact position between each photoconductor 110A and the intermediate transfer belt 110B and on the rotation direction opposite side with respect to the charger. The part is arranged. The cleaning unit contacts each photoconductor 110A and removes residual toner. Further, another cleaning unit (not shown) for removing residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 110B is disposed on the rotation direction side of the intermediate transfer belt 110B with respect to the sheet transfer position and on the rotation direction opposite side of the transfer position with each photoconductor. Has been.
The sheet on which the image is transferred by the secondary transfer roller 110C is pressed and conveyed by the fixing roller of the fixing unit 110D, and heat and pressure are applied to the sheet, whereby the toner image on the roll paper is fixed, and the sheet is transferred to the outside of the apparatus main body 10. Discharged.

  A stain detection sensor 25 provided on the downstream side of the fixing unit 110D detects stain on the conveyed paper. The stain detection sensor 25 can be arranged like a line sensor by a CCD sensor, a CMOS sensor, or the like, optically reads an image on a sheet, acquires the state of the image by a control unit, and pastes or dust on the roll sheet. Can be determined. The dirt detection sensor 25 corresponds to the image reading unit of the present invention. The paper that has passed through the smear detection sensor 25 is conveyed to the paper discharge adjustment unit 400.

  The paper discharge adjustment unit 400 installed at the rear stage of the apparatus main body 10 functions as a buffer mechanism that absorbs minute speed differences and deviations between apparatuses. The paper that has passed through the paper discharge adjustment unit 400 is conveyed to the paper discharge unit 500.

  The paper discharge unit 500 provided at the subsequent stage of the paper discharge adjustment unit 400 has a cutter 50. The cutter 50 can cut out the label on the continuous paper as necessary, and can operate in accordance with the period of the label image. The cut-out image is stored in the paper discharge unit 500, and the mount remaining after the cut-out is discharged to the subsequent mount paper discharge unit 600. The mount sheet discharge unit 600 stores mount sheets remaining after the labels and the like are cut out by the cutter 50.

  In the above embodiment, the apparatus main body 10 includes the dirt detection sensor 25. However, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to this, and the apparatus main body 10 may not include the dirt detection sensor 25. In this case, it is only necessary that the contamination detection result by the contamination detection sensor 25 can be acquired in the apparatus body 10. For example, the contamination detection sensor 25 may be provided in the discharge adjustment unit 400 or the discharge unit 500. Further, it is only necessary that an image reading unit is provided off-line and the data of the reading result can be acquired by the control unit online.

Next, an electrical block of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes a digital copier and an image processing unit (print & scanner controller) 160 as main components. The digital copier includes a control block 100, a scanner unit 130, an operation display unit 140, and a printer unit 150. An image processing unit (print & scanner controller) 160 processes image data input / output from / to an external device.

  The control block 100 has a PCI bus 112, and the PCI bus 112 is connected to the DRAM control IC 111 in the control block 100. Further, the HDD 119 is connected to the PCI bus 112 via a controller IC 118. The HDD 119 can store and read image data, trim processing history, and the like. When storing the history of trim processing, the HDD 119 corresponds to a storage unit of the present invention.

  Further, the control block 100 includes a control CPU 113, and the DRAM control IC 111 is connected to the control CPU 113. A non-volatile memory 115 is connected to the control CPU 113. The non-volatile memory 115 stores program data executed by the control CPU 113, setting data such as machine setting information of the image forming apparatus 1, process control parameters, control parameters for performing trim processing, and normal conveyance start when job printing starts. The paper travel distance, linear speed (conveyance speed), various machine setting information, setting information including paper information of a previously output job, and the like are readable and writable. Note that the paper information includes the presence / absence of an adhesive layer, the width of the edge that does not have the adhesive layer, and the like. The machine setting information includes a setting value of the width of the unused area at the edge of the sheet. The width setting value may be set for each paper type.

The control CPU 113 controls the entire image forming apparatus 1 by executing a program and grasps the state of the entire image forming apparatus 1, and performs roll paper conveyance control, image formation control, and the like. That is, the control CPU 113 and the program operating on the control CPU 113 constitute the control unit 105 of the present invention. The program operating on the control CPU 113 includes the control program of the present invention. The control program may be stored in a portable storage medium.
The control CPU 113 is connected to an RTC (date / time data generator) 125, and can send date / time data to the control CPU 113.

  The scanner unit 130 includes a CCD 131 and a scanner control unit 132. The CCD 131 performs optical reading, and the scanner control unit 132 controls the entire scanner unit 130. The scanner control unit 132 is connected to the control CPU 113 so as to be capable of serial communication, and is controlled by the control CPU 113. The scanner control unit 132 can be configured by a CPU or a program for operating the CPU. The image data read by the CCD 131 is subjected to data processing by the reading processing unit 116. The read processing unit 116 is connected to the DRAM control IC 111.

The operation display unit 140 includes a touch panel LCD 141 and an operation unit control unit 142. The LCD 141 and the operation unit control unit 142 are connected, and the operation unit control unit 142 and the control CPU 113 are connected so that serial communication is possible. With this configuration, the operation display unit 140 is controlled by the control CPU 113. Note that the operation unit control unit 142 can be configured by a CPU or a program for operating the CPU.
The operation display unit 140 can perform various settings for the image forming apparatus main body 1A and the paper feed unit 200, and the control unit controls image formation and roll paper conveyance based on the settings. Further, the operation display unit 140 can input operation control conditions such as settings and operation commands in the image forming apparatus 1 and can display setting contents, machine states, information, and the like. It is possible to display previews and comments.

The DRAM control IC 111 is connected to the image memory 120. The image memory 120 includes a compression memory 121 and a page memory 122. The image memory 120 stores image data acquired by the scanner unit 130 and image data acquired through the network 2. As described above, the image memory 120 is a storage area for image data, and stores image data of a job to be printed. In addition, image data relating to a plurality of jobs can be stored in the image memory 120 by the DRAM control IC 111. The image memory 120 can also store job setting information and image data of a reserved job. The image data can also be stored in the HDD 119. The job setting information includes various output settings and machine setting information, as well as information such as the type of paper to be used, the presence or absence of an adhesive layer, and the area of the adhesive layer. The machine setting information includes the width of the used area and the unused area.
The image memory 120 may store trim processing history information. When storing history information, the image memory 120 corresponds to a storage unit of the present invention.

  A compression / decompression IC 117 is connected to the DRAM control IC 111. The compression / decompression IC 117 compresses image data or decompresses the compressed data. A write processing unit 123 is connected to the DRAM control IC 111. The write processing unit 123 is connected to the LD 154A of the printer unit 150, and processes data used for the operation of the LD 154A. The LD 154A is a generic name for the LDs for each color. Further, the printer unit 150 controls the conveyance unit including the image forming unit 111 and the conveyance path 22.

  In addition to the DRAM control IC 111, the PCI bus 112 is connected to the DRAM control IC 161 of the image processing unit (print & scanner controller) 160. In the image processing unit (print & scanner controller) 160, an image memory 162 is connected to the DRAM control IC 161. In the image processing unit (print & scanner controller) 160, a controller control unit 163 is connected to the DRAM control IC 161, and a LAN control unit 164 and a LAN interface 165 are connected to the DRAM control IC 161. The LAN interface 165 is connected to the network 2.

  An external device 3 and other image forming devices 4, 5 are connected to the network 2, and image data can be transmitted to and received from the image forming device 1.

  Further, a LAN control unit 127 and a LAN interface 128 are connected to the control CPU 113, and the above-described network 2 and other networks can be connected to the LAN interface 128. The network 2 is connected to the external device 3 described above.

The external device 3 can be used as a device that functions as a terminal, a device that manages an image forming apparatus, or the like. The external device 3 includes an external device control unit 30 that controls the entire external device 3, and the external device control unit 30 can be configured by a CPU, a program that operates the CPU, a storage unit, and the like. The external device control unit 30 can also manage by communicating with the image forming apparatuses 1, 4, and 5. In this case, the external device control unit 30 functions as a control unit that manages the image forming apparatus. The external device 3 corresponds to the management device of the present invention. The network 2 may be used as a WAN in addition to the LAN, and may be wireless or wired.
The external device 3 may be configured to directly control the image forming apparatus, or to instruct the image forming apparatus about the contents of control, and to control the image forming apparatus according to the instruction contents. Also good.
Further, the management apparatus may function as another image forming apparatus 4 or image forming apparatus 5 in addition to the external apparatus. In this case, a control unit provided in another image forming apparatus functions as a control unit that manages the present invention.

Next, the basic operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.
First, a procedure for accumulating image data in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.
When the scanner unit 130 reads an image of a document and generates image data, the scanner unit 130 optically reads the document image from the document by the CCD 131. At this time, the scanner control unit 132 that has received a command from the control CPU 113 controls the operation of the CCD 131. The image read by the CCD 131 is subjected to data processing by the reading processing unit 116, and the image data subjected to the data processing is compressed by a predetermined method in the compression / decompression IC 117 and is stored in the compression memory 121 and the HDD 119 via the DRAM control IC 111. Stored. The image data stored in the compression memory 121 or the HDD 119 can be managed as a job by the control CPU 113.

  When acquiring image data from the outside, for example, when acquiring image data from the external apparatus 3 or other image forming apparatuses 4, 5 through the network 2, the transmitted image data is the LAN interface 165 and the LAN control unit 164. Are stored in the image memory 162 by the DRAM control IC 161 controlled by the controller control unit 163. Data in the image memory 162 is temporarily stored in the page memory 122 via the DRAM control IC 161, the PCI bus 112, and the DRAM control IC 111. The data stored in the page memory 122 is sequentially sent to the compression / decompression IC 117 via the DRAM control IC 111 and compressed, stored in the compression memory 121 and the HDD 119 via the DRAM control IC 111, and the control CPU 113 as described above. The management by.

When the image forming apparatus 1 outputs an image, that is, when the image forming apparatus 1 is used as a copying machine or a printer, the image data stored in the compression memory 121 or the HDD 119 is sent to the compression / decompression IC 117 via the DRAM control IC 111, The data is developed, and the developed image data is repeatedly developed on the LD 154A by the writing processing unit 123, whereby the image data can be printed on the roll paper RP.
When used as a copying machine, information such as a printing condition (print mode) set on the operation display unit 140 is notified, and setting information is created by the control CPU 113. The created setting information can be stored in the RAM in the control CPU 113. The setting of the paper type to be used, that is, the setting of whether to use the roll paper with glue is also performed here.
When used as a printer, printing conditions can be set by a printer driver in the external device 3. The printing conditions set here are stored in the same manner as images (external device 3 → LAN IF 165 → image memory 162 → DRAM control IC 161 (controller) → DRAM control IC 111 (main body) → page memory 122.

  Next, an operation for changing the width of the unused area depending on whether a sheet used in a job has a glue layer (has glue) will be described. The following operations are performed under the control of the control CPU 113.

  If a roll paper with glue is used to output a job, the glue existing on the roll paper may protrude from the roll paper and adhere to the roller or the fixing unit as the paper is conveyed or the image is formed. Then, the glue attached to the roller and the fixing unit may adhere to the image forming surface of the roll paper, and the output image and the necessary white paper area may be stained.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state of adhesion of glue to the roll paper surface when the roll paper is conveyed.
FIG. 3A shows a situation when the roll paper RP1 with glue having a glue layer provided on the entire surface of the paper is conveyed. When the roll paper RP1 with glue is conveyed, the glue protrudes from the roll paper RP by receiving a pressing force on the roll paper RP1 with glue, and adheres to the roller R such as a belt or a fixing roller. Thereafter, each time the roller R rotates, the glue protrudes from the roll paper, and the glue of the roller R adheres to the end of the roll paper RP1 that is transported thereafter as glue G1. As a result, the use area of the roll paper RP1 becomes dirty.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, when a job is output using the non-glue roll paper RP2, glue exists in the width direction inner area A1, and glue exists in the width direction end area A2. When the roll paper RP3 that is not used is used, the roller or the like is not stained. However, the paste may protrude depending on the width of the end portion that does not have the paste.

  When a job is output using a roll paper with glue, the width of the unused area may be manually set for each job by using a setting means for the width of the unused area. However, with this method, there are problems such as setting mistakes, omissions, etc., and the width is set without knowing the optimum width of the unused area, resulting in generation of stains and waste of paper.

In the present embodiment, when a job is output on the roll paper RP1 with glue, trim processing is performed to change the width of the unused area at both ends in the width direction of the roll paper RP1.
In the trim processing, the width (unused area) of an area outside the used area used for image formation is changed. The unused area includes an area where image formation is not performed and does not include a blank area associated with the image forming area in the used area. For example, when a label including a margin around the image is used, the margin area is used in association with the image area and is not included in the unused area.

  In the trim processing, the width of the unused area is changed so as to be a range larger than the width of the unused area in the machine setting information. In the trim processing, the width of the unused area of the roll paper with glue is made larger than the unused area when the roll paper without glue is output. Furthermore, even if there is glue, if there is no glue at the end of the roll paper, it may not be trimmed in the same way as roll paper without glue. The width of the unused area can be set to be larger than the width of the unused area of the roll paper without glue and smaller than the width of the unused area of the roll paper having glue on the entire surface.

In trim processing, the appropriate unused area width is automatically calculated according to the line speed, paper type, paper feed start distance, size of the width without glue on roll paper with glue and no glue at the end, etc. can do.
By storing in advance information relating these conditions and the width of the unused area in the storage unit, it is possible to read the information and change the width of the unused area as necessary.
When a continuous transfer medium such as roll paper is used as the transfer medium, the trim amount may be calculated according to the travel distance from the start of normal conveyance of the paper, the paper feed time, and the like. Since the roll paper tends to meander for a while after the start of conveyance, the width of the unused area may be increased until the roll becomes stable. The width of the use area may be changed. That is, the width is increased at first, and then the width is decreased. However, the width of the unused area is made larger than that of the non-glue roll paper.

  In addition, when the line speed is slow, the paper type is thick paper, the width of the unused area may be set to be large because there is a large amount of paste protruding within 10 m from the start of paper feeding, and the like. May be considered. It should be noted that the distance from the start of sheet feeding does not include the transport distance in the preparation period. These conditions indicate information relating to the amount of protrusion of the adhesive material from the transfer medium, and are information for predicting the amount of protrusion. The relationship between these conditions and the amount of protrusion and the relationship between the width of the unused area to be changed can be obtained empirically.

  Further, the width of the unused area may be changed based on the state of the stain on the paper detected by the stain detection sensor 25. If dirt is detected, the width of the unused area can be increased, and if the dirt is not detected or the amount of dirt is less than a predetermined value, the width of the unused area can be reduced. . The predetermined value is set in advance and stored in a storage unit or the like so as to be readable. Also, if the image is clean immediately after the start of image formation, the width of the unused area is reduced and a wide image is laid out and output. May be output. The detection of dirt may be performed on the entire roll paper or may be performed only on the edge of the roll paper.

Further, when an image loss occurs due to an increase in the width of the unused area, it is determined that the image layout needs to be changed, and the layout of the print image is also changed at the same time.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which the image layout is changed in accordance with the change in the width of the unused area. The left figure shows the state before the change in the unused area width, and the right figure shows the unmodified area. The state after changing the width of the use area is shown.

When the width of the unused area is changed so that the width TL1 of the used area is changed to TL2 during the trim processing, the unused area changes from the unused area T1 to the unused area T2. The use area is composed of an image forming area and a blank area attached to the image, and image formation is performed within the use area. In this case, among the images I1, I2, and I3, a part of the image area of the image I1 and the image I3 is outside the use area, so that an image defect occurs in the image I1 and the image I3.
Therefore, in order to avoid image loss, the image layout is changed as shown in the right figure, images I1 and I2 are arranged in the first stage, and image I3 is arranged in the second stage, thereby avoiding image loss. In this process, the image layout is changed in consideration of the changed unused area width. Further, when the setting for performing the post-processing is performed, the content of the post-processing is taken into consideration.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, when roll paper RP2 without a glue layer is used, trim processing is not performed or the width of the unused area is made smaller than roll paper RP1 with glue. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3C, when using roll paper RP3 provided with a glue layer and having no glue layer at the edge of the roll paper, the edge of the edge not having the glue layer is used. In consideration of the width, the trim processing is not performed or the trim processing is performed in a range smaller than the roll paper RP1 in which the glue layer is provided on the entire surface, and the image formation is performed up to the limit of the area where the glue exists. Change the width of the unused area to be done. Thereby, waste of roll paper can be reduced.

  As described above, by changing the width of the unused area based on the paper transport speed, the paper type, the paper feed start time, the width of the edge that does not have the glue layer, etc. It is possible to make a setting that appropriately avoids stains and does not waste paper. The sheet conveyance speed, type, sheet feeding start time, width of the end portion having no adhesive layer, and the like correspond to setting information related to the protruding amount of the present invention. Note that the width of the unused area may be changed based on the amount of paste protruding predicted by the setting information or the like. In the following, the changed amount of the unused area width is described as the trim amount. Initially, the width of the unused area by the machine setting is used as a reference.

5 and 6 are flowcharts showing a procedure when changing the width of the unused area. The following procedure is executed under the control of the control unit.
First, a procedure for changing the width of the unused area based on whether the roll paper has glue or no glue will be described with reference to FIG.
It is determined whether the job to be output has selected roll paper with glue (tack paper) in the paper setting (step s1). When the roll paper with glue is selected (step s1, Yes), the trim amount is set to 2.5 mm (step s2), and the process proceeds to step s3. The reference at this time can be the width of the unused area in the machine setting. On the other hand, if it is determined in step s1 that the sheet is not glue-added paper (step s1, No), the procedure ends.

In step s3, it is determined whether there is an image defect by changing the width of the unused area (step s3). If there is an image defect (step s3, Yes), the image layout is rearranged so that the image is not lost (step s4). If it is determined in step s3 that there is no image defect (step s3, No), the procedure ends.
According to the above procedure, the trim amount can be set large when a job is output using the roll paper with glue, and further, it is possible to prevent image loss due to the change in the trim amount. In addition, even if it has glue, it does not have glue at the end part, and when there is no glue sticking out, it can be handled as roll paper without glue.

Next, a procedure for setting the trim amount in consideration of the linear velocity, the paper type, and the distance from the start of feeding will be described with reference to FIG. The following procedure can be performed as a replacement for the process of setting the trim amount in the flowchart of FIG. The following procedure is executed under the control of the control unit.
First, in step s10, it is determined whether a job to be output is a paper setting and a sheet with glue is selected. If it is a sheet with glue (step s10, Yes), it is determined whether the linear velocity (paper conveyance speed) is low (step s11). It is possible to determine whether the linear velocity is low based on a preset linear velocity standard. If there is no glue (step s10, No), the process is terminated.

  When the linear velocity is low (step s11, Yes), the trim amount is set to 1 mm (step s12). In step s11, it is determined whether or not the linear velocity is low. However, the adjustment content of the trim amount based on the linear velocity is not limited to this. For example, the linear velocity (paper conveyance speed) is low. It may be determined whether it is medium or high, and the trim amount may be adjusted to 1 mm if the linear velocity is low, 0.5 mm if medium, or 0 mm if high. Moreover, it is good also as a form which changes trim amount according to the value of a linear velocity.

After step s12 or when it is determined in step s11 that the linear velocity is not low (No in step s11), it is determined whether the paper type used in the job is thick paper (step s13). Whether the paper is thick paper is determined in advance as a reference for the thickness, and a thicker paper roll can be used as the thick paper. When the paper type is thick paper (step s13, Yes), the trim amount is set to 3 mm (step s14), and is added to the trim amount determined in step s12. If the paper type is not thick paper (step s13, No), the process proceeds to step s15.
In step s13, the trim amount is adjusted based on whether the paper type is thick paper. However, the determination of the paper type is not limited to this. For example, the trim amount may be adjusted to 3 mm when the paper type is thick paper and with glue, 1.5 mm when the paper type is normal and with glue, and 0 mm when there is no glue. Further, the trim amount may be changed according to the type of adhesive or the paper type.

After step s14, it is determined whether it is within 10 m from the start of paper feeding (step s15). At this time, it is assumed that the paper feed length of the preparation period is not included. Roll paper is easy to meander, especially before running is stable, and it is easy for glue to stick to the belt or fixing at the edge of the paper. Become.
If it is within 10 m (step s15, Yes), the trim amount is set to 2 mm and added to the trim amount determined in step s14. In addition, a conveyance distance can be set suitably and is not limited to 10 m.
After step s16 or when it is determined in step s15 that it is not within 10 m from the start of paper feed (step s15, No), it is determined whether an image loss occurs due to a change in trim amount (step s17). The procedure after step s17 is the same as that after step s3 in FIG.

  Next, a procedure for setting a trim amount in consideration of whether the immediately preceding job used roll paper with glue when outputting a job with glue-free roll paper will be described. The following procedure is executed under the control of the control unit.

When a job is output using a roll paper with glue, dirt adheres to a roller or the like. Once the glue adheres to the belt or the fixing, it is necessary to perform cleaning by a service person or flow a certain amount of roll paper in order to remove the glue. If a job without glue is printed immediately after a job with glue without performing this operation, the edge portion becomes dirty due to the effect of the previous job. In this case, it is desirable to increase the trim amount.
FIG. 3D is a diagram illustrating a case where a job using roll paper without glue is output immediately after a job using roll paper with glue. Even in the case of a roll paper without glue, if a roll paper with glue is used immediately before, a stain due to glue occurs. When the roll paper without glue is transported to some extent after the roll paper with glue is used, dirt on the roller or the like is removed, and dirt on the roll paper can be avoided.

FIG. 7 illustrates a procedure when using a pasteless roll paper. The following procedure is executed under the control of the control unit.
First, it is determined that the job has selected glue-free paper in the paper settings (step s21). If no paste-free paper is selected, that is, if a paste-added paper (tack paper) is selected (No in step s21), the procedure ends. Thereafter, a procedure similar to the procedure of FIG. 5 can be performed.
On the other hand, when the pasteless paper is selected (step s21, Yes), it is determined whether the previously output job was a roll paper with glue (step s22). If the previously output job is glue-free roll paper (No at step s22), the procedure is terminated.

  When the paper of the job output before is a roll paper with glue (step s22, Yes), it is determined whether the paper width of the current job is wider than that of the previous job (step s23). If the paper width of the current job is not larger than that of the previous job (No at step s23), the procedure is terminated. In this case, trim processing is not performed, and the width of the unused area returns to the width before the change. In this case, the roll paper with glue of the previous job corresponds to the first transfer medium in the present invention, and the roll paper without glue corresponds to the second transfer medium in the present invention.

  When the paper width of the current job is larger than that of the previous job (step s23, Yes), it is determined whether the current job has been output 100 m or whether there is no dust based on the reading result of the dirt detection sensor ( Step s24). If the current job has been output 100 m or if no dust is detected by the sensor (step s24, Yes), the procedure is terminated. On the other hand, if 100 m has not been output and the dirt detection sensor has not determined that there is no dust (No in step s24), the setting of the paper width and trim amount of the previous job is taken over (step s25) (the paper itself is the front A width wider than that of the job is used, but the width of image formation is the same as the width of the previous job). At this time, if necessary, the image layout is rearranged.

  In addition, when the roll paper with glue is changed to the roll paper without glue, a comment urging cleaning may be issued. When the trim amount increases, the trim amount is also reflected in the preview. The comment and preview can be displayed on the operation display unit 140 or may be displayed on the display unit of the external device 3.

Next, an operation for preferentially outputting a job using rolls without glue and an operation for allocating jobs according to the presence or absence of glue when there are a plurality of image forming apparatuses will be described.
In an image forming apparatus that forms an image on roll paper, since it takes time to replace the roll paper, scheduling may be performed so that a job using roll paper without glue is executed first.
Further, when a job is output by an image forming system having a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the job may be allocated to different image forming apparatuses depending on the presence or absence of glue. As a result, it is possible to reduce image contamination and cleaning work frequency when using roll paper with glue.
In addition, when it has glue but does not have glue at the edge, it may be handled as having no glue unless the glue protrudes.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the above operation. The procedure is performed under the control of the control unit.
First, when a job is input, it is determined whether a plurality of image forming apparatuses that support roll paper are managed (step s31). The management may be performed by a management apparatus, or may be managed by a specific image forming apparatus. If a plurality of roll paper image forming apparatuses are managed (step s31, Yes), it is determined whether or not the job uses glue-attached paper (tack paper) (step s32). When using a sheet with glue (step s32, Yes), the job is transmitted to the machine A (step s33). When a sheet without glue is selected (step s32, No), the job is transmitted to the machine B (step s32). Step s34). When step 33 or step s34 is completed, the procedure is terminated. As a result, a job with glue and a job without glue can be output by different image forming apparatuses. The machine A corresponds to the first image forming apparatus of the present invention, and the machine B corresponds to the second image forming apparatus of the present invention.

  On the other hand, in step s31, when only one image forming apparatus corresponding to roll paper is managed (No in step s31), it is determined whether the next job uses paper with glue (tack paper) (step s35). ). If the next job is a pasteless paper (No at step s35), the job is transmitted to the machine A. When the next job is a sheet with glue (step s35, Yes), an inquiry is made to the machine A to refer to the list of reserved jobs to determine whether the glueless job is completed (step s36). If the pasteless job is not completed (No at step s36), the process waits until the glueless job is completed. When the pasteless job is completed (step s36, Yes), the job is transmitted to the machine A (step s37), and the procedure ends. As a result, it is possible to output the glueless job with priority over the glued job and output it by a single image forming apparatus.

  In this embodiment, the roll paper with glue is set so as to increase the trim amount in order to avoid contamination of the edge portion. When image loss occurs due to an increase in the trim amount, the image layout is adjusted to be narrow. However, since the non-glue roll has no such danger, it is possible to write a label to the last minute. In addition, if there is glue but no glue on the edge, the setting (image layout) can be made so as to draw up to the limit (where glue is attached).

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the said embodiment and drawing, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this, The appropriate change is possible unless it deviates from the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Network 3 External device 4 Image forming apparatus 5 Image forming apparatus 10 Main body 22 Conveying path 23 Conveying roller 24 Tilt sensor 25 Dirt detection sensor 30 External control unit 100 Control block 110 Image forming unit 113 Control CPU
140 Operation Display Unit 150 Printer Unit 160 Image Processing Unit (Print & Scanner Controller)
T1 Unused area T2 Unused area TL1 Used area TL2 Used area I1 Image I2 Image I3 Image

Claims (25)

An image forming unit that forms an image on a transfer medium based on a job;
A transport unit for transporting the transfer medium;
A control unit that controls image formation and conveyance;
When the transfer medium provided with the adhesive layer is used in a job, the control unit can perform trim processing to change the width of the unused area at the end in the width direction of the transfer medium when forming an image. An image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs trim processing based on information related to an amount of protrusion of the adhesive material to the outside of the transfer medium during conveyance.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured such that the information related to the protrusion amount is a predicted protrusion amount or a setting content that affects the protrusion amount.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the width of the unused area in a range larger than the width of the unused area in the machine setting.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unused area is an area where image formation is not performed at least.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit forms an image within a use area of a transfer medium.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the use area includes an image forming area and a blank area attached to the image forming area after printing.   The control unit has an adhesive layer provided on the transfer medium used in the job or when the transfer medium used in the job is provided with an adhesive layer on the edge in the width direction. If not, the trim processing is not performed at the time of image formation, or the trim processing is performed within a range where the width of the unused area is smaller than that of the transfer medium provided with the adhesive layer on the entire surface. The image forming apparatus according to any one of 1 to 7.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether the transfer medium used in the job is provided with an adhesive layer.   The control unit sets the transfer medium conveyance speed, the transfer medium type, the paper feed start time, the width of the edge of the transfer medium provided with the adhesive layer and not having the adhesive layer to two or more. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the width of the unused area is changed accordingly.   When the width of the unused area is changed, if the controller determines that an image defect occurs in the image formed on the transfer medium after the width change, the controller controls the transfer medium so that the image defect does not occur. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image layout is changed.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer medium is a continuous transfer medium.   13. The control unit, when using a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer in a job, sets the width of the unused area according to a travel distance from the start of normal conveyance. Image forming apparatus.   The control unit performs trimming for a predetermined period when transporting a transfer medium without an adhesive layer in a job after using the transfer medium with an adhesive layer provided and trimmed in the job. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein processing is performed.   The control unit is provided with an adhesive layer, obtains an image reading result of a transfer medium on which an image is formed, and continues trim processing until a stain on an end of the transfer medium becomes a predetermined value or less. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit returns the width of the unused area to the width before the change after the trim processing.   The controller is a post-job of a job that has been trimmed using a first transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer, and is provided with an adhesive layer having a width smaller than that of the first transfer medium. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the second transfer medium that has not been transported is conveyed, trim processing is not performed on the second transfer medium.   When executing a job using a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer and a job using a transfer medium not provided with an adhesive layer, the control unit is provided with an adhesive layer. The image according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein a job using a transfer medium that is not used is output in preference to a job using a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer. Forming equipment.   The control unit has priority over a job that uses a transfer medium that has an adhesive layer and does not have an adhesive on the edge over a transfer medium that has an adhesive layer on the entire surface. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the image forming apparatus outputs the image. An image forming system having a management device that manages an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a transfer medium,
A control unit that communicates with the image forming apparatus and manages the image forming apparatus;
When the transfer medium provided with the adhesive layer is used for a job, the control unit enables trim processing to change the width of the unused area at the widthwise end of the transfer medium when forming an image. An image forming system.   When the control unit manages a job that uses a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer and a job that uses a transfer medium that is not provided with an adhesive layer, the control unit is provided with an adhesive layer. 21. The image forming system according to claim 20, wherein a job using a transfer medium having no adhesive is controlled to be output in preference to a job using a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer.   The control unit manages a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and performs a job using a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer and a job using a transfer medium provided with no adhesive layer. When managing, a job that uses a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer is printed by the first image forming apparatus, and a job that uses a transfer medium that does not have an adhesive layer is provided by the second image forming apparatus. The image forming system according to claim 20, wherein the image forming system is controlled so as to perform printing.   The control unit performs control so that a job using a transfer medium having an adhesive layer and an edge having no adhesive is printed by the second image forming apparatus. Item 22. The image forming apparatus according to Item 22.   The image forming system according to any one of claims 20 to 23, comprising the image forming apparatus. A program executed by a control unit that controls the image forming apparatus,
When a transfer medium provided with an adhesive layer is used in a job in an image forming apparatus, trim processing is performed to change the width of an unused area at the widthwise end of the transfer medium when forming an image. Control program.

Images