JP4449394B2 - Printing apparatus, printing method, and printing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a printing method, and a printing system.

Conventionally, printing apparatuses are provided with a printing function called “borderless printing”. This “borderless printing” is a printing method in which ink is ejected over a wider range than the medium, and printing is performed so that no margin is formed on the medium. In “borderless printing”, ink is ejected in a wider range than the medium, and therefore there is ink that is removed from the medium. For this reason, such a printing apparatus is provided with an ink accumulation unit for accumulating discarded ink.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-103586

  However, such “marginless printing” has the following problems. That is, when the medium is transported to the printing start position, if the medium is transported to a position far away upstream of the transport direction from the position where ink is ejected, the amount of ink that is discarded by the ink accumulation unit increases. . On the other hand, when the medium is transported downstream in the medium transport direction from the position where ink is ejected, a blank space is formed on the medium. Therefore, in such “marginless printing”, when the medium is transported to the print start position, it is preferable that the medium is transported accurately with the last position on the upstream side in the medium transport direction as a target.

  In addition to “marginless printing”, for example, in the case where printing is performed by providing a margin of a predetermined size at the edge of the medium, in order to make the size of the margin a predetermined size, Therefore, it is necessary to accurately convey the medium to the target print start position.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is to accurately convey a medium to be printed to a target position.

A transport unit for transporting the medium in the transport direction;
A print head in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in the transport direction, and the print head moves in a moving direction intersecting the transport direction and discharges ink onto the medium to perform printing ; and
An ink depositing section for depositing ink that does not land on the medium;
With
Based on a predetermined target transport amount, the transport unit transports the medium to a print start position,
Adjacent patterns that are a plurality of patterns composed of ruled lines extending in the movement direction by switching the nozzle that ejects the ink while moving the print head in the movement direction on the medium conveyed to the printing start position Forming a plurality of patterns spaced by a predetermined distance in the transport direction,
In forming the plurality of patterns, the ink for forming some patterns is discarded in the ink depositing portion,
Storing a correction amount corresponding to a pattern selected from the plurality of patterns;
When printing on another medium by the print head, the other medium is transported to a print start position by the transport unit based on the target transport amount corrected by the correction amount. apparatus.

  Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

  It becomes possible to accurately convey a medium to be printed to a target position.

At least the following matters will become clear from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.
A transport unit that transports the medium in the transport direction; and a print head that performs printing on the medium transported by the transport unit, and the medium is printed by the transport unit based on a predetermined target transport amount. The printing head forms a plurality of patterns on the medium conveyed to the printing start position, stores correction amounts corresponding to patterns selected from the plurality of patterns, and stores the correction amounts on other media. When printing is performed by a print head, the printing apparatus transports the other medium to a print start position by the transport unit based on the target transport amount corrected by the correction amount.

  In such a printing apparatus, a plurality of patterns are formed by the print head on the medium conveyed to the printing start position, and correction amounts corresponding to the patterns selected from the plurality of patterns are stored. When printing on the medium by the print head, another medium is transported to the print start position by the transport unit based on the target transport amount corrected by the correction amount, so that the medium to be printed is accurately positioned at the target position. It can be transported.

It is preferable that the apparatus further includes a sensor that detects the medium, and the transport unit transports the medium based on the target transport amount after the sensor detects the medium.
In such a printing apparatus, further comprising a sensor for detecting the medium, and after the sensor detects the medium, the transport unit transports the medium based on the target transport amount. It is possible to accurately convey the medium to the target position.

The sensor is preferably provided on a carriage.
In such a printing apparatus, since the sensor is provided in the carriage, it is possible to accurately detect the medium.

The plurality of patterns are preferably formed on the medium along a direction in which the carriage moves.
In such a printing apparatus, the plurality of patterns are formed on the medium along the carriage moving direction. Therefore, when forming the plurality of patterns, the carriage is moved in a direction opposite to the carriage moving direction. There is no need to return.

  The plurality of patterns are preferably formed at different positions in the transport direction of the medium.

In such a printing apparatus, the plurality of patterns are formed at different positions in the conveyance direction of the medium, and can be used as a reference for correcting the target conveyance amount.

The plurality of patterns are preferably formed at equal intervals in the transport direction of the medium.
In such a printing apparatus, the plurality of patterns are formed at equal intervals in the medium conveyance direction, and can be used as a reference for correcting the target conveyance amount.

The plurality of patterns are preferably formed by ink ejected from a nozzle provided on the most downstream side in the medium transport direction among the plurality of nozzles provided on the print head.
In such a printing apparatus, the plurality of patterns are formed by ink ejected from a nozzle provided at the most downstream side in the medium transport direction among the plurality of nozzles provided in the print head. Therefore, the plurality of patterns can be accurately formed.

The plurality of patterns are preferably formed by ink ejected from a plurality of different nozzles provided in the print head.
In such a printing apparatus, the plurality of patterns are formed by ink ejected from a plurality of different nozzles provided in the print head. Therefore, when the plurality of patterns are formed, the conveyance is performed. The unit need not repeatedly move the medium in the transport direction.

The color of the ink is preferably black.
In such a printing apparatus, since the color of the ink is black, the user can easily see the plurality of patterns.

It is preferable to perform borderless printing on the medium.
In such a printing apparatus, borderless printing can be performed on the medium.

It is preferable to further include an ink accumulation unit that accumulates ink that does not land on the medium.
In such a printing apparatus, an ink accumulation unit that accumulates ink that does not land on the medium is further provided, so that ink that does not land on the medium can be accumulated on the ink accumulation unit.

In addition, a transport unit that transports the medium in the transport direction and a print head that performs printing on the medium transported by the transport unit, the medium is printed by the transport unit based on a predetermined target transport amount. A plurality of patterns are formed by the print head on the medium conveyed to the start position, the correction amount corresponding to the pattern selected from the plurality of patterns is stored, and another medium When printing is performed by the print head, the other medium is transported to the print start position by the transport unit based on the target transport amount corrected by the correction amount. This is a transport amount that is transported from the detection by the sensor to the start of printing. The sensor is provided on the carriage, and the plurality of patterns are Formed on the medium along the direction of movement of the wedge, the plurality of patterns are formed at different positions in the conveyance direction of the medium, and the plurality of patterns are formed at equal intervals in the conveyance direction of the medium, The plurality of patterns are formed by ink ejected from a nozzle provided on the most downstream side in the conveyance direction of the medium among the plurality of nozzles provided in the print head, and the color of the ink is black. It is also possible to realize a printing apparatus that further includes an ink accumulation unit that performs marginless printing on the medium and deposits ink that does not land on the medium.
In this way, the effects of the present invention can be achieved most effectively because all the effects described above can be achieved.

In addition, based on a predetermined target transport amount, the transport unit that transports the medium in the transport direction transports the medium to the print start position, and prints a plurality of patterns by the print head that performs printing on the medium transported to the print start position. And a correction amount corresponding to a pattern selected from the plurality of patterns is stored, and when printing is performed on the other medium by the print head, the correction amount is corrected based on the target carry amount. Thus, it is possible to realize a printing method in which the other medium is transported to the printing start position by the transport unit.
The printing method realized in this way is a better method than the conventional method.

A printing system including a computer main body and a printing apparatus connectable to the computer main body, the printing apparatus conveying a medium in a conveyance direction, and the medium conveyed by the conveyance unit A print head that performs printing on the medium, the medium transported to the print start position by the transport unit based on a predetermined target transport amount, and a plurality of print heads to the medium transported to the print start position. When a pattern is formed, a correction amount corresponding to a pattern selected from the plurality of patterns is stored, and printing is performed on the other medium by the print head, the target carry amount corrected by the correction amount is set. Based on this, it is also possible to realize a printing system in which the other medium is transported to the printing start position by the transport unit. .
The printing system realized in this way is a system superior to the conventional system as a whole system.

=== Outline of the device ===
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printing system including an inkjet printer. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system centered on the controller.
An ink jet printer 1 (hereinafter referred to as a printer 1) is a printing apparatus that prints an image on a medium by ejecting ink from nozzles. The printer 1 includes a transport unit 10, a carriage unit 20, a head unit 30, an operation panel 40, and a controller 50.

  The transport unit 10 transports the medium P to a printable position. When the medium P is printed, the transport unit 10 intermittently transports the medium P by a predetermined transport amount (note that the direction in which the transport unit 10 transports the medium P is referred to as a transport direction). The transport unit 10 includes a transport motor 12 and a transport roller 14. The conveyance motor 12 generates a rotational driving force. The transport roller 14 is rotated by the rotational driving force of the transport motor 12 and transports the medium P in the transport direction. The transport of the medium P by the transport unit 10 will be described in detail later.

  The carriage unit 20 is a device for reciprocating the carriage. That is, the carriage unit 20 moves the nozzles that eject ink by moving the carriage. The carriage movement direction is a direction parallel to the left-right direction in FIG. 1 and intersects the conveyance direction. The carriage unit 20 includes a carriage 21, a carriage motor 22, a pulley 23, a belt 24, a guide 25, and a position sensor 26. The carriage 21 can reciprocate along the carriage movement direction. Further, the carriage 21 can be mounted with an ink cartridge 70 for containing ink. The carriage motor 22 generates a driving force for moving the carriage 21 along the carriage movement direction. The carriage motor 22 can be switched between forward rotation and reverse rotation so that the carriage 21 can reciprocate in the carriage movement direction. The pulley 23 is attached to the rotation shaft of the carriage motor 22 and is rotated by the carriage motor 22. The belt 24 is driven by the pulley 23. Since a part of the belt 24 and a part of the carriage 21 are joined, when the carriage motor 22 rotates, the belt 24 is driven via the pulley 23 and the carriage 21 moves in the carriage movement direction. The guide 25 is a rod-shaped member having a circular cross section, and is a guide member for guiding the carriage 21 along the carriage movement direction. The guide 25 and a part of the belt 24 restrict the movement of the carriage 21 in the rotational direction about the carriage movement direction. The position sensor 26 detects the origin position of the carriage 21 (the origin position in the carriage movement direction). The carriage unit 20 also has a linear encoder (not shown) and the like. The linear encoder detects the relative position of the carriage 21 with respect to the origin position (relative position in the carriage movement direction).

  The head unit 30 is a device for ejecting ink onto the medium P, and includes a head 31 including a plurality of nozzles and driving elements. Since the head 31 is provided integrally with the carriage 21, when the carriage 21 moves in the carriage movement direction, the head 31 similarly moves in the carriage movement direction. Accordingly, when ink is intermittently ejected from the nozzles of the head 31 during the movement of the carriage 21, ink droplets sequentially land on the medium P, and a line-shaped row of dots is formed on the medium P. The head unit 30 also has an introduction tube, an ink flow path (described later), and the like.

  The operation panel 40 includes a plurality of operation buttons and a lamp made of a light emitting element such as an LED. An operator can input printing conditions directly to the printer 1 by pressing an operation button. The lamp is used for, for example, notifying an operator of an abnormality by causing a red LED to emit light.

  The controller 50 controls the printer 1. In particular, the controller 50 transfers signals to the transport unit 10, the carriage unit 20, the head unit 30, and the operation panel 40, and controls each unit. The controller 50 includes a CPU 51, a RAM 52, and a ROM 53, and constitutes an arithmetic logic circuit. The CPU 51 controls the entire printer 1 and gives a control command to each unit. The RAM 52 secures a work area for the CPU 51. The ROM 53 is a storage means for storing a program, and is composed of, for example, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as an EEPROM or a flash memory, and data can be rewritten. Various operations of the printer 1 to be described later are realized by programs stored in the ROM 53. The ROM 53 records information on test patterns and printer fonts. When the printer 1 receives information specifying a test pattern or character, the printer 1 refers to the information stored in the ROM 53 and outputs a corresponding test pattern or character. The ROM 53 is also a storage unit that stores information about a correction amount for correcting the carry amount.

  The controller 50 includes an I / F dedicated circuit 55, a motor drive circuit 56, and a head drive circuit 57. The I / F dedicated circuit 55 performs a dedicated interface. The motor drive circuit 56 is connected to the I / F dedicated circuit 55 and drives the transport motor 12 and the carriage motor 22 based on a signal from the CPU 51. The head drive circuit 57 is connected to the I / F dedicated circuit 55 and drives the head 31 based on a signal from the CPU 51.

  The controller 50 is connected to the computer 5 via the connector 3. This computer is equipped with a driver for the printer 1. The driver of the printer 1 has a function as a user interface that receives commands by operating input means such as a keyboard and a mouse, and presents various information in the printer 1 to the operator by screen display on the display.

=== Configuration of the head ===
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration inside the head. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the piezo element 35 and the nozzle Nz. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of the nozzles Nz in the head.

  The carriage 21 includes a cartridge 70K for black ink (K), a cartridge 70C for dark cyan ink (C), a cartridge 70LC for light cyan ink (LC), and a cartridge 70M for dark magenta ink (M). The cartridge 70LM for light magenta ink (LM) and the cartridge 70Y for yellow ink (Y) can be mounted. Since the configuration of the head for each color ink is almost the same, a part of the description is omitted in the following description.

  Under the carriage 21, six head units 30 (30K, 30C, 30LC, 30M, 30LM, 30Y) are provided. Each head unit 30 has an introduction tube 33 and an ink flow path 34. The introduction pipe 33 is inserted into a connection hole (not shown) provided in the cartridge 70 when the cartridge 70 is mounted on the carriage, and supplies ink to the head unit 30. The ink flow path 34 is a flow path for guiding ink supplied from the cartridge 70 to the head 31.

  The head 31 is provided with a plurality of nozzles Nz. Each nozzle Nz is provided with a piezo element 35 as a drive element for driving each nozzle to eject ink droplets. Each nozzle functions as a liquid ejecting unit for ejecting ink that is liquid.

  The piezo element 35 is an element that transforms electro-mechanical energy at an extremely high speed because the crystal structure is distorted by application of a voltage. When a voltage having a predetermined time width is applied between the electrodes provided at both ends of the piezo element 35, the piezo element 35 expands according to the voltage application time and deforms the side wall of the ink flow path 34. As a result, the volume of the ink passage 34 contracts according to the expansion of the piezo element 35, and the ink corresponding to the contraction becomes an ink droplet Ip and is ejected from the tip of the nozzle Nz. When the ink droplet Ip lands on the medium P, dots are formed on the medium.

  The plurality of nozzles are aligned on the lower surface of the head 31 along the transport direction. These nozzles are aligned at regular intervals. Each nozzle is assigned a lower number in the downstream side (# 1 to #n). The nozzle rows arranged in this way are provided on the lower surface of the head for each color. The nozzle rows of each color are arranged so as to be adjacent along the scanning direction.

  At the time of printing, the transport unit 10 intermittently transports the medium P by a predetermined transport amount, and during the intermittent transport, the carriage 21 moves in the scanning direction and ink droplets are ejected from each nozzle. In the present embodiment, the nozzle interval is 180 dpi.

=== Conveying the medium ===
<Conveyor unit configuration>
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the configuration of the transport unit 10.
The transport unit 10 feeds the medium P to a printable position and moves the medium by a predetermined movement amount in the transport direction during printing. That is, the transport unit 10 functions as a transport mechanism that transports the medium. In addition to the transport motor 12 and the transport roller 14, the transport unit 10 includes a transport free roller 15, a platen 16, a paper discharge roller 17, a paper discharge free roller 18, and a rotary encoder 19.

  The transport free roller 15 is provided at a position facing the transport roller 14, and presses the medium P toward the transport roller 14 by sandwiching the medium P between the transport roller 14. The platen 16 supports the medium P being printed from below. The paper discharge roller 17 is a roller for discharging the printed medium P to the outside of the printer. The paper discharge roller 17 is driven by the transport motor 12 by a gear. That is, the transport motor 12 drives the transport roller 14 and also drives the paper discharge roller 17. The paper discharge free roller 18 is provided at a position facing the paper discharge roller 17, and presses the medium P toward the paper discharge roller 17 by sandwiching the medium P between the paper discharge roller 17.

<About rotary encoders>
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the rotary encoder 19.
The rotary encoder 19 is for detecting the position of the carriage 41 and includes a scale 191 and a detection unit 192.

  The scale 191 is provided with slits at predetermined intervals, and is provided on the conveyance roller 14 side. That is, the scale 191 rotates together with the conveyance roller 14 as it rotates. In the present embodiment, when the transport roller 14 rotates so as to transport the medium P by 1/1440 inch, the transport roller rotates by the slit interval of the scale 191.

  The detection unit 192 is provided to face the scale 191 and is fixed to the printer main body side. The detection unit 192 includes a light emitting diode 192A, a collimator lens 192B, and a detection processing unit 192C. The detection processing unit 192C includes a plurality of (for example, four) photodiodes 192D and a signal processing circuit 192E. Two comparators 192Fa and 192Fb are provided.

  The light emitting diode 192A emits light when a voltage Vcc is applied through resistances at both ends, and this light enters the collimator lens. The collimator lens 192B converts the light emitted from the light emitting diode 192A into parallel light and irradiates the scale 191 with the parallel light. The parallel light that has passed through the slit provided in the scale passes through a fixed slit (not shown) and enters each photodiode 192D. The photodiode 192D converts incident light into an electrical signal. The electric signals output from the respective photodiodes are compared in the comparators 192Fa and 192Fb, and the comparison result is output as a pulse. The pulses ENC-A and ENC-B output from the comparators 192Fa and 192Fb are the output of the rotary encoder 19.

  FIG. 8A is a timing chart of the waveform of the output signal when the transport motor 12 is rotating forward. FIG. 8B is a timing chart of the waveform of the output signal when the transport motor 12 is reversed.

  As shown in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B, the phase of the pulse ENC-A and the pulse ENC-B are shifted by 90 degrees regardless of whether the conveyance motor 12 is rotating forward or reversing. When the transport motor 12 is rotating forward, that is, when the medium P is transported in the transport direction, the phase of the pulse ENC-A is advanced by 90 degrees from the pulse ENC-B as shown in FIG. 8A. It is out. On the other hand, when the transport motor 12 is reversed, that is, when the medium P is transported in the direction opposite to the transport direction, the pulse ENC-A is 90% more than the pulse ENC-B as shown in FIG. 8B. The phase is delayed by a degree. One period T of each pulse is equal to a time during which the transport roller 14 rotates by an interval between slits of the scale 191 (for example, 1/1440 inch (1 inch = 2.54 cm)).

<Conveying media>
FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of conveying the medium. Various operations of the printer 1 (or the conveyance unit 10) described below are realized by a program stored in the ROM 53 in the printer 1. The program is composed of codes for performing various operations described below.

  First, a target transport amount is set (S101). The target transport amount is a value that determines the drive amount of the transport unit 10 because the transport unit 10 transports the medium P with the target movement amount. The target carry amount is determined based on information regarding the target carry amount included in the print data received from the computer 5. The target carry amount is set by setting a counter value. In this embodiment, since the target transport amount is X, the counter value is set to X.

Next, the transport motor 12 is driven (S102). When the transport motor 12 is driven, the transport roller 14 rotates through the gear. When the transport roller 14 rotates, the rotary encoder provided on the transport roller 14 also rotates.
Next, the edge of the pulse signal of the rotary encoder is detected (S103). That is, first, a rising edge or a falling edge is detected for the pulse ENC-A or ENC-B. In the present embodiment, detecting one edge means that the conveyance roller conveys the medium P at 1/1440 inch.

When the edge of the pulse signal of the rotary encoder is detected, the counter value is subtracted (S104). That is, when the edge of the pulse signal is detected when the counter value is X, the counter value is set to X-1.
Then, the operations of S102 to S104 are repeated until the counter value becomes zero (S105). First, the transport motor 12 is driven until the number of pulses set to the counter is detected. Thereby, the transport unit 10 can transport the medium P in the transport direction by a transport amount corresponding to the value initially set in the counter.

  For example, when the medium P is transported by 90/1440 inches, the counter value is set to 90 in order to set the target transport amount. Each time the rising edge or the falling edge of the pulse signal of the rotary encoder is detected, the counter value is subtracted. When the counter value becomes zero, the transport unit 10 ends the transport operation. Detecting 90 pulse signals means that the transport roller transports the medium P at 90/1440 inches. Therefore, if the counter value is set to 90 as the setting of the target transport amount, the transport unit 10 transports the medium P at 90/1440 inches.

  In the above description, the rising edge or falling edge of the pulse ENC-A or ENC-B is detected. However, both edges of the pulse ENC-A and the pulse ENC-B may be detected. The period of each of the pulses ENC-A and ENC-B is equal to the slit interval of the scale 191, and the phases of the pulses ENC-A and ENC-B are shifted by 90 degrees. Detecting any of the falling edges means that the conveyance roller conveys the medium at 1/5760 inch. In this case, if the counter value is set to 90, the transport unit 10 transports the medium P at 90/5760 inches. In this embodiment described below, if the value of the counter is 1, the transport unit 10 transports the medium at 1/5769 inch.

  The above description relates to one transport operation. When a plurality of transport operations are performed intermittently, a target transport amount is set (a counter is set) every time each transport operation ends, and the medium P is transported according to the set target transport amount.

  By the way, the rotary encoder 19 directly detects the rotation amount of the transport roller 14 and does not detect the transport amount of the medium. However, when the transport roller 14 rotates to transport the medium P, a transport error occurs due to slippage between the transport roller 14 and the medium P. In this way, when slippage occurs between the transport roller 14 and the medium P, in order to transport the medium P by the target transport amount, it is necessary to drive the transport roller 14 by a transport amount larger than the target transport amount. There is. Therefore, the printer according to the present embodiment cancels the transport error and transports the medium P by the optimum transport amount, so that the target transport amount is corrected and the counter is set to a value corresponding to the corrected target transport amount. Is possible.

=== Correction of transport amount in “Borderless printing” ===
Here, with reference to FIG. 10, FIG. 11A, and FIG. 11B, the necessity of the correction of the conveyance amount in “marginless printing” will be described.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state where the medium P is transported by the target transport amount L from the position detected by the sensor to the print start position in “borderless printing”. FIG. 11A is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state in which the ink discarded in the ink accumulation portion is piled up. FIG. 11B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the medium P is transported to the downstream portion in the medium transport direction from the position where ink is ejected when printing is started.

  “Borderless printing” is a printing method that ejects ink over a wider area than the medium. In “marginless printing”, ink is also ejected to a region outside the medium so that no margin is formed on the medium. Then, ink that does not land on the medium is deposited on the ink accumulation section. In FIG. 10, a sensor 27 is provided on the upstream portion of the carriage 22 in the medium conveyance direction so as to face the platen 16. As described above, the sensor 27 is provided on the carriage 22 located downstream of the paper discharge roller 17 and the paper discharge free roller 18 sandwiching the medium P in the medium conveyance direction. Accordingly, since the sensor 27 can detect the position of the medium P more accurately, the transport error when the medium P is transported by the target transport amount L from the position where the position of the medium P is detected to the print start position is reduced. be able to. The platen 16 is provided with ink depositing sections 28 and 29 for depositing ink that does not land on the medium. The ink accumulation unit 28 is provided at the downstream side of the platen 16 in the medium conveyance direction, and accumulates ink that does not land on the front end of the medium. The ink accumulation unit 29 is provided upstream of the platen 16 in the medium conveyance direction, and accumulates ink that does not land on the rear end of the medium.

  In “marginless printing”, the medium P is transported by the target transport amount L from the position where the sensor 27 provided on the carriage 22 detects the position of the medium P to the print start position. However, when the medium P is transported to a position far away from the position where ink is ejected upstream in the transport direction, the amount of ink discarded into the ink accumulation portion increases as shown in FIG. 11A. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11B, when the medium P is transported downstream in the medium transport direction from the position at which ink is ejected at the start of printing, a blank space is formed on the medium P. Based on the above considerations, in such “borderless printing”, when the medium is transported to the print start position, the medium can be transported accurately to the position just before the position where ink is ejected. preferable. If the medium can be transported to such a position, the amount of ink thrown away by the ink accumulation portion is reduced, and no blank space is formed on the medium. When the medium is transported to a position just before the position where ink is ejected, the leading edge of the medium exists between the nozzle that ejects ink and the ink accumulation unit.

  In the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the conveyance error is canceled and the medium P is conveyed by the optimum conveyance amount. Therefore, the target conveyance amount L is corrected, and the counter is set to a value corresponding to the corrected target conveyance amount. Is possible.

=== Method for Determining Correction Amount ===
First, the user needs to determine in advance a correction amount for the target transport amount before executing “marginless printing”. Therefore, a correction amount determination method will be described below.

<About the procedure for determining the correction amount>
FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure for determining the correction amount. Various operations of the printer described below are realized by programs stored in the ROM 53 in the printer. And this program is comprised from the code | cord | chord for performing the various operation | movement demonstrated below.

  First, the printer receives an instruction signal instructing printing of a test pattern for carrying amount correction (S201). This instruction signal may be received from the computer main body or may be input from a button provided on the printer main body. When an instruction to print a test pattern is issued from the computer main body, for example, a user interface as shown in FIG. 13 is displayed on a display device connected to the computer main body. In the window W1 displayed on the display device, "printing test pattern for conveyance amount correction" is displayed. When the user clicks an OK button provided at the bottom of the window W1, a signal instructing printing of the test pattern is transmitted from the computer main body to the printer 1 side.

  Next, the printer prints a test pattern for carrying amount correction (S202). The printer that has received the instruction signal searches the test pattern in the ROM 53 for information related to the test pattern for carrying amount correction. Then, the printer prints the test pattern on the medium P in accordance with the information related to the transport amount correction test pattern. Note that a method for printing a test pattern for carrying amount correction will be described later.

  After printing the transport amount correction test pattern, the user selects an optimal correction pattern from a plurality of correction patterns printed as test patterns (S203). This optimum pattern selection may be performed on the computer main body side or on the printer main body side. When an optimum pattern is selected on the computer main body side, a user interface as shown in FIG. 14 is displayed on a display device connected to the computer main body. In the window W2 displayed on the display device, a plurality of buttons are displayed so as to correspond to the plurality of printed correction patterns. When the user clicks this button and then clicks an OK button provided at the bottom of the window W2, the correction pattern corresponding to the clicked button is selected as the optimum pattern.

  Next, the correction amount for correcting the carry amount is stored (stored) in the printer (S204). When the optimum pattern is selected on the computer main body side, information on the correction amount corresponding to the optimum pattern (information on the carry amount) is transmitted from the computer main body side to the printer side. The printer stores the received information regarding the correction amount in the EEPROM 54 in the printer.

<Test pattern printing method>
Next, with reference to FIGS. 15, 16A, and 16B, a test pattern printing method in the process of step S202 described above will be described. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a test pattern printed on a medium in the process of step S202. FIG. 16A is an explanatory diagram for describing a test pattern printing method. FIG. 16B is an explanatory diagram for explaining another printing method of the test pattern.

  FIG. 15 shows a test pattern printed on the medium in the process of step S202. In the test pattern shown in FIG. 15, the correction pattern is not formed in the portion where “−4”, “−3”, and “−2” are printed on the medium. A first correction pattern is formed at the end of the medium where “−1” is printed on the medium. A portion printed with “0” on the medium is spaced from the first correction pattern by a predetermined distance in the medium conveyance direction (in this embodiment, 1/180 inch), and the second correction. A pattern is formed. The portion printed with “1” on the medium is spaced from the second correction pattern by a predetermined distance (in this embodiment, 1/180 inch) in the medium conveyance direction, and the third correction is performed. A pattern is formed. Hereinafter, the portions printed with “2”, “3”, and “4” on the medium each have a predetermined distance in the medium transport direction from the immediately preceding correction pattern (in this embodiment, 1/180 inch). ), The fourth, fifth and sixth correction patterns are formed. Each correction pattern has a predetermined length along the carriage movement direction. As described above, the test pattern shown in FIG. 15 includes a plurality of correction patterns.

  Next, a test pattern printing method shown in FIG. 15 will be described with reference to FIG. 16A. In FIG. 16A, black circles indicate that ink is ejected from the nozzles, and white circles indicate that ink is not ejected from the nozzles. In FIG. 16A, the test pattern shown in FIG. 15 is printed only by the nozzle # 1 of the head 31K. Further, in FIG. 16A, the head 31K seems to move with respect to the medium P. However, this figure shows the relative position between the head 31K and the medium P. The relative position of both is moved by transporting P in the transport direction.

  When there is no conveyance error of the conveyance unit 10, the first correction pattern is formed at the end of the portion printed with “0” of the medium shown in FIG. In the test pattern as shown in FIG. 15, the interval in the conveyance direction between adjacent correction patterns is 1/180 inch. Therefore, when the printing apparatus forms a test pattern, the transport unit 10 determines that the target transport amount L is 4 × 1/180 inches (in this embodiment, the distance of 4 in the medium transport direction of adjacent correction patterns). The carriage 21 is moved by a predetermined amount in the carriage movement direction while ejecting ink from the # 1 nozzle of the head 31K. Thereafter, the transport unit 10 transports the medium P 1/180 inch in the medium transport direction, and moves the carriage 21 by a predetermined amount in the carriage movement direction while ejecting ink from the nozzle # 1 of the head 31K. If this operation is sequentially repeated, a test pattern as shown in FIG. 15 can be formed.

  In the test pattern shown in FIG. 15, the correction pattern is not formed at the end of the medium where “−4”, “−3”, and “−2” are printed. The reason is that the carriage 21 is ejected when the carriage 21 is in the carriage movement direction and is located at a position corresponding to the portion printed with “−4”, “−3”, and “−2” of the medium. This is because the ink to be discharged is discarded by the ink accumulation unit 28 and does not land on the medium P.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 16B, a printing method different from the above-described method of the test pattern will be described. In FIG. 16B, black circles indicate that ink is ejected from the nozzles, and white circles indicate that ink is not ejected from the nozzles.

  When there is no transport error of the transport unit 10, the first correction pattern is formed at the end of the medium where “0” of the medium shown in FIG. 15 is printed. In the test pattern as shown in FIG. 15, the interval between adjacent correction patterns is 1/180 inch apart. Therefore, when the printing apparatus forms a test pattern, the transport unit 10 moves the medium P from the target transport amount L to 4 × 1/180 inches (in the present embodiment, the adjacent correction pattern in the medium transport direction). The medium P is transported small by 4 times the distance. Then, the carriage 21 starts to move in the carriage movement direction. Then, ink is ejected from the nozzle # 1 of the head 31K. After a predetermined time, ink ejection is stopped from the nozzle # 1 of the head 31K, and ink is ejected from the nozzle # 2 of the head 31K. This operation can be generally expressed as follows. First, movement of the carriage 21 in the carriage movement direction is started. Then, ink is ejected from #n (n = 1, 2,..., 8) nozzles of the head 31K. After a predetermined time, ink ejection is stopped from #n (n = 1, 2,... 8) nozzles of the head 31K, and ink is ejected from # n + 1 (n = 1, 2,... 8) nozzles of the head 31K. When the printing apparatus performs the above operation, a test pattern is formed on the medium. In this way, the printing apparatus can form a plurality of correction patterns at different positions in the transport direction and form a test pattern by using ink ejected from a plurality of different nozzles provided in the head 31K.

<About transport error and correction amount>
Next, the meaning of the test pattern formed on the medium will be described. In “marginless printing”, as shown in FIG. 10, when the medium P is transported by the target transport amount L from the position where the edge is detected by the sensor to the print start position, there is no transport error of the transport unit 10. Then, the leading edge of the medium P is conveyed to a position just before the position where ink is ejected at the start of printing. When there is no conveyance error of the conveyance unit 10, the first correction pattern is formed at the edge of the medium where “0” is printed on the medium.

  However, in the test pattern of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the first correction pattern is formed at the end of the medium where “−1” is printed on the medium. Then, the portion printed with “0” on the medium is spaced from the first correction pattern by a predetermined distance (in the present embodiment, 1/180 inch) in the medium transport direction. The correction pattern is formed. That is, the second correction pattern is formed instead of the first correction pattern in the portion where “0” is printed on the medium.

  This is because, in the correction pattern of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the transport error of the transport unit 10 is 1/180 inch (in the present embodiment, the distance between adjacent correction patterns in the medium transport direction). It shows that there is. In this case, the transport unit 10 transports the medium larger than the target transport amount L by 1/180 inch (in this embodiment, the distance in the medium transport direction between adjacent correction patterns). In this case, the target transport amount is L, but in reality, the L + 1/180 inch medium is transported.

  Thus, the conveyance error of the conveyance unit 10 can be known from the correction pattern formed in the portion where “0” is printed on the medium. For example, when the third correction pattern is formed in a portion where “0” is printed on the medium, the transport unit 10 determines that the target transport amount L is 2 × 1/180 inches (in this embodiment). Is larger by twice the distance of adjacent correction patterns in the medium conveyance direction). In this case, the target transport amount is L, but in reality, an L + 2 × 1/180 inch medium is transported.

  In general, when the n (n = 2, 3,...) Correction pattern is formed in a portion where “0” is printed on the medium, the transport unit 10 determines from the target transport amount L This means that the medium is transported by (n−1) × 1/180 inch (in this embodiment, (n−1) times the distance in the medium transport direction between adjacent correction patterns). That is, the target transport amount is L, but actually, L + (n−1) × 1/180 inch medium is transported.

  Further, for example, consider a case where a correction pattern is not formed in a portion where “0” is printed on the medium. For example, when the first correction pattern is formed at the edge of the medium where “1” is printed on the medium, the second correction pattern is formed when there is no conveyance error of the conveyance unit 10. The first correction pattern is formed at the position. Therefore, in this case, the transport unit 10 transports the medium by a distance smaller than the target transport amount L by 1/180 inch (in the present embodiment, the distance in the medium transport direction between adjacent correction patterns). That is, the target transport amount is L, but in reality, an L−1 / 180 inch medium is transported.

  Generally, when the first correction pattern is formed at the edge of the medium where “n” (n = 1, 2,...) Is printed on the medium, there is no conveyance error of the conveyance unit 10. In this case, the first correction pattern is formed at the position where the (n + 1) (n = 1, 2,...) Correction test pattern is formed. Therefore, in this case, the transport unit 10 transports the medium by a distance smaller than the target transport amount L by nx 1/180 inch (in this embodiment, n times the distance in the medium transport direction of adjacent correction patterns). It will be done. That is, the target transport amount is L, but in reality, the Ln × 1/180 inch medium is transported.

  As described above, the user can know the transport error of the transport unit 10 by inspecting the test pattern formed on the medium. The user selects a correction pattern for correcting the transport error from a plurality of correction patterns. Then, the correction amount corresponding to the selected correction pattern is stored in the computer. For example, a case where a correction pattern displayed as “−1” on the user interface as shown in FIG. 14 is selected will be described as an example. In this case, the medium is transported by 1/180 inch larger than the initial target transport amount L. The printing apparatus stores -1/180 inch as a correction amount. Then, when printing on another medium, the medium is transported by the target transport amount (in this case, L−1 / 180 inch) corrected based on the correction amount (in this case, −1/180 inch). If it does so, a conveyance error will be canceled and an actual conveyance amount will become a thing near a target conveyance amount. Therefore, the position where the medium is transported is closer to the initial target position.

  The reason why the transport error occurs in the transport unit 10 is due to manufacturing tolerances of the gear coupled to the rotation shaft of the transport motor 12 serving as a driving force and the gear coupled to the rotation shaft extended from the paper discharge roller 17. There are errors in meshing.

=== Correction of target transport amount ===
FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining a flow when an image is formed on a medium. Various operations of the printer described below are realized by programs stored in the ROM 53 in the printer. Various operations of the computer main body described below are realized by a printer driver which is a program stored in the computer main body. These programs are composed of codes for performing various operations described below.

  First, the user turns on the printer and puts the printer in a print standby state (S311). Then, the user gives a print instruction from an application operating on the computer side (S301). When the user gives a print instruction to the computer, the print mode (printing method) is set via the user interface of the printer driver. Therefore, the computer main body can determine the target carry amount based on the set print mode (S302).

  Also, the RGB image data to be printed is converted into CMYK binary data (S303). At this time, a conversion from RGB data to CMYK data is performed with reference to a look-up table (LUT) in the printer driver. Next, raster data is created based on the CMYK data (S304). The raster data is data relating to the dot row corresponding to each nozzle, and corresponds to the aforementioned print signal PRT (i). Then, the computer main body transmits print data including data relating to the target carry amount and raster data to the printer side (S305).

  The printer that has received the print data reads the correction value stored in the EEPROM (S312). Next, the printer corrects the target carry amount based on the read correction value (S313). Based on the corrected target carry amount, a counter value set when the carry unit 10 carries the medium is determined. Next, the printer performs a printing process with the corrected target carry amount according to the print data (S314).

=== Configuration of Computer System etc. ===
Next, embodiments of a computer system, a computer program, and a recording medium on which the computer program is recorded will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an external configuration of a computer system. The computer system 1000 includes a computer main body 1102, a display device 1104, a printer 1106, an input device 1108, and a reading device 1110. In this embodiment, the computer main body 1102 is housed in a mini-tower type housing, but is not limited thereto. The display device 1104 is generally a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), a plasma display, a liquid crystal display device, or the like, but is not limited thereto. As the printer 1106, the printer described above is used. In this embodiment, the input device 1108 is a keyboard 1108A and a mouse 1108B, but is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the reading device 1110 uses a flexible disk drive device 1110A and a CD-ROM drive device 1110B. However, the reading device 1110 is not limited to this. For example, an MO (Magnet Optical) disk drive device or a DVD (Digital Versatile) is used. Disk) etc. may be used.

  FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the computer system shown in FIG. An internal memory 1202 such as a RAM and an external memory such as a hard disk drive unit 1204 are further provided in a housing in which the computer main body 1102 is housed.

  The computer program for controlling the operation of the printer described above can be downloaded to a computer 1000 or the like connected to the printer 1106 via a communication line such as the Internet, for example, and recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. It can also be distributed. As the recording medium, for example, various recording media such as a flexible disk FD, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk MO, a hard disk, and a memory can be used. Note that information stored in such a storage medium can be read by various reading devices 1110.

  FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of a format of print data supplied from the computer main body 1102 to the printer 1106. This print data is created from image information based on the printer driver settings. The print data includes a print condition command group and a pass command group. The print condition command group includes a command indicating the print resolution, a command indicating the print direction (unidirectional / bidirectional), and the like. The print command group for each pass includes a target carry amount command CL and a pixel data command CP. The pixel data command CP includes pixel data PD indicating a recording state for each pixel of dots recorded in each pass. The various commands shown in the figure have a header part and a data part, but are simply drawn. These command groups are intermittently supplied from the computer main body side to the printer side for each command. However, the print data is not limited to this format.

  In the above description, the printer 1106 is connected to the computer main body 1102, the display device 1104, the input device 1108, and the reading device 1110 to configure the computer system. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. For example, the computer system may include a computer main body 1102 and a printer 1106, and the computer system may not include any of the display device 1104, the input device 1108, and the reading device 1110. Further, for example, the printer 1106 may have a part of each function or mechanism of the computer main body 1102, the display device 1104, the input device 1108, and the reading device 1110. As an example, the printer 1106 includes an image processing unit that performs image processing, a display unit that performs various displays, a recording medium attachment / detachment unit for attaching / detaching a recording medium that records image data captured by a digital camera or the like. It is good also as a structure to have.

  The computer system realized in this way is a system superior to the conventional system as a whole system.

=== Other Embodiments ===
In this embodiment, the correction of the conveyance amount in “marginless printing” has been described as an example. Next, correction of the conveyance amount in “printing other than marginless printing” will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the correction of the carry amount when printing is performed such that a margin of a predetermined size is provided at the edge of the medium, for example. As shown in FIG. 25, even when printing is performed with a margin of a predetermined size provided at the edge of the medium, in order to make the size of the margin a predetermined size, target printing is performed. It is necessary to accurately convey the medium to the start position. This is because when the medium is transported upstream of the ink discharge position, the margin formed on the medium is small, and the medium is transported downstream of the ink discharge position in the transport direction. This is because the margin formed on the medium becomes large. Therefore, similarly to the correction of the conveyance amount in the “marginless printing”, if the conveyance amount of the medium is corrected, the size of the formed margin becomes more accurate.

  In addition, the correction amount determined based on the test pattern is stored in association with the type of the medium, and when printing on the medium, the conveyance amount is based on the target conveyance amount corrected with the correction amount corresponding to the type of medium. The medium can be transported to the printing start position by the unit. Such an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 26 is a table showing the correspondence between the type of medium and the correction amount.

  The user prints a test pattern for each of various media based on the flowchart for explaining the correction amount determination procedure shown in FIG. 12, and determines the correction amount. The determined correction amount is stored in the EEPROM 54 in the printer. These correction amounts are stored in correspondence with the type of medium. For example, a case will be described in which the user selects glossy paper, matte paper, photographic paper, fine paper, and plain paper as the medium for determining the correction amount. In this case, the EEPROM 54 stores data indicating the correspondence between the medium type and the correction amount as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 26, the correction amount for glossy paper is 0, the correction amount for matte paper is 1, the correction amount for photographic paper is 3, the correction amount for fine paper is 1, and the correction amount for plain paper is 2. ing.

  When printing on any of the media shown in FIG. 26, the user operates the computer to send print data to the printer. The user can select the type of media to be printed via the computer user interface. Information regarding the type of the selected medium to be printed is added to the print data. In step S <b> 312 shown in FIG. 17, the printer reads the correction amount corresponding to each medium stored in the EEPROM 54 based on the information regarding the type of medium included in the print data. In step S313, the printer corrects the target carry amount based on the read correction amount. In step S314, a counter value set when the transport unit 10 transports the medium is determined based on the corrected target transport amount. That is, the counter value is set in the process (step S101) for setting the target carry amount in the flowchart for explaining the flow of carrying the medium shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, since the target transport amount is X, the value of the counter should be set to X. At this time, the counter is set according to the correction amount corresponding to the type of medium shown in FIG. The value of is determined. For example, when the glossy paper shown in FIG. 26 is selected, the correction value of the glossy paper is 0, so the counter value remains X. When the mat paper is selected, the correction amount of the mat paper is 1, so the counter value is determined to be X + 1. As described above, the counter value is determined according to the correction amount corresponding to the type of medium shown in FIG. Then, the printer performs the printing process with the corrected target carry amount according to the print data.

  As described above, the correction amount corresponding to the type of the medium is stored, and when printing on the medium, the medium is printed by the conveyance unit based on the target conveyance amount corrected by the correction amount corresponding to the type of the medium. It can be transported to the start position.

  As described above, the target transport amount can be corrected by the correction amount corresponding to the type of the medium, so that it is possible to prevent an error in the target transport amount depending on the type of the medium. The reason why the conveyance error differs depending on the type of medium is that the surface state and thickness differ depending on the type of medium, and therefore the friction generated between the conveyance roller 14 and each medium differs.

  In addition, the above-described embodiment is mainly described with respect to a printer. Among them, an adjustment method, a correction method, a printing apparatus, a printing method, a program, a storage medium, a computer system, a display screen, a screen display method, and a printed matter are included. Needless to say, the disclosure includes a manufacturing method, a test pattern, a test pattern printing method, a recording apparatus, a liquid ejection apparatus, and the like.

  Moreover, although the printer etc. as one embodiment were demonstrated, said embodiment is for making an understanding of this invention easy, and is not for limiting and interpreting this invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and it is needless to say that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In particular, the embodiments described below are also included in the present invention.

<About test patterns>
Next, an example of a test pattern different from the test pattern shown in FIG. 15 will be described with reference to FIG. 22, FIG. 23, and FIG. FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a test pattern different from the test pattern shown in FIG. FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram for describing a test pattern different from the test patterns shown in FIGS. 15 and 22. FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram for describing a test pattern printing method shown in FIG. In FIG. 24, black circles indicate that ink is ejected from the nozzles.

  The test pattern shown in FIG. 22 is obtained by shifting the test pattern shown in FIG. 15 by a predetermined amount in the medium conveyance direction. In the test pattern shown in FIG. 15, the user can know the transport error of the transport unit 10 by visually observing the correction pattern formed on the edge of the medium. However, in the test pattern shown in FIG. 15, since the correction pattern is a line pattern, it is difficult for the user to recognize the correction pattern formed on the edge of the medium. Therefore, in the test pattern shown in FIG. 22, the test pattern shown in FIG. 15 is shifted by a predetermined amount, for example, 3 mm in the medium conveyance direction. Therefore, the user can know the transport amount of the transport unit 10 by inspecting the correction pattern formed at a position exactly 3 mm away from the end of the medium shown in FIG. 22 in the medium transport direction.

  Further, the correction pattern is not limited to a line pattern. For example, as shown in FIG. 23, the correction pattern may be a block pattern. A printing method of the block-shaped correction pattern shown in FIG. 23 will be described with reference to FIG. In order to print a block-shaped correction pattern, first, the carriage 21 starts to move in the carriage movement direction. Then, ink is ejected from the nozzles # 1, # 2, and # 3 of the head 31K. After a predetermined time, ink ejection is stopped from the nozzles # 1, # 2, and # 3 of the head 31K, and ink is ejected from the nozzles # 2, # 3, and # 4 of the head 31K. When the printing apparatus performs the above operation, the test pattern shown in FIG. 23 is formed on the medium.

<About correction amount 1>
According to the above-described embodiment, the correction amount for the target carry amount is determined on the printer side. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the printer driver on the computer side may determine the correction amount for the target carry amount.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the target transport amount is corrected on the printer side. However, it is not limited to this. For example, a printer driver on the computer side may correct the target carry amount and send information regarding the corrected target carry amount to the printer.

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart for explaining a flow when an image is formed on a medium according to another embodiment. Various operations of the printer described below are realized by programs stored in the ROM 53 in the printer. Various operations of the computer main body described below are realized by a printer driver which is a program stored in the computer main body. These programs are composed of codes for performing various operations described below. The description of the same operation as that of the above-described embodiment is omitted.

In this embodiment, after the raster data is created (S304), the correction amount is read from the computer-side memory (S305), and the target transport amount is corrected based on the correction amount (S306). Then, the computer transmits print data including the corrected target carry amount and raster data to the printer side (S307). The printer sets a counter based on the information regarding the corrected target carry amount included in the received print data, and performs a printing process (S312).
Even in such a case, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained. According to the present embodiment, since the correction for the target carry amount is performed on the computer side, information on the correction amount is stored in the memory on the printer side.

<About correction amount 2>
According to the above-described embodiment, the correction amount determined based on the test pattern is stored in the EEPROM on the printer side. However, the storage location of the correction amount is not limited to this. For example, the correction amount may be stored on the computer side. When the computer transmits the print data to the printer side, information regarding the correction amount (or the corrected target transport amount) may be included in the print data.

<About transport operation 1>
According to the above-described embodiment, when the transport unit 10 transports the medium P, the medium P and the head 31 are relatively moved along the transport direction. However, the relative movement between the two is not limited to this. For example, by moving the head in the transport direction, the two may be relatively moved along the transport direction.

<About the printer>
In the above-described embodiment, the printer has been described. However, the application is not limited to this. For example, a recording apparatus, a color filter manufacturing apparatus, a dyeing apparatus, a fine processing apparatus, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a surface processing apparatus, a three-dimensional modeling machine, a liquid vaporizing apparatus, an organic EL manufacturing apparatus (particularly a polymer EL manufacturing apparatus), a display manufacturing apparatus The same technique as that of the present embodiment may be applied to various liquid ejecting apparatuses to which an ink jet technique is applied such as a film forming apparatus and a DNA chip manufacturing apparatus. These methods and manufacturing methods are also within the scope of application.

<About ink>
Since the above-described embodiment is an embodiment of a printer, dye ink or pigment ink is ejected from the nozzle. However, the liquid ejected from the nozzle is not limited to such ink. For example, liquids (including water) including metal materials, organic materials (especially polymer materials), magnetic materials, conductive materials, wiring materials, film-forming materials, electronic inks, processing liquids, gene solutions, etc. are ejected from nozzles. May be. If such a liquid is directly discharged toward the object, material saving, process saving, and cost reduction can be achieved.

<About nozzle>
In the above-described embodiment, ink is ejected using a piezoelectric element. However, the method for discharging the liquid is not limited to this. For example, other methods such as a method of generating bubbles in the nozzle by heat may be used.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printing system including a printer. It is a block diagram centering on a controller. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure inside a head. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a piezo element and a nozzle. It is explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement | sequence of the nozzle in a head. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the structure of a conveyance unit. It is explanatory drawing of a rotary encoder. FIG. 8A is a timing chart of the waveform of the output signal during forward rotation. FIG. 8B is a timing chart of the waveform of the output signal at the time of inversion. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the flow of conveyance of a medium. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state where the medium P is transported by a target transport amount L from a position detected by a sensor to a print start position in “marginless printing”. FIG. 11A is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state in which the ink discarded by the ink recovery unit is piled up. FIG. 11B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the medium P is transported from the position at which ink is ejected to the far side in the medium transport direction at the start of printing. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the determination procedure of a correction amount. It is explanatory drawing of the display of a display apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the display of a display apparatus. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the test pattern printed on a medium. FIG. 16A is an explanatory diagram for describing a test pattern printing method. FIG. 16B is an explanatory diagram for explaining another printing method of the test pattern. It is a flowchart at the time of image formation. It is an external appearance block diagram of a computer system. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a computer system. It is explanatory drawing of the format of print data. It is a flowchart at the time of another image formation. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the 2nd test pattern printed on a medium. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the 3rd test pattern printed on a medium. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the printing method of a 3rd test pattern. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining correction of a conveyance amount when printing is performed so that a margin of a predetermined size is provided at an end portion of a medium. It is a table | surface which shows the correspondence of the kind of medium, and correction amount.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 3 Connector 5 Computer 10 Conveyance unit 12 Conveyance motor 14 Conveyance roller 20 Carriage unit 21 Carriage 22 Carriage motor 23 Pulley 24 Belt 25 Guide 26 Position sensor 30 Head unit 31 Head 40 Operation panel 50 Controller 51 CPU
52 RAM 53 ROM 55 I / F dedicated circuit 56 Motor drive circuit 57 Head drive circuit 70 Cartridge P Medium

Claims (14)

A transport unit for transporting the medium in the transport direction;
A print head in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in the transport direction, and the print head moves in a moving direction intersecting the transport direction and discharges ink onto the medium to perform printing ; and
An ink depositing section for depositing ink that does not land on the medium;
With
Based on a predetermined target transport amount, the transport unit transports the medium to a print start position,
Adjacent patterns that are a plurality of patterns composed of ruled lines extending in the movement direction by switching the nozzle that ejects the ink while moving the print head in the movement direction on the medium conveyed to the printing start position Forming a plurality of patterns spaced by a predetermined distance in the transport direction,
In forming the plurality of patterns, the ink for forming some patterns is discarded in the ink depositing portion,
Storing a correction amount corresponding to a pattern selected from the plurality of patterns;
When printing on another medium by the print head, the other medium is transported to a print start position by the transport unit based on the target transport amount corrected by the correction amount. apparatus. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
A sensor for detecting the medium;
After the sensor detects the medium, the transport unit transports the medium based on the target transport amount. The printing apparatus according to claim 2,
The printing apparatus, wherein the sensor is provided on a carriage. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The printing apparatus, wherein the plurality of patterns are formed on a medium along a direction in which a carriage moves. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
The printing apparatus, wherein the plurality of patterns are formed at different positions in a conveyance direction of the medium. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
The plurality of patterns are formed at equal intervals in the conveyance direction of the medium. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The plurality of patterns are formed by ink ejected from a nozzle provided on the most downstream side in the medium transport direction among the plurality of nozzles provided in the print head. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The plurality of patterns are formed by ink ejected from a plurality of different nozzles provided in the print head. The printing apparatus according to claim 7 or 8,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the color of the ink is black. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The correction amount is stored in association with the type of the medium. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
When printing on the other medium by the print head, the other unit prints the other medium by the transport unit based on the target transport amount corrected by the correction amount corresponding to the type of the other medium. A printing device characterized in that it is transported to The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
A printing apparatus that performs borderless printing on the medium. A transport unit that transports a medium in the transport direction, and a print head in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in the transport direction and moves in a moving direction that intersects the transport direction to discharge ink onto the medium and perform printing And a printing method in a printing apparatus comprising: an ink accumulation unit that accumulates ink that does not land on the medium;
Based on a predetermined target transport amount, the transport unit transports the medium to a print start position,
Adjacent patterns that are a plurality of patterns composed of ruled lines extending in the movement direction by switching the nozzle that ejects the ink while moving the print head in the movement direction on the medium conveyed to the printing start position Forming a plurality of patterns spaced by a predetermined distance in the transport direction, and in forming the plurality of patterns, the ink for forming some patterns is dumped into the ink deposition portion,
Storing a correction amount corresponding to a pattern selected from the plurality of patterns;
When printing on another medium by the print head, the other unit conveys the other medium to a printing start position based on the target conveyance amount corrected by the correction amount.
A printing method characterized by the above. A printing system comprising a computer main body and a printing device connectable to the computer main body,
The printing apparatus includes:
A transport unit for transporting the medium in the transport direction;
A print head in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in the transport direction, and the print head moves in a moving direction intersecting the transport direction and discharges ink onto the medium to perform printing; and
An ink depositing section for depositing ink that does not land on the medium;
With
Based on a predetermined target transport amount, the transport unit transports the medium to a print start position,
Adjacent patterns comprising a plurality of patterns consisting of ruled lines extending in the movement direction by switching the nozzle for ejecting the ink while moving the print head in the movement direction on the medium conveyed to the printing start position Forming a plurality of patterns spaced by a predetermined distance in the transport direction,
In forming the plurality of patterns, the ink for forming some patterns is discarded in the ink depositing portion,
Storing a correction amount corresponding to a pattern selected from the plurality of patterns;
When printing on another medium by the print head, the other medium is transported to a print start position by the transport unit based on the target transport amount corrected by the correction amount. system.

Images