JP5693033B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that prints image data on a sheet-like recording medium such as photographic paper.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, printing apparatuses (printers) that take in image data acquired using an imaging device such as a digital camera and print it on a recording medium such as photographic paper have become widespread in general households. In such a domestic printing device, if an ink ribbon and photographic paper are set in advance, then simply printing image data and giving a print instruction makes it easy to print high-quality photos. It can be carried out.

  In this way, along with the fact that it is now possible to easily enjoy photo printing at home, the simplification of preparatory work such as setting of ink ribbons and photographic paper, and work of capturing image data is strongly desired. It has become to. Thus, various proposals have been made for the purpose of improving the operability in the preparatory work. As an example, a printing apparatus including a cartridge in which an ink ribbon and photographic paper are integrated has been proposed (for example, a patent). Reference 1). The printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 simplifies the preparation work because the conventional two operations, ink setting and photographic paper setting, can be performed by only one operation of cartridge mounting. can do.

  In the printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, cut paper is stored in the cartridge as photographic paper. However, the photographic paper stored in the cartridge is not limited to cut paper, and strip-shaped photographic paper is rolled. Roll paper wound in a shape can be used. When roll paper is used, it is possible to save space on the cartridge, hold a large amount of photographic paper, and share the photographic paper transport mechanism of the printer itself with cartridges of different print sizes. There is an advantage such as

  Further, when printing is performed using cut paper, it is necessary to use cut paper having a size larger than the print area in order to hold the paper during printing. Therefore, for example, when the user desires so-called borderless printing, it is necessary to cut an unprinted portion by himself after printing. On the other hand, in a printing apparatus that performs printing using roll paper, a roll paper cutting cutter is provided in the printing apparatus to cut the roll paper, so that only the print area is cut out and the user has a desired size. A printed matter can be easily obtained.

  When printing is performed on roll paper stored in a cartridge using a sublimation printing process, printing is generally performed by the following operation. That is, first, the roll paper is pulled out of the cartridge, and is inserted together with the ink ribbon between the thermal head and the platen roller by the transport roller. Subsequently, ink of each color is added to the print area by being reciprocally conveyed before and after the thermal head in a state where the print area of the roll paper is superimposed on the ink ribbon. The roll paper to which ink is added is cut at a cutting position having a desired size, and then discharged to the outside to complete printing. After the printing is completed, the drawn roll paper is rewound and stored in the cartridge, and returned to the state before starting printing.

JP 2000-108442 A

  However, in general, in a printed matter obtained by using a sublimation printing process, the print density gradually increases at the writing portion, and thus it is difficult to obtain a desired density within a short distance from the writing position (printing start position). .

  FIG. 20 is a diagram schematically showing a printed portion of a printed matter obtained by printing a so-called black solid on photographic paper using a sublimation printing process. The writing position and cutting position in the printing apparatus are set in advance in the printing apparatus, and the conveyance of the roll paper (printing paper) and the printing process are accurately performed according to the set positions. For this reason, when the cutting position of the photographic paper is set in accordance with the writing position shown in FIG. 20, the printed density obtained by actual cutting becomes light at the end. In addition, the actual cutting position and writing position may deviate from the set cutting position and writing position due to variations in sensing etc. in the printing device, and if the photographic paper is cut before this actual writing position, Margins are produced at the edges of the printed product. In order to avoid such a problem, it is necessary to set the writing position and the cutting position in an optimum relationship.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a printing apparatus capable of obtaining a good printed matter by setting an optimum relationship between a writing position on a photographic paper and a cutting position of the photographic paper. The purpose is to provide.

The printing apparatus according to the present invention is a printing unit that prints an image on roll paper, and has a density characteristic in which the print density increases according to the distance from the print start position at the start of printing by the printing unit. varying the, cutting means for cutting the roll image is printed paper by the printing means, by controlling the printing start position by the cutting position or the printing unit according to prior SL cutting means, the cutting position relative to the printing start position and control means that controls the print density based on the density characteristics in the cutting position by reduction, the area of printing the rear end portion of the second image to be printed adjacent to the printing start position of the first image Estimation means for estimating the print density and comparing the estimated print density with a preset reference density, and the control means has the estimated print density equal to or higher than the reference density. The print density based on the density characteristics of the first image at the combined cutting position is higher than the print density of the first image at the cutting position when the estimated print density is equal to or lower than the reference density. As described above, the printing start position of the first image or the cutting position by the cutting means is controlled .

  According to the printing apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to set the writing position on the photographic paper and the cutting position of the photographic paper in an optimum relationship, so that a good printed matter can be obtained.

1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a cartridge used in the printing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the printing apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the cartridge of FIG. 1. It is a disassembled perspective view of the cartridge of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of a roll paper unit constituting the cartridge of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the cartridge of FIG. 1 is mounted on the printing apparatus of FIG. 1 as viewed from the side of the printing apparatus. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an overall flow of a printing process in the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of a process of S805 in FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a writing position and a cutting position and a maximum density during black solid printing in each of a normal mode, a current printing priority mode, and a next printing priority mode in the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a side view for explaining an operation during a printing process in the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is another side view for explaining the operation during the printing process in the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation flow from the completion of overcoat processing until the roll paper is conveyed to a cutting position in the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an operation of a part related to conveyance and cutting of roll paper in the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is another diagram schematically showing the operation of the part related to the conveyance and cutting of the roll paper in the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is still another side view for explaining the operation during the printing process in the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows typically operation | movement of the termination | terminus detection sensor during the printing process in the printing apparatus of FIG. 3 is a flowchart of end detection processing in the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the parameter setting screen displayed on the display part of the printing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 21 is a graph showing a change in print density when black solid printing shown in FIG. 20 is performed as a function of a distance from a writing position. It is the figure which showed typically the writing start part of the printed matter obtained by printing black solid on photographic paper by a sublimation type printing process.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, “printing” means that the ink applied to the ink ribbon is thermally transferred to a roll paper used as a photographic paper (a belt-like photographic paper wound in a roll shape). It refers to a process (operation) for recording an image on roll paper. “Print” refers to a series of processes (operations) from printing to a print instruction from the user, cutting the roll paper into a predetermined size, and discharging the roll paper. The material of the roll paper (printing paper) is not limited, and may be special paper or resin film as well as coated paper and non-coated paper.

<Print density during solid black printing by the sublimation printing process>
First, as a general feature of the sublimation printing process employed in the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, a change in print density when black solid is printed on photographic paper will be described.

  FIG. 19 is a graph showing a change in print density when the black solid print shown in FIG. 20 is performed as a function of the distance from the writing position (print start position). The characteristics shown in FIG. 19 are unique to the printing apparatus, but can be kept constant in printing apparatuses having the same specifications as long as the operating environment and operating conditions such as environmental temperature are the same. Therefore, once black solid printing is performed to obtain data on changes in print density, and by calculating the relationship (function) between the distance from the print position and the print density, it is determined how far away from the print position. It is possible to estimate whether the print density is obtained. For example, in the case of the characteristics shown in FIG. 19, the minimum density is set to 0% and the maximum density is set to 100%, and the positions where specific print densities are obtained (for example, the positions where 5%, 50%, and 95% are set). The distance from the writing position can be uniquely determined.

  Further, in a printing apparatus employing a sublimation printing process, the conveyance of roll paper is accurately controlled by the rotation angle (number) of a grip roller described later, and the conveyance distance of the roll paper is determined from a preset reference point. Managed as a distance. Thereby, the writing position and cutting position with respect to the roll paper are managed as a distance from the reference point, and the mutual positional relationship between the writing position and the cutting position is also accurately managed.

  Even in the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention (the configuration will be described in detail later), the position where the preset print density is obtained is indicated by the distance from the writing position using the characteristic diagram shown in FIG. By doing so, it can be set as a cutting position. That is, the roll paper can be cut at a position where the print density becomes a desired density (preset print density). For example, as shown in FIG. 19, a position at which the print density is approximately 50% can be set as the cutting position, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a desired print density within the range of 5% to 95%. The print density can also be used as a reference for setting the cutting position.

  Note that by using the characteristic diagram shown in FIG. 19, it is also possible to set (adjust) the writing start position with respect to the roll paper after setting the position where the preset print density is obtained as the cutting position of the roll paper. .

  In the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the target of printing by the sublimation printing process is roll paper, printing is performed toward the leading edge of the roll paper. That is, with the cutting position of the roll paper as a boundary, the leading end side of the roll paper is the writing side during the current printing, but the opposite side is the printing end end (rear end) side during the next printing. Therefore, as is clear from the characteristic diagram shown in FIG. 19, when the writing start position is set ahead with respect to the roll paper at a distance longer than the cutting position, the end of the printed matter obtained at the time of the next printing is set. The print mark at the time of the previous print remains.

  The detailed structure and operation of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention configured to always obtain a good printed matter in view of such circumstances will be described below.

<< First Embodiment >>
<External configuration of printing apparatus and cartridge>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and a cartridge used in the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus 100 includes a housing 101 and a display unit 102 and an operation unit 103 provided on the upper part of the housing 101.

  One side surface of the housing 101 can be freely opened and closed, and the cartridge 110 can be attached / detached (mounted / removed) in the direction of the arrow 120 from the side surface. The display unit 102 is, for example, a display device such as an LCD, and can display an image of print data such as image data and a menu screen for inputting necessary setting data such as printing conditions in the printing device 100. It has become. The operation unit 103 includes a power switch 104 that instructs to turn on / off the power of the printing apparatus 100 and a selection switch 105 for selecting various menus displayed on the display unit 102. Around the selection switch 105, a left / right key 106 and an up / down key 107 for moving the cursor displayed on the display unit 102 to a desired position are arranged.

  The cartridge 110 has a structure in which an ink ribbon (not shown) to which ink is applied and a roll paper (not shown) as photographic paper are housed in a housing 111. In the housing 111, the roll paper is wound around a paper feed roller (not shown) having a rotation shaft 112 to constitute a roll paper unit. The roll paper unit will be described later with reference to FIG. When the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, the rotation shaft 112 is coupled to a rotation mechanism (not shown) of a paper feed motor included in the printing apparatus 100, and the rotation is controlled by the printing apparatus 100.

  The end portions of the ink ribbon supply roller rotating shaft 113 and the take-up roller rotating shaft 114 are exposed on the side surface of the cartridge 110. When the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, the take-up roller rotation shaft 114 is coupled to a rotation mechanism (not shown) of an ink ribbon winding motor included in the printing apparatus 100 and is rotated by the printing apparatus 100 as will be described later. Be controlled.

  The cartridge 110 has a sealed structure by the housing 111 before being attached to the printing apparatus 100 (before use), and the user cannot directly touch the roll paper in the housing 111. . When the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, the roll paper can be pulled out from the cartridge 110. At the time of printing, the ink applied to the ink ribbon is transferred to a roll paper drawn from the cartridge 110 by a thermal head (not shown) of the printing apparatus 100, and printing is performed.

<Hardware configuration of printing device>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the printing apparatus 100. Overall control of the printing apparatus 100 is performed by a main controller 201 including a CPU and the like. In FIG. 2, the ROM 202 stores a control program executed by the printing apparatus 100, control parameters, and the like. The control parameters include a plurality of types (colors) of ink writing position parameters, overcoat writing parameters, and cutting position parameters provided in the cartridge 110. These parameters will be described later. The RAM 203 is used as a work memory for arithmetic processing of the main controller 201. The RAM 203 temporarily stores various setting data input via the operation unit 103, control parameters read from the ROM 202 according to the control program, and the like.

  The printing apparatus 100 includes image buffers 224Y, 224M, and 224C that store image data received via the image data input unit 229. The image buffers 224Y, 224M, and 224C temporarily store yellow (Y) image data, magenta (M) image data, and cyan (C) image data, respectively.

  The thermal head 227 prints on roll paper by sublimating the ink applied to the ink ribbon when the built-in heating element generates heat. The head driving circuit 226 drives a heating element (not shown) built in the thermal head 227. In the printing apparatus 100, the driver controller 225 connected to the main controller 201 controls the head drive circuit 226 using the image data recorded in the image buffers 224Y, 224M, and 224C in the bitmap format, so that printing is performed. Is called.

  Drive motors 212 and 213 driven by the roll paper conveyance motor driver 211 are coupled to a decurling roller, a grip roller, a paper discharge roller, a paper discharge kick roller, and the like described later via a rotation mechanism. The roller is driven to convey the roll paper. In a state where the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, the paper feed motor 215 is coupled to the rotating shaft 112 (see FIG. 1) of the roll paper unit via a rotation mechanism, and the rotation is controlled by the paper feed motor driver 214. The

  When the cartridge 110 is attached to the printing apparatus 100, the ink ribbon take-up roller rotating shaft 114 and the ink ribbon winding motor 217 are coupled to each other via a rotating mechanism. The ink ribbon winding motor driver 216 controls the rotation of the ink ribbon winding motor 217, whereby the ink ribbon is wound and wound.

  The head up / down motor driver 218 controls the rotation of the head up / down motor 219 that moves the thermal head 227 up and down, and moves the thermal head 227 between the printing position and the retracted position. The cutter motor 221 drives a cutter blade and a cutter receiving blade for cutting the roll paper, and the cutter motor driver 220 performs drive control of the cutter motor 221. Details of the cutter blade and the cutter receiving blade will be described later.

  The end detection sensor 204 is not provided in the printing apparatus 100 but is disposed in the cartridge 110, but cooperates with the printing apparatus 100 in a state where the cartridge 110 is attached to the printing apparatus 100. Because it works, it will be described here. The end detection sensor 204 detects that the remaining amount of roll paper stored in the cartridge 110 has decreased (for example, the roll paper has become less than one roll) and notifies the main controller 201 of a detection signal. To do. When the main controller 201 receives the detection signal from the end detection sensor 204, the main controller 201 causes the display unit 102 to display a message indicating that the remaining amount of roll paper is low.

  The roll paper detection sensor 205 detects that the roll paper accommodated in the cartridge 110 has been pulled out and that the leading end has been pulled out from the cartridge outlet. Two roll paper detection sensors 205 are provided in the width direction of the roll paper in the vicinity of the cartridge outlet, and detect both ends in the width direction of the roll paper drawn from the cartridge outlet. The main controller 201 recognizes the inclination in the width direction of the roll paper drawn from the cartridge outlet from the difference in detection timing of the two roll paper detection sensors 205.

  The roll paper cueing sensor 206 is disposed behind a platen roller provided to face the thermal head 227, and the leading end of the roll paper drawn from the cartridge 110 passes behind the platen roller at the start of printing. Detect that Ribbon cue sensor 207 detects the identification band applied to the tip of the ink ribbon of each color, and based on the detection result of ribbon cue sensor 207, the ink ribbon winding motor 217 controls the winding operation of the ink ribbon. The

  The environmental temperature sensor 208 detects the ambient temperature of the environment where the printing apparatus 100 is placed. The head drive circuit 226 controls energy input to the thermal head 227 based on the detection result of the environmental temperature sensor 208. The head pressure detection sensor 209 detects the head pressure when the thermal head 227 is lowered to the printing position during printing and presses the ink ribbon and the roll paper with the platen roller.

  The print range identification sensor 210 is disposed in the vicinity of the cutter unit, and identifies the range printed on the roll paper. The display control unit 222 performs control for displaying on the display unit 102 a menu for inputting image data to be printed on roll paper and setting data necessary for printing.

  The IC read / write unit 230 reads information from a cartridge information chip (IC) provided in the cartridge 110 and writes information to the IC. Information read from the IC includes, for example, roll paper shape (width, thickness, length), roll paper characteristics (paper quality), roller diameter, ink ribbon manufacturing information, ink ribbon characteristics information, ink ribbon characteristics, etc. There are a winding roller diameter, an ink ribbon supply roller diameter, and the like. Examples of information written in the IC include information on the number of printed sheets, information on the number of printed sheets, information on cause of printing errors, and the like.

  The image density estimation / determination unit 231 estimates the print density of a predetermined fixed area of the image to be printed using the image data, and compares the estimated print density with a preset reference density to perform the estimation. It is determined whether the print density is higher than the reference density.

<Configuration of cartridge>
Next, the configuration of the cartridge 110 will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the cartridge 110. As described above, the roll paper is stored in the housing 111, and the user cannot directly touch the roll paper from the outside when the cartridge 110 is not attached to the printing apparatus 100. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent foreign matters and the like from entering the cartridge 110.

  When the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, a contact 301 for transmitting the output of the end detection sensor 204 disposed inside the paper feed roller on which the roll paper is wound is disposed on the printing apparatus 100. It is exposed on the side. When the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, the contact 301 is electrically connected to a contact (not shown) on the printing apparatus 100 side, and the output of the end detection sensor 204 can be transmitted to the main controller 201 of the printing apparatus 100. Become.

  Next, the internal configuration of the cartridge 110 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the cartridge 110. The upper housing 410 constituting a part of the housing 111 covers the upper part of the ink ribbon unit 420. The ink ribbon unit 420 includes a supply roller 422 around which an unused portion of the ink ribbon 421 is wound, and a take-up roller 423 on which a used portion of the ink ribbon 421 is taken up. The supply roller 422 and the winding roller 423 are rotatably supported by the housing body 401.

  The guide roller 430 is rotatably supported by the housing body 401, and defines a transport path of the ink ribbon 421 when the winding roller 423 winds the used portion of the ink ribbon 421. The roll paper unit 440 includes a paper feed roller 441, roll paper 442 wound around the paper feed roller 441, and a flange 443. The paper feed roller 441 is rotatably supported by the side housing 450 and the housing main body 401. The roll paper unit 440 will be described later in detail with reference to FIG.

  The side housing 450 covers the side surface of the roll paper unit 440 and supports the paper feed roller 441. Further, the side housing 450 is for peeling off the leading end portion of the roll paper 442 wound around the paper feed roller 441 from the roll body of the roll paper 442 (the portion where the roll paper 442 is wound and overlapped). A separation member 460 is provided.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the roll paper unit 440. Flange 443 made of an elastic member is provided at both ends of the paper feed roller 441, and the flange 443 prevents occurrence of displacement in the width direction of the roll paper 442. Further, the flange 443 has a holding portion 503, and the holding portion 503 prevents the roll paper 442 from being unwound and spread outward in the radial direction of the flange 443 due to the rigidity of the roll paper 442. The holding portion 503 is provided with notches 501 for gripping both ends of the leading end of the roll paper 442.

<Structure in a state where the cartridge 110 is set in the printing apparatus 100>
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100 as viewed from the side of the printing apparatus 100. When printing, the roll paper 442 accommodated in the cartridge 110 is peeled off by the separation member 460, passes through the transport path 601 and the cartridge outlet 602, and is pulled out to the printing position 611.

  The curl of the roll paper 442 is corrected by the curl removing roller 631 and the curl driven roller 632, and the front and back surfaces of the roll paper 442 are sandwiched by the grip roller 641 and the pinch roller 642 that are arranged to face each other through the roll paper 442. Is done. These paired rollers rotate forward (in the case of the grip roller 641, rotate counterclockwise toward the paper surface), whereby the roll paper 442 is conveyed toward the printing position 611.

  At the printing position 611, the overlapping state of the ink ribbon 421 and the roll paper 442 is maintained between the thermal head 227 and the platen roller 605 by the platen roller 605. Note that the housing 111 is configured such that the ink ribbon 421 is exposed to the outside of the cartridge 110 at the printing position 611 when the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100.

  The roll paper 442 is conveyed in the paper discharge direction by the paper discharge roller 606, and a portion cut from the roll paper 442 after printing (hereinafter referred to as “printed matter” as appropriate) is formed by a paper discharge kick roller 607 having an uneven portion. Then, it is kicked out to a paper discharge box (not shown). The paper discharge roller 606 and the paper discharge kick-out roller 607 are arranged at positions facing each other through the printed material so as to sandwich the printed material (roll paper 442) between the front and back surfaces.

  The cutter unit that cuts the roll paper 442 includes a cutter blade 609 and a cutter receiving blade 610, and these blades are arranged so as to face each other across the conveyance path of the roll paper 442. The cutter blade 609 and the cutter receiving blade 610 are driven by the gear train 608 and cut the roll paper 442 by rubbing like a ridge. The gear train 608 is driven by the cutter motor 221. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the leading end portion of the roll paper 442 is peeled off by the separation member 460 and stopped on the conveyance path 601. A form of cutting the roll paper 442 by the cutter unit will be described later.

<Overall flow of print processing>
Next, an overall flow of print processing in the printing apparatus 100 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an overall flow of the printing process in the printing apparatus 100. In the processing shown in FIG. 7, the main controller 201 reads out a control program or the like stored in the ROM 202, develops it in the RAM 203, and executes it, whereby each control unit and each drive unit of the printing apparatus 100 are controlled in cooperation. This is realized by being driven.

  When the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100 and the power switch 104 is pressed to turn on the power, the roll paper unit 440 is driven and the state shown in FIG. 6 is realized. In addition, reading of information of an IC provided in the cartridge 110 and reading of image data to be printed are performed. For example, the display unit 102 displays an image in a thumbnail format. Thereafter, the process of step S801 shown in FIG. 7 is started.

  First, the main controller 201 of the printing apparatus 100 receives information related to image data selected as a print target by the user via the operation unit 103 from the image data displayed on the display unit 102 (step S801). Here, the number of image data that can be selected as a print target is not limited to one, and may be plural. Subsequently, it is determined whether there is a print instruction from the user via the operation unit 103 (step S802). If there is a print instruction (“YES” in S802), the process proceeds to step S803. If there is no print instruction (“NO” in S802), the process stands by in step S802.

  In step S803, the main controller 201 determines whether printing is possible. Here, it is determined based on the remaining amount (unused amount) of the roll paper 442 whether all the image data selected in step S801 can be printed. The remaining amount of the roll paper 442 is calculated by the main controller 201 based on the detection result of the end detection sensor 204, and details thereof will be described later.

  If printing is not possible (“NO” in S803), a message indicating that printing is not possible is displayed on the display unit 102, and then the process proceeds to step S807. If printing is possible (“YES” in S803), print data (drawing data) for each color is generated based on the selected image data (step S804). Subsequently, a writing position parameter, an overcoat writing parameter, and a cutting position parameter used at the time of printing are set in the RAM 203 (step S805). Details of the processing in step S805 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Printing processing is executed using the print data generated in step S804 and the writing position parameter, overcoat writing parameter, and cutting position parameter set in step S805 (step S806). Details of the printing process in step S806 will be described later in detail with reference to FIGS.

  After it is determined in step S803 that printing is not possible, and after the printing process in step S806 is completed, it is determined whether there is next image data selected as a printing target (step S807). If there is next image data (“YES” in S807), the process returns to step S803. On the other hand, if there is no next image data (“NO” in S807), end processing is performed (step S808). Specifically, the end process of step S808 is to make the state shown in FIG. 6, the thermal head 227 is retracted to the retracted position (position shown in FIG. 6), and the leading end of the roll paper 442 is conveyed. The roll paper 442 is wound up so as to be positioned on the path 601.

[Processing of Step S805 (Parameter Setting)]
Processing for setting the writing position parameter, overcoat writing parameter, and cutting position parameter in step S805 shown in FIG. 7 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the setting process of the writing position parameter, the overcoat writing parameter, and the cutting position parameter. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the writing position and cutting position and the maximum density during black solid printing in each of the normal mode, current printing priority mode, and next printing priority mode described below.

  First, it is determined whether there is the next image data selected as a printing target (step S1101). When there is no next image data (“NO” in S1101), for the current print target, the writing position and the cutting position with respect to the roll paper 442 are set to an optimum relationship in consideration of only the current print target. (Normal mode) Therefore, for example, the printing density at the cutting position is in the range of 5% to 95% of the maximum density obtained when black solid printing is performed (hereinafter referred to as “maximum density during black solid printing”). A cutting position is set with reference to the writing position (step 1106).

  Specifically, a 50% parameter, which is an intermediate value between 5% and 95%, is called out from a plurality of types of writing position parameters, overcoat writing parameters, and cutting position parameters stored in the ROM 202, and is stored in the RAM 203. Is set. Hereinafter, the writing position parameter, the overcoat writing parameter, and the cutting position parameter, which are set here, are described as a writing position parameter (50), an overcoat writing parameter (50), and a cutting position parameter (50), respectively. .

  If there is next image data (“YES” in S1101), the relationship between the writing start position and the cutting position for the current print target affects the print quality at the print end end (rear end) of the next print target. give. Therefore, the main controller 201 receives the next print target image data via the image data input unit 229, and the image density estimation / determination unit 231 prints a predetermined area at the print end edge of the next print target image. Is estimated (step S1102). In this embodiment, an area at the print end edge that occupies 10% of the total print length is set as a constant area at the print end edge of the next print target image, and the print density of this area is estimated. Shall.

  Subsequently, the image density estimation / determination unit 231 compares the print density estimated in step S1102 with a predetermined reference density. Specifically, it is determined whether the print density estimated in step S1102 is higher than the reference density (step S1103). In the present embodiment, as the reference density in step S1103, a print density that is 50% of the maximum density for solid black printing is used.

  When the estimated print density is higher than a predetermined reference density (“YES” in S1103), the relationship between the writing position and the cutting position in the current print target is the print quality at the print end edge of the next print target. The impact on is relatively small. Therefore, in order to improve the print quality at the writing position in the current printing target (current printing priority mode), the print density at the cutting position is in a range of 45% to 95% of the maximum density at the time of black solid printing. The cutting position is set based on the writing position (step 1104).

  Specifically, a 70% parameter, which is an intermediate value between 45% and 95%, is called out from a plurality of types of writing position parameters, overcoat writing parameters, and cutting position parameters stored in the ROM 202, and is stored in the RAM 203. Is set. That is, the writing position parameter (70), the overcoat writing parameter (70), and the cutting position parameter (70) are set in the RAM 203.

  On the other hand, when the estimated print density is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference density (“NO” in S1103), the relationship between the writing position and the cutting position in the current print target is the print at the print end edge of the next print target. The impact on quality is great. Therefore, it is required to keep the print quality at the start position of the current print target at an acceptable level and to minimize the influence on the print end edge of the next print target (next print priority mode). For this purpose, the cutting position is set based on the writing position so that the printing density at the cutting position is in the range of 5% to 55% of the maximum density at the time of solid black printing (step 1104). Specifically, among the multiple types of writing position parameters, overcoat writing parameters, and cutting position parameters stored in the ROM 202, a 30% parameter having an intermediate value between 5% and 55% is called and set in the RAM 203. Is done. That is, the writing position parameter (30), the overcoat writing parameter (30), and the cutting position parameter (30) are set in the RAM 203.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the main controller 201 sets the writing position so that the distance between the writing position and the cutting position becomes longer as the print density estimated for the next image to be printed increases. Control the cutting position.

[Processing of Step S806 (Printing Process)]
Details of the processing (printing processing) in step S806 shown in FIG. 7 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Roll paper drawer]
Here, reference is made to FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 6, the roll paper 442 rotates by driving the paper feed roller 441 that rotates integrally with the roll paper 442. In this embodiment, the rotation direction of the paper feed roller 441 at this time is counterclockwise (counterclockwise) toward the paper surface. As the roll paper 442 rotates, the roll paper 442 wound around the paper supply roller 441 is peeled off one after another by the separation member 460 and pushed out to the transport path 601, and as a result, the leading end of the roll paper 442 is pushed. It is discharged from the cartridge outlet 602.

  The roll paper 442 discharged from the cartridge outlet 602 is detected by two roll paper detection sensors 205 disposed in the vicinity of the cartridge outlet 602. The main controller 201 recognizes how much the roll paper 442 is discharged based on the difference in detection timing between the two roll paper detection sensors 205. If the recognized tilt is greater than or equal to the allowable amount, the main controller 201 stops the roll paper 442 drawing operation and displays a warning on the display unit 102. This is to avoid the roll paper 442 from being skewed and pulled out while the roll paper 442 is being conveyed through the printing apparatus 100, and accurate printing cannot be performed. Further, in the worst case, the roll paper 442 that is allowed to be conveyed in the printing apparatus 100 deviates from the width that can be conveyed, and this prevents the printing apparatus 100 from being jammed or broken.

[Decurling roll paper]
The roll paper 442 pulled out from the cartridge outlet 602 is guided to the curl removal roller 631 to perform curl removal. The curl removal roller 631 is made of, for example, soft rubber, and presses against the curl driven roller 632 made of a hard material disposed at an opposing position to bend the traveling direction of the roll paper 442 by about 90 degrees. The roll paper 442 is deformed. In this manner, the roll paper 442 is squeezed on the side opposite to the winding direction of the paper feed roller 441, so that the curl caused by being wound by the paper feed roller 441 is eliminated.

  Note that curl removal of the roll paper 442 is not realized only by such a configuration, but may be realized by another configuration. For example, the roll paper 442 may be decurled by passing the roll paper 442 through a hard wall-shaped member. Further, the roll paper 442 may be decurled by arranging a plurality of decurling rollers in a zigzag manner and passing the roll paper 442 between the curl removing rollers.

  The curl removing roller 631 is separated from the curl driven roller 632 when the roll paper 442 is pulled out from the cartridge 110. At the timing when the roll paper 442 is pulled out to the position of the curl removal roller 631, the curl removal roller 631 is brought into pressure contact with the curl driven roller 632 and sandwiches the roll paper 442.

[Cue of roll paper]
The roll paper 442 after the curl removal is conveyed by the curl removal roller 631 and reaches the grip roller portion including the grip roller 641 and the pinch roller 642. The grip roller 641 is separated from the pinch roller 642 until the roll paper 442 reaches the grip roller portion, and is pressed against the pinch roller 642 when the roll paper 442 is conveyed to the grip roller portion. Then, the roll paper 442 is sandwiched. Fine protrusion-like claws are formed on the surface of the grip roller 641, and the roll paper 442 is gripped by being bitten into the back surface of the roll paper 442.

  FIG. 10 is a side view for explaining the operation during the printing process in the printing apparatus 100. The roll paper 442 gripped by the grip roller unit is conveyed so as to pass between the thermal head 227 and the platen roller 605 as shown in FIG. A roll paper cueing sensor 206 (not shown) is disposed behind the platen roller 605, and the roll paper cueing sensor 206 has the leading end of the roll paper 442 passing between the thermal head 227 and the platen roller 605. Is detected and an ON signal is output.

  When the main controller 201 receives the ON signal of the roll paper cueing sensor 206, the main controller 201 calculates the transport distance of the roll paper 442 based on the ON signal, and controls the rotation of the grip roller 641 based on the calculation result. When the leading end of the roll paper 442 is conveyed so as to reach the writing position, the roll paper 442 is stopped at that position. In this manner, the roll paper 442 necessary for printing the image to be printed is pulled out from the cartridge and waited at the writing position, whereby the cueing of the roll paper 442 is completed.

  In order to set the writing position for each of the Y, M, and C ink printing and the overcoat layer printing, the transport distance of the roll paper 442 is calculated in consideration of the writing position parameter and the overcoat writing parameter. Is done.

[Printing operation-head down]
When the cueing of the roll paper 442 is completed, the ink ribbon 421 stored in the cartridge 110 is wound up. The ink ribbon 421 is wound up via a ribbon winding motor 217 provided in the printing apparatus 100 and a gear train connected thereto.

  The ink ribbon 421 is provided with an identification band applied in a band shape in the width direction of the ink ribbon 421 at the cueing position of each surface of the Y, M, C, and overcoat layers. An identification band different from the others is provided at the beginning of the first Y surface that is the reference for printing. For example, in this embodiment, two identification bands are applied to the beginning of the Y surface. It is assumed that one identification band is provided at the head portion of the other color surface. These identification bands are identified by the ribbon cue sensor 207, and the identification result is transmitted to the main controller 201, whereby the main controller 201 can recognize that it is the first surface of the print.

  When the ribbon cue sensor 207 identifies two identification bands, the main controller 201 stops the operation of the ink ribbon winding motor 217. Further, the main controller 201 drives a head up / down motor 219 that moves the thermal head 227 up and down to rotate the thermal head 227 to the printing position 611. The thermal head 227 is rotatably disposed on the base of the printing apparatus 100 via a head lever 612, and the head up / down motor 219 drives the head lever 612 to rotate the thermal head 227 to the printing position 611. Let FIG. 11 is another side view for explaining the operation during the printing process in the printing apparatus 100, and shows a state in which the thermal head 227 is disposed at the printing position 611.

  Note that the base of the printing apparatus 100 includes a rotation center of the head lever 612, a rotation center of the grip roller unit, and a support unit that supports the rotation center of the platen roller 605. These components are one unit. It is configured as. Since the correlation of the dimensions of these parts greatly affects the printing performance, configuring these parts as one unit stabilizes the head touch compared to the case where these parts are configured separately. It becomes possible to carry out more accurately.

[Printing operation-curl removal OFF]
When the thermal head 227 is rotated to the printing position 611, the curl removing roller 631 is separated from the curl driven roller 632, and the curl removing operation is turned off (that is, the curl removing operation is released). Thereby, it is possible to prevent an extra load from being applied to the roll paper 442 during printing.

(Printing operation to printing)
When the thermal head 227 reaches the printing position 611, reciprocating conveyance of the roll paper is started by the grip roller 641, and printing is started. When the roll paper 442 wound around the paper feed roller 441 is conveyed in the opposite direction by the grip roller 641, it returns to the inside of the cartridge 110. At this time, the paper feed motor 215 rotates the roll paper unit 440 in the rotation direction opposite to the rotation direction when the roll paper 442 is pulled out before the start of printing.

  As will be described later, when the printing of the first color (Y) is completed and the printing of the second color (M) is started, the paper feed roller 441 and the flange 443 are rotated in the forward direction and wound around the holding unit 503. The roll paper 442 is discharged again from the cartridge 110. Such an operation of transporting the roll paper 442 is performed for each of the colors M and C and the overcoat layer.

  The paper feed motor 215 has a clutch mechanism having a sliding torque. When operating in the direction of pulling out the roll paper 442, all the force from the paper feed motor 215 is transmitted, while in the direction of rewinding the roll paper 442. When operating, it operates with a constant slip torque. With such a configuration, when the portion of the roll paper 442 pulled out by the grip roller unit is rewound at the time of printing, the roll paper 442 can be rewound without applying excessive stress.

  The winding length of the ink ribbon 421 at the time of printing, the rewinding length of the roll paper 442, and the transport distance of the roll paper 442 by the grip roller unit are calculated using the detection timing of the identification band applied to the ink ribbon 421 as a printing start reference Is done. For example, when a postcard size cartridge 110 is mounted, printing is performed by about 150 mm, and when an L size cartridge 110 is mounted, printing is performed by about 127 mm. Thus, the printing apparatus 100 is controlled. Thus, printing can be performed in a range corresponding to the size of the cartridge 110. Note that the type of the cartridge 110 attached to the printing apparatus 100 is recognized when the IC read / write unit 230 reads information on the IC arranged in the cartridge 110.

[Printing operation-Image quality improvement]
At the time of printing, the energy supplied to the thermal head 227 is adjusted using manufacturing information (for example, density information) of the ink ribbon 421 read from the IC arranged in the cartridge 110. Specifically, the main controller 201 supplies the thermal head 227 with the optimum energy calculated from the ambient temperature of the usage environment acquired from the environmental temperature sensor 208 provided in the printing apparatus 100 and the manufacturing information of the ink ribbon 421. For example, the image quality can be improved by supplying energy in consideration of the temperature characteristic information of the ink ribbon 421.

[Printing operation to printing end operation]
At the time of printing, the printing operation (heating operation) is still continued immediately after the leading end of the roll paper 442 that is the end of printing passes through the heating element of the thermal head 227. For this reason, when the thermal head 227 falls together with the head lever 612 from the leading end of the roll paper 442 and contacts the platen roller 605, the platen roller 605 is usually composed of a rubber member, so that it deforms or melts. There is a risk of doing. Therefore, in order to prevent such a problem from occurring, in the present embodiment, the thermal head 227 is configured not to move more than the thickness of the roll paper 442 in the pressing direction of the platen roller 605.

  However, the method for avoiding the deformation of the platen roller 605 is not limited to this. For example, when the head pressure detection sensor 209 detects a pressure change that occurs when the leading end of the roll paper 442 is removed from the thermal head 227, the supply of energy to the thermal head 227 is stopped. it can.

[Printing operation-Printing completed with Y ink]
The main controller 201 stops the winding operation of the ink ribbon 421 and the rewinding operation of the roll paper 442 when the printing of the roll paper 442 to the range of the length determined from the printing start reference is completed. Further, the main controller 201 stops the conveyance of the roll paper 442 by the grip roller 641.

[Printing operation-Sending in the paper discharge direction]
When the printing of the image to be printed on the roll paper 442 with the Y ink is completed, the head up / down motor 219 is driven to rotate the head lever 612 and the thermal head 227 fixed to the head lever 612 is retracted. Retreat to the position (see FIGS. 6 and 9). Further, in order to remove the slack of the ink ribbon 421, the ink ribbon 421 is wound up by a minute length.

  Thereafter, the leading end of the roll paper 442 is conveyed to the writing position. The conveyance at this time is performed for the conveyance distance at the time of printing. When the leading end of the roll paper 442 reaches the writing position, the same printing operation as described above is performed using M ink. Further, after the end of printing for M ink, the same processing is performed for C ink and overcoat. Therefore, a completed image is formed by four reciprocating conveyances of Y, M, C, and overcoat.

[Cutting and discharging operation to transport to cutting position]
After the overcoat process is completed, the roll paper 442 is conveyed to the cutting position. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the operation flow of the printing apparatus 100 from the completion of the overcoat process until the roll paper 442 is conveyed to the cutting position. FIGS. 13 and 14 are diagrams schematically showing the operation of a part related to the conveyance and cutting of the roll paper 442.

  As shown in FIG. 12, first, it is determined whether or not the printing process on the roll paper 442 (that is, all printing of Y, M, C, and overcoat) has been completed (step S1301). When the printing process is completed (“YES” in S1301), rotation of the paper feed roller 441 and grip roller 641 is started, and the roll paper 442 is conveyed in the paper discharge direction (step S1302). In the printing apparatus 100, when it is determined that the overcoat process is completed, it is assumed that the leading edge of the roll paper 442 is at the position of the grip roller 641 as shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, the rotation angle of the grip roller 641 after the rotation is started in step S1302 is monitored, and the conveyance distance of the roll paper 442 is measured (step S1303). FIG. 13B shows a state of the roll paper 442 immediately after the rotation of the paper feed roller 441 and the grip roller 641 is started and the measurement of the transport distance is started. Normally, the roll paper 442 has curl due to being wound around the paper feed roller 441, and some curl is actually left after curl removal is performed by the curl removal roller 631. In many cases, this state is reflected in FIG.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether the leading edge of the roll paper 442 has reached the position of the paper discharge roller 606 (step S1304). If the leading edge of the roll paper 442 has not reached the position of the paper discharge roller 606 (“NO” in S1304), the process waits for the leading edge of the roll paper 442 to reach the position of the paper discharge roller 606. When the leading edge of the roll paper 442 reaches the position of the paper discharge roller 606 (“YES” in S1304), the roll paper 442 is gripped by the paper discharge roller 606 and the rotation of the paper discharge roller 606 is started (step S1305). FIG. 13C shows a state when the leading edge of the roll paper 442 reaches the position of the paper discharge roller 606 and shows a state before the paper discharge roller 606 grips the roll paper 442. FIG. 13D shows a state where the paper discharge roller 606 grips the roll paper 442 and starts rotating.

  After step S1305, it is determined whether the measured transport distance has reached a predetermined amount determined in advance before printing (step S1306). In the case of the present embodiment, the “specified amount” is basically the sum (L + S) of the distance (L) from the grip roller 641 to the cutting position 2001 and the print size (S) to which the attached cartridge 110 is to be printed. Is a value obtained in consideration of the cutting position parameter.

  If the transport distance reaches the specified amount (“YES” in S1306), the rotation of the paper feed roller 441 and the grip roller 641 is stopped (step S1307). Thus, the grip roller 641 has transported the roll paper 442 in the paper discharge direction by a specified amount after starting rotation in step S1305. FIG. 14A shows a state in which the paper feed roller 441 and the grip roller 641 stop rotating, and the roll paper 442 stretched between the grip roller 641 and the paper discharge roller 606 is wound as described above. It is in a state of being bent by the heel. Therefore, even if the roll paper 442 is conveyed by a specified amount by the grip roller 641, the length from the cutting position 2001 to the leading end of the roll paper 442 is equal to the printing size (S) due to the bending of the roll paper 442. Don't be.

  Therefore, it is determined whether or not a certain time has elapsed since the rotation of the paper feed roller 441 and the grip roller 641 has been stopped (step S1308). If the certain time has elapsed (“YES” in S1308), the paper discharge roller The rotation of 606 is stopped (step S1309). If the predetermined time has not elapsed (“NO” in S1308), the process waits until the predetermined time elapses. FIG. 14B shows a state where the rotation of the paper discharge roller 606 is stopped in step S1309. As shown in FIG. 14B, the discharge of the roll paper 442 between the grip roller 641 and the paper discharge roller 606 is stopped by stopping the paper discharge roller 606 after a certain period of time has elapsed since the grip roller 641 was stopped. Can be eliminated. As a result, the distance from the cutting position 2001 to the leading edge of the roll paper 442 can be adjusted to the print size (S).

  That is, in the case of FIG. 14A, an error ΔS is caused by the bending between the grip roller 641 and the paper discharge roller 606. That is, the length from the cutting position 2001 to the tip of the roll paper 442 is shorter than the print size S by ΔS. On the other hand, by performing the processing of steps S1307 to S1309, as shown in FIG. 14B, the error ΔS is eliminated, and the roll paper 442 can be cut with high cutting accuracy.

  In steps S1308 and S1309, the discharge roller 606 is stopped after a certain period of time regardless of the size of the roll paper 442 and the cutting size. However, it is considered that the error ΔS increases as the size of the roll paper 442 or the cutting size increases. Therefore, for example, it is preferable that the time from when the paper feed roller 441 and the grip roller 641 are stopped to when the paper discharge roller 606 is stopped can be changed according to the size of the roll paper 442 and the cutting size.

[Cutting and discharging operation to cutting process]
Next, the cutting process after the error ΔS is eliminated in step S1309 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is another side view for explaining the operation during the printing process in the printing apparatus 100. The roll paper 442 is pulled out to the cutting position in order to separate the printed part of the roll paper 442 from the unused part. The state is shown.

  The cutter unit that cuts the roll paper 442 is configured to be detachable from the printing apparatus 100 from the outside. This is because the structure of the cutter unit may need to be replaced due to chipping or wear of the cutter blade 609, so that the replacement work can be easily performed. Therefore, the cutter blade 609, the cutter motor 221 having the gear train 608 for driving the cutter blade 609, and the cutter receiving blade 610 disposed so as to face the cutter blade 609 integrally constitute a cutter unit.

  When the cutter motor 221 is driven, the roll paper 442 is cut. As a cutting method using the cutter blade 609, in this embodiment, the upper and lower blades are rubbed together like a scissors and the roll paper 442 is sequentially cut in the width direction. However, the present invention is not particularly limited thereto. . For example, a cutting method of traveling while rotating a circular rotary blade may be used, or a method of cutting at once by moving the cutter blade vertically up and down in the vertical direction may be used.

[Cutting and paper discharge operation to paper discharge processing]
The printed matter cut by the cutting process (the portion printed and cut on the roll paper 442) is gripped by the paper discharge roller 606. When the paper discharge roller 606 is driven in this state, the printed matter is printed. Is conveyed in the paper discharge direction. Since a paper discharge kick roller 607 is disposed at a position facing the paper discharge roller 606, when the printed material is conveyed in the paper discharge direction, the end portion of the printed material is related to the uneven portion of the paper discharge kick roller 607. At the same time, the printed matter is kicked out to a paper discharge box (not shown).

  At that time, a kick-out auxiliary lever (not shown) arranged coaxially with the rotation shaft of the paper discharge roller 606 is urged toward the print screen side of the printed material in the direction of the paper discharge box. The printed product can be stored in the paper discharge box. The paper discharge roller 606 is controlled to stop after a predetermined time has elapsed from the completion of paper discharge.

[Cut and discharge operation-roll paper rewind]
The roll paper 442 is reversely conveyed until the leading edge of the roll paper 442 is accommodated in the cartridge 110 so that the roll paper 442 is not damaged when the cartridge 110 is replaced. The reverse conveyance of the roll paper 442 may be performed at the end of printing, or may be performed when a cartridge replacement instruction is given. The printing process (step S806) is completed by the above operations and processes.

<Operation at end detection>
Next, end detection processing will be described. The end detection process is performed at a predetermined timing during the printing process to check whether the roll paper 442 necessary for printing an image remains (that is, whether the remaining amount of the roll paper 442 is sufficient). It is processing of.

[Operation of end detection sensor]
The operation of the end detection sensor 204 during the printing process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram schematically illustrating the operation of the end detection sensor 204 during the printing process. Each drawing related to (A) to (C) shown on the left side of FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the roll paper unit 440, and the roll paper 442 is consumed from (A) to (C). The situation is shown. On the other hand, the right side of FIG. 16 is a graph showing a change in output of the end detection sensor 204 accompanying consumption of the roll paper 442.

  As the end detection sensor 204, a reflection type optical sensor is preferably used, and in the state (A) in which a large amount of roll paper 442 is wound outside the opening 1401 provided in the paper feed roller 441, the end detection sensor. 204 receives the reflected light from the roll paper 442. At this time, the output signal of the end detection sensor 204 becomes an ON signal 1212.

  When the roll paper 442 wound outside the opening 1401 is peeled off and decreases (B), the end detection sensor 204 cannot receive the reflected light from the roll paper 442. For this reason, the output signal from the end detection sensor 204 changes from the ON signal 1212 to the OFF signal 1214. Thereafter, since the consumption of the roll paper 442 continues (C), the output signal from the end detection sensor 204 remains the OFF signal 1214.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the opening 1401 is provided near the position (fixed position 1202) where the longitudinal end of the roll paper 442 is fixed to the surface of the paper feed roller 441, and behind the fixed position 1202. ing. Therefore, when the output signal from the end detection sensor 204 becomes the OFF signal 1214, the length of the roll paper 442 wound around the paper feed roller 441 is approximately the circumferential length of the paper feed roller 441. Will be equal.

[Details of end detection processing]
Next, details of the termination detection process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the end detection process. First, the leading end position of the roll paper 442 when the output signal from the end detection sensor 204 becomes an OFF signal is identified (step S1501). Subsequently, the diameter of the paper feed roller 441 is read from the IC provided in the cartridge 110 (step S1502).

  The circumferential length from the diameter of the paper feed roller 441 read in step S1502 is calculated, and from the leading edge of the roll paper 442 to the separation member 460 based on the leading edge position of the roll paper 442 identified in step S1501. The length of the roll paper 442 is calculated. The remaining length of the roll paper 442 is calculated by adding the obtained circumferential length of the paper feed roller 441 and the length of the roll paper 442 from the leading end of the roll paper 442 to the separation member 460. However, in the printing apparatus 100, the length range from the separating member 460 to the printing position 611 on the terminal side of the roll paper 442 (hereinafter referred to as “non-printing length”) is used for image printing. I can't. Therefore, the printable length of the roll paper 442 is obtained by subtracting the non-printing length from the previously calculated remaining amount of the roll paper 442 (step S1503).

  Next, the print size is read from the IC of the cartridge 110 (step S1504), and the printable length calculated in step S1503 is divided by the print size read in step S1504 to calculate the printable number of sheets. (Step S1505). It is determined whether the number of printable sheets calculated in this way is smaller than the number of images to be printed (number of print targets) (step S1506).

  If the number of printable sheets is smaller than the number to be printed (“YES” in S1506), it is recognized that printing is impossible (step S1507), and then the end detection process ends. If the number of printable sheets is equal to or greater than the number to be printed (“NO” in S1506), it is recognized that printing is possible (step S1508), and then the termination detection process ends. If it is determined that printing is not possible, the printing process is stopped, and the user is notified that the remaining amount of the roll paper 442 is insufficient, for example, by being displayed on the display unit 102, and can be printed. If it is determined, the printing process is subsequently executed.

  In this embodiment, since the end detection sensor 204 is provided inside the paper feed roller 441, it is not necessary to provide an opening for sensing by the end detection sensor 204 in the housing of the cartridge 110, and the cartridge is kept sealed. It becomes possible to do. In other words, in the printing apparatus 100 using the cartridge 110 in which the ink ribbon 421 and the roll paper 442 are integrated, the remaining amount of the roll paper 442 can be accurately detected while maintaining the sealed state of the cartridge 110. .

  In this embodiment, since the end detection sensor 204 is arranged using the hollow structure of the paper feed roller 441, the printing apparatus 100 is omitted compared to the case where the end detection sensor 204 is provided in the main body of the printing apparatus 100. The incidental effect that space can be obtained is obtained. Furthermore, since the irradiation position of the end detection sensor 204 to the roll paper 442 is always constant regardless of the consumption state of the roll paper 442, an incidental effect that false detection can be avoided is also obtained.

<< Second Embodiment >>
In the first embodiment, the writing position parameter, the overcoat writing parameter, and the cutting position parameter are set according to the control program of the printing apparatus 100. On the other hand, the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment is configured such that a method for setting these parameters is presented to the user, and a print result desired by the user is obtained.

  Since the hardware configuration of the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as the hardware configuration of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted here. The printing apparatus according to the second embodiment includes software that displays on the display unit 102 a menu that allows setting of a writing position parameter, an overcoat writing parameter, and a cutting position parameter.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a parameter setting screen displayed on the display unit 102. The print modes that can be selected in the second embodiment are the same three modes as the first embodiment: the normal mode, the current print emphasis mode, and the next print emphasis mode. Since these normal mode, current printing priority mode, and next printing priority mode have already been described with reference to FIG. 9, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

  When the menu screen of FIG. 18 is displayed on the display unit 102, the cursor displayed on the display unit 102 is changed to a desired mode button by using the left / right key 106 and the up / down key 107 (see FIG. 1) of the operation unit 103. Can be moved. FIG. 18 shows a state where the normal mode button is selected. When the selection switch 105 (see FIG. 1) is pressed while the cursor is set on a desired mode button, the selected mode is set.

  Although not shown, for example, when the normal mode is selected, the print density at the cutting position is set to an arbitrary value within the range of 5% to 95% of the black solid maximum density. Is displayed on the display unit 102. In the first embodiment, the print density at the cutting position in the normal mode is set to 50%. However, the second embodiment is not limited to this, and the cutting position desired by the user can be set.

  Similarly, when the current printing priority mode is selected, an operation screen for setting the print density at the cutting position to an arbitrary value within the range of 55% to 95% of the maximum black solid density. Is displayed on the display unit 102. When the next printing priority mode is selected, an operation screen for setting the print density at the cutting position to an arbitrary value within the range of 5% to 55% of the black solid maximum density is displayed. It is displayed on the display unit 102.

<< Other Embodiments >>
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these specific embodiment, Various forms of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention are also contained in this invention. Furthermore, each embodiment mentioned above shows only one embodiment of this invention, and it is also possible to combine each embodiment suitably.

  The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program code. It is a process to be executed. In this case, the program and the storage medium storing the program constitute the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Printing apparatus 101 Housing 102 Display part 103 Operation part 110 Cartridge 111 Housing 201 Main controller 204 Termination detection sensor 205 Roll paper detection sensor 208 Environmental temperature sensor 227 Thermal head 231 Image density estimation / determination part 609 Cutter blade 610 Cutter receiving blade

Claims (6)

A printing unit that prints an image on roll paper, the printing unit having a density characteristic in which the printing density increases according to the distance from the printing start position at the start of printing by the printing unit ;
Cutting means for cutting the roll paper on which the image is printed by the printing means;
By controlling the printing start position by the cutting position or the printing unit according to prior SL cutting means, wherein that controls the print density based on the density characteristics in the cutting position by varying the cutting position relative to the printing start position control means When,
The print density of the area at the rear end of the second image printed adjacent to the print start position side of the first image is estimated, and the estimated print density is compared with a preset reference density. An estimation means,
The control means is configured such that a print density based on the density characteristic of the first image at the cutting position when the estimated print density is equal to or higher than the reference density is equal to or less than the estimated print density. A printing apparatus , wherein the printing start position of the first image or the cutting position by the cutting means is controlled so as to be higher than the print density of the first image at the cutting position in the case.   The control means uses the relationship between the distance from the printing start position by the printing means and the printing density, and uses the printing start position by the printing means so that the printing density at the cutting position by the cutting means becomes a predetermined density. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cutting position by the cutting unit is controlled.   2. The printing start position is set in advance, and the control unit controls the cutting position so that a printing density at a cutting position by the cutting unit becomes a predetermined density. Or the printing apparatus of 2.   2. The cutting position is set in advance, and the control unit controls the printing start position so that a printing density at a cutting position by the cutting unit becomes a predetermined density. Or the printing apparatus of 2. The control unit controls the printing start position and the cutting position so that a distance between the printing start position and the cutting position becomes longer as a density of an image printed on the roll paper increases. printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that. A setting unit for defining a relationship between the print start position and the cutting position;
The setting means, as a mode that can be set, is a normal mode in which the print density at the cutting position is in the range of 5% to 95% of the maximum density obtained when black solid is printed on the roll paper; The current printing emphasis mode in which the print density at the cutting position is within the range of 45% to 95% of the maximum density obtained when black solid is printed on the roll paper, and the print density at the cutting position is A next printing emphasis mode in the range of 5% or more and 55% or less of the maximum density obtained when black solid is printed on the roll paper,
Said control means, as the conditions defined in the mode set by the setting unit are satisfied, any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the controller controls the printing start position and the cutting position The printing apparatus as described in.