JP6807714B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a thermal transfer type printer that prints using a thermal head.

In recent thermal transfer type printers, roll paper is often used as the printing paper. A thermal transfer printer is a device that forms an image on print paper by transferring ink from an ink sheet to print paper using a thermal head.

The reason why roll paper is used is that it has the following merits. The merit is that, in addition to being easy to feed and transport print paper, it is possible to generate photographs of various sizes by providing a cutter in the printer.

However, in a printer that uses roll paper, the printed matter that is the finished photograph discharged from the printer is not a little curled. Therefore, there is a demerit that the appearance quality of the photograph is impaired.

Therefore, Patent Documents 1, 2 and the like disclose a technique for reducing the degree of curl (hereinafter, also referred to as “related technique A”). In the following, a mechanism for reducing the degree of curl is also referred to as a "decal mechanism". The printers of Patent Documents 1 and 2 include a decal mechanism.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-108434 JP-A-2007-076845

The roll paper as the print paper used by the conventional printer having the related technique A is formed by rolling the paper into a roll shape. Therefore, for example, there is a problem that curls often remain on the print paper even if the decal mechanism of the related technique A is used for the roll paper that has been stored for a long period of time.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer capable of suppressing the presence of curls on printing paper without using a decal mechanism. To do.

In order to achieve the above object, the printer according to one aspect of the present invention is a thermal transfer type printer having a function of forming an image on a long printing paper. The printed paper is a formation target of the image, the planar multiple planes paper, continuous in the longitudinal direction of the printing paper, and is folded for each said flat sheet is configured, the plurality Each of the flat papers of the above is a card made of thick paper, and the printer has a transport unit for transporting the print paper and a plurality of the print paper when the print paper is conveyed by the transport unit. Of the flat paper, a sensor having a function of detecting a folded portion which is a folded portion of two adjacent flat papers, and a cutting portion for cutting the print paper based on the detection result by the sensor. The printing paper includes a connecting member, and the connecting member is provided between the two adjacent flat sheets so as to be continuous with the two adjacent flat sheets .

According to the present invention, in the printing paper on which the printer forms an image, a plurality of flat flat papers on which the image is formed are continuous in the longitudinal direction of the printing paper, and for each flat paper. Wrapped and configured.

As a result, it is possible to suppress the presence of curls on the print paper as compared with the conventional configuration using roll paper without using the decal mechanism.

It is a figure which shows the printing structure for performing printing among the printer which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the printer which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the printing paper which cut in a plurality of places. It is a figure for demonstrating the process of the modification 1 of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the printing paper which concerns on modification 3 of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the characteristic functional structure of a printer. It is a figure which shows the structure of the printer as a comparative example. It is a figure which shows the state which the printer as a comparative example cuts the print paper.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings below, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals. The names and functions of the components with the same reference numerals are the same. Therefore, detailed description of a part of each component having the same reference numeral may be omitted.

The dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of each component exemplified in the embodiment may be appropriately changed depending on the configuration of the device to which the present invention is applied, various conditions, and the like. In addition, the dimensions of each component in each drawing may differ from the actual dimensions.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a printing configuration for performing printing in the printer 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Note that FIG. 1 does not show configurations other than the printing configuration of the printer 100 (power supply unit, image processing unit, drive unit, control unit, structure support unit, display unit, etc.).

In FIG. 1, each of the X, Y, and Z directions is orthogonal to each other. The X, Y, and Z directions shown in the figure below are also orthogonal to each other. In the following, the direction including the X direction and the direction opposite to the X direction (−X direction) is also referred to as “X-axis direction”. Further, in the following, the direction including the Y direction and the direction opposite to the Y direction (−Y direction) is also referred to as “Y-axis direction”. Further, in the following, the direction including the Z direction and the direction opposite to the Z direction (−Z direction) is also referred to as “Z axis direction”.

Further, in the following, a plane including the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is also referred to as an “XY plane”. Further, in the following, a plane including the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction is also referred to as an “XZ plane”. Further, in the following, a plane including the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction is also referred to as a “YZ plane”.

The printer 100 is a thermal transfer type printer (thermal printer). The printer 100 is configured so that the printing paper 8 and the ink sheet 9, which will be described later, can be attached to and detached from the printer 100.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which the printing paper 8 and the ink sheet 9 described later are mounted on the printer 100. The shape of the ink sheet 9 is long. The ink sheet roll 9a is formed by winding one end of the ink sheet 9 around a bobbin (not shown). Further, the ink sheet roll 9b is formed by winding the other end of the ink sheet 9 around another bobbin (not shown).

The printer 100 has a function of forming an image on the printing paper 8. The printer 100 has a function of performing a printing process for forming an image on the printing paper 8.

The print paper 8 is continuous paper. The shape of the printing paper 8 is long. The printing paper 8 includes a plurality of flat papers 8N on which an image is formed. The print paper 8 is configured such that a plurality of flat papers 8N are lined up in the longitudinal direction of the print paper 8. Specifically, the print paper 8 is composed of a plurality of flat papers 8N continuous in the longitudinal direction of the print paper 8 and folded back for each flat paper 8N.

Note that FIG. 1 shows that the paper overlapping portion 8Z is formed by a part of the printing paper 8. The paper overlapping portion 8Z is formed by overlapping a plurality of flat papers 8N in the Z direction.

In the following, among the plurality of flat papers 8N included in the print paper 8, the portion in which two adjacent flat papers 8N are folded back is also referred to as a “folded back portion 8v”. The folded-back portion 8v of the present embodiment is a portion where a part of the printing paper 8 is bent.

The amount of bending of the folded portion 8v changes depending on the position of the folded portion 8v in the printer 100 of FIG. For example, when the folded-back portion 8v exists in the paper overlapping portion 8Z, the bending amount of the folded-back portion 8v is maximized. Further, for example, when the folded-back portion 8v exists between the cut portion 6 described later and the sensor SN1 described later in the Y-axis direction, the bending amount of the folded-back portion 8v is minimized.

The printing configuration of the printer 100 includes a transport unit 5, a thermal head 2, a platen roller 3, a cutting unit 6, a discharge roller 7, and a sensor SN1.

The transport unit 5 has a function of transporting the print paper 8 under the control of the paper transport unit 25 described later. The transport unit 5 includes a grip roller 5a and a pinch roller 5b. The grip roller 5a rotates under the control of a drive unit (motor or the like) (not shown). In the following, the direction in which the print paper 8 is conveyed by the conveying unit 5 is also referred to as “conveying direction Dr1”. In FIG. 1, the transport direction Dr1 is a direction along the YZ plane. In FIG. 1, the extending direction (X-axis direction) of the folded-back portion 8v is a direction perpendicular to the transport direction Dr1.

The thermal head 2 generates heat for transferring an image to the printing paper 8. The platen roller 3 has a function of crimping the printing paper 8 and the ink sheet 9 to the thermal head 2.

The cutting unit 6 is a cutter having a function of cutting the printing paper 8 according to the control of the control unit 23 described later. The cutting portion 6 cuts the printing paper 8 along a direction parallel to the extending direction of the folded-back portion 8v.

After the image transfer process is performed, the cutting unit 6 cuts the print paper 8 so that the size of the print paper 8 becomes a predetermined size. As a result, a printed matter that is a part of the print paper 8 is formed. The printed matter is a part of the print paper 8 on which the image is formed.

The discharge roller 7 is a roller for discharging printed matter from the printer 100.

The sensor SN1 has a function of detecting the folded-back portion 8v, which will be described in detail later. The sensor SN1 is, for example, a sensor that uses light. For example, the sensor SN1 constantly emits light. In the following, the light emitted by the sensor SN1 is also referred to as “detection light”. The sensor SN1 emits the detection light in the Z direction of FIG. 1, for example. When the folded portion 8v touches the detection light, the sensor SN1 detects the folded portion 8v by detecting the amount of light of a part of the detection light reflected by the folded portion 8v.

As a result, for example, the sensor SN1 detects the folded-back portion 8v when the print paper 8 is conveyed by the conveying unit 5. When the sensor SN1 detects the folded-back portion 8v, the sensor SN1 transmits detection information indicating that the folded-back portion 8v is detected to the control unit 23 described later. As a result, the control unit 23 recognizes that the folded-back portion 8v has been detected by receiving the detection information.

The sensor SN1 may be a sensor other than the sensor using light.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printer 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the main configurations related to the present invention, and does not show the configurations not directly related to the present invention.

With reference to FIG. 2, the printer 100 further includes a memory 21, an image processing unit 22, a control unit 23, a printing unit 24, and a paper transport unit 25. The control unit 23 controls a plurality of configurations (for example, an image processing unit 22, a printing unit 24, a paper transport unit 25, a cutting unit 6, etc.) included in the printer 100. Since the memory 21 and the image processing unit 22 have a configuration provided in a general thermal transfer printer, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The printing unit 24 includes the above-mentioned printing structure. The paper transport unit 25 has a function of controlling the transport unit 5 according to the control of the control unit 23.

Next, the print paper 8 (hereinafter, also referred to as “cut paper”) in which a plurality of parts of the print paper 8 are cut by the cutting portion 6 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the cut paper. FIG. 3 shows the tip of the print paper 8 of the cut paper and the portion of the cut paper near the tip.

In the following, the surface of the print paper 8 to be formed with an image is also referred to as a “print screen”. Each of the plurality of flat sheets 8N included in the printing paper 8 has a printing screen. That is, the printing paper 8 has a plurality of printing screens.

With reference to FIG. 3, the cut paper (print paper 8) includes a front edge margin portion 8c, a printed matter 8d, a rear edge margin portion 8e, and an unprinted image portion 8f.

One flat sheet 8N includes a front end margin portion 8c, a printed matter 8d, and a portion of the rear end margin portion 8e below the folded portion 8v. Further, another flat paper 8N adjacent to the one flat paper 8N includes a portion of the rear end margin portion 8e above the folded portion 8v and an unprinted portion 8f.

The tip margin portion 8c is a margin portion provided at the tip portion of the printing paper 8. The printed matter 8d is a part of the printed paper 8 on which the image is formed. The printed matter 8d is, for example, a photograph. The rear end margin portion 8e is a margin portion of the printing paper 8 on which no image is formed. A folded portion 8v exists in the rear end margin portion 8e.

In FIG. 3, the extending direction of the folded-back portion 8v is the X-axis direction. The folded portion 8v is not provided on the printing screen of each flat paper 8N included in the printing paper 8.

The unprinted portion 8f is a part of the printing paper 8 on which no image is formed.

Next, the printing control process performed by the printer 100 will be described. The printing control process includes a printing process. In the following, the printing process performed by the printer 100 is also referred to as “printing process P”.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, in the printing control process, first, the data conversion process and the transfer process are performed substantially at the same time. In the data conversion process, the printer 100 receives image data transmitted from an external device such as a PC (Personal Computer). The printer 100 temporarily stores the received image data in the memory 21. Next, the image processing unit 22 converts the image data stored in the memory 21 into print data.

In the following, among the plurality of flat papers 8N, the flat paper 8N on which printing is performed is also referred to as “target flat paper”. Further, in the following, the leading edge of the printing paper 8 is also referred to as a “paper edge”. The paper edge is, for example, the left edge of the print paper 8 shown in FIG.

In the transport process, the transport unit 5 transports the tip end portion (target flat paper) of the print paper 8 to the printing start position based on the detection result of the folded-back portion 8v by the sensor SN1. The printing start position is a position on the printing paper 8 where printing is started. The printing paper 8 is conveyed by, for example, the operation of a stepping motor (not shown), which causes the grip roller 5a of the conveying unit 5 to rotate.

In the transport process of the present embodiment, when the sensor SN1 detects the folded-back portion 8v existing at the edge of the target flat paper, the control unit 23 transports the target flat paper to the printing start position. , The transport unit 5 is controlled via the paper transport unit 25.

Next, as the platen roller 3 moves, the print paper 8 and the ink sheet 9 are sandwiched between the platen roller 3 and the thermal head 2.

Next, the printing process P is performed. In the printing process P, the thermal head 2 heats the ink sheet 9 and the printing paper 8 with a calorific value corresponding to the above-mentioned print data. As a result, the dye contained in the ink sheet 9 is sublimated, and the dye is transferred to the printing paper 8. Specifically, the dye is transferred to the printing screen of the target flat paper. As a result, an image is formed on the printing screen of the target flat paper.

When forming a full-color image on the printing screen, the printing process P is repeated a plurality of times. When the printing process P is repeatedly performed, the transport unit 5 sandwiches the print paper 8 (target flat paper) between the grip rollers 5a and the pinch rollers 5b under the control of the paper transport unit 25, and the print paper is the print paper. 8 is conveyed in the forward direction or the reverse direction depending on the situation.

The positive direction is the direction away from the paper ejection roller 7. The reverse direction is a direction approaching the paper ejection roller 7. By performing the printing process P a plurality of times, a color image is formed on the printing screen of the target flat paper. The target flat paper on which the color image is formed on the printing screen is the printed matter 8d.

After the printing process P is performed a plurality of times, the print paper 8 (printed matter 8d) is conveyed in the direction (forward direction) of the paper ejection roller 7 by the rotation of the grip roller 5a. After the tip portion of the print paper 8 has passed through the cutter 6, the cutting portion 6 cuts the print paper 8 so that the above-mentioned tip margin portion 8c is separated from the print paper 8 under the control of the control unit 23.

Next, after the printed matter 8d of the print paper 8 is conveyed in the discharge direction by a predetermined distance, the cutting unit 6 cuts the printed matter 8 so that the printed matter 8d is separated from the print paper 8. Then, the printed matter 8d is discharged to the outside of the printer 100 by the paper ejection roller 7.

After the printed matter 8d is discharged to the outside of the printer 100, the cutting portion 6 cuts the printed paper 8 so that the rear end margin portion 8e including the folded portion 8v is separated from the printed paper 8. That is, the cutting portion 6 cuts the print paper 8 so that the folded-back portion 8v is separated from the print paper 8. With the above, the printing control process is completed.

In the printing control processing of the present embodiment, as described above, after the sensor SN1 detects the folded-back portion 8v existing at the edge of the target flat paper, the printing processing P is performed a plurality of times, and the cutting portion 6 prints. Cut the paper 8. That is, the cutting unit 6 cuts the print paper 8 based on the detection result by the sensor SN1.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the print paper 8 on which the printer 100 forms an image, a plurality of flat flat papers 8N on which the image is formed are formed on the length of the print paper 8. It is constructed so as to be continuous in the direction and folded back for each 8N of the flat paper.

As a result, it is possible to suppress the presence of curls on the print paper as compared with a conventional printer that uses roll paper as the print paper without using the decal mechanism.

Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain a high-quality printed matter without curl without using a decal mechanism for removing curl.

Further, in the present embodiment, by using the print paper 8 composed of a plurality of flat papers, it is possible to provide a printer having higher space utilization efficiency than a printer using roll paper. Further, in the present embodiment, since a driving means for driving the roll paper is not required, the printer 100 can be constructed at low cost.

Further, in the present embodiment, the folded-back portion 8v exists in the rear end margin portion 8e of the printing paper 8. Therefore, the printed matter 8d (photograph) discharged from the printer 100 does not have a folded portion. Further, the folded-back portion 8v does not also exist at the tip end portion of the printing paper 8 existing inside the printer 100.

Here, a comparison is made between the printer 100 according to the present embodiment and a printer using roll paper (hereinafter, also referred to as “printer 100J”). The printer 100J is a printer as a comparative example with respect to the printer 100.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a printer 100J as a comparative example. The printer 100J uses the printing paper 18. The print paper 18 is roll paper. The print paper 18 is formed by rolling a long piece of paper into a roll. The printer 100J can rotate the printing paper 18 in the winding direction (clockwise direction) or the discharging direction (counterclockwise direction) by using a drive source (not shown).

The printer 100J includes a decal mechanism 11. The decal mechanism 11 is a mechanism for reducing the degree of curling of the printing paper 18. The decal mechanism 11 applies a force of an appropriate magnitude to the print paper 18 in an appropriate direction so that the degree of curl of the print paper 18 is reduced.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the printer 100J as a comparative example cuts the printing paper 18. Note that FIG. 8 shows a folded portion 8v that does not actually exist on the print paper 18 for the sake of explanation.

The printer 100J performs the cutting process N. In the cutting process N, the cutting portion 6 of the printer 100J separates the margin portion 18c from the printing paper 18 and then separates the printed matter 18d (photograph) from the printed paper 18.

Here, it is assumed that the cutting process N is performed on the assumption that the printing paper 18 has the same configuration as the printing paper 8 of the present embodiment. In this case, the folded portion 8v remains at the tip end portion (unprinted image portion 18e) of the printing paper 18 existing in the printer 100J.

The printing paper 18 existing in the printer 100J is pulled back by the grip roller 5a. Based on the detection result of the sensor SN1J having a function of detecting the print paper 18, the print paper 18 moves to the preparation position for the next printing.

If there is no next print command, the print paper 18 stands by on the spot. On the other hand, when there is the next print command, the printer 100J cue the ink sheet 9. After that, the ink sheet 9 and the printing paper 18 are crimped by the thermal head 2 and the platen roller 3, and the printer 100J continues to perform the printing operation.

As in the above assumption, if the folded portion 8v remains on the print paper 18, the accuracy of the sensor SN1J for detecting the position of the print paper 18 becomes low. In this case, color shift, print position shift, and the like occur, and the print quality deteriorates.

Further, the print paper 18 is transported in a paper transport guide (not shown). Therefore, if there is a folded portion at the tip of the print paper 18, the print paper 18 is likely to be caught by the paper transport guide, and there is a high possibility that a transport defect will occur.

On the other hand, in the printer 100 of the present embodiment, the cutting portion 6 cuts the print paper 8 so that the folded-back portion 8v is separated from the print paper 8. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned transport failure from occurring.

Further, the printer 100 of the embodiment does not use roll paper (print paper 18). Therefore, the printer 100 can obtain a printed matter having high print quality with almost no curl without using the decal mechanism 11 described above.

Further, the printer 100 does not need a configuration for driving the roll paper. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the printer 100 can be reduced. Further, since the printer 100 does not use roll paper, the thickness of the print paper 8 can be increased. As a result, the quality of the printed matter (photograph) discharged from the printer 100 can be further improved.

Further, in the printer 100J using roll paper, if the thickness of the print paper 18 is made to be a predetermined value or more, the decal effect by the decal mechanism 11 cannot be expected. Therefore, the printer 100J cannot use the printing paper 18 having a thickness equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

On the other hand, the printer 100 uses the print paper 8 composed of a plurality of flat paper 8N. Therefore, the printer 100 can obtain a printed matter (photograph) without curls even when the printing process is performed using the printed paper 8 having a thickness equal to or larger than a predetermined value. That is, even in the configuration of the printer 100 without the decal mechanism, it is possible to obtain a high-quality printed matter without curl.

Further, the feature that a printed matter having a thick paper thickness and no curl can be created is an important feature when printing on a card or the like made of thick paper. Therefore, the present invention is useful not only for photographic use but also for printing on, for example, a card made of thick paper.

A printer using roll paper having the above-mentioned related technique A is provided with a decal mechanism. However, in roll paper, the curvature of winding is small near the end of winding. Therefore, there is a problem that a large curl may remain on the printed matter (photograph).

As described above, the printer using the roll paper uses the decal mechanism in order to reduce the presence of curls in the printed matter (photograph) as much as possible. However, there is a problem that the curl cannot be completely removed by the conventional printer having the related technique A.

In addition, curling measures may be taken by increasing the diameter of the roll paper and increasing the curvature of the curl of the printing paper. However, when the diameter of the roll paper is large, there is a problem that the size of the printer itself is also large.

Further, a printer using roll paper has a problem that a driving means for driving the roll paper is required at the time of printing processing. If the driving means is not provided, if a load is applied to the printing paper during the printing process, printing defects such as uneven feed and color shift will occur.

Therefore, the printer 100 of this embodiment is configured as described above. Therefore, the printer 100 of the present embodiment can solve each of the above problems.

<Modification 1 of the first embodiment>
In the first embodiment, one printed matter (photograph) was created from one sheet of flat paper 8N. In the first modification of the present embodiment, a plurality of printed matter is created from one sheet of flat paper 8N.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the modification 1 of the first embodiment. The printed matter 8d of this modification is composed of the printed matter 8da and the printed matter 8db. The size of the printed matter 8da is, for example, the same as the size of the printed matter 8db. An image is formed on each of the printed matter 8da and 8db.

In this modification, the cutting portion 7 cuts at least one flat paper 8N out of the plurality of flat paper 8N at the middle portion of the one flat paper 8N. That is, the cutting portion 7 cuts one or more portions of one flat sheet 8N.

In this modification, for example, in the printing control process of the first embodiment, after the tip margin portion 8c is separated from the print paper 8, the cut portion 6 prints so that the printed matter 8da is separated from the print paper 8. Cut the paper 8.

Next, after the print paper 8 is conveyed in the discharge direction by a predetermined distance, the cutting unit 6 cuts the print paper 8 so that the printed matter 8db is separated from the print paper 8.

As described above, according to the first modification of the present embodiment, the number of cuts for one flat sheet is increased. As a result, two printed matter (photographs) can be created from one sheet of flat paper 8N.

In the above example, two printed matter of the same size were created. However, it is also possible to create two types of printed matter (photographs) having different sizes by changing the cutting position on one sheet of flat paper 8N.

Further, by increasing the number of cuttings, it is possible to create three or more printed matter from one sheet of flat paper 8N. By increasing the number of cuts in this way, it is possible to change the size of the printed matter and increase the number of printed matter obtained from one flat sheet 8N.

In this way, the printer 100 using continuous paper instead of roll paper can produce printed matter of a plurality of sizes, and it is not necessary to feed the printed matter to the printer 100 each time the printing process is performed. .. Therefore, according to the printer 100, there are advantages of roll paper such as less paper jam due to paper feeding and less paper jam when transporting print paper, and there is no demerit of roll paper having a large curl.

<Modification 2 of the first embodiment>
The folded-back portion 8v of the first embodiment is formed by simply folding back the print paper 8. The folded-back portion 8v in this modified example is provided with a plurality of holes arranged along the extending direction (X-axis direction) of the folded-back portion. That is, the folded-back portion 8v is provided with a plurality of holes in a pattern like a perforation.

As described above, according to the second modification of the present embodiment, the waist strength (bendability) of the folded portion of the printed paper 8 is controlled by adjusting the number of holes provided in the folded portion 8v. can do. Therefore, when the above-mentioned printing control process is performed, it is possible to prevent the printing paper 8 from being poorly conveyed.

The configuration of the modified example 2 may be applied to the configuration of the modified example 1 of the first embodiment.

<Modification 3 of Embodiment 1>
The configuration of the modification 3 of the present embodiment is a configuration in which two adjacent flat sheets are connected by another member (hereinafter, also referred to as “configuration Ct1A”). In the configuration Ct1A, the printer 100 uses the print paper 8A instead of the print paper 8. The print paper 8A is different from the print paper 8 in that a connecting member 8X, which will be described later, is provided between two adjacent flat sheets. That is, the printing paper 8A includes the connecting member 8X. Since the other configurations and functions of the printing paper 8A are the same as those of the printing paper 8, the detailed description will not be repeated.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the printing paper 8A according to the third modification of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 shows two adjacent flat sheets 8N included in the printing paper 8A in order to make the configuration easy to understand.

With reference to FIG. 5, the connecting member 8X is provided between the two sheets of flat paper 8N so as to make two adjacent flat sheets 8N continuous. That is, the connecting member 8X is connected to two adjacent flat sheets 8N. As a result, the printing paper 8A has the same function as the continuous paper. The connecting member 8X is provided with a folded portion 8v corresponding to a portion where two adjacent flat sheets 8N are folded.

That is, the print paper 8A is composed of a plurality of flat papers 8N continuous in the longitudinal direction of the print paper 8A and folded back for each flat paper 8N.

The connecting member 8X is made of a material different from the material constituting each flat paper 8N. For example, the connecting member 8X is made of a material that is thinner and softer than the material that constitutes the flat paper 8N. The connecting member 8X may be made of the same material as the material constituting each flat paper 8N.

In the configuration Ct1A using the print paper 8A, the processing on the print paper 8A is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. For example, the transport unit 5 transports the printing paper 8A. The extending direction (X-axis direction) of the folded-back portion 8v is a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the printing paper 8A is conveyed. Further, the cutting unit 6 cuts the printing paper 8A based on the detection result by the sensor SN1.

Further, the cutting portion 6 cuts the printing paper 8A along a direction parallel to the extending direction of the folded-back portion 8v. Further, the cutting portion 6 cuts the print paper 8A so that the folded-back portion 8v is separated from the print paper 8A.

As described above, according to the third modification of the present embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained even in the configuration using the printing paper 8A.

Further, according to this modification, even when the flat paper 8N is a card made of thick paper, continuous paper can be formed by stably folding the thick paper. Therefore, a high-quality printed matter for a special purpose (for example, a hand) can be obtained.

As described above, in recent printers using a thermal head, it is the mainstream to use roll paper. In recent years, there has been a demand for higher quality and higher quality printed matter (photographs). Therefore, eliminating curls is considered to greatly contribute to the expansion of the printer market share.

The configuration Ct1A may be applied to both or one of the modified example 1 of the first embodiment and the modified example 2 of the first embodiment. In this case, for example, the cutting portion 7 cuts at least one flat paper 8N out of the plurality of flat paper 8N at the middle portion of the one flat paper 8N. Further, the folded-back portion 8v is provided with a plurality of holes arranged along the extending direction (X-axis direction) of the folded-back portion 8v.

(Functional block diagram)
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a characteristic functional configuration of the printer BL10. The printer BL10 corresponds to the printer 100 according to any one of the first embodiment, the first modification, the second modification, and the third modification. That is, FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the main functions related to the present invention among the functions of the printer BL10.

The printer BL10 is a thermal transfer type printer having a function of forming an image on a long printing paper.

The print paper is composed of a plurality of flat papers on which the image is formed, which are continuous in the longitudinal direction of the print paper and folded back for each flat paper.

The printer BL10 functionally includes a transport unit BL1, a sensor BL2, and a cutting unit BL3. The transport unit BL1 transports the print paper. The transport unit BL1 corresponds to the transport unit 5.

The sensor BL2 has a function of detecting a folded portion of the plurality of flat papers, which is a folded portion of two adjacent flat papers, when the print paper is conveyed by the conveying portion. .. The sensor BL2 corresponds to the sensor SN1.

The cutting section BL3 cuts the print paper based on the detection result by the sensor. The cut portion BL3 corresponds to the cut portion 6.

(Other variants)
Although the printer according to the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments and modifications of the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and the modifications of the embodiments. The present invention also includes modifications that can be conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the gist of the present invention and the modifications of the embodiments. That is, the present invention can freely combine embodiments and modified examples of embodiments within the scope of the invention, and can appropriately modify or omit modified examples of embodiments and embodiments. is there.

Further, the printer 100 does not have to include all the components shown in the figure. That is, the printer 100 may include only the minimum components capable of realizing the effects of the present invention.

Further, the present invention may be realized as a paper cutting method in which the operation of a characteristic component included in the printer 100 is a step.

In the present invention, within the scope of the invention, it is possible to freely combine the modified examples of the embodiment and the embodiment, and appropriately modify or omit the modified examples of the embodiment and the embodiment. is there.

5, BL1 transport section, 6, BL3 cutting section, 8, 8A, 18 print paper, 8v folded section, 100, 100J, BL10 printer, BL2, SN1, SN1J sensor.

Claims (6)

A thermal transfer printer that has the function of forming images on long print paper.
The print paper is composed of a plurality of flat papers on which the image is formed, which are continuous in the longitudinal direction of the print paper and folded back for each flat paper.
Each of the plurality of flat papers is a card composed of thick paper.
The printer
A transport unit for transporting the print paper and
A sensor having a function of detecting a folded portion of the plurality of flat papers, which is a folded portion of two adjacent flat papers, when the print paper is conveyed by the conveying portion.
A cutting portion for cutting the printing paper based on the detection result by the sensor is provided .
The printing paper includes a connecting member and includes a connecting member.
The connecting member is a printer provided between the two sheets of flat paper so as to make the two adjacent flat sheets continuous . The printer according to claim 1, wherein the cutting portion cuts the print paper so that the folded portion is separated from the print paper. The extending direction of the folded portion is a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the print paper is conveyed.
The printer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cutting portion cuts the printing paper along a direction parallel to the extending direction of the folded portion. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cutting portion further cuts at least one flat paper of the plurality of flat papers at an intermediate portion of the one flat paper. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the folded portion is provided with a plurality of holes arranged along the extending direction of the folded portion. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting member is made of a material different from the material constituting each of the flat sheets.

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