JP2004001312A - PRINTING APPARATUS AND PRINTING APPARATUS CONTROL METHOD - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to consider expansion and contraction of a paper width when obtaining a borderless print result of a size smaller than the width of a mounted paper.
Kind Code: A1 A first cutter for cutting a recording paper in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the recording paper, and a second cutter for cutting the cut recording paper in a direction perpendicular to the cut line. Receiving the print data including the combined print image data for printing and a cut instruction command generated corresponding to the cut instruction command for instructing cutting by the second cutter, and In a printing apparatus capable of obtaining a borderless printing result on cut paper, a paper width sensor for measuring a mounted recording paper width, a recording paper size assumed by print data in response to an output from the sensor, and The magnitude of the expansion and contraction of the recording paper is determined from the difference from the calculated paper width, thereby correcting the data of the cut instruction command, and using the corrected data to To perform the control of the cutter.
[Selection diagram] FIG.

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a control method of the printing apparatus, and more particularly, to a printing apparatus having two cutters so that a cut sheet that has been printed without borders is finally output. The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a control method for the printing apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been a printing apparatus that cuts roll paper using a first cutter and a second cutter and that performs borderless printing of the same size as the paper size using two cutters. In addition, there is a printing apparatus having one cutter, which prints while protruding to the left and right in the transport direction of a sheet, and then cuts the leading and trailing edges of the print area in the transport direction without borders. Further, in a printing apparatus such as a CAD machine which requires the accuracy of dimensions of a printed image, there is a printing apparatus having an adjustment mechanism for correcting the conveyance accuracy of the printing roll paper in the conveyance direction.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in a printing device equipped with a conventional cutter, the size of the printing result, or more precisely, one size of the quadrilateral, is determined by the size of the paper, and in order to obtain a printing result of a desired size, the desired size is not obtained. The only other option was to use paper with a size. Therefore, each time the desired size is different, there is a trouble of changing the paper loaded in the printing apparatus. Also, in a conventional printing apparatus having a first cutter and a second cutter, a plurality of images are combined to obtain a printing result of a size smaller than the sheet width mounted on the printing apparatus, and the combined image is obtained. Is printed, and the cutting position is designated to perform cutting, and finally, borderless printing is not performed. As a result, the conventional printing apparatus equipped with a cutter has a problem that it is not possible to solve both the trouble of changing the paper and the waste of the paper when obtaining a borderless printing result. Further, there has not been a printing apparatus and control software for solving such a problem.
[0004]
Further, in a printing apparatus using roll paper, there is no printing apparatus that automatically corrects a cut position of a cut in a direction perpendicular to a roll conveyance direction in consideration of expansion and contraction of the paper width.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a first cutter for cutting a printing sheet in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction thereof, and a cutting line of the first cutter. A printing device having a second cutter for cutting in a direction perpendicular to the printing apparatus, and obtaining a borderless printing result of a size smaller than a sheet width (dimension in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction) mounted on the printing device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus capable of obtaining a printing result of a uniform size regardless of expansion and contraction of a sheet in a sheet width direction, and a method of controlling the printing apparatus.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve such an object, the present invention is directed to a method for printing on a recording sheet, and printing the printed recording sheet on a first cut-off plane perpendicular to the recording sheet conveyance direction at the time of printing. A first cutting means capable of being cut by a line, and a recording sheet cut by the first cutting means being cut by a second cutting line in a direction perpendicular to the first cutting line by the first cutting means Printing synthetic image data having a possible second cutting means and having been subjected to scaling processing so as to protrude from a preset area size on a recording material so as to protrude beyond a predetermined size in order to realize borderless printing. Receiving the print data including a cut instruction command generated corresponding to the printing composite image data and a cut instruction command for instructing a cut by the second cutting means, In a printing apparatus capable of obtaining a borderless print result on the cut paper by the printing means, a paper width sensor for measuring the width of the recording paper attached to the printing apparatus, Receiving the output, the paper width before printing is calculated, and the print data is assumed using the calculated paper width data and data indicating the size of the recording paper to be printed in the print data. Means for determining the magnitude of expansion / contraction of the recording paper from the difference between the recording paper size and the calculated paper width, and correcting the data of the cut instruction command input by the input means using data from the determination means And a cutter control unit that receives the output from the correction unit and controls the second cutter.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to the first aspect, the correction unit adjusts a dimension of the cut sheet that has been printed by the second cutting unit without margins. Irrespective of the paper width calculated using the paper width sensor, the data of the cut instruction command is corrected so as to have a predetermined size, and the corrected data is output. .
[0008]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first cutter capable of printing on a recording sheet and cutting the printed recording sheet along a first cut line perpendicular to a recording sheet conveyance direction at the time of printing. A second cutter capable of cutting the recording paper cut by the first cutter by a second cut line in a direction perpendicular to the first cut line by the first cutter to realize borderless printing In order to achieve this, the printing composite image data that has been subjected to scaling processing so that a predetermined amount protrudes from the predetermined size of the area on the recording material and the printing composite image data are generated. Receiving print data including a cut instruction command and a cut instruction command for instructing a cut by the second cutter, and printing a marginless print result on the cut paper cut by the second cutter. Calculating a sheet width before printing by receiving an output from a sheet width sensor for measuring the width of the recording sheet attached to the printing apparatus. Using the calculated paper width data and data indicating the size of the recording paper to be printed in the print data, recording is performed from the difference between the recording paper size assumed by the print data and the calculated paper width. A step of determining the size of the expansion and contraction of the paper, a correction step of correcting data of the cut instruction command input by the input means using data from the determining step, and receiving an output from the correction step. And a cutter control step of controlling the second cutter.
[0009]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the control method of the printing apparatus according to the third aspect, the correcting step includes the step of removing the edge-less printed cut paper by the second cutter. The data of the cut instruction command is corrected so as to have a predetermined size regardless of the paper width calculated using the paper width sensor, and the corrected data is output.
[0010]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method of a printing apparatus, wherein a predetermined amount of the printing medium is deviated from a predetermined area size of the recording material in order to realize borderless printing. The print data including the double-processed print composite image data and a cut instruction command generated corresponding to the print composite image data, the cut instruction command instructing a cut by the second cutter. Receiving, receiving the output from the paper width sensor for measuring the width of the recording paper attached to the printing apparatus, calculating the paper width before printing, the calculated paper width data and the Using the data indicating the size of the recording paper to be printed in the print data, recording is performed from the difference between the recording paper size assumed by the print data and the calculated paper width. Determining the magnitude of expansion and contraction of the, and using the data from the determining step to correct the data of the cut instruction command input by the input means, and outputting the corrected data; A printing step of printing on recording paper based on the print data received in the receiving step; and a first direction perpendicular to the recording paper conveyance direction at the time of printing the recording paper printed in the printing step based on the received print data. The first cut control step of cutting by the first cutter at the cut line of the first step and the data outputted in the correction step are used to cut the recording paper cut by the first cut control step into the first cut control step. Cut control for cutting by the second cutter at a second cut line in a direction perpendicular to the first cut line by the first cutter Step, characterized in that it comprises a.
[0011]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the control method of the printing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the correcting step includes the step of removing the edge-printed cut paper by the second cutter. The data of the cut instruction command is corrected so as to have a predetermined size regardless of the paper width calculated using the paper width sensor, and the corrected data is output.
[0012]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium storing a program, wherein a predetermined amount of the recording medium is set based on a predetermined area size on a recording material in order to realize borderless printing. A print composite image data that has been scaled so as to protrude, and a cut instruction command that is generated corresponding to the print composite image data and that instructs a cut by the second cutter. Receiving print data including: a step of calculating a sheet width before printing by receiving an output from a sheet width sensor for measuring the width of the recording sheet attached to the printing apparatus; and Using the paper width data and data indicating the size of the recording paper to be printed in the print data, the recording paper size assumed by the print data Determining the magnitude of expansion or contraction of the recording paper from the difference with the calculated paper width; and using the data from the determining step to correct the data of the cut instruction command input by the input means, A correction step of outputting the received data, a printing step of printing on recording paper based on the print data received in the receiving step, and a printing step of printing the recording paper printed in the printing step based on the received print data. A first cut control step of cutting by a first cutter at a first cut line perpendicular to the recording paper conveyance direction, and the first cut control using data output in the correction step. The recording paper cut by the step is cut by a second cut line in a direction perpendicular to the first cut line by the first cutter. And executes a second cutting control step of cutting by chromatography.
[0013]
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the storage medium according to the seventh aspect, a floppy (registered trademark) disk or a hard disk storing a program readable by a server computer and a client computer as the storage medium. -A disk, a magneto-optical disk, an optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, and a ROM are used.
[0014]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the storage medium according to the seventh or eighth aspect, the storage medium is detachable from a server computer and a client computer.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a printing apparatus illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 101 denotes a print head, and the paper supplied from the upper roll 102 or the lower roll 103 is measured by the paper width sensor 114, printed by the print head 101, and printed by the first cutter 104 after printing. Cut the roll paper. The cut first paper 107 is held by the transport roller (first position 105) disposed downstream of the first cutter 104 at the rear end of the paper in the transport direction up to that point, and then the arrow shown in the figure. As shown by, the transport roller is moved to the position of the second position 106 to reverse the transport roller, and the cut first cut paper 107 is discharged to the paper discharge position disposed above the print head. The operation is performed so as to discharge the sheet to the sheet. Next, the first cut sheet 107 conveyed above the printing apparatus is conveyed to either the first discharge roller 108 or the third discharge roller 109. In this selection, when a cut by the second cutter 121 of the second cutter unit 111 is instructed, the first cut sheet 107 is conveyed to the first discharge roller 108 side. On the other hand, the case where the sheet is conveyed to the third sheet discharge roller 109 side is a case where the cut by the second cutter 121 is not instructed, and the sheet is discharged to the first sheet discharge unit 112 after the conveyance. When a cut is instructed by the second cutter 121, the first cut paper 107 is conveyed from the first paper discharge roller to the second cutter unit 111, and the process shifts to a cutting process by the second cutter 121.
[0017]
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the second cutter unit 111. The left side of the figure shows the arrangement when the second cutter unit 111 shown in FIG. 1 is viewed from the direction indicated by (1), and the right side of the figure shows the arrangement when the left part of the figure is viewed from the right side. Is shown. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the first cut sheet transported from the first transport direction 110 is transported in a second transport direction 120 perpendicular to the first transport direction 110, and the second cutter According to 121, cutting is performed at a cut position 122 in accordance with a cut instruction. After the cut, the paper cut by the second paper discharge roller 123 is discharged.
[0018]
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a cut position by the second cutter unit when a composite image is generated and printed by arranging two images in the cut line direction of the first cutter and vertically in the drawing. This figure shows an example in which the first cut sheet 107 is cut into two pieces, an eleventh cut sheet and a twelfth cut sheet, by a cut line indicated by a dotted line in the center thereof. The actual cutting is performed by the second cutter 121 when the portion shown by the dotted line reaches the position of the second cut line 122 shown in the figure. In this case, since the two images that have been combined and printed are arranged vertically, they are cut and separated. In this case, the cut is performed at the first cut position 124 and the second cut position 125, and the eleventh cut sheet is cut. 127, a twelfth cut sheet 128, and a first cut piece 126 at the center. Here, the first cut piece 126 becomes cut waste.
[0019]
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet discharged to the first sheet discharge unit 112. The paper discharged to the first paper output unit 112 in this way is used to obtain the result of only the cut by the first cutter 104 like the third cut paper 113. Note that the paper orientation in FIGS. 2 to 4 is unified.
[0020]
Here, control of the first cutter will be described. This control of the cutter is usually generated inside the printing device. It is assumed that the leading end of the roll paper to be printed has been cut in advance by the initiative of the printing apparatus itself or as a trailing end cutting process at the time of previous printing. For example, when performing borderless printing, the leading edge and both ends in the paper transport direction of the image to be borderlessly printed are printed out of the paper. After printing, the leading end and both ends protrude outside the paper, so there is no need to cut it, while the trailing end is also printed on the paper, which would otherwise be the protruding part. . In order to realize borderless printing, it is necessary to cut off the portion corresponding to the protrusion with the first cutter. As a cutting method at this time, first, the portion corresponding to the protrusion occupies most of the printed image. Cut at its boundary to remove it from the area. Next, in preparation for the next printing, the print area of the protruding portion left on the paper is cut. By doing so, the next borderless printing can be performed. As for the cutting position by the first cutter at this time, the amount of protrusion at the rear end can be obtained from the paper size to be printed and the image size sent for borderless printing. The cutting is performed by the first cutter under the control of the printing apparatus itself.
[0021]
FIG. 3 shows a case where the cut line direction of the first cutter is divided into two cut sheets by using the second cutter. In FIG. 7 described later, a case where the cut line direction is divided into four cut sheets. Is shown. That is, in the division by the second cutter, the number of divisions themselves can be changed according to the user's request, and thus cannot be determined by the printing apparatus itself. More specifically, the cutting position of the second cutter cannot be determined from the data to be printed input by the printing apparatus.
[0022]
Therefore, the position to be cut by the illustrated second cutter depends on user input. In other words, the cut position depends on the content to be printed, but it is necessary to detect the cut position from the printed image. However, as described below, it is necessary to generate a cut instruction command according to the content of the image to be printed and send it to the printing apparatus.
[0023]
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a cut instruction by the second cutter 121, and shows a case where the diagram shown in FIG. 3 is rotated clockwise by 90 degrees. In the figure, the X axis indicates the main scanning direction by the print head 104 of FIG. 1, and the Y axis indicates the sub scanning direction. In the figure, the left and right ends are the width W itself of the roll paper shown in FIG. 1, and the cut instruction is from this end in a direction (X-axis) perpendicular to the cut line of the first cutter. The first cut position is designated by the dimensions (X1, 0), and the second cut position is represented by a relative value (ΔX1) to the first cut position.
[0024]
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the specification of a cut instruction command for controlling the second cutter of the printing apparatus, and illustrates a general case. In the figure, of the two in parentheses, the first value is the size of the first position to be cut from the end of the sheet and the coordinates of the first position to be cut with the end as the origin. The next data is a value that is the coordinate of the first position to be cut from the end after cutting, and is also the width of the cut piece. When the cut position described with reference to FIG. 3 is designated, the data is indicated only by the part (X1, ΔX1), and a data set corresponding to the number of cut pieces to be generated is generally added. In other words, the data of the cut instruction command includes a combination of the cut position of the cut piece and the data of the width of the cut piece.
[0025]
FIG. 7 illustrates a case in which four images are combined in the width direction of a sheet, and the combined image is cut after performing borderless printing, so that each original image is obtained as a borderless printing result smaller than the sheet width. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a result of printing on a sheet and a position of a cut instruction by a second cutter, which is a diagram in the same direction as FIG. 5. In the vertical dimension shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the upper and lower ends of the figure are cut by the first cutter for borderless printing. Here, dotted lines indicated by reference numerals 194 to 199 are cut lines cut by the second cutter.
[0026]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a method of creating a composite image for obtaining a print result and a cut result by the first cutter as shown in FIG. 7. A composite image is created by combining four images. It is a figure showing a case.
[0027]
FIG. 8A shows images 201 to 204 in which the input four images are respectively scaled in accordance with the size to be printed on the printing paper so as to be out of the dimension to be printed on the paper. ing. These images are arranged in a predetermined array and combined into one image. At this time, for a portion adjacent to another image, the portion of ΔW is deleted from the scaled image, The image is synthesized using each of the truncated images. The image arranged at the left end is deleted at the right end, the image arranged at the right end is deleted at the left end, and the images arranged therebetween are synthesized after the left and right are deleted. However, even in the case of being adjacent, there may be a case where there is a blank portion between them. This combination position is arranged and combined so that the center of the image frame to be printed coincides with the center position of the enlarged image after the enlargement processing. ΔW in this figure shows the size of the part to be deleted. In the embodiment, for simplicity of description, the case where the protruding portion for borderless printing matches the portion to be deleted is described. On the other hand, the size of the portion to be actually deleted is determined according to the size desired to be obtained as a final borderless printing result. If the size is small, deletion may not be necessary, and ΔW In this case, in practice, the size of the overlapped portion to be deleted cannot be increased.
[0028]
FIG. 8B shows a case where the images shown in FIG. 8A are combined, the relationship between the combined image and the width W of the sheet, and the second cutter unit cut by the first cutter. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a sheet conveyed to a unit 111 and a height direction H, a relationship between images subjected to scaling processing, and the like.
[0029]
The hatched area shown in FIG. 8C indicates the size of the sheet conveyed to the second cutter unit 111, and the outer frame portion indicated by reference numeral 200 indicates the size of the sheet for comparison. This is a portion indicating the size of the composite image corresponding to the size. Here, straight lines having arrows at both ends indicate cut lines by the first and second cutters. In this figure, the portion to be cut by the second cutter is for deleting the boundary portion of each image in the composite image as a cut piece and simultaneously dividing the composite image into each image. Then, in the portion that does not include the boundary of the cut composite image, basically, only the protruding region portion for borderless printing is cut.
[0030]
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing each cut sheet cut along the cut line shown in FIG. 8C in the arrangement shown in FIG. 8C.
[0031]
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for creating a composite image in the case illustrated in FIG. At the start of the process, four pieces of image data and list data indicating the arrangement of each image are passed. Here, each of the four images has a quadrangular shape, an aspect ratio of X: H, and finally the aspect ratio of the image represented by the image data on the paper is changed. Instead, it is printed. It is assumed that the size of the print area of each image on the paper is X × H.
[0032]
In step S101, each image is enlarged or reduced to have no border. Specifically, the image is converted to a size of (X + 2 × ΔW) × (H + 2 × ΔH) without changing the aspect (not the aspect of the image frame) of the image represented by the image data. Here, .DELTA.W and .DELTA.H are the amounts of the image protruding from the print frame when the center of the print frame on the paper coincides with the center of the converted image. The generation of the protruding image is for reliably performing borderless printing.
[0033]
In step S102, the left end image is deleted. In step S103, the image located in the middle is deleted. In step S104, the right end image is deleted. Finally, in step S105, all the images are combined. Perform processing to create a composite image. In the processing of the image end portion, it is preferable that a portion smaller than ΔW is actually deleted, and a portion that is cut off when the image boundary is cut is within the protruding region. Although not shown in the present embodiment, by transmitting the combined image and the cut instruction command in pairs to the printing apparatus, borderless printing of a size smaller than the sheet width can be realized.
[0034]
W in the above description is, for example, the paper width of roll paper. Even if the width of the roll paper is a specified width at the time of manufacture, it changes at the time of actual printing because the roll paper expands and contracts due to environmental changes such as humidity and temperature. As an example, it is said that a photo-based glossy paper or the like has a maximum elongation of about 2.5%.
[0035]
Therefore, for example, consider the above-described processing in a case where the sheet width is extended by 2.5% from the specified sheet width.
[0036]
(Discussion 1)
The paper width of the roll paper before printing is measured by the paper width sensor 114, and the measured value is sent, for example, to a device for generating the above-described composite image and cut instruction command, for example, a client computer via a communication line. The problem is solved by generating a composite image and generating a cut instruction command based on the measurement value received by the computer. In this case, the size of the printing result obtained varies depending on the paper width at the time of printing, but the relationship between the outer shape and the content is similar.
[0037]
(Discussion 2)
The generation of the composite image and the generation of the cut instruction command in the client computer are performed on the premise of the specified paper width. On the printing device side that has received the print instruction from the client computer, the correction for the expansion and contraction of the paper width is performed under certain restrictions. It is possible to do. The restriction means that it is necessary to set the value of ΔW described above, for example, in case that the paper width is 2.5% larger than the specified value. For example, a value of ΔW is set in consideration of an expected error in the printing size and printing position of the printing apparatus and further considering the expansion and contraction of the sheet.
[0038]
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a process related to the present invention, and FIG. 11A is a diagram showing a relationship between a composite image generated on the client computer side and a cut instruction command, for example. FIG. 11B shows a state in which the value of the cut instruction command received by the printing apparatus in response to the combined image and the cut instruction command as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a changed and changed value of a cut instruction command (cut position and cut width) and a sheet and a composite image to be printed. The outer frame is the assumed printing area of the synthesized image, the inner thick frame is the cut paper cut by the first cutter and conveyed to the second cutter unit, and the dotted line indicates the cut position by the second cutter. Is shown. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explanation, and does not show a reduced view of an actual size.
[0039]
FIG. 11A is the same as FIG. 7 and the description is omitted. In FIG. 11B, the composite image is formed to have a size in which the expansion and contraction of the printing paper is assumed in advance, so that it is formed larger than the paper width. For example, there is no non-printing area on the right side of the drawing.
[0040]
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method of correcting the cut instruction command received when the printing apparatus receives and prints print data according to the present invention. First, in step S1201, the paper width data W1 obtained using the paper width sensor 114 is acquired, and in step S1202, the prescribed paper width W is subtracted from the acquired paper width W1, and the difference from the prescribed paper is obtained. That is, the expansion / contraction ΔW (= W1−W) is calculated. Next, in step S1203, a correction value α for correcting the cut position and the cut width of the CutOff command indicating the cut position of the sheet is calculated. Here, the correction value α is obtained from the calculation of ΔW / (n−1), and n−1 is a value that can be obtained from the number of data sets of the received cut instruction command. For example, the number of cut pieces shown in FIG. 6 is also the number of images in the received composite image. In step S1204, the cut position data and the cut width data of the received CutOff command are corrected using the calculated correction value α. When the above processing is completed, an image printing process is performed in step S1205, and in the next step S1206, a cutting process is executed by the first cutter unit based on the printed image. Finally, in step S1207, the cut sheet cut by the first cutter unit is cut by the second cutter unit in accordance with the corrected CutOff command, and all printing processes are completed.
[0041]
By performing the above-described processing, it can be understood that the boundary of the image in the composite image is included in the area of the cut piece that becomes the cut waste, and the remaining cut sheets have the same size.
[0042]
In the above-described correction processing of the cut instruction command on the printing apparatus side, for example, when the same three images are combined and printed on a print sheet having a sheet width 2% larger than the specified value, three cut images are obtained. Although the image content itself on the paper slightly shifts in relation to the outer frame of the paper, it is a peripheral portion and may be based on marginless printing. is there.
[0043]
When the processing according to the present invention described above is not performed, for example, in the case illustrated in FIG. 11, the lateral dimension of the cut sheet located on the right portion has a specified sheet width as compared with the cut sheet located at other positions. If it is W, it will be larger by, for example, 0.02W. Here, when ΔX + α is ignored, the width of the cut sheet is W / 3, and 0.02 W / (W / 3) = 0.06, which is a 6% difference in size. Actually, since ΔX + α cannot be ignored, the dimensional difference is 6% or more. It will be understood that when four screens are combined in the paper width direction of the roll paper, a dimensional difference of 8% or more occurs.
[0044]
As described above, the expansion and contraction of the paper width of the roll paper can be ignored when combining a plurality of images in the paper width direction to obtain a marginless print result as a cut paper after printing as described above. It is understood that there is no. Here, there is an object to be solved by the present invention, and the present invention solves a problem caused by expansion and contraction of the paper width of roll paper.
[0045]
In this embodiment, the printed sheet is cut by the first cutter as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the cut sheet is conveyed to the second cutter section. Then, the sheet cut by the second cutter is cut again. Therefore, the cutting control by the second cutter can be executed independently of the printing operation. In other words, it is possible to input a command to cut the paper so as to print on the paper, and to execute the cut processing of the paper, in this case, the paper loaded in the second cutter unit shown in FIG. Needless to say, or it is easy to operate as such.
[0046]
According to the present invention, a storage medium storing program codes of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or an apparatus, and a computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or the apparatus stores the storage medium in the storage medium. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by reading and executing the stored program code.
[0047]
In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the novel function of the present invention, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.
[0048]
As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, an optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, and the like Can be used.
[0049]
The functions of the above-described embodiments are implemented when the computer executes the readout program code. In addition, the OS or the like running on the computer executes one of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code. The functions of the above-described embodiments can also be realized by performing all or part of the processes.
[0050]
Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided on a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. The CPU or the like provided in the board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments can also be realized by the processing.
[0051]
It goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a case where the program is delivered from a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a requester via a communication line such as personal computer communication.
[0052]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a first cutter for cutting a recording sheet at right angles to a recording paper conveyance direction, and a second cutter for cutting the cut recording sheet at right angles to a cut line In order to realize borderless printing, printing composite image data subjected to scaling processing, and a cut instruction command generated corresponding to the printing composite image data and instructing cutting by the second cutter, In a printing apparatus that can receive print data including a and finally obtain a borderless print result on cut paper, an output from a paper width sensor for measuring the width of the attached recording paper is used. Calculates the paper width before receiving and printing, and calculates the recording paper dimensions assumed by the print data using the calculated paper width data and the data indicating the size of the recording paper to be printed in the print data. And The magnitude of the expansion and contraction of the recording paper is determined from the difference with the paper width, and the data of the cut instruction command input is corrected thereby to execute the control of the second cutter. Can be set to a fixed size regardless of the expansion or contraction of the recording paper.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a printing apparatus illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a second cutter unit shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a cut position by a second cutter unit when a composite image is generated and printed by arranging two images in a cut line direction of a first cutter, and in a vertical direction in FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet discharged to a first sheet discharge unit.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a cut instruction by a second cutter 121.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a cut instruction command specification relating to a second cutter.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a case where four images are combined in the width direction of a sheet, and the synthesized image is cut after performing borderless printing, so that each original image is obtained as a borderless printing result smaller than the sheet width. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a result of printing on a sheet and a position of a cut instruction by a second cutter.
8 is a diagram showing an example of a method of creating a composite image for obtaining a print result and a cut result by the first cutter as shown in FIG. 7, in a case where a composite image is created by combining four images; FIG.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing each cut sheet cut along the cut line shown in FIG. 8 (c) in the arrangement shown in FIG. 8 (c).
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for creating a composite image in the case illustrated in FIG. 8;
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process according to the present invention, and is a diagram illustrating a process of correcting data of a received cut instruction command.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method of correcting a cut instruction command received when the printing apparatus receives print data and performs printing according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
101 print head
102 Upper Roll
103 Lower Roll
104 First cutter
105 Transport roller (first position)
106 transport roller (second position)
107 1st cut paper
108 1st paper ejection roller
109 2nd paper ejection roller
110 1st transport direction
111 Second cutter unit
112 1st paper output unit
113 3rd cut paper
114 Paper width sensor
120 Second transport direction
121 Second cutter
122 Second cut line
123 2nd paper ejection roller
124 1st cut position
125 Second cut position
126 1st cut piece
127 11th cut paper
128 12th cut paper
190 Image 1
191 Image 2
192 Image 3
193 Image 4
194 cut position 1
195 cut width 1
196 cut position 2
197 cut width 2
198 cut position 3
199 cut width 3
200 composite image
201 Enlarged image 1
201 'Borderless printing of image 1
202 Enlarged image 2
202 'Borderless printing of image 2
203 Enlarged image 3
203 'Borderless printing of image 3
204 Enlarged Image 4
204 'Borderless printing of image 4

Claims (9)

A first cutting unit that prints on a recording sheet and that can cut the printed recording sheet along a first cut line perpendicular to a recording paper conveyance direction at the time of printing; a recording sheet cut by the first cutting unit Has a second cutting means that can be cut by a second cutting line in a direction perpendicular to the first cutting line by the first cutting means, and is set in advance to realize borderless printing. And a cut instruction command generated corresponding to the print composite image data, the print composite image data being scaled so that a predetermined amount protrudes from the size of the area on the recording material. A mark capable of obtaining a borderless print result on the paper cut by the second cutting means upon receiving print data including a cut instruction command for instructing cutting by the second cutting means. In the device,
A sheet width sensor for measuring the width of the recording sheet attached to the printing apparatus, and a sheet width before printing is calculated by receiving an output from the sheet width sensor, and the calculated sheet width data and the printing Using the data indicating the size of the recording paper to be printed in the data, the magnitude of the expansion / contraction of the recording paper is determined from the difference between the recording paper size assumed by the print data and the calculated paper width. Means to
Correction means for correcting data of a cut instruction command input by the input means, using data from the determination means,
A printing apparatus, comprising: a cutter control unit that receives an output from the correction unit and controls the second cutting unit. The correction unit determines the size of the cut sheet printed without borders on the cut sheet by the second cutting unit, regardless of the sheet width calculated using the sheet width sensor, with a predetermined size. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data of the cut instruction command is corrected so as to output the corrected data. A first cutter capable of printing on a recording sheet and cutting the printed recording sheet along a first cut line perpendicular to the recording sheet conveyance direction at the time of printing; and cutting the recording sheet cut by the first cutter into the first cutter line. A second cutter capable of cutting along a second cut line in a direction perpendicular to the first cut line by the first cutter, on a recording material set in advance to realize borderless printing And a cutting instruction command generated in correspondence with the printing composite image data, the magnification of which has been set so as to exceed a predetermined amount from the size of the area, and the second cutter Control of a printing apparatus capable of receiving a print data including a cut instruction command instructing a cut by the second cutter and obtaining a borderless print result on the paper cut by the second cutter In law,
Calculating the sheet width before printing by receiving an output from a sheet width sensor for measuring the width of the recording sheet attached to the printing apparatus;
Using the calculated paper width data and the data indicating the size of the recording paper to be printed in the print data, the difference between the calculated paper width and the recording paper size assumed by the print data is calculated. Determining the magnitude of expansion and contraction of the recording paper;
Using the data from the determining step, a correction step of correcting the data of the cut instruction command input by the input means,
A cutting control step of executing the control of the second cutter in response to an output from the correction step. The correcting step sets the dimensions of the cut paper that has been printed without margins on the paper that has been cut by the second cutter, to a predetermined size, regardless of the paper width calculated using the paper width sensor. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the data of the cut instruction command is corrected and the corrected data is output. In order to achieve borderless printing, the print composite image data corresponding to the print composite image data that has been subjected to scaling processing so that a preset amount protrudes from the preset size of the area on the recording material, and Receiving print data that includes a cut instruction command that has been generated and is a cut instruction command that instructs cutting by the second cutter;
Calculating the sheet width before printing by receiving an output from a sheet width sensor for measuring the width of the recording sheet attached to the printing apparatus;
Using the calculated paper width data and the data indicating the size of the recording paper to be printed in the print data, the difference between the calculated paper width and the recording paper size assumed by the print data is calculated. Determining the magnitude of expansion and contraction of the recording paper;
Using the data from the determining step, to correct the data of the cut instruction command input by the input means, a correction step of outputting the corrected data,
A printing step of printing on recording paper based on the print data received in the receiving step,
A first cutting control step of cutting the recording paper printed in the printing step by a first cutter on a first cut line perpendicular to the recording paper conveyance direction during printing based on the received print data; ,
Using the data output in the correcting step, the recording paper cut in the first cutting control step is cut into a second cut line in a direction perpendicular to the first cut line by the first cutter. A second cutting control step of cutting with a second cutter at
A method for controlling a printing apparatus, comprising: The correcting step sets the dimensions of the cut paper that has been printed without margins on the paper that has been cut by the second cutter, to a predetermined size, regardless of the paper width calculated using the paper width sensor. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the data of the cut instruction command is corrected and the corrected data is output. In order to achieve borderless printing, the print composite image data corresponding to the print composite image data that has been subjected to scaling processing so that a preset amount protrudes from the preset size of the area on the recording material, and Receiving print data that includes a cut instruction command that has been generated and is a cut instruction command that instructs cutting by the second cutter;
Calculating the sheet width before printing by receiving an output from a sheet width sensor for measuring the width of the recording sheet attached to the printing apparatus;
Using the calculated paper width data and the data indicating the size of the recording paper to be printed in the print data, the difference between the calculated paper width and the recording paper size assumed by the print data is calculated. Determining the magnitude of expansion and contraction of the recording paper;
Using the data from the determining step, to correct the data of the cut instruction command input by the input means, a correction step of outputting the corrected data,
A printing step of printing on recording paper based on the print data received in the receiving step,
A first cutting control step of cutting the recording paper printed in the printing step by a first cutter on a first cut line perpendicular to the recording paper conveyance direction during printing based on the received print data; ,
Using the data output in the correcting step, the recording paper cut in the first cutting control step is cut into a second cut line in a direction perpendicular to the first cut line by the first cutter. A second cutting control step of cutting with a second cutter at
Computer-readable storage medium storing a program for executing the program. The storage medium according to claim 7,
As the storage medium, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, an optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory storing a program readable by a server computer and a client computer A storage medium characterized by using a memory card and a ROM having different characteristics. The storage medium according to claim 7, wherein
The storage medium, wherein the storage medium is detachable from a server computer and a client computer.

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