JP7451233B2 - recording device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that cuts a sheet in a conveying direction.

Patent Document 1 discloses a recording apparatus having a slitter that is movable in the width direction of a sheet. In this recording apparatus, a slitter can cut the sheet in the conveying direction. As a result, by cutting the widthwise margin from the sheet, it is possible to obtain a recorded matter of any size on which a desired image is recorded.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-013438

2. Description of the Related Art Recording apparatuses include inkjet recording apparatuses that record images by ejecting ink from a recording head onto a sheet. In such an inkjet recording apparatus, in order to maintain and recover the ink ejection performance from the recording head, preliminary ejection may be performed in which ink is ejected to an ink receiving portion on the outside of the sheet. At this time, the recording head moves beyond the margin to be cut from the sheet and performs preliminary ejection. Therefore, there is a problem that the moving distance of the print head for preliminary ejection becomes long, and the time required to print a desired image becomes long. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus that reduces the moving distance of a printing head for preliminary ejection.

The recording apparatus of the present application includes: a first conveyance means that conveys a recording medium in a conveyance direction; a platen that supports the recording medium conveyed by the first conveyance means; a recording head that records an image by discharging ink onto a recording medium conveyed by means; a carriage on which the recording head is mounted and moves in a transverse direction intersecting the conveyance direction; a slitter that cuts the recording medium in the conveying direction when the recording medium is conveyed by the first conveying means at a predetermined downstream position; and a recorded object on which an image is recorded by cutting the recording medium with the slitter. and a control means for controlling the ejection of cut pieces cut from the recorded material in the intersecting direction, the recording apparatus comprising: a control means for controlling the ejection of cut pieces cut from the recorded material in the intersecting direction, and recording by holding the recording medium between the holding areas in the area where the cut pieces are to be formed. The recording medium includes a second conveying means for conveying the medium, and the control means executes a first preliminary ejection in which ink is ejected by the recording head to an area other than the nipping area in the area to be the cut piece. do.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus that reduces the moving distance of the printing head for preliminary ejection.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the recording device. FIG. 3 is a top view showing the configuration of a slitter and a cutter. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the structure of a slitter. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of the recording apparatus. 3 is a flowchart for determining the position of a recorded image. 3 is a flowchart for determining the position of a recorded image. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing how an image is recorded and a sheet is cut. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing how an image is recorded and a sheet is cut. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing how an image is recorded and a sheet is cut. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing how an image is recorded and a sheet is cut. 7 is a flowchart for determining the position of a recorded image and the position of preliminary ejection. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the number of printing passes and the ejection area L2.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present invention, and not all combinations of features described in the present embodiments are essential to the solution of the present invention. Note that the same configurations will be described using the same reference numerals. Furthermore, the relative arrangement, shape, etc. of the components described in the embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

In the following description of the embodiment, "recording" refers not only to the formation of significant information such as characters and figures, but also to the formation of images, patterns, patterns, etc. on a sheet, regardless of whether they are significant or not. This also includes cases. Further, in the embodiments of the present invention, a roll sheet is assumed as the recording medium, but cut paper, cloth, plastic film, board, etc. may also be used.

[First embodiment]
<Inkjet recording device>
Here, the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention will be explained using FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an inkjet recording apparatus according to this embodiment. The inkjet recording apparatus 100 (hereinafter referred to as the recording apparatus 100) records an image on a long sheet-like recording medium. In this embodiment, the recording medium is a roll sheet in which the sheet is wound. The roll sheet held in the inkjet recording apparatus 100 is sent as a single thick sheet 1 in the transport direction (Y direction) through a transport path formed by an upper guide 6 and a lower guide 7. Thereafter, the sheet 1 is held between a conveyance roller 8 and a pinch roller 9 and conveyed to an image recording section. The image recording section includes a recording head 2, a carriage 3 on which the recording head 2 is mounted, and a platen 10 disposed at a position facing the recording head 2. The sheet 1 is conveyed to a platen 10 by a conveyance roller 8. The sheet 1 conveyed to the image recording section is supported by a platen 10. The recording head 2 records an image by ejecting ink onto a sheet 1 supported by a platen 10.

The carriage 3 is slidably supported by the inkjet recording apparatus 100 along a guide shaft 4 and a guide rail (not shown) that are arranged parallel to each other. The carriage 3 has a reflective detection sensor 12 facing the platen 10, and can detect the reflectance at the spot position. That is, when the platen 10 is black and the sheet 1 is white, the reflectance of the two is greatly different, so it can be determined whether the platen 10 or the sheet 1 is present at the spot position. Therefore, when the leading edge of the sheet 1 in the conveying direction passes the spot position of the detection sensor 12 while the sheet 1 is being conveyed by the conveying roller 8, the reflectance changes greatly, which is used to detect the leading edge of the sheet 1. be able to.

The carriage 3 carries the recording head 2 and scans along the guide shaft 4 in the X direction. The recording head 2 records an image on the sheet 1 by ejecting ink while the carriage 3 scans the sheet in the width direction. After a recording operation in which the carriage 3 scans and an image is recorded on the sheet 1, the conveyance roller 8 performs a conveyance operation in which the sheet 1 is conveyed by a predetermined amount. By repeating this recording operation and conveyance operation, recording of a desired image is completed. Further, since the detection sensor 12 is mounted on the carriage 3, the position of the side edge of the sheet 1 in the width direction (X direction) can also be detected by the reciprocating movement of the carriage 3.

FIG. 2 is a top view showing the configuration of the slitter and cutter. Here, in the platen 10, the -X direction in which one side edge of the sheet 1 is at a predetermined position regardless of the width of the sheet 1 is defined as the reference side. On the other hand, the +X direction in which the position of the other side edge of the sheet changes depending on the width of the sheet 1 is defined as the non-reference side. Further, the recording position for recording an image on the sheet 1 is based on a predetermined position. Let X3 be the reference side end of the recorded material cut from the sheet 1, and X4 be the non-reference side end. Note that if the image area (between X3 and X4 in the width direction) is smaller than the width of the sheet 1, the position of X4 and the width of the cut piece 81L will change with respect to X3, which is the reference side.

A cutter 5 is provided downstream of the recording head 2 in the conveyance direction of the sheet 1 for cutting the sheet 1 in the cross direction (X direction) that intersects with the conveyance direction, and further downstream of the cutter 5 the sheet 1 is conveyed at a predetermined position. A slitter 13 is provided for cutting in the direction. A discharge guide 17 for discharging the cut sheets 1 is provided downstream of the slitter 13. The cutter 5 includes a cutter unit 300 as a cutting means for cutting the sheet 1, and a unit for moving the cutter unit 300 along the X direction. Furthermore, the slitter 13 includes slitter units 303L and 303R as cutting means for cutting the sheet 1, and a unit for moving the slitter units 303L and 303R along the X direction.

The slitter units 303L and 303R are movable along the slitter guide rail 107 in the cross direction (X direction) that intersects the conveyance direction of the sheet 1, and are retracted to the outside of the platen 10 when there is no need to cut the sheet 1. do. Slitter units 303L and 303R are provided with slitter moving motors 106L and 106R, respectively, and drive is transmitted to slitter moving rollers 306L and 306R via gears. Therefore, the slitter units 303L and 306R are movable independently. Further, the slitter units 303L and 303R are provided with slitter drive motors 108L and 108R, and the drive is transmitted to the rotatably movable blades via gears.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the structure of the slitter. Since the slitter units 303L and 303R have a symmetrical configuration, the slitter unit 303L will be used for explanation. The slitter drive motor 108L rotates the slitter upper conveyance roller 320L and the coaxial upper slitter movable blade 304L via gears. A slitter lower conveyance roller 321L is provided in the +Z direction of the slitter upper conveyance roller 320L, and the slitter lower conveyance roller 321L abuts on the outer diameter as a pair of rollers, and the slitter lower conveyance roller 321L side serves as a driven roller and drive is transmitted by friction. A slitter lower movable blade 305L is provided in the −X direction of the slitter lower conveyance roller 321L, and is designed to rotate and move integrally with the slitter lower conveyance roller 321L. Therefore, the sheet 1 is conveyed while being held in the nipping area L1 (see FIG. 5) of the sheet 1 by the slitter upper conveyance roller 320L and the slitter lower conveyance roller 321L. At this time, the blades of the upper movable slitter blade 320L and the lower movable slitter blade 321L cut the sheet 1 in the transport direction while rotating together.

In order to maintain and recover ink ejection performance, the print head 2 performs a preliminary ejection operation in which ink that does not contribute to printing is ejected until print data is transmitted or while an image is being printed. The receiving portion 70 is an opening that faces the recording head 2 and receives ink during preliminary ejection. A receiving portion 70a is provided on the reference side of the platen 10, and a receiving portion 70b is provided on the non-reference side. The receiving portions (70a, 70b) are connected to an ink collection container (not shown). During the preliminary ejection operation, the recording section ejects ink onto the receiving section or the cut piece. At this time, the recording head 2 moves to a position facing either the receiving portion (70a, 70b) and the cut pieces (81L, 81R) cut from the sheet 1 by the slitter units 303L, 303R. The recording head 2 measures the elapsed time after ejecting ink to print an image using a timer 80 (see FIG. 4), and performs preliminary ejection after a predetermined time has elapsed. Note that the preliminary ejection operation may be performed based on the number or amount of ink ejected from the print head.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing the control configuration of the recording apparatus 100. The recording device 100 includes a control section 400. Further, the control unit 400 includes a CPU 411, a ROM 412, a RAM 413, a motor driver 414, and a storage 415. The control unit 400 controls the transport motor 51, cutter motor 103, slitter moving motor 106L/R, slitter drive motor 108L/R, carriage motor 52, and recording head 2. Further, the control unit 400 acquires signals from the conveyance roller encoder 112, the cutter encoder 104, the slitter movement encoder 309, the slitter drive encoder 310, the carriage encoder 21, the detection sensor 12, and the timer 80. Then, the control unit 400 controls various motors and the recording head 2 based on these signals, and performs a recording operation, a conveyance operation, and a preliminary ejection operation.

<Image recording position>
Here, a flowchart for determining the recording position for recording an image on the sheet 1 will be explained using FIGS. 5 and 6. 7 to 9 are diagrams showing how images are recorded on the sheet 1 and how the sheet 1 is cut. Once the positions X3 and X4 of the ends of the image area W, which correspond to the width of the recorded material on the sheet, are determined, the slitter units 303L and 303R move in accordance with the positions of the ends X3 and X4 of the image area W. Each process in the flowchart is performed by the CPU 411 loading the program code stored in the ROM 412 into the RAM 413 and executing it. Note that part or all of the processing functions may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC or an electronic circuit.

In step S101, the control unit 400 acquires print data and an image area W that is the width of the print object. The print data and image area W are included in a print job sent from an external host device (not shown). Note that an external medium (not shown) may be attached to the recording device 100 and the recorded data and image area may be acquired from the external medium. Alternatively, the recording data and image area W may be acquired by a user instructing the recording apparatus 100 through an operation panel (not shown) or the like.

In step S102, the control unit 400 acquires information about the size of the sheet 1 held in the recording device 100 from the storage 415. Here, the information on the size of sheet 1 is the width of sheet 1. Note that the information on the width of the sheet 1 may be obtained by being detected by the detection sensor 12 by the reciprocating movement of the carriage 3. Further, the user may input the width of the sheet 1 to the recording apparatus 100 through an operation panel (not shown) or the like.

In step S103, the control unit 400 determines whether the sheet 1 is to be cut by the slitter 13. Specifically, it is compared whether the width of the sheet is larger than the image area W+the sandwiching area L1×2. As shown in FIG. 7, the slitter units 303L and 303R convey the sheet to be cut while holding the holding area L1 of the sheet. Therefore, if the width of the sheet is smaller than the image area W+the nipping area L1×2, the sheet 1 cannot be nipped by the slitter 13. Even if the width of the image area W and the sheet 1 match, there is no need to cut the sheet 1. In this case, cutting by the slitter 13 is not performed. Therefore, preliminary ejection to the cut pieces 81L and 81R is also not performed. In this case, the process advances to step S109. If the sheet 1 is to be cut, the process advances to step S104.

In step S104, the control unit 400 determines whether the holding area L1 and the ejection area L2 necessary for preliminary ejection on the sheet 1 can be arranged at both ends of the image area W. Specifically, it is compared whether the sheet size is larger than W+(L1+L2)×2. If the conditions are satisfied and the holding region L1 and the ejection region L2 can be arranged at both ends, the process advances to step S105. On the other hand, if the holding region L1 and the ejection region L2 cannot be arranged at both ends, the process advances to step S107.

Note that the recording apparatus 100 may store a plurality of ejection areas L2 in the storage 415 depending on the type of sheet 1. For example, in order to ensure conveyance accuracy and cutting accuracy by the slitter 13, the width of the ejection area L2 is made wider for thin sheets or sheets that do not easily absorb ink. As a result, the amount of ink ejected from the recording head 2 per unit area can be reduced. On the other hand, a thick sheet or a sheet that easily absorbs ink narrows the ejection region L2.

In step S105, the control unit 400 moves the positions of the edges X3 and X4 of the image area W from the side edge of the sheet on the reference side by L1+L2 toward the non-reference side. Furthermore, the slitter units 303L and 303R are moved to the ends X3 and X4.

In step S106, the control unit 400 turns on the both-side flag that allows preliminary ejection of the ejection region L2 of the cut pieces 81L and 81R. When the both sides flag is ON, preliminary ejection is performed as necessary to the ejection areas of the cut pieces 81L and 81R on both sides of the sheet during the recording operation of recording an image on the sheet.

In step S107, the control unit 400 determines whether the recording apparatus 100 is set to an avoidance mode that avoids staining the slitter upper conveyance rollers 320L and 320R. When the avoidance mode is ON, the recording head 2 does not perform preliminary ejection to the sandwiching area L1. As a result, the slitter upper conveyance rollers 320L and 320R do not come into contact with the ejected ink, so that stains can be avoided. Note that the avoidance mode can be changed by the user through an operation panel (not shown) or the like. If the sheet has good ink absorbency and there is little ink adhering to the slitter upper transport rollers 320L and 320R, the avoidance mode is set to OFF. On the other hand, for sheets with poor ink absorption, the avoidance mode is set to ON. If the avoidance mode is ON, the process advances to step S108. On the other hand, if the avoidance mode is OFF, the process advances to step S201 (see FIG. 6).

In step S108, the control unit 400 determines whether the holding area L1 can be provided at both ends of the image area W on the sheet 1, and the ejection area L2 can be provided at one end. If the ejection region L2 is provided at one end of the sheet 1, the process advances to step S110. On the other hand, if the ejection area L2 cannot be provided at one end of the sheet 1, the process advances to step S109.

In step S110, the control unit 400 moves the positions of the edges X3 and X4 of the image area W from the edge of the sheet on the reference side by L1 toward the non-reference side. Furthermore, the slitter units 303L and 303R are moved to the positions of the end portions X3 and X4.

In step S111, the control unit 400 turns on a one-sided flag that permits preliminary ejection of the cut piece 81L to the ejection region L2. When the one-sided flag is ON, preliminary ejection is performed at the receiving portion 70a on the reference side of the sheet 1 as necessary during the recording operation, and preliminary ejection is performed in the ejection area of the cut piece 81L on the non-reference side.

In step S109, the control unit 400 turns off the preliminary ejection flag in order to not perform preliminary ejection on the sheet 1. This is because the slitter 13 cannot sandwich the sheet. In this case, during the printing operation, the printing head 2 performs preliminary ejection only to the receiving portions 70a and 70b. Further, the control section 400 retreats the slitter units 303L and 303R in the +X direction and the -X direction, respectively.

Here, the case where the avoidance mode is OFF in step S107 will be explained using FIG. 6. When the avoidance mode is OFF, the recording head 2 performs preliminary ejection in the sandwiching area L1. However, in the case of borderless printing, preliminary ejection is performed in an area excluding the area E that protrudes from the sandwiching area L1 in borderless printing. Therefore, the width that can be pre-discharged differs between borderless printing and bordered printing.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the case of borderless printing, the print head 2 performs printing extending from the image area W (between X3 and X4) into the area L1. After the step S201, steps S205 to S207 are performed in the case of bordered recording, and steps S202 to S204 are performed in the case of borderless recording. Since the only difference is in the handling of the amount of protrusion E, the steps from S202 to S204 will be explained based on the case of recording with borders in steps S205 to S207.

In step S205, the control unit 400 determines whether the ejection region L2 falls within the sandwiching region L1. Specifically, it is compared whether the holding area L1 is larger than the ejection area L2. If it is determined that the process has entered, the process advances to step S208. If it is determined that it does not fit, the process advances to step S206.

In step S208, the control unit 400 moves the positions of the edges X3 and X4 of the image area W from the edge of the sheet on the reference side by L2 toward the non-reference side. Furthermore, the slitter units 303L and 303R are moved to the positions of the end portions X3 and X4. After that, in step S106, the control unit 400 turns on the both-side flag that allows preliminary ejection to the cut pieces 81L and 81R.

In step S206, the control unit 400 determines whether the ejection area L2, which is wider than the sandwiching area L1, can be arranged at both ends of the image area W. If it can be placed, the process advances to step S209.

In step S209, the control unit 400 moves the positions of the edges X3 and X4 of the image area W from the edge of the sheet on the reference side by L2 toward the non-reference side. Furthermore, the slitter units 303L and 303R are moved to the positions of the end portions X3 and X4. After that, in step S106, the control unit 400 turns on the both-side flag that allows preliminary ejection to the cut pieces 81L and 81R.

In step S207, the control unit 400 determines whether the holding area L1 can be placed at one end of the image area W and the ejection area L2 can be placed at the other end. If it can be placed, the process advances to step S110. Thereafter, in step S111, the one-sided flag is turned ON. Note that if it is determined in step S207 that the ejection area L2 cannot be arranged at one end in the width direction of the image area W, the process proceeds to step S109, preliminary ejection to the cut piece is not permitted, and the recording head 2 Preliminary ejection is performed only for 70b.

In the present embodiment, when preliminary ejection is performed on a cut piece on one side of the sheet, the ejection area L2 is arranged at the non-reference side end of the image area W. may be placed.

As described above, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus in which the distance traveled by the print head for preliminary ejection is shortened because preliminary ejection is not performed on the receiving portion beyond the cut piece that becomes the margin. In addition, by discharging ink to the preliminary discharge region that becomes the cut piece, it is possible to reduce the accumulation of ink in the waste ink collection container.

[Second embodiment]
In the second embodiment, a case will be described in which the time required for recording is shortened by selectively performing preliminary ejection on the sheet and the receiving portion. Here, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly explained.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how an image is recorded on the sheet 1 and how the sheet 1 is cut. Here, the distance from the side edge of the sheet 1 to the receiving portion 70a or 70b is defined as receiving portion distance L3. Generally, the movement distance of the carriage is shorter when preliminary ejection is performed on the sheet ejection region L2 than when preliminarily ejected onto the receiving portions 70a and 70b. The shorter the distance traveled by the carriage, the shorter the recording time. However, under specific conditions, it is better to perform preliminary ejection to the cut pieces 81L and 81R on both sides of the sheet than to perform preliminary ejection to the cut pieces at one end and to the receiver at the other end. It takes longer to do so. Specifically, this is a case where the relationship of ejection area L2>receiving part distance L3 is established. An example of the relationship L2>L3 is when the number of printing passes is large in order to improve image quality. The number of passes is the number of times the print head scans the same area on the sheet. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between the number of printing passes and the ejection area L2, and FIG. 12(a) is an example of one pass, and FIG. 12(b) is an example of four passes. Here, a case is shown in which the recording head 2 is scanned three times each. NL is the nozzle length, and YL is the width required for preliminary ejection per pass. The width YL required for preliminary ejection per pass is for preliminarily ejecting the upper limit amount of ink that can be absorbed per unit area onto the sheet 1. Therefore, as the number of printing passes increases, the total ejection area L2 increases, and L2=number of passes×YL. However, such a restriction does not exist when performing preliminary ejection onto the receiving portion, and therefore the movement distance (L3) required to perform preliminary ejection onto the receiving portion is constant regardless of the number of passes. Note that preliminary ejection may be performed every scan, or may be performed only when certain conditions are met.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart in this embodiment. Only the differences from the first embodiment will be explained. In FIG. 11(a), a step S301 is added.

In step S104, the control unit 400 determines whether the holding area L1 and the ejection area L2 necessary for preliminary ejection on the sheet 1 can be arranged at both ends of the image area W. Specifically, it is compared whether the sheet size is larger than W+(L1+L2)×2. If the conditions are satisfied and the holding region L1 and the ejection region L2 can be arranged at both ends, the process advances to step S301.

In step S301, the control unit 400 compares the sizes of L2 and L3. Here, TA is the moving distance of the carriage when preliminary discharging is performed on the sheet on both sides, and TB is the moving distance of the carriage 3 when preliminary discharging is performed on the sheet only on the non-reference side and preliminary discharging is performed on the reference side to the receiving part 70a. do. At this time, TA=image area W+(L1+L2)×2 and TB=image area W+L1×2+L2+L3, so under the condition of L2>L3, TA>TB. That is, under conditions where the ejection area L2 required for preliminary ejection exceeds the receiving part distance L3, rather than performing preliminary ejection on the sheets on both sides, preliminary ejection is performed only on the sheet on the non-reference side and the ejection is performed on the reference side receiving part 70a. Preliminary discharge reduces the distance the carriage moves. As a result, the recording time becomes shorter. On the other hand, if L2<L3, the process advances to step S105. In step S105, the control unit moves the recording data position by L1+L2 to the non-reference side. After that, in step S106, both side flags that permit preliminary discharge to the cut pieces 81L and 81R are turned ON. On the other hand, if L2≧L3, the process advances to step S110, and the recording data position is moved to the L1 non-reference side. After that, in step S111, a one-sided flag that permits preliminary ejection to the cut piece 81L is turned ON.

Next, conditions for borderless printing when the dirt avoidance mode is OFF in this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. 11(b). In FIG. 11(b), a step S302 is added compared to the first embodiment.

In step S206, the control unit 400 determines whether the ejection area L2, which is wider than the sandwiching area L1, can be arranged at both ends of the image area W. If it can be placed, the process advances to step S302.

In step S302, the control unit 400 compares the moving distance of the carriage 3 when preliminary ejection is performed on both ends of the sheet and when preliminary ejection is performed on the reference side to the receiving portion and preliminary ejection is performed on the non-reference side to the sheet. Here, let TA be the moving distance of the carriage when preliminary ejection is performed onto the sheet at both ends, and TB is the carriage moving distance when preliminary ejection is performed onto the sheet only on the non-reference side and preliminary ejection is performed onto the reference side receiving portion 70a. Note that the stain avoidance mode is OFF, the borderless recording conditions are satisfied, and L2≧L1. Therefore, TA=image area W+L2×2, and TB=image area W+L2+L1+L3. Under the condition of L1+L3<L2, TA>TB. That is, under conditions where the ejection area L2 exceeds the receiving part distance L3 and the holding area L1, rather than preliminary ejecting onto the sheet from both sides, preliminary ejecting is performed onto the sheet only on the non-reference side, and the ejection is performed onto the reference side onto the receiving part 70a. Preliminary ejection reduces the distance the carriage moves. As a result, the recording time becomes shorter.

If L3+L1<L2, proceed to step S209. The control unit 400 moves the positions of the edges X3 and X4 of the image area W from the edge of the sheet on the reference side to the non-reference side by L2. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S106, and both side flags are turned on to permit preliminary ejection to the cut pieces 81L and 81R. If L3+L1≧L2, proceed to step S110. The control unit 400 moves the positions of the edges X3 and X4 of the image area W from the edge of the sheet on the reference side to the non-reference side by L1. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S111, and a one-sided flag that permits preliminary ejection to the cut piece 81L is turned on.

In addition, in this recording apparatus, it is possible to select whether to preliminarily eject all of the ink to a receiving portion, etc., to preliminarily eject to both ends of the sheet, or to preliminarily eject one end of the sheet and the other end to the receiving portion, etc. These selections may be determined by storing the look-up table in the ROM 412 in advance in accordance with the recording mode, paper type, etc., and reading it out as appropriate. Alternatively, the user may be able to change the settings as appropriate through an operation panel (not shown) or the like. Although the description has been made focusing on the moving distance of the carriage, similar calculations may be made using the moving time of the carriage, taking into consideration the speed reduction in the actual acceleration/deceleration region of the carriage. Also, although we have explained the example in which the non-reference side pre-discharges onto the sheet and the reference side pre-discharges onto the receiver, if the receiver distance L3 is the same on the reference side and the non-reference side, they may be interchanged. . Furthermore, if the receiving portion distance L3 is different between the reference side and the non-reference side, the following may be done. In other words, assuming that the receiving distance on the reference side is L3H and the receiving distance on the non-reference side is L3A, if L3H>L3A and L2>L3A, then preliminary ejection is performed on the sheet on the reference side, and preliminary ejection is performed on the receiving part on the non-reference side. Just spit it out.

Note that the ejection area L2 and the size relationship between L2 and L3 vary depending on the number of printing passes, environmental temperature and humidity, carriage movement speed profile, sheet type, and sheet width. Therefore, the optimum preliminary ejection position may be calculated each time using the CPU 411, or may be stored in advance in the ROM 412 as a table and read out as appropriate.

As described above, by comparing the ejection area L2 required for preliminary ejection with the receiving distance L3, even if preliminary ejection is possible on both sides of the sheet, preliminary ejection is performed on only one side of the sheet. As a result, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus that reduces the moving distance of the printing head for preliminary ejection. In addition, by discharging ink to the preliminary discharge region that becomes the cut piece, it is possible to reduce the accumulation of ink in the waste ink collection container.

2 Recording head 3 Carriage 8 Conveyance roller 10 Platen 13 Slitter 400 Control section

Claims (9)

a first conveyance means that conveys the recording medium in the conveyance direction;
a platen that supports the recording medium conveyed by the first conveyance means;
a recording head that faces the platen and records an image by discharging ink onto a recording medium conveyed by the first conveyance means;
a carriage carrying the recording head and moving in a transverse direction intersecting the transport direction;
a slitter that cuts the recording medium in the conveyance direction when the recording medium is conveyed by the first conveyance means at a predetermined position downstream of the recording head in the conveyance direction;
A recording apparatus comprising: a control means for controlling the recording medium to be cut by the slitter to eject a recorded material on which an image is recorded and a cut piece cut from the recorded material in the intersecting direction,
a second conveying means for conveying the recording medium while holding the recording medium in a pinching area in the area to be the cut piece;
The recording apparatus is characterized in that the control means executes a first preliminary ejection in which the recording head ejects ink to an area other than the sandwiched area in the area to be the cut piece . The control means determines to eject ink to an area other than the nipping area in the area to be the cut piece , based on the width of the recording medium , the image area recorded on the recording medium, and the nipping area. The recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means executes a second preliminary ejection in which ink is ejected onto the nipping area by the print head . 4. The control means determines the recording position of the image based on the width of the recording medium, the image area, and the ejection area in which preliminary ejection is performed on the recording medium. Recording device described in section. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a receiving portion disposed on the platen to receive ink ejected from the recording head. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a selection means for selecting whether to eject ink to the area to become the cut piece or to eject ink to the receiving portion. 5. In the cross direction, one end side of the recording medium ejects ink to the receiving portion, and the other end side ejects ink to an area that will become the cut piece. Or the recording device according to 6. The second conveying means is provided in the slitter,
8. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a moving means for moving the slitter in the intersecting direction. 9. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cutter that is provided downstream of the recording head in the transport direction and cuts the recording medium in the cross direction.

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