Printing system

Abstract

To provide a printing system that comprises two printer devices and is configured not to stop printing operation, which can achieve space-saving in a conveying direction of an object to be printed, while suppressing printing from being interrupted.SOLUTION: A printing system 1 is provided with: two printer devices 10A and 10B arranged in parallel in a direction which is orthogonal to a conveying direction of an object F to be printed; moving mechanisms 5A and 5B which can move the two printer devices 10A and 10B respectively in a direction which is orthogonal to the conveying direction of the object F to be printed; and a control part 9 that controls the moving mechanisms 5A and 5B so that one or the other of the two printer devices 10A and 10B is positioned at a printing position and the other or the one of the two printer devices 10A and 10B is positioned at a stand-by position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a printing system is known that enables an operation without stopping the printing operation by arranging two printer devices side by side in the conveyance direction of a printing target (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the printing system described in Patent Document 1, by arranging two printer devices side by side in the conveyance direction of the printing target, when one printer device is inoperable or requires maintenance, switching from one printer device to the other constructs a system that does not stop the printing operation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the system that does not stop the printing operation described in Patent Document 1, in the conveyance direction of the printing target, an installation space for two printer devices is required. For example, when incorporated into a packaging machine or the like, in the conveyance direction of the printing target, usually only the space for one printer device needs to be secured, but when constructing a system that does not stop the printing operation, it is necessary to secure the installation space for two printer devices. Therefore, space saving in the conveyance direction of the printing target is desired.

[0005] Furthermore, in a system where two printers are arranged side-by-side in the direction of transport of the material to be printed and printing is not stopped, when the printing operation is handed over from the downstream printer to the upstream printer, the position to be printed on the upstream printer may have passed the position to be handed over from the downstream printer, which may cause the printing to be interrupted.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a printing system that includes two printer devices and does not stop printing operations, while suppressing interruptions in printing and achieving space savings in the direction of transporting the materials to be printed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to a printing system comprising: two printer devices arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the material to be printed; a moving mechanism capable of moving each of the two printer devices in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the material to be printed; and a control unit that controls the moving mechanism to position one or the other of the two printer devices in a printing position and position the other or the other of the two printer devices in a standby position.

[0008] Furthermore, it is preferable that each of the two printer devices comprises a printer body equipped with a print head, a ribbon cassette detachably attached to the printer body and having an ink ribbon, and a print receiving section extending in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the material to be printed, and that the print receiving section is positioned opposite the print head, sandwiching the ink ribbon and material to be printed of one or the other printer device located at the printing position.

[0009] Furthermore, it is preferable that the print head of one of the two printers is positioned on the end side of the other printer in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the material to be printed, the print head of the other printer in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the material to be printed is positioned on the end side of the other printer in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the material to be printed, and the ribbon cassettes of the two printers are each attached to the end side of the printer where the print head is positioned in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the material to be printed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, in a printing system equipped with two printer devices that does not stop printing, it is possible to provide a printing system that can suppress interruptions in printing while achieving space savings in the direction of transporting the materials to be printed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a view of the printer system according to this embodiment, seen from above. [Figure 2] This is a view of the printer system according to this embodiment, as seen in the direction along the width direction of the packaging film. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the case where the first printer is positioned in the printing position and the second printer is positioned in the standby position. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the case where the second printer is positioned in the printing position and the first printer is positioned in the standby position. [Figure 5A] This diagram illustrates the operation of a conventional printer when printing multiple strings of text in the direction of transport of the packaging film. [Figure 5B] This diagram illustrates the operation of the ribbon save function in a conventional printer device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a view of the printer system 1 according to this embodiment, seen from above. Figure 2 is a view of the printer system 1 according to this embodiment, seen in a direction along the width direction P2 of the packaging film F. Figure 3 shows the case where the first printer device 10A is in the printing position and the second printer device 10B is in the standby position. Figure 4 shows the case where the second printer device 10B is in the printing position and the first printer device 10A is in the standby position.

[0013] In this description, the direction in which the packaging film F moves is referred to as the "conveying direction P1". The width direction, which is perpendicular to the conveying direction P1 of the packaging film F, is referred to as the "width direction P2". The direction in which the two printer devices 10A and 10B in the printer system 1 are arranged side by side and move is referred to as the left-right direction X of the printer system 1. In the left-right direction X, the side where the first printer device 10A is located (the left side in Figure 1) is referred to as the X1 side, and the side where the second printer device 10B is located (the right side in Figure 1) is referred to as the X2 side. The left-right direction X of the printer system 1 is the same direction as the width direction P2 of the packaging film F, and is also the same direction as the axial direction J of the platen roller 6.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the printer system 1, as a printing system, prints a print pattern (not shown) onto a packaging film F (the object to be printed on), which is moved in the transport direction P1, using two printer devices 10A and 10B located at the printing positions. The printer system 1 is installed, for example, in a packaging machine (not shown). The packaging film F is a long film that is fed out in a packaging machine or the like. The packaging machine is installed, for example, in a production line (packaging line) that packages products such as food.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the printer system 1 comprises two printer devices 10A and 10B (first printer device 10A and second printer device 10B), printer device moving mechanisms 5A and 5B (moving mechanisms) for moving the two printer devices 10A and 10B respectively, one platen roller 6 (print receiving section) positioned opposite the printer devices 10A and 10B at the printing position, an upstream transport guide roller 71, a downstream transport guide roller 72, and a control device 9 (control unit) for controlling the two printer devices 10A and 10B and the printer device moving mechanisms 5A and 5B. The one platen roller 6, the upstream transport guide roller 71, the downstream transport guide roller 72, and the control device 9 are configured to be used in common when the two printer devices 10A and 10B are operating.

[0016] The two printer devices 10A and 10B (the first printer device 10A and the second printer device 10B) are arranged side by side in the width direction P2, which is perpendicular to the transport direction P1 of the packaging film F. The width direction P2, which is perpendicular to the transport direction P1 of the packaging film F, coincides with the axial direction J of the platen roller 6. In this embodiment, printer device 10A is located on the X1 side (one side) of the left-right direction X, and printer device 10B is located on the X2 side (the other side) of the left-right direction X.

[0017] The printer system 1 of this embodiment is a system that, during printing, uses one of the two printer devices 10A and 10B positioned at the printing position, while keeping the other printer device 10A or 10B in standby position. In the event that the printer device 10A or 10B used at the printing position becomes inoperable or requires maintenance, the system switches the printer device 10A or 10B to one of them, thus preventing the printing operation from stopping.

[0018] The printing positions of the printer devices 10A and 10B are positions where the thermal heads 22 (described later) of the printer devices 10A and 10B are located above the packaging film F in the left - right direction X of the printer system 1 and enable printing operations. The standby positions of the printer devices 10A and 10B are positions where the thermal heads 22 (described later) of the printer devices 10A and 10B are retracted from the packaging film F to the X1 side (one side) or the X2 side (the other side) in the left - right direction X and wait for the printing operation. In FIGS. 1 and 3, the first printer device 10A is positioned at the printing position, and the second printer device 10B is positioned at the standby position. Also, in FIG. 4, the second printer device 10B is positioned at the printing position, and the first printer device 10A is positioned at the standby position.

[0019] The printer devices 10A and 10B can move in the width direction P2 of the packaging film F by the printer device moving mechanism parts 5A and 5B moving the moving member 52 respectively. The printer devices 10A and 10B can be controlled by a control device 9 (described later) to move to the printing position and the standby position in the width direction P2 of the packaging film F.

[0020] The printer device moving mechanism parts 5A and 5B are provided corresponding to the two printer devices 10A and 10B respectively. The printer device moving mechanism parts 5A and 5B can move the two printer devices 10A and 10B respectively in the width direction P2 orthogonal to the conveyance direction P1 of the packaging film F. When there is no need to particularly distinguish between the first printer device 10A, the second printer device 10B, and the printer device moving mechanism parts 5A and 5B, they are simply referred to as "printer device 10 (printing unit)" and "printer device moving mechanism part 5".

[0021] The printer device moving mechanism part 5 has a guide rail 51, a moving member 52, and a drive mechanism 53 (see FIG. 2).

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the guide rail 51 is positioned above each of the two printer devices and is formed in a straight line extending in the left-right direction X (width direction P2 of the packaging film F) of the printer system 1. The guide rail 51 holds the movable member 52 so that it can move in the width direction P2 (left-right direction X) of the packaging film F.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the movable member 52 is attached to the guide rail 51 so as to be movable along the guide rail 51 in the width direction P2 of the packaging film F. The upper part of the printer device 10 is attached to the lower part of the movable member 52. As a result, when the movable member 52 moves in the width direction P2 of the packaging film F, the printer device 10 also moves in the width direction P2 of the packaging film F.

[0024] The drive mechanism 53 is provided on the guide rail 51. The drive mechanism 53 drives the movable member 52 to move along the guide rail 51 in the width direction P2 of the packaging film F. The drive mechanism 53 is configured, for example, with a ball screw mechanism or a belt mechanism. The drive mechanism 53 is electrically connected to the control device 9. The control device 9 controls the drive of the drive mechanism 53 to move the movable member 52 and move the printer device 10 attached to the movable member 52 in the width direction P2 of the packaging film F. Details of the control device 9 will be described later.

[0025] The two printer devices 10A and 10B, as shown in Figure 3, are mainly composed of a printer body 20 and a ribbon cassette 30 that is detachably attached to the printer body 20. The ribbon cassette 30 is detachable from the printer body 20. The printer device 10 according to this embodiment has a so-called cassette-type structure in which the ribbon cassette 30 is detachable from the printer body 20.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3, the printer body 20 is composed of a main body case 21 and a thermal head 22 (print head). The main body case 21 is formed in the shape of a box with an opening on the ribbon cassette 30 side.

[0027] The thermal head 22 is located on the lower side of the main body case 21. As shown in Figure 2, the thermal heads 22 provided in each of the two printer devices 10A and 10B are all positioned at the same inclination angle when viewed from the width direction P2 of the packaging film F.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the thermal heads 22 are positioned on the ends of the two printer devices 10A and 10B that are closer to each other. Specifically, the thermal head 22 of the first printer device 10A is positioned on the end side of the second printer device 10B in the width direction P2 (left-right direction X) perpendicular to the transport direction P1 of the packaging film F, and the thermal head 22 of the second printer device 10B is positioned on the end side of the first printer device 10A in the width direction P2 (left-right direction X) perpendicular to the transport direction P1 of the packaging film F.

[0029] The reason why the thermal head 22 is positioned on the end side closest to each other in the two printer devices 10A and 10B will be explained. In this embodiment, as will be described in detail later, the printer device used for printing can be switched by moving the two printer devices 10A and 10B in the left-right direction X. When switching between the two printer devices 10A and 10B by moving them in the left-right direction X, positioning the thermal head 22 on the end side closest to each other in the two printer devices 10A and 10B shortens the distance to the printing position compared to positioning the thermal head 22 on the far side of the two printer devices 10A and 10B, allowing the switching operation to be completed in a shorter time. As a result, the time until the start of printing on the packaging film F is minimized, resulting in a configuration that does not stop the printing operation more efficiently and improves the printing operation capability.

[0030] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the thermal head 22 is positioned opposite the platen roller 6, with the ink ribbon R and packaging film F in between. The thermal head 22 is positioned so that its tip 22a protrudes toward the platen roller 6. When the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer body 20, the thermal head 22a is positioned so that its tip 22a abuts against the ink ribbon R. When the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer body 20, the thermal head 22 is configured to be movable vertically by a thermal head pressing mechanism (not shown).

[0031] The thermal head 22 is equipped with multiple heating elements at its tip 22a. When the thermal head 22 is energized, the heating elements generate heat. When the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer body 20, the thermal head 22 prints a print pattern on the packaging film F which is moved in the transport direction P1.

[0032] The ribbon cassette 30 is detachably attached to the ends of the two printer units 10A and 10B that are closest to each other. The ribbon cassette 30 can be attached to and detached from the printer body 20 when the two printer units 10A and 10B are moved in the left-right direction X, so that it does not collide with the printer unit 10 when attaching or detaching it from the printer body 20.

[0033] In the first printer device 10A, the ribbon cassette 30 is detachably attached to the end of the first printer device 10A on the side of the second printer device 10B (the X2 side of the first printer device 10A), and in the second printer device 10B, the ribbon cassette 30 is detachably attached to the end of the second printer device 10B on the side of the first printer device 10A (the X1 side of the second printer device 10B). The ribbon cassettes 30 of the two printer devices 10A and 10B are each attached to the end of the two printer devices 10A and 10B on the side where the thermal head 22 is located, in the width direction P2 which is perpendicular to the transport direction P1 of the packaging film F.

[0034] As shown in Figure 2, the ribbon cassette 30 feeds out the ink ribbon R in synchronization with the movement of the packaging film F, which is the material to be printed on, continuously fed out from a packaging machine (not shown). As shown in Figure 3, the ribbon cassette 30 comprises a cassette front plate 31, a handle portion 32, an ink ribbon R, and a ribbon transport mechanism (not shown).

[0035] The cassette front panel 31 is formed in a plate shape that closes the opening of the printer body 20 when the ribbon cassette 30 is installed in the printer body 20. On the cassette front panel 31, handle portions 32 are provided on the sides of the two printer units 10A and 10B that are close to each other in the left-right direction X, so that they can be grasped by a person's hand when attaching or detaching the ribbon cassette 30 to or from the printer body 20. By grasping the handle portion 32 and pulling the ribbon cassette 30 from the printer body 20, the ribbon cassette 30 can be removed from the printer body 20. On the two printer units 10A and 10B, the handle portions 32 are arranged facing each other.

[0036] The ink ribbon R is provided in a ribbon transport mechanism (not shown) located on the printer body 20 side of the cassette front panel 31. As shown in Figure 2, when the ribbon cassette 30 is installed in the printer body 20, the ink ribbon R is positioned between the thermal head 22 and the printing surface of the packaging film F. When the thermal head 22 performs a printing operation on the packaging film F, ink is transferred from the ink ribbon R to the packaging film F. The ink ribbon R is transported (moved) by the ribbon transport mechanism (not shown).

[0037] As shown in Figure 2, the platen roller 6, the upstream transport guide roller 71, and the downstream transport guide roller 72 are positioned below the printer devices 10A and 10B located at the printing position. The platen roller 6, the upstream transport guide roller 71, and the downstream transport guide roller 72 guide the movement of the packaging film F in the transport direction P1.

[0038] The platen roller 6 extends in the width direction P2 perpendicular to the transport direction P1 of the packaging film F. When printing on the packaging film F, the platen roller 6 is positioned opposite the thermal head 22, with the ink ribbon R of the printer devices 10A and 10B located at the printing position and the packaging film F in between. The platen roller 6 is rotatable while wrapping at least a portion of the packaging film F around its circumferential surface, with the packaging film F positioned between the platen roller 6 and the thermal head 22. Each platen roller 6 is a cylindrical roller formed in a predetermined outer diameter, with an elastic layer made of a material with predetermined elasticity, such as silicone rubber, formed on the circumferential surface of a metal core of a predetermined diameter.

[0039] The upstream transport guide roller 71 is positioned upstream of the platen roller 6 in the transport direction P1 of the packaging film F. The downstream transport guide roller 72 is positioned downstream of the platen roller 6 in the transport direction P1 of the packaging film F.

[0040] The control device 9 will now be described. The control device 9 is electrically connected to the printer devices 10A and 10B and the drive mechanism 53. The control device 9 controls the two printer devices 10A and 10B in a coordinated manner. The control device 9 controls the thermal heads 22 provided in each of the printer devices 10A and 10B and controls the movement of the ink ribbon R in order to perform printing operations on the printer devices 10A and 10B.

[0041] The control device 9 controls the drive mechanism 53 of the printer device movement mechanism 5A, 5B so that each of the two printer devices 10A, 10B is moved in the width direction P2 of the packaging film F. The control device 9 controls the printer device movement mechanism 5A, 5B so that the first printer device 10A is positioned in the printing position and the second printer device 10B is positioned in the standby position, as shown in Figure 3, or controls the printer device movement mechanism 5A, 5B so that the second printer device 10B is positioned in the printing position and the first printer device 10A is positioned in the standby position, as shown in Figure 4.

[0042] The control device 9, with the printer devices 10A and 10B arranged side by side in the width direction P2 of the packaging film F (see Figures 3 and 4), controls the printer device located at the printing position (either printer device 10A or printer device 10B) to perform the printing operation. The control device 9 also controls the printer device 10 located at the standby position (either printer device 10A or printer device 10B) to be on standby as a backup printer device.

[0043] For example, as shown in Figure 3, when the first printer device 10A is performing a printing operation, the first printer device 10A may require maintenance, for example, if the first printer device 10A becomes inoperable, the ink ribbon R runs out or breaks, or the thermal head 22 becomes dirty or malfunctions. In this case, as shown in Figure 4, the control device 9 moves the first printer device 10A and the second printer device 10B in the width direction P2 of the packaging film F, thereby switching the first printer device 10A, which was performing the printing operation, to the second printer device 10B and controlling the second printer device 10B to perform the printing operation.

[0044] This allows the printer system 1 to continue printing without interrupting the printing process. When the printer device 10A is moved to the standby position, if the ink ribbon R runs out or breaks, the printer device 10A can be quickly restored and used by replacing the ribbon cassette 30. Similarly, if the thermal head 22 becomes dirty or malfunctions, the printer device 10A can be quickly restored and used by cleaning the thermal head 22 or replacing the faulty part. This improves maintainability.

[0045] In this way, when the first printer device 10A is performing a printing operation, if the first printer device 10A is inoperable or requires maintenance, the transport of the packaging film F is not stopped. Instead, the second printer device 10B, which has been on standby and is not performing a printing operation, is activated. This prevents the production line (packaging line) that packages products such as food with the packaging film F from stopping, for example, without stopping the printing operation.

[0046] Similarly, even when the second printer device 10B is performing a printing operation, if the second printer device 10B is inoperable or requires maintenance, the first printer device 10A, which has been on standby and not performing a printing operation, can be operated instead of the second printer device 10B, which is performing the printing operation, without stopping the transport of the packaging film F. This prevents the production line (packaging line) from stopping without interrupting the printing operation.

[0047] Conventionally, printer devices with ribbon-saving functions, such as the following, are known for the purpose of saving ink ribbons.

[0048] In a printer with a ribbon-saving function, printing using the ribbon-saving function is performed by using an ink ribbon R having a predetermined width and effectively utilizing the area in the width direction of the ink ribbon R. As shown in Figure 5A, printing using the ribbon-saving function is a control that saves ink ribbon R in a configuration in the printer 10 where, for example, the strings "AAAA", "BBBB", "CCCC", "DDDD", "EEEE", and "FFFF" are printed in a line at predetermined intervals along the transport direction of the packaging film F.

[0049] The ribbon-saving function, which conserves ink ribbon R, saves ink ribbon R usage by moving the ink ribbon R in the width direction without changing the printing position of the print pattern in the width direction of the packaging film F, and by rewinding the ink ribbon R by a predetermined length, thereby effectively utilizing the usable area of ​​the ink ribbon R in the width direction. The movement of the ink ribbon R in the width direction can be achieved by moving the entire printer device 10 to which the ink ribbon R is installed.

[0050] In the ribbon-saving function, when the feeding and rewinding of the ink ribbon R is controlled in the same direction as the movement of the packaging film F, and the movement of the ink ribbon R and the thermal head 22 is controlled in the width direction of the ink ribbon R, the ribbon control unit feeds out the ink ribbon R and, after printing, rewinds the ink ribbon R by the amount it has moved, and the previously used area and the next used area of ​​the ink ribbon R are formed in positions aligned in the width direction of the ink ribbon R, but do not overlap in the direction of movement of the packaging film F.

[0051] In the ribbon-saving function, multiple rows of usable areas are formed in the width direction of the ink ribbon R. For example, in this embodiment, four rows of usable areas are formed side by side in the width direction of the ink ribbon R. As shown in Figures 5B(i) to (iv), the usable areas of the strings "AAAA", "BBBB", "CCCC", and "DDDD" are used sequentially from one side to the other in the width direction of the ink ribbon R. Then, as shown in Figure 5B(v), the string "EEEE" is used at the end of the same row as the other end of the width direction of the ink ribbon R, aligned in the length direction of the packaging film F. After that, the strings are used side by side from the other side to the one side in the width direction of the ink ribbon R. This control is repeated.

[0052] Thus, the ribbon-saving function is an operation that effectively utilizes the unused portion of the ink ribbon R in the width direction by moving the printer device 10 in the width direction of the packaging film F without changing the printing position of the print pattern in the width direction of the packaging film F, and by rewinding the ink ribbon R by a predetermined length. In other words, the printer device 10 with the ribbon-saving function is equipped with a moving mechanism that moves the printer device 10 in the width direction of the packaging film F.

[0053] In this embodiment, a printing system is realized that does not stop printing by utilizing the movement mechanism of the printer device 10 which has a ribbon-saving function to move the two printer devices 10A and 10B in the width direction P2 of the packaging film F. As a result, since the movement mechanism of the printer device 10 which has a ribbon-saving function can be utilized, it is not necessary to newly provide a mechanism to move the two printer devices 10A and 10B in the width direction P2 of the packaging film F, and the number of components can be simplified.

[0054] According to the printer system 1 of this embodiment, for example, the following effects are achieved. The printer system 1 of this embodiment includes two printer devices 10A and 10B arranged side by side in the width direction P2 perpendicular to the transport direction P1 of the packaging film F, printer device movement mechanisms 5A and 5B capable of moving each of the two printer devices 10A and 10B in the width direction P2 perpendicular to the transport direction P1 of the packaging film F, and a control device 9 that controls the printer device movement mechanisms 5A and 5B so that one or the other of the two printer devices 10A and 10B is positioned at the printing position and the other or the other of the two printer devices 10A and 10B is positioned at the standby position. By arranging the two printer devices 10A and 10B side by side in the width direction P2 perpendicular to the transport direction P1 of the packaging film F, it is possible to achieve space saving in the width direction P2 of the packaging film F while suppressing interruptions in printing in a printing system that does not stop the printing operation.

[0055] Furthermore, the printer system 1 of this embodiment is equipped with one platen roller 6 that extends in the width direction P2 perpendicular to the transport direction P1 of the packaging film F. As a result, in a printing system that does not stop the printing operation, only one platen roller 6 is required, thus simplifying the device and saving space.

[0056] Furthermore, in the printer system 1 of this embodiment, the thermal head 22 of the first printer device 10A is positioned on the end side of the second printer device 10B in the width direction P2 perpendicular to the transport direction P1 of the packaging film F, and the thermal head 22 of the second printer device 10B is positioned on the end side of the first printer device 10A in the width direction P2 perpendicular to the transport direction P1 of the packaging film F, and the ribbon cassette 30 is attached to the end side of the packaging film F in the width direction P2 of each of the two printer devices 10A and 10B on the side where the thermal head 22 is positioned. As a result, the thermal head 22 and the ribbon cassette 30 are positioned on the ends of the two printer devices 10A and 10B that are close to each other, so that when switching between the two printer devices 10A and 10B, the distance to the printing position is shorter and the switching operation can be completed in a shorter time than if the thermal head 22 were positioned on the far side of the two printer devices 10A and 10B. This minimizes the time required to start printing on the packaging film F, allowing printing to proceed without stopping the packaging film F and improving the printing performance.

[0057] Although preferred embodiments have been described above, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without being limited to the embodiments described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1. Printer system (printing system) 5A,5B Printer device moving mechanism section (moving mechanism) 6. Platen roller (print receiving section) 9. Control device (control unit) 10 Printer device 10A First Printer Device (Printer Device) 10B Second Printer Unit (Printer Unit) 20 Printer body 22 Thermal head (print head) 30 Ribbon Cassettes R Ink Ribbon F Packaging film (printed material)

Claims

1. Two printer devices are arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the material to be printed is transported, A moving mechanism that allows each of the two printer devices to be moved in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the printed material is transported, The system includes a control unit that controls a moving mechanism to position one or the other of the two printer devices in the printing position and position the other or the other of the two printer devices in the standby position, Each of the two printer devices is equipped with a printer body on which a print head is installed. The print head of one of the two printer devices is positioned on the end side of the other printer device in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the material to be printed. A printing system in which the print head of the other of the two printer devices is positioned on the end side of the other printer device in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the material to be printed.

2. Each of the two printer devices is equipped with a ribbon cassette having an ink ribbon that is detachably attached to the printer body, The printing system according to claim 1, comprising one print receiving section extending in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the material to be printed, the print receiving section being positioned opposite the print head, with the ink ribbon and material to be printed between them of one or the other printer device located at the printing position.

3. The printing system according to claim 2, wherein the ribbon cassettes of the two printer devices are each attached to the end side on which the print head is located in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the material to be printed in each of the two printer devices.

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