Print control device, print control method, and storage medium

Abstract

The present invention provides a printing control device or the like capable of reducing waste of a printed matter resulting from retreat of a print head from an insertion splicing position. A printing control device (30) that controls a printing device (10) provided with a print head (11) that discharges ink to a conveyed printed matter (50A, 50B) includes an insertion splicing detection section (31) that detects a case where a first printed matter (50A) being printed using the print head (11) is inserted and spliced with a new second printed matter (50B) at a stage preceding the print head (11) in a conveying direction, and a print head retreat section (34) that causes the print head (11) to retreat from the first printed matter (50A) and the second printed matter (50B) during passage of a paper receiving position (RC) where the second printed matter (50B) is inserted and spliced through a printing portion of the print head (11) until a period of time based on an integral multiple of a unit printing length of the print head elapses.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-096470, filed on June 15, 2022. The entire contents of that Japanese application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to a printing control device, etc. Background Technology

[0003] As a printing apparatus for printing on sheet-like printed materials such as rolls of paper, an inkjet printing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. Print heads or nozzles of various colors, such as cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), eject ink of that color onto the printed material conveyed by rotating conveyor rollers, thereby printing the desired pattern.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-181874

[0005] In this specification, the following situation is referred to as "insertion splicing" or "paper splicing" (when the printed material is paper such as roll paper): a "new" printed material (hereinafter, also referred to as "second printed material") is inserted and spliced ​​to the "old" printed material (hereinafter, also referred to as "first printed material") being printed using the print head, thereby switching between the old and new printed materials with almost no interruption to the printing apparatus. Since adhesive materials such as tape remain at the insertion splicing position or the paper splicing position of the first and second printed materials, it is preferable to temporarily retract the print head from the printing position to avoid contact with the adhesive materials. However, since the printed material continues to be transported during the period when the print head is retracted, it is necessary to readjust the timing and position of the start of printing on the printed material (the second printed material after insertion splicing) after the print head returns to the printing position. For the printed material that is continuously transported during this period, printing using the print head is not performed, which is wasteful. In the case of the printed material being printed, a large amount of so-called paper waste is generated. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention was made in view of this situation, and its object is to provide a printing control device, etc., that can reduce the waste of printed material caused by the print head retracting from the insertion splicing position.

[0007] To address the aforementioned problems, one embodiment of the present invention provides a printing control device that controls a printing apparatus equipped with a printhead that dispenses ink onto a conveyed workpiece. The device includes: an insertion / splitting detection unit that detects, in the conveying direction of the printhead, that a new second workpiece has been inserted / splitting onto a first workpiece being printed using the printhead; and a printhead retraction unit that, when the insertion / splitting position of the second workpiece passes the printing section of the printhead, retracts the printhead from the first and second workpieces by a distance that is an integer multiple of the unit printing length of the printhead.

[0008] In this embodiment, since the print head retracts only during the period of conveying the first and second printed objects after insertion and splicing a distance that is an integer multiple of the unit printing length, the print head can immediately begin printing the second printed object a unit printing length after retraction and reset. Therefore, waste of printed objects (paper damage, etc.) that occurs as the print head retracts from the insertion and splicing position can be reduced.

[0009] Another embodiment of the present invention is a printing control method. This method controls a printing apparatus equipped with a printhead that dispenses ink onto a conveyed workpiece, and includes the following steps: an insertion / swapping detection step, in which a pre-detection stage in the printhead's conveying direction detects that a new second workpiece has been inserted / swapped onto a first workpiece being printed using the printhead; and a printhead retraction step, in which the printhead is retracted from both the first and second workpieces and conveyed for a distance that is an integer multiple of the unit printing length of the printhead until the insertion / swapping position of the second workpiece passes the printing section of the printhead.

[0010] Furthermore, any combination of the above-mentioned constituent elements or the manner in which these expressions are transformed in methods, apparatus, systems, recording media, and computer programs are also included in this invention.

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the waste of printed material that occurs when the print head retracts from the insertion splicing position. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This schematically illustrates the structure of a printing apparatus controlled by a printing control device.

[0013] Figure 2 It is a schematic plan view of the printed material showing the printhead retraction performed by the printhead retraction section.

[0014] In the diagram: 10-printing device, 11-print head, 12-conveyor roller, 20-registration control unit, 30-printing control device, 31-insertion splicing detection unit, 32-cutting length detection unit, 33-conveyor quantity detection unit, 34-print head retraction unit, 50A-first printed object, 50B-second printed object. Detailed Implementation

[0015] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a detailed description of the embodiments for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as embodiments) will be provided. In the following description and / or drawings, the same or equivalent constituent elements, components, and processes are labeled with the same symbols, and repeated descriptions are omitted. In the drawings, for ease of explanation, appropriate scales or shapes of various parts are provided, which are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified. The embodiments are illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way. All features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 1 The diagram schematically illustrates the structure of a printing apparatus 10 controlled by a printing control device 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printing apparatus 10 uses a printhead 11 to perform inkjet printing on sheet-shaped workpieces 50 (50A and / or 50B), such as rolls or sheets of paper. In the illustrated example, a first printpiece 50A wound on an old shaft (i.e., the first rotating shaft 41) and a second printpiece 50B wound on a new shaft (i.e., the second rotating shaft 42) have pre-printed single-print patterns P1 and P2, each corresponding to a unit printing length (hereinafter also referred to as "repetition length") of one page of printing surface or paper surface. The transport direction between consecutive single-print patterns P1 or consecutive single-print patterns P2 (in...) Figure 1 The intervals (roughly from left to right) in the middle represent the unit of printing length.

[0017] The printhead 11, constituting the inkjet printing unit, performs a secondary printing (hereinafter also referred to as "overprinting") on the printed objects 50A and 50B, which have already undergone a primary printing of repeating patterns P1 and P2, under the control of the registration control unit 20 and the ink ejection control unit 23. The secondary pattern P3, generated by the overprinting of the printhead 11, is printed over the primary patterns P1 and P2. The registration control unit 20, described later, reduces the printing offset between the primary patterns P1 and P2 and the secondary pattern P3 (hereinafter also referred to as "registration error," and the position control for each print used to reduce registration error is also referred to as "registration control"). Thus, in this embodiment, an example of the printhead 11 performing overprinting (secondary printing) on ​​the printed objects 50 that have already been printed in one pass is described. However, the present invention can also be applied to situations where the printhead 11 performs ordinary printing that is not an overprint.

[0018] The paint used in the initial printing of the printed object 50 and the secondary printing (overprinting) performed using the printhead 11 can be any paint, but in this embodiment, inks of various colors such as cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) are used in both the initial and secondary printing. Furthermore, in the printhead 11, which serves as the overprinting section, a surface protective coating such as varnish used to protect the surface of the printed object 50 can be used as the overprinting paint.

[0019] The printhead 11 includes one or more printheads or printing nozzles that, under the control of the ink ejection control unit 23, eject one or more colors of ink onto the conveyed workpiece 50. Figure 1 One of the printheads 11 refers to one or more printheads or printing nozzles. When multiple printheads 11 are provided, typically each printhead 11 ejects ink of a different color from the other to the workpiece 50. The number of printheads 11 is arbitrary; for example, four printheads 11 can be provided to perform full-color printing on the workpiece 50 based on the four common colors of ink: cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K).

[0020] The conveyor roller 12 is a conveyor or rotary conveyor positioned opposite the printhead 11 in inkjet printing and conveying the printed material 50 in the conveying direction. The roller drive motor 22 drives the conveyor roller 12 in the conveying direction. Figure 1 The conveyor roller 12 rotates counterclockwise. The size of the conveyor roller 12 (specifically, the radius or circumference) is arbitrary, but, for example, if the circumference of the conveyor roller 12 is N times the repeat length (N is a natural number), the print head 11 prints the secondary pattern P3 on the workpiece 50 N times during one rotation of the conveyor roller 12.

[0021] The printhead 11 itself and / or the printing portion (ink ejection portion) of the printhead 11 can be configured to be able to travel in the same direction as the conveying direction of the printed object 50 (in... Figure 1 In the middle, at a position opposite to the print head 11, it moves in a direction that intersects with the direction of transport of the printed material 50 (approximately from left to right). For example, the print head 11 and / or the printing area can be configured to move in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the printed material 50 ( Figure 1 The print head 11 and / or the printing area reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. At this time, the reciprocating speed or scanning speed of the print head 11 and / or the printing area is greater than the transport speed of the printed material 50 that is intersected or orthogonal to it.

[0022] Specifically, during the period when the workpiece 50 is transported one pixel in the transport direction (hereinafter also referred to as "longitudinal"), the print head 11 and / or the printing area scans all pixels in the scanning direction (hereinafter also referred to as "lateral") and selectively ejects ink to the pixel positions to be printed. The scanning speed or printing speed of the print head 11 and / or the printing area can be appropriately controlled according to the transport speed of the workpiece 50 or the rotation speed of the transport roller 12 in order to perform such inkjet printing accurately. Alternatively, the scanning speed of the print head 11 and / or the printing area can be set to a constant, and a stop period or standby period corresponding to the transport speed of the workpiece 50 or the rotation speed of the transport roller 12 can be set during each scanning period in the lateral direction. Furthermore, the scanning speed or stop period of the print head 11 and / or the printing area can also be set to a constant independent of the transport speed of the workpiece 50 or the rotation speed of the transport roller 12. Hereinafter, the conveying speed of the printed material 50 or the rotation speed of the conveying roller 12 will be set to a constant production speed, and the scanning speed or stop period of the print head 11 and / or the printing area will also be set to a constant.

[0023] The print head 11 prints registration marks for registration control of the registration control unit 20 (described later) according to each repeat length. Furthermore, in a preliminary printing operation on the workpiece 50, the same registration marks are also printed according to each repeat length. On each printed surface or page, the primary registration marks based on the primary printing and the secondary registration marks based on the secondary printing (print head 11) are printed at predetermined intervals along the transport direction of the workpiece 50.

[0024] The registration control unit 20 detects the printing offset (registration error) between the primary patterns P1 and P2 and the secondary pattern P3 as a deviation relative to the predetermined interval between the primary and secondary registration marks, and controls the phase (rotation position) of the transport roller 12 via the roller drive motor 22 to reduce this offset. Alternatively, the registration control unit 20 can control the printing position, scanning speed, and stop period of the print head 11 to reduce the registration error detected by the mark sensor 21. Furthermore, the registration control unit 20, via the ink ejection control unit 23, causes the print head 11 to eject ink for sequentially drawing the desired secondary pattern P3 onto the printable object 50 at an ink ejection timing synchronized with the roller drive motor 22. The interval in the transport direction between the primary and secondary registration marks is detected by the mark sensor 21, which is located after the transport roller 12. The mark sensor 21 has two detection units, such as a photodetector capable of simultaneously detecting the primary and secondary registration marks. Since the interval between the two detection units in the transport direction is approximately equal to the desired interval (prescribed interval) between the primary and secondary registration marks, the other detection unit detects the secondary registration mark while one detection unit detects the primary registration mark. Thus, if the interval between the primary and secondary registration marks detected by the mark sensor 21 deviates from the prescribed interval, the registration control unit 20 sends a command to the roller drive motor 22 or the print head 11 and / or the head drive motor 35 to reduce the printing misalignment (registration error).

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown in (A), if the remaining amount of the first printed item 50A conveyed from the old shaft (i.e., the first rotating shaft 41) in the conveying direction decreases, a second printed item 50B conveyed from the new shaft (i.e., the second rotating shaft 42) in the conveying direction is inserted and spliced ​​with the first printed item 50A being printed by the print head 11. This switching between the old and new rolls of paper, etc., printed items 50A and 50B is called insertion splicing or splicing. The first printed item 50A and the second printed item 50B are bonded together at the splicing position RC, which is the insertion splicing position, by an adhesive such as tape. Then, by the setting provided Figure 1 In section (A), the cutting section 43, such as the cutter, at the front of the paper-attaching position RC, cuts the first printed object 50A at the cutting position CP. As a result, in the printed object 50, except for the short intervals where the first printed object 50A and the second printed object 50B overlap immediately before and after the paper-attaching position RC, the cutting section further back from the paper-attaching position RC... Figure 1 The right side of the paper (in the middle) consists only of the first printed material 50A, which is located further forward than the splice position RC. Figure 1 The left side of the middle section consists only of the second printed item 50B.

[0026] Due to the aforementioned paper splicing, adhesive residue such as tape remains at the splicing position RC on the first printed material 50A and the second printed material 50B. Therefore, if... Figure 1 As shown in (B), it is preferable to temporarily move the print head 11 from the printing position. Figure 1 The print head 11 in (A) is retracted to avoid contact with the adhesive. The printing control device 30 of this embodiment described below can reduce the waste of printed material 50 that occurs when the print head 11 retracts from the paper receiving position RC.

[0027] In addition to the registration control unit 20 and ink ejection control unit 23 mentioned above, the printing control device 30 also includes an insertion splicing detection unit 31, a cutting length detection unit 32, a feed rate detection unit 33, and a printhead retraction unit 34. These functional blocks are implemented through the collaboration of hardware resources such as the computer's central processing unit, memory, input devices, output devices, and auxiliary equipment connected to the computer, as well as software executed using these hardware resources. Regardless of the type of computer or its location, the aforementioned functional blocks can be implemented using the hardware resources of a single computer, or by combining hardware resources distributed across multiple computers.

[0028] The insertion splicing detection unit 31 detects, in the forward direction of the printhead 11, that a new second printed item 50B (splicing) has been inserted and spliced ​​onto the first printed item 50A being printed using the printhead 11 at the splicing position RC. Specifically, the insertion splicing detection unit 31 can detect splicing based on the cutting signal generated when the cutting unit 43 cuts the first printed item 50A at the cutting position CP, or based on the bonding signal generated when the first printed item 50A and the second printed item 50B are bonded together at the splicing position RC (or when the bonded portion of the first printed item 50A and the second printed item 50B passes through the splicing position RC). Regarding the cutting length detection unit 32, as described later, the typical distance in the conveying direction between the paper splicing position RC and the cutting position CP (the length of the tail region TL described later) is a known constant value. Therefore, even if the paper splicing is detected based on either the cutting signal or the bonding signal, both the paper splicing position RC and the cutting position CP will be detected by the splicing detection unit 31.

[0029] The cutting length detection unit 32 detects the distance (i.e., the cutting length) in the transport direction between the cutting position CP and the paper-attaching position RC of the first printed material 50A, which is cut after the second printed material 50B has been inserted and spliced. Specifically, the cutting length detection unit 32 can detect the cutting length based on the paper-attaching position RC (the position of the adhesive, etc.) when the cutting unit 43 cuts the first printed material 50A at the cutting position CP. Alternatively, typically, the cutting length detection unit 32 can pre-preserve a known set value for the cutting length between the cutting position CP and the paper-attaching position RC. Figure 1 As shown in (B), in the tail region TL between the paper-attaching position RC and the cutting position CP in the printed material 50, the cutting length detected by the cutting length detection unit 32 is present in both the first printed material 50A and the second printed material 50B.

[0030] Additionally, although the illustration is omitted, the front section (residual material at the rear end of the first printed material 50A at the paper splice position RC) is present. Figure 1 The tail area TL, roughly on the left side of the paper feed (RC), can also be formed at the post-processor of the paper feed position RC. Figure 1 The front region formed by the residual front end of the second printed object 50B is located approximately on the right side of the paper. As described later, the printing control device 30 of this embodiment (especially the print head retraction part 34) temporarily retracts the print head 11 from the printing position in a manner that prevents the print head 11 from contacting the paper splice position RC where the adhesive residue remains and the tail region TL and / or front region where the first printed object 50A and the second printed object 50B coexist.

[0031] The conveying quantity detection unit 33 is set by... Figure 1 One or more measuring rollers 44 between the paper splicing position RC and the print head 11 in section (A) are used to detect the amount of printed material 50 conveyed after the paper splicing is detected by the insertion splicing detection unit 31. Thus, it is possible to detect... Figure 1 In (A), the paper splicing position RC or the tail area TL and / or front area before and after it, such as Figure 1 The case of being close to the print head 11 as in (B) or the specific distance between the print head 11 and the print head 11.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown in (B), when the paper receiving position RC or the tail region TL and / or front region before and after it passes the printing area of ​​the print head 11, the print head retraction part 34 retracts the print head 11 from the printed object 50. Figure 1 In example (B), the head drive motor 35, which receives a retraction command from the print head retraction section 34, drives the print head 11 toward a direction separating it from the printed material 50 or the transport roller 12. Figure 1 (The lower part of the middle) moves to temporarily retreat. Regarding Figure 2As will be described later, during the period when the printed material 50 is conveyed a distance that is a predetermined integer multiple of the repeating length, the print head retraction section 34 and the print head drive motor 35 retract the print head 11 to... Figure 1 The retraction position in (B). Then, if the conveying volume of the printed object 50 detected by the conveying volume detection unit 33 after the retraction of the print head 11 begins reaches an integer multiple of the repeat length, the print head retraction unit 34 and the print head drive motor 35 drive the print head 11 toward the direction closer to the printed object 50 or the conveying roller 12. Figure 1 Move the upper part of the middle to reset it. Figure 1 The printing position in (A).

[0033] Figure 2 This is a schematic plan view of the printable material 50, showing the retraction of the print head 11 performed by the print head retraction section 34. The left-right direction of this view represents the transport direction of the printable material 50, along which patterns P1 to P3 are repeatedly printed with a repeating length l. As described above, adhesive residue such as tape remains at the paper splicing position RC between the first printable material 50A and the second printable material 50B. Furthermore, at the front stage ( Figure 2 The left side of the image shows the residual tail portion of the first printed material 50A, forming a tail region TL. On the other hand, in this example, at the paper splice position RC, the rear stage (…) Figure 2 The right side of the first printed object (50A) does not have a front region formed based on the front end of the second printed object 50B. That is, in the paper splicing position RC, the front end of the second printed object 50B is adhered to the first printed object 50A by an adhesive such as tape. Thus, in Figure 2 In the example, only the first printed item 50A exists in the stage following the paper splice position RC, the first printed item 50A and the second printed item 50B coexist in the tail region TL of the stage preceding the paper splice position RC, and only the second printed item 50B exists in the stage preceding the tail region TL.

[0034] When one or more pages (repetition length) including the paper feed position RC and the tail area TL (and / or the front area) pass through the printing area of ​​the print head 11, the print head retraction part 34 retracts the print head 11 from the printed object 50. In the illustrated example, when three pages, including one page on the front side (right side) including the paper feed position RC (and the front area) and two pages on the tail side (left side) excluding the paper feed position RC but including the tail area TL, pass through the printing area of ​​the print head 11, the print head 11 retracts from the printed object 50.

[0035] Specifically, the printhead retraction section 34 begins retraction of the printhead 11 at the start of the retraction process, before the paper receiving position RC passes the printing section and after the printhead 11 has completed printing one repeat length (page) prior to the paper receiving position RC. The distance between the printhead 11 and the paper receiving position RC at the start of retraction is l as shown in the figure. f In other words, the printhead retraction part 34 reaches the distance l in front of the printhead 11 at the paper receiving position RC. f At the time (ST when retraction begins), the retraction of the printhead 11 begins. The time ST when retraction begins is detected, for example, by the feed rate detection unit 33. As described above, the feed rate detection unit 33 detects the feed rate of the printed material 50 after the paper splicing is detected by the insertion splicing detection unit 31. Here, if the time when the paper splicing is detected... Figure 1 In section (A), the distance in the conveying direction between the paper receiving position RC and the print head 11 is set as D, and the distance detected by the conveying quantity detection unit 33 from the paper receiving position RC is set as D. Figure 1 If the feed rate of the paper receiving position RC at the beginning of state (A) is d, then d = Dl f ST becomes the start of the retreat.

[0036] like Figure 2 As shown, when no excess front region based on the second printed material 50B is formed, the retraction interval on the front side, including the paper splice position RC, is contained within the smallest page. Here, when the length of the retraction interval on the front side is expressed as an integer multiple of "n" in units of repeating length l, n is 1 or more, especially when no front region is formed, n can be set to n=1. Furthermore, when a front region is formed, the printhead retraction section 34 can be larger than... Figure 2 The print head 11 begins to retract at an earlier retraction start time ST′ than ST′ in the diagram, to prevent the print head 11 from contacting the front region. Regarding the retraction start time ST′ shown in the diagram, n = 2. Thus, when a front region is formed, n may sometimes be 2 or more; however, similar to the tail region TL described later, a minimum n corresponding to the length of the front region can be set. By setting the retraction interval (length n × l) on the front side as described above, contact between the paper feed position RC and the front region and the print head 11 can be prevented. Furthermore, until just before reaching the retraction start time ST, the print head 11 can continue printing the first printed object 50A for a repeating length (as shown in “P1 & P3”, printing the secondary pattern P3 on top of the previously printed primary pattern P1).

[0037] Furthermore, the printhead retraction section 34 terminates the retraction of the printhead 11 at ED after the paper receiving position RC and the tail region TL (cutting length) have passed the printing area and the printhead 11 has begun printing a repeating length (page) immediately following the tail region TL. Here, when the length of the tail-side retraction interval is expressed as an integer multiple of "m" in units of repeating length l, m is 1 or more. As shown in the figure, when a tail region TL longer than repeating length l is formed, m may sometimes be 2 or more (in the example shown, m = 2). Typically, the length of such a tail-side retraction interval "m×l" is greater than the length of the tail region TL (cutting length). Furthermore, the total length of the retraction interval, "(m+n)×l" including the tail and front sides, is usually greater than the total length of the tail region TL (and the front region). By setting the tail-side retraction interval (length m×l) as described above, it is possible to prevent the paper receiving position RC and the tail region TL from contacting the printhead 11. Furthermore, the print head 11 can immediately begin printing the second printed object 50B for a repeating length under the control of the ink ejection control unit 23 after the ED resets from the retraction end (as shown in “P2&P3”, the secondary pattern P3 is printed on top of the primary pattern P2 that was printed once before).

[0038] Additionally, the distance between the print head 11 of ED and the paper receiving position RC at the end of the retraction is shown in the figure as l. t +m×l(However, l) t +l f =l). In other words, the printhead retraction part 34 reaches a distance l after the printhead 11 at the paper receiving position RC. t The retraction of the printhead 11 ends when +m×l (ED at the end of retraction). Similar to ST at the start of retraction, ED at the end of retraction is detected, for example, by the feed rate detection unit 33. Specifically, the feed rate detection unit 33 detects the output from... Figure 1 The feed rate d at the paper receiving position RC starting from state (A) becomes D+l. t +m×l becomes ED at the end of the retreat.

[0039] As described above, the retraction range of the printhead 11 based on the printhead retraction section 34 can be set to a minimum length (m+n)×l to prevent the tail region TL and / or front region before and after the paper receiving position RC from contacting the printhead 11. Here, by setting the length of the retraction range to an integer (m+n) multiple of the repetition length l, the printhead 11 can continue printing the first printed object 50A for a repetition length until just before reaching the retraction start point ST, and can immediately start printing the second printed object 50B for a repetition length after the retraction ends and the ED resets from the retraction. Therefore, according to this embodiment, waste (paper damage, etc.) of the printed object 50 caused by the printhead 11 retracting from the paper receiving position RC or the tail region TL and / or front region before and after it can be reduced.

[0040] Furthermore, the length "n" of the front retraction zone and the length "m" of the rear retraction zone can be set independently. As mentioned above, the length "n" of the front retraction zone is typically set to "1" when no front area is formed, and is manually or automatically set to a natural number corresponding to its length when a front area is formed. Similarly, the length "m" of the rear retraction zone is manually or automatically set to a natural number corresponding to the length of the rear area TL. Unlike the repeat length l, which varies depending on the printing content, the rear area TL is usually set to a fixed length (e.g., 50 cm), so the most appropriate "m" can be automatically derived based on the repeat length l set for each print and the given (fixed length) cutting length.

[0041] The present invention has been described above based on embodiments. Various modifications may exist in the combination of constituent elements or processes in the illustrated embodiments, and such modifications are also included within the scope of the present invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0042] In this embodiment, roll paper (i.e., paper roll) is exemplified as the printed object 50; however, the printing apparatus 10 can print on any printed object. For example, the printed object can be a sheet formed of any material, or the surface of an individual of any shape, such as a container or product.

[0043] Furthermore, the structure, function, and purpose of each device or method described in the embodiments can be implemented using hardware resources, software resources, or a combination of both. Hardware resources may include, for example, processors, ROMs, RAMs, and various integrated circuits. Software resources may include, for example, operating systems, application programs, etc.

Claims

1. A printing control device that controls a printing apparatus equipped with a printhead that ejects ink from a conveyed workpiece, characterized in that, have: An insertion splicing detection unit detects, in the forward direction of the print head, a situation where a new second printable has been inserted and spliced ​​into the first printable being printed using the print head. The printhead retraction section, during which the printhead retracts from the first and second printed objects and is transported a distance that is an integer multiple of the unit printing length of the printhead when the insertion splicing position of the second printed object passes through the printing part of the printhead; as well as The cutting length detection unit detects the cutting length of the first printed material from the insertion and splicing position after it has been inserted and spliced ​​with the second printed material. The printhead retraction section ends after the insertion splicing position and the cutting length have passed the printing part.

2. The printing control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The printhead retraction section begins to retract before the insertion splicing position passes the printing area and after the unit printing length has been completed.

3. The printing control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, A single print of the unit print length is performed on the first and second printed objects. The print head performs secondary printing on the first and second printed objects, with a unit printing length.

4. A printing control method for controlling a printing apparatus equipped with a printhead that dispenses ink from a conveyed workpiece, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The insertion splicing detection step detects, in the forward stage of the printhead's transport direction, a situation where a new second printhead has been inserted and spliced ​​into the first printhead being printed using the printhead; The printhead retraction step is the period during which the printhead retracts from the first and second printed objects and is transported a distance that is an integer multiple of the unit printing length of the printhead when the insertion splicing position of the second printed object passes the printing part of the printhead; as well as The cutting length detection step detects the cutting length of the first printed material from the insertion / joining position after it has been inserted and spliced ​​with the second printed material. The printhead retraction step ends after the insertion splicing position and the cutting length have passed the printing area.

5. A storage medium storing a printing control program, characterized in that, The printing control program controls a printing apparatus equipped with a printhead that ejects ink from the delivered workpiece. The printing control program is executed by a computer to perform the following steps: The insertion splicing detection step detects, in the forward stage of the printhead's transport direction, a situation where a new second printhead has been inserted and spliced ​​into the first printhead being printed using the printhead; The printhead retraction step is the period during which the printhead is retracted from the first and second printed objects and transported a distance that is an integer multiple of the unit printing length of the printhead when the insertion splicing position of the second printed object passes the printing part of the printhead. as well as The cutting length detection step detects the cutting length of the first printed material from the insertion / joining position after it has been inserted and spliced ​​with the second printed material. The printhead retraction step ends after the insertion splicing position and the cutting length have passed the printing area.

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