Borderless printing control method, device and image forming apparatus

Abstract

This application provides a borderless printing control method, apparatus, and image forming device. The method involves: obtaining the number of print passes N; conveying the printing medium so that the leading edge of the paper head is located at the first boundary of the paper head micro-motion area; performing N print passes on the paper head zone, and conveying the printing medium with a micro-motion step size HM after each print pass so that the leading edge of the paper head reaches the second boundary of the paper head micro-motion area after N print passes; wherein HM > printhead nozzle spacing and HM ≤ HW / N, and HW is the distance between the first and second boundaries of the paper head micro-motion area; conveying the printing medium so that the leading edge of the paper head reaches the position of the first row of nozzles on the printhead; and performing normal printing on the paper middle zone outside the paper head zone and continuing within the paper head zone. Through the zoned collaborative control of the paper head and tail micro-motion areas and the normal printing area in the middle of the paper, and the constraint relationship between the micro-motion step size and the nozzle spacing, borderless printing of the entire printing medium is achieved, improving print quality and stability.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202610417573.7, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on March 31, 2026, entitled "A Printing Control Method and Storage Medium", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of image forming technology, and more specifically to a borderless printing control method, apparatus, and image forming device. Background Technology

[0003] To achieve borderless printing, inkjet printers typically enlarge the image to slightly larger than the paper size to compensate for paper feed errors and skew. However, the ink exceeding the paper's width after magnification can spray onto the paper feed ribs, causing smudges on the back of the paper. To address this, current mechanical designs leave gaps in the ribs at the beginning and end of the paper feed, ensuring ink only sprays from these gaps. Simultaneously, to minimize the impact of nozzle damage on print quality, inkjet printers generally employ multi-pass printing, using a L / N step size for each paper feed to ensure different nozzles cover the same pixel multiple times. However, the beginning and end areas of borderless printing are extremely small (only 1-5mm). If the conventional multi-pass method with L / N steps is used, ink will exceed the gaps and contaminate the ribs. Therefore, the beginning and end of the paper feed require different paper feed and printing processes than normal printing. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, this application provides a borderless printing control method, apparatus and image forming device to solve the problem in the prior art that the ink exceeds the rib opening area due to the excessive paper feed step length in the paper head and tail areas during multi-pass printing, resulting in paper feed rib contamination and paper back stains.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a borderless printing control method applied to an image forming apparatus that uses a printhead with multiple nozzles to deposit printing ink on a printing medium; wherein the printing medium is divided into a paper head zone, a paper middle zone, and a paper tail zone, and the printing direction of the printhead is orthogonal to the transport direction of the printing medium; the method includes: Get the number of print iterations N; The printing medium is conveyed so that the leading edge of the paper tip is located at the first boundary of the paper tip micro-movement area; The paper head area is printed N times, and the printing medium is delivered with a micro-motion step size HM after each printing, so that the leading edge of the paper head reaches the second boundary of the paper head micro-motion area after completing N printings; wherein, HM> printhead nozzle spacing and HM≤HW / N, and HW is the distance between the first boundary and the second boundary of the paper head micro-motion area. The printing medium is conveyed so that the leading edge of the paper reaches the position of the first row of nozzles on the print head; Perform normal printing on the paper middle zone that is outside the paper head zone and continues into the paper head zone.

[0006] In one optional embodiment, during normal printing of the central section of the paper, L / N is used as the distance for each feed; the method further includes an end-of-line processing procedure for the central section of the paper: During normal printing of the central zone of the paper, the remaining unprinted length of the printing medium is continuously monitored, wherein... If the remaining unprinted length is not less than (N-1)L / N, then the normal printing continues, where L is the printing width of the print head; If the remaining unprinted length is less than (N-1)L / N, then perform the following steps: The middle zone of the paper is printed with the length covered by this printing, which is TL+L / N. Here, TL is the length when the remaining unprinted length is initially less than (N-1)L / N. In the subsequent (N-2) prints, L / N is used as the conveying distance before each print, and the length covered by each print is set to decrease by L / N from the previous print. In the final print, TL-(N-2)L / N is used as the feed distance before this print to align the tail edge of the printing medium with the last row of nozzles of the print head.

[0007] In one optional embodiment, a paper tail zone processing procedure is also included: The printing medium is conveyed so that the paper tail edge of the printing medium is aligned with the first boundary of the paper tail micro-movement area; The paper tail area is printed N times, and the printing medium is delivered with a micro-motion step size TM after each print, so that the edge of the paper tail reaches the second boundary of the paper tail micro-motion area after N prints are completed; wherein, TM> printhead nozzle spacing and TM≤TW / N, and TW is the distance between the first boundary and the second boundary of the paper tail micro-motion area.

[0008] In one optional embodiment, the lengths of the paper head zone and the paper tail zone are (N-1)L / N.

[0009] In one optional embodiment, both the paper head micro-motion area and the paper tail micro-motion area are located within the area where the paper feed ribs are broken, and their lengths in the printing media transport direction are less than L / N.

[0010] In one alternative embodiment, during the N printing passes, a different mask pattern is used for each pass, so that each pixel on the printing medium is deposited with printing ink by different nozzles of the print head in different passes.

[0011] In one optional embodiment, the plurality of nozzles of the printhead are arranged in at least two columns along the conveying direction, and the distance of conveying the printing medium each time is greater than the spacing between two adjacent columns of nozzles.

[0012] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a borderless printing control device deployed in an image forming apparatus that uses a printhead with multiple nozzles to deposit printing ink on a printing medium; wherein the printing medium is divided into a paper head zone, a paper middle zone, and a paper tail zone, and the printing direction of the printhead is orthogonal to the transport direction of the printing medium; the device includes: The acquisition module is used to obtain the number of print passes N; The delivery module is used to deliver the printing medium so that the leading edge of the paper head is located at the first boundary of the paper head micro-movement area; The printing module is used to perform N prints on the paper head area and deliver the printing medium with a micro-motion step size HM after each print, so that the leading edge of the paper head reaches the second boundary of the paper head micro-motion area after completing N prints; wherein, HM> print head nozzle spacing and HM≤HW / N, and HW is the distance between the first boundary and the second boundary of the paper head micro-motion area. The conveying module is also used to convey the printing medium so that the leading edge of the paper reaches the position of the first row of nozzles of the print head; The printing module is also used to perform normal printing on the middle section of the paper that is outside the paper head section and continues into the paper head section.

[0013] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide an image forming apparatus, including a memory for storing computer program instructions and a processor for executing the program instructions, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by the processor, the image forming apparatus is triggered to execute the method described in any of the first aspects above.

[0014] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium including a stored program, wherein, when the program is executed, it controls the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located to perform the method described in any of the first aspects.

[0015] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product comprising executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in any of the first aspects.

[0016] This application constrains the micro-motion step length of the paper head and tail to a range greater than the nozzle spacing but not greater than the micro-motion step length. Combined with normal stepping in the middle of the paper and progressive printing at the end, it achieves borderless coverage of the entire paper area. While ensuring the multi-pass nozzle compensation effect, it confines ink exceeding the paper to the rib opening area, effectively avoiding paper rib contamination and paper back staining, while improving print quality and stability. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating an example of a borderless printing control method provided in this application embodiment; Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating another borderless printing control method provided in this application embodiment; Figure 3A A schematic diagram illustrating another borderless printing control method provided in this application embodiment; Figure 3B A schematic diagram illustrating another borderless printing control method provided in this application embodiment; Figure 3C A schematic diagram illustrating another borderless printing control method provided in this application embodiment; Figure 3D A schematic diagram illustrating another borderless printing control method provided in this application embodiment; Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a borderless printing control method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating another borderless printing control method provided in this application embodiment; Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating another borderless printing control method provided in this application embodiment; Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a borderless printing control device provided in this application embodiment; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image forming apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To better understand the technical solution of this application, the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] It should be understood that the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments in this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments in this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0021] The terminology used in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this application. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in the embodiments of this application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0022] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0023] The borderless printing function of inkjet printers requires that the printed photo paper completely cover the image, with no white blank paper showing around the edges. However, due to slight errors in paper feeding and paper skew (generally less than 5mm), if the printed photo is the same size as the printing paper, it is impossible to completely cover the photo paper. Figure 1 In the image A, the theoretical photo and the original photo are the same size and completely covered (the gray box is an illustration of the paper size, and the image is an illustration of the printed image). In the actual printer, the paper will be slightly skewed after being picked up (e.g., ...). Figure 1 As shown in Figure B), the latter has a slight deviation in the front-to-back or left-to-right paper handling (e.g., Figure 1 As shown in C), complete borderless printing is not achieved.

[0024] One approach is to enlarge the actual printed image, making it wider and taller than the printed photo paper, and extending slightly beyond the printed photo on the left, right, top, and bottom sides (approximately 1-5mm). Figure 2 As shown in Figure 2A. If the paper is skewed (as shown in Figure 2B), or if there is a deviation in paper feeding (as shown in Figure 2C), the printed photo will not have white borders around the edges. However, with this method, a small amount of ink will spray outside the paper at the sides and ends. In the paper feeding area, there is a mechanical structure similar to mechanical ribs under the paper (such as...). Figure 3A The paper feed ribs shown support the printing paper and ensure the vertical spacing between the printing paper and the print head.

[0025] In borderless printing, the ink sprayed beyond the paper's edges and sides (after enlargement) can spill onto the paper feed ribs, causing smudges on the back of the current and subsequent printed sheets. The machine's paper feed ribs are designed to avoid the left and right boundaries of various borderless printing paper types. Furthermore, a few millimeters of space is left between the paper's beginning and end. Borderless printing can only print within this space, as shown in Figure 3B.

[0026] In addition, because some nozzles of the inkjet printhead may be damaged, if one nozzle is damaged and multiple passes are performed without paper feeding, the same nozzle will keep spraying ink in the same position without spraying out, resulting in a white line in the printed image. Figure 3C This is a diagram illustrating 2-pass printing. Without paper feeding, defective printheads and white lines remain in the same position. Therefore, inkjet printers typically use a method where the paper moves with each print, printing the same content multiple times using different nozzles, as shown in Figure 3D. This allows for partial filling of damaged areas by re-spraying ink from other nozzles, reducing the impact of nozzle damage and defects. Normally, for N passes, the paper moves 1 / N of the printhead height (referred to as L below, where 1 / N is L / N) for each pass. Figure 3D This demonstrates 2-pass printing, where the printer moves a distance of L / 2 each time before printing.

[0027] However, in borderless inkjet printing, the paper tip and tail areas are very small (only 1-5mm). Combined with the multi-pass printing method that requires paper movement for each N-pass print, if N-pass printing still follows the L / N paper feed pattern, ink will either spill outside the paper at the tip and tail or spray onto the paper feed ribs, contaminating the back of the paper. Therefore, borderless printing of the paper tip and tail requires a different paper feed and processing method than normal printing.

[0028] When printing N passes in the paper head rib gap area (this area is HW in the paper feed direction, approximately 1~5mm, hereinafter referred to as HW), the printing movement per pass is less than or equal to HW / N (HW / N distance is approximately 0.1mm~2mm). Simultaneously, to ensure that each position on the paper uses a different part of the nozzle for printing, the movement distance each time needs to be greater than the nozzle spacing of the printhead (hereinafter referred to as PL). Based on these two points, the movement distance of the paper head section each time (hereinafter referred to as HM) needs to satisfy HM>PL and HM<= HW / N, because HW is only 1~5mm, and the actual paper feed distance per print is very small, approximately 0.1~2mm, hereinafter referred to as the micro-motion step size HM.

[0029] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a borderless printing control method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to an image forming apparatus that uses a printhead with multiple nozzles to deposit printing ink on a printing medium. The printing medium is divided into a beginning zone, a middle zone, and a tail zone, and the printing direction of the printhead is orthogonal to the transport direction of the printing medium. Figure 4 As shown, the method includes: Step 401: Obtain the number of print passes N.

[0030] N represents the number of multi-pass printing passes used in the entire borderless printing process. This value can be determined based on factors such as print quality requirements, printhead nozzle status, and print speed requirements.

[0031] Step 402: Convey the printing medium so that the leading edge of the paper head is located at the first boundary of the paper head micro-movement area.

[0032] The paper tip micro-motion area is the aforementioned paper tip rib open area HW, which allows ink to spray out of the paper without contaminating the ribs. The first and second boundaries of the paper tip micro-motion area define the start and end positions of this area, respectively. By positioning the leading edge of the paper tip at the first boundary, an initial position reference is established for subsequent micro-motion printing.

[0033] Step 403: Perform N prints on the paper head area and deliver the printing medium with a micro-motion step size HM after each print, so that the leading edge of the paper head reaches the second boundary of the paper head micro-motion area after completing N prints.

[0034] Reference Figure 5H1 to H4 are examples of performing N prints on the paper head zone, with the paper head zone length being (N-1)L / N, where N is 4. After each print pass, the printing medium is moved forward along the transport direction by a micro-motion step size HM. The value of HM must meet the following constraints: (1) HM > printhead nozzle spacing (PL), ensuring that each position on the paper is deposited with printing ink by different nozzles of the printhead in different passes, thereby achieving nozzle compensation effect and reducing the impact of single nozzle damage on print quality; (2) HM ≤ HW / N, ensuring that after N prints, the leading edge of the paper head just reaches (or does not exceed) the second boundary of the paper head micro-motion zone, avoiding ink spraying out of the paper head micro-motion zone and contaminating the paper feed ribs.

[0035] Through the control of this step, the paper head zone completes N overprints within the paper head micro-movement area, achieving borderless printing of the paper head section while ensuring that ink does not spray out of the rib opening area.

[0036] Step 404: Convey the printing media so that the leading edge of the paper reaches the position of the first row of nozzles on the print head.

[0037] After the micro-motion printing of the paper head area is completed, the printing media continues to be delivered, moving the leading edge of the paper head from the second boundary of the micro-motion area to the first row of nozzles on the printhead. This step triggers the switch from "micro-motion printing mode" to "normal printing mode." When the leading edge of the paper head reaches the first row of nozzles, the special processing of the paper head area is complete, and the subsequent middle paper area can be printed normally using the N-Pass method.

[0038] Step 405: Perform normal printing on the paper middle zone that is outside the paper head zone and continues into the paper head zone.

[0039] Reference Figure 5 In sections P1 to P4, once the leading edge of the paper reaches the position of the first row of nozzles, normal printing is performed on the middle section of the paper. Normal printing refers to performing multiple N-pass printing passes in the middle section of the paper, with L / N as the feed distance before each print. Thus, a seamless switch is achieved from micro-motion printing in the paper head section to normal printing in the middle section of the paper, ensuring a continuous, borderless printing effect from the edge of the paper head to the middle of the paper.

[0040] During normal printing in the middle section of the paper, a fixed step size L / N is used as the transport distance between each print. As printing progresses, the printing medium is gradually consumed, and the remaining unprinted length continuously decreases. When the remaining unprinted length is insufficient to support a complete normal print (i.e., less than (N-1)L / N), the end-of-print process is required to ensure that the tail area of ​​the paper is fully covered within N prints, and that the edge of the tail of the paper is precisely aligned with the last row of nozzles on the print head after the last print, thus establishing an accurate initial position for subsequent micro-motion printing in the tail section of the paper.

[0041] Specifically, during normal printing of the middle zone of the paper, the remaining unprinted length TL of the printing media is continuously monitored. If the remaining unprinted length is ≥ (N-1)L / N, it means that the current remaining length is sufficient to support subsequent normal multi-pass printing, and there is no need to enter the end processing stage; normal printing continues with L / N as the step size. If the remaining unprinted length is < (N-1)L / N, it means that the remaining length is insufficient to support a complete (N-1) normal printing step, and the end processing stage is entered.

[0042] Setting N=4, i.e., using 4-pass printing, L / N = L / 4. The threshold for entering the end-of-print processing is (N-1)L / N = 3L / 4. When the remaining unprinted length TL is detected to be less than 3L / 4, the end-of-print processing flow is initiated. (1) Using TL + L / N (i.e., TL + L / 4) as the length of this print coverage, print the middle section of the paper. Since the remaining length TL is insufficient to support a complete (N-1) steps, printing in the normal manner would cause the end section to print prematurely. Subsequently, in the end-of-paper processing, the end section would be printed more than 4 times, resulting in ink waste. Therefore, this step adjusts the print coverage length from the usual L (the normal print coverage length is L) to TL + L / N, so that the unprinted area is exactly 3L / 4, i.e., the end section is left unprinted. (Refer to...) Figure 6 In the PT4 section, the dashed box indicated by arrow 601 is the area that needs to be printed.

[0043] (2) In the subsequent (N-2) printings, i.e. the second and third printings when N=4: before each printing, the printing medium is conveyed forward at a distance of L / N (i.e. L / 4), and the length covered by each printing is set to decrease by L / N from the previous one.

[0044] Specifically, in the scenario where N=4: the second print (the second print in the final processing), the print coverage length = (TL + L / 4) - L / 4 = TL, refer to... Figure 6For the PT3 part, the dashed box indicated by arrow 602 is the area to be printed. For the 3rd printing (the 3rd time in the end processing), the printing coverage length = TL - L / 4, refer to Figure 6 For the PT2 part, the dashed box indicated by arrow 603 is the area to be printed.

[0045] (3) In the last printing (i.e., the Nth printing, for N = 4 it is the 4th time), use TL - (N - 2)L / N (i.e., TL - 2L / 4 = TL - L / 2) as the conveying distance before this printing, and convey the printing medium forward. Refer to Figure 6 For the PT1 part, the trailing edge of the printing medium exactly aligns with the last row of nozzle holes of the print head.

[0046] The trailing edge zone processing is executed after the normal printing in the middle zone of the paper and the end processing are completed, and is used to achieve the borderless printing effect of the trailing edge of the printing medium. Similar to the leading edge zone processing, the core of the trailing edge zone processing is: within the trailing edge rib clearance area (the length in the paper feeding direction is TW, about 1 - 5 mm), through the fine movement step TM that satisfies the constraint condition of PL < TM ≤ TW / N, step by step in N printings, so that the ink only sprays outside the paper within the predetermined trailing edge fine movement area, avoiding contaminating the paper feeding ribs, and at the same time ensuring the nozzle compensation effect of multi - Pass printing.

[0047] Refer to Figure 6 For the T4 part, the image forming device conveys the printing medium so that the trailing edge of the printing medium reaches the first boundary of the trailing edge fine movement area. The trailing edge fine movement area is the above - mentioned trailing edge rib clearance area TW, and this area allows the ink to spray outside the paper without contaminating the paper feeding ribs. The first boundary and the second boundary of the trailing edge fine movement area respectively define the starting position and the ending position of this area.

[0048] After the trailing edge of the paper aligns with the first boundary of the trailing edge fine movement area, the image forming device performs N passes of multi - Pass printing on the trailing edge zone, specifically including: (1) The 1st printing and conveying: Perform the 1st printing at the initial position where the trailing edge of the paper is at the first boundary of the trailing edge fine movement area; after completion, convey the printing medium along the conveying direction with the fine movement step TM, so that the trailing edge of the paper moves towards the second boundary of the trailing edge fine movement area, refer to Figure 6 For the T4 part.

[0049] (2) The 2nd to the Nth printing and conveying: Repeat the above process - after each printing is completed, convey the printing medium with the fine movement step TM until N printings are completed. Refer to Figure 6In sections T3, T2, and T1, the paper tail area gradually darkens in color after multiple prints. By section T1, the paper tail area has been printed four times. After N print passes, the edge of the paper tail reaches the second boundary of the paper tail micro-movement area.

[0050] This application achieves borderless coverage of the entire paper area by constraining the micro-motion step length of the paper head and tail to a range greater than the nozzle spacing but not greater than the micro-motion step length, combined with normal stepping in the middle of the paper and progressive printing at the end. While ensuring the multi-pass nozzle compensation effect, it restricts ink exceeding the paper to the rib opening area, effectively avoiding contamination of the paper feed ribs and dirt on the back of the paper.

[0051] In one optional embodiment, during N printing passes, each pass uses a different mask pattern to allocate printing data, ensuring that any pixel on the paper is sequentially deposited with ink by N nozzles located at different positions during the N print passes. This compensates for printing defects caused by damage to a single nozzle by utilizing multiple coverages of the same pixel by different nozzles. The print head has at least two rows of nozzles arranged along the paper transport direction, and the distance the paper is transported forward after each print pass is greater than the spacing between adjacent rows of nozzles. This ensures that adjacent rows of nozzles do not overlap or miss the same pixel position between consecutive print passes, guaranteeing the continuity of nozzle switching and uniform coverage during multiple print passes.

[0052] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a borderless printing control device provided in an embodiment of this application. This device can be deployed in the aforementioned image forming equipment. Figure 7 As shown, the device may include: The module 710 is used to obtain the number of print passes N.

[0053] The conveying module 720 is used to convey the printing medium so that the leading edge of the paper head is located at the first boundary of the paper head micro-movement area.

[0054] The printing module 730 is used to perform N prints on the paper head area and deliver the printing medium with a micro-motion step size HM after each print, so that the leading edge of the paper head reaches the second boundary of the paper head micro-motion area after completing N prints; wherein, HM> printhead nozzle spacing and HM≤HW / N, and HW is the distance between the first boundary and the second boundary of the paper head micro-motion area.

[0055] The conveying module 720 is also used to convey the printing medium so that the leading edge of the paper head reaches the position of the first row of nozzles of the print head; The printing module 730 is also used to perform normal printing on the middle section of the paper that is outside the paper head section and continues into the paper head section.

[0056] Corresponding to the above embodiments, this application also provides an image forming apparatus. Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an image forming apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application. The image forming apparatus 800 may include a processor 801, a memory 802, and a communication unit 803. These components communicate through one or more buses. Those skilled in the art will understand that the structure of the image forming apparatus shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation on the embodiment of this application. It may be a bus-shaped structure or a star-shaped structure, and may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0057] The communication unit 803 is used to establish a communication channel, enabling the image forming apparatus to communicate with other devices. It can receive user data sent by other devices or send user data to other devices.

[0058] The processor 801 serves as the control center of the image forming apparatus. It connects various parts of the apparatus via various interfaces and lines, and executes software programs, instructions, and / or modules stored in the memory 802, as well as accessing data stored in the memory, to perform various functions of the image forming apparatus and / or process data. The processor may be composed of integrated circuits (ICs), such as a single packaged IC or multiple packaged ICs with the same or different functions connected together. For example, the processor 801 may consist only of a central processing unit (CPU). In this embodiment, the CPU may have a single processing core or include multiple processing cores.

[0059] The memory 802 is used to store the execution instructions of the processor 801. The memory 802 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic storage, flash memory, magnetic disk or optical disk.

[0060] When the execution instructions in memory 802 are executed by processor 801, the image forming apparatus 800 is able to perform some or all of the steps in the above embodiments.

[0061] In a specific implementation, this application also provides a computer storage medium, wherein the computer storage medium may store a program, which, when executed, may include some or all of the steps of the various embodiments of the borderless printing control method provided in this application. The storage medium may be a magnetic disk, optical disk, read-only memory (ROM), or random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0062] In a specific implementation, this application also provides a computer program product, wherein the computer program product includes executable instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform some or all of the steps in various embodiments of the borderless printing control method provided in this application.

Claims

1. A borderless printing control method, applied to an image forming apparatus that uses a printhead with multiple nozzles to deposit printing ink on a printing medium; wherein, The printing medium is divided into a paper head zone, a paper middle zone, and a paper tail zone. The printing direction of the print head is orthogonal to the transport direction of the printing medium. The method comprises: Get the number of print iterations N; The printing medium is conveyed so that the leading edge of the paper tip is located at the first boundary of the paper tip micro-movement area; The paper head area is printed N times, and the printing medium is delivered with a micro-motion step size HM after each printing, so that the leading edge of the paper head reaches the second boundary of the paper head micro-motion area after completing N printings; wherein, HM> printhead nozzle spacing and HM≤HW / N, and HW is the distance between the first boundary and the second boundary of the paper head micro-motion area. The printing medium is conveyed so that the leading edge of the paper reaches the position of the first row of nozzles on the print head; Perform normal printing on the paper middle zone that is outside the paper head zone and continues into the paper head zone.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, During normal printing of the central section of the paper, L / N is used as the distance for each feed; the method also includes an end-processing procedure for the central section of the paper: During normal printing of the central zone of the paper, the remaining unprinted length of the printing medium is continuously monitored, wherein... If the remaining unprinted length is not less than (N-1)L / N, then the normal printing continues, where L is the printing width of the print head; If the remaining unprinted length is less than (N-1)L / N, then perform the following steps: The middle zone of the paper is printed with the length covered by this printing, which is TL+L / N. Here, TL is the length when the remaining unprinted length is initially less than (N-1)L / N. In the subsequent (N-2) prints, L / N is used as the conveying distance before each print, and the length covered by each print is set to decrease by L / N from the previous print. In the final print, TL-(N-2)L / N is used as the feed distance before this print to align the tail edge of the printing medium with the last row of nozzles of the print head.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes the paper tail zone processing procedure: The printing medium is conveyed so that the paper tail edge of the printing medium is aligned with the first boundary of the paper tail micro-movement area; The paper tail area is printed N times, and the printing medium is delivered with a micro-motion step size TM after each print, so that the edge of the paper tail reaches the second boundary of the paper tail micro-motion area after N prints are completed; wherein, TM> printhead nozzle spacing and TM≤TW / N, and TW is the distance between the first boundary and the second boundary of the paper tail micro-motion area.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lengths of the paper head zone and the paper tail zone are (N-1)L / N.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Both the paper head micro-motion area and the paper tail micro-motion area are located within the area where the paper feed ribs are broken, and their lengths in the printing media transport direction are less than L / N.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the N passes of printing, a different mask pattern is used for each pass so that each pixel on the printing medium is deposited with printing ink by different nozzles of the print head in different passes.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The printhead has multiple nozzles arranged in at least two columns along the conveying direction, and the distance of each conveying of the printing medium is greater than the spacing between two adjacent columns of nozzles.

8. A borderless printing control device, deployed in an image forming apparatus that uses a printhead with multiple nozzles to deposit printing ink on a printing medium; wherein, The printing medium is divided into a paper head zone, a paper middle zone, and a paper tail zone. The printing direction of the print head is orthogonal to the transport direction of the printing medium. The device comprises: The acquisition module is used to obtain the number of print iterations N; The delivery module is used to deliver the printing medium so that the leading edge of the paper head is located at the first boundary of the paper head micro-movement area; The printing module is used to perform N prints on the paper head area and deliver the printing medium with a micro-motion step size HM after each print, so that the leading edge of the paper head reaches the second boundary of the paper head micro-motion area after completing N prints; wherein, HM> print head nozzle spacing and HM≤HW / N, and HW is the distance between the first boundary and the second boundary of the paper head micro-motion area. The conveying module is also used to convey the printing medium so that the leading edge of the paper reaches the position of the first row of nozzles of the print head; The printing module is also used to perform normal printing on the middle section of the paper that is outside the paper head section and continues into the paper head section.

9. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that, The device includes a memory for storing computer program instructions and a processor for executing the program instructions, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by the processor, the image forming apparatus causes the image forming apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a stored program, wherein, when the program is executed, it controls the device on which the computer-readable storage medium is located to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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