Printing apparatus and printing method

Abstract

Simply implementing pre-feeding sometimes resulted in a longer overall printing time. [Solution] A printing apparatus comprising: a transport unit that feeds printing media onto a transport belt at predetermined intervals and transports the printing media by rotating the transport belt; a print head that ejects ink onto the printing media on the transport belt; and a control unit that controls the print head and the transport unit based on a print job and prints on the printing media, wherein the control unit, for a single print job, if the number of pages is one page, feeds the printing media for the first page in advance before the generation of the print data for the first page is completed, and if the number of pages is multiple pages, feeds the printing media for the first page in accordance with the completion of the generation of the print data for the first page.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing method. [Background technology]

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, a technique for preventing prolonged printing time by pre-feeding paper has been known for some time. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-286608 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] In configurations where printing media are transported by a rotary conveyor belt, the conveyor belt continues to rotate once printing on a single sheet of media begins. Therefore, simply implementing pre-feeding can sometimes actually prolong the total printing time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A printing apparatus for solving the above problems comprises a transport unit that feeds printing media onto a transport belt at predetermined intervals and transports the printing media by rotating the transport belt, a print head that ejects ink onto the printing media on the transport belt, and a control unit that controls the print head and the transport unit based on a print job and prints on the printing media, wherein, for a single print job, if the number of pages is one, the control unit feeds the printing media for the first page in advance before the generation of the print data for the first page is completed, and if the number of pages is multiple, it feeds the printing media for the first page in accordance with the completion of the generation of the print data for the first page.

[0006] A printing method to solve the above problems comprises a transport unit that feeds printing media onto a transport belt at predetermined intervals and transports the printing media by rotating the transport belt, a print head that ejects ink onto the printing media on the transport belt, and a control unit that controls the print head and the transport unit based on a print job and prints on the printing media, wherein the control unit, for a single print job, if the number of pages is one page, pre-feeds the printing media for the first page before the generation of the print data for the first page is completed, and if the number of pages is multiple pages, feeds the printing media for the first page in accordance with the completion of the generation of the print data for the first page. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing the configuration of a printing device. [Figure 2] A schematic diagram showing the configuration of the print head and transport unit. [Figure 3] A timing chart for a single-page document. [Figure 4] A timing chart for a 2-page document. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating the printing process for the first page. [Figure 6] A flowchart illustrating the printing process for page 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order. (1) Configuration of the printing device: (2) Printing process timing chart: (3) Printing process: (4) Other embodiments:

[0009] (1) Configuration of the printing device: FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printing apparatus 100 includes a processor 110 as a control unit, a storage medium 120, a communication unit 130, a UI unit 140, and a printing unit 150.

[0010] The processor 110 includes a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM (not shown), and controls the printing apparatus 100 by executing programs stored in the ROM and the storage medium 120. The processor 110 may be composed of a single chip or a plurality of chips. In the present embodiment, the processor 210 is assumed to be a CPU, but it may be composed of an ASIC or the like, or may be composed of a CPU and an ASIC.

[0011] The storage medium 120 stores various programs such as a control program for controlling printing, and print data of a print job transmitted from a host device (not shown). The communication unit 130 includes a circuit used for communication according to various communication protocols, either wired or wireless, with the host device. The UI unit 140 includes a touch panel display, keys, etc., for displaying various information to the user and inputting the user's operations.

[0012] In the present embodiment, the printing unit 150 adopts a line inkjet method. The printing unit 150 includes a print head 8 and a conveyance unit 18. The conveyance unit 18 feeds the print medium onto a conveyance belt at a predetermined interval and conveys the print medium by rotating the conveyance belt. The print head 8 ejects ink onto the print medium on the conveyance belt. In the present embodiment, the print medium is cut paper.

[0013] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the print head 8 and the transport unit 18. The transport belt 18c is an endless belt, wrapped around an upstream drive pulley 18a and a downstream driven pulley 18b, and a predetermined tension is applied by a tensioner (not shown). The drive pulley 18a is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) controlled by a processor 110. When the drive pulley 18a is rotationally driven, the transport belt 18c operates, and the printing medium held by the transport belt 18c is transported.

[0014] A support plate 45 is provided on the inside of the conveyor belt 18c, and the conveyor belt 18c is installed in a state in which its inward deflection is restricted by these support plates 45. A driven roller 19a is provided above the drive pulley 18a, sandwiching the conveyor belt 18c, and similarly, a driven roller 19b is provided above the driven pulley 18b, sandwiching the conveyor belt 18c. The printing medium conveyed by the conveyor belt 18c is pressed against the conveyor belt 18c by these driven rollers 19a and 19b. In this embodiment, the printing medium is electrostatically attracted to the outer circumferential surface 18d of the conveyor belt 18c by means of a charging roller or an anti-static brush (not shown).

[0015] The printing medium stored in a paper cassette (not shown) moves along a paper feed path by a transport mechanism (not shown), passing between the drive pulley 18a and the driven roller 19a, and is fed so that the leading edge of the printing medium reaches a predetermined printing start position. The printing start position is a predetermined position relative to the position of the print head 8 in the transport direction of the printing medium. The process of picking up the printing medium from the paper cassette and transporting it until the leading edge reaches the printing start position is called paper feeding.

[0016] The print head 8, which ejects ink, is a so-called line head, formed to cover the width of the printing medium in the width direction, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the printing medium. The processor 110, which executes the control program, feeds the printing medium, rotates the transport belt 18c, and performs printing by ejecting ink based on the print data while passing it below the print head 8.

[0017] When ink ejection control for the printing medium is initiated, the processor 110 controls the transport unit 18 so that the transport belt 18c continues to rotate until printing on the printing medium is finished and the end of the printing medium has passed over the transport belt 18c. When printing multiple printing media consecutively, for example in the case of single-sided printing where one print job includes multiple pages, the processor 110 controls the transport unit 18 so that the transport belt 18c continues to rotate from the start of printing the first page on the first printing medium until the printing of the last page of the print job is completed. In the printing device 100, in order to prevent the print control from becoming complicated, the feeding of the first sheet, printing of the first sheet, feeding of the second sheet, printing of the second sheet, etc., are configured to be performed at predetermined intervals, as shown in Chart T2A of Figure 4.

[0018] (2) Printing process timing chart: Next, we will explain single-page and multi-page printing in the case of single-sided printing. Since it is single-sided printing, the first page (P1) is printed on the first sheet of printing media, and the second page (P2) is printed on the second sheet of printing media. Figure 3 shows the timing chart when the print job contains only one page, and Figure 4 shows the timing chart when the print job contains multiple pages (two pages as a specific example).

[0019] The timing chart shown at T1A in Figure 3 illustrates an example of normal paper feeding when there is only one page. In this specification, feeding paper after the generation of print data is complete is referred to as normal paper feeding. At time t0, reception of the print data for the first page begins, and the print data for the first page is generated based on the print data. At time t10, when the generation of the print data for the first page is complete, the first page is fed, and at time t11, when the feeding of the first page is complete, the first page is printed.

[0020] Even when a print job contains multiple pages, the timing is the same as chart T1A in Figure 3 when using normal paper feeding. Chart T2A in Figure 4 shows the timing chart for normal paper feeding when a print job contains two pages. That is, similar to chart T1A, at time t0, the reception of print data for the first page begins, and the printing data for the first page is generated based on the print data. At time t10, when the generation of the printing data for the first page is complete, the first page is fed, and at time t11, when the feeding of the first page is complete, the first page is printed. The printing of the first page is completed at time t20.

[0021] Furthermore, once the generation of the print data for the first page is completed at time t10, the reception of the print data for the second page begins. If the generation of the print data for the second page is completed before time t20, when the printing of the first page is completed, the second page will be fed at time t20. Once the feeding of the second page is completed at time t21, the second page will be printed. In this embodiment, the printing device 100 maintains a constant rotational speed of the conveyor belt 18c from the start of printing until printing is completed. However, after the initial feeding of the first page, as described later, the printing device 100 temporarily stops the rotation until printing of the first page begins.

[0022] Since the rotational speed of the conveyor belt 18c is constant, the printing time T for one page is the same for the same size of print media. P This is a constant time. Also, the paper feeding time T for the printing medium. Fis also constant. Thus, in the printing apparatus 100, printing on the printing medium starts T F hours after the start of paper feeding, and when printing ends T P hours later, the next printing medium is fed, and control of a cycle is performed such that printing on the next printing medium starts T F hours after the completion of paper feeding. Therefore, when continuously printing a plurality of pages, the printing medium is fed at a predetermined interval (T F +T P ), and printing is also performed at the above-described predetermined interval.

[0023] Since printing starts T F hours after the start of paper feeding, paper feeding of the printing medium for printing the printing target pages after the second page is performed when the generation of the print data for the printing target pages is completed. If, for example, the generation of the print data for the second page has not been completed by the time t20 which is the paper feeding timing of the printing medium for the second page, the paper feeding for the second page starts at the time t30 which is (T F +T P ) hours, which is a further predetermined interval, after the time t20.

[0024] By the way, in order to shorten the total printing time, a method of pre-feeding paper is known. In this specification, the total printing time is the time from the start of receiving print data for one print job from the host device until the printing of all pages included in the print job is completed. Also, in this specification, pre-feeding paper means performing paper feeding for the first page before the generation of the print data for the first page is completed.

[0025] Chart T1B in Figure 3 shows a timing chart for a print job with one page, where pre-feeding occurs immediately after receiving the print data for the first page. When receiving the print data for the first page begins at time t0, the print data for the first page is generated based on the print data. Also at time t0, the printing medium for printing the first page is pre-fed. The processor 110 rotates the transport belt 18c to bring the starting end of the printing medium for printing the first page to the print start position, and then stops the rotation once the starting end reaches the print start position. Paper feeding is T F The process ends at time t01, but printing is put on hold until the generation of the first page's print data is complete (the conveyor belt 18c, which has stopped, has not yet resumed rotation). When the generation of the first page's print data is complete at time t10, the conveyor belt 18c starts rotating and printing based on that print data begins. Once printing starts at time t10, T P Printing will be completed at time t12 after the specified time.

[0026] As shown in charts T1A and T1B, when the first page is fed first, the time t12 at which printing of the first page is completed is earlier than the time t20 at which printing is completed when normal paper feeding is performed without pre-feeding, due to the time required for paper feeding. F It is faster by 1 hour. Therefore, the total printing time from the start of receiving print data at time t0 until the completion of printing the first page is 1 hour faster when the first page is fed first than when it is fed normally without pre-feeding. F The time required is short. Therefore, if the print job contains only one page, there is an advantage to feeding the first sheet of paper first.

[0027] On the other hand, if a print job contains multiple pages, simply feeding the first page first, as shown in chart T1B, will actually prolong the total printing time. Chart T2B in Figure 4 is a timing chart for a print job containing two pages, where the first page is simply fed first. When the reception of the print data for the first page begins at time t0, the print data for the first page is generated based on the print data. Also, at time t0, the print medium for the first page is fed first. Paper feeding is T F The process will end at time t01, but printing will wait until the generation of the first page's print data is complete. Once the generation of the first page's print data is complete at time t10, printing of the first page based on that print data will begin. When printing starts at time t10, T P The first page will be printed at time t12, which is several hours later.

[0028] As mentioned above, when printing multiple pages consecutively, paper feeding and printing are performed at predetermined intervals. If printing of the first page is completed at time t12, the timing for starting paper feeding of the second page is also time t12. However, at time t12, the generation of the print data for the second page has not yet been completed, so printing of the second page cannot be started. If paper feeding of the second page is started before the generation of the print data for the second page is completed, and the start of the print medium for the second page has been transported to the printing start position, the generation of the print data for the second page may not be completed. In this case, ink based on the print data may not be ejected to the print medium passing under the print head 8, resulting in a printing failure for the second page. Therefore, printing of the second page and subsequent pages while the transport belt 18c is rotating is configured to be performed only after the generation of the print data for that page is complete.

[0029] Therefore, the further default interval of time t12 is (T F +T P The paper feed for the second page needs to wait until time t22, which is ) hours later. As a result, printing of the second page will not be completed until t22, which is even later (TF +T P ) hours later, at time t32. Therefore, as shown in charts T2A and T2B, when the first page is fed first, the time t32 at which the second page is completed is earlier than the time t30 at which the second page is completed when the first page is fed normally without feeding the first page first. P It is delayed by 1 hour. In other words, the total printing time from the start of receiving print data at time t0 until the completion of printing the second page is 1 hour slower when the first page is fed first than when it is fed normally without prior feeding. P The process takes a long time. Therefore, if a print job includes multiple pages, it is advantageous to feed the first page of paper normally rather than pre-feeding it.

[0030] Therefore, in this embodiment, for a single print job, if the number of pages is one, the processor 110 pre-feeds the print medium for the first page before the generation of the print data for the first page is completed, and if the number of pages is multiple, it feeds the print medium for the first page as soon as the generation of the print data for the first page is completed. In other words, in the case of multiple pages, the processor 110 does not pre-feed the print medium for the first page.

[0031] In this embodiment, the processor 110 determines whether the print job contains only one page by receiving print data from the host device and interpreting the commands contained in the print data.

[0032] When the processing content from print data reception to print data generation, as shown in charts T1A, T1B, T2A, and T2B, is broken down further, it includes the following processes, as shown in charts T1C and T2C: print data reception, command interpretation, and print data generation, which generates print data from the print data based on the interpreted command. More specifically, the print data generation process includes, for example, color conversion to ink color gradation values ​​if the print data is not represented by ink color gradation values, halftone processing, and rearrangement of the ejection order for each band.

[0033] Chart T1C in Figure 3 is a timing chart in this embodiment for the case where the print job contains only one page. When the reception of print data begins at time t0, the print data begins to accumulate in the storage medium 120 of the printing device 100. When a predetermined amount of data has accumulated, the processor 110 starts command interpretation processing. When the print job contains only one page, the end of the print data for that one page is followed by end-of-file (EOF) information indicating the end of the print job. When the processor 110 has finished receiving the print data for one page and interpreting the command, it detects the presence of end-of-file information at the end of the print data and determines that the print job contains only one page.

[0034] When the processor 110 determines that the print job contains only one page, it feeds the printing medium for the first page. Specifically, the processor 110 rotates the transport belt 18c to bring the starting end of the printing medium for the first page to the print start position, and then stops rotating the transport belt 18c once the starting end reaches that position. It is sufficient if the paper feeding can be started so that it is completed before the generation of the print data for the first page is finished. Chart T1C shows an example where paper feeding control is started in response to the completion of command interpretation and the detection of the presence of termination information, and paper feeding is completed before the generation of print data is finished.

[0035] At time t10, once the generation of the print data for the first page is complete, the processor 110 resumes the rotation of the conveyor belt 18c and performs printing of the first page. The printing time is T P Therefore, the first page printout is at time t10 T P This is time t12 after the specified time. Thus, according to this embodiment, as shown in charts T1A and T1C, when printing only one page, the total printing time can be shortened by pre-feeding the paper compared to not pre-feeding the paper.

[0036] Chart T2C in Figure 4 is a timing chart for printing when a print job includes multiple pages in this embodiment. Similar to the case of printing only one page, when the reception of print data begins at time t0, the print data begins to accumulate in the storage medium 120 of the printing device 100. When a predetermined amount of data has accumulated, the processor 110 starts command interpretation processing. When the processor 110 has finished receiving print data for one page and interpreting the command, if there is no termination information at the end of the data, it determines that the number of pages included in the print job is two or more.

[0037] If the processor 110 determines that the print job contains two or more pages, it does not perform pre-feeding for the first page, but starts feeding the first page only after the generation of the print data for the first page is complete. Therefore, feeding the first page starts at time t10, when the generation of the print data for the first page is completed. From this point onward, the process is the same as in chart T2A of Figure 4. Consequently, as shown in charts T2B and T2C, the total printing time from receiving the print data to completing the printing of the second page is shorter when pre-feeding is not performed, as in this embodiment (see T2C), than when pre-feeding is performed (see T2B). Thus, according to this embodiment, when the print job contains multiple pages, the total printing time can be shortened by performing normal feeding without pre-feeding the first page, compared to the case where the first page is pre-feeded. Thus, according to this embodiment, when printing multiple pages, it is possible to prevent the total printing time from unnecessarily increasing, and when printing single pages, the total printing time can be shortened by pre-feeding.

[0038] Furthermore, if termination information exists at the end of the data on the second page after receiving the print data for the second page and completing command parsing, the processor 110 will determine that the print job contains two pages and will not perform processing on the third page and beyond (same as for the second page).

[0039] (3) Printing process: Next, the printing process performed by the processor 110 will be explained with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is a flowchart of the printing process for the first page. The printing process in Figure 5 starts when new print data is received from the host device. The processor 110 starts receiving the print data for the first page (step S100). Once a predetermined amount of data has been accumulated, the processor 110 starts interpreting the command for the first page (step S105). Subsequently, the processor 110 starts generating the print data for the first page (step S110).

[0040] Next, the processor 110 waits until the interpretation of the command on the first page is complete (step S115), and then determines whether the number of pages is one (step S120). That is, the processor 110 determines that there is only one page if there is end-of-frame information (EOF) at the end of the print data on the first page, and determines that there are two or more pages if there is no end-of-frame information.

[0041] In step S120, if it is determined that the number of pages is 1, the processor 110 starts feeding the first page (step S125). That is, the processor 110 controls the transport unit 18 to pick up the first print medium for printing the first page from the paper cassette and transports it until the leading edge reaches the predetermined print start position.

[0042] Next, the processor 110 waits until the initial feeding of the first page is complete and the generation of the print data for the first page is complete (step S130), and starts printing the first page when both are complete (step S135). That is, the processor 110 causes the transport unit 18 to start rotating the transport belt 18c and causes the print head 8 to eject ink based on the print data for the first page. When the printing of the first page is complete, the processor 110 controls the paper output mechanism (not shown) to move the print medium of the first page along the paper output transport path and outputs the print medium to the paper output tray.

[0043] If the number of pages is not determined to be 1 in step S120, the processor 110 waits until the generation of the print data for the first page is complete (step S140), and when it is complete, it starts feeding the first page (step S145). In other words, the processor 110 feeds the first page normally. Next, the processor 110 starts the printing process for the second page (step S150). The printing process for the second page will be described later with reference to Figure 6.

[0044] In parallel with the processing in step S150 (see Figure 6), the processor 110 waits until the feeding of the first page is complete (step S155), and when it is complete, it starts printing the first page (step S160). That is, the processor 110 causes the transport unit 18 to start rotating the transport belt 18c and causes the print head 8 to eject ink based on the print data for the first page.

[0045] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the printing process for the second page. The printing process for the second page shown in Figure 6 starts at step S150 in Figure 5. When the printing process for the second page starts, the processor 200 starts receiving the print data for the second page (step S200). If there is free space on the storage medium 120 to save the print data, reception and storage may start before the start of the process in Figure 6. Next, the processor 110 starts interpreting the commands for the second page (step S205). Subsequently, the processor 110 starts generating the print data for the second page (step S210).

[0046] Next, the processor 110 completes the generation of the print data for the second page and a predetermined interval (T) from the start of paper feeding for the first page. F +T P The system waits until the required time has elapsed (step S215), and if both conditions are met, it starts feeding the second page (step S220). In other words, the second page is fed normally.

[0047] Next, the processor 110 determines whether or not there is a next page (step S225). That is, the processor 110 determines that there is a next page if there is no end-of-page (EOF) information at the end of the print data on the second page.

[0048] If it is determined in step S225 that there is a next page, the processor 110 starts printing the third page (step S230). The printing process for the third page will be described later. Next, the processor 110 waits until the feeding of the second page is complete (step S235), and when completed, starts printing the second page (step S240). That is, the processor 110 continues to rotate the transport belt 18c and ejects ink to the print head 8 based on the print data for the second page.

[0049] The printing process for the third page, which begins in step S230, is the same as the printing process for the second page shown in Figure 6, but with the descriptions "page 2" and "page 3" replaced with "page 3" and "page 4," respectively. The same applies to the printing of subsequent pages.

[0050] (4) Other embodiments: The embodiments described above are merely examples for carrying out the present invention, and various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, the printing method of the printing apparatus may be the line inkjet method shown in the above embodiments, or the print head may be mounted on a carriage that moves back and forth in the main scanning direction and printing may be performed using a serial inkjet method, or other methods may be adopted.

[0051] The printer driver program installed on the host device may be configured so that the print data transmitted from the host device includes information indicating the number of pages included in the print job. In that case, the control unit may be configured to determine whether the print job contains only one page based on the page count information received from the host device.

[0052] Each process for generating print data differs depending on the format of the print data transmitted from the host device. Therefore, the print data generation process shown in the above embodiment is just one example, and other processes may be included, or any of the processes shown in the above embodiment may be omitted.

[0053] If a print job contains only one page and there are multiple copies to print, the system may be configured to feed the first page normally without pre-feeding.

[0054] Furthermore, the present invention is also applicable to programs executed by a computer and printing methods. For example, the printing method is a printing apparatus comprising: a transport unit that feeds printing media onto a transport belt at predetermined intervals and transports the printing media by rotating the transport belt; a print head that ejects ink onto the printing media on the transport belt; and a control unit that controls the print head and the transport unit based on a print job and prints on the printing media, wherein the control unit, for a single print job, if the number of pages is one page, pre-feeds the printing media for the first page before the generation of the print data for the first page is completed, and if the number of pages is multiple pages, feeds the printing media for the first page in accordance with the completion of the generation of the print data for the first page.

[0055] Furthermore, the systems, programs, and methods described above may be implemented as a single device or by utilizing components from multiple devices, encompassing various forms. They can also be modified as needed, with some being software and others hardware. Moreover, the invention also functions as a recording medium for a program that controls the system. Of course, this recording medium could be a magnetic recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or any recording medium developed in the future; the same principle applies. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0056] 8…Print head, 18…Conveyor unit, 18a…Drive pulley, 18b…Driven pulley, 18c…Conveyor belt, 18d…Outer surface, 19a…Driven roller, 19b…Driven roller, 45…Support plate, 100…Printing device, 110…Processor, 120…Storage medium, 130…Communication unit, 140…UI unit, 150…Printing unit, 200…Processor, 210…Processor

Claims

1. A conveying unit that feeds printing media onto a conveyor belt at predetermined intervals and conveys the printing media by rotating the conveyor belt, A print head that ejects ink onto the printing medium on the conveyor belt, A control unit that controls the print head and the transport unit based on a print job and prints on the printing medium, A printing apparatus comprising, The control unit, for one print job, If the number of pages is one, the printing medium for the first page is fed in advance before the generation of the print data for the first page is completed. If the number of pages is multiple, the printing medium for the first page is fed once the generation of the print data for the first page is complete. Printing device.

2. The control unit, upon detecting that there is no print data for pages 2 and beyond after the print data for the first page in the print job, determines that the print job has 1 page. The printing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The control unit acquires information indicating the number of pages of the print job set by the printer driver of the host device, and determines whether the number of pages of the print job is 1 page or not based on that information. The printing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. A conveying unit that feeds printing media onto a conveyor belt at predetermined intervals and conveys the printing media by rotating the conveyor belt, A print head that ejects ink onto the printing medium on the conveyor belt, A printing apparatus comprising a control unit that controls the print head and the transport unit based on a print job and prints on the printing medium, The control unit, for one of the print jobs, If the number of pages is one, the printing medium for the first page is fed in advance before the generation of the print data for the first page is completed. If the number of pages is multiple, the printing medium for the first page is fed once the generation of the print data for the first page is complete. A printing method that includes this.

Images