Printing device, method for producing printed matter

Abstract

To solve such the problem that, when a printing mechanism has any anomaly and there may be a difference in anomaly level, existing technology cannot allow a user to know the anomaly level.SOLUTION: A printing device includes: a printing mechanism including a print head for performing printing on a printing medium and a carrying mechanism for carrying the printing medium; a detection part for detecting anomaly of the printing mechanism; and a control unit for controlling the printing mechanism so as to form different blank spaces in accordance with presence / absence of anomaly of the printing mechanism and an anomaly level.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a method for producing printed matter.

Background Art

[0002] In a printing apparatus, printing defects may occur due to an abnormality in a printing mechanism or the like. Conventionally, in a recording apparatus capable of cutting a mount, when a label including a recording defect is included, a technique of cutting at a position different from the cutting position when not included is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When there is an abnormality in the printing mechanism, there may be a difference in the degree of the abnormality, but in the conventional technology, the user cannot know the degree of the abnormality.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A printing apparatus for achieving the above object includes a printing head that performs printing on a printing medium, a conveyance mechanism that conveys the printing medium, a printing mechanism including the printing head and the conveyance mechanism, a detection unit that detects an abnormality in the printing mechanism, and a control unit that controls the printing mechanism so that different margins are formed according to the presence or absence and degree of the abnormality in the printing mechanism.

[0006] A printing method for achieving the above object includes, in a printing device having a printing mechanism including a print head that prints on a printing medium and a transport mechanism that transports the printing medium, a detection unit that detects abnormalities in the printing mechanism, and a control unit that controls the printing mechanism, the control unit controls the printing mechanism to form different margins depending on whether or not there is an abnormality in the printing mechanism and the degree of the abnormality, and prints on the printing medium. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printing device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of a printing mechanism. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a user interface for setting margins. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a printing process. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a printing process. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing cutting positions when no margins are left. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing cutting positions when a margin is left. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the length of a margin depending on the presence or absence and degree of abnormality. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Here, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order. (1) Printer configuration: (2) Printing process: (3) Other embodiments:

[0009] (1) Printer configuration: 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printing device 100 includes a control unit 10, a printing mechanism M, a detection unit 60, a communication unit 70, a UI unit 80, and a non-volatile memory 90. The printing mechanism M includes a print head 20, a cleaning mechanism 30, a transport mechanism 40, and a cutter 50.

[0010] The control unit 10 includes a processor, a RAM, a ROM, etc. (not shown), and can execute various programs recorded in the non-volatile memory 90 to control each part of the printing apparatus 100. Note that the control unit 10 may be composed of a single chip or multiple chips. Also, as the processor, for example, a CPU or an ASIC may be adopted, or a configuration in which a CPU and an ASIC cooperate may be used.

[0011] The print head 20 includes a piezoelectric element 21, a nozzle plate 22, and nozzles Nz. The print head 20 receives ink supply from an ink tank (not shown) and discharges ink droplets of the ink from the nozzles Nz. The print head 20 includes a plurality of nozzles Nz, and the nozzles Nz are arranged along the plane of a planar nozzle plate 22 that faces a printing medium (not shown) in parallel. Each of the numerous nozzles Nz communicates with an ink chamber (not shown), and ink is supplied to the ink chamber from the ink tank. A drive pulse output from a drive signal generation circuit (not shown) is applied to the piezoelectric element 21 provided for each ink chamber. The piezoelectric element 21 is mechanically deformed by the drive pulse to increase or decrease the pressure of the ink in the ink chamber, thereby discharging ink droplets from the nozzles Nz.

[0012] The print head 20 is mounted on a carriage (not shown) and reciprocates. The direction of the reciprocating movement is called the main scanning direction. The printing medium is conveyed in a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction by a conveyance mechanism 40. The direction in which the printing medium is conveyed is called the sub-scanning direction, the conveyance direction, etc. By discharging inks of various colors from the nozzles Nz during the process of moving the carriage in the main scanning direction, an image can be printed on the printing medium. Then, by repeating the conveyance of the printing medium by the conveyance mechanism 40, the movement of the carriage, and the discharge of ink from the print head 20, an image can be printed at an arbitrary position within the printable range on the printing medium.

[0013] The cleaning mechanism 30 is a mechanism for cleaning the nozzle Nz. In the present embodiment, the cleaning mechanism 30 includes a cap 31 facing the nozzle Nz formed on the nozzle plate 22, and a mechanism (not shown) for supporting the cap 31 and changing the position of the cap 31 with respect to the nozzle plate 22 of the print head 20. The cap 31 is disposed at the home position of the print head 20. The home position is the standby position of the print head 20 when printing is not performed. When the carriage mounting the print head 20 moves to the home position, the cap 31 can perform capping. The cap 31 has a bottom portion and side wall portions rising from the periphery of the bottom portion, and has a box shape with an open upper surface facing the nozzle plate 22. During capping, the cap 31 moves toward the nozzle Nz side so that the nozzle Nz faces the space surrounded by the bottom portion and the side wall portions.

[0014] A sheet-like moisture retaining member made of a porous material such as felt or sponge is disposed on the bottom of the cap 31. In the present embodiment, continuously discharging a predetermined amount of ink droplets from the nozzle Nz is called a flushing operation. During the flushing operation, the ink lands on this moisture retaining member. Also, during capping, evaporation of the ink solvent from the nozzle Nz can be suppressed by this moisture retaining member. A waste liquid tube (not shown) is connected to the space of the cap 31. Further, a suction pump (not shown) is connected to the waste liquid tube. The operation of this suction pump is controlled by the control unit 10. When the suction pump is operated with the upper opening edge of the cap 31 in close contact with the nozzle plate 22, a suction operation can be performed to suck ink and air in the print head 20 from the cap 31 side through the nozzle Nz. In the present embodiment, the elimination operation for eliminating clogging of the nozzle Nz includes at least one of a flushing operation and a suction operation. Cleaning may be performed by other modes, for example, wiping.

[0015] The transport mechanism 40 transports the print medium in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction. The cutter 50 is a mechanism for cutting the print medium after printing has been performed. The detection unit 60 is a device for detecting abnormalities in the printing mechanism M. Figure 2 is a diagram schematically showing the print medium transport path and the mechanisms surrounding it. The transport mechanism 40 can be configured in various ways, but in this embodiment, the transport mechanism 40 pulls out and transports the print medium P stored in a roll.

[0016] That is, the printing medium P is accumulated in a wound state around a rotating shaft to form a medium roll 40a, and the printing medium P is conveyed along a predetermined conveyance path by being pinched between rollers (not shown) and pulled out from the medium roll 40a. In Figure 2, the conveyance path is shown as a straight line, but of course, the conveyance path is not limited to a linear configuration.

[0017] In this embodiment, the detection unit 60, print head 20, and cutter 50 are arranged along the transport path of the print medium P, from upstream to downstream of the transport path. In Figure 2, the position of the blade 50a of the cutter 50 is schematically indicated by a triangle. As shown in Figure 2, the blade 50a of the cutter 50 is arranged downstream of the print head 20 along the transport path. Therefore, the cutter 50 can cut the print medium P that has been printed by the print head 20, downstream of the print head 20. When the print medium P is cut, a rectangular print is produced.

[0018] In this embodiment, the detection unit 60 detects clogging of the nozzles Nz of the print head 20 as an abnormality in the printing mechanism M. Clogging of the nozzles Nz can be detected using various methods, and in this embodiment, clogging of the nozzles Nz is detected based on an image printed on a print medium. That is, in this embodiment, the detection unit 60 includes a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) 60a. The CIS 60a scans a predetermined check pattern printed by the print head 20 and outputs the read image to the control unit 10. Based on the image, the control unit 10 detects deviation of the read image from a reference and determines whether or not a clogging of the nozzles Nz has occurred based on the deviation.

[0019] The abnormality of the printing mechanism M is not limited to a clogged nozzle Nz, but may be an abnormality in the direction in which ink ejected from the nozzle Nz flies, or may be another abnormality. Furthermore, the method of detecting an abnormality is not limited to scanning an image, but may be, for example, a configuration in which a clogged nozzle Nz is detected by the amount of current flowing through a piezoelectric element provided in the print head 20. Furthermore, a clog may be detected by a combination of these methods.

[0020] The communication unit 70 includes a communication interface for communicating with external devices according to various wired or wireless communication protocols. The communication unit 70 also includes an interface for communicating with various removable memories attached to the printing device 100. The printing device 100 can communicate with print job generation devices such as personal computers, smartphones, and tablets via the communication unit 70. Print job data sent from the print job generation devices is temporarily stored in the non-volatile memory 90.

[0021] The UI unit 80 includes a touch panel display, various keys, switches, and the like. The touch panel display includes a display panel that displays various information based on the control of the control unit 10, and a touch detection panel superimposed on the display panel, and detects touch operations by a human finger or the like. The control unit 10 can acquire the operation content of the user via the UI unit 80. In addition, the control unit 10 can display various information on the display of the UI unit 80 and notify the user.

[0022] When performing printing, the control unit 10 acquires a print job from a print job generation device or a removable memory via the communication unit 70. When the print job is acquired, the control unit 10 performs image processing based on the print data indicating the print job and generates image data to be printed on the print medium. Further, the control unit 10 controls the transport mechanism 40 to transport the print medium to the printing position by the print head 20. Further, the control unit 10 determines the timing of applying a pulse to each nozzle Nz and the type of pulse to be applied based on the image data. Then, in the process of operating the carriage and the transport mechanism 40, the control unit 10 applies a pulse to the piezoelectric element 21 to eject ink from each nozzle Nz.

[0023] When printing is performed, in this embodiment, the control unit 10 controls the transport mechanism 40 to transport the printed print medium to the cutting position by the cutter 50. Then, the control unit 10 controls the cutter 50 to cut the print medium at the cutting position. Note that the cutting may be performed each time printing for one page is performed, or may be performed when the cutting position of the print medium reaches the cutting position by the cutter 50 during the printing of a print job spanning multiple pages.

[0024] In this embodiment, the control unit 10 can execute a process for detecting an abnormality of the printing mechanism M at least in any one of before, after, and during the execution of the print job. The timing for performing the detection may be determined in advance or may be selected by the user. In this embodiment, the detection is performed according to the selection by the user.

[0025] FIG. 3 is an example of a user interface for making selections. In the example shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to set whether to perform detection before executing a print job or not. Specifically, in the item of pre-print detection, the user can set whether to automatically perform detection before executing a print job. In the item of periodic detection, the user can set whether to automatically perform detection during the execution of a print job. When performing detection, the user can further set the frequency of detection. In the example shown in FIG. 3, an example in which the detection frequency can be specified by the number of printed pages is shown. For example, 25 indicates that detection is performed once every time a fixed-size print medium is printed 25 pages. The user can change the numerical value of the detection frequency from 0 (OFF) to 100 by operating the slider bar.

[0026] In the item of image quality setting, the user can set the image quality of the image printed on the print medium. The image quality depends on the number of clogged nozzles Nz that occur when printing an image and the degree to which the influence of nozzle Nz clogging can be reduced by the complementation described later. In the present embodiment, when clogging occurs in the nozzle Nz, a process for complementing the ink to be ejected from the clogged nozzle Nz with a non-clogged nozzle Nz is performed (details will be described later). The less the position of the clogged nozzle Nz is locally concentrated and the smaller the number of clogged nozzles Nz, the smaller the difference between the image after the complementation and the image when normal ejection is performed.

[0027] In this embodiment, four image qualities are predefined according to the position and number of clogged nozzles Nz. Specifically, based on the position and number of clogged nozzles Nz, a state where there are no clogged nozzles Nz is defined. Also, a state is defined where the number of clogged nozzles Nz is small and the ink to be ejected from the clogged nozzles Nz can be supplemented. Further, a state is defined where the number of clogged nozzles Nz is medium and non-supplemented clogged nozzles Nz may remain. Furthermore, four states are defined where the number of clogged nozzles Nz is large and the supplementation does not function.

[0028] In this embodiment, the image quality of a printed matter printed in a state where there are no clogged nozzles Nz is called the highest image quality. Also, the image quality of a printed matter printed after supplementation in a state where the number of clogged nozzles Nz is small and the ink to be ejected from the clogged nozzles Nz can be supplemented is called the high image quality. Further, the image quality of a printed matter printed after supplementation in a state where the number of clogged nozzles Nz is medium and non-supplemented clogged nozzles Nz may remain is called the medium image quality. In this embodiment, printing in a state where the number of clogged nozzles Nz is large and the supplementation does not function is not performed, but this state is called the low image quality.

[0029] In the example shown in FIG. 3, the user can set the image quality required for the printed matter. In the present embodiment, the user can select a first image quality and a second image quality. In the present embodiment, the second image quality is a mode in which printing is performed if printing is possible at the highest image quality, high image quality, or medium image quality, and no printing is performed if only low-quality printing is possible. On the other hand, the first image quality is a mode in which printing is performed if printing is possible at the highest image quality or high image quality, and no printing is performed if only printing at a quality lower than the medium image quality is possible. However, when only medium-quality printing is possible in the first image quality, printing may be executable according to the user's setting. For example, when the user sets to execute printing even when a printing trouble occurs where only medium-quality printing is possible, printing is executed, and when the user sets not to execute printing, printing is not executed. This setting may be performed before the start of printing or after the start of printing. In the present embodiment, this setting is possible before the start of printing.

[0030] As described above, the image quality of the obtained printed matter can be different between the first image quality and the second image quality. In the present embodiment, the image quality that is expected to be in a state where printing is always performed is higher for the first image quality than for the second image quality. Therefore, it can be considered that the user who selects the first image quality is demanding a higher image quality than the user who selects the second image quality. FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface that can select either the first image quality or the second image quality.

[0031] In the item of the number of automatic cleanings, the user can set the number of cleanings that are automatically performed to eliminate clogging of the nozzle Nz. The number of cleanings indicates the upper limit of the number of cleanings that can be automatically executed within a predetermined period for eliminating nozzle clogging. In the present embodiment, the predetermined period is the period from the start to the end of one printing job. In the item when a printing trouble occurs, the user can select whether to continue printing, stop printing, or execute cleaning when clogging of the nozzle Nz or the like occurs. In the present embodiment, a situation where printing can only be performed in medium quality at the first image quality corresponds to a situation where a printing trouble has occurred. Therefore, when it is set to continue printing in the item when a printing trouble occurs, printing can be executed even when printing can only be performed in medium quality at the first image quality. The control unit 10 controls the UI unit 80 to display the user interface shown in FIG. 3. When the user operates the user interface, the control unit 10 accepts the setting according to the operation and stores the information indicating the setting content in the non-volatile memory 90 or the like.

[0032] When executing a printing job, the control unit 10 refers to the information indicating the setting content and executes detection according to the setting implemented in the user interface shown in FIG. 3. In the present embodiment, when performing detection, the control unit 10 prints a check pattern and scans the check pattern by the CIS 60a of the detection unit 60. Specifically, the control unit 10 controls the transport mechanism 40 to transport the printing medium so that the area to be printed with the check pattern is arranged at the printing position by the print head 20. Then, the control unit 10 controls the print head 20 to print a predetermined check pattern. The check pattern may be any pattern as long as it can estimate the presence and degree of an abnormality of the printing mechanism M (in the present embodiment, clogging of the nozzle Nz), and may be various patterns.

[0033] Once the check pattern is printed, the control unit 10 controls the transport mechanism 40 to reverse the print medium so that the check pattern is positioned at the scan position for the CIS 60a of the detection unit 60. The control unit 10 then controls the detection unit 60 to read the check pattern using the CIS 60a. Once the check pattern is read, the control unit 10 records scan data indicating the read result in the non-volatile memory 90 or the like. The control unit 10 then detects clogged nozzles Nz based on the scan data. Clogged nozzles Nz may be detected using various methods. For example, if ink is not recorded in a position where a dot or line should be recorded in the check pattern, but the ink in an adjacent position is of the appropriate density, it is determined that the nozzle Nz that is supposed to eject the unrecorded ink is clogged. Furthermore, if no ink is recorded (or is recorded thinly) in a position where a dot or line should be recorded, and the ink in an adjacent position is thicker than standard, it is determined that the direction of ink flight from the nozzle Nz that is supposed to eject the unrecorded ink (or the nozzle Nz that is supposed to eject the thinned ink) is abnormal.

[0034] In this embodiment, when a clogged nozzle Nz is detected, the control unit 10 attempts to compensate for the clogged nozzle Nz or to clear the clog. Compensation is a process in which other nozzles compensate for the ink that would otherwise be printed by the clogged nozzle Nz. Compensation can be performed in various ways. For example, the ink that would otherwise be printed by the clogged nozzle Nz can be compensated for by increasing the amount of ink ejected from at least one of the nozzles Nz surrounding the clogged nozzle Nz (such as an adjacent nozzle Nz). Alternatively, for example, the ink that would otherwise be printed by the clogged nozzle Nz can be compensated for by controlling the carriage and transport mechanism 40 of the print head 20 to move a nozzle Nz other than the clogged nozzle Nz to the ink ejection position of the clogged nozzle Nz and ejecting ink therefrom.

[0035] Compensation is performed to supplement the ink that should be ejected from the clogged nozzle Nz with other nozzles. Whether or not all of the clogged nozzles Nz are compensated depends on the position of the clogged nozzle Nz in the print head 20, the number of clogged nozzles Nz, and the like. For example, when a plurality of nozzles Nz adjacent to a certain nozzle Nz are all clogged, or when there are a plurality of clogged nozzles Nz in a local area on the nozzle plate 22, compensation by the surrounding nozzles Nz may become impossible. That is, as for the state of the nozzle Nz, there may be a case where the nozzle Nz is not clogged and compensation is unnecessary, a case where the nozzle Nz is clogged but compensation is possible, and a case where compensation for the clogged nozzle Nz is impossible.

[0036] The print results obtained in each case have an image quality corresponding to the presence or absence of compensation and the presence of clogging of the nozzle Nz. However, when the user views the obtained print result, it is not always obvious at a glance what state the print result is in. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control unit 10 performs printing so that the degree of abnormality of the printing mechanism M when printing is performed can be grasped at a glance.

[0037] For this reason, the control unit 10 specifies the presence or absence and the degree of abnormality of the printing mechanism M based on the detection result of the CIS 60a of the detection unit 60. Specifically, the control unit 10 refers to the non-volatile memory 90 and specifies the presence or absence of clogging of the nozzle Nz based on the latest scan data. When there is no clogging of the nozzle Nz and compensation is unnecessary, the control unit 10 regards it as normal, and when clogging of the nozzle Nz has occurred, the control unit 10 regards it as abnormal.

[0038] When clogging occurs in nozzle Nz, further, the control unit 10 refers to the non-volatile memory 90 and identifies the position of the clogged nozzle Nz based on the latest scan data. Also, the control unit 10 identifies the state of the nozzles based on the position and number of the clogged nozzles Nz. Specifically, the control unit 10 determines, based on the position and number of the clogged nozzles Nz, whether it is in a state where there are no clogged nozzles Nz, a state where the number of clogged nozzles Nz is small and the ink to be ejected from the clogged nozzles Nz can be supplemented, a state where the number of clogged nozzles Nz is medium and non-supplemented clogged nozzles Nz may remain, or a state where the number of clogged nozzles Nz is large and the supplementation does not function. When there are no clogged nozzles Nz, the control unit 10 regards that there is no abnormality in the nozzles Nz. When there are clogged nozzles Nz, the control unit 10 regards that there is an abnormality in the nozzles Nz. The control unit 10 may determine that the degree of abnormality increases as the number of clogged nozzles increases.

[0039] Whether supplementation for nozzle Nz is possible or becomes impossible is determined by the position and number of the clogged nozzles Nz. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which when the number of clogged nozzles Nz per unit area is equal to or less than the upper limit value, supplementation is possible, and when it exceeds the upper limit value, it is determined that supplementation is impossible. Of course, this determination method is just an example, and other determination methods may be adopted, for example, for each of the clogged nozzles Nz, a process of identifying the nozzle Nz that supplements the ink is performed, and when the nozzle Nz that supplements the ink can be identified without selecting overlapping nozzles Nz, it may be determined that supplementation is possible.

[0040] The control unit 10 performs printing so that different margins are formed according to the presence or absence of clogging of the nozzle Nz and the degree of clogging of the nozzle Nz. That is, the control unit 10 performs printing so that the length of the printed medium after cutting is different according to the presence or absence of clogging of the nozzle Nz and the degree of clogging of the nozzle Nz. Specifically, after performing printing, when the control unit 10 cuts the printed medium by the cutter 50, it changes the presence or absence of the margin and the length of the margin (size in the conveyance direction) according to the presence or absence of clogging of the nozzle Nz and the degree of clogging, so that the shape of the printed medium is different.

[0041] As a result, the user can grasp the state of clogging of the nozzle Nz in which the printing result was printed based on the difference in the length (size in the conveyance direction) of the printed medium caused by the difference in the margins of the printed medium. Further, in the present embodiment, since the length of the printed medium after cutting is different according to the presence or absence and degree of clogging of the nozzle Nz, the user can know the presence or absence and degree of clogging of the nozzle Nz by simply looking at the printed medium after printing. Furthermore, if printed media with different presence or absence and degrees of clogging of the nozzle Nz are arranged side by side, the user can more clearly grasp the presence or absence and degree of clogging of the nozzle Nz. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the length of the margin of the printed medium can be adjusted by the cutter 50, it is possible to very easily adjust the margin so that it has a length corresponding to the presence or absence and degree of clogging of the nozzle Nz.

[0042] (2) Printing process: Next, the printing process in the printing apparatus 100 will be described in detail. Before starting the printing process, the user makes various settings using the user interface shown in FIG. 3. In a state where the settings are made, when the user operates a personal computer, the UI unit 80, etc. to generate a print job and instruct its execution, the control unit 10 executes the printing process shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0043] When the printing process starts, the control unit 10 determines whether it is the detection timing of nozzle clogging (step S100). That is, the control unit 10 identifies whether it is the detection timing of nozzle clogging based on the conditions set by the user interface shown in FIG. 3.

[0044] Whether it is the detection timing is determined based on whether the current situation matches the conditions set by the user. For example, when it is set to perform automatic detection in the item of pre-printing detection, it is determined that it is the detection timing in step S100 immediately after the start of the printing process.

[0045] On the other hand, in the printing process, it may repeatedly return to step S100 by the loop process included in the printing process. In this process, printing of an arbitrary number of pages may be executed. Therefore, the control unit 10 determines whether it is the detection timing according to the number of pages printed after the previous detection of nozzle clogging. Specifically, in the item of periodic detection of the user interface shown in FIG. 3, when n (n is a natural number from 1 to 100) is set for the number of printed pages, the control unit 10 identifies the number of pages printed after the previous detection of nozzle clogging, and determines that it is the detection timing if the number of pages is n. In the item of periodic detection of the user interface shown in FIG. 3, when 0 is set for the number of printed pages, the control unit 10 determines that it is not the detection timing.

[0046] In step S100, if it is determined that it is the detection timing, the control unit 10 executes step S105. If it is not determined that it is the detection timing, the control unit 10 skips step S105. In step S105, the control unit 10 detects nozzle clogging (step S105). That is, the control unit 10 controls the transport mechanism 40 to transport the printing medium, and controls the print head 20 to print a check pattern. Then, the control unit 10 controls the transport mechanism 40 to transport the printing medium, reads the check pattern by the CIS 60a of the detection unit 60, and records the scan data in the non-volatile memory 90. Further, the control unit 10 identifies the presence or absence of clogging of the nozzle Nz and the position of the clogged nozzle Nz based on the latest scan data.

[0047] Next, the control unit 10 determines whether it is possible to complement so that printing is performed with the image quality required by the image quality setting set by the user interface shown in FIG. 3 (step S110). That is, the control unit 10 identifies the presence or absence of clogging of the nozzle Nz and the degree of clogging based on the detection result of step S105, and determines whether it is possible to complement. Specifically, when there is no clogging of the nozzle Nz, that is, when printing can be performed with the highest image quality, the control unit 10 determines that complementation is not required. When there is a clogged nozzle Nz, the control unit 10 identifies whether the image quality obtained by printing by complementation is high image quality, medium image quality, or low image quality based on the position of the clogged nozzle Nz, the number of clogged nozzles Nz, and the like.

[0048] When the control unit 10 determines that printing can be completed based on the image quality setting, i.e., when printing is performed with the image quality required by the setting, it determines that completion is possible. When printing is not performed with the required image quality, the control unit 10 determines that completion is impossible. In the present embodiment, the first image quality is a mode in which printing with the highest image quality that does not require completion is possible, or printing is performed if high-quality printing is possible by completion, and printing is not performed if only printing with an image quality equal to or lower than medium quality is possible. Therefore, when the first image quality is set, the control unit 10 determines that completion is possible if the image quality obtained by printing through completion is high quality. When the image quality obtained by printing through completion is medium quality or low quality, the control unit 10 determines that completion is impossible.

[0049] On the other hand, the second image quality is a mode in which printing with the highest image quality that does not require completion, or printing is performed if high-quality or medium-quality printing is possible by completion, and printing is not performed if only low-quality printing is possible. Therefore, when the second image quality is set, the control unit 10 determines that completion is possible if the image quality obtained by printing through completion is high quality or medium quality. When the image quality obtained by printing through completion is low quality, the control unit 10 determines that completion is impossible. With the above configuration, even if the same nozzle Nz is clogged, it may be determined that completion is impossible when the image quality setting is the first image quality, and it may be determined that completion is possible when the image quality setting is the second image quality.

[0050] In step S110, when it is determined that completion is not required, i.e., when the image quality is the highest, the control unit 10 executes normal printing (step S115). Specifically, the control unit 10 controls the conveyance mechanism 40 and the print head 20 according to the print job to print one page of the image to be printed on the print medium. Also, when printing is performed, the control unit 10 controls the cutter 50 to cut the print medium. In the case of normal printing, the control unit 10 cuts the print medium to a predetermined size. In the present embodiment, the predetermined size can be a plurality of sizes such as A4 size and B5 size, but the predetermined size is specified in advance by the user or the like in the print job.

[0051] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the cutting position of the print medium P. In FIG. 6, the print medium P is shown as a rectangle that is long in the vertical direction. In this figure, the upper side of the rectangle is the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and the lower side of the rectangle is the upstream side in the conveyance direction. In FIG. 6, the check pattern printed in step S105 immediately after the start of printing and the print areas of the first to third pages printed thereafter are schematically shown. In the present embodiment, a margin is provided between each page. Since the margin is a portion that does not constitute a page, in normal printing, it is cut so that no margin remains.

[0052] In FIG. 6, the cutting position on the right side of the print medium P is indicated by a triangle mark, and the cutting line on the print medium is shown as a solid straight line. As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 10 cuts at the upstream end and the downstream end of the margin, so that no margin remains between each page. Therefore, when the user obtains pages of a predetermined size, the user can recognize that it is not necessary to compensate for clogging of the nozzle Nz, that is, that clogging of the nozzle Nz has not occurred. In the example shown in FIG. 6, there is no margin between the check pattern and the first page, but a margin may be provided. Also, in the case of normal printing, a configuration may be adopted in which no margin is provided between pages and cutting is performed at the page boundary. Further, the cutting of the print medium may be performed at various timings. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which cutting is performed every time one page is printed, or cutting may be performed at the stage when the position of the print medium to be cut reaches the cutting position by the cutter 50 during the process of continuously printing a plurality of pages. Also, when the print job ends, cutting for a plurality of pages may be performed.

[0053] When normal printing is completed, the control unit 10 determines whether the printing by the printing job has ended (step S120). That is, the control unit 10 determines whether the printing by the printing job has ended at the stage of step S125. Note that the end of the printing job is specified by an end code or the like included in the printing job, and when the processing is executed up to the end code and no error occurs, it can be specified that the printing has ended. In step S120, if it is determined that the printing by the printing job has ended, the control unit 10 ends the printing process. In step S120, if it is not determined that the printing by the printing job has ended, the control unit 10 repeats the processing after step S100.

[0054] On the other hand, in step S110, if it is determined that it is possible to supplement, the control unit 10 determines whether the printing by the printing job has ended (step S125). This determination process is the same as the process in step S120. In step S125, if it is determined that the printing by the printing job has ended, the control unit 10 ends the printing process.

[0055] In step S125, if it is not determined that the printing by the printing job has ended, the control unit 10 sets the margin amount to the first length (step S130). In the present embodiment, two types of lengths of the margin remaining without being cut on the printing medium are determined in advance. These lengths are a first length indicating that printing has been performed in a state where supplementation is possible and a second length indicating that printing has been performed in a state where supplementation is not possible. Also, in the present embodiment, 0 < first length < second length. Since the degree of abnormality is more severe when supplementation is not possible than when it is possible, in the present embodiment, the length of the margin is larger when the degree of abnormality is more severe than when it is less severe. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the user can intuitively recognize the degree of abnormality from the length of the margin.

[0056] Next, the control unit 10 executes complementary printing (step S135). That is, the control unit 10 controls the transport mechanism 40 and the print head 20 in accordance with the print job, and identifies other nozzles Nz that will compensate for the ink to be printed by the clogged nozzle Nz and the amount of ink ejected from those other nozzles based on the position of the clogged nozzle Nz detected in step S105. Then, the control unit 10 generates print control data for printing one page of the image related to the print job while compensating for ink from those other nozzles Nz.

[0057] The control unit 10 controls the transport mechanism 40 and the print head 20 in accordance with the print control data to print the image to be printed on the print medium. At this time, the control unit 10 controls the cutter 50 to print on the print medium so that the margin amount is the set length, and also cuts the print medium. When step S135 is executed after step S130, the set margin amount is the first length.

[0058] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the cutting position of the printing medium P when the first page is printed normally and the second and third pages are printed with complementary printing. In FIG. 7, the printing medium P is again represented by a rectangle that is long in the vertical direction. In this diagram, the top of the rectangle is the downstream side in the transport direction, and the bottom of the rectangle is the upstream side in the transport direction. Also shown is a schematic diagram of the check pattern printed in step S105 immediately after printing begins, and the print areas of pages 1 to 3 that are printed thereafter. FIG. 7 shows an example in which it is determined in step S110 that complementary printing is possible, so the length of the margin between each page is the length of the margin set in step S130, and the pages are cut so that this margin remains.

[0059] Also in FIG. 7, the cutting position is indicated by a triangular mark on the right side of the print medium P, and the cutting line on the print medium P is indicated by a solid line. Further, the boundary between the margin and the page is indicated by a broken line. As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 10 is cut at the boundary between the upstream end of the page and the downstream end of the margin (for example, position A), but is not cut at the boundary between the downstream end of the page and the upstream end of the margin (for example, position B). Thus, when supplementary printing is performed, a margin remains in the printed print medium. Therefore, when the user obtains a page larger than the page of the default size, the user can recognize that the clogging of the nozzles Nz is not zero and that the supplementation has been performed. When the user confirms this print result and determines that there is no problem with this print result, the user cuts at the boundary between the downstream end of this page and the upstream end of the margin (for example, position B). Therefore, it is also possible to perform printing that helps the user to cut, such as a staple, at the boundary between the downstream end of the page and the upstream end of the margin (for example, position B).

[0060] In the present embodiment, regardless of whether the image quality setting by the user interface shown in FIG. 3 is the first image quality or the second image quality, if supplementation is possible, steps S130 and S135 are executed via steps S110 and S125. Therefore, regardless of whether the image quality setting is the first image quality or the second image quality, if supplementation is possible, the margin amount is the first length.

[0061] When supplementary printing is performed, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the printing by the print job has ended (step S140). That is, in step S135, since printing for one page is performed by the print job, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the printing process by the print job has ended by printing the page.

[0062] In step S140, when it is determined that the printing by the print job has ended, the control unit 10 detects nozzle clogging (step S145). This process is the same as the process in step S105. When the detection is performed, the scan data is recorded in the non-volatile memory 90, and the presence or absence of nozzle clogging of the nozzles Nz and the positions of the clogged nozzles Nz are specified.

[0063] Next, the control unit 10 determines whether the state of the nozzle has deteriorated (step S150). That is, based on the detection result in step S145, the control unit 10 identifies the presence or absence of clogging of the nozzle Nz and the degree of clogging. For example, if it is specified based on the detection in step S145 that the degree of clogging of the nozzle Nz was of a compensable level during the previous detection of nozzle clogging but has deteriorated to a non-compensable level, the control unit 10 determines that the state of the nozzle has deteriorated.

[0064] In step S150, if it is determined that the state of the nozzle has not deteriorated, the control unit 10 ends the printing process. In step S150, if it is determined that the state of the nozzle has deteriorated, the control unit 10 determines whether a printing continuation setting has been made (step S170). That is, in the user interface shown in FIG. 3, it is determined whether the printing is set to continue in the item when a printing trouble occurs.

[0065] In step S170, if it is determined that the printing is not set to continue, the control unit 10 ends the printing process. In step S170, if it is determined that the printing is set to continue, the control unit 10 controls the UI unit 80 and outputs a warning of an abnormality occurrence (step S175). That is, the control unit 10 causes the UI unit 80 to output a display or sound indicating the occurrence of an abnormality, and notifies the user that the state of the nozzle has deteriorated.

[0066] After that, the control unit 10 executes the processes after step S110. However, if the state of the nozzle has deteriorated, it is determined to be non-compensable in step S110, so the processes after step S200 described later are executed. Note that the above configuration is an example, and a warning may be given regardless of whether the printing is set to continue, or if the printing job ends, the warning may be omitted. Also, in this case, a warning may be given before the next printing job is executed.

[0067] On the other hand, in step S140, when it is not determined that the printing by the print job has ended, the control unit 10 determines whether it is the detection timing of nozzle clogging (step S155). This process is the same as step S100 described above. In step S155, when it is not determined that it is the detection timing, the control unit 10 sets the next page as the printing target and repeats the processes after step S110.

[0068] In step S155, when it is determined that it is the detection timing, the control unit 10 detects nozzle clogging (step S160). This process is the same as the process in step S105. When the detection is performed, the scan data is recorded in the non-volatile memory 90, and the presence or absence of clogging of the nozzle Nz and the position of the clogged nozzle Nz are specified.

[0069] Next, the control unit 10 determines whether the state of the nozzle has deteriorated (step S165). That is, the control unit 10 specifies the presence or absence of clogging of the nozzle Nz and the degree of clogging based on the detection result of step S160. This process is the same as the process in step S150. In step S165, when it is not determined that the state of the nozzle has deteriorated, the control unit 10 sets the next page as the printing target and repeats the processes after step S110.

[0070] In step S165, when it is determined that the state of the nozzle has deteriorated, the control unit 10 determines whether the print continuation setting has been performed (step S170). That is, in the user interface shown in FIG. 3, it is determined whether it is set to continue printing in the item at the time of print trouble. In step S170, when it is not determined that printing is set to continue, the control unit 10 ends the printing process. In this case, a notification indicating that printing has been aborted due to nozzle clogging or the like may be given.

[0071] In step S170, if it is determined that printing is set to continue, the control unit 10 controls the UI unit 80 to output a warning of an abnormality (step S175). That is, the control unit 10 causes the UI unit 80 to output a display or sound indicating the occurrence of an abnormality, and notifies the user that the state of the nozzles has deteriorated. After that, the control unit 10 sets the next page as the printing target and repeats the processes after step S110. That is, since printing is set to continue even if a printing trouble occurs, the user is warned that the image quality may deteriorate, and then printing is continued.

[0072] In step S110, if it is determined that replenishment is impossible, the control unit 10 determines the number of cleaning times (step S200). That is, the control unit 10 specifies the number of times of cleaning automatically performed during the period from the start to the end of the printing job as the number of cleaning executions. Also, the control unit 10 specifies, in the user interface shown in FIG. 3, the number of times of cleaning that can be automatically executed set by the user as the upper limit of the number of cleaning times. Then, the control unit 10 determines whether the number of cleaning executions is less than or equal to the upper limit.

[0073] In step S200, if it is determined that the number of cleaning executions is less than or equal to the upper limit, the control unit 10 performs cleaning (step S245). That is, the control unit 10 controls the transport mechanism 40 to retract the printing medium from between the printing head 20 and the cleaning mechanism 30, and controls the cleaning mechanism 30 to perform a predetermined cleaning operation. Note that the cleaning operation may change according to the number of cleaning times, or may be the same operation each time. Also, the user may be able to instruct the cleaning operation.

[0074] Next, the control unit 10 determines whether printing by the print job has finished (step S250). This process is the same as the process in step S120. If it is determined in step S250 that printing by the print job has finished, the control unit 10 ends the printing process. If it is not determined in step S250 that printing by the print job has finished, the control unit 10 repeats the processes from step S100 onwards.

[0075] Note that if cleaning is performed in step S245 and step S100 is executed via step S250, it is determined in step S100 that it is the timing for detection. Therefore, nozzle clogging is detected in step S105, and if the nozzle Nz is cleared by cleaning, normal printing is performed via step S110 and step S115. If the clogged nozzle Nz is cleared by cleaning and complementation becomes possible, complementation printing is performed via steps S110, S125, and S130 and step S135. In this case, a print result with a margin of the first length is obtained.

[0076] If it is determined in step S200 that the number of cleanings has exceeded the upper limit, the control unit 10 determines whether printing by the print job has finished (step S205). This process is the same as the process in step S120. If it is determined in step S205 that printing by the print job has finished, the control unit 10 controls the UI unit 80 to output an error indicating that an abnormality has occurred (step S235). That is, the control unit 10 causes the UI unit 80 to output a display or sound indicating that an abnormality has occurred, and notifies the user that the nozzle clogging cannot be resolved by cleaning.

[0077] In step S205, it is determined that printing by the print job has ended. For example, after supplementary printing is performed in step S135, step S110 is executed after passing through steps S140, S145, S150, S170, and S175, and it is determined in step S110 that supplementation is impossible. This situation occurs, for example, when the state of the nozzles changes from a state where supplementation is possible to a state where supplementation is impossible due to the supplementary printing in step S135. In the present embodiment, since steps S235 and S175 are executed in this situation, both a warning of an abnormality occurrence and an error are notified to the user in this situation. That is, the print job ends, but the user is notified that an abnormality where supplementation is impossible has occurred in the nozzles.

[0078] When step S235 is executed, the control unit 10 controls the UI unit 80 and makes an inquiry as to whether to perform manual cleaning (step S240). That is, the control unit 10 causes the UI unit 80 to output a user interface for inquiring whether to perform cleaning manually. When the user operates the user interface and instructs not to perform manual cleaning, the control unit 10 ends the printing process.

[0079] When the user operates the user interface and instructs to perform manual cleaning, the control unit 10 performs the instructed cleaning (step S245) and determines whether printing by the print job has ended (step S250). Here, since the state where it is determined in step S205 that printing by the print job has ended is assumed, the control unit 10 ends the printing process after the determination in step S250. Note that the method of manual cleaning may be the same as or different from the method of automatic cleaning.

[0080] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S205 that printing by the print job has not ended, the control unit 10 checks the image quality setting (step S210). That is, the control unit 10 determines whether the image quality set in the image quality setting item in the user interface shown in Fig. 3 is the first image quality or the second image quality. If it is determined in step S210 that the image quality setting is the second image quality, the control unit 10 executes the processes from step S235 onwards.

[0081] The second image quality is a mode in which printing is performed at the highest, high, or medium image quality if possible, but not at low image quality if possible. Step S210 is executed when the second image quality is set if the nozzle Nz is clogged with low image quality and it is determined in step S110 that correction is not possible. If low image quality printing is possible when the second image quality is set, printing is not performed. To perform this process, the control unit 10 outputs an error in step S235 to notify the user that printing is not possible, and then inquires whether or not to perform manual cleaning in step S240.

[0082] When manual cleaning is performed, steps S245, S250, and S100 are followed by steps S105 and S110. In this case, if the clogged state of the nozzle Nz is improved and complementation is possible or unnecessary, complement printing in step S135 or normal printing in step S115 is performed.

[0083] In this embodiment, when the image quality setting is first image quality, printing at the highest or high image quality is required, and printing at medium or low image quality is not required, but in this embodiment, when the image quality setting is medium image quality, printing can be performed if the user allows it. Therefore, when it is determined in step S210 that the image quality setting is first image quality, the control unit 10 executes the processing from step S215 onwards to determine whether to print at medium image quality.

[0084] In step S215, the control unit 10 determines whether the image quality obtained by printing after the compensation is medium or low, based on the state of nozzle clogging (step S215). The image quality determination here is the same as in step S110, and may be performed based on the position and number of clogged nozzles Nz. If the control unit 10 determines in step S215 that the image quality after the compensation is low, it assumes that an excessive number of nozzles Nz are clogged and does not perform printing. Therefore, it executes the processes from step S235 onward. In this case, the control unit 10 outputs an error in step S235 to notify the user that printing is not possible, and then inquires whether or not to perform manual cleaning in step S240.

[0085] When manual cleaning is performed, steps S245, S250, and S100 are followed by steps S105 and S110. In this case, if the clogged state of the nozzle Nz is improved and complementation is possible or unnecessary, complement printing in step S135 or normal printing in step S115 is performed.

[0086] On the other hand, if the quality after the interpolation is determined to be medium quality in step S215, the control unit 10 outputs an image quality degradation error (step S220). That is, the control unit 10 causes the UI unit 80 to output a display or sound indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the printing mechanism, thereby notifying the user that the image quality of the printed result may be lower than the highest or high quality desired by the user. Next, the control unit 10 determines the setting for the print continuation setting (step S225). That is, the control unit 10 determines whether the setting for the item in the user interface shown in FIG. 3 when a printing problem occurs is to continue printing, stop printing, or perform cleaning. Note that this setting does not have to be configured to be performed in advance by the user. For example, the user may be prompted to indicate whether to continue printing, stop printing, or perform cleaning in step S225.

[0087] In step S225, when it is determined that printing is set to continue, the control unit 10 sets the margin amount to a second length (step S230). That is, the control unit 10 sets the length of the margin to be a second length greater than the length of the margin set in step S130. After this, the control unit 10 executes the processes after step S135. That is, in step S135, the control unit 10 controls the print head 20, the conveyance mechanism 40, and the cutter 50 to perform printing and cutting so that the margin becomes the second length set in step S230. In this case, printing is performed with medium image quality.

[0088] As described above, the second length is greater than the first length. When set to the first image quality, the processes of steps S130 and S135 where the margin becomes the first length are executed when the image quality is high quality. Also, the processes of steps S230 and S135 where the margin becomes the second length are executed when the image quality is medium quality. Therefore, when a print medium including a margin is printed in a state where the first image quality is set, when the length of the margin is a second length greater than the first length, the user can intuitively recognize that the number of clogged nozzles Nz is relatively large and the image quality is medium quality.

[0089] In step S225, when it is determined that printing is set to be aborted, the control unit 10 ends the printing process. In step S225, when it is determined that cleaning is set to be executed, the control unit 10 executes the processes after step S245. When cleaning is executed, steps S105 and S110 are executed via steps S245, S250, and S100. In this case, if the clogging state of the nozzles Nz improves and becomes complementable or non-complementable, complementary printing in step S135 or normal printing in step S115 is performed.

[0090] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a situation that occurs when a print job does not end in the above printing process. The degree of clogging of the nozzle Nz has four states: a state where the clogged nozzle Nz is 0, a state where the number of clogged nozzles Nz is small, a medium state, and a large state. The corresponding image qualities can be the highest image quality, high image quality, medium image quality, and low image quality. The printing method is either normal printing or complementary printing.

[0091] In FIG. 8, the generation conditions of each image quality, the printing method at that time, and the length of the margin are shown for each image quality setting. When the clogged nozzle Nz is 0 and the image quality is the highest, normal printing is executed in step S115 after passing the determination in step S110. That is, when the image quality is the highest, normal printing is performed regardless of whether the image quality setting is the first image quality or the second image quality, and printing is performed without a margin and then cut.

[0092] Also, since step S110 can be repeatedly executed in the process of the loop process, when cleaning is performed in step S245 after it is determined in step S110 that complementation is impossible, the number of clogged nozzles may become 0. In this case, when step S110 is executed again, it is determined that complementation is unnecessary. In this case, normal printing is executed.

[0093] When the first image quality is set, even if clogging of the nozzle Nz occurs, if the number of clogged nozzles is small and the image quality obtained by printing by complementation is high image quality, steps S130 and S135 are executed after passing the determination in step S110. As a result, complementary printing is performed with a margin of the first length, and cutting is performed so that a margin of the first length remains. When the second image quality is set, even if clogging of the nozzle Nz occurs, if the image quality obtained by printing by complementation is high image quality or medium image quality, steps S130 and S135 are executed after passing the determination in step S110. As a result, complementary printing is performed with a margin of the first length, and cutting is performed so that a margin of the first length remains.

[0094] Furthermore, because step S110 can be repeatedly executed during the loop process, if cleaning is performed in step S245 after it is determined in step S110 that complementation is not possible, the image quality may improve. In this case, when step S110 is executed again, it may be determined that complementation is possible. If the image quality has improved to the point where complementation is possible, complementary printing is performed with a margin of the first length, and the paper is cut so that a margin of the first length remains.

[0095] When the first image quality is set, if the image quality obtained by printing through complementation is medium or low, steps S205, S210, and S215 are executed after the judgment in step S110. In this case, different processes are performed depending on whether the number of clogged nozzles is medium or large. When the image quality is medium, if continuation of printing is set, the margin amount is set to a second length in steps S225 and S230, and complementation printing is performed at the second length in step S135. If abortion of printing is set, printing is aborted after the judgment in step S225. If cleaning is set, step S245 is executed, but printing will not occur unless the number of clogged nozzles is reduced to a small number. When the image quality is low, steps S235 and S240 are executed after the judgment in step S215. Therefore, if the situation of a large number of clogged nozzles remains unchanged even after cleaning, printing will not occur.

[0096] When the image quality is set to the second image quality, if the image quality obtained by printing through compensation is low, steps S110, S205, and S210 are executed, followed by steps S235 and S240. Therefore, if manual cleaning is not performed, the image quality will not change and printing will not be performed. On the other hand, if manual cleaning is performed in step S245 and the image quality improves to medium or high quality, it is determined in step S110 that compensation is possible. As a result, steps S130 and S135 are executed. In other words, when the image quality setting is set to the second image quality, even if it is initially determined that compensation of clogged nozzles Nz is impossible, if the number of clogged nozzles Nz is reduced by cleaning, compensation printing is performed with a margin of the first length, and the nozzles are cut so that a margin of the first length remains. In this way, when the image quality setting is set to the second image quality, printing will not be performed unless the compensation-impossible state changes, but printing will be performed if compensation becomes possible.

[0097] As described above, in this embodiment, the printing method applied and the length of the margin left after printing differ depending on whether the image quality setting is the first image quality or the second image quality. The printing method applied and the length of the margin also differ depending on the number of clogged nozzles, i.e., the presence or absence and severity of an abnormality in the printing mechanism. Therefore, this embodiment employs a configuration that controls the printing mechanism so that different margins are formed depending on the presence or absence and severity of an abnormality in the printing mechanism M and the image quality setting. With this configuration, the margin changes depending on the presence or absence and severity of an abnormality in the printing mechanism M can be further varied by the image quality setting. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the margin length cannot be varied by the image quality setting, the meaning indicated by the margin length (the presence or absence and severity of an abnormality in the printing mechanism M) can be made more diverse.

[0098] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when the image quality setting is set to the first image quality, if supplementary printing is performed in a state where high-quality printing is possible, the margin becomes the first length. On the other hand, if supplementary printing is performed in a state where medium-quality printing is possible, the margin becomes the second length. Considering the state where high-quality printing is possible as the degree of the first abnormality and the state where medium-quality printing is possible as the degree of the second abnormality, it means that the printing mechanism is controlled so that margins different from the degree of the second abnormality are formed at the degree of the first abnormality.

[0099] When the image quality setting is the second image quality, if supplementary printing is performed in a state where high-quality printing is possible and a state where medium-quality printing is possible, the margin becomes the first length. On the other hand, in the low-image-quality state, the image quality is improved by cleaning, and printing is not performed unless the image quality becomes medium quality or higher. In this configuration, since the length of the margin is the first length in both high quality and medium quality, control of the printing mechanism for forming different margins according to the degree of abnormality is not performed. Therefore, considering the state where high-quality printing is possible as the degree of the first abnormality and the state where medium-quality printing is possible as the degree of the second abnormality, when the image quality setting is the second image quality, control of the printing mechanism for forming margins different between the degree of the first abnormality and the degree of the second abnormality is not performed.

[0100] As described above, in the present embodiment, in the second image quality, the length of the margin is set according to the presence or absence of an abnormality in the printing mechanism, rather than according to the degree of the abnormality in the printing mechanism. In the first image quality, printing can be performed with the length of the margin according to the presence or absence of an abnormality in the printing mechanism and also according to the degree of the abnormality in the printing mechanism. For this reason, the user can specify whether to distinguish the degree of abnormality of the printing mechanism by the image quality setting.

[0101] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the number of clogged nozzles is 0, that is, when the highest image quality is achieved, no margin is formed. Also, at the first image quality, when the image quality is the highest, high, or medium, the length of the margin is 0, the first length, and the second length, respectively. In this embodiment, since the second length is greater than the first length, when there is an abnormality that is relatively heavy with respect to the printing mechanism M, a larger margin is formed than when there is an abnormality that is relatively light with respect to the printing mechanism. Therefore, the user can grasp the severity of the abnormality based on the length of the margin, which facilitates the inspection of printed materials.

[0102] (3) Other embodiments: The above embodiments are examples for implementing the present invention, and various other embodiments can also be adopted. For example, the present invention may be applied to a multifunction device equipped with an image reading function and a FAX transmission function in addition to the printing function.

[0103] The printing medium may be any object that becomes a printed material when printing is performed, and is not limited to paper. For example, cloth or a disk printing medium may be the printing medium to be printed. Also, the printing medium may be stored in various forms and is not limited to being stored in a roll shape. For example, a configuration in which printing media cut to a predetermined size are stored and conveyed one by one may be used.

[0104] The printing mechanism may be any mechanism capable of performing printing on the printing medium. Therefore, it may be a serial printer, a line printer, or a page printer. It is not limited to the inkjet printing head that ejects ink as described above. For example, it may be an electrophotographic printing head that transfers toner to the printing medium. Of course, other printing methods, such as thermal transfer or dot impact, may also be used as the printing mechanism.

[0105] The conveying mechanism only needs to be able to convey the printing medium. The conveying may be carried out so that the printed matter after printing can be used. For example, a conveying mechanism that conveys the printing medium accumulated at a predetermined site to the site where printing is performed by the print head and conveys the printed printing medium to the site where the user can use it is adopted. The conveying method may adopt a method depending on the accumulation method of the printing medium. If the printing medium is accumulated in a roll shape, it will be a conveying mechanism that pulls out and conveys the printing medium. If the printing medium is cut into a predetermined size, it will be a conveying mechanism that takes out and conveys the printing medium one by one.

[0106] The printing mechanism may include a print head and mechanisms other than the conveying mechanism. Such mechanisms are not limited to the cutter and cleaning mechanism as in the above-described embodiment. For example, a detection mechanism for the end of the printing medium or a detection mechanism for abnormal conveyance of the printing medium may be included in the printing mechanism.

[0107] The detection unit only needs to be able to detect an abnormality in the printing mechanism. The abnormality is not limited to nozzle clogging or abnormal discharge direction as described above. For example, it may be an abnormality in the ink discharge amount or an abnormality in the moving direction of the print head. That is, if the detection unit detects the presence or absence of various abnormalities affecting the printing result and the degree of the abnormality, the printing mechanism can be controlled so that a margin corresponding to the presence or absence of the abnormality and the degree of the abnormality is formed.

[0108] Of course, if the types of print heads are different, the modes of abnormality may also be different. For example, when the printing method is an electrophotographic method, an abnormality in the toner transfer amount or a deviation from the toner transfer amount standard depending on the position may become an abnormality. Also, the abnormality of the printing mechanism is not limited to the abnormality of the print head. For example, if the quality of the printing result of the printing medium may be deteriorated due to an abnormality in the conveying mechanism, the abnormality of the conveying mechanism may be detected as an abnormality of the printing mechanism. If the quality of the printing result deteriorates due to an abnormality in the conveying speed, the abnormality in the conveying speed is detected as an abnormality of the printing mechanism. Furthermore, various methods of interpolation can be adopted. In this embodiment, the same interpolation method is adopted regardless of the image quality setting, but different interpolation methods may be adopted depending on the image quality setting. Also, different interpolation methods may be adopted depending on the type of abnormality detected.

[0109] The control unit is only required to control the printing mechanism so that different margins are formed depending on whether or not there is an abnormality in the printing mechanism and the degree of the abnormality. In other words, when an object is printed, the printing mechanism is controlled so that the margins differ depending on whether or not there is an abnormality in the printing mechanism, and further, the margins differ depending on the degree of the abnormality in the printing mechanism. The degree of abnormality may be defined by an index that changes in stages or by an index that changes continuously.

[0110] When defined using an index that changes in stages, the degree of abnormality is defined to have at least two levels of abnormality. In this case, there are at least three cases: no abnormality, a first level of abnormality, and a second level of abnormality. Therefore, in this case, printing can be performed with at least three different types of margins. Note that a length of 0 may also be considered a margin. In other words, these three types of margins may be 0 cm, 1 cm, and 2 cm in length, or 1 cm, 2 cm, and 3 cm in length. The degree of abnormality may also be determined in more than three levels.

[0111] The degree of abnormality may correspond to the magnitude of the impact on the print result, and may correspond to the severity or seriousness of the abnormality. The degree of abnormality may be evaluated by various methods, such as by the number of clogged nozzles, or by comparing a scanned image with a reference image, and various configurations may be adopted. The number of image quality settings is not limited to two, and may be one, or three or more.

[0112] The margin is the area excluding the area where an object can be printed on a print medium. Typically, the margin exists at the outer periphery of the print medium, and for a rectangular printed matter, the areas along the four sides are the margins, but it is not limited to this. The margin whose length is to be adjusted may be at the upstream end of the page, at the downstream end, or both. If the margins at the left and right ends can be adjusted, the length of the margin in the main scanning direction may be adjusted at least in part at the left and right ends.

[0113] The margins may simply differ according to the presence or absence of an abnormality and the degree of the abnormality. The differences in the margins may be determined by various factors. Therefore, it is not limited to a configuration in which, as in the above-described embodiment, the size of the print medium differs according to the difference in the length of the margins, resulting in different printed margins. For example, the shapes of the margins may be different. In this case, the shape of the print medium may also be different. Also, the margin may be any area excluding the area where the object to be printed is printed, and various marks (such as marks for cutting positions) or characters may be printed, thereby resulting in differences in the margins.

[0114] The control unit controls the cutter so that the shape of the print medium differs according to the presence or absence of an abnormality and the degree of the abnormality in the printing mechanism, but the mode for this is not limited to the mode as in the above-described embodiment. That is, in addition to a configuration in which the conveyance amount by the conveyance mechanism differs according to the presence or absence of an abnormality and the degree of the abnormality in the printing mechanism, various other configurations can be adopted. For example, the shape of the print medium may be controlled to differ according to the presence or absence of an abnormality and the degree of the abnormality in the printing mechanism by changing the position or orientation of the cutter. Also, a configuration in which a plurality of cutters are provided and the cutter to be used is controlled to differ according to the presence or absence of an abnormality and the degree of the abnormality in the printing mechanism may be used. Further, the printing device may not have a cutter and may be configured to have the user perform cutting after printing is completed. In that case, the position where the user is made to perform cutting may be indicated by a pointer or the like, and the margin indicated thereby may be changed according to the abnormality.

[0115] How to distinguish the degree of abnormality of the printing mechanism is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the threshold for distinguishing the degree of abnormality may be arbitrary and may or may not be specified by the user. Also, the same threshold may be used regardless of the image quality setting, or different thresholds may be used for each image quality setting.

[0116] Furthermore, as in the present invention, it is applicable as a program executed by a computer or a simple method, and is also applicable as a method for producing printed matter. Also, the above-described system, program, and method may be realized as a single device, or may be realized by using components provided in a plurality of devices, and include various aspects. Also, it can be appropriately changed, such as being partly software and partly hardware. Furthermore, the invention is also established as a recording medium for a program that controls the system. Of course, the recording medium for the program may be a magnetic recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or any recording medium to be developed in the future, and can be considered in exactly the same way.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0117] 10... Control unit, 20... Print head, 21... Piezoelectric element, 22... Nozzle plate, 30... Cleaning mechanism, 31... Cap, 40... Conveying mechanism, 40a... Media roll, 50... Cutter, 50a... Blade, 60... Detection unit, 70... Communication unit, <80... UI unit, 90... Non-volatile memory, 100... Printing apparatus, M... Printing mechanism, Nz... Nozzle, P... Print medium

Claims

1. A print head that prints on a continuous print medium; a transport mechanism for transporting the print medium; a cutter that cuts the printed medium into separate pages; a printing mechanism comprising: a detection unit that detects an abnormality in the printing mechanism; The printing medium on which printing has been performed is covered with a material other than the area on which the object to be printed is printed. With respect to the margin, which is the area where the printing mechanism is located, the presence or absence of an abnormality detected by the detection unit and the degree of the abnormality The cutting position of the printing medium in the transport direction of the printing medium is varied depending on the cutting speed. The conveyor is configured so that the margins are formed to have different lengths in the conveying direction. a control unit that controls the mechanism and the cutter; A printing device comprising:

2. The print head comprises: A plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink are provided, The abnormality in the printing mechanism is The nozzle is clogged. The printing device of claim 1 .

3. The degree of abnormality of the printing mechanism is The more clogged nozzles there are, the heavier it becomes. The printing device of claim 1 .

4. The control unit controlling the printing mechanism in accordance with an image quality setting indicating the image quality of the print; The margins are set differently depending on the presence or absence of an abnormality in the printing mechanism, the degree of the abnormality, and the image quality setting. and controlling the conveying mechanism and the cutter so that The printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The control unit When the image quality indicated by the image quality setting is the first image quality, the degree of the first abnormality is the second abnormality. and controlling the conveying mechanism and the cutter so that the margin is formed to a degree different from that of the previous one. When the image quality indicated by the image quality setting is a second image quality that is lower than the first image quality, In this case, different margins are not formed depending on the degree of the first abnormality and the degree of the second abnormality. and controlling the conveying mechanism and the cutter so that The printing device according to claim 4 .

6. The control unit If there is no abnormality in the printing mechanism, the margin is not formed. When the printing mechanism is in a state where there is a minor malfunction, the margin is larger than when there is a minor malfunction in the printing mechanism. controlling the conveying mechanism and the cutter; The printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A print head that prints on a continuous print medium; a transport mechanism for transporting the print medium; a cutter that cuts the printed medium into separate pages; a printing mechanism comprising: A detection unit that detects an abnormality in the printing mechanism; A control unit that controls the printing mechanism; In a printing apparatus comprising: For the blank area, which is the area of the printed medium excluding the area where the object to be printed is printed, with respect to the presence or absence and degree of abnormality of the printing mechanism detected by the detection unit, By varying the cutting position of the printed medium in the conveyance direction of the printed medium, the conveyance mechanism and the cutter are controlled so that the length of the blank area in the conveyance direction is formed differently, To perform printing on the printed medium. A method for producing a printed matter including this.

8. A printing head that performs printing on a printing medium, A conveyance mechanism that conveys the printing medium in the conveyance direction, A cutter that cuts the printed medium on which printing has been performed, A printing mechanism comprising: A detection unit that detects an abnormality in the printing mechanism; For the blank area, which is the area of the printed medium excluding the area where the object to be printed is printed, with respect to the presence or absence and degree of abnormality of the printing mechanism detected by the detection unit, A control unit that controls the conveyance mechanism and the cutter so that the shape of the blank area is formed differently; Comprising: The control unit Controls the printing mechanism according to a print quality setting indicating the print quality of the printing, And controls the conveyance mechanism and the cutter so that the shape of the blank area is formed differently according to the presence or absence and degree of abnormality of the printing mechanism and the print quality setting. A printing apparatus.

9. A printing head that performs printing on a printing medium, A conveyance mechanism that conveys the printing medium in the conveyance direction, A cutter that cuts the printed medium on which printing has been performed, A printing mechanism comprising: A detection unit that detects an abnormality in the printing mechanism; For the blank area, which is the area of the printed medium excluding the area where the object to be printed is printed, with respect to the presence or absence and degree of abnormality of the printing mechanism detected by the detection unit, A control unit that controls the conveyance mechanism and the cutter so that the shape of the blank area is formed differently; Comprising: The control unit If there is no abnormality in the printing mechanism, no blank area is formed. If there is a serious abnormality in the printing mechanism, a larger blank area is formed than when there is a minor abnormality in the printing mechanism. A printing apparatus that controls the printing mechanism as described above. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

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