Print control device, print control method, and print control program

Abstract

To provide a printing control device and the like that can reduce wastes of printed matters caused by retreating a print head from an insertion position.SOLUTION: A printing control device 30, which controls a printing device 10 comprising a print head 11 that discharges ink to printed matters 50A and 50B which are conveyed, is provided with: an insertion sensing part 31 that senses that a new second printed matter 50B is inserted into the first printed matter 50A being printed by the print head 11, in a front stage in a conveying direction of the print head 11; and a print head retreating part 34 that retreats the print head 11 from the first printed matter 50A and the second printed matter 50B, while being conveyed by a distance corresponding to integral multiples of a unit length of printing by the print head 11, when an insertion position RC into which the second printed matter 50B is inserted passes on a printing place by the print head 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a print control device and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Known printing devices that print on sheet-like substrates such as rolled paper include inkjet printing devices such as those described in Patent Document 1. Print heads or printing nozzles of each color, such as cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), eject ink of that color onto the substrate, which is transported by rotating transport rollers or the like, to print a desired image. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-181874 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this specification, the term "splicing" or "splicing" (when the substrate is paper, such as a roll of paper) refers to the act of splicing a "new" substrate (hereinafter referred to as the "second substrate") onto an "old" substrate (hereinafter referred to as the "first substrate") being printed by a print head, thereby switching between the old and new substrates with minimal interruption to the printing device. Because adhesives such as tape remain at the splice or splice location between the first and second substrates, it is preferable to temporarily retract the print head from the printing position to avoid contact with the adhesive. However, because the substrate continues to be transported while the print head is retracted, the timing and position of the start of printing on the substrate (the spliced ​​second substrate) must be readjusted after the print head returns to the printing position. The substrate that continues to be transported during this time is wasted without being printed by the print head. If the substrate is paper, this results in a large amount of wasted paper.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a print control device and the like that can reduce waste of printing material that occurs when a print head is retracted from a transfer position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the print control device of the present invention is a print control device that controls a print device equipped with a print head that ejects ink onto a transported substrate, and is equipped with an insertion detection unit that detects, upstream in the transport direction of the print head, that a new second substrate has been inserted onto a first substrate being printed by the print head, and a print head retraction unit that retracts the print head from the first substrate and the second substrate when the insertion position where the second substrate has been inserted passes the point printed by the print head, while the print head is transported a distance that is an integer multiple of the unit print length by the print head.

[0007] In this configuration, the print head is retracted only while the joined first and second substrates are transported a distance that is an integral multiple of the unit print length, so the print head can start printing the unit print length on the second substrate immediately after returning from the retracted position. This reduces waste of substrate (such as wasted paper) that accompanies the retraction of the print head from the joining position.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a printing control method for controlling a printing device including a print head that ejects ink onto a transported print substrate, the method including: an insertion detection step of detecting, upstream in the print head transport direction, that a new second print substrate has been inserted onto a first print substrate being printed by the print head; and a print head retraction step of retracting the print head from the first print substrate and the second print substrate while the print head is transported a distance that is an integral multiple of a unit print length when the insertion position where the second print substrate has been inserted passes a location printed by the print head.

[0009] Any combination of the above components and any conversion of these expressions into methods, devices, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc. are also encompassed by the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the waste of printing material that occurs when the print head is retracted from the transfer position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a schematic configuration of a printing device controlled by a print control device. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the printing medium, schematically illustrating the retraction of the print head by the print head retraction section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as an embodiment) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description and / or drawings, identical or equivalent components, members, processes, etc. will be assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. The scale and shape of each part shown in the drawings are set for convenience to simplify the explanation, and should not be interpreted as limiting unless otherwise specified. The embodiment is an example and does not limit the scope of the present invention in any way. All features and combinations thereof described in the embodiment are not necessarily essential to the present invention.

[0013] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the configuration of a printing device 10 controlled by a print control device 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printing device 10 performs inkjet printing using a print head 11 on a sheet-like printing substrate 50 (50A and / or 50B), such as a roll of paper or a web. In the illustrated example, primary images P1 and P2 of a unit printing length (hereinafter also referred to as the "repeat length") corresponding to the printing surface or paper surface of one page are pre-printed on a first printing substrate 50A wound around a first rotating shaft 41 (the old shaft) and a second printing substrate 50B wound around a second rotating shaft 42 (the new shaft). The unit printing length is schematically represented by the distance between successive primary images P1 or successive primary images P2 in the transport direction (generally from left to right in FIG. 1).

[0014] The print head 11, which constitutes the inkjet printing unit, performs secondary printing (hereinafter also referred to as "overprinting") of substantially the same repeat length on the printing substrates 50A and 50B, on which the primary prints of the primary patterns P1 and P2 of the same repeat length have been performed under the control of the register control unit 20 and the ink discharge control unit 23. As shown in the schematic diagram, the secondary pattern P3 generated by the overprinting performed by the print head 11 is printed on top of the primary patterns P1 and P2. The register control unit 20, which will be described later, reduces the printing misalignment (hereinafter also referred to as "register error") between the primary patterns P1 and P2 and the secondary pattern P3. The position control of each subsequent printing to reduce the register error is also referred to as "register control." While this embodiment describes an example in which the print head 11 performs overprinting (secondary printing) on ​​the printing substrate 50 on which the primary print has already been performed, the present invention is equally applicable to cases in which the print head 11 performs normal printing other than overprinting.

[0015] Any paint may be used in the primary printing previously applied to the substrate 50 and in the secondary printing (overprinting) by the print head 11, but in this embodiment, inks of various colors such as cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) are used in both the primary printing and the secondary printing. Note that in the print head 11 as the overprinting unit, a surface protective paint such as varnish for protecting the surface of the substrate 50 may be used as the overprinting paint.

[0016] The print head 11 includes one or more print heads or print nozzles that eject ink of one or more colors onto the transported printing substrate 50 under the control of the ink ejection control unit 23. One print head 11 in FIG. 1 represents one or more of these print heads or print nozzles. When multiple print heads 11 are provided, each print head 11 typically ejects ink of a different color onto the printing substrate 50. The number of print heads 11 is arbitrary; for example, by providing four print heads 11, full-color printing can be performed onto the printing substrate 50 using the four common colors of ink: cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K).

[0017] The transport roller 12 is a transport unit or rotary transport unit that transports the printing substrate 50 in the transport direction at a position opposite the print head 11 during inkjet printing, and is driven to rotate counterclockwise in Fig. 1 by a roller drive motor 22. The size (specifically, radius or circumference) of the transport roller 12 is arbitrary, but for example, if the circumference of the transport roller 12 is N times the repeat length (N is a natural number), the print head 11 prints the secondary pattern P3 N times on the printing substrate 50 while the transport roller 12 makes one rotation.

[0018] The print head 11 itself and / or the printing location (ink ejection location) by the print head 11 may be movable in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the substrate 50 (a direction generally from left to right at the position facing the print head 11 in FIG. 1). For example, the print head 11 and / or the printing location may be movable back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate 50 (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1). In this case, the reciprocating movement speed or scanning speed of the print head 11 and / or the printing location is greater than the transport speed of the substrate 50 intersecting or perpendicular thereto.

[0019] Specifically, while the printing substrate 50 is transported by one pixel in the transport direction (hereinafter also referred to as the "vertical direction"), the print head 11 and / or the printing location scans all pixels in the scanning direction (hereinafter also referred to as the "horizontal direction"), and ink is selectively ejected onto the pixel locations where printing is to be performed. To ensure that such inkjet printing is performed appropriately, the scanning speed or printing speed of the print head 11 and / or the printing location may be adaptively controlled in accordance with the transport speed of the printing substrate 50 or the rotation speed of the transport roller 12. Alternatively, the scanning speed of the print head 11 and / or the printing location may be constant, and a stop period or waiting period may be provided between each horizontal scan in accordance with the transport speed of the printing substrate 50 or the rotation speed of the transport roller 12. Furthermore, the scanning speed or stop period of the print head 11 and / or the printing location may be constant regardless of the transport speed of the printing substrate 50 or the rotation speed of the transport roller 12. In the following, it is assumed that the transport speed of the printing material 50 or the rotation speed of the transport roller 12 is a constant production speed, and that the scanning speed and stop period of the print head 11 and / or printing location are also constant.

[0020] The print head 11 prints a register mark for each repeat length for register control by the register control unit 20, which will be described later. Similar register marks are also printed for each repeat length in the primary printing that is performed in advance on the printing substrate 50. On each printing surface or page, the primary register marks from the primary printing and the secondary register marks from the secondary printing (print head 11) are printed at predetermined intervals along the transport direction of the printing substrate 50.

[0021] The register control unit 20 detects the printing misalignment (register error) between the primary patterns P1, P2 and the secondary pattern P3 as a deviation from the predetermined spacing between the primary and secondary register marks, and controls the phase (rotational position) of the transport roller 12 using the roller drive motor 22 to reduce this. Alternatively, the register control unit 20 may control the printing location, scanning speed, and stop period of the print head 11 to reduce the register error detected by the mark sensor 21. The register control unit 20 also controls the ink discharge control unit 23 to cause the print head 11 to discharge ink for sequentially printing the desired secondary pattern P3 on the printing substrate 50, with ink discharge timing synchronized with the roller drive motor 22. The spacing between the primary and secondary register marks in the transport direction is detected by the mark sensor 21 provided after the transport roller 12. The mark sensor 21 has two detectors, such as photodetectors, that can simultaneously detect the primary and secondary register marks. The distance between these two detectors in the transport direction is approximately equal to the intended distance (predetermined distance) between the primary and secondary register marks, so while one detector detects the primary register mark, the other detector detects the secondary register mark. If the distance between the primary and secondary register marks detected by mark sensor 21 deviates from the predetermined distance, register control unit 20 issues a command to roller drive motor 22, print head 11, and / or head drive motor 35 to reduce the printing misalignment (register error).

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1A, when the remaining amount of the first substrate 50A being unwound in the transport direction from the first rotating shaft 41 (the old shaft) becomes low, the second substrate 50B being unwound in the transport direction from the second rotating shaft 42 (the new shaft) is spliced ​​onto the first substrate 50A being printed by the print head 11. This switching between the old and new webs of paper or other printing substrates 50A and 50B is called splicing or splicing. The first substrate 50A and the second substrate 50B are adhered to each other with an adhesive such as tape at a splicing position RC, which serves as the splicing position. Then, a cutting unit 43 such as a cutter provided before the splicing position RC in FIG. 1A cuts the first substrate 50A at a cutting position CP. As a result, the printed material 50 is composed only of the first printed material 50A after the splicing position RC (right side in Figure 1), except for a short section where the first printed material 50A and the second printed material 50B overlap just before and just after the splicing position RC, and is composed only of the second printed material 50B before the splicing position RC (left side in Figure 1).

[0023] Because the splicing described above leaves adhesive such as tape at the splice position RC between the first substrate 50A and the second substrate 50B, it is preferable to temporarily retract the print head 11 from the printing position (the position of the print head 11 in FIG. 1A) so as not to come into contact with the adhesive, as shown in FIG. 1B. The print control device 30 according to this embodiment, which will be described below, reduces waste of the substrate 50 that occurs when the print head 11 is retracted from the splice position RC.

[0024] In addition to the aforementioned register control unit 20 and ink discharge control unit 23, the print control device 30 also includes an insertion / replacement detection unit 31, a cutting length detection unit 32, a transport amount detection unit 33, and a print head retraction unit 34. These functional blocks are realized by the cooperation of hardware resources such as the computer's central processing unit, memory, input devices, output devices, and peripheral devices connected to the computer, as well as software executed using these resources. Regardless of the type of computer or its location, each of the above functional blocks may be realized by the hardware resources of a single computer or by combining hardware resources distributed across multiple computers.

[0025] The splicing detection unit 31 detects that a new second substrate 50B has been spliced ​​(spliced) at a splicing position RC onto the first substrate 50A being printed by the print head 11, at an upstream stage in the transport direction of the print head 11. Specifically, the splicing detection unit 31 may detect splicing based on a cutting signal generated when the cutting unit 43 cuts the first substrate 50A at the cutting position CP, or may detect splicing based on an adhesion signal generated when the first substrate 50A and the second substrate 50B are bonded to each other at the splicing position RC (or when the bonded portion of the first substrate 50A and the second substrate 50B passes the splicing position RC). As will be described later with regard to the cutting length detection unit 32, the distance in the conveying direction between the splice position RC and the cutting position CP (the length of the tail region TL described later) is typically a known constant value, so regardless of whether splicing is detected based on a cutting signal or an adhesive signal, both the splice position RC and the cutting position CP at that time are detected by the splice detection unit 31.

[0026] The cut length detection unit 32 detects the cut length, which is the distance in the conveyance direction between the cutting position CP and the splicing position RC of the first substrate 50A to be cut after the second substrate 50B is spliced. Specifically, the cut length detection unit 32 may detect the cut length based on the splicing position RC (the position of the adhesive material, etc.) when the cutting unit 43 cuts the first substrate 50A at the cutting position CP. Alternatively, the cut length detection unit 32 may store in advance the cut length between the cutting position CP and the splicing position RC, which is typically a known set value. As schematically shown in FIG. 1B , in the tail region TL between the splicing position RC and the cutting position CP in the substrate 50, the first substrate 50A and the second substrate 50B coexist over the cut length detected by the cut length detection unit 32.

[0027] Although not shown, just as the tail region TL is formed by the rear end of the first substrate 50A remaining before the splice position RC (generally on the left side in FIG. 1), a front region in which the leading end of the second substrate 50B remains may be formed after the splice position RC (generally on the right side in FIG. 1). As will be described later, the print control device 30 (particularly the print head retraction unit 34) according to this embodiment temporarily retracts the print head 11 from the printing position so that the print head 11 does not come into contact with not only the splice position RC where the adhesive remains, but also the tail region TL and / or the front region where the first substrate 50A and the second substrate 50B coexist.

[0028] The transport distance detection unit 33 detects the transport distance of the printing material 50 after the splice detection unit 31 detects the splice by one or more length measuring rolls 44 provided between the splice position RC and the print head 11 in Fig. 1A. This makes it possible to detect the approach of the splice position RC and the front and rear tail regions TL and / or front regions in Fig. 1A to the print head 11 as well as the specific distance from the print head 11, as shown in Fig. 1B.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 1B, the print head retraction unit 34 retracts the print head 11 from the printing substrate 50 when the splice position RC, the front and rear tail regions TL, and / or the front region pass through the area printed by the print head 11. In the example of Fig. 1B, the head drive motor 35, upon receiving a retraction command from the print head retraction unit 34, drives the print head 11 in a direction (downward in Fig. 1) away from the printing substrate 50 or the transport roller 12 to temporarily retract it. As will be described later with reference to Fig. 2, the print head 11 is retracted to the retracted position in Fig. 1B by the print head retraction unit 34 and the head drive motor 35 while the printing substrate 50 is transported a distance that is a predetermined integral multiple of the repeat length. Then, when the transport amount of the printing substrate 50 detected by the transport amount detection unit 33 after the print head 11 begins to retract reaches a predetermined integer multiple of the repeat length, the print head 11 is driven by the print head retraction unit 34 and the head drive motor 35 in a direction approaching the printing substrate 50 or the transport roller 12 (upward in Figure 1) and returns to the printing position in Figure 1A.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the printing substrate 50, schematically illustrating the retraction of the print head 11 by the print head retraction section 34. The left-right direction in this figure is the transport direction of the printing substrate 50, and the patterns P1 to P3 are repeatedly printed along this direction with a repeat length 1. As described above, an adhesive such as tape remains at the splicing position RC between the first printing substrate 50A and the second printing substrate 50B. Furthermore, a tail region TL is formed in the area preceding the splicing position RC (left side in FIG. 2) by the remaining rear end of the first printing substrate 50A. Meanwhile, in the example shown in this figure, a front region is not formed by the leading end of the second printing substrate 50B in the area following the splicing position RC (right side in FIG. 2). In other words, at the splicing position RC, the leading end of the second printing substrate 50B is adhered to the first printing substrate 50A by an adhesive such as tape. Thus, in the example of Figure 2, only the first substrate 50A exists after the splice position RC, the first substrate 50A and the second substrate 50B coexist in the tail region TL before the splice position RC, and only the second substrate 50B exists before the tail region TL.

[0031] The print head retraction unit 34 retracts the print head 11 from the printing substrate 50 when one or more pages (repeat length) including the splice position RC and the tail region TL (and / or the front region) pass the area printed by the print head 11. In the illustrated example, the print head retraction unit 34 retracts the print head 11 from the printing substrate 50 when a total of three pages, including one page on the front side (right side) including the splice position RC (and the front region) and two pages on the tail side (left side) not including the splice position RC but including the tail region TL, pass the area printed by the print head 11.

[0032] Specifically, the print head retraction unit 34 starts retracting the print head 11 at the retraction start time ST when the print head 11 has completed printing the repeat length (page) immediately before the splice position RC, before the splice position RC passes the printing location. The distance between the print head 11 and the splice position RC at the retraction start time ST is 1 as shown in the figure. f In other words, the print head retraction section 34 is located at a distance l f When the print head 11 reaches the position indicated by arrow RC (retraction start time ST), the retraction of the print head 11 is started. The retraction start time ST is detected, for example, by the transport distance detection unit 33. As described above, the transport distance detection unit 33 detects the transport distance of the printing material 50 after the splice detection unit 31 detects the splice. Here, if the distance in the transport direction between the splice position RC in FIG. 1A and the print head 11 when the splice is detected is D, and the transport distance of the splice position RC from the state in FIG. 1A detected by the transport distance detection unit 33 is d, then d=Dl f This is the ST when evacuation begins.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, if a front region is not formed due to the excess leading edge of the second printing material 50B, the front-side waiting section, including the splice position RC, is kept to a minimum of one page. Here, if the length of the front-side waiting section is expressed as an integer "n" in units of the repeat length l, n is 1 or greater, and n = 1 can be used if no front region is formed. If a front region is formed, the print head waiting section 34 may start the waiting of the print head 11 at a waiting start time ST' earlier than the waiting start time ST in FIG. 2 to prevent the print head 11 from contacting the front region. For the waiting start time ST' shown in the figure, n = 2. Thus, if a front region is formed, n may be 2 or greater. However, as with the tail region TL described below, a minimum n can be set according to the length of the front region. By providing the front-side waiting section (length n × l) as described above, contact between the splice position RC and the front region and the print head 11 can be prevented. In addition, the print head 11 can continue printing the repeat length on the first printing substrate 50A (printing the secondary pattern P3 on the primary pattern P1 that was previously printed as a primary print, as shown as "P1 & P3" in the figure) until just before the start of the evacuation ST.

[0034] The print head retraction section 34 ends the retraction of the print head 11 at the retraction end time ED, which is when the print head 11 starts printing the repeat length (page) immediately after the tail area TL after the splice position RC and the tail area TL (cut length) have passed the printing location. Here, when the length of the tail-side retraction section is expressed by an integer "m" in units of the repeat length l, m is 1 or greater. When a tail area TL longer than the repeat length l is formed as shown, m may be 2 or greater (in the illustrated example, m = 2). The length of such a tail-side retraction section, "m × l," is typically longer than the length of the tail area TL (cut length). Furthermore, the total length of the retraction sections, "(m + n) × l," which includes the tail and front sides, is always longer than the total length of the tail area TL (and the front area). By providing such a tail-side retraction section (length m × l), contact between the print head 11 and the splice position RC and the tail area TL can be prevented. In addition, immediately after the print head 11 returns from the retraction at the end of the retraction ED, it can start printing the repeat length on the second printing substrate 50B under the control of the ink ejection control unit 23 (printing the secondary pattern P3 on the primary pattern P2 that was previously printed as a primary pattern, as shown in the figure as "P2 & P3").

[0035] The distance between the print head 11 and the splice position RC at the end of the retraction ED is l t + m × l (where l t +l f In other words, the print head retraction section 34 is configured such that the splice position RC is at a distance l from the tip of the print head 11. t When the distance reaches +m×l (the evacuation end time ED), the evacuation of the print head 11 is ended. The evacuation end time ED is detected by, for example, the transport distance detection unit 33, similar to the above-mentioned evacuation start time ST. Specifically, when the transport distance d of the splice position RC from the state of FIG. 1A detected by the transport distance detection unit 33 is D+l t When it reaches +m×l, the evacuation ends.

[0036] As described above, the retraction section of the print head 11 defined by the print head retraction section 34 can be set to a minimum length (m+n) × l to prevent contact between the print head 11 and the splice position RC, the front and rear tail regions TL, and / or the front region. By setting the length of the retraction section to an integer (m+n) times the repeat length l, the print head 11 can continue printing the repeat length on the first substrate 50A until just before the retraction start time ST, and can begin printing the repeat length on the second substrate 50B immediately after returning from retraction at the retraction end time ED. Therefore, this embodiment reduces waste of the substrate 50 (such as wasted paper) caused by the retraction of the print head 11 from the splice position RC, the front and rear tail regions TL, and / or the front region.

[0037] The length "n" of the front-side waiting area and the length "m" of the tail-side waiting area may be set independently. As described above, the length "n" of the front-side waiting area is typically set to "1" when no front area is formed, and is manually or automatically set to the smallest natural number corresponding to the length of the front area when a front area is formed. Furthermore, the length "m" of the tail-side waiting area is manually or automatically set to the smallest natural number corresponding to the length of the tail area TL. Unlike the repeat length l, which varies depending on the print content, the tail area TL is often set to a fixed length (e.g., 50 cm). Therefore, the optimal "m" can be automatically derived based on the repeat length l set for each printed material and a given (fixed) cutting length.

[0038] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. Various modifications are possible to the combinations of the components and processes in the exemplary embodiments, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such modifications are included within the scope of the present invention.

[0039] In the embodiment, a web of rolled paper is exemplified as the printing substrate 50, but the printing device 10 can print on any printing substrate. For example, the printing substrate may be a sheet made of any material, or the surface of a solid object of any shape, such as a container or a product.

[0040] The configuration, operation, and function of each device and method described in the embodiments can be realized by hardware resources, software resources, or a combination of hardware and software resources. Examples of hardware resources include processors, ROMs, RAMs, and various integrated circuits. Examples of software resources include operating systems, applications, and other programs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10 Printing device, 11 Print head, 12 Conveying roller, 20 Register control unit, 30 Print control device, 31 Insertion detection unit, 32 Cut length detection unit, 33 Conveyance amount detection unit, 34 Print head shelter unit, 50A First printing material, 50B Second printing material.

Claims

1. A print control device that controls a printing device having a print head that ejects ink onto a conveyed printing substrate, an insertion detection unit that detects, at a front stage in the transport direction of the print head, that a new second substrate has been inserted onto a first substrate being printed by the print head, based on a cut signal indicating that the first substrate has been cut and / or an adhesion signal indicating that the first substrate and the second substrate have been adhered to each other; a print head retraction unit that retracts the print head from the first and second substrates while the print head is transported a distance that is an integral multiple of a unit print length of repeated printing by the print head so that a cut piece of the first substrate and / or an adhesive piece of the first and second substrates do not come into contact with the print head when the joining position where the second substrate is joined passes through a printing position where ink is ejected by the print head; Equipped with The printing machine further includes a cutting length detection unit that detects a cutting length from the joining position of the first printing material that is cut after the second printing material is joined, The print head retraction unit completes retraction of the print head after the joining position and the cutting length have passed the printing location.

2. 2. The print control device according to claim 1, wherein the print head retraction unit starts retracting the print head when printing of the unit print length is completed before the transition position passes the printing location.

3. a primary printing of the unit printing length is applied to the first printing substrate and the second printing substrate; the print head performs secondary printing of the unit printing length on the first printing substrate and the second printing substrate; The print control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A printing control method for controlling a printing device having a print head that ejects ink onto a conveyed printing substrate, comprising: an insertion detection step of detecting that a new second substrate has been inserted onto a first substrate being printed by the print head at an upstream stage in the transport direction of the print head, based on a cut signal indicating that the first substrate has been cut and / or an adhesion signal indicating that the first substrate and the second substrate have been adhered to each other; a print head retracting step of retracting the print head from the first and second substrates while the print head is transported a distance that is an integral multiple of a unit print length of repeated printing by the print head so that a cut piece of the first substrate and / or an adhesive piece of the first and second substrates do not come into contact with the print head when the joining position where the second substrate is joined passes through a printing position where ink is ejected by the print head; Equipped with The method further includes a cutting length detection step of detecting a cutting length from the joining position of the first substrate to be cut after the second substrate is joined, The print head retracting step completes retraction of the print head after the splicing position and the cutting length have passed the printing position.

5. A print control program for controlling a printing device having a print head that ejects ink onto a conveyed printing substrate, an insertion detection step of detecting that a new second substrate has been inserted onto a first substrate being printed by the print head at an upstream stage in the transport direction of the print head, based on a cut signal indicating that the first substrate has been cut and / or an adhesion signal indicating that the first substrate and the second substrate have been adhered to each other; a print head retracting step of retracting the print head from the first and second substrates while the print head is transported a distance that is an integral multiple of a unit print length of repeated printing by the print head so that a cut piece of the first substrate and / or an adhesive piece of the first and second substrates do not come into contact with the print head when the joining position where the second substrate is joined passes through a printing position where ink is ejected by the print head; on the computer, The computer is further caused to execute a cutting length detection step of detecting a cutting length from the joining position of the first substrate to be cut after the second substrate is joined, The print head retracting step is a print control program that completes retraction of the print head after the splicing position and the cutting length have passed the printing position.

Images