Printer with cutting head

Abstract

To provide a printer with a cutting head that automatically controls tension applied to a recording medium.SOLUTION: A printer with a cutting head receives job data in which information showing whether printing and cutting respectively are included in a job or not is written. The printer with a cutting head is configured so that a tension application mechanism that applies tension to a recording medium is controlled on the basis of information written in the received job data, which when the cutting is included in the job (S01:YES), loosens the recording medium during the cutting (S02) and when the cutting is not included in the job (S01:NO), applies tension to the recording medium during printing (S12).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printer with a cutting head.

Background Art

[0002] A printer with a cutting head that includes a cutting head and a print head and can perform cutting and image printing on a recording medium has been conventionally known. For example, in Patent Document 1, a supply shaft around which a roll-shaped recording medium before printing or cutting is wound, a platen on which the recording medium is placed, a medium conveyance mechanism for conveying the recording medium on the platen in the longitudinal direction, a cutting head and an ink head unit provided above the platen, a winding device for winding up the recording medium downstream of the conveyance direction of the recording medium from the platen, and a tension bar for applying tension to the recording medium between the platen and the winding device are provided. An inkjet printer with a cutting head is disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a printer with a cutting head, when printing on a recording medium, tension is basically applied to the recording medium, and when cutting the recording medium, the recording medium is loosened so as not to apply excessive tension to the recording medium. In the case of Patent Document 1, when printing on the recording medium, the weight of the tension bar is applied to the recording medium, and when cutting the recording medium, the recording medium is loosened beyond the movable range of the tension bar. Conventionally, whether to apply tension to the recording medium or loosen it during work was selected by the user.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and its objective is to provide a printer with a cutting head that can automatically control the tension of a recording medium. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The printer with a cutting head disclosed herein comprises: a support base for supporting a recording medium; a print head for printing on the recording medium supported on the support base; a cutting head equipped with a cutter capable of cutting the recording medium supported on the support base; a first moving device for moving the print head and the cutting head in a predetermined first direction; a second moving device for moving the recording medium supported on the support base in a second direction intersecting the first direction; a tensioning mechanism provided downstream of the print head and the cutting head in the second direction for applying tension to or loosening the recording medium; and a control device. The control device comprises a data receiving unit, a print control unit, a cutting control unit, and a tension control unit. The data receiving unit receives job data on which information is written indicating whether the job includes printing and cutting, respectively. The print control unit prints on the recording medium while intermittently moving the recording medium in the second direction based on the job data received by the data receiving unit. The cutting control unit cuts the recording medium by moving the cutting head in the first direction and the recording medium in the second direction based on the job data received by the data receiving unit. The tension control unit is configured to control the tension application mechanism based on the information of the job data received by the data receiving unit, and loosens the recording medium during cutting if the job includes cutting, and applies tension to the recording medium during printing if the job includes printing but does not include cutting.

[0007] With the above-mentioned printer equipped with a cutting head, information regarding whether a job includes printing and cutting can be obtained from the job data. Therefore, the tension control of the recording medium can be automatically adjusted to correspond to whether or not the job includes cutting. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a front view of a printer with a cutting head according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of a printer with a cutting head along line II-II in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a front view of the print head and cutting head with the first carriage and second carriage connected. [Figure 4] This is a front view of the print head and cutting head with the first carriage and second carriage separated. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram of a printer with a cutting head. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows the tension control during the job and the winding operation after the job. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [Configuration of an inkjet printer with a cutting head] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a front view of the inkjet printer 10 with a cutting head (hereinafter referred to as the printer 10) according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the printer 10 along the line II-II in Figure 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the printer 10 according to this embodiment is a device that prints and cuts on a sheet-like recording medium 5. The recording medium 5 may be, for example, a sealing material consisting of a backing sheet and release paper laminated on the backing sheet and coated with an adhesive, or it may be recording paper or a resin sheet, etc. The recording medium 5 is not particularly limited as long as it is a recording medium capable of printing and cutting at least one of the two.

[0010] The printer 10 comprises a printer body 11, a pair of legs 12, a supply device 20 for supporting a roll-shaped recording medium 5, a platen 30 for supporting the recording medium 5 unwound from the roll, a transport device 40 for transporting the recording medium 5 on the platen 30, a print head 50 for printing on the recording medium 5, a cutting head 60 for cutting the recording medium 5, a head moving device 70 for moving the print head 50 and the cutting head 60, a winding device 80 for winding up the recording medium 5 after printing or cutting, a touch panel 90, and a control device 100 (see Figure 5).

[0011] The print head 50 and cutting head 60 are configured to be movable in the Y direction as shown in the diagram. The recording medium 5 is transported in the X direction as shown in the diagram. The recording medium 5 is supplied from a supply device 20 located on the rear side of the printer 10, transported forward by a transport device 40, and then wound up by a winding device 80 located on the front side of the printer 10. Hereinafter, the Y direction will also be referred to as the scanning direction, and the X direction will also be referred to as the transport direction. The scanning direction Y corresponds to the width direction of the recording medium 5, and the transport direction X corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the recording medium 5. In this case, the scanning direction Y is the left-right direction. The transport direction X is the front-back direction on the platen 30, and the up-down direction between the platen 30 and the winding device 80. The scanning direction Y and the transport direction X are orthogonal to each other. The X1 direction shown in the diagram is the downstream side of the transport direction X of the recording medium 5. The X2 direction shown in the diagram is the upstream side of the transport direction X. However, these directions are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the installation configuration of the printer 10. The symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D in the drawing represent the front, back, left, right, top, and bottom of printer 10, respectively.

[0012] The printer body 11 is equipped with a platen 30, a transport device 40, a print head 50, a cutting head 60, a head moving device 70, a touch panel 90, and a control device 100. A pair of legs 12 are positioned below the printer body 11 and support the printer body 11. The pair of legs 12 are supported by the mounting surface G of the printer 10. The feed device 20 and the winding device 80 are fixed to the legs 12.

[0013] The feeder 20 is fitted with a roll of recording medium 5 before printing. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the feeder 20 comprises a pair of left and right support members 21 and a pair of left and right rotating members 22. The support members 21 support the rotating members 22 so that they can rotate in the front-rear direction. Each of the pair of rotating members 22 is configured to be insertable into the end of the winding core of the recording medium 5. The roll of recording medium 5 supported by the rotating members 22 can rotate in the front-rear direction together with the rotating members 22. In the feeder 20, the roll of recording medium 5 rotates passively as the recording medium 5 is transported by the transporter 40.

[0014] The platen 30 is a support base that supports the recording medium 5. The platen 30 extends in the left-right and front-back directions. The conveying device 40 moves the recording medium 5 supported on the platen 30 in the conveying direction X. As shown in Figure 2, the conveying device 40 includes a grid roller 41, a pinch roller 42, and a feed motor 43 (see Figure 5). The grid roller 41 is embedded in the platen 30 and rotates in the front-back direction when driven by the feed motor 43. The pinch roller 42 is located above the platen 30. The pinch roller 42 is positioned opposite the grid roller 41. The pinch roller 42 is a member that presses the recording medium 5 from above. When the pinch roller 42 is lowered and the recording medium 5 is sandwiched between the pinch roller 42 and the grid roller 41, and the grid roller 41 rotates, the recording medium 5 is conveyed to the downstream X1 side or the upstream X2 side in the conveying direction X. Although not shown in the diagram, the conveying device 40 includes a plurality of grid rollers 41 arranged in the scanning direction Y, and a plurality of pinch rollers 42 arranged facing each of the grid rollers 41.

[0015] The head moving device 70 is configured to move the print head 50 and the cutting head 60 in the scanning direction Y. Figures 3 and 4 are front views of the print head 50 and the cutting head 60. Figure 3 shows the state in which the first carriage 75 on which the print head 50 is mounted and the second carriage 76 on which the cutting head 60 is mounted are connected. Figure 4 shows the state in which the first carriage 75 and the second carriage 76 are separated. When the first carriage 75 and the second carriage 76 are connected, the head moving device 70 moves both together as a single unit. When the first carriage 75 and the second carriage 76 are separated, the head moving device 70 moves only the second carriage 76 independently.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, the head moving device 70 comprises a guide rail 71, a belt 72, left and right pulleys 73, and a scan motor 74. The guide rail 71 is located above the platen 30. The guide rail 71 extends in the scanning direction Y. The print head 50 and the cutting head 60 are slidably engaged with the guide rail 71 via the first carriage 75 and the second carriage 76, respectively. The belt 72, which extends in the scanning direction Y, is fixed to the upper rear of the second carriage 76. The belt 72 is an endless belt. The belt 72 is wrapped around the left and right pulleys 73. One of the pulleys 73 is connected to the scan motor 74. When the scan motor 74 rotates, the pulley 73 rotates, and the belt 72 travels in the scanning direction Y. This causes the second carriage 76 to move in the scanning direction Y.

[0017] The first carriage 75 and the second carriage 76 are connected or separated by connecting members 75a and 76a. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the connecting members 75a and 76a include a first connecting member 75a provided on the first carriage 75 and a second connecting member 76a provided on the second carriage 76. The first connecting member 75a is provided on the left side of the first carriage 75. The second connecting member 76a is provided on the right side of the second carriage 76. In this embodiment, the connecting members 75a and 76a connect the first carriage 75 and the second carriage 76 using magnetic force. One of the first connecting member 75a and the second connecting member 76a is equipped with a magnet, and the other is equipped with a magnetic material that is attracted to the magnet. However, the connecting members 75a and 76a are not limited to those that utilize magnetic force, and may be equipped with other components such as engaging members. The first carriage 75 and the second carriage 76 are connected by contact between the first connecting member 75a and the second connecting member 76a.

[0018] On the right side of the first carriage 75, a receiving fitting 75b formed in an L-shape is provided. Further, near the right end of the guide rail 71, a locking device 77 for fixing the first carriage 75 is provided. The locking device 77 includes a hook 78 that is hooked on the receiving fitting 75b, and a locking solenoid 79 (see FIG. 5) that moves the hook 78 between a locked position (see FIG. 4) and an unlocked position (see FIG. 3).

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, when printing is performed by the print head 50, the hook 78 is set to the unlocked position. When the second carriage 76 moves to the right and the first connecting member 75a and the second connecting member 76a come into contact with each other, the second carriage 76 and the first carriage 75 are connected. As a result, the first carriage 75 can move in the scanning direction Y together with the second carriage 76. The head moving device 70 moves the print head 50 and the cutting head 60 in the scanning direction Y in a state where the first carriage 75 and the second carriage 76 are connected.

[0020] When cutting is performed by the cutting head 60, as shown in FIG. 4, the first carriage 75 is positioned at the standby position at the right end of the movable range, and the hook 78 of the locking device 77 is set to the locked position. Thereby, the movement of the first carriage 75 is blocked. When the second carriage 76 moves to the left in this state, the first connecting member 75a and the second connecting member 76a are separated from each other, and the connection between the second carriage 76 and the first carriage 75 is released. As a result, the second carriage 76 can move in the scanning direction Y while the first carriage 75 is waiting at the standby position.

[0021] The print head 50 is mounted on the first carriage 75. The print head 50 performs printing on the recording medium 5 supported by the platen 30. The print head 50 is provided so as to face the platen 30. The print head 50 is provided on the downstream X1 side in the conveyance direction X with respect to the grit roller 41 and the pinch roller 42. As shown in FIG. 3, the print head 50 includes a plurality of ink heads 51 that each eject ink. On the lower surface of each of the plurality of ink heads 51, a plurality of nozzles (not shown) for ejecting ink are formed. The number of the ink heads 51 is not particularly limited, and neither the type nor the color of the ink ejected by the ink heads 51 is limited in any way.

[0022] The cutting head 60 is mounted on the second carriage 76. The cutting head 60 is also provided on the downstream X1 side in the conveyance direction X with respect to the grit roller 41 and the pinch roller 42 and faces the platen 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the cutting head 60 includes a cutter 61 capable of cutting the recording medium 5 supported by the platen 30 and a solenoid 62. When the solenoid 62 is turned ON / OFF, the cutter 61 moves in the vertical direction to contact or separate from the recording medium 5. The cutter 61 cuts the recording medium 5 by moving while contacting the recording medium 5.

[0023] The winding device 80 winds up the recording medium 5 after printing or cutting is completed. The winding device 80 is also a tension applying mechanism that applies tension to the recording medium 5 or relaxes the recording medium 5. The winding device 80 as the tension applying mechanism is provided on the downstream X1 side in the conveyance direction X with respect to the print head 50 and the cutting head 60. Thereby, tension is applied to the portion of the recording medium 5 facing the print head 50 and the cutting head 60. As shown in FIG. 2, the winding device 80 is provided below the platen 30. Between the platen 30 and the winding device 80, the conveyance direction X of the recording medium 5 is the vertical direction, with the upstream side being upward and the downstream side being downward.

[0024] As shown in Figure 1, the winding device 80 includes a winding roller 81, a drive motor 82, a tension bar 83, a pair of support arms 84, and a sensor 85 (see Figure 5). The winding roller 81 is configured to rotate in a forward direction R1 that winds the recording medium 5 toward the downstream X1 side of the transport direction X, and in a reverse direction R2 that unwinds the recording medium 5 toward the upstream X2 side of the transport direction X. The drive motor 82 is connected to the winding roller 81 and rotates the winding roller 81 in the forward direction R1 or the reverse direction R2. Note that if the recording medium 5 is wound around the winding roller 81 in the opposite direction to that shown in Figure 2, the forward direction R1 and the reverse direction R2 will be the opposite directions to those shown in Figure 2.

[0025] The tension bar 83 applies tension to the recording medium 5 downstream X1 of the platen 30 in the transport direction X and upstream X2 of the winding roller 81 in the transport direction X. As shown in Figure 1, the tension bar 83 extends in the scanning direction Y. The tension bar 83 is supported by a pair of left and right support arms 84. As shown in Figure 2, the support arms 84 are configured to swing vertically around an axis near their rear ends. The tension bar 83 swings together with the support arms 84. The tension bar 83 contacts the recording medium 5 upstream X2 of the transport direction X from the winding roller 81. The tension bar 83 applies tension to the recording medium 5 by its weight. The winding device 80 includes a stopper (not shown) that restricts the downward movement of the tension bar 83. When the recording medium 5 is transported by the transport device 40 downstream X1 in the transport direction X while the downward movement of the tension bar 83 is restricted by the stopper, or when the winding roller 81 is rotated in the reverse direction R2, the recording medium 5 slackens and hangs down below the tension bar 83. Sensor 85 detects the position of the tension bar 83.

[0026] The touch panel 90 serves as both an input device and a display device, and is configured to receive user input and display various information related to the printer 10. As shown in Figure 1, in this embodiment, the touch panel 90 is located on the right front side of the printer body 11. However, the position of the touch panel 90 is not particularly limited.

[0027] Figure 5 is a block diagram of the printer 10. As shown in Figure 5, the control device 100 is connected to the feed motor 43 of the transport device 40, the multiple ink heads 51 of the print head 50 (only one is shown in Figure 5), the solenoid 62 of the cutting head 60, the scan motor 74 of the head moving device 70, the locking solenoid 79, and the drive motor 82 of the winding device 80, and controls their operation. The control device 100 also receives signals from the sensor 85. The control device 100 is communicatively connected to the touch panel 90. The configuration of the control device 100 is not particularly limited. The control device 100 is, for example, a microcomputer. The hardware configuration of a microcomputer is not particularly limited, but for example, it may include an interface (I / F) for receiving print data, cut data, etc. from external devices such as a host computer, a central processing unit (CPU) for executing instructions of a control program, a read-only memory (ROM) for storing programs executed by the CPU, a random access memory (RAM) used as a working area for expanding the program, and a storage device such as memory for storing the above program and various data.

[0028] As shown in Figure 5, the control device 100 includes a data receiving unit 101 that receives job data, a print control unit 102 that prints on the recording medium 5 based on the job data received by the data receiving unit 101, a cutting control unit 103 that cuts the recording medium 5 based on the job data received by the data receiving unit 101, and a tension control unit 104 that controls the tension of the recording medium 5. The control device 100 may include other processing units, but these are not shown or described here.

[0029] The data receiving unit 101 receives job data, which includes at least one of print data and cutting data, from, for example, an external device from which the job data was created. The job data contains information indicating whether the job includes printing and cutting, respectively. Hereinafter, the information written in the job data indicating whether the job includes printing and cutting, respectively, will also be referred to as "job data type information." In this context, job data type information is a command written at the beginning of the job data. There may be three types of job data: a first type that includes both printing and cutting, a second type that includes cutting but not printing, and a third type that includes printing but not cutting. Based on the job data type information, the printer 10 can determine whether the job includes printing and cutting, respectively.

[0030] When the data receiving unit 101 receives job data, the control device 100 displays thumbnail images of the print data or cutting data included in the job data on the touch panel 90. If the job data includes cutting data, cut lines are displayed on the thumbnail image. If the job data includes both print data and cutting data, the cut lines are displayed overlaid on the print image. The cut lines may be displayed as dotted lines, for example, or highlighted by color. The user can view the thumbnail image to confirm whether the job data to be executed is correct.

[0031] Furthermore, if the job data type is the first type, which includes printing and cutting, the job data type includes a command that instructs whether to print first or cut first. This command (information) allows the printer 10 to determine whether the job should be printed first or cut first.

[0032] The print control unit 102 prints on the recording medium 5 by controlling the transport device 40, the print head 50, and the head moving device 70 based on the job data received by the data receiving unit 101. The print control unit 102 prints on the recording medium 5 while intermittently moving it downstream X1 or upstream X2 in the transport direction X. Specifically, the print control unit 102 controls the head moving device 70 to move the print head 50 together with the first carriage 75 in the scanning direction Y, while ejecting ink from the print head 50. As a result, an image is formed on the recording medium 5 below the print head 50. The print control unit 102 prints an image on the recording medium 5 by controlling the transport device 40 to intermittently move the recording medium 5 downstream X1 or upstream X2 in the transport direction X, while causing the print head 50 to form an image.

[0033] The cutting control unit 103 cuts the recording medium 5 by controlling the transport device 40, the solenoid 62 of the cutting head 60, and the head moving device 70 based on the job data received by the data receiving unit 101. The cutting control unit 103 cuts the recording medium 5 by moving the cutting head 60 in the scanning direction Y and moving the recording medium 5 in the transport direction X. Specifically, the cutting control unit 103 controls the head moving device 70 to move the cutting head 60 in the scanning direction Y, controls the transport device 40 to move the recording medium 5 in the transport direction X, and controls the solenoid 62 to lower the cutter 61 when it passes along the cut line. In this way, the cutting control unit 103 cuts the recording medium 5 into the shape based on the cut data.

[0034] The tension control unit 104 controls the winding device 80 as a tensioning mechanism based on the job data type information of the job data received by the data receiving unit 101. If the job includes cutting, the tension control unit 104 slackens the recording medium 5 during cutting. This prevents excessive tension from being applied to the recording medium 5 during cutting. The tension control unit 104 slackens the recording medium 5 so that it is positioned above the lowest point of the printer 10 (in this case, the lower end of the legs 12). This prevents the slackened recording medium 5 from touching the mounting surface G of the printer 10. If the job includes printing but does not include cutting, the tension control unit 104 applies tension to the recording medium 5 during printing. This reduces the possibility of the recording medium 5 floating during printing, improving the reliability of the print job.

[0035] In this embodiment, the tension control unit 104 applies tension to the recording medium 5 by winding it with the winding device 80 (more specifically, by rotating the drive motor 82 in the forward direction R1). By winding the recording medium 5, the tension bar 83 moves above the restricted position by the stopper, and tension is applied to the recording medium 5 by the tension bar 83. The tension control unit 104 also loosens the recording medium 5 by controlling the drive motor 82 to rotate the winding roller 81 in the reverse direction R2. During cutting, the tension control unit 104 stops the winding of the recording medium 5 by the winding device 80. During printing, the tension control unit 104 causes the winding device 80 to wind the recording medium 5. However, the method of applying tension to the recording medium 5 is not limited to winding the recording medium 5.

[0036] The tension control unit 104 is configured to loosen the recording medium 5 before printing and cutting, and to keep the recording medium 5 loose until cutting is completed, if the job includes cutting, and if the job includes both printing and cutting. Specifically, in the case of a job where printing is performed first, the tension control unit 104 loosens the recording medium 5 before printing and cutting and keeps the recording medium loose until printing and cutting are completed. In the case of a job where cutting is performed first, the tension control unit 104 loosens the recording medium 5 before cutting and printing and keeps the recording medium loose until cutting is completed. During subsequent printing, the tension control unit 104 applies tension to the recording medium 5. Regardless of the job type, the printer 10 winds up the recording medium 5 when all operations (printing or cutting) of the job are completed.

[0037] [Tension control during job] The following describes the tension control of the recording medium 5 during a job and the winding operation of the recording medium 5 after a job. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the tension control during a job and the winding operation after a job. At the start, the recording medium 5 has tension applied because it has been wound up after the completion of the previous job. However, it is not necessary for the recording medium 5 to have no tension applied at the start. As shown in Figure 6, in step S01, it is determined whether the job includes cutting. The determination in step S01 is made based on the job data type information written to the job data and read by the printer 10. If the result of step S01 is NO (the job does not include cutting, i.e., it only includes printing), printing starts in step S11. In step S12, the recording medium 5 is wound up sequentially in accordance with the progress of printing. This applies tension to the recording medium 5 during printing. The winding of the recording medium 5 is performed by intermittently rotating the winding roller 81 in the forward direction R1 based on the position of the tension bar 83 detected by the sensor 85. The print job ends in step S13, completing the flow if the job only involves printing.

[0038] If the result of step S01 is YES (the job includes cutting), in step S02, the take-up roller 81 is rotated in the reverse direction R2, and the recording medium 5 is unwound by a predetermined amount. This causes the recording medium 5 to slacken. At this time, the printer 10 unwinds the recording medium 5 by a predetermined amount so that the slackened recording medium 5 is positioned above the lowest point of the printer 10 (in this case, the lower end of the legs 12) in order to prevent the slackened recording medium 5 from touching the mounting surface G of the printer 10. This predetermined unwinding amount is further set so that even if the recording medium 5 is moved in the transport direction X during printing or cutting, the recording medium 5 will still be positioned above the lowest point of the printer 10.

[0039] In the following step S03, it is determined whether the job includes only cutting, that is, whether it does not include printing. The determination in step S03 is also made based on the job data type information written to the job data and read by the printer 10. If the result of step S03 is YES (the job includes only cutting and does not include printing), cutting is started in step S21. During cutting, the recording medium 5 is moved in the transport direction X, but because the recording medium 5 is loose in step S02, this movement is performed without hindrance and no excessive tension is applied to the recording medium 5. The flow after cutting is completed in step S22 will be described later.

[0040] If the result of step S03 is NO (the job includes both cutting and printing), step S04 determines whether printing is performed before cutting. The determination in step S04 is also made based on the job data type information written to the job data and read by the printer 10. If the result of step S04 is YES (printing is performed before cutting), printing is performed in step S31. At this time, no tension is applied to the recording medium 5. In other words, the recording medium 5 is not wound up. If the recording medium 5 is wound up during printing in step S31, a complicated control process occurs in which the recording medium 5 is pulled back to the job output origin (the position of the recording medium 5 in the transport direction X at the start of the job) before the subsequent cutting, and the winding roller 81 is rotated in the reverse direction R2 to create slack in the recording medium 5. For this reason, in this embodiment, if printing is performed before cutting, the recording medium 5 is not wound up during printing.

[0041] When printing is completed in step S32, the recording medium 5 is pulled back to the output origin by the transport device 40 in step S33. In the following step S34, cutting begins. At this time, the recording medium 5 remains loose. The flow after cutting is completed in step S35 will be described later.

[0042] If the result of step S04 is NO (cutting is performed before printing), cutting is performed in step S41. At this time, the recording medium 5 remains slack. When printing is completed in step S42, the recording medium 5 is pulled back to the output origin by the transport device 40 in step S43. In the following step S44, printing is started. In step S45, the recording medium 5 is sequentially wound up as printing progresses. This applies tension to the recording medium 5 during printing. When printing is completed in step S46, the flow for the case where cutting is performed before printing is finished. As shown in steps S31 to S35 and steps S41 to S46, when the job includes printing and cutting, the printer 10 slackens the recording medium 5 before printing and cutting, and continues to slacken the recording medium 5 until cutting is completed. This avoids the complicated control described in step S31 and saves time required for printing and cutting.

[0043] After cutting is completed in step S22 and after cutting is completed in step S35, the recording medium 5 is pulled back to the output origin by the transport device 40 in step S05. Step S05 is to prevent errors that may occur in the subsequent step S06 when the recording medium 5 is being wound up, due to the tension bar 83 not moving to the predetermined position within a predetermined time despite being wound up, and may be omitted if unnecessary. In the subsequent step S06, the recording medium 5 is wound up by the winding device 80. This completes the flow when the last operation of the job is cutting.

[0044] [Effects of the Embodiment] The following describes the effects and capabilities that the printer 10 according to this embodiment can provide. The printer 10 according to this embodiment is provided with a tensioning mechanism located downstream X1 in the transport direction X from the print head 50 and the cutting head 60, which applies tension to the recording medium 5 or loosens the recording medium 5. In this embodiment, the tensioning device is a winding device 80. The control device 100 includes a data receiving unit 101, a print control unit 102, a cutting control unit 103, and a tension control unit 104. The data receiving unit 101 receives job data in which information is written on whether the job includes printing and cutting, respectively. The print control unit 102 prints on the recording medium 5 while intermittently moving the recording medium 5 in the transport direction X based on the job data received by the data receiving unit 101. The cutting control unit 103 cuts the recording medium 5 by moving the cutting head 60 in the scanning direction Y and moving the recording medium 5 in the transport direction X based on the job data received by the data receiving unit 101. The tension control unit 104 is configured to control the tension application mechanism (in this case, the winding device 80) based on the job data information received by the data receiving unit 101. The tension control unit 104 loosens the recording medium 5 during cutting if the job includes cutting, and applies tension to the recording medium 5 during printing if the job includes printing but does not include cutting. With this configuration, the printer 10 can obtain information from the job data about whether the job includes printing and cutting, respectively. Therefore, it can automatically control the tension of the recording medium 5 according to whether the job includes cutting or not.

[0045] In this embodiment, if the job includes printing and cutting, the tension control unit 104 loosens the recording medium 5 before printing and cutting, and continues to loosen the recording medium 5 until cutting is completed. With this configuration, complicated control can be avoided when cutting is performed after printing, and the time required for printing and cutting can be saved.

[0046] In this embodiment, the tensioning mechanism includes a winding device 80 for winding up the recording medium 5 after printing or cutting is completed. The winding device 80 includes a winding roller 81 that can rotate in a forward direction R1 for winding up the recording medium 5 toward the downstream X1 side of the transport direction X and in a reverse direction R2 for winding up the recording medium 5 toward the upstream X2 side of the transport direction X, and a drive motor 82 that rotates the winding roller 81 in the forward direction R1 or the reverse direction R2. The tension control unit 104 controls the drive motor 82 to rotate the winding roller 81 in the reverse direction R2, thereby loosening the recording medium 5. With this configuration, unlike controlling the transport device 40 to transport the recording medium 5 toward the downstream X1 side of the transport direction X and create slack in the recording medium 5, the recording medium 5 does not move before printing and cutting. Therefore, no unprinted or uncut portions are formed in the recording medium 5 between jobs. Thus, the recording medium 5 can be used without waste.

[0047] In conventional printers with cutting heads, when creating slack in the recording medium before cutting, the transport device was controlled to move the recording medium downstream in the transport direction. In conventional printers with cutting heads, once cutting was complete, the recording medium was wound up from this state and the next job was performed. Therefore, when slack was created in the recording medium before cutting, areas that were neither printed nor cut were formed on the recording medium between jobs. According to this embodiment, such areas of the recording medium 5 that were neither printed nor cut can be eliminated.

[0048] In this embodiment, the tension control unit 104 loosens the recording medium 5 so that the loosened recording medium 5 is positioned above the lowest end of the printer 10. With this configuration, the recording medium 5 does not touch the mounting surface G, and therefore contamination of the recording medium 5 due to contact with the mounting surface G is suppressed.

[0049] In this embodiment, the tension application mechanism is configured to apply tension to the recording medium 5 by winding it with the winding device 80. The tension control unit 104 stops the winding of the recording medium 5 by the winding device 80 during cutting, and causes the winding device to wind the recording medium 5 during printing. With this configuration, tension can be applied to the recording medium 5 or the recording medium 5 can be loosened by utilizing the winding operation of the recording medium 5.

[0050] [Other embodiments] A preferred embodiment has been described above. However, the above-described embodiment is merely illustrative, and the technology disclosed herein can be implemented in various other forms. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the tensioning mechanism was composed of a winding device 80 having a tension bar 83, but it may include a winding device without a tension bar, or it may not include a winding device at all. For example, the tensioning mechanism may control the tension applied to the recording medium by controlling the winding torque of a drive motor. The tensioning mechanism may be configured to be able to apply tension to the recording medium independently of the winding of the recording medium.

[0051] The configuration of a printer with a cutting head is not particularly limited. For example, a printer with a cutting head may have separate moving devices for moving the print head and moving the cutting head. Otherwise, the embodiments described herein do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 5. Recording media 10 Inkjet Printers 30 Platen (support stand) 40. Conveying device (second moving device) 50 printheads 60 Cutting Heads 70 Head moving device (first moving device) 80. Winding device (tensioning mechanism) 81. Winding roller (roller) 82 Drive motor (drive unit) 83 Tension Bar 100 Control device 101 Data receiving unit 102 Printing Control Unit 103 Cutting Control Unit 104 Tension Control Unit

Claims

1. A support stand for supporting the recording medium, A print head that prints on the recording medium supported on the support base, A cutting head equipped with a cutter capable of cutting the recording medium supported on the support base, A first moving device for moving the print head and the cutting head in a predetermined first direction, A second moving device for moving the recording medium supported on the support base in a second direction intersecting the first direction, A tensioning mechanism provided downstream of the print head and the cutting head in the second direction for applying tension to the recording medium or for loosening the recording medium, A control device is provided, The control device is A data receiving unit that receives job data containing information on whether the job includes printing and cutting, and A print control unit performs printing on the recording medium while intermittently moving the recording medium in the second direction based on the job data received by the data receiving unit, A cutting control unit cuts the recording medium by moving the cutting head in the first direction and the recording medium in the second direction based on the job data received by the data receiving unit, The data receiving unit is configured to control the tensioning mechanism based on the information of the job data it receives, and if the job includes cutting, the recording medium is kept loose during cutting, and if the job includes printing but does not include cutting, the tensioning control unit applies tension to the recording medium during printing. The tensioning mechanism includes a winding device for winding up the recording medium after printing or cutting is completed. The aforementioned winding device, A roller rotatable in a forward direction for winding the recording medium toward the downstream side of the second direction and in a reverse direction for unwinding the recording medium toward the upstream side of the second direction, The system includes a drive unit that rotates the roller in the forward or reverse direction, The tension control unit controls the drive unit to rotate the roller in the reverse direction, thereby loosening the recording medium. A printer with a cutting head.

2. The tension control unit, if the job includes cutting, loosens the recording medium before cutting. A printer with a cutting head as described in claim 1.

3. The tension control unit, if the job includes printing and cutting, loosens the recording medium before printing and cutting, and continues to loosen the recording medium until cutting is completed. A printer with a cutting head according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The tension control unit loosens the recording medium so that the loosened recording medium is positioned above the lowest point of the printer with the cutting head. A printer with a cutting head according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The tension-applying mechanism includes a winding device for winding up the recording medium after printing or cutting is completed, and is configured to apply tension to the recording medium by winding up the recording medium with the winding device. The tension control unit stops the winding of the recording medium by the winding device during cutting. A printer with a cutting head according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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