Printer Control for Wet-on-Wet Printing Completion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Printers face challenges in completing wet-on-wet printing due to evaporation or penetration of pretreatment agents over time, especially when printing is prohibited or the print area is large, leading to incomplete or low-quality results.

Innovation Solution

The printer controls the execution of printing processes to ensure wet-on-wet printing is completed by determining the feasibility based on environmental conditions and print area, and adjusts resolution or ink discharge to prevent incomplete printing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If printing with ink is prohibited due to maintenance or other reasons after pretreatment agent application, then the printer can perform maintenance operations, but the time from completion of pretreatment application to start of printing becomes longer, causing the pretreatment agent to evaporate or soak into the fabric excessively

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemaintenance operation capabilityVSAvoidtime delay between pretreatment and printing
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The control portion determines in advance whether wet-on-wet printing can be completed before actually performing the printing operation. This preliminary determination allows the system to proactively prevent time delays that would cause pretreatment agent evaporation or excessive penetration, by identifying suitable printing regions beforehand and prioritizing their execution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Area of stationary object

If the area of the region where ink is to be discharged is large, then the printer can cover more fabric area, but the time required for printing becomes longer, increasing evaporation and penetration of the pretreatment agent

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprint area coverageVSAvoidprinting time
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The control portion divides the printing area into multiple regions and determines the suitability of each region for wet-on-wet printing independently. By segmenting the overall printing task into smaller manageable regions, the system can identify and prioritize printing of regions that can be completed within the acceptable time window, preventing pretreatment agent degradation while still covering the required fabric area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Productivity

If the printer executes printing in the first processing when wet-on-wet printing completion is uncertain, then more printing operations can be performed, but incomplete execution of wet-on-wet printing occurs, reducing print quality

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprinting throughputVSAvoidwet-on-wet printing completion reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The control portion implements a feedback mechanism where it continuously monitors whether printing operations are completing within the time required to maintain wet-on-wet conditions. Based on this feedback, the system dynamically determines whether to execute additional printing operations or pause to allow pretreatment, ensuring that each printing operation has a high probability of completing successfully without pretreatment agent degradation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The printer effectively inhibits incomplete wet-on-wet printing by ensuring timely execution and maintaining print quality, even with large print areas or prohibited printing conditions.

Implementation Method 1

the pretreatment agent applied to the fabric may evaporate or soak into the fabric over time

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectEvaporation: Evaporation

Implementation Method 2

the pretreatment agent applied to the fabric may evaporate or soak into the fabric over time

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAbsorption: Absorption (physical)

Data Source

PatentEP4112310B1Printer, control method, and control program
Publication Date: 2026.04.08 BROTHER KOGYO KK
  • EP4112310B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4112310B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4112310B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided are a printer, a control method, and a control program that easily completes execution of wet-on-wet printing. A CPU of the printer determines whether execution of wet-on-wet printing can be completed (S12 and S15). When determining that the execution of the wet-on-wet printing can be completed (S12: YES and S15: YES), the CPU performs printing with ink by causing the ink to be discharged onto a pretreatment agent coated on a printing medium from a print head (S16). When determining that the execution of the wet-on-wet printing cannot be completed (S12: NO or S15: NO), the CPU performs processing different from the processing of S16 (S13 or S17).