Roll Printing Device Blank Area Allocation for Job Scheduling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Roll printing devices face difficulties in efficiently processing multiple jobs on a roll of print media, particularly when a succeeding job is received during the printing of a preceding job, as it complicates post-processing and requires suspension or delay of the preceding job, making it challenging to manage the printing and post-processing efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A roll printing device that determines blank areas on the print media during the printing of a preceding job and adjusts the image data to accommodate a succeeding job, allowing simultaneous printing without suspending the preceding job by calculating the unprinted areas and changing the image data layout to align the end of the preceding and succeeding job's printing areas, enabling efficient combined printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a succeeding job is received during printing of a preceding job on a roll of print media, then the printing efficiency can be improved by processing both jobs simultaneously, but the post-processing becomes complicated due to irregular cutting intervals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the print media width into distinct printing areas, allocating specific width ranges to the preceding job and succeeding job. This segmentation allows both jobs to be printed simultaneously on the same roll without overlapping, while maintaining regular cutting intervals for each job type, thus resolving the contradiction between improved printing efficiency and post-processing complexity.
2Productivity
If the printing area for the succeeding job is set too wide, then more content can be printed in less time, but the blank area for the preceding job becomes insufficient, causing layout issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts the printing area width parameter for the succeeding job based on the available blank area in the preceding job. By changing this parameter, the system optimizes the printing speed while ensuring that the layout can be properly arranged without overlapping or excessive blank spaces, thus resolving the contradiction between printing speed and layout arrangement.
3Ease of operation
If the printing area for the succeeding job is set too narrow, then the layout arrangement becomes easier, but the printing speed decreases and more print media is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The system optimizes the printing area width parameter by calculating the maximum feasible width that fits within the blank area of the preceding job. This parameter optimization ensures that the printing speed is maximized while maintaining proper layout arrangement, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of layout arrangement and printing speed.
4Productivity
If the end positions of the preceding job and succeeding job are not aligned, then each job can be printed independently, but the post-processing becomes more complex due to irregular cutting intervals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric positioning where the printing areas of the preceding job and succeeding job are deliberately positioned at different width locations on the roll. The preceding job is printed in a first width range while the succeeding job is printed in a second width range. This asymmetric arrangement allows both jobs to be processed efficiently while maintaining regular cutting intervals for post-processing, thus resolving the contradiction between processing efficiency and cutting interval regularity.
Data Source
AI summary
The roll printing device includes a hardware processor configured to, on receiving a succeeding job during printing of a preceding job on a roll of print media, use a printing area for printing copies of an object of the preceding job and the width of the print media, to determine a blank area or areas to be created on the print media, and judge whether to print the succeeding job together with the preceding job with copies of the object of the succeeding job being arranged in the blank area or areas. The hardware processor is further configured to, according to the judgment result, define the layout of the copies of the object of the succeeding job in the blank area or areas, and change image data currently used for printing, at a certain time during the printing of the preceding job.