Two-Sided Printing Registration via Fiducial Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing two-sided printing technologies face challenges in maintaining registration accuracy due to factors like temperature-induced media deformation and skew, leading to substandard printed products, waste, and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for two-sided printing that utilizes fiducials printed on the first side of the media, measured by sensors, to ensure precise alignment of images on both sides, involving a first side module, inversion module, reference module, and second side module, which processes and prints the second side plots in registration with the first side plots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If media positioning is calculated based on media size during processing, then the printing process can be automated, but registration accuracy deteriorates due to temperature-induced media deformation and skew
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by printing fiducials on the first side of the media before the actual image printing. These fiducials serve as reference markers that are measured during the second side printing process to calculate accurate positioning offsets, compensating for media deformation and skew that occur during the printing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by measuring the actual position of fiducials on the first side of the media using sensors during the second side printing process. This measured information is fed back to calculate positioning offsets, which are then used to adjust the printing position of the second side images to achieve accurate registration despite media deformation.
2Productivity
If high temperatures are used during printing and curing processes, then printing speed and quality improve, but media deformation increases causing out of registration
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces fiducials as intermediary reference markers that are printed on the first side of the media. These fiducials act as mediators between the high-temperature printing process and the registration requirement, providing stable reference points that can be measured to calculate positioning corrections even when the media itself deforms under heat.
3Productivity
If media skew occurs due to loading errors, then the printing process continues, but calculated plot positions become out of registration
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the mechanical assumption of perfect media alignment with an optical measurement system. Instead of relying on mechanical positioning calculations that fail under skew conditions, the system uses optical sensors to measure the actual position of fiducials and calculates positioning offsets based on these measurements, substituting mechanical trust with optical detection and computational correction.
Data Source
AI summary
Registering images during two sided printing is disclosed. An example is carried out by program code stored on non-transient computer-readable medium. The program code is executable by a processor for printing on a first side of a media a first plurality of plots and a plurality of associated fiducials along an edge of the media. The program code is executable by a processor for determining a distance from the edge of the media to at least one of the plurality of associated fiducials based on sensed input. The program code is executable by a processor for printing a second plurality of plots on a second side of the media based on the distance from the edge of the media so that the second plurality of plots is substantially in registration with the first plurality of plots.