JP2005074653A - Printer, printing method, and printing program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To calculate the quantity of ink being ejected by protruding a print medium. <P>SOLUTION: The printer (a printer 22 and a computer 90) for printing a desired image on a print medium by receiving image data and ejecting ink from a print head in correspondence with the image data comprises a means (computer 90) for extracting the image data corresponding to a part protruding from the print medium, and a means (computer 90) for calculating the quantity of ink being printed by protruding from the print medium based on the image data extracted by the extracting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a printing method, and a printing program.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, printers that print information such as images or text on a printing medium using ink are widely used as a kind of computer output device.

  In such a printer, when performing so-called “borderless printing” in which an image is printed without a gap to the edge of the print medium, the print medium generated by mechanical control errors of the paper feed control system and the print head. In order to prevent gaps at the ends, printing is performed using image data larger than the print medium.

  However, when printing is performed using image data larger than the print medium, the ink that protrudes from the print medium adheres to the inside of the printer (for example, the platen), and the print medium and the device itself are soiled.

  Therefore, the applicant of the present invention provides a concave portion in the platen and arranges the absorbent material there, and when performing borderless printing, the print head is designed so that the ink protruding from the print medium is absorbed by the absorbent material. An application has been filed for an invention that prevents the platen from being soiled by controlling the ink ejection position (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-103586 (Claims and Summary)

  By the way, since there is a limit to the amount of ink that can be absorbed by the absorbing material, it is necessary to replace the absorbing material when a certain amount or more of ink is absorbed.

  Conventionally, for example, the amount of ink absorbed by the absorbent material is estimated according to the number of borderless printing, and the time to replace the absorbent material is detected based on the estimated amount. The user is instructed to replace the absorbent material.

  However, since the amount of ink that protrudes from the printing medium varies depending on the image data to be printed and the resolution of the image, it is difficult to accurately calculate the amount of ink absorbed by the absorbent material. .

  As a result, it is not possible to accurately determine the time to replace the absorbent material, so the absorbent material has been replaced even though there is actually room for absorption, or it is used continuously even though there is no room for absorption. There is also a problem that a situation occurs.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, a printing method, and a printing device capable of accurately calculating the amount of ink ejected from the print medium. It is intended to provide a program.

  In order to solve the problem, the present invention provides a printing apparatus that prints a desired image on a print medium by inputting image data and ejecting ink from the print head corresponding to the image data. Extracting means for extracting the protruding image data corresponding to the portion protruding from the printing medium, and calculating means for calculating the amount of ink discharged from the printing medium based on the protruding image data extracted by the extracting means; have.

  Therefore, it is possible to accurately calculate the amount of ink ejected from the print medium.

  Further, in addition to the above-described invention, in another invention, the extracting means compares the size of the image data with the size of the printing paper, extracts the protruding image data corresponding to the portion protruding from the printing medium, and the calculating means The amount of ink is calculated based on the information indicating the size of the dots included in the protruding image data extracted by the extracting means. For this reason, it becomes possible for the printer driver to accurately calculate the amount of ink that is printed out.

  According to another invention, in addition to the above-mentioned invention, the extracting means extracts, from the image data supplied to the print head, protruding image data that protrudes at the upper and lower ends or the left and right edges for each pass, and the calculating means The amount of ink is calculated on the basis of information indicating the size of the dots included in the protruding image data extracted by the extraction means. For this reason, it is possible to accurately calculate the amount of ink that is printed out by the printer firmware.

  In addition to the above-described invention, another invention further includes detection means for detecting a relative positional relationship between the print medium and the print head, and the extraction means includes the print medium and the print head detected by the detection means. Referring to the relative positional relationship, the protruding image data printed out of the print medium is extracted. For this reason, even when a printing medium size error or a printing medium with a different size is used by mistake, it is possible to accurately calculate the amount of ink to be printed out.

  In addition to the above-mentioned invention, another invention calculates the total amount of ink that is printed out of the print medium and is calculated by the calculating means and an absorbent that absorbs the ink ejected from the print medium. And a warning means for giving a warning to the effect that the absorbent material is incapable of absorbing ink when the total amount of ink calculated by the calculation means exceeds a predetermined amount. I am doing so. For this reason, it becomes possible to know the replacement time of the absorbent material accurately.

  In addition to the above-described invention, another invention includes storage means for storing information regarding each print mode, the ink amount of each dot in each print mode, and the number of dots printed out of the print medium. In addition, the extracting means and the calculating means execute processing based on information stored in the storage means. For this reason, even when there are a plurality of printing modes, it is possible to accurately calculate the amount of ink that is printed out of the printing mode.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing method for printing a desired image on a print medium by inputting the image data and ejecting ink from the print head corresponding to the image data. An extraction step for extracting the protruding image data corresponding to the portion, and a calculation step for calculating the amount of ink printed out of the print medium based on the protruding image data extracted by the extraction step. .

  For this reason, if this printing method is used, it is possible to accurately calculate the amount of ink ejected from the print medium.

  The present invention also provides a computer-readable printing program that causes a computer to function to print a desired image on a print medium by inputting image data and ejecting ink from the print head in accordance with the image data. In the computer, the image data includes an extracting unit that extracts the protruding image data corresponding to the portion protruding from the printing medium, and the ink that is printed out of the printing medium based on the protruding image data extracted by the extracting unit. It is made to function as a calculation means for calculating the quantity.

  Therefore, if this printing program is installed, it is possible to accurately calculate the amount of ink ejected from the print medium.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately calculate the amount of ink ejected from a print medium.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, an outline of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In this specification, a combination of the printer 22 and the computer 90 is referred to as a “printing apparatus”. The “image” includes not only images such as natural images but also line drawings and text, and includes images, characters, line drawings, etc. obtained by both data called image data and text data. .

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the printer 22 constituting the printing apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of the printer 22 with a control circuit 40 as a center.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 22 reciprocates a carriage 31 in the axial direction of the paper feed roller 26 by a sub-scan feed mechanism that transports a print paper P that is a printing medium by a paper feed motor 23 and a carriage motor 24. And a main scanning feed mechanism. Here, the feed direction of the printing paper P by the sub-scan feed mechanism is called a sub-scan direction, and the moving direction of the carriage 31 by the main scan feed mechanism is called a main scan direction.

  The printer 22 is mounted on the carriage 31 and includes a print head unit 60 including the print head 12, a head drive mechanism that drives the print head unit 60 to control ink ejection and dot formation, and these papers. A control circuit 40 that controls the exchange of signals with the feed motor 23, the carriage motor 24, the print head unit 60, and the operation panel 32 is provided.

  Next, the configuration of the print head 12 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the carriage 31 includes a cartridge 71 containing black (K) ink, a cartridge 72 containing cyan (C) ink, a cartridge 73 containing magenta (M) ink, and yellow ( Four ink cartridges 71 to 74 of the cartridge 74 containing the ink Y) are detachably mounted.

  A print head 12 is provided below the carriage 31. In the print head 12, nozzles as ink discharge locations are arranged in a line in the transport direction of the printing paper P, and a nozzle line corresponding to each color ink is formed.

  In addition, a piezoelectric element that is one of electrostrictive elements and excellent in responsiveness is arranged for each nozzle in a nozzle row that is provided below the carriage 31 and is associated with each ink. The piezo element is installed at a position in contact with a member that forms an ink passage that guides ink to the nozzle. Piezo elements have a crystal structure that is distorted by the application of voltage, and perform electro-mechanical energy conversion at an extremely high speed.

  In the present embodiment, by applying a voltage having a predetermined time width between the electrodes provided at both ends of the piezo element, the piezo element is extended for the voltage application time, and one side wall of the ink passage is deformed. As a result, the volume of the ink passage contracts according to the expansion of the piezo element, and the ink corresponding to the contraction becomes ink droplets and is ejected at high speed from the tip of the nozzle. The ink droplets soak into the printing paper P along the paper feed roller 26, whereby dots are formed and printing is performed. The size of the ink droplet can be changed by a method of applying a voltage to the piezo element. As a result, three types of dots having different sizes, large, medium, and small, can be formed.

  The control circuit 40 is connected to the computer 90 via the connector 56. The computer 90 is loaded with a printer driver program for the printer 22 as will be described later, accepts user commands by operating keyboards and mice as input devices, and displays various information in the printer 22 on the screen of the display device. It constitutes a user interface to be presented by display.

  The sub-scan feed mechanism that transports the printing paper P includes a gear train (not shown) that transmits the rotation of the paper feed motor 23 to a paper feed roller 26 and a paper transport roller (not shown).

  The main scanning feed mechanism for reciprocating the carriage 31 is an endless drive between the carriage motor 24 and a slide shaft 34 that is laid in parallel with the axis of the paper feed roller 26 and slidably holds the carriage 31. A pulley 38 for stretching the belt 36 and an optical sensor 39 for detecting the origin position of the carriage 31 are provided. Note that the optical sensor 39 serving as a detection unit includes a light source that projects light onto the printing paper P and a photodiode (or a CCD element) that converts reflected light from the printing paper P into a corresponding image signal. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control circuit 40 is a part of the extraction unit, a part of the calculation unit, a part of the calculation unit, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 41 which is a part of the warning unit. , A programmable ROM (P-ROM (Read Only Memory)) 43, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 44, a character generator (CG (Character Generator)) 45 that stores a dot matrix of characters, an EEPROM ( Electronically Erasable and Programmable ROM) 46 and an encoder 47 are configured as an arithmetic logic circuit. The encoder 47 detects the position of the carriage 31 in the main scanning direction based on the detection signal from the detection unit 48 provided in the carriage motor 24. The encoder 47 detects the position of the printing paper P in the sub-scanning direction based on the detection signal from the detection unit 49 provided in the paper feed motor 23.

  The control circuit 40 further drives an I / F dedicated circuit 50 that is an interface (I / F (Interface)) with an external motor or the like, and the print head unit 60 connected to the I / F dedicated circuit 50. A head drive circuit 52 that ejects ink, and a motor drive circuit 54 that drives the paper feed motor 23 and the carriage motor 24.

  The I / F dedicated circuit 50 incorporates a parallel interface circuit and can receive print data PD supplied from the computer 90 via the connector 56.

  Next, the configuration of the computer 90 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the computer 90 includes a CPU 91, ROM 92, RAM 93, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 94, video circuit 95, I / F 96, bus 97, display device 98, input device 99, and external storage device 100. Has been.

  Here, the CPU 91, which is a part of the extraction unit, a part of the calculation unit, a part of the calculation unit, and a part of the warning unit, performs various arithmetic processes according to programs stored in the ROM 92 and the HDD 94. And a control unit that controls each unit of the apparatus.

  The ROM 92 is a memory that stores basic programs executed by the CPU 91 and data. The RAM 93 is a memory that temporarily stores programs being executed by the CPU 91 and data being calculated.

  In response to a request from the CPU 91, the HDD 94, which is a part of the storage means, reads data and programs recorded on the hard disk, which is a recording medium, and sends data generated as a result of the arithmetic processing of the CPU 91 to the hard disk described above. A recording device for recording.

  The video circuit 95 is a circuit that executes a drawing process in accordance with a drawing command supplied from the CPU 91, converts the obtained image data into a video signal, and outputs the video signal to the display device 98.

  The I / F 96 is a circuit that appropriately converts the expression format of signals output from the input device 99 and the external storage device 100 and outputs print data PD to the printer 22.

  The bus 97 is a signal line that connects the CPU 91, the ROM 92, the RAM 93, the HDD 94, the video circuit 95, and the I / F 96 to each other and enables data exchange between them.

  The display device 98 which is a part of the warning means is configured by, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor, and displays an image corresponding to the video signal output from the video circuit 95. It is.

  The input device 99 is configured by, for example, a keyboard and a mouse, and is a device that generates a signal corresponding to a user operation and supplies the signal to the I / F 96.

  The external storage device 100 includes, for example, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-ROM) drive unit, an MO (Magneto Optic) drive unit, and an FDD (Flexible Disk Drive) unit, and is recorded on a CD-ROM disc, an MO disc, and an FD. This is a device that reads out data and programs that are stored and supplies them to the CPU 91. In the case of the MO drive unit and the FDD unit, the data is supplied from the CPU 91 to the MO disk or FD.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining functions of programs and drivers installed in the computer 90. Note that these functions are realized by the cooperation of the hardware of the computer 90 and the software recorded in the HDD 94. As shown in this figure, an application program 201, a video driver program 202, and a printer driver program 210 are installed in a computer 90, and these operate under a predetermined operating system (OS).

  Here, the application program 201 is, for example, an image processing program, which processes an image captured from a digital camera or the like or processes an image drawn by a user, and then processes the printer driver program 210 and the video. Output to the driver program 202.

  The video driver program 202 is a program for driving the video circuit 95. For example, the video driver program 202 generates a video signal after performing gamma processing, white balance adjustment, or the like on the image data supplied from the application program. It is supplied to the display device 98 and displayed.

  The printer driver program 210 includes a resolution conversion module 211, a color conversion module 212, a color conversion table 213, a halftone module 214, a recording rate table 215, a print data generation module 216, and an overflow ink processing module 217. Various processing described later is performed on the image data generated by the program 201 to generate print data PD, which is supplied to the printer 22.

  Here, the resolution conversion module 211 performs processing for converting the resolution of the image data supplied from the application program 201 in accordance with the resolution of the print head 12.

  The color conversion module 212 refers to the color conversion table 213 for image data expressed in an RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color system, and an image in a CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) color system. Process to convert to data.

  The halftone module 214 refers to the image data represented by the CMYK color system by dithering as will be described later, with reference to the recording rate table 215, and is a bit composed of a combination of three types of large, medium, and small dots. Convert to map data.

  The print data generation module 216 generates print data PD including raster data indicating the dot recording state during each main scan and data indicating the sub-scan feed amount from the bitmap data output from the halftone module 214. Then, it is supplied to the printer 22.

  The protruding ink processing module 217 executes processing for calculating the amount of ink ejected from the printing paper P, as will be described later.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5, processing when image data is printed by the computer 90 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The processing shown in FIG. 5 is executed when predetermined image data (image file) stored in the HDD 94 is designated by the input device 99 and the application program 201 associated with the image data is activated. . When this flowchart is started, the following steps are executed.

  Step S 10: The application program 201 acquires information for displaying the editing screen of the application program 201 from the HDD 94 and supplies it to the video circuit 95. As a result, a screen 250 as shown in FIG.

  In the display example illustrated in FIG. 6, a file 251, an edit 252, and an option 253 are displayed as menus at the top of the screen 250. Below that, there is a display area 255 in which an image to be edited is displayed. In this example, an image is displayed in the display area 255, but in reality, no image is displayed when the process of step S10 is completed.

  Step S11: The application program 201 reads from the HDD 94 the image data specified when starting the application program 201.

  Step S12: The application program 201 displays the image data read in step S11 in the display area 255. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, an image photographed by a digital camera or the like is displayed in the display area 255.

  Step S13: The application program 201 determines whether or not an operation for printing the image displayed in the display area 255 has been performed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, it is determined whether or not “print” has been selected from the pull-down menu 254 displayed when the file 251 is operated, and if selected, the process proceeds to step S14. In other cases, the same processing is repeated.

  Step S14: The application program 201 displays a print screen on the display device 98. As a result, a screen 270 as shown in FIG. 8 is newly displayed on the display device 98.

  In this display example, a title 271, radio buttons 272 and 273, text boxes 274 and 275, and a button 276 are displayed on the screen 270. Here, “print” as the title 271 indicates that the screen 270 is a screen for printing. The radio button 272 is selected when executing normal printing. The radio button 273 is selected when performing borderless printing. Here, the borderless printing includes a case where printing is performed so that there is no blank at all of the upper, lower, left and right edges of the printing paper P, and a case where printing is performed such that no blank is formed at at least one of the left, right, upper and lower edges.

  In the text box 274, the number of images to be printed is input. In the text box 275, the size of the printing paper (for example, A4, B5, etc.) is input. The button 276 is operated when starting the printing process with the input content.

  Step S15: The application program 201 determines whether or not the button 276 shown in FIG. 8 has been operated. If it has been operated, the process proceeds to step S16, and otherwise the same process is repeated.

  Step S16: The application program 201 executes a process for generating the print data PD. That is, the application program 201 supplies image data to the printer driver program 210 and starts processing for generating print data PD.

  As a result, in the printer driver program 210, the resolution conversion module 211 converts the resolution (dot / inch) of the image data supplied from the application program 201 according to the resolution of the print head 12.

  The color conversion module 212 converts image data expressed in the RGB color system into image data in the CMYK color system with reference to the color conversion table 213.

  The halftone module 214 converts the image data represented by the CMYK color system into bitmap data composed of a combination of three types of large, medium, and small dots with reference to the recording rate table 215 by dither processing. To do. Here, the bitmap data is composed of 2-bit binary numbers, and is represented by “11” for large dots, “10” for medium dots, “01” for small dots, and “00” for no dots. .

  The print data generation module 216 generates print data PD including raster data indicating the dot recording state during each main scan and data indicating the sub-scan feed amount from the bitmap data output from the halftone module 214. To do.

  Step S17: The application program 201 proceeds to step S18 when the radio button 273 is selected on the screen 270 shown in FIG. 8, that is, when borderless printing is selected, and the radio button 272 is selected. If it is, that is, if normal printing is selected, the process proceeds to step S22. In the example shown in FIG. 8, since the radio button 273 is selected, the process proceeds to step S18.

  Step S18: The protruding ink processing module 217 executes processing for calculating the amount of ink that is ejected and printed at a position protruding from the printing paper P in borderless printing. Details of this process will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Step S19: The protruding ink processing module 217 stores the amount of protruding ink calculated in step S18 (the amount of protruding ink expected to be generated by new borderless printing) already stored in the P-ROM 43. Cumulatively add to the amount of protruding ink.

  Step S20: The overflow ink processing module 217 refers to the cumulative addition amount stored in the P-ROM 43. If the value exceeds the predetermined amount, the process proceeds to step S21. Proceed to S22.

  Step S21: The protruding ink processing module 217 displays a warning screen on the display device 98 to notify that it is time to replace the absorbent material.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display device 98 at this time. In this example, a screen 290 is newly displayed. “WARNING!” Is displayed as the title 291 at the top of the screen 290. Below that, a message 292 is displayed, “It is time to replace the ink absorbing material. Replace the absorbing material according to the manual”. In addition, a button 293 that is operated when the displayed content is acknowledged is displayed at the bottom of the screen 290.

  Step S22: The printer driver program 210 compresses the print data PD generated in step S16, and then supplies the print data PD to the printer 22 for printing. As a result, normal printing is executed when the radio button 272 shown in FIG. 8 is selected, and borderless printing is executed when the radio button 273 is selected. In this embodiment, when the warning process is performed in step S21, the process is terminated without executing the printing. However, the risk that the print medium becomes dirty is notified and the risk is acknowledged. In addition, a person who wants to execute printing may be allowed to execute a predetermined number of prints.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 10, the details of the protruding ink amount calculation processing in step S18 shown in FIG. 5 will be described. When the flowchart shown in this figure is started, the following steps are executed.

  Step S30: The overflow ink processing module 217 acquires the size of the bitmap data of the image to be printed, which is generated by the halftone module 214. Specifically, “214 × 301 mm” is acquired in this example.

  Step S31: The protruding ink processing module 217 acquires the size of the printing paper input in the text box 275 of FIG. In the example of FIG. 8, since “A4” is input in the text box 275, “210 × 297 mm” is acquired as the size of A4.

  Step S32: The protruding ink processing module 217 calculates the size of the protruding area by comparing the size of the bitmap data acquired in step S30 with the size of the printing paper P acquired in step S31.

  Here, the protruding area will be described. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of the nozzles N in the print head 12. These nozzles N are arranged in four nozzle arrays that eject ink for each color of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), each having 180 nozzles. Are arranged in a line at a constant nozzle pitch k. These four sets of nozzle arrays are arranged in a line along the main scanning direction. The “nozzle pitch” is a value indicating how many rasters (that is, how many pixels) the intervals in the sub-scanning direction of the nozzles arranged on the print head 12 are. For example, the value of the nozzle pitch k arranged with an interval of 3 rasters therebetween is 4. The “raster” is a column of pixels arranged in the main scanning direction.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the print head 12 is provided at a position facing the platen 300. The platen 300 is disposed between the paper feed roller 26 and the paper discharge roller 25, and is disposed between the print head 12 and the print paper P conveyed by the paper feed roller 26 and the driven roller 26 a and the paper discharge roller 25 and the driven roller 25 a. The printing paper P is held so that the distance is kept constant. A groove 301 is provided at the top of the platen 300, and an absorbing material 302 for absorbing ink is disposed at the bottom.

  A range Rm indicated by a broken line in FIG. 11 is a predetermined range around the center in the sub-scanning direction of the nozzles N on the print head 12. As shown in FIG. 12, in the platen 300 facing the print head 12, a groove portion 301 exists in a portion corresponding to this range Rm. That is, these color nozzle rows are provided at positions facing the groove portions 301. A set of nozzle rows of these colors is denoted as a nozzle group Nm.

  The upper surface on the upstream side of the platen 300 is called an upstream support portion 303, and the upper surface on the downstream side is called a downstream support portion 304. The groove portion 301 is configured to be longer than the maximum width of the printing paper P that can be used by the printer 22 along the main scanning direction. The print head 12 reciprocates in the main scan on the platen 300 sandwiched between the paper feed roller 26 and the paper discharge roller 25. In addition, although the groove part 301 is continuously provided along the main scanning direction, you may not make it have the width | variety of the sub scanning direction shown in FIG. For example, in order to surely support and guide the printing paper P, a protrusion for supporting the printing paper P may be provided in the groove portion 301. Further, the groove 301 may be divided into a plurality along the main scanning direction.

  By the way, in the case of borderless printing, blank portions are formed at the upper end portion (the portion that is first sucked by the printer 22) and the lower end portion (the portion that is finally sucked by the printer 22) of the printing paper P. In order to prevent this, as shown in FIG. 12, even if the ink is ejected to the portion that protrudes from the upper end portion and a feeding error of the printing paper P in the sub-scanning direction occurs, a blank portion is generated. I am trying not to. In the example of FIG. 12, the ink Ip is ejected from the nozzles # 5 to # 9, and the ink Ip ejected from the nozzles # 7 to # 9 is landed on the printing paper P. However, the ink Ip ejected from the nozzles # 5 and # 6 is removed from the printing paper P and absorbed by the absorbent material 302 in the groove 301. In the example of FIG. 12, the printing state on the upper end portion of the printing paper P is shown, but printing is similarly performed on the lower end portion.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a printing state of the left and right end portions of the printing paper P. The groove portions 301 are each provided longer than the width of the printing paper P in the main scanning direction. Further, the printing paper P is sent while being positioned at substantially the center of the groove portion 301 in the main scanning direction. When dots are formed on the printing paper P, the ink Ip is ejected so as to protrude from the left and right edges of the printing paper P in order to prevent the generation of blank portions, as in the case of the upper and lower ends. Done.

  In summary, in borderless printing, an image is printed so as to protrude from the printing paper P in order to prevent blank portions from being generated at the upper, lower, left and right edges of the printing paper P. This is illustrated in FIG. Here, the solid line 320 indicates the range of the image data. A broken line 321 indicates the range of the printing paper P. A protruding region 322 is located between the solid line 320 and the broken line 321. Hereinafter, the image of the protruding region 322 is referred to as a protruding image.

  Specifically, since the bitmap data is “214 × 301 mm” and the size of the printing paper P is “210 × 297 mm”, the vertical and horizontal lengths of the printing paper P are determined from the vertical and horizontal lengths of the bitmap data. The half value of the value (4 mm, 4 mm) obtained by subtracting the length of each is the length (2 mm, 2 mm) of the region that protrudes vertically and horizontally.

  Step S33: The protruding ink processing module 217 acquires the protruding image data included in the protruding area obtained in step S32 from the bitmap data. Specifically, in FIG. 14, bitmap data included in the protruding area 322 is acquired.

  Step S34: The protruding ink processing module 217 counts the number ns of small dots included in the bitmap data of the protruding area 322. Specifically, the number of data “01” included in the bitmap data in the protruding area 322 is counted, and this is defined as ns.

  Step S35: The protruding ink processing module 217 counts the number of medium dots nm included in the bitmap data of the protruding area 322. Specifically, the number of data “10” included in the bitmap data of the protruding area 322 is counted, and this is defined as nm.

  Step S36: The protruding ink processing module 217 counts the number nl of large dots included in the protruding image data, that is, the bitmap data of the protruding area 322. Specifically, the number of data “11” included in the bitmap data in the protruding area 322 is counted, and this is set to nl.

  Step S37: The protruding ink processing module 217 calculates an amount V of protruding ink that has been struck out of the printing paper P. Specifically, the protruding ink processing module 217 determines the small dot, medium dot, and large dot for the numbers ns, nm, and nl of small dots, medium dots, and large dots calculated in steps S34 to S36, respectively. Multiply the masses Vs, Vm, and Vl, and calculate the amount V of protruding ink (= ns × vs + nm × vm + nl × vl). Then, the process returns to the original process.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 15, since the ink amount of each dot varies depending on the resolution of the image, the ink amount corresponding to the resolution is stored in advance in a table or the like, and small dots, It is necessary to determine the mass of each medium dot and large dot. In the example of FIG. 15, when the resolution is 720 × 360 (dpi (Dots Per Inch)), the small dot is set to 7 ng, the medium dot is set to 14 ng, and the large dot is set to 21 ng. Is the target. Further, in the case of a resolution of 720 × 720 dpi, the resolution is the same mass as that of 720 × 360 dpi, and a plain paper or the like is targeted as a print medium (media). When the resolution is 1440 × 720 dpi, the small dot is set to 2.5 ng, the medium dot is set to 4 ng, and the large dot is set to 11 ng. The medium is economy super fine paper or the like. Further, when the resolution is 2880 × 1440 dpi, all the dots are set to 2.5 ng.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the number of dots of each size included in the protruding area 322 is counted, and the obtained number is multiplied by the ink amount of each dot. Thus, the amount of ink that protrudes is obtained, so that the amount of ink that protrudes from the printing paper P can be accurately calculated. As a result, for example, it becomes possible to accurately know the replacement time of the absorbent material 302.

  In the above embodiment, the amount of protruding ink is calculated by the printer driver program 210 of the computer 90. However, the amount of protruding ink can also be calculated in the printer 22. An embodiment in such a case will be described below.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing that is executed in the printer 22 to determine the amount of ink that protrudes when print data PD is transmitted from the computer 90. When this flowchart is started, the following steps are executed.

  Step S50: The CPU 41 assigns an initial value “0” to a variable P for counting the number of scans (pass number) of the print head 12.

  Step S51: The CPU 41 receives a print signal transmitted from the printer 22. The print signal is transmitted in units of one line, and is subjected to compression processing as described above in order to reduce the amount of data and improve the transfer speed.

  Step S52: The CPU 41 decompresses the print signal received from the printer 22 and generates the original print data PD.

  Step S53: The CPU 41 increments the variable P for counting the number of passes by “1”. In this example, the number of paths is initially “1”. The number of passes represents the number of scans of the print head 12 performed on the protruding area 322 when borderless printing is performed.

  Step S54: The CPU 41 determines whether or not upper end processing, which is processing for the upper end of the printing paper P, is currently being executed. If it is being executed, the process proceeds to step S55, and otherwise, step S56 is executed. Proceed to Here, the upper end process is a process in which printing is performed on the upper end of the printing paper P, and a process in which a part of ink protrudes from the printing paper P and is ejected. At this time, in the present embodiment, referring to the output of the optical sensor 39, a process of appropriately selecting a nozzle for ejecting ink is performed.

  Step S55: The CPU 41 calculates the ink amount of the ink ejected from the printing paper P at the upper end of the printing paper P. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIG. By this process, as shown in FIG. 12, the amount of ink ejected from the printing paper P at the upper end of the printing paper P (ink ejected from nozzles # 5 and # 6) can be calculated.

  Step S56: The CPU 41 determines whether or not a lower end process, which is a process for the lower end of the printing paper P, is currently being executed. If it is being executed, the process proceeds to step S57; otherwise, step S58 is executed. Proceed to Here, the lower end process is a case where printing is performed on the lower end of the printing paper P, and a process when a part of ink protrudes from the printing paper P and is ejected. At this time, in the present embodiment, referring to the output of the optical sensor 39, a process of appropriately selecting a nozzle for ejecting ink is performed.

  Step S57: The CPU 41 calculates the ink amount of the ink ejected from the printing paper P at the lower end of the printing paper P. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIG. By this process, the amount of ink ejected from the printing paper P at the lower end of the printing paper P can be calculated.

  Step S58: The CPU 41 calculates the amount of ink ejected from the left and right edges of the printing paper. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIG. By this process, the amount of ink ejected from the left and right edges of the printing paper P can be calculated.

  Step S59: The CPU 41 determines whether or not the printing is finished. If the printing is finished, the CPU 41 completes the process. Otherwise, the CPU 41 returns to the step S51 and repeats the same process.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining details of the upper end protruding ink amount calculation processing in step S55 shown in FIG. When this flowchart is started, the following steps are executed.

  Step S70: The CPU 41 obtains the number N of protruding nozzles corresponding to the value of the variable P (value indicating the number of passes) incremented in step S53 of FIG. 16 from the table shown in FIG. Here, FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating the relationship among the printing mode, the number of passes in the borderless region, the number of protruding nozzles (upper end), and the number of protruding nozzles (lower end). For example, when the print mode is 720 × 360 dpi, the number of passes in the borderless area, that is, the number of scans required for the upper end or lower end processing is 4 passes at the upper end and 5 passes at the lower end. Further, the number of nozzles protruding from the upper end (the number of nozzles that perform printing by protruding printing paper) is 10 nozzles in the first pass, 7 nozzles in the second pass, 5 nozzles in the third pass, and 3 nozzles in the fourth pass. It has become. On the other hand, the number of protruding nozzles at the lower end is 16 nozzles in the first pass, 14 nozzles in the second pass, 10 nozzles in the third pass, 6 nozzles in the fourth pass, and 2 nozzles in the fifth pass. For example, when the print mode is 720 × 360 dpi, P = 1, and the upper end process is being performed, 10 is acquired as the number N of protruding nozzles.

  The number of protruding nozzles at the lower end increases as the lower end of the printing paper P moves away from the print head 12, that is, as the number of passes increases, and is constant when the lower end completely passes under the print head 12. In this embodiment, when the lower end of the printing paper P is detected by the optical sensor 39, the ejection of ink from the nozzles away from the lower end is stopped. . For this reason, for example, when the printing mode is 720 × 720 dpi, the number of protruding nozzles at the lower end temporarily increases (14 → 17) and then decreases (17 → 2).

  Step S71: The CPU 41 acquires data for N dots from the upper end of raster data for one pass. The raster data for N dots is raster data that is printed out of the printing paper P.

  Step S72: The CPU 41 excludes the left and right end raster data from the raster data regarding the upper end acquired in step S71. That is, as shown in FIG. 19, when an image is printed in an area 351 corresponding to the printing paper P, the image data 350 having a size larger than that of the area 351 is used for printing. As a result, protruding areas 352 to 359 are generated around the area 351 corresponding to the printing paper P. In the process of step S71, raster data for the areas 352, 353, and 359, that is, the protruding image data is the protruding area. Extracted as raster data. On the other hand, in the processing of the protruding area in the horizontal direction, which will be described later, raster data for the areas 357, 358, and 359 and the areas 353, 354, and 355 are extracted as raster data of the protruding area. Therefore, in the process of step S72, the raster data corresponding to the areas 353 and 359 in which the raster data is acquired redundantly is excluded. As a result, only the area 352 is processed in the process of FIG. 17, and the areas 353, 354, 355 and the areas 357, 358, 359 are processed in the process for the left and right end protruding areas in FIG. In the process of calculating the amount of ink protruding from the lower end, the region 356 is a processing target. As a result, in the processing for the left and right end protruding regions, the overlap of the regions 353, 355, 357, and 359 can be eliminated.

  Step S73: The CPU 41 counts the number ns of small dots included in the acquired raster data (raster data corresponding to the area 352 in FIG. 19). Specifically, the number of data “01” corresponding to small dots included in the raster data is counted.

  Step S74: The CPU 41 counts the number of medium dots nm included in the acquired raster data. Specifically, the number of data “10” corresponding to the medium dot included in the raster data is counted.

  Step S75: The CPU 41 counts the number nl of large dots included in the acquired raster data. Specifically, the number of data “11” corresponding to large dots included in the raster data is counted.

  Step S76: The CPU 41 calculates the ink amount V of the ink that has been struck out of the printing paper P. Specifically, the CPU 41 multiplies the numbers of small dots, medium dots, and large dots ns, nm, and nl calculated in steps S73 to S75 by the masses of the small dots, medium dots, and large dots, A protruding ink amount V (= ns × vs + nm × vm + nl × vl) is calculated. Then, the process returns to the original process.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 15, the ink amount of each dot varies depending on the resolution of the image. Therefore, the ink amount corresponding to the resolution is stored in advance in a table or the like, and this table is referred to. It is necessary to determine the masses of small dots, medium dots, and large dots.

  When the above process ends, the process returns to step S56 in FIG.

  The above processing is the details of the “upper end protruding ink amount calculation” processing shown in step S55 of FIG. 16, but the same processing is applied to the lower end of the “lower end protruding ink amount calculation” processing shown in step S57. The detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Details of the “left and right end protruding ink amount calculation” process shown in step S58 of FIG. 16 will be described. FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating the details of the “left and right end protruding ink amount calculation” process. When this flowchart is started, the following steps are started.

  Step S90: The CPU 41 acquires information related to the size of the printing paper set in the text box 275 shown in FIG. Specifically, “210 × 297 mm” is acquired as the size of the printing paper, for example, in the case of A4.

  Step S91: The CPU 41 acquires the size of raster data of the entire image transmitted from the printer 22. Specifically, for example, “214 × 301 mm” is acquired as the raster data size.

  Step S92: The CPU 41 subtracts the horizontal length (210 mm) of the printing paper acquired in step S90 from the horizontal length (214 mm) of the raster data size (214 × 301 mm) acquired in step S91. Thus, the size of the area protruding to the left and right is calculated. Specifically, it is calculated by calculation that each of them protrudes 2 mm = ((214-210) / 2) in the left-right direction.

  Step S93: The CPU 41 is included in the areas 353, 354, 355 and the areas 357, 358, 359 shown in FIG. 19 from the raster data for one pass transmitted from the computer 90 based on the calculation result of the step S92. Extract the parts that are present.

  Step S94: The CPU 41 counts the number ns of small dots included in the raster data acquired in step S93. Specifically, the number of data “01” corresponding to small dots included in the raster data is counted.

  Step S95: The CPU 41 counts the number of medium dots nm included in the acquired raster data. Specifically, the number of data “10” corresponding to the medium dot included in the raster data is counted.

  Step S96: The CPU 41 counts the number nl of large dots included in the acquired raster data. Specifically, the number of data “11” corresponding to large dots included in the raster data is counted.

  Step S97: The CPU 41 calculates the ink amount V of the ink that has been struck out of the printing paper P. Specifically, the CPU 41 multiplies the numbers of small dots, medium dots, and large dots ns, nm, and nl calculated in steps S94 to S96 by the masses of the small dots, medium dots, and large dots, A protruding ink amount V (= ns × vs + nm × vm + nl × vl) is calculated. Then, the process returns to the original process.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 15, the ink amount of each dot varies depending on the resolution of the image. Therefore, the ink amount corresponding to the resolution is stored in advance in a table or the like, and this table is referred to. It is necessary to determine the masses of small dots, medium dots, and large dots.

  According to the above processing, it is possible for the printer 22 to accurately calculate the amount of protruding ink. For this reason, for example, it becomes possible to know the replacement time of the absorbent 302 accurately.

  In addition, when processing is performed by the printer 22, it is possible to execute the processing at high speed by providing dedicated hardware. Therefore, the amount of the protruding ink can be accurately and promptly increased without increasing the load on the system. Can be calculated.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be variously modified in addition to this. For example, in the above embodiment, four colors of CMYK are used as the ink, but in addition to these four colors, light-colored ink (light cyan (LC), light magenta (LM), dark yellow (DY) )) Ink may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the printer 22 having a head for ejecting ink using a piezo element is used. However, various ejection drive elements other than the piezo element can be used. is there. For example, the present invention can be applied to a printer including a discharge driving element of a type in which a heater disposed in the ink passage is energized and ink is discharged by bubbles generated in the ink passage.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the printing paper P stored in the stocker is automatically fed and printed has been described as an example. However, for example, when the printing paper P is supplied manually, It is also possible to execute the same processing. Further, as the surface shape of the print medium, the present invention can be applied to various shapes such as a circle, a triangle, a pentagon, and a trapezoid in addition to the rectangle as in the above-described embodiment. As described above, in the case of a shape other than the quadrangle, the shape is detected instead of the size, and the print data is generated according to the shape. The “size” includes this shape.

  In the above embodiment, the protrusion area is calculated based on the designated paper size. For example, the optical sensor 39 is used to actually detect the upper, lower, left and right edges of the printing paper P, Depending on the detection result, the protruding area may be calculated. In this way, it is possible to calculate the protruding area more accurately. Further, even when the printing paper P different from the designated size is set in the printer 22, it is possible to accurately calculate the protrusion area.

  The program describing the above processing functions can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, and a semiconductor memory. Examples of the magnetic recording device include a hard disk device (HDD), a flexible disk (FD), and a magnetic tape. Examples of the optical disk include a DVD, a DVD-RAM (Random Access Memory), a CD-ROM, and a CD-R (Recordable) / RW (ReWritable). Magneto-optical recording media include MO.

  When distributing the program, for example, portable recording media such as a DVD and a CD-ROM on which the program is recorded are sold. It is also possible to store the program in a storage device of a server computer and transfer the program from the server computer to another computer via a network.

  The computer that executes the program stores, for example, the program recorded on the portable recording medium or the program transferred from the server computer in its own storage device. Then, the computer reads the program from its own storage device and executes processing according to the program. The computer can also read the program directly from the portable recording medium and execute processing according to the program. Further, each time the program is transferred from the server computer, the computer can sequentially execute processing according to the received program.

  The present invention can be used in a printing apparatus that performs borderless printing.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a main part of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration example of a control circuit of the printer illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a block diagram which shows the detailed structural example of the computer shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the processing function implement | achieved when the hardware and software of the computer shown in FIG. 3 cooperate. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing executed when an image is printed in the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. 6 is an example of a screen displayed on the display device shown in FIG. 3 when the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 is executed. FIG. 7 is an example of a pull-down menu displayed when “file” as a menu is operated on the screen shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is an example of a screen displayed when “Print” is selected in the pull-down menu shown in FIG. 7. 6 is an example of a screen displayed on the display device shown in FIG. 3 by the warning process in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5. 6 is a flowchart for explaining details of a protruding ink amount calculation process in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration example of a print head in the printing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a print head, a printing paper, and a platen in the printing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, for explaining a situation in which ink protrudes from upper and lower ends. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a print head, a printing paper, and a platen in the printing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between printing paper, image data, and a protruding area when borderless printing is performed. It is a figure which shows the table utilized when calculating the amount of protrusion ink in the flowchart shown in FIG. 10, and is a figure which shows the relationship between the resolution of an image, an ink amount, and a medium. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a process for calculating an amount of protruding ink in the printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 17 is a flowchart for illustrating details of an upper end protruding ink amount calculation process in the flowchart of FIG. 16. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a table used when performing the print mode and the corresponding nozzle number acquisition process of the flowchart of FIG. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between the printing paper in this invention, image data, and a protrusion area | region. FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining details of a left and right end protruding ink amount calculation process in the flowchart shown in FIG. 16.

Explanation of symbols

22 Printer (part of printing device)
39 Optical sensor (detection means)
41 CPU (part of extraction means, part of calculation means, part of calculation means, part of warning means)
43 P-ROM (part of storage means)
90 Computer (part of printing device)
91 CPU (part of extraction means, part of calculation means, part of calculation means, part of warning means)
94 HDD (part of storage means)
98 Display device (part of warning means)
302 Absorbent 322 Projection area

Claims (8)

In a printing apparatus that inputs image data and prints a desired image on a print medium by ejecting ink from a print head corresponding to the image data,
An extracting means for extracting the protruding image data corresponding to a portion protruding from the print medium in the image data;
Calculation means for calculating the amount of ink discharged from the print medium based on the protruding image data extracted by the extraction means;
A printing apparatus comprising: The extraction means compares the size of the image data with the size of the printing paper, and extracts the protruding image data corresponding to a portion protruding from the printing medium,
The calculating means calculates the amount of ink based on information indicating the size of the dots included in the protruding image data extracted by the extracting means;
The printing apparatus according to claim 1. The extraction means extracts the protruding image data protruding from the upper and lower ends or the left and right ends for each pass from the image data supplied to the print head,
The calculating means calculates the amount of ink based on information indicating the size of the dots included in the protruding image data extracted by the extracting means;
The printing apparatus according to claim 1. Detection means for detecting a relative positional relationship between the print medium and the print head;
The extraction means refers to a relative positional relationship between the print medium and the print head detected by the detection means, and extracts the protruding image data printed out of the print medium;
The printing apparatus according to claim 1. An absorbent that absorbs the ink printed out of the print medium;
Calculating means for calculating the total amount of ink ejected by protruding from the printing medium, calculated by the calculating means;
Warning means for giving a warning to the effect that the absorbent material is not able to absorb ink when the total amount of ink calculated by the calculating means exceeds a predetermined amount;
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: Storage means for storing information about each print mode, the ink amount of each dot in each print mode, and the number of dots printed out of the print medium;
The extraction means and the calculation means execute processing based on information stored in the storage means.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1. In a printing method for printing a desired image on a print medium by inputting image data and ejecting ink from a print head corresponding to the image data,
In the image data, an extraction step of extracting protruding image data corresponding to a portion protruding from the print medium;
A calculation step for calculating the amount of ink that is printed out of the print medium based on the protruding image data extracted by the extraction step;
A printing method characterized by comprising: In a computer-readable printing program that causes a computer to function to print a desired image on a print medium by inputting image data and ejecting ink from the print head in accordance with the image data,
Computer
An extracting means for extracting the protruding image data corresponding to the protruding portion of the print medium in the image data;
Calculation means for calculating the amount of ink that is printed out of the print medium based on the protruding image data extracted by the extraction means;
A computer-readable printing program characterized in that it functions as a computer program.

Images