JP2009255334A - Printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing device which creates a label where the length of a margin set in the front and rear parts of printing information printed on the label is shortened as much as possible or eliminated, when a pasteboard is peeled to create the label without the pasteboard, while printing on the base material of a printing tape. <P>SOLUTION: In the printing device, when it is judged that "marginless" is set (YES in step S1), the printing tape supplied from a tape cassette is driven in a reverse direction, to be reversely supplied by a length corresponding to the distance L between printing heads from a cutter, so that the top end of the base material of the printing tape passes through the guide part of the tape cassette to the upstream side, to reach the position of the printing head (step S2). Then, the printing tape is driven in a forward direction, to print on the base material by the printing head, but the top end of the base material can pass through the guide part, because the pasteboard is guided by the guide part, so that printing of a marginless label can be performed (steps S3 and S4). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention performs printing on the base material of the printing tape formed by sticking the base material to the mount, peels off the mount, and exposes the adhesive applied to the back surface of the base. The present invention relates to a printing apparatus configured to discharge the ink.

  Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose a printing apparatus in which a tape cassette is mounted on an apparatus main body and printing is performed on a printing tape accommodated in the tape cassette. The printing tape used in this printing device is composed of a base material with an adhesive applied to the back side of the printing surface and a mount that is detachably attached to the adhesive surface of the base material. As a result, printing is performed on the printing surface of the base material of the printing tape, the printed portion is discharged out of the apparatus main body, and the printing tape is cut to create a label.

Further, as described in Patent Document 2, in a printing apparatus for a printing tape, a margin can be provided by specifying a length before and after printing information. In that case, in a printing apparatus that can drive the printing tape only in the forward direction, an unprintable area having a length corresponding to the distance between the printing head and the cutter disposed downstream thereof is generated at the leading end portion of the printing tape. In order to secure a margin of a set length, printing is interrupted immediately after printing is started and the leading end of the printing tape is cut. By performing this process, a margin with a desired length shorter than the distance between the print head and the cutter can be set before and after the print information to be printed on the label, and the cutting position of the print tape can be set to the front end of the print information and the print information. A label with no margins can be created by filling the trailing edge.
JP 2001-10183 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-181110

  However, in the conventional printing apparatus, in order to provide a margin at the front portion of the print information printed on the label, it is necessary to cut the front end portion of the print tape which is unnecessary, and there is a problem that the print tape is wasted. . This problem is caused by the fact that the printing tape driving means provided in the printing apparatus can only drive the printing tape in the forward direction, and the tape driving means that can drive the printing tape in the forward and reverse directions is provided. It is considered that this problem can be solved. That is, prior to the printing operation of the printing head, the printing tape is moved in the reverse direction by a predetermined length, and printing of printing information may be started after securing the length of the margin provided at the front portion of printing information.

  However, as described in Patent Document 1, the tape cassette is provided with a head arrangement portion in which a print head is arranged in a cassette case that accommodates the print tape, and the print tape is guided downstream of the head arrangement portion. In addition, a guide portion for discharging to the downstream side of the cassette case is provided. This guide portion is formed in a bridge shape and is provided on the outer side surface of the cassette case, and restricts the movement of the print tape in the front and back direction and the width direction by passing the print tape through the bridge. Therefore, when the print tape is pulled back in the reverse direction prior to the print operation of the print head, if the leading end of the print tape moves to the upstream side from the guide portion, the print tape is sequentially moved along with the print operation of the print head. When driving in the direction, the leading end of the printing tape is caught by the guide portion and cannot pass through the guide portion, and there is a possibility that trouble may occur in feeding the printing tape. For this reason, the limit for moving the print tape in the reverse direction is to the position where the front end of the print tape is on the downstream side of the guide portion, and the printed label has at least a margin between the guide position and the print head position. Therefore, even if a label with a margin as short as possible or eliminated is desired, such a label cannot be printed.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems. When a label is created by printing on a printing tape, the length of the margin set at the front and rear of the print information printed on the label is minimized. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus capable of producing a label that has been lost or lost.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a printing tape formed by attaching a base material to a mount is accommodated in a cassette case, and the cassette case is provided with a head arrangement portion in which a printing head of a printing apparatus is arranged. A printing apparatus for printing on the print tape of a tape cassette provided with a guide portion for guiding the print tape downstream from the cassette case and discharging the cassette tape from the cassette case, wherein the print accommodated in the tape cassette A substrate for the print tape, comprising: tape drive means for driving the tape in the forward and reverse directions along the tape movement path; and the print head, and the tape movement path is driven in the forward direction by the tape drive means. Printing means for printing on the tape, and provided on the downstream side of the tape cassette and the print head. A peeling means for peeling the mount from the driven printing tape; a mount driving means for driving the mount moving path branched from the tape moving path in the forward and reverse directions; Provided on the downstream side of the tape cassette and the print head, and includes a cutting means for cutting only the base material of the print tape, and a control means for controlling the tape drive means, the print means and the mount drive means. The control means controls the tape driving means and the mount driving means prior to the printing operation of the printing means, and the tip of the base material is moved from the position beyond the guide means to the upstream side of the print head. The print tape and the mount are driven in the reverse direction along the tape movement path and the mount movement path so as to be pulled back to a predetermined position within the range up to the position. And wherein the Rukoto.

  The invention of claim 2 further comprises a margin setting means for setting a margin length before and after the print tape length direction of the print information to be printed on the substrate, and the control means is set by the margin setting means. According to the length of the margin, the control operation performed prior to the printing operation of the printing unit is executed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, at the start of the control operation performed by the control means prior to the printing operation of the printing means, at least the distance between the cutting means and the print head is provided downstream of the mount driving means. The board | substrate peeled from the said printing tape of the corresponding length exists, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that the cutting means is arranged upstream of the peeling means.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the tape drive means and the mount drive means include a common drive mechanism.

  The invention of claim 6 is characterized in that the tape drive means and the mount drive means are constituted by separate drive mechanisms.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, an ink ribbon is accommodated in the tape cassette, and the tape driving means drives the print head in a state where the print tape and the ink ribbon are overlapped, and The means is characterized in that a thermal head as a print head is driven to print the ink ribbon ink on the substrate of the print tape.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, after printing is performed on the base material of the print tape by the print head during the printing operation and the print tape is discharged from the tape cassette through the guide by the guide means of the tape cassette, the mount of the print tape In the printing apparatus configured so that the printing portion of the base material is cut by the cutting means, the leading end of the base material passes over the guide means upstream by driving the printing tape in the reverse direction. When the print tape is driven forward during the printing operation of the print head, as long as one of the mounts constituting the print tape is guided by the guide means without being removed from the guide means even if the guide means is deviated from the guide, It becomes possible to pass the tip of the base material through the guide means again by guidance by the mount. For this reason, it is possible to drive the substrate on which printing is performed in the reverse direction to the position of the print head or the vicinity thereof. As a result, the length of the margins provided at the front and rear portions of the print information is minimized. However, it is possible to create a lost label.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention as seen from the front, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the printing apparatus as seen from the rear. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus main body 11 of the printing apparatus 10 includes a first casing portion 12 and a second casing portion 13 that are L-shaped in side view. The printing apparatus 10 is formed in a size that allows the apparatus main body 11 to be carried, and holds the first casing portion 12 with one hand, and inputs or edits printing data with the other hand, or prints the label. You can do a series of operations for creating.

  A key input unit 14 and a display unit 15 are provided in front of the outer surface of the first housing unit 12. In addition, an electronic circuit that performs various controls necessary for the printing apparatus and a battery that serves as an operating power supply for the printing apparatus are housed in the first housing portion 12. Further, the second casing 13 includes a cover 16, in which a printing mechanism is provided, and consumables for printing can be accommodated.

  The key input unit 14 is a power key for turning on / off the printer, a character input key for inputting arbitrary character information as print information, a print key for instructing printing start, and a cursor on the display screen of the display unit 15. A cursor key for moving operation, various control keys for setting a print mode and various setting processes are provided. The display unit 15 is a liquid crystal display device, displays character information input from the key input unit 14, displays a selection menu screen for various setting processes, and other necessary messages regarding various processes. Etc. are displayed. The display unit 15 also displays various information such as the length of the label to be created and the state of the print mode.

  FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the tape cassette mounted on the printing apparatus with the cover of the printing apparatus opened. FIG. 4 shows a state where the cover of the printing apparatus is opened and the tape cassette is mounted. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a print tape 50 wound around a tape supply reel 42 is held inside a cassette case 41 of the tape cassette 40, and is wound around a ribbon supply reel 43 and wound around a ribbon. An ink ribbon 53 wound around the take-up reel 44 is held. The cassette case 41 that accommodates the print tape 50 and the ink ribbon 53 is provided with a head arrangement portion 45 in which the print head 22 of the printing apparatus 10 is arranged, and the outer side surface of the cassette case 41 on the downstream side of the head arrangement portion 45. A guide portion 46 for guiding the printing tape 50 and discharging it from the cassette case 41 is provided. In addition, a feeding port 47 through which the printing tape 50 and the ink ribbon 53 are fed from the inside of the cassette case 41 is provided on the upstream side wall of the head placement portion 45. As shown in FIG. 5, the guide portion 46 has a pair of L-shaped guide pieces 46 a provided facing the width direction of the print tape 50 that is conveyed on the outer surface of the cassette case 41 through the head placement portion 45. 46b. The pair of guide pieces 46 a and 46 b are provided so as to cover both ends in the width direction of the print tape 50 that passes between the guide pieces 46 a and 46 b. The movement of the print tape 50 in the front and back direction and the width direction is restricted on the upstream side and the downstream side, and the print tape 50 is positioned and supplied to the print head 22 arranged in the head arrangement part 45.

  The printing tape 50 accommodated in the tape cassette 40 has a printing surface on which printing is performed by the printing head 22, and a base tape 51 (base material) having an adhesive applied to the back side of the printing surface, and its base. It is composed of a detachable mount tape 52 (mount) that covers and adheres the adhesive surface of the material 51. The substrate 51 is made of a resin sheet such as PET, and print information is thermally transferred and printed on the printing surface by the ink ribbon 53. The substrate 51 may be made of thermal paper. In that case, the ink ribbon 53 becomes unnecessary and is removed.

  On the other hand, in FIGS. 3 and 4, a cassette housing portion 20 for mounting the tape cassette 40 is formed inside the second casing portion 13 of the printing apparatus 10. The cassette housing portion 20 is covered by a cover 16 that is pivotably coupled to the bottom of the second housing portion 13 by a hinge 17 so that the cassette 16 can be opened and closed. The cassette 40 is mounted, and the cover 16 is closed after the tape cassette 40 is mounted.

  The cassette housing unit 20 is provided with a printing mechanism for printing on the printing tape 50. That is, a platen roller 21 for driving the print tape 50 is provided, and a print head 22 composed of a thermal head is provided facing the platen roller 21. The platen roller 21 is rotationally driven by a motor drive source (not shown), and can drive the print tape 50 in the forward direction toward the downstream side of the tape moving path and in the reverse direction toward the upstream side. During printing, the print tape 50 is sandwiched between the print head 22 and the print tape 50 is driven in the forward direction (tape feed) toward the downstream side along the tape movement path. As will be described later, the platen roller 21 drives (tape feed) the print tape 50 in the reverse direction toward the upstream side along the tape movement path at the start of printing. The print head 22 has heating elements arranged in a line in the width direction of the print tape 50 orthogonal to the drive direction of the print tape 50, and the length of the print head 22 with respect to the print tape 50 driven by the platen roller 21. Print in the direction. The print head 22 is provided so as to be able to contact and separate from the platen roller 21 by a head moving mechanism (not shown). This head moving mechanism is interlocked with the opening / closing movement of the cover 16, and when the cover 16 is closed, the print head 22 contacts the platen roller 21, and when the cover 16 is opened, the print head 22 is separated from the platen roller 21. It is supposed to be.

  Further, inside the cassette housing portion 20, the ribbon take-up reel 43 of the tape cassette 40 is engaged with the ribbon take-up reel 43 to rotate in the ribbon take-up direction, and the ink ribbon 53 used for printing is supplied to the tape cassette 40. A ribbon take-up shaft 23 is provided to take up inside. During printing, the ribbon take-up shaft 23 is also rotationally driven together with the platen roller 21 by a motor drive source.

  The mount 52 is peeled from the base material 51 of the print tape 50 on the downstream side of the print tape moving path from the print position where the print head 22 contacts the platen roller 21 and printing is performed on the base material 51 of the print tape 50. The peeling part 25 for this is provided. The peeling portion 25 is disposed so as to face the mount 52 on the side opposite to the base 51 of the print tape 50, and only the mount 52 of the print tape 50 that is driven toward the downstream side in the tape movement path at the time of printing. Is reversed at an acute angle to separate the mount 52 from the print tape 50. Further, a pinch roller 24 is provided opposite to the printing position by the print head 22 across the platen roller 21 so as to face the platen roller 21, and the printing tape is formed by a peeling portion 25 between the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24 during printing. The paper is driven toward the downstream side of the mount movement path that branches off from the tape movement path with the mount 52 peeled off from the tape 50 interposed therebetween. The pinch roller 24 is configured to come in contact with and separate from the platen roller 21 in conjunction with the opening and closing movement of the cover 16.

  A tape discharge port 26 communicating with the outside of the apparatus main body 11 is formed on the downstream side of the tape moving path, and the printing tape is disposed between the print head 22 and the peeling portion 25 along the downstream side of the tape moving path. A cutter 27 for cutting only 50 base materials 51 is provided. The cutter 27 has a fixed blade and presses the base material 51 against the fixed blade for cutting. However, the present invention is not limited to this structure, and the fixed blade and the movable blade are provided to fix the movable blade by operating the operation lever. It may be a manual cutter for cutting by moving toward the blade, or an automatic cutter for cutting by moving the movable blade toward the fixed blade by driving a motor. In FIG. 4, the cutter 27 is provided on the upstream side of the peeling portion 25 that reverses the printing tape 50 at an acute angle, but the cutter 27 may be provided on the downstream side of the peeling portion 25.

  Further, in the second housing portion 13, it is peeled from the base 51 of the printing tape 50 on the other side different from the side provided with the tape discharge port 26 on the downstream side of the mount movement path. A mount discharge port 28 through which the mount 52 is discharged outside the apparatus main body 11 is provided.

  Next, FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of the configuration of the electronic circuit of the printing apparatus. As shown in the figure, the electronic circuit of this printing apparatus is provided with a control unit 60 comprising a CPU. The control unit 60 activates a device control program stored in advance in the ROM 61 in response to a key operation signal from the key input unit 14, and controls the operation of each circuit unit using the RAM 62 as a work memory. In addition to the key input unit 14, ROM 61, and RAM 62, a display font ROM 63 that stores character fonts for display, a print font ROM 64 that stores character fonts for printing, and a print head (thermal head) 22 is connected to a drive circuit 65 for driving heat generation according to print data, a drive circuit 67 for a drive motor 66 comprising a step motor for driving the platen roller 21 and the ribbon take-up shaft 23. A display unit 15 for displaying data and the like is connected. In addition, a battery power source 35 is provided, and a power source circuit 36 that adjusts the voltage of the battery power source to the operating voltage of each circuit unit and supplies it to each unit is provided.

  The ROM 61 stores a program for printing characters input from the key input unit 14. The RAM 62 includes an input information memory for storing input print information, a print data memory for storing print pattern data of the print information, and a display data memory for storing pattern data to be displayed on the display unit 15. Each area is secured, and a register, a counter, and the like for temporarily storing data necessary for a printing process and the like are provided.

  Next, the printing operation of the printing apparatus 10 will be described. The cover 16 of the printing apparatus 10 is opened, and the tape cassette 40 is attached to the cassette housing portion 20. When the tape cassette 40 is mounted, the base 51 and the mount 52 are separated in advance at the front end of the print tape 50, and the print tape 50 fed out from the tape cassette 40 is moved to the print head 22 and the platen roller 21. In addition, the backing sheet 52 peeled off from the printing tape 50 is inserted between the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24. By closing the cover 16 in this state, the print tape 50 is disposed between the thermal head 22 and the platen roller 21, and the mount 52 is sandwiched between the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24. When the tape cassette 40 is mounted on the printing apparatus 10, the base material 51 at the tip of the printing tape 51 is cut by the cutter 27 in preparation for printing. Thereby, the tip of the base material 51 of the printing tape 50 is aligned with the position of the cutter 27.

  Then, when the printing operation of the printing apparatus 10 is performed, the printing tape 50 and the ink ribbon 53 are pulled out from the tape cassette 40 and are sandwiched between the platen roller 21 and the printing head 22 in a superposed state. The moving path is driven toward the downstream side, the print head 22 is driven to generate heat, and the ink on the ink ribbon 53 is thermally transferred to the base material 51 of the print tape 50 to perform printing. Further, the backing 52 is peeled off from the printing tape 50 by the peeling portion 25, and the tape base material provided on the downstream side of the tape moving path in a state where the adhesive of the printed portion of the base 51 from which the backing 52 is peeled is exposed. The product is discharged from the outlet 26 to the outside of the apparatus main body 11. Further, the mount 52 peeled from the substrate 51 is discharged to the outside of the apparatus main body 11 through a mount discharge port 28 provided on the downstream side of the mount movement path.

  When printing is completed, the drive of the printing tape 50, the base material 51, and the mount 52 by the platen roller 21 is stopped, and the front end of the printed portion of the base material 51 discharged from the tape discharge port 26 to the outside of the apparatus main body 11 is picked. Then press against the cutter 27 and cut. As a result, a label without the mount 52 can be created, and the label can be immediately attached to the object after the label is created. In this way, the printing apparatus 10 can produce a label without the mount 52, and further, the margin provided at the end in the tape length direction of the print information to be printed on the label is shortened as much as possible. Alternatively, useless consumption of the printing tape can be eliminated. Hereinafter, the printing process will be described.

  Therefore, the arrangement relationship of the main part of the printing apparatus 10 will be described. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the printing process of the printing apparatus 10. In this printing apparatus 10, the print head 22 arranged in the head arrangement section 45 of the tape cassette 40, the guide section 46 of the tape cassette, and the cutter 27 are arranged in this order toward the downstream side along the tape movement path. The distance between the print head 22 and the cutter 27 is L, the distance between the print head 22 and the guide portion 46 of the tape cassette 40 is A, and the distance between the guide portion 46 and the cutter 27 is B. The distance L between the print head 22 and the cutter 27 is equal to the sum of the distance A between the print head 22 and the guide portion 46 and the distance B between the guide portion 46 and the cutter 27.

  In the printing apparatus 10, the lengths of the margins provided at the front and rear portions of the print information to be printed on the label are set, and the label can be printed with the set margin secured. The setting of the margin can be selected from, for example, four types of “no margin”, “small margin length”, “medium margin length”, and “large margin length”. This margin setting is performed in the format setting mode by displaying a margin setting screen on the display unit 14 and selecting one of the four types of margin lengths displayed on the screen.

  The margins that can be set by the printing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, only the front margin provided on the label is illustrated for the sake of explanation, but a margin having the same length as the front is also provided at the rear. First, “no margin” is to eliminate the margin provided at the front and rear of the label printing information. In FIG. 8, 51 a indicates a label (base material 51) in the case of “no margin”. The “small margin length” is a length corresponding to the distance from the position of the print head 22 to the position slightly beyond the guide section 46 of the tape cassette 40 at the front and rear of the label printing information ( A margin of Aa) is provided. In FIG. 8, 51 b indicates a label (base material 51) in the case of “small margin length”, and 55 b indicates the margin area. Further, “medium margin length” is to provide a margin of 1/2 L in length corresponding to half of the distance L between the print head 22 and the cutter 27 at the front and rear of the label printing information. In FIG. 8, 51 c indicates a label (base material 51) in the case of “medium margin length”, and 55 c indicates the margin area. “Large margin length” is to provide a margin of length L corresponding to the distance L between the print head 22 and the cutter 27 at the front and rear of the label print information. In FIG. 8, 51 d indicates a label (base material 51) in the case of “large margin length”, and 55 d indicates the margin area.

  Hereinafter, the printing process of the printing apparatus 10 will be described based on the flowchart of the printing process shown in FIG. 7 and the explanatory diagram of the printing process shown in FIG. Printing information to be printed on the printing tape 50 is input from the key input unit 14, a format including a margin length is set, and the printing key of the key input unit 14 is operated to start the printing process.

  First, it is determined whether the lengths of the front and rear margins set for the label to be created are “no margins” (step S1). If it is determined that the set margin is “no margin” (YES in step S1), the drive motor 66 is rotated in the reverse direction to drive the platen roller 21 to move the print tape 50 to the upstream side of the tape movement path. In the reverse direction, the sheet is reversely fed by a length L corresponding to the distance between the print head 22 and the cutter 27 (step S2). As a result, the tip of the substrate 51 of the print tape 50 that was initially at the position of the cutter 27 is pulled back to the position of the print head 22 and aligned with the print head 22. As the printing tape 50 is reversely fed, the mount 52 sandwiched between the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24 is also reversely fed upstream along the mount conveyance path by the same length. 8 shows the state of the base material 51 after the process of step S2. At this time, the tip of the substrate 51 passes through the guide portion 46 upstream and is located at the position of the print head 22 upstream from the guide portion 46 by a distance A. Since it is not cut | disconnected by the position, the front-end | tip of the base_sheet | mounting_paper 52 is long compared with the front-end | tip of the base material 51. FIG. At the start of driving the printing tape 50 in the reverse direction in step S2, the front end of the mount 52 is secured at least a length L downstream of the press contact portion between the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24. Therefore, at the end of the processing in step S2, the mount 52 is guided by the guide portion 46 through the guide portion 46, and at least the tip of the mount 52 is pressed against the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24 via the peeling portion 25. It is in the state.

  Thereafter, the transport motor 66 is rotated forward to drive the platen roller 21, and the print tape 50 is driven in the forward direction toward the downstream side of the tape moving path, so that the print pattern of the print information input from the key input unit 13 is printed. The print head 22 is driven based on the data, and printing is performed on the substrate 51 of the print tape 50. Since the printing tape 50 is fed in the reverse direction in step S2 and the tip of the substrate 51 is aligned with the print head 22, printing is performed from the tip of the substrate 51 (step S3). In parallel with printing on the substrate 51, the mount 52 of the printing tape 50 is driven in the forward direction along the mount movement path while being peeled from the substrate 52 by the peeling unit 25 by driving the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24. It is driven to move toward the discharge port 28. In the printing operation of step 3, the tip of the base material 51 is driven in the forward direction from the position where the guide portion 46 is removed upstream, but one base material 51 of the print tape 50 is detached from the guide portion 46. In addition, since the other mount 52 of the printing tape 50 is guided by the guide portion 46 and is not detached from the guide portion 46, the guide portion 46 is moved when the tip of the base material 51 driven in the forward direction passes through the guide portion 46. Without being caught by the guide 52, it can be guided to the mount 52 and pass through the guide portion 46 again to be driven in the forward direction.

  When printing of the print information by the print head 22 is completed, the print tape 50 is further driven in the forward direction along the tape movement path, and the tape is fed in the forward direction by the length L to complete the process (step S4). As a result, the tape feed is stopped in a state where the rear end portion of the print information on the base material 51 is sent to the position of the cutter 27. Therefore, the substrate 51 of the print tape 50 discharged from the substrate discharge port 26 to the outside of the apparatus main body is cut by the cutter 27, whereby a label having no margins at the front and rear portions of the print information is obtained.

  If it is determined in step S1 that the margin setting is not “no margin”, it is determined whether “margin length is small” (step S5). If it is determined that the set margin is “small margin length” (YES in step S5), the drive motor 66 is rotated in the reverse direction to drive the platen roller 21, and the print tape 50 is located upstream of the tape movement path. The printing tape is driven by a length (B + a) obtained by adding the length exceeding the distance a to the upstream side of the guide portion 46 to the length B corresponding to the distance between the cutter 27 and the guide portion 46. Reverse feed of 50 is performed (step S6). 8b of FIG. 8 has shown the state of the base material 51 after the process of step S6. As a result, the front end of the base material 51 of the printing tape 50 that was initially at the position of the cutter 27 is returned to a position beyond the guide portion 46 by a distance a. That is, the tip of the substrate 51 is positioned downstream of the print head 27 by a distance of (Aa). As the printing tape 50 is reversely fed, the mount 52 sandwiched between the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24 is also reversely fed upstream along the mount conveyance path by the same length. 8b of FIG. 8 has shown the state of the base material 51 after the process of step S6. At this time, the front end of the base material 51 passes through the guide portion 46 upstream and is upstream by a distance a from the guide portion 46, but the front end of the mount 52 is longer than the front end of the base material 51. Accordingly, the mount 52 is guided by the guide portion 46 through the guide portion 46, and is pressed against the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24 through the peeling portion 25, and the tip thereof is formed by the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24. It is in the mount moving path downstream from the press contact point.

  Thereafter, the transport motor 66 is rotated forward to drive the platen roller 21, and the print tape 50 is driven in the forward direction toward the downstream side of the tape moving path, so that the print pattern of the print information input from the key input unit 13 is printed. The print head 22 is driven based on the data, and printing is performed on the substrate 51 of the print tape 50. In step S6, the print tape 50 is fed in the reverse direction, and the print head 22 is located at a distance (A-a) from the tip of the base material 51. Therefore, this length is the length of the margin provided at the front portion of the print information. (Step S7). In parallel with printing on the substrate 51, the mount 52 of the printing tape 50 is separated from the substrate 52 by the peeling unit 25 by driving the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24, and the mount moving path is discharged in the forward direction. It is driven to move towards the outlet 28. In the printing operation of step 7, the tip of the base material 51 is driven in the forward direction from the position where the guide portion 46 is removed upstream, but one base material 51 of the print tape 50 is detached from the guide portion 46. Also, since the other mount 52 of the printing tape 50 is not detached from the guide portion 46 and is guided by the guide portion 46, the front end of the base material 51 driven in the forward direction becomes the guide portion 46 when passing through the guide portion 46. Without being caught, it is guided by the mount 52 and can pass through the guide portion 46 again to be driven in the forward direction.

  When printing of the print information by the print head 22 is completed, the print tape 50 is further driven in the forward direction along the tape movement path, and the tape is fed forward by the length of L + (A−a) to complete the process (step). S8). As a result, the tape feeding is stopped in a state where the rear end portion of the print information on the base material 51 has passed the cutter 27 by the length of (Aa). Therefore, by cutting the base material 51 of the printing tape 50 discharged out of the apparatus main body from the base material discharge port 26 with the cutter 27, a margin of length (A-a) is formed at the front and rear of the print information. The provided label can be obtained.

  If it is determined in step S5 that the margin setting is not “small margin length”, it is determined whether it is “medium margin length” (step S9). If it is determined that the set margin is “medium margin length” (YES in step S9), the drive motor 66 is rotated in the reverse direction to drive the platen roller 21, and the print tape 50 is moved upstream of the tape movement path. The printing tape 50 is reversely fed by a length L / 2 that is half the length L corresponding to the distance between the cutter 27 and the print head 22 (step S10). 8c of FIG. 8 has shown the state of the base material 51 after the process of step S10. As a result, the tip of the base material 51 of the printing tape 50 that was initially at the position of the cutter 27 is pulled back upstream from the cutter 27 by a length of L / 2. At this time, the tip of the base material 51 is on the downstream side by a distance b from the guide portion 46 and is in a state in which the guide portion 46 is guided. As the printing tape 50 is reversely fed, the mount 52 sandwiched between the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24 is also reversely fed upstream along the mount conveyance path by the same length. 8c of FIG. 8 has shown the state of the base material 51 after the process of step S10.

  Thereafter, the transport motor 66 is rotated forward to drive the platen roller 21, and the print tape 50 is driven in the forward direction toward the downstream side of the tape moving path, so that the print pattern of the print information input from the key input unit 13 is printed. The print head 22 is driven based on the data, and printing is performed on the substrate 51 of the print tape 50. Since the print tape 50 is fed in the reverse direction in step S10 and the print head 22 is located at a distance L / 2 downstream from the front end of the base material 51, this length is the length of the margin provided at the front portion of the print information. (Step S11). In parallel with printing on the substrate 51, the mount 52 of the printing tape 50 is separated from the substrate 52 by the peeling unit 25 by driving the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24, and the mount moving path is discharged in the forward direction. It is driven to move towards the outlet 28.

  When printing of the print information by the print head 22 is completed, the print tape 50 is further driven in the forward direction along the tape moving path, and the tape is fed forward by the length of L + L / 2 to complete the process (step S12). As a result, the tape feeding is stopped in a state in which the rear end portion of the print information on the substrate 51 has passed the downstream side from the position of the cutter 27 by a length of L / 2. Therefore, the base material 51 of the printing tape 50 discharged from the base material discharge port 26 to the outside of the apparatus main body is cut by the cutter 27, thereby providing a margin of L / 2 length at the front part and the rear part of the printing information. A label can be obtained.

  If it is determined in step S9 that the margin setting is not “medium margin length” (NO in step S9), the set margin is “the margin length corresponding to the distance between the print head 22 and the cutter 27”. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S13 without reversely feeding the print tape 50. In step S13, the transport motor 66 is rotated forward to drive the platen roller 21, and the print tape 50 is driven in the forward direction toward the downstream side of the tape movement path to print the print information input from the key input unit 13. Based on the pattern data, the print head 22 is driven to perform printing on the substrate 51 of the print tape 50. Since the print head 22 is upstream by a distance L from the front end of the substrate 51 at the start of printing, this length is the length of the margin provided at the front portion of the print information. In parallel with printing on the substrate 51, the mount 52 of the printing tape 50 is separated from the substrate 52 by the peeling unit 25 by driving the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24, and the mount moving path is discharged in the forward direction. It is driven to move towards the outlet 28.

  When printing of the print information by the print head 22 is completed, the print tape 50 is further driven in the forward direction along the tape movement path, and the tape is fed in the forward direction by a length of 2L to complete the process (step S14). As a result, the tape feeding is stopped in a state where the rear end portion of the print information on the substrate 51 has passed the downstream side from the position of the cutter 27 by the length of L. Therefore, the base material 51 of the printing tape 50 discharged from the base material discharge port 26 to the outside of the apparatus main body is cut by the cutter 27 so that a label provided with a margin of L length at the front part and the rear part of the printing information is provided. Obtainable.

  When the margin setting is “no margin”, the printing tape is reversely fed by the length L in step S2 shown in FIG. 7. When this reverse feeding is completed, the forward direction during printing in the next step S3. At least the tip of the mount 52 needs to be held between the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24 so that the sheet 52 can be fed to the printing tape 50. Need to be secured. That is, at the start of the reverse feed of the print tape performed prior to the print operation of the print head, the cutter 27 and the print corresponding to at least the tape reverse feed amount are printed on the downstream side of the platen roller 21 and the pinch roller 24 as the mount drive means. A mount 52 having a length corresponding to the distance between the heads 22 needs to be present. The same applies when the margin setting is “small margin length”.

  As described above, in the printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, printing is performed on the base material 51 of the print tape 50 by the print head 22 during the printing operation, and from the tape cassette 40 through the guide by the guide means 46 of the tape cassette 40. After the printing tape 50 is discharged, the mount 52 of the printing tape 50 is peeled off, while the printing portion of the substrate 51 is cut by the cutter 27, and the printing operation of the printing head 22 is performed. Prior to this, even if the printing tape 50 is driven in the reverse direction of the tape moving path, the tip of the base 51 passes over the guide means 46 and the tip of the base 51 is disengaged from the guide of the guide means 46. As long as the mount 52 constituting the tape 50 is guided by the guide means 46 without being detached from the guide means 46, the printing is performed at the next print head 22 printing. When the tape 50 is driven tape travel path in the forward direction, it is possible to pass the guide means 46 the leading edge of the substrate 51 again. For this reason, it is possible to drive the substrate 51 on which printing is performed in the reverse direction to the position of the print head 22 or a position in the vicinity thereof. As a result, the length of the margin provided at the front and rear portions of the print information is minimized. Labels that are shortened or lost can be created, and printing tape is not wasted.

  In the above embodiment, a thermal head is used as the print head 22, but an ink jet print head may be used. In this case, the substrate 51 of the printing tape 50 is provided with an image receiving layer corresponding to the ink jet ink liquid on the printing surface. In the above embodiment, the platen roller 21 is provided as a tape driving means for driving the print tape 50 in the forward and reverse directions of the tape movement path, while the mount 52 peeled from the print tape 50 is disposed in the mount movement path. A platen roller 21 and a pinch roller 24 are provided as a mount drive means for driving in the forward direction and the reverse direction, and the platen roller 21 is shared by the tape drive means and the mount drive means. However, a pair of drive rollers for driving the mount 52 may be provided, and the mount drive means and the tape drive means may be independent mechanisms. In that case, the drive source may be common.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front. The perspective view which shows the external appearance which looked at the printing apparatus from the rear part. The perspective view of the tape cassette with which the cover of the printing apparatus is opened and the printing apparatus is mounted. The front view of the state which opened the cover of the printing apparatus and mounted | wore with the tape cassette. Explanatory drawing of a structure of the guide part provided in a tape cassette. The block diagram which shows the structure of the electronic circuit of the printing apparatus. The flowchart which shows the printing process of the printing apparatus. Explanatory drawing of the printing process of the printing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printing apparatus 11 ... Apparatus main body 14 ... Key input part 15 ... Display part 16 ... Cover 20 ... Cassette loading part 21 ... Platen roller 22 ... Print head 24 ... Pinch roller 25 ... Peeling part 26 ... Tape discharge port 27 ... Cutter 40 ... Tape cassette 41 ... Cassette case 45 ... Head arrangement part 46 ... Guide part 50 ... Printing tape 51, 51a to 51d ... Base material 52 ... Mount 55ba to 55d ... Margin 60 ... Control part

Claims (7)

A printing tape having a base material adhered to a mount is accommodated in a cassette case, and the cassette case is provided with a head arrangement portion in which a print head of a printing apparatus is arranged, and the printing is arranged downstream of the head arrangement portion. A printing device for performing printing on the print tape of a tape cassette provided with a guide portion for guiding and discharging the tape from the cassette case,
Tape drive means for driving the print tape accommodated in the tape cassette in the forward and reverse directions along the tape movement path;
Printing means comprising the print head, and printing on the base material of the print tape driven forward in the tape movement path by the tape drive means;
A peeling means for peeling the mount from the printing tape, which is provided on the downstream side of the tape cassette and the print head and is driven forward in the tape movement path by the tape driving means;
A mount driving means for driving the mount moving path branched from the tape moving path in the forward direction and in the reverse direction;
Cutting means provided on the downstream side of the tape cassette and the print head, for cutting only the substrate of the print tape;
Control means for controlling the tape drive means, the printing means and the mount drive means,
The control means controls the tape driving means and the mount driving means prior to the printing operation of the printing means, and the position of the print head from the position where the leading edge of the base material is passed upstream of the guide means. A printing apparatus, wherein the printing tape and the mount are driven in a reverse direction along the tape movement path and the mount movement path so as to be pulled back to a predetermined position within the above range. Further comprising a margin setting means for setting a margin length before and after the tape length direction of the printing information to be printed on the substrate;
2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes the control operation performed prior to the printing operation of the printing unit according to a margin length set by the margin setting unit.   At the start of the control operation performed by the control means prior to the printing operation of the printing means, the downstream side of the mount driving means has a length corresponding to at least the distance between the cutting means and the print head, The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a backing sheet peeled from the printing tape is present.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cutting unit is disposed upstream of the peeling unit.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tape drive unit and the mount drive unit include a common drive mechanism.   5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tape drive unit and the mount drive unit are configured by separate drive mechanisms. The tape cassette contains an ink ribbon,
The tape drive means is driven with respect to the print head in a state where the print tape and the ink ribbon are overlapped,
7. A printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said printing means drives a thermal head as a printing head to print ink of said ink ribbon on a substrate of said printing tape.

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