CN1724268A - Use the Method of printing and the device of shuttle thermal print head - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a printing method and device using a reciprocating thermal printing head, which can be printed by laterally moving the thermal printing head. The device and the printing method include: (a) printing an image on the medium with a thermal printhead when the medium is forwardly conveyed longitudinally; (b) moving the thermal printhead laterally by a predetermined value; and (c) reversely conveying the medium longitudinally , to print an image on media using a thermal printhead.

Description

Printing method and apparatus using a reciprocating thermal printhead

technical field

The present invention relates to a printing method and apparatus using a thermal print head (TPH). In particular, the present invention relates to a printing method and apparatus using a reciprocating TPH that can print an image by moving the TPH laterally.

Background technique

The thermal transfer printing device transfers the ink to the medium to form an image by using a thermal print head (TPH) to heat the ink ribbon attached to the medium; or forms an image by heating the medium, wherein the medium An ink layer of a predetermined color formed in response to heat emitted from the TPH is formed thereon.

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a conventional thermal transfer printing device. Referring to FIG. 1 , the printing apparatus includes a thermal print head (TPH) 100 , a TPH nozzle 120 , an embossing roller 140 and a feeder 155 . The feeder 155 includes a motor 160 , a drive roller 170 , a driven roller 180 and a media sensor 190 .

The TPH 100 heats the medium supplied by the feeder 155. The TPH nozzle 120 supplies ink required for printing onto the platen roller 140 . When the medium is inserted between the platen roller 140 and the TPH 100, the platen roll 140 is placed in front of the TPH 100, and when the medium is supplied, the platen roll 140 supports the medium so that ink adheres to the medium and rotates.

The motor 160 is a power supply for supplying the printing medium to the TPH 100, and the drive roller 170 supplies the medium by cooperating with the motor 160 and rotating. When the medium is inserted between the driving roller 170 and the driven roller 180 , the driven roller 180 supplies the medium by engaging with the driving roller 170 and rotating. The medium sensor 190 detects the position of the printing medium.

FIG. 2 is an image printed by using the conventional thermal transfer printing device of FIG. 1 . The image shown in Figure 2 was printed using a TPH with heating elements equivalent to 300 dots per inch (dpi), and the print resolution was also 300 dpi, which is equal to the number of heating elements of the TPH.

As described above, when using a conventional thermal transfer printing device, since the lateral length of the printing area is longer than the length of the TPH, it cannot be printed, so the size of the TPH must be increased to print on a larger-sized medium. Thus, manufacturing cost, power consumption, and heat loss increase.

In addition, when using a conventional thermal transfer type printing device, only printing at a predetermined resolution can be performed according to the number of heating elements of the TPH. Therefore, since the number of heating elements of the TPH must be increased to perform high-quality printing by increasing printing resolution, manufacturing costs increase, and temporary power consumption and heat loss of the printing apparatus also increase.

In addition, when two TPHs are used to heat the medium to complete color printing on the medium, a color to be printed may not be printed due to a distance deviation between the two TPHs. Therefore, alignment compensation for matching the positions of the two TPHs is required.

Therefore, there is a need for a TPH that is capable of printing on large size media without a significant increase in power consumption or heat loss.

Contents of the invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide a printing method and apparatus using a small-sized reciprocating thermal print head (TPH), which can print on a large-sized medium by moving the TPH laterally.

The embodiment of the present invention also provides a TPH alignment compensation method and device, which can detect the distance deviation between the two TPHs from the respective printed patterns of the two TPHs, and use the driver connected to the TPH to adjust the distance according to the detected distance. The offset moves the two TPHs, thereby easily and accurately compensating for the alignment of the two TPHs.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a method and apparatus for realizing high-quality printing using a reciprocating TPH, which can use a TPH with a small number of heating elements and realize high-resolution printing by moving the TPH laterally.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing method using a thermal print head (TPH). The method includes: (a) printing an image on the medium using the TPH when the medium is conveyed longitudinally; (b) moving the TPH laterally by a predetermined value; and (c) printing the image on the medium using the TPH while conveying the medium longitudinally. The longitudinal direction is the length direction of the medium supplied by the feeder, and the transverse direction is the medium width direction intersecting the longitudinal direction at right angles.

The predetermined value described in operation (b) is the lateral length of the TPH.

Operation (c) may include: calculating the lateral length of the remaining print area on the media, and comparing the calculated lateral length with the lateral length of the TPH; if the calculated lateral length is greater than the lateral length of the TPH, moving the media longitudinally using All of the TPH prints an image on the medium; and if the calculated lateral length is less than the lateral length of the TPH, only a portion of the TPH consistent with the calculated lateral length is used to print on the medium when the medium is moved longitudinally.

The TPHs may include a first TPH for heating the medium to print at least one of yellow, magenta, and cyan data; and a second TPH for heating the medium to print data other than The remaining data other than the data printed by the first TPH.

When the TPH includes a first TPH and a second TPH, the operation (a) may include heating the medium by the first TPH while the medium is forwardly conveyed longitudinally, and then heating the medium by the second TPH to print on the medium image. In addition, operation (c) may include heating the medium by the second TPH while the medium is reversely conveyed in the longitudinal direction, and then heating the medium by the first TPH to print the medium.

The method may further include: (d) judging whether there is an area to be printed on the medium; and (e) if there is an area to be printed on the medium, moving the TPH laterally by a predetermined value, and then using the TPH to move the medium longitudinally forward, Print the image on media.

Operation (e) may include: (e1) if there is an area to be printed remaining, then calculating the lateral length of the area to be printed remaining on the medium, and comparing the calculated lateral length with the lateral length of the TPH; (e2) if calculating If the obtained lateral length is greater than the lateral length of the TPH, the entire length of the TPH is used to print the image on the medium when the medium is moving longitudinally forward; and (e3) if the calculated lateral length is less than the lateral length of the TPH, the medium is Print the image on the media using only the portion of the TPH that corresponds to the calculated lateral length.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus using a TPH, the apparatus comprising: a feeder for forward/reverse conveyance of a medium longitudinally; a device for printing an image by heating the medium fed by the feeder a TPH; and a TPH actuator for moving the TPH laterally.

The TPH driver may include a print determiner for judging whether there is an area to be printed on the medium; and a driver for moving the TPH laterally by a predetermined value if there is an area to be printed on the medium.

The predetermined value may be a lateral length of the TPH.

The apparatus may further include a TPH controller that controls the TPH to heat the media using only a portion of the TPH consistent with a remaining area on the media to be printed.

The TPH controller may include: a length calculator for calculating a lateral length of the remaining print area on the medium; a length comparator for comparing the calculated lateral length with a lateral length of the TPH; and a bit controller, Used to control the TPH so that if the calculated transverse length is greater than the transverse length of the TPH, the medium is heated using the full amount of the TPH, whereas if the calculated transverse length is less than the transverse length of the TPH, the calculated transverse length is used Partial TPHs of consistent length heat the media.

The TPH driver may also include: a motor for moving the TPH; an encoder for converting the rotation angle of the motor into an electrical signal and outputting the electrical signal; a distance calculator for calculating the moving distance of the TPH by using the electrical signal; and A motor controller that controls the operation of the motor based on the calculated moving distance and a predetermined value.

The TPH may include: a first TPH for heating the medium to print at least one of yellow, magenta, and cyan data; and a second TPH for heating the medium to print data other than the data printed by the first TPH. remaining data.

When the TPH includes first and second TPHs, the TPH driver may include a first TPH driver laterally moving the first TPH; and a second TPH driver laterally moving the second TPH.

The printing method using TPH can be realized by a computer-readable medium on which a computer-readable program for executing the method is recorded.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of detecting a distance deviation between two TPHs of a printing apparatus which prints an image by heating a medium using a first TPH and a second TPH. The method includes: (a) printing a first pattern on a medium using a first TPH and printing a second pattern on the medium using a second TPH; and (b) detecting the first TPH and the second pattern using the printed pattern. Distance bias between TPHs.

Operation (a) may include the first TPH printing the first pattern on the medium by heating the medium at predetermined constant intervals; and the second TPH printing the second pattern on the medium by heating the medium at constant intervals.

Operation (a) may include a first TPH printing the first pattern on the medium by heating the medium at a predetermined constant interval; and a second TPH heating the medium by starting at an interval smaller than the constant interval and gradually increasing the interval. The heat is applied to print a second pattern on the medium.

Operation (b) may include detecting matching printing positions of the printed first pattern and the second pattern; and calculating a distance deviation between the first TPH and the second TPH using the detected printing positions.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a TPH alignment compensation method of a printing device is provided, the printing device uses a first TPH and a second TPH to heat a medium to print an image. The method includes moving the first TPH or the second TPH according to a distance deviation between the two TPHs using a drive that moves the first TPH and the second TPH.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a TPH alignment compensation device, which includes: a feeder for conveying a medium including a color layer for color printing; a first TPH for using the color layer of the medium at least one layer of the medium to print the first pattern; the second TPH is used to print the second pattern using the remaining color layer in the color layer of the medium except the color layer printed by the first TPH; the TPH driver is used to use The first TPH and the second TPH move; a distance deviation detector for calculating a distance deviation between the first TPH and the second TPH by detecting the first pattern and the second pattern; and a controller for controlling the feeder And the first and the second TPH, so that the first and the second TPH respectively print the first and second patterns on the medium, and control the TPH driver to compensate the position of the first TPH or the second TPH according to the distance deviation.

The controller may include: a pattern printing controller for controlling the feeder and the first and second TPHs so that the first TPH heats the medium at predetermined constant heating intervals to print the first pattern; and the second TPH heating the medium at an interval smaller than the constant heating interval and then gradually increasing the interval to print the second pattern; a driving controller for controlling the TPH driver to move the first TPH or the second TPH according to the distance deviation.

The TPH alignment compensation method can be realized by a computer-readable medium on which a computer-readable program for executing the printing method is recorded.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a high-quality printing method of printing an image using a TPH heating medium. The method includes: (a) converting the image data into data to be printed with a predetermined resolution; (b) printing the converted data on the medium by using the TPH when the medium is forwardly conveyed longitudinally; (c) moving the TPH laterally by a predetermined and (d) printing the converted data on the medium using the TPH when the medium is transported backwards in the longitudinal direction.

In operation (a), image data may be converted into data to be printed at a predetermined resolution using a look-up table. In operation (c), the TPH may be shifted laterally by a distance corresponding to 0.5 bits.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a high-quality printing apparatus for printing an image using a TPH heating medium. The device includes: a data converter for converting image data into data to be printed at a predetermined resolution; a feeder for forward/backward conveyance of the medium longitudinally; TPH for feeding the media by heating a medium to print an image; and a TPH driver for laterally moving the TPH by a predetermined value.

The data converter may use a look-up table to convert image data into data to be printed at a predetermined resolution.

The high-quality printing method using TPH may be realized by a computer-readable medium on which a computer-readable program for executing the printing method is recorded.

Description of drawings

The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

1 is a schematic top view of a conventional thermal transfer printing device;

Fig. 2 is the image printed using the traditional thermal transfer printing device of Fig. 1;

3 is a block diagram of a printing apparatus using a reciprocating thermal print head (TPH) according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a detailed block diagram of the TPH driver of FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a block diagram of a motor controller for moving a TPH according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a block diagram of a controller for controlling TPH according to an embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a block diagram of a printing apparatus using two reciprocating thermal print heads TPH according to an embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a flowchart illustrating a printing method using a reciprocating TPH according to an embodiment of the present invention according to an embodiment of the present invention;

9A to 9C are examples of a printing method using a reciprocating TPH according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the TPH in FIG. 8 printing an image on a medium according to an embodiment of the present invention;

11A to 11C are examples of a printing method using two reciprocating TPHs according to an embodiment of the present invention;

12 is a block diagram of a TPH alignment compensation device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

13 is a flowchart illustrating a TPH alignment compensation method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

14 is a detailed flowchart illustrating the TPH alignment compensation method of FIG. 13;

15A to 15B illustrate first and second patterns printed using the alignment compensation method of FIG. 14 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

16 is a block diagram of a high-quality printing apparatus using a reciprocating TPH according to an embodiment of the present invention;

17 is a flowchart illustrating a high-quality printing method using a reciprocating TPH according to an embodiment of the present invention;

18A to 18C are examples obtained by a high-quality printing method using a reciprocating TPH according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 shows the printing state after the first printing in FIG. 18A is completed according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 20 illustrates a printing state after completion of the second printing in FIG. 18C according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar elements, parts and structures are indicated by the same reference numerals.

Detailed ways

The invention will be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a printing apparatus using a reciprocating TPH according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3 , the printing apparatus includes a feeder 200 , a thermal print head (TPH) 210 and a TPH driver 220 . The operation of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8 illustrating the printing method using the reciprocating TPH.

In operation 700, the feeder 200 conveys the medium 230 at a predetermined printing speed in the forward direction of the longitudinal direction, and the TPH 210 prints an image by heating the medium 230 supplied by the feeder 200. The longitudinal direction is the length direction of the medium 230 fed by the feeder 200 .

In operation 710, the TPH driver 220 judges whether printing is completed. If the printing is not completed, the TPH driver 220 moves the TPH 210 laterally by a predetermined value in operation 720. The predetermined value is a user-defined travel distance or displacement, and is preferably set as the transverse length of the TPH 210. The transverse direction here is the width direction of the medium 230 and is at right angles to the intersection of the longitudinal direction.

In operation 730, the feeder 200 conveys the medium 230 at a predetermined printing speed in the reverse direction of the longitudinal direction, and the TPH 210 prints an image by heating the medium 230 supplied by the feeder 200.

In operation 740, the TPH driver 220 judges whether printing is completed on the printing area to be printed. If the printing is not completed, the TPH driver 220 moves the TPH 210 laterally by a predetermined value in operation 750, and then repeats operations 700 to 750.

FIG. 4 is a detailed block diagram of the TPH driver 220 of FIG. 3 . Referring to FIG. 4 , the TPH driver 220 includes a print determiner 300 and a driver 310 .

The printing determiner 300 determines whether the printing on the printing area to be printed on the medium 230 is completed. The driver 300 receives a signal indicating whether the printing is completed from the printing determiner 300, and if the printing has not been completed, the TPH 210 is moved laterally.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the controller of the motor 400 used to move the TPH 210 laterally. Referring to FIG. 5 , the controller includes an encoder 410 , a distance calculator 420 and a motor controller 430 .

The encoder 410 is connected to the motor 400, converts the rotation angle of the motor 400 into an electrical signal and outputs the electrical signal. The distance calculator 420 calculates and outputs the moving distance or displacement of the TPH 210 by means of the electrical signal output by the encoder 410.

The motor controller 430 receives the expected moving distance of the TPH 210 and the actual moving distance of the TPH 210 output from the distance calculator 420, and controls the rotation angle of the motor 400 by controlling the voltage supplied to the motor 400. The motor controller 430 can be implemented by using a proportional-integral-derivative (PID), PI, P, or adaptive controller.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a controller for controlling the TPH 210. 6, the controller includes a length calculator 500, a length comparator 510 and a bit controller (bit controller) 520. The operation of the controller shown in FIG. 6 will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 showing a method of printing an image when a medium is fed.

In operation 900, the length calculator 500 calculates the lateral length of the remaining printing area. For example, when calculating the lateral length, the lateral length of the remaining printing area can be calculated by storing the lateral length of the area to be printed, and subtracting the moving distance from the stored lateral length of the area to be printed when the TPH 210 moves laterally.

In operation 910, the length comparator 510 compares the calculated lateral length with the lateral length of the TPH 210. If the calculated lateral length of the remaining printing area is greater than the lateral length of the TPH 210, the bit controller 520 controls the TPH 210 to use all the TPH 210 for printing in operation 920.

If the calculated lateral length of the remaining print area is less than the lateral length of the TPH 210, the bit controller 520 controls the TPH 210 in operation 930 to print using only a part of the TPH 210, wherein the part of the TPH 210 corresponds to the entire part of the TPH 210 The horizontal length of the remaining print area obtained from the calculation in .

For example, when printing is performed on a print area of 8 inches wide by 10 inches long using a TPH of 3 inches long at 300 dpi, if the print area 3 inches wide is printed when the medium 230 is forward conveyed in the longitudinal direction, and if When the media 230 is conveyed in reverse direction, a 3-inch wide printing area is also printed, and the horizontal length of the remaining printing area is 2 inches. Therefore, the bit controller 520 controls the TPH 210 to print by using 600 bits corresponding to 2 inches of the total 900 bits to heat the medium 230.

9A to 9C are examples of a printing method using a reciprocating TPH. Referring to FIG. 9A , in order to print by using the TPH 210 of length x to heat the area 800 to be printed on the medium 230, the medium 230 is conveyed in the longitudinal direction A1, and then the TPH 210 prints by heating the supplied medium 230.

Referring to Fig. 9B, after the printing of the printing area corresponding to the TPH 210 transverse length x of the medium 230 until the longitudinal end of the medium 230 is completed by heating the medium 230, the TPH 210 is moved to the horizontal direction B.

Referring to FIG. 9C, after the TPH 210 moves x to the horizontal direction B, the medium 230 is conveyed vertically and reversely to A2, and the TPH 210 prints on the medium 230 until the printing of the entire printing area 800 is completed by repeating the above process.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of a printing apparatus using two reciprocating TPHs. 7, the printing device includes a feeder 200, a first TPH 600, a second TPH 610, a first TPH driver 620 and a second TPH driver 630. The operation of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 7 will be described below with reference to an example of a printing method using two reciprocating TPHs shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C .

Referring to FIG. 11A , when the feeder 200 conveys the medium 230 in the longitudinal forward direction A1, the first TPH 600 prints by heating the fed medium 230, and then the second TPH 610 prints by heating the fed medium 230.

Preferably, the medium 230 has ink layers of a predetermined color on both sides of a base sheet, and each ink layer has a single layer structure of a single color ink or a multilayer structure representing more than two colors. For example, the ink layer on the first side of media 230 may have two layers representing yellow and magenta, and the ink layer on the second side of media 230 may have one layer representing cyan. The yellow and magenta colors of the first side ink layer can be selectively developed by heating the medium 230 to a predetermined temperature based on the heating time of the first TPH 600. For example, when the first TPH 600 is heated at a high temperature for a short time, a yellow color may appear, and when the first TPH 600 is heated at a low temperature for a long time, a magenta color may appear. The cyan color of the second side ink layer can be developed by the heat applied by the second TPH 610.

Referring to Fig. 11B, when the first TPH 600 and the second TPH 610 are printed to the ends of the longitudinal direction by the heating medium 230, the first TPH driver 620 and the second TPH driver 630 respectively move the first TPH 600 and the second TPH 610 toward Horizontal B movement.

Referring to FIG. 11C, when the feeder 200 conveys the medium 230 toward the longitudinal reverse direction A2, the second TPH 610 prints by heating the supplied medium 230, and then the first TPH 600 prints by heating the supplied medium 230. By repeating the above process, the first TPH 600 and the second TPH 610 print on the medium 230 until the printing of the entire printing area 1000 is completed.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a TPH alignment compensation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The compensation method shown in FIG. 13 will now be described with reference to the TPH alignment compensation device shown in FIG. 12 .

In operation 1300, through the control of the controller 1250, the first TPH 1210 is made to print the first pattern by heating the medium 1280 conveyed in the longitudinal direction by the feeder 1200, and the second TPH 1220 is heated by the feeder 1200 in the longitudinal direction. The conveyed medium 1280 prints out the second pattern.

In operation 1310, the controller 1250 detects a lateral distance deviation between the first TPH 1210 and the second TPH 1220 using the printed first and second patterns.

In operation 1320, by the control of the controller 1250, the misalignment is compensated by: the first TPH driver 1235 moves the first TPH 1210 in the direction of the second TPH 1220 according to the detected distance deviation, Or the second TPH driver 1240 makes the second TPH 1220 move in the direction of the first TPH 1210 according to the detected distance deviation.

FIG. 14 is a detailed flowchart illustrating the TPH alignment compensation method of FIG. 13 .

In operation 1400, the feeder 1200 conveys the medium 1280 longitudinally for a predetermined distance under the control of the pattern printing controller 1255, and the first TPH 1210 prints a first pattern by heating the medium 1280 supplied at a constant heating interval d. FIG. 15A is an example of a first pattern printed out in operation 1400. Referring to FIG. The first pattern shown in FIG. 15A shows, for example, when the feeder 1200 transports the medium 1280 by 2 cm, the first TPH 1210 heats the medium 1280 at intervals of 20 bits and prints out the result. One bit represents the distance between adjacent heating elements of either the first TPH 1210 or the second TPH 1220.

In operation 1410, the feeder 1200 conveys the medium 1280 longitudinally for a predetermined distance under the control of the pattern printing controller 1255, and the second TPH 1220 responds by starting at an interval smaller than the heating interval d and gradually increasing the interval. The medium 1280 is heated to print the second pattern. FIG. 15B is an example of the second pattern printed out in operation 1410 . For example, the second pattern shown in FIG. 15B shows that when the feeder 1200 transports the medium 1280 by 2 cm, the second TPH 1220 starts at 17-bit intervals and gradually increases the interval by 1-bit increments The result printed out by heating the medium 1280 in the same way.

In operation 1420, the area detector 1260 is used to detect a printing position where the lateral positions of the printed first and second patterns match. Preferably, in the method for detecting the matching position, the user directly selects the matched position by determining the first pattern and the second pattern with the naked eye, or uses a sensor to detect the lateral direction of the printed first and second patterns The position matches the print position.

By this method of detecting matched positions, a position 1500 where the first pattern shown in FIG. 15A and the second pattern shown in FIG. 15B match is detected.

In operation 1430, the distance deviation calculator 1265 calculates a lateral distance deviation between the first TPH 1210 and the second TPH 1220 using the detected printing position. The calculation method of operation 1430 is now described with reference to FIG. 15 .

If the distance between the print start position of the first pattern and the detected print position 500 is calculated, the distance corresponds to 160 bits (20 bits×8), and if the print start position of the second pattern is calculated to the detected print position If the distance between the printing positions 500 to 500 is reached, then the distance corresponds to 164 bits (17+18+19+20+21+22+23+24).

Therefore, the distance corresponding to 4 bits (that is, the difference between the two calculated distances) is the distance deviation between the first TPH 1210 and the second TPH 1220, and it can also be calculated that the second TPH 1220 is placed in the first TPH The position to the left of 1210 corresponds to a distance of 4 bits. The actual distance offset can be calculated by multiplying the distance offset by the distance corresponding to 1 bit. For example, when the first TPH 1210 and the second TPH 1220 have a heating element of 300 dpi, the distance corresponding to 4 bits is 1/75 inch.

In operation 1440, under the control of the drive controller 1270, the first TPH driver 1235 and the second TPH driver 1240 are not aligned by making the first TPH 1210 and the second TPH 1220 move laterally according to the calculated distance deviation Compensation is performed so that the lateral positions of the first TPH 1210 and the second TPH 1220 match. For example, preferably, the first TPH driver 1235 moves the first TPH 1210 in the direction of the second TPH 1220 according to the calculated distance deviation, or the second TPH driver 1240 makes the second TPH 1220 move in the direction of the first TPH 1210 Move in the direction according to the calculated distance deviation.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a high-quality printing apparatus using a reciprocating TPH according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 16, the high-quality printing device includes a feeder 1600, a TPH 1610, a TPH driver 1620 and a data converter 1640. The high-quality printing apparatus shown in FIG. 16 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 17 showing the high-quality printing method.

In operation 1700, the data converter 1640 converts image data to be printed (eg, yellow, magenta, and cyan data) into data of a predetermined resolution to be printed. For example, when printing data with a resolution of 600dpi using data with a resolution of 300dpi, the data converter 1640 performs data conversion so that the diameter of each dot of the data becomes half the diameter of the original dot.

When image data is input, the data converter 1640 may convert the data by performing calculations. However, it is preferable to perform data conversion using a predetermined look-up table in consideration of an increase in the calculation amount of the printing apparatus due to conversion calculation. The look-up table stores image data and resolution as standard values, and image data converted according to the resolution as reference values. Therefore, when image data to be printed is input, and when a printing resolution is selected, the data converter 1640 may perform data conversion by referring to a look-up table without performing a separate calculation.

In operation 1710, the feeder 1600 conveys the medium 1630 at a predetermined printing speed in the longitudinal direction, and the TPH 1610 prints an image by heating the medium 1630 supplied by the feeder 1600.

In operation 1720, the TPH driver 1620 laterally moves the TPH 1610 by a predetermined value. Preferably, the predetermined value is a distance corresponding to, for example, TPH 1610 of 0.5 bits. For example, when the TPH 1610 has a heating element of 300 dpi, since 1 bit corresponds to 1/300 of an inch, the TPH driver 1620 moves the TPH 1610 laterally 1/600 of an inch.

In operation 1730, the feeder 1600 conveys the medium 1630 reversely toward the longitudinal direction at a predetermined printing speed, and the TPH 1610 prints an image by heating the medium 1630 supplied by the feeder 1600.

18A to 18C are examples of a high-quality printing method using a reciprocating TPH. 18A, in order to print by using the TPH 1610 to heat the printing area 1800 of the medium 1630, the medium 1630 is conveyed in the longitudinal direction A1, and the TPH 1610 prints by heating the medium 1630 according to image data converted into a predetermined resolution.

Referring to Figure 18B, the TPH 1610 is moved in the lateral direction B after printing.

Referring to FIG. 18C, after the TPH 1610 has moved laterally by a distance corresponding to 0.5 bits, the medium 1630 is conveyed longitudinally in reverse A2, and the TPH 1610 prints by heating the medium 1630 according to the image data converted into a predetermined resolution.

FIG. 19 shows the printing state after the first printing in FIG. 18A is completed. Fig. 20 shows the printing state after the second printing in Fig. 18C is completed. The print status shown in Figure 19 is the result of printing using a TPH 1610 with a heating element of 300dpi. After the TPH 1610 completes the first print, a resolution of 600 dpi is obtained by moving the TPH 1610 laterally by a distance of 1/600 inch corresponding to 0.5 bits and performing the second print shown in FIG. 20 .

Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in general-purpose computers by executing programs on computer-readable media, including but not limited to storage media such as magnetic storage media (read-only memory (ROM), random access Access memory (RAM, floppy disk, magnetic tape, etc.), optically readable media (compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital video disc (DVD), etc.), and carrier waves (distributed over the Internet). The present invention can also be embodied as a computer-readable medium, which includes computer-readable program code units for connecting multiple computer systems through a network to realize distributed processing.

As described above, the printing method and apparatus using a reciprocating TPH according to an embodiment of the present invention can use a conventional small-sized TPH without increasing the size of the TPH even when the printing area of the medium is large, by moving the TPH laterally on the medium High-quality printing can be achieved by printing on the TPH, and the method and device can also reduce the increase of temporary power consumption and heat generation caused by the use of a large-sized TPH. Furthermore, a lateral distance deviation between two TPHs that may occur when printing is performed using two TPHs can be accurately compensated by laterally moving one TPH in accordance with the distance deviation.

While the invention has been particularly illustrated and described with reference to the embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various forms and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Changes in details. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined not by the detailed description of the invention but by the appended claims, and all modifications within the scope of the invention will be construed as being included in the present invention.

This application claims Korean Patent Applications No. 10-2004-0055887 (filed on July 19, 2004), No. 10-2004-0055888 (filed on July 19, 2004) and No. .10-2004-0055889 (filed Jul. 19, 2004), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Claims (32)

1. A method of printing using a thermal printhead, said method comprising: (a) printing an image on the medium using the thermal print head while the medium is conveyed longitudinally; (b) laterally moving the thermal printhead by a predetermined value; and (c) Printing an image on a medium using the thermal print head while the medium is conveyed longitudinally. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined value in operation (b) is a lateral length of the thermal print head. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein operation (c) comprises: calculating the transverse length of the area remaining on the media to be printed and comparing the calculated transverse length with the transverse length of the thermal print head; if the calculated transverse length is greater than the transverse length of the thermal printhead, printing an image on the medium using the full length of the thermal printhead while the medium is moving longitudinally; and If the calculated transverse length is smaller than the transverse length of the thermal print head, only a portion of the thermal print head consistent with the calculated transverse length is used to print images on the medium when the medium moves longitudinally. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal printhead comprises: a first thermal printhead for heating the medium to print at least one of yellow, magenta, and cyan data; and The second thermal print head is used to heat the medium to print the remaining data except the data printed by the first thermal print head. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein operation (a) comprises: An image is printed on the media by the first thermal printhead and then by the second thermal printhead while the media is forwardly transported in the longitudinal direction. 6. The method of claim 4, wherein step (c) comprises: An image is printed on the media by the second thermal printhead and then by the first thermal printhead while the media is being conveyed in reverse longitudinally. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: (d) determining whether there is an area to be printed on the medium; and (e) If there is an area to be printed on the medium, after the thermal print head is moved laterally by a predetermined value, the medium is moved longitudinally and forwardly, and at the same time, the thermal print head is used to print an image on the medium. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein operation (e) comprises: (e1) calculating the lateral length of the area to be printed remaining on the medium, and comparing the calculated lateral length with the lateral length of the thermal print head; (e2) if the calculated transverse length is greater than the transverse length of the thermal printhead, printing an image on the medium using all of the thermal printhead while moving the medium longitudinally forward; and (e3) If the calculated transverse length is smaller than the transverse length of the thermal print head, only use the portion of the thermal print head consistent with the calculated transverse length to print an image on the medium when moving the medium longitudinally forward. 9. A printing device using a thermal print head, said device comprising: Feeders for longitudinal forward/reverse transport of media; a thermal printhead that prints an image by heating media supplied by the feeder; and A thermal print head driver laterally moves the thermal print head. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the thermal printhead driver comprises: A print determiner, which is used to determine whether there is an area to be printed on the medium; and A driver that moves the thermal print head laterally by a predetermined value if there is an area to be printed on the medium. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the predetermined value includes a lateral length of the thermal print head. 12. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising: A thermal printhead controller for controlling the thermal printhead to heat the media using only the portion of the thermal printhead consistent with the area remaining on the media to be printed. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the thermal printhead controller comprises: a length calculator for calculating the lateral length of the remaining print area on the medium; a length comparator for comparing the calculated lateral length with the lateral length of the thermal print head; and a bit controller, the bit controller is used to control the thermal print head, so that if the calculated lateral length is greater than the lateral length of the thermal print head, use all of the thermal print head to heat the medium, and if the calculated If the transverse length of is less than the transverse length of the thermal print head, use the portion of the thermal print head consistent with the calculated transverse length to heat the medium. 14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the thermal printhead driver further comprises: a motor for moving the thermal print head; an encoder for converting the rotation angle of the motor into an electrical signal and outputting the electrical signal; a distance calculator for calculating the distance traveled by the motor using electrical signals; and A motor controller that controls the motor using the calculated moving distance and the predetermined value. 15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the thermal printhead comprises: a first thermal printhead for heating the medium to print at least one of yellow, magenta, and cyan data; and The second thermal print head is used to heat the medium to print the remaining data except the data printed by the first thermal print head. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the thermal printhead driver comprises: a first thermal print head driver for laterally moving the first thermal print head; and A second thermal print head driver for laterally moving the second thermal print head. 17. A computer-readable medium, on which a computer-readable program for executing the method according to claim 1 is recorded. 18. A method of detecting distance deviation between two thermal print heads of a printing apparatus that prints an image by heating a medium using a first thermal print head and a second thermal print head, the method comprising: (a) printing a first pattern on a medium using the first thermal printhead and printing a second pattern on the medium using the second thermal printhead; and (b) Detecting a distance deviation between the first thermal print head and the second thermal print head using the printed pattern. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein operation (a) comprises: printing a first pattern on a medium by heating the medium at predetermined constant intervals by the first thermal print head; and A second pattern is printed on the medium by heating the medium at constant intervals by the second thermal head. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein operation (a) comprises: printing a first pattern on a medium by heating the medium at predetermined constant intervals by the first thermal print head; and A second pattern is printed on the medium by the second thermal printhead heating the medium starting at an interval less than the constant interval and then gradually increasing the interval. 21. The method of claim 18, wherein operation (b) comprises: detecting matching print positions of the printed first pattern and the second pattern; and A distance deviation between the first thermal print head and the second thermal print head is calculated by using the detected printing position. 22. A thermal head alignment compensation method for a printing device, wherein the printing device uses a first thermal head and a second thermal head to heat a medium to print an image, the method comprising: Using a driver that moves the first thermal print head and the second thermal print head, the first thermal print head or the second thermal print head is moved according to the distance deviation between the two thermal print heads. 23. A thermal printhead alignment compensation device comprising: a feeder conveying media including color layers for color printing; a first thermal printhead that prints a first design using at least one of the colored layers of the media; a second thermal printhead, the second thermal printhead prints a second pattern using the remaining color layers in the color layers of the medium except for the color layer printed by the first thermal printhead; a thermal head driver for moving the first thermal head and the second thermal head; a distance deviation detector for calculating a distance deviation between the first thermal head and the second thermal head by detecting the first pattern and the second pattern; and a controller for controlling the feeder and the first and second thermal printheads so that the first and second thermal printheads print first and second patterns on the medium, respectively, and controlling the thermal printhead driver to follow The distance deviation compensates for the position of the first thermal print head or the second thermal print head. 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the controller comprises: A pattern printing controller for controlling the feeder and the first and second thermal print heads such that the first thermal print head prints the first pattern by heating the medium at predetermined constant heating intervals, and the second thermal print head printing a second pattern by heating the medium starting at intervals less than said constant heating interval and then gradually increasing said interval; and The drive controller is used to control the thermal print head driver to move the first thermal print head or the second thermal print head according to the distance deviation. 25. A computer-readable medium, on which a computer-readable program for executing the method according to claim 18 is recorded. 26. A computer-readable medium, on which a computer-readable program for executing the method according to claim 22 is recorded. 27. A method of high quality printing using a thermal printhead to heat media to print an image, the method comprising: (a) converting the image data into data to be printed with a predetermined resolution; (b) When the medium is forwardly conveyed longitudinally, the converted data is printed on the medium using a thermal print head; (c) laterally moving the thermal printhead by a predetermined amount; and (d) When the medium is conveyed in the reverse direction in the longitudinal direction, the converted data is printed on the medium using a thermal print head. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein in operation (a), the image data is converted into data to be printed at a predetermined resolution using a look-up table. 29. The method of claim 27, wherein in operation (c), the thermal print head is moved laterally by a distance corresponding to 0.5 bits. 30. A high-quality printing device that uses a thermal printhead to heat media to print an image, the device comprising: a data converter for converting the image data into data to be printed with a predetermined resolution; feeder for longitudinal forward/reverse conveyance of media; a thermal printhead for printing an image by heating the medium supplied by the feeder; and a thermal print head driver for moving the thermal print head laterally by a predetermined value. 31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the data converter uses a look-up table to convert the image data into data to be printed at a predetermined resolution. 32. A computer-readable medium, on which a computer-readable program for executing the method according to claim 27 is recorded.

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