JP2005074759A - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

Even when a paper leading edge cutting operation by borderless printing is performed during recording, a decrease in throughput in marginless printing is suppressed as much as possible without causing a difference in color and density of ink between normal bands.
An ink jet recording apparatus sequentially records an image of one band by a recording head 31 while intermittently transporting a recording medium by a transport control unit 30. At the time of borderless printing, the front end of the recording medium including the recorded image portion is cut by the paper cutter unit 24. The recording control unit 37 cuts the leading edge of the recording medium by borderless printing during the band interval time from the end of the recording of one band until the start of the recording of the next one band, and the image recording of one page. From the start to the end, the band interval time including the recording medium front end cut is maximized, and at least after the recording medium front end cut, the band interval time is gradually reduced.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording unit such as a recording head to a recording medium, and more particularly to the recording control thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art As an output device such as a computer or a workstation, an ink jet recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium such as paper by discharging ink is known. This ink jet recording apparatus usually has a recording head in which nozzle groups for ejecting ink are formed, a carriage mounted with the recording head and moving in a predetermined direction (main scanning direction), and a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction ( And a paper transport device that transports the paper in the recording medium transport direction (sub-scanning direction).

  When recording an image on a sheet, after detecting the sheet size with an optical sensor or the like, the sheet being conveyed is temporarily stopped by a sheet conveying device, and the carriage is moved to the predetermined size while moving in the predetermined direction. Ink is ejected from the nozzles based on the image signal carrying the image information defined in the above, and an image for one band is recorded on an image recording area (band area) facing the ink ejection port of the nozzle group on the paper. Next, the paper is transported by a predetermined amount, stopped, and again, the carriage is reciprocated in the predetermined direction, and ink is ejected from the nozzle group based on the image signal, and a new position located in the image recording area on the paper is obtained. Record an image in the band area. By repeating such an operation, an image for one page is recorded on the sheet, and after the image for one page is recorded, the trailing edge of the sheet is cut as necessary.

  There is a process of borderless printing in the recording function of the ink jet recording apparatus. In borderless printing, an image such as a photograph is recorded without a margin at the periphery of the paper. An ink discharge receptacle for borderless printing is provided in an apparatus portion corresponding to the paper side (for example, a predetermined portion on the platen), and an image is recorded up to the paper side full by recording image data larger than the paper size. The ink of the image portion that protrudes outside the paper side is received by the ink discharge receiver and discarded. With regard to the sub-scanning direction of the image, borderless printing is realized by cutting several mm of the leading edge of the image when the leading edge of the paper being recorded reaches a predetermined position, and cutting the trailing edge of the image several mm after the recording is completed. To do.

  However, the conventional borderless printing process has the following problems.

  That is, as an operation peculiar to borderless printing, recording of a predetermined length is performed before cutting the leading edge of the paper, and recording is interrupted for the cutting operation, and then recording of the subsequent band is continued. For this reason, the band interval time until the recording of the next one band after recording one band only for the leading edge of the sheet becomes longer by the time required for the leading edge cutting process, and the ink discharged to the sheet before the leading edge of the paper is It will dry out by that much. Due to this difference in the degree of ink dryness, the color of the ink changes slightly, and the density is slightly different from other normal bands that do not cut the leading edge of the paper and stop discharging ink only for the paper transport time. Or change. This is a particularly serious problem in a full-color ink jet recording apparatus that records an image by discharging multicolor inks and an ink jet recording apparatus that performs multi-pass printing. In multi-pass printing, in order to improve the recording quality, the entire recording data of the area to be recorded in one scan is not recorded in one scan, but the discharge nozzle per scan is limited and the area of one band is scanned several times. Complete the record. In this multi-pass printing, as in full-color printing, the change in density between bands is emphasized due to fluctuations in the band interval time, and the deterioration in image quality is conspicuous.

  In order to solve the above problem, the inventor of the present application disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-202134 the band recording interval time (band interval time) that elapses when performing the paper leading edge cutting process during recording. A technique for inserting a wait time from the end of band recording to the start of the next band recording is proposed. As a result, the band interval time in the case where the paper leading edge cutting process is performed is equal to that in the case where the leading edge cutting process is not performed. Changes in color can be prevented.

  However, if the band interval time is made uniform for all bands, the required recording time for one page is increased as compared with the conventional case, resulting in a decrease in throughput.

  The present invention was made in such a background, and even when a paper leading edge cutting operation by borderless printing is performed during recording, there is no difference in color and density of ink between normal bands, An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of reducing the throughput difference from normal printing other than borderless printing as much as possible.

  An ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention cuts a recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction in an ink jet recording apparatus that sequentially records one band image by a recording head that ejects ink while intermittently conveying the recording medium. Cutting means, measuring means for measuring an elapsed time after the end of recording of one band, and recording control means for controlling recording processing including borderless printing. At the time of printing, the front end of the recording medium including the recorded image portion is cut by the cutter means during the band interval time from the end of recording of one band to the start of recording of the next one band, and the recording medium The band interval time including the front end cut is maximized, and at least after the recording medium front end cut, the band interval time is decreased stepwise. Memorial service, and performing a wait before the start of the next band record.

  In borderless printing, an image is recorded even before and after the cutting position at the front end of the recording medium, and the band interval time from the end of the recording of the previous band to the start of the next band recording at this time is for performing the cutting process. It becomes extremely longer than the normal band interval time. A standby time may be inserted from the end of band recording to the start of the next band recording so that the normal band interval time without cut processing matches the band interval time with cut processing. It takes longer time. Therefore, the time required for recording the entire page is shortened by maximizing the band interval time associated with the cutting process and decreasing the band interval time stepwise after at least the leading edge of the recording medium. Further, the difference between the band interval time accompanied by the cut process and the normal band interval time is distributed among the plurality of bands, and the difference in the band interval time between the individual bands can be reduced. Thereby, the sudden color change by the difference in the drying time which arises from the difference in band interval time can be suppressed.

  Since the conveyance amount of the recording medium before the recording medium front end cut is small, the band interval time may be maintained at the maximum before the recording medium front end cutting. May be gradually changed from the minimum to the maximum. This further shortens the time required for recording one page.

  The weight need not be applied to recording of one band immediately after cutting the recording medium front end. This is because the cut processing is performed between the bands, and the band interval time is maximized.

  Instead of this, the weight may be applied between all the bands regardless of whether or not the recording medium front end cut is performed. Thereby, the band interval time can be realized more accurately.

  The band interval time may be varied based on at least one of the recording medium type and the recording mode.

  You may provide the standby time table which defined standby time based on the conveyance time (how many times) of a recording medium. In this case, the control means determines each band interval time with reference to the standby time table.

  You may provide the standby time table which defined standby time based on the conveyance amount of a recording medium. In this case, the control means determines each band interval time with reference to the standby time table.

  According to the present invention, even if the recording medium front end cutting process is performed by borderless printing during recording, it is possible to prevent a sudden difference in ink color and density before and after the recording medium front end cutting process. Thus, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording apparatus that can suppress a decrease in throughput as much as possible.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 (front view), FIG. 2 (side view), and FIG. 3 (plan view) show simple schematic views of a plotter as an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus suitable for applying the present invention.

  In this plotter, a plurality of heads each having an ink discharge port 17 are mounted on a carriage 15. The carriage 15 is supported so as to be movable in the main scanning direction along a guide (not shown). The reciprocating motion of the carriage 15 is performed by a carriage driving belt 13 suspended on a pulley 12 that is rotationally driven by a motor 11. On the carriage 15, an optical (photo) sensor 18 for detecting the end of the paper 19 and a cutter unit 24 are mounted. The platen 20 is provided with an optical sensor 21 that detects the trailing edge when a cut sheet is loaded, a cutter groove 25 through which the blade of the cutter unit 24 passes when cutting a sheet such as roll paper, and an ink discharge receiver 29. 1 and 2 show the cutter unit 24 in a retracted state. Although not shown when the paper is cut, the blade protrudes into the cutter groove 25. The ink discharge receptacle 29 is an opening provided in the platen 20, and an ink absorber or the like (not shown) is disposed inside. Although the ink discharge receivers 29 are shown only at two places on the platen 20 in the figure, the ink discharge receivers 29 may be provided at other locations according to the paper width to be used. In FIG. 3, the illustration of the platen 20 is omitted.

  A linear scale 14 is arranged along the scanning direction of the carriage 15, and the linear scale sensor 16 detects the slit. The linear scale sensor 16 is mounted on the carriage 15. The position (timing) of ink ejection is managed mainly based on the output of the linear encoder composed of the linear scale 14 and the linear scale sensor 16. For example, ink ejection control is started when the carriage 15 passes a predetermined point on the linear scale 14, and each color ink is discharged from the ink ejection port 17 at a timing when the carriage 15 passes a specific slit of the linear scale 14. Control is performed such that the ink discharge control is terminated when the discharge is performed and another predetermined point on the linear scale 14 is passed. Further, the ink discharge start and end positions are determined by the paper position and the set margin amount detected by the optical sensors 18 and 21, and ink discharge is performed based on image data created in advance. The sheet 19 is sandwiched between the pinch roller 22 and the conveying roller 23 and is conveyed in synchronization with band recording.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the control device for the plotter according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The control device 34 includes a conveyance control unit 30, a paper information unit 35, a paper leading edge position start unit 36, a recording control unit 37, and a paper cut control unit 38.

  Among them, the paper information unit 35 stores the paper cut time for each paper type (paper type) as a recording medium as a data table (not shown), and the paper information input or detected by an external input means or the like. The cut time is sent to the recording control unit 37. The data stored in the data table is input by an external input unit or the like, or is detected paper cut time of the detected paper.

  The recording control unit 37 is a part that controls basic operations as a plotter, and controls external input processing, signal processing for recording based on this input processing, and driving processing of a recording operation mechanism. In particular, the recording control unit 37 in the apparatus of the present embodiment is based on the paper leading edge cutting position and the cutter groove 25 position managed by the paper leading edge position management unit 36, and the paper leading edge cutting position passes through the cutter groove 25 at the next band recording. The paper is cut at the timing of the determination, and the band interval time (which is an example of the waiting time in the present invention) is determined based on the recording mode and the paper type input from the paper information unit 35. The band interval time means the time from the end of the recording of one band until the start of the recording of the next one band. In this embodiment, the recording of the next band is performed after the end of the recording of one band. It is the time until the rotation of the paper transport roller 23 is started. Instead of this, it may be the time from the end of one band recording to the start of scanning of the head after paper conveyance for the next band recording.

  In addition, the “standby time” set in the present invention is compared with the time from the end of band recording to the completion of both carriage movement and paper conveyance to the next band recording position, and the elapsed time from immediately after band recording is counted. If the elapsed time has not reached the standby time even when preparation for starting the next band recording is completed, the wait is performed before the start of the next band recording for the difference time.

  Various positional relationships of the leading end of the sheet 19 in the sheet discharge direction will be described with reference to FIG. A position that is inward by a predetermined length (for example, about several tens to 100 mm) from the leading edge of the sheet is a recording start position 50 for borderless recording. Further, a position that is a predetermined length (for example, several mm) inward from the recording start position 50 is a cut position 51. The band width substantially corresponds to the length of the nozzle row of the head. A part of the tip of the recorded image 54 is excised. As explained in the prior art, if a band interval time longer than the normal band interval time is required for the cutting operation, a predetermined amount of bands are recorded by the recording head scan immediately before the cutting operation and a predetermined amount of paper is immediately after the cutting operation. There is a possibility that a difference in ink color and density may occur between the band boundary 53 between the band recorded by the next recording head scan after transport and the normal band boundary. This problem can be solved if the band interval time at the time of borderless printing is uniformly maintained over the entire band of one page as in the prior application. However, the present invention has been improved as described below in order to improve the throughput while solving the above-described problems. The band interval time is determined based on the recording mode and the paper type (paper type) input from the paper information unit 35. The recording mode is a different operation mode depending on, for example, one-way printing, two-way printing, or recording quality (definition).

  In the present embodiment, the paper cutting time differs depending on the paper type because the paper cutting speed is changed according to the paper type, and the movement from the end of band recording to the paper cutting position according to the recording mode. This is because the distance and the moving distance from the paper cut end position to the next band recording start position are different. In the case of multi-pass printing, the number of head scans from the start of recording to the cut position varies depending on the number of passes.

  In order to obtain the maximum band interval time, for example, the time t1 required for the carriage to move from the end of band recording to the paper cut start position, and the paper transport time t2 for aligning the paper front end cut position with the position of the cutter groove 25, And the longer time T1 of the two times. Further, the paper cut time by the paper type by the paper information unit 35 is defined as time T2. Further, the moving time t3 of the carriage that moves to the next band position is compared with the paper transport time t4, and the longer time T3 is set as the time T3. A time T4 obtained by adding these times T1, T2, and T3 is set as the maximum band interval time. The step-by-step standby time in this embodiment is determined based on the maximum band interval time.

  For example, the time control unit 39 is configured as a time counter that counts clock pulses and measures the elapsed time after the end of recording of one band, and a normal timer circuit, clock circuit, or the like can also be used. In this case, the time control unit 39 sends a standby time expiration signal to the recording control unit 37 when it is determined that the elapsed time exceeds the standby time. Under the control of the recording control unit 37, the conveyance control unit 30 rotationally drives the conveyance roller 23 that conveys the sheet in order to convey the sheet by a predetermined amount for each scan of the head.

  Here, the “predetermined amount” is, for example, a length corresponding to one band, but in the case of multi-pass printing, it is a length obtained by dividing the length of one band by the number of passes. In the case of multi-pass printing, the band recorded immediately before the paper cut and the band recorded immediately after can partially overlap. Therefore, the “band boundary” at the time of multi-pass printing has a certain width. The band interval time from the end of one band recording to the start of the next one band recording is the time from the end of one pass recording to the start of the next one pass recording. In this specification, recording by one scanning of the head in multi-pass printing is also referred to as “one-band recording” or “band recording”.

Next, the operation of the above-described embodiment of the present invention will be described using a specific example. In the plotter of the present invention, it is assumed that various times when the paper type is plain paper and bidirectional printing are as follows.
(1) Time to move the carriage from the end of band recording to the paper cut start position: 1.5 seconds (2) Paper transport time for aligning the paper front end cut position 51 with the position of the cutter groove 25: 0.5 seconds (3) Paper Paper cut time according to the paper type by the information unit 35: 5.0 seconds (4) Carriage movement time to move to the next band position: 1.4 seconds (5) Paper conveyance time to move to the next band position: 0.3 seconds

  In this case, at the time of borderless printing, the time required for starting the next one-band recording from the one-band recording to the cutting operation is “7.9 seconds” from 1.5 + 5.0 + 1.4. is there.

  When the paper information from the external input means is film, the paper information unit 35 determines from the stored data table (not shown) “3.5 seconds as the appropriate paper cutting time for the film. Is sent to the recording control unit 37. The recording control unit 37 sets “6.4 seconds” obtained from 1.5 + 3.5 + 1.4 as the maximum band interval time (standby time). In other words, after one recording scan of the recording head 2, the maximum band interval is set so that “6.4 seconds” is required until the rotation driving of the conveying roller 23 that conveys one band of paper for the next recording is started. Set the time.

  The recording control unit 37 stores this wait time in the time control unit 39, and after receiving a standby time expiration signal from the time control unit 39, the recording control unit 37 gives a predetermined value to the conveyance control unit 30 that controls the rotation of the conveyance roller 23. Send a signal. In the present embodiment, the paper conveyance for the next band recording is performed after the weight. However, in this embodiment, the weight may be performed after the paper conveyance.

  Also, the time for moving the carriage from the end of the band recording to the paper cutting start position, the paper transport time for adjusting the paper leading edge cutting position to the position of the cutter groove 25, the paper cutting time by the paper type by the paper information section 35, and the next band position The movement time of the carriage that moves to the next position and the paper conveyance time to move to the next band position vary depending on the paper type, recording mode, paper width to be recorded, etc., but these times are held in the paper information section 35 in the data table. Alternatively, it may be derived by a simple calculation formula stored in the paper information unit 35 or the like. Further, band interval times corresponding to the paper type and recording mode are obtained in advance and stored in the data table, and the band interval time is immediately obtained by referring to the data table prior to the start of borderless printing. It is also possible to do so.

  By such processing, the time from the start of recording to the cutting of the leading edge of the paper after the scanning of the head is completed until the rotation of the transport roller 23 that transports a predetermined amount of paper for the next recording is started. During this period, a constant “6.4 seconds” is set. As a result, the band interval time before cutting the front edge of the paper becomes equal to the band interval time when cutting the front edge of the paper, so that the band interval time increases only between the bands where the front edge of the paper is cut during borderless printing. It is possible to prevent the difference in color and density between the normal band and the ink.

  After cutting the leading edge of the paper, as shown in FIG. 6A, a time difference (for example, “1.5 seconds”) that is held in advance in the paper information unit 35 and is incapable of recognizing a change in tint in the band interval time Is subtracted from the maximum band interval time after the paper leading edge cutting process, and finally becomes “0 seconds” from 6.4 seconds → 4.9 seconds → 3.4 seconds → 1.9 seconds → 0.4 seconds. To do. However, since there is a finite band interval time even during normal printing, the actual band interval time may be longer than the standby time. In such a case, no weight is inserted.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, in order to prevent a steep color change, the waiting time is not subtracted for each band, but 6.4 seconds → 4.9 seconds → 4. The same waiting time may be overlapped several times as 9 seconds → 3.4 seconds → 3.4 seconds → 1.9 seconds → 1.9 seconds → 0.4 seconds → 0.4 seconds.

  By such band recording standby processing, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of ink color and density differences after the paper leading edge cutting processing, and to reduce the difference in throughput from normal printing.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a standby time table 710 corresponding to the method of FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, this table creates table data for each of different recording modes (for example, coated paper standard mode: 160 dot feed, coated paper clean mode: 128 dot feed), and the head scanning times ( In other words, the standby time data is referred to using the paper conveyance times as an index. However, it is not essential to use a table, and the waiting time to be set may be obtained by calculation.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The timing of the leading edge cutting process in the borderless printing process (how many scans the leading edge cutting process is performed before printing) is generally determined by the recording mode. For this reason, instead of setting all the waiting time from the start of printing to the cutting of the leading edge of the paper to the time required for cutting the leading edge of the sheet, as shown in FIG. 8, after the start of printing, the waiting time is gradually increased from zero. Further, the waiting time can be maximized before and after the leading edge of the sheet, and the waiting time can be gradually decreased after the leading edge of the sheet, thereby further improving the throughput.

For example, in the standard mode of coated paper, the transport amount of paper per band recording (one scan) is 160 dots. Since the leading edge cutting position of the sheet is 2249 dots from the printing start position, the leading edge cutting process is performed before printing the 15th scan. Therefore, with the center before the fifteenth scan for cutting the front edge of the paper (the maximum waiting time),
Before the 6th and 7th scan: 0.4 seconds,
8th and 9th scan: 1.9 seconds,
10th and 11th scans: 3.4 seconds,
12th and 13th scan: 4.9 seconds,
14, 15, 16th scan: 6.4 seconds,
17th and 18th scans: 4.9 seconds,
19, 20th scan: 3.4 seconds,
21st and 22nd scan: 1.9 seconds,
23rd and 24th scans: 0.4 seconds, and the waiting time thereafter is 0 seconds.

  FIG. 9 shows a configuration example of the standby time table 720 used in the second embodiment. As can be seen from this table, the value of the maximum standby time varies depending on the recording mode, and the corresponding scanning times of the paper cut timing vary, so the position of the maximum standby time (scanning times) also changes accordingly. The standby time table 270 defines different standby times depending on the type of recording medium and the recording mode. The type of recording medium and the recording mode may be other than those illustrated.

  As a result, a gradation pattern which is not conspicuous is formed instead of the unevenness due to the difference in drying condition before and after cutting the front end of the paper, so that it is possible to improve the image quality and further improve the throughput with respect to the first embodiment. Become.

  FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of borderless printing processing in the first and second embodiments. In this process, the process itself is the same except that the standby time tables used in the first embodiment and the second embodiment are different.

  First, the scan time n is reset to 0 (S11), and the process proceeds to the following iterative process.

  In the repetitive process, every time band data is received (S12, Yes), the scanning number n is incremented by +1 until the recording process is completed (S21, Yes) (S13). Next, when the paper front end cut execution timing for borderless printing has arrived (S14, Yes), the paper front end cut processing is executed (S15), and then the next band recording start position is moved (S16). If it is not the paper leading edge cutting execution timing (S14, No), the process moves to the next band recording start position (S17) and stands by by referring to the waiting time table 710 corresponding to the recording mode using the scan number n as a key. Time x seconds is obtained (S18). While the elapsed time from the end of the previous band recording does not reach the waiting time x seconds, the process waits without shifting to the next band recording (S19). If x seconds are exceeded, the next band recording is executed (S20), and the process returns to step S12.

  When the recording process ends (S21, Yes), a predetermined recording end process is executed (S22), and this process ends.

  FIG. 11 shows a modification of the process of FIG. In the processing of FIG. 10, the wait time is not inserted during band recording at the time of cutting the paper leading edge. However, in the processing of FIG. 11, x from the end of the previous band recording regardless of whether band recording is involved in cutting the paper leading edge. After the elapse of seconds, the next band recording is executed.

  First, the scan time n is reset to 0 (S31), and the process proceeds to the following iterative process.

  In the repetitive process, every time band data is received (S32, Yes), the scanning number n is incremented by +1 until the recording process is completed (S40, Yes) (S33). Next, when the paper leading edge cutting execution timing for borderless printing has arrived (S34, Yes), the paper leading edge cutting process is executed (S35), and then the movement to the next band recording start position is performed (S36). If it is not the paper leading edge cutting execution timing (S14, No), the execution of step S35 is bypassed and moved to the next band recording start position (S36). Next, the standby time x seconds is obtained by referring to the standby time table 720 corresponding to the recording mode using the scan times n as a key (S37). While the elapsed time from the end of the previous band recording does not reach the waiting time x seconds, the process waits without shifting to the next band recording (S38). When x seconds are exceeded, the next band recording is executed (S39), and the process returns to step S32. If it has already exceeded x seconds at the time of the determination in step S38, the process immediately shifts to the next band recording without waiting.

  When the recording process ends (S40, Yes), a predetermined recording end process is executed (S41), and this process ends.

  Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, when a standby time table for each recording mode is created, it is necessary to newly add standby time table data every time a recording mode is added. There are concerns about troubles such as data creation and adverse effects such as an increase in data. In order to solve such an adverse effect, in the third embodiment, the standby time is determined based on the distance from the recording start position to the head.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the position of the nozzle at the end of the head with respect to the paper discharge direction has the paper position before the start of printing as the origin, and the distance from this paper origin (the waiting time depending on the paper conveyance amount). That is, the standby time is determined by determining in which area the paper position immediately before band recording is determined by the standby time table 730 as shown in FIG. As can be seen, the maximum standby time can vary depending on the recording mode (including the paper type), etc. In this embodiment, the scanning time is not used to determine the standby time, so the position of the maximum standby time on the table is It does not change depending on the paper type.

  According to the third embodiment, it is not necessary to have a different table for each recording mode, and the standby time can be referred to by a common index table for all recording modes.

  FIG. 14 shows a flowchart of borderless printing processing according to the third embodiment.

  Until the recording process is completed (S59, Yes), each time band data is received (S51, Yes), the following repetitive process is executed.

  If the paper front end cut execution timing for borderless printing has arrived (S52, Yes), the paper front end cut processing is executed (S53), and then moved to the next band recording start position (S54). If it is not the paper leading edge cutting execution timing (S52, No), it moves to the next band recording start position (S55). Using the current position as a key, the standby time x seconds is obtained by referring to the standby time table 730 corresponding to the recording mode (S56). While the elapsed time from the end of the previous band recording does not reach the waiting time x seconds, the process waits without shifting to the next band recording (S57). When x seconds are exceeded, the next band recording is executed (S58), and the process returns to step S51.

  When the recording process ends (S59, Yes), a predetermined recording end process is executed (S60), and this process ends.

  FIG. 15 shows a modification of the process of FIG. In the processing of FIG. 14, the wait time is not inserted during band recording at the time of cutting the paper leading edge. However, in the processing of FIG. 15, x from the end of the previous band recording regardless of whether band recording is involved in cutting the paper leading edge. After the elapse of seconds, the next band recording is executed.

  Until the recording process is completed (S78, Yes), each time band data is received (S71, Yes), the following repetitive process is executed.

  If the paper front end cut execution timing for borderless printing has arrived (S72, Yes), the paper front end cut processing is executed (S73), and then moved to the next band recording start position (S74). If it is not the paper leading edge cutting execution timing (No at S72), the process moves to the next band recording start position without executing Step S73 (S74), and the waiting time table 730 corresponding to the recording mode is set using the current position as a key. To obtain the waiting time x seconds (S75). While the elapsed time from the end of the previous band recording does not reach the waiting time x seconds, the process waits without shifting to the next band recording (S76). When x seconds are exceeded, the next band recording is executed (S77), and the process returns to step S71.

  When the recording process ends (S78, Yes), a predetermined recording end process is executed (S79), and this process ends.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various modifications and changes other than those mentioned above can be made. For example, in the above description, the head moves in the main scanning direction. However, when a so-called line head extending in the paper width direction is used, scanning of the head is unnecessary. The present invention can also be applied to a recording apparatus using such a line head.

1 is a simple schematic view (front view) of a plotter as an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus suitable for applying the present invention. It is a simple schematic diagram (side view) of the plotter of FIG. It is a simple schematic diagram (plan view) of the plotter of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the control apparatus of the plotter concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining various positional relationships of the leading end portion of the paper in the paper discharge direction in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the scanning times and standby time in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the waiting time table corresponding to the system of FIG.6 (b). It is a graph which shows the relationship between the scanning time and waiting time in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the waiting time table used in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of borderless printing processing in the first and second embodiments of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the modification of the process of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of 3rd Embodiment by this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the standby time table corresponding to the system of FIG. It is a flowchart of the borderless printing process by 3rd Embodiment by this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the modification of the process of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Motor 12 ... Pulley 13 ... Carriage drive belt 14 ... Linear scale 15 ... Carriage 16 ... Linear scale sensor 17 ... Inkjet head 18 ... Optical type (photo) sensor 19 ... Paper 20 ... Platen 21 ... Optical type (photo) sensor 22 ... Pinch roller 23 ... Paper transport roller 24 ... Cutter unit 25 ... Cutter groove 30 ... Carrying control unit 34 ... Control device 35 ... Paper information unit 36 ... Paper tip position management unit 37 ... Recording control unit 38 ... Paper cut control unit 39 ... Time control unit

Claims (7)

In an inkjet recording apparatus that sequentially records one band image by a recording head that ejects ink while intermittently transporting a recording medium,
Cutter means for cutting the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction;
A measuring means for measuring an elapsed time after the end of recording of one band;
Recording control means for controlling recording processing including borderless printing,
The recording control means includes a front end of a recording medium including an image portion recorded by the cutter means during a band interval time from the end of one band recording to the start of the next one band recording during borderless printing. Before the next band recording is started so that the band interval time including the recording medium front end cut is maximized, and at least after the recording medium front end cut, the band interval time is gradually reduced. An ink jet recording apparatus characterized in that   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the band interval time is changed stepwise from the minimum to the maximum even before the recording medium front end cut.   3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the weight is not applied to recording of one band immediately after the front end of the recording medium is cut.   3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the weight is applied between all the bands regardless of whether or not the recording medium front end is cut.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the band interval time is varied based on at least one of a recording medium type and a recording mode.   2. A standby time table in which a standby time is determined based on a recording medium conveyance time (how many times) is provided, and the control means determines each band interval time with reference to the standby time table. Or the inkjet recording device of 2.   3. A standby time table in which a standby time is determined based on a conveyance amount of a recording medium, and the control means determines each band interval time with reference to the standby time table. Inkjet recording device.

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