Printing apparatus, printing method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021237477-A1
Application number	US-202117163097-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 29, 2021
Priority date	Feb 4, 2020
Publication date	Aug 5, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit, a printing unit, and a heating unit that heats a print medium. The conveyance unit conveys the print medium such that the printing unit can print an image onto a second print region at a printing position when the heating unit can heat a first print region at a heating position. If the ink amount applied to the first print region is a first amount, an image is printed onto the second print region in a first mode. If the applied ink amount is a second amount larger than the first amount, an image is printed onto the second print region in a second mode. A time for which the first print region passes through the heating position in the second mode is longer than a time for which the first print region passes through the heating position in the first mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A printing apparatus comprising:
a conveyance unit configured to convey a print medium in a conveyance direction; a printing unit configured to print an image by applying ink onto the print medium; a heating unit that is disposed downstream of the printing unit in the conveyance direction and configured to heat the print medium onto which the ink has been applied by the printing unit; an obtaining unit configured to obtain, for each print region of a plurality of print regions on the print medium lying side by side in the conveyance direction, a piece of application information indicating an amount of ink to be applied to the print region, wherein the plurality of print regions includes a first print region and a second print region, each indicated by a corresponding piece of application information; and a control unit configured to control, based on the pieces of application information, a printing operation to be performed by the printing unit to print images onto the plurality of print regions, wherein the conveyance unit conveys the print medium such that the printing unit is able to print the image onto the second print region at a printing position when the heating unit is able to heat the first print region at a heating position, wherein, in a case where the amount of ink applied to the first print region indicated by the corresponding piece of application information is a first amount, the control unit controls the printing operation to print the image onto the second print region in a first printing mode, wherein, in a case where the amount of ink applied to the first print region indicated by the corresponding piece of application information is a second amount larger than the first amount, the control unit controls the printing operation to print the image onto the second print region in a second printing mode, wherein each region onto which an image is printed in a printing mode is a predetermined region, and wherein a time for which the first print region passes through the heating position in a case where the image is printed onto the second print region in the second printing mode is longer than a time for which the first print region passes through the heating position in a case where the image is printed onto the second print region in the first printing mode.

2 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the pieces of application information is information indicating at least one of the following: a type of ink, an area of the corresponding predetermined region, or an amount of fine resin particles contained in the ink.

3 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the printing unit performs printing on the print medium by performing a main scan in which the printing unit moves in a direction crossing the conveyance direction, while ejecting the ink during the main scan, wherein the first printing mode is a printing mode in which the printing unit completes printing an image to be printed in a single main scan region to be subjected to the main scan by performing the main scan a predetermined number of times on the main scan region, and wherein the second printing mode is a printing mode in which the printing unit completes printing the image to be printed in the main scan region by performing the main scan a number of times that is greater than the predetermined number of times.

4 . The printing apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the control unit changes a wait time in the second printing mode in a stepwise manner according to a position of the predetermined region where the amount of ink applied is a predetermined value or greater, and wherein the position of the predetermined region is a position relative to the heating unit.

5 . The printing apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein among a predetermined number of print regions lying side by side on an upstream side of the second print region in the conveyance direction, the control unit makes the wait time longer for a downstream print region located more distant toward the downstream side than those print regions upstream of the downstream print region, and wherein among a predetermined number of the print regions lying side by side on a downstream side of the first print region in the conveyance direction, the control unit makes the wait time longer for an upstream print region located more distant toward an upstream side than those print regions downstream of the upstream print region.

6 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first printing mode is a printing mode in which a predetermined wait time is provided from after the printing unit performs a main scan a predetermined number of times until the printing unit starts a next main scan, and wherein the second printing mode is a printing mode in which a wait time that is longer than the predetermined wait time is provided from after the printing unit performs the main scan the predetermined number of times until the printing unit starts the next main scan.

7 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the conveyance unit conveys the print medium in the conveyance direction between a plurality of main scans performed by the printing unit, wherein the first printing mode is a printing mode involving a conveyance operation by the conveyance unit to convey the print medium at a predetermined conveyance speed, and wherein the second printing mode is a printing mode in which the print medium is conveyed by the conveyance unit at a lower speed than the predetermined conveyance speed.

8 . The printing apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the first printing mode is a printing mode in which the image is printed by ejecting the ink in both a forward scan in which the printing unit moves in a forward direction and a backward scan in which the printing unit moves in a backward direction that is backward relative to the forward direction among the plurality of main scans performed by the printing unit, and wherein the second printing mode is a printing mode in which the image is printed by ejecting the ink only in one of the forward scan and the backward scan among the plurality of main scans.

9 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the conveyance unit continuously conveys the print medium in the conveyance direction, wherein the printing unit includes an ejection opening array that are ejection openings for ejecting the ink arrayed in a direction crossing the conveyance direction, and wherein the printing unit is configured to print the image by ejecting the ink from the ejection opening array onto the print medium conveyed continuously, wherein the first printing mode is a printing mode in which the image is printed with the ink ejected from the ejection opening array onto the print medium conveyed at a predetermined speed by the conveyance unit, and wherein the second printing mode is a printing mode in which printing is performed with the ink ejected from the ejection opening array onto the print medium conveyed at a speed that is lower than the predetermined speed at which the conveyance unit conveys the print medium.

10 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the ink is an ink containing fine resin particles having a property that results in an image performance characteristic that is improved over an image performance characteristic of an ink not containing the property of the fine resin particles.

11 . A method for a printing apparatus having a printing unit configured to print an image by applying ink onto a print medium, and having a heating unit that is disposed downstream of the printing uni

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Takekoshi Rie
• Ushiyama Takayuki
• Ishimi Keita
• Shimmoto Tatsuo
• Uetsuki Masaya

Classifications

• B41J2/16508

  connected with the printer frame · CPC title

• B41J19/142

  with a reciprocating print head printing in both directions across the paper width · CPC title

• B41J19/207

  Encoding along a bar · CPC title

• B41J15/04

  Supporting, feeding, or guiding devices; Mountings for web rolls or spindles · CPC title

• B41J11/00216 Primary

  using infrared [IR] radiation or microwaves · CPC title