Method of printing a plurality of sections of a complete image

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9875434-B2
Application number	US-201414904993-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2014
Priority date	Jul 17, 2013
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

A method for printing a strip-shaped material to be printed uses a printing unit of a roller printer. Output data for actuating at least one printing machine printing unit component, which determines the shape of printing images, is generated from stored template image data of a complete printing image in order to generate a printed complete printing image. The complete printing image is determined or described in a primary data packet, and the dimensions of the complete image, which dimensions are measured in a template direction, are assigned to the complete printing image in the template image data or the primary data packet. The dimensions of the complete image are compared with a threshold, and if the threshold is exceeded, the complete printing image is divided into a plurality of sections with respect to the template direction, with the plurality of sections being determined or described in a plurality of secondary data packets. The sections are produced on the material to be printed by printing processes which are carried out by the printing unit and during each of which, output data, based on at least one of the secondary data packets, is processed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for printing on a strip-shaped printing material including:
providing a web-fed printing machine having at least one first printing unit including at least one printing element;
providing at least one component of the at least one first printing unit and which determines at least one form of printing images to be printed on the strip-shaped printing material using the at least one first printing unit;
providing stored template image data of at least one complete printing image;
generating output data for actuating the at least one component to produce at least one printed complete printing image using the stored template image data of the at least one complete printing image;
describing the at least one complete printing image in a primary data packet;
assigning at least one complete printing image dimension, measured in one of a width and a length of the at least one complete printing image, to the at least one complete printing image in one of the stored template image data and in the primary data packet;
comparing the at least one complete printing image dimension with at least one threshold value;
dividing the at least one complete printing image, with respect to the one of the width and length of the at least one complete printing image, into a plurality of sections of the at least one complete printing image, when the at least one complete printing image dimension exceeds the at least one threshold value;
describing the plurality of sections in a plurality of secondary data packets;
using the plurality of secondary data packets for creating secondary output data; and
carrying out the printing process, using the at least one printing unit, for producing the plurality of sections of the at least one complete printing image on the strip-shaped printing material by processing the secondary output data based on at least one of the secondary data packets and creating at least one printed complete printing image.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further including producing the plurality of sections of the at least one complete printing image on the same printing material.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further including comparing at least one complete image dimension with the at least one threshold value by using one of a machine controller and a printing data processor of the printing machine itself and by using one of at least one stored algorithm in a machine controller and a printing data processor of the printing machine.

4. The method according to claim, 1 further including storing all of one of raster data and output data generated from one of a plurality and all of the secondary data packets originating from the primary data packet at the same time in at least one memory.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further including one of using one of all of these raster data and output data generated from one of a plurality and all of the secondary data packets originating from this primary data packet in sequence to produce the sections of the at least one printed complete printing image and using one of all of these raster data and output data generated from one of a plurality and all of the secondary data packets originating from this primary data packet in sequence in cyclic repetitions to produce the sections of the at least one printed complete printing image.

6. The method according to claim, 1 , further including containing, in one of each secondary data packet, data relating to precisely one section of the at least one complete printing image, and all the data relating to one section of the at least one complete printing image in precisely one secondary data packet.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further including loading the secondary data packets one of at least partly in sequence into at least one memory, and processing the secondary data packets at least partly, in sequence by using one of at least one raster graphics processor and reading out the secondary data packets at least partly in sequence from at least one memory.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further including providing one of the primary data packet containing page description data and the printing image data within each of the secondary data packets being present, initially, in the form of at least one vector-based page description.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further including providing one of a width of each of the sections corresponding to the width of the at least one complete printing image and providing the length of each of the sections resulting from one of a segmentation of the at least one complete printing image into the secondary data packets and from a maximum secondary data packet size that can be processed.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further including one of producing at least two of the sections of the at least one complete printing image at least partially simultaneously on the same strip-shaped printing material, and using output data that are based on at least two different ones of the secondary data packets simultaneously, each for producing part of one of the sections of the complete printing image on the same strip-shaped printing material.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further including providing the secondary data packets containing the same type of data as the primary data packet.

12. The method according to claim 1 , further including one of processing one of the secondary data packets and the raster data obtained therefrom in sequence to generate the secondary output data according to which the printing image is produced, and processing one of the secondary data packets and the raster data obtained therefrom in sequence to generate the secondary output data for ejecting coating medium from nozzles.

13. The method according to claim 1 , further including one of storing each one of the secondary data packets and the packets of raster data, which are each based on a different secondary data packet, as a unit in at least one memory, and reading out one of the secondary data packets and the packets of raster data, which are each based on a different secondary data packet, as a unit, at least partly in sequence, from the at least one memory.

14. The method according to claim 1 , further including providing one of the at least one printing element as an inkjet printing element, and the printing machine as an inkjet printing machine, and providing the at least one component of the at least one first printing unit, which determines at least one form of printing images, as one of at least one inkjet print head of the at least one first printing unit of the printing machine, and providing the respective output data as control data for respective nozzles to be used in print heads of at least one inkjet printing element of the printing machine, and generating output data for actuating nozzles of print heads of the at least one first printing unit of the printing machine, according to which coating medium is ejected through said nozzles of print heads to produce the at least one printed complete printing image from the stored template image data of the at least one complete printing image.

15. The method according to claim 1 , further including compiling the secondary data packets using at least one image data computer, after which, generating the raster data from the secondary data packets by using of at least one raster data computer.

Assignees

• Koenig & Bauer Ag

Inventors

• Blank Alexander
• Huppmann Frank
• Jank Christian

Classifications

• G06K15/1896

  by means of alternately addressed storages · CPC title

• G06K15/1843

  Changing size or raster resolution · CPC title

• B41F19/007

  with selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet or thermal printers · CPC title

• G06K15/102

  using ink jet print heads · CPC title

• G06K15/1863

  by rasterizing in sub-page segments · CPC title