Printing apparatus and printing method

A printing apparatus for printing, the printing apparatus comprising:

• a printing head having a plurality of printing elements arranged in a predetermined direction, the printing head being for printing a column including dots aligned in the predetermined direction;
• a conveying unit configured to convey a printing medium in a direction intersecting with the predetermined direction;
• a signal acquisition unit configured to acquire a reference signal which is sequentially output in response to conveyance of the printing medium by the conveying unit;
• a time-division driving unit configured to divide the plurality of printing elements into a plurality of blocks, and, in a time period after a target reference signal is acquired by the signal acquisition unit and until a next reference signal of the target reference signal is acquired, to drive the plurality of printing elements at a time interval for each of the blocks on a basis of the target reference signal to thereby perform one column of printing;
• and
• an information acquisition unit configured to acquire head information about the printing head in a time period after the target reference signal is acquired by the signal acquisition unit and until the next reference signal is acquired, wherein
• the information acquisition unit cancels, in a case where, in a first column, a time after the target reference signal is acquired by the signal acquisition unit and until the next reference signal is acquired is shorter than a time required for driving the plurality of printing elements for one column of printing by the time-division driving unit and for acquiring the head information by the information acquisition unit, an operation related to the head information in a second column in which printing is performed after the first column.

A printing method for printing by a printing apparatus including

• a printing head having a plurality of printing elements arranged in a predetermined direction, the printing head being for printing a column including dots aligned in the predetermined direction, and a conveying unit configured to convey a printing medium in a direction intersecting with the predetermined direction, the method comprising:
• a signal acquisition step of acquiring a reference signal which is sequentially output in response to conveyance of the printing medium by the conveying unit;
• and
• a time-division driving step of dividing the plurality of printing elements into a plurality of blocks, and, in a time period after a target reference signal is acquired in the signal acquisition step and until a next reference signal of the target reference signal is acquired, of driving the plurality of printing elements at a time interval for each of the blocks on a basis of the target reference signal to thereby perform one column of printing, wherein,
• in the time-division driving step, in a case where, in the first column, a time after the target reference signal is acquired and until the next reference signal is acquired in the signal acquisition step is shorter than a time required for driving the plurality of printing elements for performing one column of printing in the time-division driving step, the plurality of printing elements is driven so that a time required for driving the plurality of printing elements for one column of printing in the time-division driving step in a second column in which printing is performed after the first column becomes shorter than a time required for driving the plurality of printing elements for one column of printing in the time-division driving step in the first column.

A printing method for printing by a printing apparatus including

• a printing head having a plurality of printing elements arranged in a predetermined direction, the printing head being for printing a column including dots aligned in the predetermined direction, and
• a conveying unit configured to convey a printing medium in a direction intersecting with the predetermined direction, the method comprising:
• a signal acquisition step of acquiring a reference signal which is sequentially output in response to conveyance of the printing medium by the conveying unit;
• a time-division driving step of dividing the plurality of printing elements into a plurality of blocks, and, in a time period after a target reference signal is acquired in the signal acquisition step and until a next reference signal of the target reference signal is acquired, of driving the plurality of printing elements at a time interval for each of the blocks on a basis of the target reference signal to thereby perform one column of printing;
• and
• an information acquisition step of acquiring head information about the printing head in a time period after the target reference signal is acquired and until the next reference signal is acquired in the signal acquisition step, wherein,
• in the information acquisition step, in a case where, in the first column, a time after the target reference signal is acquired and until the next reference signal is acquired in the signal acquisition step is shorter than a time required for driving the plurality of printing elements for performing one column of printing in the time-division driving step and for acquiring the head information in the information acquisition step, an operation related to the head information is cancelled in a second column in which printing is performed after the first column.