Printing apparatus, printing method, and storage medium

A printing apparatus forming an image on a continuous sheet, comprising:

• a first detection unit configured to detect a first mark on the continuous sheet indicating a formation position of the image;
• an image formation unit configured to print a plurality of color planes corresponding to the image in an overlapping manner at the formation position indicated by the first mark detected by the first detection unit and print a plurality of second marks corresponding to each of the plurality of color planes on the continuous sheet;
• a second detection unit configured to detect the plurality of second marks on the continuous sheet and calculate a positional shift amount in the sheet conveyance direction of a color plane of a color other than a reference color with respect to the color plane of the reference color among the plurality of color planes based on detection results of the plurality of second marks;
• and
• a control unit configured to adjust printing start timing of the color plane so as to resolve a shift in each of the color planes based on the positional shift amount calculated by the second detection unit, wherein
• the plurality of second marks is printed at an end portion of the continuous sheet so that at least part of the plurality of second marks overlaps the first mark in the sheet width direction;
• a detection range in the first detection unit and a detection range in the second detection unit overlap,
• in a case where the number of plurality of color planes is M, the image formation unit prints the M second marks side by side in the sheet conveyance direction between the first marks adjacent to each other, and
• the second detection unit calculates the positional shift amount by determining whether the detected mark is the second mark based on the interval between the detected marks.

A printing apparatus forming an image on a continuous sheet, comprising:

• a first detection unit configured to detect a first mark on the continuous sheet indicating a formation position of the image;
• an image formation unit configured to print a plurality of color planes corresponding to the image in an overlapping manner at the formation position indicated by the first mark detected by the first detection unit and print a plurality of second marks corresponding to each of the plurality of color planes on the continuous sheet;
• a second detection unit configured to detect the plurality of second marks on the continuous sheet and calculate a positional shift amount in the sheet conveyance direction of a color plane of a color other than a reference color with respect to the color plane of the reference color among the plurality of color planes based on detection results of the plurality of second marks;
• and
• a control unit configured to adjust printing start timing of the color plane so as to resolve a shift in each of the color planes based on the positional shift amount calculated by the second detection unit, wherein
• the plurality of second marks is printed at an end portion of the continuous sheet so that at least part of the plurality of second marks overlaps the first mark in the sheet width direction;
• a detection range in the first detection unit and a detection range in the second detection unit overlap,
• the length of the first mark and the length of the second mark are different,
• in a case where the number of plurality of color planes is M, the image formation unit prints the M second marks side by side in the sheet conveyance direction between the first marks adjacent to each other, and
• the second detection unit calculates the positional shift amount by determining whether the detected mark is the second mark based on the length of the detected mark.

A printing apparatus forming an image on a continuous sheet, comprising:

• a first detection unit configured to detect a first mark on the continuous sheet indicating a formation position of the image;
• an image formation unit configured to print a plurality of color planes corresponding to the image in an overlapping manner at the formation position indicated by the first mark detected by the first detection unit and print a plurality of second marks corresponding to each of the plurality of color planes on the continuous sheet;
• a second detection unit configured to detect the plurality of second marks on the continuous sheet and calculate a positional shift amount in the sheet conveyance direction of a color plane of a color other than a reference color with respect to the color plane of the reference color among the plurality of color planes based on detection results of the plurality of second marks;
• and
• a control unit configured to adjust printing start timing of the color plane so as to resolve a shift in each of the color planes based on the positional shift amount calculated by the second detection unit, wherein
• the plurality of second marks is printed at an end portion of the continuous sheet so that at least part of the plurality of second marks overlaps the first mark in the sheet width direction;
• a detection range in the first detection unit and a detection range in the second detection unit overlap,
• the length of the first mark and the length of the second mark are different,
• in a case where the number of plurality of color planes is M, the image formation unit prints combinations of the second mark corresponding to the reference color and the second mark corresponding to at least one color of colors other than the reference color side by side between the first marks adjacent to each other in the sheet conveyance direction, and
• the second detection unit calculates the positional shift amount by determining whether the detected mark is the second mark based on the length of the detected mark.

A control method of a printing apparatus forming an image on a continuous sheet, the control method comprising:

• a first detection step of, by a first detection unit, detecting a first mark on the continuous sheet indicating a formation position of the image;
• a printing step of, by an image formation unit, printing a plurality of color planes corresponding to the image in an overlapping manner at the formation position indicated by the first mark detected at the first detection step and printing a plurality of second marks corresponding to each of the plurality of color planes on the continuous sheet;
• a second detection step of, by a second detection unit, detecting the plurality of second marks on the continuous sheet and calculating a positional shift amount in the sheet conveyance direction of a color plane of a color other than a reference color with respect to the color plane of the reference color among the plurality of color planes based on detection results of the plurality of second marks;
• and
• a control step of adjusting printing start timing of the color plane so as to resolve a shift in each of the color planes based on the positional shift amount calculated obtained at the second detection step, wherein
• the plurality of second marks is printed at an end portion of the continuous sheet so that at least part of the plurality of second marks overlaps the first mark in the sheet width direction,
• a detection range in the first detection unit and a detection range in the second detection unit overlap,
• in a case where the number of plurality of color planes is M, the image formation unit prints the M second marks side by side between the first marks adjacent to each other in the sheet conveyance direction, and
• the second detection unit calculates the positional shift amount taking detected M marks as the second mark by switching operation modes based on the color of the detected mark.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform a control method of a printing apparatus forming an image on a continuous sheet, the control method comprising:

• a first detection step of, by a first detection unit, detecting a first mark on the continuous sheet indicating a formation position of the image;
• a printing step of, by an image formation unit, printing a plurality of color planes corresponding to the image in an overlapping manner at the formation position indicated by the first mark detected at the first detection step and printing a plurality of second marks corresponding to each of the plurality of color planes on the continuous sheet;
• a second detection step of, by a second detection unit, detecting the plurality of second marks on the continuous sheet and calculating a positional shift amount in the sheet conveyance direction of a color plane of a color other than a reference color with respect to the color plane of the reference color among the plurality of color planes based on detection results of the plurality of second marks;
• and
• a control step of adjusting printing start timing of the color plane so as to resolve a shift in each of the color planes based on the positional shift amount calculated obtained at the second detection step, wherein
• the plurality of second marks is printed at an end portion of the continuous sheet so that at least part of the plurality of second marks overlaps the first mark in the sheet width direction,
• part of the plurality of second marks overlaps the first mark in the sheet width direction;
• a detection range in the first detection unit and a detection range in the second detection unit overlap,
• in a case where the number of the plurality of color planes is M, the image formation unit prints the M second marks side by side between the first marks adjacent to each other in the sheet conveyance direction, and
• the second detection unit calculates the positional shift amount taking detected M marks as the second mark by switching operation modes based on the color of the detected mark.