Print apparatus, ribbon movement control device, ribbon film, ribbon movement control method, and program

A ribbon movement control device for use in a print apparatus including a print unit that records an arbitrary print pattern on a recording medium by pressing a thermal head against the recording medium with a ribbon film placed between the thermal head and the recording medium, the ribbon film having a base film on which transfer-material areas and margin areas including cue marks for the respective transfer-material areas are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction of the base film, and a cue-mark detector positioned downstream of the print unit and configured to detect the cue marks, the ribbon movement control device comprising:

• a cue-mark-detection monitor that monitors the cue-mark detection performed by the cue-mark detector while the ribbon film is moved forward, the transfer-material areas and the cue marks being arranged on the ribbon film such that L1<L2 is satisfied, where L1, which is 0 or more, is a distance between the leading edge of each transfer-material area and the corresponding cue mark and L2, which is more than 0, is a distance between a transfer position of the thermal head and a cue-mark detection position of the cue-mark detector;
• and
• a ribbon rewinder that moves the ribbon film backward toward a feed reel from a position where the cue-mark detection is accomplished by a distance corresponding to the difference between the distances L1 and L2 calculated as L2−L1, thereby positioning the ribbon film with respect to a print start position.

A ribbon movement control method for use in a print apparatus including a print unit that records an arbitrary print pattern on a recording medium by pressing a thermal head against the recording medium with a ribbon film placed between the thermal head and the recording medium, the ribbon film having a base film on which transfer-material areas and margin areas including cue marks for the respective transfer-material areas are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction of the base film, and a cue-mark detector positioned downstream of the print unit and configured to detect the cue marks, the ribbon movement control method comprising the steps of:

• monitoring the cue-mark detection performed by the cue-mark detector while the ribbon film is moved forward, the transfer-material areas and the cue marks being arranged on the ribbon film such that L1<L2 is satisfied, where L1, which is 0 or more, is a distance between the leading edge of each transfer-material area and the corresponding cue mark and L2, which is more than 0, is a distance between a transfer position of the thermal head and a cue-mark detection position of the cue-mark detector;
• and
• moving the ribbon film backward toward a feed reel from a position where the cue-mark detection is accomplished by a distance corresponding to the difference between the distances L1 and L2 calculated as L2−L1, thereby positioning the ribbon film with respect to a print start position.

A program executed by a computer installed in a print apparatus including a print unit that records an arbitrary print pattern on a recording medium by pressing a thermal head against the recording medium with a ribbon film placed between the thermal head and the recording medium, the ribbon film having a base film on which transfer-material areas and margin areas including cue marks for the respective transfer-material areas are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction of the base film, and a cue-mark detector positioned downstream of the print unit and configured to detect the cue marks, the program comprising the steps of:

• monitoring the cue-mark detection performed by the cue-mark detector while the ribbon film is moved forward, the transfer-material areas and the cue marks being arranged on the ribbon film such that L1<L2 is satisfied, where L1, which is 0 or more, is a distance between the leading edge of each transfer-material area and the corresponding cue mark and L2, which is more than 0, is a distance between a transfer position of the thermal head and a cue-mark detection position of the cue-mark detector;
• and
• moving the ribbon film backward toward a feed reel from a position where the cue-mark detection is accomplished by a distance corresponding to the difference between the distances L1 and L2 calculated as L2−L1, thereby positioning the ribbon film with respect to a print start position.

A print apparatus comprising:

• a print unit that records an arbitrary print pattern on a recording medium by pressing a thermal head against the recording medium with a ribbon film placed between the thermal head and the recording medium, the ribbon film having a base film on which transfer-material areas and margin areas including cue marks for the respective transfer-material areas are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction of the base film;
• a cue-mark detector positioned downstream of the print unit and configured to detect the cue marks;
• a ribbon-moving mechanism that moves the ribbon film, the transfer-material areas and the cue marks being arranged on the ribbon film such that L1<L2 is satisfied, where L1, which is 0 or more, is a distance between the leading edge of each transfer-material area and the corresponding cue mark and L2, which is more than 0, is a distance between a transfer position of the thermal head and a cue-mark detection position of the cue-mark detector;
• a movement amount acquirer that monitors passage of a cue mark through the cue-mark detection position while a print operation using the transfer-material area corresponding to the cue mark is being performed and determines a movement amount by which the ribbon film is moved in a period between the detection of the cue mark and the end of the print operation;
• and
• a first ribbon movement controller that subtracts the determined movement amount from the sum of a length of an unprocessed portion of the transfer-material area determined on the basis of the format of the ink ribbon at the time when the cue mark is detected and the length of each margin area and moves the ribbon film forward by a distance corresponding to the result of subtraction, thereby positioning the leading edge of the next transfer-material area at a print start position.

A ribbon movement control device for use in a print apparatus including a print unit that records an arbitrary print pattern on a recording medium by pressing a thermal head against the recording medium with a ribbon film placed between the thermal head and the recording medium, the ribbon film having a base film on which transfer-material areas and margin areas including cue marks for the respective transfer-material areas are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction of the base film, and a cue-mark detector positioned downstream of the print unit and configured to detect the cue marks, the ribbon movement control device comprising:

• a cue-mark-detection monitor that monitors passage of a cue mark through a cue-mark detection position of the cue-mark detector while a print operation using the transfer-material area corresponding to the cue mark is being performed, the transfer-material areas and the cue marks being arranged on the ribbon film such that L1<L2 is satisfied, where L1, which is 0 or more, is a distance between the leading edge of each transfer-material area and the corresponding cue mark and L2, which is more than 0, is a distance between a transfer position of the thermal head and the cue-mark detection position;
• a movement amount acquirer that determines a movement amount by which the ribbon film is moved in a period between the detection of the cue mark and the end of the print operation;
• and
• a feed amount calculator that subtracts the determined movement amount from the sum of a length of an unprocessed portion of the transfer-material area determined on the basis of the format of the ink ribbon at the time when the cue mark is detected and the length of each margin area and moves the ribbon film forward by a distance corresponding to the result of subtraction, thereby positioning the leading edge of the next transfer-material area at a print start position.

A ribbon movement control method for use in a print apparatus including a print unit that records an arbitrary print pattern on a recording medium by pressing a thermal head against the recording medium with a ribbon film placed between the thermal head and the recording medium, the ribbon film having a base film on which transfer-material areas and margin areas including cue marks for the respective transfer-material areas are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction of the base film, and a cue-mark detector positioned downstream of the print unit and configured to detect the cue marks, the ribbon movement control method comprising the steps of:

• monitoring passage of a cue mark through a cue-mark detection position of the cue-mark detector while a print operation using the transfer-material area corresponding to the cue mark is being performed, the transfer-material areas and the cue marks being arranged on the ribbon film such that L1<L2 is satisfied, where L1, which is 0 or more, is a distance between the leading edge of each transfer-material area and the corresponding cue mark and L2, which is more than 0, is a distance between a transfer position of the thermal head and the cue-mark detection position;
• determining a movement amount by which the ribbon film is moved in a period between the detection of the cue mark and the end of the print operation;
• and
• subtracting the determined movement amount from the sum of a length of an unprocessed portion of the transfer-material area determined on the basis of the format of the ink ribbon at the time when the cue mark is detected and the length of each margin area and moving the ribbon film forward by a distance corresponding to the result of subtraction, thereby positioning the leading edge of the next transfer-material area at a print start position.

A program executed by a computer installed in a print apparatus including a print unit that records an arbitrary print pattern on a recording medium by pressing a thermal head against the recording medium with a ribbon film placed between the thermal head and the recording medium, the ribbon film having a base film on which transfer-material areas and margin areas including cue marks for the respective transfer-material areas are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction of the base film, and a cue-mark detector positioned downstream of the print unit and configured to detect the cue marks, the program comprising the steps of:

• monitoring passage of a cue mark through a cue-mark detection position of the cue-mark detector while a print operation using the transfer-material area corresponding to the cue mark is being performed, the transfer-material areas and the cue marks being arranged on the ribbon film such that L1<L2 is satisfied, where L1, which is 0 or more, is a distance between the leading edge of each transfer-material area and the corresponding cue mark and L2, which is more than 0, is a distance between a transfer position of the thermal head and the cue-mark detection position;
• determining a movement amount by which the ribbon film is moved in a period between the detection of the cue mark and the end of the print operation;
• and
• subtracting the determined movement amount from the sum of a length of an unprocessed portion of the transfer-material area determined on the basis of the format of the ink ribbon at the time when the cue mark is detected and the length of each margin area and moving the ribbon film forward by a distance corresponding to the result of subtraction, thereby positioning the leading edge of the next transfer-material area at a print start position.