Ink jet printer, ink jet printing method and continuous recording sheet

An ink jet printer for forming an image frame in a continuous recording sheet at one of sizes PL and HL with reference to a feeding direction of said continuous recording sheet, where PL>HL, said ink jet printer comprising:

• said continuous recording sheet including plural recording sheets, and a splicing portion for splicing said plural recording sheets to one another in one line;
• a feeder mechanism for feeding said continuous recording sheet in said feeding direction;
• a printing head for printing said image frame to said continuous recording sheet being fed;
• a splice sensor, disposed in a predetermined position upstream from said printing head in said feeding direction, for detecting said splicing portion while said continuous recording sheet is fed;
• and
• a controller for allowing said printing head to print said image frame irrespective of said sizes PL and HL if an unavailable region including said splicing portion is estimated to come outside or come adjacent to an image frame region having said size PL according to a detection signal from said splice sensor, said controller allowing said printing head to print said image frame having said size HL in inhibiting said printing head from printing said image frame having said size PL if said unavailable region is estimated to overlap on said image frame region having said size PL according to said detection signal, said controller inhibiting said printing head from printing said image frame having said size HL if said unavailable region is estimated to overlap on an image frame region having said size HL according to said detection signal.

An ink jet printing method of forming an image frame in a continuous recording sheet at a size PL with reference to a feeding direction of said continuous recording sheet, said ink jet printing method comprising steps of:

• said continuous recording sheet including plural recording sheets, and a splicing portion for splicing said plural recording sheets to one another in one line;
• printing said image frame to said continuous recording sheet with a printing head while said continuous recording sheet is fed in said feeding direction;
• detecting whether said splicing portion comes past a predetermined position upstream from said printing head at a distance L1, where L1>PL;
• and
• inhibiting said printing head from printing said image frame if an unavailable region including said splicing portion is estimated to overlap on a region of said image frame according to a detection signal from said detecting step.

An ink jet printing method of forming an image frame in a continuous recording sheet at one of sizes PL and HL with reference to a feeding direction of said continuous recording sheet, where PL>HL, said ink jet printing method comprising steps of:

• said continuous recording sheet including plural recording sheets, and a splicing portion for splicing said plural recording sheets to one another in one line;
• printing said image frame to said continuous recording sheet with a printing head while said continuous recording sheet is fed in said feeding direction;
• while said continuous recording sheet is fed, detecting said splicing portion in a predetermined position upstream from said printing head in said feeding direction;
• and
• allowing said printing head to print said image frame irrespective of said sizes PL and HL if an unavailable region including said splicing portion is estimated to come outside or come adjacent to an image frame region having said size PL according to a detection signal from said detecting step, wherein said printing head is allowed to print said image frame having said size HL in inhibiting said printing head from printing said image frame having said size PL if said unavailable region is estimated to overlap on said image frame region having said size PL according to said detection signal, and wherein said printing head is inhibited from printing said image frame having said size HL if said unavailable region is estimated to overlap on an image frame region having said size HL according to said detection signal.