# US 8,783,856 B2 · Printing apparatus and printing method

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- Number: US 8,783,856 B2
- Document ID: US8783856B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/356,777
- Filed: 2012-01-24
- Published: 2012-07-26
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2011-01-24
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Applicants: Hirotaka Matsunaga
- Inventors: Hirotaka Matsunaga
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8783856B2

## CPC

- B41J 15/16: Means for tensioning or winding the web
- B41J 3/407: for marking on special material
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

## Abstract

A printer includes: a transport unit that transports a roll of transparent medium; a first nozzles ejecting ink to form a color image; and a second nozzles ejecting ink to form a background image. When a plurality of printed images to be formed by overlapping the color image and the background image continue to be printed on the medium and when the background image of the printed image is located on the outside of the color image in a case where the medium is wound in the roll shape, a confirmation image formed by overlapping the color image and the background image is printed on an end portion of the medium to be wound in the roll shape so that at least a part of the color image is located on the outside of the background image.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A printing apparatus comprising:
a transport unit that transports a transparent medium and winds the medium subjected to printing in a roll shape;
a first nozzle line in which a plurality of nozzles ejecting ink to form a color image are arranged; and
a second nozzle line in which a plurality of nozzles ejecting ink to form a background image are arranged;
wherein when a plurality of printed images to be formed by overlapping the color image and the background image continue to be printed on the medium and when the background image of the printed image is located on the outside of the color image in a case where the medium is wound in the roll shape, a confirmation image formed by overlapping the color image and the background image is printed on an end portion of the medium to be wound in the roll shape so that at least a part of the color image is located on the outside of the background image.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the transport unit winds the medium subjected to the printing in the roll shape so that a printed surface of the medium faces the outside, and
wherein when the plurality of printed images to be formed by overlapping the background image on the color image continue to be printed on the medium, the confirmation image formed by overlapping the color image on the background image is printed on the end portion of the medium to be wound in the roll shape.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the transport unit winds the medium subjected to the printing in the roll shape so that a printed surface of the medium faces the inside, and
wherein when the plurality of printed images to be formed by overlapping the color image on the background image continue to be printed on the medium, the confirmation image formed by overlapping the background image on the color image is printed on the end portion of the medium to be wound in the roll shape.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation image is printed by allowing pixels in which background dots forming the background image are formed on color dots forming the color image and pixels in which the color dots are formed on the background dots to coexist.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The printing apparatus according to claim 4,
wherein the color image and the background image are formed on the medium by repeating a dot forming operation of forming the color dots and the background dots on the medium by ejecting the ink from the first and second nozzle lines while moving the first and second nozzle lines in a movement direction and a transport operation of transporting the medium in a transport direction, and
wherein when the confirmation image is printed, the pixels in which the background dots are formed on the color dots and the pixels in which the color dots are formed on the background dots are allowed to coexist in an area in which the color image and the background image overlap each other by overlapping positions of the nozzles of the first nozzle line ejecting the ink in the transport direction and positions of the nozzles of the second nozzle line ejecting the ink in the transport direction in the dot forming operation and by repeating the dot forming operation of moving the first and second nozzle lines in a forward direction of the movement direction and the dot forming operation of moving the first and second nozzle lines in a backward direction of the movement direction.

### Claim 6

A printing method of using a printing apparatus which includes a transport unit that transports a transparent medium and winds the medium subjected to printing in a roll shape, a first nozzle line in which a plurality of nozzles ejecting ink to form a color image are arranged, and a second nozzle line in which a plurality of nozzles ejecting ink to form a background image are arranged, the printing method comprising:
printing a confirmation image formed by overlapping the color image and the background image on an end portion of the medium to be wound in the roll shape so that at least a part of the color image is located on the outside of the background image, when a plurality of printed images to be formed by overlapping the color image and the background image continue to be printed on the medium and when the background image of the printed image is located on the outside of the color image in a case where the medium is wound in the roll shape:
wherein the above process are executed by processor.