Seiko Epson Corporation

Masashi Kitahara

Atsushi Imamura

Naoki Hori

Shinji Kawakami

Jun Yamada

Tomoyuki Shiiya

Included are a feeding shaft configured to hold a printing medium, a first transporting belt, a second transporting belt, a first driving roller on which the first transporting belt is wound, a second driving roller on which the second transporting belt is wound, a first driving unit configured to drive the first driving roller, a second driving unit configured to drive the second driving roller, a winding roller on which the printing medium is wound, a first winding roller bearing, a second winding roller bearing, a first load cell configured to detect a load exerted by the printing medium on the first winding roller bearing, a second load cell configured to detect a load exerted by the printing medium on the second winding roller bearing, and a control unit configured to control the first driving unit and the second driving unit based on detection results of the load cells.

Printing apparatus

In a printing apparatus, a controller is configured to control a printing unit such that printing is started after a transport distance of the substrate reaches a pre-discharge transport distance, in which the pre-discharge transport distance is set to a value not less than a first longest distance, provided that a transport distance in a condition in which the transport distance is a longest distance among conditions 1, 2, and 3 provided below is the first longest distance. Condition 1: a transport distance until a region of the substrate that was nipped between a front driving roller and a nip roller passes through a printing head disposed most downstream in a transport path of the substrate, Condition 2: a transport distance until a transport speed of the substrate becomes constant, and Condition 3: a transport distance until tension of the substrate being transported becomes stable.

Printing apparatus and printing method

Technology enabling accurately detected marks on a print medium according to the type of print medium is provided. A printerhas a media type identifierthat determines the type of medium; a mark sensorthat projects light and detects a mark on the medium; and an emittance controllerthat sets the emittance level of the light the mark sensorprojects. The printercan change the operating mode according to the type of medium M identified by the media type identifier. In the white medium mode, the mark sensordetects a mark MR with the emittance level set to a white medium emittance level. In the non-white medium mode, the mark sensordetects a mark MR with the emittance level set to a non-white medium emittance level, which is higher than the white medium emittance level.

Printer and control method of a printer

A printing apparatus includes a transport unit which transports a recording medium in a transport direction; a printing unit which prints an image and a mark on the recording medium; and a mark detecting unit which is located on an upstream side of the printing unit in the transport direction, and detects a mark, includes a function of automatically adjusting a detecting sensitivity of the mark detecting unit, and obtains a printing start position using the mark, in which the mark detecting unit has a timer function including an ON delay in which a time between detecting of a mark and outputting of a detecting signal of ON is delayed, uses the timer function when obtaining the printing start position, and does not use the timer function when performing the automatic adjusting.

A printing method of a printing apparatus which includes a transport unit, a transport position output unit, a mark detecting unit, a steering unit, and a storage unit, the method including first processing in which the medium is transported by a first distance in the second direction, and positions the first mark on the downstream side of the detecting region in the second direction; second processing in which arriving at a predetermined position of the first mark is detected based on the output value of the drum encoder and a reference value; and third processing in which printing is started based on a detecting timing of the first mark, in which the first distance is a first stable transport distance or more which converges a deviation amount in the third direction into a predetermined first deviation amount until the first mark reaches the first predetermined position.

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Minamiminowa-mura, Japan

Masashi Kitahara