JPH0373472B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a color thermal transfer recording device.

As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional color thermal transfer recording apparatus using a line-type thermal head and using a field-sequential scanning type mainly consists of a thermal head 1, a platen 2, a recording paper 3, a recording paper supply roll 4, and an ink film 5. It consists of an ink film supply roll 6 and an ink film take-up roll 7. The ink film 5 used here has three primary colors, Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C, as shown in FIG.
This is an ink film in which each side is painted in cyan (cyan). Furthermore, the recording paper 3 is fed by a paper feeding mechanism (not shown) in a paper feeding direction A and a paper returning direction B, respectively. At the same time, the thermal head 1 is moved up and down by another mechanism such as a cam (not shown), and when it is in the lower position, it is possible to print by thermal transfer, and in the upper position, the recording paper 3 is freely moved in the paper feeding direction. A or paper return direction B is possible. When printing by thermal transfer, the ink film 5 is sent out in an ink film sending direction D and wound around an ink film take-up roll 7, and at the same time, the recording paper 3 is configured to move in a paper feeding direction A. .

Next, to explain the printing sequence of the conventional device with such a configuration, first, the thermal head 1
Printing is started from a specific color (usually Y) among the three colors YMC formed on the ink film 5, which is painted sequentially on the descending side. Along with printing, the recording paper 3 is fed in the paper feeding direction A, and the ink film 5 is fed in the ink film feeding direction D. When printing for one color is completed, the thermal head 1 is raised, and the recording paper 3 is sent in the paper return direction B and returned to the printing start position in Y. When the recording paper 3 is returned, the thermal head 1 is lowered again and printing of the second color is started. Furthermore, when the printing of the second color is completed, the thermal head 1 is turned on again.
is raised, the recording paper 3 is returned by the same distance as the distance it was sent during printing, and when it has returned the required distance, the thermal head 1 is lowered and printing in the third color is performed. With this printing sequence, the three primary colors
YMC was printed.

However, as shown in FIG. 3, in the print sample made by such a print sequence, there are dots 8 of the first color printed initially and dots 8 of the second color printed. Printing misalignment easily occurs in the printing dots 9 of the third color, and the reason for this is that when printing the first color, as shown in Figure 1, the recording paper 3 is pulled from the recording paper supply roll 4 by the required length. This is because the inertia of the recording paper supply roll 4 and the friction of the bearings supporting the recording paper supply roll 4 act as running resistance. On the other hand, the second color. Printing in the third color can be started from a state where the paper is slack as shown in FIG. 4, and therefore running resistance caused by the recording paper supply roll 4 can be ignored. In this way, in the conventional printing sequence, the first color and the second color. In principle, printing misalignment occurs between the third colors, which poses a major problem in terms of accuracy.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for easily removing the above-mentioned printing misalignment.

The present invention will be explained in detail below. The operation of each part of the apparatus used in the present invention is equivalent to that of the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and only the printing sequence is changed. In the printing sequence according to the present invention, just before a normal printing sequence, the recording paper 3 is pulled out in the paper feeding direction A from the recording paper supply roll 4 by a distance corresponding to the printing length with the thermal head 1 in FIG. Equal distance recording paper 3
This is to execute a sequence in which the paper is returned in the paper return direction B. By adding this sequence, the second color can be printed when the first color is printed. It is possible to create the image shown in FIG. 4 which is equivalent to the third color, and therefore it is possible to eliminate the printing deviation of the first color as shown in FIG. The present invention only changes the printing sequence and does not use any additional mechanism in the conventional device.
Print misalignment can be removed extremely easily and inexpensively.

As described above, the color thermal transfer recording method according to the present invention advances the paper by the distance of the printing screen immediately before the normal printing sequence. The first color and the second color can be easily changed by returning the color. Print misalignment between the third colors can be removed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional field sequential scanning type color thermal transfer device, Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram of a field sequential coating ink film, Figure 3 is an enlarged view of printed dots, and Figure 4 is a recording paper. FIG. 1... Thermal head, 2... Platen, 3... Recording paper, 4... Recording paper supply roll, 5... Ink film, 6... Ink film supply roll, 7... Ink film winding roll, 8... First color printing dot, 9...Second color. Third color printing dots, A...Paper feeding direction, B...Paper return direction, C...Vertical movement direction of the thermal head, D...Ink film feeding direction, E...Recording paper movement direction.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a field-sequential scanning color thermal transfer recording device using a line-type thermal head and a field-sequential coating ink film, the paper is fed by the distance of the print screen just before the printing sequence. A color thermal transfer recording method characterized by performing a return sequence.