JPH0771863B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a recording device used in a recording unit such as an electronic typewriter, a facsimile, a personal computer, or a word processor, and more specifically, multicolor recording according to characters and image information. The present invention relates to a recording device that can obtain an output.

[Prior art]

In a multicolor recording apparatus using an ink ribbon, a first method is a method of stacking ribbons of a recording color number, and a second method is one wide ribbon (width of the recording color times the width of the recording width). A method using a ribbon (striped ribbon) in which stripes of recording colors are color-coded parallel to the longitudinal (feed) direction,
As a method of using a ribbon having a recording width, a ribbon in which color portions having different recording colors are sequentially and repeatedly provided in a stripe shape at right angles to the ribbon feeding direction (dandala-coated ribbon) is proposed. There are advantages and disadvantages.

In the first method, ribbons are piled up in accordance with the number of recording colors, the apparatus becomes large, and ribbon switching becomes complicated.

In the second method, the ribbon width increases with the number of recording colors, and only one color can be used unless the film is rewound at the same position in the ribbon feeding direction, which is a waste of ribbon. Also,
It is necessary to shift the ribbon in the width direction.

In the third method, since one ribbon having the recording width is used,
Since the device does not become large and a ribbon switching device and the like are not necessary, the third method is now widely used.

However, even in the third method, since a large number of inks to be recorded on one ribbon are sequentially coated over a length substantially equal to the recording length, generally, even when performing one-color recording, the number of colors of the recording length is Double ribbon is wasted.

The present invention is suitable for being applied to a recording apparatus for performing multicolor recording using the above-described multicolor ink sheet (including ribbon), and particularly to a recording apparatus using the above-mentioned third method, which is a multicolor ribbon coated with a dana. It is a thing.

Even with a ribbon coated with a dander coat, the coating length of each color is generally set to the maximum value of one recording length plus α, and it is rare that the entire recording length of the maximum recording length is recorded, and the latter half of one coating length is not used. Often wasted.

Further, if the recording color order is set to the application color order of the ribbon coating ribbon, the waste of the ribbon increases.

For example, when the recording order and the ribbon coating color order are red, green, and blue, and the final recording color is red, the recording device for recording the red and blue recording information on the line or page following the final recording Will feed the green and blue ink ribbon coating parts to the red of the next color cycle by idling and recording from the red recording information, the green and blue ribbons of the color cycle part at the time of final recording will be wasted. I will end up.

〔Purpose〕

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus which can solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and prevent wasteful consumption of the ink sheet when performing multicolor recording with the multicolor ink sheet.

[Means for achieving the purpose]

The present invention uses a recording head and a multicolor ink sheet in which inks corresponding to multiple colors are sequentially applied in the longitudinal direction of the ink sheet, and the ink sheet is moved in the longitudinal direction relative to the recording head. In a recording apparatus that performs recording while performing recording, a final recording color storage unit that stores the final recording color, a remaining amount storage unit that stores the length of the unused area of the ink sheet corresponding to the final recording color, and a next recording Recording control means for performing recording from the same recording color as the final recording color of the recording data, and the recording control means is such that the recording length of the recording data of the same color as the final recording color is the length of the unused area. When the length exceeds the length, the recording data of the same color as the final recording color is recorded only in the area corresponding to the length of the unused area, and the length of the unused area of the recording data of the same color as the final recording color is recorded. About the recording area exceeding, by adopting a configuration in which recording is performed using the region of the next ink sheet same color ink is applied, it is to achieve the above object.

〔Example〕

 Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a word processor provided with a recording device embodying the present invention.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a keyboard which is an input operation unit, and is provided with color keys and function keys which will be described later. Reference numeral 2 is a CRT (or LCD) of a display device, 3 is an FDD of a storage device, and 4 is a recording sheet.

FIG. 3 shows a recording unit of the recording apparatus embodying the present invention.

In FIG. 3, the recording sheet 4 is pressed against the rubber portion of the sheet feeding roller 6 by the pinch roller 6b (FIG. 6) while being backed up by the platen 5. A gear 7 is attached to the shaft 6a of the sheet feeding roller 6 and is connected to the sheet feeding motor M1 via a reduction gear 7a. The rotation of the sheet feeding motor M1 causes the sheet feeding roller 6 to rotate, and the recording sheet 4 Is transported.

Therefore, the thermal head 18, which will be described later, is used for the recording sheet 4.
The platen 5 maintains the position of the recording sheet 4 when it comes into contact with and records.

Next, the reciprocating movement of the carriage 14 will be described.

A shaft 12 is fixed in parallel to the front side of the platen 5, and a rack 13 is fixed to the opposite side of the carriage 14, and a guide surface on the upper surface of the shaft 12 and the rack 13 fixes the carriage 14 (first
(Fig. 6, Fig. 6) is movably guided and supported in the direction of arrow B. That is, the carriage 14 can reciprocate in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance path A of the recording sheet 4.

A part of the belt 11 is fixed to the carriage 14, and is stretched by a pulley gear 9 and a pulley 10. The pulley gear 9 is connected to a carriage motor M2 via reduction gears 8a and 8b. Then, the rotation of the carriage motor M2 causes the pulley gear and the pulley to rotate, which drives the belt 11, and the carriage 14 reciprocates along the shaft 12 (direction of arrow B).

Furthermore, the carriage 14 has a head boulder 19 (FIG. 1).
Is rotatably guided and supported around the head holder shaft 19b. This head holder 19 has a thermal head
18 is attached, and this head holder 19 also serves as a heat sink.

The carriage 14 has an ink ribbon cassette 40.
A carriage table 35 is provided for mounting (FIGS. 7 and 13) in a double stack. The carriage table 35 is provided with a color detecting means (color sensor) S3 for identifying the color of the multi-color ribbon 50 (FIG. 15), and the carriage 14 is provided with or without the ink ribbon cassette 40, the type and the ink. A ribbon sensor S2 (FIG. 3) for detecting the end of the ribbon 49 is provided.

Next, place the ink ribbon cassette 40 on the carriage table 35.
The case of removably loading will be described.

The ink ribbon cassettes 40 can be mounted on the carriage table 35 in upper and lower two stages, and pins 35a, 35b and hooks 35c, 35d, 35e are provided on the upper surface of the carriage table 35.

First, when loading the ink ribbon cassette 40 in the lower stage, the ink ribbon cassette 40 (see FIG. 13 and FIG.
(Figure) Opening 41a, 4 provided in the upper and lower cases
The ink ribbon cassette 40 is detachably loaded on the carriage table 35 by fitting 1b, 42i, 42j into the pins 35a, 35b and elastically engaging the hook 35c with the locking portion 42k of the lower case. be able to. Similarly, when the ink ribbon cassette 40 is loaded in the upper stage, similarly, the openings 41a, 41b, 42i, 42j are fitted into the pins 35a, 35b, and the hooks 35d, 35e are elastically fitted to the engaging portions 42l, 42m of the lower case. Lower ink ribbon cassette 40
It is loaded onto the carriage table 35 via.

In this way, a plurality (two stages) of ink sheet (including ink ribbon) mounting portions are configured.

Next, the configuration on the carriage 14 will be described.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the carriage 14.

In FIG. 1, a head motor M3 is mounted on a carriage 14, and the driving force of the head motor M3 is a reduction gear 15
It is transmitted via a and 15b to rotate the head cam 16 and the ribbon cam 17.

The head cam 16 is a cam for head up / down (separation and pressing of the recording head 18 with respect to the platen 5) described later, and the upper surface of the head cam 16 has a cam surface 16a whose height changes in the axial direction of the rotation axis of the head cam 16. Is provided.
Further, the ribbon cam 17 is a cam for turning on / off the ribbon winding and a set-up / down (ink sheet switching means) which will be described later, and the ribbon cam 17 has a fifth portion on the upper surface.
As shown in the figure, there is a cam surface 17a for the setup down whose height changes in the axial direction of the rotation axis of the ribbon cam 17, and the upper surface of the cam surface 17a rotates at a right angle to the axial direction of the rotation axis of the ribbon cam 17. A cam surface 17b for winding the ribbon, the radius of which changes about the axis, is provided.

FIG. 4 is a cam chart of the head cam 16 and the ribbon cam 17.

In FIG. 4, six combinations of head up / down, ribbon winding, and setup / down operations are executed depending on the positions of the head cam 16 and the ribbon cam 17 which are rotated by the drive of the head motor M3 (FIG. 3). You can

Here, the head cam 16 and the ribbon cam 17 are carriages.
Rotation is restricted within the range of the cam chart of FIG. 4 by a stopper (not shown) provided on the top 14.

In FIG. 4, a head cam 16 for head up / down
When the cam surface 16a of is a low cam surface (P2 to P5), the head is up (separated), which will be described later, and the high cam surface (P1, P5).
In the state of 6), head down (pressing or pressing) will be described later.

On the ribbon winding cam surface 17b of the ribbon cam 17, when the radius of the cam surface is small (P1 to P2, P5 to P6), the ribbon winding state described later is enabled and the radius of the cam surface is large (P3. In the case of ~ P4), the ribbon take-up release state will be described later.

In addition, the cam surface for ribbon cam 17 setup down
When 17a is in a low cam surface (P1 to P3), it is in a cassette down state (using an upper cassette) to be described later, and when it is in a high cam surface (P4 to P6), it is in a cassette state (a lower cassette to be described later). Used).

Next, the setup down mechanism (ink sheet switching means) will be described.

5 is a plan view of the cassette setup down mechanism, FIG. 6 is a side view of the cassette down state, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the cassette setup state.

In FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the cassette shift lever A29 is fixed to a cassette shift shaft 29a which is rotatably guided and supported by the carriage 14, and the protrusion 29b of the cassette shift lever A29 and the carriage. A cassette shift spring 30 is attached between the protrusion 14 and the protrusion (not shown).

The tip portion 29c of the cassette shift lever A29 is urged in the direction of arrow C2 by the spring force of the cassette shift spring 30 and is therefore pressed against the cam surface 17a of the ribbon cam 17 (Fig. 6).

Also, the cassette shift lever A29 is a cassette shift shaft 29a.
Is connected to the cassette shift lever B31 via
In addition, the boss 31b provided on the cassette shift lever B31
A cassette shift lever C32 is rotatably supported on the.

Furthermore, the boss 31a is attached to one end of the cassette shift lever B31.
However, the bosses 32a are fixed to the tip of the cassette shift lever C32, and the openings 35f and 35g of the carriage table 35 are fixed.
The bosses 31a and 32a are inserted into the cassette shift lever C32, and the boss 32b is provided at the other end of the cassette shift lever C32.
The boss 32b is inserted into the opening 14b of the fourteen. Thus, the carriage table 35 is supported substantially horizontally.

When the height of the cam surface 17a is increased and the cassette shift lever A29 is rotated clockwise (direction of arrow C1) (FIG. 6), the cassette shift lever B31 is also rotated clockwise (arrow C1).
Direction) (Fig. 6).

From the above description, the center of rotation of the cassette shift lever B31, that is, the cassette shift shaft 29a and the boss portion 32b of the cassette shift lever C32 are regulated in height by the carriage 14, and the boss 31a of the cassette shift lever B31 is fixed to the carriage table 35. Open the opening 35f, and again the cassette shift lever C
The boss portions 32b of 32 move in the openings 14b of the carriage 14, respectively. That is, the carriage table 35 converts the rotational movement into the linear movement by the pantograph mechanism,
Move up and down (arrow E1, E2 direction) (Fig. 6).

In addition, the carriage table 35 is provided with a boss 33, which is mounted on the carriage 14 and has a carriage cover 34.
Is inserted into the opening 34a of the carriage table 35
The vertical movement range (arrow E1, E2 direction) (Fig. 6) is restricted. That is, the height of the carriage table 35 when the carriage table 35 is up and when it is down is accurately determined by the opening 34a.

Next, the operation of the set-up down, that is, the switching operation of the ink sheet (including the ink ribbon) in the above-mentioned configuration will be described.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the cassette down state (using the upper cassette).

In this state, the ribbon cam 17 is P1 in the chart of FIG.
~ P3 state, and tip 2 of cassette shift lever A29
9c is pressed against the low height surface of the cam surface 17a of the ribbon cam 17 by the urging force of the cassette shift spring 30, and the carriage table 35 is in the down position.

From this state, move the ribbon cam 17 clockwise (arrow D1 direction).
When rotated to (Fig. 5), the cam surface 17a of the ribbon cam 17
The height of the contact point between the cassette shift lever A29 and the tip 29c of the cassette shift lever A29 increases perpendicularly to the cam surface.

Accordingly, the cassette shift lever A29 overcomes the urging force of the cassette shift spring 30 and moves clockwise (direction of arrow C1).
Rotate to (Fig. 6).

As described above, the rotation of the cassette shift lever A29 causes the carriage table 35 to move in the up direction (arrow E1 direction).
When the height of the cam surface 17a reaches the positions P4 to P6 (Fig. 4) after moving to (Fig. 6), the lower cassette is in use (Fig. 7).
become.

Next, the ribbon winding mechanism, that is, the ink sheet feeding means will be described.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the ribbon winding state, and FIG. 9 is a plan view of the ribbon winding releasing state.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, a carriage 14 is provided with a take-up shaft 24, a take-up lever 25 is rotatably supported around the take-up shaft 24, and a take-up clutch is provided above the lever 25. 23 is rotatably supported.

Further, the take-up reduction gear 25C is rotatably supported by the take-up lever 25, the gear portion (not shown) of the take-up clutch 23 serves as a sun gear, and the take-up reduction gear 25C serves as a planet gear. Are meshing with each other.

A winding gear 27 and a winding intermediate gear 26 that meshes with the winding gear 27 are rotatably guided and supported by the carriage 14, and the winding gear 27 meshes with the rack 13.

Further, a take-up lever pressure contact spring 28 is provided between the spring take-up portion 25a of the take-up lever 25 and the spring take-up portion (not shown) of the carriage 14 to move the take-up lever 25 in the arrow F1 direction (first direction). (Fig. 8).

Further, the winding clutch 23 is provided with a hub receiving portion 23a,
The winding core 44 in the ink ribbon cassette 40 (see FIG. 13,
(Fig. 14).

Further, a friction clutch (not shown) is provided between the hub receiving portion 23a of the winding clutch 23 and the gear portion (not shown), and the rotation of the gear portion is transmitted to the hub receiving portion 23a.

Next, the operation of the above ribbon winding, that is, the operation of the ink sheet feeding means will be described.

In the state in which the ribbon can be wound up in FIG. 8, the ribbon cam 17 is in the states P1 to P2 and P5 to P6 in the cam chart in FIG.
The take-up lever 25 is biased in the clockwise direction (direction of arrow F1) by the take-up lever pressure contact spring 28, whereby the take-up reduction gear 25a attached to the take-up lever 25 is attached to the take-up intermediate gear 26. Energized and engaged.

In this state, the carriage 14 is moved in the recording direction (arrow in FIG. 3).
When moved in the B1 direction), the take-up gear that meshes with the rack 13
27 rotates.

The rotational force of the take-up gear 27 is transmitted to the take-up clutch 23 via the take-up intermediate gear 26 and the take-up reduction gear 25a, and the hub receiving part 23a of the take-up clutch 23 is rotated to fit the hub receiving part 23a. The winding core 44 in the combined ink ribbon cassette 40 rotates, and the ink ribbon 49 is wound.

When the ribbon cam 17 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise (in the direction of arrow D1 or D2 in FIG. 8) from this state, the cam surface 17b provided on the ribbon cam 17 and the boss portion provided at one end of the winding lever 25. When the ribbon cam 17 further rotates, the cam surface 17b and the boss 2 of the take-up lever 25
The radius of the cam surface 17b at the contact point with 5b increases according to the cam chart of FIG.

As a result, the take-up lever 25 becomes the take-up lever pressure contact spring.
Counterclockwise against the urging force of 28 (arrow F2 direction in Fig. 8)
The cam surface 17b rotates to P3 to P4 in the cam chart of FIG.
When reaching the position of, the winding reduction gear 25c guided and supported by the winding lever 25 separates from the winding intermediate gear 26.

When the carriage 14 is moved in the recording direction (direction of arrow B1 in FIG. 3) in this state, the winding gear 27 that meshes with the rack 13 rotates and the rotational force is transmitted to the winding intermediate gear 26. However, since the winding intermediate gear 26 and the winding reduction gear 25c are separated from each other as described above, the rotational force of the winding gear 27 is not transmitted to the winding reduction gear 25c.

Therefore, the gear portion (not shown) of the winding clutch 23 that meshes with the winding reduction gear 25c also does not rotate. That is, the fourth
Ribbon winding is not performed in the P3 to P4 states of the cam chart in the figure.

Next, the up / down mechanism of the thermal head (recording head) 18 will be described.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the up-down mechanism, FIG. 11 is a side view of the head-up state, and FIG. 12 is a side view of the head-down state.

In FIGS. 10 to 12, the head up / down lever 22
Is rotatably provided around a head holder shaft 19b provided on the carriage 14, and a head spring 21 is charged with a spring force between the projecting portions 22b and 22c of the head up / down lever 22. It is installed in the state.

In addition, one end of the head up / down lever 22 has a roller 22a.
Is rotatably guided and supported. Further, a head return spring 20 is provided between the spring hooking portion 19a of the head holder 19 and the spring hooking portion 14a of the carriage 14 so that the head holder 19 moves away from the platen 5 (arrow in FIG. 11).
I2 direction).

The biasing force of the head return spring 20 is transmitted from the pressure contact portion 19c of the head holder 19 to the arm portion 21a of the head spring 21, and is transmitted from the arm portion 21a to the head up / down lever 22. Therefore, the head up / down lever 22 is moved away from the platen 5 by the head return spring 20 (first eleventh position).
The roller 22a provided on the up / down lever 22 is pressed against the cam surface 16a of the head cam 16 while being urged in the direction of arrow I2 in the figure).

Therefore, the head 18 rotates in the direction of the platen 5 due to the change in the height increasing direction of the head cam 16.

Next, the operation of pressing or pressing (down) and separating (up) the recording head in the above-described configuration will be described.

10 and 11, in the head-up (separation) state, the head cam 16 is in the states P2 to P5 in the cam chart of FIG. 4, and the head-up / down lever 22 causes the head-up / down lever 22 to move as described above. The head 18 is pressed against the recording sheet 16 and is separated from the recording sheet 4 and the platen 5.

From this state, move the head cam 16 clockwise (arrow G2 in FIG. 10).
Direction) or a counterclockwise direction (direction of arrow G1 in FIG. 10), the height in the direction perpendicular to the cam surface at the contact point between the cam 16 and the roller 22a provided on the head up / down lever 22 increases. .

As a result, the head up / down lever 22 resists the biasing force of the head return spring 20 in the counterclockwise direction (arrow H2 in FIG. 11).
Direction). The rotational force of the head up / down lever 22 is from the arm portion 21a of the head spring 21 to the head holder 19
Is transmitted to the pressure contact portion 19c of the head holder 19 to rotate the head holder 19 counterclockwise (direction of arrow I1 in FIG. 11). Therefore, the thermal head 18 attached to the head holder 19 is pressed against the platen 5 via the recording sheet 4 and the ink ribbons 49, 50 (FIG. 11).

That is, when recording with the thermal head 18, the head
18 contacts the recording sheet 4, and the recording sheet 4 is held at that position by the platen 5.

Further, the height of the head cam 16 is increased even after the thermal head 18 contacts the platen 5, and the head up / down lever 22 is further rotated counterclockwise (direction of arrow H2 in FIG. 11).

That is, the head cam 16 is the above-mentioned cam chart (Fig. 4).
When the positions of P1 and P6 are reached, the operation of the head holder 19 is restricted by the thermal head 18 contacting the platen 5.

Therefore, as the head up / down lever 22 rotates counterclockwise (in the direction of arrow H2 in FIG. 11), the head spring 21 leaves the protruding portion 22b of the head up / down lever 22, and the head spring 21 is further charged with spring force. To be done.

The spring force of the head spring 21 is equal to the head up / down lever 22.
Since the protruding portion 22b and the arm portion 21a of the head spring 21 are separated from each other, they are transmitted to the pressure contact portion 19c of the head holder 19, and the thermal head 18 is pressed against the platen 5 via the recording sheet 4.

Next, the operation method of head up down, ribbon winding, and setup up down will be described.

A state in which the above-described operations of head up / down, ribbon winding on / off, and setup / down at each position are combined will be described with reference to the cam chart of FIG.

In FIG. 4, P1 indicates a head down (press contact), ribbon windable and cassette down (using the upper cassette) state (position), that is, a recording state in the upper ink ribbon cassette. P2 indicates a head-up (separation) state, a ribbon take-up possible state, and a cassette down state, that is, a state (position) where the ribbon of the upper cassette is taken up in a non-recording state.

P3 shows the state of head-up, ribbon rewinding and cassette down, and P4 shows the state of head-up, ribbon rewinding and cassette setup (using the lower cassette).

Further, P5 shows a state of head-up, ribbon winding possible and cassette setup, that is, a state of winding the ribbon of the lower cassette in a non-recording state.

P6 shows the state of head down, ribbon winding possible and cassette setup, that is, the recording state in the lower cassette.

Therefore, by rotating the head motor M3 (FIG. 1) clockwise or counterclockwise and rotating the head cam 16 and the ribbon cam 17 to any one position among P1 to P6, a recording state, a non-recording state, It is possible to independently have the six states of ribbon winding release, ribbon winding possible, cassette setup, and cassette down.

For example, head up / down and ribbon winding on / off may be interlocked with each other without independently driving the above-mentioned six states, and head up / down, ribbon winding on / off, and setup / down may be performed. It is also possible to independently operate the three motors.

Next, the ink ribbon cassette will be described with reference to FIG. 13 (plan view) and FIG. 14 (perspective view).

In FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the ink ribbon cassette 40 is shown.
Is formed of an upper case 41 and a lower case 42, and is detachably loaded on the carriage table 35 with the ink ribbon 49 accommodated in the cassette 40.

The ink ribbon 49 is wound around the supply core 43, and the lower case
After passing through the roller 48 rotatably attached to the protruding portions 42a and 42b of the 42 and once exposed to the outside of the cassette 40 at the opening 42c of the lower case, it again enters the cassette 40 through the lower case opening 42d, and The cassette 40 is opened again at the case opening 42e.
After being exposed to the outside, it enters the cassette 40 through the lower case opening 42f and is wound around the winding core 44.

When the cassette 40 is loaded in a predetermined position on the carriage table 35, the ink ribbon 49 exposed from the openings 42c and 42d of the cassette 40 is opposed to the head 18 on the main body side.
, And the ink ribbon 49 can be heated by the thermal head 18 which generates heat according to the recording information.
Further, the ink ribbon 49 is biased by the pressure contact springs 45 and 4 provided on the lower case 42 to the projecting portions 42g and 42h of the lower case 42, respectively. In addition, felts 45a and 46a are attached to the pressure contact springs 45 and 46, respectively.
Prevents damage caused by pressure welding.

Further, the tension spring 47 moves the ink ribbon 49 to the arrow K (
(Fig. 13), the slack of the ink ribbon 49 is removed in cooperation with the pressure contact springs 45 and 46.

Further, a part of the ink ribbon 49 is exposed from the opening 42n of the lower case 42, and when the cassette 40 is loaded at a predetermined position of the carriage table 35, the ribbon sensor S2 on the main body side (see FIG. 3). ) Is located at the opening 42n of the cassette 40, and the ribbon sensor S2 detects the ribbon end of the ink ribbon 49. In addition, the color sensor S3 (3rd
The figure) faces the position of the ink ribbon 49 exposed from the openings 42e and 42f of the lower case 42.

Next, the multi-ribbon (multi-color ink sheet) will be described with reference to FIG.

The ribbon shown in FIG. 15 is an example of the multi-ribbon 50, and the multi-ribbon 50 has multi-color (A color, B color, C color) barcodes.
Dandala is applied through 50a, 50b, and 50c.

This multi-ribbon 50 is also housed in the ink ribbon cassette 40 like the ink ribbon 49 described above.

As described above, the ribbon cassette 40 becomes the carriage table 35.
When loaded in the predetermined position, the color sensor S3 (FIG. 3) on the main body side faces the position of the multi-ribbon 50 exposed through the openings 42e and 42f of the lower case 42.

When the multi-ribbon 50 is wound on the winding core 44, the bar code 50a, 50b, 50c on the multi-ribbon 50 is detected by the color sensor S3 to identify the color applied next to the bar code. The bar code may be identified by the difference in the number of black lines as shown in FIG. 15 or may be identified by the difference in the width of the black lines. Therefore, it does not depend on the form of the barcode. Also, the number of colors is not limited to A, B, and C, and a desired number of colors may be provided.

FIG. 16 is a configuration block diagram of the recording apparatus described above.

FIG. 16 shows only the connection relationship of each block, and detailed control lines are omitted. The part enclosed by the dotted line is the CPU unit.

The CPU is a central processing unit, which reads programs and various data from ROM, FDD, etc., which will be described later, performs necessary calculations and judgments, and performs various controls. The CPU can also be composed of multiple units.

The ROM is a read-only memory and stores various programs for operating the CPU, character codes, dot patterns (character generator: CG), and various data necessary for printing. RAM is read / write memory, CPU
Is a working area for temporarily storing the data in the command and the operation result, keyboard 1, external interface IFu
Alternatively, it is composed of a buffer area for storing various data input from the floppy disk FDD3, a text area for storing documents, and the like.

Further, the CPU unit is connected to the printer unit Pu via the thermal head driver THD, the motor driver MD and the detection unit SU.

The thermal head driver THD drives the thermal head 18 provided in the printer unit Pu described above under the control of the CPU, and the motor driver MD controls the sheet feed motor M1, carriage motor M2 and head motor under the control of the CPU.
Drives M3 etc.

The detection unit Su transmits information from the above-described home position sensor S1, ribbon sensor S2, color sensor S3, etc. provided in the printer unit Pu to the CPU.

The power supply PSu is a power supply VH for driving the thermal head 25, a power supply VM for driving the recording sheet feed motor M1, the carriage motor M2 and the head motor M3, a power supply VFDD for the floppy disk FDD3, and a power supply VCC for other logic circuits. To supply.

Further, the controller GA transfers the print data to the thermal head 18 or drives the power source under the control of the CPU.
VH voltage and current are changed, heat time and duty are changed, and various controls are performed.

Further, the CPU unit is connected with a keyboard 1 for inputting various data necessary for printing, editing, etc. via a keyboard connector KBC.

Further, a CRT 2 for displaying data and various information input from the keyboard 1 is connected to the CPU unit via a CRT connector CRTC. Note that other display devices such as a liquid crystal display can be used instead of the CRT 2.

Furthermore, a floppy disk FDD3 is connected to the CPU unit via an FDD connector FDDC. A hard disk, an external RAM, an external ROM, or the like can be connected instead of the FDD3.

It is also possible to connect an interface such as RS232C, a Centro interface, a modem or the like for controlling the recording apparatus by an external control device and communicating with an external device to the CPU unit via an interface connector IFC.

Further, although not shown in FIG. 16, an audio output device such as a buzzer may be provided.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the control operation of the power-on process of the recording apparatus embodying the present invention.

Next, with reference to FIG. 17, a case where the recording device is controlled by the program stored in the ROM or FDD will be described.

As described above, this recording apparatus can be loaded with at least two cassettes, and can be loaded with single-color and multi-color ribbons to perform single-color and multi-color recording.

In FIG. 17, when the power of the apparatus is turned on (power on), the head and cassette are initialized in step 101. This is done by initializing the head and cassette, raising the thermal head 18, and shifting the carriage table 35 downward (cassette down) to a position where upper cassette printing is possible. The details of the initialization of the head and the cassette will be described later.

Next, in step 102, in order to determine the absolute position of the carriage 14, the carriage motor M2 is driven to shift the carriage 14 toward the home position sensor S1 (FIG. 1), and after the home position sensor S1 is detected, the carriage 14 is stopped. Let

Next, in step 103, the sagging of the ribbon is removed to prevent catching when the recording sheet 4 is inserted and to secure a stable print quality. The details of the ribbon hanging will be described later.

Next, in step 104, the carriage 14 is shifted to the standby position.

Finally, in step 105, various parameters are initialized. That is, multi-ribbon set color (MRS) (described later)
Is set to undetermined, and the multi-ribbon remaining amount (MRL) (described later)
Is set to zero.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of the initial processing of the head and cassette positions.

In FIG. 18, in step 201, the head motor M3 is set to the first position.
The head cam 16 (Fig. 1) and the ribbon cam 17 (Fig. 1) are rotated by driving in the direction of the arrow J1 in the figure to hit the stopper.

The position of the cam is indefinite when the power is turned on, but by driving the head motor M3 by an angle equal to or more than the full rotation angle of the cam, the head cam 16 and the ribbon cam 17 move from the arbitrary cam position to the stopper abutting position in the CW direction. Can be set.

Next, at step 202, the head motor M3 is driven in the direction of arrow J2 in FIG. 1 by a predetermined amount, and the head cam 16 and the ribbon cam 17 are set at the cam position P3 in FIG.

Therefore, as described above, the thermal head 18 is separated from the platen 5 (up), ribbon winding is not performed, and the carriage table 35 is removed.
Is shifted downward, that is, the upper cassette can be printed.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of the ribbon hanging process.

In FIG. 19, first, in step 301, the head motor M3
Is driven to shift the head cam 16 and the ribbon cam 17 to the cam position P2 in FIG. Next, in step 302, the carriage motor M2 is driven to shift the carriage 14 in the printing direction.

As described above, by shifting the carriage 14 in the printing direction at the cam position P2, the winding clutch 23 rotates, the ink ribbon of the upper cassette is wound, and the sag of the ribbon is removed.

Next, in step 303, the head motor M3 is driven to shift the head cam 16 and the ribbon cam 17 to the cam position P5 in FIG. As a result, the lower cassette is shifted to a printable position, and the winding core of the lower cassette engages with the winding clutch 23.

Next, in step 304, the carriage motor M2 is driven to shift the carriage 14 in the printing direction. As described above, when the carriage 14 is shifted in the printing direction at the cam position P5 (FIG. 4), the take-up clutch 23 rotates, so that the ink ribbon of the lower cassette is taken up and the ribbon sag is removed.

Next, in step 305, the head motor M3 is driven, the head cam 16 and the ribbon cam 17 are shifted to the cam position P3 in FIG. 4, and the processing ends.

In the above sequence, steps 303, 304, 301, 302,
The ribbon can be removed even if the processing is performed in the order of 305. Further, the shift amount of the carriage 14 at the time of winding the ribbon is increased as the shift amount is increased. Therefore, it is desirable to set the shift amount to a necessary minimum amount in order to avoid waste of the ribbon.

FIG. 20 shows an example of color designation in a text (text).

At the place where you want to specify the color in the text, specify the desired color with the color specification key.

The color designation key may be a dedicated key for each color, or a key operation such as a dedicated color key and numeric key,
Alternatively, the key operation may be a function key and an alphabetic character key (for example, C).

The range may be specified or displayed by enclosing the front and back with special characters as shown in FIG. 20, or the range may be overlaid with special characters. In the case of a display device such as a color CRT or LCD, color coding is most effective.

In the case of a single-color CRT or a single-color LCD, it is difficult to distinguish the color-designated place. Therefore, it is possible to facilitate the discrimination by using a configuration in which the color-designated part blinks or the brightness changes by key operation or the like.

FIG. 21 shows an example of color designation in the print menu. Next, the print menu for setting various printing parameters will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 21 (a), the color of the cassette is designated according to the text color designation of FIG.

As shown in Fig. 21 (b), when a specification different from the text color specification in Fig. 20 is executed, the different specified parts blink, an error message is displayed, or a buzzer sounds. And warn.

When printing is attempted in spite of the warning, the color designation part in the text is replaced by the color designation on the print menu screen and printing is performed.

This allows you to change the color specification of the color specification part in the text, for example, if you want to print multicolored text in only one color (for example, black and red), or if you want to print red text in blue. It is possible to easily change the color by specifying the color in the print menu without doing so.

When it is desired to print with only one color, for example, black, ignoring the color designation, the color designation in the print menu can be performed by designating the same color for both cassettes, such as upper black and lower black. Further, a method of designating black only in the upper stage without designating the lower stage can be considered.

Although the color specification in the print menu on the display is shown here, the input means may be specified anywhere other than text, and it is not on the display but on the dedicated key on the keyboard, dedicated switch, key operation, etc. May be specified. That is, the desired color can be printed by designating the color of the cassette other than in the text.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of the printing sequence. Next, the case where the text created in FIG. 20 is printed according to the print menu specified in FIG.

In FIG. 22, first, in step 401, it is determined whether the unprinted color specified by the print menu is a single color or a multi-color.

In the case of a single color or in the case where both a single color and a multicolor (multi) exist, the process proceeds to step 402, and in the case of multicolor, the process proceeds to step 405.

In step 402, the cassette is shifted to the designated stage. That is, in the case of upper ribbon printing, the head motor
M3 is driven to shift to the cam position P3 in FIG. 4, and in the case of lower printing, shifts to the cam position P4 in FIG. Next, in step 403, the carriage motor M2 is driven to move the carriage 14 to the print designated position, and the head motor M3 is driven to shift the head cam 16 and the ribbon cam 17 to the print position. That is, the head cam 16 and the ribbon cam 17
Shifts to the cam position P1 in FIG. 4 in the case of upper ribbon printing, and shifts to the cam position P6 in FIG. 4 in the case of lower ribbon printing to move the thermal head 18 to the platen 5 via the ink ribbon and the recording sheet 4. Press against. In this state, while moving the carriage 14, the heating resistor of the thermal head 18 is selectively heated by the thermal head driver THD according to the printing (recording) information, and the heat-melting ink applied to the ink ribbon is removed. Melt and record sheet 4
Then, the ink ribbon is taken up and printing is performed within the specified range.

Details of error detection in step 403 will be described later.

Carriage 1 after printing the specified range in step 403
4 is stopped, the thermal head 18 is raised, the ribbon winding is turned off, and then the process proceeds to step 404.

When it is determined in step 401 that the color is multi-color and the process proceeds to step 405, the cassette is shifted to the stage designated as multi-color in step 405.

Next, in step 406, it is determined whether or not there is a multi-ribbon set color (MRS) currently set among the unprinted colors.

If there is a multi-ribbon set color, the process proceeds to step 407, and if not, the process proceeds to step 408.

For example, when MRS is A color, it is determined whether A color is unprinted. Immediately after the power is turned on, the multi-color ribbon cueing is not performed, and the multi-ribbon set color (M
Since RS) has not been set, the process proceeds to step 408.

When the printing length in the text is shorter than the remaining amount of the ribbon of the multi-ribbon in step 407, the process proceeds to step 413 and printing is performed.

However, if it is determined in step 407 that the remaining amount of the ribbon is small and the printing exceeds the predetermined area of the multi-ribbon in FIG. 15, the process proceeds to step 408.

Next, in step 408, it is determined whether or not there is a color next to the currently set multi-ribbon set color (MRS) among the unprinted colors. For example, when MRS is A color, it is determined whether or not B color is an unprinted color. Step 40
If the determination result in 8 is YES, the process proceeds to step 409, and if NO, the process proceeds to step 410.

In step 409, the next color (for example, B color) ribbon is located. Details of this ribbon cueing will be described later. After cueing the ribbon, change the multi-ribbon set color (MRS) to the next color (for example, B color) and set the remaining multi-ribbon (MRL)
After changing to a predetermined amount m, the process proceeds to step 413 to print the next color (for example, B color).

The predetermined amount m of the multi-ribbon remaining amount (MRL) is determined by the length 1 of the ink ribbon shown in FIG.

In step 410, it is determined whether or not there is a next color of the multi-ribbon set color (MRS) currently set among the unprinted colors. For example, if MRS is A color, C
It is determined whether the color is an unprinted color. If YES, then go to step 411; if NO, go to step 412. In step 411, the next color (for example, C color) ribbon cue is performed, the multi-ribbon set color (MRS) is set to the next color (for example, C color), and the multi-ribbon remaining amount (MRL) is set.
Is set to a predetermined amount m. After that, the process proceeds to step 413 and printing of colors (for example, C color) is performed one after another.

In step 412, the ribbons of the colors (for example, color A) are searched for one after another, and the multi-ribbon set color (MRS) is set to each color (color A later), and the multi-ribbon remaining amount (MRL) is set. After setting a predetermined amount m, the process proceeds to step 413, and printing of colors (for example, A color) is performed one after another.

In step 413, the specified range of the same color as the multi-ribbon set color (MRS) is printed. That is, the carriage motor M2 is driven to move the carriage 14 to the designated printing position, the head motor M3 is driven to lower the thermal head 18, and the ink ribbon can be wound.
While moving the head, the heating element of the thermal head 18 is selectively heated by the thermal head driver THD according to the print information to melt the heat-meltable ink applied to the ink ribbon, transfer it to the recording sheet 4, and transfer the ink ribbon. Take up and print the specified range.

The error detection in step 413 will be described later.

After printing the designated area, the carriage 14 is stopped, the thermal head 18 is raised, and the ribbon winding is turned off. And
Reduce the ribbon length consumed from the multi-ribbon remaining (MRL). After that, the process proceeds to step 404.

In step 404, it is determined whether or not there is a color that has not been printed in the text. If YES (Yes), the process returns to step 401, and if NO (No), ends. Therefore, the multi-ink ribbon is not wound unnecessarily, and the ribbon can be used efficiently.

It also stores the unprinted color and unprinted area in the text,
The efficiency of ribbon consumption of the multi-color ribbon can be further improved by adding the following process.

That is, when it is determined in step 407 that the length to be printed is larger than the remaining amount of the ribbon, that is, in the case of NO, the process directly proceeds to step 408 in the flow of FIG.
Instead, after printing the remaining amount of the ribbon, that is, in synchronization with the printing, the remaining amount of the ribbon is counted down, the printing is stopped in the state where there is no remaining amount of the ribbon, and then the process proceeds to step 408. It is also possible.

In this case, regarding the recording of the area which is not recorded because the print length exceeds the remaining amount of the ribbon, the ink sheet is fed, and then the area of the ribbon coated with the same color ink is used for recording. When recording of the same color continues, the ink ribbon of that color can be used without waste.

In the case where there are record data of plural colors, after recording using the remaining amount of the ribbon and then recording of other colors in sequence, the print length exceeded the remaining amount of the ribbon and was not recorded. Record the area.

By the control described above, the consumption efficiency of the multi-color ribbon can be further improved. At the processing position of step 404, the presence / absence of an unprinted color and the presence / absence of an unprinted range are determined. If yes, the process returns to step 401, and if no, the process ends.

Therefore, the multi-ink ribbon can be printed with no ribbon remaining, and the ribbon consumption efficiency can be reduced to 22nd.
This can be further improved as compared with the processing shown in the figure.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart of the ribbon cueing process. Next, referring to FIG. 23, cueing for color matching of the multi-ribbon (multicolored ink sheet coated with a dander) will be described.

That is, an example of a flow for detecting the bar god parts 50a, 50b, 50c provided on the multi-ribbon 50 of FIG. 15 by the color sensor S3 will be described.

In FIG. 23, first, in step 501, the head motor M3 is driven to shift to the ribbon winding on position. That is, when the cassette is in the upper set (down), it shifts to the cam position P2 in FIG. 4, and when the cassette is in the lower set (up), it shifts to the cam position P5 in FIG.

Next, in step 502, the ribbon sensor S2 determines whether or not the ribbon is the end.

If it is the ribbon end, the routine proceeds to step 503, where the head motor M3 is driven to turn off the ribbon winding. That is,
Shift to cam position P3 or P4 in FIG.
Go to and display the ribbon end error.

If the ribbon end is not detected in step 502, the process proceeds to step 505, and it is determined whether or not the barcode is detected by the color sensor S3.

If the barcode is not detected (NO) in step 505, the process proceeds to step 505, the carriage motor M2 is driven to move the carriage 14 in the printing (right) direction, and the multi-ink ribbon
Take up 50. Next, in step 507, it is determined whether or not the ribbon winding amount exceeds a predetermined winding length l (Fig. 15). If not, the process returns to step 502 to continue ribbon winding and color sensor detection. Repeat.

If YES in step 507, this ink ribbon is not a multi-ink ribbon 50 but a single-color ink ribbon.
Since it is regarded as 49, the routine proceeds to step 508, the head motor M3 is driven to shift to the ribbon winding off position, and then the routine proceeds to step 509 to display the cassette set error.

If the barcode is detected by the color sensor S3 in step 505 (YES), the flow advances to step 510 to set the multi-ribbon set color (MRS) to the color according to the barcode.

Next, in step 511, it is determined whether or not the MRS is the designated color that is to be searched for, and if NO (NO), the process returns to step 406 in FIG. That is, when the MRS is undecided after the power is turned on, it is necessary to restore the original because it is impossible to determine what color will come when cueing.

If YES in step 511, the process proceeds to step 512, the head motor M3 is driven to shift to the ribbon winding off position, and the ribbon cueing for the designated color is completed.

Therefore, by the above processing, the multi-ink ribbon can be efficiently cueed without being cueed wastefully, and an error when a different ink ribbon is inserted can be detected.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart of the above-described error detection during printing (FIG. 22), and the error detection during printing will be described with reference to this figure.

During printing, error detection is executed at regular intervals, for example, every drive pulse of the carriage motor M2 or every heat cycle of the thermal head 18.

In FIG. 24, first, in step 601, the ribbon sensor S2 determines whether or not it is a ribbon end.

If the ribbon end is detected, proceed to step 602,
Printing is stopped (carriage 14 is stopped), head motor M3
Is driven to turn up the thermal head 18, turn off the ribbon winding, and display the ribbon end error.

If the ribbon end is not detected in step 601, it is regarded as normal, and the process proceeds to step 603 to check whether or not the barcode is detected by the color sensor S3.

If the bar code is detected, it means that the bar code portion was heated and printed by the thermal head 18 during printing, and since it is abnormal, the process proceeds to step 604.

In step 604, it is determined whether the color designation is the single color designation or the multi designation. When the color designation is the single color designation, the multi-ink ribbon is erroneously loaded despite the single color designation in the print menu. Therefore, the process proceeds to step 605. Stop printing,
Displays the cassette set error.

In step 604, if the color designation is multi designation, there is no cassette setting error, but the barcode part was printed due to an error such as ribbon cueing, so proceed to step 606 and print. Stops and displays ribbon winding error.

If no barcode is detected in step 603 (NO
In the case of), it is considered that the printing is normally executed, and the error detection process ends.

Note that the error display is generally displayed on the CRT, but as a method of notifying the error, a method of sounding a buzzer or a method of turning on this with a warning light can be adopted, and in this case, the means does not matter. Absent.

Therefore, an error in the cassette or the ink ribbon can be detected by the processing described with reference to FIG.

In the above embodiments, various sheets such as a transparent plastic thin plate used for an overhead projector or the like can be used as the recording medium in addition to the recording paper.

Further, the heating means is not limited to the thermal head 18 in the above-mentioned embodiment, and, for example, an infrared ray or a laser beam may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the thermal head 18 is a serial type in which the thermal head 18 reciprocates along the recording sheet 4 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the thermal head 18 as shown in FIG. The same can be applied to a so-called full line type in which the heating means is provided over the entire recording width.

In FIG. 25, 4 is a recording sheet, 75 is a platen, 76 is a full line type thermal head, 77 is a full line type single color ink ribbon sheet, and 78 is a full line type multi-ink ribbon sheet. It can be implemented with substantially the same configuration as shown and described above.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the ink ribbon is housed in the case and the detachable ink ribbon cassette is used in the apparatus main body has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is wound on, for example, a reel or a roll. The same can be done when the ink sheet (including the ink ribbon) is directly attached to the apparatus main body.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the type in which the ink ribbon cassette is loaded on the carriage 14 and reciprocates is described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the same applies to a recording device of a type in which the ink ribbon cassette is stationary. Can be implemented.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the ink ribbon cassettes are stacked in two stages has been described, but this can be similarly performed by stacking the ink ribbon cassettes in a plurality of stages of three or more.

Further, although the case where the multi-color ink ribbon is coated with three colors of duller is shown as an example, the present invention can be carried out in the same manner with two or four or more colors, and a type in which the ink is applied in multiple layers on the base film instead of the muller coating. The multi-colored ink ribbon may be applied to all of the multi-colored ink ribbons.

The platen may be a flat platen or a cylindrical platen that also serves as a sheet conveying roller.

Furthermore, although the case where a heating means such as a thermistor is used has been described, the present invention can be applied to all types using ink ribbons, for example, impact type such as wire dots.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where black is used for the upper stage and multi-color ink ribbons are used for the lower stage has been exemplified, but this may be upside down, and further, it can be specified in the print menu as described in the print menu above. By doing so, it is possible to make it possible to use it even if the multi-color is set up or down.

〔The invention's effect〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, a means for storing the recording color at the time of final recording is provided, and in the recording of the line or page following the final recording, the final recording color or the final recording color in the multicolor ink sheet is used. Since printing is performed from the next color that is close to one another, wasteful consumption of the multicolor ink sheet and wasteful ribbon winding operation can be eliminated, and efficient printing can be performed.

Furthermore, when recording from the same color as the last recording color, when the print data amount of the same color as the last recording color exceeds the remaining ribbon amount,
With respect to the print data of the area which is not printed due to the remaining amount of the ribbon, the printing is performed using the area of the next ink sheet coated with the same color ink, so that the consumption efficiency of the multicolor ink sheet is further improved. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway plan view of the overall structure of a carriage of a recording apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a word processor equipped with the recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the recording apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 4 and FIG. 4 are cam charts showing the movement of the cam on the carriage of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the cassette setup down mechanism in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a view of the cassette down of FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view, FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 5 at the time of setup, FIG. 8 is a plan view of the ribbon winding mechanism of FIG. 1 in operation, and FIG. 9 is a non-operation (release of FIG. 8). 10) is a plan view of the head-up / down mechanism, FIG. 11 is a side view of the head-up shown in FIG. 10, FIG. 12 is a side view of the head-down shown in FIG. 10, and FIG. Figure is a partially cutaway plan view of the ink ribbon cassette. Figure 14 is an external perspective view of Figure 13. 16 is a block diagram of the control system of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the power-on process of the recording apparatus of FIG. 16, and FIG. 18 is a thermal head of FIG. FIG. 19 is a flowchart of cassette position initialization processing, FIG. 19 is a flowchart of ribbon hanging processing, FIG. 20 is an explanatory view showing an example of color designation in text, and FIGS. 21 (a) and 21 (b). ) Is an explanatory diagram showing an example of color designation in the print menu, FIG. 22 is a flow chart of a recording (printing) sequence in the recording apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 23 is a flow chart of the ribbon cueing process in FIG. 22, FIG. 24 is a flow chart of the error detection process in FIG. 22, and FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the recording section of the full line type recording apparatus according to the present invention. 4 ... Recording sheet, 5 ... Platen, 14 ... Carriage, 16 ... Head cam (for head up / down), 17 ...
... Ribbon cam (for setup down), 18 ... Recording head (thermal head), 40 ... Ink ribbon cassette, 49 ... Ink ribbon (ink sheet), 50 ... Multi-color ink ribbon (ink sheet), M3 ... Head motor, S2 ... ribbon sensor, S3 ... color sensor (color detection means), CPU ... central processing unit.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yuji Kaname 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (56) References JP-A-60-23090 (JP, A)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A recording head and a multicolor ink sheet in which inks corresponding to multiple colors are sequentially applied in the longitudinal direction of the ink sheet, and the ink sheet is relatively arranged in the longitudinal direction with respect to the recording head. In a recording apparatus that performs recording while moving, a final recording color storage unit that stores a final recording color, a remaining amount storage unit that stores a length of an unused area of an ink sheet corresponding to the final recording color, and a next recording unit Recording control means for performing recording from the same recording color as the final recording color of the recording data according to, and the recording control means is such that the recording length of the recording data of the same color as the final recording color is in the unused area. When the length is exceeded, only the area corresponding to the length of the unused area is recorded for the recording data of the same color as the final recording color, and the unused area of the recording data of the same color as the final recording color is recorded. For recording the areas beyond the length of the recording device and performing recording by using the area of the next ink sheet same color ink is applied. 2. When the recording length of the recording data of the same color as the final recording color exceeds the length of the unused area, the recording control means sets the length of the unused area for the recording data of the same color as the final recording color. The recording is performed only in the area corresponding to the above, and the recording of the other color subsequent to the final recording color is sequentially performed, and then the recording of the area in which the recording data of the same color as the final recording color is not recorded is applied with the ink of the same color. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording is controlled to be performed using the area of the next ink sheet.