JPH0631984A - Control method of serial printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the damage of the printing pins of a printing head due to direct printing to a platen and the breaking of the printing pins due to catching to the edge of printing paper by cutting off printing data not received in printing paper and printing only printing data received in printing paper. CONSTITUTION:When printing data are received on the left sides of the position 29 of the right end of printing and the position 30 of the left end of printing paper and when the position 28 of the left end of printing is received on the right side of the position 31 of the right end of printing paper, printing parameters are not prepared, thus preventing the execution of printing. Since the position 28 of the left end of printing of a printing row 24 is positioned on the side lefter than the position 30 of the left end of printing paper, the position of the left end of printing is varied to the position 38 of a printable leftest end. A printing-data left-end address in a printing-parameter storage area 15 in a work RAM 4 is changed to a printable left-end address in response to the variation of the position of the left end of printing. Four characters at the left end of the printing row 24 are not printed as the result 25 of printing, and characters are printed from No.five one.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of controlling a printing operation of a serial printer which prints character by character while moving a carrier carrying a print head to the left and right, and particularly to a portion where a printing paper is not mounted. The present invention relates to a control method of a serial printer for preventing so-called blank printing for printing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The conventional printing operation of a serial printer is
The printing operation is performed in accordance with the print start position and the print end position created inside the serial printer by a print command from the host device regardless of the width and the mounting position of the print paper loaded in the serial printer.

[0003]

As described above, the conventional serial printer performs printing according to the print start position and the print end position which are unrelated to the width and the mounting position of the mounted printing paper, and thus one line is printed. In some cases, the left edge or right edge of the print data cannot be printed on the print paper.In this case, you can print directly on the platen to damage the print pins of the print head, or hook it on the edge of the print paper to print. It has the drawback of breaking the pins.

[0004]

According to a method of controlling a serial printer of the present invention, a carrier is moved from a left end to a right end of a printing range of the serial printer and mounted on the serial printer by a sensor provided on the carrier. Detecting the left edge and right edge of a print sheet, setting the position of the print sheet, the length of one line of print data, the print start position for the print sheet, the print end position for the print sheet, and the left and right margins for the print sheet. When it is determined that the print position determined from the amount and the print position do not fit within the print paper, and the print position does not fit within the print paper, the print start position or the print end position is within the print paper. Change to a position that fits, cut off print data that does not fit in the print paper, and print only print data that fits in the print paper. It includes the making.

[0005]

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

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a printing state when printing is performed according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example in which a left end portion is deleted and printing is performed. FIG. 2 is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a printing state when printing is performed according to an example, a diagram showing an example in which the right end portion is deleted and printed, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a serial printer to which the embodiment of FIG. 1 is applied. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the print head of the example of FIG. 3 and its vicinity.

In FIG. 3, the print command sent from the host device 1 is sent to the printer control unit 6 via the interface control unit 2. The printer control unit 6 creates four parameters of a print left end position, a print right end position, a print data left end address, and a print data right end address as parameters for printing. The print left edge position is the distance from the first character print position of the serial printer to the first character of the print data of one line, and the host device 1 sets the left margin with the first character print position. If not, it is the physical leftmost printing position of the serial printer, and if the host device 1 sets a left margin, it is the position of the left margin. Similarly, the print right end position designates the distance from the first character print position of the serial printer to the last character of the print data of one line. The print data left edge address is a work random access memory (work RAM) in which the first character of the character string starting from the position specified by the print left edge position stores one line of print data.
4 where the print data storage area 16 is stored is designated by the leading address, and the print data right end address is a character that ends at the position designated by the above print right end position. The final address of the last character in the row specifies where the character is stored in the print data storage area 16 of the work RAM 4. These parameters are stored in the print parameter storage area 15 of the work RAM 4.

In this embodiment, prior to starting the printing operation, the carrier 54 shown in FIG. 4 is moved to the physical left end position 26 of the printing range of the serial printer (see FIGS. 1 and 2).
From the physical right end position 27 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) to the left end position (paper left end position) 30 of the printing paper 22 by the sensor 51 mounted on the carrier 54 (FIG. 1).
And FIG. 2) and the right edge position (paper right edge position) 31 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) of the printing paper 22 are detected. Further, these paper left end position 30 and paper right end position 31
To the print left end position 28 stored in the print parameter storage area 15 of the work RAM 4 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).
Compared with the print right end position 29 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), whether printing can be performed in the paper, that is, the print left end position 28 and the print right end position 29 are the paper left end position 30 and the paper right end, respectively. It is determined whether or not it is between position 31. If the print left end position 28 and the print right end position 29 satisfy this condition, the printer control unit 6 calls the input / output control unit 8 shown in FIG.

Print left end position 28 or print right end position 29
Is not between the left edge position 30 and the right edge position 31 of the sheet, the present embodiment executes the following operation, discards data that cannot be printed in the print sheet 22,
The print head 53 (see FIG. 4) avoids hitting the platen 21 (see FIGS. 1 and 2 and 4) idle.

That is, when the print left edge position 28 is not between the paper left edge position 30 and the paper right edge position 31, the print left edge position 28 is set to the paper left edge position 30 and the paper right edge position 31, as shown in FIG. The position of the character at the leftmost end of the character string between the two is changed to the position 38 of the leftmost end of printable character. Similarly,
The right end position 29 of printing is the left end position 30 of the paper and the right end position 3 of the paper.
2, the print right end position 29 is located at the rightmost end position of the character string between the paper left end position 30 and the paper right end position 31 (the rightmost printable end position). Position) 39. Further, the print data left end address and print data right end address in the print parameter storage area 15 of the work RAM 4 are also addresses corresponding to the printable leftmost position 38 and the printable rightmost position 39, that is, the printable left end. Change to address and printable address.

When printing is executed after changing the print parameters in this way, the print data that cannot be printed in the print paper 22 is deleted and not printed.

The right end position 29 of the print is the left end position 3 of the paper.
In the case where it is on the left side of 0 and when the print left end position 28 is on the right side of the paper right end position 31, the print parameter is not created in any case, and therefore the print is not executed.

In FIG. 1, since the print left end position 28 of the print row 24 is on the left side of the paper left end position 30, the print left end position is changed to the printable leftmost end position 38, and the work RAM 4 correspondingly is changed. Print parameter storage area 15
Change the left edge address of the print data inside to the left edge address that can be printed. The printing result 25 obtained by printing after changing in this way is that the four characters at the left end of the printing row 24 are not printed and the printing is started from the fifth character.

Similarly, in FIG. 2, since the print right end position 29 of the print row 32 is on the right side of the paper right end position 31, the print right end position is changed to the printable rightmost end position 39,
In response to this, the right end address of the print data in the print parameter storage area 15 of the work RAM 4 is changed to the printable right end address. The printing result 33 obtained by printing after changing in this way is that the rightmost three characters of the print row 32 are not printed, and up to the fourth character is printed.

[0015]

As described above, according to the control method of the serial printer of the present invention, the carrier is moved from the left end to the right end of the printing range of the serial printer, and the serial printer is mounted on the serial printer by the sensor provided on the carrier. Detects the left and right edges of a print sheet, and determines from the print sheet position, the length of one line of print data, the print start position for the print sheet, the print end position for the print sheet, and the left and right margin settings for the print sheet. The print start position or print end position is changed to a position that fits in the print paper, and if the print position does not fit in the print paper Directly print on the platen by discarding print data that does not fit on the paper and printing only print data that fits on the print paper. Or hurt printing pins of the print head it, there is an effect that it prevents the fold printing pin hooked to the edge of the printing paper, thus there is an effect that it is possible to improve the reliability of Shiriari printer.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a printing state when printing is performed according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing an example of printing by deleting a left end portion.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a printing state when printing is performed according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing an example of printing by deleting the right end portion.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a serial printer to which the embodiment of FIG. 1 is applied.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the print head of the example of FIG. 3 and its vicinity.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 host device 2 interface control unit 4 work random access memory (work RAM) 6 printer control unit 8 input / output control unit 15 print parameter storage area 16 print data storage area 21 platen 22 print paper 24/32 print string 25/33 print result 26 Physical Left Edge Position 27 Physical Right Edge Position 28 Printing Left Edge Position 29 Printing Right Edge Position 30 Paper Left Edge Position 31 Paper Right Edge Position 38 Printable Leftmost Edge Position 39 Printable Rightmost Edge Position 51 Sensor 54 Carrier

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Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A serial printer is configured to move a carrier from a left end to a right end of a printing range, and a sensor provided on the carrier detects a left end and a right end of a printing paper attached to the serial printer, and the printing paper. Position, the length of one line of print data, the print start position with respect to the print paper, the print end position with respect to the print paper, and the left and right margin setting amounts with respect to the print paper, the print position is within the print paper. If it is determined that the print position does not fit within the print paper, the print start position or print end position is changed to a position that fits within the print paper, and printing that does not fit within the print paper is performed. Control of serial printer including cutting off data and printing only print data that fits in the print paper Method.