Web Printing, Web Printers and Related Software

• US 20090217835A1
• Filed: 04/03/2006
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Indigo BV (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Rozenblum, Ziv
• Granted Patent: US 8,720,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 101/484
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/008 Controlling printhead for accurately positioning print image on printing material, e.g. with the intention to control the width of margins
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/42 Controlling printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 15/042 for loading rolled-up continuous copy material into printers, e.g. for replacing a used-up paper roll; Point-of-sale printers with openable casings allowing access to the rolled-up continuous copy material

Abstract

A method of printing on a web of substrate (510) using a web printer (610) comprising:

• • interrupting a first print operation on a first substrate (512);
  • attaching a second substrate (514) to the first substrate (512); and continuing the first print operation on the first substrate (512).

Claims

1. A method of printing on a web of substrate (510) using a web printer (610) comprising:

interrupting a first print operation on a first substrate (512);

attaching a second substrate (514) to the first substrate (512); and

continuing the first print operation on the first substrate (512).

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

interrupting the first print operation such that at least a safety margin (534) remains on the first substrate between a last image (516″

) printed on the first substrate and a region (520) of the first substrate (512) at which the second substrate (514) and the first substrate (512) are joined.

3. The method of claim 1 performed on a printer which comprises a bonding area (616) at which the second substrate (514) is attached to the first substrate (512) and an image transfer area (614) at which ink is applied to the web of substrate (510), and wherein the first print operation is interrupted at a position of the first substrate (512) calculated by determining the number of complete images (516, 516′

, 516″

) of the first print operation that will fit on the first substrate extending between the bonding area (616) and the image transfer area (614).

4. The method of claim 1 performed on a printer comprises a bonding area (616) at which the second substrate (514) is attached to the first substrate (512) and an image transfer area (614) at which ink is applied to the web of substrate (510),

the method further comprising:

interrupting the first print operation such that at least a safety margin (534) remains between the last image (516″

) of the first print operation and a region (520) of the first substrate (512) where the second substrate (514) is attached to the first substrate (512);

and wherein the first print operation is interrupted at a position of the first substrate (512) calculated by determining the number of complete images (516, 516′

, 516″

) of the first print operation that will fit in the length of the first substrate flow-path between the bonding area (616) and the image transfer area (614) less the safety margin, wherein the calculation uses any number of the following software parameters;

length (530) in the web motion direction of an image of the print operation;

length (532) in the web motion direction of a gap between successive images;

number images that remain to be printed in the print operation;

length of the substrate flow-path between the bonding area (616) and the image transfer area (614); and

length of the safety margin (534).

5. The method of any preceding claim further comprising:

starting a second print operation on the second substrate (514).

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

threading the first (512) and second (514) substrates through the printer (610) between the first and second print operations.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the first (512) and second (514) substrates are threaded through the printer (610) by a distance that includes a safety margin (534) intended to avoid accidentally printing the second print operation on a section of the web that includes a region where the first and second substrates are joined.

8. The method of any preceding claim wherein the step of attaching the second substrate (514) to the first substrate (512) comprises:

detaching a portion of the first substrate (512) from a roll (612) of first substrate;

removing the roll (612) of first substrate from the printer (610);

inserting a roll of second substrate into the printer (610); and

splicing a free-end of the second substrate (514) to the detached portion of the first substrate (512).

10. A printed web (510) produced by the method of any one of claims 1 to 8.

15. A method of modifying how a web printer (610) is operated, the web printer (610) being controlled by a computer control processor (158), the method comprising installing the software of claim 14 onto memory accessible to the computer control processor (158) so as to provide the printer (610) with the functionality to perform the method of claims 1 to 8.

9. A method of printing on a web of substrate (510) using a web printer (610) comprising:

interrupting a first print operation on a first substrate (512);

detaching a portion of the first substrate (512) from a roll (612) of first substrate in the vicinity of a bonding area (616) of the printer (610);

removing the roll (612) of first substrate from the printer (610);

inserting a roll of second substrate into the printer (610);

splicing the detached portion of the first substrate (512) to the second substrate (514) in the vicinity of the bonding area (616) of the printer (610);

continuing the first print operation on the first substrate (512);

threading the first (512) and second (514) substrates through the printer (610); and

starting a second print operation on the second substrate (514).

11. A web printer having:

a print region comprising a print head;

a web-joining region;

a web feed movement mechanism for feeding web past the print region for printing upon;

a control processor arranged to control the print head and the web feed mechanism; and

memory accessible by the control processor and containing data relating to remaining prints to be printed in the run;

arranged such that the control processor being programmed to interrupt the print run automatically and to recommence the remainder of the interrupted print run after a second web substrate has been joined to the existing installed, first, web substrate.

12. The web printer of claim 11 wherein the memory also contains data relating to the print repeat length occupied between two adjacent prints and wherein the processor is arranged to interrupt the print run automatically at a position on a first web substrate at which there remains enough first substrate available for printing between the print region and the web-joining region to accommodate remaining unprinted prints, and to resume the first print run after interrupting the print run and to print remaining unprinted prints onto the joined first and second webs.

13. The web printer of claim 12 wherein the processor is arranged to cause the remaining prints to printed onto the first web substrate before the join between the first and second web reaches the print region.

14. Software encoded on a data carrier which when run on a control processor on a web printer is adapted to cause the printer to interrupt the print run of a first printing operation on a first substrate and to resume the first printing operation on the first substrate after a second substrate has been attached to the first substrate.