Printing apparatus, printing method, and storage medium
A printing apparatus detects a first mark on a continuous sheet indicating a formation position of an image, prints a plurality of color planes corresponding to the image in an overlapping manner at the formation position, and prints a plurality of second marks corresponding to each of the plurality of color planes. The printing start timing of the color plane is adjusted to resolve a shift in each of the color planes based on a calculated positional shift amount. The plurality of second marks overlaps the first mark in the sheet width direction. Where the number of plurality of color planes is M, M second marks are printed side by side between the first marks adjacent to each other in the sheet conveyance direction, and the positional shift amount is calculated by taking detected M marks as the second mark by switching operation modes based on the color of the detected mark.
1 . A printing apparatus forming an image on a continuous sheet, comprising:
a first detection unit configured to detect a first mark on the continuous sheet indicating a formation position of the image;
an image formation unit configured to print a plurality of color planes corresponding to the image in an overlapping manner at the formation position indicated by the first mark detected by the first detection unit and print a plurality of second marks corresponding to each of the plurality of color planes on the continuous sheet;
a second detection unit configured to detect the plurality of second marks on the continuous sheet and calculate a positional shift amount in the sheet conveyance direction of a color plane of a color other than a reference color with respect to the color plane of the reference color among the plurality of color planes based on detection results of the plurality of second marks; and
a control unit configured to adjust printing start timing of the color plane so as to resolve a shift in each of the color planes based on the positional shift amount calculated by the second detection unit, wherein
the plurality of second marks is printed at an end portion of the continuous sheet so that at least part of the plurality of second marks overlaps the first mark in the sheet width direction,
a detection range in the first detection unit and a detection range in the second detection unit overlap,
in a case where the number of plurality of color planes is M, the image formation unit prints the M second marks side by side between the first marks adjacent to each other in the sheet conveyance direction, and
the second detection unit calculates the positional shift amount taking detected M marks as the second mark by switching operation modes based on the color of the detected mark.
2 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the second detection unit:
moves the operation mode from a non-detection mode to a detection mode in a case of detecting a mark of a color other than the reference color; and
calculates the positional shift amount taking marks detected in the detection mode as the second marks corresponding to each of the M color planes.
3 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the reference color is black and colors other than the reference color are cyan, magenta, and yellow.
4 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit starts the adjustment sequentially from a color plane for which calculation of the positional shift amount is completed among the plurality of color planes.
5 . The printing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the image formation unit:
has a print head corresponding to each of the plurality of color planes,
prints first the second mark of the color corresponding to the print head forming the color plane of the reference color, and
prints the second and subsequent second marks in order from the second mark of the color corresponding to the print head farthest from the print head forming the color plane of the reference color among the plurality of print heads corresponding to the color planes of other than the reference color.
6 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first detection unit measures an interval between the first marks adjacent to each other, and
the image formation unit determines whether to print the M second marks side by side between the first marks adjacent to each other based on the interval between the first marks measured by the first detection unit.
7 . A printing apparatus forming an image on a continuous sheet, comprising:
a first detection unit configured to detect a first mark on the continuous sheet indicating a formation position of the image;
an image formation unit configured to print a plurality of color planes corresponding to the image in an overlapping manner at the formation position indicated by the first mark detected by the first detection unit and print a plurality of second marks corresponding to each of the plurality of color planes on the continuous sheet;
a second detection unit configured to detect the plurality of second marks on the continuous sheet and calculate a positional shift amount in the sheet conveyance direction of a color plane of a color other than a reference color with respect to the color plane of the reference color among the plurality of color planes based on detection results of the plurality of second marks; and
a control unit configured to adjust printing start timing of the color plane so as to resolve a shift in each of the color planes based on the positional shift amount calculated by the second detection unit, wherein
the plurality of second marks is printed at an end portion of the continuous sheet so that at least part of the plurality of second marks overlaps the first mark in the sheet width direction;
a detection range in the first detection unit and a detection range in the second detection unit overlap,
in a case where the number of plurality of color planes is M, the image formation unit prints the M second marks side by side in the sheet conveyance direction between the first marks adjacent to each other, and
the second detection unit calculates the positional shift amount by determining whether the detected mark is the second mark based on the interval between the detected marks.
8 . A printing apparatus forming an image on a continuous sheet, comprising:
a first detection unit configured to detect a first mark on the continuous sheet indicating a formation position of the image;
an image formation unit configured to print a plurality of color planes corresponding to the image in an overlapping manner at the formation position indicated by the first mark detected by the first detection unit and print a plurality of second marks corresponding to each of the plurality of color planes on the continuous sheet;
a second detection unit configured to detect the plurality of second marks on the continuous sheet and calculate a positional shift amount in the sheet conveyance direction of a color plane of a color other than a reference color with respect to the color plane of the reference color among the plurality of color planes based on detection results of the plurality of second marks; and
a control unit configured to adjust printing start timing of the color plane so as to resolve a shift in each of the color planes based on the positional shift amount calculated by the second detection unit, wherein
the plurality of second marks is printed at an end portion of the continuous sheet so that at least part of the plurality of second marks overlaps the first mark in the sheet width direction;
a detection range in the first detection unit and a detection range in the second detection unit overlap,
the length of the first mark and the length of the second mark are different,
in a case where the number of plurality of color planes is M, the image formation unit prints the M second marks side by side in the sheet conveyance direction between the first marks adjacent to each other, and
the second detection unit calculates the positional shift amount by determining whether the detected mark is the second mark based on the length of the detected mark.
9 . The printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the length of the second mark is shorter than the length of the first mark.
10 . A printing apparatus forming an image on a continuous sheet, comprising:
a first detection unit configured to detect a first mark on the continuous sheet indicating a formation position of the image;
an image formation unit configured to print a plurality of color planes corresponding to the image in an overlapping manner at the formation position indicated by the first mark detected by the first detection unit and print a plurality of second marks corresponding to each of the plurality of color planes on the continuous sheet;
a second detection unit configured to detect the plurality of second marks on the continuous sheet and calculate a positional shift amount in the sheet conveyance direction of a color plane of a color other than a reference color with respect to the color plane of the reference color among the plurality of color planes based on detection results of the plurality of second marks; and
a control unit configured to adjust printing start timing of the color plane so as to resolve a shift in each of the color planes based on the positional shift amount calculated by the second detection unit, wherein
the plurality of second marks is printed at an end portion of the continuous sheet so that at least part of the plurality of second marks overlaps the first mark in the sheet width direction;
a detection range in the first detection unit and a detection range in the second detection unit overlap,
the length of the first mark and the length of the second mark are different,
in a case where the number of plurality of color planes is M, the image formation unit prints combinations of the second mark corresponding to the reference color and the second mark corresponding to at least one color of colors other than the reference color side by side between the first marks adjacent to each other in the sheet conveyance direction, and
the second detection unit calculates the positional shift amount by determining whether the detected mark is the second mark based on the length of the detected mark.
11 . The printing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein
the combination is a combination of registration marks of two colors, that is, the reference color and one color of colors other than the reference color.
12 . A control method of a printing apparatus forming an image on a continuous sheet, the control method comprising:
a first detection step of, by a first detection unit, detecting a first mark on the continuous sheet indicating a formation position of the image;
a printing step of, by an image formation unit, printing a plurality of color planes corresponding to the image in an overlapping manner at the formation position indicated by the first mark detected at the first detection step and printing a plurality of second marks corresponding to each of the plurality of color planes on the continuous sheet;
a second detection step of, by a second detection unit, detecting the plurality of second marks on the continuous sheet and calculating a positional shift amount in the sheet conveyance direction of a color plane of a color other than a reference color with respect to the color plane of the reference color among the plurality of color planes based on detection results of the plurality of second marks; and
a control step of adjusting printing start timing of the color plane so as to resolve a shift in each of the color planes based on the positional shift amount calculated obtained at the second detection step, wherein
the plurality of second marks is printed at an end portion of the continuous sheet so that at least part of the plurality of second marks overlaps the first mark in the sheet width direction,
a detection range in the first detection unit and a detection range in the second detection unit overlap,
in a case where the number of plurality of color planes is M, the image formation unit prints the M second marks side by side between the first marks adjacent to each other in the sheet conveyance direction, and
the second detection unit calculates the positional shift amount taking detected M marks as the second mark by switching operation modes based on the color of the detected mark.
13 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform a control method of a printing apparatus forming an image on a continuous sheet, the control method comprising:
a first detection step of, by a first detection unit, detecting a first mark on the continuous sheet indicating a formation position of the image;
a printing step of, by an image formation unit, printing a plurality of color planes corresponding to the image in an overlapping manner at the formation position indicated by the first mark detected at the first detection step and printing a plurality of second marks corresponding to each of the plurality of color planes on the continuous sheet;
a second detection step of, by a second detection unit, detecting the plurality of second marks on the continuous sheet and calculating a positional shift amount in the sheet conveyance direction of a color plane of a color other than a reference color with respect to the color plane of the reference color among the plurality of color planes based on detection results of the plurality of second marks; and
a control step of adjusting printing start timing of the color plane so as to resolve a shift in each of the color planes based on the positional shift amount calculated obtained at the second detection step, wherein
the plurality of second marks is printed at an end portion of the continuous sheet so that at least part of the plurality of second marks overlaps the first mark in the sheet width direction,
part of the plurality of second marks overlaps the first mark in the sheet width direction;
a detection range in the first detection unit and a detection range in the second detection unit overlap,
in a case where the number of the plurality of color planes is M, the image formation unit prints the M second marks side by side between the first marks adjacent to each other in the sheet conveyance direction, and
the second detection unit calculates the positional shift amount taking detected M marks as the second mark by switching operation modes based on the color of the detected mark.