US-12617219-B2 - Printing apparatus, printing method, and storage medium

US12617219B2US 12617219 B2US12617219 B2US 12617219B2US-12617219-B2

Abstract

Provided is an inkjet printing apparatus, an inkjet printing method, and a storage medium capable of causing less density unevenness. To this end, in a case where an expected pause time is larger than a predetermined threshold T (s), a platen air blowing unit blows air to the surface of a printing medium on a platen at a wind speed lower than that during printing.

Inventors

Jumpei Jogo
Yuji Konno
Takeshi Yazawa
Masaki Nitta
Hidehiko Kanda
Takayuki Ushiyama
Taichi Yokokawa

Assignees

CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240306
Priority Date: 20230313

Claims (18)

1 . A printing apparatus comprising: a printing unit configured to perform printing operation by ejecting a liquid onto a printing medium; a support unit configured to support the printing medium to be printed by the printing unit; a roller configured to convey the printing medium in a conveyance direction toward the support unit; a blowing unit, provided upstream of the printing unit in the conveyance direction, configured to blow air onto the printing medium supported by the support unit in a state where the printing operation is performed by the printing unit; and a control unit configured to perform control such that the air is blown at a first speed in a case where an interruption time during which the printing operation is interrupted before completion of the printing operation is a first time, and the air is blown at a second speed which is faster than the first speed in a case where the interruption time is a second time which is shorter than the first time.
2 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first speed is zero.
3 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second time is zero.
4 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a recovery unit configured to perform a recovery operation of recovering the printing unit, wherein the control unit causes the recovery operation to perform the recovery operation in a state where the printing operation is interrupted before completion of the printing operation.
5 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit interrupts the printing operation before completion of the printing operation in a case where a temperature of the printing unit is a first temperature, and the control unit does not interrupt the printing operation in a case where the temperature of the printing unit is a second temperature which is lower than the first temperature.
6 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit interrupts the printing operation in a state where the printing medium is cut.
7 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first time in a case where a contact angle between the liquid and a surface of the printing medium is a first angle is shorter than the first time in a case where the contact angle is a second angle which is larger than the first angle.
8 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first time in a case where an environment temperature is a first temperature is shorter than the first time in a case where the environment temperature is a second temperature which is lower than the first temperature.
9 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first time in a case where an environment humidity is a first humidity is shorter than the first time in a case where the environment humidity is a second humidity which is higher than the first humidity.
10 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a carriage configured to scan the printing unit, wherein the printing unit performs multi-pass printing which completes printing on a predetermined region on the printing medium by performing n times of scanning on the predetermined region.
11 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the printing unit performs printing by moving relative to the printing medium, and in the control unit, the first time in a case where a moving speed of the printing unit is a first speed is shorter than the first time in a case where the moving speed is a second speed which is faster than the first speed.
12 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the blowing unit includes a heater to heat air to be blown onto the printing medium.
13 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a heating unit that heats the printing medium printed by the printing unit.
14 . The printing apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the liquid contains at least one of a water-soluble organic solvent and water-soluble resin particles.
15 . The printing apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the printing unit ejects a color material ink and a reaction liquid for insolubilizing part or all of a solid component in the color material ink.
16 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the blowing unit blows the air at the second speed to the printing medium supported by the support unit during the printing operation.
17 . A printing method for controlling a printing apparatus including a printing unit configured to perform printing operation by ejecting a liquid to onto a printing medium, a support unit configured to support the printing medium to be printed by the printing unit, a roller configured to convey the printing medium in a conveyance direction toward the support unit, and a blowing, provided upstream of the printing unit in the conveyance direction, configured to blow air onto the printing medium supported by the support unit, the printing method comprising: performing the printing operation; blowing the air at a first speed in a case where an interruption time during which the printing operation is interrupted before completion of the printing operation is a first time; and blowing the air at a second speed which is faster than the first speed in a case where the interruption time is a second time which is shorter than the first time.
18 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a printing method for controlling a printing apparatus including a printing unit configured to perform printing operation by ejecting a liquid onto a printing medium, a support unit configured to support the printing medium to be printed by the printing unit, a roller configured to convey the printing medium in a conveyance direction toward the support unit, and a blowing unit, provided upstream of the printing unit in the conveyance direction, configured to blow air onto the printing medium supported by the support unit, the printing method comprising: performing the printing operation; blowing the air at a first speed in a case where an interruption time during which the printing operation is interrupted before completion of the printing operation is a first time; and blowing the air at a second speed which is faster than the first speed in a case where the interruption time is a second time which is shorter than the first time.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a printing method, and a storage medium. Description of the Related Art Some inkjet printing apparatuses perform multi-pass printing and print an image by having a printhead scan in a main scanning direction a plurality of times. During a printing operation in multi-pass printing, the printing operation may be interrupted by a pause due to a recovery operation or the like. In a case where the pause time is long, a print region affected by the pause may have unevenness because the density and/or tone changes due to a difference in how dry an ink applied to the printing medium is. In this regard, it is known that this is related to smudge made by a predetermined pass and the subsequent pass. More specifically, in a case where a printing operation is interrupted by a pause between a predetermined pass and the subsequent pass, an ink printed before the pause dries during the pause, and the state of smudge made by a contact between that ink and an ink applied by the subsequent pass would be different. Also, in some inkjet printing apparatuses, during printing, air is blown to an area near the printhead in order to promote fixation of ink. Density unevenness may also be caused by drying promoted by the air blowing, changing the state of smudge. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2018-192690 discloses a method of reducing the wind speed of an air blower fan in a case where an ambient environment temperature is lower than a set temperature. The method of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2018-192690 is intended to prevent excessive dryness during a printing operation, and there is no mentioning of control performed during a pause of a printing operation. Thus, the above-described unevenness in density may occur. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Thus, the present invention provides a printing apparatus, a printing method, and a storage medium that are capable of causing less density unevenness. To that end, a printing apparatus of the present invention comprises a printing unit configured to perform printing operation by ejecting a liquid onto a printing medium;a support unit configured to support the printing medium to be printed by the printing unit;a roller configured to convey the printing medium in a conveyance direction toward the support unit;a blowing unit, provided upstream of the printing unit in the conveyance direction, configured to blow air onto the printing medium supported by the support unit in a state where the printing operation is performed by the printing unit; anda control unit configured to perform control such that the air is blown at a first speed in a case where an interruption time during which the printing operation is interrupted before completion of the printing operation is a first time, andthe air is blown at a second speed which is faster than the first speed in a case where the interruption time is a second time which is shorter than the first time. The present invention can provide a printing apparatus, a printing method, and a storage medium that are capable of causing less density unevenness. Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an external view of an inkjet printing apparatus; FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a main part of the printing apparatus; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the ejection port surface of a printhead where ejection ports are provided; FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of the inkjet printing apparatus; FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a multi-pass printing method; FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating unevenness caused by a pause of a printing operation; FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating unevenness caused by a pause of a printing operation; FIG. 7A is a diagram showing the phenomenon in which ink droplets smudge; FIG. 7B is a diagram showing the phenomenon in which ink droplets smudge; FIG. 7C is a diagram showing the phenomenon in which ink droplets smudge; FIG. 8A is a diagram showing the phenomenon in which ink droplets smudge; FIG. 8B is a diagram showing the phenomenon in which ink droplets smudge; FIG. 8C is a diagram showing the phenomenon in which ink droplets smudge; FIG. 9A is a diagram showing the phenomenon in which ink droplets smudge; FIG. 9B is a diagram showing the phenomenon in which ink droplets smudge; FIG. 9C is a diagram showing the phenomenon in which ink droplets smudge; and FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing printing control in the printing apparatus. DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of an inkjet printing apparatus (hereinafter also referred to as a printing apparatus) 100 to which the present embodiment can be applied, and F