Patent Application
20200016891
This application claims priorities from Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-132521 filed on Jul. 12, 2018, the entire subject matters of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present specification relates to a printer that prints an image by using ink.
Inkjet printers that print images by using ink are known. The inkjet printer is capable to utilize a plurality of types of print media such as matte sheet, plain sheet, and glossy sheet. Herein, a technology that uses a plurality of types of ink in one printing apparatus has been proposed. For example, a plurality of ink cartridges filled with different types of ink corresponding to a plurality of types of print media are prepared. Then, the ink cartridges suitable for the print media are mounted in the printing apparatus.
According to the above technology, when the type of ink has been changed, a cleaning operation more intensive than a normal cleaning operation is performed in order to prevent different types of ink from being mixed. However, in some cases, the ink cannot be effectively used for the printing due to an increase in a discarding amount of ink caused by the cleaning operation.
The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one of objects of the present disclosure is to provide an inkjet printer which can effectively use ink for printing.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an inkjet printer including: a print execution unit that executes printing; and a controller that controls the print execution unit. The print execution unit includes: a print head having a plurality of nozzles configured to eject ink; an ink supply unit that is configured to supply ink to the print head; and an ink flow path that connects the ink supply unit and the print head. The controller is configured to: determine whether a type of ink supplied by the ink supply unit is changed; determine whether to use a residual ink which is ink before change remaining in the ink flow path in response to be determined that the type of the ink is changed; control the print execution unit to execute new printing using the residual ink in response to be determined to use the residual ink for the printing; and execute a discarding process for discarding the residual ink before the new printing is performed in response to be determined to not use the residual ink for the printing.
In the accompanying drawings:
The processor 210 is a device that performs data processing and is, for example, a CPU. The volatile storage 220 is, for example, a DRAM, and the non-volatile storage 230 is, for example, a flash memory.
The non-volatile storage 230 stores a program 232, a first profile 233, a second profile 234, a third profile 235, estimated residual ink amount information 237, and residual ink type information 238. Details of these pieces of information will be described later. The processor 210 implements various functions by executing the program 232 (details will be described later). The processor 210 temporarily stores various intermediate data used to execute the program 232 in a storage device (for example, any of the volatile storage 220 and the non-volatile storage 230). In the present embodiment, the program 232 and the profiles 233, 234, and 235 are stored in advance in the non-volatile storage 230 as firmware by the manufacturer of the multifunction device 200.
The display unit 240 is a device configured to display an image and is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The operation unit 250 is a device configured to receive an operation by a user and is, for example, a touch panel disposed to overlap on the display unit 240. The user can input various instructions to the multifunction device 200 by operating the operation unit 250. The display unit 240 may be other type of device that displays an image, such as an LED display or an organic EL display. The operation unit 250 may be other type of device operated by the user, such as a button or a lever.
The communication interface 270 is an interface for communicating with another device. In the present embodiment, the communication interface 270 includes a USB interface. A memory card MC storing image data for the printing can be mounted in the communication interface 270. The communication interface 270 may include a network interface such as a wired LAN interface or an IEEE 802.11 wireless interface.
The scanner unit 280 generates scan data representing a read image (referred to as a “scan image”) by optically reading an object such as a document by using a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD or a CMOS. The scan data is, for example, RGB bitmap data representing a color scan image.
The print execution unit 300 is a device that prints an image on sheet (an example of a print medium). The print execution unit 300 includes a printing mechanism 370 and a control circuit 360 configured to control the printing mechanism 370. In the present embodiment, the printing mechanism 370 is an inkjet-type printing mechanism.
In the lower portion of
The carriage unit 330 includes a print head 332, and buffer tanks 340K, 340C, 340M, and 340Y connected to the print head 332. The buffer tanks 340K, 340C, 340M, and 340Y temporarily store the ink of black K, cyan C, magenta M, and yellow Y, respectively. The print head 332 includes four nozzle rows 334K, 334C, 334M, and 334Y configured to eject ink. The nozzle rows 334K, 334C, 334M, and 334Y are provided below the print head 332, but are illustrated as solid lines in
The printing mechanism 370 further includes a cartridge mounting unit 320, ink supply tubes 310K, 310C, 310M, and 310Y, a platen 386, a capping device 352, and a waste ink receiving tray 354.
In the cartridge mounting unit 320, ink cartridges 400Ka (400Kb), 400C, 400M, and 400Y of black K, cyan C, magenta M, and yellow Y are detachably mounted. In the present embodiment, ink cartridges 400C, 400M, and 400Y of cyan C, magenta M, and yellow Y contain dye ink, respectively. As the ink cartridge of black K, a cartridge arbitrarily selected from a first type ink cartridge 400Ka for containing dye ink and a second type ink cartridge 400Kb for containing pigment ink is mounted.
In the example of
As illustrated in
The ink supply tubes 310K, 310C, 310M, and 310Y connect the cartridge mounting unit 320 and the carriage unit 330. The ink supply tubes 310K, 310C, 310M, and 310Y supply the ink of KCMY from the ink cartridges 400Ka (400Kb), 400C, 400M, and 400Y to the buffer tanks 340K, 340C, 340M, and 340Y, respectively. As described above, the ink cartridges 400Ka (400Kb), 400C, 400M, and 400Y are connected to the buffer tanks 340K, 340C, 340M, and 340Y through the ink supply tubes 310K, 310C, 310M, and 310Y, respectively.
The cartridge mounting unit 320 is an example of the ink supply unit configured to supply ink to the print head 332 (hereinafter, the cartridge mounting unit 320 is also referred to as the ink supply unit 320). The whole of the ink supply tubes 310K, 310C, 310M, and 310Y and the buffer tanks 340K, 340C, 340M, and 340Y is an example of the ink flow path connecting the cartridge mounting unit 320 and the print head 332. Hereinafter, the ink flow paths of KCMY are also referred to as ink flow paths 315K, 315C, 315M, and 315Y, respectively. For example, the whole of the black ink supply tube 310K and the black buffer tank 340K corresponds to the ink flow path 315K of black ink.
When the ink cartridge of black ink mounted in the cartridge mounting unit 320 is changed to an ink cartridge of another type of black ink, the old ink which is the ink before the change remains in the ink flow path 315K. As described later, in the printing process of the present embodiment, printing using such old ink (also referred to as residual ink) may be performed.
The residual ink type information 238 indicates the type of ink remaining in the ink flow path 315K. Hereinafter, the type of ink indicated by the residual ink type information 238 is also referred to as a residual ink type 238x. When the type of ink is changed, the residual ink type 238x indicates the type of old ink before the change. The estimated residual ink amount information 237 indicates an estimated value of the amount of old ink remaining in the ink flow path 315K. Hereinafter, the estimated amount of old ink indicated by the estimated residual ink amount information 237 is also referred to as an estimated residual ink amount 237x. These pieces of information 237 and 238 are updated by a printing process described later.
The processor 210 initializes the estimated residual ink amount information 237 and the residual ink type information 238 during initial power-on after shipment of the multifunction device 200. For example, the estimated residual ink amount information 237 is initialized so that the estimated residual ink amount 237x is zero. The residual ink type information 238 is initialized so that the residual ink type 238x indicates the type of ink specified by the ink information read from the memory of the ink cartridge of black ink mounted in the cartridge mounting unit 320.
The platen 386 is disposed below the carriage unit 330 in the recording area Al, and is a plate-shaped member that supports the sheet. During printing, the carriage unit 330 performs a scanning process which is a process of ejecting ink droplets toward sheet (not illustrated) on the platen 386 while moving in the scanning direction, so that an image is recorded on the sheet. The printing mechanism 370 includes a roller (not illustrated) that transports the sheet in a direction (also referred to as a transporting direction) perpendicular to the scanning direction. The printing mechanism 370 prints on the entire sheet by repeating scanning of the carriage unit 330 and transporting of the sheet.
The capping device 352 and the waste ink receiving tray 354 are disposed below the carriage unit 330 in the maintenance area A2. The capping device 352 seals the lower surface of the print head 332 at a position facing the capping device 352 and is configured to execute a purging process for sucking ink or the like from the plurality of nozzles Nz (a suction pump (not illustrated) is connected to the capping device 352). The waste ink receiving tray 354 is a container-shaped member for receiving the ink droplets ejected by the print head 332. The carriage unit 330 can clean the nozzles Nz (also referred to as flushing) by ejecting the ink toward the waste ink receiving tray 354 at a position facing the waste ink receiving tray 354.
The control circuit 360 is an electrical circuit configured to control the printing mechanism 370 according to an instruction from the controller 299. The control circuit 360 is configured by using dedicated hardware such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).
In the present embodiment, the print instruction includes information designating image data for the printing and information on various print settings. The information on the print settings includes information designating the print mode and information designating the type of sheet. Hereinafter, the image data for the printing is also referred to as target data. As the target data, for example, image data stored in a memory card MC connected to the communication interface 270 is designated. The print mode is selected from a plurality of modes including an “image quality priority mode” and a “speed priority mode”. The image quality priority mode is, for example, a print mode in which the print head 332 ejects ink droplets onto sheet in a unidirectional scanning process. The speed priority mode is, for example, a print mode in which the print head 332 ejects ink droplets onto sheet in each of bidirectional scanning process. The type of sheet is selected from “plain sheet” and “glossy sheet”.
In S120, the processor 210 instructs the print execution unit 300 to acquire the ink information. The control circuit 360 causes the memory readers 326K, 326C, 326M, and 326Y to read the ink information, and supplies the read ink information to the controller 299 according to the instruction. The processor 210 acquires from the print execution unit 300 the ink information of each of the four ink cartridges mounted in the cartridge mounting unit 320. Then, the processor 210 stores the acquired ink information in the non-volatile storage 230. As described later, in the next printing process, the processor 210 refers to the ink information in the non-volatile storage 230 as the ink information in the previous printing process.
In S130, the processor 210 uses the ink information on the black ink acquired in S120 to determine whether the type of black ink is changed after the previous printing. Hereinafter, the black ink contained in the ink cartridge mounted in the cartridge mounting unit 320 is also referred to as the current ink. The type of black ink indicated by the ink information in S120 is called the type of current ink. The processor 210 specifies the type of current ink in the previous printing process with reference to the ink information stored in the non-volatile storage 230 in S120 of the previous printing process. Then, when the type of current ink in the previous printing process is different from the type of current ink in the current printing process, the processor 210 determines that the type of black ink is changed to another type after the previous printing.
When the type of black ink is changed after the previous printing (S130: YES), in S140, the processor 210 updates the estimated residual ink amount information 237 so that the estimated residual ink amount 237x (
In S145, the processor 210 determines whether automatic cleaning is necessary. In the present embodiment, the necessity of the automatic cleaning is determined according to a predetermined cleaning execution condition. The cleaning execution conditions are experimentally determined to prevent the clogging of the nozzles Nz with the dried ink. For example, the cleaning execution condition may be that a predetermined number of days elapsed since the previous printing. When the cleaning execution condition is satisfied, the processor 210 supplies a flushing execution instruction to the print execution unit 300. The control circuit 360 of the print execution unit 300 causes the print head 332 to perform flushing according to the instruction. The processor 210 updates the estimated residual ink amount information 237 so that the estimated residual ink amount 237x (
In S150, the processor 210 specifies the estimated residual ink amount 237x by referring to the estimated residual ink amount information 237 (
In the present embodiment, one cleaning (S145) is assumed to use only a portion of the ink in the ink flow path 315K. When the type of black ink is changed after the previous printing, since the estimated residual ink amount 237x is larger than zero (S140), the determination result of S160 is YES. When the printing process is performed one or more times after the type of black ink is changed, and the old ink not used for the printing remains in the ink flow path 315K, the determination result of S160 is YES. When the type of black ink is not changed, since the estimated residual ink amount 237x is equal to or smaller than zero, the determination result of S160 is NO. When the printing process is performed one or more times after the type of black ink is changed, and the entire old ink is used for the printing and the old ink does not remain in the ink flow path 315K, the determination result of S160 is NO. One cleaning (S145) may use the entire ink in the ink flow path 315K. When the type of black ink is changed after the previous printing, and the entire old ink is used for cleaning and the old ink does not remain in the ink flow path 315K, the determination result of S160 is NO.
When the determination result in S160 is YES, in S170, the processor 210 determines whether the type of black ink is changed from the first type to the second type. In the present embodiment, when the residual ink type 238x indicates the first type (herein, a dye) and the type of current ink indicates the second type (herein, a pigment), the processor 210 determines that the type of black ink is changed from the first type to the second type.
When it is determined that the type of black ink is changed from the first type to the second type (S170: YES), in S190, the processor 210 determines whether the print mode designated by the print instruction is the “image quality priority mode”. When the print mode is different from the “image quality priority mode” (S190: NO), in S200 (
The processor 210 determines that printing can be completed with the estimated residual ink amount 237x when the estimated residual ink amount 237x is equal to or larger than the estimated used amount. In this case (S200: YES), in S240, the processor 210 causes the print execution unit 300 to execute printing using the residual ink. In the present embodiment, the processor 210 generates print data to be supplied to the print execution unit 300 by using the target data. The print data is data in a data format that can be interpreted by the control circuit 360 of the print execution unit 300. The processor 210 supplies the generated print data to the print execution unit 300. The control circuit 360 of the print execution unit 300 controls the printing mechanism 370 according to the received print data. Thus, the image is printed on the sheet.
Various methods can be employed as a method of generating the print data. In the present embodiment, the processor 210 generates the print data by executing a resolution converting process, a color converting process on resolution-converted image data, and a halftoning process using color-converted image data. The resolution converting process is a process of converting the resolution of the target data into a predetermined print resolution for the printing. The data format of the target data may be a format different from the bitmap format (for example, the target data may be data described in a page description language). In this case, the processor 210 executes a process (for example, a rasterizing process) for converting the target data into the bitmap data with the print resolution. The image data with the print resolution to be generated is bitmap data of a predetermined input color space (for example, RGB).
The color converting process is a process of converting the color value of each pixel from the color value of the input color space to the color value of the print color space which is a color space for printing. The print color space is a color space represented by color components corresponding to the ink used by the print execution unit 300. In the present embodiment, as the print color space, a KCMY color space (also referred to as a first color space) in the case of using dye black ink and a KCMY color space (also referred to as a second color space) in the case of using pigment black ink can be used. In the present embodiment, a CMY color space (also referred to as a third color space) in which printing is performed without using the black ink can be used.
The profiles 233, 234, and 235 (
A halftoning process may be processes of various methods such as an error diffusion method or a method using a dither matrix. The processor 210 generates print data by using data representing the result of the halftoning process.
In S250, the processor 210 updates the estimated residual ink amount information 237 so that the estimated residual ink amount 237x indicates a value obtained by subtracting the actual used amount of black ink used for the printing from the current estimated residual ink amount 237x. The method of calculating the actual used amount (also referred to as the actual used amount) of the black ink used for the printing may be various methods. In the present embodiment, the processor 210 specifies the used amount of black ink of each pixel by analyzing the print data. Then, the processor 210 calculates the total value of the used amounts of black ink of all the pixels as the actual used amount. As the estimated residual ink amount information 237 is updated in S250, the processor 210 ends the printing process.
When the estimated residual ink amount 237x is smaller than the estimated used amount in S200 (S200: NO), the processor 210 determines that printing cannot be completed with the estimated residual ink amount 237x. In this case, in step S210, the processor 210 specifies the type of sheet designated by the print instruction. In S220, the processor 210 determines whether the type of sheet is suitable for the type of current ink. In the present embodiment, when the suitability (
When it is determined that the type of sheet is suitable for the type of current ink (S220: YES), the processor 210 executes S240 and S250 described above and ends the printing process. Accordingly, the printing using the residual ink is performed. In this case, since the estimated residual ink amount 237x is smaller than the estimated used amount, the residual ink is used for the printing, and subsequently, the current ink is used.
When it is determined that the type of sheet is not suitable for the type of current ink (S220: NO), the processor 210 causes the print execution unit 300 to execute the printing without using the ink of which type can be changed (S230: NO). In the present embodiment, the printing using three types of the CMY ink without using the black ink is performed. Similarly to S240, the processor 210 generates the print data and supplies the generated print data to the print execution unit 300. Herein, the processor 210 uses the third profile 235 corresponding to the third color space (CMY) in the color converting process. Accordingly, appropriate print data using the three types of CMY ink without using the black ink are generated.
After the printing in S230, the processor 210 updates the estimated residual ink amount information 237 in S250. S250 is performed similarly to the case where the printing of S240 is performed. Then, the printing process ends. Herein, the residual ink is not discarded. The residual ink can be used in the subsequent printing. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively use the ink for the printing.
When the print mode is the “image quality priority mode” in S190 of
When it is determined that the printing can be completed with the estimated residual ink amount 237x (S300: YES), in S310, the processor 210 specifies the type of sheet designated by the print instruction. In S320, the processor 210 determines whether the residual ink is suitable for the type of sheet. In the present embodiment, when the suitability (
When it is determined that the residual ink is suitable for the type of sheet (S320: YES), the processor 210 causes the print execution unit 300 to execute printing using the residual ink in S330, and updates the estimated residual ink amount information 237 in S335. The processes of S330 and S335 are the same as the processes of S240 and S250 of
When it is determined in S320 that the residual ink is not suitable for the type of sheet (S320: NO), in S340, the processor 210 executes a process of discarding the residual ink. Specifically, the processor 210 supplies an instruction for discarding the residual ink to the print execution unit 300. The control circuit 360 of the print execution unit 300 discards the residual ink according to the instruction. The process of discarding the residual ink may be an arbitrary process of discarding the residual ink in the ink flow path 315K. For example, the process of discarding the residual ink may be a process of causing the print head 332 to perform flushing. Alternatively, the process of discarding the residual ink may be a purging process using the capping device 352. In any case, the processor 210 may determine the discarding amount by using the estimated residual ink amount 237x and may instruct the print execution unit 300 to discard the determined discarding amount of ink. The control circuit 360 may execute the process of discarding the discarding amount of ink according to the instruction. Herein, the discarding amount may be determined to various values of the estimated residual ink amount 237x or more. For example, the discarding amount may be determined to be an amount of the estimated residual ink amount 237x or more and the volume or less of the ink flow path 315K. Alternatively, the discarding amount may be a predetermined amount (for example, the volume of the ink flow path 315K).
In S350, the processor 210 sets a default profile to a profile suitable for the type of current ink. For example, when the type of current ink is the first type ink, the default profile is set to the first profile 233 corresponding to the first type ink. When the type of current ink is the second type ink, the default profile is set to the second profile 234 corresponding to the second type ink.
In S360, the processor 210 causes the print execution unit 300 to execute the printing using the current ink. Similarly to S240 (
After the printing of S360, in S365, the processor 210 updates the estimated residual ink amount information 237 so that the estimated residual ink amount 237x is zero. Then, the printing process ends.
When the estimated residual ink amount 237x is smaller than the estimated used amount at S300 (S300: NO), the processor 210 executes S340, S350, S360, and S365 described above, and ends the printing process.
When it is determined in S170 (
When the determination result in S160 of
As described above, in the present embodiment, the multifunction device 200 (
The processor 210 of the controller 299 determines in S130, S140, S145, S150, and S160 of
When it is determined to use the residual ink for the printing, the processor 210 causes the print execution unit 300 to execute new printing using the residual ink (that is, printing to be performed from now on and, in the present embodiment, the current printing) (S240 (
The processor 210 executes the discarding process for discarding the residual ink until the new printing is performed in response to the determination to not use the residual ink for the printing (S180 (
As described above, since the residual ink remaining in the ink flow path 315K can be used for the printing, the ink can be effectively used for the printing when the type of ink is changed.
As described in S190 of
As described in S210 and S220 of
As described in S170 of
When the type of ink is changed from the second type ink to the first type ink (
As described in S230 and S240 of
As described in S200 and S220 of
In the present embodiment, after the type of ink is changed, it is determined whether to use the residual ink for the printing each time when the printing instruction is received until the estimated residual ink amount 237x becomes zero. Therefore, when the volume of the ink flow path 315K is large, it is possible to effectively use the residual ink for the printing.
(1) The method of determining whether or not the type of ink is changed may be various other methods instead of the method using the information read from the memory fixed to the ink cartridge (for example, the memory 406Ka of the ink cartridge 400Ka). For example, when the user changed the type of ink, the user may input the type of changed ink (for example, a model number of the ink) by operating the operation unit 250. The processor 210 may use the input information to determine whether the type of ink has been changed.
(2) The condition for determining to use the residual ink for the printing may be various other conditions instead of the conditions described in
The determination condition for the determination result in S170 of
(3) The procedure of the printing process may be other various procedures instead of the procedures of
The target data may be any data representing an image. For example, the target data may be data represented in a print color space. In this case, the processor 210 may generate print data without performing a color converting process (thus, a process using a profile). In S200 (
In the embodiment of
(4) The configuration of the print execution unit 300 may be other various configurations instead of the configuration illustrated in
Devices (specifically, the guide rails 382 and 384, the pulleys 395 and 396, the belt 397, the carriage motor 398) for moving the carriage unit in the scanning direction may be omitted. Then the print head may include a nozzle row configured with a plurality of nozzles aligned along a direction perpendicular to the transporting direction over a length substantially equal to the width of the sheet. The print head 332 may include a plurality of nozzle rows for a plurality of inks, which are aligned in the transporting direction. A printer provided with such a print head is also called a line printer. The line printer performs printing without moving the print head. The print execution unit 300 may be configured to print an image by ejecting ink on various sheets such as sheet.
(5) The configuration of the printer may be various other configurations instead of the configuration of the multifunction device 200 of
In each of the above-described embodiments, a portion of the configuration realized by hardware may be replaced by software, and conversely, a portion or all of the configurations realized by software may be replaced by hardware. For example, the function of generating the print data by using the target data may be realized by a dedicated hardware circuit.
When a portion or all of the functions of the present invention are realized by a computer program, the program may be provided in a form of being stored in a computer-readable recording medium (for example, a non-temporary recording medium). The program may be used in a state where the program is stored on the same or different recording medium (computer-readable recording medium) as provided. The “computer-readable recording medium” is not limited to a portable recording medium such as a memory card and a CD-ROM, but the computer-readable recording medium may include internal storage devices in the computer such as various ROMs and external storage devices connected to the computer such as hard disk drives.
Heretofore, while the present invention has been described based on the embodiments and modified examples, the above-described embodiments of the present invention are provided for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and modified without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof.
The technology disclosed in the present specification can be realized as the following application examples.
An inkjet printer including: a print execution unit that executes printing; and a controller that controls the print execution unit. The print execution unit includes: a print head having a plurality of nozzles configured to eject ink; an ink supply unit that is configured to supply ink to the print head; and an ink flow path that connects the ink supply unit and the print head. The controller is configured to: determine whether a type of ink supplied by the ink supply unit is changed; determine whether to use a residual ink which is ink before change remaining in the ink flow path in response to be determined that the type of the ink is changed; control the print execution unit to execute new printing using the residual ink in response to be determined to use the residual ink for the printing; and execute a discarding process for discarding the residual ink before the new printing is performed in response to be determined to not use the residual ink for the printing.
According to this configuration, since the residual ink remaining in the ink flow path can be used for the printing, when the type of ink is changed, it is possible to effectively use the ink for the printing.
The inkjet printer according to the Application Example 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether to use the residual ink for the printing by referring to a setting regarding image quality for the new printing.
According to this configuration, since the determination suitable for the setting regarding the image quality for the new printing is performed, it is possible to appropriately execute the new printing.
The inkjet printer according to the Application Example 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether to use the residual ink for the printing by referring to a type of print medium used for the new printing.
According to this configuration, since the determination suitable for the type of print medium used for the new printing is performed, it is possible to appropriately execute the new printing.
The inkjet printer according to the Application Example 1, wherein a condition for determining to use the residual ink for the printing includes a condition that the type of the ink is changed from a specific first type of ink to a specific second type of ink.
According to this configuration, when the type of ink has been changed from the specific first type ink to the specific second type ink, it is possible to effectively use the ink for the printing.
The inkjet printer according to the Application Example 1, wherein, in a case where the type of the ink is changed from the second type of ink to the first type of ink, the controller determines to not use the residual ink for the printing, and executes the discarding process after reception of a new print instruction.
According to this configuration, it is possible to appropriately discard the residual ink remaining in the ink flow path at the stage of receiving the new printing instruction.
The inkjet printer according to the Application Example 1, wherein the controller controls the print execution unit to execute the printing by using a profile that defines a correspondence relationship between a specific color space and a color space including a color component corresponding to the ink, and wherein the controller controls the print execution unit to execute the printing by using the profile associated with a type of the changed ink in response to be determined to use changed ink.
According to this configuration, it is possible to execute printing suitable for the type of changed ink.
The inkjet printer according to the Application Example 1, wherein, in a case where determined to use the residual ink for the printing and an amount of the residual ink is smaller than an amount of the ink to be used for the new printing, the controller controls the print execution unit to execute the new printing so that the changed ink is used subsequently to the use of the residual ink.
According to this configuration, even when the amount of residual ink is smaller than the amount of ink used for the new printing, it is possible to effectively use the ink for the printing.
The inkjet printer according to the Application Example 1, wherein the print execution unit executes printing by using a plurality of colors of ink including a specific color, and wherein, in a case where determined that the type of the specific color ink is changed and an amount of the residual ink corresponding to the specific color ink is smaller than an amount of ink to be used for the new printing, the controller controls the print execution unit to execute the new printing by using the ink other than the ink of the specific color without discarding the residual ink corresponding to the ink of the specific color.
According to this configuration, even when the amount of residual ink is smaller than the amount of ink used for the new printing, it is possible to effectively use the ink for the printing.
The technology disclosed in this specification can be realized in various aspects. For example, the technology may be realized in a form of a control method and a controller of a printer, a printer including a controller and a print execution unit, a computer program for realizing these methods or functions of devices, a recording medium (for example, a non-temporary recording medium) recording the computer program, and the like.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-132521 | Jul 2018 | JP | national |
