EP0372668A2 - Method and matrix print head for printing on large on edge-fed forms - Google Patents

Abstract

In a method for printing on large on edge-fed forms (2) according to the matrix printing method, printing on the upright format takes place either in horizontally readable writing or in writing which is readable perpendicular to the paper feed direction. In order to improve the conditions in relation to quality, speed and printing element operating sequence when printing an image in an upright or transverse format, it is proposed that a print head is used, the printing element series of which extends at an acute angle to the vertical or to the horizontal, the printing element series extending in one or more character matrix squares and the characters being printed simultaneously in one or more lines or columns. By this means, the conditions during horizontal printing and vertical printing are completely identical. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a method and a matrix print head for printing upright forms in a printer that can be pushed upright in the vertical format according to the matrix printing method, the printing on the vertical format being carried out either in horizontally legible font or in legible font perpendicular to the paper feed direction.

Usual printers are for paper widths of A3, i.e. designed for 297 mm in width and thus capture portrait and landscape formats on the typewriter side. This results in a pressure construction, which often leads to an unused capacity. However, landscape formats are required if e.g. Tables or graphic representations must be written that do not fit on the portrait format.

Converting such printers to portrait formats and restricting their overall width to portrait formats, but nevertheless being able to label landscape formats, is known (DE-OS 31 04 794). It is also known to arrange the printing elements at a distance "a" in a line perpendicular to the direction of movement of the print head. This distance "a" corresponds to a feed "a" of both the record carrier and the print head. However, the typeface generated by this method is not to be regarded as a correspondence typeface and is at best suitable for teleprinters.

Correspondence for portrait and landscape format on forms in portrait format is also created with the help of a so-called page memory, in which all print points of a writing page that can be printed on the basis of a defined resolution are stored. Such page memories are very extensive and therefore very expensive, and printing from the page memory is relatively slow. Printing a page takes several times the normal printing time because the print head has to pass over all possible occupied and unoccupied print positions of the format.

The problem of rationally printing correspondence in portrait or landscape format on a printer is therefore still unsolved.

The invention has for its object to improve the relationships in terms of quality, speed and printing element actuation sequence when printing a typeface portrait and landscape format.

The object is achieved according to the invention in that a print head is used whose print element row runs at an acute angle to the vertical or to the horizontal, the print element row running in one or more character matrix fields and the characters simultaneously in one or more lines or Columns are printed. This teaching has the advantage that the conditions for horizontal printing and vertical printing are completely the same, so that both the horizontal printing of vertical characters as well as the vertical printing of transverse characters can largely achieve the same ratios in terms of typeface and printing speed. This teaching also brings about correspondence quality for both portrait and landscape printing. The fact that the row of printing elements is at an acute angle to the vertical or to the horizontal also means that never more than two to three printing elements are actuated at the same time, which, when using printing needles, results in a more pleasant writing noise which is considerable is quieter than the pressure noises generated with vertical needle gaps.

For a square matrix, it is particularly advantageous that the print element row of the print head is set to 45 degrees.

The sequence of the individual process steps advantageously takes place in such a way that when the horizontally readable font is printed on the vertical format, the paper feed and the printing are carried out line by line, but that when the font which is readable perpendicularly to the paper feed direction is printed, the print head is moved horizontally into a first writing position, followed by the The paper feed is switched on and one or more vertical columns with transverse characters are printed, after which the print head is moved horizontally to a next or further writing position and one or more vertical columns each with transverse characters are printed, the paper feed again being switched on line by line.

The cross-printing of a portrait format is achieved in the same time as the vertical printing, in that the individual or groups of vertical columns of transversal characters are printed on the portrait format from top to bottom and then from bottom to top. Of course, empty columns, i.e. vertical empty spaces, left out.

An associated matrix print head for printing upright forms that can be pushed upright in a printer, in which the row of printing elements runs approximately diagonally or diagonally to form a rectangular or square matrix, is also advantageously designed in that the length of the row of printing elements equals the root of 2 times 1 / 6 inches or 2 times 1/10 inch root.

• Fig. 1 sowohl das Verfahren des Senkrechtdruckes als auch das Verfahren des Querdrucks jeweils auf einem Hochformat,
• Fig. 2 einen Ausschnitt aus Fig. 1 in vergrößerter Darstellung für Schönschrift.

In the drawing, an embodiment of the invention is shown, which is described in more detail below. Show it

• 1 shows both the method of vertical printing and the method of transverse printing in each case on a portrait format,
• Fig. 2 shows a detail of Fig. 1 in an enlarged view for fine writing.

As shown, the print element row 1 consists of 24 print elements, e.g. Pressure needles. The printing element row 1 can be used in an upright form 2 in a printer in portrait format according to the matrix printing process, the printing on the portrait format 2 being carried out either in horizontally legible font 3a or in legible font 3b perpendicular to the paper feed direction. Here, a print head is used, the printing element row 1 of which runs at an acute angle 4 to the vertical or at an acute angle 5 to the horizontal. The row of printing elements 1 runs in the horizontal line 6 over several character matrix fields 7 and 8, whereby either a rectangular matrix 9 or a square matrix 10 can be formed over several characters (e.g. § or the number 8). When a square matrix 10 is formed, the § symbol and at the same time the number 8 are printed in a continuous sequence via the printing element row 1 a moving in the print head feed direction 16, so that a line from the beginning of the line 11 is finished printed in the printing direction. Then, as is known, the next (not shown) horizontal line is also generated in the specified printing direction. The horizontally legible font on portrait format 2 is now done line by line.

When printing the text that can be read perpendicular to the paper feed direction 12 (M / W symbol in a circle), the print head is printed with the Row of printing elements 1 moved horizontally into a first writing position 13, then the paper feed switched on in the paper feed direction 12 and, starting from the same matrix (a rectangular or square matrix 9 or 10), one or more vertical columns 17 with the transverse characters 14 were printed. If further vertical columns 17 are to be written, the print head with the printing element row 1 is then moved to the left or to the right and then printed again in a vertical column 17. During this printing, the paper is again moved in the paper feed direction 12, in which case the paper feed speed in the direction of the vertical column 17 and the printhead feed speed in the direction of the horizontal line 6 can be the same size.

The individual or groups of vertical columns 17 made of transverse characters 14 can be printed on the portrait format from top to bottom and then from bottom to top.

In the printing method specified, a matrix print head for printing upright forms that can be pushed upright in a printer is particularly advantageous, in which the row of printing elements 1 runs approximately diagonally or diagonally to form a rectangular or square matrix 9 or 10. It is particularly advantageous here that the length "l" of the row of printing elements 1 is equal to 2 x 1/6 inch root or 2 x 1/10 inch root. The value root from 2 x 1/6 inch corresponds to the value given in the first place in accordance with the requirements for printing correspondence and the value in second place corresponds to the requirements for printing graphic representations.

As can be seen both in the horizontal printing direction and in the vertical paper feed direction, one is selected Instead of the horizontal printing direction and at such a position of the vertical column 17, only two or three (more in the case of graphic representations) pressure elements are actuated at the same time, so that the noise generation is considerably less than in the known vertical needle gaps, such as slightly in the horizontal line by the letter "f" can be recognized.

Claims (5)

1. A method for printing upright forms that can be pushed upright in a printer using the matrix printing process, the printing on the portrait format being carried out either in horizontally legible font or in legible font perpendicular to the paper feed direction,
characterized,
that a print head is used, the row of printing elements is at an acute angle to the vertical or horizontal, the row of printing elements is in one or more character matrix fields and the characters are printed simultaneously in one or more rows or columns. 2. The method according to claim 1,
characterized,
that the print element row of the print head is set to 45 degrees. 3. The method according to claims 1 and 2,
characterized,
that when the horizontally readable font is printed on the vertical format, the paper feed and the printing are carried out line by line, but that when the font which is readable perpendicular to the paper feed direction is printed, the print head is moved horizontally to a first writing position, the paper feed is then switched on and one or more vertical columns with transverse ones Characters are printed, after which the print head is moved horizontally into a next or further writing position and one or more vertical columns are printed, each with transverse characters, whereby the paper feed is switched on line by line. 4. The method according to claims 1 to 3,
characterized,
that the individual or groups of vertical columns of transversal characters are printed from top to bottom and then from bottom to top on the portrait format. 5. Matrix printhead for printing upright forms that can be pushed upright in a printer, in which the row of printing elements runs approximately diagonally or diagonally to form a rectangular or square matrix,
characterized,
that the length (l) of the row of pressure elements (1) is equal to √ 2nd times 1/6 inch or √ 2nd times 1/10 inch.

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