Printing apparatus and printing method

Abstract

When a splice of a continuous sheet is detected, a printing apparatus defines an unprintable area including the splice on the continuous sheet and continues printing by changing the order in which unit images and maintenance patterns are printed so that the unprintable area is not used for the print operation and a maintenance pattern is printed in an area subsequent to the unprintable area.

1 . An apparatus comprising:
 a sheet feeding unit configured to feed a continuous sheet along a path;   a printing unit configured to perform a print operation to print unit images and maintenance patterns in a determined order on the continuous sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit;   a detection unit, disposed between the sheet feeding unit and the printing unit in the path, configured to detect a splice of the continuous sheet; and   a control unit configured to control so as to define an unprintable area, including the splice, where the unit image is not to be printed on the continuous sheet when the detection unit detects the splice, and change the determined order so that a maintenance pattern is printed in an area subsequent to the unprintable area and the print operation continues while avoiding the unprintable area.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the control unit performs control so as to change the determined order so that the maintenance pattern is additionally printed in an area preceding the unprintable area. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the control unit performs rescheduling to change the determined order so that maintenance patterns are formed at intervals from the maintenance pattern formed in the area subsequent to the unprintable area. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein, when the splice passes through a position at which the splice faces a print head of the printing unit, the print head temporarily moves away from the continuous sheet. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a reverse unit configured to reverse the continuous sheet for duplex printing,
 wherein the control unit controls so that, in the duplex printing, the printing unit performs printing a plurality of the unit images and the maintenance patterns in the determined order on a first surface of the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit, the printed sheet is reversed by the reversed unit to feed the reversed sheet to the printing unit, and the printing unit performs printing a plurality of the unit images and the maintenance patterns in the determined order on a second surface, which is the back of the first surface, of the sheet fed from the reverse unit.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the printing unit includes a plurality of inkjet print head. 
     
     
         7 . A method comprising the steps of:
 feeding a continuous sheet;   printing unit images and maintenance patterns in a determined order on the fed continuous sheet;   detecting an unsuitable area that is not suitable for printing on the fed continuous sheet; and   defining an unprintable area, including the unsuitable area, where the unit image is not to be printed on the continuous sheet when the unsuitable area is detected, and changing the determined order so that a maintenance pattern is printed in an area subsequent to the unprintable area and continuing the printing while avoiding the unprintable area.   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the unsuitable area represents one of a splice, a portion having a stain, and a preset marking portion of the continuous sheet.