Flatbed printer and a method of media-relative image positioning for the flatbed printer

Abstract

A flatbed printer and a method for a flatbed printer are disclosed. The flatbed printer includes a print controller configured to receive a digital image intended to be printed by the flatbed printer, to receive position information entered by a parameter window of the user interface of the position of the image on the flatbed area, to receive an indication entered by the parameter window that the image has to be positioned on the media piece, to open the parameter window for entry of a set of parameters allowing to define a size of the media piece and a position of the media piece on the flatbed surface, and the image position relative to the media piece, to receive the entered set of parameters, to show the media piece and the image on the flatbed area in the preview window, and, when moving the media piece or the image over the flatbed area in the preview window, the relative position of the image with respect to the media piece is preserved.

Claims

1. A flatbed printer comprising: a flatbed area for placing media pieces to be printed upon; a print controller for receiving at least one digital image to be printed on a media piece and controlling the printing of the at least one digital image on the media piece; an armature constructed to move over the flatbed area in at least one direction; a print head attached to the armature and configured to eject recording material on the media piece; and a user interface comprising a preview window and a parameter window, wherein the print controller is configured: to receive a digital image intended to be printed by the flatbed printer; to receive position information entered by the parameter window of the user interface of the position of the image on the flatbed area; to receive an indication entered by the parameter window of the user interface that the image has to be positioned on the media piece; to display in the parameter window a set of parameters allowing to define a size of the media piece and a position of the media piece on the flatbed surface, and the image position relative to the media piece; to receive the entered set of parameters, parameters; and to show the media piece and the image on the flatbed area in the preview window, and, when moving the media piece or the image over the flatbed area in the preview window or when editing the parameters defining the position of the media piece in the parameter window, the relative position of the image with respect to the media piece is preserved.

2. The flatbed printer according to claim 1, wherein the print controller is configured to receive the image ripped by a raster image processor which has defined an offset for the image with respect to an origin of the flatbed area, and, when the indication that the image has to be positioned on the media piece is received, to automatically infer a media size equal to the size of the image increased with the offset from the origin of the flatbed area, and to position the image at the same offset from a corner of the media piece.

3. The flatbed printer according to claim 1, wherein the print controller is configured to copy the image multiple times, wherein each copy inherits the dimensions of the media piece and the image position on the media piece.

4. The flatbed printer according to claim 1, wherein the print controller is configured to automatically fill, when the dimensions of the media piece are known, the media piece with multiple copies of the image.

5. The flatbed printer according to claim 1, wherein the print controller is configured to provide feedback on the user interface about images extending outside of the media piece.

6. A printing method for media-relative image positioning for a flatbed printer comprising a flatbed area for placing media pieces to be printed upon, a print controller for receiving at least one digital image to be printed on a media piece and controlling the printing of the at least one digital image on the media piece, an armature constructed to move over the flatbed area in at least one direction, a print head attached to the armature and configured to eject recording material on the media piece, and a user interface comprising a preview window and a parameter window, wherein the method comprises the steps of: receiving a digital image intended to be printed by the flatbed printer; receiving position information entered by the parameter window of the user interface of the position of the image on the flatbed area; receiving an indication entered by the parameter window of the user interface that the image has to be positioned on the media piece; displaying in the parameter window a set of parameters allowing to define a size of the media piece and a position of the media piece on the flatbed surface, and the image position relative to the media piece; receiving entered values for the set of parameters; and showing the media piece and the image on the flatbed area in the preview window, and, when moving the media piece or the image over the flatbed area in the preview window or when editing the parameters defining the position of the media piece in the parameter window, the relative position of the image with respect to the media piece is preserved.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the method comprises the steps of receiving the image ripped by a raster image processor which has defined an offset for the image with respect to an origin of the flatbed area, and, when the indication that the image has to be positioned on the media piece is received, automatically inferring a media size equal to the size of the image increased with the offset from the origin of the flatbed area, and positioning the image at the same offset from a corner of the media piece.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the method comprises the step of copying the image multiple times, wherein each copy inherits the dimensions of the media piece and the image position on the media piece.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the method comprises the step of automatically filling, when the dimensions of the media piece are known, the media piece with multiple copies of the image.

10. The method according claim 6, wherein the method comprises the step of providing feedback on the user interface about images extending outside of the media piece in the preview window.

11. A non-transitory recording medium comprising computer executable program code configured to instruct a computer to perform the method according to claim 6.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Hereinafter the present invention is further elucidated with references to the appended drawings showing non-limiting embodiments and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a printing system according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a top view of the flatbed area of the printing system in FIG. 1;

(4) FIGS. 3-6 show user interface screens according to the invention; and

(5) FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the method according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(6) FIG. 1 is a print system 5 comprising a number of workstations 8B, 8C, which may be personal computers or other devices for preparing image data for prints to be printed. These workstations have access to a network N for transferring print jobs comprising the image data to a print controller 8A that is configured to receive the print jobs for prints and derive pass images. The print controller 8A may be part of the print system 5 connected to a print controller of the print system 5 via a connection 6. The print system 5 further comprises a print head 2 attached to an armature 7 for applying colorants, for example cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), black (K) and white (W) colorant, or varnish to pieces 91, 92, 9A of flat print media placed on a flatbed area 1 in order to obtain a printed image. The armature 7 may a gantry above the flatbed area 1 as shown in FIG. 1 or a robot arm (not shown) moving in a plurality of directions over the flatbed area 1. The flatbed area 1 is the surface of the flatbed which is at least partially printable by the print head 2. The pieces of media may be so small that they are completely placed on the flatbed area 1, but a piece of media which is larger than the flatbed area, in which case an image which is going to cover the whole piece of media must be printed into a plurality of parts of the image, is not excluded. A first piece 9A has already been printed upon, while the other pieces 91, 92 are not provided with any recording material yet. The print head 2 reciprocally scans the flatbed area 1 in the second direction X along a gantry 7 perpendicular to a first direction Y of the gantry 7 over the flatbed area 1 along guiding parts 10. During printing of an image on the piece 91, 92, 9A of media, the piece 91, 92, 9A of media is not moved on the flatbed area 1. This way of working is advantageous for rigid print media. A print head which is as wide as the flatbed area may also be envisaged within the scope of the invention. Such a print head may be moveable in at least one direction over the flatbed area 1. The piece of media 9A may have a thickness of 10 mm, while the pieces of media 91, 92 may have a thickness of 20 mm.

(7) FIG. 2 shows the flatbed area 1 of FIG. 1 from a different viewpoint. The flatbed area 1 is provided with a plurality of suction holes 29. A suction hole 29 is connected to at least one underlying suction chamber 21-25. The suction chambers 21-25 may be closed and opened separately in order to limit and/or expand the air flow to an air flow which is necessary and corresponding to the positions of the media pieces 91, 92, 9A on the flatbed area 1. The number of suction holes, the number of suction chambers, the size of the suction holes, the size of the suction chambers, the geometry of the suction holes and the geometry of the suction chambers in FIG. 2 are exemplary. Other numbers, sizes or geometries may be envisioned.

(8) When a print job comprising at least one image to be printed is submitted to the flatbed printer, the print controller adds the print job and the at least one image to a pool of images to be printed. The pool is shown in an initial user interface screen and may be organized as a print queue or as a grouping mechanism to create a container print job with a container image that comprise the images which can be printed in one gang of printing on at least one media piece laid down on the flatbed area. An image from the pool can be selected in order to display the user interface screens as shown in FIGS. 3-6. From the user interface screens as shown in FIGS. 3-6, the user can return to the initial user interface screen (not shown), for example to select a next image which printing is to be specified in the user interface screens in FIGS. 3-6.

(9) According to another embodiment the user interface screens in FIGS. 3-6 are integrated as a sub-screen in the initial user interface screen of the user interface of the flatbed printer. When no print job or image is selected, a placeholder text may be displayed in the sub-screen. A selected image in the pool part of the initial user interface screen is then directly visible in the sub-screen, i.e. in the preview window and the parameter window of the sub-screen.

(10) FIGS. 3-6 show user interface screens according to the invention. For convenience reasons, representations of an image to be printed and a media piece to be printed upon which are visible on the preview window 31 comprised in the user interface screens in FIGS. 3-6 are hereinafter referred to as “image” and “media piece” respectively.

(11) FIG. 3 shows a user interface screen 300 comprising the preview window 31 and a parameter window 32. An image 34 is positioned on the grey color flatbed area according to a horizontal distance 35 and a vertical distance 36 from Origin A which is the bottom-left corner of the grey color flatbed area in the preview window 31.

(12) FIG. 4 shows a user interface screen 400 resembling the user interface screen 300 in FIG. 3. According to the present invention, when the operator ticks the new “Position on media” checkbox 43, a new set of parameters 44-49 appear, allowing to define the media size by means of the parameters 44, 49 and position on the flatbed surface by means of parameters 45, 46, and the image position relative to the media by means of the parameters 47, 48. In the preview window 31 an image 41 appears which represents the media piece at the position on the flatbed area set by the parameters 45, 46. In the preview window 31 the image 34 is now positioned on the media piece 41 at the position determined by the parameters 47, 48. The media piece 41 is displayed as a white rectangle with a blue border on the preview window 31, and the image 34 gets a grey border. The operator can now easily verify that the image 34 will be correctly positioned on the media piece 41. The operator can now directly read where the media piece 41 must be positioned on the flatbed table of the flatbed printer. Other colors may be envisioned and selected to achieve the same.

(13) After moving the image 34 to another location on the flatbed area shown in the preview window 31, the operator can check that the image position on the media piece 41 is still correct, without having to perform mental calculations.

(14) According to the present invention, the image positioning typically becomes a two-steps process of a first step of defining the media size and image position on media piece and a second step of defining the media position on the flatbed area.

(15) FIG. 5 shows a user interface screen 500 resembling the user interface screen 400 in FIG. 4. When a RIP sends the image 34 to the flatbed printer, according to an embodiment, the RIP defines an offset for the image 34 with respect to the origin of the table (bottom-left corner). When the operator selects the checkbox 43 labelled “Position on media”, the print controller automatically infers a media size equal to the image size+the offset from the table origin as sent by the RIP, and positions the image 34 at that same offset from the media corner. FIG. 5 shows an example with an offset of (100, 100) with respect to the Origin A (bottom-left corner). A media piece 51 with the inferred media size appears on the preview window 31.

(16) The operator can then edit the dimensions of the media piece 51 in the parameter window 32 and adjust the image position on the media piece 51 in the parameter window 32.

(17) When dragging the image 34 on the preview window 31 or editing the “Media horizontal/vertical distance” parameters 55,56, the image 34 moves together with the media piece 51. The image position relative to the media piece 51 is preserved.

(18) FIG. 6 shows a user interface screen 600 resembling the user interface screen 400 in FIG. 4. Once the operator has defined the size of the media piece and the image position of the image on the media piece, he will have the ability to copy the image 34 multiple times. Each copy 61, 62, 63 will them inherit the media dimensions and image position on the media. This allows easily printing the same image on multiple media pieces side-by-side, with exactly the same image-to-media positioning for each copy 61, 62, 63.

(19) When the media dimensions are known, the media piece may be automatically filled with multiple copies of the image. According to an embodiment the print controller automatically arranges multiple—different—images on the media piece. According to an embodiment the print controller provide feedback on the user interface screen 300-600 about images extending outside of the media piece(s).

(20) FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram of an embodiment of the method according to the invention. Starting point of the method is point A. Point A leads to a first step S1.

(21) In the first step S1 a digital image intended to be printed is received by the flatbed printer.

(22) In a second step S2 position information is entered by means of the parameter window of the user interface of the position of the image on the flatbed area.

(23) In a third step S3 an indication is entered by means of the parameter window of the user interface that the image has to be positioned on a media piece.

(24) In a fourth step S4 a set of parameters is displayed in the parameter window allowing to define a size of the media piece and a position of the media piece on the flatbed surface, and the image position relative to the media piece.

(25) In a fifth step S5 values for the set of parameters are entered by the operator.

(26) In a sixth step S6 the media piece and the image are displayed on the flatbed area in the preview window.

(27) In a seventh step S7, when moving the media piece or the image over the flatbed area in the preview window, the relative position of the image with respect to the media piece is preserved.

(28) The user interface is also configured (not shown) to receive a start instruction for printing the image on the media piece by the flatbed printer. The print controller uses the values of the parameters set in the parameter window to create a data bitmap and print instructions to be sent to the print head. The print head ejects the recording material to form the image on the media piece at the entered and previewed position on the media piece and the flatbed area according to the data bitmap.

(29) The method ends in an end point B.

(30) According to an embodiment the print controller gets feedback from via the user interface of the printing system or via detection by sensors of the printing system that the media pieces have been laid down on the flatbed area, before the recording material is ejected towards the flatbed area. The ejection of recording material may be started automatically by the print controller or manually via the user interface by the operator.

(31) FIGS. 2-6 show user interface screen 300, 400, 500, 600 of the user interface of the flatbed printer according to the present invention. The user interface may be a local user interface attached to the flatbed printer. The user interface may be a remote user interface installed in storage or as a cloud service on a computer, PC, laptop, tablet pc, mobile phone, or any other mobile device with a display screen connected—wired or wireless—to the print controller of the flatbed printer.

(32) The above disclosure is intended as merely exemplary, and not to limit the scope of the invention, which is to be determined by reference to the following claims.