Patent ID: 9358814
Filing Date: 2016-06-07
CPC Classification: B41J,B65H

Claim Text:
1. A label paper processing apparatus comprising: a paper supply unit which continuously supplies and feeds a label paper, a digital printing unit which prints on the label paper from the paper supply unit, a print image and a cutting locus along a contour of a shape to be cut out, and a laser processing unit which half-cuts the printed label paper along the printed cutting locus with a laser beam irradiated so as to scan and trace the printed cutting locus, thereby forming a half-cutout of said shape in the label paper, wherein: said paper supply unit, said digital printing unit and said laser processing unit are serially arranged in a label paper feeding direction, said paper supply unit, said digital printing unit and said laser processing unit, each has an independent drive mechanism individually, and have no mechanical linkage with each other, the label paper processing apparatus further comprises a pair of loop forming units disposed between said paper supply unit and said digital printing unit, and between said digital printing unit and said laser processing unit, respectively, wherein each of said pair of loop forming units forms a loop of the label paper, said paper supply unit, said digital printing unit and said laser processing unit each has a controllable rate of feed of the label paper so as to hold lengths of the loops in said pair of loop forming units substantially constant, in said laser processing unit, said laser beam has an output and a beam spot diameter of irradiation each of which is fixed so as to be constant and wherein a rate of scanning of the laser beam is controlled to set a processing energy of the laser beam to be commensurate with a thickness of a label sheet of the label paper, said digital printing unit prints said cutting locus continuously with a fixed width and in a black color using an ink that is identical in type to an ink with which the print image is printed, and the printed fixed width of said cutting locus is smaller than the beam spot diameter of irradiation of the laser beam irradiated on the cutting locus.