Patent Publication Number: US-2022227136-A1

Title: Printing apparatus, printing control method, and storage medium

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC 119 of Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-007682 filed on Jan. 21, 2021, the entire disclosure of which, including the description, claims, drawings, and abstract, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a printing control method, and a storage medium. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Conventionally, the ink used in printing is a mixture of various solutes dissolved in solvents such as water, and the solutes dissolved evenly throughout the solvent or a state close to the above is the originally assumed state in use. 
     For example, according to a printing apparatus (nail print apparatus) in which a design is printed on a nail of a finger or the like, a base layer which is white or the like is formed on the surface of the nail before the nail design is printed on the nail so that the finish is not influenced by the color of the nail, and the design has beautiful color. The base ink such as white applied as the base includes as a white color component solutes with a large specific gravity and such components tend to settle. Examples of such solutes include titanium dioxide. 
     If printing is performed using ink in which sedimentation of solutes progressed, printing results may include uneven colors due to unevenness in ink density, or horizontal streaks, or problems such as clogging of a nozzle may occur and the ink may not be discharged normally. The above situations may cause decrease in the quality of printing. 
     As a method to stir ink and solve the sedimentation state, there is a method such as manually shaking a tank where the ink is contained. However, the method of shaking and the degree of force is different for each person. Therefore, the stirring may not be enough or the stirring may be performed too much and bubbles may occur in the tank. Moreover, it is hard labor and a burden for the user to stir ink with the hand. 
     In this regard, Japanese Patent No. 5471358 describes a configuration in which a carriage which holds and moves a print head (recording head in Japanese Patent No. 5471358) includes a stirrer (shaking mechanism in Japanese Patent No. 5471358), and the ink is suitably shaken and stirred. 
     According to the above, the stirring can be performed stably without using the user&#39;s hands, and even ink which includes solutes with large specific gravity such as base ink can be maintained at a state so that printing with high quality can be performed. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A printing apparatus includes, a carriage which is capable of holding at least one tank containing ink and which performs printing in a printing area in the apparatus; a driver which moves the carriage between at least the printing area and a stirring area provided outside the printing area; and a stirrer which is provided in the stirring area and which is capable of stirring the ink in the tank, wherein, the stirrer is in a fastened state with the carriage in response to the driver moving the carriage to the stirring area, and stirs the ink in the tank in the fastened state. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a main portion of a printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a control block diagram showing a general control configuration of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of a main portion of an apparatus main body according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of a main portion of the apparatus main body according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the main portion showing a stirrer, a carriage, and the surroundings according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a main portion showing the carriage and the surrounding configuration according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a main portion showing a fastened portion between a movement guide and a frame according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a main portion showing a fastened state of a fastened portion between the movement guide and the frame according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged perspective view showing the fastened portion where the movement guide and the frame are in the fastened state according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a stirrer according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the main portion showing the surroundings of the fastened portion between the stirrer and the carriage according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 12A  is a perspective view enlarging the portion within the frame shown with a long and short dash line in  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 12B  is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the fastened portion between the stirrer and the carriage. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a main portion showing the fastened state between the stirrer and the carriage according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 14A  is a front view of a stirrer describing the operation of the stirrer according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 14B  is a front view of a stirrer describing the operation of the stirrer according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 14C  is a front view of a stirrer describing the operation of the stirrer according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 14D  is a front view of a stirrer describing the operation of the stirrer according to the present embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the printing apparatus, the printing control method, and the storage medium according to the present invention is described with reference to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 14D . 
     The embodiments described below include various limitations technically preferable to implement the present invention. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples. 
     According to the embodiments described below, the printing apparatus is a nail print apparatus in which a target of printing is fingernails of hands and the printing is performed on the fingernails of the hands. However, the target on which printing is performed by the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment is not limited to fingernails of the hand, and for example, the target of printing may be fingernails of a foot. Alternatively, the target of printing may be a target other than nails, examples including a nail tip or a surface of various accessories. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing an outer appearance of a main portion of the printing apparatus (nail print apparatus) according to the present embodiment.  FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the main portion of the printing apparatus. 
     In the description of the embodiments below, up, down, left, right, front, and rear are directions shown in  FIG. 1 . Moreover, X-direction and Y-direction are directions shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     According to the present embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the printing apparatus  100  includes a case  1  formed in a substantial box shape. 
     An operator  12  is provided on an upper surface (top plate) of the case  1 . 
     The operator  12  is a unit with which the user performs various inputs. 
     The operator  12  includes various operation buttons to perform various inputs. Examples may be, a power supply switch button to turn on and turn off the power of the printing apparatus  100 , a stop switch button to stop the operation, a print start button to instruct the start of printing, and the like. 
     When the operator  12  is operated, an operation signal according to the operation is output to the control apparatus  80 . The control apparatus  80  performs control according to the operation signal and operates each unit of the printing apparatus  100 . 
     A finger insertion opening  13  which is an opening where a finger is inserted during printing by the printing apparatus  100  is formed on a front surface side (close side in a Y-direction in  FIG. 1 ) of the case  1  of the printing apparatus  100  and in substantially the center in a left/right direction (X-direction in  FIG. 1 ) of the apparatus. 
     The apparatus main body  2  is provided inside the case  1 . 
       FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  are front views viewing the apparatus main body from the front side of the apparatus. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the apparatus main body  2  includes a base  20 , a printer  40  assembled on the base  20 , a stirrer  30  (see  FIG. 10 ), and the like. In addition to the above, an imager  50  is provided inside the case  1  (see  FIG. 2 ). 
     A finger placer  21  is provided on the base  20  in a portion corresponding to the finger insertion opening  13 . The finger placer  21  is where the finger (finger corresponding to the nail as a printing target) inserted from the finger insertion opening  13  is placed and held. 
     The portion where the finger placer  21  is provided (area which is substantially center in the X-direction and to the close side of the apparatus) is a printing area Ar 1  in which printing is performed by the later-described printer  40 . 
     A stirring area Ar 2  in which ink is stirred by the later-described stirrer  30  is provided in an area in the apparatus outside of the printing area Ar 1  (area which is a left side edge in the X-direction and to the close side of the apparatus according to the present embodiment). According to the present embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the area on the base  20  at the left side edge in the X-direction and to the close side of the apparatus is to be the stirring area Ar 2 . 
     An ink receiver  22  is provided on the base  20  in the stirring area A 2 . The ink receiver  22  receives drops of ink (including ink drops and ink in a mist form) generated from a discharger  412 . 
     The ink receiver  22  according to the present embodiment functions as a maintenance section that performs maintenance of a print head  41 . The configuration of the ink receiver  22  is not limited, and preferably, the configuration includes a material that absorbs ink. 
     In an area on the base  20  other than the printing area Ar 1  and the stirring area Ar 2  (for example, area in the rear of the apparatus), a standby area (home position) in which the print head  41  is kept in a standby state when printing is not performed, and a maintenance area in which maintenance of the print head  41  is performed (both not shown) may be provided. 
     The printer  40  includes the print head  41  and a head movement mechanism  49  (see  FIG. 2 ) as a driver. 
     The print head  41  includes a tank  411  in which ink is contained and the discharger  412 . 
     According to the present embodiment, the print head  41  includes a base head  41  ( 41   a ) in which base ink that includes a solute such as titanium oxide as a white component and that is for forming a base that is white, etc. (white or pink, blue, etc. that are close to white) on the nail before printing the design is contained in the tank  411  and a design head  41  ( 41   b ) in which design ink in colors such as cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and the like is contained in the tank  411  in order to print the nail design. 
     When printing on the fingernails, by applying the base ink on the nail before printing the nail design using the design ink, the color of the design ink can be enhanced, and printing (nail print) with a beautiful finish can be performed. 
     Moreover, by including both the base head  41   a  and the design head  41   b,  it is possible to automatically perform the process from applying the base to printing the nail design with one printing apparatus  100 . 
     When the description simply refers to the print head  41  in the description of the present embodiment, both the base head  41   a  and the design head  41   b  are included. 
     The discharger  412  includes a plurality of nozzle openings (not shown) that discharge ink and that are provided on a surface facing the nail surface. The discharger  412  discharges the ink contained in the tank  411 . The method of how the discharger  412  discharges ink is not limited. For example, the discharger  412  is an inkjet-type discharger that forms fine droplets of ink and that directly sprays ink from the nozzle opening onto the nail surface which is the printed surface of the printed target (nail). With this, the printing is performed. The print head  41  (base head  41   a  and design head  41   b ) allows the discharger  412  to discharge ink in the printing area Ar 1  and performs the printing. 
     According to the present embodiment, the print head  41  (base head  41   a  and design head  41   b ) is an on-carriage type print head in which the tank  411  and the discharger  412  are formed as one as a cartridge, and the above is mounted on a later-described holder  42  as one. 
     Specifically, the print head  41  (base head  41   a  and design head  41   b ) including the tank  411  and the discharger  412  formed as one is held in the holder  42 , and the above moves on a frame  451  by a head movement mechanism  49 . 
     According to the present embodiment, the print head  41  is able to move on the base  20  in the X-direction and the Y-direction. The head movement mechanism  49  includes an X-direction movement mechanism  45  that moves the print head  41  in the X-direction and a Y-direction movement mechanism  47  that moves the print head  41  in the Y-direction. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the X-direction movement mechanism  45  includes a frame  451 , an X-direction movement motor  46 , and the like. 
     The Y-direction movement mechanism  47  includes a supporter  471  assembled on the base  20 , a Y-direction guide axis  472  that is attached to the supporter  471  and that is provided in the left and the right in the X-direction to be parallel, and the Y-direction movement motor  48 . 
     The left and right ends of the frame  451  in the X-direction are each attached to the Y-direction guide axes  472  on the left and the right. By operating the Y-direction movement motor  48 , the frame  451  moves in the Y-direction along the Y-direction guide axis  472 . 
     The head movement mechanism  49  including the X-direction movement motor  46  and the Y-direction movement motor  48  is a driver that moves at least the tank  411 . The head movement mechanism  49  as the driver is configured to be able to move the tank  411  (later described carriage  410  that is able to hold the tank  411 ) to the stirring area Ar 2 . 
     An X-direction guide axis  452  is provided along the X-direction in the frame  451  included in the X-direction movement mechanism  45 . A movement guide  44  is attached to the X-direction guide axis  452 . 
       FIG. 5  is a side view of the main portion showing the stirrer, the carriage, and the surroundings.  FIG. 5  omits the illustration of the X-direction guide axis  452  included in the head movement mechanism  49 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , etc., the movement guide  44  includes an axis insertion hole  442  (see  FIG. 5 ,  FIG. 7 ) through which the X-direction guide axis  452  is inserted. The movement guide  44  moves along the X-direction guide axis  452  in a state in which the X-direction guide axis  452  is inserted through the axis insertion hole  442 . 
     A holder retainer  43  that retains the holder  42  in which the print head  41  is mounted is fastened to the movement guide  44 . 
     According to the present embodiment, the carriage  410  includes the tank  411  of the print head  41 , the holder  42 , and the holder retainer  43  (range of the carriage  410  is shown with broken lines in  FIG. 5 ). 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the main portions showing the configuration of the carriage and the surroundings. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , a fastener  423  is provided to the rear side of the holder  42  (rear side of the apparatus in the Y-direction in  FIG. 6 , etc.). A fastener receiver  431  that receives the fastener  423  is provided in the holder retainer  43  on the front side of the apparatus in the Y-direction. 
     By fastening the fastener  423  to the fastener receiver  431 , the print head  41  can be moved as one with the holder retainer  43  in a state retained in the holder  42 . 
     Since the holder retainer  43  is fastened to the movement guide  44 , the carriage  410  is attached to the conveying mechanism such as an X-direction guide axis  452  through the movement guide  44 . When the X-direction movement motor  46  is operated, the carriage  410  moves along the X-direction guide axis  452  with the movement guide  44 . 
     The movement guide  44  is made to allow a certain amount of rattling, and when the carriage  410  shakes due to the operation of the later described stirrer  30  (see  FIG. 10 , etc.), the fastened state is maintained so that the carriage  410  is not released from the movement guide  44 . The configuration to allow a rattling in the movement guide  44  is not limited. For example, by providing an allowance in a shaking direction (up-down direction in the present embodiment) of the carriage  410  in the axis insertion hole  442  where the X-direction guide axis  452  is inserted through, the configuration is made to allow rattling. 
     When the carriage  410  shakes, the movement guide  44  is not released from the X-direction guide axis  452 . 
     Specifically, as described above, the axis insertion hole  442  through which the X-direction guide axis  452  is inserted is provided in the movement guide  44 , and when the stirrer  30  is fastened to the carriage  410 , the movement guide  44  is fastened to the main body fastener  451   a  provided on the apparatus main body side (frame  451  in the present embodiment). 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a main portion showing a relation of the positions between the main body fastener of the frame  451  and the movement guide.  FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a main portion showing a state in which the movement guide is fastened to the main body fastener.  FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a main portion in which a fastened portion between the main body fastener and the movement guide shown in  FIG. 8  is enlarged. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7  to  FIG. 9 , the main body fastener  451   a  according to the present embodiment is a convex portion provided in a plate metal on a side portion of the frame  451  as the apparatus main body side. A concave portion  441  which receives the main body fastener  451   a  to be fastened is provided in the movement guide  44  in a position corresponding to the main body fastener  451   a.    
     When the stirring by the stirrer  30  is performed, the main body fastener  451   a  is fastened to the concave portion  441  so that the movement guide  44  does not rattle greatly with relation to the frame  451 . 
     That is, only the carriage  410  (member within the range surrounded by a broken line in  FIG. 5 ) shakes when the stirring is performed by the stirrer  30 . Therefore, rattling does not occur in the movement guide  44 . 
     Therefore, even if the ink is stirred and the carriage  410  (tank  411  of the print head  41  included in the carriage  410 ) in a state mounted on the frame  451  is shaken, the influence that the shaking of the carriage  410  caused by the stirrer  30  provides to the head movement mechanism  49  can be kept to a minimum. After the stirring, the normal conveying of the movement guide  44  and the carriage  410  fastened to the movement guide  44  becomes possible. 
     Here, with reference to  FIG. 10  to  FIG. 13 , the stirrer according to the present embodiment is described. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the stirrer  30  is provided on the base  20  in the stirring area Ar 2 , and the ink in the tank  411  can be stirred. According to the present embodiment, the stirrer  30  at least shakes the tank  411  and stirs the ink. The stirrer  30  can be provided as a configuration in which the ink is stirred by a method other than shaking the tank  411 . 
     The stirrer  30  is in the fastened state (linked state) with the carriage  410  when the carriage  410  moves to the stirring area Ar 2 . The stirring is performed by shaking the tank  411  in the fastened state. 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a main portion showing the stirrer fastened to the carriage. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the stirrer  30  includes a supporting frame  31 , an elevating slider  32  supported by the supporting frame  31 , a stirring motor  33  as a power source, and a motion switching mechanism (switcher) that is connected to the stirring motor  33  and that switches driving power of the stirring motor  33  from a rotating motion to a linear reciprocating motion. 
     The supporting frame  31  is fixed on the base  20  by the screws  31   a  (see  FIG. 5 ,  FIG. 11 ,  FIG. 13 , etc.). 
     The elevating slider  32  is a plate shaped member supported by the supporting frame  31 . The elevating slider  32  is supported by the supporting frame  31 . With this, the elevating slider  32  does not rattle during the reciprocating motion in the up-down direction, and stable linear motion becomes possible. 
     A long hole  321  extending in the horizontal direction is formed near the center of the elevating slider  32 . 
     A carriage fastener  322  projecting in the upward direction is provided in the upper portion of the elevating slider  32 . 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the main portion showing the surroundings of the fastened portion between the stirrer and the carriage according to the present embodiment. 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , etc., a concave portion  433  that receives and fastens the carriage fastener  322  is formed in a retainer lower portion  432  which is a portion of the holder retainer  43  included in the carriage  410  and that supports the holder  42  from the lower side. When the carriage  410  including the tank  411  moves to the stirring area Ar 2 , the carriage fastener  322  is fitted in the concave portion  433  to be the fastened state, and the stirrer  30  is fastened (linked) to the carriage  410 . 
     When the carriage fastener  322  is fastened (that is, in the fastened state), the stirrer  30  is in the fastened state with the carriage  410 , and shakes the tank  411  (print head  41  including tank  411 ). 
     The carriage fastener  322  is detached from the carriage  410  due to the movement of the carriage  410  including the tank  411 . The state in which the carriage fastener  322  is fastened to the carriage  410  is released by the carriage  410  moving in the direction separating from the stirring area Ar 2 . 
       FIG. 12A  is a perspective view enlarging the inside of the frame shown with the long and short dash line in  FIG. 11 .  FIG. 12B  is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a fastened portion between the stirrer and the carriage.  FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a main portion showing the fastened state between the stirrer and the carriage according to the present embodiment. 
     As shown in  FIG. 12B , a fastener convex portion  322   a  is provided in the carriage fastener  322 , and a depressed portion  433   a  in which the fastener convex portion  322   a  is fitted is formed in the position corresponding to the fastener convex portion  322   a  in the concave portion  433 . An R processing, chamfering or the like is performed on the receiving side (left side in  FIG. 12B ) in the depressed portion  433   a,  and the shape is formed so that the carriage fastener  322  is easily invited in the concave portion  433 . The shape of the fastener convex portion  322   a  and the concave portion  433   a  is not limited to the illustrated examples. 
     Since the shape of the carriage fastener  322  and the concave portion  433  is formed in the above shape, the carriage fastener  322  is fastened to the concave portion  433  to be the fastened state (see  FIG. 13 ) easily and smoothly by simply moving the carriage  410  to the stirring area Ar 2 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the stirrer  30  from being released from the carriage  410  when the stirring is performed. When the carriage  410  moves in a direction that separates from the stirring area Ar 2 , the carriage fastener  322  is easily released from the concave portion  433 , and the fastened state is released. 
     As described above, when the stirrer  30  and the carriage  410  are in the fastened state, the main body fastener  451   a  provided on the frame  451  side is fastened to the concave portion  441  provided on the movement guide  44  (see  FIG. 8 ). Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the influence of the vibration of the stirring by the stirrer  30  spreading to other units of the conveying mechanism such as the X-direction guide axis  452 . 
     The stirring motor  33  is a driving source of the stirrer  30  and includes an output shaft  331  that rotates by the rotation of the motor. The rotating direction of the stirring motor  33  may be clockwise or counter clockwise. The rotating speed of the motor is suitably set. The effect of stirring is considered to be higher as the rotating speed becomes faster. However, the noise of the motor becomes larger as the rotating speed becomes faster. Therefore, the rotating speed of the stirring motor  33  is determined according to the situation of use. The rotating speed may be constant or may be variable. 
     The axis receiving member  332  including an eccentric shaft  333  eccentric to the output shaft  331  is attached to the output shaft  331  of the stirring motor  33 . 
     The free end of the eccentric shaft  333  is provided in the long hole  321  of the elevating slider  32 . When the eccentric shaft  333  moves in the long hole  321  according to the rotation of the stirring motor  33 , the elevating slider  32  moves linearly in an up-down direction. 
     According to the present embodiment, the axis receiver  332  including the eccentric shaft  333  and the elevating slider  32  including the long hole  321  constitute the motion switching mechanism that switches the driving force of the stirring motor  33  from the rotating motion to the linear reciprocating motion. 
     The present embodiment describes an example employing a Scotch Yoke mechanism as the motion switching mechanism, but the configuration is not limited to the above as long as the motion switching mechanism is able to switch the driving force of the stirring motor  33  from the rotating motion to the linear reciprocating motion. For example, other mechanisms such as a slider-crank mechanism is employed as the motion switching mechanism. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , even when the carriage fastener  322  is fastened to the concave portion  433 , and the stirrer  30  is in the fastened state with the carriage  410 , the X-direction guide axis  452  included in the head movement mechanism  49  is only inserted through the axis insertion hole  442  of the movement guide  44 . Therefore, the carriage  410  including the tank  411  that shakes by the stirring is not directly fastened to the conveying mechanism such as the X-direction guide axis  452 , etc. Therefore, the head movement mechanism  49  hardly receives the influence of shaking by stirring, and the highly accurate conveying operation can be performed after the stirring. 
     The control apparatus  80  mounted on the printing apparatus  100  is a computer including a controller  81  (see  FIG. 2 ) that includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown), and a storage  82  (see  FIG. 2 ) that includes a ROM (Read Only Memory)  821  and a RAM (Random Access Memory)  822 . 
     According to the present embodiment, the controller  81  mainly functions as an image controller  811 , a stirring controller  812 , a printing controller  813 , and the like. 
     The storage  82  is a nonvolatile storage medium that stores a program executed by the controller  81 . The storage  82  stores various programs and various data to operate the printing apparatus  100 . The functions such as the image controller  811 , the stirring controller  812 , the printing controller  813 , and the like by the controller  81  is realized by the CPU of the controller  81  in coordination with the program stored in the ROM  821  of the storage  82 . 
     The printing apparatus  100  includes an imaging apparatus  51  and a lighting apparatus  52 , and the image controller  811  controls the operation of the imager  50 . 
     The imaging apparatus  51  is a compact camera including a solid state imaging element including 2 million pixels or more and a lens, for example. The lighting apparatus  52  is an illuminating light such as white LED, for example. 
     The imager  50  illuminates the fingernail positioned in the printing area Ar 1  with the lighting apparatus  52 . Then, the finger is imaged with the imaging apparatus  51 , and the nail image that is the image of the fingernail is obtained. 
     The image data of the image imaged by the imager  50  is obtained by the image controller  811  and stored in the storage  82 . When the printing apparatus  100  is provided with the communicator that is able to communicate with the external terminal apparatus (not shown), the nail image obtained by the imager  50  can be sent to the terminal apparatus through the communicator. 
     The stirring controller  812  controls the operation of the stirring motor  33  of the stirrer  30 , and stirs the ink contained in the tank  411 . The stirring time (that is, the amount of time the stirring motor  33  is operated and the stirring is performed) and the rotating speed of the stirring motor  33  during stirring is suitably set depending on the state of use. 
     The stirring time and the rotating speed may be set according to the instruction input on the operator  12 , etc. or the above may be suitably set by the stirring controller  812  considering the state of use of the ink (for example, amount of time that elapsed from the previous printing, amount of time that the ink is placed still), the type of ink that is the target of stirring, the amount of remaining ink, and the like. A predetermined value may be set as a default value. 
     The stirring by the stirrer  30  may be performed according to the input of the operation instruction on the operator  12 , or the stirring controller  812  may control the operation to be performed at a predetermined timing such as before the start of the printing. 
     The printing controller  813  controls the printer  40  to perform the printing process. 
     Specifically, based on the print data, the operation of each motor (X-direction movement motor and Y-direction movement motor) of the head movement mechanism  49  is controlled, and the operation of the discharger  412  of the print head  41  (base head  41   a  and design head  41   b ) is controlled to suitably discharge the drops of ink. 
     The control apparatus  80  may function as the detector of the nail information that analyzes the image of the nail image obtained by the imager  50  and detects a range of a nail (that is, nail outline) that is the printing target. The control apparatus  80  may also function as the generator of the print data that fits the desired nail design in the nail outline and generates the print data. Various correction processes can be performed on the print data. The detection of nail information, the generating of print data, the correction process of the print data, and the like can be performed with an external terminal apparatus, and the control apparatus  80  of the printing apparatus  100  can receive the final print data and perform the printing process. 
     Next, the operation of the printing apparatus  100  according to the present embodiment and the printing control method are described. 
     When printing is performed with the printing apparatus  100 , the print data to print the desired nail design on the nail is prepared. Then, when an instruction to start printing is input on the operator  12 , the controller  81  operates the Y-direction movement motor  48  of the head movement mechanism  49  and the frame  451  of the X-direction movement mechanism  45  is moved to the apparatus close side in the Y-direction (for example, the state shown in  FIG. 3 ). 
     When the frame  451  moves to the most front part in the Y-direction, next, the controller  81  operates the X-direction movement motor  46 , and the carriage  410  (that is, the holder  42  in which the print head  41  including the tank  411  is mounted) in the frame  451  is moved to the stirring area Ar 2 . According to the present embodiment, the carriage  410  is moved to the left end in the X-direction (for example, state shown in  FIG. 4 ). 
     When the carriage  410  moves to the stirring area Ar 2 , due to this movement, the carriage fastener  322  provided in the elevating slider  32  of the stirrer  30  is fastened to the concave portion  433  provided in the retainer lower portion  432 , and the stirrer  30  is in the fastened state with the carriage  410  (see  FIG. 13 , etc.). 
     The main body fastener  451   a  provided in the frame is received by the concave portion  441  of the movement guide  44  fastened to the holder  42 , and the movement guide  44  is fastened to the frame  451  which is the mechanism on the apparatus main body side (see  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 8 , etc.). In this state, the stirring controller  812  operates the stirring motor  33  of the stirrer  30 , and the tank  411  is shaken. With this, the stirring of the ink in the tank  411  is performed. 
       FIG. 14A  to  FIG. 14D  are front views of the stirrer showing an operation of the elevating slider in the stirrer. 
       FIG. 14A  shows a state in which the eccentric shaft  333  provided in the long hole  321  of the elevating slider  32  is to be in the lowest position. The height of the upper end of the elevating slider  32  (that is, the upper end of the carriage fastener  322  fastened to the carriage  410 ) is in a position “H 1 ” shown with a broken line. 
       FIG. 14B  shows the stirring motor  33  rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the state shown in  FIG. 14A . The eccentric shaft  333  moves to the left end in the long hole  321 , and the entire elevating slider  32  is pushed up to the extent that the position of the height of the eccentric shaft  333  increased. The height of the upper end of the elevating slider  32  (upper end of the carriage fastener  322 ) is in a position “H 2 ” shown with a broken line, and the position is higher than state “H 1 ” shown in  FIG. 14A  (shown by the long and short dash line in  FIG. 14B ). 
       FIG. 14C  shows a state in which the stirring motor  33  is further rotated 90 degrees (180 degrees from the state shown in  FIG. 14A ) clockwise from the state shown in  FIG. 14B . The eccentric shaft  333  here moves to the center of the long hole  321 , and the position of the height of the eccentric shaft  333  becomes the highest. The entire elevating slider  32  is further pushed up in the extent that the position of the height of the eccentric shaft  333  is raised, and the height of the upper end of the elevating slider  32  (upper end of the carriage fastener  322 ) at this time is in a position of “H 3 ” shown with a broken line, and the position is highest compared to the state “H 1 ” shown in  FIG. 14A  (shown by the long and short dash line in  FIG. 14C ). 
       FIG. 14D  shows a state in which the stirring motor  33  is further rotated 90 degrees (270 degrees from the state shown in  FIG. 14A ) clockwise from the state shown in  FIG. 14C . The eccentric shaft  333  here moves to the right end of the long hole  321 , and the position of the height of the eccentric shaft  333  becomes the same height as  FIG. 14B . When the position of the height of the eccentric shaft  333  becomes lower than the state in  FIG. 14C , the entire elevating slider  32  becomes lower. The height of the upper end (upper end of the carriage fastener  322 ) of the elevating slider  32  at this time is a position “H 4 ” shown with a broken line, and becomes the same height as the state “H 2 ” shown in  FIG. 14B . 
     Then, when the stirring motor  33  is further rotated 90 degrees clockwise, the position of the height of the eccentric shaft  333  returns to the state shown in  FIG. 14A , and the height of the upper end of the elevating slider  32  (upper end of the carriage fastener  322 ) is lowered to the state shown in  FIG. 14A . By repeating such operation, the elevating slider  32  repeats the vertical movement, the carriage  410  fastened to the elevating slider  32  shakes (vibrates) vertically, and the stirring of the ink in the tank  411  is performed. 
     According to the present embodiment, the tank  411  and the discharger  412  included in the carriage  410  are provided as one. Therefore, when the tank  411  is shaken, the drops of ink may fall from the discharger  412  or the ink in the mist form may be scattered. Here, the ink receiver  22  is provided in the stirring area Ar 2 . Therefore, the drops of ink, etc. that fall from the discharger  412  is received by the ink receiver  22 , and the inside of the apparatus is not stained. 
     When the ink stirring is performed for a predetermined amount of time, the controller  81  stops the stirring and progresses to the printing. 
     After the stirring is performed, maintenance of the print head  41  may be performed before progressing to the printing. The contents of the maintenance may be, for example, to forcibly discharge ink from the discharger  412  to the ink receiver  22  in order to adjust the state of the nozzle of the discharger  412 . Alternatively, for example, if the maintenance area is provided separately, the print head  41  may be moved to the maintenance area after the stirring and before the printing, and the maintenance operation such as purging and wiping may be performed. 
     In the printing, the controller  81  operates each motor of the head movement mechanism  49  (X-direction movement motor  46  and Y-direction movement motor  48 ). The print head  41  is moved to the printing area Ar 1 . The ink is discharged from the discharger  412  of the print head  41  according to the print data and the printing is performed on the nail surface. 
     According to the present embodiment, the base ink is discharged from the base head  41   a,  and the base layer is formed on the nail surface. The white color component, etc. in the base ink easily separates and settles. By performing the stirring by the stirrer  30 , the white color component is dispersed substantially evenly. Therefore, it is possible to form the base layer with a beautiful finish without unevenness in the density. Since the entire tank  411  including the holder  42  is stirred (shaken), the effect of stirring is higher than methods such as vibrating. 
     After the base layer is formed, the controller  81  discharges the design ink of each color from the design head  41   b  onto the base layer, and the printing of the nail design is performed. With this, the printing process ends. 
     According to the above embodiment, the design can be printed on the base layer without unevenness in the density. Therefore, the nail print can be performed with high quality. 
     As described above, according to the present embodiment, the printing apparatus  100  at least includes the carriage  410  including the tank  411  that contains ink, the head movement mechanism  49  that functions as the driver that moves the tank  411 , and the stirrer  30  that is provided in the stirring area Ar 2  provided outside of the printing area Ar 1  in the apparatus, and that is capable of stirring ink in the tank  411 . The stirrer  30  is to be in the fastened state with the carriage  410  when the carriage  410  moves to the stirring area Ar 2 , and the ink in the tank  411  is stirred. 
     With this, the stirring of the ink can be performed automatically without causing trouble to the user. When the stirring is performed, the carriage  410  is moved to the stirring area Ar 2 , and is set to the fastened state fastened to the stirrer  30 . With this, the ink in the tank  411  can be stirred without moving the stirrer  30  itself. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the apparatus from becoming large, and the operation can be performed without the motor of the head movement mechanism  49  being a motor with high output. 
     Then, since the stirring of ink can be suitably performed in the printing apparatus  100 , even if the printing is performed using the ink including the solute having high specific gravity such as titanium oxide (base ink such as white according to the present embodiment), the ink can be stirred without taking out the tank  411  outside of the apparatus, and it is possible to maintain the suitable state in which the density unevenness does not occur. Therefore, it is possible to perform high quality printing stably. 
     According to the present embodiment, the stirrer  30  at least shakes the tank  411  and stirs the ink in the tank  411 . 
     Therefore, the stirring of the ink can be performed effectively. 
     According to the present embodiment, the apparatus further includes the discharger  412  that discharges ink contained in the tank  411 , and the tank  411  is formed as one with the discharger  412 . 
     When the print head  41  is a cartridge type formed as one, there is no need for a configuration such as connecting the tank with the discharger using a supply pipe, and the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified. 
     According to the present embodiment, an ink receiver  22  that receives drops of ink generated from the ink discharger  412  is provided in the stirring area Ar 2  of the apparatus. 
     When the print head  41  that is a cartridge type formed as one is stirred, the drops of ink may fall from the discharger  412  during the stirring or after the stirring. Since the ink receiver  22  is provided, the apparatus is not stained even if the drops of ink fall. 
     According to the present embodiment, the stirrer  30  includes the carriage fastener  322  that detaches from the carriage  410  according to the movement of the carriage  410  including the tank  411 . When the carriage fastener  322  is in the fastened state, the stirrer  30  is in the fastened state with the carriage  410  and the tank  411  is shaken. With this, the ink in the tank  411  is stirred. 
     Consequently, the fastening and the release between the stirrer  30  and the carriage  410  can be performed by only the movement of the carriage  410  without providing a complicated configuration separately. 
     According to the present embodiment, the carriage  410  is fastened to the movement guide  44  that moves along the X-direction guide axis  452 , and moves with the movement guide  44 . The movement guide  44  is fastened to the main body fastener  451   a  provided in the frame  451  which is a mechanism on the apparatus main body side when the carriage fastener  322  is in the fastened state. 
     As described above, by attaching the carriage  410  indirectly to the head movement mechanism  49  through the movement guide  44 , the vibration to the movement guide  44  is suppressed when the carriage  410  is shaken by the stirring, and it is possible to suppress the influence on the head movement mechanism  49 . Therefore, when the stirring is performed in the apparatus, the conveying can be maintained with high accuracy. 
     Since the movement guide  44  is fastened to the frame  451  when the stirring is performed, it is possible to prevent the movement guide  44  from being released or being displaced from the X-direction guide axis  452  due to the vibration caused by stirring. 
     According to the present embodiment, the stirrer  30  includes a stirring motor  33  and the motion switching mechanism that switches the driving force of the stirring motor  33  to the linear reciprocating motion from the rotating motion. The tank  411  is shaken by the driving force of the stirring motor  33  switched to the linear reciprocating motion by the motion switching mechanism. 
     With this, the tank  411  can be shaken effectively even in the small apparatus, and the ink can be stirred sufficiently. 
     In the maintenance process, the maintenance of the print head can be performed at least after the stirring and before progressing to the printing. 
     Therefore, even if the discharger  412  is formed as one with the tank  411  to be the print head  41  and the drops of ink may jump out from the discharger  412  when the tank  411  is shaken, the printing can be performed in a suitable state. With this, high quality printing can be performed. 
     The embodiments of the present invention are described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible without leaving the scope of the invention. 
     For example, according to the present embodiment, it is described that the motion switching mechanism that switches the driving force of the stirring motor  33  to a linear reciprocating motion from the rotating motion switches the rotating motion to the linear reciprocating motion in the up-down direction. Alternatively, the motion switching mechanism may switch the rotating motion to a linear reciprocating motion in a left-right direction. 
     According to the present embodiment, the stirrer  30  includes the stirring motor  33 , but the motor that is to be the driving source of the stirrer  30  is not limited to the stirring motor  33 . 
     For example, the motor provided in the head conveying mechanism  49  (for example, X-direction movement motor  46 ), etc. may operate as the driving source of the stirrer  30 . In this case, the number of motors provided in the apparatus can be reduced and the apparatus can be made further smaller and lighter. 
     The stirring area Ar 2  is to be the area outside of the printing area Ar 1 , and the position is not limited to the position described in the above embodiments. 
     For example, the area that is to the left side end in the X-direction and that is to the rear of the apparatus can be the stirring area Ar 2  in which the stirrer  30  is provided. 
     Moreover, according to the present embodiment, the ink receiver  22  is provided in the stirring area Ar 2 , but the ink receiver  22  does not have to be provided. 
     For example, when the stirring area Ar 2  is provided in the rear of the apparatus as described above, the maintenance unit that performs maintenance of the print head  41  can be provided in or around the stirring area Ar 2 . For example, the maintenance unit includes a purge that receives ink forcibly discharged from the nozzle and a wiper that wipes the discharger  412  and removes the ink attached to the nozzle opening. The purge described above may function as the ink receiver that collects the drops of ink and the ink in the mist form generated by the stirring. 
     According to the present embodiment, the printing apparatus  100  includes both the base head  41   a  and the design head  41   b  but the printing apparatus is not limited to the above. For example, the printing apparatus may be an apparatus dedicated to printing the base, and may only include the base head  41   a  in which the base ink that needs to be stirred by the stirrer  30  is contained. In this case, after the base is printed, the finger is inserted in the printing apparatus that includes the design head that prints with various color inks (that is, design ink) and the printing of the nail design is performed. 
     According to the present embodiment, the base head  41   a  and the design head  41   b  are held in one holder  42 , and the above are moved as one. However, the configuration of the printer  40  is not limited to the above. 
     For example, the base head  41   a  and the design head  41   b  may be held in separate holders, and may be configured to be able to move separately. In this case, if the ink that needs to be stirred is only the base ink, only the tank in which the base ink is contained is to be stirred by the stirrer  30  and only the holder in which the base head  41   a  is held is fastened to the stirrer  30  and stirred when the stirring is performed. 
     According to the present embodiment, the printing is completed by using only the printing apparatus  100 . However, the printing apparatus  100  is not limited to the apparatuses described above. 
     For example, a print system can be configured linked with an external terminal apparatus (smartphone, tablet, or the like). In this case, most of the processes other than the stirring of ink and the printing such as the selection of the nail design and the generating of the print data can be performed on the external apparatus side such as the terminal apparatus. 
     Although various embodiments have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims and its equivalents.