(19)
(11) EP 0 759 363 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
30.07.1997 Bulletin 1997/31

(43) Date of publication A2:
26.02.1997 Bulletin 1997/09

(21) Application number: 96113336.0

(22) Date of filing: 20.08.1996
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC)6B41J 29/38
(84) Designated Contracting States:
DE GB

(30) Priority: 22.08.1995 JP 213839/95

(71) Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 163-08 (JP)

(72) Inventors:
  • Takamizawa, Yuji, c/o Seiko Epson Corporation
    Suwa-shi, Nagano-ken, 392 (JP)
  • Teradaira, Mitsuaki, c/o Seiko Epson Corporation
    Suwa-shi, Nagano-ken, 392 (JP)
  • Aruga, Kazuhisa, c/o Seiko Epson Corporation
    Suwa-shi, Nagano-ken, 392 (JP)

(74) Representative: Hoffmann, Eckart, Dipl.-Ing. 
Patentanwalt, Bahnhofstrasse 103
82166 Gräfelfing
82166 Gräfelfing (DE)

   


(54) Printing apparatus and initialization method thereof


(57) Disclosed are a printing apparatus and a method of initializing it which allow to prevent loss of print data due to print operation malfunction after the completion of the initialization. This is achieved by detecting error conditions related to the motion of a print head during the initialization. In the initialization process of the print head (3) is moved until it is detected by a reference position detector (16) located at the left edge of a printable area. Then the print head (3) is moved over the entire printable area to its rightmost position (37). By checking whether or not the print head has moved correctly, it is possible to detect any error conditions relating to the motion of print head (3) prior to printing.







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