Control process for a colour printer, and device for carrying out this process.

摘要

A printer uses a ribbon (5), the ink of which is distributed in a series of monochrome sections of the same length and arranged in periodic colour sequences. The length of worn ribbon of each of the sections of a finished series of the used region of the ribbon (5) and located at the boundary with the unused region of the ribbon (5) is memorised. Before the printing of a monochrome line, a length of new ribbon at least equal to the length of the line to be printed and of the colour of this line is first located among the sections of the finished series and then among the sections of the unused region of the ribbon (5). The ribbon (5) is then driven in one direction or the other in order to use the length of new ribbon thus determined for the printing of the line. The invention allows a substantial saving of ribbon, for example in data-transmission or word-processing printers. <IMAGE>