JP2007058711A - System, program and method of continuously printing image - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image continuously printing system which can reduce wasted paper in continuously printing images without margins and images with margins simultaneously, and which is suitable for reducing the size of a printing device. <P>SOLUTION: A host terminal 100 acquires a printing job including image data composing an image and margin setting information indicating whether margins are set on the two borders with adjoining images respectively, and registers the acquired printing job at the end of a printing job queue 10. It determines the registration order of printing jobs and the direction of the images at the printing job queue 10 so that the images having no margins on their borders are adjoined while using the borders in common, based on the margin setting information included in the acquired printing job. Then it acquires a printing job starting from the head of the printing job queue 10, and transmits the acquired printing job to a printing device 200. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a system for continuously printing a plurality of images, and particularly reduces the occurrence of wasted paper and reduces the size of a printing apparatus when continuously printing an image without margin and an image with margin. The present invention relates to a continuous image printing system, a continuous image printing program, and a continuous image printing method.

Conventionally, as a technique for continuously printing a plurality of images on roll paper, a printer driver described in Patent Document 1, a printer for roll paper described in Patent Document 2, and a recording apparatus described in Patent Document 3 are known.
The invention described in Patent Document 1 accepts and stores any one of the 1-cut method, 2-cut method, and automatic selection from the user. When the 1-cut method or the 2-cut method is designated, the cutting is performed according to the designation. When automatic selection is specified, the optimum cutting method is automatically selected with reference to the paper size, the presence / absence of borderless printing, and the setting of the printing conditions such as the paper feeding device.

In the invention described in Patent Document 2, when printing for one page is finished, the paper is fed and cut with a cutter so as to leave a margin at the rear end on this page, while the leading end of the roll side paper is rewound by a certain amount from the cutter. Start printing.
In the invention described in Patent Document 3, in a recording apparatus for roll paper with a cutter, a cut mark indicating a cut position is printed at an actual cut position (margin) for each print page when a winder is mounted. When all the printing is completed, the printed roll paper is reset again, and the cut mark is automatically detected from the roll paper to perform the cutting operation.
JP 2003-233480 A JP-A-6-183082 JP 2004-182424 A

In the inventions described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, printing is performed by forming a margin at the boundary between continuously printed images in order to prevent overlapping of images. Accordingly, there is a problem that waste paper for the blank space is generated.
On the other hand, since the invention described in Patent Document 1 performs printing by a one-cut method that does not form a margin at the boundary between continuously printed images, waste paper can be reduced. However, when a 1-cut image and a 2-cut image are mixed and continuously printed, if the 1-cut image and the 2-cut image are adjacent to each other, even if the 1-cut image is adjacent, There is a problem in that blank spaces are formed and waste paper is generated.

Furthermore, in the invention described in Patent Document 2, since the print control and the cut control are performed in a coordinated manner, the print control unit and the cut control unit cannot be made independent, and the printing apparatus is increased in size. There's a problem.
Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to such an unsolved problem of the conventional technology, and when continuous printing is performed by mixing images without margins and images with margins, It is an object of the present invention to provide an image continuous printing system, an image continuous printing program, and an image continuous printing method suitable for reducing the occurrence and reducing the size of a printing apparatus.

[Mode 1] In order to achieve the above object, an image continuous printing system according to mode 1 includes:
Based on margin setting information indicating whether or not to set margins for different boundaries of one image, which are boundaries between continuously printed images, and a plurality of the images based on image data constituting the images. An image continuous printing system for continuously printing,
Based on margin setting information acquisition means for acquiring the margin setting information for the plurality of images, image data acquisition means for acquiring the image data for the plurality of images, and margin setting information acquired by the margin setting information acquisition means. Direction determining means for determining the direction of the adjacent direction of the images so that the images that do not set a margin on the boundary, or the images that set the margin on the boundary are adjacent to each other in common. Continuous printing means for continuously printing the plurality of images according to the orientation determined by the orientation determining means based on the margin setting information obtained by the margin setting information obtaining means and the image data obtained by the image data obtaining means. It is characterized by.

  With such a configuration, the margin setting information acquisition unit acquires the margin setting information for a plurality of images, and the image data acquisition unit acquires the image data for the plurality of images. Next, based on the margin setting information acquired by the orientation determination unit, adjacent images are set such that images that do not set a margin at the boundary or images that set a margin at the boundary are adjacent to each other with a common boundary. The direction of the direction is determined. Then, a plurality of images are continuously printed according to the determined orientation by the continuous printing means based on the acquired margin setting information and image data.

As a result, when images with no margins and images with margins are mixed and continuously printed, the opportunity for adjoining them is reduced, so no margins are generated at the borders of images without margins and waste paper is reduced. The effect that it can be obtained. In addition, since printing control can be performed independently of the cut control, the printing apparatus can be downsized.
Here, the margin setting information for a plurality of images refers to information indicating whether or not to set a margin at the boundary of each image. At this time, the margin setting information and the image can be associated by 1: n (n ≧ 1). For example, the presence / absence of a margin may be set for one image by one margin setting information, or the presence / absence of a margin may be set for a plurality of images by one margin setting information. The same applies to the image continuous printing program of form 6 and the image continuous printing method of form 11.

  Further, the image data for a plurality of images refers to data constituting each image. At this time, the image data and the image can be associated by 1: n (n ≧ 1). For example, one image may be composed of one image data, or a plurality of images may be composed of one image data. The same applies to the image continuous printing program of form 6 and the image continuous printing method of form 11.

  The margin setting information acquisition unit may have any configuration as long as the margin setting information is acquired. For example, the margin setting information acquisition unit may input the margin setting information from an input device or the like. The margin setting information may be acquired or received from a device or the like, or the margin setting information may be read from a storage device or a storage medium. Thus, acquisition includes at least input, acquisition, reception and reading. The same applies to image data acquisition means and other acquisition concepts.

  Further, the present system may be realized as a single device, terminal, or other device, or may be realized as a network system in which a plurality of devices, terminals, or other devices are communicably connected. In the latter case, each component may belong to any one of a plurality of devices and the like as long as they are connected so as to communicate with each other. The same applies to the image continuous printing system according to the third embodiment.

[Mode 2] Furthermore, the image continuous printing system of mode 2 is the image continuous printing system of mode 1,
The orientation determining means determines whether the number of images in which no margin is set for the boundary between the images in which the plurality of images are printed and the direction in the adjacent direction of the images is adjacent to each other. Determine the most combinations,
The continuous printing means continuously prints the plurality of images according to the order and orientation determined by the orientation determining means.

In such a configuration, the orientation determining means uses a combination of the order in which a plurality of images are printed and the orientation in the adjacent direction of each image, so that the images that do not have margins set as the boundary share the boundary. A combination having the largest number of adjacent ones is determined, and a plurality of images are continuously printed by the continuous printing unit in accordance with the determined order and orientation.
As a result, the chance that an image without a margin and an image with a margin are adjacent to each other is more reliably reduced, so that an effect that waste paper can be further reduced can be obtained.

[Mode 3] Further, the image continuous printing system according to mode 3 includes:
It is determined whether a margin is set for each boundary between images to be continuously printed and different boundaries of one image, and a plurality of the images are continuously printed based on image data constituting the image. An image continuous printing system,
A print job registration unit that registers a print job for managing the image data in a print job storage unit in a predetermined order, and for each boundary of the plurality of images, the boundary is compared with each boundary of the other image. A margin determining unit that determines whether or not to set a margin at the boundary, a direction determining unit that determines the direction of the adjacent direction of the image based on a determination result of the margin determining unit, and a head of the print job storage unit Print job acquisition means for acquiring the print job from, and continuous printing means for performing printing based on the print job acquired by the print job acquisition means,
The orientation determination means includes a combination of an order of printing the plurality of images and an orientation of each image in an adjacent direction, or images that do not set a margin at the boundary, or images that set a margin at the boundary. Determine the combination having the largest number of adjacent borders in common, and, based on the determined order and orientation, out of the print jobs stored in the print job storage unit, the next image printed immediately before by the continuous printing unit. The print job of the image to be printed is moved to the head of the print job storage means, and the direction of the adjacent direction of the next image to be printed is changed.

With such a configuration, the print job registration unit registers the print jobs in the print job storage unit in a predetermined order, and the print job acquisition unit acquires the print job from the top of the print job storage unit. Then, the continuous printing unit performs printing based on the acquired print job.
Further, the margin determination means compares each boundary of the plurality of images with each boundary of the other images, and determines whether or not to set a margin at each boundary. Then, based on the determination result, the orientation determining means determines whether the margins are set at the boundaries between the images in which the margins are not set or the boundaries between the combinations of the order of printing the plurality of images and the orientations of the adjacent directions of the images. A combination having the largest number of adjacent images with the same boundary is determined. Further, based on the determined order and orientation, the print job of the image to be printed next to the image printed immediately before among the print jobs in the print job storage unit moves to the head of the print job storage unit, and the next The direction of the adjacent direction of the image to be printed is changed.

  As a result, when continuous printing is performed by mixing an image without a margin and an image with a margin, the opportunity to adjoin them is reduced, so that no margin is generated at the boundary of an image without a margin and waste paper is reduced. The effect that it can be obtained. In addition, since printing control can be performed independently of the cut control, the printing apparatus can be downsized. Further, as compared with the continuous image printing system of aspect 1, the chance that an image without a margin and an image with a margin are adjacent to each other is more reliably reduced, so that an effect that waste paper can be further reduced can be obtained.

  Here, the print job may have any structure as long as it manages image data. For example, the print job may include image data, or may be configured separately from image data. The image data may include reference information (such as a link). Of course, one information may be included and the other reference information may be included. The same applies to the image continuous printing program of form 8 and the image continuous printing method of form 13.

[Form 4] Furthermore, the image continuous printing system of form 4 is the image continuous printing system of any one of forms 2 and 3,
The orientation determining means changes the orientation of the adjacent direction from among the combinations when there are a plurality of combinations having the largest number of adjacent images sharing the boundary between images in which no margin is set on the boundary. The combination having the smallest number of images is determined.

With such a configuration, when there are multiple combinations having the largest number of adjacent images with no common margins between the images, the direction determining unit determines the direction of the adjacent direction from the combinations. The combination with the smallest number of images to be changed is determined.
If the printing order or orientation of the images is changed, the user may be confused or a replacement operation may occur after printing. According to the present invention, since printing is performed in the order and orientation in which the number of images whose direction of the adjacent direction is changed is the smallest, confusion to the user and replacement work that occurs after printing can be reduced. .

[Mode 5] Furthermore, the image continuous printing system of mode 5 is the image continuous printing system of any one of modes 2 and 3,
The orientation determining means changes the orientation of the adjacent direction from among the combinations when there are a plurality of combinations having the largest number of adjacent images sharing the boundary between images in which no margin is set on the boundary. Of the number of images and the number of images whose direction in the adjacent direction is not changed, the combination having the smallest number is determined.

With such a configuration, when there are multiple combinations having the largest number of adjacent images with no common margins between the images, the direction determining unit determines the direction of the adjacent direction from the combinations. The combination having the smallest number among the number of images whose number is to be changed and the number of images whose direction in the adjacent direction is not changed is determined.
If the printing order or orientation of the images is changed, the user may be confused or a replacement operation may occur after printing. According to the present invention, printing is performed in the order and orientation with the least number of images whose orientation in the adjacent direction is changed, or in the order and orientation with the smallest number of images in which the orientation in the adjacent direction is not changed. It is possible to reduce the confusion with respect to and the replacement work occurring after printing.

  Conversely, when there are a large number of images whose orientations in the adjacent direction are to be changed, it is only necessary to perform an operation of replacing the forward images. Therefore, printing in the order and orientation with the least number of images that do not change the direction of the adjacent direction and printing in the order and orientation with the least number of images that change the direction of the adjacent direction reduces work. It is equivalent from the viewpoint. In comparison with the continuous image printing system of mode 4, for example, in the combination with the smallest number of images whose orientation in the adjacent direction is changed, the number is 3, and the number of images whose orientation in the adjacent direction is not changed is the smallest. When the number of combinations is two, the image continuous printing system of form 4 determines three combinations, whereas the image continuous printing system of form 5 determines two combinations. As the replacement work, the latter is less, so the image continuous printing system of form 5 is more effective.

[Mode 6] On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, an image continuous printing program of mode 6
Based on margin setting information indicating whether or not to set margins for different boundaries of one image, which are boundaries between continuously printed images, and a plurality of the images based on image data constituting the images. An image continuous printing program for continuous printing,
Based on the margin setting information acquired in the margin setting information acquisition step for acquiring the margin setting information for the plurality of images, the image data acquisition step for acquiring the image data for the plurality of images, and the margin setting information acquisition step. A direction determining step for determining the direction of the adjacent direction of the images so that the images that do not set a margin at the boundary, or the images that set the margin at the boundary are adjacent to each other in common. A process comprising: a continuous printing step for continuously printing the plurality of images according to the orientation determined in the orientation determination step based on the margin setting information acquired in the margin setting information acquisition step and the image data acquired in the image data acquisition step Including a program for causing a computer to execute.
With such a configuration, when the program is read by the computer and the computer executes processing according to the read program, the same operation and effect as those of the image continuous printing system of mode 1 can be obtained.

[Mode 7] Further, the image continuous printing program of mode 7 is the image continuous printing program of mode 6,
In the orientation determining step, the number of images adjacent to each other without setting a margin in the boundary is determined based on the combination of the order of printing the plurality of images and the direction of the adjacent direction of the images. Determine the most combinations,
In the continuous printing step, the plurality of images are continuously printed in accordance with the order and orientation determined in the orientation determining step.
With such a configuration, when the program is read by the computer and the computer executes processing in accordance with the read program, the same operation and effect as those of the image continuous printing system of mode 2 can be obtained.

[Mode 8] Further, the image continuous printing program of mode 8
It is determined whether or not a margin is set for each boundary between images to be continuously printed and different boundaries of one image, and a plurality of the images are continuously printed based on image data constituting the image. An image continuous printing program,
A print job registration step of registering a print job for managing the image data in a print job storage unit in a predetermined order, and comparing each boundary of the plurality of images with each boundary of the other image A margin determination step for determining whether or not to set a margin at the boundary; a direction determination step for determining the direction of the adjacent direction of the image based on the determination result of the margin determination step; and a head of the print job storage means Including a program for causing a computer to execute processing consisting of a print job acquisition step for acquiring the print job from, and a continuous print step for performing printing based on the print job acquired in the print job acquisition step,
In the orientation determining step, images that do not set a margin at the boundary or images that set a margin at the boundary are selected from the combination of the order of printing the plurality of images and the direction of the adjacent directions of the images. Determine the combination having the largest number of adjacent borders with the boundary in common, and, based on the determined order and orientation, of the print jobs stored in the print job storage unit, the image that has been printed immediately before the continuous printing step. The print job of the image to be printed is moved to the head of the print job storage means, and the direction of the adjacent direction of the next image to be printed is changed.
With such a configuration, when the program is read by the computer and the computer executes processing in accordance with the read program, the same operation and effect as those of the image continuous printing system according to mode 3 can be obtained.

[Form 9] Furthermore, the image continuous printing program of form 9 is the image continuous printing program of any one of forms 7 and 8,
In the orientation determination step, when there are a plurality of combinations having the largest number of adjacent images with no boundary set in the boundary, the orientation in the adjacent direction is changed from among the combinations. The combination having the smallest number of images is determined.
With such a configuration, when the program is read by the computer and the computer executes processing according to the read program, the same operation and effect as those of the image continuous printing system according to mode 4 can be obtained.

[Mode 10] Furthermore, the image continuous printing program of mode 10 is the image continuous printing program of any one of modes 7 and 8,
In the orientation determination step, when there are a plurality of combinations having the largest number of adjacent images with no boundary set in the boundary, the orientation in the adjacent direction is changed from among the combinations. Of the number of images and the number of images whose direction in the adjacent direction is not changed, the combination having the smallest number is determined.
With this configuration, when the program is read by the computer and the computer executes processing according to the read program, the same operations and effects as those of the image continuous printing system according to mode 5 can be obtained.

[Mode 11] On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, an image continuous printing method according to mode 11 includes:
Based on margin setting information indicating whether or not to set margins for different boundaries of one image, which are boundaries between continuously printed images, and a plurality of the images based on image data constituting the images. An image continuous printing method for continuously printing,
Based on the margin setting information acquired in the margin setting information acquisition step for acquiring the margin setting information for the plurality of images, the image data acquisition step for acquiring the image data for the plurality of images, and the margin setting information acquisition step. A direction determining step for determining the direction of the adjacent direction of the images so that the images that do not set a margin at the boundary, or the images that set the margin at the boundary are adjacent to each other in common. A continuous printing step of continuously printing the plurality of images according to the orientation determined in the orientation determination step based on the margin setting information acquired in the margin setting information acquisition step and the image data acquired in the image data acquisition step. It is characterized by.
Thereby, an effect equivalent to that of the continuous image printing system according to mode 1 is obtained.

[Mode 12] Further, the image continuous printing method of mode 12 is the image continuous printing method of mode 11,
In the orientation determining step, the number of images adjacent to each other without setting a margin in the boundary is determined based on the combination of the order of printing the plurality of images and the direction of the adjacent direction of the images. Determine the most combinations,
In the continuous printing step, the plurality of images are continuously printed in accordance with the order and orientation determined in the orientation determining step.
Thereby, an effect equivalent to that of the continuous image printing system of mode 2 is obtained.

[Form 13] Furthermore, the image continuous printing method of form 13 includes:
It is determined whether a margin is set for each boundary between images to be continuously printed and different boundaries of one image, and a plurality of the images are continuously printed based on image data constituting the image. An image continuous printing method,
A print job registration step for registering a print job for managing the image data in a print job storage unit in a predetermined order, and comparing each boundary of each of the plurality of images with each boundary of the other image A margin determination step for determining whether or not to set a margin at the boundary; a direction determination step for determining the direction of the adjacent direction of the image based on a determination result of the margin determination step; and a head of the print job storage unit A print job acquisition step for acquiring the print job from, and a continuous print step for performing printing based on the print job acquired in the print job acquisition step,
In the orientation determining step, images that do not set a margin at the boundary, or images that set a margin at the boundary, among combinations of the order of printing the plurality of images and the direction of the adjacent directions of the images. Determine the combination having the largest number of adjacent borders with the same boundary, and, based on the determined order and orientation, of the print jobs stored in the print job storage unit, the image that has been printed immediately before the continuous printing step. The print job of the image to be printed is moved to the head of the print job storage means, and the direction of the adjacent direction of the next image to be printed is changed.
Thereby, an effect equivalent to that of the continuous image printing system of aspect 3 is obtained.

[Form 14] Furthermore, the image continuous printing method of form 14 is the image continuous printing method of any one of forms 12 and 13,
In the orientation determination step, when there are a plurality of combinations having the largest number of adjacent images with no boundary set in the boundary, the orientation in the adjacent direction is changed from among the combinations. The combination having the smallest number of images is determined.
Thereby, an effect equivalent to that of the continuous image printing system of aspect 4 is obtained.

[Form 15] Furthermore, the image continuous printing method of form 15 is the image continuous printing method of any one of forms 12 and 13,
In the orientation determination step, when there are a plurality of combinations having the largest number of adjacent images with no boundary set in the boundary, the orientation in the adjacent direction is changed from among the combinations. Of the number of images and the number of images whose direction in the adjacent direction is not changed, the combination having the smallest number is determined.
Thereby, an effect equivalent to that of the continuous image printing system according to mode 5 is obtained.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 7 are diagrams showing an embodiment of an image continuous printing system, an image continuous printing program, and an image continuous printing method according to the present invention.
First, the configuration of a network system to which the present invention is applied will be described.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a network system to which the present invention is applied.

As shown in FIG. 1, the network 199 is connected to a host terminal 100 that is used by a user and a printing apparatus 200 that continuously prints a plurality of images on roll paper in response to a print request from the host terminal 100. Yes.
The host terminal 100 includes a print job queue 10 that stores print jobs, a print job acquisition unit 11 that acquires print jobs, and a print job registration unit that registers print jobs acquired by the print job acquisition unit 11 in the print job queue 10. 12.

  The print job is configured to include margin setting information indicating whether or not to set a margin for each of two boundaries between image data constituting an image and an adjacent image. In the margin setting information, either a two-cut method for setting a margin at the boundary with the adjacent image or a one-cut method for setting no margin at the boundary with the adjacent image is set. The 2-cut method is a method in which margins are set at the boundary, and focusing on one boundary, the boundary between the adjacent image and the self boundary is cut. On the other hand, the 1-cut method means a method of cutting adjacent images and a continuous boundary of itself when paying attention to one boundary because no margin is set at the boundary. Whether to use the 1-cut method or the 2-cut method can be determined, for example, by the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-233480. Further, a process of determining by the user can be employed.

  The host terminal 100 further compares, for each boundary of a plurality of images, the boundary with each boundary of another image and determines whether or not to set a margin at the boundary, and a margin Based on the determination result of the determination unit 13a, the registration order of the print jobs in the print job queue 10 and the direction of the adjacent direction of the images (hereinafter referred to as the images) in which the margins are not set on the boundary are adjacent to each other. , Simply referred to as “direction”).

  The orientation determination unit 13b determines the combination having the largest number of adjacent images that have no common margins among the combinations of the registration order of the print jobs and the orientations of the images. Based on the order and orientation, the print job of the image to be printed next to the image printed immediately before is moved to the head of the print job queue 10 and should be printed next. Reverse the orientation of the image.

The host terminal 100 further includes a print job acquisition unit 14 that acquires a print job from the head of the print job queue 10, and a print job transmission unit 15 that transmits the print job acquired by the print job acquisition unit 14 to the printing apparatus 200. It is configured.
The printing apparatus 200 includes a print job receiving unit 16 that receives a print job, a printing mechanism 17 that includes a mechanism necessary for printing on roll paper, and a printing mechanism 17 that is based on the print job received by the print job receiving unit 16. A print control unit 18 for controlling, a cut mechanism 19 having a mechanism necessary for cutting roll paper, and a cut control unit 20 for controlling the cut mechanism 19 based on the print job received by the print job receiving unit 16. Configured.

The printing mechanism 17 includes a print head that performs printing on roll paper, a paper feed unit that feeds the roll paper, a guide rail that is provided in a direction orthogonal to the roll paper feed direction and movably supports the print head, And a head driving unit that moves the print head on the guide rail.
The cutting mechanism 19 includes a cutting head for cutting the roll paper, a guide rail that is provided in a direction orthogonal to the roll paper feeding direction and supports the cutting head movably, and a head drive unit that moves the cutting head on the guide rail And is configured.

Next, the configuration of the host terminal 100 will be described in detail.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the host terminal 100.
As shown in FIG. 2, the host terminal 100 includes a CPU 30 that controls operations and the entire system based on a control program, a ROM 32 that stores a control program for the CPU 30 in a predetermined area, and data read from the ROM 32 and the like. And a RAM 34 for storing calculation results required in the calculation process of the CPU 30 and an I / F 38 for mediating input / output of data to / from an external device, which are signals for transferring data The buses 39 are connected to each other so as to be able to exchange data.

The I / F 38 includes, as external devices, an input device 40 such as a keyboard and a mouse that can input data as a human interface, a storage device 42 that stores data, tables, and the like as files, and a screen based on image signals. And a signal line for connecting to the network 199 are connected.
The CPU 30 includes a microprocessing unit and the like, starts a predetermined program stored in a predetermined area of the ROM 32, and performs print job acquisition processing and print job scheduling processing shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 7 according to the program. Run in time division.

First, the print job acquisition process will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the print job acquisition process.
When the print job acquisition process is executed by the CPU 30, as shown in FIG. 3, first, the process proceeds to step S100.
In step S100, it is determined whether or not a print request has been input from an image editing application or the like. When it is determined that a print request has been input (Yes), the process proceeds to step S102, but when it is determined that it is not (No) ) Waits in step S100 until a print request is received.

In step S102, a print job is acquired from an image editing application or the like, the process proceeds to step S104, the acquired print job is registered at the end of the print job queue 10, and the process proceeds to step S106.
In step S106, for each boundary of a plurality of images, the boundary is compared with each boundary of another image to determine whether or not a margin is set for each boundary, and the presence or absence of a margin is registered for each boundary. Generate a border margin correspondence table. In determining whether or not to set a margin at an image boundary (that is, whether to use the 1-cut method or the 2-cut method), if no margin is set for the margin setting information of an image adjacent to the border. It is determined that no margin is set. Further, if a margin is set for the margin setting information of at least one of the adjacent images, it is determined that a margin is set.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the status of the requested print job.
As shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that print jobs J1, J2, and J3 are requested in that order after printing is performed based on the previous print job. The orientation of the print job image can be set. When the adjacent direction of the image is the vertical direction of the drawing as shown in FIG. 4, the direction of the image is a direction in which the predetermined side 600 of the image is upward (hereinafter referred to as a forward direction), and the predetermined side 600 is downward. Direction (hereinafter referred to as the reverse direction). In the example of FIG. 4, the images of the print jobs J1 to J3 are all in the forward direction.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of the boundary margin correspondence table 400.
In the boundary margin correspondence table 400, as shown in FIG. 5, all the printing orders and orientations of the images of the print jobs that have been printed immediately before (hereinafter abbreviated as the immediately preceding print jobs) and the print jobs J1 to J3. The presence / absence of a margin is registered for each combination. The first row in FIG. 5 will be described. In the first column, when the image of the print job J1 is adjacent to the image of the immediately preceding print job in the forward direction, a margin is set at the boundary, and the second column Registered that no margin is set at the border when the image of the print job J1 is adjacent to the image of the previous print job in the reverse direction. When the margin is set, it is indicated by “×”, and when the margin is not set, it is indicated by “◯”. Similarly, in the third column, the image of the print job J2 is the forward image in the previous print job image, and in the fourth column, the image of the print job J2 is the reverse image in the previous print job image. In the fifth column, the image of the print job J3 is in the forward direction with the image of the previous print job, and in the sixth column, the margin when the image of the print job J3 is adjacent to the image of the previous print job in the reverse direction. The presence or absence of each is registered. From the second line onward, the preceding image is the forward image of print job J1, the reverse image of print job J1, the forward image of print job J2, the reverse image of print job J2, and the print job. This is the case of the forward image of J3 and the reverse image of the print job J3.

Returning to FIG. 3, the process then proceeds to step S <b> 108 to generate a job schedule tree indicating the printing order and orientation of images based on the boundary margin correspondence table 400.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a logical structure of the job schedule tree 420.
As shown in FIG. 6, the job schedule tree 420 is configured by forming the printing order and orientation of images in a tree shape. Referring to the boundary margin correspondence table 400 in FIG. 5, for example, the image of the immediately preceding print job, the image in the reverse direction of the print job J1, the image in the forward direction of the print job J3, and the image in the reverse direction of the print job J2 are in that order. It can be seen that there is no margin at each boundary when adjacent to each other. The uppermost path of the job schedule tree 420 indicates the printing order and orientation in which each image can be continuously printed with one cut. Similarly, since there are four other patterns as the printing order and orientation of images that can be continuously printed with one cut, paths corresponding to these patterns are formed in the job schedule tree 420.

Returning to FIG. 3, the process proceeds to step S <b> 110, and the printing order and orientation of images that can be continuously printed with one cut in the generated job schedule tree 420 are determined according to an arbitrary or other condition. End the process and return to the original process.
Next, the print job scheduling process will be described.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing print job scheduling processing.

When the print job scheduling process is executed by the CPU 30, first, the process proceeds to step S200 as shown in FIG.
In step S200, it is determined whether or not a print job exists in the print job queue 10, and when it is determined that a print job exists (Yes), the process proceeds to step S202 and is based on the order determined in step S110. Thus, the print job of the image to be printed next to the image printed immediately before is moved to the head of the print job queue 10, and the process proceeds to step S204.

In step S204, based on the orientation determined in step S110, it is determined whether to reverse the orientation of the next image to be printed. If it is determined that the orientation is to be reversed (Yes), the process proceeds to step S206. The direction of the next image to be printed is reversed, and the process proceeds to step S208.
In step S208, a print job is acquired from the head of the print job queue 10, the process proceeds to step S210, the acquired print job is transmitted to the printing apparatus 200, and the process proceeds to step S212.

In step S212, it is determined whether printing of one image has been completed through communication with the printing apparatus 200. When it is determined that printing of one image has been completed (Yes), the process proceeds to step S200. However, when it is determined that this is not the case (No), the process waits in step S212 until printing of one image is completed.
On the other hand, when it is determined in step S204 that the orientation of the next image to be printed is not reversed (No), the process proceeds to step S208.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S200 that there is no print job in the print job queue 10 (No), the series of processing is terminated and the original processing is restored.
Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.
In the host terminal 100, when a print request is input, a print job is acquired through steps S102 and S104, and the acquired print job is registered at the end of the print job queue 10. Further, through steps S106 and S108, a boundary margin correspondence table 400 in which the presence / absence of a margin is registered for each boundary is generated. Based on the boundary margin correspondence table 400, a job schedule tree 420 indicating the printing order and orientation of images is generated. Generated. Through step S110, the job schedule tree 420 determines the printing order and orientation of images that can be continuously printed with one cut for each image.

  In the host terminal 100, when the print job is registered, the print job of the image to be printed next to the image printed immediately before is printed based on the determined order and orientation through steps S202 to S206. And the orientation of the image of the print job is reversed. For example, when the uppermost path is determined as the image printing order and orientation in the job schedule tree 420 of FIG. 6, the print job J1 moves to the top of the print job queue 10 and the orientation of the image of the print job J1 changes. Invert. Then, through steps S208 and S210, a print job is acquired from the head of the print job queue 10, and the acquired print job is transmitted to the printing apparatus 200.

In the printing apparatus 200, when the print job is received, the print control unit 18 controls the printing mechanism 17 based on the received print job. The cut control unit 20 controls the cut mechanism 19 based on the received print job. As a result, the print job image is printed on the roll paper, and the trailing edge of the print job image is cut.
In this way, in the present embodiment, a print job including margin setting information indicating whether or not to set a margin for each of two boundaries between image data constituting an image and an adjacent image is acquired, The acquired print job is registered at the end of the print job queue 10, and based on the margin setting information included in the acquired print job, the print job is set so that images that do not set a margin at the boundary are adjacent to each other with the boundary in common. The print job registration order and image orientation in the queue 10 are determined, the print job is acquired from the head of the print job queue 10, and the acquired print job is transmitted to the printing apparatus 200.

As a result, when images with no margins and images with margins are mixed and continuously printed, the opportunity for adjoining them is reduced, so no margins are generated at the borders of images without margins and waste paper is reduced. be able to. In addition, since printing control can be performed independently of cut control, the printing apparatus 200 can be downsized.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, from the combination of the order of printing a plurality of images and the orientation of each image, the printing order and orientation of images in which each image can be continuously printed in one cut is determined, and the determined order The print job of the image to be printed next to the image printed immediately before is moved to the head of the print job queue 10 among the print jobs of the print job queue 10 based on the orientation and the orientation, and Invert the direction.

As a result, the chance that an image without a margin and an image with a margin are adjacent to each other is more reliably reduced, so that waste paper can be further reduced.
In the above embodiment, the print job acquisition unit 11 and step S102 correspond to the margin setting information acquisition unit of form 1 or the image data acquisition unit of form 1, and step S102 acquires the margin setting information of form 6 or 11. This corresponds to the step or the image data acquisition step of form 6 or 11. Further, the orientation determining unit 13b and steps S108, S110, and S202 to S206 correspond to the orientation determining means of the form 1 or 2, and steps S108, S110, and S202 to S206 are the orientation determining of the forms 6, 7, 11, or 12. It corresponds to the step.

Further, in the above embodiment, the print job transmission unit 15 and step S210 correspond to the continuous printing means of form 1 or 2, and step S210 corresponds to the continuous printing step of form 6, 7, 11 or 12. Yes.
In the above embodiment, the case where the print job includes the margin setting information has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to a case where the print job does not include the margin setting information. In this case, it is possible to determine whether to set a margin based on the image data of the adjacent image. Hereinafter, an example of a process for determining whether to set a margin based on image data will be described. This margin determination process is executed in step S106.

FIG. 8 schematically shows dot data of two adjacent images.
The squares in FIG. 8 indicate dots, and the rows and columns indicate the arrangement of dots. Here, the position of each dot is represented by (row, column). For example, a dot located in row e and column 0 is (e, 0). If the arrow direction in FIG. 8 is the paper feed direction and the print head is a print head that prints line by line, for example, line e-2, line e-1, line e, line s, line s + 1, line s + 2 Are printed in this order. The color of each dot is denoted as c (row, column).

  In the example of FIG. 8, the cut position is between the line e and the line s, and the cut control unit 20 operates the cut mechanism 19 to cut the paper when the cut position and the position of the cut mechanism 19 coincide with each other by paper feeding. In this case, the range in which an error may occur in the cutting position due to a mechanical cause is set to l. It is assumed that the error range l is determined in advance by a design tolerance of the mechanism or a preliminary test. Here, the unit of l is a dot (the number of dots in the paper feed direction). Also, l can be determined separately for the case of shifting in the forward direction (that is, the rear end direction of the image 1) and the case of shifting in the rear direction (that is, the leading end direction of the image 2). For example, assume that the forward error range is l1 and the backward error range is l2. Furthermore, when the cut position is shifted, the allowable value (color difference) of the difference between the color of the dot at the edge of the image and the color of the dot of the different image that has entered is set to thc. In other words, even if the colors are not exactly the same, if the color difference is such that it does not feel uncomfortable when the image enters, the entry is allowed, and the allowable error is determined in advance. To do.

In this way, only in the paper feed direction where there is a possibility of a cut position error, the dot color at the edge of the image is compared with the dot color of the opposite image that may be inserted, and the difference in color shows an allowable value. If exceeding, the 2-cut method is selected.
In addition to the method of selecting the 2-cut method when the difference in the color of dots that may enter exceeds the allowable value even at one location, the following variations can be considered.

(1) Count the number of dots whose color difference exceeds the allowable value, and select the 2-cut method when the number of dots exceeds a certain value.
(2) The 2-cut method is selected when dots having a color difference exceeding an allowable value exist at a predetermined density or higher. (The abnormal color of 1 dot is not visually conspicuous, but it is conspicuous when the abnormal colors are collected.)
(3) Multiply the calculation of the color difference by the magnitude of the possibility of a cut position error. In other words, since there is less possibility of entering as the distance from the ideal cut position increases, the probability value is determined according to the distance from the cut position, and the calculation of the color difference is weighted.

In this way, by setting an allowable range depending on the number, density, and probability of dots when an abnormal color enters, an inconspicuous entry can be ignored, and a one-cut method is performed, that is, processing that does not waste paper. More can be implemented.
The calculation of the color difference can also be obtained by calculating the sum of the differences of the corresponding values of the dot data to be compared when the dot data is R, G, B, C, M, Y, or K. More precisely, based on the dot data R, G, B and C, M, Y, K, calculate the color value in the absolute color space like CIE Lab color system, like the ΔE value, It is also possible to obtain the difference by converting to a value corresponding to the visual difference.

Even with such a configuration, an effect equivalent to that of the above embodiment can be obtained.
In this case, the print job queue 10 corresponds to the print job storage unit of form 3, 8, or 13, the print job registration unit 12 and step S104 correspond to the print job registration unit of form 3, and step S104 This corresponds to the print job registration step of form 8 or 13. Also, the margin determination unit 13a and step S106 correspond to the margin determination unit of form 3, and step S106 corresponds to the margin determination step of form 8 or 13, and the direction determination unit 13b and steps S108, S110, S202 to S206. Corresponds to the orientation determining means of form 3.

  Steps S108, S110, and S202 to S206 correspond to the orientation determining step of form 8 or 13, the print job acquisition unit 14 and step S208 correspond to the print job acquisition unit of form 3, and step S208 corresponds to the form. This corresponds to the print job acquisition step 8 or 13. Further, the print job transmission unit 15 and step S210 correspond to the continuous printing unit of mode 3, and step S210 corresponds to the continuous printing step of mode 8 or 13.

  In the above embodiment, the job schedule tree 420 is configured to determine the print order and orientation of images that can be continuously printed in one cut. However, as shown in FIG. When there are a plurality of print order and orientation candidates for printable images, the determination can be made by the following method.

(1) From the printing order and orientation candidates of images that can be continuously printed with one cut, the image with the smallest number of images in the reverse direction is determined.
If the printing order or orientation of the images is changed, the user may be confused or a replacement operation may occur after printing. As a result, printing is performed in the order and orientation in which the number of images in the reverse direction is the smallest, so that confusion for the user and replacement work that occurs after printing can be reduced.

(2) From the printing order and orientation candidates of images that can be continuously printed with one cut, the smallest one of the number of reverse images and the number of forward images is determined.
If the number of images in the reverse direction is large, the work of replacing the images in the forward direction may be performed. Therefore, printing in the order and orientation with the least number of forward images and printing in the order and orientation with the smallest number of images in the reverse direction are equivalent from the viewpoint of reducing work. In comparison with the method of (1), for example, when the number of images in the backward direction is the smallest, the number is 3, and when the number of forward images is the least, the number is 2. The method (1) determines three candidates, whereas the method (2) determines two candidates. Since the latter is less for replacement work, the method (2) is more effective.

In the methods (1) and (2), determination is made from candidates for the print order and orientation of images that can be continuously printed with one cut. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and all candidates for the print order and orientation of images are used. You may decide from among.
Furthermore, it can also be determined by the following method.

(3) When the printing order of images is important, it is desirable not to change the printing order as much as possible. For example, a method for evaluating a change in the printing order and determining the printing order can be considered. As an example of a method for evaluating the change in the printing order, a method for quantifying the change in the printing order can be considered. For example, when the print order of the images of the print jobs J1, J2, and J3 is initially changed in the order of the print jobs J3, J1, and J2, the print order of the print job J1 is changed from No. 1 to No. 2, so the change “1”, the print order of print job J2 is from 2nd to 3rd, so the change is “1”, and the print order of print job J3 is from 3rd to 1st, so the change is “2”. The total change amount of the three print jobs is “4”, which is the change amount of the print order. For other printing order candidates, the amount of change in the printing order is calculated in the same manner, and a printing order with a small amount of change is determined.

(4) In the printing apparatus 200 used by a plurality of users, if the print order of the print job changes among the plurality of users, there is a possibility that it takes time to classify the output printed matter for each user. To cope with this problem, it is possible to change the print order only for continuous print jobs instructed by the same user (that is, limit the print order to only continuous print jobs of the same user).

(5) As setting items or attribute values of the printing apparatus 200 or print job (for the above items, for example) “paper saving”, “image inversion possible / impossible”, “print order change permission” Settings such as “degree” and “possibility of change of print order among a plurality of users” are possible, and the print order and orientation of images are determined according to the settings.

  In the above embodiment, the job schedule tree 420 is configured to determine the print order and orientation of images that can be continuously printed with one cut for each image. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and no margin is set at the boundary. It is also possible to configure so that the printing order and orientation of images having the largest number of adjacent images (that is, the smallest number of cuts) are determined by sharing the boundary between the images.

In the above embodiment, the printing apparatus 200 including the printing mechanism 17 and the cutting mechanism 19 is used. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the printing apparatus 210 including only the printing mechanism 17 and the cutting mechanism 19 are provided. The printing apparatus 220 can also be used.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a network system to which the present invention is applied.
As shown in FIG. 9, a host terminal 100 and printing apparatuses 210 and 220 are connected to the network 199.

The host terminal 100 includes a print job queue 10, a print job acquisition unit 11, a print job registration unit 12, a margin determination unit 13a, an orientation determination unit 13b, a print job acquisition unit 14, and a print job transmission unit 15. Yes.
The print job transmission unit 15 transmits the print job acquired by the print job acquisition unit 14 to the printing apparatus 210, generates a job ticket based on the margin setting information included in the print job, and generates the generated job ticket as the printing apparatus 220. Send to.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a job ticket.
As shown in FIG. 10, the job ticket describes the cutting method and margin length for each print job. The job ticket can be described in a markup language such as XML (eXtensible Markup Language).
The printing apparatus 210 includes a print job receiving unit 16, a printing mechanism 17, and a print control unit 18.

The printing apparatus 220 includes a job ticket receiving unit 21 that receives a job ticket, a cutting mechanism 19, and a cut control unit 20 that controls the cutting mechanism 19 based on the job ticket received by the job ticket receiving unit 21. It is configured.
In the above embodiment, the processing shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 7 is executed in the host terminal 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the processing is executed in the printing apparatus 200. You can also

  In the above embodiment, the case where the control program stored in advance in the ROM 32 is executed in the processes shown in the flowcharts of FIG. 3 and FIG. 7 has been described. Alternatively, the program may be read from the storage medium storing the program indicating the above procedure into the RAM 34 and executed.

  Here, the storage medium is a semiconductor storage medium such as RAM or ROM, a magnetic storage type storage medium such as FD or HD, an optical reading type storage medium such as CD, CDV, LD, or DVD, or a magnetic storage type such as MO. / Optical reading type storage media, including any storage media that can be read by a computer regardless of electronic, magnetic, optical, or other reading methods.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the network system to which this invention is applied. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a host terminal 100. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating print job acquisition processing. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a status of a requested print job. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the boundary margin correspondence table. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a logical structure of a job schedule tree 420. 6 is a flowchart illustrating print job scheduling processing. The dot data of two adjacent images are schematically shown. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the network system to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the data structure of a job ticket.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Host terminal, 200, 210, 220 ... Printing apparatus, 10 ... Print job queue, 11 ... Print job acquisition part, 12 ... Print job registration part, 13a ... Margin determination part, 13b ... Orientation determination part, 14 ... Print job Acquisition unit, 15 ... print job transmission unit, 16 ... print job reception unit, 17 ... print mechanism, 18 ... print control unit, 19 ... cut mechanism, 20 ... cut control unit, 21 ... job ticket reception unit, 30 ... CPU, 32 ... ROM, 34 ... RAM, 38 ... I / F, 40 ... input device, 42 ... storage device, 44 ... display device, 199 ... network, 400 ... boundary margin correspondence table, 420 ... job schedule tree

Claims (9)

Based on margin setting information indicating whether or not to set margins for different boundaries of one image, which are boundaries between continuously printed images, and a plurality of the images based on image data constituting the images. An image continuous printing system for continuously printing,
Based on margin setting information acquisition means for acquiring the margin setting information for the plurality of images, image data acquisition means for acquiring the image data for the plurality of images, and margin setting information acquired by the margin setting information acquisition means. Direction determining means for determining the direction of the adjacent direction of the images so that the images that do not set a margin on the boundary, or the images that set the margin on the boundary are adjacent to each other in common. Continuous printing means for continuously printing the plurality of images according to the orientation determined by the orientation determining means based on the margin setting information obtained by the margin setting information obtaining means and the image data obtained by the image data obtaining means. A continuous image printing system. In claim 1,
The orientation determining means determines whether the number of images in which no margin is set for the boundary between the images in which the plurality of images are printed and the direction in the adjacent direction of the images is adjacent to each other. Determine the most combinations,
The continuous image printing system, wherein the continuous printing unit continuously prints the plurality of images according to the order and the direction determined by the direction determining unit. It is determined whether a margin is set for each boundary between images to be continuously printed and different boundaries of one image, and a plurality of the images are continuously printed based on image data constituting the image. An image continuous printing system,
A print job registration unit that registers a print job for managing the image data in a print job storage unit in a predetermined order, and for each boundary of the plurality of images, the boundary is compared with each boundary of the other image. A margin determining unit that determines whether or not to set a margin at the boundary, a direction determining unit that determines the direction of the adjacent direction of the image based on a determination result of the margin determining unit, and a head of the print job storage unit Print job acquisition means for acquiring the print job from, and continuous printing means for performing printing based on the print job acquired by the print job acquisition means,
The orientation determination means includes a combination of an order of printing the plurality of images and an orientation of each image in an adjacent direction, or images that do not set a margin at the boundary, or images that set a margin at the boundary. Determine the combination having the largest number of adjacent borders in common, and, based on the determined order and orientation, out of the print jobs stored in the print job storage unit, the next image printed immediately before by the continuous printing unit. A continuous image printing system, wherein a print job of an image to be printed is moved to the head of the print job storage means and the direction of the adjacent direction of the next image to be printed is changed. In any one of Claim 2 and 3,
The orientation determining means changes the orientation of the adjacent direction from among the combinations when there are a plurality of combinations having the largest number of adjacent images sharing the boundary between images in which no margin is set on the boundary. An image continuous printing system characterized by determining a combination having the smallest number of images. In any one of Claim 2 and 3,
The orientation determining means changes the orientation of the adjacent direction from among the combinations when there are a plurality of combinations having the largest number of adjacent images sharing the boundary between images in which no margin is set on the boundary. A continuous image printing system characterized in that a combination of the smallest number among the number of images and the number of images whose direction in the adjacent direction is not changed is determined. Based on margin setting information indicating whether or not to set margins for different boundaries of one image, which are boundaries between continuously printed images, and a plurality of the images based on image data constituting the images. An image continuous printing program for continuous printing,
Based on the margin setting information acquired in the margin setting information acquisition step for acquiring the margin setting information for the plurality of images, the image data acquisition step for acquiring the image data for the plurality of images, and the margin setting information acquisition step. A direction determining step for determining the direction of the adjacent direction of the images so that the images that do not set a margin at the boundary, or the images that set the margin at the boundary are adjacent to each other in common. A process comprising: a continuous printing step for continuously printing the plurality of images according to the orientation determined in the orientation determination step based on the margin setting information acquired in the margin setting information acquisition step and the image data acquired in the image data acquisition step Image continuous printing characterized by including a program for causing a computer to execute Program. It is determined whether a margin is set for each boundary between images to be continuously printed and different boundaries of one image, and a plurality of the images are continuously printed based on image data constituting the image. An image continuous printing program,
A print job registration step for registering a print job for managing the image data in a print job storage unit in a predetermined order, and comparing each boundary of each of the plurality of images with each boundary of the other image A margin determination step for determining whether or not to set a margin at the boundary; a direction determination step for determining the direction of the adjacent direction of the image based on a determination result of the margin determination step; and a head of the print job storage unit Including a program for causing a computer to execute processing consisting of a print job acquisition step for acquiring the print job from, and a continuous print step for performing printing based on the print job acquired in the print job acquisition step,
In the orientation determining step, images that do not set a margin at the boundary, or images that set a margin at the boundary, among combinations of the order of printing the plurality of images and the direction of the adjacent directions of the images. Determine the combination having the largest number of adjacent borders with the same boundary, and, based on the determined order and orientation, of the print jobs stored in the print job storage unit, the image that has been printed immediately before the continuous printing step. An image continuous printing program for moving a print job of an image to be printed to the head of the print job storage means and changing an adjacent direction of the next image to be printed. Based on margin setting information indicating whether or not to set margins for different boundaries of one image, which are boundaries between continuously printed images, and a plurality of the images based on image data constituting the images. An image continuous printing method for continuously printing,
Based on the margin setting information acquired in the margin setting information acquisition step for acquiring the margin setting information for the plurality of images, the image data acquisition step for acquiring the image data for the plurality of images, and the margin setting information acquisition step. A direction determining step for determining the direction of the adjacent direction of the images so that the images that do not set a margin at the boundary, or the images that set the margin at the boundary are adjacent to each other in common. A continuous printing step of continuously printing the plurality of images according to the orientation determined in the orientation determination step based on the margin setting information acquired in the margin setting information acquisition step and the image data acquired in the image data acquisition step. A method for continuously printing images. It is determined whether a margin is set for each boundary between images to be continuously printed and different boundaries of one image, and a plurality of the images are continuously printed based on image data constituting the image. An image continuous printing method,
A print job registration step for registering a print job for managing the image data in a print job storage unit in a predetermined order, and comparing each boundary of each of the plurality of images with each boundary of the other image A margin determination step for determining whether or not to set a margin at the boundary; a direction determination step for determining the direction of the adjacent direction of the image based on a determination result of the margin determination step; and a head of the print job storage unit A print job acquisition step for acquiring the print job from, and a continuous print step for performing printing based on the print job acquired in the print job acquisition step,
In the orientation determining step, images that do not set a margin at the boundary, or images that set a margin at the boundary, among combinations of the order of printing the plurality of images and the direction of the adjacent directions of the images. Determine the combination having the largest number of adjacent borders with the same boundary, and, based on the determined order and orientation, of the print jobs stored in the print job storage unit, the image that has been printed immediately before the continuous printing step. A continuous image printing method characterized in that a print job of an image to be printed is moved to the head of the print job storage means, and an adjacent direction of the next image to be printed is changed.

Images