CN111098613B

CN111098613B - Image forming control method, system, terminal and image forming apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN111098613B
Application number: CN201911323293.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 孔德珠; 彭继兵; 余涵; 胡琦; 董丽萍
Original assignee: Zhuhai Pantum Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Zhuhai Pantum Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-10-31
Filing date: 2019-12-20
Publication date: 2021-09-03
Anticipated expiration: 2039-12-20
Also published as: CN111098613A

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of image processing, in particular to an image forming control method, an image forming control system, a terminal and an image forming device, wherein the image forming control method is applied to the terminal, a printing driving program in an operating system installed in the terminal can only select one type of imaging medium for one type of imaging operation, and the image forming control method comprises the following steps: providing a printing driver capable of being installed in a terminal, wherein a configuration option for selecting at least two types of imaging media for one imaging job is configured on a printing driver parameter setting interface displayed by the terminal through the installation of the printing driver; acquiring configuration parameters based on the configuration options; and controlling the image forming device to form a first part of pages of the to-be-processed document corresponding to one image forming job by using the first image forming medium and form a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using the second image forming medium according to the configuration parameters. The method described above enables controlling an image forming apparatus to form an image using a plurality of different image forming media in one image forming job.

Description

Image forming control method, system, terminal and image forming apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of image processing technologies, and in particular, to an image formation control method, an image formation control system, a terminal, and an image forming apparatus.

Background

Image forming apparatuses may be classified into an impact type, an inkjet type, an electrophotographic type, and the like according to an image forming principle, and image forming apparatuses such as printers may be classified into a Ribbon (Ribbon) type printer, an inkjet (Ink) type printer, a Laser (Laser) type printer, and the like according to different principles.

With the difference of application scenes, there are many times that an image forming apparatus is required to be capable of forming images on different types and sizes of imaging media, and at present, the image forming apparatus can select an imaging medium from any one paper cassette in one imaging job, but at present, many home-made Printing System architecture plug-ins carried by operating systems do not support the function of configuring multiple types of imaging media, such as CUPS (Common UNIX Printing System), which is a Printing System supported in Fedora Core3 and mainly uses ipp (internet Printing protocol) to manage Printing jobs and queues. However, in the print driving method based on the CUPS architecture, because the CUPS itself has many defects, the function of configuring multiple imaging media is not supported, and it is difficult for an image forming apparatus manufacturer to make a terminal manufacturer to repair the above functions, so that under the application environment of a domestic operating system, there is a technical problem that it is difficult for the image forming apparatus to use different imaging media from multiple paper cassettes in one imaging job.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide an image formation control method, an image formation method, a terminal, an image formation apparatus, an image formation control system, an electronic device, and a storage medium, which are used to solve the technical problem that it is difficult for an image formation control scheme in the prior art to implement that the image formation apparatus uses different image forming media from multiple paper cassettes in one image forming job.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an image formation control method applied to a terminal, where a print driver in an operating system installed in the terminal can select only one image forming medium for one image forming job, the method including:

providing a printing driver capable of being installed in the terminal, wherein a configuration option for selecting at least two types of imaging media for one imaging job is configured on a printing driver parameter setting interface displayed by the terminal through the installation of the printing driver;

acquiring configuration parameters based on the configuration options;

and controlling an image forming device to form a first part of pages of a to-be-processed document corresponding to one image forming job by using the first image forming medium according to the configuration parameters, and form a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using the second image forming medium.

Optionally, the configuration option is formed by modifying the print driver in the operating system installed in the terminal through a printer description file.

Optionally, the configuration parameter includes a consumption proportion parameter, where the consumption proportion parameter is a ratio between a first target consumption amount of the first imaging medium and a total page amount of the document to be processed, or the consumption proportion parameter is a ratio between a second target consumption amount of the second imaging medium and the total page amount of the document to be processed, or the consumption proportion parameter is a ratio between the first target consumption amount of the first imaging medium and the second target consumption amount of the second imaging medium;

the controlling the image forming apparatus to simultaneously use a first imaging medium and a second imaging medium to complete the imaging job according to the configuration parameters includes:

determining the first target consumption quantity and/or the second target consumption quantity according to the consumption proportion parameter;

determining a first partial page number set and a second partial page number set according to the first target consumption amount and/or the second target consumption amount by using a preset algorithm;

and controlling the image forming device to form images of the pages in the to-be-processed document which are in the first partial page code set by using the first imaging medium, and form images of the pages in the to-be-processed document which are in the second partial page code set by using the second imaging medium.

Optionally, the configuration parameters include consumption information including a first target amount of consumption of the first imaging media and/or a second target amount of consumption of the second imaging media;

determining a first partial page number set and a second partial page number set according to the first target consumption amount and/or the second target consumption amount by using a preset algorithm, wherein the document to be processed is the imaging job;

Optionally, the configuration parameters include page number information, the page number information including the first partial set of page numbers and/or the second partial set of page numbers;

the controlling the image forming apparatus to simultaneously use the first and second imaging media to complete the imaging job according to the configuration parameters includes:

and controlling the image forming device to image the pages in the document to be processed as the pages in the first partial page code set by using the first imaging medium and image the pages in the document to be processed as the pages in the second partial page code set by using the second imaging medium according to the first partial page code set and/or the second partial page code set.

Optionally, after obtaining the first partial page number set and the second partial page number set, the method further includes:

if the document to be processed comprises a blank data page and the page number corresponding to the blank data page is in the first partial page number set, generating prompt information or a confirmation request;

and after receiving confirmation information fed back by a user, controlling the image forming device to form images of the pages in the to-be-processed document, which are in the first partial page code set, by using the first imaging medium, and form images of the pages in the to-be-processed document, which are in the second partial page code set, by using the second imaging medium.

if the document to be processed comprises a blank data page and the page number corresponding to the blank data page is in the first partial page number set, deleting the blank data page in the document to be processed;

and re-determining a new first partial page code set and a new second partial page code set according to the configuration parameters.

Optionally, the first imaging medium is a printing paper embedded with a magnetic material, and the second imaging medium is a common printing paper.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an image forming method applied to an image forming apparatus, the method including:

receiving an imaging instruction of a terminal;

imaging a first part of pages of a to-be-processed document corresponding to one imaging job by using the first imaging medium according to the imaging instruction, and imaging a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using the second imaging medium;

the terminal is provided with a printing driver, configuration options for selecting at least two imaging media for one imaging job are configured on a printing driver parameter setting interface displayed by the terminal through installation of the printing driver, and the terminal acquires configuration information based on the configuration options and generates the imaging instruction based on the configuration information.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a terminal, including:

the printing driver module is used for configuring configuration options for selecting at least two imaging media for one imaging job on a printing driver parameter setting interface displayed by the terminal through the installation of the printing driver;

an acquisition module configured to acquire configuration information based on the configuration options; and

and the control module is configured to control the image forming device to form a first part of pages of a to-be-processed document corresponding to one image forming job by using the first image forming medium and form a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using the second image forming medium according to the configuration information.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an image forming apparatus including:

a receiving module configured to receive an imaging instruction of a terminal;

the imaging module is configured to image a first part of pages of a to-be-processed document corresponding to one imaging job by using the first imaging medium and image a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using the second imaging medium according to the imaging instruction;

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an image forming control system, including the terminal and the image forming apparatus.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an electronic device, including: a memory, a processor, and a computer program, the computer program being stored in the memory, the processor running the computer program to execute the image formation control method described above.

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an electronic device, including: a memory, a processor, and a computer program, the computer program being stored in the memory, the processor running the computer program to perform the image forming method described above.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a storage medium, where the storage medium includes a stored program, and when the program runs, a device in which the storage medium is located is controlled to execute the method executed by the terminal.

In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a storage medium including a stored program, wherein, when the program runs, a device on which the storage medium is controlled to execute the method executed by the image forming apparatus.

It can be understood that, by providing a print driver capable of being installed in the terminal, through installation of the print driver, a configuration option for selecting at least two types of imaging media for one imaging job is configured on a print driver parameter setting interface displayed by the terminal, and configuration parameters are acquired based on the configuration option, so that the terminal can select at least two types of imaging media for one imaging job, thereby better meeting user requirements.

Drawings

The invention is further illustrated with reference to the following figures and examples.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an image formation control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an image formation control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a flowchart of an image formation control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a print driving parameter setting interface in an image forming control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a print driving parameter setting interface in an image forming control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a print driving parameter setting interface in an image forming control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a print driving parameter setting interface in an image forming control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of an image forming method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of an image formation control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image formation control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT (S) OF INVENTION

For better understanding of the technical solutions of the present invention, the following detailed descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention are provided with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It should be understood that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the invention, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

The terminology used in the embodiments of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the examples of the present invention and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

It should be understood that the term "and/or" as used herein is merely one type of association that describes an associated object, meaning that three relationships may exist, e.g., a and/or B may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the former and latter related objects are in an "or" relationship.

In the embodiments of the present invention, "at least one" means one or more, "a plurality" means two or more. "and/or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, meaning that there may be three relationships, e.g., a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, wherein A and B can be singular or plural. The character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of the singular or plural items. For example, at least one (one) of a, b, or c, may represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, wherein a, b, c may be single or multiple.

as shown in fig. 1, an image forming control system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a terminal 1 and an image forming apparatus 2, the terminal 1 and the image forming apparatus 2 are connected by communication, and the connection between the terminal 1 and the image forming apparatus 2 may be a wireless connection such as Wi-Fi or bluetooth, or may be a connection via a USB data line. The terminal 1 may be a terminal with a printing function, such as a computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and the like; the image forming apparatus 2 may be an apparatus that prints print data generated by a computer, for example, on a recording medium such as printing paper. Examples of the image forming apparatus 2 include, but are not limited to, copiers, printers, facsimile machines, scanners, and multi-function peripherals that perform the above functions in a single device, or other apparatuses for printing images, photocopies, laser codes, or medical images, and the present invention does not limit the specific forms of the image forming apparatus 2 and the terminal 1.

The image forming apparatus 2 includes at least two paper cassettes for accommodating at least two kinds of image forming media, and in the embodiment of the present invention, the at least two kinds of image forming media include a first image forming medium and a second image forming medium, the first image forming medium and the second image forming medium are respectively accommodated in different paper cassettes of the image forming apparatus 2, and the first image forming medium and the second image forming medium may be different types and sizes of image forming media;

in an alternative embodiment, the first imaging medium may be an imaging medium provided with anti-counterfeiting information or a specific material capable of being detected by the detection device, such as a printing paper with a magnetic medium, or a printing paper embedded with an anti-counterfeiting watermark, or a printing paper with both an anti-counterfeiting watermark and a magnetic medium, which is generally used for processing file anti-counterfeiting or private document information; the second image forming medium may be a plain printing paper, for example, a plain A3, a4 printing paper, or Letter paper, etc. The present embodiment is not particularly limited thereto.

Different from the prior art, the terminal 1 in the embodiment of the present invention is provided with the print driver, and the print driver installed in the terminal 1 in the embodiment of the present invention enables the configuration options for selecting at least two types of imaging media for one imaging job to be configured on the print driver parameter setting interface displayed by the terminal 1, and obtains the configuration parameters based on the configuration options, so that the terminal 1 can select at least two types of imaging media for one imaging job, thereby better satisfying the user requirements.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an image formation control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 2, a terminal (e.g., computer 100) stores a Printer Description language (PPD file) 120, wherein the PPD file 120 is a text file containing Description information about the features and capabilities of a specific image forming apparatus (e.g., Printer 200), and the Description information includes but is not limited to: setting information, attribute information of the image forming apparatus, and other information.

The setting information is, for example, a supported paper size, a printable area, the number and name of paper cassettes, optional characteristics (e.g., additional paper cassettes or a duplex printing unit, etc.), a font, a resolution, and the like.

Wherein the attribute information of the image forming apparatus (e.g., printer 200) is, for example, manufacturer, model, version, language, and the like;

the other information may include, for example, localization information, mutual exclusion relationship before options, and the like, the other information may further include identification information of the printer 200 and interface information corresponding to configuration options, and the identification information of the printer 200 may be included in the file name of the PPD file 120.

The computer 100 is installed with a print driver corresponding to the printer 200, and the print driver determines each available capability of the printer 200 and a user interface corresponding to each available capability according to an analysis result obtained by analyzing the PPD file 120. PPD file 120 also contains PostScript commands necessary to implement the various available features, and when a user selects a function through the user interface of the print driver, such as double-sided printing or watermarking, PostScript (page description programming language) code appropriate for the function is extracted from PPD file 120 and added to the PostScript file to be transmitted to printer 200, so that the print function selected by the user can be implemented.

The computer 100 usually uses a Common Unix Printing System (CUPS) to support a print driver to implement a whole set of Printing functions, and the Common Unix Printing System is a widely used Printing System, is a part of a computer operating System, and mainly uses ipp (internet Printing protocol) to manage print jobs and queues, but also supports communication protocols such as "LPD" (Line Printer Daemon), "SMB" (service message Block), and App Socket. The universal Unix printing system contains a number of components including, but not limited to: the PPD file 120, the user interface 110, the Filter (Filter)130, the Backend program (Backend)140, and the like, some of which are implemented by a printer manufacturer, for example, the PPD file 120 defines information of a printer's characteristics and a manufacturer model, the Filter 130 may be in a data format processed by the printer 200 manufacturer in a customized manner, for example, configuration parameters set by a user through the user interface may be identified and analyzed through the Filter 130, so as to generate an imaging instruction that can be identified by the image forming apparatus 2, and the Backend program 140 sends the imaging instruction to the printer 200 to complete an imaging job. It should also be appreciated that the application scenarios of the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to a general purpose Unix printing system, and that computers of other operating systems, such as the Windows operating system available from microsoft corporation, may not require a CUPS, but rather implement the control of imaging media selection of the present invention based on a SPOOLER (print background processing service) component.

as shown in fig. 3, an image formation control method applied to a terminal in which a print driver in an operating system installed in the terminal can select only one image forming medium for one image forming job includes:

step S01: providing a printing driver capable of being installed in a terminal, wherein a configuration option for selecting at least two types of imaging media for one imaging job is configured on a printing driver parameter setting interface displayed by the terminal through the installation of the printing driver;

step S02: the terminal acquires configuration parameters based on the configuration options;

step S03: the terminal controls the image forming device to form a first part of pages of a to-be-processed document corresponding to one image forming job by using a first image forming medium and form a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using a second image forming medium according to the configuration parameters.

It can be understood that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the print driver installed in the terminal may configure a configuration option for selecting at least two types of imaging media for one imaging job on the print driver parameter setting interface displayed by the terminal, and obtain the configuration parameters based on the configuration option, so that the terminal can select at least two types of imaging media for one imaging job, thereby better meeting the user requirements.

It should be noted that different types of operating systems may correspond to different print driver attributes, and therefore, the print driver parameter setting interface is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present invention.

It should also be understood that the print driving parameter setting interface in the embodiment of the present invention may include two types, and the user may set the configuration parameter through at least one of the two types of print driving parameter setting interfaces, and for the first type, after the user sets the configuration parameter on the first type of print driving parameter setting interface, before the user modifies the configuration parameter on the print driving parameter setting interface, the subsequent image forming job based on the print driving program controls the image forming apparatus to form an image according to the configuration parameter; for the second type, after the user clicks or presses the "print" icon or identifier in the application program (e.g., WPS, WORD, etc.), before generating an imaging instruction to the image forming apparatus, the user may set the configuration parameters through a print driving parameter setting interface of the second type, and then control the image forming apparatus to image based on the configuration parameters.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a configuration option for selecting at least two types of image forming media for one image forming job is configured on a print driving parameter setting interface, and specifically includes:

modifying a print driver in an operating system through a printer description file, so that configuration options capable of selecting multiple imaging media for one imaging job are added to a setting interface of print driver attributes; or

Adding a self-defined option in the print drive attribute setting corresponding to the default print service of an operating system of the terminal, so that a configuration option capable of selecting multiple imaging media for one imaging job is added on a setting interface of the print drive attribute; the terminal also comprises a parameter analysis module for parameters in the user-defined option, and the terminal can identify and analyze the configuration parameters set in the configuration option through the parameter analysis module.

The configuration parameters may be in various forms, specifically as follows:

in an alternative implementation manner, the configuration parameter includes a consumption proportion parameter, where the consumption proportion parameter is a ratio between a first target consumption amount of the first imaging medium and a total page amount of the document to be processed, or the consumption proportion parameter is a ratio between a second target consumption amount of the second imaging medium and a total page amount of the document to be processed, or the consumption proportion parameter is a ratio between a first target consumption amount of the first imaging medium and a second target consumption amount of the second imaging medium, and each of the ratios is usually in the form of percentage.

For example, one: when the ratio between the first target consumption amount of the first image forming medium and the total page number of the document to be processed is 30%, it means that the consumption amount of the first image forming medium desired by the user accounts for 30% of the total number of pages of the document to be processed in the image forming job.

Example two: the consumption proportion parameter represents that the consumption quantity of the first imaging medium expected by the user accounts for 50% of the total page quantity of the document to be processed when the ratio of the second target consumption quantity of the second imaging medium to the total page quantity of the document to be processed is 50%, and can also represent that the consumption quantity of the second imaging medium expected by the user to be saved accounts for 50% of the total page quantity of the document to be processed.

The embodiment of the invention exemplarily provides a "cost-saving" configuration mode, and the configuration parameter in the configuration mode is used for indicating a consumption proportion parameter of the first imaging medium which is expected to be saved by a user, namely, a proportion of the consumption quantity of the second imaging medium which is expected by the user to the total page quantity of the document to be processed.

Fig. 4, 5 and 6 each show a print drive parameter setting interface;

in which, a configuration option of "cost saving" is configured on the print driving parameter setting interface shown in fig. 4, and a user can input or select a consumption proportion parameter (for example, 50%) of a first image forming medium desired to be saved in an input box corresponding to the configuration option of "cost saving" on the print driving parameter setting interface, thereby realizing setting of the configuration parameter.

In the print driving parameter setting interface shown in fig. 5, by adding a configuration option of "cost saving" to the print driving parameter setting interface, a user can input a consumption ratio parameter (for example, 50%) of a first image forming medium desired to be saved in a customized manner in an input box corresponding to the configuration option, thereby realizing setting of the configuration parameter.

Wherein, the print driving parameter setting interface shown in fig. 6 is configured with a configuration option of "cost saving", and a user can input or select a consumption proportion parameter (for example, 50%) of a first image forming medium desired to be saved in an input box corresponding to the configuration option of "cost saving" on the print driving parameter setting interface, thereby realizing setting of the configuration parameter;

unlike the print drive parameter setting interface shown in fig. 4, the print drive parameter setting interface shown in fig. 6 is the above second-type print drive parameter setting interface, and the print drive parameter setting interface shown in fig. 4 is the above first-type print drive parameter setting interface.

The print driving parameter setting interface shown in fig. 4 and fig. 6 needs to be generated based on interface information in the printer description language 120 configured in advance, and although the print driving parameter setting interface shown in fig. 5 does not need to modify the configuration of the interface information in the printer description language 120 in advance, a determination function capable of identifying the configuration parameters needs to be configured in advance in the filter program 130 of the terminal, an imaging instruction capable of being identified by the image forming apparatus is generated according to the determination result, and the imaging instruction is sent to the image forming apparatus 2 through the backend program 140. The judgment function may be specifically designed directly according to a programming language commonly used in the printing language. It should be noted that the configuration options of "cost saving" are only examples, and the form of the configuration options can be flexibly set according to actual needs.

If the configuration parameters include the consumption rate parameter, step S03: the terminal controls the image forming device to form a first part of pages of a to-be-processed document corresponding to an image forming job by using a first image forming medium and form a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using a second image forming medium according to the configuration information, and comprises the following steps:

step S031 a: the terminal determines a first target consumption quantity and/or a second target consumption quantity according to the consumption proportion parameter;

in some embodiments of the present invention, the first target consumption amount and/or the second target consumption amount are further determined based on the total page number of the to-be-processed document corresponding to the current image forming job, for example, if the configuration parameter set by the configuration option of "cost saving" is 40% and the total page number of the to-be-processed document corresponding to the current image forming job is 10, the determined first target consumption amount (i.e., the target consumption amount of the first image forming medium) is 6 and the second target consumption amount (i.e., the target consumption amount of the first image forming medium) is 4.

The step of determining the first target consumption amount and/or the second target consumption amount by the terminal according to the consumption proportion parameter is triggered by a user initiating an imaging instruction, wherein the configuration parameter may be set on a print driving parameter setting interface displayed after the user clicks or presses a "print" icon or identifier in an application (for example, WPS, WORD, etc.), or may be set on the print driving parameter setting interface in advance.

Step S032 a: the terminal determines a first partial page number set and a second partial page number set according to a first target consumption number and/or a second target consumption number by using a preset algorithm, wherein the first partial page number set and the second partial page number set respectively comprise at least one page number in the document to be processed, it should be noted that the page number in the embodiment of the present invention means a page order in the document to be processed, for example, the total page number of the document to be processed is 5, and then the page number of the document to be processed comprises 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and the page number described in the embodiment of the present invention does not represent a page number set for a page by a user when the document to be processed is processed, and in this case, it is emphasized that ambiguity is avoided.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the preset algorithm is a random algorithm, and the random algorithm uses a certain degree of randomness as a part of its logic, so that it can be randomly determined which pages in the document to be processed need to use the first imaging medium and which pages need to use the second imaging medium; by using a random algorithm, it is possible to avoid that the user knows which pages will use the first image forming medium, and avoid imaging the important or confidential information using the first image forming medium, and this random way can dynamically adjust the page number in the document to be processed corresponding to the first image forming medium and the page number in the document to be processed corresponding to the second image forming medium in each imaging job.

For example, if the first target consumption amount is 6, the second target consumption amount is 4, and the total page number of the document to be processed is 10 pages, the first partial page code set d1 ═ {1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10} and the first partial page code set d2 ═ 3, 5, 7, 8} may be randomly determined.

Step S033 a: the terminal controls the image forming device to image a first part of pages in the document to be processed by using a first imaging medium, and image a second part of pages by using a second imaging medium, wherein the first part of pages are pages corresponding to page numbers in a first part of page number set, and the second part of pages are pages corresponding to page numbers in a second part of page number set.

It can be understood that, after determining the first partial page number set and the second partial page number set, the terminal distinguishes a plurality of pages in the document to be processed by using the first partial page number set (i.e. the page corresponding to the first partial page number set) and the second partial page (i.e. the page corresponding to the second partial page number set), generates an imaging instruction according to the first partial page number set and the second partial page number set, so as to control the image forming apparatus to image the page in the document to be processed as the page in the first partial page number set by using the first imaging medium, and image the page in the document to be processed as the page in the second partial page number set by using the second imaging medium.

In an alternative implementation, the configuration parameters include consumption information, the consumption information including a first target consumption amount of the first imaging medium and/or a second target consumption amount of the second imaging medium; taking the example that the consumption information includes only the first target consumption amount of the first image forming medium, if the configuration parameter is 6, it indicates that the consumption amount for the desired first image forming medium (i.e., the first target consumption amount) is 6 pages.

If the configuration parameters include consumption information, step S03: the terminal controls the image forming device to form a first part of pages of a to-be-processed document corresponding to an image forming job by using a first image forming medium and form a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using a second image forming medium according to the configuration information, and comprises the following steps:

step S031 b: the terminal determines a first partial page set and a second partial page set according to the first target consumption quantity and/or the second target consumption quantity by using a preset algorithm, and the document to be processed is an imaging job;

Step S032 b: the terminal controls the image forming device to image a first part of pages in the document to be processed by using a first imaging medium, and image a second part of pages by using a second imaging medium, wherein the first part of pages are pages corresponding to page numbers in a first part of page number set, and the second part of pages are pages corresponding to page numbers in a second part of page number set.

In an alternative implementation, the configuration parameter includes page number information, and the page number information includes a first partial page number set and/or a second partial page number set;

if the page number information only comprises the first partial page code set, the terminal can determine a second partial page code set according to the first partial page code set and the total page number of the document to be processed, and if the page number information only comprises the second partial page code set, the terminal can determine a third partial page code set according to the first partial page code set and the total page number of the document to be processed.

Fig. 7 shows a print drive parameter setting interface based on page number information as a configuration parameter;

referring to fig. 7, the print driving parameter setting interface configures an image forming mode of "cost saving" on the print driving parameter setting interface, and then sets corresponding configuration options, such as a paper box 1 (corresponding to a first image forming medium) and a paper box 2 (corresponding to a second image forming medium), so that a user can input a first part of page numbers corresponding to the first image forming medium and a second part of page numbers corresponding to the second image forming medium in a current image forming job in input frames corresponding to the paper box 1 and the paper box 2, respectively; it should be noted that, in the present embodiment, it is necessary to configure a determination function capable of identifying the configuration parameters in advance in the filter program 130, generate an imaging instruction capable of being identified by the image forming apparatus according to the determination result, and send the imaging instruction to the image forming apparatus through the back-end program 140.

If the configuration parameters include page number information, step S03: the terminal controls the image forming device to form a first part of pages of a to-be-processed document corresponding to an image forming job by using a first image forming medium and form a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using a second image forming medium according to the configuration information, and comprises the following steps:

step S031 c: the terminal controls the image forming device to image a first part of pages in the document to be processed by using a first imaging medium according to the first part of page number set and/or a second part of page number set, wherein the second part of pages are imaged by using a second imaging medium, the first part of pages are pages corresponding to page numbers in the first part of page number set, and the second part of pages are pages corresponding to page numbers in the second part of page number set.

It should be noted that the configuration parameters may also take other forms, for example, the combination of the page information and the consumption ratio information, or the configuration parameters are the expected maximum value of the first imaging medium, and the configuration parameters are information for characterizing that at least two imaging media are selected for processing in one imaging job, and after the terminal device acquires the configuration parameters, it is within the scope of the present invention as long as the terminal device can image a first part of pages of a to-be-processed document corresponding to one imaging job by using the first imaging medium, and image a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using the second imaging medium.

In order to perform further security check on the image forming job, in an implementable manner, after the terminal acquires the first partial page number set and the second partial page number set, the image formation control method further includes:

the terminal judges whether the document to be processed comprises blank data pages and/or pages containing specific characters (such as confidentiality, confidentiality and the like) or not, and judges whether page numbers corresponding to the blank data pages and/or the pages containing the specific characters are in a first partial page number set or not;

if the document to be processed comprises a blank data page and the page number corresponding to the blank data page is in the first partial page number set; and/or the page number corresponding to the page containing the specific character in the document to be processed is not in the first partial page number set, the document to be processed can be processed by the terminal in one or more of the following manners:

the first method is as follows: and generating prompt information or a confirmation request, and controlling the image forming device to form images of pages in the document to be processed, which have the page number in the first partial page number set, by using a first imaging medium and form images of pages in the document to be processed, which have the page number in the second partial page number set, by using a second imaging medium after the terminal receives confirmation information fed back by the user.

The second method comprises the following steps: mainly aiming at a scene with configuration parameters including consumption proportion parameters and consumption information, a terminal re-determines a new first partial page code set and a new second partial page code set according to the configuration parameters and a preset algorithm until page numbers corresponding to blank data pages are not in the first partial page code set and/or page numbers corresponding to pages containing specific characters in a document to be processed are in the first partial page code set, and then controls an image forming device to image the pages in the document to be processed, which are in the new first partial page code set, by using a first imaging medium and image the pages in the document to be processed, which are in the new second partial page code set, by using a second imaging medium;

the third method comprises the following steps: mainly aiming at the scene that the configuration parameters comprise page number information, the terminal generates prompt information to prompt a user to reset the page number information until the page number information set by the user meets the condition that the page number corresponding to a blank data page is not in the first partial page number set and/or the page number corresponding to the page containing specific characters of the document to be processed is in the first partial page number set.

The method is as follows: the terminal terminates the printing operation.

It can be understood that, after obtaining the first partial page number set and the second partial page number set, the embodiment of the present invention determines whether the document to be processed includes a blank data page and/or a page containing specific characters (e.g., confidential, etc.), and determines whether the page corresponding to the blank data page and/or the page containing the specific characters is within the first partial page number set, so as to prevent a user from intentionally avoiding imaging important or confidential information using the first image forming medium or imaging the blank data page using the first image forming medium.

the embodiment of the invention provides an image forming method, which is applied to an image forming device and comprises the following steps:

step S50: the image forming device receives an imaging instruction of a terminal;

step S60: the image forming device forms a first part of pages of a to-be-processed document corresponding to one image forming job by using a first image forming medium according to an image forming instruction, and forms a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using a second image forming medium;

the terminal is provided with a printing driver, configuration options for selecting at least two imaging media for one imaging job are configured on a printing driver parameter setting interface displayed by the terminal through installation of the printing driver, the terminal acquires configuration information based on the configuration options, and an imaging instruction is generated based on the configuration information.

It can be understood that, by providing a print driver capable of being installed in a terminal, through installation of the print driver, a configuration option for selecting at least two types of imaging media for one imaging job is configured on a print driver parameter setting interface displayed by the terminal, and configuration parameters are obtained based on the configuration option, so that the terminal can select at least two types of imaging media for one imaging job, thereby better meeting user requirements.

In a preferred embodiment, when the image forming apparatus receives an image forming instruction requiring the first image forming medium and the second image forming medium to complete an image forming job, different image forming engine parameters, such as an increased fixing temperature, a decreased paper feeding speed, an increased developing pressure, and the like, are used for the first image forming medium, so that a firm image can be formed on the surface of the first image forming medium.

as shown in fig. 9, an embodiment of the present invention provides a terminal 1, in which a print driver in an operating system installed in the terminal 1 can select only one image forming medium for one image forming job, the terminal including:

the printing driver module 101 is configured to configure a configuration option for selecting at least two types of imaging media for one imaging job on a printing driver parameter setting interface displayed by the terminal through installation of a printing driver;

an obtaining module 102 configured to obtain configuration information based on the configuration options; and

and a control module 103 configured to control the image forming apparatus to image a first portion of pages of a document to be processed corresponding to one image forming job using a first image forming medium and to image a second portion of pages of the document to be processed using a second image forming medium according to the configuration information.

In an optional scheme, the configuration parameter includes a consumption proportion parameter, where the consumption proportion parameter is a ratio between a first target consumption amount of the first imaging medium and a total page amount of the document to be processed, or the consumption proportion parameter is a ratio between a second target consumption amount of the second imaging medium and a total page amount of the document to be processed, or the consumption proportion parameter is a ratio between the first target consumption amount of the first imaging medium and the second target consumption amount of the second imaging medium;

the control module 103 includes:

a first determination unit configured to determine a first target consumption amount and/or a second target consumption amount according to the consumption proportion parameter;

a second determining unit configured to determine the first set of partial page numbers and the second set of partial page numbers according to the first target consumption number and/or the second target consumption number using a preset algorithm;

a first control unit configured to control the image forming apparatus to image the pages in the document to be processed as pages in the first partial page code set using a first image forming medium, and to image the pages in the document to be processed as pages in the second partial page code set using a second image forming medium.

In an alternative, the configuration parameter includes consumption information, the consumption information including a first target consumption amount of the first imaging medium and/or a second target consumption amount of the second imaging medium;

the control module 103 includes:

a third determining unit configured to determine a first partial page number set and a second partial page number set according to the first target consumption amount and/or the second target consumption amount using a preset algorithm, the document to be processed being an image forming job;

and a second control unit configured to control the image forming apparatus to image the pages in the document to be processed as pages in the first partial page code set using the first image forming medium and to image the pages in the document to be processed as pages in the second partial page code set using the second image forming medium.

In an alternative, the configuration parameter includes page number information, and the page number information includes a first partial page number set and/or a second partial page number set;

the control module 103 includes:

and a third control unit configured to control the image forming apparatus to image the pages in the document to be processed as the pages in the first partial page number set using the first imaging medium and to image the pages in the document to be processed as the pages in the second partial page number set using the second imaging medium according to the first partial page number set and/or the second partial page number set.

In an optional aspect, the terminal further includes a first security detection module, and the first security detection module is configured to:

after the first partial page number set and the second partial page number set are obtained, if the document to be processed comprises a blank data page and the page number corresponding to the blank data page is in the first partial page number set, generating prompt information or a confirmation request;

and after receiving the confirmation information fed back by the user, controlling the image forming device to form images of the pages in the document to be processed, which are in the first partial page code set, by using a first imaging medium, and form images of the pages in the document to be processed, which are in the second partial page code set, by using a second imaging medium.

In an optional aspect, the terminal further includes a second security detection module, and the first security detection module is configured to:

after the first partial page number set and the second partial page number set are obtained, if the document to be processed comprises a blank data page and the page number corresponding to the blank data page is in the first partial page number set, deleting the blank data page in the document to be processed;

In an alternative, the first image forming medium is a magnetic material embedded printing paper, and the second image forming medium is a plain printing paper.

For the device embodiments, since the same or similar contents are substantially similar to the method embodiments, in order to make the corresponding embodiments more concise, the embodiments of the present invention provide other contents in the terminal and further description may refer to corresponding parts of other embodiments of the present invention, which are not repeatedly described herein.

as shown in fig. 10, an embodiment of the present invention also provides an image forming apparatus 2 including:

a receiving module 201 configured to receive an imaging instruction of a terminal;

an imaging module 202 configured to image a first part of pages of a document to be processed corresponding to one imaging job using a first imaging medium and image a second part of pages of the document to be processed using a second imaging medium according to an imaging instruction;

For the device embodiments, since the same or similar contents are substantially similar to the method embodiments, in order to make the corresponding embodiments more concise, the embodiments of the present invention provide other contents in the image forming device and further description may refer to corresponding parts of other embodiments of the present invention, which are not repeatedly described herein.

as shown in FIG. 11, an image formation control system includes at least one computer and at least one image forming apparatus connected to the computer, a computer A100-1 and a computer 100-2 are respectively connected to an image forming apparatus A200-1, an image forming apparatus B200-2, an image forming apparatus C200-3 via communication lines (e.g., bus, USB, wireless network, etc.), when a computer desires to use which image forming apparatus, it is required to install the corresponding print drivers in advance, and the print driver parameter setting interface displayed by the print driver terminal is configured with configuration options for selecting at least two types of image forming media for one image forming job, at least two image forming medium accommodating cassettes are provided in the image forming apparatus to perform an image forming operation of selecting at least two image forming media for one image forming job.

Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image formation control system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

as shown in fig. 12, the image formation control system includes:

a terminal such as a computer 100 in which a CPU generally controls devices connected to a system bus according to a program stored in, for example, a RAM serving as a storage unit in the computer 100. The RAM is also used as a main memory, a work memory, and the like of the CPU. The ROM stores various programs and data. The input interface receives input from an input device and a pointing device (e.g., a touch screen: not shown). The display interface controls a display on the display device. The DKS controls access to an external memory such as a flash memory or an SSD (solid state disk). The external memory stores an OS (operating system), applications corresponding to various functions, and a printer driver (print driver). The external memory is used as a storage medium that can be read/written by the computer. The PRTC is a print interface that communicates with the image forming apparatus.

An image forming apparatus, such as a printer 200, has a CPU controlling the overall operation of the printer 200. The RAM is used as a main memory, a work memory, and the like of the CPU, and also used as an image information rasterization area and an environment data storage area. The RAM also includes an NVRAM (non-volatile RAM) area, and is configured to expand the memory capacity by an optional RAM connected to an expansion port (not shown). The ROM stores various fonts, control programs executed by the CPU142, and the like, and various data. The I/O interface transmits/receives data between the printer 200 and the computer 100. The printer control unit controls processing functioning as a printer engine unit. The MC controls access to the external memory. The external memory includes a flash memory, an SSD, etc., and can store hardware information. Note that when an external memory such as a hard disk is not connected, the ROM stores information to be used in the computer and the like. The operation panel includes switches for operation, an LED display, and the like.

As shown in fig. 12, the present embodiment also provides an image forming apparatus including:

a communication unit (e.g., I/O, MC in fig. 12) for communicating with a terminal in which a print driver is installed, and capable of receiving an image forming instruction sent by the print driver in the terminal, the image forming instruction including job data;

a data parsing unit (for example, a parsing program in the CPU and the ROM in fig. 12) for parsing an image forming instruction sent by a print driver in the image forming control terminal, wherein the image forming instruction instructs the image forming apparatus to select at least two types of image forming media for image forming processing for one image forming job, the print driver automatically distinguishes a plurality of pages in a document to be processed according to the image forming instruction, with a first part of pages (i.e., pages corresponding to the first partial page number set) and a second part of pages (i.e., pages corresponding to the second partial page number set), and the first part of pages are set to form images from a paper cassette accommodating a first image forming medium and the second part of pages are set to form images from a paper cassette accommodating a second image forming medium;

and an engine control unit (for example, a printing control unit) which controls the paper conveying mechanism to convey the first imaging medium from the paper box containing the first imaging medium when the first part page needs to form an image and to convey the second imaging medium from the paper box containing the second imaging medium when the second part page needs to form an image, when the imaging instruction corresponding to the operation data comprises the first part page information and the second part page information, and the first imaging medium corresponding to the first part page and the second imaging medium corresponding to the second part page.

as shown in fig. 13, the image forming apparatus includes a body portion 210, a circuit board is provided in the body portion 210, the above-mentioned CPU, ROM, RAM, I/O, etc. are mounted on the circuit board, and at least two paper cassettes, three

paper cassettes

223, 233, 243 are mentioned in the schematic view of the present embodiment, and each of the paper cassettes is provided with

drawers

221, 231, 241 which can be pulled open at a front surface of the body; each paper box can respectively contain imaging media with corresponding types and/or sizes according to different requirements.

In addition, a sensor for detecting whether the first imaging medium is accommodated is added in the paper box for accommodating the first imaging medium, and the specific type of the sensor can be determined by combining specific anti-counterfeiting information in the first imaging medium or specific materials capable of being detected by a detection device, for example, a magnetic induction sensor, an infrared scanner, a weight sensor, or the like; the specific location of the sensor may be designed in conjunction with the mechanical structure of the image forming apparatus, for example, directly on the bottom frame within the paper cassette, and further, for example, to avoid false interference between the sensor and the image forming apparatus housing, the sensor may be directly on the paper transport path (between the path from the paper pick-up roller to the discharge roller), which may also avoid adulteration of non-first imaging media within the paper cassette housing the first imaging media.

Fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention;

as shown in fig. 14, the present embodiment provides an electronic apparatus 10 including:

a processor 11, a memory 12 and a computer program; wherein

A memory 12 for storing a computer program, which may also be a flash memory (flash). The computer program is, for example, an application program, a functional module, or the like that realizes the above method.

A processor 11 for executing the computer program stored in the memory to implement the respective steps in the image forming control method/image forming method described above. Reference may be made in particular to the description relating to the preceding method embodiment.

Alternatively, the memory 12 may be separate or integrated with the processor 11.

When the memory 12 is a device separate from the processor 11, the electronic device 10 may further include:

a bus 13 for connecting the memory 12 and the processor 11.

The present invention also provides a readable storage medium in which a computer program is stored, the computer program being executed by a processor for implementing the image formation control method/image formation method provided by the various embodiments described above.

The readable storage medium may be a computer storage medium or a communication medium. Communication media includes any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Computer storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. For example, a readable storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the readable storage medium. Of course, the readable storage medium may also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the readable storage medium may reside in an Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC). Additionally, the ASIC may reside in user equipment. Of course, the processor and the readable storage medium may also reside as discrete components in a communication device.

The present invention also provides a program product comprising execution instructions stored in a readable storage medium. The at least one processor of the apparatus may read the execution instructions from the readable storage medium, and the execution of the execution instructions by the at least one processor causes the apparatus to implement the image formation control method/image formation method provided by the various embodiments described above.

In the above embodiments of the electronic device, it should be understood that the Processor may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), other general-purpose processors, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), etc. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the present invention may be embodied directly in a hardware processor, or in a combination of the hardware and software modules within the processor.

The present invention is not limited to the above preferred embodiments, and any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An image formation control method applied to a terminal in which a print driver in an operating system installed in the terminal can select only one image forming medium for one image forming job, the method comprising:

acquiring configuration parameters based on the configuration options;

controlling an image forming device to form a first part of pages of a to-be-processed document corresponding to one image forming job by using a first image forming medium and form a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using a second image forming medium according to the configuration parameters;

the configuration options are formed by modifying the printing driver in the operating system installed in the terminal through a printer description file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration parameter comprises a consumption proportion parameter, wherein the consumption proportion parameter is a ratio between a first target consumption amount of the first imaging medium and a total page amount of the document to be processed, or the consumption proportion parameter is a ratio between a second target consumption amount of the second imaging medium and a total page amount of the document to be processed, or the consumption proportion parameter is a ratio between a first target consumption amount of the first imaging medium and a second target consumption amount of the second imaging medium;

the controlling the image forming apparatus to form a first part of pages of a document to be processed corresponding to one image forming job by using the first image forming medium and to form a second part of pages of the document to be processed by using the second image forming medium according to the configuration parameters comprises:

and controlling the image forming device to image the first part of pages in the document to be processed by using the first imaging medium, and image the second part of pages by using the second imaging medium, wherein the first part of pages are pages corresponding to pages in the first part of page number set, and the second part of pages are pages corresponding to pages in the second part of page number set.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration parameters include consumption information including a first target amount of consumption of the first imaging media and/or a second target amount of consumption of the second imaging media;

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the configuration parameters comprise page number information, the page number information comprising a first set of partial page numbers and/or a second set of partial page numbers;

and controlling the image forming device to image the first part of pages in the document to be processed by using the first imaging medium according to the first part of page number set and/or the second part of page number set, and image the second part of pages by using the second imaging medium, wherein the first part of pages are pages corresponding to page numbers in the first part of page number set, and the second part of pages are pages corresponding to page numbers in the second part of page number set.

5. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein after said determining the first set of partial pages and the second set of partial pages, the method further comprises:

if the document to be processed comprises a blank data page and the page number corresponding to the blank data page is in the first part of page number set, generating prompt information or a confirmation request;

and after receiving confirmation information fed back by a user, controlling the image forming device to form images of the pages in the to-be-processed document as the pages in the first part of page number set by using the first imaging medium, and form images of the pages in the to-be-processed document as the pages in the second part of page number set by using the second imaging medium.

6. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein after said determining the first set of partial pages and the second set of partial pages, the method further comprises:

and re-determining a new first partial page number set and a new second partial page number set according to the configuration parameters.

7. An image forming method applied to an image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving an imaging instruction of a terminal;

imaging a first part of pages of a to-be-processed document corresponding to one imaging job by using a first imaging medium according to the imaging instruction, and imaging a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using a second imaging medium;

the terminal is provided with a printing driver, a configuration option for selecting at least two imaging media for one imaging job is configured on a printing driver parameter setting interface displayed by the terminal through the installation of the printing driver, the terminal acquires configuration parameters based on the configuration option and generates the imaging instruction based on the configuration parameters;

8. A terminal in which a print driver in an operating system installed in the terminal can select only one image forming medium for one image forming job, comprising:

the printing driver module is configured to configure a configuration option for selecting at least two imaging media for one imaging job on a printing driver parameter setting interface displayed by the terminal through installation of the printing driver;

an obtaining module configured to obtain configuration parameters based on the configuration options; and

the control module is configured to control the image forming device to form a first part of pages of a to-be-processed document corresponding to one image forming job by using a first image forming medium and form a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using a second image forming medium according to the configuration parameters;

9. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a receiving module configured to receive an imaging instruction of a terminal;

the imaging module is configured to image a first part of pages of a to-be-processed document corresponding to one imaging job by using a first imaging medium and image a second part of pages of the to-be-processed document by using a second imaging medium according to the imaging instruction;

10. An image formation control system comprising the terminal according to claim 8 and the image forming apparatus according to claim 9.

11. An electronic device, comprising: a memory, a processor, and a computer program, the computer program being stored in the memory, the processor running the computer program to perform the image formation control method of any one of claims 1 to 6; or the computer program performs the image forming method of claim 7.

12. A readable storage medium, characterized in that a computer program is stored therein, which when executed by a processor, is for implementing the image formation control method of any one of claims 1 to 6; or which computer program, when being executed by a processor, is adapted to carry out the image forming method of claim 7.