JP2001088355A - Printer and printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer and a printing method in which print mode is switched between a color document and a monochromatic document and even a mixed document can be printed in a short time through especially efficient printing. SOLUTION: In case of a mixed print data, print data of the other print mode is stored in a storage means when print data of one print mode is printed. After print data in the same job is printed, switching is made to the other print mode and the print data of the other print mode is printed. According to the arrangement, the number of switching times of print mode is decreased and high speed printing is realized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing method for switching a printing mode between a color document and a monochrome document.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a color printing apparatus such as a printing machine, a color printer, and a color copying machine, a Y (yellow: yellow) toner, an M (magenta: red dye) toner and a C (cyan: cyan) which are three subtractive primary colors are used. A total of four kinds of toners of each color of green (blue) toner and K (black: black) toner used for printing characters and the like, and a developing machine for each toner are assembled (united). Print (image transfer) engine. At the time of image transfer, the unit for each color is operated to transfer the toner to the printing paper based on the pixel information developed on the frame memory for each color.

In such a color printing apparatus, a document to be printed (image transferred) is not necessarily limited to a color document, but is actually used for printing both a color document and a monochrome document.

A monochrome document is usually processed by a K toner process unit (hereinafter referred to as a monochrome process unit,
Printing can be performed by using only the other process units (referred to as color process units). Therefore, in order to reduce the deterioration of the process unit due to toner consumption and friction, some color printing devices are disconnected so that the color process unit is not operated when the print document is monochrome, and only the monochrome process unit is operated. Some devices have a function of preventing consumption of the color process unit.

As an example of a color printing apparatus that performs such switching, an example of a tandem type color printer, which is one of the typical process systems of the color printing apparatus shown in FIG. 9, is schematically shown. The tandem process method is
As shown in FIG. 1, a drum is provided for each toner, and these drums are arranged side by side on a transport path to perform high-speed printing processing by transferring all colors in one stroke.

[0009] The color printer shown in FIG. 9 has a function of operating all the parallel process units when printing a color page, and operating only the monochrome process unit when printing a monochrome document.

FIG. 1A shows a state in which color printing is performed (hereinafter, referred to as a color print mode), and FIG. 1B shows a state in which monochrome printing is performed (hereinafter, a monochrome print mode). It is sectional drawing of the apparatus shown.

First, in the case of the color printing mode shown in FIG. 1A, the transport belt 1 is maintained at the position shown in FIG. The image forming unit (each image forming unit) is moved just below the arrow in the direction of the arrow. The image forming unit is a unit having respective toners of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), and performs toner transfer of each color on a sheet conveyed along the conveyance belt 1. Color printing is performed by a heat fixing device (not shown).

On the other hand, in the case of monochrome printing, the conveyor belt 1 is lowered downward as shown in FIG. 1B, and monochrome printing is performed using the black (K) image forming section. That is, the paper supplied from the direction of the arrow is placed on the transport belt 1 in the same manner as described above, the toner is transferred by an image forming unit (image forming unit) of only black (K), and monochrome printing is performed by a heat fixing device (not shown). I do.

[0010]

As described above, the switching of the print mode depending on whether the document is color or monochrome involves separating the contact between each process unit and the paper by mechanical operation. Further, the printing mode cannot be switched until the sheet is completely discharged. Therefore, it takes a very long time of about 10 to 30 seconds to perform one switching. Therefore, when printing in which color pages and monochrome pages are mixed in one job, it takes time to switch each time, and the high-speed property which is an advantage of the tandem method cannot be utilized.

For example, when the print data shown in FIG. 10 is supplied, it is driven as follows. First, P1 on the first page is color data, and the apparatus is set to the color print mode to perform color printing. Next, P2 of the second page is also color data, and color printing of the second page is performed as it is in the color print mode.

Next, since P3 on the third page is monochrome data, the apparatus is switched to the monochrome print mode.
In this case, the switching process is performed after the previous sheet is completely discharged. Then, the monochrome printing of the third page is performed.

Further, P4 on the fourth page is color data. Therefore, the apparatus is switched to the color print mode again. Also in this case, the switching process is performed after the previous sheet is completely discharged. Then, color printing of the fourth page is performed.

In the same manner, since the fifth page is monochrome printing, the apparatus is switched, and since the sixth page is color printing, the printing mode is switched again.

That is, since the switching of the print mode is performed by a mechanical method as described above, a long time is required for the switching process in the conventional printing apparatus, and when the monochrome and the color print data are mixed, the printing speed is reduced. Is slow.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a printing apparatus and a printing method capable of performing print processing in a short time even in the case of a document in which monochrome and color are mixed by performing efficient print processing. To provide.

[0017]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus having a switching mechanism for switching between color printing and monochrome printing, wherein color printing data and monochrome printing data are inputted in a mixed manner. A switching unit for performing a switching process between a color printing mode and a monochrome printing mode in accordance with the printing mode of the first print data to be input, and print data of the printing mode switched by the switching unit first. A first printing unit, a storage unit for storing print data of another print mode while the first printing unit performs the printing process, and the first printing unit performs all printing in the printing mode. After the printing process of the data is completed, and the printing mode is switched to another printing mode by the switching unit, the other mark stored in the storage unit is stored. Reads the print data mode from the storage unit, it can be achieved by providing a printing apparatus and a second printing means for printing process.

Here, the mechanism for switching between color printing and monochrome printing, for example, drives the paper transport belt up and down,
The contact with the image forming unit of the corresponding color is switched.

The print data in which the color print mode and the monochrome print mode are mixed is, for example, print data whose mode changes for each page. Therefore, for example, there is a case where print data of a plurality of pages exists in one job, and the data of each page is in the color print mode or the monochrome print mode.

The first printing means processes the print data of the print mode set first. In this case, for example, 1
The print data is processed for all of the jobs, while the print data of the other print modes are stored in a memory (storage means) such as a hard disk. Thereafter, when the print mode is switched, the print data stored in the memory is read out, and the printing process is performed by the second printing unit.

Therefore, with this configuration, the print mode is switched once or twice, so that the time required for the switching process can be shortened, the total printing time can be shortened, and the print process can be performed quickly. It can be performed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the switching means initializes, for example, a predetermined print mode.

Here, the predetermined print mode is
For example, the printing mode is a color printing mode or a monochrome printing mode, and is set in advance according to a user who uses the printing apparatus, a frequency of using the printing apparatus, and the like.

With this configuration, the print mode can be set irrespective of the print mode of the first sheet. For example, the print mode can be set in advance during the initial processing of the printing apparatus. Therefore, the printing time can be further reduced by such a configuration.

According to a third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the storage means stores, for example, drawing data.

Here, the drawing data is data corresponding to the paper one-to-one when performing the printing process on the paper, for example, the data immediately before being transferred to the printer engine. Then, the storage means stores the drawing data.

Accordingly, for example, a configuration may be employed in which the data is stored in the storage means in a data form other than the drawing data. For example, the configuration may be such that print data supplied from the host device is stored, or the intermediate code data after the analysis of the print data may be used.

With this configuration, it is possible to configure the printing apparatus of this embodiment regardless of the location of the storage unit.

[0029] Claim 4 describes claim 1, 2, or 3
In the above description, for example, there is provided a first paper discharging unit and a second paper discharging unit, and the first paper discharging unit performs a print output according to one print mode, and the second paper discharging unit The print output is performed in accordance with the other print mode.

With this configuration, the print output can be divided for each print mode. For example, the printed matter output to the first paper discharge means is selectively outputted to the second paper discharge means. , It is possible to obtain a printed matter having a uniform number of pages.

The movement of the printed matter may be performed mechanically or by manual processing.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the above-mentioned object, comprising a mechanism for switching between color printing and monochrome printing.
In a printing apparatus that inputs color print data and monochrome print data in a mixed manner, a switching process for switching to a color print mode or a monochrome print mode according to the print mode of the first print data to be input, and the switching process is performed by the switching process. A first print process of printing print data of a print mode first, a storage process of storing print data of another print mode in a storage unit while performing the first print process, and a printing process of the setting mode. After all the print processing for the data is completed and the mode is switched to another print mode, the second print processing for reading out the print data of the other print mode stored in the storage means from the storage means and performing the print processing, This can be achieved by providing a printing method for performing the following.

Here, the switching mechanism between the color printing and the monochrome printing, and the meaning of the print data in which the color printing mode and the monochrome printing mode are mixed are the same as those described in the first aspect.

In the first printing process, all the printing data of the printing mode set first is processed. During this time, the print data of the other print mode is stored in a memory (storage means) such as a hard disk.

After that, for example, when print data is processed for all in one job and the print mode is switched,
Next, the print data stored in the memory is read out, and the second
The printing process is performed by the printing means.

Therefore, even with this configuration, the print mode is switched once or twice, so that the number of times of the switching process is reduced, the total printing time is shortened, and the rapid printing process is performed. be able to.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the invention, the switching means initializes, for example, a predetermined print mode.

This embodiment has the same configuration as that of the second aspect. With this configuration, the print mode can be set regardless of the print mode of the first sheet. It can be set in advance during the initial processing. Therefore, a printing method in which the printing time is further reduced can be realized by such a configuration.

According to a seventh aspect, in the fifth or sixth aspect, the storage means stores, for example, drawing data.

This embodiment has the same configuration as that of the third aspect, and in the invention of the printing method, for example, a storage unit may be arranged immediately before the printer engine to store the drawing data.

Claim 8 describes claim 5, claim 6, or claim 7.
In the above description, for example, there is provided a first paper discharging unit and a second paper discharging unit, and the first paper discharging unit performs a print output according to one print mode, and the second paper discharging unit The print output is performed in accordance with the other print mode.

This embodiment has the same configuration as that of the fourth aspect. In the printing method invention, the print output can be divided for each print mode. By selectively moving over the printed matter output to the second paper discharging means, a printed matter with uniform pages can be obtained.

[0043]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a tandem type color printer as a color printing apparatus used in the present embodiment.

In FIG. 1, a color printer 1 includes a paper supply / conveyance mechanism 2, a plurality of image forming units 3, and a heat fixing device 4. The paper supply / transport mechanism 2 includes a paper feed cassette 5 in which paper P is loaded and stored, and a paper transport system 6. The paper transport system 6 includes a paper feed cassette 5
, A paper transport path 8 for transporting the paper P carried out by the paper feed roller 7, a standby roll 9 for feeding the paper P so that the paper position matches the toner image, Driving roll 1 driven by the illustrated motor
0, 11 and a transport belt 12 rotated by drive rolls 10, 11.

The sheet P carried out from the sheet supply cassette 5 to the sheet transport path 8 by the rotation of the sheet supply roller 7 is sent to the standby roll 9 by the rotation of the sheet supply roller 7, and is formed on a photosensitive drum described later. It moves on the conveyor belt 12 at a timing coincident with the toner image to be formed.

While the paper P moves on the transport belt 12, each image forming unit 15,
The toner of each color is transferred by 16, 17, and 18, and color transfer is performed on the paper P. Thereafter, a heat fixing process is performed by the heat fixing device 4, and the paper P is carried out of the apparatus.

The heat fixing device 4 is composed of a heat roll 4a and a pressure roll 4b. While the paper P is nipped and conveyed between the heat roll 4a and the pressure roll 4b, for example, a plurality of color images transferred to the paper P are transferred. The color toner is melted and printed on the paper P.

On the other hand, as described above, the image forming unit section 3 includes yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C),
Four black (BK) image forming units 15 to 18
And are arranged in this order. Yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) are image forming units 15 to 17 that perform color printing by subtractive color mixing, and a black (BK) image forming unit 18 is an image forming unit that is used for monochrome printing. It is.

Each of the image forming units 15 to 18 has exactly the same configuration except for the (color of) the developer contained in the developing container.
In this configuration, a developing device and a transfer device are sequentially arranged. Where 4
The configuration will be described by taking the image forming unit 17 for cyan as an example of the image forming units 15 to 18 as a representative. The peripheral surface of the photoconductor drum 20 is made of, for example, an organic photoconductive material.
1a, print head 21b, developing roll (developing device 21c,
The transfer rolls 21d are sequentially arranged. The photoreceptor drum 20 rotates in the direction of the arrow, and first charges the peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum 20 uniformly by applying a charge from the charger 21a. Next, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 20 by optical writing based on print information from the print head 21b, and a toner image is formed by a developing process by the developing roll 21c. At this time, the toner image formed on the peripheral surface of the photoconductor drum 20 is the cyan (C) image stored in the developing container 21c.
Depends on the color toner. The toner image formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 20 in this way reaches the position of the transfer roll 21d with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 20 in the direction of the arrow, and is transported on the transport belt 12 by the transfer roll 21d. Is transferred to the paper P to be printed.

The toner image transferred onto the upper surface of the sheet P is transported in the direction of the arrow along with the movement of the transport belt 12, and is sequentially transferred by another image forming unit 15, 16 having the same configuration as that described above. Color printing based on subtractive color mixing is performed with the toners of (Y) and magenta (M).

For example, if the print image is blue, the magenta (M) toner is transferred from the image forming unit 16 to the paper P based on the subtractive color mixing principle, and then the cyan (C) toner is transferred from the image forming unit 17. The toner is transferred to the paper P to realize a blue image. For example, if the print image is red, the yellow (Y) toner is transferred from the developing unit 15 to the paper P, and then the magenta (M) toner is transferred from the image forming unit 16 to the paper P. Realize a red image.

The paper P on which the color printing has been performed as described above is guided to the paper discharge unit by the transport roll 22, and is discharged to the paper discharge unit 22 "by the paper discharge roll 22 '.

On the other hand, the transport belt 12 has a switching mechanism having the following structure between the color printing mode and the monochrome printing mode. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating this structure.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the color printer 1 of this embodiment uses the photosensitive drums 20a and 20 of the image forming units 15 to 17 used in the color print mode.
b, 20c, and four photosensitive drums 20d of the image forming unit 18 used in the monochrome print mode are arranged in series in a multistage manner. These photoconductor drums 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d individually carry predetermined color toner images. Further, the above-described transport belt 12 that moves in the juxtaposed direction indicated by the arrow H in FIG. 1 is disposed opposite to the photosensitive drums 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d. The conveyor belt 12 is arranged in a loop between the drive rollers 10 and 11, adsorbs paper (transfer material) on the outer peripheral surface, and
The paper circulates to bring the paper into contact with Ob, 20c, and 20d.

When the drive rollers 10 and 11 rotate in the counterclockwise direction in the figure, the toner image is transferred onto the sheet while the sheet is conveyed from the drive roller 10 side to the 11 side as described above. A movable arm 24 is provided between the upper circulation part and the lower circulation part of the conveyor belt 12. The movable arm 24 has a fixed support roller 25 at one end and a movable support roller 26 at the other end.

The fixed support roller 25 is rotatably fixed to a frame 29 of the apparatus main body by a support shaft 27. The fixed support roller 25 abuts on the inner peripheral surface of the transport belt 12 so that the photosensitive drum 20d closest to the drive roller 11 and the transport belt 12 are always in contact with each other. The transfer belt 12 is held at a transferable position so that the transfer belt 12 is always in the same posture.

The movable support roller 26 supports the transport belt 12 by contacting the inner peripheral surface of the transport belt 12.

A cam engaging portion 30 is formed at a lower portion of the movable arm 24 so as to protrude laterally, and a cam 31 slidably abuts the cam engaging portion 30. The cam 31 rotates 90 degrees in both the forward and reverse directions about the fulcrum 32 to selectively control the movement of the movable arm 24 to position the movable arm 24. The movable arm 24 pivots (oscillates) around the support shaft 27 in a vertical direction (a direction intersecting the surface of the conveyor belt 12) as shown by a double-headed arrow J in FIG. The transport belt 12 is moved via the movable support roller 26.

FIG. 7A shows a state in which the cam 31 has rotated 90 degrees in the counterclockwise direction. At this time, the cam 31
The contact point of the movable arm 24 with the cam engaging portion 30 is the point farthest from the fulcrum 32, and the movable arm 24 is pushed upward by the cam 31 to rotate upward, and is located at the upper position. Accordingly, the movable arm 24 is moved by the cam 31 to the photosensitive drums 20a, 20b, and 20c other than the photosensitive drum 20d of the monochromator unit, which is always in the transferable position, via the movable support roller 26. On the other hand, the transport belt 12 is moved to a transferable position.

FIG. 6B shows a state in which the cam 31 has been rotated clockwise by 90 degrees from the position shown in FIG. At this time, the contact point of the cam 31 with the cam engaging portion 30 is the closest point from the fulcrum 32, and the movable arm 24 is pivoted downward and located at the lower position. Accordingly, the movable arm 24 moves the transport belt 12 to the transfer-impossible position with respect to the photosensitive drums 20a, 20b, and 20c of the color process unit except for the photosensitive drum 20d by the movement control by the cam 31, and separates the transfer belt. .

The color printer 1 having the above-described mechanism has a control circuit shown in FIG. 3 and performs a printing process.
That is, the data reception control unit 35, the command control unit 3
6, the drawing unit 37, each control unit of the print control unit 38, the reception buffer 39, the page buffer 40, the image memory 41,
The storage unit includes a storage unit of the hard disk 42 and a printer engine 43.

Print data supplied from a host device (PC) (not shown) is received and controlled by a data reception control unit 35 and stored in a reception buffer 39. The command control unit 36 reads the print data from the reception buffer 39,
Command analysis is performed, for example, for a character code, corresponding character pattern data is read from a CG (character generator) (not shown), and a command command is executed for a control command. The data after the analysis processing is stored in the page buffer 40.

Next, the drawing section 37 reads data from the page buffer 40 and expands the drawing data in the image memory 41. The drawing data for one page is stored in the image memory 4.
When it is expanded to 1, the end of drawing is notified to the print control unit 38. The print control unit 38 transmits the drawing data to the printer engine 43 in accordance with the notification from the drawing unit 37,
Alternatively, it is determined whether or not the drawing data is temporarily stored in the hard disk 42, and one of the processes is performed according to a condition described later.

The printer engine 43 performs a printing process in accordance with drawing data transmitted directly from the image memory 41 or drawing data temporarily stored in the hard disk 42 and subsequently read out from the hard disk 42.

In the color printer 1 having the above configuration,
The processing operation will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the print data output from the host device is stored in the reception buffer 39 by the data reception control unit 35 as described above. Then, as described above, the print data is read from the reception buffer 39 by the processing of the command control unit 36, and the print data is analyzed. Then, the analysis data is stored in the page buffer 40, and the drawing data of one page is developed in the image memory 41 by the drawing processing by the drawing unit 37.

Next, when the drawing data for one page is developed in the image memory 41, the printing control unit 38 supplies the information of the end of the drawing process from the drawing unit 37, and at the same time, the job number, the number of copies, and Color / monochrome information is supplied. When the above information is supplied, the print control unit 38 writes the information into the page control table shown in FIG.

That is, the supplied job number is registered in the “job number” area of the page control table shown in FIG. 4, and the information of the same supplied copy number is registered in the “copy number” area. In this way, the following processing is performed using the page control table in which the job number and the number of copies are registered.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the processing performed by the print control unit 38. As described above, the image memory 41
Is supplied with the first drawing data, it is determined from the above-described color / monochrome information whether or not, for example, color printing has been designated (step (hereinafter referred to as S) 1).

Here, if color printing is designated (S1
Is YES), the "C / M" flag is set to "Color" (S2). Then, the print mode of the color printer 1 is set to the color print mode (S3). As shown in FIG. 2A, the color printing mode is set by rotating the cam 31 by 90 degrees in the counterclockwise direction.
The movable arm 24 is pushed up through the
6, other photoconductor drums 20a, 20b, 20c other than the photoconductor drum 20d of the monochromator unit
Is moved to the transferable position.

On the other hand, if it is determined in the above determination (S1) that monochrome printing is specified (S1 is NO), the "C / M" flag is set to "Mono" (S4). Then, the print mode of the color printer 1 is set to the monochrome print mode (S5). The setting of the monochrome print mode is performed by rotating the cam 31 clockwise by 90 degrees as shown in FIG.
, The movable arm 24 is moved downward via the cam engaging portion 30, and the photosensitive drums 20a, 20b, and 20c of the color process unit are removed except for the photosensitive drum 20d.
Is moved to the transfer impossible position.

Therefore, the print mode is switched by the above-described processing, and the print mode corresponding to the first drawing data developed in the image memory 41 is set.

Next, it is determined whether the print mode is not the current page print mode (S6). As described above, since the print mode of the current page has been set, the first determination (S6) is NO, and the print mode is the same as the print mode of the first drawing data. Therefore, in the first process, the information of the current page is set in the page control table shown in FIG. 4 (S7), and the drawing data developed in the image memory 41 is transmitted to the printer engine 43 (S8).
Here, the print data of the first page is color printing, and the information of the print data of this page is described together with the printed flag as in a page control table.

The drawing data transmitted to the printer engine 43 is supplied to the print head 21b of each of the above-described image forming units 15 to 17, and the corresponding photosensitive drum 20
Optical writing is performed in accordance with the drawing data.

The drawing data transferred from the image memory 41 to the printer engine 43 is supplied for each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C), and is supplied to the corresponding print head 21b. You. Further, optical writing is performed from each print head 21b by the print data supplied as described above, and color printing on paper is performed according to the above-described process.

As described above, when the drawing data is output from the image memory 41 and the printing process is performed, it is determined whether there is drawing data to be developed next in the image memory 41 (S9). That is, it is determined whether the data supply has been completed. Here, when the print data of the next page is supplied (S9)
Is NO), the above-mentioned processing is executed again, and it is determined whether or not the print mode is the print mode of the current page (S6).

If the print data of the next page is also color (S6: NO), the information of the current page is set in the page control table as described above (S7), and the next drawing developed in the image memory 41 is performed. Data is transferred to the printer engine 43
(S8), and the same print processing as described above is performed.

When the print data supplied from the host device at this time corresponds to the example of FIG. 10 described in the conventional example,
The print data of the second page is color print, and the print data of the third page is monochrome print. Therefore, when associating data as described above, it is described as shown in FIG.

Further, if the print data of the next page is monochrome print (S6: YES), the information of the current page is set in the page control table (S10), and the drawing data developed in the image memory 41 is stored in the hard disk 42. It is stored (S11). For example, the print data of the third page is monochrome printing, and the print data of this page is
2, the description shown in FIG. 4 is made in the page control table. In this case, the name of the hard disk storage name shown in FIG. Also, the printed flag describes “not yet”.

Hereinafter, similarly, the above processing (S6 to S1)
When 1) is repeated and all data of the same job number is processed, it is determined whether the above-mentioned "C / M" flag is "Mono" (S12). Then, the “C / M” flag is set to “Mon
If "o" (YES in S12), the "C / M" flag is changed to "Color" (set) (S13), and the color printer 1 of this example is set to the color print mode (S1).
4). On the other hand, if the "C / M" flag is "Color" (S12: NO), the "C / M" flag is changed (set) to "Mono" (S15), and the color printer 1 is set to the monochrome print mode. It is set (S16). That is, the print mode is changed in order to print the drawing data stored in the hard disk 42.

In the above example, since the color print mode is initially set, the mode is switched to the monochrome print mode. The switching operation from the color print mode to the monochrome print mode is as described above.

Next, according to the print mode in which the switching process has been performed as described above, the transfer process of the print data stored in the hard disk 42 is performed. In this case, the print control unit 38 searches the page control table described in FIG. 4 (S17), and has an unprinted flag,
Search for a page whose monochrome description is "Mono" (S1
8).

Next, as a result of the search as described above, if there is a page which has an unprinted flag and the color / monochrome is "Mono", the corresponding drawing data is stored in the hard disk 42.
To the printer engine 43 (S19). In this example, the drawing data of the third page is first transferred to the printer engine 43 based on the description of the page control table shown in FIG. The drawing data is printed in monochrome by the printer engine 43.

Next, the page control table is checked, and it is determined whether all the unprinted “Mono” drawing data described in the page control table has been transferred to the printer engine 43 (S20). Then, the drawing data of the fifth page is the corresponding drawing data,
The drawing data is transferred to the printer engine 43, and monochrome printing is performed by the printer engine 43.

By performing the processing as described above, the number of times the print mode is switched is reduced, and the time required for the switch processing can be shortened, and efficient print processing can be performed.

In the above description of the embodiment, the print mode is set according to the color / monochrome of the first page. However, an initial print mode may be set in advance.

The current print mode of the color printer 1 may be set. In this case, the first print mode switching process is not required, and the print process can be started in a shorter time.

Further, in the present embodiment, the drawing data is stored in the hard disk 42. However, the printing data stored in the receiving buffer 39 may be stored, and the intermediate code stored in the page buffer 40 may be stored in the hard disk. It is good also as a structure which memorizes. <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In the description of the first embodiment, when the color printing and the monochrome printing are mixed, the color printing output and the monochrome printing output are performed on the paper discharge unit 22 ″ of the printing apparatus. In the example, output of color printing is performed first, and then output of monochrome printing is performed.

Therefore, in this example, as shown in FIG. 6, two upper and lower discharge trays are provided, and the upper tray 45 as the first discharge means and the lower tray 46 as the second discharge means.
Is provided. The upper tray 45 is used in the color printing mode, and the lower tray 46 is used in the monochrome printing.
Use For example, in the example of the first embodiment described above,
P1 (page 1), P2 (page 2), which are output of color printing,
The output of P4 (page 3) and P6 (page 6) is
And is discharged with the output sheet of P1 facing down. Outputs of P3 (page 3) and P5 (page 5), which are the outputs of monochrome printing, are performed on the lower tray 46, and are discharged with the P3 output sheet facing down.

Therefore, based on the description in the page control table of the job number for which the printing process has been completed, P1
Is color printing, the paper is guided from the upper tray 45 to the stacker 47. Next, since P2 is also color printing, paper is guided from the upper tray 45 to the stacker 47. On the other hand, since the next P3 is monochrome printing, the lower tray 4
From 6, the sheet is guided to the stacker 47. Hereinafter, P4 to P6 are similarly processed.

By performing the above processing, FIG.
The paper discharged as shown in (b) is rearranged as shown in (a) in the same figure, and by arranging the pages in the page order, it is possible to obtain an arrangement convenient for the user. <Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 8 shows a configuration in which the print result in one print mode is controlled via an optional paper discharge tray 48.
Hereinafter, the third embodiment shown in FIG. 9 will be specifically described.
Note that, in this example, too, the description will be made using the example of the print data in FIG. 10 described above.

Also in this example, first, the first page P1
Is a color printing process, so that the color printer 1 is set to the color printing mode in the same manner as described above, and print output is performed using the paper output tray 49 as a paper output unit. Since P2 on the second page is color printing, the printout is similarly performed on the discharge tray 49.

On the other hand, P3 of the next third page is monochrome printing. Therefore, as described in the above-described processing, the drawing data is stored in the hard disk 42, and the P
4 is performed, and output is performed to the discharge tray 48. That is, when the print mode changes, the output tray for the output paper is changed.

Next, P5 on the fifth page is monochrome printing. After the drawing data is stored in the hard disk 42, the print output of P6 on the next sixth page is performed on the same discharge tray 48. Therefore, at this time, the sheets P1 and P2 are sequentially stacked on the sheet discharge tray 49 from the bottom, and the sheets P3 and P5 are sequentially stacked on the sheet discharge tray 48 from the bottom.

Next, the paper discharge path is switched, and the drawing data of P3 and P5 stored in the hard disk 42 are printed out. In this case, the print output of P3 is performed on the paper discharge tray 49, and the printed paper of P4 is present on the paper discharge tray 48. Therefore, the paper of P4 is taken out from the paper discharge tray 48 and moved onto the paper of P3. Similarly, the sheet P5 is output to the sheet discharge tray 49 and discharged above the sheet P4. Then, finally, the sheet of P6 is taken out from the discharge tray 48,
It moves above P5 of the paper discharge tray 48.

By operating as described above, P1 to P6 are stacked on the paper output tray 49 with the printing surface down, and the sheet is stacked with the printing surface of P1 down. , And the printed surface can be obtained by turning the printing surface upward.

In the above description of the embodiment, the paper discharge tray 48 is configured as an option. However, if the color printer 1 of this embodiment is for double-sided printing, for example, the internal stacker is used. Can also.

[0101]

According to the printing apparatus or the printing method of the present invention, the number of times the print mode is switched is reduced, and the printing speed can be improved.

Further, by using two upper and lower discharge trays and the like, the sent print data is arranged in order,
It is possible to provide the user with organized prints.

Further, by using a paper discharge tray such as an optional tray, it is possible to provide a user with organized printed matter.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a tandem-type color printer as a color image forming apparatus used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a print mode switching structure according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of the color printer according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a page control table.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a processing operation of the color printer according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a color printer according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state of a sheet discharge stacker according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a color printer according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a conventional print mode switching configuration.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of print data.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 color printer 2 paper supply / transport mechanism 3 image forming unit 4 fixing device 5 paper feed cassette 6 paper transport system 7 paper feed roller 8 paper transport path 9 standby roll 10, 11 drive roll 12 transport belt 13 auxiliary roll 15-18 images Forming unit 20, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d Photoreceptor drum 21a Charger 21b Print head 21c Developing device 21d Transfer roll 22 Transport roll 22 'Discharge roll 22 "Discharge unit 24 Movable arm 25 Fixed support roller 26 Movable Support roller 27 Support shaft 29 Frame 30 Cam engagement unit 31 Cam 32 Support point 35 Data reception control unit 36 Command control unit 37 Drawing unit 38 Print control unit 39 Receive buffer 40 Page buffer 41 Image memory 42 Hard disk 43 Printer engine 45 Upper tray 46 Lower row Tray 47 Stacker

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06F 3/12 B41J 3/00 A F term (Reference) 2C087 AA15 AC08 BA07 BC07 CB12 DA01 DA16 2C262 AA24 AA26 AB19 EA17 GA12 2H027 DA32 DA50 EB04 EB06 EE07 EE08 EF09 EJ11 FA28 FA35 FB05 FB11 FD08 ZA07 2H030 AB02 AD07 AD08 AD17 5B021 AA01 DD03 LG07 LL05

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A printing apparatus having a switching mechanism between color printing and monochrome printing, wherein a color printing data and a monochrome printing data are inputted in a mixed manner. A switching unit that performs a mechanism switching process to a monochrome printing mode; a first printing unit that prints print data of the printing mode switched by the switching unit first; and the first printing unit performs the printing process. A storage unit for storing print data of another print mode, and the first printing unit completes a print process of all print data in the print mode, and the print mode is changed to another print mode by the switching unit. After being switched to the mode, the print data of another print mode stored in the storage unit is read from the storage unit, Printing apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a second printing means for performing printing processing, the. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit is initially set to a predetermined print mode. 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores drawing data. 4. A printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first sheet discharging unit and a second sheet discharging unit, wherein the first sheet discharging unit performs a print output in accordance with one of the print modes, and the second sheet discharging unit. And performing a print output in accordance with the other print mode.
4. The printing device according to 2 or 3. 5. A printing apparatus having a switching mechanism between color printing and monochrome printing, wherein a color printing data and a monochrome printing data are inputted in a mixed manner. Or, a switching process for switching the mechanism to the monochrome printing mode, a first printing process for first printing the print data of the printing mode switched by the switching process, and other printing while performing the first printing process. A storage process for storing print data in the print mode in the storage unit, and other printing processes stored in the storage unit after all print processes for the print data in the setting mode are completed and switched to another print mode. A second print process of reading print data of a mode from the storage means and performing a print process. . 6. The printing method according to claim 5, wherein the switching process is a process for initially setting a print mode to a predetermined print mode. 7. The printing method according to claim 5, wherein the storage unit stores drawing data. 8. A printing apparatus, comprising: a first paper discharging means and a second paper discharging means, wherein the first paper discharging means outputs a print in accordance with one print mode, and the second paper discharging means. And performing a print output in accordance with the other print mode.
6. The printing method according to 6 or 7.