JP2001113800A - Print controller and program recording medium thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure a totally efficient printing by executing a print request, if any, among a plurality of print requests designating a sheet suitable for the type of set sheet preferentially and to realize an efficient printing by minimizing the sheet replacing work without causing any trouble. SOLUTION: If a print request designating a sheet suitable for the type of set sheet is present in the queue of a plurality of print requests, a server SVR designates a specified printer to execute print operation for that print request regardless of the order in the queue. The server SVR then selects any one of remaining print requests designating an unsuitable sheet type and urges a client to replace the type of sheet to a designated one.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a printing control apparatus for performing printing control in accordance with the type of paper set in a printer, and a program recording medium therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in office work, a printer is shared and operated by a plurality of client computers connected to a network in order to suppress excessive capital investment. In this case, a variety of printing papers are handled in accordance with the work content of each person in charge, and in addition to standard-size plain paper such as A4 / B4 size supplied in a cassette, only government / private postcards and specific persons use it. Since special paper such as forms is often set in the shared printer, each person should go to the location of the shared printer and check what kind of paper is currently loaded in the shared printer. I have to. Also, a plurality of print requests from a client may be concentrated at once. In such a case, the order in the queue, that is,
The printing process according to the request is sequentially executed in the order of the request or the priority.

[0003]

However, the shared printer is installed at a location that is the greatest common denominator in the distance to each client computer, or is installed in a place where it does not interfere with each other. In many cases, the installation location is far from each client computer, and each time the type of paper is checked, it is necessary to go far. When print requests from each client are selected and processed in the order of priority or priority, if the specified paper of the selected print request is different from the type of paper currently set in the shared printer, printing is interrupted at that point. Therefore, other print requests waiting to be printed remain in a standby state for a long time until the paper is replaced, and it becomes impossible to obtain a printed material in a timely manner when necessary. . A first object of the present invention is to provide an overall printing method by giving priority to a print request that specifies a sheet conforming to the type of a set sheet in a plurality of print requests. In addition to enabling efficient printing, select any of the remaining print requests that are waiting for printing because the paper type is inconsistent, and notify the user of the replacement of the paper required for the printing. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to minimize the paper exchange operation and realize efficient printing without disrupting the paper exchange operation. A second object of the present invention is to read paper image information and display and output the paper image information when the paper type set in the printer cannot be automatically detected, so that the printer can be located far away from the user. It is possible to check the set paper on the spot without going to the place where the printer is installed.Also, it is possible to perform accurate printing control by the confirmation instruction operation from the user and realize printing with high work efficiency. It is to be.

[0004] The means of the present invention are as follows. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paper type detecting means for detecting a type of paper set in a printer;
Determining means for determining, in a queue of a plurality of print requests which are currently waiting to be printed, whether there is a print request for printing on a sheet conforming to the sheet type detected by the detecting means; If it is determined by the means that the corresponding print request is present among the plurality of print requests, regardless of the order of the print request in the queue, the execution of the print operation for the print request is performed by the printer. Print execution instructing means for instructing the print request, and selecting means for selecting any print request from the remaining print requests that are not waiting for printing because the paper type does not match as a result of the determination by the determining means. A sheet replacement notification means for notifying sheet replacement information urging that a sheet of a type designated as a print target by the print request selected by the selection means should be set in the printer. It is those provided with the door. In addition,
The present invention may be as follows. (1) After the printer paper is replaced,
The determination unit may include, among the remaining print requests that are currently waiting for printing, a print request that targets a sheet that matches the sheet type after the sheet replacement detected by the detection unit. The print execution instructing means, when it is determined that the corresponding print request exists, executes the print operation for the print request regardless of the order of the print request in the queue. An instruction is given to the printer, and thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated while notifying the paper exchange information until all the printing for the print request waiting for printing is completed. (2) In the print control apparatus for controlling a printer shared by a plurality of client computers connected to the network, the determination unit is a print request transmitted from the client computer and is currently waiting for printing. It is determined whether there is a print request in which a sheet conforming to the sheet type detected by the sheet type detection unit is specified as a print target among the plurality of print requests. If it is determined that there is no corresponding print request, the paper exchange notifying unit notifies the client computer that has made the print request selected by the selecting unit that paper exchange is necessary. Notify. (3) Paper exchange detection means for detecting that the paper set in the printer has been exchanged is provided, and the paper type detection means is set in the printer every time the paper exchange detection means detects the paper exchange. Paper type is detected. According to the first aspect of the present invention, if there is a print request in a queue of a plurality of print requests for printing a paper that matches the set paper type, the order of the print request in the queue is determined. Regardless, the printer instructs the printer to execute a printing operation in response to the print request. Then, the user selects one of the remaining print requests that are waiting for printing because the paper type does not match, and urges the user to replace the paper with the type of paper that is specified as the print request. Notify of paper replacement. Therefore, if there is a print request that specifies a paper that matches the type of the set paper among a plurality of print requests, the print request is prioritized for printing, so that overall efficient printing is performed. In addition to this, it is possible to select one of the remaining print requests that are waiting for printing because the paper type is incompatible and notify the replacement of the paper required for the printing, thereby replacing the paper. Can be minimized, and efficient printing can be realized without disrupting the paper replacement operation.

[0005] The invention described in claim 4 (second invention) is:
Image reading means for reading image information of the paper set in the printer paper feeding device; paper type detecting means for detecting the type of paper set in the paper feeding device; An image output unit that outputs the sheet image information read by the image reading unit when the detection is not possible; and a checking operation performed by visually checking the sheet image information output by the image output unit. And a print control means for starting a printing operation in accordance with the print instruction if the confirmation operation is a print instruction. The present invention may be as follows. (1) In a print control apparatus for controlling a printer shared by a plurality of client computers connected to a network, the image output means transmits and outputs paper image information to the client computer which has issued the current print request. If the signal transmitted in response to the confirmation operation on the client computer of the request source is a print instruction, the print control means starts the printing operation according to the print instruction. (2) A paper replacement detecting means for detecting that the paper set in the printer has been replaced is provided, and the paper type detecting means is set in the printer every time the paper replacement is detected by the paper replacement detecting means. Paper type is detected. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the paper type set in the printer paper feeding device cannot be detected, the paper image information read by the image reading means is output, and the output paper image information is output. If the confirmation operation performed by visually confirming is to instruct printing, the printing operation is started according to the printing instruction. Therefore, if the paper type set in the printer cannot be automatically detected, the paper image information is read and output for display, so that even if the printer is far away from the user, it can reach the printer installation location. It is possible to check the set sheet on the spot without going to the station, and it is possible to perform accurate print control by a user's confirmation instruction operation, thereby realizing printing with high work efficiency.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a system applied in this embodiment, that is, a local area network system in which a plurality of client computers share and operate a printer device. This local area network system includes a server computer SVR, a plurality of client computers CL1 and CL2 connected to the server computer via a private line dedicated to the premises, and a plurality of printers, that is, an autonomous system in the system. The configuration includes an existing printer device PRA and printer devices PRB and PRX connected to the server computer SVR by cable. Here, each printer device PRA, P
RB and PRX are each client computer CL1,
CL2 # is shared and used, for example, constitutes a laser printer or an ink jet printer, and transmits and receives data and commands to and from the server computer SVR.

FIG. 2 shows each of the printers PRA, PRB,
A PRX paper feed mechanism is shown. In each printer, a cassette paper feed mechanism CPF for feeding a standard size B4 size, A4 size, etc., cassette, and a special paper as needed. And a manual paper feed mechanism MPF supplied manually. In this case, the special paper is, for example, a preprinted paper, a transparent sheet such as an OHP film, a non-standard plain paper, a tack-form paper, an official / private postcard, and the like. This manual paper feeder MPF includes an under tray M1 for holding special paper, a paper feed roller M2 for feeding paper into the printer main body, and a side regulating plate M3 for regulating the set state of paper. A line image sensor M4 for automatically detecting the type of paper set on the under tray M1, and a guide rail M5 for guiding the line image sensor M4 to slide. In addition, the manual sheet feeding device M
Although not shown, the PF is provided with a paper replacement detection device that detects that the paper has been replaced. This sheet replacement detection device detects whether or not the sheet has been replaced by removing and inserting the sheet, and is configured by a microswitch, an optical sensor, and the like. In this case, the detecting device for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet may be used also as the sheet replacement detecting device.

The line image sensor M4 is movable by a predetermined distance from the leading edge of the paper, and reads paper identification information such as a bar code for identifying a paper type previously printed in a predetermined area above the paper. O to determine the type of paper in accordance with
In addition to being used when judging that the sheet is a transparent sheet such as an HP film, if a sheet type cannot be judged by such a method, a sheet image may be visually checked by a user. Used when reading a paper image by scanning over. When it is determined that the sheet is a transparent sheet such as an OHP film according to the transmission state of the light irradiated on the sheet, a dedicated light receiving element may be provided below the sheet, but the intensity of the reflected light (light receiving amount) May be used to detect the light transmission state. In any case, it is difficult to make a determination in a state where a plurality of sheets are overlapped with each other. Therefore, light irradiation is performed with only the uppermost sheet slightly pulled out.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a use state of the line image sensor M4. FIG. 3A shows a case where a sheet image is read by scanning a sheet, and the line image sensor M4 has a movable range shown in FIG. Is read, a paper image such as a form name, a form ID, and a postal code column of an official postcard is read. (B) shows a case in which the sheet identification information pre-printed at a predetermined position on the sheet is read to determine the type of the sheet.
Reference numeral 4 reads sheet identification information such as a barcode and an OCR code on the sheet. (C) shows a case where it is determined that the sheet is a transparent sheet such as an OHP film in accordance with the transmission state of the light irradiated on the sheet, and the light emitted from the line image sensor M4 passes through the sheet to the light receiving element M6. Upon reaching, it is determined that the sheet is a transparent sheet.

[0010] Each printer PR constructed as described above
A, PRB, and PRX detect the currently set paper type when receiving a paper type transmission request from the server computer SVR, convert the detection result into paper type code information, and transmit it to the server computer SVR. I am trying to do it. When a request for transmission of a paper image is made from the server computer SVR, each printer device
The currently set paper image is read and transmitted to the server computer SVR. Furthermore,
When the sheet exchange detection device detects that the sheet has been exchanged, it notifies the server computer SVR that the sheet has been exchanged.

The server computer SVR functions as a terminal management device for managing each of the client computers CL1, CL2 #, and receives print request information (print job information) transmitted from each client computer, and receives the request. Depending on the contents, each printer PRA,
It functions as a printer server that controls PRB and PRX. Here, when the server computer SVR functions as a printer server, a print job that matches the paper type set in the printer is selected from among a plurality of print request jobs in a queue that is currently waiting for printing. If there is a print request to the printer device, the execution of the printing operation in response to the print request is instructed to the printer. Then, the user selects one of the remaining print requests that are waiting for printing because the paper type does not match, and prompts the user to set the specified paper of the print request in the printer. The information is sent to the client computer that made the request.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the server computer SVR. The CPU 1 is a central processing unit that controls the overall operation of the server computer SVR according to the operating system and various application software in the storage device 2. The storage device 2 stores an operating system, various application software, and the like, and has a recording medium 3 composed of a magnetic, optical, semiconductor memory, or the like, and a drive system therefor. The recording medium 3 is a fixed medium such as a hard disk or a portable medium such as a CD-ROM, a floppy desk, a RAM card, and a magnetic card which can be removably mounted. The programs and data in the recording medium 3 are stored in a RAM under the control of the CPU 1 as necessary.
(For example, static RAM) 4 or R
The data in the AM 4 is saved on the recording medium 3. Furthermore,
The recording medium may be provided on an external device such as a server, and the CPU 1 may directly access and use the program / data in the recording medium via a transmission medium. The CPU 1 can also take in a part or all of the data stored in the recording medium 3 from another device via a transmission medium, and newly or additionally register the data in the recording medium 3. That is, the transmission control unit 5 receives a program / data transmitted from another device constituting the computer communication system via a wired transmission line such as a communication line or a cable or a wireless transmission line such as radio waves, microwaves or infrared rays. And can be installed in the recording medium 3. Further, the program / data may be stored and managed on the external device side such as a server, and the CPU 1 can directly access and use the program / data on the external device side via a transmission medium. On the other hand, a transmission control unit 5, an input unit 6, and a display unit 7, which are input / output peripheral devices, are connected to the CPU 1 via a bus line, and the CPU 1 controls these operations according to an input / output program.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. Here, the programs for realizing the functions described in these flowcharts are stored in the recording medium 3 in the form of readable program codes.
1 sequentially executes operations according to the program code. Further, the CPU 1 can also sequentially execute the operation according to the above-described program code transmitted via the transmission medium. That is, an operation unique to this embodiment can be executed using a program / data externally supplied via a transmission medium in addition to a recording medium.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the server computer SVR when processing a print request from each client computer. Execution starts when requested. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a sheet management process executed in each printer. This paper management process is a process for managing the special paper set in the manual paper feeding device MPF, and is started to be executed every time the printing operation is completed. First, when the print request processing on the server computer SVR side shown in FIG. 5 is executed, the print request information with the highest priority or the new print request information among the print request information in the queue that is currently waiting. (Step A1), and obtains specified sheet information and sheet feeding device information from the obtained print request information (step A2). here,
The paper information is information for designating the type of paper to be printed, and the paper feeding device information is a manual paper feeding device MPF.
Or, it is information for specifying the cassette sheet feeding device CPF. If it is determined that the cassette paper feeder CPF has been designated (step A3), the designated printer is instructed to execute normal printing by the cassette paper feeder CPF (step A4).

On the other hand, if it is determined that printing by the manual paper feeder MPF is designated (step A3), the paper type code information currently set in the designated printer has already been acquired from the printer. Is determined (step A5). Since the information is not obtained at first, a transmission request for the paper type code information is made to the designated printer (step A7). Even if the paper type code information currently set in the designated printer device has been acquired, if a paper replacement detection notification is received from the printer device due to replacement of the paper (step A6), A new transmission request for the paper type code information is made to the printer (step A
7). Also, if the paper type code information currently set in the designated printer has already been acquired, and if there is no paper replacement detection notification from the printer, no transmission request of the paper type code information is made to the printer. ,
The process proceeds to Step A9 described below.

Here, on the printer side, FIG.
The paper management process is executed according to the flowchart of FIG. First, in step B1, it is checked whether there is a paper information transmission request from the server computer SVR. If there is no transmission request, it is detected whether the paper of the manual paper feeder MPF has been replaced (step B2). If so, information indicating that the paper has been exchanged is notified to the server computer SVR (step B).
3). As described above, each printer always monitors whether or not the paper of the manual paper feeder MPF has been replaced.

If there is a transmission request from the server computer SVR, it is determined whether the transmission request is sheet reading image information or sheet type code information (step B1). Since the request for transmission of the paper type code information is received from the server computer SVR, the paper identification information pre-printed at the head of the paper set in the manual paper feeder MPF, in this example, the bar code The information is read by the line image sensor M4 (step B4), and this barcode information is converted into paper type code information (step B5). In this case, the printer is provided with a barcode / code information conversion table (not shown), and the conversion is performed by referring to this table. If the conversion into the normal code information is completed (step B6), the paper type code as the conversion result is transmitted to the server computer SVR (step B11).

If the sheet on which the sheet identification information is not printed or the read sheet identification information is not defined in the conversion table, that is, if the sheet type cannot be determined based on the sheet identification information, It is determined whether the sheet is a transparent sheet such as an OHP film according to the light transmission state (steps B7 to B9). In this case, only the uppermost sheet set in the manual sheet feeding device MPF is slightly pulled out by rotation of the roller, and the corresponding portion is irradiated with light (step B7). Then, the light intensity information received by the light receiving element M6 below the sheet is read (step B8), and it is determined whether the transparent sheet is set according to the amount of received light,
If it is a transparent sheet, it is converted into code information of the paper type based on the amount of received light (transmittance) (step B9). Also in this case, the conversion is performed by referring to a transmittance / code information conversion table (not shown). If the code can be converted into the proper code information (step B10), the paper type code, which is the result of the conversion, is converted to the server computer SVR in the same manner as described above.
(Step B11), but if the type of paper could not be determined based on the light transmission state, the process returns to step B1 without responding to the server computer SVR.

On the other hand, the server computer SVR makes a request for transmission of the paper type code information, and then checks whether or not a response has been received from the printer for a predetermined time (step A8 in FIG. 5). Then, the paper type code information transmitted from the printer is compared with the paper information indicating the type of paper specified by the print request acquired this time, and if both match, that is, the paper is set in the printer. It is determined whether the paper type matches the paper type (step A
9). Here, if the sheet is suitable, the CPU instructs the printer to execute printing in response to the print request acquired this time (step A10). Then, returning to step A1, if there is a waiting print request, the next print request is acquired, and if it specifies the manual paper feeder MPF, the above operation is performed (steps A5 to A5). A
8). Here, if the paper type cannot be determined and there is no response of the paper type code information from the printer device, a transmission request of the paper reading image information is made to the printer device (step A11).

Then, on the printer side, FIG.
It is determined in step B1 that there is a transmission request for the paper reading image information. Therefore, while moving the line image sensor M4, a part of the paper set in the manual paper feeding device MPF, that is, the form name is printed. The upper area is scanned, the sheet image is read (step B12), and the sheet image information is transmitted to the server computer SVR (step B13). As a result, when the paper image information is transmitted from the printer device, the server computer SVR fetches the paper image information and causes it to be displayed on the display unit of the server. The designated paper name and paper image information are transmitted to the former client (step 12 in FIG. 5). Here, the designated paper name is extracted from the paper information in the print request acquired this time, and is returned to the requesting client.

Here, the requesting client computer guides the designated paper name and paper image information transmitted from the server computer SVR on its own display unit. After confirming this, the user inputs a print instruction from the client computer, and the input print instruction is transmitted to the server computer SVR. In this case, the user visually checks the paper image, and if the desired paper is set in the manual paper feeder MPF of the printer device, instructs paper OK, but if the paper type is different, the paper NG is deleted. To instruct. Then, the server computer SVR receives the print instruction from the client (step A13), determines the content of the instruction (step A14), and if the paper is OK, executes the print in response to the print request acquired this time. An instruction is given to the printer device (step A15). Then, returning to step A1, if there is a print request waiting, the next print request is acquired.

On the other hand, in step A9 for judging the suitability of the paper type,
In the case of nonconformity, or print instruction determination step A14
In the case of paper NG, the process proceeds to step A16, and in order to postpone processing for the print request acquired this time,
Set it in a wait state to put it back in the queue. Then, it is checked whether or not a print request for which the paper type has not been confirmed remains in the currently waiting print requests (step A17).
Now, among the print requests that are currently waiting, the confirmed print requests that have been determined to be incompatible with the paper type in steps A9 and A16 described above are also included. If the print request remains, the process returns to step A1 to acquire one print request having the highest priority among the unconfirmed print requests. In this case, if it is “conformity” in the paper type appropriateness determination step A9, the execution of the printing is instructed (step A10), but if “non-conforming”, the processing of the print request is postponed as described above. (Step A1
6). In this way, only the print request that matches the paper type is processed preferentially. In other words, regardless of the order of the print requests in the queue, only print requests that match the paper type are processed preferentially, so that only print requests that do not match the paper type remain in the print waiting state. .

By repeating such an operation, if all the print type confirmation processing has been performed for the currently waiting print request, it is determined in step A17 and the process proceeds to step A18. A message is displayed in which one of the print requests having the highest priority among the print requests that have not been adapted to the paper type and is still waiting to be printed is obtained, and the client that made the print request is prompted to replace the paper. A request is made and the message is displayed on the display unit of the server (step A19). On the client side receiving the message display request, the user checks the contents of the message and replaces the paper set in the manual paper feeder MPF of the printer with desired paper. Notify that the paper has been replaced.

Then, when the server computer SVR receives the sheet replacement notification from the printer (step A).
6) The paper type is determined to be appropriate (step A9), and if the paper is replaced with a suitable one, the printing device is instructed to execute printing in response to the print request acquired this time (step A10). . Hereinafter, the above operation is repeated,
While obtaining the waiting print requests one by one, it is checked whether or not the print request is suitable for the replaced paper, and the print request suitable for the replaced paper is preferentially printed. Hereinafter, the above-described operation is repeated while notifying the sheet exchange information until all the printings for the print requests waiting for printing are completed.

As described above, in this embodiment,
If a plurality of print requests that are currently waiting to be printed include a print request that targets paper that matches the type of paper set in the printer device, the print request is given priority. Since printing is performed, it is possible to perform efficient printing as a whole, and for the remaining print requests that are waiting for printing because the paper type does not match, the print request is issued. Select one of the print requests from the list, notify the replacement of the paper required for the printing, and determine whether the paper type is compatible after replacement of the paper. After priority printing of a suitable print request, if there is still a print request that does not conform to the paper type, the above-described paper exchange is notified, and the above operation is repeated until there is no print wait request. From the paper exchange Work kept to a minimum, can not be to confuse the paper exchange work, it is possible efficient printing.

In this case, even if the plurality of print requests are requests from a plurality of client computers, that is, even if the requests are not requests from the same user, the user who has received the notification of the paper replacement is required to replace the paper. For example, another user who has designated the same paper does not need to go far and replace the paper. Therefore, when a plurality of client computers connected to a network share a printer device, the work of exchanging sheets can be minimized in the entire system. Also, for example, if there are initially 10 print requests in the queue, and if there are 5 print requests that match the paper type of the printer device, printing that matches the print request is given priority. The remaining print requests that have become non-conforming are five, and one is selected to notify the paper replacement. If there are five print requests that match the replaced paper, all the remaining print requests are sent. Since the printing is performed in response to the print request, only one paper exchange is required.
Further, the sheet exchange operation can be performed efficiently.

Further, when the type of paper set in the printer cannot be automatically detected, the paper image information is read and output for display, so that the printer may be far away from the user. Also, it is possible to check the set paper on the spot without going to the installation location of the printer device, and it is possible to perform accurate printing control by a confirmation instruction operation from the user, thereby realizing printing with high work efficiency. be able to. In particular, when a plurality of client computers connected to a network share a printer device, it is possible to greatly improve work efficiency in the entire system.

In the above-described embodiment, a case where a plurality of client computers connected to a network share a printer device has been described as an example. It is possible, but in this case, it is effective when the user is away from the printer device or the computer. Also,
The detection of the paper type as set in the printer device is not limited to the above-described method, and the paper size and shape, the direction in which the paper is set, the recognition of the mark or print format printed on the paper, or the punch hole The paper type may be determined based on the presence or absence of the sheet.

[0029]

According to the first aspect of the invention, if there is a print request that specifies a sheet suitable for the type of the set sheet among a plurality of print requests, the print request is printed with priority. As a result, in addition to enabling efficient printing as a whole, selecting one of the remaining print requests that are waiting for printing because the paper type is incompatible and selecting the paper required for the printing Since the notification of the replacement is notified, it is possible to minimize the paper replacement work and realize efficient printing without disrupting the paper replacement work. According to the second aspect, when the paper type set in the printer cannot be automatically detected, the paper image information is read and output for display, so that the printer is far away from the user. However, it is possible to check the set paper on the spot without going to the place where the printer is installed, and it is also possible to perform accurate print control by the operation of the confirmation instruction from the user, thereby realizing printing with high work efficiency. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a local area network system in which a printer device is shared and operated by a plurality of client computers.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a paper feed mechanism of each printer.

3A and 3B are diagrams schematically illustrating a use state of a line image sensor. FIG. 3A illustrates a case where a paper image is read by scanning over a sheet, and FIG. 3B illustrates a case where a sheet type is determined by reading sheet identification information from a sheet. FIG. 3C is a diagram illustrating a case where a transparent sheet such as an OHP film is determined according to a transmission state of light irradiated on a sheet.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a server computer.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation when a server computer processes a print request from each client computer.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a sheet management process executed in each printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 SVR server computer CL1, CL2 client computer PRA, PRB, PRX printer device MPF manual paper feeder M4 line image sensor 1 CPU 2 storage device 3 recording medium 5 transmission control unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C061 AP01 AS02 AS13 HJ07 HK07 HP08 HQ06 HQ12 HQ17 HR01 HR07 5B021 AA01 AA02 CC05 EE01 KK03

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A paper type detecting means for detecting the type of paper set in a printer, and a paper type detected by the detecting means in a queue of a plurality of print requests which are currently waiting for printing. Determining means for determining whether or not there is a print request to be printed on a suitable sheet; and, if the determining means determines that the corresponding print request is present among the plurality of print requests, the printing is performed. A print execution instructing unit for instructing the printer to execute a printing operation in response to the print request, regardless of the order of the request in the queue; Selecting means for selecting any one of the remaining print requests, and selecting the type of print request selected by the selecting means as a print target. Print control apparatus for a sheet replacement notification means for notifying a sheet replacement prompting should be set in the printer of paper characterized in that it is equipped with. 2. After a set sheet of a printer is exchanged, the discriminating unit includes a sheet after the sheet exchange detected by the detecting unit among remaining print requests that are currently waiting for printing. The print execution instructing means determines whether a print request for printing a sheet conforming to the type exists, and, if it is determined that the corresponding print request exists, a queue in the print request. Irrespective of the order of the print request, the printer instructs the printer to execute the print operation in response to the print request, and thereafter, performs the above operation while notifying the sheet exchange information until all the prints in response to the print request waiting for printing are completed. 2. The print control device according to claim 1, wherein the print control device is configured to repeat the process. 3. A print control apparatus for controlling a printer shared by a plurality of client computers connected to a network, wherein the determining means is a print request transmitted from the client computer and is currently in a print waiting state. Out of multiple print requests
It is determined whether or not there is a print request in which a sheet that matches the sheet type detected by the sheet type detection unit is designated as a print target. If it is determined that the paper exchange is not performed, the paper exchange notifying unit notifies the client computer that has issued the print request selected by the selecting unit that the paper exchange is necessary. 2. The print control device according to claim 1, wherein 4. An image reading means for reading image information of paper set in a paper feeding device of a printer; a paper type detecting means for detecting a type of paper set in the paper feeding device; An image output unit that outputs the sheet image information read by the image reading unit when the sheet type cannot be detected by the detection unit; and visually confirms the sheet image information output by the image output unit. A print control means for receiving a confirmation operation performed by the user and, when the confirmation operation is a print instruction, starting a print operation in accordance with the print instruction. 5. A print control apparatus for controlling a printer shared by a plurality of client computers connected to a network, wherein the image output means comprises:
The paper image information is transmitted and output to the client computer that has issued the print request this time, and the print control unit determines that the signal transmitted in response to the confirmation operation on the client computer of the request source is a print instruction. if there is,
4. The printing control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a printing operation is started according to the printing instruction. 6. A paper exchange detecting means for detecting that the paper set in the printer has been exchanged, wherein said paper type detecting means transmits to said printer every time a paper exchange is detected by said paper exchange detecting means. 4. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a set paper type is detected. 7. A recording medium having a program code readable by a computer, wherein a sheet suitable for the detected set sheet type is printed in a queue of a plurality of print requests that are currently waiting to be printed. A computer readable program code for determining whether a target print request exists; and a queue for the print request when it is determined that the corresponding print request exists among the plurality of print requests. A computer-readable program code for instructing the printer to execute a printing operation in response to the print request,
As a result of the determination, a computer-readable program code for selecting one of the print requests among the remaining print requests that are waiting for printing because the paper type does not match, and the selected print request is A computer-readable program code for notifying the user of paper replacement that prompts the user to set paper of the type specified as a print target in the printer. 8. A recording medium having a program code readable by a computer and read by an image reading means when a paper type set in a paper feeding device of a printer cannot be detected. If the computer readable program code for outputting the paper image information and the confirmation operation performed by visually confirming the outputted paper image information instructs printing, the printing operation is started according to the printing instruction. And a computer-readable program code for causing a computer to execute the program.