JP2002091748A - Image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve such a problem that it takes a long time from the issue of a printing instruction to the start of first printing-out or the throughput becomes worse when all print data are completely expanded and printed out later. SOLUTION: In the image processor 3 provided with a printer controller 4 and a printer 5, as for a printing job inputted from the outside, it is determined under the control of the printer controller 4 which page the job is to be divided on so that the printer 5 cannot become an idle state as much as possible and job division control is performed for efficiently dividing one printing job into plural time-division jobs and transferring them to the printer 5 so that a separated storage unit (divided job) can be provided on that determined page.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus which receives print data as a print job from the outside, converts the print data into image data, and prints out the print data on printing paper. The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that generates and stores data and then starts printing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, so-called multifunction machines in which a copying machine has been integrated with a printer function and the like have been developed and sold. The printing function of these multifunction devices is similar to a general page printer that prints in page units, generates page data from input print data, prints it immediately, prints it in sequence, and prints it repeatedly. The method (non-accumulation method) is generally used.

However, in the case of the sequential printing method, when print data includes a lot of complicated pages, it takes time to generate the page data. Therefore, the printing devices operating in synchronization become intermittent. Sometimes. In such a case, the performance inherent in the printing device cannot be exhibited, and the time required for the print job to occupy the printing device becomes longer. Therefore, the user who wants to receive the copy service waits long in front of the MFP. There is a problem that will be done.

Although it is possible to improve the processing capability of the printer controller for the purpose of shortening the page data generation time, a more expensive processor must be used, which increases the cost. In addition, it is not efficient to include many complicated pages because it depends on the environment in which the MFP is used.

[0005] In order to solve this problem, an image processing apparatus of a system (accumulation system) in which all page data is once generated from print data, stored, and then control is performed to start printing is developed and manufactured. ing. According to the image processing apparatus of the storage system, it is possible to print out at high speed by making full use of the performance of the printing device.

[0006]

However, in the conventional image processing apparatus of the storage system, the output is not started until all the print data has been expanded into the page data, so that the first one after the print instruction is issued. There are problems such as that it takes a long time to start the print output of the sheet and that the throughput is deteriorated. With the recent increase in the speed and spread of information devices and personal computers, the need for high-speed print output of print data with a large number of print originals has been increasing, and the above-mentioned problem has become remarkable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of speeding up the start of print output and improving the throughput.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An image processing apparatus according to the present invention receives a print job from the outside, generates image data, and determines at which page break the job is to be divided with respect to the print job. A print control unit that divides a print job so as to be a separate storage unit at a determined page break and transfers the print job sequentially, and fetches image data transferred from the print control unit, temporarily stores the image data in a storage unit, and completes the storage. And printing means for performing printing in the storage unit.

In the image processing apparatus having the above structure, the print control means transfers the image data of an appropriate number of pages for a print job input from the outside, temporarily divides the accumulation of the image data once, and terminates the subsequent image data. Are sequentially processed as another storage unit. Thus, before the transfer of all the page data from the print control unit is completed, the print unit can start print output. As a result, the time from the input of a print job to the print output can be reduced.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a printing system applied to an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, for example, a storage type printer. In FIG.
The print job transmission path 1 is specifically an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable, a parallel cable, or the like. The information terminal 2 is connected to the print job transmission path 1, generates a print job, and inputs the generated print job to the image processing apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment through the print job transmission path 1.

The image processing apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment includes a printer controller (print control means) 4 and a printing apparatus 5
It is composed of The printer controller 4 receives a print job from the outside, generates image data, and transfers the generated image data to the printing device 5. The host I / F (interface) 41,
The configuration includes a decomposer 42 and a printing device control unit 43.

In the printer controller 4, the host I / F 41 receives print data from the information terminal 2 through the print job transmission path 1. The decomposer 42
Image data is sequentially generated from the print data received by the host I / F 41, the image data information is sequentially notified to the printing device control unit 43, and after all the image data of the print job is generated, the printing device control unit 43 is notified. Information indicating a job break (hereinafter, referred to as EOJ (End Of Job) information) is notified.

The printing device controller 43 includes a decomposer 42
Are sequentially transferred to the printing device 5, the EOJ information is received from the decomposer 42, and when the transfer completion of all the image data in the job is detected, the job Request to start printing. The printing device control unit 43 has a configuration including a division parameter recording unit 431, a job division control unit 432, and an image data transfer control unit 433.

In the printing apparatus control section 43, a job division control section 432 divides a job during transfer of a job according to parameters necessary for job division recorded in the division parameter recording section 431. Here, the parameters to be recorded in the division parameter recording unit 431 include ON / OFF of job division, the number of initial division pages, ON / OFF of a division timing change function, and the like. Job division ON / OFF is a parameter used for controlling whether to perform job division control.

The job division control unit 432 determines the effective job division timing with reference to the parameters recorded in the division parameter recording unit 431, and determines the effective division timing earlier than the division of the actually received job. Inserting a job division break at the page break determined to be finished, terminating the transfer of the job currently being transferred to the printing apparatus 5 and requesting the printing apparatus 5 to start printing the accumulated jobs up to that time. The transfer of the image data of the subsequent pages to the printing apparatus 5 as another job is started again.
Perform job division control. A specific method of the job division control will be described later.

The image data transfer control unit 433 transfers the image data generated by the decomposer 42 to the printing apparatus 5 in page units for each job or in band units obtained by dividing a plurality of pages.

The printing apparatus 5 includes a job accumulation control unit 51, a job accumulation unit 52, an IOT control unit 53, and an image output unit.
(IOT; Image Output Terminal) 54.

In the printing apparatus 5, the job accumulation control unit 51 accumulates the received image data in the job accumulation unit 52 for each job received from the printer controller 4. The job storage unit 52 is configured by a storage medium such as a hard disk. When the storage in the job storage unit 52 is completed for each job and a print start instruction is received from the printer controller 4, the IOT control unit 53 sequentially outputs the image data stored in the job storage unit 52 to the image output unit 54.
Output to Thereby, printing is performed in the image output unit 54.

In the above-described image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, under the control of the printer controller 4, which page of a print job is input so that the printing apparatus 5 does not enter an idle state as much as possible. It is determined whether to divide a job at a break, and one print job is efficiently divided into a plurality of time-division jobs so that separate storage units (hereinafter, referred to as divided jobs) are formed at the determined page break. Job division control to transfer the job to the printing apparatus 5. This makes it possible to simultaneously store the image data on a job basis and perform the printing operation on a job basis.

FIG. 2 shows the flow of jobs when a job is actually divided and when the job is not divided. Time T
l is the image transfer time when the job is not divided, and T2 is the print time of the job. On the other hand, time T
3. Time T4 is the transfer time of the divided job 1 and the divided job 2 when the job is divided. Also, the time T
5, the time T6 is the printing time 1 and the printing time 2 corresponding to the divided job 1 and the divided job 2, respectively.

As described above, when the job is divided,
Each printing time T5, T6 for each divided job 1, 2 occurs. As can be seen from the overlap between the transfer time T4 and the print time T5, the transfer processing and the print processing of the spooled divided job are performed simultaneously in parallel, so that all the page data is printed out before the transfer is completed. Can be started, so that the time from the input of a print job to the discharge (print output) can be shortened compared to the spool method. FIG. 3 shows a comparative example of the throughput when the job division control is performed and when the job division control is not performed.

In the process of performing the job division control,
The printing device 5 notifies the printer controller 4 of the job status indicating the end or near end of the job printing process, such as the end of image formation, the end of sheet discharge processing, or the end of job processing of the printing device 5. In response to this notification, the job division control unit 432 determines that there is no print-startable job in the printing device 5 and that the printing is completed or is about to be completed. It operates to start the transfer of the next divided job. This makes it possible to determine the number of pages at which to divide an appropriate job in accordance with the state of the printing apparatus 5 and control the printing apparatus 5 so as not to be in an idle state as much as possible. Time can be shortened.

Here, a method of setting the number of first divided pages stored by the divided parameter recording unit 431 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, (a) shows the number of pages of a job and the throughput when the job is divided once and when the job is not divided, and (b) and (c) show the throughput when the job is not divided. The relationship is shown.

In any of the cases shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C, the throughput deteriorates immediately after the division. However, since the transfer of the job and the printing of the job can be performed at the same time, the throughput will eventually be better than when the division control is not performed. FIG. 4 (a)
4 (b) and 4 (c), it is clear that the throughput is more improved when the job division is performed a plurality of times.

Further, job division is performed a plurality of times (in this example, 2
4 (b) and 4 (c) showing the case of performing the above-mentioned operations, FIG. 4 (c) has a smaller number of times that the throughput is deteriorated as compared with the case without division shown in FIG. 4 (a). This is done by increasing the number of pages in the first split job to some extent,
This is because the number of pages that can be transferred next can be increased, and deterioration in throughput after the second job division can be avoided.

If the number of the first divided pages is too large, the job ends before the number of the first divided pages is reached, and there is a case where the opportunity to improve the throughput obtained by the division is lost. In addition, the reduction in the number of divisions reduces the improvement in throughput.

Therefore, the minimum number of pages that minimizes the case where the throughput is degraded by the total number of pages of the job is calculated in advance as a recommended value, and the value is set as a default value. . This value can be freely reset by the user according to the environment. For example, in an environment where the recommended value is 9 and a print job of 10 pages is frequently used, the time required for switching the printing apparatus 5 in the job division becomes relatively long, so that the overall throughput is reduced. It can get worse.

In such a case, the user sets the number of initial divided pages to, for example, 20 in accordance with the environment, and for a print job of 20 pages or less, the job division operation is not performed to prevent a decrease in throughput. For a print job exceeding a page, it is possible to make a setting to improve the throughput.

Thus, the printing device 5 can be used in accordance with the usage environment.
Trade-off with the possibility of increasing the occupation time. By selecting a recommended value set to minimize the case where the throughput deteriorates due to the total number of pages of the print job, the overall throughput can be reduced. If you investigate in advance what kind of jobs you have,
This value can be set to a more appropriate value according to the use environment so as to suppress the deterioration of the throughput.

The job division control unit 432 estimates the time required for printing the job transferred to the printing device 5,
The maximum number of pages that can be transferred from the printer controller 4 to the printing apparatus 5 within that time is calculated, and the job is divided at that timing, so that the printing apparatus 5 can perform continuous printing processing without becoming idle. It is possible to control job division at timing. In other words, by determining the number of pages to be divided next based on the number of pages of the preceding job or the immediately preceding storage unit, more optimal switching timing can be predicted, so that more throughput is achieved. Can be improved.

Since the printing apparatus 5 has a printing start waiting time in addition to the sheet discharging time, as shown in FIG. 5, the printer controller 4 transfers only the time obtained by adding both the printing starting waiting time and the sheet discharging time. Will continue. If the transfer time per page and the paper discharge time are the same or the transfer time per page is short, the printer controller 4
As shown in FIG. 6, the number of pages that can be transferred increases with each job division.

Also, depending on the designated paper size, 1
Since the data transfer time and print time per page are different, the number of initial divided pages that minimizes the case where the throughput is deteriorated by the job division, and the number of pages that can be transferred during printing of the job transferred to the printing device 5 are as follows. different.

For this reason, for each paper size used for printing, the division parameter recording unit 431 prepares the number of pages of the first divided job, the number of pages of the next divided job, and whether or not there is a job division. Control of job division can be performed with the above parameters. As a result, it is possible to obtain an appropriate number of divided pages in consideration of the printing / transfer time that differs for each sheet size, and it is possible to more accurately predict the timing of job division, thereby further improving throughput.

Further, when a plurality of paper feed trays are mounted, different paper sizes are set for each paper feed tray, or until paper reaches the image output unit 54 from the paper feed tray. Therefore, the number of initial divided pages that minimizes the case where the throughput is deteriorated by the job division and the number of pages that can be transferred during printing of the job transferred to the printing apparatus 5 are different.

For this reason, for each paper feed tray to be used, parameters for the number of pages of the first divided job, the number of pages of the next divided job, and the presence or absence of job division are prepared in the divided parameter recording unit 431, To perform job division control. As a result, it is possible to obtain an appropriate number of divided pages in consideration of the paper transport time that differs for each paper feed tray, and it is possible to more accurately predict the timing of job division, thereby further improving throughput.

Also, the paper size, the paper tray to be used, the total number of pages of the print job, the time required for generating the image data of the job, and the like may differ depending on the environment and settings of the user. The number of initial divided pages that minimizes the case where the throughput is deteriorated by the division and the number of pages that can be transferred during printing of the job transferred to the printing apparatus are different.

For this reason, for each user, parameters for the number of pages of the first divided job, the number of pages of the next divided job, and whether or not the job is divided are prepared in the divided parameter recording unit 431, and the job is divided into parameters for each user. Enables split control. As a result, the timing of job division can be predicted more accurately, and the occupation time of the printing apparatus 5 according to the usage environment of each user can be finer and optimized.

The number of pages of the first divided job shown above can be confirmed on the panel screen of the image processing apparatus 3 shown in FIG. 7, and can be changed by the user. Further, since there is a possibility that a plurality of parameters are set in one job at the same time, it is necessary to give a priority to each parameter.

When parameters such as staples are specified in the print job, the staples are set within the effective range.
Depending on the parameters specified for the print job, such as the job must not be divided, there may be limitations on the method of dividing the print job.Thus, for each parameter specified for the print job, the division may reduce the throughput. The minimum number of divided pages and the number of pages that can be transferred during printing of the job transferred to the printing apparatus are different.

For this reason, for each parameter specified for a print job, the division parameter recording unit 431 prepares parameters for the number of pages of the first division job, the number of pages of the next division job, and the presence / absence of job division. Control of job division can be performed with parameters for each specified parameter. Thereby, the timing of division can be predicted more accurately.

That is, by changing the number of initial divided pages and the timing of job division according to job parameters such as staple, collate, and double-side set by the user, appropriate division control according to job parameters can be performed. Generally, job parameters are specified by a print driver (not shown) having a property screen for specifying parameters as shown in FIG. 8 when a user issues a print instruction.

Next, a description will be given, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, of the determination of the job division processing timing and the procedure of the division processing executed by the job division control unit 432.

First, when there is an instruction to start page processing in the job division control unit 432, the split spool ON / OFF parameter recorded in the division parameter recording unit 431 is confirmed (step S1). Here, split spool O
If the FF is confirmed, the process directly proceeds to step S11,
Perform page transfer.

On the other hand, when the split spool ON is confirmed,
It is determined whether it is the first page (first page) in the print job input to the printer controller 4 (step S2). Here, if it is determined to be the first page,
The number of first transferable pages recorded in the division parameter recording unit 431 is set to the number of remaining transferable pages of the division parameter recording unit 431 (step S3), and then, based on the number of remaining transferable pages recorded in the division parameter recording unit 431, 1 is subtracted (step S4).

If it is determined in step S2 that the page is not the first page, the process directly proceeds to step S4, and 1 is subtracted from the number of transferable remaining pages recorded in the division parameter recording unit 431. After executing the processing in step S4, the ON / OFF parameter of the division timing change function recorded in the division parameter recording unit 431 is confirmed (step S4).
5).

If the division timing change function ON / OFF parameter is ON in the confirmation processing in step S5, a division timing change judgment processing is performed (step S6).
The details of the processing for determining the division timing change will be described later. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not to divide the job based on the processing result of the division timing change determination (step S7). If it is determined that the job division is not to be performed, the process proceeds to step S11 and the page is transferred.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S7 that job division is to be performed, division processing is performed and a print start instruction is issued for the currently transferred job (divided job), and a new storage unit is set after the page being processed. (Split job) (step S8). Subsequently, the number of transferable pages of the new divided job is determined and set as the number of transferable remaining pages of the division parameter recording unit 7 (step S9), and the process proceeds to step S11 to perform page transfer.

If the division timing change function ON / OFF parameter recorded in the division parameter recording unit 431 is OFF in the confirmation processing in step S5, it is determined whether or not the number of transferable remaining pages remains (step S1).
0). Here, if it is determined that the number of transferable remaining pages remains, the process proceeds to step S11 as it is, and page transfer is performed. If it is determined that the number of transferable remaining pages does not remain, the process proceeds to step S8. After performing the page transfer in step S11, the processing shifts to processing of the next page.

Next, the details of the processing of step S6, that is, the processing of the job division timing change function (redetermination of job division) will be described.

In the image processing apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment, print jobs are stored in the job queue of the printing apparatus 5, but the job queue of the printing apparatus 5 is limited. The printing device 5 prints from the print job at the head of the queue. In the printing apparatus 5, since the divided print jobs are also stored in the queue as one print job, the job queue may become full. The job queue is likely to become full when a paper jam occurs that interrupts printing or when a continuous job is submitted.

When the job queue becomes full, no more print jobs can be transmitted from the printer controller 4, so that the functions of the printer controller 4 are temporarily stopped. Therefore, even in a situation where the job queue becomes full, in order to prevent the job queue of the printing apparatus 5 from being full, when the space of the job queue is reduced, the timing of division is set to be shorter than expected. Implement the delay extension function.

In other words, the job division (division timing (first time, each time)) can be re-determined according to the state of the printing apparatus 5 such as a jam or a paper remaining amount of zero.
The divided jobs can be transferred efficiently without overflowing the transfer destination queue. FIG. 10 shows a comparative example of the throughput when the division extension function is performed (a) and when the division extension function is not performed (b).

Although the time required for printing the preceding divided job sent to the printing apparatus 5 can be predicted because it is continuously transmitted, the printing end time of all preceding jobs cannot be predicted. If the original page is divided according to the number of divided pages in a state where the printing process is being performed, the division is meaninglessly performed, and the overall throughput may be deteriorated.

Therefore, regarding the division of the first divided page, the division is not performed until all the jobs whose transfer has been completed and are waiting for printing have been completed, only when there is a preceding job. Operate (first job split timing extension function).

Further, when it takes time to decompose by the decomposer 42, or when it takes time to transfer page data to the printing device 5 due to the type or malfunction of the host I / F 41, the queue of the printing device 5 Only the job currently being transferred may remain, the image data may continue to be accumulated in the printing device 5, and the printing process may not be performed. In this case, in order to use the printing apparatus 5 effectively, a function of dividing the job earlier than expected (split splitting function) is implemented.

As described above, according to the progress of the job processing, such as the number of jobs accumulated in the transfer destination queue and the number of pages remaining upon detection of the end of the job, the division of the job (division timing (first time, each time)) is repeated. By making it possible to determine, divided jobs can be transferred efficiently. In FIG.
A comparative example of the throughput in the case where the division advancement function is performed (a) and the case where the function is not performed (b) will be described.

Further, the EOJ is transmitted from the decomposer 42 to the EOJ.
Until the information is received, the printing device control unit 43 cannot detect the total number of pages of the print job.
After the transfer to the number of transferable pages stored in No. 3 is completed, the print job is divided even when the number of remaining transfer pages is one. If the page is divided by an extremely small number of pages, there is a preparation time until a printing state such as a time required for switching jobs of the printing apparatus 5 is obtained, and the throughput may be deteriorated.

Therefore, when the EOJ information is received from the decomposer 42, if the number of the remaining transfer pages is equal to or less than a certain value that would deteriorate the throughput when the job is divided, all the remaining untransferred pages are deleted. A function (EOJ-compatible function) for preventing the job from being divided until the job is transferred is implemented. FIG. 12 shows a comparative example of the throughput when the EOJ compatible function is performed (a) and when the EOJ function is not performed (b).

When the above-described job division timing changing function is performed, the number of pages of the first divided job used at that time, the number of pages of the next divided job, and values of parameters indicating whether or not the job is divided are totaled. By changing the default parameter value stored in the division parameter recording unit 431 in accordance with the actually used division parameter, the timing of the next or subsequent job division can be more accurately predicted. The occupation time of the printing apparatus 5 according to the environment can be made finer and more appropriate.

That is, according to the paper size used as the reference when setting the number of pages of the next divided job or the number of pages of the first divided job, the paper feed tray to be used, or the user who has input the print job, Aggregate the processing progress of the job, and based on the aggregation result, the number of pages of the next divided job of the next and subsequent print jobs, the number of pages of the first divided job, the presence or absence of job division, or any combination thereof , It is possible to control job division appropriately according to the use environment.

In the image processing apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment, parameter values such as the number of pages of the first divided job and the presence or absence of job division can be set using a user interface. For example, those values are set using a liquid crystal panel attached to the image processing apparatus 3 as shown in FIG. The set value is stored in a non-volatile memory in the image processing apparatus 3.

[0063]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since one job is divided into appropriate storage units, and while the preceding divided storage unit is being printed, the generation and storage of the image data of the subsequent divided storage unit can be performed in parallel. In addition, the throughput can be improved, and the start of printing can be hastened.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a printing system applied to a storage type printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of job division.

FIG. 3 is a comparison diagram of the throughput between when the split spool is executed and when the split spool is not executed.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for determining the number of first divided pages.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing how the number of transfer pages changes.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the number of pages of a divided job gradually increasing.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a function of setting the number of first divided pages by a panel of the image processing apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating properties of a printer driver.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of job division processing determination and division processing.

FIG. 10 is an operation diagram of the split spool when the split extension function operates.

FIG. 11 is an operation diagram of the split spool when the split early function is activated.

FIG. 12 is an operation diagram of the split spool when the EOJ function is activated.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a setting function of a split spool by a panel of the image processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 print job transmission path 2 information terminal 3 image processing device 4 printer controller 5 printing device 41
Host I / F, 42: decomposer, 43: printing device controller, 51: job storage controller, 52: job storage unit,
53: IOT control unit, 54: Image output unit (IOT), 4
31: division parameter recording unit, 432: job division control unit, 433: image data transfer control unit

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Akihiro Hattori 2274 Hongo, Ebina, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Akiko Nakamura 2274, Hongo, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. (Reference) 2C061 AP01 AP07 HH05 HJ06 HN15 2C087 AA09 AB05 BA03 BC05 BC07 BD46 CB02 5B021 AA01 BB01 BB04 BB10 CC02 CC05 DD08 5C073 AA02 BB01 CC01

Claims (12)

[Claims] An image data is generated by receiving a print job from the outside, and at the page break for the print job, a job is divided. At the determined page break, separate storage units are stored. A print control unit that divides the print job so as to sequentially transfer the print job, and acquires image data transferred from the print control unit, temporarily stores the image data in the storage unit, and performs printing in the storage unit after storage is completed. And an image processing apparatus. 2. The printing control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the printing unit detects that the printing process of the printing unit is completed or is about to be completed, the storage unit currently being transferred becomes a separate storage unit at a page break. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data is divided and transfer of the next storage unit is started. 3. The printing control unit sets a recommended number of pages of the first storage unit to a minimum number of pages that minimizes a case where throughput is deteriorated by a total number of pages of the print job. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print job is divided based on the recommended value. 4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print control unit determines the number of pages of the next storage unit based on the number of pages of the previously executed job or the immediately preceding storage unit. Image processing device. 5. The print control unit prints the previously executed job or the immediately preceding storage unit from the number of pages of the previously executed job or the immediately preceding storage unit and the printing time of one page. A time is estimated, and from the estimated printing time and transfer time of one page, a maximum value at which printing of the next storage unit can be started almost simultaneously with the end of the previously executed job or the immediately preceding storage unit. 5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the number of pages is determined as the number of pages of the next storage unit. 6. The print control means, based on a paper size on which image data is printed, the number of pages of the next storage unit, the number of pages of the first divided job, the presence or absence of division of the job, or an arbitrary one of them. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the combination is determined. 7. The print control unit according to claim 1, wherein the number of pages of the next storage unit, the number of pages of the first divided job, the presence or absence of division of the job, or an arbitrary combination thereof, based on the paper feed tray to be used. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination is made. 8. The print control unit according to the user information that has input the print job, the number of pages of the next storage unit, the number of pages of the first divided job, whether or not the job is divided, or any of them. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the combination is determined. 9. The printing control means according to claim 1, wherein a sheet size used as a reference when setting the number of pages of the next storage unit or the number of pages of the first divided job, a paper feed tray to be used, or a user who has input a print job. According to the information, the processing progress of the job is totaled, and based on the totaling result, the number of pages of the next storage unit of the next and subsequent print jobs, the number of pages of the first divided job, and whether or not the job is divided 9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the determination is made for any combination thereof. 10. The print control unit according to a print job parameter specified by a user, the number of pages of the next storage unit, the number of pages of the first divided job, the presence or absence of job division, or an arbitrary one of them. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the combination is determined. 11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print control unit re-determines a job division timing according to a progress state of the job processing. 12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print control unit re-determines a job division timing according to a state of the print unit.