JP2002096536A - Color imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically select and print printing media (recording papers) in accordance with printing purposes and printing data in an imaging apparatus. SOLUTION: It is judged for every page to be printed whether constituting data include color data or are composed of only black-and-white data. A paper feed means is selected on the basis of the result, so that printing is carried out to recording papers fit for the data to be printed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a color image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to automatically selecting a print medium (recording paper) suitable for each of printing color image data and printing black-and-white image data. And printing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional color image forming apparatus, when a certain document is printed out, a fixed printing medium (recording paper) is fed from one pre-specified paper feeding means and printed out. Therefore, it is necessary to re-specify a print medium feeding unit suitable for printing of black-and-white document data and printing of color image data. Further, in a case where pages including color image data and pages including only monochrome data pages are mixed in one document, there is no flexibility in selecting a print medium suitable for print data in one document. Printing has been performed on the same print medium fed from two paper feeding means.

[0003]

In the above-described conventional color image forming apparatus, when printing black-and-white document data after printing color image data on color printing paper, feeding of a print medium suitable for black-and-white printing is performed. The means had to be specified again. Also, when a page including color image data and a page including only black and white data are mixed in one document, a page including only black and white data is output on the same print medium as when printing a color image. , If you value color images,
Since a print medium having a high degree of whiteness is used, a print medium of a price and quality that is originally unnecessary is inevitably used even for a monochrome image.

According to the present invention, the image processing means determines whether the data for each page is color image data or black and white data, and notifies and instructs the paper feeding means, thereby switching the print medium for each page and printing out. It is intended to provide a means.

[0005]

Therefore, according to the present invention, in a color image forming apparatus capable of forming a color image on a recording medium, it is determined whether or not each page to be printed contains color print data, and the determination result is obtained. Is notified to the image forming means, the paper feeding means is selected, and printing is performed on different print media for a page including color print data and for printing a page including only monochrome print data.

In a color image forming apparatus capable of printing on both sides of a print sheet, it is determined whether or not the print data on both sides of the front side print data and the back side print data includes color data. Different printing papers are fed and printed in the case where only printing is performed and in the case where color data is included.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention receives print data from a host computer, processes the received data by image processing means, and determines whether the page to be formed is composed of color image data or only black and white image data. Is determined, and immediately before forming each page, the image forming unit is notified and instructed whether to process in the color mode or the monochrome mode. The image forming unit selects a suitable sheet feeding unit based on the notification / instruction and performs a printing process.

Since different print media can be selected in the color mode and the black-and-white mode, for example, high whiteness paper is used in the color mode, and recycled paper is used in the black-and-white mode. This makes it possible to take a use form that is meaningful in terms of aspects.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings, taking an electrophotographic printer as an example. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a color mode,
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a basic determination process for changing the paper feeding means in the monochrome mode. FIG.

The color image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises a printer control unit 2, an image processing unit 3, and an image forming unit 4 shown in FIG. The print control unit 2 receives a print instruction signal, print data, and control information from the host computer 1, sends print data to the image processing unit 3 based on the received information, and controls the operation of the entire color image forming apparatus. . The image processing unit 3 determines whether the image data is monochrome image data or color image data from the print data received from the print control unit 2, converts the image data into bitmap data, creates image data, and sends the image data to the image forming unit 4. To instruct.

The image forming section 4 scans the electrostatic drum by driving a semiconductor laser based on image data, forms an electrostatic latent image of a character pattern or an image, develops the image, and develops the image including a color image or a monochrome image. The paper feeding means is selected and fed according to the image, transferred to the selected recording paper, and the image is fixed and then discharged. In the case of a color image, an image of each color of CYMK is formed and transferred to a selected recording sheet.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the basic determination of changing the paper feeding means in the color mode and the monochrome mode. The received print data is processed to determine whether or not color image data is included for each page. If color data is included, color mode processing for processing images of each color of CMYK is performed. 1 is selected to perform color printing on a color print medium. If the page is composed of only black and white data, black and white mode processing is performed, and paper is fed using a preset paper feeding method. For example, it is set in advance whether a single document uses the same print medium or whether the same document uses print media for black and white pages and color pages in advance. The paper means 2 is selected to perform monochrome printing on a monochrome printing medium.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which a double-sided printing apparatus is used. In the case of double-sided printing, it is determined whether or not the print data to be printed on both the front and back pages includes color data. If there is color data on either the front or back side, the paper feed unit 1 is selected. Print on the front and back sides of the color print medium. If both the front and back pages are black and white data, the paper feed unit 2 is selected to print both sides on a black and white print medium. As described above, in the case of double-sided printing, the paper feed unit is selected in units of two pages, and even in the case of double-sided printing, a printing medium suitable for printing is selected and used.

When a two-sided printing apparatus is used, the color pages use only the surface of the color print medium of the paper supply means 1 and only the black and white print medium of the paper supply means 2 is used for monochrome printing. May be selected and judged to be printed.

As described above, according to the present invention, recording paper suitable for each is fed from different paper feeding means when printing a monochrome page and when printing a color page, and printing is performed. It is possible to provide an economical color image forming apparatus without printing on expensive and expensive recording paper. Also, in order to determine whether a color image is included on a page-by-page basis, even if a document containing color image data is printed and then a document containing only black-and-white data is printed, the recording paper for monochrome printing is automatically selected. And print. For this reason, there is no possibility of forgetting to change the setting of the printing paper and erroneously performing monochrome printing on expensive printing paper for color.

[0016]

As described above, according to the color image forming apparatus of the present invention, a recording medium having high whiteness is used for a color image, and a recycled paper is used for a black and white image. Depending on the purpose, meaningful utilization in terms of quality, cost and environment is possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a basic determination of changing a sheet feeding unit in a color mode and a monochrome mode.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a change of a sheet feeding unit in a color mode and a black and white mode during duplex printing.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Host computer 2 Printer control part 3 Image processing part 4 Image formation part

Claims (2)

[Claims] In a color image forming apparatus capable of forming a color image on a recording medium, it is determined whether or not each page to be printed contains color print data, and the determination result is notified to an image forming means to supply the page. A color image forming apparatus which selects paper means and prints on a different print medium between a page including color print data and a page including only black and white print data. In a color image forming apparatus capable of printing on both sides of print paper, it is determined whether or not the print data on both sides of the front side print data and the back side print data includes color data. A color image forming apparatus characterized in that different printing papers are fed and printed in different cases and when color data is included.