JP2002149384A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently utilize a network printer by allowing a manager side to grasp the rate and quantity of the toner usage of each department connected to a network. SOLUTION: This image forming device is provided with a means for inputting department names. Furthermore, an image picture subjected to image processing, data such as the use quantity of colorant used for the image processing and a department name that has performed the processing are stored so that the data and the department are correlated to one another, and the use quantity of the colorant of each department are displayed if it is needed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus,
In particular, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile used on a network in a company having a plurality of departments, the amount of toner used in each department is calculated from image data transmitted from each department. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a function of notifying a network administrator of the amount of toner used for each department in accordance with the calculation result.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As for copying machines, not only black and white but also color copying machines are becoming mainstream, and it is no exaggeration to say that there are almost no convenience stores in which there are no copying machines. There are also companies that print out image data that has recently started increasing in urban areas. Generally, in these output devices, color output is higher than black and white. This is because the color output is considered to use a larger amount of toner since the color output mainly deals with image data such as photographs as compared with the monochrome output.

Conventionally, when these copying machines and output devices are used, the unit price per sheet is the same regardless of the type of image data to be output. Also, it has been considered that the amount of toner used is small in black-and-white printing, which often handles documents, etc., and large in color printing, which often handles photographs and images.
However, there are aspects that are not always the case. Even in black and white printing, if you output a lot of photos and images, the amount of toner used will naturally increase, and if you output a document with a high character ratio even in color printing, the amount of toner used will be small. . Here, the appearance of a printing machine that charges a fee according to the amount of toner used has been required.

As an invention for solving this problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
No. 00-19906. The above invention proposes a printing machine that charges in accordance with the usage amount of each of the four color toners of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (BK) in color printing. In the above invention, since the price varies depending on the type of data to be output, the total price for printing one sheet or a plurality of sheets naturally varies. In addition, it is possible to perform pre-scanning before outputting in advance, and to know the price for actual printing. Expenses related to this pre-scan will be collected as needed. In the above conventional technology, the user calculates a usage fee from image data obtained by pre-scanning,
Usage charge destination display mode for selecting whether or not to make a copy based on the usage charge displayed before using the copier, and copying and calculation of toner usage are performed in parallel, and after copying, the charge is calculated and settled. It is possible to select the after-charge display mode.

[0005]

In recent years, in an organization having a certain number of people or more, such as a company or a school, there are many places where a computer environment is realized for each person. Under such an environment, naturally, personal computers are connected via a network. this is,
It can be said that e-mail is becoming the center of exchange of documents within the organization, and that it is inevitable to share documents between individual computers. In such an environment, the printer is connected to a network, and personal documents are printed from the shared printer.

[0006] When printing from a network as described above, it is common to manage the number of printed sheets for each department. However, the content of the printed matter, that is, whether the document is a document with a relatively large number of characters or a document with a large number of images will differ depending on each department. For example, in a department such as the planning department that has many presentations, the documents handled will be those with many pictures and illustrations, and the amount of toner used in printing will be larger than in other departments. In comparison, accounting departments and general affairs departments tend to deal with relatively many documents. In this case, the amount of toner used when printing is smaller than in other departments.

[0007] An image forming apparatus which charges according to the amount of toner used in color printing, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-19906, is already known. However,
In the modern era where individual computers and printers are naturally connected to a network, the output from each connected department is assumed on the premise that the printer is connected to a network in a copier or printer. Understand the toner usage status of each department, and eliminate the unfairness among departments due to the toner usage status, which has been caused by managing the output number of sheets regardless of black and white or color. There is no means in the world for this.

In a company, it is necessary for an administrator to grasp how much toner is used by each department rather than feeling unfairness among departments.
With this, it is possible to determine the allocation of necessary expenses to each section. In the previous example, a department that prints a relatively large number of documents that use a lot of toner is allocated a large amount of printing-related expenses in advance, and a department that does not use much toner is allocated a small amount of expenses in advance. It is possible. If an appropriate expense can be allocated to each department in advance, the trouble of adjusting the expense later can be saved, and the burden on the manager can be reduced.

Further, some image forming apparatuses have a copy function, a printer function, and a facsimile function. However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-1990
The technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-64 is not limited to the copy function, and does not consider connection to a network. In particular, in the composite image forming apparatus, it is desirable that the administrator manage which function each section uses. Which of these functions are used frequently by different departments will be different and biased. This is because the administrator must know which function each department uses, what kind of printed matter, that is, the amount of toner used and the number of output sheets, for efficient maintenance and operation of the printer. As described above, image forming apparatuses in the future tend to be multifunctional, and it is becoming important to grasp the amount of toner used for each. However, such image forming apparatuses have hitherto emerged. Absent. Until now, it was not possible to compare the amount of toner consumption with the actual print job, so the administrator output what kind of printed matter from each department, and as a result, the toner was There was no way to visually check if it had decreased.

Furthermore, especially when performing color copying,
There is a problem that the toner runs out before outputting the number of copies described in the specification of the number of copies per toner cartridge of the image forming apparatus. This is a problem that occurs as a result of the user performing a print job with a toner usage rate higher than the manufacturer's specification guarantees. The specifications guaranteed by the manufacturer describe the possible number of printable sheets when printing with a certain average toner usage rate at a certain average value.
This does not apply when the user performs printing with a high toner usage rate. However, since there has been no means in the network printer for checking the print history and toner usage rate of each department in association with each other, there has been a problem that the toner may suddenly run out as described above.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to grasp the toner usage rate and usage amount of each department connected to a network on an administrator side, and to use a network printer. It is useful for efficient use of. Also, clarify the processing mode, that is, the colorant usage rate or usage amount for each function such as copying, facsimile, and network printer of the image forming apparatus.
Proper management is also an object of the present invention. Another object of the present invention is to allow a user to visually recognize the toner usage rate of each department by outputting the usage history and the toner usage rate as print data as well as print data. It is a further object of the present invention to enable the use history of the toner to be confirmed even when the number of printed sheets is less than the specification, so that the cause of the toner consumption can be effectively investigated. .

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus connected to a network and for forming an image of print data, comprising: a storage means for storing the print data; Department identification data input means for inputting department identification data for identifying the department to which the person who performs formation belongs; calculating means for each image for calculating the amount of colorant used for the print data; History storage means for storing the department identification data and the colorant usage in association with each other; each department based on the department identification data stored in the history storage and the colorant usage corresponding thereto; The image forming apparatus is characterized by including a section-specific calculating means for calculating the amount of colorant used for each section.
Therefore, individual computers and printers are connected to the network, and the output of each department connected to the network can be used to grasp the toner usage status of each department. Regardless, the inaccuracy of the toner usage state, which has occurred due to the management using the output number of sheets, is eliminated, and the unfairness between the departments can be eliminated.

[0013] In the case where there is further provided output means for outputting the amount of colorant used for each section stored in the history storage means based on the print data, the administrator outputs the calculation result. It is possible to view the usage status of the image forming apparatus not only for the manager but also for each department, and it is also possible to urge a department that uses a large amount of warning, for example.

The calculating means for each section further calculates the average value of the amount of colorant used or the rate of use of each section, and the output means calculates the average value of the amount of colorant used or the rate of use of each section. May also be output. In this case, for example, it is a problem that arises as a result of the manufacturer performing a print job with a colorant usage rate higher than the manufacturer's specification guarantees for a sudden running out of toner. To
It is possible to explain based on the average value of the coloring agent usage rate for each section.

The section-by-section calculating means may further calculate the cumulative value of the amount of colorant used for each section, and the output means may also output the cumulative value of the amount of colorant used for each section. In this case, the administrator can grasp the toner usage status of each section, and the administrator can reduce the labor for allocating necessary expenses related to the toner usage to each section.

The image forming apparatus may have at least one of a printer, a facsimile, and a copying machine. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-19906, the function is limited to only the copying machine function. However, the function can be expanded in the present invention.

The history storage means further stores the type of function used for forming the image of the print data, and the output means further outputs the type of function for the print data on which the image is formed. May be. In this case, the administrator can clearly grasp the use status of the function of each section. Further, by printing, it is possible to circulate the information to each department, and to make each department understand the usage status of each function, and to give a warning when there is a problem in the usage status.

[0018] The output means may have a function in the history storage means. By doing so, the above-mentioned JP-A-20
In the image forming apparatus disclosed in JP-A-00-19906, only the copying function can be used, but a plurality of functions can be used. At least one of the stored amount of colorant used, the number of output sheets, and the type of the function stored in each section, and a thumbnail image obtained by reducing the print data associated with the data may be output. In this case, by outputting the thumbnail image together with the print history, the administrator can visually recognize the usage status by the numbers that can be known by the toner use amount calculation unit, the output unit, and the history output unit. About the relationship between the amount of toner that did not exist and the print job
The above relationship can be grasped visually as well as numerically.

The apparatus may be provided with means for performing a pre-scan for each print job, and further provided with a function of notifying in advance the amount of colorant used per print job obtained by the pre-scan. In this way, the user can know in advance the colorant of the print data to be printed, and for example, is warned from the calculation result by the colorant calculation means that the colorant is used too much. In such a case, it is possible to perform printing with a reduced print resolution.

[0020] When the colorant storage means for storing the colorant is replaced, the storage contents relating to the amount of the colorant used in the storage means may be initialized. In this way, when the colorant storage means is replaced, the average of the colorant usage and the accumulation of the colorant usage are reset.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings to provide an understanding of the present invention.
Note that the following embodiments are specific examples of the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In the following description, a toner is used as an example of the colorant. However, in the present invention, an ink other than the toner and any other colorant may be used. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a signal transmission path in the image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of processing in the image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a plane for each color when pixel data for each color is recorded as digital data. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the date and time displayed on the operation panel, various histories when a department is specified, and the toner usage rate. FIG. 5 is an output example of the usage rate of each color toner displayed when prescanning of 10 sheets is performed. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a thumbnail image creation flow. FIG.
Is an example of a thumbnail image output.

A schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus A according to this embodiment is operated by a user to input a department code or a department identification card, and to input various contents to be displayed and output. A unit 101 (an example of a section identification data input unit);
Scanner unit 10 for reading an original when using the copy function
2, a communication unit 103 for receiving communication data when the network printer and the FAX function are used, and whether the image processing mode is a copy process, a process by a printer function, or a process by a FAX function. A function processing determination unit 104 for determining whether the processing is performed using any of the functions, a toner usage detection unit 106 for measuring the usage of the toner of each color during printing, and a light emission amount of a laser for exposing the photosensitive drum Control unit 1 for controlling the laser
09, a computer unit 105, a color plane storage unit 107 for storing pixel data for each color as a list of digital data, and a department management storage unit 108 for storing the use history of the image forming apparatus for each department. It is configured. The toner usage detecting unit 106 detects the toner usage for each color. The toner usage information detected by the toner usage detection unit 106 is transmitted to the computer unit 105.
Are stored in the department management storage unit 108.

The department management storage unit 108 includes a print data storage unit 108a, a department management storage unit 108b, and a history storage unit 108c.

The computer unit 105 includes a print data conversion unit 105a for converting the print data received by the scanner unit 102 and the communication unit 103 into a format for storing the print data in the print data storage unit 108a. A toner data calculation unit 105b for calculating an average and a cumulative value of toner usage detected by the toner usage detection unit, the department identification data stored in the history storage unit 108c, and the colorant corresponding thereto. And a section-specific toner data calculating unit 105c for calculating the amount of colorant used for each section based on the used amount.

Next, with reference to the processing flow in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the flow of the processing performed in the image forming apparatus will be specifically described. Here, S201, S202,... Are the numbers of the processing procedures (steps). When the toner cartridge is replaced (S2
01), the storage area is cleared (S202). Clearing the storage area here means setting the average usage rate and the cumulative usage rate of the replaced toner cartridge to 0%. This operation is performed every time each color cartridge is replaced.

When the copy start button is pressed (S20)
3) First, the comment requesting the input of the section is displayed on the operation unit 10.
1 is displayed on the display screen. Then, the operator inputs the department management code from the operation unit 101 (S204).
The department management code can be input by inputting a recording card on which the department management code is recorded into the terminal, or by the operator himself or herself by using the department recognition code given individually to certify his / her department. This is performed by inputting the information to the server 101. The operation unit 101 may be an operation panel attached to a copying machine, or a monitor of a terminal connected to a network. When the copier A is used as a copier, the scanner unit 102 serving as an image input unit is used.
The document is set on the document (S205). The scanner unit 102 reads a document by a scanner head when a document is placed on a document table and a department identification code is input from the operation unit 101. At this time, the function processing determination unit 104 recognizes that the operating function is the copy function from the pressing of the copy start button. When the FAX function and the network printer function are used, the command transmitted from the communication unit 103 recognizes that the operating function is the FAX function or the network printer function. If the network printer function is used,
Section-Specific Toner Data Calculation Means 1 of Computer Unit 105
In step 05c, the department is determined from the affiliation of the client who intends to use the printer. When the FAX function is used, the section-specific toner data calculation unit 105c of the computer unit 105 recognizes that the FAX function is used from the print data transmitted from the communication unit 103 to each section.
FAX information is sent from any department,
Since the department identification information is provided, the department is identified based on the information, and the data is stored in the department management storage unit 108b of the department management storage unit 108. In order to identify the department identification information using the FAX function, for example, an extension number addressed to each department may be used. You may get it.

When an image is input in this way, the computer unit 105 next performs a plane calculation for each color. That is, the work of reading the print data for each plane from the transmitted image data or the original set on the original placing table is performed (S207). More specifically, the toner usage detection unit 106 detects the toner usage rate of each color per print job, and sequentially transfers the information to the computer unit 104. Here, the toner usage rate is a value in which the area of a colored portion of the solid document is represented by%, with the area of the printed portion being 100%. The computer unit 104 calculates an average value and a cumulative value of the toner usage rates for each department in association with the department information from the toner usage rate. The amount of toner used is easily calculated from the accumulated value and the number of sheets. The calculation result is stored in the history storage unit 108c of the department management storage unit 108 as the average toner usage rate, the cumulative toner usage rate for each department, and the toner usage amount for each color. When the cumulative toner usage rate (the ratio of the usage amount to one toner cartridge calculated from the toner usage amount) reaches 100%, the toner cartridge detection unit instructs the computer unit 104 to that effect, and operates a warning to replace the toner cartridge. Displayed on the unit 101. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the plane for each color is a print map for each color, that is, the case where printing is performed in each pixel is set to 1 and the case where printing is not performed is set to 0. The created map information for each color is called a plane for each color. The plane is 1
And 0, it is of course digital data.
This digital data is stored in each color plane storage unit 106 through the computer unit 104. Scanner unit 10
2 or the print data transmitted through the communication unit 103 is
Sent to 4. The print data is temporarily stored as digital data in each color plane storage unit 107 as plane data for each of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (BK). Actual copy processing and print processing are performed based on the image information stored in each color plane storage unit 107. The data for which the copy processing or the like has been completed is sent to the print data storage unit 108a and accumulated.

The print data such as the plane data used for the image processing, the function data, the number of processed sheets and the paper size information are stored in the print data storage unit 108a, and the department data indicating the processing request destination is stored in the department management storage unit. 108b
Further, the average value, cumulative value, cumulative usage rate, etc. of the toner usage rate for each color are stored in the history storage unit 108c in association with each image (S208). Each time the printing is completed (S209), the accumulated toner usage rate is calculated (S210).

The printing procedure is as follows. The computer unit 105 calculates the laser exposure amount for each color based on the information stored in each color plane storage unit 107. Data on the calculated laser exposure amount is transmitted from the computer unit 105 to the laser unit control unit 109. The laser unit control unit exposes the photosensitive drum based on data from the computer unit 105.
As is known, exposure of four colors is performed by four rotations of the photosensitive drum. The color toner image formed by the exposure is transferred to copy paper by a transfer device. The copy paper to which the color toner image has been transferred is subjected to a fixing process by a fixing device and is discharged to a discharge tray. After the transfer, the rotating drum is cleaned by the cleaning device (S209).

When the cumulative usage rate of the toner reaches 100%, the operation unit 101 is notified that the toner cartridge has run out, and printing is interrupted. Here, when the replacement of the toner cartridge is performed, all the information on the usage status of the toner cartridge is erased and initialized as described above.

When the printing of the toner usage is instructed, the information stored in the department management storage unit 108 is called up to the computer unit 104, and the items requested by the operation unit 101 are calculated by the computer unit 104.
01 is displayed. FIG. 4 shows an example of the department management output displayed on the operation unit 101. FIG. 4 shows the function requested by each section, the number of output sheets, and the average usage rate for each toner for the items requested by the administrator. The display example shown in FIG. 4 is merely an example, and a plurality of patterns of display items can be displayed by input from the operation unit 101. In the example of FIG. 4, the toner cumulative usage rate in the last row indicates the percentage of toner used from the last toner cartridge replacement time to the output request time by the administrator as described above. .

In the example of FIG. 4, 15000 is used at a usage rate of 5%.
In the case of an image forming apparatus capable of outputting two sheets, the average usage rate of the cyan cartridge is 5%, and the current total number of printed sheets is 75%.
For 00 sheets, the cumulative toner usage rate is 50%. Compared with this, the average usage rate of the magenta toner is 10%, so that the accumulated toner usage rate has already reached 100% when 7,500 sheets are output. This indicates that the specification guaranteed by the manufacturer is capable of outputting 15,000 sheets at a usage rate of 5%, while the magenta toner is used at twice the average usage rate of 10%.

Note that the information on the toner usage rate is obtained not only from the information stored in the department management storage unit 108 for the print data that has already been printed, but also by performing a pre-scan before executing the printing. It is also possible. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of sheets (in this case, ten sheets) are prescanned, and the usage rate of each color toner cartridge can be displayed on the operation unit 1. In this case, if it is considered that a document having the same toner usage rate is printed, the usage rate of the cyan cartridge is 5%.
It is possible to print 00 sheets. However, it can be seen that 15,000 sheets cannot be printed on the magenta and yellow cartridges because the usage rate exceeds 5%.

When an instruction to print a thumbnail image is issued, the print data stored in the department management storage unit 108 is called from the print data storage unit 108a to the computer unit 104, and the items requested by the operation unit 101 are read by the computer unit 104. The calculation is performed and displayed on the operation unit 101. FIG. 6 shows a procedure for creating a thumbnail image. First, when a request to output a thumbnail image is input from the operation unit 101 (S301), for example, 30 minutes are input from the print image database (print data storage unit 108a) stored in the department management storage unit 108 using the department and date as keywords. The print data of the sheet is searched (S302). Further, the average toner usage associated with the extracted print data is extracted from the history storage unit 108c of the department management storage unit 108 (S3).
03). The format for compressing or storing the print data is not particularly limited here. The print data stored in the department management storage unit 108 is decompressed and converted into a thumbnail when a request for outputting a thumbnail image is made. The thumbnail image is a small-sized preview. Items such as the number of output sheets and the toner usage rate added to the thumbnail image can be arbitrarily set by the operation unit 101. As described above, after the print data is converted into a thumbnail by the computer unit 104, the information input from the operation unit 101 is added thereto, and the print data is printed as 30 thumbnail images on A4 size paper (S304).

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus which is connected to a network and forms an image of print data, a storage means for storing the print data and a department to which the person who performs the image formation belong. Department identification data input means for inputting department identification data to be identified; calculating means for each image for calculating the amount of colorant used for the print data; department identification data and the colorant for the image-formed print data History storage means for storing the usage amounts in association with each other; calculating the colorant usage amount for each department based on the department identification data stored in the history storage means and the colorant usage amount corresponding thereto; And a section-by-section calculating means. Therefore, individual computers and printers are connected to the network, and the image forming apparatus operates on the network. In addition, as for the output from each connected department, the usage status of toner for each department can be grasped.
Unfairness among departments due to toner usage, which has been caused by controlling the number of output sheets regardless of monochrome and color, can be eliminated.

In the case where there is further provided output means for outputting the amount of colorant used for each section stored in the history storage means based on the print data, the administrator outputs the calculation result. It is possible to circulate the use status of the image forming apparatus not only to the manager but also to each department, and it is also possible to urge a department that uses a large amount of warning, for example.

The calculating means for each section further calculates the average value of the amount of colorant used or the rate of use for each section, and the output means calculates the average value of the amount of colorant used or the rate of use for each section. May also be output. In this case, for example, it is a problem that arises as a result of the manufacturer performing a print job with a colorant usage rate higher than the manufacturer's specification guarantees for a sudden running out of toner. To
It is possible to explain based on the average value of the coloring agent usage rate for each section.

[0038] The section-by-section calculating means may further calculate the cumulative value of the amount of colorant used for each section, and the output means may also output the cumulative value of the amount of colorant used for each section. In this case, the administrator can grasp the toner usage status of each section, and the administrator can reduce the labor for allocating necessary expenses related to the toner usage to each section.

The image forming apparatus may have at least one of a printer, a facsimile, and a copying machine. By doing so, the above-mentioned JP-A-2000-1990
In the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-205, only the copying function can be used, but a plurality of functions can be used.

The history storage means further stores the type of function used for forming the image of the print data, and the output means further outputs the type of function for the print data on which the image is formed. May be. In this case, the administrator can clearly grasp the use status of the function of each section. Further, by printing, it is possible to circulate the information to each department, and to make each department understand the usage status of each function, and to give a warning when there is a problem in the usage status.

The output means 2, at least the amount of colorant used, the number of output sheets, and the like for each department stored in the history storage means.
In addition, any one or more of the function types and a thumbnail image obtained by reducing the print data associated with the data may be output. In this case, by outputting the thumbnail image together with the print history, the administrator can visually recognize the usage status by the numbers that can be known by the toner use amount calculation unit, the output unit, and the history output unit. Regarding the relationship between the amount of toner that has not been reduced and the print job, the above relationship can be grasped visually as well as numerically.

A means for performing pre-scan for each print job may be provided, and a function for notifying in advance the amount of colorant used per print job obtained by the pre-scan may be further provided. In this way, the user can know in advance the colorant of the print data to be printed, and for example, is warned from the calculation result by the colorant calculation means that the colorant is used too much. In such a case, it is possible to perform printing with a reduced print resolution.

When the colorant storage means for storing the colorant is replaced, the storage contents of the storage means relating to the amount of the colorant used may be initialized. In this way, when the colorant storage means is replaced, the average of the colorant usage and the accumulation of the colorant usage are reset.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing various processes in an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific example of a processing flow in the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a plane for each color, in which pixel data for each color is recorded as digital data.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing various histories and toner cartridge usage when a date and time and a department are designated, displayed on an operation panel.

FIG. 5 is an output example of the usage rate of each color toner cartridge displayed when prescanning of ten sheets is performed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a thumbnail image creation flow.

FIG. 7 is an example of a thumbnail image output.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: Outline of the image forming apparatus of the present invention B: History recording unit 101: Operation unit 102: Scanner unit 103: Communication unit 104: Function processing determination unit 105: Computer unit 106: Toner usage detection unit 107: Each color plane storage unit 108: Department management storage unit 109: Laser unit control unit

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat II (reference) H04N 1/46 H04N 1/46 Z F term (reference) 2C061 AP03 AP04 HH03 HJ10 HK03 HK11 HK15 HK23 HN02 HN15 2H027 DA45 DD02 EJ04 EJ08 HB05 HB13 HB17 ZA07 5B021 AA04 BB05 EE01 NN00 5C062 AA02 AA05 AA35 AB22 AB42 AC24 AF00 AF07 AF08 AF14 5C079 HB03 KA17 MA01 PA01 PA02 PA03

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus connected to a network for forming an image of print data, a storage unit for storing the print data, and a section for inputting department identification data for identifying a department to which the person who performs the image formation belongs. Identification data input means, image-specific calculating means for calculating the amount of colorant used for the print data, and history storage for associating the department identification data and the amount of colorant used for the image-formed print data Means for calculating the amount of colorant used for each section based on the section identification data stored in the history storage means and the amount of colorant used corresponding thereto. An image forming apparatus comprising: 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising output means for outputting the amount of colorant used for each department stored in said history storage means based on said print data. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said section calculating means further calculates an average value of the amount of colorant used for each section, and said output means outputs an average value of the amount of colorant used for each section. Item 2. The image forming apparatus according to Item 1. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the section-by-section calculating means further calculates the cumulative value of the amount of colorant used for each section, and the output means also outputs the cumulative value of the amount of colorant used for each section. Item 2. The image forming apparatus according to Item 1. 5. An image forming apparatus comprising: a printer, a facsimile,
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus has at least one function of a copying machine. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the history storage unit further stores a type of function used for forming an image of the print data, and the output unit further stores a type of the function for the print data on which the image is formed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image is output. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit associates at least one of a colorant use amount, an output number, and a type of the function for each section stored in the history storage unit with the data. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a thumbnail image obtained by reducing the print data is output. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for performing a pre-scan for each print job, and further comprising a function of notifying in advance the amount of colorant used per print job obtained by said pre-scan. Image forming apparatus. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the colorant storage means for storing the colorant is replaced, the storage contents relating to the amount of the colorant used in the storage means are initialized.