JP2004216690A - Image forming apparatus and printer driver - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem when the surface and rear surface of one sheet are printed under different print conditions (sheet, image quality) that setting operation is troublesome or the image quality deteriorates. <P>SOLUTION: A means 111 for setting a plurality of print control parameters in a series of prints is provided on the printer driver 101 side, and a means 121 for storing a plurality of given print control parameters is provided on the imaging apparatus 102 side. Different print control parameters are set on the surface and rear surface of a sheet when it is printed on both sides and the surface is printed under a plain paper mode with print control parameters 1 of ordinary print quality whereas the rear surface is printed under a dedicated paper mode with print control parameters 2 of high print quality. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
[Industrial applications]
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a printer driver.
[0002]
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-8-39792 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2001-219625
[Prior art]
As an image forming apparatus (or also referred to as an image recording apparatus) such as a printer, a facsimile, and a copying apparatus, for example, an ink jet recording apparatus is known. The ink jet recording apparatus is a sheet to which ink droplets including OHP and the like can be attached from an ink recording head to a sheet (also referred to as a recording medium, a recording medium, a recording sheet, or the like). The recording (image formation) is performed by ejecting ink droplets to the head, and high-definition images can be recorded at high speed, running cost is low, noise is reduced, and multicolor ink is used. It has advantages such as easy recording of a color image.
[0004]
By the way, in an ink jet recording apparatus, drying of ink is performed by evaporation into air and permeation into a sheet. Therefore, image quality is affected by characteristics of a printing surface of the sheet. As described in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to perform printing in a print mode corresponding to the type of paper, and it is used for coated paper, glossy paper, and ink jet formed with a coat layer having increased ink permeability. Various special paper modes for printing on special paper such as government-made postcards and a plain paper mode for printing on ordinary plain paper having no coat layer or the like can be selected.
[0005]
Here, the difference between the special paper mode and the plain paper mode differs depending on the ink jet recording apparatus. However, since the special paper has a higher ink permeability than the plain paper, the special paper mode is generally used in the plain paper mode. The head scanning speed is increased, the number of passes is increased, the number of nozzles used at a time is reduced, and the volume of the ink droplet is reduced.
[0006]
Also, with regard to the print quality, at least one of the two levels of the normal image quality mode and the high image quality mode can be selected. In general, when the high image quality mode is selected, the printing speed is relatively slower than the normal image quality mode. Become.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-described conventional inkjet recording apparatus, since the recording apparatus performs only one-sided printing, the printing speed is relatively reduced by setting the dedicated paper mode and the high-quality mode, but the high-quality image is printed. By setting the normal image quality mode in the normal paper mode and printing, a normal image quality image can be printed at a relatively high print speed.
[0008]
However, printing may be performed on paper having different materials on the front and back surfaces, for example, using an ink jet recording apparatus capable of printing on both sides. For example, there is a case where a plain paper is coated with a coating for high-quality printing on the back surface but not coated with a coating for high-quality printing on a back surface such as a postcard.
[0009]
When an image is formed on such a sheet, printing in the high image quality mode is set on the back side to print a photo or image, and double-sided printing is designated to reduce the number of printing steps. Then, printing is performed in both the exclusive paper mode and the high image quality mode.
[0010]
Therefore, for example, printing is performed in the dedicated paper mode and the high image quality mode even though the front side does not request a high image quality image only by the destination name.
[0011]
As described above, when printing on plain paper in the dedicated paper mode, the number of passes is large and the number of nozzles used is small in the dedicated paper mode as described above. Become. Also, in the special paper mode, no measures are taken to prevent the image from bleeding. Therefore, when printing is performed in the special paper mode on plain paper, bleeding occurs and the image quality deteriorates.
[0012]
Furthermore, since the volume of ink droplets is reduced in the dedicated paper mode, printing in the dedicated paper mode on plain paper reduces the image density and image quality. Further, since the color tone is different between the dedicated paper mode and the plain paper mode, a color tone shift occurs and the image quality deteriorates.
[0013]
In this case, without using duplex printing, first set the high quality mode on the back side in the dedicated paper mode and print on all papers, then set the front side in the normal paper mode and set the normal However, in this case, the print control parameter must be set twice, and the duplex printing function cannot be used.
[0014]
Similarly, even when a part of the pages to be continuously printed includes a page that must be printed in the high-quality mode, whether the entire page is to be printed in the normal-quality mode or in the high-quality mode. Only the selection can be made, and either the printing productivity or the image quality must be sacrificed, or the printing conditions requiring complicated printing must be reset depending on the pages to be printed in the high image quality mode.
[0015]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and has an image forming apparatus capable of achieving both print productivity and image quality with a simple configuration, and an operation for setting different print conditions in a series of printing is simplified, thereby improving print productivity. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer driver capable of achieving both image quality and image quality.
[0016]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problem, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of given print control parameters, a selection unit that selects the print control parameters stored in the storage unit, Print control means for performing print control in accordance with the print control parameters selected by the selection means.
[0017]
Here, the plurality of print control parameters stored in the storage unit can be parameters for each of the front and back sides of the sheet on which an image is formed, or each parameter for each page of the sheet or for each of odd-numbered pages and even-numbered pages. . Further, it is preferable that an image can be formed on both sides of the sheet, and it is preferable that the image forming unit is a unit that ejects ink droplets. Further, a configuration may be employed in which a unit for setting a plurality of print control parameters is provided.
[0018]
A printer driver according to the present invention is a printer driver capable of transmitting print information to the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and includes means for setting a plurality of print control parameters.
[0019]
Here, there is provided a unit for setting each print control parameter for each of the front and back surfaces of the sheet on which the image is formed, or a unit for setting each print control parameter for each page of the sheet on which the image is formed, or for each of odd-numbered pages and even-numbered pages. Is preferred.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory side view illustrating an overall configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus showing an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of a main part of the recording apparatus.
[0021]
In this ink jet recording apparatus, a carriage 3 is slidably held in a main scanning direction by a guide rod 1 which is a guide member and a stay 2 laid on left and right side plates (not shown), and a timing belt 5 is moved by a main scanning motor 4. 2 is moved and scanned in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2 (main scanning direction).
[0022]
The carriage 3 is provided with a plurality of ink ejection orifices through a recording head 7 composed of four inkjet heads for ejecting ink droplets of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (Bk). They are arranged in a direction crossing the main scanning direction, and are mounted with the ink droplet ejection direction facing downward.
[0023]
As the ink-jet head constituting the recording head 7, a piezoelectric actuator such as a piezoelectric element, a thermal actuator utilizing an electrothermal conversion element such as a heating resistor and utilizing a phase change due to a film boiling of a liquid, and a metal phase change due to a temperature change are used. An actuator having a shape memory alloy actuator to be used, an electrostatic actuator using electrostatic force, or the like as an energy generating means for discharging ink can be used.
[0024]
Further, the carriage 3 is mounted with sub-tanks 8 of each color for supplying each color ink to the recording head 7. The sub tank 8 is supplied with ink from a main tank (ink cartridge) via an ink supply tube (not shown).
[0025]
On the other hand, as a paper feed unit for feeding paper 12 loaded on a paper loading unit (pressure plate) 11 such as a paper feed cassette 10, a half-moon roller that separates and feeds the papers 12 one by one from the paper loading unit 11 ( A sheet feed roller 13 and a separation pad 14 made of a material having a large friction coefficient are provided facing the sheet feed roller 13. The separation pad 14 is urged toward the sheet feed roller 13.
[0026]
As a transport unit for transporting the paper 12 fed from the paper feed unit below the recording head 7, a transport belt 21 for electrostatically attracting and transporting the paper 12 and a feed belt 21 A counter roller 22 for transporting the paper 12 sent through the guide 15 between the transport belt 21 and the paper 12 transported substantially vertically upward is turned by approximately 90 ° to copy the paper 12 onto the transport belt 21. A transport guide 23 for adjusting the pressure and a pressing roller 25 urged toward the transport belt 21 by a pressing member 24 are provided. Further, a charging roller 26 serving as a charging unit for charging the surface of the transport belt 21 is provided.
[0027]
Here, the transport belt 21 is an endless belt, is stretched between a transport roller 27 and a tension roller 28, and rotates the transport roller 27 from a sub-scanning motor 31 via a timing belt 32 and a timing roller 33. By doing so, it is configured to go around in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2 (belt conveyance direction).
[0028]
The transport belt 21 has a surface layer serving as a paper adsorption surface formed of a pure resin material having a thickness of about 40 μm, for example, of which resistance is not controlled, for example, an ETFE pure material, and resistance control is performed with carbon using the same material as the surface layer. And a back layer (medium resistance layer, earth layer).
[0029]
The charging roller 26 is arranged so as to be in contact with the surface layer of the transport belt 21 and rotate following the rotation of the transport belt 21, and apply 2.5 N to both ends of the shaft as a pressing force. The transport roller 27 also functions as an earth roller, and is arranged in contact with the middle resistance layer (back layer) of the transport belt 21 and is grounded.
[0030]
A guide member 36 is arranged on the back side of the transport belt 21 so as to correspond to the printing area of the recording head 4. The guide member 36 has an upper surface protruding toward the recording head 7 from a tangent line of two rollers (the transport roller 27 and the tension roller 28) supporting the transport belt 21. As a result, the transport belt 21 is pushed up and guided by the upper surface of the guide member 36 in the printing area.
[0031]
Further, as a paper discharge unit for discharging the paper 12 recorded by the recording head 7, a separation unit for separating the paper 12 from the transport belt 21, a paper discharge roller 42 and a paper discharge roller 43, and a paper discharge And a discharge tray 44 for storing the sheets 12 to be printed.
[0032]
A double-sided paper supply unit 51 is detachably mounted on the back. The double-sided paper feeding unit 51 takes in the paper 12 returned by the rotation of the transport belt 21 in the reverse direction, reverses the paper 12, and feeds the paper 12 again between the counter roller 22 and the transport belt 21.
[0033]
In the ink jet recording apparatus configured as described above, the paper 12 is separated and fed one by one from the paper feeding unit, and the paper 12 fed substantially vertically upward is guided by the guide 15, and the transport belt 21 and the counter roller 22 And the leading end thereof is guided by a carrying guide 23 and pressed against the carrying belt 21 by a leading end pressing roller 25 to change the carrying direction by approximately 90 °.
[0034]
At this time, a positive output and a negative output are alternately repeated from the high voltage power supply to the charging roller 26 by a control circuit (not shown), that is, an alternating voltage is applied, and a charging voltage pattern in which the transport belt 21 alternates, that is, In the sub-scanning direction, which is the circling direction, plus and minus are alternately charged in a belt shape with a predetermined width. When the paper 12 is fed onto the positively and negatively charged conveyor belt 21, the paper 12 is polarized in the paper 12 to a charge opposite to the charged pattern, so that a capacitor connected in parallel is formed. The paper 12 is attracted to the transport belt 21, and the paper 12 is transported in the sub-scanning direction by the orbital movement of the transport belt 21.
[0035]
Then, by driving the recording head 7 in accordance with the image signal while moving the carriage 3, ink droplets are ejected onto the stopped paper 12 to record one line, and after the paper 12 is conveyed by a predetermined amount, Record the next line. Upon receiving a recording end signal or a signal indicating that the rear end of the sheet 12 has reached the recording area, the recording operation is terminated, and the sheet 12 is discharged to the discharge tray 44.
[0036]
In the case of double-sided printing, when the recording of the front side (the side to be printed first) is completed, the transported belt 21 is rotated in the reverse direction to feed the recorded paper 12 into the double-sided paper feeding unit 51, The sheet 12 is turned over (with the back side being the printing surface) and fed again between the counter roller 22 and the conveyor belt 21, and the timing is controlled, and the sheet is conveyed onto the conveyor bell 21 in the same manner as described above. After recording on the back surface, the paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 44.
[0037]
Next, an outline of a control unit of the inkjet recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is an overall block diagram of the control unit.
The control unit includes a printer controller 70, a motor driver 81 for driving the main scanning motor 4 and the sub-scanning motor 31, and a head driver (head driving circuit, driver IC, and the like) for driving the recording head 7 (ink jet head). 82).
[0038]
The printer controller 70 receives, via a cable or a network, an interface (hereinafter referred to as “I”) that receives print data and the like from a host side such as an information processing device such as a personal computer, an image reading device such as an image scanner, and an imaging device such as a digital camera. / F ”) 72, a main control unit 73 including a CPU and the like, which also functions as a print control unit and a print control parameter selection unit, a RAM 74 that stores various data, and a routine for various data processing. , An oscillator circuit 76, a drive signal generating circuit 77 for generating a drive waveform for the recording head 7, and a print driver and drive waveform developed into dot pattern data (bitmap data). I / F 78 and motor drive data for transmission to And an I / F79, etc. for transmission to the driver 81.
[0039]
The RAM 74 is used as various buffers and work memories, and also serves as a print control parameter storage unit according to the present invention. The ROM 75 stores various control routines executed by the main control unit 73, font data, graphic functions, various procedures, and the like.
[0040]
The main control unit 73 reads the print data in the reception buffer included in the I / F 72, converts the print data into an intermediate code, stores the intermediate code data in an intermediate buffer formed of a predetermined area of the RAM 74, and reads the read intermediate code. The data is developed into dot pattern data using the font data stored in the ROM 75, and stored again in a different predetermined area of the RAM 74. When the print data is developed into bitmap data by the printer driver on the host side and transferred to this recording device, the received bitmap print data is simply stored in the RAM 74.
[0041]
When the dot pattern data corresponding to one row of the recording head 14 is obtained, the main control unit 73 synchronizes the dot pattern data for one row with the clock signal CLK from the oscillation circuit 76 and outputs The data is transmitted as serial data to the head driver 82 via / F78, and a latch signal is transmitted to the head driver 82 at a predetermined timing.
[0042]
The drive signal generation circuit 77 stores a drive waveform (drive signal) pattern data in a ROM (which can also be constituted by a ROM 75), and a D / A that performs D / A conversion on the drive waveform data read from the ROM. It is composed of a waveform generation circuit including a converter, an amplifier, and the like.
[0043]
The head driver 82 includes a shift register that inputs a clock signal from the main control unit 73 and serial data that is a print signal, a latch circuit that latches a register value of the shift register with a latch signal from the main control unit 73, and a latch circuit. A level conversion circuit (level shifter) for changing the level of the output value and an analog switch array (switch means) whose on / off is controlled by the level shifter. The drive waveform is obtained by controlling on / off of the analog switch array. Are selectively applied to the head 7.
[0044]
Next, a part of the host and the controller of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the printer driver and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
[0045]
The host-side printer driver 101 includes a print control parameter setting unit 111 for setting a plurality of print control parameters for the image forming apparatus 102, and sends the set plurality of print control parameters to the image forming apparatus 102. The printer driver 101 sends print data (either coded information or information that has been subjected to image processing) to the image forming apparatus 102, similarly to a normal printer driver.
[0046]
Here, the printer driver 101 is installed in a host such as an information processing device such as a personal computer, an image reading device such as an image scanner, and an imaging device such as a digital camera through a storage medium or download.
[0047]
The print control parameters are parameters including the type of paper to be printed and the required image quality. On the host side, a plurality of print control parameters are set by the user setting the type of paper to be printed and the image quality using the print properties by the print control parameter setting unit 111 of the printer driver 101. At this time, a plurality of print control parameters can be simultaneously set for each of the front and back surfaces of the paper to be printed, for each page, or for each of odd and even pages, or by specifying a page range.
[0048]
The image forming apparatus 102 stores a plurality of print control parameters set by the print control parameter setting unit 111 transferred from the printer driver 101 of the host. A print control parameter selection unit 122 for selecting a print control parameter stored in the print control parameter storage unit 121; and an inkjet recording head serving as an image forming unit based on the print control parameter selected by the print control parameter selection unit 122. And a print control unit 123 (which comprises the main control unit 73) for performing print control by controlling the control unit 7.
[0049]
Here, the print control unit 123 gives a print request to the print control parameter selection unit 122, selects and reads out a print control parameter from the print control parameter storage unit 121, and gives this to the print control unit 123. The print control unit 123 further obtains control information such as the ink discharge amount, the number of scanning passes of the carriage, and the interleave from the paper type and the required image quality of the received print control parameters, and controls the engine unit 124 based on the control information. Drive control is performed to perform required recording (printing).
[0050]
Note that the print control unit 123 may directly read the print control parameters from the print control parameter storage unit 121. Here, a required print control parameter is selected from a plurality of print control parameters stored in the print control parameter storage unit 121, but a configuration in which the required print control parameters are sequentially read out by a FIFO method may be adopted. Further, the print control parameter may be the ink discharge amount, the number of carriage scanning passes, or the number of interleaves.
[0051]
The operation of the embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, the print control parameters are set by activating the print control parameter setting unit 111 as part of the print property setting operation by the printer driver 101 on the host side. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when double-sided printing is designated, front side print control parameters are set, then back side print control parameters are set, and when the setting is completed, the set print control parameters are set. Save.
[0052]
Note that, here, “front” and “back” are described with reference to the paper, but the front and back are relative meanings, and when the front and back cannot be distinguished, “one side” is used. The front side, the “other side” is the back side, and even if the front side and the back side of the sheet can be distinguished, if one side of the sheet is the front side, the other side is the back side. In addition, the “side to be printed first” and the “side to be printed later” are not excluded. For example, if the front and back sides of the paper are fixed, and if the front side is designated for double-sided printing, the "side to be printed first" and the "side to be printed later" are "front side" and "back side", respectively. Will match.
[0053]
Therefore, for example, when printing on a front side with plain paper and a back side with a coated side, and printing an address on the front side and printing a photo or image on the back side by double-sided printing, the host side The print control parameter setting unit 111 of the printer driver 101 sets the print control parameters on the front side to normal quality on plain paper and sets the print control parameters on the back side to high quality on special paper.
[0054]
The print control parameters for printing the front side set by the print control parameter setting means 101 with normal quality in the plain paper mode and the print control parameters for printing the back side with high quality in the dedicated paper mode include print information. Is transferred to the image forming apparatus 102.
[0055]
Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 102, the received print control parameters (for example, print control parameters 1 (front side) and print control parameters 2 (back side)) are stored and held in the print control parameter storage unit 121. Is done.
[0056]
Then, as shown in FIG. 6, when starting to print the print information, the print control unit 123 first requests the print control parameter selection unit 122 for the print control parameters of the surface (first surface) to be printed first. Thus, the print control parameter selection unit 122 reads out the print control parameter 1 corresponding to the front side from the print control parameter storage unit 121 and passes it to the print control unit 123.
[0057]
As a result, the print control unit 123 analyzes the received print control parameter 1 and has the normal quality in the plain paper mode. Therefore, the control information is obtained from the control information to determine the corresponding ink ejection amount, the number of carriage scanning passes, the number of interleaves, and the like. Based on this control information, printing is performed on the surface of the paper in plain paper mode in normal quality.
[0058]
Thereafter, when printing on the front side of the sheet is completed, the print control unit 123 requests the print control parameter selection unit 122 for a back side print control parameter to perform back side printing, and the print control parameter 122 stores the print control parameter. The print control parameter 2 corresponding to the front side is read from the unit 121 and passed to the print control unit 123.
[0059]
As a result, the print control unit 123 analyzes the received print control parameter 2 and has high quality in the dedicated paper mode. Therefore, the control information is obtained from the control information to determine the corresponding ink ejection amount, the number of carriage scanning passes, the number of interleaves, and the like. On the basis of this control information, printing is performed on the back side of the paper in a dedicated paper mode with high quality.
[0060]
As described above, since the image forming apparatus is provided with the means for storing a plurality of print control parameters, a series of printing operations (from when a print start instruction is given from the printer driver side to when a print end instruction is given). Print), a plurality of print control parameters can be set.
[0061]
This makes it possible to set different printing conditions (print control parameters) for one side and the other side on one sheet in double-sided printing. For example, the front side is plain paper and the back side is coated. You can print the address on the postcard on the front side in plain paper mode and normal quality on the front side, and print the photos and images on the back side in the special paper mode in high quality, achieving both print productivity and image quality. Will be able to
[0062]
When printing a plurality of continuous pages without being limited to double-sided printing, it is also possible to print only some of the pages in the dedicated paper mode in high quality. Further, it becomes possible to print odd pages and even pages in different print modes and image quality.
[0063]
On the other hand, since the printer driver is provided with a means for setting a plurality of print control parameters, a plurality of different print control parameters (print conditions) can be set in a series of printing, and one side of one sheet and the other side can be set. Can be set simultaneously with different printing conditions (print control parameters), for example, a postcard with plain paper on the front side and a coated side on the back side, plain paper mode on the front side, and normal quality. The setting operation is simplified when the address is printed on the back side and the photo or image is printed on the reverse side in the dedicated paper mode in high quality.
[0064]
Similarly, not only two-sided printing, but also when printing a plurality of continuous pages, a setting operation for printing only a part of the pages in the dedicated paper mode, high quality, and further, an odd page and an even page Setting operations for printing in different print modes and image qualities are simplified.
[0065]
Thus, for example, after specifying and setting only the surface with the same print condition on the print setting screen, and performing printing, the screen is shifted to the print setting screen again, and only the other surface with the same print condition is specified and set. This eliminates the need for a complicated print setting operation such as the necessity of performing printing, thereby improving print productivity and preventing a decrease in image quality due to printing under incompatible print conditions.
[0066]
Note that the image forming apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to a facsimile apparatus, a copying apparatus, a printer / fax / copier multifunction peripheral, etc., in addition to the ink jet printer. Further, the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus for forming an image by an electrophotographic method other than the ink jet recording apparatus.
[0067]
Further, in the above embodiment, the example in which the print control parameter setting unit is provided on the host side has been described. However, the print control parameter setting unit may be provided on the image forming apparatus main body, for example, such that the digital camera and the image forming apparatus are directly connected. In this case, the image forming apparatus main body may include a print control parameter setting unit and a unit for storing a plurality of set print control parameters.
[0068]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, since means for storing a plurality of given print control parameters is provided, it is possible to improve both print productivity and image quality.
[0069]
According to the printer driver of the present invention, since a means for setting a plurality of different print control parameters in a series of printing is provided, the setting operation of the printing conditions of a series of printing in which different printing conditions are mixed can be easily performed. That is, both print productivity and image quality can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a main part of the apparatus. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of a control unit of the apparatus. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of a printer driver according to the present invention and a portion related to print control parameters of the same control unit. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining setting of print control parameters on the printer driver side. Flow chart for explanation of double-sided printing
101 printer driver, 111 print control parameter setting means, 121 print control parameter storage means, 121 print control parameter selection means, 122 print control means, 124 engine section.

Claims (9)

In an image forming apparatus that forms an image by controlling an image forming unit based on a print control parameter, a storage unit that stores a plurality of given print control parameters and a print control parameter stored in the storage unit. An image forming apparatus comprising: a print control unit that controls printing. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of print control parameters stored in the storage unit are parameters for each of a front surface and a back surface of a sheet on which an image is formed. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of print control parameters stored in the storage unit are parameters for each page of an image forming sheet or for each of odd-numbered pages and even-numbered pages. Image forming apparatus. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an image can be formed on both sides of a sheet. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image forming unit is a unit for discharging ink droplets. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a print control parameter setting unit configured to set the plurality of print control parameters. A printer driver capable of sending print information to the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a print control parameter setting unit configured to set a plurality of print control parameters. driver. 8. The printer driver according to claim 7, further comprising: means for setting print control parameters for each of the front side and the back side of a sheet on which an image is formed. 8. The printer driver according to claim 7, further comprising means for setting print control parameters for each page of an image forming sheet, or for each of odd-numbered pages and even-numbered pages.

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