JP2006209513A - Imaging system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging system capable of predicting that a process at a machine is interrupted because of the running-out of paper or toner during network simultaneous printing, and avoiding the interruption of the process by redistributing the process allocated to the interrupted machine to the other machine. <P>SOLUTION: In a system wherein a plurality of machines connected to one another via a network exchange information and print simultaneously, each of the machines detects the remaining amount of paper or toner and reports this information to a main machine. The process allocated to the machine where the process may be interrupted is canceled by the main machine before the process is interrupted, and the process is redistributed to the other machine. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming system.

  Conventionally, an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, for example, has been responsible for all of a series of document scanning and print output operations. In recent years, with the spread of personal computers (hereinafter referred to as “PCs”) and the development of network environments, there has been a form in which a plurality of devices are combined, and a single process is shared in conjunction with each other.

For example, when copying one copy of a document, the document is scanned by a single image forming apparatus and printed simultaneously by a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected via a network. When the application data on the PC is instructed to be printed and simultaneously printed by a plurality of image forming apparatuses, a plurality of devices simultaneously perform output processing. These have the advantage that the processing time can be shortened rather than printing out alone.
JP-A-10-105350

  However, since multiple devices that are physically separated from each other execute processing simultaneously, it is necessary to periodically monitor and monitor each device in order to grasp its progress. After problems occurred, I often went to the front of the equipment and responded. For example, there is a limit to the amount of paper on which printing is performed, and when there is no paper, the process is interrupted, and during that time, the printing process is not performed, resulting in a dead time. It is sometimes necessary to check the remaining amount of paper by walking around each device in a geographically distant place while checking whether paper is out or running out of paper, It is hard to say that it is efficient.

  In linked operation via a network, due to the characteristics of its form, it is often used for the purpose of outputting a large amount of paper documents. Thus, replenishment of paper has been the biggest problem.

  In addition to the remaining amount of paper, the processing may also be interrupted depending on the remaining amount of toner and ink that are recording materials, the number of sheets that can be stacked on a paper discharge tray that discharges paper after printing, and the like.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-described problems, and in the simultaneous printing of the network, it is predicted in advance that the processing of each device is interrupted due to the absence of paper or toner, and the device is interrupted. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming system capable of avoiding interruption of processing by redistributing the processing of the person in charge to other devices in advance.

To solve the above problem,
User interface means for exchanging information with the user;
Network communication means for exchanging information with other devices via a network;
Image data communication means for communicating image data through the network communication means;
Printing paper remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of printing paper;
Printing means for printing out image data;
Network print interlocking means for interlocking with a plurality of devices via a network, and printing one image data simultaneously with a plurality of devices;
Paper remaining amount information processing means that collects the remaining amount of paper information of each device obtained by the print paper remaining amount detection means and enables the grasp of the remaining amount;
Predictive redistribution means for predicting and judging in advance the device that runs out of paper by the remaining paper amount information processing means and redistributing print processing to be performed by the device to other devices.

  According to the present invention, in a form in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected via a network are linked to perform print output at the same time, the remaining amount of paper, toner, ink, or waste of each image forming apparatus that performs print output. Detects the status of things that can cause processing interruptions, such as the upper limit of the number of paper trays, and collects the information, and redistributes the number of images handled by each image forming device as necessary. There is no need to periodically monitor and monitor, and further, by redistributing the processing to other machines, interruption can be prevented and the processing can be completed to the end. As a result, it is possible to improve the work efficiency without the user's troublesome work.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples.

  FIG. 6 illustrates a working device.

  A CPU 201 is a microprocessor that controls the entire image forming apparatus.

  The HD 202 is a large-capacity hard disk that stores a plurality of applications for the operation of the CPU 201, various statuses such as various settings for the apparatus and processing progress, print job data, or image images. This is under the control of the CPU 201 described above.

  The memory 203 is a work memory for the operation of the CPU 201, and includes various data, statuses, jobs, image information, and the like as with the HD 202. The CPU 201 can be accessed at high speed.

  The high-speed CPU bus 204 is a bus that connects the CPU 201, the HD 202, the memory 203, and each functional unit described later, and transfers data processed by the CPU 201 to each functional unit, and high-speed data between the functional units. For transferring (DMA transfer). A VL bus or a PCI bus is generally used.

  The RIP 205 is a functional unit that receives an image formation command input from an external interface connected to a computer, which will be described later, and converts it into a bitmap image according to the contents thereof. The RIP 205 receives various data existing on the memory 203 or the HDD 202, It is a functional unit that converts to a bitmap image according to its contents. The image formation command is input from the high-speed CPU bus 204 and outputs an image to a high-speed image bus 216 described later. Examples of the RIP include Postscript, PCL, LIPS, and CaPSL.

  The image processing 206 is a functional unit that performs filtering processing on an image image such as smoothing processing or edge processing on an image image input from the high-speed image bus 216 in accordance with a processing command instructed by the CPU 201.

  In addition to this, the image processing 206 has a character recognition (OCR) function for an image input from the high-speed image bus 216 and an image separation function for separating the character part and the image part. The image data may be stored and used in the HD 202, the memory 203, or the like.

The compression / decompression 207 compresses the image image input from the high-speed image bus 207 by an image compression method such as MH, MR, MMR, JPEG, etc., and applies it to the high-speed CPU bus 204 or the high-speed image bus 216 again. Send compressed data,
Conversely, the compressed data input from these two buses is decompressed according to the method compressed by this functional unit and sent to the high-speed image bus 216.

  A bus bridge 208 is a bus bridge controller for connecting the high-speed CPU bus 204 and a low-speed CPU bus 209 described later, and absorbs a difference in processing speed between the buses. Through this bus bridge 208, the CPU 201 operating at high speed can access a functional unit operating at low speed connected to the low-speed CPU bus 209.

  The low-speed CPU bus 209 is a bus configuration having a transfer speed slower than that of the high-speed CPU bus 204 and connected to functional units having a relatively slow processing capability. In general, an ISA bus or the like is used.

  The modem 210 is a functional unit that interposes the public line 211 and the low-speed CPU bus 209. The modem 210 modulates the digital data sent from the low-speed CPU bus 209 so that the data can flow through the public line, and is sent from the public line. It has a function of converting the modulated data received into digital data that can be processed in the image forming apparatus. Various data existing on the HD 202 or the memory 203 can be transmitted or received and stored.

  A LAN 212 is a functional unit for connecting the image forming apparatus to a local network, and is used for transmitting and receiving data to and from the local network. In general, Ethernet (registered trademark) or the like can be used. Various data existing on the HD 202 or the memory 203 can be transmitted or received and stored.

  The management apparatus interface 214 is a functional unit for connecting the image forming apparatus and the management apparatus 222, and sends a control command from the image forming apparatus to the management apparatus via the interface 214, or sends a control command from the management apparatus to the main image. A functional unit used to return an enable signal to the forming apparatus. Various data existing on the HD 202 or the memory 203 can be transmitted or received and stored.

  The panel interface 215 exchanges various control signals with the operation unit 221 in the image forming apparatus. The panel interface 215 transmits a signal of an input switch such as a key arranged in the operation unit 221 to be described later to the CPU 201 or the RIP 205 and the image processing unit. 206, a unit that performs resolution conversion for displaying the image data created by the compression / decompression unit 207 on the liquid crystal display unit in the operation unit 221. Various data existing on the HD 202 or the memory 203 can be read.

  A high-speed image bus 216 is a bus for mutually connecting an image input / output bus in various image generation units (RIP 205, image processing 206, compression / decompression 207), a scanner interface 217, and a printer interface 219 described later. This bus control is not under the control of the CPU 201 and is controlled by the bus controller 222 described later to perform data transfer.

  The scanner unit 218 is a visible image reading device provided with an automatic document feeder, and has an RGB 3-line CCD color sensor or a 1-line monochrome CCD line sensor. Image data read by the scanner unit 218 is transferred to the high-speed image bus 216 by the scanner interface unit 217.

  In the scanner interface unit 217, the image data read by the scanner unit 218 is binarized optimally according to the processing contents in the subsequent process, and serial-parallel matching the data width of the high-speed image bus 216. It has a function of performing conversion and converting the read RGB color data of the three primary colors into CMYBk data.

  The printer unit 220 prints image data received from a printer interface unit 219, which will be described later, as visible image data on a recording sheet. Various data existing on the HD 202 or the memory 203 and data from various other units can be printed. The printer unit 220 includes a bubble jet (registered trademark) printer that prints on a recording sheet using a bubble jet (registered trademark) system, and forms an image on a photosensitive drum by using a laser beam to form an image on the recording sheet. There is a laser beam printer using the electrophotographic technology to be formed. The laser beam printer includes a single color printer and a color laser beam printer using CMYBk.

  The printer interface unit 219 transfers image data sent from the high-speed image bus 216 to the printer unit, and converts the bus width of the high-speed image bus 216 into a bus width that matches the gradation of the printer to be output. It has a width conversion function and a function for absorbing the difference between the printing speed of the printer and the transfer speed of the image data on the high-speed image bus 216.

  The operation unit 221 includes a liquid crystal display unit, a touch panel input device attached on the liquid crystal display unit, and a plurality of hard keys. A signal input from the touch panel or hard key is transmitted to the CPU 201 via the panel interface 215 described above, and the liquid crystal display unit displays image data sent from the panel interface 215. The liquid crystal display unit displays function display, image data, and the like in the operation of the image forming apparatus.

  Next, a network connection form of a plurality of image forming apparatuses will be described with reference to FIG.

  Each image forming apparatus is represented by a machine A102, a machine B103, and a machine C104. The number of machines is not three, but a plurality of machines may be used. Each machine is connected by a network 101. Specifically, the network may be a wired cable such as Ethernet (registered trademark), or may be a connection by wireless, optical communication, radio wave, or the like. Furthermore, there may be a case where machines installed in different geographical locations are connected to each other, and there may be a form in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses (printers) are installed in a network within a device. .

  As an example, a case will be described in which an original is scanned by the machine A102 and the duplication print process is performed by sharing the original with the machines A102, B103, and C104.

  The processing of the machine A102 that scans the document will be described with reference to FIG.

  In S201, designation of a device that performs an interlocking operation is accepted. A method for specifying the device will be described later with reference to FIG. Subsequently, in S202, the processing speed is inquired to the designated electric operation target machine. For example, how many prints can be output in one minute, and when the processing speed differs depending on the processing mode, such as single-sided printing and double-sided printing, information is extracted for each. An example of the information will be described later with reference to FIG. In step S203, various settings relating to the copy function, such as setting of the number of copies, single-sided / double-sided setting, reduced layout printing, and image processing settings, are accepted. In step S204, a copy start key depression, that is, a copy process start instruction is accepted. If a copy processing start instruction is accepted, each machine assigned distribution calculation is performed in S205. The assignment allocation calculation aims to make each machine operate most effectively and finish all output operations fastest.

  For example, in accordance with the designated copy function setting, the processing speed of the machine A102 is 50 sheets per minute, the machine B103 is 60 sheets, the machine B104 is 70 sheets, and the number of copies specified in S203 Is X, the number of copies of each machine is obtained by the following calculation.

Number of copies of machine A102 = X / (50 + 60 + 70) × 50
Number of copies of machine B103 = X / (50 + 60 + 70) × 60
Number of copies of machine C104 = X / (50 + 60 + 70) × 70
Subsequently, in S206, the number of copies in charge is notified to each machine from the result of the assignment distribution calculation in S205. In step S207, the original is scanned, and the image data read at the same time is transferred to each interlocking device (machine A102, machine B103, machine C104). In step S208, the image data read by itself is printed out. In step S209, it is determined whether all the originals have been scanned and whether all the printing processes have been completed. If there are still processes, the scanning or the printing process is repeated, and all the processes are performed. When finished, the process ends. In particular, the total number of pages of the document becomes clear after all the documents have been scanned. At that stage, the machine A102 notifies the machine B103 and the machine C104 of the total number of pages.

  Next, processing on the machine B 103 and machine C 104 side that performs the print output processing will be described with reference to FIG. Also in the machine A102, the portions related to the print processing (S303 to S304) are the same.

  There are two types of printing processes for multiple copies. For example, when copying 5 copies of a 3-page document, (1 page, 2 pages, 3 pages), (1 page, 2 pages, 3 pages) ... 5 sets are repeated to make 5 copies, and equipped with a sorter (1 page, 1 page, 1 page, 1 page, 1 page), (2 pages, 2 pages, 2 pages, 2 pages, 2 pages), (3 pages, 3 pages, 3 pages, 3 pages, 3 pages) in the order of 5 copies. Here, the case of the latter form will be described.

  In S301, the function setting for linked copying and the number of copies to be output are received from the machine A102. The function settings are settings relating to various copy functions received from the user in S203, and include single-sided / double-sided settings, reduced layout printing, image processing settings, and the like. In S302, the image data of the original scanned from the machine A102 is received. In step S303, the received image data is printed out. In step S306, the completion of the print output in step S303 is notified to the machine A 102 that instructed the interlocking operation. Subsequently, in S304, it is determined whether or not the output for the number of assigned copies received in S301 has been completed. If it has not been completed, the processing in S303 is repeated again. If completed, the process advances to step S305 to check whether there is image data to be received. If there is, return to S302 and repeat the process. If there is no image data, the process ends. Further, since the total number of pages of the document is notified when the machine A 102 has scanned all the documents, it is received.

  Next, a device designation method will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 shows a device operation screen, which may be displayed on a man-machine interface unit physically mounted on or connected to the device, or a PC screen connected to the device via a network. It may be displayed above. Through this screen, the user grasps the state of the device and gives various instructions to the device. The screen is a basic screen related to the copy function. In order to designate a device that operates in conjunction, the user presses the interlocked device designation button 11-1.

  Thereafter, the screen changes to the screen shown in FIG.

  A list of linked devices is displayed on the screen. Four displays can be displayed at a time, and the display list can be changed by pressing a page forward button 1204 and a page backward button 1205. The currently displayed page can be confirmed on the page display 1205. The user specifies a plurality of linked devices by touching the list. The selected device is highlighted. If the highlighted list is touched again, the selection is canceled and the highlighted display is switched to the normal display. The upper limit value of the number of units that can be selected at the same time is predetermined for each system, and cannot be specified beyond the upper limit value. When the information in the list is described by paying attention to the highlighted list, the name 1201 is a name given to each machine. The status 1202 displays the status of each machine. If it is operable, “Ready” is displayed, and if an error or warning has occurred, this is displayed. The spec 1203 displays the spec of the machine, and whether it is a monochrome printing machine or a color printing machine, or each processing speed (printing speed per minute: ppm) is displayed. The user presses an OK button 1207 to determine device selection, and the screen returns to the copy basic screen shown in FIG.

  Note that the remaining amount of paper column is grayed out and no information is displayed. This will be described in the method for detecting the remaining amount of paper described later.

  Next, information indicating the difference in processing speed depending on the processing mode for each machine will be described. In response to an inquiry about information regarding the processing speed, the machine notifies information as shown in FIG. 4, for example.

  The information is roughly classified into two types, one relating to the print color 401 and the other relating to the print paper size 405. The color 401 is further subdivided according to whether it is a black and white print or a color print as indicated by 402, and each of them is divided according to a single side print or double side print as indicated by 403. The print processing speed in each case is shown as 404. The unit of the print processing speed 404 is expressed in ppm in terms of the print processing speed per minute. The processing speed in this case is the speed for printing A4 portrait paper.

  Next, the items related to the size 405 are subdivided by the respective paper sizes 406. The processing speed when printing out A4 vertical size paper is set to 1.0, and the ratio of processing speed changes for each paper size.

  From this information, for example, in the case of monochrome single-sided printing, it is 40 ppm for the A4 portrait size, but it is 28 ppm because it is 0.7 times larger for the B4 size.

  Next, detection of the remaining amount of print paper will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 shows a cassette in which print sheets are set. Paper is fed from here, printed by a printer, and then discharged. Usually, multiple cassettes are installed in one machine. It is possible to grasp the handle 501 and pull out the cassette from the machine body. Printing paper is replenished with the cassette pulled out. If inserted into the machine, the print paper set in the cassette is lifted by the lifter 502 and is ready to be fed. The lifter automatically adjusts the height so that the top sheet of the print sheet is always raised to the height of the cassette. By sliding and adjusting the guide plates 503 and 504 according to the paper size and holding the paper edge, it is possible to handle various sizes of paper with one cassette. Reference numerals 505, 506, and 507 denote paper remaining amount detection sensors, which can detect the remaining amount of paper in three stages of high, medium, and low by optical detection.

  The remaining amount of paper is detected every time several sheets are fed. This is because the thickness per sheet is small, so detection blur may occur depending on the conditions, and several hundred sheets are originally detected in three stages. This is because there is no need. The number of sheets to be detected may be set in the device in advance or may be set artificially. Also, when the power is turned on or when the cassette is pulled out and set again, the remaining amount is detected because the amount of paper may have been changed.

  The remaining amount information of each interlocking machine is notified to the machine that instructed the interlocking operation and may be displayed in a batch there, or all interlocking machines exchange information with each other and confirm the same on all machines You can also. Of course, it can be centrally managed by a third machine other than the linked operation machine, or can be performed by a PC or a personal terminal.

  Hereinafter, a case where the remaining amount information of each interlocking machine is collectively displayed on the machine instructing the interlocking operation will be described.

  The paper remaining amount display of each interlocking machine can be confirmed after the operation is started. This is because a sheet that is actually used as a print sheet cannot be determined until the operation starts or until it is clearly specified by the user. For example, the automatic document size detection function is used, or the user designates a specific paper size.

  Although it is possible to obtain and check each piece of information such as paper size and remaining amount of cassettes installed in each machine before the start of operation as device status, it may be buried in information on paper that is not actually used There is also sex. Of course, before the operation instruction, the user confirms the information and determines and determines the paper size and paper type to be used. Here, the paper to be fed after the operation is once started We will continue to explain how to check the remaining amount. Once the operation is started, since the cassette and paper to be used are specified, it is possible to check the remaining amount of paper more effectively by narrowing down the range.

  For example, when the same A4 size is set in different cassettes by the automatic paper feed stage selection function or the like, even if the paper in one cassette runs out, the paper is continuously fed from the other cassette. There may be no interruptions. For this reason, it is desired that the detection of the remaining amount of paper here is to display not only the remaining amount of paper in units of cassettes but also the remaining amount of paper that can be fed by the machine. For example, it is assumed that A4 vertical size paper is used and the paper is set in the cassette 1 and the cassette 2. Three cassette remaining amount detection sensors are provided for each cassette. In this case, a total of six sensors are installed for two cassettes. If the cassette 3 is also set, the total number of sensors is nine.

  It is necessary to be able to cope with such variable combinations of detection sensors.

  Here, when all the sensors can check the remaining amount of paper, the remaining amount is determined as “high”, and when only one sensor can check the remaining amount of paper, it is determined as “low”. The middle is determined as “medium”. Of course, it is also possible to change the criterion.

  With reference to FIG. 9, an example in which the paper remaining amount information of each linked machine collected as described above is actually displayed on the screen will be described.

  When the user presses the interlocking device designation button 11-1 after the operation is started (between the operation and the end of the operation), a transition is made to the screen shown in FIG. On this screen, the operation status can be grasped. Most of them are the same as those shown in FIG. 8, but the status of the own device is additionally displayed 1301 in italics in the lower row. This line continues to be displayed as it is even when the page backward button 1206 or the page forward button 1204 is pressed. Others that are reversed are other machines that are operating in conjunction. Here, it can be seen that two machines are designated as linked operation target machines. The remaining amount of paper in one machine is “many” as indicated by 1301. The remaining amount display of the own device is “medium” as indicated by 1303. In the case of “many” or “medium”, it is displayed in blue so that it can be recognized. In some cases, the display color may be changed between “many” and “medium”. In 1303, “low” is displayed. It is displayed in yellow so that it can be recognized at a glance. When the paper runs out, the status column becomes “No Paper”, the paper remaining amount column shows “None”, and is displayed in red.

  By checking this screen, the user can grasp the paper remaining status of all the linked devices and can supply paper by himself / herself at the optimal time. An example in which a machine that is likely to run out of paper automatically is predicted, and processing that has been distributed to the machine is reviewed and redistributed will be described below.

  First, the machine that has instructed the linked operation determines the number of copies that each linked target machine should finally print out based on the number of copies assigned to each linked target machine, the total number of original pages, and the function settings accepted in S203. Can be calculated. For example, when printing 20 copies of a 10-page document by duplex printing, the required number of sheets is 10 pages × 20 copies / 2 (double-sided) = 100 sheets.

As described with reference to FIG. 3, each interlocking machine performs its print output process. As the print output process, the print output is performed in S303, and then in S306, the print output is performed to the machine instructing the interlock operation. Notify you that As a result, the machine that has instructed the interlocking operation can grasp the number of prints output by each interlocking machine, and thereby calculate the remaining number of print outputs.
Next, the machine that instructed the interlock operation receives the remaining paper amount information from each interlock target machine as described above, but by receiving the setting of the type (thickness) of the paper to be used in advance, It is possible to estimate the approximate number of printable sheets. For example, when plain paper is set and the remaining amount is detected by the remaining amount detection sensor 507, the remaining number of sheets is estimated based on the thickness of the sheet and the height of the sensor mounting position, such as 50 remaining sheets. it can.

  Therefore, the machine that instructed the interlocking operation calculates from the necessary remaining number of print outputs and the remaining number of sheets, and if the remaining number of sheets is less than the required number of sheets, the interlocking machine will be out of paper and interrupt the process. It becomes possible to predict that As soon as it becomes clear that there is no paper, the machine instructing the interlocking operation changes the number of copies of each machine, and reallocates the portion of the machine that will be out of paper to other machines. Specifically, the operation instruction to the machine that is predicted to be out of paper is canceled when the page break is good before the paper runs out, and the process is terminated. At the same time, the pages after the page that was supposed to be processed are reassigned to other linked machines. The calculation for that charge is the same as that explained in Fig. 2, but the difference is that machines that are predicted to run out of paper are not regarded as linked machines, and the number of copies in charge is reassigned to other machines. It is.

  The criterion for redistribution determination in the first embodiment is performed by detecting the remaining amount of recording material such as toner or ink instead of the remaining amount of paper.

  The criteria for the redistribution determination in the first embodiment are performed based on the maximum load capacity limit of the output tray.

  In the first to third embodiments, the machine instructing the interlocking operation is a PC, and supports the operation from the PC to each image input / output device and receives information from each image input / output device.

  In addition to the embodiments described above, it is possible to print out image data stored in the HDD 202 or the memory 203 instead of scanning the original and reading the image data, or from a third external device. It is also possible to receive and print out image data or page description language.

  The image data may be encoded and communicated.

Is a network connection diagram Is the operation flowchart on the machine that performs the scanning operation Is the operation flowchart on the machine that performs the printing operation Is a diagram showing processing speed information Is the cassette configuration diagram Is the block diagram of the image forming apparatus Diagram showing the operation screen Diagram showing the operation screen Diagram showing the operation screen

Explanation of symbols

101 Network 102 Machine A
103 Machine B
104 Machine C

Claims (9)

User interface means for exchanging information with the user;
Network communication means for exchanging information with other devices via a network;
Image data communication means for communicating image data through the network communication means;
Print interruption factor detection prediction means for detecting and predicting in advance the factors that make it impossible to continue printing;
Printing means for printing out image data;
Network print interlocking means for interlocking with a plurality of devices via a network, and printing one image data simultaneously with a plurality of devices;
Collecting information on the print interruption factor obtained by the print interruption factor detection prediction unit in each device at once, and a print interruption factor detection prediction information processing unit capable of grasping the information,
An image forming system comprising: a predictive redistribution unit that predicts and determines in advance a device that can be interrupted by the print interruption factor detection prediction information processing unit, and redistributes a print process to be performed by the device to another device. system.   The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the print interruption factor detection predicting means detects the remaining amount of print paper and predicts the out of paper.   The print interruption factor detection predicting means detects the remaining amount of recording material such as toner or ink and predicts the remaining amount of the recording material.   The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the print interruption factor detection predicting means detects the number of sheets arranged on the print discharge tray and predicts that the upper limit number of sheets is reached.   The image forming system, wherein the printing unit is combined with a scanner function for reading image data.   The image forming system, wherein the printing unit is combined with a memory function in which image data is stored.   The sheet remaining amount information display means is limited to sheets that may actually be fed and collects and displays the remaining amount of sheets.   The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the predictive redistribution unit performs redistribution when the paper runs out.   The predictive redistribution unit can be realized on a third external device such as a personal computer or a portable terminal.