JP2008201098A - Printing apparatus and printing processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable to shorten printing period even when printing is performed by switching linear speeds on the printing data which includes a mixture of glossy photographic images. <P>SOLUTION: A printing part 13 prints the printing data on a paper by switching linear speeds on a gloss mode and on a character mode. A mode discriminating part 9 discriminates the gloss mode and the character mode on every page of the printing data. A printing controlling part 1 manages each page of the printing data by the page data related to the discriminated mode, and controls printing of the printing part 13 by collecting the printing data page by the gloss mode. An insertion controlling part 17 indicates printing of the printing data page related to the character mode to the printing controlling part 1 when the printing paper discharged is set in an insertion part 15. The insertion controlling part 17 controls insertion paper feeding of the printing paper set in the insertion part 15 and controls adjustment of the printing paper in the order of pages of the printing data to the printing paper discharged from the printing part 13 according to the page data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing processing method, and more particularly to an improvement in a printing apparatus and a printing processing method used for a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a multi-function peripheral (MFP).

  2. Description of the Related Art Recently, image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, facsimile machines, and multifunction machines have a configuration in which a print discharge speed (linear speed) can be switched according to the form of print data such as characters and images.

  In such an image forming apparatus having a plurality of linear velocity functions, for example, as shown in FIG. 3A, color glossy photo (gross) images C1, C3, C4, C5 and monochrome character images B2, B6 are C1, B2, C3. , C4, C5, and B6, when printing the mixed print data in order, the linear speeds of gloss images C1 to C5 and monochrome character images B2 and B6 are significantly different. The motor and development settings are switched and printing is performed as shown in FIG.

  When connecting the post-processing apparatus, the post-processing apparatus is also controlled to stop in conjunction with the operation of the printing unit.

  For example, the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3737369 (Patent Document 1) is of this type.

  That is, this patent document 1 is an image forming apparatus in which a sheet post-processing apparatus having a sheet post-processing alignment tray is attached to an apparatus main body capable of adjusting the sheet conveyance speed, and a sheet is loaded on the alignment tray. A motor for driving the paper discharge roller to be discharged, and a main body side paper output detecting means for detecting that the rear end of the paper has passed a transport roller disposed at a position on the main body side closest to the paper post-processing device; And a control means for controlling the number of revolutions of the motor based on a detection signal output from the main body side paper output detecting means, and the main body side paper output detecting means detects that the rear end of the paper has passed the transport roller. When the staple mode is selected, the paper discharge roller is controlled to decrease in rotation, and the paper interval is set to a large value. Even if the linear speed is changed, high stacking is achieved without using a complicated paper discharge mechanism. Sex It is obtained by allowing a coercive.

  Furthermore, an image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-279844 (Patent Document 2) has also been proposed.

This Patent Document 2 discriminates a color image and a black and white image from an image read by an image reading unit, an automatic color selection processing mode for performing image processing according to an image of a document, and a character portion and a photographic portion. And an automatic image separation mode that performs image processing in accordance with the image of the original, thereby shortening the first copy time for an original including a color image, and improving operability and copy productivity. is there.
Japanese Patent No. 3737369 JP-A-8-279844

  However, in the prior arts including Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, when printing a color image with a high resolution, for example, the discharge line speed is reduced to ensure good print quality. As shown in FIG. 3A described above, when printing print data in which a gloss image and a monochrome character image are mixed in the order of C1, B2, C3, C4, C5, and B6, as shown in FIG. 4A, the gloss image C1 In order to switch the linear speed between the printing process of C5 and the monochrome character images B2 and B6, the operation of the printing section is stopped, and the paper interval S for switching the conveyance motor and the development setting is necessary, and the period required for printing is greatly increased. Tend to be long.

  For convenience, the color images C1 to C5 in FIG. 4 are illustrated as the same printing period as the black and white character images B2 and B6 (the same applies hereinafter).

  In addition, when post-processing such as finisher is performed on the printed paper after it has been ejected, the operation of the printing unit is stopped and the operation of the paper ejection stage is also stopped in response to the change of the linear velocity. It is necessary and the conveyance of the printing paper to the post-processing tends to be delayed, and the end period of the print job including the post-processing tends to be long.

  In particular, when the number of copies to be printed increases, the time required for printing becomes extremely long.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and a printing apparatus and printing that can shorten the period until the printing is completed even when printing data having a gloss image is switched to the gloss linear speed and printed. The purpose is to provide a processing method.

  In order to solve such a problem, a printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a printing unit capable of printing on a print medium by switching a linear speed between a gloss mode and a character mode according to print data, and for each page of the print data. A mode discriminating unit for discriminating between a gloss mode and a character mode, and each page of the print data is managed by page data associated with the discriminating mode, and the print data pages corresponding to each discrimination mode are collectively collected by the printing unit. A print control unit for controlling printing, an insertion unit in which a discharged print medium is set for insertion, and printing of a print data page according to the other mode when the print medium is set in the insertion unit In response to the page data, the print medium set in the insertion section is inserted and fed to the print medium discharged from the printing section to control the page order of the print data. mark And comprising a plug control unit for adjusting and controlling the media.

  The printing apparatus of the present invention may have a configuration including a post-processing unit that performs post-processing of the print medium adjusted to the page order of the print data.

  In the printing apparatus according to the present invention, the print control unit may first perform print control of the print data pages in the gross mode first.

  In the printing apparatus of the present invention, the character mode may be a monochrome character mode or a color character mode.

  A print processing method according to the present invention includes a mode determination process for determining a gloss mode and a character mode for each page of print data, a data management process for managing each page of the print data with page data associated with the determination mode, Based on the page data, the print control process for collectively controlling the print data pages corresponding to the same discrimination mode, and the print data on the print medium in the corresponding gloss mode and the character mode based on the print control by the print control process. Print processing for switching printing, insertion set processing for setting the discharged print medium in the insertion portion, and printing of print data pages according to other modes when the print medium is set in the insertion portion Instructing the control process, the print medium inserted and set according to the page data is printed on the print medium according to the other mode printed and discharged. And comprising a plug control process for adjusting and controlling the print medium is controlled to write feed the page order of the print data.

  The print processing method of the present invention can be configured to perform post-processing of the print medium adjusted to the page order of the print data.

  In the print processing method of the present invention, the print control process may be configured to print control the print data pages in the gross mode first.

  In the print processing method of the present invention, the character mode may be a monochrome character mode or a color character mode.

  In such a printing apparatus and print processing method according to the present invention, the gloss mode and the character mode are determined for each page of the print data by the mode determination unit, and each page of the print data is determined in the determination mode by the print control unit. In addition to managing the page data associated with the print data, the print data pages corresponding to each mode are collectively printed, and based on this print control, the print data is switched to the corresponding mode line speed and printed by the printing unit. When the discharged print medium is set in the plug-in unit, the plug-in control unit instructs the print control unit to print the print data page according to another mode and discharges it from the print unit. In accordance with the above page data, the print medium set in the insertion section is inserted and fed and controlled to adjust the print medium in the page order of the print data. Even if you want to print by switching, it is possible to shorten the period until the completion of printing.

  In the present invention, in the configuration in which the print medium adjusted in the page order of the print data is post-processed, the period until the post-process is completed can be shortened.

  In the present invention, in the configuration in which the print control unit collectively prints the print data pages in the gloss mode first, the period until the printing is completed and the post-processing is completed even when the gloss data pages are mixed in the print data. It is possible to shorten the period until.

  In the present invention, in the configuration in which the mode discriminating unit discriminates the linear speed of the second speed or higher, even when various color pages are mixed in the print data, the period until the printing is completed and the period until the post-processing is completed are shortened. Is possible.

  In the present invention, in the configuration in which the character mode is the black and white character mode or the color character mode, even if the print data includes a gloss image, black and white characters, and color character pages, the period until the printing is completed and the time until the post-processing is completed. The period can be shortened.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an embodiment of a printing apparatus according to the present invention. The print processing method according to the present invention will be described in the course of describing the printing apparatus.

  1, the printing apparatus according to the present invention includes an image reading unit 3, a communication unit 5, a storage unit 7, a mode determination unit 9, an operation panel unit 11, a printing unit 13, and a plug-in unit centered on the print control unit 1. 15 and an insertion control unit 17. The print control unit 1 controls the image reading unit 3, the communication unit 5, the storage unit 7, the mode determination unit 9, the operation panel unit 11, the printing unit 13, and the insertion control unit 17, which will be described in detail later. .

  For example, in the image forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 2, the image reading unit 3 is arranged on the upper part of the main body case 19. Under the control of the print control unit 1, for example, a plurality of pages including photographic images and black and white character images mixed for each page. A well-known scanner or the like that optically reads these images from a document and generates electronic print data as a print job by performing filter processing, scaling processing, gradation processing, and the like. Are sequentially stored in the storage unit 7. The internal configuration of the image forming apparatus A will be described later.

  Under the control of the print control unit 1, the communication unit 5 receives print data including photographic images and black and white character images with a predetermined protocol via a network (not shown), for example, for each page. The interface unit sequentially stores in the storage unit 7.

  The storage unit 7 is, for example, a hard disk (HDD) that stores an operation program of the print control unit 1 in addition to a function of storing page data (to be described later) in addition to print data from the image reading unit 3 and the communication unit 5.

  The mode discriminating unit 9 discriminates the discharge line speed for each page of the print data stored in the storage unit 7, and the individual pages of the print data are in the color glossy photo (gross) mode, the color character mode, and the monochrome character mode. It has a function of discriminating which one corresponds and outputting a mode discrimination result for each page to the print control unit 1.

  The method for determining the discharge linear speed of print data is a known method. For example, for each page, the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the gradation data of each pixel in a predetermined determination area is constant. When it is smaller than the value, it is determined as the black and white character mode, the continuity and frequency of chromatic pixels in all pixels are counted, and if the counting result exceeds a certain value, it is determined as the color character mode, and the counting result is specified. If the value is greater than or equal to, the gross mode is determined.

  The operation panel unit 11 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display panel disposed on the upper portion of the main body case 19 of the image forming apparatus A in FIG. 2 and a liquid crystal operation panel that also serves as a touch switch input unit.

  The operation panel unit 11 selects a print sheet as a print medium to be printed, executes or cancels printing, performs a print processing method according to the present invention, that is, executes or stops collective printing for each linear speed mode, and other conventionally known display inputs It has a function and is controlled by the print control unit 1.

  The printing unit 13 is arranged in the main body case 19 of the image forming apparatus A in FIG. 2, prints print data on a transport sheet, and discharges it. According to the gloss mode, the color character mode, or the black and white character mode, The printing operation can be performed by switching and setting the sheet conveyance speed, the image transfer and fixing speed, and the like. The gross mode is the slowest, and the color character mode and the black and white character mode become faster in this order.

  The print control unit 1 includes a CPU, a memory unit that stores an operation program for the CPU, and an input / output interface (none of which are shown), and the image reading unit 3, the communication unit 5, the storage unit 7, and the mode described above. It controls the determination part 9, the operation panel part 11, and the printing part 13, and is connected also to the insertion control part 17, and has the following functions.

  The print control unit 1 creates page data in which the page order of the print data stored in the storage unit 7 is associated with the determination mode based on the mode determination result from the mode determination unit 9 and stores the page data in the storage unit 5. Based on the page data, for example, the printing unit 13 is controlled to print the corresponding print data pages collectively at a slow linear speed mode, that is, the gloss mode linear speed, and when printing of the print data page in the gloss mode is finished, the printing is performed. The unit 13 has a function of performing standby control.

  Further, the print control unit 1 controls the printing unit 13 to switch to the line speed of the next fastest character mode, that is, the black and white character mode, according to the instruction information from the insertion control unit 17 described later, and prints the corresponding print data pages collectively. The printing unit 13 has a function to control printing.

  In the main body case 19 of the image forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 2, the plug-in unit 15 is disposed on the upper portion of the post-processing device 23 disposed in the vicinity of the paper discharge unit 21, and is disposed in the post-processing device 23. This is a sheet inserter in which the printing paper discharged to the paper tray 25 is set for insertion, and has a function of detecting when printing paper is set and outputting a set signal to the insertion control unit 17. Yes.

  The printing paper set in the insertion unit 15 is controlled to be fed one by one in the direction of the paper discharge tray 25 under the control of the insertion control unit 17.

  The insertion control unit 17 includes a CPU, a memory unit that stores an operation program of the CPU, and an input / output interface (none of which are shown), and receives a set signal when printing paper is set in the insertion unit 15. In this case, the print control unit 1 is instructed to print the next linear velocity, for example, the print data page according to the black and white character mode, and has a function of operating in cooperation therewith.

  The insertion control unit 17 controls the insertion and feeding of the printing paper set in the insertion unit 15 in accordance with the above-described page data with respect to the printing paper discharged from the printing unit 13 in this mode, and the source of the printing data Has the function of adjusting and controlling the printing paper in the page order.

  The insertion of the printing paper set in the insertion section 15 and the printing paper discharged from the printing section 13 is performed by switching the branch lever 27 according to the page data, as described later, and the printing paper and printing from the insertion section 15. The printing paper from the section 13 is selected by switching.

  As will be described later, the insertion control unit 17 performs post-processing such as an intermediate stack unit 29 for collecting and stapling a plurality of discharged print sheets, a folding processing unit 31 for folding the stored print sheets, and the like. A function of controlling the start of operation of the unit.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the image forming apparatus A and the post-processing apparatus 23 described above.

  In FIG. 2, in addition to the paper feed cassettes 33 and 35, the lower side of the main body case 19 of the image forming apparatus A is secondary feeding paper that is primarily fed from these paper feed cassettes 33 and 35. The above-described printing unit 13 including a transfer fixing unit 37 that transfers and fixes an image of print data is disposed.

  The printing unit 13 is capable of monochrome printing, color printing, and glossy color printing by switching settings, and a reversing conveyance unit 39 that reverses the front and back of the printing paper on which an image is transferred and fixed on one side and returns it to the transfer fixing unit 37. Have.

  Above the main body case 19, the image reading unit 3 and the operation panel unit 11 described above are arranged, and the print control unit 1, the communication unit 5, the storage unit 7, and the mode determination unit 9 are arranged in an appropriate manner inside the main body case 19. Electronic circuits are formed and arranged at various positions.

  As described above, the post-processing device 23 is connected to the paper discharge unit 21 side of the printing unit 13.

  The post-processing device 23 includes a paper discharge tray 25 for collecting printing paper discharged from the printing unit 13, the above-described insertion unit 15, insertion control unit 17, branch lever 27, intermediate stack unit 29, and bending processing unit 31. have.

  Reference numeral 41 in the post-processing device 23 is a branch lever that determines whether the printing paper from the insertion section 15 and the printing paper from the printing section 13 are discharged to the discharge tray 25 or the intermediate stack section 29. These are controlled by the post-processing control unit 17, and reference numerals 43 and 45 are discharge trays for printing paper from the intermediate stack unit 29 and the bending processing unit 31.

  Next, the operation of the printing apparatus of the present invention will be described.

  For example, print data composed of gloss images C1 to C5 and monochrome character images B2 and B6 as shown in FIG. 3A is stored in the storage unit 5, and an example of printing this will be described.

  When a printing instruction is issued, the mode determination unit 9 reads the print data stored in the storage unit 7 to determine the discharge linear speed for each page, and for example, whether it corresponds to the gloss mode or the monochrome character mode. The discrimination process is performed, and the discrimination result of the gloss mode and the monochrome character mode is output to the print control unit 1.

  The print control unit 1 creates page data that manages the page order of the print data with the page data associated with the determination mode, and stores the page data in the storage unit 5.

  The print control unit 1 controls the printing unit 13 to switch to the gloss mode with a low linear speed based on the page data, and performs print control of the corresponding print data pages collectively for the printing unit 13.

Based on the print control by the print control process, the printing unit 13 conveys the paper from the paper feed cassettes 33 and 35, transfers and fixes the image in the gloss mode, and discharges the print. The sheet is discharged to a discharge tray 25 of the post-processing device.
As shown in FIG. 4B, the periods T1 and T2 are glossy photo page portions (for two sets) of the print data that has been printed and discharged first in the gloss mode.

  Next, when the printing paper discharged and printed in the gloss mode is set in the insertion unit 15, a set signal is output from the insertion unit 15 to the insertion control unit 17, and the insertion control unit 17 is based on the set signal. Instructs the print control process to print the print data page according to the next character mode.

  The print control unit 1 controls the printing unit 13 to switch to the monochrome character mode which is the next fastest linear speed based on the page data, and performs print control of the print data pages collectively in the corresponding mode for the printing unit 13; The printing unit 13 prints the print data page on the transported paper that has been printed and discharged in the black and white character mode, and performs a paper discharge process.

  The insertion control unit 17 performs switching control of the branch lever 27 according to the page data, and performs switching selection processing between the printing paper set in the insertion unit 15 and the printing paper discharged from the printing unit 13, and prints out in the gloss mode. The printed printing paper is inserted into the printing paper that has been printed and discharged in the black and white character mode, and adjusted to the page order of the original printing data.

  The period T3 shown in FIG. 4B is a portion (one set) where the printing paper that has been printed and discharged later in the black and white character mode is inserted and fed with respect to the printing paper that has been printed and discharged first in the gloss mode. .

  The printing paper adjusted to the page order of the original print data is conveyed to the intermediate stack unit 29 by the operation control of the branch lever 41 and stapled, or is conveyed to the folding processing unit 31 and folded or the like. Processing is performed, and the paper is discharged onto the paper discharge trays 43 and 45.

  Such a processing procedure is the print processing method according to the present invention.

  As described above, in the printing apparatus according to the present invention, the printing unit 13 that can perform printing by switching the line speed between the gloss mode and the character mode on the conveyance paper according to the print data, and the gloss mode and the character mode for each page of the print data. A mode discriminating section 9 for discriminating the linear velocity of the print data, and a print control section for managing each print data by page data associated with the discriminating mode and controlling printing by the printing section 13 from the print data pages in the gross mode. 1, the insertion unit 15 in which the discharged print paper is set for insertion, and when the print paper is set in the insertion unit 15, the print control unit 1 prints the print data page according to the character mode. In accordance with the page data, the printing paper set in the insertion unit 15 is inserted and fed to the printing paper discharged from the printing unit 13 to adjust the printing paper in the page order of the printing data. And comprising a plug control unit 17.

  For this reason, since the print control unit 1 performs print control of print data pages collectively from the gloss mode with a slow linear speed, the operation of the print unit is stopped by switching between the gloss mode and the character mode, and the conveyance motor or transfer fixing setting is performed. The period until the printing is completed and the period until the completion of post-processing can be shortened.

  In addition, it is possible to use a conventional sheet inserter as the insertion portion 15, which can be dealt with only by changing the operation program of the print control portion 1 and the insertion control portion 17, and greatly changes the conventional mechanism structure. There are few advantages.

  Furthermore, since the gross image page is detected as a print data page with a slow linear speed and is previously printed together, as shown in FIG. 4B, the stoppage and waiting period due to the linear speed switching between the gross mode and the character mode are greatly increased. Even if color photo pages and character image pages are mixed in the print data, it is possible to shorten the period until completion of printing and the period until completion of post-processing.

  That is, the present invention is particularly useful in a configuration in which print data pages are collectively printed first from a color photo page with a slow linear speed.

  In addition, since the post-processing unit 23 that performs post-processing of the printing paper adjusted to the page order of the print data is provided, the printing paper can be quickly carried out to the post-processing step, and the period until the post-processing is completed is shortened. The

  The insertion unit 15 according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration arranged in the post-processing device 23, but can be arranged in the image forming apparatus A. In short, the paper discharge unit 21 from the printing unit 13 is important. The object of the present invention can be achieved at any position as long as it is disposed after this point.

  Further, in the present invention, the mode to be discriminated is not limited to the two-line speed of the gloss mode and the monochrome character mode. For example, the character mode may be a color character mode and / or a monochrome character mode. Various forms such as the second speed of the character mode, the gloss mode, the color character mode, and the third speed of the gloss mode are possible.

  In addition, the paper used for implementation of this invention can be implemented not only with a paper medium but with a synthetic resin sheet and other printing media.

  By the way, the print processing method according to the present invention can achieve the same effects as those of the printing apparatus.

1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a printing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating the printing apparatus of FIG. 1 together with an image forming apparatus and a post-processing apparatus. It is a figure explaining the example of the content of print data. It is a figure explaining the printing operation in this invention and the conventional printing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Print control part 3 Image reading part 5 Communication part 7 Storage part 9 Mode discrimination | determination part 11 Operation panel part 13 Printing part 15 Insertion part 17 Insertion control part 19 Main body case 21 Paper discharge part 23 Post-processing apparatus 25, 43, 45 Paper discharge trays 27 and 41 Branch lever 29 Intermediate stack part 31 Bending parts 33 and 35 Paper feed cassette 37 Transfer fixing part 39 Reverse conveyance part A Image forming apparatus

Claims (8)

A print unit capable of printing by switching the line speed between a gloss mode and a character mode on a print medium according to print data;
A mode discriminator for discriminating between the gloss mode and the character mode for each page of the print data;
A print control unit that manages each page of the print data with page data associated with the determination mode, and collectively controls the print data pages corresponding to one of the same determination modes, and the print unit controls printing.
An insertion portion in which the discharged print medium is set for insertion; and
When the print medium is set in the insertion unit, the print control unit is instructed to print the print data page according to the other mode, and the page is output to the print medium discharged from the print unit. According to the data, the insertion control unit that controls the feeding of the print medium set in the insertion unit and adjusts the print medium in the page order of the print data,
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a post-processing unit that performs post-processing of the print medium adjusted to a page order of the print data. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print control unit collectively prints the print data pages in the gloss mode. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character mode is a monochrome character mode or a color character mode. Mode discrimination processing for discriminating between the gloss mode and the character mode for each page of print data;
A data management process for managing each page of the print data with page data associated with the determination mode;
A print control process for collectively controlling the print data pages corresponding to each of the same determination modes based on the page data;
A print process for printing the print data on the print medium by switching a line speed in a corresponding gloss mode or character mode based on the print control by the print control process;
An insertion setting process for setting the discharged print medium in the insertion portion;
When the print medium is set in the insertion portion, the print control page is instructed to print the print data page according to the other mode, and the print and the discharged paper according to the other mode are printed. Insertion control processing for adjusting and controlling the print medium according to the page order of the print data by inserting and feeding the print medium inserted and set according to the page data with respect to the medium;
A print processing method comprising: The print processing method according to claim 5, wherein the print medium adjusted to a page order of the print data is post-processed. The print processing method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the print control process controls printing of the print data pages in the gloss mode collectively. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the character mode is a monochrome character mode or a color character mode.

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