JP2009207194A - Method of printing, device for printing and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable increasing a degree of freedom of print expression in an N-up printing system. <P>SOLUTION: In a printing device which operates to acquire pieces of image data respectively corresponding to a plurality of pages and to print, based on the image data, the images of the plurality of pages at given positions on a single print medium in an array, a print mode in printing the images of the pages on the print medium can be set different on a page-by-page basis. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a printing method, a computer system, and a computer program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been used a printing apparatus that includes a scanner unit for reading an image from a document and a printing unit that prints an image read by the scanner unit on a printing medium such as paper, and can perform a copying operation. Yes. Until now, many of these printers have performed monochrome printing on paper, but recently, the printing mode for printing on paper has been set by switching to color printing mode or monochrome printing mode for each paper. Possible printing devices are mainstream. In other words, the print mode can be designated for each sheet by pressing either the color copy button or the monochrome copy button on the operation panel (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
On the other hand, in such a printing apparatus, as one of convenient functions, so-called layout printing (hereinafter referred to as N-up printing) in which images of N pages of originals read from N originals are arranged and printed on a single sheet of paper. Some are equipped with this function.

  The N-up printing will be described by taking 2-up printing as an example. First, the user selects “2-up printing” from the printing method setting menu screen prepared on the operation panel unit of the printing apparatus. Next, the user sets the first document on the platen glass and presses either the color copy button or the monochrome copy button on the operation panel unit. Then, the scanner unit reads the image corresponding to the first page from the document on the platen glass, and prints this image on the left half area of the sheet. Next, the user replaces and sets the original on the platen glass with the second original, and presses either the color copy button or the monochrome copy button again. Then, the scanner unit reads an image corresponding to the second page from the second original on the platen glass, and prints this image on the remaining right half area of the paper.

JP-A-2002-247382 (2nd page)

  However, in this N-up printing, the print mode for all pages to be printed on the paper is determined by the copy button operation on the first original document, so that color printing is performed only in units of paper. Alternatively, the print mode cannot be changed as monochrome printing, and the print mode for each page in the paper cannot be changed.

  That is, the above-described copy button operation for the second original only has an effect of instructing the scanner unit to start an image reading operation from the second original, and sets the print mode for the second page. It wasn't. For example, when the first document is a monochrome document and the second is a color photo document, if the monochrome copy button is pressed as the first copy button operation, the color copy button is pressed even when the second document is pressed. However, the printing mode is fixed to monochrome printing over the entire surface of the paper, and the image of the second page, which should have been a color photograph, was also printed in monochrome. As a result, the degree of freedom of print expression on paper has been remarkably limited.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, a printing method, a computer system, and a computer program capable of expanding the degree of freedom of print expression in the N-up printing method. Is to realize.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the main present invention acquires image data corresponding to a plurality of pages, respectively, and based on these image data, images of the plurality of pages at a predetermined position of a single print medium. In the printing apparatus that prints images side by side, a printing mode for printing an image of the page on a printing medium can be set differently for each page.
Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a printing apparatus, a printing method, a computer system, and a computer program that can expand the degree of freedom of printing expression in the N-up printing method.

It is the perspective view which showed schematic structure of the printing apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the state which opened the cover of the scanner part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the internal structure of a printing apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the state which exposed the inside of the printer part. It is a figure which shows an example of an operation panel part. It is explanatory drawing which shows quality mode. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement around a print head. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the drive part of a printing paper conveyance mechanism. It is explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement | sequence of a nozzle. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a drive signal generation part. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a control circuit. It is explanatory drawing of the 2 up printing system of this embodiment. It is a flowchart of 2 up printing of this embodiment. 14A to 14B are explanatory diagrams of a document set. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the control circuit in the case of 2 up printing. It is a conceptual diagram of the binary data of the first layout buffer. 17A to 17G are conceptual diagrams of layout image data in the second layout buffer. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a state during printing before reading an image “B”. It is explanatory drawing which showed the external appearance structure of the computer system. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a computer system. It is explanatory drawing of 4 up printing.

At least the following will be made clear by the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.
In the printing apparatus that acquires image data corresponding to a plurality of pages, and prints the images of the plurality of pages side by side at a predetermined position of a single printing medium based on the image data, for each page, A printing apparatus, wherein the printing mode for printing an image of the page on a printing medium can be set differently.

  According to such a printing apparatus, the print mode of each page that is printed side by side at a predetermined position on the print medium can be made different for each page, thereby increasing the degree of freedom of print expression on the print medium. be able to.

In such a printing apparatus, the printing mode is selected and set from a monochrome printing mode in which monochrome printing is performed with one basic color and a color printing mode in which multicolor printing is performed by combining a plurality of different basic colors. Is desirable.
According to such a printing apparatus, each page to be printed side by side at a predetermined position on one printing medium can be set to either single-color printing or multi-color printing for each page, so that printing on the printing medium is possible. The degree of freedom of expression can be expanded.

In this printing apparatus, the image data corresponding to the page is acquired as RGB data, and for the page set in the color printing mode, the RGB data corresponding to the page is converted into CMYK data and printed. On the other hand, for a page set in the monochrome printing mode, it is desirable to convert RGB data corresponding to the page into K data for printing.
According to such a printing apparatus, as long as the image data corresponding to each page is acquired in the format of RGB data, the printing apparatus converts the data into data corresponding to the set print mode and prints. Excellent data compatibility.

In the printing apparatus, it is preferable that the printing mode is selected and set from a plurality of quality modes having different printing resolutions.
According to such a printing apparatus, each page printed side by side at a predetermined position on the printing medium can be printed by changing the printing resolution for each page, so that the printing expression on the printing medium can be freely performed. Can expand the degree.

In such a printing apparatus, it is desirable to perform image reading from a document a plurality of times to acquire image data corresponding to a plurality of pages, respectively.
According to such a printing apparatus, it is possible to perform printing with different print modes for each of a plurality of pages of images acquired by reading an image from a document.

The printing apparatus preferably includes a print mode setting unit for setting the print mode, and the print mode setting unit preferably receives a print mode setting input each time the reading operation is performed.
According to such a printing apparatus, a print mode can be set for each of a plurality of pages of images acquired by reading an image from a document.

Further, in a printing apparatus that acquires image data corresponding to a plurality of pages and prints the images of the plurality of pages side by side at predetermined positions on a single printing medium based on the image data, A printing mode setting unit that sets a printing mode for printing an image on a printing medium is provided, and an operation of reading an image from a document is performed a plurality of times to obtain image data corresponding to a plurality of pages as RGB data. Each time the reading operation is performed, the print mode setting unit receives a print mode setting input for the acquired image data. The print mode is different from a monochrome print mode in which a single color is printed with one basic color. Is selected and set from the color printing mode for multi-color printing by combining the basic colors and set to the color printing mode For a printed page, the image data corresponding to the page is converted into CMYK data and printed. On the other hand, for the page set to the monochrome print mode, the image data corresponding to the page is converted to K data. It is desirable to convert and print.
According to such a printing apparatus, since all the effects described above are exhibited, the object of the present invention is achieved most effectively.

Further, in the printing method for acquiring image data corresponding to a plurality of pages and printing the images of the plurality of pages side by side at predetermined positions on a single printing medium based on the image data, for each page A printing method characterized by being able to set different print modes when printing an image of the page on a printing medium.
According to such a printing method, the print mode of each page that is printed side by side at a predetermined position on the print medium can be made different for each page, thereby increasing the degree of freedom of print expression on the print medium. be able to.

In addition, a computer system including a computer main body and a printing apparatus connected to the computer main body so as to be communicable, each acquiring image data corresponding to a plurality of pages from the computer main body, Based on this, the images of the plurality of pages can be printed side by side at a predetermined position on a single print medium, and the print mode for printing the page images on the print medium can be set for each page. A computer system characterized by that.
According to such a computer system, the print mode of each page printed side by side at a predetermined position on the print medium can be made different for each page, thereby increasing the degree of freedom of print expression on the print medium. be able to.

In addition, for each of the printing apparatuses that respectively acquire image data corresponding to a plurality of pages and print the images of the plurality of pages side by side at a predetermined position of a single printing medium based on the image data, A computer program for realizing a function that enables setting by changing a print mode when printing an image of a page on a printing medium for each page.
According to such a computer program, it is possible to change the print mode of each page printed side by side at a predetermined position on the print medium, thereby increasing the degree of freedom of print expression on the print medium. be able to.

=== General Configuration of Printing Apparatus ===
A schematic configuration of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a cover of a scanner unit 10 is opened, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the printing apparatus. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the inside of the printer unit is exposed, and FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation panel unit. The printing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a scanner function for inputting an original image, a printer function for printing an image on a print medium such as paper based on image data, and a local function for printing an image input by the scanner function on paper or the like. This is a scanner / printer / copy composite apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an SPC composite apparatus) having a copy function.

  The SPC multifunction apparatus 1 includes a scanner unit 10 for reading an image of a document 5 and inputting it as image data, a printer unit 30 for printing an image on a printing medium such as paper based on the image data, and the SPC multifunction apparatus 1. It has a control circuit 50 that controls the entire system and an operation panel unit 70 that serves as input means. Under the control of the control circuit 50, a scanner function, a printer function, and a local copy function for printing data input from the scanner unit 10 by the printer unit 30 are realized.

  The scanner unit 10 is disposed on the printer unit 30. On the upper part of the scanner unit 10, a document table glass 12 for placing the document 5 to be read, and a document table when reading the sheet-shaped document 5 or when not in use. A document table cover 14 that covers the glass 12 is provided. The document table cover 14 is formed to be openable and closable, and has a function of pressing a document placed on the document table glass 12 toward the document table glass 12 when the document table cover 14 is closed. Further, a paper supply unit 32 for supplying the paper 7 to the printer unit 30 is provided on the back side of the SPC multifunction apparatus 1, and the printed paper 7 is discharged on the lower side on the front side. An operation panel unit 70 is provided as an input unit on the upper side of the unit 34, and a control circuit 50 is built in the printer unit 30.

  The paper discharge unit 34 is provided with a paper discharge tray 341 that can close the paper discharge port when not in use, and the paper supply unit 32 is provided with a paper feed tray 321 that holds cut paper (not shown). ing. The printing medium to be used for printing is not limited to single-sheet printing paper such as cut paper, but may be continuous printing paper such as roll paper, and a paper feed structure that enables the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 to print on roll paper. May be provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the printer unit 30 and the scanner unit 10 are coupled to each other by a hinge mechanism 41 on the back side, and the scanner unit 10 unitized around the rotating unit of the hinge mechanism 41 is on the front side. Lifted from. In a state where the scanner unit 10 is lifted, the inside of the printer unit 30 is exposed from an opening 301 provided in an upper portion of a cover that covers the printer unit 30. By exposing the inside of the printer unit 30 in this manner, the ink cartridge and the like can be easily replaced, and a paper jam can be easily processed.

  A power supply unit for the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 is provided on the printer unit 30 side, and a power supply cable 43 for supplying power to the scanner unit 10 is provided in the vicinity of the hinge mechanism 41. Further, the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 is provided with a USB interface 52 for realizing the image capturing to the host computer 3 by the scanner function and the output of the image data transmitted from the host computer 3 by the printer function. .

=== Configuration of Operation Panel 70 ===
As shown in FIG. 5, the operation panel unit 70 is provided with a liquid crystal display 72 and a notification lamp 74 at substantially the center thereof. The liquid crystal display 72 can display 32 characters of 2 rows and 16 digits, and can display setting items, setting states, operation states, and the like in characters. A notification lamp 74 provided on the side of the liquid crystal display 72 is a red LED, and is lit when an error occurs to notify the user of the occurrence of the error.

On the left side of the liquid crystal display 72, a power button 76, a scan start button 78, a setting display button 80, and a clear button 82 are provided. The power button 76 is a button for turning on / off the power of the SPC multifunction apparatus 1. The scan start button 78 is a button for starting reading of the original 5 by the scanner unit 10 in a state where the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 is connected to the host computer 3. The setting display button 80 is a button for causing the liquid crystal display 72 to display a setting state for the copy function set by the user. The clear button 82 is a button for clearing the setting for the copy function and changing each setting item to a default value.
On the right side of the liquid crystal display 72, a color copy button 84, a monochrome copy button 86, a stop button 88, and a copy number setting button 90 are provided.

  The color copy button 84 is a button for starting color copy, and the monochrome copy button 86 is a button for starting monochrome copy. Therefore, these copy buttons 84 and 86 serve as both a copy operation start instruction and a selection means for selecting whether a print image to be output is color or monochrome. Specifically, by pressing one of these copy buttons 84 and 86, print mode information that defines whether to print in color printing mode or monochrome printing mode is generated, and an input signal including this information is received. It is transmitted to the CPU 54. This print mode information is used for N-up printing processing, which is a characteristic feature of the present invention described later. The stop button 88 is a button for stopping the started copy operation.

  The copy number setting button 90 is composed of two buttons 901 and 902 having “+” or “−” on the front surface. When the “+” button 901 is pressed, the set number is increased, and the “−” button 902 is displayed. Press to decrease the set number.

  A menu button 92 for switching setting items displayed on the liquid crystal display 72 is provided on the front side of the liquid crystal display 72. The menu button 92 is composed of two buttons arranged on the left and right, and a left-pointing arrow or a right-pointing arrow is shown respectively. Each time the left or right menu button 92 is pressed, the setting items to be displayed are sequentially switched in the determined order, and when the display is completed, the first setting item is displayed. The left and right arrows are for changing the order in which the setting items are displayed, and both buttons 92 display the setting items in the reverse order of the display order when the other buttons are pressed.

  With this menu button 92, the quality mode can be set for each paper type. This quality mode relates to the image quality of the image printed on the paper, that is, the print resolution for printing by the printer unit 30 is mainly determined by the selection of the quality mode.

  FIG. 7 illustrates the quality modes prepared in the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. For example, three types of quality modes of “economy, fast, and beautiful” can be selected for plain paper. For super fine paper, two types of “fast and beautiful” can be selected. For glossy paper, PM photographic paper, and PM matte paper, which generally require higher image quality than these plain papers, a “clean” quality mode is provided for each. The user operates the menu button 92 as appropriate while viewing the liquid crystal display 72 to input this quality mode. The quality mode information generated based on this input is transmitted to the CPU 54 together with the input signal by the copy button operation.

=== Configuration of Scanner Unit 10 ===
The scanner unit 10 includes a document table glass 12 on which the document 5 is placed, a document table cover 14 for pressing the reading surface of the document 5 placed on the document table glass 12 toward the document table glass 12, The reading carriage 16 that faces the document glass 12 and scans along the document 5 while keeping a certain distance from the document glass 12, the driving means 18 for scanning the reading carriage 16, and the reading carriage 16 in a stable state. And a regulation guide 20 for scanning.

  The reading carriage 16 includes an exposure lamp 22 as a light source for irradiating the document 5 with light through the document table glass 12, a lens 24 for condensing the reflected light from the document 5, and a reflected light from the document 5 to the lens 24 And a CCD sensor 28 that receives reflected light transmitted through the lens, and a guide receiving portion 29 that engages with the restriction guide 20.

  The CCD sensor 28 is composed of three linear sensors in which photodiodes that convert optical signals into electric signals are arranged in a row, and these three linear sensors are arranged in parallel. The CCD sensor 28 includes three filters of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) (not shown), and different color filters are provided for each linear sensor. Each linear sensor detects light of a component corresponding to the color of the filter. For example, a linear sensor including an R filter detects the intensity of red component light. The three linear sensors are arranged along a direction (hereinafter referred to as a main scanning direction) substantially orthogonal to a moving direction of the reading carriage 16 (hereinafter referred to as a sub scanning direction).

  Since the length of the CCD sensor 28 is sufficiently shorter than the width of the readable original 5 (the length in the main scanning direction), the image of the reflected light of the original 5 is reduced by the lens 24 and connected to the CCD sensor 28. I will make you image. That is, the lens 24 interposed between the document 5 and the CCD sensor 28 is disposed close to the CCD sensor 28 side, and the distance between the document 5 and the lens 24 needs to be set long, and a long optical path length is required. Is done. For this reason, in order to ensure the distance between the document 5 and the lens 24 within the limited space of the scanning scanning carriage 16, the light is reflected by the four mirrors 26 to ensure a long optical path length.

  The reflected light from the document 5 is reflected by the four mirrors 26 and passes through the lens 24 to reach the CCD sensor 28. However, since the three linear sensors are arranged in parallel, they are simultaneously connected to each linear sensor. The reflection position of the reflected light to be imaged with respect to the document is displaced in the sub-scanning direction by the interval of the linear sensor. For this reason, the scanner control unit 58 (FIG. 11) of the control circuit 50 performs a line-to-line correction process for correcting this shift. The interline correction process will be described later.

  The restriction guide 20 is provided along the sub-scanning direction and is formed of a stainless steel cylindrical material. The restriction guide 20 is provided on the reading carriage 16 and penetrates through two guide receiving portions 29 formed of thrust bearings. By widening the distance in the sub-scanning direction between the two guide receiving portions 29 provided on the reading carriage 16, the reading carriage 16 can be stably scanned.

  The driving unit 18 includes an annular timing belt 181 fixed to the reading carriage 16 and a pulley 182 that meshes with the timing belt 181, and a pulse motor 183 disposed on one end side in the sub-scanning direction, and the other And an idler pulley 184 that is arranged on the end side of the belt and applies tension to the timing belt 181. The pulse motor 183 is driven by the scanner control unit 58 (FIG. 11) of the control circuit 50. The read image is scanned in the sub scanning direction by the scanning speed of the reading carriage 16 which is changed according to the speed of the pulse motor 183. It becomes possible to enlarge and reduce.

  The scanner unit 10 irradiates the document 5 with light from the exposure lamp 22 and moves the reading carriage 16 along the document 5 while imaging the reflected light on the CCD sensor 28. At this time, by reading the voltage value indicating the amount of light received by the CCD sensor 28 at a predetermined cycle, an image corresponding to the distance moved by the reading carriage 16 during one cycle is used as data for one line of the output image. Take in. At this time, three data of R component, G component, and B component are taken in as data for one line.

=== Configuration of Printer 30 ===
The printer unit 30 employs an inkjet method. Then, using four colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) as basic colors, these color inks are ejected onto a printing medium such as printing paper to form dots. To form a color image. The printer unit 30 is also capable of monochrome printing that outputs a monochrome image using only black (K) color ink. Whether to output this color image or monochrome image is based on the binary data after the binarization processing, and this binary data will be described later.

  Next, the printer unit 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 7, and 8. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the arrangement around the print head, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory view for explaining a drive unit of the printing paper transport mechanism.

  As shown in the figure, the printer unit 30 drives a print head 38 mounted on the writing carriage 36 to eject ink and form dots, and the writing carriage 36 is conveyed by the carriage motor 40 to transport the paper 7. A mechanism that reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the direction, and a mechanism that conveys the sheet 7 supplied from a sheet feed tray 321 (see FIG. 1) by a paper feed motor (hereinafter also referred to as a PF motor) 42. .

  The mechanism for ejecting ink and forming dots includes a print head 38 having a plurality of nozzles as an ink ejection unit, and ejects ink from predetermined nozzles based on a print command signal. On the lower surface 381 of the print head 38, a plurality of nozzles form a row along the transport direction of the paper 7, and a plurality of rows are provided in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the paper 7. Details of the print head 38 and the nozzle arrangement will be described later. The print head 38 is provided with a 16-bit memory corresponding to each nozzle, and data is transferred to each nozzle in units of 16 bits from a head control unit 68 (FIG. 11) described later.

  A mechanism for reciprocating the writing carriage 36 is provided in a direction orthogonal to the carriage motor 40 (hereinafter also referred to as a CR motor) for driving the writing carriage 36 and the conveyance direction of the paper 7. A sliding shaft 44 that is movably held, a linear encoder 46 fixed to the writing carriage 36, a linear encoder code plate 461 having slits formed at predetermined intervals, and a rotating shaft of the carriage motor 40 The pulley 48 is attached, and the timing belt 49 is driven by the pulley 48.

  A print head 38 and a cartridge mounting portion provided integrally with the print head 38 are fixed to the writing carriage 36. The cartridge mounting portion includes black (K), cyan (C), and magenta (M). Ink cartridges containing ink such as yellow (Y) are mounted.

  A mechanism for transporting the paper 7 supplied from the paper feed tray 321 is arranged to face the print head 38 and serves as a guide member for guiding the paper 7 so that the paper 7 and the print head 38 are at an appropriate distance. A platen 35, a conveyance roller 37 that is provided upstream of the platen 35 in the conveyance direction of the paper 7 and conveys the supplied paper 7 so as to contact the platen 35 at a predetermined angle, and a platen 35. On the other hand, a paper discharge roller 39 is provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the paper 7 and conveys and discharges the paper 7 removed from the conveyance roller 37, and a PF for driving the conveyance roller 37 and the paper discharge roller 39. A motor 42, a rotary encoder 47 for detecting the transport amount of the paper 7, and a paper detection sensor 45 for detecting the presence / absence of the paper 7 and the leading and trailing edges of the paper 7 are provided.

  The conveyance roller 37 is provided below the conveyance path of the paper 7, and a driven roller 371 for holding the paper 7 is provided above the conveyance roller 37 so as to face the conveyance roller 37. The paper discharge roller 39 is also provided below the conveyance path of the paper 7, and a driven roller 391 for holding the paper 7 facing the paper discharge roller 39 is provided above the paper discharge roller 39. The opposed driven roller 391 is a roller which is a thin plate and provided with fine teeth on the outer peripheral portion, and is configured so that ink does not rub even if it contacts the surface of the paper 7 after printing.

  Further, the contact position between the transport roller 37 and the sheet 7 is arranged to be higher than the contact position between the platen 35 and the sheet 7. That is, the sheet 7 conveyed from the conveyance roller 37 contacts the platen 35 at a predetermined angle and is further conveyed. Thus, the sheet 7 is conveyed along the platen 35 so as to be pressed against a guide surface 351 described later. For this reason, the platen 35 can maintain the paper 7 at an appropriate position from the nozzles, and a good image can be obtained.

  Further, the transport roller 37 and the paper discharge roller 39 are connected by the gear train 31 and are rotated by the rotation of the PF motor 42, so that the transport speed of the paper 7 by both rollers 37 and 39 is the same.

  The platen 35 has a guide surface 351 that faces the lower surface 381 of the print head 38, that is, the surface on which the nozzles are provided, and guides the paper 7 in contact therewith. The guide surface 351 is formed narrower than the area where the nozzles on the lower surface 381 of the print head 38 are provided, and some of the nozzles located on the most upstream side and the most downstream side in the transport direction of the paper 7 face the platen 35. Not. This prevents the ink ejected outside the paper 7 from adhering to the platen 35 when printing the leading edge and the trailing edge of the paper 7, and prevents the back surface of the paper 7 conveyed thereafter from becoming dirty. Yes. That is, the platen 35 is not provided at a position facing the nozzles at the upstream end and the downstream end. In this space portion, an ink receiver is provided at a position lower than the guide surface 351 of the platen 35 to collect unnecessary ink so that the inside of the printer is not soiled.

  The paper detection sensor 45 is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction from the transport roller 37, is provided above the lever 451 having a rotation center at a position higher than the transport path of the paper 7, and has a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. A transmissive optical sensor 452. The lever 451 is arranged so as to hang down in the conveyance path by its own weight, and is located on the opposite side across the action portion 453 and the rotation center with the action portion 453 rotated by the paper 7 supplied from the paper feed tray 321. The light shielding unit 454 is provided so as to pass between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit. In the paper detection sensor 45, when the lever 451 is pushed by the supplied paper 7, and the paper 7 reaches a predetermined position, the light shielding portion 454 blocks the light emitted from the light emitting portion, so that the paper 7 reaches the predetermined position. Is detected. Thereafter, when the sheet 7 is conveyed by the conveying roller 7 and the rear end of the sheet 7 passes, the lever 451 hangs down due to its own weight, the light shielding part 454 is detached from between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, and the light of the light emitting part is received. It is detected that the rear end of the sheet 7 reaches a predetermined position. Therefore, while the light blocking unit 454 blocks the light from the light emitting unit, it is detected that the sheet 7 exists at least in the transport path.

=== Regarding the Nozzle Configuration ===
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of nozzles on the lower surface 381 of the print head 38. A black ink nozzle row 33 (K), a cyan ink nozzle row 33 (C), a magenta ink nozzle row 33 (M), and a yellow ink nozzle row 33 (Y) are formed on the lower surface 381 of the print head 38. ing. Each nozzle row 33 includes a plurality of nozzles (10 in this embodiment) that are ejection openings for ejecting ink of each color.

  The plurality of nozzles of each nozzle row 33 are aligned at a constant interval (nozzle pitch: k · D) along the paper conveyance direction. Here, D is the minimum dot pitch in the paper conveyance direction (that is, the interval at the highest resolution of dots formed on the paper 32). For example, when the resolution is 720 dpi, 1/720 inch (about 35. 3 μm). K is an integer of 1 or more.

  In addition, the nozzles of each nozzle row 33 are assigned a smaller number as the nozzles on the downstream side are designated as the first nozzle N1 to the tenth nozzle N10, respectively. Each nozzle is provided with a piezo element (not shown) as a drive element for driving each nozzle to eject ink droplets.

  At the time of printing, the sheet 7 is intermittently transported by a predetermined transport amount F by the transport roller 37 and the paper discharge roller 39, and the writing carriage 36 moves in the scanning direction during the intermittent transport, so that each nozzle Ink droplets are ejected from.

=== Drive of print head ===
Next, driving of the print head 38 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the drive signal generator provided in the head control unit 68 (FIG. 11).

  In FIG. 10, the drive signal generation unit includes a plurality of mask circuits 204, an original drive signal generation unit 206, and a drive signal correction unit 230. The mask circuit 204 is provided corresponding to a plurality of piezo elements for driving the nozzles N1 to N10 of the print head 38, respectively. In FIG. 10, the number in parentheses at the end of each signal name indicates the number of the nozzle to which the signal is supplied. The original drive signal generator 206 generates an original drive signal ODRV that is commonly used for the nozzles N1 to N10. The original drive signal ODRV is a signal including two pulses, a first pulse W1 and a second pulse W2, within the main scanning period for one pixel. The drive signal correction unit 230 performs correction by shifting the timing of the drive signal waveform shaped by the mask circuit 204 back and forth in the entire return path. By correcting the timing of the drive signal waveform, the deviation of the ink droplet landing position in the forward path and the backward path is corrected, that is, the deviation of the dot formation position in the forward path and the backward path is corrected.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the input serial print signal PRT (i) is input to the mask circuit 204 together with the original drive signal ODRV output from the original drive signal generator 206. The serial print signal PRT (i) is a 2-bit serial signal per pixel, and each bit corresponds to the first pulse W1 and the second pulse W2.

  The mask circuit 204 is a gate for masking the original drive signal ODRV in accordance with the level of the serial print signal PRT (i). That is, when the serial print signal PRT (i) is 1 level, the mask circuit 204 passes the corresponding pulse of the original drive signal ODRV as it is and supplies it as the drive signal DRV to the piezo element, while the serial print signal PRT (i ) Is 0 level, the corresponding pulse of the original drive signal ODRV is cut off.

=== Internal Structure of Control Circuit 50 ===
FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the control circuit 50.
The control circuit 50 of the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 includes a CPU 54 that controls the entire SPC multifunction apparatus 1, a ROM 55 that stores a control program, and a control ASIC 51 that controls each of the scanner function, print function, and local copy function. The SDRAM 56 capable of directly reading and writing data from the CPU 54 and the operation panel unit 70 as input means are connected by a bus. The control ASIC 51 is connected to the scanner unit 10, the print head 38, and an ASIC SDRAM 69 that can directly read and write data from the control ASIC 51.

  The control ASIC 51 includes a scanner control unit 58, a binarization processing unit 60, an interlace processing unit 62, an image buffer unit 64, a CPU interface unit (hereinafter referred to as CPUIF unit) 66, a head control unit 68, an external A USB interface (hereinafter referred to as USBIF) 52 as input / output means with the host computer 3 and drivers such as motors and lamps provided in the scanner unit 10 and the printer unit 30 are provided. Further, a line buffer 691, an interlace buffer 692, and an image buffer 693 are allocated to the control ASIC SDRAM 69, respectively. Between the control ASIC 51 and the ASIC SDRAM 69, so-called burst transfer with a data transfer unit of 64 bits is performed in order to increase the data transfer speed.

  The scanner control unit 58 controls each of the exposure lamp 22, the CCD sensor 28, the pulse motor 183 as a reading carriage drive motor provided in the scanner unit 10, and the data read via the CCD sensor 28 via the line buffer 691. And a function of sending to the binarization processing unit 60.

  The binarization processing unit 60 has a function of converting the transmitted multi-gradation RGB data into either binary data for each color of CMYK or binary data of only K and sending the data to the interlace processing unit 62. Have. Whether the RGB data is converted into binary data for each color of CMYK or binary data of only K is determined based on the print mode information input by the copy button operation of the operation panel unit 70. To do. That is, this RGB data is accompanied by the print mode information input by the copy button operation. When the print mode information is the color print mode, the RGB data is converted into CMKY binary data. When the print mode information is in the monochrome print mode, the data is converted into K binary data.

  The interlace processing unit 62 performs CMYK data for one raster line when performing so-called overlap printing in which one raster line (one line in the main scanning direction in the print image) is printed by scanning the writing carriage 36 a plurality of times. Is assigned to data to be printed for each scan of the writing carriage 36 to generate overlap printing compatible data (hereinafter referred to as OL compatible data). The generated OL correspondence data is stored in the interlace buffer 692 of the ASIC SDRAM 69.

In the interlace processing unit 62, the data stored in the interlace buffer 692 is read into the SRAM 621 in the interlace processing unit 62 for each predetermined size, and rearranged on the SRAM 621 so as to correspond to the nozzle arrangement. 64.
The image buffer unit 64 has a function of generating head drive data for causing the nozzles for each scan of the writing carriage 36 to eject ink from the data sent from the interlace processing unit 62.

The CPUIF unit 66 has a function that allows the CPU 54 to access the control ASIC SDRAM 69 connected to the control ASIC 51. The control circuit 50 is used when driving the head control unit 68 based on the head drive data generated by the image buffer unit 64.
The head control unit 68 has a function of driving the print head 38 based on the head drive data under the control of the CPU 54 and discharging ink from the nozzles.

=== Data Flow in Control Circuit 50 ===
<About the scanner function>
From the host computer 3 connected to the USBIF 52 of the control ASIC 51, an image reading command signal from the scanner unit 10 and reading information data such as reading resolution and reading area are transmitted to the control circuit 50. In the control circuit 50, the CPU 54 controls the scanner control unit 58 based on the image reading command signal and the reading information data, and reading of the document 5 by the scanner unit 10 is started.
At this time, in the scanner control unit 58, a lamp driving unit, a CCD driving unit, a reading carriage scanning driving unit, and the like are driven, and RGB data is read from the CCD sensor 28 at a predetermined cycle. The read RGB data is temporarily stored in a line buffer 691 allocated to the ASIC SDRAM 69, subjected to inter-line correction processing for each of R, G, and B data, and sent to the host computer 3 via the USBIF 52. . The inter-line correction process is a process for correcting the deviation of the reading position between the R, G, and B linear sensors that occurs due to the structure of the scanner unit 10.

  More specifically, the CCD sensor 28 of the scanner unit 10 is a color sensor, and has a linear sensor with one line for each color for three colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). Yes. Since these three linear sensors are arranged in parallel with the scanning direction of the reading carriage 16, they cannot simultaneously receive the reflected light irradiated on the same line of the document 5. That is, when reflected light irradiated on the same line of the document 5 is received by each linear sensor, a time shift occurs. For this reason, it is a process for synchronizing the data sent with a delay corresponding to the arrangement of the linear sensors.

<About the printer function>
During the printer function, image data to be printed is converted into head drive data that can be printed by the printer unit 30 of the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 by the printer driver of the host computer 3 connected to the USBIF 52 of the control ASIC 51. Input from USBIF 52. As the head drive data, for example, when performing interlace printing, raster data corresponding to the print resolution and the pitch and number of nozzles of the nozzle array 33 of the write carriage 36 is extracted, and the write carriage 36 The data is rearranged in the printing order for each scan and becomes a signal for driving the print head 38. In interlaced printing, the nozzle pitch (nozzle spacing) is wider than the spacing of dots formed on the paper.

  The head drive data is stored in an image buffer 57 assigned to an SDRAM 56 that can be read directly by the CPU 54. The image buffer 57 includes two memory areas having a capacity capable of storing head drive data for printing by one scan of the writing carriage 36. When data for one scan is written in one image buffer 571, the data is transferred to the head control unit 68. At this time, when the image data in one image buffer 571 is transferred to the head control unit 68, the head drive data for printing in the next scanning is stored in the other image buffer 572. When data for one scan is written in the other image buffer 572, the data is transferred to the head control unit 68, and the image data is written in the one image buffer 571. As described above, the print head 38 is driven by the head control unit 68 and printing is executed while alternately writing and reading the head drive data using the two image buffers 571 and 572.

<About copy function>
Next, the data flow during the copy function will be described. Here, only the data flow during the normal copy operation will be described, and the 2-up printing method of the present embodiment will be described later.

  Data read by the scanner unit 10 is taken into the line buffer 691 via the scanner control unit 58. The RGB data taken into the line buffer 691 is subjected to the RGB inter-line correction process described above, and the RGB data for the same line is sent from the scanner control unit 58 to the binarization processing unit 60.

  The RGB data sent to the binarization processing unit 60 is subjected to halftone processing. Thereafter, a lookup table (LUT) 695 stored in the control ASIC SDRAM 69 is referred to, and binary data for each color of CMYK, or K, based on the print mode information attached to the RGB data, or K Is converted into any one of binary data and sent to the interlace processing unit 62.

  The binary data sent to the interlace processing unit 62 is distributed from all the data of each raster line to data to be printed for each scan of the writing carriage 36 based on the designated interlace method. For example, when one raster line is formed by two scans of the writing carriage 36, it is divided into data for forming odd-numbered dots and data for forming even-numbered dots from the end of the raster line. Thus, OL correspondence data is generated. This OL-compatible data is burst-transferred to the interlace buffer 692 by 64 bits and stored.

In addition, the interlace processing unit 62 reads the data stored in the interlace buffer 692 for each predetermined size, and burst-transfers the data to the SRAM 621 in the interlace processing unit 62.
At this time, OL correspondence data is read from the interlace buffer 692 in correspondence with the nozzle arrangement of the print head 38 based on the print resolution and the nozzle pitch. For example, when the print resolution is 720 dpi and the nozzle pitch is 1/180 inch, three raster lines are printed between two raster lines printed by adjacent nozzles. For this reason, the data corresponding to the scanning of the writing carriage 36 is read out from the OL corresponding data at intervals of 3 raster lines.
The transferred data is rearranged on the SRAM 621 so as to correspond to the nozzle arrangement and sent to the image buffer unit 64.

  In the image buffer unit 64, the image data finely divided by the capacity of the SRAM 621 is burst-transferred to the image buffer 693 so as to be head drive data for ejecting ink to each nozzle for each scan of the writing carriage 36. Align and remember. Here, the image buffers 693 and 694 are allotted memory areas for storing head drive data for two scans of the write carriage 36, and each time the head drive data for one scan is accumulated, The CPU 54 sends the head drive unit 68 to the head control unit 68 and starts writing head drive data corresponding to the next scan in the memory area for the remaining one scan. This process is the same as the image buffer process described above in the description of the printer function.

  The head drive data for each scan stored in the image buffers 693 and 694 is controlled by the CPU 54, read into the CPU 54 via the CPUIF unit 66, and transferred to the head control unit 68 by the CPU 54. The print head 38 is driven by the head control unit 68 based on the head drive data, and an image is printed.

=== N-Up Printing Method of this Embodiment ===
Hereinafter, this N-up printing will be described by taking 2-up printing as an example.
FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the 2-up printing method (copying method) of the present embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 5A denotes a first document, and an image “A” is represented on the front surface. Reference numeral 5B denotes a second original, and an image “B” is displayed on the surface. Reference numeral 7 denotes one sheet printed by the SPC multifunction apparatus 1. On this paper 7, images “A” and “B” are printed in respective print areas obtained by dividing the paper surface of the paper 7 into two equal parts by 2-up printing. That is, the image “A” read from the first original 5A is read in the print area of the first page on the left side of the sheet 7, and the second page 5B is read from the second original 5B in the print area of the second page on the right side. The image “B” is printed. The above-mentioned page refers to each print area obtained by equally dividing the paper surface of one sheet. For example, in the case of the 2-up printing method, the left print area is the first page and the right side is the first print area. The second page. In the case of the 4-up printing method, each print area is formed by dividing the paper surface of the paper 7 into four equal parts, which are referred to as the first to fourth pages, respectively.

According to the present embodiment, when printing on this single sheet 7, the print mode of the image “A” on the first page and the image “B” on the second page arranged next to the first page are independent of each other. Therefore, one of the image “A” and the image “B” can be printed in monochrome and the other can be printed in color. That is, the image of each page printed side by side at a predetermined position on one sheet of paper 7 can be set to either monochrome printing or color printing for each page, thereby expanding the degree of freedom of print expression on the printing medium. Be able to.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, a margin is provided between the edge of the sheet 7 and the image. Further, a margin is provided between the images.

<About 2-up printing processing operations>
FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of the 2-up printing processing operation of the present embodiment. The figure shows the flow of operations of the scanner unit 10, the control circuit 50 (or the operation panel 70), and the printer unit 30 of the SPC multifunction apparatus 1.
Hereinafter, the 2-up printing method of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. A program related to the processing operation procedure of the 2-up printing is stored in the ROM 55.

  First, the user sets the paper 7 in the paper feed tray of the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 (S121). In the following description, it is assumed that a plurality of A4 size sheet-like printing sheets are set. Note that the user may input information regarding the paper 7 by operating various buttons on the operation panel unit 70.

  Next, the user operates various buttons on the operation panel unit 70 to select “2-up printing” of the present embodiment from a plurality of printing methods (S111). That is, first, the user sequentially switches the setting items displayed by the menu button 92 to display the “copy mode” display screen that is the setting item. Next, the user presses the two buttons 901 and 902 to set the setting value to “2-up printing”. As a result, the printing method of the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 is selected as the 2-up printing method. Similarly, the user operates various buttons on the operation panel unit 70 to set the size of the margin width t, whereby the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 acquires information about the margin (margin information). However, when the margin width t is not set by the operation panel unit 70, a predetermined default value is used as a setting value of the margin width. In this embodiment, the margin information indicates that the width is t (mm).

  Next, the user sets the first original 5A as the first original in the scanner unit 10 of the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 (S101). The state of setting the first original 5A will be described with reference to FIG. 14A. First, the user opens the document table cover 14 and places the first document 5 </ b> A on the document table glass 12. When the user places the first document 5A on the document table glass 12, the side on which the image “A” is displayed is the bottom surface, and the corner of the first document 5A is aligned with the origin mark at the corner of the document table glass 12. . Then, the user closes the document table cover 14 and presses the first document 5A on the document table glass 12 toward the document table glass 12 by the document table cover 14. Thus, the first document 5A is set on the scanner unit 10.

  Next, the user instructs the start of the reading operation of the first original 5A. Since it is already set to perform 2-up printing (S111), the reading operation is started when the user presses the color copy button 84 or the monochrome copy button 86 of the operation panel unit 70 (S112).

  As described above, the copy mode is used to determine the print mode for printing the first page image read from the first original 5A on the paper 7. That is, when the monochrome copy button 86 is pressed, monochrome print mode information input by the copy button operation is attached to the post-read data (RGB data) read from the first original 5A, and conversely the color copy button When 84 is pressed, the color print mode information input by the copy button operation is attached. Here, in order to make the explanation easy to understand, it is assumed that the monochrome copy button 86 is pressed for the purpose of monochrome printing for the first document 5A.

  Next, the scanner unit 10 of the SPC multifunction apparatus starts an operation of reading the image “A” of the first document 5A (S102). While the scanner unit 10 reads the image “A” of the document 5A, read data (RGB data) is output from the CCD sensor at a predetermined cycle. In this embodiment, the linear sensors of the CCD sensor are arranged in parallel with the horizontal direction of the image “A”, and the reading carriage 16 scans and moves in parallel with the vertical direction of the image “A” (that is, this embodiment). Then, the image “A” of the first document 5A in FIG. 12 is read by the scanner unit 10 from the top to the bottom). Therefore, the read data output from the scanner unit is data obtained by sequentially outputting the horizontal line data of the image “A”.

  Next, the control circuit 50 of the SPC multifunction apparatus creates head drive data based on the read data sequentially sent from the scanner unit 10 (S113a, S113b, S113c, S114a). The head drive data created at this time is data for printing the portion of the image “A” in the print image “AB” on the paper 7 in FIG. The head drive data is created based on the monochrome print mode information attached to the read data of the image “A” of the first original 5A. As a result, the head drive data includes only K (black) nozzles. The portion of the image “A” on the paper 7 composed of data to be driven is printed in monochrome. A process for creating head drive data based on the read data will be described later. The created head drive data is sequentially sent to the head control unit 68.

  In the present embodiment, the writing carriage 36 scans and moves in parallel with the short side direction of the paper 7, the paper 7 is conveyed in the long side direction of the paper 7, and the print image “AB” is printed on the paper 7 (that is, In this embodiment, the print image “AB” on the sheet 7 in FIG. 12 is printed from left to right). Therefore, the head drive data is data obtained by sequentially outputting the line data in the vertical direction of the image “A”. As a result, the printer unit 30 can start printing the image “A” even before the head drive data of the image “B” is created. Therefore, in the present embodiment, printing of the image “A” already read from the first document 5A is started before the reading of the image “B” of the second document is completed.

  The printer unit 30 starts printing based on the head drive data sequentially sent to the head control unit 68 (S122). If the generation of the head drive data relating to the image “A” is completed (S114b), the head drive data is not sent to the head control unit 68, so the printer unit 30 stops the printing operation and waits for printing ( (Standby state of various operations such as the conveyance operation of the paper 7 and the printing operation for discharging ink) (S123).

  After the reading operation of the first document 5A is finished, the liquid crystal display 72 of the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 displays a message prompting the user to replace the document. The user confirms the message, and replaces the first document 5A set on the scanner unit 10 with the second document 5B. The state of document replacement will be described with reference to FIG. 14B. First, the user opens the document table cover 14 and takes out the first document 5 </ b> A placed on the document table glass 12. Then, the user sets the second original 5B as the second original. The procedure for setting the second document 5B is the same as the procedure for setting the first document 5A described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  In this embodiment, printing of the image “A” of the print images “AB” is started before the reading of the image “B” of the second document 5B is started. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a part of the print image is already discharged from the paper discharge unit 34 during the document replacement operation (see FIG. 14B).

  The user instructs the start of the reading operation of the second original 5B after exchanging the original. The reading operation of the second original 5B is also started when the user presses the color copy button 84 or the monochrome copy button 86 of the operation panel unit 70 (S115). As in the case of the first original 5A described above, the print mode for printing the second page image read from the second original 5B on the paper 7 is determined by operating the copy button for the second original 5B. To do. That is, it is possible to set the print mode of the image of the second page, which is the second document 5B, independently of the first document 5A. Here, in order to make the explanation easy to understand, the color copy button 84 is pressed for the second original 5B, and the color print mode information is included in the post-read data (RGB data) read from the second original 5B. Is attached.

  Next, the scanner unit 10 of the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 starts an operation of reading the image “B” of the second document 5B (S105). While the scanner unit 10 reads the image “B” of the document 5B, read data (RGB data) is output from the CCD sensor at a predetermined cycle.

  Next, the control circuit 50 of the SPC multifunction apparatus creates head drive data based on the read data sequentially sent from the scanner unit 10 (S116a, S116b, S116c, S117a). The head drive data created at this time is data for printing the portion of the image “B” on the sheet 7 of FIG. This head drive data is created based on the color print mode information attached to the read data of the image “B” of the second document 5B. As a result, this head drive data drives the four color nozzles CMYK. Therefore, the portion of the image “B” on the paper 7 is color-printed. A process for creating head drive data based on the read data will be described later. The created head drive data is sequentially sent to the head control unit 68.

  The printer unit 30 resumes printing based on the head drive data sequentially sent to the head control unit 68 (S124). That is, after the image “B” reading operation is started, the printer unit 30 resumes a conveying operation that intermittently conveys the paper 7, a printing operation that ejects ink from nozzles that move in the scanning direction, and the like. .

  When the printing is completed (S117b, S125), the paper 7 is discharged from the paper discharge unit 34. A printed image “AB” is printed on the discharged paper 7 as shown in the paper 7 of FIG. The portion of the image “A” in the print image “AB” is monochrome printed, while the portion of the image “B” is color printed.

  After the reading operation of the second document is completed, the liquid crystal display 72 of the SPC multifunction apparatus displays a message prompting the user to take out the second document. The user confirms the message and takes out the second document 5B set on the scanner unit 10.

<Data flow in the control circuit 50 during 2-up printing>
FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the control circuit 50 in the 2-up printing. In FIG. 11 described above, two buffers are depicted as image buffers 571 and 572 (or image buffers 693 and 694) in order to alternately perform writing and reading. However, in FIG. Two buffers for alternately reading and reading are not drawn.

  Compared to the control circuit 50 of FIG. 11 described above, the hardware configuration is the same, but the allocation of memory areas in the SDRAM 56 that can be read directly by the CPU 54 is different. In FIG. 11, the CPU 54 accesses only the image buffer 694. In FIG. 15, the CPU 54 also accesses the line buffer 691 and the interlace buffer 692. In the interlace buffer 692, the allocation of the memory area is divided into two and is logically two buffers.

  Hereinafter, the flow of data in the control circuit 50 during 2-up printing will be described with reference to FIG. A program for controlling the flow of data in the control circuit 50 at the time of the 2-up printing is stored in the ROM 55. In the above description, one raster line is formed by two scans of the write carriage 36. However, for simplicity of explanation, one raster line is formed by one scan of the write carriage 36. (In other words, it will be described below in a state where dot data of raster lines is not distributed to odd and even numbers).

(1) First, the flow of data in the control circuit 50 until the image “A” is read from the first document (first document 5A) (S102) and printing is started (S122). ,explain.

  The CPU 54 receives an input signal of the color copy button 84 or the monochrome copy button 86 after setting “2-up printing” from the operation panel unit 70, and transmits a control signal to the scanner control unit 58. This control signal includes print mode information based on this copy button operation. In this example, since the monochrome copy button 86 is pressed, monochrome print mode information is included. Incidentally, this monochrome print mode information is valid until the next copy button operation, that is, RGB data generated by the scanner unit 10 during this time is accompanied by this monochrome print mode information. Yes.

  The scanner control unit 58 controls the scanner unit 10 based on the control signal from the CPU 54 and starts an operation of reading the image “A” from the first document 5A.

  Since the image “A” of the first document 5A is reduced and printed on the paper 7, the scanner control unit 58 thins out the data as compared with the case where the image “A” is read at the same magnification. The image “A” is read from the first document 5A. That is, the horizontal data of the image “A” is reduced by thinning out data from the line sensor of the CCD sensor. This thinning process is performed by the scanner control unit 58 thinning out output data from the line sensor. Further, the vertical data of the image “A” is reduced by increasing the scanning speed of the reading carriage. This process is performed by controlling the scanner control unit 58 to increase the scanning speed of the reading carriage. In this way, the data of the vertical and horizontal image “A” is thinned out, so that the image “A” is substantially reduced and read.

  The scanner control unit 58 controls the scanner unit 10 and takes in RGB data output from the CCD sensor into the line buffer 691 at a predetermined cycle. The scanner control unit 58 performs RGB inter-line correction processing (described above) on the RGB data once captured in the line buffer 691, and sends the RGB data for the same line to the binarization processing unit 60.

  The binarization processing unit 60 performs halftone processing on the received RGB data. The binarization processing unit 60 refers to a look-up table (LUT) 695 stored in the control ASIC SDRAM 69, and converts the halftone-processed data into binary data for each color of CMYK, or K It is converted into one of binary data only of (black). Note that the conversion to binary data is performed based on the print mode information. For example, in this example, the RGB data is accompanied by monochrome print mode information, and therefore binary only for K (black). Converted to data. The binarization unit 60 sends this K-only binary data to the interlace processing unit 62.

  The interlace processing unit 62 takes in the binary data of only K sent from the binarization processing unit 60 into one interlace buffer (referred to as a first interlace buffer 692A) of the two interlace buffers. Then, the binary data taken into the first interlace buffer 692A is sent via the CPU interface unit 66 to the layout buffer 573 in the SDRAM 56 that can be directly read by the CPU 54.

  The layout buffer 573 is a buffer allocated in the SDRAM, and is logically divided into two areas. The binary data sent from the first interlace buffer 692A is taken into one layout buffer (first layout buffer) 573A of the two areas. The other layout buffer (second layout buffer (also referred to as intermediate buffer)) 573B stores layout image data created based on the binary data of the first layout buffer 573A as described below.

  FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram of binary data sent to the first layout buffer 573A. Although this binary data is stored in a continuous memory area, if it is folded back and arranged in the width of the image, it becomes image information as shown in the figure (in this description, for simplicity of explanation, 1 Since the raster line is formed by one scan of the writing carriage 36, the image information becomes one).

  The CPU 54 creates layout image data based on the binary data fetched into the first layout buffer 573A. However, the second layout buffer 573B that stores the created layout image data is allocated only an area that can store only a few lines of line data corresponding to the width of the paper. Therefore, the CPU 54 creates line-shaped layout image data and sends the created layout image data to the second layout buffer 573B. The layout image data for several lines sent to the second layout buffer 573B is sequentially sent to the second interlace buffer 692B in the control ASIC SRAM 69.

  In the present embodiment, the read data output from the scanner unit is data obtained by sequentially outputting the horizontal line data of the image “A”. Therefore, the binary data in the horizontal direction of the image “A” is sequentially sent to the first layout buffer. On the other hand, the head drive data needs to be data obtained by sequentially outputting the vertical line data of the image “A”. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first layout buffer 573A once captures all the data of the image “A”, and the CPU 54 rotates the data of the image “A” when creating the layout image data in the second layout buffer. The vertical line data (rotated data) of the image “A” is sequentially generated. As a result, the data sequentially sent from the second layout buffer 573B to the second interlace buffer 692B becomes the vertical line data of the image “A”. Based on this data, the vertical head drive of the image “A” Data can be created sequentially.

  17A to 17G are conceptual diagrams of layout image data sent to the second layout buffer 573B. The layout image data is stored in a continuous memory area, but if folded back and arranged in the width of the paper, it becomes a layout image (a part of the print image) for several lines in the vertical direction as shown in the figure. .

  The layout image data is created as follows. First, the CPU 54 creates Null data for the margin in order to create image data corresponding to the margin between the top edge of the paper and the image (the margin on the left side of the image “A”) (FIGS. 17A and 17B). . After the null data for the margin width is created, the CPU 54 creates a layout image in which the vertical line data (binary data) of the image “A” captured in the first layout buffer 573A is sequentially arranged (FIG. 17B). However, when arranging the line data in the vertical direction of the image “A”, the CPU 54 inserts Null data corresponding to the margin width between the side edge of the sheet and the image. As a result, horizontal margins (upper and lower margins of the image “A”) are created in the layout image. Creation of line data in the vertical direction of the image “A” is performed for the horizontal area of the image “A” (FIGS. 17B to 17F). When the creation of the layout image for the area of the image “A” is completed, the CPU 54 creates null data for the margin again in order to create image data for the margin between the images (FIG. 17F, FIG. 17G). As a result, a vertical margin (the right margin of the image “A”) is created in the layout image. The layout image data created as needed as described above is sequentially sent to the second interlace buffer 692B in the control ASIC SRAM 69. Note that the layout image data sent to the second interlace buffer 692B is binary data of only K described above.

  The processing after the binary data (layout image data) is sent from the second layout buffer 573B to the second interlace buffer 692B is substantially the same as the processing at the time of the copy function described above. That is, the following processing is performed (however, for simplification of description, description of processing for alternately performing writing and reading is omitted).

The interlace processing unit 62 reads the data stored in the second interlace buffer 692B for each predetermined size, and burst-transfers the data to the SRAM 621 in the interlace processing unit 62.
At this time, binary data is read from the interlace buffer 692 in correspondence with the nozzle arrangement of the print head 38 based on the print resolution and the nozzle pitch. For example, when the print resolution is 720 dpi and the nozzle pitch is 1/180 inch, three raster lines are printed between two raster lines printed by adjacent nozzles. For this reason, from the binary data, data spaced by three raster lines is read as data corresponding to the scanning of the writing carriage 36.
The transferred data is rearranged on the SRAM 621 so as to correspond to the nozzle arrangement and sent to the image buffer unit 64.

  In the image buffer unit 64, the image data finely divided by the capacity of the SRAM 621 is burst-transferred to the image buffer 693 so as to be head drive data for ejecting ink to each nozzle for each scan of the writing carriage 36. Align and remember.

  The head drive data for each scan stored in the image buffers 693 and 694 is controlled by the CPU 54, read into the CPU 54 via the CPUIF unit 66, and transferred to the head control unit 68 by the CPU 54. The print head 38 is driven by the head control unit 68 based on the head drive data, and an image is printed. Here, since the head drive data is formed from binary data of only K, only the K (black) nozzles of the print head 38 are driven, so that black ink droplets are generated only from the K nozzles. Discharged. As a result, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the image “A” is arranged on the sheet 7 and the portion of the image “A” can be printed in monochrome.

(2) Next, the flow of data in the control circuit 50 from the start of printing (S122) to the print standby state (S123) will be described.

  FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of a state at the time of printing before reading the image “B” of the second original (second original). As already described, the head drive data of the image “A” (and the surrounding margins) is sequentially stored in the image buffer. When the head drive data for one scan is accumulated, the head drive data accumulated in the head control unit 68 is sent out by the CPU 54. When the head moves in the scanning direction, ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles of the head according to the head drive data. Therefore, in the same figure, the head drive data necessary from pass 1 (first scanning movement) to pass 8 is sequentially read after the image “A” of the first original (first original) is read. The head control unit 68 can be sent out.

  On the other hand, the head drive data required for the pass 9 (the 9th scanning movement) requires the head drive data of the image “B” of the second document. That is, if the image “B” of the second document is not read, head drive data (data corresponding to a plurality of nozzles) necessary for pass 9 is not accumulated in the image buffer 693 (head drive data is The heads of pass 9 cannot be driven because they are not aligned. As a result, the printer unit cannot print the image at the position of pass 9 before creating the head drive data for the image “B” of the second document.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, when the printing of pass 8 (eighth scanning movement) is finished, the scanning movement of the writing carriage 36 is stopped and the printing standby state is set. That is, printing has not yet been completed for portions printed after pass 9. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a part of the image “A” of the first document printed on the paper (on the right side of the image “A”) is in a standby state while being printed.

  In this embodiment, when the clear button 82 is pressed in the standby state and there is an instruction to cancel printing, the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 completes printing of the image “A” of the first document and then prints the paper. 7 is discharged and printing is stopped. This is because if the sheet 7 is discharged as it is in the standby state, the image “A” is interrupted.

(3) Finally, a data flow in the control circuit 50 from when the second original (second original) is set until printing is completed will be described.
After the reading operation of the first document 5A is completed, the CPU 54 displays a document replacement message on the liquid crystal display 72. After the original is exchanged, the CPU 54 receives an input signal from the color copy button 84 or the monochrome copy button 86 and transmits a control signal to the scanner control unit 58. This control signal also includes print mode information based on this copy button operation. That is, in this example, since the color copy button 84 is pressed as described above, the color print mode information is included. Incidentally, this color print mode information is valid until the next copy button operation, that is, RGB data generated by the scanner unit 10 during this time is accompanied by this color print mode information. Yes.

The scanner control unit 58 controls the scanner unit 10 based on the control signal from the CPU 54 and starts an operation of reading the image “B” from the second document 5B.
The scanner control unit 58 controls the scanner unit 10 and takes in RGB data output from the CCD sensor into the line buffer 691 at a predetermined cycle. The scanner control unit 58 performs RGB inter-line correction processing (described above) on the RGB data once captured in the line buffer 691, and sends the RGB data for the same line to the binarization processing unit 60.

  The binarization processing unit 60 performs halftone processing on the received RGB data. The binarization processing unit 60 refers to a look-up table (LUT) 695 stored in the control ASIC SDRAM 69, and converts the halftone-processed data into binary data for each color of CMYK, or K It is converted into one of binary data only of (black). The conversion to binary data is performed based on the print mode information. For example, in this example, the RGB data is accompanied by color print mode information, so binary data for each color of CMYK. Is converted to The binarization unit 60 sends the binary data for each color of CMYK to the interlace processing unit 62.

  The interlace processing unit 62 takes the binary data for each color of CMYK sent from the binarization processing unit 60 into the first interlace buffer 692A. The binary data fetched into the first interlace buffer 692A is sent to the first layout buffer 573A in the SDRAM 56 that can be directly read by the CPU 54 via the CPU interface unit 66.

  The CPU 54 creates line-shaped layout image data based on the binary data fetched into the first layout buffer 573A. The CPU 54 sends the created layout image data to the second layout buffer 573B. The layout image data for several lines sent to the second layout buffer 573B is sequentially sent to the second interlace buffer 692B in the control ASIC SRAM 69. The layout image data sent to the second interlace buffer 692B is binary data for each CMYK color described above.

The interlace processing unit 62 reads the data stored in the second interlace buffer 692B for each predetermined size, and burst-transfers the data to the SRAM 621 in the interlace processing unit 62.
At this time, binary data is read from the interlace buffer 692 in correspondence with the nozzle arrangement of the print head 38 based on the print resolution and the nozzle pitch. For example, when the print resolution is 720 dpi and the nozzle pitch is 1/180 inch, three raster lines are printed between two raster lines printed by adjacent nozzles. For this reason, from the binary data, data spaced by three raster lines is read as data corresponding to the scanning of the writing carriage 36.
The transferred data is rearranged on the SRAM 621 so as to correspond to the nozzle arrangement and sent to the image buffer unit 64.

  In the image buffer unit 64, the image data finely divided by the capacity of the SRAM 621 is burst-transferred to the image buffer 693 so as to be head drive data for ejecting ink to each nozzle for each scan of the writing carriage 36. Align and remember.

  In the image buffer, head drive data of the image “B” (and the surrounding margins) is sequentially stored. When the head drive data for one scan is accumulated, the head drive data accumulated in the head control unit 68 is sent out by the CPU 54. When the head moves in the scanning direction, ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles of the head according to the head drive data. Here, since the head drive data is formed from binary data for each color of CMYK, each of the CMYK nozzles of the print head 38 is driven, and ink droplets are ejected from each of the CMYK nozzles. . As a result, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the image “B” is arranged on the paper 7 and the portion of the image “B” can be printed in color.

  In the present embodiment, the head drive data for the image “B” is created as the head drive data for the image “A” in the pass 9 (see FIG. 18) (the head drive data for the right portion of the image “A”). Are not accumulated (not aligned) until they are sent to the head control unit 68. Therefore, the head drive data of the image “A” in pass 9 remains in the image buffer until the head drive data of the image “B” is created (that is, until the reading operation of the image “B” is started). is doing. Then, after the reading operation of the image “B” is started, the head driving data of the left portion of the image “B” is accumulated in the image buffer in which the head driving data of the image “A” remains. When the head drive data for the scan of pass 9 is accumulated in the image buffer, the CPU 54 sends out the drive data accumulated in the head control unit 68 and printing is resumed (that is, the printer unit 30 displays the image “B After the head drive data “is generated, the transport operation for intermittently transporting the paper 7 and the print operation for ejecting ink from the nozzles moving in the scanning direction are resumed). Accordingly, the head drive data in pass 9 is head drive data created based on the image “A” and the image “B”. Therefore, in pass 9, a part on the right side of the image “A” and a part on the left side of the image “B” are printed at the same time.

  When the head drive data of pass 9 is viewed from the point of the printing mode, this head drive data is composed of a portion composed of binary data of only K and binary data for each color of CMYK. It consists of a part. That is, the head drive data portion corresponding to a part on the right side of the image “A” is data for driving only the K nozzle formed from binary data of K only, while the image “B” The head drive data portion corresponding to a part on the left side of “” is data for driving each nozzle of CMYK formed from binary data for each color of CMYK. Thus, in this pass 9, ink droplets are ejected only from the K nozzles in a part on the right side of the image “A”, and ink droplets are ejected from the CMYK nozzles in a part on the left side of the image “B”. Thus, printing in which the print modes are classified is possible even in the scanning pass extending over the images “A” and “B”.

  Through the processing described above, in the present embodiment, the print image “AB” is arranged on the paper 7 as shown in FIG. 12, and the portion of the image “A” is monochrome printed while the image “A” is printed. The portion “B” can be color-printed.

=== Configuration of Computer System etc. ===
Next, an embodiment of a computer system will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing an external configuration of a computer system.
The computer system 1000 includes a computer main body 1102, a display device 1104, an SPC composite device 1106, an input device 1108, and a reading device 1110. The above-described SPC multifunction apparatus 1106 is used as described above, but in this embodiment, it functions as a simple ink jet printer having a printer function, and is hereinafter referred to as a printer 1106. The display device 1104 is generally a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), a plasma display, a liquid crystal display device, or the like, but is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the input device 1108 is a keyboard 1108A and a mouse 1108B, but is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the reading device 1110 uses a flexible disk drive device 1110A and a CD-ROM drive device 1110B. However, the reading device 1110 is not limited to this. Disk) etc. may be used.

  FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the computer system shown in FIG. An internal memory 1202 such as a RAM and an external memory such as a hard disk drive unit 1204 are further provided in a housing in which the computer main body 1102 is housed.

  According to the configuration of the computer system, N-up printing can be performed based on RGB image data stored in the hard disk drive unit 1204 without reading a document with a scanner. That is, a printer driver program is installed in the computer main body 1102, and RGB image data acquired from the hard disk drive unit 1204 by the printer driver is converted into head drive data that can be printed by the printer 1106. The data can be converted and output to the printer 1106. This printer driver is prepared so that N-up printing can be executed as one of its utility items, and the user can specify it while viewing the printer driver operation screen displayed on the display screen. N-up printing as performed can be performed. For example, while viewing the operation screen, the user selects “2-up printing” by operating a mouse or the like, and sets one image data to be printed on each page (printing area) on the paper surface on the operation screen. Set them in correspondence one by one. Then, the printer driver sequentially performs halftone processing, binarization processing, and the like on these two image data to generate one head drive data. Then, the head drive data is transmitted to the printer 1106 via the USBIF 52, and the printer 1106 drives the print head based on the head drive data, and as a result, each page obtained by dividing the paper surface into two equal parts. The two images are printed respectively.

Note that the functions of the printer driver described above are performed by a normal printer driver.
Here, in the printer driver according to the present embodiment, a command for designating a print mode is prepared for each image data when setting each image data on each page on the operation screen. When this designation is made, at the time of the binarization process, the printer driver performs the binarization process based on the print mode of each image data. That is, when the monochrome print mode is designated for the image data, the RGB image data is converted into binary data of only K, and when the color print mode is designated, the CMYK binary data is converted. Convert to Based on these binary data, the above-described one head drive data is generated, which enables printing in which the print mode of the image of each page is different in 2-up printing.

In the above description, the SPC multifunction apparatus 1106 is connected to the computer main body 1102, the display apparatus 1104, the input apparatus 1108, and the reading apparatus 1110 to configure the computer system. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is not a thing. For example, the computer system may be configured by the computer main body 1102 and the SPC multifunction apparatus 1106, and the computer system may not include any of the display device 1104, the input device 1108, and the reading device 1110.
The computer system realized in this way is a system superior to the conventional system as a whole system.

=== Other Embodiments ===
The above-described embodiments are mainly described for the SPC multifunction apparatus and the like, but it goes without saying that the disclosure includes a printing apparatus, a printing method, a computer system, and a computer program.

  Moreover, although the SPC multifunction apparatus and the like as one embodiment have been described, the above embodiment is for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and it is needless to say that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In particular, the embodiments described below are also included in the present invention.

<About the number of manuscripts and pages>
According to the above-described embodiment, two pages of images are read from two originals, and the print mode of each page image is set independently of each other and printed on one sheet. However, the number of documents and the number of pages set on one sheet are not limited to two. For example, the present invention can be applied to the case of 4-up printing as shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. In other words, in FIG. 21, an image for one page is acquired from each of four documents by a total of four reading operations, and each image is printed on each page of the paper 7. In this 4-up printing, as in the above-described 2-up printing, the copy button operation is performed each time each original is read, so that each read page image is printed. The mode is set.

However, the two-up printing is different from the two-up printing in that the printing start timing is different and the image rotation process is unnecessary. That is, in the 4-up printing, after reading the image “A” of the first document (first document), the binary data is sent to the first layout image buffer 573A on the CPU 54 side. Thereafter, printing is not started immediately, and the image “B” of the second original (second original) is read. The binary data of the image “B” is sent to the first layout image buffer 573A on the CPU 54 side.
Since each image is reduced and the amount of data is small compared to the above-described embodiment, the first layout image buffer 573A can store both data of the image “A” and the image “B”. it can. Then, the CPU creates line-shaped layout image data in the second layout image buffer 573B based on the data of the two images in the first layout image buffer 573A. In this embodiment, it is not necessary to rotate an image when creating layout image data, as compared with the above-described embodiment. The subsequent data flow is substantially the same as in the above-described embodiment.
In this embodiment, the printing standby state is entered before the printing of the lower part of the image “A” and the lower part of the image “B” is completed. Then, when the reading operation of the image “C” of the third document and the image “D” of the fourth document is completed, the printing is resumed.

<About print mode>
The print mode according to the above-described embodiment has been defined as defining whether the images of each page printed side by side on a sheet of paper are printed in monochrome or color. However, the present invention is not limited to this as long as it is a parameter that defines the printing specification of the image. For example, the quality mode that defines the print resolution of the image may be used as the print mode. That is, each time a reading operation is performed on each document, the image quality mode of the page corresponding to the document can be input from the operation panel unit 70 so that the print resolution can be set differently for each page. Anyway.
According to this configuration, the print resolution of the image of each page can be changed for each page, and the degree of freedom of print expression on paper can be increased.

<About media to be printed>
The printing medium according to the above-described embodiment is a single sheet. However, the printing medium is not limited to this as long as it is a single sheet that can print the images of the plurality of pages in a predetermined position. For example, a single cloth or film may be used, and a three-dimensional shape such as a single can may be used.

<Image data corresponding to one page>
According to the above-described embodiment, the image data corresponding to one page was read data for one original read by the scanner unit 10, but this image data is obtained by equally dividing the paper surface of one sheet. The present invention is not limited to this as long as a predetermined image can be printed in each print area. For example, the concept of the image data includes text data (document data composed only of character information) that can print a document for one page.

<Image data acquisition method>
In the above-described embodiment, an original is read from the scanner unit 10 and RGB image data (read data) is acquired. However, the image data acquisition method is not limited to this. For example, the SPC multifunction apparatus 1 may be provided with a data reading unit for reading image data from a recording medium such as a memory card, and N-up printing may be performed based on the read N pieces of image data. .

<About nozzle>
In the above-described embodiment, ink is ejected using piezoelectric elements, but the method of ejecting liquid is not limited to this. For example, other methods such as a method of generating bubbles in the nozzle by heat may be used.

1 SPC multifunction device, 3 host computer, 5 manuscript,
7 paper, 10 scanner section, 12 platen glass,
14 document table cover, 16 reading carriage, 18 driving means,
181 timing belt, 182 pulley, 183 pulse motor,
184 idler pulley, 20 regulation guide, 22 exposure lamp,
24 lenses, 26 mirrors, 28 CCD sensors,
29 Guide receiving part, 30 Printer part, 301 Opening,
31 gear train, 32 paper supply unit, 33 nozzle train,
34 discharge section, 341 discharge tray, 35 platen,
36 writing carriage, 37 transport roller, 38 print head,
39 discharge roller, 391 driven roller, 40 carriage motor,
41 Hinge mechanism, 42 Paper feed motor (PF motor),
45 paper detection sensor, 451 lever, 452 transmissive optical sensor,
453 action part, 454 light-shielding part, 46 linear encoder,
461 Code plate for linear encoder, 47 Rotary encoder,
48 pulley, 49 timing belt, 50 control circuit,
51 ASIC for control, 54 CPU, 55 ROM,
56 SDRAM, 58 Scanner control unit,
60 binarization processing unit, 62 interlace processing unit,
64 image buffer units,
66 CPU interface unit (CPUIF unit),
68 head control unit, 69 ASIC SDRAM,
691 line buffer, 692 interlace buffer,
693 Image buffer, 70 Operation panel section,
72 LCD display, 74 Notification lamp,
76 Power button, 78 Scan start button,
80 Setting display button, 82 Clear button,
84 Color copy button, 86 Monochrome copy button,
88 Stop button, 90 Copy number setting button,
92 Menu button

Claims (10)

In a printing apparatus that acquires image data corresponding to a plurality of pages, and prints the images of the plurality of pages side by side at predetermined positions on a single print medium based on the image data.
A printing apparatus, wherein a printing mode for printing an image of the page on a print medium can be set differently for each page. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
The printing mode is selected and set from a monochrome printing mode in which single-color printing is performed with one basic color and a color printing mode in which a plurality of different basic colors are combined to perform multi-color printing. The printing apparatus according to claim 2,
Obtain image data corresponding to the page as RGB data,
For the page set in the color print mode, the RGB data corresponding to the page is converted into CMYK data and printed, while for the page set in the monochrome print mode, the page corresponds to the page. A printing apparatus that prints by converting RGB data into K data. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The printing mode is selected and set from a plurality of quality modes having different printing resolutions. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A printing apparatus characterized in that an image reading operation is performed a plurality of times to acquire image data corresponding to a plurality of pages. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
A printing mode setting means for setting the printing mode;
Each time the reading operation is performed, the printing mode setting unit accepts a printing mode setting input. In a printing apparatus that acquires image data corresponding to a plurality of pages, and prints the images of the plurality of pages side by side at predetermined positions on a single print medium based on the image data.
A print mode setting means for setting a print mode when printing an image of each page on a print medium;
An operation for reading an image from a document is performed a plurality of times to acquire image data corresponding to a plurality of pages as RGB data, and the print mode setting unit prints the image data acquired thereby every time the reading operation is performed. Accept mode setting input,
The printing mode is selected and set from a monochrome printing mode for monochromatic printing with one basic color and a color printing mode for multicolor printing by combining different basic colors,
For a page set in the color printing mode, image data corresponding to the page is converted into CMYK data and printed. On the other hand, for a page set in the monochrome printing mode, the page corresponds to the page. A printing apparatus, wherein image data is converted into K data and printed. In the printing method of acquiring image data corresponding to a plurality of pages, respectively, and printing the images of the plurality of pages side by side at a predetermined position of a single printing medium based on the image data.
A printing method characterized in that, for each page, a print mode for printing an image of the page on a print medium can be set differently. A computer system comprising a computer main body and a printing device connected to the computer main body so as to be communicable,
Image data corresponding to a plurality of pages is acquired from the computer main body, and based on these image data, the images of the plurality of pages are printed side by side at a predetermined position on a single print medium,
A computer system characterized in that, for each page, a print mode for printing an image of the page on a print medium can be set differently. With respect to a printing apparatus that acquires image data corresponding to a plurality of pages, and prints the images of the plurality of pages side by side at predetermined positions on a single print medium based on the image data.
A computer program for realizing a function that enables setting by changing a print mode when printing an image of a page on a printing medium for each page.

Images