JP2010128848A - Program, device and method for print control - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology capable of improving an operation rate in a commercial printer. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of pooled print jobs which include print data and print setting information corresponding to the print data are acquired, information designating the kind of a printing medium for printing the print data is acquired from the print set information, information showing the kind of a printing medium loaded on a printer that can load only one kind of a printing medium is simultaneously acquired, the execution sequence of the spooled print jobs is rearranged so that a print job in which the kind of the printing medium designated by the print set information coincides with the kind of the printing medium loaded on the printer can be printed earlier than a print job in which they are not coincident with each other, and the printer is made to execute printing on the basis of a plurality of print jobs whose execution sequence is rearranged. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control program, a print control apparatus, and a print control method for controlling a commercial printing apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for managing print jobs in order to spool a plurality of print jobs output from a plurality of client computers and cause a printing apparatus to execute printing in order is known. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151858 describes that when printing with a plurality of print jobs is being executed, when it is predicted that a consumable item such as a print sheet will be insufficient, a notification to that effect is given to the user. In addition, if it is predicted that the printing paper will run out, for example, if the user performs an operation such as bringing the order of a print job with a small number of pages first, a print job with a small number of pages will be performed according to the order change operation. Printing is preferentially performed.
JP-A-11-157174

  In a commercial printing apparatus, a large amount of printing is performed as compared with a printing apparatus for general consumers or offices. For this reason, it is not uncommon for a print job to take a long time from the start to the end of printing. Therefore, it is difficult for the operator to monitor the printing device during printing. Further, some commercial printing apparatuses can be loaded with only one type of print medium at the same time. Conventionally, in a print control apparatus that controls this type of commercial printing apparatus, a shared folder called a so-called hot folder is prepared, and printing of print jobs input to the shared folder is executed in the input order.

  However, if the print job being executed ends while the operator leaves the printing device, and the next print job specifies a print medium different from the currently loaded print medium, the print medium Therefore, there is a problem that the operation of the commercial printing apparatus stops and the operation rate of the commercial printing apparatus decreases. In addition, when executing printing for the next print job with a print medium different from the currently loaded print medium, not only the print medium specified in the next print job but also the newly loaded Various setting changes related to the print medium must be made by the operator to the printing apparatus and the print control apparatus. It is inefficient to change settings frequently.

Further, as described above, since a large amount of printing is performed in a commercial printing apparatus, the amount of print media handled is large, and the replacement work of the print media requires time and labor. Therefore, in a commercial printing apparatus, it is desirable that the number of print medium replacements be as small as possible when executing printing for a plurality of print jobs.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of improving the operating rate in a commercial printing apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a plurality of spooled print jobs are acquired, and information specifying the type of print medium on which the print data is printed is acquired from the print setting information included in the print job. Acquiring information indicating the type of print medium loaded in one printing apparatus capable of loading only one type of print medium at the same time, and the type of print medium specified in the print setting information and the printing apparatus The print job execution order is rearranged so that a print job that matches the type of print medium loaded in the printer is printed before the non-matching print job. Based on this, the printing apparatus is caused to execute printing.

  The printing apparatus targeted by the present invention is a printing apparatus that is connected to only one printing control apparatus that executes the printing control program according to the present invention, and that can simultaneously load only one type of printing medium. is there. Therefore, if the print medium specified in the current print job is different from the print medium specified in the next print job, the print medium replacement work occurs when printing for the current print job is completed. According to the present invention, in the printing apparatus targeted by the present invention, it is possible to make it difficult to generate a situation in which the print medium needs to be frequently replaced when executing printing related to a plurality of print jobs.

  The print job acquisition function is a function for acquiring a plurality of spooled print jobs. The print job includes print data and various types of print setting information for causing the printing apparatus to print the print data. The print setting information includes, for example, the type of print medium, the number of pages of print data, the number of print copies, and the like. In addition, depending on the format of the acquired print data and the format of the data output to the printing device, parameters for converting the acquired print data (rendering, resolution conversion, color conversion, halftoning, rearrangement, etc.) are included. May be.

  The print setting information analysis function is a function for analyzing the print setting information and acquiring the type of print medium designated by the print setting information and other information as described above. As the type of print medium, for example, the size, material, thickness, and form of the print medium are specified. Note that the type of the print medium may be specified by the print medium manufacturer and the model number. In this case, the size, material, thickness, shape, and the like of the print medium are specified by the manufacturer and the model number.

  The printing device information acquisition function is a function for acquiring from the printing device such as the current state of the printing device and information unique to the printing device. The printing apparatus information acquisition function has a function of acquiring information indicating the type of printing medium currently loaded in the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus information acquisition function may have a function of acquiring the remaining amount of the printing medium and the throughput of the printing apparatus, as described later, in addition to the type of printing medium.

  The print job rearrangement function is a function for rearranging the execution order of the spooled print jobs so that the print medium replacement operation is reduced as much as possible when executing the printing of the spooled print job. That is, a print job in which the type of the print medium specified in the print setting information matches the type of the print medium loaded in the printing apparatus is printed before the print job that does not match. Change the execution order of print jobs.

  The print instruction function is a function for causing the printing apparatus to execute printing based on a plurality of print jobs in which the execution order is rearranged. Each print job has a function of converting print data into an output format to the printing apparatus based on print setting information included in the print job and delivering the converted data to the printing apparatus.

  Further, in the present invention, the print setting information analysis function may have a function of acquiring a necessary amount of print medium required for printing the print data from the print setting information, and the printing apparatus information acquisition function is loaded in the printing apparatus. It may have a function of acquiring the remaining amount of the printed medium. At this time, when it is assumed that printing is executed based on a plurality of rearranged print jobs, the print control program needs to reload the print medium based on the required amount of the print medium and the remaining amount of the print medium. A guidance function for guiding the information to the operator may be further provided. That is, a function of guiding whether or not a print medium loading operation occurs when printing a plurality of spooled print jobs may be provided.

  According to this configuration, the operator can know whether or not a print medium loading operation occurs when all the printing related to the spooled print job is executed. The necessary amount of print medium indicates the amount of print medium necessary for ending all print jobs specifying the same print medium, and is represented by, for example, the number of printed sheets. Alternatively, in the case of roll paper, it may be expressed as the length of the roll paper in addition to the number of sheets after cutting. Further, the remaining amount of the print medium only needs to be able to represent the amount of the loaded print medium. For example, in the case of roll paper, the length, the thickness of the roll, the number of sheets after cutting, and the number of sheets in the case of cut paper are loaded. It is expressed by the thickness of the entire cut sheet in the state of being held. Alternatively, it may be represented by the weight of the loaded printing medium. The necessary amount of print medium and the remaining amount of print medium can be appropriately converted so that they can be compared. For example, even if the remaining amount is expressed by the length of the roll paper, the overall thickness, weight, etc., the length, thickness, and weight per printed matter are specified according to the type of print medium. It can be converted into a number after cutting.

  Further, in the present invention, the printing device information acquisition function may have a function of acquiring a throughput when printing data is printed based on the print setting information in the printing device, and the guidance function is necessary for the print medium. When the amount exceeds the remaining amount of the print medium, a function of guiding the timing for reloading the print medium may be provided based on the remaining amount of the print medium and the throughput. The throughput only needs to be able to represent the processing capability of the printing apparatus. For example, the throughput is expressed by the time required from the start of printing one printing medium to the next printing. Also good. Further, for example, it may be represented by the number of sheets (or the number of pages) that can be printed during a unit time. Of course, the throughput expressed in this way may vary depending on various conditions such as print quality, print medium size, and paper quality.

  According to this configuration, the operator can know the timing for reloading the print medium when completing all the spooled print jobs. Note that the reloading of the print medium is assumed to reload the same print medium or to load a print medium different from the currently loaded print medium. In the former case, since there is no print medium loaded, the replenishment timing is shown. The latter case shows the timing when the print job specifying the currently loaded print medium ends and the process shifts to a print job specifying a different print medium. This eliminates the need for the operator to monitor whether the printing apparatus does not stop due to a shortage of print media, for example.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, it is assumed that the guidance function performs printing based on a plurality of rearranged print jobs, and when the required amount of print medium is equal to or less than the remaining amount of print medium, the required amount and throughput of the print medium. Based on the above, a function for guiding the timing of completion of printing corresponding to a plurality of spooled print jobs may be provided. In this case, the operator can know that it is not necessary to reload the print medium before the printing of all the spooled print jobs is completed, and the timing when the printing of all the print jobs is completed. This eliminates the need for the operator to monitor whether the printing apparatus does not stop due to a shortage of print media, for example.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the printing apparatus may include a transport device that continuously transports the print medium after printing to a device that performs a post-printing process. Here, for example, a paper folding machine, a bookbinding machine, a cutting machine, a sealing machine, a book machine, and the like may be assumed as a device that performs a post-printing process. That is, the printing apparatus targeted by the present invention is a commercial printing apparatus, and it is more efficient to load only one type of printing medium and continuously print on the same printing medium for a long time. This is because such a commercial printing apparatus and the above-described post-process device in charge of the post-printing process are linked. When a print medium replacement operation occurs, not only the printing apparatus stops but also the post-process equipment stops, and all the processes after the printing process are delayed. Also, setting changes for post-process equipment can occur due to differences in print media. Therefore, the operation rate of such a commercial printing process can be improved by rearranging the print jobs as described above so as to prevent the exchange of the print medium as much as possible.

  Further, as in the present invention, for one printing apparatus capable of loading only one type of printing medium at the same time, the type of printing medium specified in the print setting information and the printing medium loaded in the printing apparatus The method of rearranging print jobs and executing printing so that print jobs that match the type of print are printed before print jobs that do not match is also an invention of an apparatus or method that executes this program. Applicable. Moreover, the above programs, apparatuses, and methods may be realized by a single apparatus or may be realized by combining a plurality of apparatuses, and include various aspects. Further, some changes may be made as appropriate, such as a part of software and a part of hardware. Furthermore, the present invention is established as a recording medium for recording the above-described program. Of course, the recording medium may be a magnetic recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, or any recording medium that will be developed in the future.

Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
(1) Configuration of print control apparatus:
(2) Print control processing:
(3) Other embodiments:

(1) Configuration of print control apparatus:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control PC 10 as a print control apparatus according to the present invention. The control PC 10 includes a control unit 20 including a RAM, a ROM, a CPU, and the like, and an HDD (Hard Disk Device) 30. The control unit 20 can execute a program recorded in the ROM, the HDD 30, or the like. In the present embodiment, the print control program 21 can be executed as one of the programs. An input device 41 such as a mouse or a keyboard and a display 42 are connected to the control PC 10. The control PC 10 is connected to a plurality of client PCs 40 and a single printer (printing device) 43 via an interface (not shown). The control PC 10 can cause the printer 43 to execute printing based on the print job acquired from the client PC 40.

  The printer 43 is a so-called commercial printing apparatus. Unlike printers for general consumers and offices, the printer 43 continuously prints printed materials to a device in charge of a post-printing process (for example, the paper folding machine 44 in this embodiment). It is provided with a transport device 43a. Furthermore, the printer 43 is a commercial printing apparatus capable of loading only one type of printing medium at the same time. Further, the printer 43 can acquire the status of each part of the printer 43 and transmit it to the control PC 10 in response to an information acquisition request from the control PC 10. Specifically, for example, the type of the print medium set when the print medium is loaded by the operator can be acquired and transmitted to the control PC 10. Further, for example, the thickness of the entire cut sheet loaded is acquired, and the number of cut sheets currently loaded in the printer 43 can be acquired from the total thickness and the thickness per one cut sheet. it can. Further, for example, the throughput (processing capability) of the printer 43 can be transmitted in response to an information acquisition request from the control PC 10. Further, the printer 43 can execute printing based on data transmitted from the control PC 10 in response to a print instruction from the control PC 10.

  The print control program 21 executed by the control unit 20 of the control PC 10 has a function of rearranging the execution order of a plurality of spooled print jobs according to the print medium loaded in the printer 43 as one of the functions. ing. In order to realize this function, the print control program 21 includes a print job acquisition unit 21a, a print setting information analysis unit 21b, a printing apparatus information acquisition unit 21c, a print job rearrangement unit 21d, a guide unit 21e, and a print instruction unit 21f. Yes. In addition, a shared folder 30a disclosed to the client PC 40 is prepared in the HDD 30, and a user who uses a plurality of client PCs 40 can submit a print job to the shared folder 30a.

  The print job acquisition unit 21a is a program module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of acquiring a plurality of print jobs 30b spooled in the shared folder 30a. The print job includes print data such as image data and document data, and print setting information corresponding to the print data. The print setting information includes the type of print medium, the number of pages, the number of print media, the number of copies, print quality (print resolution, etc.), and the like. Further, a parameter for converting the acquired print data into an output format to the printer 43 may be included.

  The print setting information analysis unit 21b analyzes the print setting information, and causes the control unit 20 to realize the function of acquiring the type of print medium designated by the print setting information and other information as described above. It is. In the print setting information, for example, the size, paper quality, thickness, and shape of the print medium are designated as the type of print medium. In addition, for example, the print medium manufacturer and the model number may be specified. In this case, the size, material, thickness, shape, and the like of the print medium are specified by the manufacturer and the model number.

  The printing apparatus information acquisition unit 21 c is a program module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of transmitting an information acquisition request to the printer 43 and acquiring information indicating the current state of the printer 43. In the present embodiment, information indicating the type of print medium loaded in the printer 43, the remaining amount of print medium, and the throughput of the printer 43 is acquired. The throughput only needs to be able to represent the processing capability of the printing apparatus. For example, the throughput is expressed by the time required from the start of printing one printing medium to the next printing. Also good. Further, for example, it may be represented by the number of sheets (or the number of pages) that can be printed during a unit time. Of course, the throughput expressed in this way may vary depending on various conditions such as print quality, print medium size, and paper quality.

  The print job rearrangement unit 21d prints a print job in which the type of the print medium specified in the print setting information matches the type of the print medium loaded in the printing apparatus before the print job that does not match. It is a program module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of rearranging the execution order of print jobs so as to be executed.

  When it is assumed that the guide unit 21e performs printing based on a plurality of print jobs after rearrangement, information on the necessity of reloading of the print medium based on the required amount of the print medium and the remaining amount of the print medium This is a program module that causes the control unit 20 to realize the function of guiding the user to the operator. In this embodiment, an expected time when a shortage of print media occurs, an estimated time when a print job specifying a print medium different from the currently loaded print medium, or an estimated time when the print job ends are calculated. These times are displayed on the display 42 to guide the operator. Note that the control PC 10 includes an RTC (Real Time Clock) (not shown) in order for the guide unit 21e to obtain the current time based on these predicted times.

  The print instruction unit 21f is a program module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of causing the printer 43 to execute printing based on a plurality of print jobs whose execution order has been rearranged by the processing of the print job rearrangement unit 21d. Each print job has a function of converting print data into an output format to the printer 43 based on print setting information included in the print job and delivering the converted data to the printing apparatus. The conversion to the output format to the printer 43 depends on the format of the acquired print data and the format of the data to be output to the printing apparatus. For example, all or part of rendering, resolution conversion, color conversion, halftoning, rearrangement, etc. It is.

(2) Print control processing:
Next, the flow of print control processing in the above-described configuration will be described using the flowchart of FIG. First, the control unit 20 acquires a plurality of print jobs 30b spooled in the shared folder 30a by the processing of the print job acquisition unit 21a (step S100). As a condition for acquiring a plurality of print jobs and proceeding to the processing after step S105, for example, when a predetermined number or more of print jobs are spooled in the shared folder 30a, when a predetermined time has passed, or shared folder 30a. When the sizes of a plurality of print jobs spooled at a predetermined size or more are considered.

  Subsequently, the control unit 20 acquires the type of the currently loaded print medium, the remaining amount of the print medium, and the throughput of the printer 43 from the printer 43 by the processing of the printing apparatus information acquisition unit 21c (step S105). Subsequently, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the analysis of the print setting information included in the acquired plurality of print jobs has been completed (step S110). Analysis is performed, and the execution order of the print jobs is rearranged by the processing of the print job rearrangement unit 21d. That is, the control unit 20 acquires the type of the print medium specified by the print setting information, and determines whether the type of the print medium and the type of the print medium currently loaded in the printer 43 are the same. If it is determined that the print jobs are the same, the execution order of the print job is set earlier than other print jobs with different designated print media (step S120). Subsequently, the control unit 20 acquires the number of printed pages and the number of copies from the print setting information by the process of the print setting information analyzing unit 21b (step S125). If it is determined in step S115 that they are not the same, the process proceeds to step S125.

  A specific example of the processing in steps S110 to S125 will be described with reference to FIG. Assume that the type of print medium currently loaded in the printer 43 is “MM # XXX”. Further, as shown by the job arrangement in the left column of FIG. 3, it is assumed that the order spooled in the shared folder 30a (the order before the rearrangement) is the order of jobs A, B, C, D, E, and F. . First, it is determined in step S115 that the type of print medium specified in the print setting information of job A spooled first in the shared folder 30a is different from “MM # XXX”, and therefore step S125. Then, the number of pages and the number of copies specified in job A are acquired.

  Next, in step S115, since it is determined that the type of the print medium designated in the second spooled job B is the same as “MM # XXX”, the execution order of job B is raised over job A. That is, as shown in the sequence of jobs in the center column of FIG. 3, the order of job A and job B is switched, and the page number and the number of copies of job B are acquired. Thereafter, similarly, a print job whose type of print medium specified by the print setting information is “MM # XXX” is a print job that has already been analyzed and is specified by the print setting information of the job. It is added at the end of the print job group whose print medium type is “MM # XXX”. As a result, the order of the print jobs is finally changed to the order in which the jobs in the right column in FIG. 3 are arranged.

  If it is determined in step S110 that the analysis of the print setting information corresponding to all print jobs has been completed, the control unit 20 determines whether it is necessary to reload the print medium by the processing of the guide unit 21e ( In step S130), if no reloading is required, an expected time at which the reloading operation occurs is calculated (step S135), and if no reloading is required, an estimated printing end time is calculated (step S145). Then, by the processing of the guide unit 21e, the control unit 20 displays the time calculated in step S135 or step S140 on the display 42 together with the necessity of reloading the print medium, and guides the operator (step S145).

  In step S130, the necessity of reloading the print medium is determined, for example, as follows. The control unit 20 compares the remaining amount of the print medium loaded in the printer 43 acquired in step S105 with the required amount of print medium when it is assumed that the rearranged print jobs are executed in order. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the number of pages and the number of copies designated in each job in the order after the rearrangement for the print job shown in FIG. In this case, the required amount of print media necessary for printing jobs B, D, F, A, C, and E is 3050 for “MM # XXX”, 90 for “RR # YYY”, and “NN # ZZZ”. Is 1000 sheets. Here, single-sided printing is assumed. For example, if the remaining amount of print media loaded in the printer 43 is “MM # XXX” is 1000 sheets, the first to third print jobs (B, D, E) having the same print medium type are used. Since the required amount of printing exceeds 1000 sheets (necessary amount of printing medium> remaining amount of printing medium), it is determined that reloading is necessary (case 1).

  For example, even if the remaining amount of the print medium is larger than 3050 sheets, which is the required amount of printing for the first to third print jobs (B, D, E), the fourth print job A When executing printing, the print medium must be replaced from “MM # XXX” to “RRR # YYY” (required amount of print medium> remaining amount of print medium), so it is determined that reloading is necessary. The That is, as in the example illustrated in FIG. 3, when there is a job in which a print medium different from the type of print medium currently loaded in the printer 43 is specified in the print job spooled in the shared folder 30 a, In step S130, it is determined that the printing medium needs to be reloaded (case 2).

  The type of print medium specified in all spooled print jobs and the type of print medium loaded in the printer 43 are the same, and the required amount of print medium is less than the remaining amount of print medium. If (required amount of print medium ≦ remaining amount of print medium), it is determined in step S130 that no reloading is necessary (case 3).

  The estimated time at which the reloading operation occurs in step S135 is calculated as follows, for example. When a shortage of print media occurs and the same type of print medium needs to be replenished as in Case 1, the control unit 20 determines from the throughput of the printer 43 acquired in Step S105 and the remaining amount of print medium. The time required for printing the remaining amount is calculated and added to the current time acquired from the RTC to obtain the expected time.

  When reloading the print medium at the timing when the print medium shifts to a different print job as in Case 2, the control unit 20 obtains the necessary amount of the print medium in the print job before the shift, and The amount of time required to print the print job before switching from the amount and the throughput of the printer 43 is calculated and added to the current time to obtain the expected time.

  In step S140, the estimated print end time is calculated as follows, for example. That is, since step S140 is the situation of the above-described case 3, the control unit 20 calculates the required time from the required amount and throughput of the print medium necessary for printing all the print jobs, and adds the current time to the predicted time. Find the time. In step S135 and step S140, the reloading timing and the printing end timing may be guided as the expected time, or may be simply guided as the time until the reloading or the required time until the printing ends.

  Subsequently, the control unit 20 causes the printer 43 to start printing related to the print jobs whose order has been rearranged (step S150). When the execution of printing is started, the control unit 20 causes the printing job to be executed one by one in accordance with the rearranged order. For each print job, the print data is subjected to processing such as color conversion, halftoning, and rearrangement as described above for each page, and the processed data is output to the printer 43. By repeating the above, printing is continuously performed until the situation of cases 1, 2, and 3 and other errors occur. The printed print medium is transported to the paper folding machine 44 in charge of the post process by the transport device 43a, and the post processes by the paper folding machine 44 are continuously executed.

  Since the printer 43, which is a commercial printing apparatus capable of loading only one type of printing medium at the same time, is linked to the paper folding machine 44 that is in charge of the post-printing process, this continuous process is delayed due to the occurrence of a print medium replacement operation. It is desirable to suppress this as much as possible. By rearranging the print jobs as described above, it is possible to prevent the exchange of print media as much as possible. In addition, since the timing for reloading the print medium and the timing when printing is completed can be calculated and guided to the operator, the operator need not constantly monitor the printer 43. In addition, since the timing of reloading the print medium and the end of printing can be known in advance, the operator should replenish or replace the print medium in accordance with the timing, or shift to work such as carrying out the finished printed matter. Can do. As a result, the operation rate in the commercial printing system including the printer 43 can be improved.

(3) Other embodiments:
The above embodiment is an example for carrying out the present invention. A plurality of spooled print jobs are acquired, and the type of print medium on which print data is printed is specified from the print setting information included in the print job. The type of print medium specified in the print setting information is obtained by acquiring information indicating the type of print medium loaded in a single printing apparatus capable of simultaneously loading only one type of print medium. The execution order of the print jobs was rearranged so that the print jobs with the same type of print media loaded in the printing apparatus are executed before the print jobs that do not match. Various other embodiments can be adopted as long as the printing apparatus executes printing based on a plurality of print jobs.

  For example, after the print jobs are rearranged as shown in FIG. 4, when printing is started and several print jobs are completed, a plurality of print jobs newly input to the shared folder 30a are obtained, and the step You may perform the process after S100. As described above, by acquiring a plurality of print jobs and executing the prints of the acquired and rearranged print jobs in parallel, the priority order of the jobs that are not executed because the order does not rotate for a certain period of time is raised. You may rearrange as follows.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing control apparatus. 6 is a flowchart showing print control processing. The figure for demonstrating rearrangement of a print job. The figure which shows the print job after rearrangement.

Explanation of symbols

10: control PC (print control apparatus), 20: control unit, 21: print control program, 21a: print job acquisition unit, 21b: print setting information analysis unit, 21c: printing device information acquisition unit, 21d: print job rearrangement unit 21e: guide unit, 21f: print instruction unit, 30: HDD, 30a: shared folder, 30b: print job, 41: input device, 42: display, 43: printer, 43a: transport device, 44: folder

Claims (7)

A print job including print data and print setting information corresponding to the print data, and a print job acquisition function for acquiring a plurality of spooled print jobs;
A print setting information analysis function for acquiring information specifying the type of print medium on which the print data is printed, from the print setting information;
A printing apparatus information acquisition function for acquiring information indicating the type of printing medium loaded in one printing apparatus capable of loading only one type of printing medium at the same time;
The spool so that a print job in which the type of the print medium specified in the print setting information matches the type of the print medium loaded in the printing apparatus is printed before the print job that does not match. A print job rearrangement function that rearranges the execution order of the print jobs that are
A print instruction function for causing the printing apparatus to perform printing based on a plurality of the print jobs in which the execution order is rearranged;
A print control program that causes a computer to realize The print setting information analysis function has a function of acquiring a necessary amount of a print medium required for printing the print data from the print setting information,
The printing device information acquisition function has a function of acquiring the remaining amount of the printing medium loaded in the printing device,
When it is assumed that printing is executed based on the plurality of print jobs after rearrangement, information on the necessity of reloading of the print medium is obtained based on the required amount of the print medium and the remaining amount of the print medium. Provide a guidance function to guide the operator,
The printing control program according to claim 1. The printing device information acquisition function has a function of acquiring a throughput when printing the print data based on the print setting information in the printing device,
When the required amount of the print medium exceeds the remaining amount of the print medium, the guidance function guides information indicating a timing for reloading the print medium based on the remaining amount of the print medium and the throughput. Has a function,
The printing control program according to claim 2. The guide function assumes that printing is executed based on a plurality of the print jobs after rearrangement, and when the required amount of the print medium is equal to or less than the remaining amount of the print medium, the required amount of the print medium and the A function of guiding information indicating a timing of completion of printing corresponding to the plurality of spooled print jobs based on the throughput;
The printing control program according to claim 3. The printing apparatus includes a transport device that continuously transports the print medium after printing to a device that performs a post-printing process.
The printing control program according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A print job including print data and print setting information corresponding to the print data, and a print job acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of spooled print jobs;
Print setting information analyzing means for acquiring information specifying the type of print medium on which the print data is to be printed, from the print setting information;
Printing apparatus information acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the type of printing medium loaded in one printing apparatus capable of loading only one type of printing medium at the same time;
The spool so that a print job in which the type of the print medium specified in the print setting information matches the type of the print medium loaded in the printing apparatus is printed before the print job that does not match. Print job rearranging means for rearranging the execution order of the print jobs being processed,
Print instruction means for causing the printing apparatus to execute printing based on the plurality of print jobs in which the execution order is rearranged;
A printing control apparatus comprising: A print job including print data and print setting information corresponding to the print data, and a print job acquisition step of acquiring a plurality of spooled print jobs;
A print setting information analyzing step for obtaining information specifying a type of a print medium on which the print data is printed, from the print setting information;
A printing apparatus information acquisition step of acquiring information indicating the type of printing medium loaded in one printing apparatus capable of loading only one type of printing medium at the same time;
The spool so that a print job in which the type of the print medium specified in the print setting information matches the type of the print medium loaded in the printing apparatus is printed before the print job that does not match. A print job rearrangement step for rearranging the execution order of the print jobs being performed,
A print instruction step for causing the printing apparatus to perform printing based on the plurality of print jobs in which the execution order is rearranged;
A printing control method.

Images