JP2010231641A - Print controller, print device and print program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a print controller, a print device and a print program to improve efficiency in printing and user-friendliness. <P>SOLUTION: When duplex printing for printing monochrome and color images on each of both sides is continuously performed, and if either monochrome ink or color ink is empty and printing on one side is disabled, PC 10 continues printing on one side using the other ink. Accordingly, printing is not interrupted by ink exhaustion during continuous duplex printing, thereby improving printing efficiency and user-friendliness. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing control apparatus, a printing apparatus, and a printing program.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-199292 discloses a printer capable of continuously performing double-sided printing in which the address on the postcard is printed in monochrome and the photograph or picture on the back of the postcard is printed in color.

JP 2004-199292 A

  However, the printer of Patent Document 1 can continuously print on both sides of the postcard, but printing is interrupted when either monochrome ink or color ink is empty, and printing is resumed unless the ink cartridge is replaced. Can not. Therefore, if there is no spare ink cartridge and cannot be replaced, printing is terminated, and not only the work of replacing the ink cartridge but also the work of resetting double-sided printing is necessary later. There was a problem that it was not possible and it was not easy to use.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems. In double-sided printing in which the first side of a recording medium is printed in monochrome and the second side is printed in color, the colorant or color printing for monochrome printing is performed. An object of the present invention is to provide a printing control apparatus, a printing apparatus, and a printing program that can perform printing efficiently and improve usability when one of the colorants for use becomes empty.

  In order to achieve this object, the printing control apparatus according to claim 1 instructs printing execution to a printing unit capable of continuously printing both surfaces of a plurality of recording media and capable of monochrome or color printing. Whether or not a double-sided continuous printing mode is provided in which printing instruction means is provided and when printing on both sides of the plurality of recording media continuously, the first side of the recording media is printed in monochrome and the second side is printed in color A mode discriminating unit that discriminates whether or not the double-sided continuous printing mode is determined by the mode discriminating unit, and the remaining amount of the monochrome colorant for monochrome printing and the color colorant for color printing are determined. Whether or not the first and second surfaces can be printed in monochrome and color from the remaining amount information acquired by the remaining amount acquisition unit and the remaining amount information acquired by the remaining amount acquisition unit A print discriminating unit for discriminating between the first side and the second side when the print discriminating unit determines that printing is impossible. Mode setting means for setting the single-sided continuous printing mode.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the print control device according to the first aspect, when the print determining unit determines that the monochrome first surface is not printable, the first surface is printed in color. An inquiry means for inquiring whether or not the mode setting means replaces the one-sided continuous printing mode when the inquiry result by the inquiry means is to print the first side in color. The both sides of the first and second sides are set to a double-sided color printing mode in which printing is performed with a color colorant.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the print control device according to the first or second aspect, when the single-sided continuous printing mode is set by the mode setting unit, the single-sided continuous printing mode is used for continuous printing. A reversal determining means for determining whether to reverse the recording medium based on the other surface and the printing order of the first and second surfaces of the recording medium; And a reversal instructing unit for instructing the reversal of the storage medium when it is determined that the front / reverse reversal is to be performed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the print control apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the print instruction unit outputs print data that causes the print unit to execute printing. When the single-sided continuous printing mode is set by the mode setting unit, the one of the two-sided printing data for executing the double-sided printing on the first and second sides is determined to be unprintable by the print determining unit. Output stopping means for stopping output of single-sided print data corresponding to the side is provided.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the print control apparatus according to the fourth aspect, further comprising stop data storage means for storing single-sided print data whose output is stopped by the output stop means.

  The print control device according to claim 6 is the print control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein only the other surface is printed when the one-side continuous printing mode is set by the mode setting unit. A number storage means for storing the number of single-sided printed sheets, wherein the printing instruction means is arranged so that printing for the number of single-sided printed sheets stored in the number-of-sheets storage means is performed on the unprinted one side. Are provided with reprinting means for instructing execution of printing.

  The printing apparatus according to claim 7 includes a printing unit capable of continuously printing both surfaces of a plurality of recording media and capable of printing in monochrome or color, and a print instruction unit which instructs the printing unit to execute printing. When both sides of the plurality of recording media are continuously printed, it is determined whether or not it is a double-sided continuous printing mode in which the first side of the recording medium is printed in monochrome and the second side is printed in color. And a remaining amount information indicating a remaining amount of the monochrome colorant for monochrome printing and the color colorant for color printing when the mode determination unit determines that the duplex continuous printing mode is selected by the mode determination unit. Printing that determines whether the first side and the second side can be printed by the monochrome and color from the remaining amount acquisition unit to be acquired and the remaining amount information acquired by the remaining amount acquisition unit One-sided continuous printing mode for continuously printing the other surface that can be printed when it is determined that the other surface and either one of the first surface and the second surface cannot be printed by the print determining device. Mode setting means for setting to

  The printing program according to claim 8, further comprising: a printing instruction unit that instructs printing execution to a printing unit that can continuously print on both sides of a plurality of recording media and can perform monochrome or color printing. In addition, when continuously printing on both sides of the plurality of recording media, a mode for determining whether or not it is a duplex continuous printing mode in which the first side of the recording medium is printed in monochrome and the second side is printed in color. When the determination step and the mode determination step determine that the duplex continuous printing mode is selected, remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of the monochrome colorant for monochrome printing and the color colorant for color printing is acquired. The first surface and the second surface can be printed in monochrome and color from the remaining amount acquisition step to be performed and the remaining amount information acquired in the remaining amount acquisition step. A print determination step for determining whether or not, and when the print determination step determines that one of the first surface and the second surface is not printable, the other surface that can be printed is continuously displayed. And a mode setting step for setting a single-sided continuous printing mode for printing.

  According to the printing control apparatus of claim 1, when the first surface of the recording medium is continuously printed in monochrome and the second surface is in color, one of the first and second surfaces cannot be printed. Then, the single-sided continuous printing mode for continuously printing the other side that can be printed is set, and printing can be performed without interrupting the one side that can be printed. Work such as filling is not necessary, and printing can be performed efficiently and the usability can be improved.

  In claim 1, both sides of the recording medium are described as the first and second sides. However, the printing order of the recording medium is that the first side is monochrome printed first and then the second side is color printed. Alternatively, the second surface may be printed in color first and then the first surface may be printed in monochrome.

  According to the printing control apparatus of the second aspect, in addition to the effect produced by the printing control apparatus of the first aspect, the first surface that cannot be printed in monochrome can be printed using a color colorant instead. In addition, printing can be continued without replacing or filling the monochrome colorant, so that printing can be performed efficiently and the usability can be improved.

  Further, the printing of the first surface with the color colorant may be performed by adjusting the mixing ratio of the color colorant and printing with a color approximate to monochrome, or may be performed with color. In particular, when the first surface is printed with a color approximate to monochrome, it is possible to provide a printing mode desired by the user.

  According to the print control device of the third aspect, in addition to the effect produced by the print control device according to the first or second aspect, the reverse instruction of the recording medium is instructed by the inversion instruction means. And the second surface can be prevented from being printed oppositely.

  According to the printing control apparatus of the fourth aspect, in addition to the effect produced by the printing control apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, when the single-sided continuous printing mode is set, both sides of the first and second sides are set. Since the output of single-sided print data corresponding to one of the double-sided print data to be printed is determined to be unprintable, only the print data necessary for printing can be output. There are effects that the transmission speed can be improved and the processing load on the printing means can be reduced.

  When a printing unit is provided in a printing device provided separately from the printing control device, the printing device is generally inferior in processing capacity of the arithmetic processing unit to the printing control device and stores printing data. Since the storage area to be stored is also small, if a large amount of print data is stored and processed, the printing speed of the recording medium decreases. However, with the configuration of the print control apparatus according to claim 4, since the printing apparatus only needs to execute printing based on the received print data, the processing load can be reduced and the printing speed can be reduced. The effect that it can suppress can be show | played.

  Also, the cancellation of the output of the single-sided print data may be canceled by deleting the single-sided print data from the double-sided print data, or the single-sided print data corresponding to each of the first and second sides may be continuously displayed. In this case, the process of outputting the single-sided print data corresponding to one of the non-printable surfaces may be configured not to be executed (skipped). With either configuration, single-sided print data corresponding to one of the unprintable surfaces is not output, so that it is possible to improve the transmission speed of print data and reduce the processing burden on the printing means.

  According to the printing control apparatus of the fifth aspect, in addition to the effect produced by the printing control apparatus of the fourth aspect, the single-sided printing data whose output has been canceled among the double-sided printing data can be stored in the cancellation data storage unit. One unprinted side can be printed based on the single-sided printing data stored in the cancellation data storage means. Therefore, since it is not necessary for the user to newly create single-sided print data in order to print one unprinted side, there is an effect that usability can be improved.

  According to the print control device of the sixth aspect, in addition to the effect produced by the print control device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, printing for the number of single-sided printed sheets on which only the other surface is printed is not printed. Since the reprinting is instructed to the printing means so as to be performed on one side, the user does not need to reset the number of sheets to be printed on one side, and there is an effect that usability can be improved.

  According to the printing apparatus of the seventh aspect, the same effect as that of the printing control apparatus of the first aspect can be obtained.

  According to the printing program of the eighth aspect, the same effect as that of the printing control apparatus according to the first aspect can be obtained.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a PC that is an example of the electronic apparatus of the present invention and an MFP connected to the PC. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a printing process executed by a CPU of a PC. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram schematically showing data stored in a setting / status data storage area, and a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a monitor device.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”) 10 which is an example of a print control apparatus according to the present invention, and a multifunction peripheral device (hereinafter referred to as “MFP (Multi Function on Peripheral)”) connected to the PC 10. ) 20 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a printing process executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 10. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram schematically showing data stored in the setting / status data storage area 14 d and an example of a screen displayed on the monitor device 16.

  Note that the PC 10 according to the present embodiment prints the address printed on the front surface of a postcard or the like in monochrome, and also performs monochrome or color printing when the double-sided printing in which the image printed on the back surface is printed in color is continuously performed. When one of the inks becomes empty, only one side can be continuously printed using the other ink.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the PC 10 mainly includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as “HDD”) 14, an input device 15, a monitor device 16, and an interface 17.

  The CPU 11, ROM 12, RAM 13, and HDD 14 are connected to each other via a bus 19. The input device 15, the monitor device 16, the interface 17, and the bus 19 are connected to each other via the input / output port 18.

  The CPU 11 is an arithmetic processing unit that controls each unit connected to the input / output port 18 according to fixed values and programs stored in the ROM 12, RAM 13, and HDD 14. The ROM 12 is a memory in which a program for controlling the operation of the PC 10 is stored, and the RAM 13 is a readable / writable memory for temporarily storing a program and data necessary for the processing of the CPU 11.

  The HDD 14 includes a printer driver 14a for instructing the MFP 20 to output print data, a print data storage area 14b for storing print data output to the MFP 20, and unprinted data for storing deleted unprinted print data. A storage area 14c and a setting / status data storage area 14d for storing data indicating the state of the MFP 20 are provided.

  The printer driver 14a is activated when printing is instructed by document creation software or image creation software operating on the PC 10, and displays a display screen on which the printing method of the MFP 20 can be set, or is created by each creation software. The print data is converted into print data corresponding to the MFP 20 and stored in the print data storage area 14b, or an instruction to output the converted print data to the MFP 20 is given. Note that parameters such as “double-sided printing” and “color pattern during double-sided printing” stored in the setting / status data storage area 14d described later are set on a display screen on which the printer driver 14a can set the printing method. Is called.

  Here, various data stored in the setting / status data storage area 14d will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3A, in the setting / status data storage area 14d, as parameters, double-sided printing, color pattern during double-sided printing, color ink amount (a part of the remaining amount acquisition unit), monochrome ink amount ( A part of the remaining amount acquisition means), printing paper, printing order, and number of printed sheets.

  In the “double-sided printing” parameter, data indicating whether printing designated by each creation software on the PC 10 is double-sided printing or single-sided printing is stored. The parameter “color pattern for double-sided printing” is data indicating whether the printing color pattern specified by each creation software on the PC 10 is double-sided color, double-sided monochrome, front-side color backside monochrome, or front-side monochrome backside color. Is memorized.

  As the “color ink amount” parameter, the remaining amount of each color ink (cyan, magenta, yellow in this embodiment) is stored as a counter value, and a count value corresponding to the print data output to the MFP 20 is added. Is done. In the “monochrome ink amount” parameter, the remaining amount of monochrome ink (black) is stored as a counter value, and a counter value corresponding to print data is added in the same manner as color ink. The count value of the ink amount is reset when the replacement of the ink cartridge of the MFP 20 is confirmed.

  The parameter “printing paper” indicates a printing paper (recording medium) designated by each creation software on the PC 10, and data indicating a paper type such as postcard, A4, or A5 is stored. In the “print order” parameter, data indicating whether the sheet printed on the MFP 20 is printed from the front side or the back side is stored. The parameter “number of printed sheets” stores data indicating the number of printed sheets when continuous printing is instructed by each creation software on the PC 10.

  Returning to FIG. The input device 15 is for inputting a user instruction, and includes, for example, a keyboard and a mouse. The monitor device 16 is composed of, for example, a CRT display or a liquid crystal display, and visually displays various processing contents and input data. The interface 17 transmits / receives various data to / from the MFP 20.

  The MFP 20 includes a CPU 21 that is an arithmetic unit, a ROM 22 that stores various control programs and data, a RAM 23 and a flash memory 24 that temporarily store data and also store print data and control signals transmitted from the PC 10, An interface 25 for transmitting / receiving various data to / from the PC 10, an operation key 26 composed of buttons, an LCD 27 composed of a liquid crystal panel, a printer 28 composed of an ink jet printer, and a scanner 29 for capturing an image It has mainly.

  The CPU 21, ROM 22, RAM 23, and flash memory 24 are connected to each other via a bus 31. The flash memory 24, the interface 25, the operation key 26, the LCD 27, the printer 28, the scanner, and the bus 31 are connected to each other via the input / output port 30. The printer 28 is equipped with a monochrome black ink cartridge (not shown) and color cyan, magenta, and yellow ink cartridges.

  Next, a printing process executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 10 will be described with reference to FIG. This printing process is a process executed when printing is instructed by each creation software executed on the PC 10. In the present embodiment, the case where a postcard is continuously printed by each creation software is illustrated. When printing is designated by each creation software, status data corresponding to the postcard is set and stored in status data. Stored in area 14d.

  When the printing process is started, it is determined whether or not it is a printing mode for printing in single-sided monochrome and single-sided color (S1). The determination in the process of S1 refers to the parameters of “double-sided printing” and “color pattern at the time of double-sided printing” in the setting / status data storage area 14d, and the printing instructed by each creation software is double-sided printing. It is discriminated based on whether the color pattern is the front color back surface monochrome or the front surface monochrome back color.

  If the “double-sided printing” parameter in the setting / status data storage area 14d is single-sided or the “color pattern during double-sided printing” is double-sided color or double-sided monochrome in the processing of S1, single-sided monochrome In addition, since the mode is not the one-side color printing mode (S1: No), the normal printing process is executed (S2), and when the transmission of all print data to the MFP 20 is completed in the normal printing process, the printing process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when the “double-sided printing” parameter is double-sided and the “color pattern during double-sided printing” is the front color back side monochrome or front side monochrome back side color in the processing of S1, the single side monochrome and single side color In order to start printing (S1: Yes), in order to start printing, a print start instruction including a paper tray selection and print data reception preparation instruction is output to the MFP 20 (S3), and the process of S4 Migrate to

  In the process of S4, with reference to the “color and monochrome ink amount” parameter in the setting / status data storage area 14d, it is determined whether or not there is color ink and monochrome ink capable of printing on both sides of one postcard. (S4) If there is color ink and monochrome ink that can print both sides of one postcard (S4: Yes), double-sided printing data for printing both sides of one sheet is output to the MFP 20 (S5), It is determined whether or not all double-sided print data has been output with reference to the parameter “number of prints” in the setting / status data storage area 14d (S6).

  If there is double-sided print data that has not been output in the process of S6 (S6: No), the process returns to the process of S4 to determine again whether there is ink for performing double-sided printing for one sheet. If all the double-sided print data has been output to the MFP 20 as a result of repeating the processing (S6: Yes), this print processing is terminated.

  If it is determined in the process of S4 that there is no color or monochrome ink that can be printed on both sides of a single postcard (S4: No), it is determined whether or not the empty is color empty. If it is color empty (S11: Yes), the selection screen (see FIG. 3B) of “single-sided monochrome printing execution”, “color ink replacement”, and “end” is displayed on the monitor device 16. (S12).

  As shown in FIG. 3B, selection items of “single-side monochrome printing”, “color ink replacement”, and “end” are displayed on the selection screen, and when the corresponding item is clicked with a mouse or the like, One item is selected.

  When the selection screen is displayed in the process of S12, it is determined whether or not the item selected by the user is “color ink replacement” (S13) and whether or not single-sided monochrome printing is being performed. (S15).

  If the selection by the user is “color ink replacement” (S13: Yes), it is determined whether or not the color ink replacement is completed (S14), and waits until the color ink replacement is completed (S14: No). When the color ink replacement is completed (S14: Yes), the process returns to S4. Whether or not the color ink in the process of S14 has been replaced is determined by, for example, displaying the item “ink replacement complete?” On the monitor device 16 and clicking the “ink replacement complete?” Item. It can be determined by whether or not.

  If the user's selection is “execution of single-sided monochrome printing” (S13: No, S15: Yes), the process proceeds to S16, where processing for printing one side in monochrome is executed. "(S15: No), printing cannot be continued, and the printing process is terminated.

  In the process of S16, with reference to the “monochrome ink amount” parameter in the setting / status data storage area 14d, it is determined whether or not there is a remaining amount of monochrome ink capable of printing one side of one postcard ( S16) If the remaining amount of monochrome ink is insufficient (S16: No), since the remaining amount of ink for both color and monochrome is insufficient, an error display is displayed on the display screen of the monitor device 16 (S25). This print processing is terminated.

  On the other hand, if there is a remaining amount of monochrome ink capable of printing one side of one postcard in the process of S16 (S16: Yes), “color pattern for double-sided printing” and “ With reference to the parameter “print order”, it is determined whether or not the printing surface to be printed first is monochrome printing (S17). Specifically, when the printing order is the front side and the front side is monochrome printing, and when the printing order is the back side and the back side is monochrome printing, Yes is determined, and the printing order is the front side and the front side is The case of color printing is determined as No when the printing order is the back side and the back side is color printing.

  If it is determined in S17 that the first printing surface is monochrome (S17: Yes), the process proceeds to S21, and if it is determined that the first printing surface is not monochrome printing (S17: No). Since there is a possibility that the printing surface to be printed in monochrome is the opposite surface, it is next determined whether or not the paper has front / back distinction with reference to the printing paper parameters in the setting / status data storage area 14d (S18). ). Whether or not the paper has front / back distinction is determined to be yes if there is a front / back distinction if it is a postcard, and No if it is A4 or B5 because there is no need to distinguish front / back.

  If it is determined in the process of S18 that the paper is distinct from the front and back (S18: Yes), a screen (see FIG. 3C) for confirming the front and back of the paper in the paper feed tray of the MFP 20 is displayed (S19). Then, it is determined whether or not the user has confirmed the sheet (S20).

  As shown in Fig. 3 (c), the displayed front / back confirmation screen displays the comment "Please set the monochrome print side" and the item "Complete", and the user checks the front and back of the postcard. After that, when “Done” is clicked with a mouse or the like, it is determined that the confirmation of the paper has been completed, and the processing of S20 is Yes. That is, in the process of S19, since the suggestion for confirming the front and back of the paper is displayed, the user can confirm the front and back of the postcard and the like, and can prevent the front and back sides from being printed in reverse.

  In the process of S20, the process waits until the “complete” item is selected by the user (S20: No). When the “complete” item is selected by the user (S20: Yes), the process proceeds to S21.

  In the process of S21, the print data corresponding to color printing is deleted from the print data stored in the print data storage area 14b, and the deleted print data is stored in the unprinted data storage area 14c (S21). The color print data stored in the unprinted data storage area 14c is later referred to when printing on the unprinted printing surface.

  When the processing of S21 is completed, since the print data for color printing is deleted from the print data for double-sided printing, the print data stored in the print data storage area 14b becomes print data for monochrome printing. The print data for monochrome printing is output to the MFP 20 (S22), and the process proceeds to S23.

  In the process of S22, since only monochrome printing data is transmitted to the MFP 20, the MFP 20 only needs to execute a printing process based on the received data. That is, the MFP 20 has inferior CPU performance and a large RAM storage area compared to the PC 10, but the PC 10 deletes unnecessary data and transmits print data, thereby reducing the processing burden. And the printing speed can be improved.

  In the process of S23, referring to the parameter of the number of prints in the setting / status data storage area 14d, it is confirmed whether or not the single-sided print data corresponding to all the monochrome prints has been output (S23), and all the monochrome still If print data has not been output (S23: No), the process returns to S16, and the process of confirming whether or not the next postcard can be printed in monochrome is repeated. Note that since the second and subsequent processes of S17 to S20 have already been confirmed for the paper tray, if S16: Yes is not executed, the process may be shifted to S21.

  On the other hand, if single-sided printing data corresponding to all monochrome printing has been output in the processing of S23 (S23: Yes), one-side printing by color printing is continuously printed after the empty ink cartridge is replaced. Suggestion display is performed (S24), and the printing process is terminated.

  When an empty ink cartridge is replaced, the print data for color printing stored in the unprinted data storage area 14c is read, and the read data is transmitted to the MFP 20 so that each The creation software eliminates the need for the user to create new print data, improving usability. In addition, when printing data stored in the unprinted data storage area 14c, a dedicated application is activated by the user, but the operation is stored in the unprinted data storage area 14c. Therefore, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  Also, in the process of S24, a suggestion display for printing one side by color printing is used, but the comment “Please replace ink and set unprinted paper” on the display screen of the monitor device 16 and “Done If the completion item is clicked with a mouse or the like, one-sided printing in color is continuously performed based on the print data stored in the unprinted data storage area 14c. good. Further, when all the images by color printing are the same, the number of sheets on which only one side is printed in monochrome is stored (number storage means), and the number of data and the color printing data stored in the unprinted data storage area 14c are stored. The print data may be transmitted to the MFP 20 so that one-sided continuous color printing is executed. In this configuration, the user does not need to newly set the number of sheets to be printed on one side by color, so that the usability can be improved.

  Next, a description will be given of the process of shifting to S31 when the monochrome ink becomes empty in the process of S11 (S11: No). In the processing after S32, processing similar to the processing at the time of color empty (processing in S13 to S24) will be briefly described.

  Since the process of S31 is monochrome empty, a selection screen of “single-sided color printing”, “monochrome ink replacement”, “color substitute printing”, and “end” is displayed on the display screen of the monitor device 16 (S31). In the processing of S31, “color substitute printing” is added in addition to the items displayed at the time of color empty. This is because the color is slightly different from that of monochrome, but monochrome printing is possible by mixing color inks.

  In the processing of S32 to S34, it is determined whether the item selected by the user is “monochrome ink replacement” (S32), “color substitute printing” (S33), or “single-sided color printing execution” (S34).

  If “monochrome ink replacement” is selected (S33: Yes), it is determined whether the monochrome ink has been replaced (S33). If the monochrome ink can be replaced (S33: Yes), the process of S4 is performed. Return to.

  When “color substitute printing” is selected (S32: No, S34: Yes), the process proceeds to S51, and duplex printing using color ink is executed. Monochrome printing is performed by mixing colors. On the other hand, when “execution of single-sided color printing” is selected (S32: No, S34: No, S35: Yes), the process proceeds to S36 and single-sided printing with color ink is executed.

  In the process of S36, it is determined whether or not there is a remaining amount of color ink capable of printing on one side of one postcard by referring to the color ink amount parameter in the setting / status data storage area 14d (S36). If the color ink is insufficient (S36: No), an error message is displayed (S45), the printing process is terminated, and if there is a remaining amount of color ink capable of printing one postcard (S36: Yes), it is determined whether or not the printing surface to be printed first is color printing (S37).

  If it is determined in S37 that the first printing surface is color (S37: Yes), the process proceeds to S41 to perform color printing, and if it is determined that the first printing surface is not color printing. (S37: No), it is determined whether or not the paper has a front / back distinction (S38). If it is determined that the paper has a front / back distinction (S38: Yes), a screen for confirming the front and back is displayed (S39). Then, it is determined whether or not the user has confirmed the sheet (S40). When the “complete” item is selected by the user (S40: Yes), the process proceeds to S41.

  In the process of S41, the print data corresponding to monochrome printing is deleted from the print data stored in the print data storage area 14b, stored in the unprinted data storage area 14c (S41), and the print data for color printing is stored in the MFP 20. If it is output (S42) and the single-sided print data corresponding to all color printing is not completed (S43: No), the process returns to S36 and the single-sided print data corresponding to all monochrome printing is output. If (S43: Yes), after replacing the monochrome ink, a suggestion display for performing single-sided printing by monochrome printing is performed (S44), and the printing process is terminated.

  In the process of S51, referring to the color ink amount parameter in the setting / status data storage area 14d, it is determined whether or not there is color ink capable of printing one postcard on both sides (S51). If so (S51: No), both sides cannot be printed, so an error is displayed on the monitor device 16 (S54), and the printing process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S51 that there is color ink that can be printed on both sides of a single postcard (S51: Yes), print data to be printed with double-sided color ink is output to the MFP 20 (S52), and full-sided printing It is determined whether or not the data output has been completed (S53). If all the duplex printing data is not output (S53: No), the process returns to S51 and if all the duplex printing data is output (S53: No). (S53: Yes), the printing process is terminated.

  That is, the processing of S51 to S53 enables printing on one side, which cannot be printed in monochrome, instead of color, so printing can be continued without replacing the monochrome cartridge, and printing can be performed efficiently. It can be performed and the usability can be improved.

  As described above, when double-sided printing in which one side is monochrome and one side is printed in color is performed continuously, the PC 10 is monochrome when one of monochrome or color ink is empty and printing is impossible. Alternatively, it is possible to continue printing with the other color ink. Therefore, printing is not interrupted during continuous duplex printing, so that printing can be performed efficiently and usability can be improved.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements and modifications can be easily made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Can be inferred.

  In the above-described embodiment, the PC 10 is configured to monitor the ink empty, and when one of the front surface and the back surface cannot be printed, the PC 10 instructs to print the other surface continuously. Print data for both sides, and the MFP 20 monitors the ink empty, and when one of the front side and the back side cannot be printed, a process for continuously printing the other side is executed. You may comprise as follows. That is, the MFP 20 may be configured to execute the printing process shown in FIG. 2 (the process related to transmission of print data is omitted).

  In the above embodiment, the MFP 20 is connected to the PC 10 as a printing unit. However, a printer having only a printing function may be connected, and any printing apparatus may be used as long as the apparatus has a printing function. May be.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printer 28 of the MFP 20 is configured by an ink jet printer, but may be configured by a laser printer.

  In the above embodiment, the user is inquired whether or not single-sided continuous printing in monochrome or color is executed in the processing of S12 or S31. However, the setting for permitting single-sided continuous printing is made in advance. If so, one-sided continuous printing may be executed without inquiring the user. Specifically, the process of S16 is executed after S11: Yes, and S35 is executed after S11: No. In the case of this configuration, it is not necessary to replace the ink cartridge during continuous printing. Therefore, it is possible to improve usability while performing printing efficiently.

10 PC (an example of a printing control device)
14a Printer driver (an example of print instruction means)
14c Unprinted data storage area (an example of cancellation data storage means)
20 MFP (an example of a printing unit, an example of a printing apparatus)
S1 An example of mode discrimination means S4, S16, S36, S51 An example of print discrimination means S16: Yes, S36: Yes An example of mode setting means S18, S38 An example of inversion discrimination means S19, S39 An example of inversion instruction means S21, S41 Data Deletion means S24, S44 Example of reprinting means S31 Example of inquiry means

Claims (8)

In a printing control apparatus provided with a printing instruction unit that instructs printing execution to a printing unit capable of continuously printing both surfaces of a plurality of recording media and capable of printing in monochrome or color.
Mode discriminating means for discriminating whether or not it is a double-sided continuous printing mode for printing the first side of the recording medium in monochrome and the second side in color when printing on both sides of the plurality of recording media continuously. When,
Remaining amount acquisition for acquiring remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of the monochrome coloring agent for monochrome printing and the color coloring agent for color printing when the mode determining unit determines that the duplex continuous printing mode is set Means,
Print discrimination means for discriminating whether or not the first side and the second side can be printed by the monochrome and color from the remaining amount information acquired by the remaining amount acquisition unit;
A mode for setting to the single-sided continuous printing mode for continuously printing the other surface that can be printed when one of the first surface and the second surface is determined to be unprintable by the print determining means. A printing control apparatus comprising: setting means. Inquiry means for inquiring whether or not to print the first surface in color when the print determining means determines that the monochrome first surface cannot be printed,
When the inquiry result by the inquiry means is that the first side is printed in color, the mode setting means replaces the one-side continuous printing mode with both sides of the first and second sides. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print control apparatus is set to a double-sided color printing mode for printing with a colorant. When the one-side continuous printing mode is set by the mode setting means, the other side continuously printed in the one-side continuous printing mode and the printing order of the first and second sides of the recording medium Reversing determination means for determining whether to perform reversal of the recording medium based on
The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reversal instructing unit that instructs reversal of the storage medium when the reversal determining unit determines that the front / back reversal is to be performed. The print instruction means outputs print data for causing the printing means to execute printing,
Of the double-sided printing data for executing double-sided printing on the first and second sides when the single-sided continuous printing mode is set by the mode setting unit, the one side that is determined to be unprintable by the print determining unit 4. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an output canceling unit that cancels the output of the single-sided print data corresponding to.   5. The print control apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising stop data storage means for storing single-sided print data whose output is stopped by the output stop means. When the mode setting means sets the single-sided continuous printing mode, the number-of-sheets storing means for storing the number of single-sided printed sheets on which only the other side is printed is provided.
The print instructing unit includes a reprinting unit that instructs the printing unit to execute printing so that printing for the number of single-sided printed sheets stored in the number-of-sheets storing unit is performed on the one side that has not been printed. The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing control apparatus is a printing control apparatus. In a printing apparatus comprising a printing unit capable of continuously printing both surfaces of a plurality of recording media and capable of printing in monochrome or color, and a print instruction unit for instructing the printing unit to execute printing,
Mode discriminating means for discriminating whether or not it is a double-sided continuous printing mode for printing the first side of the recording medium in monochrome and the second side in color when printing on both sides of the plurality of recording media continuously. When,
Remaining amount acquisition for acquiring remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of the monochrome coloring agent for monochrome printing and the color coloring agent for color printing when the mode determining unit determines that the duplex continuous printing mode is set Means,
Print discrimination means for discriminating whether or not the first side and the second side can be printed by the monochrome and color from the remaining amount information acquired by the remaining amount acquisition unit;
A mode for setting to the single-sided continuous printing mode for continuously printing the other surface that can be printed when one of the first surface and the second surface is determined to be unprintable by the print determining means. A printing apparatus comprising: setting means. A print control apparatus including a print instructing unit that instructs printing execution to a printing unit capable of continuously printing on both sides of a plurality of recording media and capable of monochrome or color printing.
A mode discrimination step for discriminating whether or not it is a double-sided continuous printing mode in which the first side of the recording medium is printed in monochrome and the second side is printed in color when both sides of the plurality of recording media are continuously printed. When,
The remaining amount acquisition for acquiring remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of the monochrome coloring agent for monochrome printing and the color coloring agent for color printing when the mode determining step determines that the duplex continuous printing mode is selected. Steps,
A printing determination step of determining whether the first surface and the second surface can be printed by the monochrome and color from the remaining amount information acquired by the remaining amount acquisition step;
A mode in which one side of the first side and the second side is determined to be unprintable by the printing discrimination step, and the mode is set to a single-sided continuous printing mode in which the other side that can be printed is continuously printed. A printing program for executing the setting step.

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