JP2013206362A - Print control unit and print control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To decrease deviation of deterioration at a printing part in a principal scan direction in intensive printing.SOLUTION: A print control unit to control a printing part includes a control part, and a connection part to connect the printing part with the control part. The control part executes reception processing to receive an execution instruction of an intensive printing job that intensively prints plural pages 61 by a predetermined number onto one or more sheets M, and print control processing, which controls the printing part to intensively prints the plural pages 61 if the reception processing receives the execution instruction, to disperse a layout position of a fraction of the pages 61 of the sheets M on which the fraction of the pages 61 less than the predetermined number is printed in a principal scan direction of the printing part over one or more intensive print jobs.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for printing a predetermined number of pages on one or more sheets.

  Conventionally, aggregate printing is known in which a predetermined number of pages are aggregated and printed on a sheet (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-227927 A

By the way, in collective printing, there are cases where a fractional page is printed in a main scanning direction of the printing unit on a sheet on which a fractional number of pages less than a predetermined number is printed. Specifically, for example, fractional pages may be printed with a bias on the left side of the sheet.
If such a biased printing is continued, the printing portion deteriorates in the main scanning direction.

  In the present specification, a technique for reducing the bias of deterioration in the main scanning direction of the printing unit in aggregate printing is disclosed.

  A print control device disclosed in this specification is a print control device that controls a printing unit, and includes a control unit, and a connection unit that connects the printing unit and the control unit, and the control unit includes: A reception process for receiving an execution instruction of an aggregate print job for consolidating and printing a predetermined number of pages on one or more sheets, and when the execution instruction is received by the reception process, the printing unit is controlled to Print control processing for collectively printing a plurality of pages, wherein the printing unit displays the layout position of the fractional pages on a sheet on which fractional pages less than the predetermined number are printed over one or more aggregated print jobs. Print control processing to be distributed in the main scanning direction.

  According to the print control apparatus, it is possible to reduce the bias of deterioration in the main scanning direction of the printing unit in aggregate printing.

  In addition, the control unit executes a switching condition determination process that determines whether or not a predetermined switching condition for switching the side on which the fractional pages are biased in the main scanning direction is satisfied. Each time the switching condition is determined to be satisfied by the condition determination process, the side where the fractional pages are biased in the main scanning direction may be alternately switched.

  According to the above-described print control apparatus, the side on which the fractional pages are biased is alternately switched every time a predetermined switching condition is satisfied, so that the bias of deterioration in the main scanning direction of the printing unit can be reduced.

  Further, the switching condition includes that the number of printed sheets of the sheet has reached a certain number since the last time when the fractional page was switched, the aggregate print job has been switched, and the aggregate print job includes a plurality of copies. If the printing is set, at least one of printing of one copy is completed and the user who instructed printing of the aggregate print job is switched may be used.

  According to the printing control apparatus, it is possible to reduce the bias of deterioration of the printing unit in the main scanning direction.

  Further, the fractional page includes a page other than the blank page in a sheet on which a page other than the blank page is printed in the main scanning direction due to a blank page, and the switching condition is that the fractional page is printed. The sheet may be switched from the sheet to be printed to the next sheet, or the sheet before the sheet on which the fractional page is printed may be switched to the sheet on which the fractional page is printed.

For example, when a plurality of pages are divided into two or more chapters, a blank page may be inserted at the end of the previous chapter in order to prevent pages constituting different chapters from being printed on one sheet. is there. In this case, there is a possibility that a plurality of sheets on which fractional pages are printed are generated among a plurality of sheets printed by one aggregated print job.
According to the printing control apparatus, when there is a blank page, a page other than the blank page is shifted from the sheet printed in the main scanning direction to the next sheet, or the sheet before the sheet on which the fraction page is printed. Since the page on which the fractional page is biased in the main scanning direction is switched from the sheet to the sheet on which the fractional page is printed, it is possible to reduce the bias of deterioration in the main scanning direction of the printing unit.

  In addition, each time the switching unit determines that the switching condition is satisfied by the switching condition determination process, the control unit collects a plurality of the pages that are images to be printed on each sheet. A process of rotating the image around the center point of the image by 180 degrees and a process of printing the image without rotating the image may be alternately switched and executed.

  According to the print control apparatus, the side on which the fractional pages are biased in the main scanning direction can be switched.

  In addition, each time the switching unit determines that the switching condition is satisfied by the switching condition determination process, the control unit collects a plurality of the pages that are images to be printed on each sheet. A process of rotating the image by 90 degrees around the center point of the image, and printing the rotated image on the sheet that has been reversed vertically and horizontally before the switching condition is satisfied; and the image is not rotated. Alternatively, the process of printing the non-rotated image on the sheet that has been inverted vertically and horizontally with respect to the state before the switching condition is satisfied may be executed alternately.

  According to the print control apparatus, the side on which the fractional pages are biased in the main scanning direction can be switched.

  Further, the control unit executes a selection receiving process for receiving from the user a selection as to whether to automatically determine whether to perform double-sided printing for long-side binding or double-sided printing for short-side binding, and the print control process When the selection automatically determined by the selection receiving process is accepted, if the sheet is placed vertically, the plurality of pages are printed on both sides with the long side binding, and the sheet is placed horizontally. In this case, the plurality of pages may be printed on both sides by the short side binding.

When performing double-sided printing, the surface on which a fractional page is printed may be the front side or the back side.
According to the printing control apparatus, when the sheet is placed vertically, double-sided printing is performed with long-side binding, and when the sheet is placed horizontally, double-sided printing is performed with short-sided binding. The image is rotated 180 degrees around the center point of the image. As a result, when a fractional page is printed on the front side, the fractional page is biased in the main scanning direction, and when a fractional page is printed on the back side, the fractional page is biased in the main scanning direction. Can be reversed.

  In addition, when the execution instruction is received by the receiving process, the control unit determines whether the arrangement position of the fraction pages on the sheet on which the fraction pages are printed is biased to one side in the main scanning direction. A bias determination process is executed to determine whether or not, and in the print control process, if it is determined by the bias determination process that the fractional page is biased to one side in the main scanning direction, the fractional page is The arrangement position of the fractional pages on the sheet may be changed so as not to be biased to one side in the main scanning direction.

  According to the print control apparatus, since the arrangement position of the fractional pages is changed so that the fractional pages are not biased to one side in the main scanning direction, it is possible to reduce the bias of deterioration in the main scanning direction of the printing unit.

  The present invention can be realized in various modes such as a printing system, a printing control method, a printing control program, and a recording medium on which the printing control program is recorded.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a simplified internal configuration of the printer according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a simplified electrical configuration of a printer and a personal computer. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a print setting screen displayed by a printer driver. The schematic diagram which shows the page of a fraction. The schematic diagram which shows dispersion | distribution of an arrangement position. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of print control processing. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of distributed printing processing. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating image rotation according to the second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of distributed printing processing according to the third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of distributed printing processing according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing dispersion of arrangement positions according to the fifth embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of distributed printing processing. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of distributed printing processing according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating double-sided printing according to a seventh embodiment. The flowchart (1) which shows the flow of a distributed printing process. The flowchart (2) which shows the flow of a distributed printing process. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating dispersion of arrangement positions according to an eighth embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of distributed printing processing.

<Embodiment 1>
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
(1) Configuration of Printer First, the internal configuration of the printer 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 1 includes a sheet tray 11a, a sheet tray 11b, a sheet conveying mechanism 12, a printing unit 13, a fixing device 14, a sheet reversing mechanism 15, and the like.

  The sheet tray 11a and the sheet tray 11b are configured to be drawable from the main body of the printer 1. The sheet M is stored vertically in the sheet tray 11a, and the sheet M is stored horizontally in the sheet tray 11b.

  The sheet conveying mechanism 12 includes a pickup roller 12a, a pickup roller 12b, a registration roller 12c, a sheet conveying belt 12d, a conveying path P1, and the like. The pickup rollers 12a and 12b take out the sheets M stored in the sheet trays 11a and 11b one by one and convey them to the registration roller 12c. The registration roller 12c adjusts the posture of the conveyed sheet M and sends it out onto the belt 12d at a predetermined timing. The conveyance path P1 is a path through which the sheet M passes from the registration roller 12c to the discharge roller 15a.

The printing unit 13 prints an image (monochrome image, color image) by electrophotography on the sheet M conveyed to the conveyance path P1 by the belt 12d. In FIG. 1, the front-rear direction indicates the sub-scanning direction of the printing unit 13. In FIG. 1, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface is the main scanning direction of the printing unit 13.
The printing unit 13 includes a photosensitive drum that extends in a columnar shape in the main scanning direction, an exposure unit that exposes the photosensitive drum, and a toner cartridge in which a toner cartridge that contains toner supplied to the photosensitive drum is detachably mounted. It is configured with a mounting portion and the like.

  A control unit 17 (see FIG. 2) described later outputs an image signal corresponding to an image to be printed to the exposure unit. The exposure unit exposes the photosensitive drum in accordance with the image signal output from the control unit 17, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image representing the above-described image on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum is developed with toner supplied from the toner cartridge, and the developed image is transferred to the sheet M, whereby the image is printed on the sheet M.

The exposure unit may expose the photosensitive drum with laser light, or may expose the photosensitive drum by emitting light from a plurality of LEDs arranged in the main scanning direction. There may be.
The printing unit 13 may be configured by a line head and a supply device that supplies ink to the line head. The line head has a plurality of nozzles arranged in a line along the main scanning direction, and prints an image on a sheet M passing under the line head by ejecting ink supplied from the nozzles by a supply device. Is.

  The sheet M on which the image is printed is heat-fixed by the fixing device 14 and discharged onto the discharge tray 16.

The sheet reversing mechanism 15 includes a discharge roller 15a, a reversing conveyance path P2, a flapper 15b, a plurality of reversing conveyance rollers 15c, and the like. When performing double-sided printing, an image is printed on the surface of the sheet by the printing unit 13 and then conveyed to the discharge roller 15a.
Then, due to the reverse rotation of the discharge roller 15a, the sheet M is conveyed through the flapper 15b, the reverse conveyance path P2, the plurality of reverse conveyance rollers 15c, and the registration roller 12c, and on the belt 12d with the front and back reversed. Sent out. The sheet M sent out on the belt 12d is printed on the back surface by the printing unit 13, and then discharged onto the discharge tray 16. The reverse conveyance path P2 is a path through which the sheet M passes from the discharge roller 15a to the registration roller 12c.

(2) Electrical Configuration of Printer and Personal Computer Next, the electrical configuration of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 1 includes a control unit 17, an operation unit 18, a communication interface unit 19, and the like in addition to the above-described sheet conveyance mechanism 12, printing unit 13, fixing device 14, and sheet reversing mechanism 15.

The control unit 17 includes a CPU 17a, a ROM 17b, and a RAM 17c. The CPU 17a controls each unit of the printer 1 by executing a print control program stored in the ROM 17b. The ROM 17b stores the above-described print control program and data. The RAM 17c is used as a main storage device for the CPU 17a to execute various processes. The control unit 17 is an example of a print control apparatus.
The control unit 17 is electrically connected to each unit such as the printing unit 13 and the fixing device 14 by a wire harness or the like. A wire harness is an example of a connection part.

The operation unit 18 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display and operation buttons. The user can perform various settings by operating the operation unit 18.
Further, the user can set whether or not to disperse the arrangement positions of the fractional pages by operating the operation unit 18. As will be described in detail later, the distribution of fractional page placement positions refers to the fractional page placement position on a sheet on which fractional pages less than a predetermined number are printed over one or more consolidated print jobs. Is distributed in the main scanning direction.

The communication interface unit 19 is communicably connected to the PC 2 via a communication network 5 such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet, and receives a print job from the PC 2.
The communication interface unit 19 may be connected to the communication network 5 by wire or may be connected to the communication network 5 by radio. The communication interface unit 19 may be directly connected to the PC 2 via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or a parallel cable.
In addition, the printer 1 may include a storage unit that stores data using a nonvolatile storage medium such as a hard disk or a flash memory.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the personal computer (PC) 2 will be described. The PC 2 includes a control unit 20, a storage unit 24, a display unit 25, an operation unit 26, a communication interface unit 27, and the like.

  The control unit 20 includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22, and a RAM 23. The CPU 21 controls each unit of the PC 2 by executing a program stored in the ROM 22 or the storage unit 24. The ROM 22 stores programs executed by the CPU 21 and data. The RAM 23 is used as a main storage device for the CPU 21 to execute various processes.

  The storage unit 24 is a device that stores various programs and data using a nonvolatile memory such as a hard disk or a flash memory. The storage unit 24 stores an operating system (referred to as OS) 31, an application program (referred to as application) 32, a printer driver 33, and the like. The printer driver 33 is a device driver program that controls the printer 1.

The display unit 25 includes an interface to which a display device 28 such as a liquid crystal display is connected, a drive circuit that drives the display device 28, and the like.
The operation unit 26 includes an interface to which an input device 29 such as a keyboard and a mouse is connected.
The communication interface unit 27 connects the PC 2 to the printer 1 via the communication network 5 so as to be communicable.

(3) Setting Print Conditions Next, the print setting screen 41 displayed by the printer driver 33 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, a print screen 42 displayed by the application 32 is also shown.

  The user can instruct the printer driver that controls the selected printer to display the print setting screen by selecting a printer on the print screen 42 displayed by the application 32 and clicking the property button 42a. Here, it is assumed that the printer 1 is selected and the display of the print setting screen is instructed. The CPU 21 (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer driver 33”) that executes the printer driver 33 that controls the printer 1 displays the print setting screen 41 on the display device 28 when the display of the print setting screen is instructed.

The print setting screen 41 is a screen for setting setting values of print setting items such as paper size 51, portrait / landscape 52, number of copies 53, color / monochrome 54, duplex printing / single-sided printing 55, layout 57, and the like. is there.
When double-sided printing is set for double-sided printing / single-sided printing 55, the binding direction 56 can be further set. As the setting value of the binding direction 56, “short side binding”, “long side binding”, and “automatic” in which the printer 1 automatically determines whether the short side binding or the long side binding is set can be set. In FIG. 3, since single-sided printing is set, the binding direction 56 is grayed out.

  The layout 57 is an item for setting aggregate printing in which a predetermined number of pages are aggregated and printed on one side of one sheet. Here, a page means data of a unit printed on one side when one page is printed on one side of one sheet. In the first embodiment, 1in1, 2in1, 4in1, 9in1, and 16in1 can be set as the setting values of the layout 57. In the present embodiment, set values excluding 1 in 1, that is, set values of 2 in 1 or more are referred to as Nin 1. N represents the predetermined number described above.

  When the user clicks the OK button 41a or the cancel button 41b on the print setting screen 41, the print setting screen 41 is closed and the print screen 42 is displayed again. When the OK button 41a is clicked, the printer driver 33 writes the setting value set on the print setting screen 41 as a print condition in a predetermined area of the RAM 23 and then closes the print setting screen 41. On the other hand, when the cancel button 41b is clicked, the printer driver 33 closes the print setting screen 41 without writing the setting value set in the print setting screen 41 in the predetermined area. In this case, a default value is used as the setting value.

  The user can instruct printing by clicking the print button 42 b on the print screen 42. When the user instructs printing, print target data is output from the application 32 to the printer driver 33 via the OS 31 in units of pages.

When the print target data is output from the application 32, the printer driver 33 generates a print job based on the output print target data and the print conditions written in a predetermined area of the RAM 23, and the generated print job Is sent to the printer 1 to execute printing.
In this embodiment, a print job generated when Nin1 (N ≧ 2) is set in the layout 57 is referred to as an aggregate print job.
The print job also stores user identification information for identifying the user who has instructed printing. As the user identification information, for example, the user ID when the user logs in to the OS 31 can be used.

  The process in which the printer 1 receives the aggregate print job transmitted from the printer driver 33 is an example of a reception process. Note that the reception process according to the first embodiment can be rephrased as a reception process for receiving an aggregate print job from the PC 2. The process in which the printer driver 33 displays the print setting screen 41 and accepts the binding direction selection from the user is an example of a selection acceptance process.

(4) Dispersion of Arranged Positions of Fractions Pages First, with reference to FIG. 4, fraction pages in aggregate printing will be described. Here, 4in1 will be described as an example. In FIG. 4, the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction of the printing unit 13 are indicated by arrows. In the figure, when the position in the main scanning direction and the position in the sub-scanning direction are represented, left and right, and top and bottom, respectively. The left corresponds to the front side of the page of FIG. 1, and the right corresponds to the back side of the page of FIG. The upper side corresponds to the rear side of FIG. 1, and the lower side corresponds to the front side of FIG. The direction and position are defined similarly in the following drawings.

  In 4in1, there are two methods of arranging the page 61 on the sheet M. One is a method of arranging in order of upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right as shown in the upper part of FIG. The other is a method of arranging in the order of upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right as shown in the lower part of FIG.

  In 4in1, the number of pages 61 printed on the last sheet M may be less than a predetermined number (here, 4). That is, the fractional page 61 may be printed on the last sheet M. The number of fractional pages 61 in the case of 4 in 1 is 1, 2 or 3.

In the case of the method shown in the upper part of FIG. 4, the imaginary line 60 that extends in the sub-scanning direction through the center in the main scanning direction on the last sheet M, regardless of whether the number of fractional pages 61 is 1, 2, or 3. The number of pages 61 arranged on the left side in the main scanning direction across the page does not match the number of pages 61 arranged on the right side. That is, the arrangement position of the fractional pages 61 on the last sheet M is biased to the left in the main scanning direction of the printer 1.
In the case of the method shown in the lower part, when the number of fractional pages 61 is 1 and 3, the arrangement position of the fractional pages 61 on the last sheet M is biased to the left in the main scanning direction of the printer 1.

If such uneven printing is continued, the deterioration of the printing unit 13 is uneven in the main scanning direction. More specifically, there is a bias in the deterioration of the photosensitive drum and LED in the main scanning direction. Alternatively, in the case of a printer using a line head, the deterioration of the line head is biased in the main scanning direction.
Therefore, the printer 1 according to the first embodiment disperses the arrangement positions of the fractional pages in the main scanning direction of the printer 1 over a plurality of aggregate print jobs on the sheet on which the fractional pages less than the predetermined number are printed. .

With reference to FIG. 5, the dispersion | distribution of the arrangement position which concerns on Embodiment 1 is demonstrated. FIG. 5 shows a case where a plurality of consolidated print jobs are executed in order. In FIG. 5, the reference numerals of some pages are omitted.
The printer 1 according to the first embodiment distributes the arrangement positions of the fractional pages by alternately switching the side where the fractional pages 61 are biased in the main scanning direction every time it is determined that a predetermined switching condition is satisfied. In the first embodiment, an example where “the aggregate print job has been switched” will be described as an example of the predetermined switching condition described above.

Various methods are possible as a method of switching the side on which the fractional page 61 is biased in the main scanning direction. In the first embodiment, every time the aggregate print job is switched, an image to be printed on the sheet M and an image in which a plurality of pages 61 are aggregated is rotated by 180 degrees around the center point of the image, and the image is printed. An example will be described in which the process of printing without rotating is alternately switched and executed.
Here, an image in which a plurality of pages 61 are aggregated is an image represented by raster data generated by allocating a plurality of pages 61 printed on one side of one sheet to a virtual sheet on the RAM 17c. I mean.

In FIG. 5, the first and third consolidated print jobs show a case where an image to be printed on each sheet M is printed without being rotated. On the other hand, the second and fourth consolidated print jobs show a case where the image to be printed on each sheet M is rotated by 180 degrees and printed.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the first and third consolidated print jobs, the fractional page 61 is biased to the left in the main scanning direction on the last sheet M, but in the second and fourth consolidated print jobs, an image is displayed. As a result of printing rotated 180 degrees, the fractional page 61 is biased to the right in the main scanning direction.

  As described above, when the process of rotating the image by 180 degrees every time the aggregate print job is switched and the process of printing without rotating the image are alternately switched and executed, the arrangement position of the fractional pages is changed in the main scanning direction. Can be dispersed. Although 4in1 has been described here, the same applies to other layouts where N ≧ 2.

(5) Print Control Processing Next, print control processing executed by the control unit 17 of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. This process is started when the printer 1 receives a print job transmitted from the PC 2.

In S101, the CPU 17a determines whether or not Nin1 (≧ 2) is set in the print job. If Nin1 is set, the process proceeds to S102 as an aggregate print job, and if it is not set, that is, 1in1. Is set, the process proceeds to S104 because it is a normal print job.
Here, since the print control process is executed for each print job, determining that it is an aggregate print job in S101 means that the switching condition “the aggregate print job has been switched” is satisfied. S101 is an example of a switching condition determination process.

  In S102, the CPU 17a determines whether or not a setting for distributing the arrangement position is accepted. If the setting for distributing is accepted, the process proceeds to S103, and if the setting for not distributing is accepted, the process proceeds to S104.

In S103, the CPU 17a executes a distributed printing process. The distributed printing process is a process of printing by distributing the arrangement positions of the fractional pages.
In S104, the CPU 17a executes normal printing processing. In the normal printing process, even if Nin1 is set, the process of distributing the arrangement positions of the fractional pages is not performed.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the distributed printing process executed in S103 described above.
In S201, the CPU 17a determines whether or not the previous consolidated print job is rotated. The presence / absence of rotation refers to whether or not the image is printed after being rotated 180 degrees.
When the aggregate print job is rotated 180 degrees when this process is executed last time, the rotation presence / absence information indicating the rotation is stored in the RAM 17c in S204 described later, and the image is printed without rotating. In step S204, rotation presence / absence information indicating no rotation is stored in the RAM 17c. The CPU 17a refers to the rotation presence / absence information stored in the RAM 17c to determine whether the previous consolidated print job has been rotated.
The CPU 17a proceeds to S202 when there is no rotation, and proceeds to S203 when there is rotation.

  In S202, the CPU 17a executes a printing process with rotation. Specifically, the CPU 17a generates raster data representing an image in which a plurality of pages to be printed on each sheet is collected for each sheet, and rotates each image by 180 degrees around the center point of the image and prints the raster data. Note that the image generation may be performed in advance by the printer driver 33.

In S203, the CPU 17a executes a printing process without rotation.
In S204, the CPU 17a stores rotation presence / absence information indicating the presence of rotation in the RAM 17c when executing S202, and stores rotation presence / absence information indicating the absence of rotation in the RAM 17c when executing S203.

(6) Effects of the Embodiment According to the printer 1 according to the first embodiment described above, the fractional pages 61 in the sheet M on which a fractional number of pages 61 are printed over a plurality of aggregate print jobs. Since the arrangement positions are dispersed in the main scanning direction of the printing unit 13, it is possible to reduce the bias of deterioration of the printing unit 13 in the main scanning direction.

  Furthermore, according to the printer 1, every time the aggregate print job is switched, the side on which the fractional page 61 is biased in the main scanning direction is alternately switched, so that it is possible to reduce the deterioration bias of the printing unit 13 in the main scanning direction.

  Further, according to the printer 1, the image to be printed on each sheet M and the image in which the plurality of pages 61 are aggregated is rotated by 180 degrees around the center point of the image, and the image is not rotated. By alternately switching and executing the printing process, the side on which the fractional page 61 is biased in the main scanning direction can be switched.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIG.
The second embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, every time the aggregate print job is switched, the image is rotated by 90 degrees around the center point of the image, and the rotated image is displayed on the sheet M that is inverted in the vertical and horizontal directions before the switching condition is satisfied. The process of printing and the process of printing the non-rotated image on the sheet M whose portrait and landscape are reversed before the switching condition is satisfied, without rotating the image, are alternately executed.

  In the example shown in FIG. 8, the first consolidated print job shows a case where the image 70 is not rotated. In the first consolidated print job, a sheet tray 11a in which sheets M are stored vertically is used. In this case, the second consolidated print job is switched to the sheet tray 11b in which the image 70 is rotated 90 degrees to the right and the sheet M is stored horizontally. Note that the direction of rotation is not limited to the right, and may be the left.

Since the image is rotated in the second aggregate print job, the image is not rotated in the third aggregate print job. However, since the sheet M remains in the horizontal position as it is, the CPU 17a switches to the sheet tray 11a in which the sheet M is stored in the vertical position. That is, the third consolidated print job is reversed in the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the second consolidated print job.
The second embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment in other points.

  According to the printer 1 according to the second embodiment described above, the side on which the fractional page 61 is biased in the main scanning direction can be switched.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the third embodiment, an example of “a case where printing of one copy is completed when a plurality of copies are set for an aggregate print job” is described as a switching condition.

A distributed printing process according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In S301, the CPU 17a determines whether or not 2 or more is set as the setting value for the number of copies in the aggregate print job. If 2 or more is set, the process proceeds to S302, and less than 2, that is, 1 is set. If yes, the process proceeds to S304.

  In S302, the CPU 17a determines whether the part to be printed is an odd part. Specifically, when printing one copy at a time, the CPU 17a determines that the first copy is an odd portion, the second copy is an even portion, and the third copy is an odd portion. The CPU 17a proceeds to S303 if it is an odd-numbered part, and proceeds to S304 if it is an even-numbered part. S302 is an example of a switching condition determination process.

In S303, the CPU 17a executes a printing process with rotation.
In S304, the CPU 17a executes a printing process without rotation.
In S305, the CPU 17a determines whether or not printing of all the copies has been completed. If completed, the process ends and returns to the print control process. If not completed, the process returns to S302 and repeats the process.

  According to the printer 1 according to the third embodiment described above, it is possible to reduce the bias of deterioration of the printing unit 13 in the main scanning direction.

<Embodiment 4>
Next, Embodiment 4 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the fourth embodiment, the case where “the user who instructed printing of the aggregate print job is switched” will be described as an example of the switching condition.

With reference to FIG. 12, the distributed printing process according to the fourth embodiment will be described.
In S401, the CPU 17a determines whether or not the user who instructed printing of the current aggregate print job is different from the user who instructed printing of the previous aggregate print job.
When this processing is executed, the user identification information of the user who instructed printing of the consolidated print job in S408, which will be described later, is stored in the RAM 17c. Identification information is stored. The CPU 17a compares the user identification information stored in the current aggregate print job with the user identification information stored in the RAM 17c to determine whether the users are different. S401 is an example of a switching condition determination process.
When the users are different, the CPU 17a proceeds to S402, and when the users are the same, the CPU 17a proceeds to S405.

  In S402, the CPU 17a determines whether or not the previous consolidated print job has been rotated. The CPU 17a determines whether or not the previous consolidated print job has been rotated by referring to the rotation presence / absence information stored in the RAM 17c in S408, which will be described later, when this process was executed last time. The CPU 17a proceeds to S403 if the previous consolidated print job is not rotated, and proceeds to S404 if it is rotated.

In S403, the CPU 17a executes a printing process with rotation.
In S404, the CPU 17a executes a printing process without rotation.

In S405, the CPU 17a determines whether or not the previous consolidated print job has been rotated. If there is no rotation, the process proceeds to S406, and if there is rotation, the process proceeds to S407.
In S406, the CPU 17a executes a printing process without rotation.
In S407, the CPU 17a executes a printing process with rotation.

  In S408, the CPU 17a stores the user identification information of the current user in the RAM 17c, stores the rotation presence / absence information indicating the presence of rotation in the RAM 17c when executing S403 or S407, and does not rotate when executing S404 or S406. Is stored in the RAM 17c.

  According to the printer 1 according to the fourth embodiment described above, it is possible to reduce the bias of deterioration of the printing unit 13 in the main scanning direction.

<Embodiment 5>
Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the fifth embodiment, the arrangement positions of the fractional pages are distributed in the main scanning direction of the printing unit 13 in one consolidated print job. More specifically, in the fifth embodiment, the arrangement of the fractional pages is determined on the assumption that the non-blank pages on the sheet printed with the blank pages biased in the main scanning direction due to the presence of the blank pages are also fractional pages. Disperse position. The switching condition according to the fifth embodiment is that “the sheet before the sheet on which the fractional page is printed is switched to the sheet on which the fractional page is printed”.

First, with reference to FIG. 11, the distribution of the arrangement positions of the fractional pages 61 according to the fifth embodiment will be described. In FIG. 11, reference numerals of some pages are omitted.
As shown in FIG. 11, when a plurality of pages 61 are divided into two or more chapters, in order to prevent pages 61 constituting different chapters from being printed on one sheet M, the last of the previous chapters is displayed. In some cases, a blank page 62 is inserted. In this case, if the pages other than the blank page in the sheet M in which the blank page 62 is inserted are also the fractional pages 61, one integration is performed as in the third sheet, the fifth sheet, the seventh sheet, and the tenth sheet M. A plurality of sheets M on which the fractional page 61 is printed are generated among the plurality of sheets M printed by the print job.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the CPU 17a according to the fifth embodiment performs main scanning every time the sheet M before the sheet M on which the fractional page 61 is printed is switched to the sheet M on which the fractional page 61 is printed. The side where the fractional pages are biased in the direction is switched alternately. In FIG. 11, a solid line 64 indicates the timing at which the side where the fractional pages are biased is switched.

Next, the distributed printing process according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In step S501, the CPU 17a acquires pages 61 for printing on one sheet from the aggregate print job.

In S502, it is determined whether or not the arrangement position of the page 61 is biased in the main scanning direction on the sheet M on which the acquired page 61 is printed.
Specifically, for example, in the case of the method shown in the upper part of FIG. 4 described above (a method of arranging in the order of upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right), the number of pages 61 other than the blank page included in the page acquired in S501. If it is 1 to 3, it is determined that the arrangement position of the page 61 is biased in the main scanning direction. When the number of pages 61 other than blank paper is 4, the CPU 17a determines that the position of the page 61 is not biased in the main scanning direction.

  Further, for example, in the case of the method shown in the lower part of FIG. 4 (a method of arranging in the order of upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right), the CPU 17a uses the page 61 other than the blank page included in the page 61 acquired in S501. Is 1 or 3, it is determined that the position of the page 61 is biased in the main scanning direction. When the number of pages 61 other than blank paper is 2 or 4, the CPU 17a determines that the position of the page 61 is not biased in the main scanning direction. S502 is an example of a switching condition determination process.

  In S503, the CPU 17a determines whether or not the immediately preceding sheet M has been rotated. When the CPU 17a prints an image on the immediately preceding sheet M, the CPU 17a refers to the rotation presence / absence information stored in the RAM 17c in later-described S509 to determine whether the immediately preceding sheet M is rotated. If the immediately preceding sheet M is not rotated, the CPU 17a proceeds to S504, and if it is rotated, the CPU 17a proceeds to S505.

In S504, the CPU 17a executes a printing process with rotation.
In S505, the CPU 17a executes a printing process without rotation.

In S506, the CPU 17a determines whether or not the immediately preceding sheet M has been rotated. If there is no rotation, the process proceeds to S507, and if there is rotation, the process proceeds to S508.
In S507, the CPU 17a executes a printing process without rotation.
In S508, the CPU 17a executes a printing process with rotation.

In S509, when executing S504 or S508, the CPU 17a stores the rotation presence / absence information indicating the presence of rotation in the RAM 17c, and when executing S505 or S507, the rotation presence / absence information indicating the absence of rotation is stored in the RAM 17c.
In S510, the CPU 17a determines whether or not all the pages 61 have been acquired from the aggregate print job. If all the pages 61 have been acquired, the process ends and returns to the print control process, and pages that have not yet been acquired. When there is 61, it returns to S501 and repeats a process.

  According to the printer 1 according to the fifth embodiment described above, it is possible to reduce the bias of deterioration of the printing unit 13 in the main scanning direction.

<Embodiment 6>
Next, Embodiment 6 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the sixth embodiment, an example of the switching condition is that “the number of printed sheets has reached a certain number after switching the page on which the previous fractional page is biased”. The fixed number is 3, for example. The fixed number can be set as appropriate. Further, the fixed number of sheets may be set by the user, or may be fixedly set in the printer 1.

A distributed printing process according to the sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In step S601, the CPU 17a acquires pages 61 for printing on one sheet from the aggregate print job.
In step S602, the CPU 17a divides the value P indicating the number of sheets currently being processed among all the sheets printed by one aggregated print job by the above-described fixed number K. Find the quotient X.

In S603, the CPU 17a determines whether or not the integer part of the quotient X is an even number. If it is an even number, the process proceeds to S604, and if it is an odd number, the process proceeds to S605. S603 is an example of a switching condition determination process.
In S604, the CPU 17a executes a printing process without rotation.
In step S605, the CPU 17a executes a printing process with rotation.
In S606, the CPU 17a determines whether or not all the pages 61 have been acquired from the aggregate print job. If all the pages 61 have been acquired, the process ends and returns to the print control process, and the pages that have not yet been acquired. If there is 61, the process returns to S601 and the process is repeated.

  According to the printer 1 according to the sixth embodiment described above, whether or not to rotate the image to be printed on the last page by 180 degrees is randomly determined by the number of pages 61 stored in the aggregate print job. When printing of a print job is executed, the arrangement positions of fractional pages can be distributed in the main scanning direction.

<Embodiment 7>
Next, a seventh embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the seventh embodiment, when a selection for automatically determining whether to perform double-sided printing with long-side binding or double-sided printing with short-side binding is accepted, when the sheet M is placed vertically, both sides are printed with long-side binding. Printing is performed, and when the sheet M is placed horizontally, double-sided printing is performed with short-side binding.

First, referring to FIG. 14, the case where the portrait orientation is set and the case where the landscape orientation is set are divided into a case where double-sided printing is performed with long-side binding and a case where double-sided printing is performed with short-side binding. I will explain. Here, 4in1 will be described as an example.
In double-sided printing with long edge binding when the portrait orientation is set, when the back side is viewed with the sheet M turned over with the left long edge bound, the top and bottom of the front page 61 and the top and bottom of the back page 61 Are printed to match. More specifically, in double-sided printing, when the sheet M is turned upside down by the sheet reversing mechanism 15, the front edge and the rear edge of the sheet M are interchanged. Then, the CPU 17a prints the back image 72 rotated by 180 degrees.

  On the other hand, in the double-sided printing of the short side binding when the vertical placement is set, when the back side is viewed by turning the sheet M in the state where the upper short side is bound, the top and bottom and the back side of the page 61 on the front side are displayed. Printing is performed so that the top and bottom of the page 61 coincide with each other. In short-sided double-sided printing in the case of portrait placement, the back image 72 is not rotated.

  In double-sided printing with long side binding when landscape orientation is set, when the back side is viewed with the sheet M turned up with the upper long side bound, the top and bottom of the front page 61 and the top and bottom of the back page 61 Are printed to match. In long-sided double-sided printing when landscape orientation is set, the back image 72 is not rotated.

  On the other hand, in short-sided double-sided printing when landscape orientation is set, when the back side is viewed by turning the sheet M with the short side on the left side bound, Printing is performed so that the top and bottom of the page 61 coincide with each other. In short-sided double-sided printing in landscape orientation, the CPU 17a rotates the back image 72 by 180 degrees and prints it.

  By the way, in double-sided printing, whether the fractional page 61 is printed on the front side or the back side is determined by the number of pages 61 included in the aggregate print job. For example, consider the case of vertical placement, double-sided printing with long-edge binding, and 4 in 1. In this case, if the total number of pages 61 is 10, two pages 61 are printed as fractional pages on the surface of the second sheet M. In this case, since the fractional page 61 is printed on the front surface, the image 71 in which the fractional page 61 is collected is printed without being rotated.

  On the other hand, in the example described above, if the total number of pages 61 is 6, two pages 61 are printed as fractional pages on the back surface of the first sheet M. In this case, since the fractional page 61 is printed on the back surface, the image 72 in which the fractional page 61 is collected is rotated 180 degrees and printed. That is, the side where the fractional page 61 is biased in the main scanning direction is opposite to the side where the fractional page 61 is biased in the main scanning direction when the fractional page 61 is printed on the surface.

Here, as described above, the image 72 to be printed on the back surface in the double-sided printing is rotated 180 degrees in the following cases (a) and (b).
(A) Sheet is placed vertically and long side is bound. (B) Sheet is placed horizontally and short side is bound. Therefore, when the printer 1 accepts the selection of “automatic” as the setting value of the binding direction. In order to disperse the arrangement positions of the fractional pages 61 in the main scanning direction, double-sided printing is performed with long-side binding when the sheet M is placed vertically, and double-sided printing is performed with short-side binding when the sheet M is placed horizontally.

Next, distributed printing processing according to the seventh embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16.
In S701, the CPU 17a determines whether double-sided printing or single-sided printing is set. If double-sided printing is set, the process proceeds to S702. If single-sided printing is set, the process proceeds to S713.

In S702, the CPU 17a determines whether or not “automatic” is set in the binding direction. If “automatic” is set, the process proceeds to S703, and if other than “automatic” is set, the process proceeds to S706. .
In S703, the CPU 17a determines whether the vertical placement or the horizontal placement is set as the sheet placement method. If the vertical placement is set, the process proceeds to S704, and if the horizontal placement is set, The process proceeds to S705.

In step S <b> 704, the CPU 17 a executes long-side binding (with rotation) double-sided printing processing. Here, the image printed on the back surface of the sheet M is rotated 180 degrees and printed.
In step S <b> 705, the CPU 17 a executes short-side binding (with rotation) double-sided printing. Here, the image printed on the back surface of the sheet M is rotated 180 degrees and printed.

In S706, the CPU 17a determines whether the vertical placement or the horizontal placement is set as the sheet placement method. If the vertical placement is set, the process proceeds to S707. If the horizontal placement is set, The process proceeds to S710.
In S707, the CPU 17a determines whether long-edge binding is set or short-edge binding is set. If long-edge binding is set, the process proceeds to S708. If short-edge binding is set, S709 is performed. Proceed to

In step S <b> 708, the CPU 17 a executes long-side binding (with rotation) duplex printing processing.
In step S709, the CPU 17a executes double-sided printing processing with short edge binding (no rotation). Here, the image printed on the back surface of the sheet M is printed as it is without rotating 180 degrees.

In S710, the CPU 17a determines whether long-edge binding is set or short-edge binding is set. If long-edge binding is set, the process proceeds to S711. If short-edge binding is set, S712 is performed. Proceed to
In step S711, the CPU 17a executes long-side binding (no rotation) double-sided printing.
In step S712, the CPU 17a executes double-sided printing processing with short-side binding (with rotation).

  In S713, the CPU 17a executes single-sided printing processing.

  According to the printer 1 according to the seventh embodiment described above, when a selection for automatically determining whether to perform double-sided printing with long-side binding or double-sided printing with short-side binding is accepted, the sheet is placed vertically. In this case, double-sided printing is performed with long-edge binding. On the other hand, when the sheet is placed horizontally, the printer 1 performs double-sided printing with short edge binding. As a result, when a fractional page is printed on the front side, the fractional page is biased in the main scanning direction, and when a fractional page is printed on the back side, the fractional page is biased in the main scanning direction. Can be reversed.

<Eighth embodiment>
Next, an eighth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the eighth embodiment, it is determined whether or not the arrangement position of the fractional page 61 on the sheet M on which the fractional page 61 is printed is biased to one side in the main scanning direction. The arrangement position of the fractional pages 61 in the sheet M is changed so as not to be biased to one side of the direction.

  First, with reference to FIG. 17, the distribution of the arrangement positions of the fractional pages 61 according to the eighth embodiment will be described. Here, 4in1 will be described as an example. Further, here, an example will be described in which the page 61 is arranged by the method shown in the upper part of FIG. 4 (the method of arranging in the order of upper left, lower left, upper right and lower right).

  When the number of fractional pages 61 is 1, the CPU 17a translates the arrangement position of the fractional pages 61 to the center of the sheet M in the main scanning direction. When the number of fractional pages 61 is 2, the CPU 17a translates the arrangement position of the fractional pages 61 printed at the lower left to the upper right. When the number of fractional pages 61 is 3, the CPU 17a translates the arrangement position of the fractional pages 61 printed in the lower left to the center of the sheet in the main scanning direction.

Next, the distributed printing process according to the eighth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In step S801, the CPU 17a acquires a page 61 for one sheet from the aggregate print job.
In S802, the CPU 17a determines whether or not the arrangement position of the fractional page 61 is biased to one side in the main scanning direction. For example, in the case of 4in1, in the case of the method shown in the upper part of FIG. 4 (the method of arranging in the order of upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right), if the number of pages 61 acquired in S801 is 1 to 3, Judge that it is biased. In the case of the method shown in the lower part of FIG. 4 (the method of arranging in the order of upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right), the CPU 17a determines that the number of pages 61 acquired in S801 is 1 or 3 is biased. S802 is an example of bias determination processing.
If the fractional page 61 is biased, the CPU 17a proceeds to S803, and if not, the CPU 17a proceeds to S804.

In S803, the CPU 17a changes the arrangement position of the fractional page 61 as shown in FIG.
In S804, the CPU 17a executes image printing processing without changing the arrangement position.

  In step S805, the CPU 17a determines whether all the pages 61 have been acquired from the aggregate print job. If all the pages 61 have been acquired, the process ends and returns to the print control process, and pages that have not yet been acquired. If there is 61, the process returns to S801 and the process is repeated.

  According to the printer 1 according to the eighth embodiment described above, the arrangement position of the fractional page 61 is changed so that the fractional page 61 is not biased to one side in the main scanning direction. Degradation bias can be reduced.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and the drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope.

  (1) In the first embodiment, the case where the image is rotated 180 degrees and printed is described as an example where the image is rotated 180 degrees for all sheets on which the image is printed by the aggregate print job. In contrast, the image may be rotated 180 degrees only for the last sheet among the sheets on which the image is printed by the aggregate print job.

  (2) In the first embodiment, the case where an image in which a plurality of pages are aggregated is rotated 180 times has been described as an example. On the other hand, instead of rotating the image, each page may be rotated and the arrangement position of the page may be changed. For example, in the case of 4in1, the upper left page is rotated 180 degrees and moved to the lower right, the upper right page is rotated 180 degrees and moved to the lower left, the lower left page is rotated 180 degrees and moved to the upper right, and the right The lower page may be rotated 180 degrees and moved to the upper left. As a result, an image in which a plurality of pages are collected as a result can be rotated 180 degrees around the center point of the image. Note that the arrangement position can be changed by changing the printing order of the pages.

  (3) In the fifth embodiment, the switching condition is described as “switching from the sheet before the sheet on which the fractional page is printed to the sheet on which the fractional page is printed” as an example. On the other hand, the switching condition may be “the fractional page is switched from the sheet on which the page is printed to the next sheet”.

  (4) In the sixth embodiment, the case where it is determined whether or not the integer part is an even number for all sheets has been described as an example. On the other hand, whether or not the integer part is an even number is determined only for the last sheet, and if the last sheet is an odd number, the image of only the last sheet may be rotated by 180 degrees.

  (5) In each of the above embodiments, the case where one switching condition is used has been described. On the other hand, a plurality of switching conditions may be used in combination.

  (6) In the above embodiment, the case where the control unit 17 includes one CPU 17a has been described as an example. On the other hand, the control unit 17 may be configured by one or more CPUs 17a, may be configured by one or more ASICs, or may be configured by one or more CPUs 17a and one or more ASICs.

(7) In the above embodiment, the printer 1 is described as an example of a single function printer having a print function. On the other hand, the printer 1 may have a print function, a copy function, a direct print function, and the like. In this case, the aggregate print job may be input by operating the operation unit 18 of the printer 1.
For example, in the case of a copy function, the technique disclosed in this specification may be applied when an image is generated by reading a plurality of originals one by one and the generated image is collectively printed on one sheet.
In the case of the direct print function, the user selects an image to be printed from images stored in the removable memory mounted on the printing apparatus, and the multiple images selected by the user are consolidated and printed on one sheet. In this case, the technology disclosed in this specification may be applied.

  (8) In the above embodiment, the case where the control unit 17 of the printer 1 performs the process of distributing the arrangement positions of the fractional pages has been described as an example. On the other hand, the process of distributing the arrangement positions of the fractional pages may be performed by the PC 2 that executes the printer driver 33.

  For example, in the first embodiment, the image to be printed on the sheet may be generated by the PC 2 and stored in the aggregate print job. In this case, every time the aggregate print job is switched in the PC 2, an image in which the pages 61 are aggregated is rotated 180 degrees and stored in the aggregate print job, and a process is stored in the aggregate print job without being rotated 180 degrees. May be executed alternately. The same applies to the second embodiment, the fourth embodiment, the fifth embodiment, the sixth embodiment, and the eighth embodiment.

In the case of the seventh embodiment, when the automatic setting is set, when the vertical placement is set as the sheet placement, the setting value of the binding direction stored in the aggregate print job is set to the long side binding, and the horizontal placement is set. Is set, the setting value of the binding direction stored in the aggregate print job may be set to short edge binding and the aggregate print job may be transmitted to the printer 1. In this case, when the printer 1 executes printing according to the setting value of the binding direction set in the aggregate print job, the arrangement positions of the fractional pages are distributed.
Alternatively, in the case of the seventh embodiment, when automatic is set, the image is rotated 180 degrees and stored in the aggregate print job regardless of how the sheet is placed, and the printer 1 is placed on the front surface regardless of the setting of the binding direction. The image to be printed and the image to be printed on the back side may be printed without rotating.

When the PC 2 performs the process of distributing the arrangement positions of the fractional pages, a print setting item for setting whether to distribute the arrangement positions may be added to the print setting screen 41. Alternatively, even when the process of distributing the arrangement positions of the fractional pages is performed by the printer 1, the user may be able to set on the print setting screen 41 whether or not the arrangement positions are to be distributed.
Also, when the PC2 performs the process of distributing the arrangement positions of the fractional pages, it is not always necessary to rotate the image itself by 180 degrees as in the other embodiment (2) described above.

  When the PC 2 performs the process of distributing the arrangement positions of the fractional pages, the CPU 21 is an example of a control unit, and the communication interface unit 27 is an example of a connection unit. In addition, processing for displaying a print setting screen and receiving various settings is an example of reception processing. The printer driver 33 is an example of a print control program.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer, 2 ... Personal computer, 17 ... Control part, 21 ... CPU, 27 ... Communication interface part, 33 ... Printer driver, 60 ... Virtual line, 61. ..Page, 62 ... Blank page, 70-72 ... Image, M ... Sheet

Claims (9)

A printing control device for controlling a printing unit,
A control unit;
A connection unit for connecting the printing unit and the control unit;
With
The controller is
A reception process for receiving an instruction to execute an aggregate print job for consolidating and printing a plurality of pages on one or more sheets one by one;
When the execution instruction is accepted by the accepting process, the print control process controls the printing unit to collectively print the plurality of pages. The print control process is less than the predetermined number over one or more aggregated print jobs. A print control process for distributing the arrangement positions of the fractional pages on the sheet on which the fractional pages are printed in the main scanning direction of the printing unit;
A print control device that executes. The print control apparatus according to claim 1,
The controller is
Executing a switching condition determination process for determining whether or not a predetermined switching condition for switching a side on which the fractional pages are biased in the main scanning direction is satisfied;
In the print control process, a print control apparatus that alternately switches a side on which the fractional pages are biased in the main scanning direction every time it is determined that the switch condition is satisfied by the switch condition determination process. The print control apparatus according to claim 2,
The switching condition is that the number of printed sheets of the sheet has reached a certain number since the previous time when the fractional pages were switched, the aggregate print job has been switched, and a plurality of copies have been printed on the aggregate print job. The printing control apparatus is at least one of printing of one copy being completed and switching of a user who has instructed printing of the aggregate print job. The print control apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The fractional page includes a page other than the blank page in a sheet on which a page other than the blank page is printed biased in the main scanning direction due to a blank page,
The switching condition is that the sheet on which the fractional page is printed is switched to the next sheet, or the sheet before the sheet on which the fractional page is printed is switched to a sheet on which the fractional page is printed. The print control device. The print control apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
Each time the control unit determines that the switching condition is satisfied by the switching condition determination process in the print control process, the controller prints an image to be printed on each sheet and includes a plurality of pages. A print control apparatus that alternately executes a process of printing by rotating 180 degrees around the center point of the image and a process of printing without rotating the image. The print control apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
Each time the control unit determines that the switching condition is satisfied by the switching condition determination process in the print control process, the controller prints an image to be printed on each sheet and includes a plurality of pages. A process of rotating the image by 90 degrees around the center point of the image and printing the rotated image on the sheet whose aspect is reversed with respect to before the switching condition is satisfied; A print control apparatus that alternately switches and executes a process of printing the non-rotated image on the sheet whose portrait and landscape are reversed before the switching condition is satisfied. The print control apparatus according to claim 1,
The controller is
A selection acceptance process for accepting selection from the user as to whether to automatically determine whether to perform double-sided printing for long-edge binding or double-sided printing for short-edge binding;
In the printing control process, when the selection automatically determined by the selection receiving process is accepted, when the sheet is placed vertically, the plurality of pages are printed on both sides with the long side binding, and the sheet is A printing control apparatus that, when in landscape orientation, prints the plurality of pages on both sides with the short edge binding. The print control apparatus according to claim 1,
The controller is
When the execution instruction is received by the receiving process, it is determined whether or not the arrangement position of the fractional page on the sheet on which the fractional page is printed is biased to one side in the main scanning direction. Execute the process,
In the print control process, when the bias determination process determines that the fractional page is biased to one side in the main scanning direction, the fractional page is not biased to one side in the main scanning direction. A printing control apparatus that changes an arrangement position of the fractional pages on the sheet. In the print control device that controls the printing section,
A reception process for receiving an instruction to execute an aggregate print job for consolidating and printing a plurality of pages on one or more sheets one by one;
When the execution instruction is accepted by the accepting process, the print control process controls the printing unit to collectively print the plurality of pages. The print control process is less than the predetermined number over one or more aggregated print jobs. A print control process for distributing the arrangement positions of the fractional pages on the sheet on which the fractional pages are printed in the main scanning direction of the printing unit;
Print control program to execute.

Images