JP2016013698A - Print control apparatus, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cancel printing without wasting a sheet if an instruction is given during printing of images on both sides of continuous sheets.SOLUTION: When an instruction is given to cancel printing during printing on a first surface in both-side printing, the printing on the first surface is canceled to change the printing to printing on a second surface.

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control apparatus, method, and program for printing using a continuous sheet.

  Conventionally, when printing images on both sides of a continuous sheet such as roll paper, after printing on one side of the continuous paper introduced into the printing means, the continuous paper is cut and temporarily wound, Some of them are re-introduced into the printing means and print on the opposite surface. In such a printing apparatus, in order to perform efficient printing, printing on one side is continuously performed for a plurality of pages, and printing on all the pages on one side is completed, printing on the opposite side is performed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-249346

  When performing double-sided printing in such a procedure, if the user gives an instruction to cancel printing while printing on one side, continuous paper is discharged without printing on the opposite side. It will be. That is, the ejected paper is an image printed on only one side, which is not what the user originally intended. Therefore, what is printed on only one side is useless.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem, and when printing is instructed when printing images on both sides of a continuous sheet, a printing control apparatus capable of canceling printing without wasting a sheet, Methods and programs are provided.

  In order to solve the above problems, a print control apparatus according to the present invention is a print control apparatus capable of executing printing on both sides of a continuous sheet, and accepts an instruction by the accepting means and accepts the instruction by the accepting means. In this case, if printing is being performed on the first surface of the continuous sheet, there is a control means for stopping printing on the first surface and switching to printing on the second surface.

  According to the present invention, when an instruction to cancel printing is received when performing printing on both sides of the continuous sheet, if printing is being performed on the first side of the continuous sheet, switching to printing on the second side is performed. It is possible to avoid wasting the sheet that has been printed on the first surface.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus that is an example of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration relating to control of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the printing order in the case of printing a some duplex printing job continuously. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process when printing stop is instruct | indicated.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the relative arrangement | positioning of each component of the apparatus used by this embodiment, an apparatus shape, etc. are an illustration to the last, and are not limited only to them.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus that is an example of a print control apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment. Although the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 has only a printing function for printing data received from an external apparatus, the image forming apparatus is not limited to this, and further includes a reading apparatus for reading an image on a document, and functions as a copying machine. It is good also as a compound apparatus which added things and other functions.

  Further, an example in which a roll sheet is used as a recording material (recording medium or recording sheet) to be printed will be described. This roll sheet is an example of a continuous sheet, but it may be other than a roll sheet. Further, the continuous sheet may be cut automatically by the image forming apparatus, or may be cut by a user's manual instruction. The material of the recording material is not limited to paper, and various materials can be used as long as they can be printed. The image forming apparatus may be an image forming apparatus capable of printing not only on a continuous sheet but also on a cut sheet that has been cut into a predetermined size.

  Further, the printing method is not limited to the image printing by the ink jet method using the liquid ink for image printing described later. A solid ink may be used as a recording agent applied to the recording material, and various types such as an electrophotographic method using toner, a sublimation method, a thermal transfer method, and a dot impact method can be employed. Further, the recording is not limited to color recording using a plurality of color recording agents, and monochrome recording using only black (including gray) may be performed. The printing is not limited to the printing of a visible image, but may be an invisible or difficult-to-view image printing. Other than general images, for example, a wiring pattern, a physical pattern in the manufacture of parts, a DNA base It is good also as printing of various things, such as a print of arrangement | sequences. That is, the present invention can be applied to various types of recording apparatuses as long as the recording agent can be applied to the recording material. Further, when the operation of the printing process in the image forming apparatus is controlled by an instruction from the external apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1, this external apparatus becomes the print control apparatus.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus using a roll sheet (a continuous continuous sheet longer than the length of a printing unit (one page) in the conveyance direction) as a recording material. The image forming apparatus includes the following components 101 to 115, which are arranged in one housing. However, these components may be divided into a plurality of cases.

  The control unit 108 incorporates a controller (including a CPU or MPU), an output device for user interface information (a generator for display information, acoustic information, etc.), and a control unit having various I / O interfaces, and the entire image forming apparatus. Manage various controls.

  Two units, an upper sheet cassette 101a and a lower sheet cassette 101b, are provided as units for storing and supplying roll sheets. The user loads a roll sheet (hereinafter referred to as a sheet) on the magazine and then loads it on the image forming apparatus main body. The sheet pulled out from the upper sheet cassette 101a is conveyed in the direction a in the figure, and the sheet pulled out from the lower sheet cassette 101b is conveyed in the direction b in the figure. Sheets from any cassette travel in the direction c in the figure and reach the transport unit 102. The conveyance unit 102 conveys the sheet in the d direction (horizontal direction) in the drawing during the printing process through the plurality of rotating rollers 104. When the sheet cassette as the supply source is switched from one to the other, the already drawn sheet is rewound into the cassette and newly supplied from the cassette in which the sheet to be newly supplied is set. Further, the sheet cassette can be expanded in units of two, and the additional sheet cassette is arranged on the right side of the sheet cassettes 101a and 101b as viewed in FIG. 1, and the sheets are also conveyed in the a direction and the b direction. When replacing the roll sheet of each sheet cassette, the user opens the door of the sheet magazine, and when the roll sheet or roll sheet is used up, the roll core is removed and a new roll sheet is mounted. While the sheet magazine door is open, the sheet supply process from the sheet cassette is prohibited.

  Further, the roll sheet set in each sheet cassette measures the diameter of the roll by a sensor, and an approximate remaining amount (length) is determined. When the roll sheet is used in the printing process, the length is measured and the remaining amount is updated. Further, the diameter of the roll sheet is also periodically measured, and the remaining amount is corrected as appropriate. Instead of measuring the diameter, various methods such as measuring the radius and measuring the distance from the core of the roll to the outermost position may be used.

  A head unit 105 is disposed above the transport unit 102 so as to face the transport unit 102. In the head unit 105, independent print heads 106 for a plurality of colors (seven colors in the present embodiment) are held along the sheet conveyance direction. In this example, there are seven print heads corresponding to seven colors of C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), LC (light cyan), LM (light magenta), G (gray), and K (black). The Of course, other colors may be used, and it is not necessary to use all of them.

  The image forming apparatus forms an image on the sheet by ejecting ink from the print head 106 in synchronization with the conveyance of the sheet by the conveyance unit 102. Note that the print head 106 is disposed at a position where the ink discharge destination does not overlap the rotation roller 104. Instead of ejecting the ink directly onto the sheet, an image may be formed by applying the ink to the intermediate transfer member and then applying the ink to the sheet.

  The printing unit according to the present embodiment includes the transport unit 102, the head unit 105, and the print head 106.

  The ink tank 109 stores each color ink independently. Ink is supplied from the ink tank 109 to a sub tank provided corresponding to each color by a tube, and ink is supplied from the sub tank to each print head 106 through the tube. The print head 106 has line heads of respective colors (seven colors in the present embodiment) arranged along the conveyance direction d during printing. The line head of each color may be formed with a single nozzle tip without a seam, or the divided nozzle tips may be regularly arranged in a single row or a staggered arrangement. . In this embodiment, a so-called full multi-head in which nozzles are arranged in a range that covers the width of the print area of the maximum size sheet that can be used by the apparatus is used. As an ink jet method for ejecting ink from a nozzle, a method using a heating element, a method using a piezo element, a method using an electrostatic element, a method using a MEMS element, or the like can be adopted. Ink is ejected from the nozzles of each head based on the print data, and the ejection timing is determined by the output signal of the transport encoder 103.

  After the image is formed on the sheet, the sheet is conveyed from the conveyance unit 102 to the scanner unit 107. The scanner unit 107 optically reads a print image or special pattern on a sheet to check whether there is a problem with the print image, and checks the state of the apparatus including the ink discharge state. As a method for confirming the print image, a method for confirming the ejection state of the ink by reading a pattern for confirming the state of the head or a method for confirming the success or failure of the print by comparing with the original image may be used. Good. The confirmation method can be appropriately selected from various methods.

  The sheet is conveyed in the direction e from the vicinity of the scanner unit 107 and introduced into the cutter unit 110. The cutter unit 110 cuts the sheet every predetermined printing unit length. The length of the predetermined printing unit varies depending on the image size to be printed. For example, the length in the transport direction is 135 mm for the L size photograph, and the length in the transport direction is 297 mm for the A4 size. The cutter unit 110 cuts the sheet in units of pages in the case of single-sided printing, but may not cut in units of pages depending on the contents of the print job. In the case of double-sided printing, the cutter unit 110 does not cut the first surface of the sheet (the surface on which printing is performed first. For example, the front surface) in units of pages, and continuously prints images up to a predetermined length. When printing is performed and the second surface (the surface on which printing will be performed later, for example, the back surface) is printed, cutting is performed in units of pages. Note that the cutter unit 110 is not limited to one that cuts each image when performing single-sided printing or reverse-side printing of double-sided printing. It is not cut until it is transported for a predetermined length, but is cut after it is transported to a predetermined length, and is cut by manual operation or the like with another cutter device. It is good. In the width direction of the sheet, when cutting is necessary, the sheet is cut using another cutter device.

  The sheet conveyed from the cutter unit 110 is conveyed in the direction f in the drawing and is conveyed to the back surface printing unit 111. The back side printing unit 111 is a unit for printing predetermined information on the back side of the sheet when printing an image only on one side of the sheet. Information to be printed on the back side of the sheet includes information (for example, order management number) corresponding to each print image, such as characters, symbols, and codes. When the print head 106 prints an image for a double-sided print job, the back surface printing unit 111 prints information as described above in addition to the area where the print head 106 prints an image. The back surface printing unit 111 can employ a method such as imprinting of a recording agent, thermal transfer, and ink jet.

  The sheet that has passed through the back surface printing unit 111 is then conveyed to the drying unit 112. The drying unit 112 is a unit that heats a sheet that passes through the unit in the direction g in the drawing with warm air (heated gas (air)) in order to dry the sheet to which ink has been applied. . In addition, instead of using warm air, various drying methods such as cold air, heating with a heater, natural drying only by waiting, irradiation with electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet light can be employed. The sheets cut to the printing unit length pass through the drying unit 112 one by one, are conveyed in the h direction in the figure, and are conveyed to the sorting unit 114.

  The sorting unit 114 holds a plurality of trays (18 in this embodiment), and distinguishes the sheet discharge destination tray according to the length of the printing unit or the like. Each tray is assigned a tray number. In the sorting unit 114, a sheet that passes through the unit in the direction i in the figure is checked with a sensor provided on each tray, and a tray set for each print image is checked while checking whether the tray is empty or full. Discharge to the tray corresponding to the number. A tray to which the cut sheet is discharged may be specified by a print job issuer (host device), or an empty tray may be arbitrarily specified on the image forming apparatus side. . One tray can be discharged up to a predetermined number. In the case of a print job exceeding this predetermined number of sheets, it is discharged across a plurality of trays. The number, size, type, and the like of sheets that can be discharged from a tray vary depending on the size (type) of the tray. In FIG. 1, the trays (hereinafter referred to as large trays) arranged vertically (upper and lower) are discharged from both large size sheets (A4 size, etc., larger than the L size) and small sizes (L size). Is possible. Further, a tray (hereinafter referred to as a small tray) arranged side by side (left and right) can discharge a small size (L size) sheet, but cannot discharge a large size sheet. The large tray has more sheets that can be discharged than the small tray.

  In addition, a state such as sheet discharge or discharge completion can be identified by the user using a display (for example, an LED or the like is used). For example, a plurality of LEDs that emit light of different colors can be provided for each tray, and the user can be notified of the various states of each tray depending on the color of the LEDs that are lit or whether they are lit or blinking. Also, priorities can be assigned to each of the plurality of trays, and the image forming apparatus, when executing a print job, uses empty trays (sheets do not exist) as sheet discharge destinations in order of priority. Assign. By default, the large tray has a higher priority on the upper tray and the smaller tray has a higher priority on the left. The priority of the small tray is higher than that of the large tray. This priority may be set in advance so that the user can easily take out the sheet. Moreover, it is good also as what can be suitably changed by operation by a user.

  The sheet winding unit 113 winds a sheet on which the front surface is printed without being cut for each page. In duplex printing, a sheet on which an image has been formed on the front side is not cut by the cutter unit 110 in units of pages, but is cut after printing of the continuous front side is completed. The sheet on which the front surface is printed passes through the unit in the j direction in the figure, and is wound by the sheet winding unit 113. Then, after the image formation on the front surface for a series of pages has been completed, the wound sheet has a surface opposite to the previous front surface that can be printed, that is, facing the print head 106. The surface to be reversed is reversed and conveyed again in the k direction in the drawing of the unit. By carrying it in this way, the image on the back surface opposite to the front surface is printed. In the case of normal single-sided printing, the sheet on which the image is printed is conveyed to the sorting unit 114 without being wound by the sheet winding unit 113.

  As described above, when performing duplex printing, the sheet winding unit 113 is used to wind the sheet, and the sheet is reversed and printed on the back side. Therefore, the sorting unit is used for single-sided printing and double-sided printing. The surface of the sheet when discharged to 114 is different. That is, in the case of single-sided printing, since the sheet is not reversed using the sheet winding unit 113, the sheet on which the image of the first page is printed is discharged with the image of the first page facing down. When a single print job is a job having a plurality of pages, the first sheet is discharged to the tray, and then sequentially discharged to subsequent pages so that the sheets overlap. Such discharge is called face-down discharge. On the other hand, in the case of duplex printing, since the sheet is reversed using the sheet winding unit 113, the sheet on which the image of the first page is printed is discharged with the image of the first page facing up. When a single print job is a job that outputs multiple sheets, the sheet including the last page is discharged to the tray, and then sequentially discharged to the younger page sheets. The sheet on which the page image is printed is ejected. Such discharge is called face-up discharge. Note that the printing order of the first side is the same for single-sided printing and double-sided printing so that the surface of the sheet during discharge is the same for both single-sided printing and double-sided printing (unified face-up or face-down). You may make it change (it is set as descending order or ascending order).

  The operation unit 115 is a unit for the user to perform various operations and notify the user of various information. For example, it is possible to check the printing status for each order such as on which tray the sheet on which the image designated by the user is printed is stacked, or whether the image is being printed or has been printed. In addition, the user can operate / confirm in order to confirm the various states of the apparatus such as the remaining amount of ink and the remaining amount of the sheet, and to instruct the execution of apparatus maintenance such as head cleaning.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration relating to control in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus 200 is the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. However, the following configuration is an example, and various changes can be made.

  The CPU 201, ROM 202, RAM 203, image processing unit 207, engine control unit 208, and scanner control unit 209 are mainly included in the control unit 108. The control unit 108 is connected to the HDD 204, the operation unit 206, the external I / F 205, and the like via the system bus 210.

  The CPU 201 is a central processing unit in the form of a microprocessor (microcomputer), and is included in the control unit 108 of FIG. The CPU 201 controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 200 by executing a program or starting up hardware. The ROM 202 stores programs to be executed by the CPU 201 and fixed data necessary for various operations of the image forming apparatus 200. The RAM 203 is used as a work area for the CPU 201, used as a temporary storage area for various received data, and stores various setting data. The HDD 204 can store or read a program to be executed by the CPU 201, print data, and setting information necessary for various operations of the image forming apparatus 200 on a built-in hard disk. In place of the HDD 204, another mass storage device may be used.

  The operation unit 206 includes a hard key and a touch panel for the user to perform various operations, and a display unit for presenting (notifying) various information to the user, and corresponds to the operation unit 115 in FIG. . Information can also be presented to the user by outputting sound (buzzer, sound, etc.) based on the sound information from the sound generator.

  The image processing unit 207 performs development (conversion) and image processing of print data (for example, data expressed in a page description language) handled by the image forming apparatus 200 into image data (bitmap image). A color space (for example, YCbCr) of image data included in the input print data is converted into a standard RGB color space (for example, sRGB). In addition, various image processing such as resolution conversion to the number of effective pixels (image processing apparatus 200 can perform print processing), image analysis, image correction, and the like is performed on the image data as necessary. Image data obtained by these image processes is stored in the RAM 203 or the HDD 204.

  The engine control unit 208 controls processing for printing an image based on print data on a sheet in accordance with a control command received from the CPU 201 or the like. An ink ejection instruction to the print head 106 of each color, an ejection timing setting for adjusting a dot position (ink landing position) on the recording medium, adjustment based on acquisition of a head driving state, and the like are performed. The print head drive is controlled according to the print data, and ink is ejected from the print head to form an image on the sheet. In addition, the conveyance roller is controlled such that the drawing roller is driven to pull out the sheet from the cassette, the conveyance roller is driven to convey the drawn sheet, and the rotation state of the conveyance roller is acquired. Transport and stop along the route.

  The scanner control unit 209 controls the image sensor in accordance with the control command received from the CPU 201 or the like, reads an image on the sheet, and analog luminance data of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors. Is obtained and converted to digital data. As the image sensor, a CCD image sensor, a CMOS image sensor, or the like can be employed. The image sensor may be a linear image sensor or an area image sensor. Further, the scanner control unit 209 obtains an image sensor driving instruction and acquires the status of the image sensor based on the driving, analyzes the luminance data acquired from the image sensor, and discharges ink from the print head 106 or cuts the sheet. The position is detected. The sheet on which the image is correctly printed by the scanner control unit 209 is discharged to the tray of the designated sorting unit after the ink on the sheet is dried.

  The host apparatus 211 corresponds to the above-described external apparatus, is connected to the outside of the image forming apparatus 200, and is an apparatus serving as a supply source of image data for causing the image forming apparatus 200 to perform printing. Issue an order.

  The host device 211 may be realized by a general-purpose personal computer (PC), or may be another type of data supply device. As another type of data supply device, there is an image capture device that captures an image and generates image data. The image capture device is a reader (scanner) that reads an image on a document and generates image data, a film scanner that reads a negative film or a positive film, and generates image data. Other examples of the image capture device include a digital camera that captures a still image and generates digital image data, and a digital video that captures a moving image and generates moving image data. Alternatively, a photo storage may be installed on the network, an image file stored in the photo storage via the network may be acquired, and an image of image data generated from the image file may be printed. Further, a socket for inserting a removable portable memory may be provided in the image forming apparatus 200, and an image file stored in the portable memory may be read to generate and print image data. Further, instead of a general-purpose PC, various data supply devices such as a dedicated terminal for the image forming apparatus may be used. These data supply apparatuses may be components of the image forming apparatus or may be other apparatuses connected to the outside of the image forming apparatus. When the host device 211 is a PC, an OS, application software for generating image data, and a printer driver for the image forming apparatus 200 are installed in the storage device of the PC. The printer driver controls the image forming apparatus 200 or generates print data by converting the image data supplied from the application software into a format that can be handled by the image forming apparatus 200. Alternatively, conversion from print data to image data may be performed on the host apparatus 211 side before being supplied to the image forming apparatus 200. Note that it is not essential to implement all of the above processing by software, and a part or all of the processing may be realized by hardware such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Image data, other commands, status signals, and the like supplied from the host device 211 can be transmitted / received to / from the image forming apparatus 200 via the external I / F 205. The external I / F 205 may be a local I / F or a network I / F. The external I / F 205 may be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

  The above-described components in the image forming apparatus 200 are connected via the system bus 210 and can communicate with each other.

  In the above example, one CPU 201 controls all the components in the image forming apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 2, but other configurations are possible. That is, some of the functional blocks may be provided with separate CPUs and individually controlled by the respective CPUs. Each functional block may adopt various forms, such as appropriately dividing as an individual processing unit or control unit, or integrating some of the functional blocks according to a method other than the configuration shown in FIG. Also, a direct memory access controller (DMAC) can be used to read data from the memory.

  In the above configuration, when printing using a roll sheet is performed by the image forming apparatus 200, the following procedure is performed.

  First, when the image forming apparatus 200 receives a new print job, it is temporarily stored in the HDD 204. Then, print settings (size and material of usable sheets, print mode (single-sided printing, double-sided printing, bookbinding printing, etc.) set in the print job stored in the HDD 204 are checked. As a result, the printing order (page order) in the print job is determined, that is, when face-down discharge is performed, if single-sided printing is performed, it is determined that printing is performed in ascending order of pages. When printing (double-sided printing, bookbinding printing), the pages arranged on the opposite side of the first page are arranged in descending order from the page with the largest number of pages to the first side of the sheet, and then on the second side. In normal double-sided printing, even pages are printed continuously in descending order on the first side, and then odd pages are printed on the second side. In addition, the image forming apparatus 200 determines the printing order so that printing is performed continuously in order, and the image forming apparatus 200 performs printing on both sides of the sheet when the same sheet can be used in the preceding and succeeding print jobs. The first side of the job is continuously printed, and then the second side is continuously printed, thereby reducing the number of sheet inversions. After confirming the settings, the printing order is determined in accordance with the result, and the print order of the target print job and the print settings of the preceding and succeeding print jobs are used so that the same sheet can be continuously printed as much as possible. The sheet to be determined is also determined.

  Note that “printing a plurality of pages (images) continuously” simply means that pages arranged on the same surface of the sheet are continuously printed, and does not ask whether there is a gap between the pages. In other words, this includes a page with a margin between pages. Further, depending on the page configuration of the print job, there may be a page where there is no image to be printed.

  Each time a new print job is received, the print job is sequentially registered in a queue provided in the HDD 204. Then, according to the confirmation result of the print setting described above, the sheet information (size and material) of the sheet used in the print job included in the queue, the cassette to be used based on the sheet information, the status of the print job (progress or error is possible) ) Is managed in the HDD 204. Also, the time (date and time) and required time for starting each print job are calculated based on the print contents of each job, and these pieces of information are also managed.

  When the printing order is determined as described above, the print data of the print job is supplied to the image processing unit 207 so that printing is completed in order from the first print job in the queue. When printing on both sides of a sheet, pages arranged on the first side of a plurality of print jobs are printed continuously as described above. Therefore, the print data of the last print job among a plurality of print jobs to be continuously printed is supplied to the image processing unit 207 first (in the case of face-down discharge). That is, printing is started in descending order from the last page of a group of pages arranged on the first surface of the sheet on the surface opposite to the first page of the last print job of a print job that is continuously printed, Finally, the top page of the top print job arranged on the surface is printed. Then, printing is performed from the first page of the first print job on the second surface of the sheet, and the process sequentially proceeds to printing on the second surface of the next print job. As a result, face-down discharge is performed from the first print job, and printing is completed.

  The image data to be printed generated according to the print data received by the image processing unit 207 is sequentially stored in the HDD 204. The image data stored in the HDD 204 is sequentially supplied to the engine control unit 208 according to the determined printing order. At this time, it is possible to specify the image data to be printed on which side of the sheet (when printing on both sides), the page number, and the print job based on attributes such as the print settings set in the print job Such information is also notified to the engine control unit 208 together with the image data. The image stored in the HDD 204 may be rotated by 90 degrees depending on the printing method and the like.

  Receiving this image data, the engine control unit 208 supplies the sheet from the sheet cassette corresponding to the size of the image to be printed and transports the sheet to the printing position by the head unit 105. Then, ink is ejected from the print head 106 according to the image data to form an image on the sheet. The scanner unit 107 determines whether the printed image has been successfully printed. If it is determined that the image has been printed correctly, the drying unit 112 performs a drying process. If it is determined that printing has not been performed correctly, the sheet is cut by the cutter unit 110 and discharged from the trays of the sorting unit 114 to a tray that discharges defectives (for example, the tray at the bottom). Then, the image data is re-supplied to the engine control unit 208 so that reprinting is performed for the portion that has been correctly printed, and the above processing is repeated. When printing on both sides of the sheet, reprinting is performed unless both the front and back images are printed correctly.

  Further, when the print job that is being printed by the engine control unit 208 is single-sided printing, the sheet on which the image is printed is cut by the cutter unit 110 in units of pages. The cut sheet is discharged to a designated tray of the sorting unit 114. On the other hand, when the print job is to print on both sides of the sheet and printing on the first side is continued for a plurality of pages, the cutter unit 110 does not perform cutting on a page basis even if printing on the first side is performed. Cut after tail page is printed. The sheet with the image printed on the first side is supplied to the sheet take-up unit 113. When printing on the second side, the sheet take-up unit 113 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the sheet is moved from the cut surface toward the head unit 105. To supply. When printing on the second surface is performed, cutting is performed by the cutter unit 110 in units of pages (there may not be performed in units of pages depending on print settings). Then, the printed and cut sheets are discharged to a designated tray of the sorting unit 114. Further, when the information is set to be printed by the back surface printing unit 111, the back surface printing unit 111 performs printing after the sheet is cut.

  As described above, a series of print processing is sequentially performed, and information on the print job managed in the queue is updated as the print processing progresses.

  FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a printing order in the case of continuously printing pages arranged on the same surface across jobs in duplex printing. This example is a printing order when face-up discharge is performed. When face-down discharge is performed, the printing order is determined so that the first page is printed at the end of the second side. Assume that job A, job B, and job C, which are different from each other, are input to the image forming apparatus 200, and these jobs are instructed to print in an arrangement as shown in the figure. Further, it is assumed that the print settings relating to the sheet type of each page arranged on the same surface of the sheet are the same.

  When pages arranged on the same surface across jobs are continuously printed, the printing order of each page is the following order. That is, the first page of job A, the third page of job A, the first page of job B,..., The third page of job C are printed, the sheet is cut and reversed, and the fourth page of job C is printed. First, the second page of job C,..., And the second page of job A are printed in this order. Accordingly, the sheet can be cut and reversed only once when three print jobs are executed.

  On the other hand, when double-sided printing is performed for each job, the procedure shown in FIG. That is, the first and third pages of job A are printed, the sheets are cut and reversed, and the fourth and second pages are printed in this order. The sheet cassette that has supplied the sheet performs rewinding of the remaining sheet after the sheet is cut. Thereafter, the sheet supply is started again for execution of job B, the first and third pages of job B are printed, the sheets are cut and reversed, and the fourth and second pages are printed in this order. Then, the rewinding and refeeding of the sheet is performed, and the same processing is performed for job C. Therefore, in this case, when executing three print jobs, it is necessary to cut and invert the sheet three times, and to perform rewinding and refeeding at least twice. Therefore, by setting the printing order as shown in FIG. 3B, the number of sheet cutting, reversing, rewinding, and refeeding can be reduced as much as possible, and a plurality of print jobs can be executed efficiently. It should be noted that pages on which the same surface is continued may be in the middle of a job instead of in units of jobs.

  The above example shows a case where a plurality of duplex printing jobs are continuously performed. However, efficient printing is similarly performed even if printing on the same surface is continued in a single-sided printing job and a duplex printing job. can do.

  Next, a process when printing is instructed by the user when printing is performed according to the above procedure will be described. Here, as a method of canceling printing, the printing is stopped immediately at a timing when the printing can be stopped, printing is continued until a predetermined break, and then stopped. Can be selected from the three types of canceling and printing on the second side. It should be noted that it is possible to prepare a plurality of patterns such as what state the timing at which cancellation can be made is, how to determine a predetermined break. However, here, the timing at which one page is completed is set as the timing at which cancellation can be performed, and the division of one print job is set as the predetermined division.

  Also, when the image forming apparatus 200 detects that the user has issued an instruction to cancel printing from the operation unit 206 or from the host device 211, printing is immediately stopped or printing is continued until a predetermined break. Whether to stop can be determined by various procedures. For example, when cancellation is instructed by the user, which method of cancellation is registered in the HDD 204 or the like in advance, and determined according to the registered contents. Alternatively, the determination is made according to what operation is instructed to be stopped from the operation unit 206 or the host device 211. In this case, for example, a different button is prepared for each cancellation method, and it is determined which button has been pressed. Alternatively, when a cancellation instruction is given, a dialog or the like for prompting selection of the cancellation method is displayed, and the user selects the cancellation method in response thereto. Note that when selecting a cancellation method after an instruction to cancel printing is made, the user can more appropriately select a cancellation method if the operation unit 206 is made to display the current printing state. Is possible. That is, a message indicating that the first side of double-sided printing is in the middle of printing, the second side of printing is in progress, one-sided printing is in progress, and there are two subsequent print jobs is displayed. Choose the cancellation method. In addition, as a display of the job status, it simply shows what page of which side of which job is currently printed, or a schematic diagram showing a specific printing order and its progress as shown in FIG. It may be shown. Note that various determination methods other than these can be adopted as the cancellation method.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when an instruction to cancel printing is given. This flowchart shows the flow of processing performed by the CPU 201 loading a control program stored in the ROM 202 or the HDD 204 into the RAM 203 and executing it.

  In step S401, when the CPU 201 detects that printing is instructed by the user, the process proceeds to step S402. The detection here is to detect that an instruction to cancel printing is made via the operation unit 206, or to detect that a command indicating printing stop from the host device 211 is received via the external I / F 205. is there.

  In S <b> 402, it is determined whether the currently executed printing (the one to be canceled) is double-sided printing. If a positive determination is made here, the process proceeds to S403, and if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to S404.

  In step S <b> 403, it is determined whether printing currently being executed is printing the first side of duplex printing. If a positive determination is made here, the process proceeds to S408, and if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to S404.

  In S404 to S406, different processing is performed depending on whether the process branches from S402 or S403. Here, the same steps are used for the sake of simplicity. In S <b> 404, it is determined whether or not it is selected to stop printing after the end of the job when stopping printing. If a positive determination is made here, the process proceeds to S405, and if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to S406.

  In step S405, printing is continued until printing of a print job that has already started printing is completed, and printing thereafter is stopped. Here, since the case of branching from S402 is the case of single-sided printing, the sheet is cut in units of pages. If branched from S403, it is a case where the second side printing of the double-sided printing has been performed, and the printing is continued until the printing of the print job which has already started the printing of the second side is completed, and thereafter Printing is stopped. At this time, for a job that has been properly printed, the sheet is cut in units of pages, and only the first surface is printed and canceled, and the pages remain connected. These sheets are discharged to the tray of the sorting unit 114 in step S407, but are discharged to different trays that are properly printed and incomplete. Subsequent incomplete print jobs that have already been set in the queue may be canceled or may be retained without being cancelled.

  In step S406, for a page that has already started printing, the printing of the page is completed, and the subsequent printing is stopped. Here, the branch from S402 is the case of single-sided printing. When the printing of the page is completed, the sheet is cut and discharged to the tray in S407, and the sheet is rewound without performing the subsequent printing. The branch from S403 is the case where the second side of the duplex printing is performed. When the printing of the page is completed, the sheet is cut and discharged to the tray in S407, and the subsequent printing is not performed. The amount printed on the second side and not printed on the second side is also discharged to another tray.

  In S408, the canceling method is to stop the printing of the first side after the page is completed, even if there is a subsequent page, and switch to the second side, that is, immediately switch to the printing of the second side. Judge. If an affirmative determination is made here, the process proceeds to S409, and if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to S412.

  In step S409, the printing is stopped after completion of the printing of the first page on which printing has started, and in step S410, the sheet is cut and reversed. Then, the original printing order is changed, and the opposite surface (second surface) is printed for the portion printed in the first surface in S411. Then, the sheet cut in page units is discharged to a predetermined tray in S407.

  In step S <b> 412, it is determined whether or not it is selected to stop printing after the job break when printing is stopped. If a positive determination is made here, the process proceeds to S413, and if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to S414.

  In step S413, the printing on the first side where printing has been started is continued until the job separation, and even if there is a subsequent job, the printing on the first side is stopped here. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S410, and the sheet is cut and reversed, the second surface is printed in S411, and the sheet is discharged in S407, as described above.

  In step S414, printing of the page for which printing has been started is completed, and printing after that is stopped. Then, the sheet is cut, and the sheet is discharged in S407 in a state where printing on the second surface is not performed.

  In the above example, in the printing on the second surface when the process proceeds to S411 due to an affirmative determination in S408, the printing on the opposite surface is performed for all the printing on the first surface. However, since printing on the first side is incomplete in the middle of the job, printing on the second side may not be performed. For example, if an instruction to cancel printing is given during printing of the first page of Job B in FIG. 3B, the sheet is conveyed without printing the second page of Job B when moving to printing on the second side. Then, the fourth page and the second page of Job A are printed. As a result, printing of the second surface, which is incomplete as a job, can be omitted, and waste of the recording material can be prevented. In this case, it is preferable that the sheet on which only the first surface of Job B is printed is discharged to a tray (tray for discharging defectives) different from the one that can be printed appropriately, thereby preventing mixing of the sheets.

  Also, in the above example, a negative determination is made in S403, and when printing is stopped during printing of the second side, it is continued until the job breaks, or printing is stopped even during the job, and the subsequent ones Did not print. However, the printing on the first side may be performed on the second side. That is, in FIG. 3B, when the print stop instruction is issued while the fourth page of Job B is being printed, the sheet is conveyed without printing the second page of Job B, and Job A The fourth page and the second page are printed. This is because the printing of the first page and third page of Job A has already been completed, and the printing on the opposite side is completed, so that the completed product of Job A can be obtained. Here, only Job B becomes incomplete, and the print (sheet) of Job B is discharged to a tray that discharges defective objects.

  In addition, among jobs in which the printing order has already been determined as shown in FIG. 3B, printing is performed only for jobs that have been printed when an instruction to cancel printing is given. It is possible to cancel printing and execute printing for other print jobs. For example, if the negative determination in S403 is during the printing of the first page or third page of Job B in FIG. 3B, only the printing of Job B is the target of cancellation. Then, move to Job C printing. Then, the second side of Job C is printed, the second side of Job B is not printed, the sheet is conveyed by that size, and printing is performed on the second side of Job A. Here, only the printed matter of Job B is discharged to a tray for discharging defective items. As a result, only jobs that have been printed when printing cancellation is instructed can be canceled, and other printing jobs can be appropriately executed.

  In the process shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the order of determination of the printing status and determination of the canceling method is not limited to the above. The print status may be determined after the cancellation method is determined first.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when an instruction to cancel printing is given, printing of a job intended by the user can be stopped while minimizing waste of sheets, recording materials, and the like. In other words, if the printing on the first surface is stopped after the printing on the second surface is completed, the printed matter can be handled as a finished product. On the other hand, when printing on the second surface is not performed, waste of the recording agent can be prevented. Moreover, since it can be stopped by an appropriate method from among a plurality of stopping methods, it is possible to realize stopping according to various situations.

  In the above description, processing such as scheduling of printing order and order of use of sheets, excluding the portion to be printed, is realized by an external device such as a host device or an external controller, and printing is performed on the image forming apparatus accordingly. You may make it perform. At this time, the external apparatus acquires a status (information such as the current printing status) from the image forming apparatus and determines a canceling method or a printing order. In this case, the external device functions as a print control device.

  The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed. Further, the program may be executed by a single computer or may be executed in conjunction with a plurality of computers. Moreover, it is not necessary to implement all of the above-described processing by software, and part or all of the processing may be implemented by hardware.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications (including application to other embodiments, combinations with other embodiments, etc.) are possible based on the spirit of the present invention.

Claims (8)

A printing control apparatus capable of executing printing on both sides of a continuous sheet,
Receiving means for receiving instructions;
A control unit that stops printing on the first side and switches to printing on the second side when printing is performed on the first side of the continuous sheet when the instruction is received by the receiving unit. A printing control device.   The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes printing on the second surface to be performed on an opposite surface of a page on which printing on the first surface is performed.   The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the printing on the second surface to be performed for printing for which the printing on the first surface is completed for one print job.   The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the instruction is received by the receiving unit, the printing on the first surface is stopped after the printing on the first surface is continued until the timing at which the control can be stopped. The printing control apparatus according to any one of the above.   When the instruction is received by the accepting unit, the control unit cancels printing of the print job for printing on the second side and prints on the first side if printing is being performed on the second side. 5. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a print job that has been completed is printed on the second surface. 6.   The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the instruction is received by the reception unit, the control unit selects any one of a plurality of cancellation methods and stops printing according to the selected method. The printing control apparatus according to item 1. If an instruction is received when printing on both sides of the continuous sheet, if printing is being performed on the first side of the continuous sheet, printing on the first side is stopped,
A printing control method characterized by switching to printing on the second surface of the continuous sheet.   A program for realizing each means of the printing control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or the printing control method according to claim 7 by a computer.

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