JP2016084184A - Control method for image formation system comprising image formation apparatus and post-processing device connected to the same, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image formation system capable of producing high-quality bookbinding-processed products assuming aligned edge shapes.SOLUTION: An image formation system has the function of adjusting a cutting position to determine a sheet cutting amount according to the type of a sheet and a shape of a ring for use in booklet binding processing, and an image formation position adjusting function for inhibiting a loss of an image from being caused by cutting processing and punch processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming system formed by a post-processing apparatus that can be connected to an image forming apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to an image forming system capable of punching and cutting, a method for controlling the system, and a program.

  In a simple bookbinding process, a technique is disclosed in which a punching process (hereinafter referred to as punching process) for making a hole for passing a ring through a sheet is performed, and a binding process is performed by passing a sheet through a circular ring. In particular, when the booklet is closed, the punch position is adjusted so that the booklets are aligned. That is, after adjusting the punch position so that the punch position from the sheet edge performed on the sheet near the center of the booklet is larger than the punch position from the sheet edge of the sheet close to the front cover and back cover of the booklet There is a method related to processing control (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-143646 A

  However, the conventional technique is premised on adjusting the punch position from the sheet edge. Therefore, depending on the pressure of the booklet that is a product, when the booklet after binding is opened, the sheet that protrudes inside the ring may come into contact.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming system capable of generating a high-quality bookbinding processing product, a control method for the image forming system, and a print control program.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
An image forming system including an image forming apparatus having a page layout function for bookbinding processing and a post-processing apparatus connectable to the image forming apparatus, and a setting input unit for determining a bookbinding method and bookbinding according to the setting An image forming apparatus system having means for performing processing,
Means for referring to job information (S1003);
Means for calculating a thickness of a booklet generated by processing a job based on the job information and the setting value input by the setting input means (S1005);
Means (S1006) for determining whether or not punch processing is designated based on the job information and the setting value input by the setting input means;
Means (S1010) for determining the presence / absence of the binding process and the availability of the binding process based on the job information and the setting value input by the setting input means;
Means (S1012) for determining whether or not cutting is specified based on the job information and the setting value input by the setting input means;
Means (S1013, S1014) for determining the cutting width based on the booklet thickness obtained by the booklet thickness calculation means and the ring information included in the job information and the binding information input by the setting input means;
Means for processing the content and recording it on a recording medium (S1015);
Means for performing punch processing on the recording medium using a post-processing device in accordance with the job information and the setting value input by the setting input means (S1016);
Means for performing a cutting process on the recording medium using a post-processing device in accordance with the cutting width determined by the cutting width determination means (S1017);
Means for executing a binding process using a post-processing device in accordance with the binding information determined by the binding process setting means (S1019);
It is characterized by having.

  According to the image forming apparatus system of the present invention, it is possible to adjust the cutting position for determining the sheet cutting amount according to the shape of the ring and the type of the sheet used for the binding process. Furthermore, by providing an image forming position adjustment method for suppressing image loss due to the cutting process and the punching process, it is possible to generate a high-quality bookbinding processing product having a uniform edge shape.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a PDL drawing processing unit implemented in an image forming apparatus. Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control unit of an image forming apparatus Block diagram showing a configuration example of controller software of an image forming apparatus FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus. The figure explaining the example of composition of 4 drum (4D) color printers The figure which shows the structural example of a post-processing part (inline finisher) The figure which shows the network outline of this invention FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an operation unit of an image forming apparatus. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a key operation unit of an image forming apparatus. Flowchart showing the flow of printing processing in the first embodiment The flowchart which shows the flow of the binding process setting process in Example 1. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of image size adjustment processing in the first embodiment. The flowchart which shows the flow of the cutting amount adjustment process in Example 2. FIG. The flowchart which shows the flow of the cutting amount adjustment process accompanying the edge shape designation | designated in Example 3. FIG. Example of sheet size, punch position, and cutting position processed in Example 1-3 An example when the booklet generated in Example 1-3 is referenced from the bottom of the booklet Example of operation screen when post-processing setting is performed using the operation screen in Example 1-3 Example of sheet information and bind information referred to in embodiment 1-4 Flowchart showing the flow of post-processing setting in the fourth embodiment Example of cutting position and punching position implemented in Example 4

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the present invention according to the claims, and all combinations of features described in the present embodiments are essential to the solution means of the present invention. Not exclusively.

<Block diagram showing a configuration example of the PDL rendering processing unit>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a drawing processing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. The rendering processing unit stores each object information in a raster image on a memory (not shown) in order to reproduce vector information such as characters, line drawings, and figures described in PDL, bitmap information, and the like as pages at the same time. As a rasterizing process.

  The drawing processing unit includes two parts, an interpreter 101 and a rendering processing unit 108. The interpreter 101 includes a PDL analysis unit 102 that performs language analysis of PDL data, a page information analysis unit 103 that analyzes page information included in the PDL data, and a drawing object analysis unit 104 that analyzes drawing objects included in the PDL data. A display list (DL) generation unit 105 that generates an intermediate file called a display list from a drawing object. In addition, when a drawing object or font can be cached and reused, a DL management unit 106 that can store and read DL data in a data storage unit 107 on a temporary storage device such as a memory or HDD is included.

  The PDL analysis unit 102 can analyze various types of input PDL data. As the format of the PDL data, the PostScript (registered trademark) language of Adobe, the PCL (registered trademark) of HP, and the like are well known. Also, PDF (trademark), which is a document format for Adobe documents, can be analyzed. In addition, formats for VDP such as PPML and PDF / VT can be processed. Furthermore, image compression formats such as JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) and TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) can be processed.

  The rendering processing unit 108 includes a CMM that performs color matching on the display list (described in 230 of FIG. 2), and a DL rendering unit (described in 216 of FIG. 2) that renders the display list into bitmap data (raster image). Composed.

  The print engine 109 reads the bitmap data generated by the rendering processing unit 108 and performs a printing process. Details will be described in <Print Processing Unit of Image Forming Apparatus> with reference to FIG.

<Configuration of controller unit>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control unit (controller) of the image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment.

  In FIG. 2, a control unit 200 is connected to a scanner 201 that is an image input device and a printer engine 202 that is an image output device, and performs control for reading image data and printing output. The control unit 200 is connected to the LANs 10 and 11 and the public line 204 to perform control for inputting and outputting image information and device information via the LANs 10 and 11.

  A CPU 205 is a central processing unit for controlling the entire image forming apparatus. A RAM 206 is a system work memory for the CPU 205 to operate, and is also an image memory for temporarily storing input image data. A ROM 207 is a boot ROM, and stores a system boot program. An HDD 208 is a hard disk drive and stores system software for various processes and input image data.

  The operation unit I / F 209 is an interface unit for the operation unit 210 having a display screen capable of displaying image data and the like, and outputs operation screen data to the operation unit 210. In addition, the operation unit I / F 209 serves to transmit information input by the operator from the operation unit 210 to the CPU 205.

  The network interfaces 211 and 221 are connected to the LANs 10 and 11 via, for example, a NIC and input / output information to / from an external device (in this embodiment, a case where only two network interfaces are limited will be described). However, needless to say, this embodiment also includes a case where three or more interfaces are used. Furthermore, the modem 212 is connected to the public line 204 and inputs / outputs information to / from an external device.

  The above units are arranged on the system bus 213.

  The image bus I / F 214 is an interface for connecting the system bus 213 and an image bus 215 that transfers image data at high speed, and is a bus bridge that converts a data structure.

  On the image bus 215, a raster image processor 216, a device I / F 217, a scanner image processing unit 218, a printer image processing unit 219, an image editing image processing unit 220, and a color management module 230 are connected. A raster image processor (RIP) 216 expands a page description language (PDL) code and vector data described later into an image. A device I / F unit 217 connects the scanner 201, the printer engine 202, the post-processing device 203, and the control unit 200, and performs synchronous / asynchronous conversion of image data.

  The scanner image processing unit 218 performs various processes such as correction, processing, and editing on the image data input from the scanner 201. The printer image processing unit 219 performs processing such as correction and resolution conversion according to the printer engine on the image data to be printed out. The image editing image processing 220 performs various types of image processing such as image data rotation and image data compression / decompression processing.

  The image recognition processing unit 222 determines whether or not the image data input from the image capturing device 203 is a recognition code such as a two-dimensional code, and performs a process of analyzing the encoded information included in the recognition code.

  The CMM 230 is a dedicated hardware module that performs color conversion processing (also referred to as color space conversion processing) on image data based on a profile and calibration data. A profile is information such as a function for converting color image data expressed in a device-dependent color space into a device-independent color space (eg, Lab). The calibration data is data for correcting the color reproduction characteristics of the scanner unit 201 and the printer engine 202 in the color multifunction machine 3.

<Controller software configuration>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of controller software for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus. A printer interface (hereinafter referred to as printer IF) 340 is a means for input / output from / to the outside. The protocol control unit 301 is a means for performing communication with the outside by analyzing and transmitting a network protocol. It is possible to prepare a plurality of printer IFs and protocol control units for each NIC to be connected, and it is also possible to configure so that inputs from a plurality of NICs are processed by a single control unit.

  The data input identification unit 302 identifies from which of a plurality of connected networks a print job input via the printer IF. A job management unit 303 manages a print job input from the printer IF 340 and processes information related to device control according to print job division processing and print settings added to the print job.

  The PDL analysis unit 304 is a unit that analyzes the PDL and converts it into an intermediate code (DisplayList) in a format that is easier to process. The intermediate code generated in the PDL analysis unit 304 is transferred to the data drawing unit 305 and processed. The data drawing unit 305 expands the intermediate code into bitmap data, and the expanded bitmap data is sequentially drawn in the page memory 306.

  The page memory 306 is a volatile memory that temporarily holds bitmap data developed by the renderer. The panel input / output IF unit 320 controls input / output from the operation panel. The data storage unit 330 is a means for storing various data files input to the image forming apparatus such as a print job input from the printer IF and a scan job input from the scanner, and is a non-volatile secondary such as an SRAM or a hard disk. Realized by a storage device. The scan control unit 350 performs various processes such as correction, processing, and editing on the image data input from the scanner.

  The post-processing device control unit 380 performs processing for controlling a post-processing device configured by a finisher, a stacker, and the like, such as a paper discharge position, stapling processing, punch processing, binding processing, folding processing, and cutting processing specified for a job. Do. The print control unit 360 converts the contents of the page memory 306 into a video signal and transfers the image to the printer engine unit 370. The printer engine unit 370 is a printing mechanism unit for forming an image of the received video signal on recording paper.

<Image forming apparatus control unit>
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the image forming apparatus that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus. The output job management unit 181 manages a print job input from the printer IF unit (FIG. 3-340), and controls the read / write of the print job to / from the memory 195 and the processing order thereof.

  The output job control unit 182 includes a job analysis unit 183, a binder analysis unit 184, a document analysis unit 184, and a page analysis unit 186, and creates print job setting information (so-called job ticket) and image information.

  The job analysis unit 183 analyzes the details of setting information related to the entire print job, such as the name of the document to be printed, the number of copies, the designation of the output tray as the output destination, and the binder order of the print job composed of a plurality of binders. Create print job setting information. The binder analysis unit 184 analyzes the details of the setting information related to the entire binder, such as the bookbinding method setting, the stapling position, and the document order of the binder composed of a plurality of documents, and creates binder information.

  The document analysis unit 185 analyzes the details of the setting information related to the entire document, such as the page order of a document composed of a plurality of pages, designation of double-sided printing, addition of a cover or mount, and creates document setting information. The page analysis unit 186 analyzes the details of the setting information regarding the entire page, such as the image resolution and the image orientation (landscape / portrait), and creates page setting information.

  The sheet information management unit 191 manages information related to the sheet type related to the printing process analyzed by the output job control unit. The sheet information control unit 192 creates a sheet information management table indicating attribute information related to the sheet type related to the printing process.

  Note that the processing of the output job management unit and the sheet information management unit has been described as processing in the image forming apparatus in this embodiment, but processing may be performed on the host computer. Also, a print server for managing print jobs may be provided on the network between the host computer and the image forming apparatus, and the job management process may be performed by the print server.

  When generating image information, in the case of a scanned image, image processing for the scanned image is performed, and in the case of PDL data, the image processing / RIP unit 193 is called and rendered to generate page image information 194. The page image information is compressed by the compression / decompression unit 187 and then associated with the scenario and setting information and stored in the memory 195.

  The device management unit 188 includes a device allocation unit 189 and a device control unit 190. The page image information read together with the scenario and setting information associated from the memory 195 is decompressed by the compression / decompression unit 187, and the scenario, setting information, and page image information are input to the output device management unit 188 as a set. The device allocation unit 189 plays a role of mediating device conflicts that occur when a plurality of print jobs proceed simultaneously when allocating devices based on a scenario. The device control unit 190 schedules which device, such as a printer or a post-processing unit, is used at which timing.

<Print Processing Unit of Image Forming Apparatus>
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a four-drum (4D) color printer (FIG. 2-200). The 4D color printer includes a scanner, a laser exposure unit, a photosensitive drum, an image forming unit, a fixing unit, a paper feeding / conveying unit, and a printer control unit (not shown) that controls these units.

  The scanner illuminates a document placed on a document table, optically reads a document image, converts the image into an electrical signal, and creates image data. The laser exposure unit impinges a light beam such as laser light modulated according to image data on a rotating polygon mirror (polygon mirror) that rotates at a constant angular velocity, and irradiates the photosensitive drum with the reflected light of the rotating polygon mirror as scanning light. .

  The image forming unit rotates the photosensitive drum, charges it with a charger, develops the latent image formed on the photosensitive drum by the laser exposure unit with toner, and transfers the toner image to a sheet. Further, the image formation is realized by providing four series of electrophotographic process development units (development stations) such as collecting minute toner remaining on the photosensitive drum without being transferred at the time of transfer. The four development units arranged in the order of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) are imaged in magenta, yellow, and black after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of cyan station image formation. Perform operations sequentially. By this timing control, a full color toner image without color misregistration is transferred onto the sheet.

  The fixing unit is configured by a combination of a roller and a belt, and includes a heat source such as a halogen heater. The toner on the sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred by the image forming unit is melted by heat and pressure and fixed on the sheet.

  The paper feeding / conveying unit has one or more sheet storages represented by a sheet cassette or a paper deck, and separates one sheet from a plurality of sheets stored in the sheet storage in accordance with an instruction from the printer control unit. , And conveyed to the image forming unit and the fixing unit. The toner image of each color is transferred to the conveyed sheet by the developing unit described above, and a full-color toner image is finally formed on the sheet. When images are formed on both sides of a sheet, the sheet that has passed through the fixing unit is guided again to a duplex conveyance path that conveys the sheet to the image forming unit.

  The printer control unit communicates with the image forming apparatus control unit that controls the entire image forming apparatus, executes control in accordance with the instructions, and includes the scanner, laser exposure, image forming, fixing, and paper feeding / conveying units described above. Control is performed so that the entire system operates smoothly while maintaining harmony.

  Next, an outline of the operation of each unit from the power-off state of the apparatus to the state where the operation can be started will be described. When the apparatus is turned on, the printer control unit instructs the scanner, laser exposure, image forming, fixing unit, and paper feed / conveyance unit to start the preparation operation and manages the entire image forming apparatus. It waits for communication with the image forming apparatus controller to start. When communication with the image forming apparatus control unit is established, the device specifications are exchanged with each other. After that, when the preparation operation of each unit is completed and the image forming operation is enabled, the image forming apparatus control unit Notify

  The printer control unit notifies the image forming apparatus control unit of the device status of each unit. For the paper feeding / conveying unit, the size of the sheets stored in the sheet storage, the remaining amount of sheets (stacking amount), and the operating state of the driving unit (operational or malfunctioning) are detected, and this information is obtained. Notice. Further, the image forming unit notifies the remaining amount of toner in the toner container.

  Next, an outline of the operation of each unit from when the operation is ready to start, when an operation instruction is notified from the image forming apparatus control unit, and when a series of printing operations are executed and completed will be described. The image forming apparatus control unit notifies the printer control unit of an operation start command. Upon receiving the operation start command, the printer control unit instructs the laser exposure, image forming, paper feed conveyance, and fixing units to start the printing operation.

  The laser exposure unit starts rotating a motor (polygon motor) that drives the polygon mirror, and the image forming unit rotates the photosensitive drum to charge the photosensitive drum. The fixing unit turns on the fixing heater to raise the fixing temperature to a temperature at which the toner can be fixed to the sheet, and the paper feeding / conveying unit is in a state where the driving motor can be conveyed.

  When the operation preparation of each unit is completed, the printer control unit notifies the image forming apparatus control unit of the completion of preparation. The image forming apparatus control unit that has received the notification of completion of preparation instructs the printing operation in units of pages. For example, if the print job is for 10 pages and 20 copies, the image forming apparatus control unit instructs a print operation for 200 pages. Upon receiving the print operation instruction, the print control unit instructs the paper supply / conveyance unit to supply paper.

  If the sheet can be supplied, the sheet feeding / conveying unit supplies and conveys one sheet, and notifies the print control unit when the sheet reaches a predetermined position. If there is no sheet in the sheet storage case, the print control unit is notified that the sheet cannot be fed. In addition, the paper feed / conveyance unit has a double feed detection sensor that detects that sheets are being conveyed on the conveyance path (double feed state) and a thickness detection sensor that detects the thickness of sheets. There are times. When these sensors detect a double feed state or an abnormality, the paper feeding / conveying means interrupts the paper feeding operation and the conveying operation and notifies the print control unit of the abnormality. Upon receiving the notification of abnormality, the print control unit notifies the image forming apparatus control unit of the reason for the operation interruption, the position of the sheet remaining in the apparatus, and the like.

  Upon receiving a notification that the sheet has been normally conveyed and reached a predetermined position, the print control unit instructs the image forming unit to start image formation in response to the notification. By this timing control, the toner image is transferred onto the sheet. On the other hand, the fixing unit monitors the fixing temperature and controls it to an appropriate temperature. However, when the amount of heat taken by the sheet is large, the fixing temperature may decrease. In this case, the fixing unit notifies the print control unit of a decrease in the fixing temperature. Upon receiving this notification, the print control unit leaves a sheet conveyance interval so that the fixing temperature does not decrease any more. If the temperature of the fixing unit still does not return, the print control unit temporarily stops the operation, and resumes the operation after the fixing temperature returns to an appropriate temperature.

  When the discharge of all sheets is completed, the print control unit instructs each unit to stop the operation, receives an operation stop notification from each unit, and notifies the image forming apparatus control unit of the end of the operation.

  Although two sheet storages are shown in the drawing, more sheet storages can be connected and used depending on the device configuration.

<Post-processing section>
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a post-processing unit (inline finisher). The sheet discharged from the fixing unit of the printer (shown in FIG. 5) enters the inline finisher when the inline finisher is connected. The inline finisher has a sample tray and a stack tray, and switches the discharge destination tray according to the type of print job and the number of discharged sheets.

  There are two sort methods: a bin sort method that sorts sheets into multiple bins, and a shift sort method that sorts output sheets for each print job using the electronic sort function and the operation of shifting bins (or trays) toward the back. is there.

  The electronic sort function is called collate. When the image forming apparatus control unit has a large-capacity memory, the electronic sort function is supported by using a so-called collate function in which the buffered page order and discharge order are changed by using the memory as a buffer. Next, the group function is a function that sorts sheets for each page, while sorting sorts sheets for each print job.

  Further, when the stapling mode is set for the print job to be output, the sheets are discharged to the stack tray, but the sheets are sequentially stored in the processing tray in the finisher for each print job before the sheets are discharged to the stack tray. Binding is performed by a stapler on the processing tray, and then a bundle of sheets is discharged to the stack tray.

  In addition, there are a Z-folder that folds a sheet into a Z-shape and a puncher that opens a plurality of holes for files before reaching the two trays, and each process is performed according to the type of print job. For example, in the case of a print job in which the operator operates the operation unit (FIG. 2-210) to set the Z-folding process, the folding process by the Z-folder is executed for the sheet of the print job. After that, control is performed to pass through the inline finisher and discharge to a discharge tray such as a stack tray or sample tray.

  Further, for example, in the case of a print job for which punch processing is set, punch processing (601 or 602 in FIG. 6) is performed on the sheet of the print job, and then the print job is passed through the inline finisher. , Control to discharge to the discharge tray. Further, in the case of a print job for which bind processing has been set, the binder processing unit indicated by reference numeral 605 in FIG. 6 executes bind processing in which a file ring is passed through a plurality of punch holes generated by punch processing, and a paper discharge tray Control to discharge to.

  In addition, there are a single puncher that can perform one punching process on a sheet and a double puncher that can perform a plurality of punching processes. An example of double puncher control will be described based on 602 in FIG. In the double punching process, first, a sheet is conveyed to a designated first punch position, punching is performed, a hole is formed, and then the sheet is conveyed to a second punching position to execute a punching process. A plurality of punching processes are performed on the sheet.

  The inserter sends the sheet set on the insert tray to either a stack tray or a sample tray such as a sample tray without passing through the image forming apparatus. Accordingly, the sheet set on the inserter can be inserted (inserted) between the sheets (sheets printed by the image forming apparatus) fed into the inline finisher. The sheets placed on the insert tray are set face up, and are fed in order from the uppermost sheet by the pickup roller. Therefore, the sheet from the inserter is discharged in a face-down state by being conveyed to the stack tray or the sample tray as it is. Also, when sending to the saddle stitcher, the face is aligned by sending it back to the puncher side and then switching back.

  Whether or not the insert processing of the sheet by the inserter can be executed is also based on the sheet processing setting (hereinafter referred to as post-processing setting) set by the operator for the print job to be output as described above.

  Trimmers (cutting machines, 603 and 606 in FIG. 6) input sheets discharged through the inline finisher. At that time, the sheet is fed by a roller by a predetermined length, and is cut by a length determined by the cutter unit (604 and 607 in FIG. 6). Further, the trimmer can input a booklet (booklet) formed by a saddle stitcher and collectively cut a plurality of sheets. Thereby, even if there is a shift in the end portion between a plurality of pages of the booklet, the end portion is trimmed by cutting. Then, it is stored in the booklet hold unit. Whether or not the trimming process by the trimmer can be executed is also based on the post-processing setting set by the operator for the print job to be output, as described above.

<Configuration of printing system via network>
In FIG. 7, an image forming apparatus 75 includes host computers 72 and 73 (hereinafter referred to as host computer 7, but there are many host computers without being limited thereto) via a network 64. It is possible to connect.

  The print server 71 manages the input print job and the image forming apparatus 75 connected via the network 74. The print server 71 can monitor the status of all print jobs connected to the connected image forming apparatus 75, and performs control such as suspension, change of settings, restart of printing, duplication, movement, and deletion of jobs. be able to. The network 74 makes it possible to exchange data with the host computer 7 and the image forming apparatus 75 and exchange commands.

<Configuration of operation unit of image forming apparatus>
The configuration of the operation unit 210 (FIG. 2) of the image forming apparatus 75 will be described with reference to FIGS. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the operation unit 210 includes a key input unit 802 that can accept operator operations using hard keys, and a touch panel unit 801 as an example of a display unit that can accept operator operations using software keys (display keys). .

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the key input unit 802 includes an operation unit power switch 901. In response to the operator's operation of the switch 901, the CPU 205 (FIG. 2) controls to selectively switch between the standby mode and the sleep mode. However, the standby mode is a normal operation state, and the sleep mode is a state in which power consumption is reduced by stopping the program in an interrupt waiting state in preparation for network printing or facsimile.

  The CPU 205 controls the operator to operate the switch 901 so that it can be accepted when a main power switch (not shown) that supplies power to the entire system is in an ON state. A start key 903 is a key for enabling the operator to accept an instruction to start the type of job processing instructed by the operator, such as a copy operation or a transmission operation of a job to be processed.

  A stop key 902 is a key for enabling the operator to accept an instruction to interrupt the processing of the accepted job to the printing apparatus. A numeric keypad 906 is a key for making it possible for an operator to set a numerical value of various settings. A clear key 907 is a key for canceling various parameters such as numeric values set by the operator via the key 906.

  A reset key 904 is a key for invalidating all the various settings set for the job to be processed by the operator and receiving an instruction to return the setting value to the default state from the operator. A user mode key 905 is a key for shifting to the system setting screen.

  The print control program process including the trimming amount adjustment process for the print job and the image forming process and the post-process will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 15 is an example of a printed matter generated in this embodiment, 1501 shows an example of the outermost sheet (front cover or back cover) of the booklet, and 1502 shows an example of the sheet at the center of the booklet. . Reference numeral 1504 denotes a hole opened by punching, 1503 denotes an image size of the content, and 1505 denotes a cutting amount calculated in this embodiment.

  FIG. 16 shows an example when the bound booklet is referenced from the booklet bottom surface. 1601 is an example of a product when the cutting process is not performed, and 1602 and 1603 are examples of a product when the cutting process described in the first and second embodiments is performed. Reference numeral 1601 indicates that when a product is generated without performing the cutting process, the end surface of the fore edge is rounded along the ring shape. Reference numeral 1602 denotes a product when the edge surface is aligned with a straight line by performing the cutting process described in the present embodiment. Note that reference numeral 1603 denotes an example of a product in the case where the edge surface described in the second embodiment is aligned in a rounded shape.

  Reference numerals 1701-1705 in FIG. 17 are examples of operation screens displayed by the image forming system control program of this embodiment.

  Note that FIG. 18A is an example of sheet thickness information for each sheet type that is stored in advance in the storage area in this embodiment. FIG. 18B is an example of binding information stored in the storage area in advance, and is an information table for managing the type of ring used for the binding process and the thickness information of the booklet that can be bound for each ring. It is.

<Job processing of image forming apparatus system>
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow from input of a print job generated through print setting processing to print processing and completion of processing of the post-processing apparatus in the image forming system. The image forming system receives a print job from the host computers (72 and 73 in FIG. 7) connected via 340 in FIG. 3 (S1001). Next, the image forming system performs the following processing on the received print job by the print control unit (360) and the post-processing control unit (380) in FIG.

  First, at the start of processing, the print control unit initializes page information (S1002) and reads out print job information (S1003). The print job information includes, for example, settings relating to post processing such as sheet type, stapling, punching, and binding processing.

  Next, sheet information stored in advance in the storage area (330) is read (S1004), and a booklet obtained as a product based on the sheet information included in the job information read in S1003 and the sheet information read in S1004. Is calculated (S1005). FIG. 18A shows an example of sheet information stored in the storage area.

  Next, it is confirmed whether or not the operator has designated punching via the job information read in S1003 or the operation screen shown in FIG. 17 (S1006). If there is no punching designation, the printing processing shown in S1007 to S1009 is performed. I do. If it is determined in S1006 that there is a punch designation, the bind process setting is subsequently performed (S1010). The bind process setting determines whether or not the bind process can be performed by the post-processing device according to the job information read in S1003 or the post-process setting designated by the operator via the operation screen shown in FIG. Process setting process>).

  Next, the page information (Pn) for managing the page being processed is incremented (S1011), and it is confirmed whether there is a designation for the cutting process in addition to the bind process (S1012). If there is no trimming designation, the bind process trimming amount (Dn) is reset to 0 (S1014). If it is determined that there is a cutting designation, the job information read in S1003 or the post-processing setting designated via the operation screen shown in FIG. 17, and the binder information changed in the binding processing setting in S1010 are changed. Based on this, the cutting amount of the processing page (Pn) is calculated (S1013).

The trimming amount calculated in the trimming amount adjustment process can be obtained by the following arithmetic expression, for example.
Each value used in the calculation is expressed as ring radius: r
Sheets that make up the booklet: N
Sheet thickness: t
If
(1) Trimming amount D (N / 2) = r−√ (r ^ 2 − ((N * t) / 2) ^ 2) of the booklet center sheet
(2) Sheet cutting amount D (1) = 0
(3) Cutting amount of the Pn page Dn = r−√ (r ^ 2 − (((N / 2) −abs (N / 2−n)) * t) ^ 2)
Next, the printing process is executed (S1015), the sheet is transmitted to the post-processing apparatus shown in FIG. 6, and the post-processing is performed according to the post-processing settings adjusted in S1010 and S1013 (S1016, S1017). In the printing process, the printable size is calculated from the cutting amount calculated in S1013 and the sheet size used for printing, and it is determined whether or not the image data to be printed on the page fits in the printable area. If it is determined that the image does not fit within the print area, the image size is adjusted and print processing is executed (details are described in <Print Processing>).

  Further, it is confirmed whether printing and post-processing for all pages have been completed (S1018), and S1011 to S1018 are repeated until the processing for all pages is completed. On the other hand, if it is determined in S1018 that the processing for all pages has been completed, the binding processing is executed in accordance with the binding processing designation and the processing ends (S1019).

<Binding process setting process>
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for determining whether or not the designated bind processing is possible according to job information or post-processing settings designated via the operation screen shown in FIG. 17 in the image forming system.

  The image forming system checks whether there is a bind designation (S1101), and if there is a bind designation, the ring included in the post-processing settings designated via the job information read in S1003 or the operation screen shown in FIG. The setting is confirmed (S1102). Further, the thickness of the booklet is calculated from the sheet thickness and the number of printed sheets included in the job information (S1103).

  Next, it is determined from the booklet thickness and the ring setting information confirmed in S1102 whether or not the job to be processed can be bound (S1104). The bindability determination process compares the thickness of the booklet generated when the job to be processed is bound with the thickness of the booklet that can be bound, or the ring information included in the bind information table shown in FIG. It can also be realized by referring to it.

  When it is determined that the binding is impossible in the binding determination processing in S1101 and S1104, an image for prompting the resetting is displayed on the operation screen indicated by 801 in FIG. 8, and the operator sets the binding again on the displayed screen. Implement (S1105). If the bindable ring information is selected in S1105, the resetting is completed and the process ends. On the other hand, if the resetting is not performed, the bind designation is canceled (S1107), and the process is terminated.

<Print processing>
FIG. 12 shows whether image data fits in a printable area when generating a booklet according to post-processing information calculated based on job information or post-processing settings specified via the operation screen shown in FIG. 17 in the image forming system. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which judges.

The image forming system calculates a printable area from the cutting amount (Dn) calculated in S1013 and the job information read in S1003 (S1201), and determines whether image data to be printed on the page fits in the printable area. Judgment is made (S1202). When the sheet size is L, the cutting amount of the nth page is Dn, and the punch position is q, the printable size can be obtained by the following arithmetic expression, for example.
Printable size = L- (Dn + q)
If it is determined in S1202 that the image does not fit in the print area, the image size to be printed is adjusted (S1203). For adjusting the image size, for example, the entire image is reduced so as to be within the printable area. Alternatively, the image margin value (shown at 1506 in FIG. 15) is compared with the punch position to check whether there is a shiftable area, and if the shift is possible, the entire image is shifted in the punch position direction. It is also possible to do. FIG. 15 shows an example of a sheet close to the outside of the booklet (front cover / back cover) and a sheet at the center of the booklet in S1501 and S1502. Further, an example of the printable area is indicated by 1503 in FIG. 15, the punch position is indicated by 1504, and the cutting amount is indicated by 1505.

  After the image size adjustment in S1203, the print process is executed using the print engine shown in FIG. 5, and the process ends (S1204).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to adjust the cutting position of the fore edge in the binder binding process. Thereby, it is possible to align the sheet ends in the fore edge direction, and it is possible to realize high-quality binder binding processing. An example of a product when the cutting process is not performed is shown in 1601 of FIG. 16, and an example of a product when the cutting process described in the present embodiment is performed is shown in 1602 of FIG.

  In this embodiment, the control program is operated by the image forming apparatus indicated by 75 in FIG. 7, but may be configured to operate on a print server or a host computer.

  In the second embodiment, a trimming amount adjustment process performed when the bind process is performed will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the job processing procedure from job input to print processing is presented in the first embodiment with reference to FIG. 10, and thus the description thereof is omitted in this embodiment.

  The image forming system confirms the ring setting included in the job information read in S1003 or the post-processing setting designated via the operation screen shown in FIG. 17 (S1301). Next, the ring shape is confirmed to determine whether or not it is circular (S1302). If it is determined that the ring shape is not circular, the cutting setting is canceled (S1306), and the process is terminated. If it is determined that the ring shape is circular, the cutting amount of the page at the center of the booklet is calculated based on the ring diameter and the thickness of the booklet calculated in S1103 of the first embodiment (S1303). The cutting amount can be obtained by, for example, the expression (1) described in the first embodiment.

  The cutting amount of the central page of the booklet calculated in S1303 is compared with the cutting unnecessary value (S1304). If it is determined that the cutting amount of the central page is smaller than the cutting unnecessary value, the cutting setting is released in S1306 and the processing is ended. To do. On the other hand, when it is determined that the cutting amount of the central page is larger than the cutting unnecessary value, the binding processing amount (Dn) for the processing target page (Pn) is calculated (S1305), and the processing ends.

  The cutting amount (d) for determining whether cutting is necessary is designated by the operator using the operation unit shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, or stored in advance in the bind information shown in FIG. 18 (B). It is also possible. Moreover, it is good also as determining the necessity of cutting based on the diameter of a punch hole.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not the edge cutting process is necessary. As a result, it is possible to realize binder binding processing that generates a high-quality booklet while taking into account the productivity of the booklet.

  In the third embodiment, a process for readjusting the cutting amount in accordance with the edge shape designation will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the job processing procedure from job input to print processing is presented in the first embodiment with reference to FIG. 10, and thus the description thereof is omitted in this embodiment.

  The image forming system confirms the edge shape setting included in the job information read in S1003 or the post-processing setting designated via the operation screen shown in FIG. 17 (S1401). If the edge shape designation is a round shape, an adjustment amount is further added to the cutting amount obtained in the first embodiment (S1402). If it is determined that the shape is not round, the process is terminated. For example, by making the adjustment amount the same as the cutting amount obtained in the first embodiment, it is possible to obtain a product with a rounded end face as shown by 1603 in FIG.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the shape of the end face of the fore edge can be adjusted.

  In the fourth embodiment, a method for determining a cutting position and a punch position in the case where a post processing apparatus capable of performing punching processing on a single sheet a plurality of times and capable of cutting processing at the center of the sheet will be described with reference to FIG. 20A schematically illustrates the sheet (2001), the first and second punch positions (2003, 2005), and the sheet cutting position (2005) with respect to the sheet length (2002) in the embodiment. FIG.

  The image forming system develops the submitted job into bitmap data for each page by the PDL analysis unit and the data drawing unit indicated by 304 and 305 in FIG. 3, and stores them in the data storage unit indicated by 330 in FIG. Next, the thickness of the booklet is calculated from the sheet information included in the job in the print control unit 360 shown in FIG.

  Next, a sheet cutting position and a punching position (shown by 2203, 2204, and 2205 in FIG. 20) are determined in printing control (details will be described in <post-processing setting processing>).

  After determining the post-processing setting, after performing the imposition process of the image according to the post-processing setting and performing the printing process on the sheet, the post-processing is performed using the post-processing device control unit indicated by 380 in FIG. The sheet is discharged onto the stack tray shown in FIG.

<Post-processing setting process>
Processing for calculating and determining the cutting position and the first and second punch positions will be described with reference to the flowchart showing the post-processing setting process shown in FIG.

  The image forming system checks the ring shape included in the bind designation (S1901), and if the ring shape is a circle, checks whether the bind designation includes fore edge shape adjustment (S1902). When the ring shape is other than a circle or the fore edge shape is designated as straight, the cutting adjustment amount is set to 0.0 mm (S1903). When the fore edge shape is designated as a round shape, a cutting adjustment amount is calculated (S1904). As shown in 2006, 2007, and 2008 in FIG. 20B, the trimming adjustment amount is determined so that the trimming adjustment amount of the first sheet and the last sheet is not larger than the central sheet of the sheet to be printed. I will do it.

  Next, the cutting position is determined based on the cutting adjustment amount determined in S1903 and S1904 (S1905), and the first punch position is determined from the cutting position and the punch size (S1906). Further, the second punch position is determined from the sheet length and the punch size, and the process is terminated (S1907). After the cutting position and the punch position are determined, a printing process on the recording sheet is performed by the printer engine unit 370 in FIG. 3, and the post-processing is executed.

  Punch processing will be described using the punch processing unit indicated by reference numeral 602 in FIG. The punching unit performs the punching process after transporting the sheet to the first punch position determined in S1906, and performs the second punching process after transporting the sheet to the second punching position determined in S1907. The sheet is conveyed to the cutting device. Next, the cutting process will be described using a trimmer indicated by reference numeral 606 in FIG. The trimmer conveys the sheet to the cutting position determined in S1905, and adjusts the cutting position to the cutter position indicated by 607. Next, the sheet is cut using a cutter, and the process is terminated.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, a single sheet can be punched a plurality of times and a cutting process can be performed in accordance with the specification of the edge shape.

  Although various embodiments have been described in detail above, the spirit and scope of the present invention are not limited to the specific description and drawings of the present invention, and various modifications of the contents described in the claims of the present application. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that this extends to and modifications.

  Furthermore, the present invention can take the form of, for example, a system, apparatus, method, program, or storage medium. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device.

101 PDL analysis unit, 102 record information extraction unit, 103 attribute data analysis unit

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus having a page layout function for bookbinding processing, a post-processing device connectable to the image forming apparatus, setting input means for determining a bookbinding method, and means for performing bookbinding processing according to the settings An image forming system having
Means for referring to job information (S1003);
Means for calculating a thickness of a booklet generated by processing a job based on the job information and the setting value input by the setting input means (S1005);
Means (S1006) for determining whether or not punch processing is designated based on the job information and the setting value input by the setting input means;
Means (S1010) for determining the presence / absence of the binding process and the availability of the binding process based on the job information and the setting value input by the setting input means;
Means (S1012) for determining whether or not cutting is specified based on the job information and the setting value input by the setting input means;
Means (S1013, S1014) for determining the cutting width based on the booklet thickness obtained by the booklet thickness calculation means and the ring information included in the job information and the binding information input by the setting input means;
Means for processing the content and recording it on a recording medium (S1015);
Means for performing punch processing on the recording medium using a post-processing device in accordance with the job information and the setting value input by the setting input means (S1016);
Means for performing a cutting process on the recording medium using a post-processing device in accordance with the cutting width determined by the cutting width determination means (S1017);
Means for executing a binding process using a post-processing device in accordance with the binding information determined by the binding process setting means (S1019);
An image forming system comprising: Means for confirming the shape of the fore edge based on the job information and the setting value input by the setting input means (S1401);
Means (S1402) for re-adjusting the cutting width when it is determined by the confirmation means that the fore edge shape designation is a round shape;
The image forming system according to claim 1, further comprising: Means (S1201) for calculating a recordable size capable of forming an image on the recording medium from the size of the recording medium for recording the content and the cutting width obtained in claim 1;
Means for comparing the recordable size with the content image size (S1202);
An image size adjusting means (S1203) for adjusting the image so as to fit within the recordable size when it is determined that the image size of the content does not fit within the recordable size;
The image forming system according to claim 1, further comprising: As the image size adjusting means,
Means for shifting the image position in the punch position direction when the difference between the recordable size and the image size of the content is smaller than the margin value of the content image minus the punch position at which the punch processing is performed in the post-processing device. When,
Means for performing a reduction process on the image if the margin value is greater than the margin value;
The image forming system according to claim 3, further comprising: In the post-processing designation method for processing the content, the operator inputs post-processing setting input means for inputting post-processing settings;
Or means for inputting via a driver that generates a print job on a host computer (shown by 72 and 73 in FIG. 7) that generates a job to be input to the image forming apparatus;
Furthermore, means for inputting via a job input application on a print server (shown by 71 in FIG. 7) that generates a job to be input to the image forming apparatus;
The image forming system according to claim 1, further comprising: Means for calculating the thickness of the booklet from the thickness of the sheet and the number of printed sheets included in the job information (S1103);
Means for determining whether the thickness of the booklet generated by the job exceeds the upper limit of the bindable thickness specified by the bind specification information (S1104);
Means for displaying an image for prompting resetting on the operation screen when it is determined by the determining means that the thickness exceeds the bindable thickness (S1107);
Means for canceling the binding designation (S1107) when the operator selects to continue the process without performing resetting on the displayed screen;
The image forming system according to claim 1, further comprising: Means for calculating the thickness of the booklet from the thickness of the sheet and the number of printed sheets included in the job information (S1103);
Means (S1302) for determining whether or not the ring shape designated in the bind designation information is circular;
Means for canceling the cutting designation when it is determined that the ring shape is not circular (S1305);
The image forming system according to claim 1, further comprising: When the ring shape determining means determines that the ring shape is circular,
Means for calculating the cutting amount for the recording medium at the center of the booklet based on the booklet thickness obtained by the booklet thickness calculation means, the job information, and the ring information included in the bind information input by the setting input means (S1303). When,
Means (S1304) for determining whether or not to cut based on the calculated cutting amount for the recording medium at the center of the booklet;
Means for canceling the cutting designation for the processing page when it is determined by the determining means that cutting is not necessary (S1306);
Means (S1305) for calculating a cutting amount for the processing page when the determination means determines that cutting is necessary;
The image forming system according to claim 7, further comprising: Means for judging whether or not cutting is necessary means for judging by comparing the calculated amount of cutting for the recording medium at the center of the booklet with a value given in advance as cutting is unnecessary (S1304),
Alternatively, a means (S1304) for judging by comparing with the size of the punch hole generated by the punching process,
The image forming system according to claim 8, further comprising: Means for determining whether the calculated cutting amount for the recording medium at the center of the booklet exceeds the upper limit of the cutting width determined in advance by the ability of the post-processing device;
Means for displaying a screen prompting the user to select whether or not to continue processing on the operation screen 801 shown in FIG. 8 when the judgment means judges that the cutting upper limit is exceeded;
Means for canceling the job being processed by interrupting the processing of the job exceeding the cutting upper limit when job cancellation is selected on the displayed screen;
9. The image forming system according to claim 8, further comprising means for canceling the cutting setting when a method for continuing job processing is selected on the displayed screen.