JP2016132237A - Printing system and ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing system which can prevent the occurrence of malfunction in a post-processing device, and an ink cartridge.SOLUTION: A printing system which includes a printer unit having a body device executing printing processing and an ink cartridge supplying ink to the body device, and a post-processing unit executing post-processing to a printed sheet comprises: a memory 11 which stores ink characteristic information on ink stored in an ink cartridge, and stores the ink characteristic information, the type of post-processing, the presence/absence of malfunction in association with each other as a malfunction table; and determination means 191 which determines whether or not malfunction occurs in the post-processing unit on the basis of setting information on the post-processing included in a printing job, the ink characteristic information on the ink stored in the ink cartridge, and the malfunction table when receiving the printing job requesting printing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing system and an ink cartridge that prevent occurrence of problems in a post-processing apparatus.

  The printing system includes an inkjet printing apparatus that prints an image on a print sheet based on a print job, and a post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing on the print sheet printed by the inkjet printing apparatus.

  The ink jet printing apparatus is detachably provided with an ink cartridge storing ink for each color. The ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the ink jet head, and the ink is ejected from the nozzle of the ink jet head toward the paper so that an image or image is stored. Print characters.

  The ink stored in the ink cartridge includes various solvents such as water-based ink, oil-based ink, and alcohol ink. Since the ink characteristics are determined depending on the type of the solvent, the printing process is executed by using ink having appropriate ink characteristics according to the use of the printed matter, the finish of printing, and the like.

  Also, the post-processing apparatus is equipped with various types of post-processing functions depending on the application. Post-processing functions include, for example, a folding process that folds printed paper, a staple process, an encapsulating process that folds contents and encapsulates them in an envelope, and a bookbinding process that binds the back cover with glue. The function to execute. The post-processing device has a function capable of executing one or more post-processing among these post-processing.

  In such an image forming apparatus, for example, when printing is performed using water-based ink, the paper may be deformed when the ink penetrates the paper. In the case where the post-processing apparatus performs the folding process on the deformed sheet as described above, the folding process may not be appropriately performed due to the deformation of the sheet. That is, the post-processing apparatus may have a problem depending on the ink characteristics of the ink used in the ink jet printing apparatus.

  In Patent Document 1, the type of the ink cartridge is identified by the ID, the available recording medium and the type of image suitable for output are displayed by the identified ID, and the user is prompted to select the type of the ink cartridge. A technique related to an ink jet recording apparatus that sets a recording operation in accordance with a selection instruction has been proposed.

JP-A-10-67127

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the available recording medium and the type of image suitable for output are displayed according to the type of the ink cartridge, but the post-processing is not taken into consideration, so that the ink cartridge stores the recording medium. Depending on the type of ink used, there may be a problem in post-processing such as bending failure or bookbinding failure.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a printing system and an ink cartridge that prevent occurrence of problems in the post-processing apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first feature of a printing system according to the present invention is that an ink jet printing apparatus that executes a printing process for ejecting ink supplied from an ink cartridge from an ink jet head, and printing by the ink jet printing apparatus. And a post-processing device for performing post-processing on the printed paper, the ink characteristic information storing means for storing ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge, and the ink cartridge storing the ink characteristic information. A defect table storage means for storing as a defect table in association with the ink characteristic information of the ink, the type of post-processing executed by the post-processing device, and the presence or absence of a defect in the post-processing device, and the printing When the requested print job is received, the post-processing included in the print job Determining means for determining whether or not a defect occurs in the post-processing device based on the setting information, the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge, and the defect table. It is in.

  The second feature of the printing system according to the present invention relates to the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge, the type of post-processing executed by the post-processing device, and the warning message regarding the malfunction, Warning message table storage means for storing as a warning message table, and when the determination means determines that a failure occurs, the corresponding warning message is extracted based on the warning message table, and the extracted warning message content is In addition, a notification means for notification is further provided.

  A third feature of the printing system according to the present invention relates to the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge, the type of post-processing executed by the post-processing device, and avoidance means for avoiding the problem. The avoidance means table storing means for storing as an avoidance means table, and when the determination means determines that a problem occurs, the avoidance means is determined based on the avoidance means table, and the determined avoidance means is determined. And setting change means for changing setting information of at least one of the setting information of the printing process and the setting information of the post-processing included in the print job.

  According to a fourth aspect of the printing system of the present invention, the printing system further includes threshold storage means for storing a content threshold value for each component contained in the ink, and the determination means includes the ink stored in the ink cartridge. Based on the ink characteristic information and the print job, the content of the component contained in the ink used when printing based on the print job is calculated, and the calculated content is stored in the threshold storage unit. It is to determine that a failure occurs when the stored threshold value is exceeded.

  A first feature of an ink cartridge according to the present invention is an ink cartridge that is detachably attached to an ink jet printing apparatus that executes a printing process for ejecting ink from an ink jet head, and supplies the ink to the ink jet head. The inkjet printing apparatus includes ink characteristic information of ink stored in the ink cartridge, a type of post-processing performed by a post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing on a sheet printed by the inkjet printing apparatus, A defect table storage means for associating the presence or absence of a defect in the post-processing apparatus and storing it as a defect table; when receiving a print job requesting the printing, post-processing setting information included in the print job; Ink stored in the ink cartridge Determination means for determining whether or not a failure occurs in the post-processing device based on characteristic information and the failure table, and the ink cartridge is read from the ink jet printing device, The ink characteristic information storage means for storing the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge is provided.

  According to the first feature of the printing system of the present invention, when the determination unit receives a print job requesting printing, post-processing setting information included in the print job and ink stored in the ink cartridge are stored. Whether or not a problem occurs in the post-processing apparatus is determined based on the ink characteristic information and the defect table.

  Therefore, it can be determined whether or not a problem occurs in the post-processing device according to the ink characteristics of the ink used in the ink jet printing apparatus. For example, when printing using water-based ink, the paper may be deformed when the ink penetrates the paper. In the case where the post-processing apparatus executes the bending process on the deformed sheet, the bending process may not be appropriately performed due to the deformation of the sheet. Since it can be determined in advance whether or not such a failure occurs, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of the failure in the post-processing apparatus.

  According to the second feature of the printing system according to the present invention, when the notification unit determines that a problem occurs by the determination unit, the corresponding warning message is extracted based on the warning message table, and the extracted warning is extracted. Since the message content is notified, the content of the warning message can be accurately communicated to the user. Therefore, according to the content of the warning message, the user can execute the printing as it is, allowing the trouble to occur, cancel the printing, or change the setting information of the ink jet printing apparatus or the post-processing apparatus to perform the printing. It is possible to select whether or not to respond to the user's preference.

  According to the third feature of the printing system according to the present invention, when the setting changing unit determines that a problem occurs by the determining unit, the corresponding avoiding unit is determined and determined based on the avoiding unit table. Based on the avoidance means, at least one of the setting information for the printing process and the setting information for the post-processing included in the print job is changed.

  For this reason, since the setting information is automatically updated to prevent the occurrence of the malfunction in the post-processing apparatus, the printing process and the post-processing can be performed while avoiding the malfunction in the post-processing apparatus without burdening the user. Can do.

  According to a fourth aspect of the printing system of the present invention, the determination unit is used when printing is performed based on the print job based on the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge and the print job. The content of the component contained in the ink is calculated, and when the calculated content exceeds the threshold stored in the threshold storage means, it is determined that a problem occurs.

  Therefore, when the content of the component is large, it can be determined that a problem occurs in the post-processing apparatus, and when the content of the component is small, it can be determined that no problem occurs in the post-processing apparatus. Accordingly, it is possible to determine whether or not a failure occurs in the post-processing in consideration of not only the type of solvent but also the amount thereof, so that it is possible to more appropriately determine whether or not the failure has occurred.

  According to the first feature of the ink cartridge of the present invention, the ink cartridge is provided with ink characteristic information storage means for storing ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge, which is read from the ink jet printing apparatus.

  Therefore, since the ink jet printing apparatus can read out ink characteristic information stored in the ink cartridge, it is not necessary to store ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge in advance in the ink jet printing apparatus. The storage capacity of the storage means of the apparatus can be reduced.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printing system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the function of the printing system which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a failure table stored in a memory included in the printer unit of the printing system according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a threshold table stored in a memory included in the printer unit of the printing system according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a warning message table stored in a memory included in the printer unit of the printing system according to the first embodiment of the invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure in the printing system according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an avoidance unit table stored in a memory included in the printer unit of the printing system according to the first embodiment of the invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure in a printing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Example 1>
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  A printing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a printer unit (inkjet printing apparatus) 100 that performs a printing process on a printing paper S, and a post-processing unit that performs a post-processing on the printing paper S ( Post-processing apparatus) 200.

(Overall configuration of printing system)
The printer unit 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention forms an image on the printing paper S that is transported on an annular transport path (not shown). This conveyance path includes a conveyance path (not shown) from the side paper feed tray 120 and the paper feed tray 130 to the paper output tray 125 via the printing unit 140 and the side paper feed tray 120 and the paper feed tray 130 to the printing unit. And a conveyance path (not shown) that reaches the side paper discharge unit 160 to which the post-processing unit 200 is connected.

  When the printing paper S is transported along the transport path described above, the printing unit 140 executes a printing process so that an image is printed on the upper surface of the printing paper S. The printed printing paper S is discharged from the paper discharge tray 125 when no post-processing is performed. However, when performing double-sided printing, the paper is reversed in a reversing path (not shown) in the paper discharge tray 125 and conveyed again to the printing unit 140, and an image is printed on the back surface.

  The printing unit 140 includes an inkjet head (not shown) corresponding to C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black) inks. After being conveyed by the inkjet head, printing is performed in units of lines by ink ejected from the nozzles of the inkjet head while being conveyed at a speed determined by printing conditions by an annular conveyance belt (not shown) provided on the opposite surface of the inkjet head. .

  When the post-processing unit 200 post-processes the printing paper S on which an image is printed on one side or both sides in this way, it is conveyed to the side paper discharge unit 160 and delivered to the post-processing unit 200.

  Various controls in the printer unit 100 are performed by the control unit 190. The control unit 190 is configured by a processor such as a CPU or DSP (Digital Signal Processor), memory, hardware such as other electronic circuits, software such as a program having the function, or a combination thereof. Arithmetic module.

  Then, the control unit 190 virtually constructs various functional modules by appropriately reading and executing the program, and the various functional modules thus constructed perform various processes related to image data, operation control of each unit, and various user operations. Perform the process. In addition, a touch panel type operation panel 170 is connected to the control unit 190, and by performing a touch operation while referring to the display on the operation panel 170, an instruction and a setting operation by the user can be accepted.

  The post-processing unit 200 includes a temporary stack tray unit 210 and post-processing units (1), (2) 230 and 240. The post-processing unit (1) 230 and the post-processing unit (2) 240 each have a folding processing unit that folds the printing paper S, a staple processing unit that staples a bundle of printing paper S, and punch holes in the printing paper S bundle. The punch processing section to be opened, the offset processing section for shifting the stack of print sheets S in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction so that the separation of the stack of print sheets S can be understood, and the back cover of the stack of print sheets S are glued and bound A bookbinding processing unit, and a sealed sealing process in which contents are folded and sealed in an envelope.

  The printing paper S discharged from the side paper discharge unit 160 of the printer unit 100 is temporarily stored in the temporary stack tray unit 210 until a bundle to be post-processed, and the post-processing unit (1) 230 corresponding to the post-processing content or The post-processing unit (2) 240 is collectively transported via the transport unit 220.

  A bundle of print sheets S post-processed by the post-processing unit (1) 230 and the post-processing unit (2) 240 is discharged to the corresponding discharge trays 250 and 260.

  Various controls in the post-processing unit 200 are performed by the control unit 190.

(Functional configuration of printing system)
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating functions of the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 100 of the printing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes ink cartridges 150K, 150C, 150M, and 150Y, a control unit 190 provided in the main device, a memory 11, and an operation. And a panel 170.

  Each of the ink cartridges 150K corresponding to the K (black) ink includes an ink bottle 151K and a non-contact IC (reference numeral 152K). Here, the ink cartridge 150K corresponding to K (black) ink will be described as an example, but the same applies to inks of other ink colors.

  The non-contact IC (reference numeral 152K) has a memory 153K and performs wireless data communication with the control unit 190 of the main device.

  The memory 153K includes a manufacturing date when the ink cartridge 150K is manufactured, a use start date when the ink cartridge 150K is attached to the main body device, a remaining amount of ink stored in the ink bottle 151K, and an ink stored in the ink bottle 151K. Ink characteristic information indicating characteristics is stored. Note that the remaining amount of ink can be calculated, for example, by subtracting the ejection amount from the inkjet head 110 from the initial amount. Further, in the ink characteristic information, one or more kinds of solvents contained in the ink and the content rate are stored in association with each other. Solvent types are classified into, for example, “water”, “low boiling solvent”, “high boiling solvent”, and “alcohol”, and the content (wt%) is stored for each classification.

  Similarly, the ink cartridges 150C, 150M, and 150Y corresponding to C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow) inks also store the date of manufacture, the start date of use, the remaining amount of ink, and ink characteristic information. Wireless communication with the control unit 190 of the main device.

  The memory 11 stores a failure table, a threshold table, a warning message table, and an avoidance means table. Among them, the warning message table is used in the first embodiment, and the avoidance means table is used in the second embodiment.

  The defect table is stored in association with the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridges 150K, 150C, 150M, and 150Y, the type of post-processing executed by the post-processing unit 200, and the presence / absence of a defect. Yes.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a failure table stored in the memory 11.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the type of solvent included in the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridges 150K, 150C, 150M, and 150Y, the type of post-processing executed by the post-processing unit 200, the presence / absence of occurrence of a failure, and the like. Are associated and stored.

  Here, the solvent types of the ink stored in the ink bottle 151 of the ink cartridge 150 are respectively expressed by numerical values. Specifically, the solvent types are indicated by “water” (= 1), “low boiling point solvent” (= 2), “high boiling point solvent” (= 3), and “alcohol” (= 4).

  The types of post-processing executed by the post-processing unit 200 are, for example, “bending processing”, “staple processing”, “punch processing”, “offset processing”, “bookbinding processing”, and “sealing processing”. For each type and solvent type, information on whether or not a failure has occurred indicating whether or not a failure occurs in the post-processing unit 200 is stored. The presence / absence of a defect is stored as “Y” when a defect occurs, and is stored as “N” when a defect does not occur.

  For example, when the solvent type is “water” (= 1) and the post-processing unit (1) 230 is a folding processing unit that folds the paper by sandwiching the paper with a roller, the paper is difficult to dry when the ink penetrates the paper. May be deformed. If the paper is deformed, the paper may not be properly aligned due to poor paper pinching by the rollers, and the folding process may not be performed properly. Therefore, “Y” indicating that a failure occurs is stored in the bending process when “water” (= 1).

  Further, when the solvent type is “high boiling point solvent” (= 3) and the post-processing unit (1) 230 is a folding processing unit that folds the paper by sandwiching the paper with a roller, the ink is difficult to dry. May be transferred to the roller, and the ink transferred to the roller may be transferred to the paper again, so-called retransfer may occur. Therefore, “Y” indicating that a problem occurs in the bending process when “high boiling point solvent” (= 3) is stored.

  On the other hand, when the solvent type is “low-boiling solvent” (= 2) or “alcohol” (= 4), if the ink permeates the paper, it is easy to dry, and there is no problem in the folding process. For this reason, “N” indicating that no problem occurs is stored in the bending process when “low boiling point solvent” (= 2) or “alcohol” (= 4).

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the threshold value table stored in the memory 11.

  As shown in FIG. 4, for each solvent type of “water” (= 1), “low boiling point solvent” (= 2), “high boiling point solvent” (= 3), and “alcohol” (= 4), The solvent stores a threshold value of the content that affects the post-processing in the post-processing unit 200. For example, when the printer unit 100 executes print processing based on a print job, if “water” (= 1) included in the ink exceeds “α” (mg) to print one page, The post-processing in the processing unit 200 will be affected.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the warning message table stored in the memory 11.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the type of ink stored in the ink cartridges 150K, 150C, 150M, and 150Y, the type of post-processing executed by the post-processing unit 200, and the user should be notified when a problem occurs. The warning message content is associated and stored.

  Here, similar to the defect table, the solvent types included in the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink bottle 151 of the ink cartridge 150 are expressed by numerical values. Specifically, the solvent types are indicated by “water” (= 1), “low boiling point solvent” (= 2), “high boiling point solvent” (= 3), and “alcohol” (= 4).

  The types of post-processing executed by the post-processing unit 200 are, for example, “folding process”, “staple process”, “punch process”, “offset process”, “bookbinding process”, and “sealing process” in the same manner as the defect table. A symbol indicating the content of a warning message when a problem occurs in the post-processing is stored for each type of post-processing and solvent type. Symbols indicating the warning message contents are indicated by “a”, “b”, and “c”, and one or more are stored.

  “A” indicates a warning message content that “alignment may be poor”, “b” indicates a warning message content that “dirt may occur due to retransfer”, and “c” Indicates the warning message “Odors occur. Please ventilate”.

  For example, when the solvent type is “water” (= 1) and the post-processing unit (1) 230 is a folding processing unit that folds the paper by sandwiching the paper with a roller, as described above, the ink penetrates the paper. Then, due to the deformation of the paper, the paper alignment becomes poor and the folding process may not be performed properly. Thus, “a” “alignment may be deteriorated” is stored as a warning message when the solvent type is “water” (= 1) and the post-processing is a bending process.

  Further, when the solvent type is “high boiling point solvent” (= 3) and the post-processing unit (1) 230 is a folding processing unit that folds the paper by sandwiching the paper with a roller, as described above, the retransfer is performed. May occur. Therefore, “b” may be stored as a warning message when the solvent type is “high boiling point solvent” (= 3) and the post-processing is a bending process. Yes.

  An operation panel 170 composed of an operation screen and a touch panel is connected to the control unit 190. The operation panel 170 is disposed on the upper part of the inkjet printing apparatus 1. The operation panel 170 is an input operation for a user to input setting conditions such as processing contents such as the number of prints when a print image set in a scanner unit (not shown) is copied or printed from outside. It can be used as a department. The operation panel 170 displays a warning screen described later.

  The control unit 190 is an arithmetic processing unit that executes a program, and performs overall control of the inkjet printing apparatus 1 and overall control of the post-processing unit 200 such as causing the inkjet heads 110C, 110M, 110Y, and 110K to perform a printing operation. In addition, the control unit 190 has a function of performing data transfer by wireless communication with the ink cartridge mounted on the main body device.

  The control unit 190 virtually constructs various functional modules by appropriately reading and executing the program, and performs processing related to image data, operation control of each unit, and various processing for user operations. Specifically, the control unit 190 constructs functional modules of a determination unit 191, a notification unit 192, and a setting change unit 193. The “module” used in the first embodiment of the present invention is configured by hardware such as an apparatus or a device, software having the function, or a combination thereof, and the like in order to achieve a predetermined operation. Indicates the functional unit.

  When the determination unit 191 receives a print job requesting printing, the determination unit 191 is based on post-processing setting information included in the print job, ink characteristic information of ink stored in the ink cartridge 150, and a defect table. It is determined whether or not a failure occurs in the post-processing device.

  The notification unit 192 reads the warning message table from the memory 11, extracts warning messages corresponding to the solvent and the post-treatment based on the read warning message table, and displays the extracted warning messages on the operation panel 170.

  The setting change unit 193 determines a corresponding avoidance unit based on the avoidance unit table when the determination unit 191 determines that a problem occurs, and performs the print processing included in the print job based on the determined avoidance unit. At least one of the setting information and the post-processing setting information is changed.

<Operation of the printing system 1>
Next, the operation of the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure in the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention. Here, K (black) ink will be described as an example, but the same applies to other ink colors.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the printer unit (inkjet printing apparatus) 100 of the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, first, the control unit 190 receives a print job from a computer (not shown) via a network. (Step S101; YES), it is determined whether or not post-processing is included with reference to the setting information included in the header of the received print job (Step S103).

  If it is determined in step S103 that there is no post-processing (NO), it is not necessary to take into account defects in the post-processing, and thus the process proceeds to step S141.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S103 that there is post-processing (YES), the determination unit 191 reads the type of post-processing from the setting information included in the received print job header (step S105). As described above, the setting information includes any one of “folding process”, “staple process”, “punch process”, “offset process”, “bookbinding process”, and “sealing process” as the type of post-processing. It is.

  Then, the determination unit 191 reads the ink characteristic information from the memory 153 of the mounted ink cartridge 150 by wireless communication (step S107), and further reads the defect table from the memory 11 (step S109).

  Next, the determination unit 191 determines whether or not the solvent 1 is a warning target (step S111). Here, among the solvent types contained in the ink stored in the ink cartridge 150, the solvent 1, solvent 2,... That is, the solvent 1 is the solvent type having the highest content rate among the solvent types contained in the ink stored in the ink cartridge 150. Based on the post-processing setting information included in the print job, the solvent type of the first solvent included in the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge 150, and the defect table, the determination unit 191 performs post-processing. It is determined whether or not a failure occurs in the processing unit 200, that is, whether or not it is a warning target.

  In Step S111, when it is determined that the solvent 1 is a warning target (YES), the determination unit 191 calculates the usage amount of the solvent 1 (Step S113). Specifically, the determination unit 191 uses the ink cartridges 150K, 150C, and 150C based on the content ratio of the solvent 1 included in the ink characteristic information and the image data (including character data and photo data) included in the received print job. The amount of solvent 1 used per page is calculated for each 150M and 150Y. Then, the determination unit 191 calculates the usage amount of the solvent 1 per page by summing the calculated usage amounts of the solvent 1 for each of the ink cartridges 150K, 150C, 150M, and 150Y.

  Next, the determination unit 191 reads the threshold value table stored in the memory 11, and determines whether or not the calculated usage amount of the solvent 1 exceeds the threshold value based on the read threshold value table (step S115). For example, when the solvent 1 is “water”, it is determined whether or not the usage amount of “water” per page exceeds a threshold value “α” (mg) corresponding to “water”.

  If it is determined in step S115 that the usage amount of the solvent 1 exceeds the threshold value (YES), the solvent 1 may cause a problem in the post-processing unit 200. The warning message table is read out, and warning messages corresponding to the solvent 1 and the post-treatment are extracted based on the read warning message table (step S131). For example, when the post-processing included in the setting information of the print job is a bending process and the solvent 1 is “water” (= 1), the notification unit 192 displays “warming” of “a” as a warning message. May extract ".

  And the alerting | reporting means 192 displays the extracted warning message on the operation panel 170 (step S133).

  If it is determined in step S111 that the solvent 1 is not a warning target (NO), or if it is determined in step S115 that the amount of the solvent 1 used is equal to or less than the threshold value (NO), the determination unit 191 It is determined whether 2 is a warning target (step S117). Here, the solvent 2 is the solvent type having the second highest content rate among the solvent types contained in the ink stored in the ink cartridge 150. Then, the determination unit 191 performs post-processing based on the post-processing setting information included in the print job, the solvent type of the solvent 2 included in the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge 150, and the defect table. It is determined whether or not a failure occurs in the unit 200, that is, whether or not it is a warning target.

  In Step S117, when it is determined that the solvent 2 is a warning target (YES), the determination unit 191 calculates the usage amount of the solvent 2 similarly to Step S113 (Step S119).

  Then, the determination unit 191 reads the threshold value table stored in the memory 11, and determines whether the calculated usage amount of the solvent 2 exceeds the threshold value based on the read threshold value table (step S121).

  If it is determined in step S121 that the amount of the solvent 2 used exceeds the threshold (YES), the solvent 2 may cause a problem in the post-processing unit 200. The warning message table is read out, warning messages corresponding to the solvent 2 and the post-treatment are extracted based on the read warning message table (step S131), and the extracted warning message is displayed on the operation panel 170 (step S133). .

  As described above, according to the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the determination unit 191 receives a print job requesting printing, the post-processing setting information included in the print job, and the ink Ink ink used in the printer unit 100 (inkjet printing apparatus) is determined based on the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the cartridge 150 and the defect table, so as to determine whether or not a defect occurs in the post-processing apparatus. Depending on the characteristics, it can be determined whether or not a failure occurs in the post-processing unit 200 (post-processing apparatus). For example, when printing using water-based ink, the paper may be deformed when the ink penetrates the paper. In the case where the post-processing unit 200 executes the bending process on the paper thus deformed, the folding process may not be appropriately executed due to the deformation of the paper. Since it can be determined in advance whether or not such a failure occurs, the occurrence of the failure in the post-processing unit 200 can be prevented.

  In the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the notification unit 192 reads the warning message table from the memory 11 and extracts warning messages corresponding to the solvent and the post-treatment based on the read warning message table. Since the extracted warning message is displayed on the operation panel 170, the content of the warning message can be accurately communicated to the user. Therefore, according to the content of the warning message, the user allows the occurrence of a problem and executes printing as it is, cancels printing, or changes the setting information of the printer unit 100 or the post-processing unit 200. It is possible to select whether to print or not, and it is possible to cope with the user's preference.

  In addition, although the alerting | reporting means 192 displayed the warning message on the operation panel 170 in step S133, you may make it alert | report the content of a warning message not only by this but by an audio | voice.

  In the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, it is determined whether or not the solvent 1 and the solvent 2 are warning targets (steps S111 and S117). Not only 1 and the solvent 2, but also one solvent may be used, or all the solvents included in the ink may be determined.

<Example 2>
In the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the notification unit 192 reads a warning message table from the memory 11 and extracts a warning message corresponding to the solvent and the post-treatment based on the read warning message table. Although the extracted warning message is displayed on the operation panel 170, the present invention is not limited to this, and the setting information may be automatically changed.

  The printer unit 100 of the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention stores an avoidance means table in the memory 11 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the avoidance means table stored in the memory 11. The overall configuration of the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the functional configuration shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the solvent type of ink stored in the ink cartridges 150K, 150C, 150M, and 150Y, the type of post-processing executed by the post-processing unit 200, and the problems that occur when a problem occurs are avoided. The contents of the avoiding means to be associated are stored as an avoiding means table.

  Here, similar to the defect table, the solvent types included in the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink bottle 151 of the ink cartridge 150 are expressed by numerical values. Specifically, the solvent types are indicated by “water” (= 1), “low boiling point solvent” (= 2), “high boiling point solvent” (= 3), and “alcohol” (= 4).

  The types of post-processing executed by the post-processing unit 200 are, for example, “folding process”, “staple process”, “punch process”, “offset process”, “bookbinding process”, “sealing process”, as in the case of the defect table. For each type of post-treatment and solvent type, a symbol indicating an avoiding means for avoiding the malfunction that has occurred is stored. Symbols indicating the avoiding means are indicated by “x”, “y”, and “z”, and one or more are stored.

  “X” stores a setting for reducing the transfer amount. Specifically, the amount of ink used is reduced by lowering the density of image data included in the print job, and as a result, the amount of solvent contained in the ink is reduced. This prevents deformation of the paper and reduces the transfer amount to the roller to prevent retransfer.

  “Y” stores a setting for decreasing the conveyance speed. Specifically, by decreasing the transport speed in the printer unit 100 and increasing the transport time, the drying time for drying the ink discharged onto the paper is lengthened. The deformation of the paper is restored by drying, and the transfer amount to the roller is reduced to prevent retransfer.

  “Z” stores a setting for changing to stapling processing. By changing the content of post-processing itself, problems that occur are avoided.

  For example, when the solvent type is “water” (= 1) and the post-processing unit (1) 230 is a folding processing unit that folds the paper by sandwiching the paper with a roller, as described above, the ink penetrates the paper. Then, due to the deformation of the paper, the paper alignment becomes poor and the folding process may not be performed properly. Therefore, as a means for avoiding the case where the solvent type is “water” (= 1) and the post-processing is a bending process, a setting for decreasing the transfer amount of “x” or a setting for decreasing the conveyance speed of “y”. Is remembered. Which of the “x” and “y” avoidance means is adopted is selected by the user from the operation panel 170.

<Operation of printing system>
Next, the operation of the printing system 1 according to the second embodiment of the invention will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure in the printing system 1 according to the second embodiment of the invention. In the flowchart, the processes in steps S101 to S141 are the same as the processes of the same step numbers in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when it is determined in step S115 that the amount of solvent 1 used exceeds the threshold (YES), or in step S121, it is determined that the amount of solvent 2 used exceeds the threshold. In the case (YES), the setting changing unit 193 reads the avoidance unit table from the memory 11, and determines the avoidance unit corresponding to the solvent 1 and the post-processing based on the read avoidance unit table (step S201). For example, when the post-processing included in the setting information of the print job is a bending process and the solvent 1 is “water” (= 1), the setting changing unit 193 reduces the transfer amount of “x” as an avoiding unit. And the setting for decreasing the conveyance speed of “y” are extracted, and one of “x” and “y” selected by the user operation on the operation panel 170 is determined.

  Then, the setting change unit 193 changes the setting information of at least one of the setting information of the printing process and the setting information of the post-processing included in the print job with the extracted setting (step S203), and performs the printing process and the post-processing. Execute (Step S141).

  As described above, according to the printing system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, when the setting change unit 193 determines that a failure occurs by the determination unit 191, the corresponding avoidance is performed based on the avoidance unit table. The means is determined, and at least one of the setting information for the printing process and the setting information for the post-processing included in the print job is changed based on the determined avoiding means. For this reason, the setting information is automatically updated to prevent the occurrence of a defect in the post-processing unit 200, so that the printing process and the post-processing are performed without causing a burden on the user and avoiding the problem in the post-processing unit 200. can do.

  As the avoidance means of the avoidance means table of FIG. 7, when a plurality of “x”, “y”, and “z” are stored, as described above, which of the avoidance means is adopted is as follows. Although the user selects the operation panel 170, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the upper limit threshold (mg) of the amount of solvent used is set in advance, and the calculated amount of solvent used is less than the upper limit threshold, a setting for decreasing the conveyance speed of “y” is applied, When the usage amount exceeds the upper threshold, a setting for reducing the transfer amount of “x” may be applied, or both “x” and “y” avoidance means may be applied. Also good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printing system 11 ... Memory 100 ... Printer unit 110 ... Inkjet head 110C, 110M, 110Y, 110K ... Inkjet head 120 ... Side paper feed stand 125 ... Paper discharge tray 130 ... Paper feed tray 140 ... Printing part 150K, 150C, 150M , 150Y: Ink cartridges 151K, 151C, 151M, 151Y ... Ink bottles 153K, 153C, 153M, 153Y ... Memory 160 ... Side paper discharge unit 170 ... Operation panel 190 ... Control unit 191 ... Determination means 192 ... Notification means 193 ... Setting Changing means 200 ... Post-processing unit 210 ... Temporary stack tray section 220 ... Conveying section 250, 260 ... Paper discharge tray

Claims (5)

A printing system comprising: an inkjet printing apparatus that executes a printing process for discharging ink supplied from an ink cartridge from an inkjet head; and a post-processing apparatus that performs a post-process on a sheet printed by the inkjet printing apparatus. There,
Ink characteristic information storage means for storing ink characteristic information of ink stored in the ink cartridge;
The defect table storage means for storing the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge, the type of post-processing executed by the post-processing apparatus, and the presence or absence of the occurrence of the defect in the post-processing apparatus as a defect table When,
When the print job requesting the printing is received, the post-processing setting information included in the print job, the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge, and the defect table are used. Determination means for determining whether or not a failure occurs in the processing apparatus;
A printing system comprising: Warning message table storage means for associating and storing the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge, the type of post-processing executed by the post-processing device, and a warning message regarding the defect as a warning message table;
An informing means for extracting the corresponding warning message based on the warning message table and notifying the content of the extracted warning message when it is determined by the determination means that a problem occurs;
The printing system according to claim 1, further comprising: Avoidance means table storage means for associating ink characteristic information of ink stored in the ink cartridge, the type of post-processing executed by the post-processing apparatus, and avoidance means for avoiding the problem, and storing them as an avoidance means table When,
When the determination unit determines that a problem occurs, the corresponding avoidance unit is determined based on the avoidance unit table, and print processing setting information included in the print job based on the determined avoidance unit and A setting changing means for changing setting information of at least one of post-processing setting information;
The printing system according to claim 1, further comprising: Threshold storage means for storing a threshold of content for each component contained in the ink, further comprising:
The determination means includes
Based on the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge and the print job, the content of the component contained in the ink used when printing based on the print job is calculated, and the calculation The printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a defect is determined to occur when the content exceeds the threshold value stored in the threshold value storage unit. An ink cartridge that is detachably attached to an ink jet printing apparatus that executes a printing process for ejecting ink from an ink jet head and supplies ink to the ink jet head,
The inkjet printing apparatus includes:
Ink characteristic information of ink stored in the ink cartridge, a type of post-processing executed by a post-processing device that performs post-processing on paper printed by the ink jet printing device, and occurrence of problems in the post-processing device A defect table storage means for associating the presence or absence of the error and storing the defect table as a defect table;
When the print job requesting the printing is received, the post-processing setting information included in the print job, the ink characteristic information of the ink stored in the ink cartridge, and the defect table are used. Determination means for determining whether or not a failure occurs in the processing device,
An ink cartridge comprising: ink characteristic information storage means for storing ink characteristic information of ink stored in the ink cartridge, which is read from the ink jet printing apparatus.

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