JP2016152025A - Image processing system, image processor, computer program and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processing system for suppressing deterioration in efficiency of printing operation even in the case of printing on recording sheets in different sheet storage parts by issuing a printing instruction once.SOLUTION: An image processing system 50 includes an information processor 100 and an image processor 200. The information processor 100 receives the designation of each part of a paper feed tray 202 and the designation of a printing order of printing processing using recording sheets in the designated paper feed tray in accordance with a user's operation input in a printing instruction of a plurality of copies. The information processor generates a command from received designation information, and transmits the command together with a print job to the image processor. The image processor analyzes the command included in the print job, and extracts the designation information from the command. The image processor executes printing processing on the basis of the extracted designation information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing system, an image processing apparatus, a computer program, and a storage medium, and more particularly to a technique for improving the efficiency of printing work when printing a plurality of copies.

  When printing document data created by an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer with an image processing apparatus, it is desired to print the same document data on a plurality of sheets with a single print instruction, for example, for submission and for copy. There is a request. Conventionally, a technique called carbon copy printing is known as a technique that satisfies such a demand. Carbon copy printing is a printing technique for printing the original (for submission) and the duplicate (for recording) of image data with a single print instruction to the image processing apparatus.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133620 describes a printer driver equipped with a carbon copy printing function. The printer driver is installed in the host device. The host device is connected to a printer device including a plurality of paper feed trays (paper storage units). The printer driver outputs a print instruction to the printer apparatus. In this printer driver, it is possible to select a paper feed tray for feeding paper to be printed and to specify the number of prints for each selected paper feed tray. By selecting a plurality of paper feed trays, the host device of Document 1 allows a specified number of copies to be fed from a plurality of paper feed trays with a single print instruction to the printer device. Printing can be executed.

  Patent Document 2 described later discloses a technique for preventing a situation in which only a duplicate output result exists in the carbon copy printing even though the original output result does not exist. In Patent Document 2, in order to prevent such a situation, it is determined whether or not the printing of the original data is completed, and the printing of the duplicate data is performed after the printing of the original data is completed.

JP-A-7-175605 JP 2011-230325 A

  In the conventional carbon copy printing function, printing is executed based on a predetermined priority order of paper feed trays. Therefore, the user cannot confirm in advance from which paper tray the paper set is to be printed. In carbon copy printing, there are cases in which printing is desired so that the arrangement of printed originals is in a desired order. When printing is performed in an order different from the desired order, it is necessary to rearrange the printed documents in the desired order after the printing is completed. As a result, there is a problem that the efficiency of the printing work is reduced. If the user notices that the priority order of the paper feed trays is different from the desired order before printing, the user needs to replace the paper in the paper feed tray. Also in this case, the efficiency of the printing work is reduced.

  Such a problem cannot be solved by the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-228688, the printing of the original data is performed before the printing of the duplicate data, but the paper set in which paper feed tray is used for printing the original data and the duplicate data in advance. I can't confirm. Therefore, even the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 cannot solve the above problem.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and one object of the present invention is to perform printing on recording paper in different paper storage units with a single printing instruction. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image processing system, an image processing apparatus, a computer program, and a storage medium storing the computer program capable of suppressing a decrease in the efficiency of printing work.

  An image processing system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an information processing device that transmits a print job and a plurality of paper storage units, and a plurality of paper storage units based on the print job transmitted from the information processing device. And an image processing apparatus that executes a printing process using the recording paper stored in any of the above. In response to a user's operation input, the information processing apparatus specifies, for each copy of the paper storage unit storing the recording paper used for printing, and the recording paper of the specified paper storage unit in response to a user operation input. A receiving unit for receiving the designation of the printing order of the used printing process, and a storage unit for storing designation information for designating the paper storage unit and the printing order in response to the receiving unit accepting the designation; Command generation means for reading the designation information from the storage means and generating a command including the designation information, and job transmission means for adding the command generated by the command generation means to the print job and transmitting it to the image processing apparatus Including. The image processing apparatus analyzes job reception means for receiving a print job transmitted from the information processing apparatus, and a command included in the received print job, and extracts designation information for designating a paper storage unit and a printing order. And a print job execution means for executing print processing by the received print job based on the designation information extracted by the extraction means.

  The receiving unit of the information processing apparatus specifies, for each of a plurality of copies in a print instruction, a specification for each copy of a paper storage portion in which a recording paper to be used for printing is stored, and a specified paper storage portion of the specified paper storage portion. The designation of the printing order of the printing process using the recording paper is accepted. When the accepting unit accepts the designation, the storage unit stores designation information for designating the paper storage unit and the printing order. The designation information stored in the storage means is read out by the command generation means. The command generation means generates a command including the read designation information. The generated command is added to the print job by the job transmission unit and transmitted to the image processing apparatus together with the print job. The image processing apparatus receives a print job transmitted from the information processing apparatus via the job receiving unit. When the print job is received, the extraction unit analyzes a command included in the received print job, and extracts designation information for designating the paper storage unit and the print order. Based on the designation information extracted by the extraction unit, the print job execution unit executes print processing using the received print job. As a result, the image processing apparatus can perform printing on recording paper in different paper storage units with a single printing instruction.

  The user of the information processing apparatus designates, via the accepting unit, the designation of each sheet storage unit in which the recording paper used for printing is stored, and the printing order of the printing process using the recording paper in the designated sheet storage unit Can be specified. The information processing apparatus converts the received designation (designation information) into a command and transmits it to the image processing apparatus together with the print job, whereby the recording stored in the paper storage unit designated by the user is stored in the image processing apparatus. Execution of printing can be instructed in the order specified on the paper. In the image processing apparatus, printing is executed in the order desired by the user, so the order of the printed documents is in the desired order. The user does not need to rearrange the printed documents in a desired order after the printing is completed. Further, since the user can specify the printing order of the printing process, it is not necessary to replace the recording sheets in the sheet storage unit in accordance with the priority order in order to execute printing in a desired order. Thereby, a user's work burden is reduced. As a result, even when printing is performed on a recording sheet in a different sheet storage unit by a single printing instruction, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the efficiency of the printing operation.

  Preferably, the information processing apparatus further includes a designation changing unit for changing the designation of the paper storage unit and the designation of the printing order received by the receiving unit.

  More preferably, the information processing apparatus accepts the designation of the number of copies of the printing process using the recording paper stored in the paper storage unit, in response to a user operation input. A designation receiving means is further included.

  An image processing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of paper storage units, and executes print processing using recording paper stored in any of the plurality of paper storage units based on image data. . This image processing apparatus is configured to specify, for each copy of a paper storage unit in which a recording paper to be used for printing is stored, and a recording paper in a specified paper storage unit, in response to a user operation input in a print instruction for a plurality of copies. Receiving means for accepting designation of the printing order of the printing process using the storage, and storage means for storing designation information for designating the paper storage unit and the printing order in response to accepting the designation by the accepting means; Printing means for reading the designation information from the storage means and executing the printing process of the image data based on the designation information.

  A computer program according to a third aspect of the present invention is executed by a computer connected to a communication device for communicating with an image processing device including a plurality of paper storage units, and an input receiving unit that receives a user operation input. In the printing instruction for a plurality of copies to the computer, the designation for each copy of the paper storage unit storing the recording paper to be used for printing and the recording paper of the specified paper storage unit via the input receiving unit A receiving step for accepting designation of the printing order of the used printing process, a storing step for storing designation information for designating the paper storage unit and the printing order in response to accepting the designation in the accepting step, and storing in the storing step A command generation step of reading out the specified information and generating a command including the specification information, and a command generation step The made commands added to the print job, the print job, via the communication device, a job transmission step for transmitting to the image processing apparatus, cause the execution.

  A storage medium according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program according to the third aspect.

  As described above, according to the present invention, even when the same image data is printed on different types of recording paper by a single print instruction, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the efficiency of printing work. A processing system, an image processing apparatus, a computer program, and a storage medium storing the computer program can be obtained.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the carbon copy printing performed with the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a control block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a paper feed tray designation screen displayed on a display of the information processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a control block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the information processing apparatus and image processing apparatus which are shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the designation | designated information memorize | stored in the paper feed tray setting memory | storage part of information processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the CARBONCOPY command produced | generated from the designation | designated information shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the program performed with the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a detailed flow of step S1000 of FIG. It is a detailed flow of step S1020 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the program performed with the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 13 is a detailed flow of step S2010 in FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a paper feed tray designation screen displayed on a display of an information processing device in an image processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a paper feed tray designation screen displayed on a display of an information processing apparatus in an image processing system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the designation | designated information memorize | stored in the paper feed tray setting memory | storage part of the information processing apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the CARBONCOPY command produced | generated from the designation | designated information shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the image processing apparatus which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

  In the following embodiments, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their functions and names are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

(First embodiment)
[Overall system configuration]
Referring to FIG. 1, an image processing system 50 according to the present embodiment includes an information processing apparatus 100 that outputs a print job, and an image processing apparatus that receives the print job from the information processing apparatus 100 and executes the print process. 200. The information processing apparatus 100 is a client computer such as a personal computer (PC). The image processing apparatus 200 is a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having a plurality of operation modes such as a copy mode and a printer mode. The image processing apparatus 200 has a so-called laser (electrophotographic) printing function that uses laser light for exposure. However, other types of printing functions may be provided. The information processing apparatus 100 and the image processing apparatus 200 are connected via a network 60 so that they can communicate with each other.

  The image processing apparatus 200 includes multi-stage paper feed trays 202a to 202d (hereinafter collectively referred to as a paper feed tray 202) for storing recording paper. For example, the names of the trays 1 to 4 are given to the sheet feeding trays 202a to 202d, respectively. Each of the paper feed trays 202a to 202d stores a plurality of recording papers. When the image processing apparatus 200 receives a print job from the information processing apparatus 100, the image processing apparatus 200 feeds a recording sheet from the sheet feeding tray 202 specified by the print job and prints an image on the recording sheet. The image processing apparatus 200 further includes a paper discharge tray 204 from which printed recording paper is discharged.

  The information processing apparatus 100 transmits a print job to the image processing apparatus 200 in response to a user operation input. The information processing apparatus 100 is installed with an application program such as a graphic drawing tool and a word processor, and a printer driver program (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer driver”) for realizing a print job of print data. ing. The information processing apparatus 100 creates print data for outputting a document including characters and graphics in accordance with an instruction from a user who uses the application program, and converts the created print data into a printer description language by a printer driver. Then, it can be transmitted to the image processing apparatus 200.

  The image processing system 50 according to the present embodiment has a carbon copy printing function that prints the original (for submission) and the duplicate (for copy) of image data with a single print instruction to the image processing apparatus 200. In the carbon copy printing function, a plurality of copies are instructed by a single print instruction, and a plurality of paper feed trays 202 can be designated (selected) in print settings. In other words, the paper feed tray 202 can be designated for each copy in a print instruction for a plurality of copies. If different types of recording paper are stored in the designated paper feed tray 202, the same image data is printed on different types of recording paper. In the present embodiment, in addition to designation for each copy of the paper feed tray 202, the print order of the print processing using the recording paper in the designated paper feed tray 202 (paper feed order of the paper feed tray 202) is designated. It is also possible.

  The user specifies for each copy of the paper feed tray 202 and the print order for the information processing apparatus 100. The information processing apparatus 100 accepts such designation via a later-described paper feed tray designation screen of the printer driver.

  In carbon copy printing, there are cases where it is desired to specify the arrangement of originals when a plurality of originals are set as one set. Referring to FIG. 2, using the carbon copy printing function, for example, a case where one copy of original image data D is printed in a total of 3 copies: 1 original (for submission) and 2 copies (for copy). Think. When the image data D is printed on recording papers of different colors (white, blue, and yellow) for each copy, and the set of three copies of the original and the duplicate is set as one set, for example, blue, yellow, and white Suppose that you want to arrange printed documents in order.

  In the conventional carbon copy printing function, printing is executed based on a predetermined priority order of the paper feed trays, and therefore, the arrangement of the print originals may be different from the desired order. In this case, it is necessary to rearrange the printed documents in a desired order after the printing is completed. Such rearrangement work is complicated for the user and reduces work efficiency. In particular, when the number of printed originals or the number of printed sheets increases, the working efficiency is greatly reduced. If a desired recording sheet is stored in each paper feed tray in consideration of a predetermined priority order of the paper feed trays, the arrangement of print originals becomes the desired order. However, in this case, it is necessary to check the recording paper stored before executing printing. If the user notices that the priority order of the paper feed tray is different from the desired order at the time of confirmation, the user needs to replace the recording paper in the paper feed tray. Such work is also complicated for the user, and the work efficiency is lowered. In particular, when the image processing apparatus is installed in a place away from the information processing apparatus, it takes time and effort for the user of the information processing apparatus to go to the installation place of the image processing apparatus.

  In this embodiment, in addition to the designation of each copy of the paper feed tray 202, the printing order can also be designated, so that printing can be performed so that the arrangement of print originals is in a desired order. That is, by designating the printing order, the image processing apparatus 200 performs printing by feeding the recording paper from each paper feed tray 202 in the order of blue recording paper, yellow recording paper, and white recording paper. The As a result, a three-page printed material 36 in which the blue printed document 30, the yellow printed document 32, and the white printed document 34 are arranged in this order is obtained.

[Hardware configuration]
<< Information processing apparatus 100 >>
Referring to FIG. 3, information processing apparatus 100 configuring image processing system 50 includes a control unit 110, a hard disk (HDD) 120, an optical disk drive 130, and an input interface (hereinafter “interface” is referred to as “I / F”). ) 140, a display I / F 150, and a network I / F 160.

  The control unit 110 is substantially a computer, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 112 that controls the entire information processing apparatus 100, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 114 for storing programs, and a volatile storage device. RAM (Random Access Memory) 116 is included. A bus 170 is connected to the CPU 112, and a ROM 114 and a RAM 116 are electrically connected to the bus 170.

  Further, HDD 120, optical disk drive 130, input I / F 140, display I / F 150, and network I / F 160 are connected to bus 170. Data (including control information) is exchanged between the units via the bus 170.

  The optical disc drive 130 can be loaded with an optical disc 132 and writes information to the optical disc 132 and reads information from the optical disc 132. The input I / F 140 provides an interface related to the connection between the mouse 142 and the keyboard 144. The display I / F 150 provides an interface related to the connection with the display 152. The network I / F 160 provides a connection to the network 60 by wire or wireless (wired in the present embodiment).

  The ROM 114, the RAM 116, the HDD 120, the optical disk drive 130, the input I / F 140, the display I / F 150, and the network I / F 160 all operate in cooperation with the control of the CPU 112, and the information processing apparatus 100 uses various applications. Realize processing. These applications execute, for example, a word processor document creation process, a spreadsheet document creation process, or a print process for transmitting print data created by these creation processes to the image processing apparatus 200.

  The HDD 120 stores the printer driver for causing the image processing apparatus 200 to execute a print job. By executing this printer driver, the information processing apparatus 100 can realize an operation for causing the image processing apparatus 200 to print an image based on the contents of the file designated by the user. The printer driver has a carbon copy printing function. The information processing apparatus 100 can cause the image processing apparatus 200 to perform carbon copy printing by executing a printer driver.

  Designation for each copy of the paper feed tray 202 and printing order in carbon copy printing are performed from the paper feed tray designation screen 300 (see FIG. 4) of the printer driver. Referring to FIG. 4, paper feed tray designation screen 300 includes a plurality of drop-down lists 302 to 306 for designating paper feed tray 202, “OK” key 310, and “Cancel” key 320. The number of drop-down lists to be displayed is determined according to the number of copies of carbon copy printing set on another UI screen (not shown) of the printer driver. For example, when three copies are set as the total number of copies of the original and the duplicate, three drop-down lists 302 to 306 are displayed on the paper feed tray designation screen 300.

  Each of the drop-down lists 302 to 306 can select any of the paper feed trays 202a to 202d by a name given to each of the paper feed trays 202a to 202d. A drop-down list 302 accepts designation of a paper feed tray 202 that stores recording paper to be used when printing the first copy. The drop-down list 304 accepts the designation of the paper feed tray 202 that stores the recording paper used for printing the second copy. The drop-down list 306 accepts the designation of the paper feed tray 202 that stores the recording paper used for printing the third copy. The printing process in the image processing apparatus 200 is executed in the order of the first, second, and third copies. In FIG. 4, “Tray 2” is designated as the paper feed tray 202 used for printing the first copy, and “Tray 3” is designated as the paper feed tray 202 used for printing the second copy. “Tray 1” is designated as the paper feed tray 202 used for printing the third copy. Accordingly, at the time of the printing process in the image processing apparatus 200, the recording sheets are fed from the respective sheet feeding trays 202 in the order of “tray 2”, “tray 3”, and “tray 1”. As described above, in the paper feed tray designation screen 300, the designation of the paper feed tray 202 for each copy and the designation of the print order are simultaneously performed by accepting the designation of the paper feed tray 202 for each copy in the printing order.

  The information processing apparatus 100 communicates with the image processing apparatus 200 and acquires paper information registered in the image processing apparatus 200 in advance. The sheet information includes sheet size information and sheet type information of recording sheets stored in each sheet feed tray 202. In each of the drop-down lists 302 to 306, the paper information of the paper feed tray 202 is displayed together with the name of the designated paper feed tray 202. The designated paper information of the paper feed tray 202 is displayed based on the acquired information. In FIG. 4, “Tray 2” designated as the first paper feed tray 202 indicates that A4 size blue plain paper is stored, and the second paper feed tray 202 is stored. “Tray 3” designated as “A3” indicates that A4 size yellow plain paper is stored, and “Tray 1” designated as the third paper feed tray 202 is designated as A4. It is shown that size plain paper (usually white) is stored. The user can easily confirm what type of recording paper is stored in the designated paper feed tray 202. The “OK” key 310 is a key for confirming (setting) the designation of the paper feed tray 202, and the “Cancel” key 320 is a key for canceling the designation of the paper feed tray 202. When the “OK” key 310 is operated, the paper feed tray 202 designated on the paper feed tray designation screen 300 and its printing order (paper feed tray setting) are stored in the HDD 120 as designation information.

  Referring again to FIG. 3, the computer program for causing information processing apparatus 100 to perform the above-described processing is stored in optical disk 132 inserted into optical disk drive 130 and further transferred to HDD 120. Alternatively, the program may be transmitted to the information processing apparatus 100 through the network 60 and described in the HDD 120. The program is loaded into the RAM 116 at the time of execution. The program may be loaded into the RAM 116 directly from the optical disk 132 or via the network 60.

  These programs include a plurality of instructions that cause the information processing apparatus 100 to perform predetermined processing. Some of the basic functions necessary to perform this operation are based on an operating system (OS) or a third party program operating on the information processing apparatus 100, or modules of various tool kits installed in the information processing apparatus 100. Provided. Therefore, this program does not necessarily include all functions necessary for realizing the system of this embodiment. This program includes only an instruction for executing a predetermined process as the information processing apparatus 100 described above by calling an appropriate function or “tool” in a controlled manner so as to obtain a desired result. Just go out. Since the general operation of the computer that is the entity of the information processing apparatus 100 is well known, it will not be repeated here.

<< Image Processing Device 200 >>
Referring to FIG. 5, the image processing apparatus 200 constituting the image processing system 50 includes a control unit 210, a storage device 218, an operation unit 220, a document reading unit 230, an image processing unit 240, an image forming unit 250, and a paper feeding unit. 260, and NIC (Network Interface Card) 270.

  The control unit 210 is substantially a computer, and includes a CPU 212 that controls the entire image processing apparatus 200, a ROM 214 that stores programs, and a RAM 216 that is a volatile storage device. A BUS line 280 is connected to the CPU 212, and a ROM 214, a RAM 216, and a storage device 218 are electrically connected to the BUS line 280. The storage device 218 is a non-volatile storage device that retains data even when power is cut off, and is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory.

  The CPU 212 executes various computer programs in accordance with instructions from the operation unit 220 and the like, thereby executing desired processes such as operations of the respective units of the image processing apparatus 200 and communication with external devices such as the information processing apparatus 100. . The above-described various computer programs are stored in advance in the ROM 214 or the storage device 218, and are read from the ROM 214 or the storage device 218 and transferred to the RAM 216 when desired processing is executed. The CPU 212 reads and interprets a program instruction from an address in the RAM 216 specified by a value stored in a register called a program counter (not shown) in the CPU 212. The CPU 212 also reads data necessary for the operation from the address specified by the read instruction, and executes an operation corresponding to the instruction on the data. The execution result is also stored in an address specified by the instruction, such as a register in the RAM 216, the storage device 218, and the CPU 212.

  The ROM 214 or the storage device 218 stores a computer program for realizing the general operation of the image processing apparatus 200 and a computer program for realizing the carbon copy printing process. This computer program is written in the ROM 214 or the storage device 218 when the image processing apparatus 200 is manufactured. The computer program may be provided from an external device or the like via the NIC 270. Further, the computer program may be provided by a storage medium such as a DVD on which the computer program is recorded. That is, for example, a DVD as a computer program recording medium is mounted on a DVD drive (not shown) built in the image processing apparatus 200, and the computer program is read from the DVD and installed in the storage device 218. Also good. In addition, the storage device 218 stores various data such as image data.

  Further, the operation unit 220, the document reading unit 230, the image processing unit 240, the image forming unit 250, the paper feeding unit 260, and the NIC 270 are electrically connected to the BUS line 280.

  The operation unit 220 receives an operation by a user. The operation unit 220 communicates with the CPU 212 via an input / output interface (not shown). The operation unit 220 includes an operation panel 222. The operation panel 222 includes a display panel configured by a liquid crystal panel and the like, and a touch panel that is disposed on the display panel and detects a touched position. The display panel provides the user with various types of information such as information regarding the state of the image processing apparatus 200 and the state of various processes. The operation panel 222 provides an interactive operation interface (UI) to the user. This interactive operation interface accepts user instructions for the overall operation of the image processing apparatus 200 from the touch panel, displays the contents of the instructions on the display panel, and sends control signals corresponding to the instructions to the control unit 210 and the like. Output.

  The document reading unit 230 includes a document scanning unit including a light source, a reflection mirror, an optical lens, and a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) line sensor (all of which are not shown). The document scanning unit obtains a reflected light image by irradiating light from a light source onto the image surface of a document placed on a document placement table (not shown). The reflection mirror and the optical lens form the resulting reflected light image on the CCD line sensor. The CCD line sensor sequentially photoelectrically converts the formed reflected light image and outputs it to the image processing unit 240 as image data. That is, the original reading unit 230 reads image information from an original placed on the original placement table when copying or scanning the original, converts the read image information into an electric signal, and outputs it to the image processing unit 240 as image data. Output.

  The image processing unit 240 includes an MPU (Micro Processing Unit, not shown). The image processing unit 240 performs predetermined image processing such as rasterization processing on the image data input from the document reading unit 230 to generate print data of a predetermined gradation, and the image forming unit 250 Output.

  The image forming unit 250 prints an image indicated by the image data in color or single color on a recording sheet. For example, the photosensitive drum, the charging device, the laser scanning unit (LSU), the developing device, the transfer device, and the cleaning device. A device, a fixing device, a static eliminator, and the like. For example, the image forming unit 250 is provided with a conveyance path, and the recording paper fed from the paper feeding unit 260 is conveyed along the conveyance path.

  The sheet feeding unit 260 includes the plurality of sheet feeding trays 202a to 202d described above. The sheet feeding unit 260 pulls out the recording sheets stored in the sheet feeding trays 202 a to 202 d one by one and sends the recording sheets to the conveyance path of the image forming unit 250. While the recording paper is being transported along the transport path of the image forming unit 250, the recording paper passes between the photosensitive drum and the transfer device, and further passes through the fixing device to perform printing on the recording paper. It is.

  The photosensitive drum rotates in one direction, and its surface is cleaned by a cleaning device and a static eliminator and then uniformly charged by a charging device. The laser scanning unit modulates the laser beam based on the image data to be printed, and repeatedly scans the surface of the photosensitive drum in the main scanning direction with this laser beam to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum. To do. The developing device supplies toner to the surface of the photosensitive drum to develop the electrostatic latent image, and forms a toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum. The transfer device transfers the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum to a recording sheet passing between the transfer device and the photosensitive drum. The fixing device includes a heating roller for heating the recording paper and a pressure roller for pressing the recording paper. The recording paper is heated by the heating roller and pressed by the pressure roller, whereby the toner image transferred onto the recording paper is fixed on the recording paper. The recording paper discharged (printed) from the fixing device is discharged to the paper discharge tray 204.

  The NIC 270 interfaces with the network 60. The image processing apparatus 200 can perform data communication according to a predetermined communication protocol with the information processing apparatus 100 and the like on the network 60 via the NIC 270. The image processing apparatus 200 can receive an instruction signal for instructing execution of various processes such as a print job from a PC or the like via the NIC 270.

[Functional configuration]
Referring to FIG. 6, the control unit 110 of the information processing apparatus 100 includes a paper feed tray specifying unit 110a and a command generating unit 110b. The HDD 120 includes a paper feed tray setting storage unit 122. The paper feed tray designation unit 110a has a function of displaying a paper feed tray designation screen 300 on the display 152 and designating the paper feed tray 202 and the printing order in response to a user operation input on the paper feed tray designation screen 300. Part. The paper feed tray setting storage unit 122 is a storage area for storing the paper feed tray specified by the paper feed tray specifying unit 110a and information on the printing order (designation information). Referring to FIG. 7, the paper feed tray setting storage unit 122 stores designation information 330 including a designated paper feed tray and its printing order. The printing order (copy) included in the designation information 330 and the paper feed tray 202 are stored in association with each other.

  Referring again to FIG. 6, the command generation unit 110 b reads and reads the designation information (designated paper feed tray 202 and print order) stored in the paper feed tray setting storage unit 122 when the print job is generated. This is a functional unit having a function of converting the designated information (paper feed tray setting) into a CARBONCOPY command (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “command”). That is, the command generation unit 110b generates a command including the read designation information. When the designation information 330 illustrated in FIG. 7 is stored in the paper feed tray setting storage unit 122, the command generation unit 110b reads the designation information 330 and generates a command 340 illustrated in FIG. Referring to FIG. 8, in the command 340, characters (numbers) indicating the designated paper feed tray 202 are arranged in the designated printing order after the command character string “CARBONCOPY =” ”. The end character “” ”is attached to the end of the command 340. In this command 340, “2” indicates “tray 2”, “3” indicates “tray 3”, and “1” indicates “tray 1”. The array of “2, 3, 1” in the command 340 indicates that the sheets are fed in order from the left, that is, the printing order. Therefore, this command 340 specifies that the recording paper is fed from each of the paper feed trays 202 in the order of “tray 2”, “tray 3”, and “tray 1” during the printing process. That is, the first copy specifies “tray 2”, the second copy specifies “tray 3”, and the third copy specifies that the recording paper is fed from “tray 1”. The generated command is transmitted to the image processing apparatus 200 together with the print job.

  Referring to FIG. 6 again, the control unit 210 of the image processing apparatus 200 includes a command analysis unit 210a and a print control unit 210b. The storage device 218 includes a paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a. The command analysis unit 210a is a functional unit having a function of analyzing a command transmitted from the information processing apparatus 100 and extracting designation information included in the command. The paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a is a storage area for storing the analysis result (designation of the paper feed tray 202 and the printing order) of the command analysis unit 210a. The paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a stores the analysis result, that is, the extracted designation information. The designation information is the same information as the designation information 330 shown in FIG. 7, and the print order (copy) and the paper feed tray 202 are associated with each other. The designation information is stored as setting information in the paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a. Based on the designation information (setting information) stored in the paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a, the print control unit 210b feeds the recording paper from the designated paper feed tray 202 in order from the first copy. This is a functional unit having a function of controlling each unit such as the image forming unit 250 and the paper feeding unit 260 so as to perform printing.

Software configuration
<< Information processing apparatus 100 >>
With reference to FIG. 9, a control structure of a computer program executed by the information processing apparatus 100 in order to cause the image processing apparatus 200 to execute a carbon copy printing process will be described. This program starts in response to a user operation for printing print data (image data).

  This program is executed after step S1000 for executing print setting processing in accordance with user operation input, after step S1000, and after step S1010 for generating a print job including image data, and after step S1010 for printing. Step S1020 for generating a command based on the print setting when the print setting for carbon copy printing is performed at the time of setting, and the step is executed after step S1020. The generated command is added to the print job, and the network I / F 160 Step S1030. When the process of step S1030 ends, the program ends.

  FIG. 10 is a detailed flow of step S1000 of FIG. Referring to FIG. 10, this routine is executed after step S1100 for executing the print setting process and after step S1100 in accordance with the user's operation input for setting the print, and is set to perform carbon copy printing. This is executed when it is determined in step S1110 that the control flow is branched according to the determination result, and in step S1110, the setting for performing carbon copy printing is made, and via the display I / F 150. Steps S1120 for displaying the paper feed tray designation screen 300 (see FIG. 4) on the display 152, and executed after step S1120, and the designation of the paper feed tray 202 and the printing order are performed via the paper feed tray designation screen 300. Step S1130 for accepting designation and executed after step S1130 It determines whether or not the operated "cancel" key 320, and a step S1140 for branching control flow depending on the result of determination. If it is determined in step S1140 that the “cancel” key 320 has been operated, control returns to step S1100.

  This routine is further executed when it is determined in step S1140 that the “cancel” key 320 has not been operated, and it is determined whether or not the “OK” key 310 has been operated, and control is performed according to the determination result. In steps S1150 and S1150 for branching the flow, this is executed when it is determined that the “OK” key 310 has been operated, and the paper feed tray setting of the HDD 120 is set using the designated paper feed tray 202 and print order information as designation information. Step S1160 stored in the storage unit 122. If it is determined in step S1150 that the “OK” key 310 has not been operated, control returns to step S1130. If the process of step S1160 is completed, or if it is determined in step S1110 that the setting for performing carbon copy printing has not been made, this routine ends.

  FIG. 11 is a detailed flow of step S1020 of FIG. Referring to FIG. 11, this routine determines whether or not carbon copy printing has been set, and in step S1200 for branching the control flow according to the determination result, and in step S1200, the carbon copy printing is performed. Step S1210 is executed when it is determined that the print setting is made, and the command character string “CARBONCOPY =“ ”for carbon copy printing is generated. After step S1210, the value of the variable i indicating the number of copies is set. It is executed after step S1220 to set “1” and after step S1220, and after step S1240 to step S1270 described below until the value of variable i exceeds the set number of copies, is executed after step S1230 and step S1230. Step S1 for adding a terminating character “” ”to the column And a 80. In step S1200, it is determined whether or not carbon copy printing has been set according to whether or not the “OK” key 310 has been operated.

  The processing that is repeated until the value of the variable i exceeds the set number of copies in step S1230 is a step S1240 of reading the i-th paper feed tray setting (designation of the paper feed tray 202) from the paper feed tray setting storage unit 122, and step S1240. Steps S1250 executed after S1240 and converting the read paper feed tray setting into a command, steps S1250 executed after step S1250, adding the converted command to the command character string, and executed after step S1260. and step S1270 for increasing the value of i by one.

  If the process of step S1280 is completed, or if it is determined in step S1200 that the print setting for carbon copy printing has not been made, this routine ends.

<< Image Processing Device 200 >>
With reference to FIG. 12, a control structure of a computer program executed by the image processing apparatus 200 in order to execute a print process in response to a print job from the information processing apparatus 100 will be described. This program starts in response to receiving a print job transmitted from the information processing apparatus 100.

  This program determines whether or not a CARBONCOPY command is added to the received print job, and in step S2000 for branching the control flow according to the determination result, it is determined that the command is added in step S2000. In step S2010 for executing the carbon copy printing process according to the added command and in step S2000, it is executed when it is determined that the command is not added, and the normal printing process is performed. Step S2020 to be executed. When the process of step S2010 or the process of step S2020 ends, this program ends.

  FIG. 13 is a detailed flow of step S2010 of FIG. Referring to FIG. 13, in the received command, this routine is executed after step S2100 for skipping to “CARBONCOPY =“ ”, after step S2100, and after step S2110 for reading the next character and step S2110. The step S2120 for analyzing the paper feed tray setting from the read characters and the step S2120 are executed after the step S2120, and the (extracted) paper feed tray setting obtained by the analysis is stored in the storage device 218 (the paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a). ) Stored in step S2130, and step S2140 that is executed after step S2130, determines whether or not the next character is the terminal character “” ”, and branches the control flow according to the determination result. If it is determined in step S2140 that the terminal character is not "" ", control returns to step S2110.

  This routine is further executed when it is determined in step S2140 that the next character is the terminal character “” ”, and the value of the variable i indicating the number of copies is set to“ 1 ”. Step S2160 that is executed later and repeats Steps S2170 to S2190 described below until the value of the variable i exceeds the set number of copies is included.

  The processing repeated until the value of the variable i exceeds the set number of copies in step S2160 is executed after step S2170 for reading the i-th paper feed tray setting from the paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a and step S2170, and image formation is performed. By controlling each section such as the section 250 and the sheet feeding section 260, the printing process for the i-th copy is executed in accordance with the read sheet tray setting, and after step S2180, the value of the variable i is set. And step S2190 for incrementing by one. When the process of step S2160 ends, this routine ends.

[Operation]
The image processing system 50 according to the present embodiment operates as follows. In the following description, only the part related to the present invention in the operation of the image processing system 50 will be described. Other operations are the same as those of the conventional image processing system.

  A user of the information processing apparatus 100 performs a print instruction operation on the information processing apparatus 100 in order to print data created by the application program with the image processing apparatus 200. The display 152 displays a printer driver UI screen (not shown). The information processing apparatus 100 communicates with the image processing apparatus 200 and acquires paper information registered in the image processing apparatus 200. When the printing condition is input from the UI screen by the user, the information processing apparatus 100 executes a print setting process according to the user's operation input (step S1100 illustrated in FIG. 10). On the UI screen, in addition to normal print settings, it is possible to set whether or not to perform carbon copy printing, and to set the number of copies when performing carbon copy printing. It is assumed that the user is set to perform carbon copy printing and, for example, three copies are set as the number of copies.

  The information processing apparatus 100 detects the setting for performing carbon copy printing (YES in step S1110), and displays the paper feed tray designation screen 300 (see FIG. 4) on the display 152 (step S1120). Referring to FIG. 4, a number of drop-down lists 302 to 306 corresponding to the set number of print copies are displayed on paper feed tray designation screen 300. The user can designate each copy of the paper feed tray 202 and the printing order by operating the drop-down lists 302 to 306. In each of the drop-down lists 302 to 306, one of the paper feed trays 202a to 202d can be selected by its name. Here, “tray 2” is designated as the first paper feed tray setting, “tray 3” is designated as the second paper feed tray setting, and “tray 1” is designated as the third paper feed tray setting. Shall be specified. Next to the name of the paper feed tray 202, paper information of the recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 202 is displayed. When the “OK” key 310 is operated by the user (YES in step S1150), the information processing apparatus 100 stores the designated paper feed tray 202 and printing order information in the paper feed tray setting storage unit 122 as designated information. (Store) (step S1160). The paper feed tray setting storage unit 122 stores designation information 330 shown in FIG.

  If the “cancel” key 320 is operated by the user (YES in step S1140), the information processing apparatus 100 cancels designation of the paper feed tray 202 via the paper feed tray designation screen 300.

  The information processing apparatus 100 generates a print job according to the print settings (step S1010 shown in FIG. 9). When a print job is generated, it is determined whether or not carbon copy printing is set. If it is set (YES in step S1200 shown in FIG. 11), the information processing apparatus 100 generates a CARBONCOPY command based on the designation information stored in the paper feed tray setting storage unit 122. Specifically, the information processing apparatus 100 generates a command character string “CARBONCOPY =“ ”(step S1210) and initializes the variable i (step S1220). The information processing apparatus 100 reads the first paper feed tray setting from the paper feed tray setting storage unit 122 (step S1240), and converts the read paper feed tray setting into a command (step S1250). Since the first paper feed tray setting is “tray 2”, the read paper feed tray setting is converted to the character “2”. The information processing apparatus 100 adds the converted command (“2”) to the command character string. The command character string is “CARBONCOPY =“ 2 ”. The value of variable i is increased by 1, and the value of variable i becomes 2 (step S1270).

  The information processing apparatus 100 reads the second paper feed tray setting from the paper feed tray setting storage unit 122 (step S1240), and converts the read paper feed tray setting into a command (step S1250). Since the second paper feed tray setting is “Tray 3”, the read paper feed tray setting is converted to the character “3”. The information processing apparatus 100 adds the converted command (“3”) to the command character string. The command character string is “CARBONCOPY =“ 2, 3 ”. The value of variable i is increased by 1, and the value of variable i becomes 3 (step S1270).

  The information processing apparatus 100 further reads the third paper feed tray setting from the paper feed tray setting storage unit 122 (step S1240), and converts the read paper feed tray setting into a command (step S1250). Since the third paper feed tray setting is “tray 1”, the read paper feed tray setting is converted to the character “1”. The information processing apparatus 100 adds the converted command (“1”) to the command character string. The command character string is “CARBONCOPY =“ 2, 3, 1 ”. The value of variable i is incremented by 1, and the value of variable i becomes 4 (step S1270).

  Since the value (4) of the variable i exceeds the set number of copies (3 copies), the loop exits (the processing of step S1230 ends), and the terminal character “” ”is added to the command character string (step S1280). . The command character string is “CARBONCOPY =“ 2, 3, 1 ”” (see FIG. 8).

  The command generated in this way is added to the print job. The information processing apparatus 100 transmits the print job to which the command is added to the image processing apparatus 200 via the network I / F 160 and the network 60 (step S1030 illustrated in FIG. 9).

  When the image processing apparatus 200 receives the print job transmitted from the information processing apparatus 100, the image processing apparatus 200 determines whether the received print job includes a CARBONCOPY command. If the CARBONCOPY command is included (YES in step S2000 shown in FIG. 12), the image processing apparatus 200 executes carbon copy printing based on the received print job and the CARBONCOPY command (step S2010).

  In the carbon copy printing process, the image processing apparatus 200 skips “CARBONCOPY =“ ”in the command (step S2100 shown in FIG. 13), and reads the next character skipped (step S2110). When the received command is “CARBONCOPY =“ 2, 3, 1 ””, the image processing apparatus 200 reads the character “2”. The image processing apparatus 200 analyzes the paper feed tray setting from the read characters (step S2120), and stores (stores) the analysis result in the paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a. When the read character is “2”, the characters “2” to “tray 2” are analyzed. Then, “tray 2” is stored in the paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a as the paper feed tray setting at the time of printing the first copy. The image processing apparatus 200 determines whether or not the next character is a terminal character, and repeats the above analysis processing until it is determined to be the terminal character.

  Specifically, since the character next to the character “2” is “3”, the image processing apparatus 200 reads the character “3”. The image processing apparatus 200 analyzes the paper feed tray setting as “tray 3” from the read character “3”, and sets “tray 3” as the paper feed tray setting at the time of printing the second copy. Store in 218a. Similarly, since the character next to the character “3” is “1”, the image processing apparatus 200 reads the character “1”. The image processing apparatus 200 analyzes the feed tray setting as “tray 1” from the read character “1”, and sets “tray 1” as the feed tray setting at the time of printing the third copy. Store in 218a. Since the character next to the character “1” is the terminal character “” ”(YES in step S2140), the command analysis processing ends. As described above, the image processing apparatus 200 extracts and stores the designation information from the command by analyzing the command. In the paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a, designation information similar to the designation information 330 shown in FIG. 7 is stored as setting information.

  The image processing apparatus 200 executes print processing according to the stored designation information (setting information). Specifically, the image processing apparatus 200 first initializes a variable i (step S2150). Subsequently, the image processing apparatus 200 reads the first paper feed tray setting from the paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a (step S2170), and performs the first print according to the read paper feed tray setting (step S2170). S2180). Since the first paper feed tray setting is “tray 2”, the image processing apparatus 200 feeds the recording paper in the tray 2 and prints the first copy. When printing of the first copy is completed, the value of the variable i is increased by 1, and the value of the variable i becomes 2 (step S2190).

  The image processing apparatus 200 reads the second paper feed tray setting from the paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a (step S2170), and prints the second copy according to the read paper feed tray setting (step S2180). Since the second paper feed tray setting is “tray 3”, the image processing apparatus 200 feeds the recording paper in the tray 3 and prints the second copy. When printing of the second copy is completed, the value of variable i is increased by 1, and the value of variable i becomes 3 (step S2190).

  The image processing apparatus 200 reads the third paper feed tray setting from the paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a (step S2170), and prints the third copy according to the read paper feed tray setting (step S2180). Since the third paper feed tray setting is “tray 1”, the image processing apparatus 200 feeds the recording paper in the tray 1 and prints the third copy. When printing of the third copy is completed, the value of variable i is increased by 1, and the value of variable i becomes 4 (step S2190). Since the value (4) of the variable i exceeds the set number of copies (3 copies), the process exits the loop (the processing in step S2160 ends) and the printing processing ends.

  On the other hand, when the received print job does not include the CARBONCOPY command, the image processing apparatus 200 executes normal print processing based on the received print job (step S2020 shown in FIG. 12).

[Effects of the present embodiment]
As is clear from the above description, the following effects can be obtained by using the image processing system 50 according to the present embodiment.

  The user of the information processing apparatus 100 operates the paper feed tray designation screen 300 to designate each copy of the paper feed tray 202 that stores the recording paper used for printing, and to record the designated paper feed tray 202. It is possible to specify the printing order of printing processing using paper. The information processing apparatus 100 converts the received designation (designation information) into a command and transmits it to the image processing apparatus 200 together with the print job, thereby storing the image processing apparatus 200 in the paper feed tray 202 designated by the user. It is possible to instruct the execution of printing in the order specified on the recording paper being printed. In the image processing apparatus 200, printing is executed in the order desired by the user, so the arrangement of the printed documents is in the desired order. The user does not need to rearrange the printed documents in a desired order after the printing is completed. Further, since the user can specify the printing order of the printing process, it is not necessary to replace the recording sheets in the paper feed tray 202 in accordance with the priority order in order to execute printing in a desired order. Thereby, a user's work burden is reduced. As a result, even when printing is performed on recording paper in different paper feed trays 202 with a single printing instruction, as in carbon copy printing, it is possible to suppress a reduction in the efficiency of printing work.

(Second Embodiment)
The image processing system according to the present embodiment is the image processing according to the first embodiment in that an information processing apparatus displays a paper feed tray designation screen that can be changed after designation of a paper feed tray. Different from the system 50. In other respects, each image processing system has the same configuration.

  The information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment displays a paper feed tray designation screen 400 shown in FIG. 14 on the display 152 instead of the paper feed tray designation screen 300 shown in FIG. The paper feed tray designation screen 400 is configured to accept a designation change operation by the user in addition to accepting designation of a paper feed tray or the like by the user.

  Referring to FIG. 14, a paper feed tray designation screen 400 is a drop-down list 402 for selecting a paper feed tray to be fed at the time of print processing, and for adding the selected paper feed tray to the paper feed tray setting. "Add" key 404, a display area 420 for displaying the paper feed tray setting (designated paper feed tray and its print order), and for changing the print order of the designated paper feed tray in the direction to be advanced. "Print order advance" key 406, "Print order advance" key 408 for changing the print order of the designated paper feed tray in the direction of lowering, and paper feed tray setting displayed in display area 420 are deleted. "Delete" key 410, "OK" key 430, and "Cancel" key 440. An “add” key 404 is a key for designating the paper feed tray selected from the drop-down list 402 as the paper feed tray used for the printing process for each copy.

  When “Tray 2” is selected from the drop-down list 402 and the “Add” key 404 is operated by the user, “Tray 2” is designated as the paper feed tray used for the first printing process. The designated “tray 2” is displayed in the display area 420 as the first paper feed tray setting. Subsequently, when “tray 3” is selected from the drop-down list 402 and the “add” key 404 is operated, “tray 3” is designated as the paper feed tray used for the second printing process. The designated “tray 3” is displayed in the display area 420 as the second paper feed tray setting. Further, when “tray 1” is selected from the drop-down list 402 and the “add” key 404 is operated, “tray 1” is designated as the paper feed tray used for the third printing process. The designated “tray 1” is displayed in the display area 420 as the third paper feed tray setting. In the display area 420, paper feed tray settings are displayed in a list format.

  The paper feed tray setting (paper feed tray) displayed in the display area 420 can be selected by the user. When one or more of the paper feed tray settings are selected by the user and the “print order advance” key 406 is operated, the print order of the printing process using the selected paper feed tray is advanced. When the “print order decrement” key 408 is operated, the print order of the printing process using the selected paper feed tray is deferred. As described above, the operation of the “print order advance” key 406 or the “print order advance” key 408 changes the designated print order in the paper feed tray setting.

  When one or more of the paper feed tray settings displayed in the display area 420 are selected by the user and the “delete” key 410 is operated, the selected paper feed tray setting is deleted. The “OK” key 430 is a key for confirming (setting) the paper feed tray setting, that is, the designation of each paper feed tray and the print order. A “cancel” key 440 is a key for canceling the paper feed tray setting. When the “OK” key 430 is operated, the paper feed tray designated on the paper feed tray designation screen 400 and its printing order (paper feed tray setting) are stored in the HDD 120 (paper feed tray setting storage unit 122) as designation information. Is done.

  In the paper feed tray designation screen 400 according to the present embodiment, the number of copies for carbon copy printing is set by an “add” key 404 and a “delete” key 410. Therefore, setting of the number of copies for carbon copy printing is not performed on the UI screen (not shown) of the printer driver.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to change the designation of the print order and delete the paper feed tray setting on the paper feed tray designation screen 400, so even if the user designates the print order incorrectly. There is no need to specify it from the beginning. Therefore, it can suppress that the efficiency of printing work falls also by this.

(Third embodiment)
In the image processing system according to the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus displays a paper feed tray designation screen that can further designate the number of copies of print processing by paper feeding from the designated paper feed tray. This is different from the image processing system according to the embodiment. In other respects, each image processing system has the same configuration.

  The information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment displays a paper feed tray designation screen 500 shown in FIG. 15 on the display 152 instead of the paper feed tray designation screen 400 shown in FIG. The paper feed tray designation screen 500 displays the number of copies of print processing using the recording paper stored in the designated paper feed tray in addition to the designation of the paper feed tray by the user and the change operation of designation by the user. It is configured to be able to accept the designation.

  Referring to FIG. 15, paper feed tray designation screen 500 further includes a copy number designation input field 510 for designating the number of copies to be printed by the paper feed from the designated paper feed tray. The copy designation input field 510 is displayed in the display area 420 together with the paper feed tray setting by operating the “add” key 404. In the copy number designation input field 510, “1” is displayed as the default number of copies. This number of copies can be changed by a user operation input. The information processing apparatus accepts designation of the number of copies to be printed by paper feeding from the paper feeding tray designated by the user via the paper feeding tray designation screen 500.

  For example, when it is desired to perform two copies by feeding from “tray 2”, “2” is input to the copy number designation input field 510 of the paper feed tray setting in which “tray 2” is designated. When a value of a plurality of copies is entered in the number of copies designation input field 510, an instruction is given to continuously execute printing processing by feeding paper from the corresponding paper feed tray for the inputted number of printed copies. Therefore, in FIG. 15, “Tray 2” is designated as the paper feed tray used when printing the first and second copies, and “Tray 3” is designated as the paper feed tray used when printing the third copy. “Tray 1” is designated as the paper feed tray used for printing the fourth copy. When the “OK” key 430 is operated, the paper feed tray designated on the paper feed tray designation screen 500 and its printing order (paper feed tray setting) are stored in the HDD 120 (paper feed tray setting storage unit 122) as designation information. Is done. In the paper feed tray setting storage unit 122, designation information 332 shown in FIG. 16 is stored as designation information.

  The information processing apparatus reads the designation information stored in the paper feed tray setting storage unit 122 when generating the print job, and generates a command from the read designation information. The command is generated in the same manner as in the first embodiment. When the designation information 332 shown in FIG. 16 is stored in the paper feed tray setting storage unit 122, the information processing apparatus reads the designation information 332 and generates a command 342 shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the number of copies to be printed by the paper feed from the designated paper feed tray can be designated on the paper feed tray designation screen 500. Accordingly, when it is desired to perform a plurality of printing processes by feeding paper from the same paper feed tray, it is not necessary to designate the same paper feed tray a plurality of times. Since it is easy to specify a paper feed tray or the like, it is also possible to suppress a decrease in the efficiency of printing work.

(Fourth embodiment)
The image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment displays a paper feed tray designation screen on the operation panel 222, and accepts paper feed tray settings in carbon copy printing. Is different. In other respects, each image processing apparatus has the same configuration.

  Referring to FIG. 18, image processing apparatus 600 according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 610 instead of control unit 210 shown in FIG. The control unit 610 includes a paper feed tray specifying unit 610a and a print control unit 610b. The paper feed tray designation unit 610a displays a paper feed tray designation screen similar to the paper feed tray designation screen 300 shown in FIG. 4 on the operation panel 222, and in response to a user operation input on the paper feed tray designation screen, This is a functional unit having a function of designating the paper feed tray 202 and the printing order. The print control unit 610b is a functional unit having the same function as the print control unit 210b shown in FIG.

  The image processing apparatus 600 stores (stores) the paper feed tray specified on the paper feed tray designation screen and the information on the printing order (designation information) as setting information in the paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a. When the image processing apparatus 600 receives, for example, an instruction to start copy printing, the recording paper is printed from the designated paper feed tray in order from the first copy based on the setting information stored in the paper feed tray setting storage unit 218a. To perform carbon copy printing.

  The image processing apparatus 600 according to the present embodiment accepts designation for each copy of the paper feed tray 202 and designation of the print order via the paper feed tray designation screen displayed on the operation panel 222, and according to the accepted designation. The carbon copy printing process is executed. Thereby, in carbon copy printing, it can suppress that the efficiency of printing work falls. That is, the image processing apparatus 600 has the same effect as the image processing system 50 according to the first embodiment. Note that a paper feed tray designation screen similar to the paper feed tray designation screen 400 shown in FIG. 14 or a paper feed tray designation screen similar to the paper feed tray designation screen 500 shown in FIG. In this manner, the image processing apparatus 600 can be configured.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, an example of an image processing system including an information processing apparatus including a personal computer has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. The information processing apparatus may be a terminal device other than a personal computer. For example, the information processing apparatus may be a terminal device such as a tablet terminal. Furthermore, the image processing apparatus included in the image processing system may be, for example, a printer other than the multifunction peripheral.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the information processing apparatus and the image processing apparatus are connected via a network has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, the information processing apparatus and the image processing apparatus may be directly connected via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable, a printer cable, or the like without using a network.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the paper information in the designated paper feed tray is displayed on the paper feed tray designation screen when the paper feed tray is designated has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. . The paper information in the designated paper feed tray may not be displayed on the paper feed tray designation screen.

  In the said embodiment, you may be comprised so that a background color may be printed at the time of carbon copy printing. In that case, it is preferable that the background color can be designated for each designated paper feed tray on the paper feed tray designation screen.

  In the above embodiment, a part of the duplicate may be discharged to another paper discharge tray at the time of carbon copy printing. In addition, a part of the duplicate may be transmitted as electronic data to an external device such as a server device without printing.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the information processing apparatus can be designated to print originals and duplicates with respect to the printing order, for example, and is designated to feed paper at the time of original printing based on the paper information acquired from the image processing apparatus. It is also possible to detect whether or not a predetermined sheet is stored in the sheet feeding tray. In this case, when the information processing apparatus detects that a sheet different from the predetermined sheet is stored in the designated sheet feeding tray, the information processing apparatus is configured to warn the user of that fact. And preferred. As shown in the fourth embodiment, when the image processing apparatus is configured to accept the designation of the paper feed tray, the image processing apparatus is configured to warn the user as described above. preferable.

  Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the techniques disclosed above are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The embodiment disclosed herein is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. The scope of the present invention is indicated by each claim of the claims after taking into account the description of the detailed description of the invention, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the wording described therein are included. Including.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 Image processing system 60 Network 100 Information processing apparatus 110, 210, 610 Control part 110a, 610a Paper feed tray designation | designated part 110b Command generation part 122, 218a Paper feed tray setting storage part 130 Optical disk drive 132 Optical disk 152 Display 200, 600 Image processing Device 202 Paper feed tray 210a Command analysis unit 210b, 610b Print control unit 218 Storage device 220 Operation unit 230 Document reading unit 240 Image processing unit 250 Image forming unit 260 Paper feed unit 300, 400, 500 Paper feed tray designation screen

Claims (6)

An information processing apparatus that transmits a print job;
An image processing apparatus that includes a plurality of paper storage units and that executes print processing using recording paper stored in any of the plurality of paper storage units based on a print job transmitted from the information processing apparatus An image processing system comprising:
The information processing apparatus includes:
In printing instructions for a plurality of copies, in accordance with a user operation input, designation for each copy of the paper storage unit storing the recording paper used for printing, and print processing using the recording paper of the specified paper storage unit Accepting means for accepting designation of the printing order;
In response to the designation being accepted by the accepting means, storage means for storing designation information designating the paper storage unit and the printing order;
Command generation means for reading the designation information from the storage means and generating a command including the designation information;
Job transmission means for adding the command generated by the command generation means to a print job and transmitting it to the image processing apparatus,
The image processing apparatus includes:
Job receiving means for receiving a print job transmitted from the information processing apparatus;
An extraction means for analyzing the command included in the received print job and extracting the designation information for designating the paper storage unit and the printing order;
An image processing system comprising: a print job execution unit for executing a print process by a received print job based on the designation information extracted by the extraction unit.   The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus further includes a designation changing unit for changing the designation of the paper storage unit and the designation of the printing order received by the receiving unit.   The information processing apparatus accepts a copy number designation for accepting designation of the number of print copies of the print processing using the recording paper stored in the paper storage unit to the paper storage unit in response to a user operation input. The image processing system according to claim 1, further comprising means. An image processing apparatus that includes a plurality of paper storage units, and that executes print processing using recording paper stored in any of the plurality of paper storage units based on image data,
In printing instructions for a plurality of copies, in accordance with a user operation input, designation for each copy of the paper storage unit storing the recording paper used for printing, and print processing using the recording paper of the specified paper storage unit Accepting means for accepting designation of the printing order;
In response to the designation being accepted by the accepting means, storage means for storing designation information designating the paper storage unit and the printing order;
An image processing apparatus comprising: a printing unit that reads the designation information from the storage unit and executes a printing process of image data based on the designation information. When executed by a communication device for communicating with an image processing apparatus including a plurality of paper storage units and a computer connected to an input receiving unit that receives a user's operation input,
In printing instructions for a plurality of copies, the printing process using the input receiving unit for each copy of the paper storage unit in which the recording paper used for printing is stored and the recording paper in the specified paper storage unit A reception step for accepting designation of the printing order of
A storage step of storing designation information for designating the paper storage unit and the printing order in response to accepting the designation in the accepting step;
A command generation step of reading the designation information stored in the storage step and generating a command including the designation information;
A job transmission step for adding the command generated in the command generation step to a print job, and transmitting the print job to the image processing device via the communication device;
A computer program that executes A computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program according to claim 5.

Images