JP2016153238A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that decreases erroneous printing, reduces waste of paper, and efficiently performs printing processing when a plurality of copies of image data is printed.SOLUTION: A digital composite machine 1 includes: a printing unit 12 that prints a plurality of copies of image data; and a blank paper determining part 14 that determines whether a blank page is included in the image data. When the image data is displayed as a preview before printing, the printing unit 12 thoroughly prints the plurality of copies of image data. When the image data is not displayed as a preview before printing, the printing unit 12 restricts printing of the image data on the basis of determination result by the blank paper determining part 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus having a function of displaying a preview before printing image data.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an image forming apparatus that can continuously convey and read a plurality of documents set on an automatic document feeder. As this image forming device, digital multi-function devices with multiple functions such as scanner function, copy function, print function, facsimile function, etc. are becoming mainstream, and it is increasingly connected to the neckwork. Functions are being compounded.

  In the image forming apparatus described above, for example, when the front and back of a single-sided document are set incorrectly or when blank pages are mixed and set, blank pages are printed or transmitted. When printing a plurality of copies, blank printing is included in each copy, and the paper is wasted. In order to eliminate such a waste of paper, for example, various techniques such as a test print function and a preview display function have been proposed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes a printer system having a test printing function. When printing a plurality of copies of image data, the printer system temporarily stops after printing the first copy, prompts the user to confirm the print image, and continues to print the remaining copies when the user inputs confirmation. Is configured to do.

  Patent Document 2 describes a copier that prints the first copy of image data obtained by reading an original, displays the preview, edits / corrects the data, and prints out with new print settings. ing.

  Patent Document 3 describes an image forming apparatus that displays a preview of image data and allows the user to confirm the contents of the image data when a blank sheet is detected in the image data read from the document.

JP 2003-76515 A JP 2004-15475 A JP 2010-16770 A

  According to the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the first copy of the image data is temporarily stopped after the first copy of the image data is printed regardless of whether or not the image data is displayed as a preview before printing. By confirming, it is possible to reduce printing errors and reduce paper waste. However, if the image data is displayed as a preview before printing, the content has been confirmed by the user, so the need for reconfirmation is low. That is, when the preview is displayed before printing, temporarily stopping after printing the first copy and allowing the user to reconfirm the contents hinders efficient printing processing.

  In addition, the invention described in Patent Document 3 allows the user to confirm the read contents by displaying a preview when it is determined that there is a blank page in the read original image before the read original image is output. It is something to be made. As a result, as in Patent Documents 1 and 2, printing errors can be reduced and paper waste can be reduced. However, in this case as well, if the preview is displayed before printing, the user confirms the contents, so it is considered that the necessity of performing blank page determination is low. However, in the invention described in Patent Document 3, printing is not performed. The blank page determination is always executed regardless of whether the preview is displayed before.

  Here, when printing a plurality of copies, it is conceivable to switch the print output depending on whether or not a preview is displayed before printing in order to reduce the waste of paper and perform the printing process efficiently. That is, when the preview is displayed before printing, it is considered that the user has confirmed it. Therefore, all of the image data is printed out, and when the preview is not displayed, blank page determination for the image data is performed. It is conceivable to restrict printing based on the result.

  As a result, even though the preview is displayed and confirmed before printing, there is no need to perform unnecessary processing such as displaying the preview again for confirmation after printing the first copy, or performing blank page determination. Processing can be performed efficiently, and further, printing errors can be reduced and paper waste can be reduced. However, none of the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 to 3 disclose such a concept, and therefore it is not possible to reduce waste of paper and to efficiently perform printing processing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances. When printing a plurality of copies of image data, printing errors can be reduced, paper waste can be reduced, and printing processing can be performed efficiently. An object is to provide an image forming apparatus.

  In order to solve the above problems, a first technical means of the present invention includes a printing unit that prints a plurality of copies of image data, and a blank page determination unit that determines whether the image data includes a blank page. The image forming apparatus further includes a display unit that displays a confirmation message when the blank page determination unit determines that a blank page is included.

  According to a second technical means, in the first technical means, the display unit displays the confirmation message for prompting the user to confirm the printed matter of the image data.

  According to a third technical means, in the first or second technical means, when the blank page determination unit determines that a blank page is included, the printing unit stops printing the image data. It is a feature.

  According to a fourth technical means, in any one of the first to third technical means, when the blank page determining unit determines that a blank page is included, the printing unit only copies one piece of the image data. Printing is performed, and printing for the second and subsequent copies is stopped.

  According to a fifth technical means, in the third or fourth technical means, when the printing of the image data is stopped, the display unit displays a preview of the image data for which the printing has been stopped, and the preview display. The confirmation message for prompting the user to confirm is displayed.

  The sixth technical means further includes a preview display determining unit that determines whether or not to preview the image data before printing in any one of the first to fifth technical means, the preview display determining unit When it is determined that the image data is not preview-displayed before the printing, the blank page determination unit determines whether or not a blank page is included.

  According to a seventh technical means, in the sixth technical means, when the preview display determining unit determines to preview the image data before the printing, the printing unit displays all of the image data in a plurality of copies. It is characterized by printing.

  According to the present invention, when the preview is displayed before printing, all the image data are printed out, and when the preview is not displayed before printing, the result of blank page determination for the image data is displayed. Based on this, printing of image data can be restricted (for example, printing only one copy). When printing multiple copies of image data, printing errors are reduced, paper waste is reduced, and printing processing is efficient. Can be done.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image processing system constructed using a digital multifunction peripheral as an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the digital multifunction peripheral of FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the external appearance of the operation panel shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the preview screen displayed on a display part. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a processing example of a first form in which a preview display is performed on the digital multifunction peripheral side when the digital multifunction peripheral is in a copy mode. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the message for prompting a user to confirm the printed matter of image data. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a processing example of a second form in which preview display is performed on the PC side when the digital multi-function peripheral is in a print mode.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described by applying it to a digital multifunction machine having a print function, a copy function, a facsimile transmission / reception function, a filing function, and the like.
<Configuration example of image processing system>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image processing system constructed using a digital multifunction peripheral as an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 1, the image processing system includes a digital multi-function peripheral 1, external computers (hereinafter simply referred to as PCs) 2 and 3, an Internet facsimile machine (Internet FAX machine) 4, and a facsimile machine 5. These PCs 2, 3, Internet FAX machine 4, and facsimile machine 5 are connected as many as necessary.

  The digital multi-function peripheral 1 is one of the embodiments according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention. In addition to the print function and the copy function, the function of transmitting / receiving image data by facsimile (facsimile function) and / or the image data via the Internet. It has a function of transmitting / receiving by FAX (Internet FAX function) and / or a filing function of image data. Various external devices are connected to the digital multi-function peripheral 1 via a communication network.

For example, the PC 2 is connected to the communication network LN laid as a local communication network, and the PC 3 and the Internet FAX apparatus 4 are connected to the Internet network IN connected through a gateway (not shown). Further, an external facsimile machine 5 is connected to the digital multi-function peripheral 1 via a public telephone line network PN.
<Configuration example of image forming apparatus>
Next, functions of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 and configuration examples and operation examples thereof will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the digital multifunction peripheral 1 of FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the digital multifunction peripheral 1 includes an operation panel 10, a panel control unit 11, a printing unit 12, a reading unit 13, a blank page determination unit 14, an image storage unit 15, an image processing unit 16, an encoding / decoding unit 17, a main unit. Control unit 18, control memory 19, format conversion unit 20, LAN (Local Area Network) control unit 21, control buffer 22, network control unit (NCU) 23, modem 24, and USB (Universal Serial Bus) ) Interface (I / F) 25 is provided.

  The main control unit 18 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The control memory 19 includes a nonvolatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM). A control program (firmware) and various setting data are stored in the control memory 19 so as to be readable from the main control unit 18. Among these, at least various setting data are stored in a rewritable memory. These control programs and various setting data may be stored in the image storage unit 15. The control buffer 22 is composed of a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

  The control program described above includes instructions related to generation and display of preview images, which will be described later, instructions related to generation / transmission / reception of facsimile images and e-mails, instructions related to reading of original images, instructions related to printing, This is for the main control unit 18 to issue commands for reading and printing (copying) a document image to other parts. This control program is developed on the control buffer 22 by the main control unit 18, and is executed while referring to various setting data as appropriate using the control buffer 22 as a data area for temporary storage (work).

  The reading unit 13 is a scanner using a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), reads an original image as a bitmap image of RGB (R: red, G: green, B: blue) having a predetermined resolution, and reads the read RGB image. Data (dot image data) is output to the image processing unit 16. The image processing unit 16 is configured by an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or the like, and performs various image processing on target image data. Other parts such as the encoding / decoding unit 17 may be incorporated in the ASIC described above. The image processing unit 16 also performs preview display and line figure addition processing.

  The image storage unit 15 is composed of a hard disk or the like, and is connected to the image data read by the reading unit 13, the image data obtained as a result of the subsequent processing by the image processing unit 16, the LAN control unit 21, the network control unit 23, or the like. Stores image data received from the outside. When image data is stored in the image storage unit 15, the data encoded by the encoding / decoding unit 17 can be stored. The image storage unit 15 may also temporarily store intermediate data generated during image processing in the image processing unit 16.

The encoding / decoding unit 17 compresses the image data by encoding, and decodes (decompresses) the encoded image data into the original image data. For example, the encoding / decoding unit 17 performs encoding of image data read from a document, decoding of the encoded data, decoding of encoded image data received from the outside, and the like. In the encoding / decoding unit 17, JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) generally used in filing, MH (Modified Huffman), MR (Modified READ), and MMR (Modified READ) generally used in facsimile communication are used. (Modified READ) or the like can be used according to the application. As an encoding method, I
In P facsimile communication, MH can be adopted, and in Internet facsimile communication, JPEG and JBIG (Joint Bi-level Image Experts Group) can be adopted in addition to MH, MR, and MMR.

  The format conversion unit 20 converts the read image data or image data received from the outside into a file format such as PDF (Portable Document Format), GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), or TIFF (Tag Image File Format). To do.

  The printing unit 12 includes a printer apparatus that employs a printing method such as an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method, and functions as an image forming unit that outputs (that is, prints) image data or the like stored in the image storage unit 15 to a recording sheet. To do. The USB I / F 25 is an interface for connecting to a USB device such as a USB memory, and outputs image data after reading a document stored in the image storage unit 15 to the USB device or an image from the USB device. Read data.

  The modem 24 is composed of a facsimile modem capable of facsimile communication, and is connected to the public telephone line network PN and directly connected to the network control unit 23. The network control unit 23 is hardware that performs operations of closing and opening a line with an analog public telephone line network (PSTN), and connects the modem 24 to the public telephone line network PN as necessary. With such a configuration, the image data stored in the image storage unit 15 is transmitted to the outside by facsimile, or the facsimile image data is received from the public telephone line and stored in the image storage unit 15 or directly by the printing unit 12. It is possible to print.

  The LAN control unit 21 is connected to the communication network LN, and performs communication of e-mail data and Internet FAX via the Internet. The PC 2 is connected to the digital multi-function peripheral 1 via the LAN control unit 21. A printer driver 2a for controlling the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is installed in the PC 2, and image data created with predetermined application software is transmitted to the digital multi-function peripheral 1 and printed out by the digital multi-function peripheral 1. Can do.

  As shown in FIG. 3 to be described later, the operation panel 10 includes a display unit integrally provided with a touch panel and a key operation unit including a group of keys necessary for operation. The panel control unit 11 performs display control of the display unit and operation reception control using a touch panel. A display unit (touch panel) or a key operation unit is used to select a desired process from among processes such as document reading processing, image data transmission, printing, filing, operations for starting the processing, and each processing. It is an operation input part which receives operation (selection operation or input operation) etc. for performing the setting required when performing this.

  The display section of the operation panel 10 displays the current operation state and setting information. This display is realized by the panel control unit 11 controlling so as to display a GUI (Graphical User Interface) image. With the GUI, the display and operation reception position can be changed according to a user operation. Each GUI and its image may be stored in the internal memory of the panel control unit 11 or the control memory 19 so as to be readable. Various display devices using a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display, or the like can be employed as the display unit.

  The user operation received on the touch panel is interpreted by the panel control unit 11 and transmitted to the main control unit 18 as an operation signal. Further, the user operation received by the key operation unit is interpreted by the key operation unit itself and transmitted to the main control unit 18 as an operation signal. The main control unit 18 issues a command according to the operation signal obtained in this manner to another part, thereby causing the other part to execute a process according to the user operation.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of operation panel 10 shown in FIG. The operation panel 10 includes a key operation unit 101 including various hardware keys and a display unit 102 including a liquid crystal display and a touch panel. The key operation unit 101 includes, as hardware keys, a numeric keypad 101a for inputting a numerical value, a clear key 101b for clearing an input set value, an all cancel key 101c for canceling all input settings, a copy start, In addition to a start key 101d for receiving an instruction such as transmission start, function switching keys 101e, 101f, and 101g for switching a print function, an image transmission function, and a copy function, and a user setting key 101h for receiving a system setting by a user are provided. .

  In the case of the example in FIG. 3, the function switching key 101g for switching to the copy mode is selected, and the initial screen (basic screen) in the copy mode is displayed on the display unit 102. On this basic screen, a print number setting field 31 for setting the number of copies to be printed and a preview confirmation button 32 for designating a preview display are displayed. When the user inputs a desired number from the numeric keypad 101a, the input number is displayed in the print number setting column 31. For example, if “1” and “2” are continuously input, “12” is displayed in the print number setting column 31 and “12” is set as the number of print copies.

  When the user presses the preview confirmation button 32, the preview display is set, and the image data is previewed before printing. That is, when the user sets a document at a predetermined position, sets the number of copies from the numeric keypad 101a, and further presses the preview confirmation button 32, the preview display is set. When the user presses the start key 101d, the reading unit 13 starts reading the document, and the image data obtained as a result of the reading is displayed as a preview.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a preview screen displayed on the display unit 102. In the figure, 33 is a preview image, 34 is a copy start button, 35 is a backward button, and 36 is a forward button. This preview screen is displayed on the display unit 102 when the user presses the preview confirmation button 32 in FIG. 3 to set the preview display. When the user presses the backward button 35 / forward button 36, the preview images 33 are sequentially switched and displayed. When the user confirms all the preview images 33 and then presses the copy start button 34, the copy is started, and the copy is performed according to the number of copies set on the basic screen in FIG.
<Operation example of preview display of image data to be printed>
An operation (preview display operation) of displaying image data stored in the image storage unit 15 as a result of document reading on the display unit 102 before printing will be specifically described. The digital multi-function peripheral 1 has a configuration that enables preview display (thumbnail display) for image data to be printed. This preview display operation is performed when a user operation for performing a process that requires a preview display is received by the operation panel 10. For example, the preview display operation is also performed when the preview confirmation button 32 in FIG. 3 is set to perform preview display before printing on the image data after reading the document.

  The main control unit 18 instructs the image storage unit 15, the image processing unit 16, the encoding / decoding unit 17, the panel control unit 11, and the like to execute processing as described below. Note that the main control unit 18 also gives an instruction to the reading unit 13 (original reading instruction) when, for example, an operation for copying an original is performed.

  The encoding / decoding unit 17 reads out the image data to be previewed and the corresponding document determination data and region separation data from the image storage unit 15, decodes them, and passes them to the image processing unit 16. The image processing unit 16 performs various image processing (hereinafter referred to as preview image processing) on the decoded image data (RGB image data). Examples of the image processing for preview include image quality adjustment processing, dichroic processing, color correction processing, spatial filter processing, scaling processing, and output tone correction processing. Spatial filter processing and output tone correction processing are processing according to various regions indicated by the region separation data.

  The image quality adjustment process here is the same as the image quality adjustment process in the image processing for printing. As the color correction processing, processing for converting the image data (RGB data) after the image quality adjustment processing into R′G′B ′ data is performed based on the display characteristics of the display unit 102. As the spatial filter processing, enhancement processing and smoothing processing are performed on the R′G′B ′ data.

  As the scaling processing, the R'G'B 'data after the spatial filter processing is subjected to image enlargement processing / image reduction processing according to the print magnification, and the number of pixels of the R'G'B' data is displayed. In addition to performing conversion to the number of pixels (display resolution) of the unit 102, image enlargement processing and image reduction processing are performed based on the preview display magnification set by the user operation on the operation panel 10. The preview display magnification is a fixed magnification such as 2 times or 4 times, for example, and is a magnification of an image at the time of preview display. Of course, the preview display magnification is not limited to the magnification obtained by the user operation, and becomes the default magnification when there is no operation for the preview display magnification.

  The image processing unit 16 generates an image for preview display (preview image) mainly by such scaling processing for preview display. The R′G′B ′ data generated by the image processing unit 16 and subjected to the output tone correction processing is passed to the display unit 102. The panel control unit 11 controls the display unit 102 to display an image corresponding to the R′G′B ′ data by incorporating the image into the GUI image, and displays the GUI image on the display unit 102.

  Note that the target data for the preview display operation described here is not limited to the image data read by the reading unit 13, and is, for example, an image storage unit that is transferred in advance from an external recording medium or a network-connected PC. The same applies to the image data (image file) stored in 15.

  A main object of the present invention is to reduce printing mistakes when printing a plurality of copies of image data, reduce paper waste, and efficiently perform printing processing. As a configuration for this, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 includes a printing unit 12 that prints a plurality of copies of image data, and a blank page determination unit 14 that determines whether a blank page is included in the image data. When the image data is displayed as a preview before printing, the printing unit 12 prints all the plurality of copies of the image data. When the image data is not displayed as a preview before printing, the printing unit 12 determines the blank page. Based on the determination result by the unit 14, the printing of the image data is restricted.

  As an embodiment of the present invention, a first mode in which a preview display is performed on the digital multifunction device 1 side when the digital multifunction device 1 is in the copy mode, and a preview on the PC 2 side when the digital multifunction device 1 is in the print mode. There is a second form for displaying. In the case of the second mode, the printer driver 2a of the PC 2 has a preview display function, and thus, the preview display of the image data can be performed on the PC 2 side.

  The blank page determination unit 14 reads a document by the reading unit 13 and determines whether a blank page is included in the read image data or the image data received from the printer driver 2 a of the PC 2. The blank sheet determination method itself is a known technique and is not particularly limited. However, this determination is not performed on the entire area of the document, but an effective image area (left and right / upper and lower margin portions of the document are omitted). (Can be set arbitrarily).

Here, a document in which the background color of the document is deleted and substantially nothing is written is referred to as “blank”, and the blank page determination unit 14 determines, for example, that the image data in the next state is blank. To do.
(1) Image data obtained when a document with substantially nothing written is read.
(2) Image data obtained when the original of (1) is read in a state where dust or dirt adheres to the reading surface of the scanner.
(3) Image data obtained when the document (1) with dust or dirt attached is read.
(4) Image data including noise added when the document of (1) is read.

  For example, when the number of black pixels is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio (threshold) with respect to the total number of pixels included in one page of the document, it is determined that the page is blank, and when the number exceeds a predetermined ratio (threshold), it is determined that the page is not blank. . Further, when the document includes a color image or a grayscale image, for example, image data obtained by reading the document is binarized and the above determination is performed.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a processing example of the first form in which preview display is performed on the digital multifunction peripheral 1 side when the digital multifunction peripheral 1 is in the copy mode. In this example, it is assumed that the digital multifunction peripheral 1 shown in FIG. 2 is set to the copy mode, and the basic screen (FIG. 3) in the copy mode is displayed on the display unit 102 of the operation panel 10. First, the user sets a document at a predetermined position, and sets the number of copies (the number of copies) and the presence / absence of a preview display on the operation panel 10 (step S1). Since the method for setting the number of copies to be printed and the preview display is as described above, description thereof is omitted here.

  Next, the main control unit 18 determines whether or not the user has pressed the start key 101d (step S2). If it is determined that the start key 101d has been pressed (YES), the reading unit 13 reads the document. The read image data is stored in the image storage unit 15 (step S3). If it is determined in step S2 that the start key 101d has not been pressed (NO), the process returns to step S1.

  Next, the main control unit 18 determines whether or not the preview display is set (step S4). If it is determined that the preview display is set (in the case of YES), the display unit 102 (FIG. 3). Displays a preview of the image data held in the image storage unit 15 (step S5). Here, the preview screen shown in FIG. 4 is displayed. Then, the main control unit 18 determines whether or not the user has pressed the copy start button 34 on the preview screen shown in FIG. 4 (step S6), and determines that the copy start button 34 has been pressed (YES). The printing unit 12 starts copying the image data stored in the image storage unit 15 according to the control by the main control unit 18, and prints out the printing according to the number of copies (set number of copies) set in step S1 (step S7). ). If it is determined in step S6 that the copy start button 34 has not been pressed (NO), the process proceeds to a standby state in step S6.

  Next, when the main control unit 18 determines in step S4 that the preview display is not set (in the case of NO), the blank page determination unit 14 includes a blank page in the image data stored in the image storage unit 15. Is determined, and the determination result is output to the main control unit 18 (step S8). The main control unit 18 determines whether or not there is a blank page based on the determination result from the blank page determination unit 18 (step S9). If it is determined that there is no blank page (NO), the printing unit 12 Under the control of the main control unit 18, the copying process of the image data stored in the image storage unit 15 is started, and printing is performed according to the number of copies (set number of copies) set in step S1 (step S10).

  If it is determined in step S9 that there is a blank page (YES), the printing unit 12 prints only one copy of the image data stored in the image storage unit 15 according to the control by the main control unit 18, and 2 Stop printing after the first copy. When printing of the second and subsequent copies of the image data is stopped, the display unit 102 displays a message for prompting the user to confirm the printed matter of the image data printed by the printing unit 12 (step S1). S11). An example of this confirmation message is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a message display screen for prompting the user to confirm the printed matter of the image data. In FIG. 6, 40 is a confirmation message, 41 is a print restart button, and 42 is a print cancel button. As described above, when the second and subsequent copies of the image data are canceled, the display unit 102 displays the confirmation message 40, the print restart button 41, and the print cancel button 42. In the example of FIG. 6, a confirmation message 40 is displayed, “Since a blank page is included, printing of the second and subsequent copies will be stopped. Check the printed matter.” The user confirms the printed material according to the confirmation message 40, and presses the print restart button 41 when determining that there is no problem with the content of the printed material. When the print resume button 41 is pressed, the second and subsequent copies are resumed. If it is determined that there is a problem with the contents of the printed matter, the print cancel button 42 is pressed. When the print cancel button 42 is pressed, printing for the second and subsequent copies is canceled, and the user takes measures such as removing a blank original and restarts the copy process.

  As another example, when the blank page determination unit 14 determines that a blank page is included, the printing unit 12 may stop printing image data in accordance with control by the main control unit 18. . When the printing of the image data is stopped, the display unit 102 displays a message for prompting the user to confirm the preview display together with the preview display of the image data. For example, a confirmation message “Printing is stopped because a blank page is included. Check the preview display.” Is displayed. In this example, when there is a blank page, the printed matter is not output, and the content of the image data can be confirmed by a preview display. That is, since image data including a blank page is not printed out, printing errors can be reduced and paper waste can be reduced.

  In the above, the user confirms the preview display according to the confirmation message, and when determining that there is no problem with the contents of the preview display, presses a print start button (not shown). When this print start button is pressed, printing of image data is started. If it is determined that there is a problem with the contents of the preview display, a print cancel button (not shown) is pressed. When the print cancel button is pressed, the printing of the image data is stopped, and the user takes measures such as removing the blank original and performs the copy process again.

  As described above, when the preview is displayed before printing, all of the image data is printed out, and when the preview is not displayed, the image data is printed based on the result of the blank page determination for the image data. Therefore, when printing a plurality of copies of image data, it is possible to reduce printing errors, reduce paper waste, and efficiently perform printing processing.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a processing example of the second form in which preview display is performed on the PC 2 side when the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is in the print mode. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 and the PC 2 are connected via a communication network LN. The PC 2 is a general-purpose personal computer, and a printer driver 2a for controlling the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is installed. The printer driver 2a displays a printing condition setting screen for setting various printing conditions on the screen of the PC 2, and the user can set the number of copies from the printing condition setting screen. Further, the printer driver 2a has a preview display function, and can display a preview of image data before printing.

  In FIG. 7, when printing image data, the user activates the printer driver 2a of the PC 2, displays the print condition setting screen of the printer driver 2a, and sets the number of copies from this print condition setting screen (step S21). . Then, the printer driver 2a determines whether or not to execute preview display for the image data (step S22). If it is determined to execute the preview display (in the case of YES), the printer driver 2a displays the image data as a preview (step S23). . If it is determined in step S22 that preview display is not executed (NO), the process proceeds to step S24. Whether or not the preview display is executed can be determined by, for example, displaying a preview display button on the print condition setting screen of the printer driver 2a, and determining whether or not the user has instructed to select the preview display button.

  Next, the printer driver 2a determines whether or not the user has instructed to select the print start key on the print condition setting screen (step S24), and determines that the print start key has been instructed to be selected (in the case of YES), The PC 2 transmits print setting information including presence / absence of preview display and the number of set copies together with the image data to the digital multi-function peripheral 1 (step S25). If it is determined in step S24 that the print start key is not instructed to be selected (in the case of NO), the process proceeds to a standby state in step S24.

  The digital multi-function peripheral 1 receives image data and print setting information from the PC 2 (step S26). Here, the received image data is temporarily stored in the image storage unit 15. Then, the main control unit 18 determines whether the image data is preview-displayed on the PC 2 based on the print setting information from the PC 2 (step S27), and determines that the preview display is performed on the PC 2 (in the case of YES) ), The printing unit 12 starts print processing of the image data stored in the image storage unit 15 according to the control by the main control unit 18, and prints out according to the number of copies (set number of copies) set in step S21 (step S28). .

  If the main control unit 18 determines in step S27 that the preview is not displayed on the PC 2 (NO), the blank page determination unit 14 includes a blank page in the image data stored in the image storage unit 15. And the determination result is output to the main control unit 18 (step S29). The main control unit 18 determines whether or not there is a blank page based on the determination result from the blank page determination unit 18 (step S30). If it is determined that there is no blank page (NO), the printing unit 12 Under the control of the main control unit 18, the printing process of the image data stored in the image storage unit 15 is started, and printing is performed according to the number of copies (set number of copies) set in step S21 (step S31).

  If it is determined in step S30 that there is a blank page (YES), the printing unit 12 prints only one copy of the image data stored in the image storage unit 15 according to the control by the main control unit 18, and 2 Stop printing after the first copy. When printing of the second and subsequent copies of the image data is canceled, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 transmits a message for prompting the user to confirm the printed matter of the image data printed by the printing unit 12 to the PC 2. (Step S32).

  Then, the PC 2 displays the confirmation message received from the digital multifunction device 1 on the screen (step S33). This confirmation message is the same as that shown in FIG. The user confirms the printed material according to the confirmation message 40 (FIG. 6), and presses the print resume button 41 when determining that there is no problem with the content of the printed material. When the print resume button 41 is pressed, the second and subsequent copies are resumed. If it is determined that there is a problem with the contents of the printed matter, the print cancel button 42 is pressed. When the print cancel button 42 is pressed, the second and subsequent copies are cancelled, and the user takes measures such as deleting blank paper data and restarts the print processing.

  In addition, as in the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 5, when the blank page determination unit 14 determines that a blank page is included, the printing unit 12 performs image data in accordance with control by the main control unit 18. May be canceled. When printing of the image data is stopped, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 instructs the printer driver 2a of the PC 2 to display a message for prompting the user to confirm the preview display together with the preview display of the image data. Upon receiving this instruction, the printer driver 2a displays a message for prompting the user to confirm the preview display on the screen of the PC 2 along with a preview display of the image data. For example, a confirmation message “Printing is stopped because a blank page is included. Check the preview display.” Is displayed. Since the subsequent processing is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted here.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus (digital multifunction device) 2, 3 ... External computer (PC), 2a ... Printer driver, 4 ... Internet facsimile apparatus, 5 ... Facsimile apparatus, 10 ... Operation panel, 11 ... Panel control part, 12 ... Printing unit, 13 ... reading unit, 14 ... blank page determination unit, 15 ... image storage unit, 16 ... image processing unit, 17 ... encoding / decoding unit, 18 ... main control unit, 19 ... control memory, 20 ... format conversion , 21 ... LAN control unit, 22 ... control buffer, 23 ... network control unit, 24 ... modem, 25 ... USB I / F, 31 ... print number setting column, 32 ... preview confirmation button, 33 ... preview image, 34 ... Copy start button, 35 ... backward button, 36 ... forward button, 40 ... confirmation message, 41 ... print resume button, 42 ... print stop button, 101 ... key operation , 101a ... numeric keypad, 101b ... clear key, 101c ... clear all key, 101d ... start key print function, 101e, 101f, 101g ... function switching key, 101h ... user setting key, 102 ... display unit.

Claims (7)

An image forming apparatus comprising: a printing unit that prints a plurality of copies of image data; and a blank page determination unit that determines whether the image data includes a blank page,
An image forming apparatus including a display unit that displays a confirmation message when the blank page determination unit determines that a blank page is included.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the confirmation message for prompting a user to confirm a printed matter of the image data.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the blank page determination unit determines that a blank page is included, the printing unit stops printing the image data. Forming equipment.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the blank page determination unit determines that a blank page is included, the printing unit prints only one copy of the image data. An image forming apparatus, wherein printing for the second and subsequent copies is stopped.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the printing of the image data is stopped, the display unit displays a preview of the image data for which the printing has been stopped and confirms the preview display. An image forming apparatus, wherein the confirmation message for prompting the user to display is displayed. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A preview display determining unit that determines whether to preview the image data before printing;
An image forming apparatus, wherein when the preview display determination unit determines that the image data is not preview-displayed before printing, the blank page determination unit determines whether or not a blank page is included. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
The image forming apparatus, wherein when the preview display determining unit determines to preview the image data before the printing, the printing unit prints a plurality of copies of the image data.