JP2017132184A - Processing device and printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To construct a tandem system by adding a downstream side device even in a case where an upstream side device is not a corresponding model while suppressing the development cost.SOLUTION: A processing device for performing print processing to a sheet P subjected to print processing on the downstream side of a first printer 10 performing prescribed print processing on the sheet P includes: a job reception unit 35a which receives a printing job; a cooperation control unit 35c which transmits a trigger signal for starting processing on the print processing to the first printer 10 with reception of the printing job by the job reception unit 35a as a trigger; and a printing unit 33 which executes the print processing in accordance with arrival of the sheet conveyed from the printer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention provides a processing apparatus for performing post-processing such as stapling, punching, folding, and enclosing sealing on the paper subjected to the printing process on the downstream side of the printing apparatus that performs a predetermined printing process on the paper. And a printing system including the processing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a printing system in which a plurality of printing units having ink heads are arranged on a paper conveyance path, and printing processing based on a print job is executed by cooperation of each printing unit. For example, in Patent Document 1, two printing units are arranged on a paper conveyance path, an image is printed on the front side by one printing unit, and an image is printed on the back side by the other printing unit. A tandem printing system for printing is disclosed.

  Further, as a tandem system including processes other than the above-described printing, for example, after a predetermined image formation is performed on a sheet in a printing apparatus disposed on the upstream side, the image is further formed on this sheet. There is a type that automatically connects a post-processing device for performing post-processing (finishing processing) such as stapling or punching.

  According to a system having a tandem system configuration to which such a technique is applied, compared to a system having a single printing apparatus, complicated processing such as double-sided printing processing and post-processing is performed by cooperation of each printing apparatus. Since it can be executed efficiently and at high speed, the productivity of the entire system can be increased.

JP 2010-99955 A

  However, in the above-described tandem system, after printing is performed by the upstream printing apparatus, further printing and other post-processing is performed on the paper by the downstream apparatus, so image data related to printing is included. The print job is input to the upstream printing apparatus. Upon receiving this print job input, the upstream printing apparatus monitors the downstream apparatus, and waits for the downstream apparatus to be ready for processing. Printing is started after receiving a notification of completion of preparation from the downstream apparatus.

  For this reason, the upstream printing device must have a model that supports the tandem system, such as a program for monitoring the downstream device and a communication function. If not, there is a problem that the range of use of the system device is restricted, such as a downstream device for tandem cannot be added later and the existing printing device cannot be mounted. Further, since it is necessary to provide a mechanism for supporting the tandem system on both the upstream side and the downstream side, there is a problem that the development cost for developing and mounting the mechanism increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and even if the upstream device is not a compatible model, the tandem method is constructed by adding the downstream device even when the upstream device is not a compatible model while suppressing development costs. An object of the present invention is to provide a printing system that can perform printing.

In order to achieve the above object, a first feature of a processing apparatus according to the present invention is that printing or other processing is performed on a sheet that has been subjected to the printing process on the downstream side of the printing apparatus that performs a predetermined printing process on the sheet. A processing device for performing
A receiving unit for receiving a print job;
Trigger control unit for transmitting a trigger signal for starting processing related to print processing to the printing device, triggered by the reception unit receiving the print job;
And a processing execution unit that executes the printing and other processing processes in response to arrival of a sheet conveyed from the printing apparatus.

  According to a second feature of the printing apparatus of the present invention, in the above feature, as the trigger signal, a print start request for instructing a print start for a part or all of the print job or a pseudo print job, and the print A cancel request for canceling the print processing related to the start request is sequentially transmitted.

  The printing system according to the present invention is characterized in that the processing device described above and a printing device that performs a predetermined printing process on the paper on the upstream side of the processing device are arranged in series along the paper conveyance path. There is.

  According to the first feature of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the processing related to the printing process is performed on the upstream printing apparatus, triggered by the reception unit of the processing apparatus arranged on the downstream side receiving the print job. Since the trigger signal to be started is transmitted, the upstream side printing process can be started by providing the downstream processing device with a mechanism that matches the method used in the general printing start process. In this processing apparatus, printing and other processing processes are executed in response to the arrival of the sheet conveyed from the upstream printing apparatus. Therefore, the trigger for starting the downstream processing is handled only by the mechanism of the downstream apparatus. be able to. As a result, according to the present invention, since the upstream device does not require a special mechanism for tandem construction, even if the upstream device is not a compatible model, the downstream device is added to the tandem method. Can be built.

  According to the second feature of the processing apparatus of the present invention, in the above invention, as a trigger signal, a print start request for instructing a print start for a part or all of a print job or a pseudo print job, and a print start Since the cancel request for canceling the print processing related to the request is sequentially transmitted, the printing apparatus starts preparation for starting printing by a normal mechanism, enters the standby state, and then stops the actual print processing by receiving the cancel request. Will be. As a result, the downstream device can take the lead in controlling the startup of the upstream device, the start of the print preparation process, and the maintenance of the standby state. For example, before starting the preparation process of the downstream device, the printing is started. Requests and cancellation requests are transmitted to the upstream side in advance, the preparation process in the upstream apparatus is started in advance, and after the preparation of the downstream processing apparatus is completed, a regular print job is newly transmitted from the downstream apparatus to the upstream printing apparatus. By transmitting to, it is possible to reduce the time required for the preparation process at the start-up and to realize smooth tandem printing. At this time, since the upstream printing apparatus is controlled from the downstream processing apparatus by a general print start request and a cancel request, no special program or mechanism is required for the upstream apparatus. Existing devices can be used as they are.

  According to the characteristics of the printing system of the present invention in which such a processing device is arranged, in order to cause the upstream printing device to implement a mechanism related to a special mechanism such as a program for monitoring the downstream device and a communication function. The development cost can be reduced, and the tandem system can be constructed by adding the downstream device even if the upstream device is not a compatible model while suppressing the development cost of the system.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a tandem printing system according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the function of the tandem system printing system which concerns on embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the tandem system printing system which concerns on embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a tandem printing system in which a processing apparatus disposed on the downstream side is a printing apparatus will be described as an example. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a tandem printing system according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the tandem printing system.

(Schematic configuration of tandem printing system)
First, the configuration of the tandem printing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. The tandem printing system 1 receives a print job transmitted from a terminal device 100 such as a PC, and prints an image on a sheet P that is a print medium based on the received print job. The tandem printing system 1 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which two printing apparatuses 10 and 30 that respectively perform predetermined printing processing on the paper P are arranged in series along the transport paths R1 to R3 of the paper P. Printing system.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the tandem printing system 1 according to the embodiment includes a first printing device 10, an intermediate device 20, and a second printing device 30, and the first printing device 10 has one of the sheets. A predetermined printing process is performed on the surface (front surface), and the second printing apparatus 30 performs a printing process on the other surface (back surface) of the sheet. For example, when the single-sided printing process is executed as the printing process based on the print job, either the first printing apparatus 10 or the second printing apparatus 30 executes the single-sided printing process. On the other hand, when the double-sided printing process is executed, the first printing apparatus 10 executes the printing process on the front side of the paper, and the second printing apparatus 30 executes the printing process on the back side of the paper, thereby performing the double-sided printing process. Is executed. Note that the printing process here includes monochrome printing or color printing process.

  In FIG. 1, a path indicated by a thick line is a transport path through which the sheet is transported. The conveyance path includes a conveyance path R1 in the first printing apparatus 10, a conveyance path R2 in the intermediate apparatus 20, and a conveyance path R3 in the second printing apparatus 30. Further, the transport path R2 in the intermediate apparatus 20 is a reversing path for reversing the paper. When the reversal of the paper is not necessary, the transport path R2 is switched to a straight traveling path R2 'that transports the paper without reversing.

(1) 1st printing apparatus Moreover, as shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2, the 1st printing apparatus 10 is provided with the conveyance part 12, the printing part 13, and the apparatus control part 15. FIG.

  The transport unit 12 includes an external paper feed roller 12a and a registration roller 12b. The external paper feed roller 12a conveys the paper P stacked on the paper feed tray 10P toward the registration roller 12b. The registration roller 12b temporarily stops the paper P conveyed from the external paper feed roller 12a and then sends it to the printing unit 13.

The printing unit 13 prints an image on the paper P while conveying the paper P. The printing unit 13 includes an ink head unit 13a, a belt conveyance unit 13b, and a paper discharge roller 13c.
The ink head unit 13 a includes a plurality of line-type inkjet heads arranged above the belt conveyance unit 13 b and having a plurality of nozzles arranged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the paper P. The ink head unit 13a prints an image by ejecting ink from the inkjet head onto the paper P conveyed by the belt conveyance unit 13b. In the present embodiment, the ink head unit 13a includes K color ink (black color ink), C color ink (cyan color ink), M color ink (magenta color ink), and Y color ink (yellow color ink). An inkjet head capable of ejecting each is provided.

  The belt conveyance unit 13b conveys the sheet P conveyed from the registration roller 12b by suction and holding the sheet P on the belt. The belt conveyance unit 13b is disposed below the ink head unit 13a on the downstream side of the registration roller 12b. The paper discharge roller 13c discharges the paper P printed by the ink head unit 13a to the intermediate device 20.

  The device control unit 15 controls various functions in the first printing device 10. The apparatus control unit 15 controls the transport unit 12 and the printing unit 13 to print an image on the paper P. In the present embodiment, the apparatus control unit 15 is premised on a usage environment in which the first printing apparatus 10 is used alone, and as a module for receiving and processing a general print job, the job reception unit 15a And a job processing unit 15b. The job receiving unit 15a is a module that receives a print job via the communication unit 151. In this embodiment, the job receiving unit 15a receives a print job transmitted from another device such as the terminal device 100 or the intermediate device 20. The print job received by the job receiving unit 15a is temporarily stored in the storage unit 152. The job processing unit 15b is a module that analyzes the print job received by the job receiving unit 15a, develops it into print image data for each page, and executes print processing for each page.

(2) Intermediate Device The intermediate device 20 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the first printing device 10. The intermediate device 20 conveys the paper P carried out from the first printing device 10 to the second printing device 30. The intermediate device 20 includes a transport unit 22 and a device control unit 25.
The transport unit 22 includes transport rollers 22a, 22b, and 22c, and transports the paper P along the transport path R2 or the straight transport path R2 ′ by the transport rollers 22a, 22b, and 22c. The device control unit 25 controls various functions of the intermediate device 20. The apparatus control unit 25 controls the transport unit 22 to transport the paper P while switching to either the transport path R2 or the straight transport path R2 ′.

(3) Second Printing Device The second printing device 30 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the intermediate device 20. The second printing apparatus 30 is configured in substantially the same manner as the first printing apparatus 10. The second printing apparatus 30 includes a transport unit 32, a printing unit 33, and a device control unit 35.

  The transport unit 32 includes a transport roller 32 a and transports the paper P transported from the intermediate device 20 to the printing unit 33. The paper discharge roller 33c discharges the paper P printed by the ink head portion 33a to the paper discharge portion 30P. The printing unit 33 prints an image on the paper P while conveying the paper P. The printing unit 33 includes an ink head unit 33a, a belt conveyance unit 33b, and a paper discharge roller 33c. The configurations of the ink head unit 33a and the belt conveyance unit 33b are the same as the configurations of the ink head unit 13a and the belt conveyance unit 13b of the first printing apparatus 10 described above, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The device control unit 35 controls various functions in the second printing device 30. Further, the apparatus control unit 35 controls the transport unit 32 and the printing unit 33 to print an image on the paper P. In the present embodiment, a communication unit 351 and a storage unit 352 are connected to the device control unit 35. The storage unit 352 is configured by a hard disk, a memory, or the like, and stores various types of information used for print control, job processing, and processing when linking with other devices. The communication unit 351 transmits and receives various types of information to and from other devices such as the terminal device 100, the first printing device 10, and the intermediate device 20. The apparatus control unit 35 includes a job reception unit 35a, a job processing unit 35b, and a cooperation control unit 35c as modules relating to tandem printing.

  The job receiving unit 35a is a module that receives a print job via the communication unit 351. In the present embodiment, the job receiving unit 35a receives a print job transmitted from the terminal device 100. The print job received by the job receiving unit 35a is temporarily stored in the storage unit 352. The job processing unit 35b is a module that analyzes the print job received by the job receiving unit 35a, develops it into print image data for each page, and executes print processing for each page. For example, in the case of duplex printing, the front side print image data and the back side print image data are separated, the front side print image data is distributed to the first printing device 10, and the back side print image data is assigned to the second printing device. Sort to 30. The print image data of the surface distributed to the first printing apparatus 10 is transferred to the cooperation control unit 35c.

  The cooperation control unit 35c is a module that executes processing for cooperation with the first printing apparatus 10 in order to execute tandem printing. More specifically, the cooperation control unit 35c triggers the first printing apparatus 10 to perform print preparation processing (start-up process) for the first printing apparatus 10 when the job reception unit 35a receives a print job in the second printing apparatus 30 as a trigger. ) Has a function as a trigger control unit that transmits a trigger signal for starting the operation. Specifically, in this embodiment, a print start command is transmitted as the trigger signal, and a print stop command is transmitted after a predetermined time has elapsed. The print start command is, for example, a print start request instructing to start printing for a part or all of a print job or a pseudo print job, and the print stop command is a cancel request for canceling print processing related to the print start request. is there. More specifically, as a trigger signal for starting print preparation, the print job received from the terminal device 100 is transferred as it is from the second printing device 30 to the first printing device 10, or the first page of the print job, etc. A part of the print job is extracted and transmitted, or a pseudo print job composed of dummy data prepared in advance is transmitted.

  In addition, after transmitting the trigger signal from the second printing apparatus 30, the cooperation control unit 35 c performs the printing preparation process (startup process) of the second printing apparatus 30 itself with respect to the printing unit 13, the conveyance unit 12, and the like. It has a function of starting the print preparation and monitoring these print preparation processes. As the print preparation process, an activation process and an initialization process when the second printing apparatus 30 is in a sleep state, a paper feed / discharge tray reset process, and the like are executed. The cooperation control unit 35 c monitors the preparation process by the printing unit 34, waits until the preparation process is completed, waits for a bureaucrat for print preparation, and sends the regular print job received from the terminal device 100 to the first printing apparatus 10. Send.

  Further, the cooperation control unit 35c transmits a regular print job to the first printing apparatus 10 side, and then, on the second printing apparatus 30 side, the sheet printed by the first printing apparatus 10 is sent via the intermediate apparatus 20 to the first printing apparatus 10c. 2 It has a function of monitoring the loading of a printed sheet while it is in a standby state until it is loaded into the printing apparatus 30. In the present embodiment, a time limit is set for this standby state, and the standby state is maintained for a certain period of time after the regular print job is transmitted to the first printing apparatus. If a printed sheet is not carried in even after a predetermined time has passed since the print job is transmitted, the print process is terminated as a timeout. The time until this timeout is appropriately set according to the data size of the print job transmitted to the first printing apparatus 10 by the cooperation control unit 35c, and is reset when the printing process for the printed paper is executed. A certain length of time is reset as a waiting time until the next printed sheet is carried in.

  Further, the cooperation control unit 35 c has a function as a processing execution unit that causes the second printing apparatus 30 to execute the printing process of the conveyed paper P in response to the arrival of the paper from the intermediate apparatus 20. In the present embodiment, since the paper P on which the front surface is printed by the first printing apparatus 10 is fed with its front and back reversed, the second printing apparatus 30 performs printing on the back side of the printed paper. Will be. When the printing process is executed in the second printing apparatus 30, the cooperation control unit 35c resets the time setting for timeout until the next paper arrival detection, and resets a certain time length as the standby time. To do.

  Further, the cooperation control unit 35c monitors the timeout and print job for upstream paper arrival during printing, and has a function of executing error processing when a failure occurs. Specifically, when the printing process for the number of printed sheets included in the print job has not been completed, the cooperation control unit 35c waits for a waiting state until the next printed sheet is carried in. On the other hand, if the printing process for the number of prints included in the print job is executed, the standby state is canceled as the print job is completed, and the process is shifted to the end process of the printing operation without waiting for the timeout. . Further, when a time-out period comes when the print job has not ended, an error process is executed assuming that some trouble has occurred on the upstream side. For example, the error processing may be interrupted in order to interrupt the printing process and output a message or alert that informs the user that a failure has occurred on the upstream side. And the like, and the like, and the like. In addition to the output function of this message and alert, the cooperation control unit 35c notifies the second printing apparatus 30 that the print job has been completed normally upon completion of the printing process for the number of prints included in the print job. It also has functions such as output.

(Operation of tandem printing system 1)
Next, the operation of the tandem printing system 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the tandem printing system 1.

  First, the user transmits a print job from the terminal device 100. This print job is transmitted to the downstream second printing apparatus 30 (S101). The second printing apparatus 30 that has received this print job transmits a print start command to the upstream first printing apparatus 10 triggered by the job reception unit 35a receiving the print job (S201, S202). A trigger signal for starting a print preparation process (start-up process) related to the print process is transmitted. In this embodiment, a print start command is transmitted as the trigger signal, and a print stop command is transmitted after a predetermined time has elapsed (S203). The print start command is, for example, a print start request instructing to start printing for a part or all of a print job or a pseudo print job, and the print stop command is a cancel request for canceling print processing related to the print start request. is there.

  More specifically, in step S202, the print job received from the terminal device 100 is transferred as it is from the second printing device 30 to the first printing device 10, or one of the print jobs such as the first page of the print job, for example. A copy is extracted and transmitted, or a pseudo print job composed of dummy data prepared in advance is transmitted. The upstream first printing apparatus 10 receives this print start command (S301), and print preparation is started (S302). As this print preparation, a start-up process and an initialization process in a sleep state, a paper feed / discharge tray reset process, and the like are executed. Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed from step S202, a print stop command is transmitted from the second printing apparatus 30 in step S203. With this print stop command, the print job transmitted in step S202 is canceled (S303), and the print process is not executed. On the other hand, the print preparation process such as the start process once started is continued. It becomes.

  Further, in the second printing apparatus 30, preparation for printing is started immediately after transmitting the trigger signal (S202, S203) (S204). As the print preparation process of the second printing apparatus 30, as in the above-described print preparation of the first printing apparatus (S302), the startup process and initialization process in the sleep state, the paper feed / discharge tray A reset process or the like is executed. The cooperation control unit 35c of the second printing apparatus 30 monitors the preparation process by the printing unit 34 and waits until the preparation process is completed ("N" in S205).

  Next, when the preparation process is completed in the second printing apparatus 30 on the downstream side (“Y” in S205), the regular print job received from the terminal apparatus 100 in step S201 is transmitted to the first printing apparatus 10 (S206). After transmitting the regular print job, the second printing apparatus 30 is in a standby state until the paper printed by the first printing apparatus 10 is carried into the second printing apparatus 30 via the intermediate apparatus 20 ( “N” in S207). In this embodiment, a time limit is provided for the standby state in step S207 (S209), and the standby state is maintained for a fixed time after the regular print job is transmitted to the first printing apparatus ( If “N” in S209), a printed paper is not carried in even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the regular print job was transmitted to the first printing apparatus (“N” in S209), the printing process is terminated as a timeout. It has become so. The time until this timeout is appropriately set according to the data size of the print job transmitted to the first printing apparatus 10 by the cooperation control unit 35c, and is reset when the printing process for the printed paper is executed. A certain length of time is reset as a waiting time until the next printed sheet is carried in.

  On the other hand, in the first printing apparatus 10 that has received the regular print job from the second printing apparatus 30 transmitted in step S208 (S304), the printing process is started by a normal printing operation. At this time, if the first printing apparatus 10 has not completed printing preparation, it enters a standby state according to the normal printing preparation processing ("N" in S305). Thereafter, when the upstream first printing apparatus 10 is ready for printing (“Y” in S305), paper feeding is started in accordance with the normal printing process operation (S306), and the printing process is executed (S307). . Here, the first printing apparatus 10 performs surface printing. Then, the paper P on which the front side is printed by the first printing apparatus 10 is discharged according to a normal printing operation (S308), the front and back of the paper P are reversed by the intermediate apparatus 20, and conveyed to the second printing apparatus 30 to be supplied. Paper. These printing processes (S306 to 308) are repeated for the number of printed sheets included in the print job in accordance with a normal printing operation ("N" in S309), and as soon as the processing for the number of printed sheets is completed ("Y" in S309), The process proceeds to a normal end process (S310).

  In response to the arrival of the sheet from the intermediate apparatus 20 (“Y” in S207), the second printing apparatus 30 executes the printing process for the conveyed sheet P (S208). Here, since the paper P on which the front surface is printed by the first printing apparatus 10 is fed with its front and back reversed, the second printing apparatus 30 performs printing on the back side of the printed paper. It will be. When the printing process in step S208 is executed, the time until the timeout in step S209 is reset, and a certain length of time is reset as a waiting time until the next printed sheet is carried in.

  In step S209, the cooperation control unit 35c monitors the timeout and the print job. If the printing process for the number of prints included in the print job has not been completed, the next printed sheet is carried in. In order to maintain the waiting state until the timeout time comes, the processing in steps S207 and S208 is continued ("N" in S209). On the other hand, when the printing process for the number of prints included in the print job has been executed, the standby state is canceled assuming that the print job has ended, and the process proceeds to the printing operation end process (S210) without waiting for a timeout (S210). “Print Job End” in S209).

  If a time-out period comes when the print job has not ended (“time-out” in S209), an error process is executed assuming that some failure has occurred on the upstream side (S211). For example, the error processing may be interrupted in order to interrupt the printing process and output a message or alert that informs the user that a failure has occurred on the upstream side. And the like, and the like, and the like.

  On the upstream first printing apparatus 10 side, after the printing process (S306 to 308) is repeated for the number of printed sheets included in the print job in accordance with the normal printing operation ("N" in S309), the number of printed sheets is reached. As soon as the above process is completed (“Y” in S309), a normal end process such as outputting a message indicating that the print job has ended normally is executed on the first printing apparatus 10 side (S310). Along with this, when the print job is completed normally on the downstream second printing apparatus 30 side (“print job end” in S209), the fact that the print job has been completed normally on the second printing apparatus 30 side is also shown. The termination process such as outputting the message is executed (S210). In the present embodiment, the termination process on the second printing apparatus 30 side is executed separately from the termination process on the first printing apparatus 10 side.

(Action / Effect)
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the upstream first printing apparatus 10 is triggered by the job reception unit 35a of the second printing apparatus 30 arranged on the downstream side receiving a print job. Since the trigger signal is transmitted, the upstream printing process can be started, and the downstream second printing apparatus 30 performs printing in response to the arrival of the sheet conveyed from the upstream first printing apparatus 10. Since other processing is executed, the trigger for starting the processing on the downstream side can be handled only by the mechanism of the downstream device. As a result, according to the present embodiment, a special mechanism for tandem construction is not required in the upstream device, and even if the upstream device is not a compatible model, a downstream device is added to construct a tandem system. can do.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, as a trigger signal, a print start command for instructing start of printing for a part or all of a print job or a pseudo print job, and a print stop command for canceling print processing related to the print start command are provided. In order to transmit sequentially, the first printing apparatus 10 on the upstream side can start preparation for starting printing by a normal mechanism according to a print start command and enter a standby state, and then actually receive a print stop command. The printing process is stopped. Accordingly, the second printing apparatus 30 on the downstream side can control the start of the first printing apparatus 10 on the upstream side, the start of the print preparation process, and the maintenance of the standby state. In this embodiment, before starting the preparation process of the second printing apparatus 30, a print start command and a print stop command are transmitted in advance to the upstream side, and the preparation process in the upstream first printing apparatus 10 is started in advance. After the downstream second printing apparatus 30 is prepared, a regular print job is transmitted again from the downstream second printing apparatus 30 to the upstream first printing apparatus 10 to prepare for startup. Processing time can be shortened and smooth tandem printing can be started. At this time, the upstream first printing apparatus 10 is controlled from the downstream second printing apparatus 30 by a general print start command and a print stop command, and therefore the upstream first printing apparatus 10. Requires no special program or mechanism, and an existing apparatus can be used as it is.

  As a result, according to the present embodiment, the development cost for installing a special mechanism such as a program for monitoring the downstream second printing device 30 and a communication function for the upstream first printing device 10 is reduced. As a result, it is possible to construct a tandem system by adding a downstream device even if the upstream device is not a compatible model while suppressing the development cost of the system.

(Example of change)
The above description of the embodiment is an example of the present invention. For this reason, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made according to the design and the like as long as they do not depart from the technical idea of the present invention. For example, in this embodiment pair, the case where a printing apparatus for printing the back surface of double-sided printing is employed as the processing apparatus of the present invention has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, For example, the processing of the first printing apparatus 10 such as a processing apparatus that performs post-processing such as punching, folding, and enclosing sealing on the paper that has been subjected to the printing process by the first printing apparatus 10 in addition to staple driving with staples. Any device can be applied as long as it can be arranged on the downstream side.

R1 to R3 ... transport path 1 ... tandem printing system 10 ... first printing device 10P ... paper feed table 12 ... transport section 12a ... external paper feed roller 12b ... registration roller 13 ... printing section 13a ... ink head section 13b ... belt transport Section 13c: Paper discharge roller 15: Apparatus control section 15a ... Job reception section 15b ... Job processing section 20 ... Intermediate apparatus 22 ... Conveyance section 22a ... Conveyance roller 25 ... Apparatus control section 30 ... Second printing apparatus 30P ... Paper discharge section 32 ... Conveying unit 32a ... Conveying roller 33 ... Printing unit 33a ... Ink head unit 33b ... Belt conveying unit 33c ... Discharge roller 34 ... Printing unit 35 ... Device control unit 35a ... Job receiving unit 35b ... Job processing unit 35c ... Cooperation control unit DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Terminal device 151 ... Communication part 152 ... Memory | storage part 351 ... Communication part 352 ... Memory | storage part

Claims (3)

A processing device that performs printing or other processing on the paper that has been subjected to the printing process on the downstream side of a printing device that performs a predetermined printing process on the paper;
A receiving unit for receiving a print job;
Trigger control unit for transmitting a trigger signal for starting processing related to print processing to the printing device, triggered by the reception unit receiving the print job;
A processing apparatus comprising: a processing execution unit that executes the printing and other processing processes in response to arrival of a sheet conveyed from the printing apparatus.   As the trigger signal, a print start request for instructing to start printing for part or all of the print job or a pseudo print job, and a cancel request for canceling the print processing related to the print start request are sequentially transmitted. The processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, and a printing apparatus that performs a predetermined printing process on the paper on an upstream side of the processing apparatus are arranged in series along a transport path of the paper. Printing system to do.

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