JP2017209831A - Printing control device and printing control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing control device that can perform gathering operation while allowing a second printing device to print remaining pages even if the number of pages of a document which a first printing device prints exceeds the number of paper feeding trays of a paper inserting device of the second printing device, in performing cluster printing using the two printing devices.SOLUTION: The printing control device, which controls a first printing device, analyzes a printing job to recognize the number of pages of insert pages, and acquires information relating to a paper inserting device of a second printing device to recognize the number of paper feeding trays of the paper inserting device. When the number of pages of the insert pages does not surpass the number of paper feeding trays, as a paper discharge method of the first printing device, a group paper discharge method is selected by which the insert pages are outputted by a specified number for each page. When the number of pages of the insert pages surpasses the number of the paper feeding trays, a sort paper discharge method is selected by which operation for outputting the insert pages one by one in the order of the pages, corresponding to the number of specified copies is repeated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control apparatus and a print control method.

  A cluster printing system is known that executes one print job by two printers (printing apparatuses). For example, for a document in which color pages and monochrome pages are mixed, a color page is printed by a color printer, and a monochrome page is printed by a monochrome printer.

  At this time, if the monochrome printer is provided with a post inserter (paper insertion device: hereinafter simply referred to as “inserter”), the operator first causes the color printer to print a color page. Load the printed color page on the monochrome printer inserter. A monochrome printer prints monochrome pages in page order, and inserts color page paper between predetermined sheets with an inserter so that the output paper order is in document page order. (For example, Patent Document 1).

  For example, when printing 10 copies of a 10-page document in which the first and third pages are color pages and the remaining pages are monochrome pages, the color printer first prints 10 copies of the first page and continues. 10 copies of the third page are printed. Then, the operator sets the sheet bundle of the first page in the first sheet feed tray of the inserter of the monochrome printer, and sets the sheet bundle of the third page in the second sheet feed tray. The monochrome printer prints the remaining pages one by one in the order of the second page, fourth page, fifth page, ..., tenth page, and inserts the first and third page sheets between the specified sheets. And collate the printed matter. The monochrome printer repeats the collation operation while printing the remaining pages 10 times, and outputs 10 copies of 10 pages printed in the page order.

  However, when performing cluster printing according to the above procedure, if the number of color pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays in the inserter, a paper bundle that cannot be set in the paper feed tray will be generated, and while monochrome pages are being printed by a monochrome printer, There is a problem that collation cannot be performed. For example, if there are 4 color pages in a 10-page document and the inserter has only two paper feed trays, a sheet bundle of pages that cannot be set in the paper feed tray will occur, You cannot collate while printing a monochrome page.

JP 2008-234106 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. Therefore, the object of the present invention is to perform cluster printing by two printing apparatuses, even when the number of pages of a document printed by the first printing apparatus exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the sheet insertion apparatus of the second printing apparatus. To provide a print control apparatus and a print control method that enable collation while printing the remaining pages by a second printing apparatus.

  The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following means.

  (1) A first printing apparatus that prints a part of a page of a document as an insertion page, and one or more paper feed trays, and the paper stored in the paper feed tray is inserted between the papers that are sequentially conveyed. A paper insertion device that prints the remaining pages of the document and outputs the paper of the insertion page that has been output by the first printing device so that the output paper is arranged in the page order of the document. A print control apparatus for controlling the first printing apparatus used in a printing system including a second printing apparatus that is inserted between predetermined sheets by an insertion apparatus. A first recognizing unit for recognizing the number, a second recognizing unit for acquiring information on the paper inserting device of the second printing apparatus and recognizing the number of paper feed trays of the paper inserting device, and the page number Paper feed A first determination unit that determines whether or not the number exceeds a number of pages, and when the first determination unit determines that the number of pages does not exceed the number of paper feed trays, When the group discharge for outputting the specified number of the inserted pages for each page is selected and the first determining unit determines that the number of pages exceeds the number of the paper feed trays, the inserted pages are set to 1 in page order. And a first selection unit that selects sort paper discharge that repeats the operation of outputting sheets one by one for a specified number of copies.

  (2) The first printing device performs offset paper discharge that shifts and outputs the paper discharge position, and the print control device recognizes the maximum number of sheets stored in the paper feed tray of the paper insertion device. A second determination unit that determines whether or not the number of pages exceeds the maximum number of stored sheets when the number of pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays by the first determination unit; 2 When the determination unit determines that the number of pages does not exceed the maximum number of sheets to be accommodated, as a discharge method of the first printing apparatus, a first discharge unit that shifts the discharge position of the sheets to be sorted and discharged one by one. When an offset discharge method is selected, and the second determination unit determines that the number of pages exceeds the maximum number of stored sheets, the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by performing offset discharge is equal to or less than the maximum number of stored sheets. For maximum value Further comprising a second selector for selecting second offset discharge method of shifting the paper ejection position in the unit, the print control apparatus according to (1).

  (3) When the second determination unit determines that the number of pages does not exceed the maximum number of sheets accommodated, the number of sheet bundles obtained by performing offset discharge for each copy by the first offset discharge method Is determined to exceed the number of paper feed trays, and if the third judgment unit determines that the number of paper bundles exceeds the number of paper feed trays, offset paper discharge is performed. A first setting unit configured to change the number of copies to be output by aligning the discharge positions by offset discharge so that the number of sheets of the sheet bundle obtained by execution is a maximum value equal to or less than the maximum accommodated number of sheets. The printing control apparatus according to (2).

  (4) When the first printing device performs the group paper discharge, the first printing device performs an offset paper discharge in which a paper discharge position is shifted by the specified number of copies, and the print control device performs the paper discharge of the paper insertion device. When the third recognition unit for recognizing the maximum number of sheets stored in the sheet feed tray and the first determination unit determine that the number of pages does not exceed the number of sheet feed trays, the offset sheet discharge for each specified number of copies is performed. A fourth determination unit that determines whether or not the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by the determination exceeds the maximum accommodation number, and the fourth determination unit determines that the number of sheets exceeds the maximum accommodation number A second setting unit that changes the number of copies to be output by aligning the discharge position by offset discharge so that the number of sheets of the sheet bundle obtained by performing the offset discharge becomes a maximum value equal to or less than the maximum accommodation number; Have further on (1) printing control apparatus according to any one of - (3).

  (5) When the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays is different for each of the paper feed trays, the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays according to the maximum accommodation number of each paper feed tray or The print control apparatus according to any one of (2) to (4), wherein the number of copies to be output with the paper discharge position aligned is changed by offset paper discharge according to a minimum value among the above.

  (6) When the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays is different for each of the paper feed trays, the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays according to the maximum accommodation number of the paper feed trays or The printing control apparatus according to (2), wherein the number of sheets to be output is changed by aligning the discharge position by offset discharge according to a minimum value among the two.

  (7) A first printing apparatus that prints a part of a document page as an insertion page, and one or more paper feed trays, and the sheets stored in the paper feed tray are sequentially inserted between the papers to be conveyed. A paper insertion device that prints the remaining pages of the document and outputs the paper of the insertion page that has been output by the first printing device so that the output paper is arranged in the page order of the document. A print control method for controlling the first printing device used in a printing system including a second printing device inserted between predetermined sheets by an insertion device, comprising: analyzing a print job; A step of recognizing the number (a), a step (b) of acquiring information relating to the paper insertion device of the second printing device and recognizing the number of paper feed trays of the paper insertion device, and the number of pages before Step (c) for determining whether or not the number of paper feed trays is exceeded, and if it is determined in step (c) that the number of pages does not exceed the number of paper feed trays, the paper is discharged from the first printing device. As a method, when the group discharge that outputs the specified number of copies of the insertion page for each page is selected and it is determined in the step (c) that the number of pages exceeds the number of the paper feed trays, the insertion page is changed to a page. A step (d) of selecting sort discharge that repeats the operation of outputting one sheet at a time for a specified number of copies.

  (8) The first printing apparatus performs offset paper discharge that shifts and outputs the paper discharge position, and the print control method recognizes the maximum number of sheets stored in the paper feed tray of the paper insertion apparatus (e) ), And in the step (d), when it is determined that the number of pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays, the step (f) for determining whether the number of pages exceeds the maximum number of sheets accommodated, and the step When it is determined in (f) that the number of pages does not exceed the maximum number of sheets to be accommodated, as a discharge method of the first printing apparatus, a first discharge position of the sheets to be sorted and discharged is shifted by one copy. When an offset discharge method is selected and it is determined in step (f) that the number of pages exceeds the maximum number of sheets, the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by performing offset discharge is the maximum number of sheets. Further comprising a step (g) selecting a second offset discharge method of shifting the paper ejection position in the sheet unit so as to maximize the value of the lower, the print control method according to (7).

  (9) If it is determined in step (f) that the number of pages does not exceed the maximum number of sheets accommodated, the number of sheet bundles obtained by performing offset discharge for each copy by the first offset discharge method (H) determining whether or not the number of paper feed trays is exceeded, and if it is determined in step (h) that the number of paper bundles exceeds the number of paper feed trays, (I) further comprising a step (i) of changing the number of copies to be output by aligning the discharge positions by offset discharge so that the number of sheets of the sheet bundle obtained by performing is a maximum value equal to or less than the maximum accommodation number. The printing control method according to (8).

  (10) When the first printing apparatus performs the group paper discharge, the first printing apparatus performs offset paper discharge in which a paper discharge position is shifted for each specified number of copies, and the print control method is performed by the paper insertion device. In step (e) for recognizing the maximum number of sheets stored in the sheet feed tray and in step (d), when it is determined that the number of pages does not exceed the number of sheet feed trays, the offset sheet discharge for each specified number of copies is performed. A step (j) of determining whether or not the number of sheets of the sheet bundle obtained by the process exceeds the maximum accommodated number of sheets, and a case where it is determined in step (j) that the number of sheets exceeds the maximum accommodated number of sheets The step of changing the number of copies to be output by aligning the discharge positions by offset discharge so that the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by performing the offset discharge becomes a maximum value equal to or less than the maximum accommodated number ( ) And further comprises a, above (7) printing control method according to any one of - (9).

  (11) When the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays is different for each of the paper feed trays, the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays according to the maximum accommodation number of the paper feed trays or The printing control method according to any one of (8) to (10), wherein the number of copies to be output with the paper discharge position aligned is changed by offset paper discharge according to a minimum value among the above.

  (12) When the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays is different for each of the paper feed trays, the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays according to the maximum accommodation number of the paper feed trays or The printing control method according to (8), wherein the number of sheets to be output is changed by aligning the discharge position by offset discharge according to the minimum value among the above.

  According to the present invention, when the number of inserted pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays, the sort discharge is selected, so that the sheets of all inserted pages can be set in the sheet inserting device of the second printing apparatus. become. Therefore, even when the number of pages of the document to be printed by the first printing device exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the paper insertion device of the second printing device, the printed matter is collated while printing the remaining pages by the second printing device. be able to.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a printing system. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of client PC. It is a block diagram which shows the memory content of HDD of client PC. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer controller. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer engine. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of print control processing. It is a figure which shows an example of the apparatus information of a post inserter. FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a print job to which sheet number offset paper discharge is applied. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print job in which the offset number of sheets to be sorted and discharged is changed. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print job in which the offset number of sheets to be discharged in a group is changed. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect of a printing control process.

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

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a printing system to which a printing control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system includes a client PC 100 and first to fourth printers 200a to 200d. The client PC 100 and the first to fourth printers 200a to 200d are connected to be able to communicate with each other via the network 300. The first to fourth printers 200a to 200d are printer controllers (hereinafter simply referred to as “controllers”) 210a to 210d and printer engines (hereinafter simply referred to as “engines”) 220a as printing apparatuses. To 220d.

  The network 300 includes a LAN (Local Area Network) in which computers and network devices are connected to each other according to standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI (Fibre Distributed Data Interface), and Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity). The type and number of devices connected to the network 300 are not limited to the example shown in FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the client PC 100. The client PC 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a memory 102, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 103, a display 104, an input device 105, and a network communication I / F (InterFace) 106, which exchange signals. Are connected to each other via a bus 107.

  The CPU 101 performs control of each part and various arithmetic processes according to a program. The memory 102 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various programs and various data in advance, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores programs and data as a work area, and the like. The HDD 103 stores various programs including an operating system and various data.

  The display 104 is a liquid crystal display, for example, and displays various types of information.

  The input device 105 includes a pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and is used for performing various inputs.

  The network communication I / F 106 is an interface for communicating with other devices via the network 300, and standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, and Wi-Fi are used.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the contents stored in the HDD 103 of the client PC 100. In the HDD 103 of the client PC 100, a document file creation application 110 for creating a document file, and the document file is converted into print data described in a page description language (PDL) that can be interpreted by the controllers 210a to 210d. And a printer driver 120 are installed.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the controller 210a. Since the controllers 210a to 210d have the same configuration, the controller 210a will be described below as a representative.

  The controller 210 a includes a CPU 211, a memory 212, an HDD 213, a RIP (Raster Image Processing) unit 214, a network communication I / F 215, and an engine communication I / F 216 as print control devices, which are used for exchanging signals. They are connected to each other via a bus 217. In addition, the description is abbreviate | omitted about the part which has the function similar to the said each part of the client PC100 among the said each part of the controller 210a.

  The RIP unit 214 executes print data RIP processing to generate image data for printing. The RIP unit 214 is configured by an integrated circuit or a software program.

  The engine communication I / F 216 is an interface for communicating with the locally connected engine 220a. The engine communication I / F 216 transmits image data for printing and post-processing setting data to the engine 220a.

  The CPU 211 of the controller 210a executes a program stored in the HDD 213 to thereby execute first to third recognition units, first to fourth determination units, first and second selection units, and first and second settings. It functions as a part. Here, when the first printer 200a performs cluster printing with another printer, the first recognition unit recognizes the number of inserted pages that are pages to be printed by the first printer 200a. The second recognizing unit recognizes the number of paper feed trays of a post inserter (hereinafter simply referred to as “inserter”) of another printer, and the third recognizing unit recognizes the maximum accommodated number of paper feed trays. The first determination unit determines whether the number of inserted pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays, and the second determination unit determines whether the number of inserted pages exceeds the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray. to decide. The third determining unit determines whether or not the number of sheet bundles obtained by performing the offset paper discharge of the sheet exceeds the number of sheet feeding trays, and the fourth determining unit determines that the number of sheets in the sheet bundle is equal to that of the sheet feeding tray. It is determined whether or not the maximum capacity is exceeded. The first selection unit, as a method for discharging the inserted pages, performs group discharge to output each page of the inserted page by the designated number of copies, or sort discharge to repeat the operation of outputting the inserted pages one by one in the page order. Select. The second selection unit, as a paper offset discharge method, offsets the number of copies (first offset method) that shifts the paper discharge position in units of copies, or shifts the paper discharge position in units of paper further in units of copies. The number offset (second offset method) is selected. The first and second setting units change the number of copies to be output by aligning the paper discharge position by copy offset paper discharge. The specific processing content of each unit will be described later.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the engine 220a. Since the engines 220a to 220d have the same configuration as each other, the engine 220a will be described below as a representative.

  The engine 220a includes an operation panel 221, a paper feeding unit 222, a printing unit 223, an inserter 224, a paper discharge unit 225, and a controller communication I / F 226, which are connected via a bus 227 for exchanging signals. Are connected to each other.

  The operation panel 221 includes a touch panel, a numeric keypad, a start button, a stop button, and the like, and is used for displaying various information and inputting various instructions.

  The paper supply unit 222 stores paper used for printing. The paper feeding unit 222 has a plurality of paper feeding trays, and sends out the sheets stored in the paper feeding tray one by one to the printing unit 223.

  The printing unit 223 forms an image based on various data on a sheet using a known image forming process such as an electrophotographic process including charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing processes.

  The inserter 224 is a paper insertion device, and inserts a specific paper between papers that are sequentially conveyed. The inserter 224 has a plurality of paper feed trays (PI trays), and can insert sheets stored in the paper feed tray one by one between predetermined sheets.

  The paper discharge unit 225 discharges the printed paper. The paper discharge unit 225 can perform offset paper discharge in which the paper discharge position is shifted and output.

  The controller communication I / F 226 is an interface for communicating with the locally connected controller 210a.

  The client PC 100, the controllers 210a to 210d, and the engines 220a to 220d may include components other than the above-described components, or some of the above-described components may not be included. Also good.

  In the printing system configured as described above, for example, the first printer 200a and the second printer 200b execute one print job. Specifically, first, the first printer 200a prints some pages of the document as insertion pages. Thereafter, the operator sets paper that has been printed by the first printer 200a on the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b. The second printer 200b prints the remaining pages of the document and inserts the sheets between predetermined sheets by the inserter 224 so that the output sheets are arranged in the document page order. Do. At this time, the first printer 200a changes the paper discharge method according to the performance of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b. Hereinafter, the operation of the first printer 200a will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of print control processing executed by the controller 210a of the first printer 200a. Note that the algorithm shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 is stored as a program in the HDD 213 of the controller 210 a and executed by the CPU 211. Also, at the start of the print control process, the first printer 200a has a group discharge function for outputting the inserted pages by the specified number of copies for each page, and a copy offset discharge for outputting the paper discharge position by shifting the copy unit. Function is set.

  First, the controller 210a recognizes the number of inserted pages (step S101). More specifically, the controller 210a analyzes the print job and recognizes the number of inserted pages that are pages to be printed by the first printer 200a. For example, when the first printer 200a prints only the color pages of the document, the controller 210a recognizes the number of color pages.

  Note that the number of color pages may be recognized by, for example, extracting color pages during RIP processing of print data, or recognized from the page number designated by the operator via the printer driver 120 on the client PC 100. May be. Alternatively, only the color pages may be extracted on the client PC 100 to re-create the document file, and the number of color pages may be recognized as the number of pages of the re-created document file.

  Next, the controller 210a acquires device information of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b (step S102). More specifically, the controller 210a makes a device information acquisition request to the second printer 200b that prints a page other than the insertion page, and uses the device information 400 (see FIG. 7) of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b. get. The second printer 200b is designated by the operator, and for example, identification information of the second printer 200b is described in a print job received by the first printer 200a. The controller 210a can recognize the second printer 200b that performs cluster printing by analyzing the print job.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the device information 400 of the inserter 224. FIG. 7 shows a case in which a JDF (Job Definition Format) / JMF (Job Messaging Format) Known Devices command, which is a printing business standard, is used.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the device information 400 of the inserter 224 includes information 410 indicating the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b, and information 420 indicating the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray. In FIG. 7, the number of paper feed trays is “2”, and the maximum number of paper feed trays is “50”. The controller 210a of the first printer 200a acquires the device information 400 from the second printer 200b, and recognizes the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b and the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray.

  Next, the controller 210a determines whether or not the number of inserted pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 (step S103). More specifically, the controller 210a determines whether or not the number of inserted pages printed by the first printer 200a exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b.

  If it is determined that the number of inserted pages does not exceed the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 (step S103: NO), the controller 210a maintains the paper ejection method for the inserted pages in group paper ejection in step S109. Move on to processing.

  On the other hand, when determining that the number of inserted pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 (step S103: YES), the controller 210a changes the ejection method of the inserted pages from group ejection to sort ejection. (Step S104). More specifically, the controller 210a outputs the inserted pages one by one in the order of pages from the group discharge that outputs a specified number of copies of each page of the inserted pages as a method of discharging the sheets of the inserted pages. Is changed to sort paper discharge that repeats the specified number of copies.

  As described above, according to the processing shown in steps S101 to S104 of FIG. 6, first, the number of inserted pages printed by the first printer 200a and the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b are recognized. Is done. Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the number of inserted pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224. When the number of inserted pages is equal to or less than the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224, group paper ejection is selected as the paper ejection method for the inserted pages, and the number of inserted pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224. In this case, sort discharge is selected as the discharge method for the inserted page.

  For example, when a plurality of copies of a 10-page document are printed, the number of inserted pages is 4 pages (first, third, fifth, and seventh pages), and the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b is Assume that it is “2”. In this case, since the number of inserted pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays, as a method for ejecting the inserted pages, sort ejection that repeats the operation of outputting the first, third, fifth, and seventh pages one by one for a plurality of copies. Is selected.

  In the processing shown in step S104, after the insertion page discharge method is changed from group discharge to sort discharge, the controller 210a determines whether the number of pages in the insertion page exceeds the maximum number of sheets stored in the paper feed tray. Judgment is made (step S105). More specifically, the controller 210a determines whether or not the number of inserted pages printed by the first printer 200a exceeds the maximum number of sheets that can be accommodated in the paper feed tray of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b.

  When it is determined that the number of inserted pages does not exceed the maximum number of sheets that can be accommodated in the paper feed tray (step S105: NO), the controller 210a maintains the offset paper discharge method for the paper sheets that are sorted and discharged in the copy number offset paper discharge. The process proceeds to step S107.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the number of inserted pages exceeds the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray (step S105: YES), the controller 210a sets the number offset paper discharge corresponding to the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray ( Step S106) and the process ends. More specifically, the controller 210a selects a sheet offset discharge method for shifting the paper discharge position in units of paper as the paper offset discharge method. Then, the controller 210a sets the number of sheets to be output (offset number) by aligning the discharge positions so that the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by performing the offset sheet discharge becomes the maximum value not more than the maximum accommodated number. .

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print job to which sheet number offset paper discharge is applied. In FIG. 8, when five copies of a document exceeding 100 pages are printed, the number of inserted pages is 100 pages (1, 2,..., 100th page), and the paper feed tray of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b. Assume that the number is “2” and the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray is “30”.

  In this case, since the number of inserted pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224, first, the ejection method of the inserted pages is switched from group ejection to sort ejection. As a result, the first printer 200a performs sort discharge that repeats the operation of outputting inserted pages one by one in the page order (1, 2,..., 100th page) five times.

  In FIG. 8, the number of inserted pages exceeds the maximum number of sheets that can be accommodated in the paper feed tray of the inserter 224, and therefore, the number offset sheet discharge is set as the sheet offset discharge method. As a result, since the first printer 200a divides one set (100 sheets) of sheets to be sorted and discharged into a plurality of sheet bundles composed of sheets having a maximum capacity or less, the first printer 200a The 31st, 61st, and 91st sheets of paper are offset in the number of sheets to be discharged.

  The operator sequentially takes out the sheet bundle that has been offset discharged to the paper discharge unit 225 of the first printer 200a and sets it in the paper feed tray of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b. Specifically, the operator first sets a sheet bundle from the first page to the 30th page in the first paper feed tray (PI tray 1), and then sets a sheet bundle from the 31st page to the 60th page. 2 Set in the paper feed tray (PI tray 2). Thereafter, for example, when the insertion of the 60th page is completed, the operator sets the sheet bundle of the 61st page to the 90th page in the first paper feed tray, and the sheet bundle of the 91st page to the 100th page. Set in the second paper feed tray. The operator performs print settings of the second printer 200b via the printer driver 120 on the client PC 100, and repeats the above operation five times while causing the second printer 200b to print the remaining pages. It is possible to create 5 copies of documents exceeding the limit.

  As described above, according to the processing shown in steps S105 to S106 in FIG. 6, first, it is determined whether or not the number of inserted pages exceeds the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray. If the number of inserted pages is less than or equal to the maximum number of sheets that can be accommodated in the paper feed tray, the offset offset paper ejection that shifts the paper ejection position by one is selected, and the number of inserted pages corresponds to the maximum capacity of the paper feed tray. When the number of sheets exceeds the number of sheets, the number of sheets is offset for each copy, and the sheet-offset sheet discharge for shifting the sheet discharge position in the sheet bundle by one sheet is selected. According to such a configuration, even when the number of inserted pages exceeds the maximum number of sheets that can be accommodated in the paper feed tray, a sheet bundle is set in the paper feed tray and the second printer 200b prints the remaining pages while Collation of printed materials can be performed.

  On the other hand, in the process shown in step S105, when it is determined that the number of inserted pages does not exceed the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray (step S105: NO), the controller 210a obtains the paper obtained by performing the offset offset paper ejection. It is determined whether or not the number of bundles exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 (step S107). More specifically, the controller 210a first performs a copy offset discharge that shifts the paper discharge position for each copy in the sort discharge in which the operation of outputting the inserted pages one by one in the page order is repeated for the specified number of copies. To recognize the number of sheet bundles obtained (that is, the designated number of copies). Then, the controller 210a determines whether or not the number of paper bundles exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b.

  When it is determined that the number of sheet bundles does not exceed the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 (step S107: NO), the controller 210a maintains the paper sheet offset discharge method at the number of sheet offset discharge. The process is terminated. As a result, the first printer 200a performs the sheet discharge operation for outputting the inserted pages one by one in the order of the pages, while performing the sorted paper discharge so that the paper discharge position is shifted for each copy. become.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the number of sheet bundles exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 (step S107: YES), the controller 210a changes the number of offset copies according to the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray (step S108). ), The process is terminated. More specifically, the controller 210a aligns and outputs the paper so that the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by performing the offset copy discharge is equal to or less than the maximum number of sheets stored in the paper feed tray. The number of copies (the number of offset copies) is changed, and the process ends.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print job in which the offset number of sheets to be sorted and discharged is changed. In FIG. 9, when 10 copies of a 10-page document are printed, the number of inserted pages is 4 pages (first, third, fifth, and seventh pages), and the paper feed tray of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b. Assume that the number is “2” and the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray is “30”.

  In this case, since the number of inserted pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224, first, the ejection method of the inserted pages is switched from group ejection to sort ejection. As a result, the first printer 200a performs sort discharge that repeats the operation of outputting the inserted pages one by one in the page order (first, third, fifth, and seventh pages) ten times.

  In FIG. 9, since the number of sheet bundles (10 copies) obtained by performing the offset offset discharge for each copy exceeds the number of paper feed trays, the number of offset copies is a maximum value equal to or less than the maximum accommodated number of sheets. Part (28 sheets). As a result, the first printer 200a aligns the paper discharge position and outputs seven copies of the inserted page, and then shifts the paper discharge position and outputs the remaining three copies. The operator sets seven paper bundles in the first paper feed tray of the second printer 200b, and sets the remaining three copies in the second paper feed tray. Then, the operator performs print settings for the second printer 200b via the printer driver 120 on the client PC 100, and causes the second printer 200b to print the remaining pages and collate the printed material.

  As described above, according to the processing shown in steps S107 to S108 in FIG. 6, first, is the number of sheet bundles obtained by performing the offset offset paper discharge for each copy exceeding the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224? It is determined whether or not. When the number of sheet bundles exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224, the number of offset copies is changed according to the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray. According to such a configuration, since the number of sheet bundles is reduced, it is possible to reduce the time and effort required for the operator to repeatedly set the sheet bundles on the paper feed tray of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in the process shown in step S103 of FIG. 6 that the number of inserted pages does not exceed the number of paper feed trays (step S103: NO), the controller 210a obtains the paper obtained by performing the offset copy paper discharge. It is determined whether or not the number of sheets in the bundle exceeds the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the sheet feed tray (step S109). More specifically, the controller 210a first obtains a bundle of sheets obtained by performing a set-offset sheet discharge for shifting the sheet discharge position for each specified number of copies in the group discharge for outputting each page of the insertion page by the specified number of copies. The number of sheets (that is, the designated number of copies) is recognized. Then, the controller 210a determines whether or not the number of sheets in the sheet bundle exceeds the maximum number of sheets stored in the sheet feed tray of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b.

  When determining that the number of sheets in the sheet bundle does not exceed the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the sheet feed tray (step S109: NO), the controller 210a ends the process. As a result, the first printer 200a performs the group discharge for outputting the insertion page by the designated number of copies for each page, and performs the offset discharge of the number of copies for shifting the paper discharge position by the designated number of copies (that is, for each page). It becomes like this. First, the operator sets a sheet bundle of each page obtained by performing the offset offset discharge for each designated number of copies on each sheet feed tray of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b. Then, the operator performs print settings for the second printer 200b via the printer driver 120 on the client PC 100, and causes the second printer 200b to print the remaining pages and collate the printed material.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the number of sheets in the sheet bundle exceeds the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray (step S109: YES), the controller 210a changes the number of offset copies in accordance with the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray (step S110). ), The process is terminated. More specifically, the controller 210a aligns and outputs the paper so that the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by performing the offset copy discharge is equal to or less than the maximum number of sheets stored in the paper feed tray. The number of copies (the number of offset copies) is changed, and the process ends.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print job in which the offset number of sheets discharged from the group is changed. In FIG. 10, when 40 copies of a 10-page document are printed, the number of inserted pages is 3 pages (first, third, and fifth pages), and the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b is the same. It is assumed that “4” and the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray is “30”.

  In this case, since the number of inserted pages is equal to or less than the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224, the ejection method of the inserted pages is maintained as group ejection. As a result, the first printer 200a performs group discharge that outputs 40 copies of each inserted page.

  In FIG. 10, since the number of sheets (40 sheets) of the sheet bundle obtained by performing the offset offset sheet discharge exceeds the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the sheet feed tray, for each page of the insertion page, 30 sheets bundle and 10 The number of offset copies is changed so that a sheet bundle is generated. As a result, the first printer 200a performs the first offset 30 copies, the third page 30 copies, the fifth page 30 copies, the first page 10 copies, the third page 10 copies, and the fifth page 10 copies by the copy offset discharge. The sheet bundles are output in order.

  The operator sequentially takes out the sheet bundle from the paper discharge unit 225 of the first printer 200a, and 30 pages for the first page and 30 pages for the third page in the first to third paper feed trays of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b. , And 30 sheet bundles for the 5th page. Then, the operator performs print settings for the second printer 200b, performs collation while causing the second printer 200b to print the remaining pages, and creates 30 copies of a 10-page document. Thereafter, the operator sets a sheet bundle of 10 pages for the first page, 10 pages for the third page, and 10 pages for the fifth page in the first to third sheet feeding trays of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b. Then, the operator performs collation while printing the remaining pages on the second printer 200b, and creates 10 copies of a 10-page document.

  As described above, according to the processing shown in steps S107 to S108 in FIG. 6, first, the number of sheets in the sheet bundle of each page discharged in the group is the maximum capacity of the sheet feeding tray of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b. It is determined whether or not the number is exceeded. When the number of sheets in the sheet bundle exceeds the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the sheet feed tray, the number of offset copies is changed according to the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the sheet feed tray. According to such a configuration, the number of sheets per sheet is reduced, so that the sheet bundle can be set on the paper feed tray of the inserter 224.

  As described above, according to the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, when the first printer 200a and the second printer 200b perform cluster printing, the first printer 200a is selected according to the performance of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b. The paper discharge method is switched. Specifically, for example, when the number of inserted pages printed by the first printer 200a exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b, the paper discharge method is changed from group discharge to sort discharge. Can be switched. According to such a configuration, even when the number of document pages printed by the first printer 200a exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b, the remaining pages are printed by the second printer 200b. However, collation of printed matter can be performed.

  Hereinafter, the effect of the print control process will be described more specifically with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the effect of the print control process. In FIG. 11, when two copies of a 10-page document are printed, the number of inserted pages is 4 pages (first, third, fifth, and seventh pages), and the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b is the same. Assume that it is “2”.

  In this case, if group discharge is performed, as shown in FIG. 11A, a sheet bundle (5th and 7th pages) that cannot be set in the paper feed tray is generated, so the second printer 200b causes the remaining pages to be set. The printed material cannot be collated while printing.

  On the other hand, according to the print control process of the present embodiment, when the number of inserted pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays, the ejection method of the inserted pages is switched from group ejection to sort ejection, and FIG. ), It becomes possible to set all the sheet bundles in the sheet feeding tray. Therefore, even when the number of inserted pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b, it is possible to collate the printed material while printing the remaining pages by the second printer 200b. .

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the first printer 200a performs offset paper discharge that shifts and outputs the paper discharge position of the inserted page. However, the first printer 200a may output the paper of the insertion page by aligning the paper discharge positions of all the papers without performing offset paper discharge.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays of the inserter 224 of the second printer 200b is all the same has been described as an example. However, the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray may be different for each paper feed tray. In this case, the controller 210a outputs the paper with the paper discharge positions aligned by offset paper discharge according to the maximum number of sheets accommodated in each paper feed tray or according to the minimum value among the maximum number of sheets accommodated in a plurality of paper feed trays. Change the number of copies and the number of sheets.

  In the above-described embodiment, the controllers 210a to 210d are built in the first to fourth printers 200a to 200d. However, the controllers 210a to 210d may be provided separately from the first to fourth printers 200a to 200d. In this case, for example, one controller may control two printers (printer engines).

  In the embodiment described above, the case where the JDF / JMF Known Devices command of the printing business standard is used as the device information 400 of the inserter 224 has been described as an example. However, the device information of the inserter 224 may be various types of information such as information stored in a management information base (MIB) of the printer.

  The means and method for performing various processes in the printing system according to the above-described embodiment can be realized by either a dedicated hardware circuit or a programmed computer. The program may be provided by a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), or may be provided online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is usually transferred to and stored in a storage unit such as an HDD. The program may be provided as a single application software, or may be incorporated in the software of the apparatus as one function of the printing system.

100 client PCs,
101, 211 CPU,
102,212 memory,
103, 213 HDD,
104 display,
105 input devices,
106,215 Network communication I / F,
107, 217, 227 bus,
200a, 200b, 200c, 200d printer,
210a, 210b, 210c, 210d printer controller,
214 RIP section,
216 engine communication I / F,
220a, 220b, 220c, 220d printer engine,
221 operation panel,
222 paper feeder,
223 printing section,
224 Post Inserter,
225 paper discharge section,
226 Controller communication I / F,
300 network,
400 Device information.

Claims (12)

A first printing device that prints a part of a document page as an insertion page, and a sheet insertion that includes one or more sheet feeding trays and sequentially inserts the sheets stored in the sheet feeding tray between the sheets to be conveyed. And printing the remaining pages of the document, while the paper insertion device outputs the paper of the insertion page that has been output by the first printing device so that the output paper is arranged in the page order of the document. A printing control device for controlling the first printing device used in a printing system comprising a second printing device inserted between predetermined sheets,
A first recognition unit that analyzes a print job and recognizes the number of inserted pages;
A second recognition unit that acquires information related to the paper insertion device of the second printing device and recognizes the number of paper feed trays of the paper insertion device;
A first determination unit for determining whether or not the number of pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays;
When the first determination unit determines that the number of pages does not exceed the number of paper feed trays, as a discharge method of the first printing apparatus, a group discharge that outputs the insertion page by a specified number of copies for each page. And when the first determination unit determines that the number of pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays, sort discharge is selected that repeats the operation of outputting the inserted pages one by one in order of pages. A first selection unit;
A printing control apparatus. The first printing apparatus performs offset paper discharge that shifts and outputs a paper discharge position;
The print control device includes:
A third recognizing unit for recognizing the maximum number of sheets stored in the paper feed tray of the paper insertion device;
A second determination unit configured to determine whether the number of pages exceeds the maximum number of stored sheets when the first determination unit determines that the number of pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays;
When the second determination unit determines that the number of pages does not exceed the maximum number of sheets that can be accommodated, the discharge method of the first printing apparatus shifts the discharge position of the sheets to be sorted and discharged one by one. When the first offset discharge method is selected and the second determination unit determines that the number of pages exceeds the maximum number of sheets, the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by performing offset discharge is the maximum number of sheets stored. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second selection unit that selects a second offset paper discharge method that shifts the paper discharge position in units of paper so that the following maximum value is obtained. When the second determination unit determines that the number of pages does not exceed the maximum accommodation number, the number of sheet bundles obtained by performing the offset discharge for each copy by the first offset discharge method is A third determination unit for determining whether or not the number of paper feed trays is exceeded;
When the third determining unit determines that the number of the sheet bundle exceeds the number of the sheet feeding trays, the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by performing the offset sheet discharge becomes a maximum value equal to or less than the maximum accommodation number. The print control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a first setting unit that changes a number of copies to be output by aligning the discharge positions by offset discharge. The first printing device performs an offset discharge to output the paper by shifting the paper discharge position for each specified number of copies when performing the group discharge.
The print control device includes:
A third recognizing unit for recognizing the maximum number of sheets stored in the paper feed tray of the paper insertion device;
When the first determination unit determines that the number of pages does not exceed the number of paper feed trays, the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by performing the offset discharge for each specified number of copies is equal to the maximum number of sheets accommodated. A fourth determination unit for determining whether or not to exceed,
When the fourth determining unit determines that the number of sheets exceeds the maximum accommodated number of sheets, the offset is set so that the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by performing the offset discharge becomes a maximum value equal to or less than the maximum accommodated number of sheets. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second setting unit configured to change a number of copies to be output by aligning a discharge position by discharging.   When the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays is different for each of the paper feed trays, according to the maximum accommodation number of the paper feed trays or among the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays The print control apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the number of copies to be output by aligning the discharge positions is changed by offset discharge according to the minimum value.   When the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays is different for each of the paper feed trays, according to the maximum accommodation number of the paper feed trays or among the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays The print control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the number of sheets to be output with the discharge positions aligned is changed by offset discharge according to the minimum value. A first printing device that prints a part of a document page as an insertion page, and a sheet insertion that includes one or more sheet feeding trays and sequentially inserts the sheets stored in the sheet feeding tray between the sheets to be conveyed. And printing the remaining pages of the document, while the paper insertion device outputs the paper of the insertion page that has been output by the first printing device so that the output paper is arranged in the page order of the document. A printing control method for controlling the first printing device used in a printing system comprising a second printing device inserted between predetermined sheets,
Analyzing the print job and recognizing the number of the inserted pages (a);
Obtaining information related to the paper insertion device of the second printing device and recognizing the number of paper feed trays of the paper insertion device;
A step (c) of determining whether or not the number of pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays;
When it is determined in step (c) that the number of pages does not exceed the number of paper feed trays, the first printing apparatus ejects a group paper that outputs the inserted pages by a specified number of copies per page. When it is determined in step (c) that the number of pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays, the sort paper discharge for repeating the operation for outputting the inserted pages one by one in page order is selected. Step (d);
A printing control method. The first printing apparatus performs offset paper discharge that shifts and outputs a paper discharge position;
The printing control method includes:
Recognizing the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray of the paper insertion device;
If it is determined in step (d) that the number of pages exceeds the number of paper feed trays, step (f) for determining whether the number of pages exceeds the maximum number of sheets accommodated;
If it is determined in step (f) that the number of pages does not exceed the maximum number of sheets to be accommodated, as a discharge method of the first printing apparatus, the discharge position of the sheets to be sorted is shifted by one copy. When the first offset paper discharge method is selected and it is determined in step (f) that the number of pages exceeds the maximum number of sheets to be stored, the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by performing offset paper discharge is the maximum number of sheets to be stored. The print control method according to claim 7, further comprising a step (g) of selecting a second offset paper discharge method for shifting the paper discharge position in units of paper so that the following maximum value is obtained. If it is determined in step (f) that the number of pages does not exceed the maximum number of sheets to be accommodated, the number of sheet bundles obtained by performing offset discharge for each copy by the first offset discharge method is calculated as follows. Determining whether or not the number of paper feed trays is exceeded (h);
If it is determined in step (h) that the number of sheet bundles exceeds the number of sheet feeding trays, the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by performing the offset sheet discharge becomes a maximum value equal to or less than the maximum accommodation number. The printing control method according to claim 8, further comprising a step (i) of changing the number of copies to be output by aligning the discharge positions by offset discharge. The first printing device performs an offset discharge to output the paper by shifting the paper discharge position for each specified number of copies when performing the group discharge.
The printing control method includes:
Recognizing the maximum number of sheets accommodated in the paper feed tray of the paper insertion device;
If it is determined in step (d) that the number of pages does not exceed the number of paper feed trays, the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by performing the offset paper discharge for each of the designated number of copies is equal to the maximum number of stored sheets. Step (j) for determining whether or not to exceed,
If it is determined in step (j) that the number of sheets exceeds the maximum accommodated number of sheets, the offset is set so that the number of sheets in the sheet bundle obtained by performing the offset discharge becomes a maximum value equal to or less than the maximum accommodated number of sheets. The print control method according to claim 7, further comprising a step (k) of changing a number of copies to be output by aligning a discharge position by discharging.   When the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays is different for each of the paper feed trays, according to the maximum accommodation number of the paper feed trays or among the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays The print control method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the number of copies to be output with the paper discharge positions aligned is changed by offset paper discharge according to the minimum value.   When the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays is different for each of the paper feed trays, according to the maximum accommodation number of the paper feed trays or among the maximum accommodation number of the plurality of paper feed trays The print control method according to claim 8, wherein the number of sheets to be output with the discharge positions aligned is changed by offset discharge according to the minimum value.