JP2018202845A - Image formation method and image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image formation method that can prevent occurrence of wrong sheet-abutment direction to a back gage of a cutting machine.SOLUTION: When an image is formed on a plurality of sheets to be a sheet bundle, an image formation method includes printing cutting information 301 that indicates an abutting direction of a sheet bundle on a back gage of a cutting machine, on a sheet 201 that comes to the beginning when at least a sheet bundle is placed on the cutting machine.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming method and an image forming apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus forms (prints) an image on a sheet. The paper on which the image is formed may be cut into a printed material having a size desired by the user.

  The cutting machine is provided with a back gauge for determining the cutting position. The user can determine the cutting position of the sheet bundle by moving the back gauge. Then, the user can cut a plurality of sheets in the sheet bundle at a desired position by cutting the sheet bundle against the positioned back gauge.

  By the way, it is usually a user (person) who sets and cuts a bundle of printed sheets on the cutting machine. For this reason, if the direction in which the sheet bundle strikes the back gauge is wrong, cutting cannot be performed accurately.

  As a conventional technique for solving such a problem, there is a cutting machine provided with an image display device and a storage unit for storing a print image. In this cutting machine, an image printed on a sheet to be cut before cutting is stored in a storage unit, and the printed image is displayed on an image display device at the time of cutting. This display is switched (rotated) for each cutting. The user views the screen displayed on the image display device and places the pattern of the sheet bundle to be cut on the cutting machine in accordance with the display on the screen. Since the screen is switched for each cutting, the direction of the sheet bundle is changed accordingly. Accordingly, it is supposed that the sheet bundle can be cut without mistakes (Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-279713 A

  However, in the prior art, it is necessary to transfer the print image to the cutting machine and store it, or to input an instruction to rotate the display of the image. For this reason, it can be realized only with such an image display device or a high-function cutting machine with a storage unit.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method in which a sheet bundle is abutted against the back gauge of the cutting machine even when a cutting machine having no special function other than the cutting for storing or displaying the printed image is used. An object is to provide an image forming method and an image forming apparatus capable of preventing mistakes.

  The above object is achieved by the following means.

  (1) When an image is formed on a plurality of sheets to be a sheet bundle, the sheet bundle is abutted against a back gauge of the cutting machine at least at a leading sheet when the sheet bundle is placed on the cutting machine. An image forming method for printing cutting information indicating a direction.

  (2) The image forming method according to (1), wherein the sheet bundle includes a plurality of divided sheet bundles, and the cutting information is printed on a leading sheet of each divided sheet bundle.

  (3) The sheet bundle is composed of a plurality of subdivided sheet bundles, and the top information indicating the top of the subdivided sheet bundle is printed on the top sheet of each subdivided sheet bundle. Or the image forming method according to (2).

  (4) The image forming method according to (2) or (3), wherein the number of sheets in the plurality of subdivided sheet bundles is a fixed number of sheets set arbitrarily.

  (5) The image forming method according to (2) or (3), wherein the number of sheets in the subdivided paper bundle is composed of a number of sheets arbitrarily set for each subdivided paper bundle.

  (6) The image forming method according to (4) or (5), wherein the number of sheets is the number obtained by counting sheets output to a predetermined output tray after printing.

  (7) The image forming method according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein cutting order information indicating a cutting order is printed together with the cutting information.

  (8) If there is a margin of a size necessary for printing the cutting information based on the size of the leading paper and the size of the image area to be printed on the paper, the cutting information is printed on the margin. If there is no margin of a size necessary for printing the cutting information, a sheet is added and the cutting information is printed on the added sheet. Any one of (1) to (7) The image forming method described in 1.

(9) an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet;
Cutting information indicating a direction of abutting against the back gauge of the cutting machine is printed on at least a sheet of the bundle of sheets bundled by the image forming unit that is placed on the cutting machine. A control unit for controlling the image forming unit;
An image forming apparatus.

  (10) The image forming apparatus according to (9), wherein the control unit performs control so that the cutting information is printed on a leading sheet of each of a plurality of subdivided sheet bundles to be the sheet bundle.

  (11) The control unit performs control so as to print a leading mark indicating the leading edge of the subdivided sheet bundle on each leading sheet of the plurality of subdivided sheet bundles to be the sheet bundle. The image forming apparatus according to (9) or (10) above.

(12) an operation display unit that receives an input of the number of sheets in the subdivided sheet bundle by the user;
The image forming apparatus according to (10) or (11), wherein the number of sheets in the plurality of divided sheet bundles is a fixed number of sheets arbitrarily set by input from the operation display unit.

(13) an operation display unit that receives an input of the number of sheets in the subdivided sheet bundle by the user;
The number of sheets in the subdivided paper bundle is the number of sheets arbitrarily set for each subdivided paper bundle by input from the operation display unit, according to (10) or (11) above. Image forming apparatus.

  (14) The image according to (12) or (13), wherein the control unit sets the number of sheets obtained by counting sheets output to a predetermined output tray after printing. Forming equipment.

  (15) The control unit according to any one of (9) to (14), wherein the control unit controls the image forming unit to print cutting order information indicating a cutting order together with the cutting information. Image forming apparatus.

  (16) If there is a margin of a size necessary for printing the cutting information based on the size of the leading sheet and the size of the image area to be printed on the sheet, the control unit sets the margin in the margin. (9) to (15), wherein the cutting information is printed, and if there is no margin of a size necessary for printing the cutting information, a sheet is added and the cutting information is printed on the added sheet. The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above.

  According to the present invention, since the cutting information indicating the direction in which the sheet bundle is placed on the cutting machine is printed at the time of image formation, the user can easily know the direction in which the sheet bundle strikes the back gauge of the cutting machine. be able to. Therefore, even if the cutting machine does not have a special function, it is possible to prevent a mistake in the paper abutting direction with respect to the back gauge of the cutting machine.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the case where it cuts | butts in a correct direction with respect to the back gauge of a cutting machine, and is cut. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the case where it cut | disconnects in a wrong direction with respect to the back gauge of a cutting machine. FIG. 6 is a front view of a sheet showing a first example of a sheet on which cutting information is printed. It is a surface view of the paper which shows the 2nd example of the paper which printed cutting information. It is a screen example figure for demonstrating an example of the setting screen of cutting information. It is a surface view of the paper which shows the 3rd example of the paper which printed cutting information. It is a surface view of the paper which shows the 4th example of the paper which printed cutting information. It is a screen example figure for demonstrating an example of the setting screen of a head mark. It is a surface view of the paper which shows the 5th example of the paper which printed cutting information. It is a screen example figure for demonstrating an example of the setting screen of a cutting order information. It is a surface view of the paper which shows the 6th example of the paper which printed cutting information. It is a surface view of the paper which shows the 7th example of the paper which printed cutting information. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence which prints cutting information. It is a principal part perspective view for demonstrating a cutting machine.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. In addition, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation, and may be different from the actual ratios.

(Image forming device)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus 10 includes a control unit 110, an image forming unit 120, a fixing unit 130, an operation display unit 140, a storage unit 150, a communication unit 160, an image reading unit 170, a paper feeding / conveying unit 180, and electrically connecting them. The signal line 190 is provided.

  The control unit 110 includes a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM like a general computer. The control unit 110 appropriately reads various programs stored in the storage unit 150 and develops them on a RAM, and the CPU executes them to implement various functions of the image forming apparatus 10. In particular, in the present embodiment, the control unit 110 controls the image forming unit 120 for image formation (printing) of cutting information described later.

  The image forming unit 120 includes developing units 121Y to 121K corresponding to toners of Y, M, C, and K colors. The toner images formed through the charging, exposure, and development processes by the developing units 121 </ b> Y to 121 </ b> K are sequentially stacked on the intermediate transfer belt 122 and transferred onto the paper S by the secondary transfer roller 123.

  The fixing unit 130 includes a heating roller including a heater, a fixing roller, a stretching roller, a fixing belt wound around these rollers, and the like, and fixes the image transferred onto the paper S.

  The operation display unit 140 is, for example, a touch sensor superimposed on a display surface of a liquid crystal display, and displays an operation screen or receives input of various operations by a user.

  The storage unit 150 is an auxiliary storage device configured by a semiconductor memory such as an HDD or an SSD. The storage unit 150 performs temporary storage of received jobs, temporary storage of job images after rasterization, and the like. In the present embodiment, figures, characters, and the like serving as cutting information are also stored.

  The communication unit 160 includes a network interface such as a LAN, and is connected to an external device such as a personal computer (PC) 195. A job to be printed is input from the personal computer 195 or the like via the communication unit 160. The received job is temporarily stored in the storage unit 150 and image formation is performed under the control of the control unit 110.

  The image reading unit 170 reads an image from a printed material. The read image is image-formed by the image forming unit 120 as one job under the control of the control unit 110, for example, during a copying operation.

  The paper feeding / conveying unit 180 includes a plurality of paper feeding trays 181 and 182 and a plurality of conveyance roller pairs driven by a conveyance motor (not shown). A large number of sheets S are stored in the sheet feeding trays 181 and 182. The sheets S stored in the sheet feeding trays 181 and 182 are sent out one by one from the top and conveyed toward the image forming unit 120. At this time, the sheet S fed to the registration roller pair 185 is abutted to correct the inclination, and the conveyance timing is adjusted.

  A main tray 188 and a sub-tray 189 that receive paper output after printing are provided outside the casing of the image forming apparatus 10.

(Explanation of cutting position)
The cutting machine will be described. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a main part for explaining the cutting machine.

  The cutting machine 500 includes a cutting table 501 on which the sheet bundle 200 is placed, a cutting blade 502 that descends toward the cutting table 501 and cuts the sheet bundle 200, and a back gauge 503 that moves on the cutting table 501. The distance between the back gauge 503 and the cutting blade 502 on the cutting table 501 can be freely changed.

  The user moves the back gauge 503 to position the sheet bundle 200 at a position where it is desired to cut. Then, the user places the sheet bundle 200 on the cutting table 501 so as to abut against the back gauge 503, and lowers the cutting blade 502 to perform cutting.

  Here, the cutting machine 500 in which the distance to the cutting blade 502 is changed by moving the back gauge 503 has been described. However, such a form is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. It is not limited to using a cutting machine. For example, a cutting machine in which the back gauge is fixed and the distance from the back gauge changes as the cutting blade moves may be used. Even in such a cutting machine, a desired cutting position remains unchanged by abutting a sheet bundle against the back gauge.

  The image forming position and the cutting position on the paper will be described. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a case where the sheet is cut by being brought into contact with the back gauge of the cutting machine in the correct direction. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a case in which cutting is performed in a wrong direction against the back gauge of the cutting machine. Both drawings show three sheets 201 to 203 in a sheet bundle to be cut. However, the number of sheets in the sheet bundle to be cut is not limited to three.

  A plurality of sheets formed and output by the image forming apparatus 10 are transferred as a sheet bundle from the image forming apparatus 10 to the cutting machine, for example, by a user's hand carry. If the paper bundle is placed in the wrong direction when it is placed on the cutting machine, the cutting position shifts.

  A case where a sheet bundle is loaded in the correct direction on the cutting machine will be described. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the sheet bundle is placed so as to abut against the back gauge in the correct direction. Then, the sheets 201 to 203 of the sheet bundle are cut at a predetermined cutting position. As shown in FIG. 3, the image 250 formed on each of the sheets 201 to 203 is accurately cut at the position of the registration mark 401. The image 250 represents an image area, and the size of the image area may be equal to or slightly larger than the size of the paper after cutting. In the latter case, a printed matter having an image formed on the entire surface by cutting can be obtained.

  A case where a sheet bundle is loaded in the wrong direction on the cutting machine will be described. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the sheet bundle is placed so as to abut against the back gauge in the wrong direction. Then, the sheet is not cut at the determined cutting position.

  In image formation, an image forming position is determined using one or two sides of the paper as an image forming reference. Usually, this image formation reference is the side on the side where writing of one image line in the main scanning direction is started, or the side which is the front end in the paper transport direction which is the sub scanning direction.

  The position of the first back gauge at the time of cutting is usually the distance from the sheet edge on one side, which is the image forming reference, to the cutting position. For this reason, if the side that is the image forming reference is first brought into contact with the back gauge and cut, it is cut at a predetermined position. However, if a side that is not the image formation reference is cut and cut, the cutting position is shifted because the cutting is performed from a side that is not originally a reference. In this case, on the cut paper, the positions of the drawn characters and images are shifted from the positions determined with respect to the paper. Such a problem may occur due to variations in paper size. For example, this is a case where the size of the paper is slightly different for each paper. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the second sheet 202 is slightly shorter than the other sheets. The third sheet 203 is slightly longer. If the abutting direction is wrong in a bundle of sheets including these sheets, the cutting position comes to the outside of the register mark 401 in the second sheet 202. As a result, an unscheduled white portion is generated outside the image 250. On the other hand, on the third sheet 203, the cutting position comes inside the register mark 401. Then, the image 250 is cut (unnecessarily).

  In the present embodiment, the cutting information indicating the direction of abutment against the back gauge is printed so as not to make a mistake in the direction of abutment against the back gauge at the time of cutting unintentionally by the user.

  The cutting information is printed on the surface of the uppermost sheet (first sheet) of the sheet bundle that is at least one unit when cutting. In this specification, the surface of the paper is a surface that can be seen in a state where the paper bundle is placed on the cutting machine. When the sheet bundle is cut together without being divided, the sheet is the uppermost or lowermost sheet in a state where the sheet bundle is placed on an output tray (described later) of the image forming apparatus 10.

  Hereinafter, a printing example of the cutting information will be described.

(First example)
FIG. 5 is a front view of a sheet showing a first example of a sheet on which cutting information is printed.

  In the first example, as shown in FIG. 5, an arrow indicating the direction of abutment against the back gauge is printed as the cutting information 301 on the margin of the first sheet 201 of the sheet bundle. Here, as the cutting information 301, an arrow 301a indicating a side on the image writing position side in the main scanning direction and an arrow 301b indicating a side serving as a tip in the sub-scanning direction (conveyance direction) are printed. The same applies to other examples described later. Note that the direction indicated as the cutting information 301 may be a direction arbitrarily determined by the user. The same applies to other examples described later.

  In this first example, the cutting information 301 is printed on the first sheet (first sheet 201) of the sheet bundle, and the other sheets (second sheet 202, third sheet 203) are printed. Do not print on. Here, the blank portion is a portion that is not formed with the image 250 (image region) and is cut off at the time of cutting. When printing the registration marks 401, the outside of the registration marks 401 is usually a margin. The direction of the arrow indicates the direction that is the image formation reference, that is, the direction that abuts against the back gauge.

  An arrow which is a pattern of the cutting information 301 is stored in the storage unit 150. When the cutting information 301 is printed, the arrow is read from the storage unit 150 and printed. The same applies to other examples below. A processing procedure for printing the cutting information 301 will be described later.

  By printing the cutting information 301 in this way, the user can cut at an appropriate cutting position by simply placing the sheet bundle against the back gauge in the direction of the arrow that is the cutting information 301 and placing it on the cutting machine. it can. For this reason, even if there is no special function such as storing the print image on the cutting machine or displaying it, cutting is performed at an appropriate cutting position without performing any special operation on the cutting machine side. be able to.

(Second example)
FIG. 6 is a front view of a sheet showing a second example of the sheet on which the cutting information 301 is printed.

  In the second example, as shown in FIG. 6, the cutting information 301 is printed on the first sheet of each sheet bundle subdivided for each predetermined number of sheets. In this example, the cutting information 301 is printed every third sheet. Therefore, printing is performed on the first sheet 201, the fourth sheet 204, and the seventh sheet 207.

  When the cutting information 301 is printed at such a predetermined interval, the control unit 110 displays a setting screen for that purpose on the operation display unit 140, and is set by receiving input from the user.

  FIG. 7 is a screen example for explaining an example of a setting screen for the cutting information 301.

  In this setting screen, a fixed interval is set as the number of sheet bundles subdivided as a cut bundle. In the screen example of FIG. 7, the setting value = 3 sheets. Also, at which position the trimming information 301 is printed when the trimming bundle is set. In the screen example of FIG. 7, only the first page (circle) is shown. With this setting, the cutting information 301 is printed every three sheets.

  In this example, the cutting information 301 is printed every three sheets. However, the interval (number of sheets) for printing the cutting information 301 may be any number. Moreover, it does not need to be a fixed interval (number of sheets), and may be an arbitrary interval. When the arbitrary setting is selected, the number of sheets in each bundle can be arbitrarily set, such as 5 sheets for the first bundle and 10 sheets for the second bundle.

  The paper bundles thus subdivided into one cut bundle, and the cutting information 301 is printed on the top papers 201, 204, and 207, so that the front side of each of the subdivided paper bundles is cut. Information 301 can be seen. Therefore, it is possible to perform cutting at an appropriate cutting position only by placing each subdivided sheet bundle (cutting bundle) on the cutting machine so that the direction of the arrow hits the back gauge. This is particularly effective when image formation is continuously performed so that one large sheet bundle is formed during image formation, and the large sheet bundle is cut out as a predetermined sheet bundle from the large sheet bundle and cut. is there.

(Third example)
FIG. 8 is a front view of a sheet showing a third example of the sheet on which the cutting information 301 is printed.

  In the third example, as shown in FIG. 8, an arrow indicating the direction of abutment against the back gauge is printed as the cutting information 301 on the margins of all the sheets 201 to 207 of the sheet bundle.

  In this way, when the user places the sheet bundle on the cutting machine, for example, even when the printed sheet bundle is divided and cut at an arbitrary position, the top of the divided sheet bundle is used. An arrow as cutting information 301 is seen on the paper surface. Therefore, the divided sheet bundle can be cut at an appropriate cutting position only by being placed on the cutting machine so that the direction of the arrow hits the back gauge.

(Fourth example)
FIG. 9 is a front view of a sheet showing a fourth example of the sheet on which the cutting information 301 is printed.

  In the fourth example, as shown in FIG. 9, an arrow as the cutting information 301 is printed on the margins of all the sheets 201 to 207 of the sheet bundle, and the first sheets 201, 204, And 207, a head mark 302, that is, head information indicating the head is printed. In this example, the leading mark 302 is printed every third sheet.

  When the head mark 302 is printed at such a predetermined interval, the setting screen for that is displayed on the operation display unit 140 by the control unit 110 and is set by receiving an input from the user.

  FIG. 10 is a screen example for explaining an example of the setting screen for the head mark 302.

  On this setting screen, a setting is made to print the cutting information 301 on all sheets of the sheet bundle to be cut (all pages are printed). As a setting for printing the leading mark 302, in FIG. 10, the set value = 3 at regular intervals.

  In this example, the top mark 302 is printed every three sheets, but naturally the interval (number of sheets) for printing the leading mark 302 may be any number. Moreover, it may not be every fixed interval (number of sheets), and may be an arbitrary interval.

  By printing the leading mark 302 on the leading sheets 201, 204 and 207 of the bundle of sheets to be subdivided in this way, it becomes possible to identify the bundle of sheets to be subdivided. In this fourth example, since the cutting information 301 is printed on all the sheets 201 to 207, for example, when a sheet bundle is placed on the cutting machine, the cutting information 301 is divided into appropriate numbers and then cut. The bundle can be recreated with reference to the head mark 302. Of course, in this example, as in the other examples, the sheet bundle can be cut at an appropriate cutting position by simply placing the sheet bundle on the cutting machine so that the direction of the arrow hits the back gauge for each divided sheet bundle.

(Fifth example)
FIG. 11 is a front view of a sheet showing a fifth example of the sheet on which the cutting information 301 is printed. In FIG. 11, only the first sheet 201 of the sheet bundle is shown.

  In the fifth example, as shown in FIG. 11, an arrow as the cutting information 301 is printed on the margin of the first sheet 201 (or all sheets) of the sheet bundle, and the cutting order is indicated. The cutting order information 303 is printed. In this example, the cutting order information 303 indicates the cutting order and direction.

  In the example shown in FIG. In order to cut in the direction indicated by the first arrow, the sheet bundle is abutted against the back gauge in accordance with the arrow 301a of the cutting information 301 and placed on the cutting machine. As a result, the sheet is cut in the direction indicated by the first arrow. Next, the sheet bundle is rotated and abutted against the back gauge so that the second position is cut. Further, in order to cut No. 3, the sheet bundle is cut against the back gauge in accordance with the arrow 301b of the cutting information 301. This cuts the third position. In this example, the setting is made such that the third facing side (front end in the sub-scanning direction) is not cut.

  FIG. 11 shows a state in which a sheet bundle is placed in the direction in which No. 1 is cut. In this state, the display of “2” is reversed with respect to the display of “1”. This is so that the display of “2” faces the user when the sheet bundle is rotated so that the position 2 is cut and abutted against the back gauge. The same applies to the third printing direction. Therefore, it is also useful to determine an appropriate cutting direction by placing the sheet bundle so that the numbers indicating the cutting order face each other. Of course, the display of the cutting order information 303 is arbitrary, and printing may be performed so that all the numbers face each other when the first number is cut. In that case, it becomes easier to see the next cutting order.

  The cutting order information 303 is set by the control unit 110 displaying a setting screen for the cutting order information 303 on the operation display unit 140 and receiving an input from the user.

  FIG. 12 is a screen example for explaining an example of a setting screen for the cutting order information 303.

  On this setting screen, whether to print in the cutting direction is set. Here, “present” is set, and “absent” is grayed out. Conversely, when “none” is set, other items may be grayed out. As cutting positions, there are front and rear in the main scanning direction and front and rear ends in the sub-scanning direction, and the cutting order can be input by numbers. The front and back in the main scanning direction are the positions when the user looks at the sheet from the user standing in front of the image forming apparatus 10. As the apparatus reference, the front in the main scanning direction is the writing end position side in the main scanning direction. The back in the main scanning direction is the writing start position side. The reason why the front side in the main scanning direction is the first in the setting of FIGS. 11 and 12 is that the side on the writing position side in the main scanning direction first strikes the back gauge when cutting.

  By printing the cutting order information 303 in this way, the user can easily know where the second cutting position or the third cutting position is after cutting in accordance with the cutting information 301. Of course, in this example, as in the other examples, the sheet bundle is cut at an appropriate cutting position by simply placing the sheet bundle on the cutting machine so that the direction of the arrow of the cutting information 301 abuts the back gauge for each sheet bundle. Can do.

(Sixth example)
FIG. 13 is a front view of a sheet showing a sixth example of the sheet on which the cutting information 301 is printed.

  The sixth example is a modification of the above-described second example and fourth example. In the sixth example, as shown in FIG. 13, a sheet 210 different from other sheets is placed in the middle of the sheet bundle. In FIG. 13, the paper 210 is larger than the other papers 201 to 207. In addition, there are cases of paper and plastic sheets of different quality. The sheets 201 to 207 are set to be output to the main tray 188 which is a predetermined output tray, and the different sheets 210 are set to be output to the sub-tray 189. In the sixth example, only the sheets output to the main tray 188 are counted as the number of sheets when the cutting information 301 and the leading mark 302 are inserted at predetermined intervals, and the sheets output to the sub-tray 189 are not counted.

  As a result, the printed paper output to the main tray 188 becomes a paper bundle on which the cutting information 301 and the leading mark 302 are printed every predetermined number of sheets. FIG. 11 shows an example in which cutting information 301 is entered at predetermined intervals. The same applies when the head mark 302 is inserted.

(Seventh example)
FIG. 14 is a front view of a sheet showing a seventh example of the sheet on which the cutting information 301 is printed.

  The seventh example is a process in the case where there is no margin of a size necessary for printing the cutting information 301 on the sheet on which the cutting information 301 is printed. As shown in FIG. 14, the paper 201 has a large image 250 printed thereon and a small margin. For this reason, there is no blank space of a size necessary for entering the cutting information 301. In the seventh example, in such a case, the sheet 260 is added so that it becomes the head of the sheet bundle, and the cutting information 301 is printed on the added sheet 260.

  As in the second and fourth examples, when the cutting information 301 and the head mark 302 are put at the head of the paper bundle to be subdivided, if there is no margin on the paper on which they are printed, the paper is subdivided. It is preferable to print the cutting information 301 and the leading mark 302 by adding the sheet 260 to the head of each sheet bundle.

  As a result, the user can view the cutting information 301 on the front surface of the sheet 260 at the top of the sheet bundle. Therefore, even if the margin of the printed sheet is small, the user looks at the cutting information 301 displayed on the sheet added to the top of the sheet bundle, that is, the first sheet of the completed sheet bundle. The sheet bundle can be placed in an appropriate direction on the cutting machine, and can be cut at an appropriate cutting position.

(Processing procedure)
Next, a processing procedure for printing the cutting information 301 will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for printing the cutting information 301. This processing procedure is executed by the control unit 110.

  First, when a job to be printed is input and the control unit 110 receives a command to print the cutting information 301 from the operation display unit 140 (S10: YES), the control unit 110 displays information indicating the direction in which the paper is brought into contact with the back gauge at the time of cutting (the cutting unit). (Success information) is acquired (S11). The abutting information usually indicates a side that is an image forming reference. However, the user may set it arbitrarily. Note that if there is no print command for the cutting information 301 in S10, normal printing (S100) is performed, and when the printing operation is completed, the process is terminated and the process waits for the next job.

  Subsequently, the cutting setting information is acquired (S12). This stage is set when cutting information 301 and head mark 302 are printed at predetermined intervals as in the second and fourth examples, or when cutting order information 303 is set as in the fifth example. The setting information is read into etc.

  Subsequently, page information is acquired from the job information (S13). From the acquired page information, the size of the paper and the size of the image area in which the character string or image is drawn can be found.

  Subsequently, the main tray output counter (described later) is compared with the number of sheets set in the cutting setting in S12 to confirm whether the cutting information 301 is a sheet to be printed (S14). If the cutting information 301 is not a sheet to be printed (S14), the process proceeds to S31, where the page to be printed is rasterized as it is (S31), and printing is executed (S17). Thereafter, the sheet output to the main tray 188 is counted up and the main tray output counter is incremented (S18).

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the printing of the job is completed (S19). If the printing is not completed (S19: NO), the process returns to S13. If printing is completed (S19: YES), the process is terminated and the system waits for the next job.

  In S14, if it is a sheet on which the cutting information 301 is printed (S14: YES), it is then determined whether or not there is a margin for adding the cutting information 301 from the page information (S15). This determination is made by comparing the size of the paper on which the cutting information 301 is printed with the size of the image area of the job to be printed on the paper, and whether there is a margin of a size necessary for printing the cutting information 301. Judging. The size of the margin necessary for printing the cutting information 301 may be larger than the size of the cutting information 301 stored in the storage unit 150.

  If there is a margin necessary for printing the cutting information 301 (S15: YES), along with the image of the job, the image of the cutting information 301 according to the settings read in S12, the head mark 302 and the cutting order if there are settings. The combined image is rasterized so that the image of information 303 is printed (S16).

  Thereafter, printing is executed (S17). The paper output to the main tray 188 is counted up and the main tray output counter is incremented (S18). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the printing of the job is completed (S19). If the printing is not completed (S19: NO), the process returns to S13. If printing is completed (S19: YES), the process is terminated and the system waits for the next job.

  In S15, if there is no margin necessary for printing the cutting information 301 (S15: NO), one sheet is added, the image of the cutting information 301 is set according to the setting read in S12, and the head mark 302 is set if there is a setting. Then, the combined image is printed so that the image of the cutting order information 303 is printed, and the image such as the cutting information 301 is printed on the additional sheet (S30). Then, the page for which there is no blank space necessary for printing the cutting information 301 is rasterized as it is (S31).

  Thereafter, printing is executed (S17). The paper output to the main tray 188 is counted up and the main tray output counter is incremented (S18). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the printing of the job is completed (S19). If the printing is not completed (S19: NO), the process returns to S13. If printing is completed (S19: YES), the process is terminated and the system waits for the next job.

  Through the above processing, the cutting information 301, the leading mark 302, and the cutting order information 303 shown in the first to seventh examples are printed.

  Although the embodiments to which the present invention is applied have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, only one of the first to seventh examples may be implemented, or a combination of any of the plurality may be implemented.

  Further, the cutting information 301 is not limited to an arrow indicating a direction in which the cutting information 301 abuts against the back gauge. The cutting information 301 may be information for correctly placing a sheet bundle on the cutting machine. For example, it is good also as a character display of "back gauge side" in the direction which abuts against a back gauge. Conversely, a character display such as “user side” may be provided on the opposite side of the back gauge. The cutting information may be a combination of a pattern such as an arrow and characters.

  In the above procedure, the page information to be printed is acquired and rasterized one by one. However, a plurality of page information may be read to rasterize a plurality of pages at once or continuously. In this case, if the page to be rasterized is a sheet on which the cutting information 301 is printed, the cutting information 301 is added to the page for rasterization.

  In addition, the present invention can be variously modified based on the configurations described in the claims, and these are also within the scope of the present invention.

10 image forming apparatus,
110 control unit,
120 image forming unit,
140 operation display section,
150 storage unit,
170 image reading unit,
180 paper feeding and conveying section,
188 Main tray,
189 Sub-tray,
301 Cutting information,
302 First mark,
303 Cutting order information,
401 Dragonfly.

Claims (16)

  When forming an image on a plurality of sheets to be a sheet bundle, the direction in which the sheet bundle abuts against the back gauge of the cutting machine at least at the leading sheet when the sheet bundle is placed on the cutting machine is shown. An image forming method for printing cutting information.   The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the sheet bundle includes a plurality of divided sheet bundles, and the cutting information is printed on a first sheet of each divided sheet bundle.   3. The sheet bundle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sheet bundle is composed of a plurality of divided sheet bundles, and head information indicating the beginning of the subdivided sheet bundle is printed on a first sheet of each divided sheet bundle. The image forming method described.   The image forming method according to claim 2, wherein the number of sheets in the plurality of subdivided sheet bundles is a fixed number of sheets set arbitrarily.   4. The image forming method according to claim 2, wherein the number of sheets in the subdivided paper bundle is a sheet number arbitrarily set for each subdivided paper bundle. 5.   6. The image forming method according to claim 4, wherein the number of sheets is a number obtained by counting sheets output to a predetermined output tray after printing.   The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein cutting order information indicating a cutting order is printed together with the cutting information.   Based on the size of the leading paper and the size of the image area to be printed on the paper, if there is a margin of a size necessary for printing the cutting information, the cutting information is printed on the margin, The image formation according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein when there is no margin of a size necessary for printing the cutting information, a sheet is added and the cutting information is printed on the added sheet. Method. An image forming unit for forming an image on paper;
Cutting information indicating a direction of abutting against the back gauge of the cutting machine is printed on at least a sheet of the bundle of sheets bundled by the image forming unit that is placed on the cutting machine. A control unit for controlling the image forming unit;
An image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the control unit controls the cutting information to be printed on a leading sheet of each of a plurality of subdivided sheet bundles that form the sheet bundle.   The control unit performs control so as to print a head mark indicating the head of the paper bundle to be subdivided on the top paper of each of the plurality of paper bundles to be subdivided into the paper bundle. Or the image forming apparatus according to 10. An operation display unit for receiving an input of the number of sheets in the paper bundle to be subdivided by the user;
12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the number of sheets in the plurality of subdivided sheet bundles is a fixed number of sheets arbitrarily set by an input from the operation display unit. An operation display unit for receiving an input of the number of sheets in the paper bundle to be subdivided by the user;
12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the number of sheets in the subdivided paper bundle is a number of sheets arbitrarily set for each subdivided paper bundle by an input from the operation display unit. .   The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit sets the number of sheets as a number obtained by counting sheets output to a predetermined output tray after printing.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the control unit controls the image forming unit to print cutting order information indicating a cutting order together with the cutting information.   When there is a margin of a size necessary for printing the trimming information from the size of the leading sheet and the size of the image area to be printed on the sheet, the control unit includes the trimming information in the margin portion. 16. If there is no margin of a size necessary for printing the cutting information, a sheet is added and the cutting information is printed on the added sheet. The image forming apparatus described in 1.