JP2019138991A - Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a program that can notify a user of appropriate toner consumption when executing printing.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 comprises: a data acquisition unit 171 that acquires print data in one print job; an image processing unit 172 that converts the acquired print data into image data; a toner consumption calculation unit 175 that, when the data capacity Md does not exceed the free space Mb in memory 151 that stores the image data, calculates the amount of toner consumed in the printing based on the image data with a first calculation method, and when the data capacity Md exceeds the free space Mb, calculates the toner consumption with a second calculation method or a third calculation method; and a notification processing unit 176 that notifies a user of information on the calculated toner consumption.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

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

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus that forms an image with toner, the amount of toner consumed from a developing device by image formation is calculated, and when the calculated toner amount exceeds a threshold value, image forming for supplying replenishment toner to the developing device An apparatus has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the image forming apparatus, for example, an average value of the amount of toner consumed by image formation (printing) on the last 30 sheets is calculated, and when the calculated average value is smaller than a predetermined value, a low consumption tendency is set. If the average value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the tendency to high consumption is set. In the configuration in which toner supply is executed when the cumulative toner consumption amount becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value X, when the high consumption tendency is set, the threshold value X is set to the reference value X2 when the job is executed. On the other hand, when the low consumption tendency is set, the threshold value X is set to X1, which is larger than the high consumption tendency X2.

  According to the conventional technique, since the toner consumption amount can be grasped, it is possible to execute printing in consideration of the toner consumption amount.

JP 2010-160468 A

  However, in the conventional technique, the consumption tendency is set based on the amount of toner consumed by past printing. Thus, the consumption tendency set based on the past results is not necessarily suitable for the current image formation (job execution). For this reason, in the conventional technique, it is difficult to notify an appropriate toner consumption amount when executing printing.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a program capable of notifying an appropriate toner consumption amount when executing printing.

  An image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a data acquisition unit, an image processing unit, a determination processing unit, a toner consumption amount calculation unit, and a notification processing unit. The data acquisition unit acquires print data in one print job. The image processing unit converts the print data acquired by the data acquisition unit into image data. The determination processing unit determines whether or not the data capacity of the image data converted by the image processing unit exceeds a free capacity of a memory that stores the image data. The toner consumption calculation unit calculates a toner consumption consumed by printing based on the image data by a first calculation method when the data capacity does not exceed the free capacity, and the data capacity is the free capacity. When the capacity is exceeded, the toner consumption is calculated by a calculation method different from the first calculation method. The notification processing unit notifies the user of information related to the toner consumption amount calculated by the toner consumption amount calculation unit.

  An image forming method according to another aspect of the present invention acquires print data in one print job, converts the acquired print data into image data, and a data capacity of the converted image data Determining whether or not the free space of the memory for storing the image data is exceeded, and if the data capacity does not exceed the free space, the amount of toner consumed by printing based on the image data is determined. When the data capacity exceeds the free capacity, the toner consumption is calculated by a calculation method different from the first calculation method, and the calculated toner consumption is calculated by the first calculation method. And informing the user of information regarding.

  A program according to another aspect of the present invention includes a step of acquiring print data in one print job, a step of converting the acquired print data into image data, and a data capacity of the converted image data, Determining whether or not the free space of the memory storing the image data exceeds, and if the data capacity does not exceed the free space, a toner consumption consumed by printing based on the image data is If the data capacity exceeds the free capacity, the toner consumption amount is calculated by a calculation method different from the first calculation method, and the calculated toner consumption information And a program for causing the computer to execute the step of notifying the user of the above.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a program capable of notifying an appropriate toner consumption amount when executing printing.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of print setting items of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a print job for case A in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a print job of case B in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a print job of case C in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a print setting screen of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of toner consumption calculation processing executed by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings for understanding of the present invention. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an operation display unit 10, an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 11, an image reading unit 12, an image forming unit 13, a communication I / F 14, and a storage unit. 15 and a control unit 17. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 1 is a multifunction machine having a printer function, a scanner function, a copy function, a facsimile function, and the like. The present invention can be applied not only to a multifunction machine but also to a copying machine.

  The operation display unit 10 includes a display unit 101 such as a liquid crystal display that displays information, and an operation unit such as a touch panel and operation buttons that accept information input operations by the user. The operation unit may be displayed on the display unit 101 as an operation icon. The display unit 101 may display a display screen of one or more pages. The display unit 101 displays, for example, a display screen (setting screen) for displaying print setting items (setting items such as the number of prints, the number of print copies, the resolution, and the eco print mode) when executing a print job.

  For example, when a user submits a print job, the user performs the following print settings on the display screen.

  The user selects a color space (“color” or “monochrome”) for outputting print data on the color mode setting screen. Further, the user sets the resolution of an image formed when print data is output on the resolution setting screen. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the user can select a desired resolution from “300 dpi”, “600 dpi”, and “1200 dpi”.

  In addition, the user sets a normal print mode or a print mode (eco print mode) that saves toner consumption on the print mode setting screen. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the user can select a desired print mode from “OFF” and “level 1” to “level 5”. Note that “OFF” is a normal printing mode that does not take into account savings in toner consumption, and “Level 1” to “Level 5” indicate eco-printing modes that save toner consumption. This indicates that the larger the value is, the smaller the toner consumption (the greater the saving effect).

  The resolution and the print mode may be associated with each other as shown in FIG. The user can set the resolution and the print mode by selecting a desired combination from a plurality of combinations shown in FIG.

  Further, the user selects the size of paper to be printed (output) on the print size setting screen. The print size may be automatically selected. Further, the user selects the number of copies to be printed on the copy number setting screen. For example, if the user sets 10 copies of image data consisting of 3 pages, the 1st to 3rd pages are set as 1 set (copy), and 10 sets (copy) of the same printed matter (30 pages (sheets) in total) Is output.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 101 of the operation display unit 10 displays a display screen for displaying the toner consumption amount of toner consumed by printing before executing the printing process. The toner consumption amount is calculated by a toner consumption amount calculation unit 175.

  The ADF 11 includes a document setting unit, a conveyance roller, a document pressing unit, and a paper discharge unit. The ADF 11 is an automatic document feeder that conveys a document to be read by the image reading unit 12.

  The image reading unit 12 includes a document table, a light source, a mirror, an optical lens, and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and can read image data (job data) of the document.

  The image forming unit 13 can execute a printing process based on image data corresponding to job data (print data or the like) by an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method, and a sheet (sheet) based on the image data. An image is formed (printed). For example, when the image forming unit 13 is an electrophotographic image forming unit, the image forming unit 13 includes a photosensitive drum, a charger, an exposure device, a developing device, a transfer device, a fixing device, and the like (not shown). Prepare.

  The communication I / F 14 is a communication interface for connecting the image forming apparatus 1 to a network by wire or wireless and executing data communication according to a predetermined communication protocol with an external device such as a user terminal via the network. It is.

  The storage unit 15 is a non-volatile storage unit such as a hard disk or an EEPROM (registered trademark). The storage unit 15 stores various control programs such as a toner consumption calculation process program for causing the control unit 17 to execute a later-described toner consumption calculation process (see FIG. 9).

  The storage unit 15 also includes a memory 151 that stores image data corresponding to the print data. The memory 151 temporarily stores image data corresponding to the print data when a print job for the print data is input. When the print job is executed, the image data stored in the memory 151 is deleted. An upper limit value Mm is set for the memory capacity that can be stored in the memory 151, and when the data capacity of the image data stored in the memory 151 (stored data capacity Ma) reaches the upper limit value Mm, the memory 151 Image data cannot be stored. When at least part of the image data stored in the memory 151 is deleted and a free capacity Mb (= Mm−Ma) is generated in the memory 151, the memory 151 stores image data having a data capacity corresponding to the free capacity Mb. can do.

  The control unit 17 includes control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic processes. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit in which information such as a control program for causing the CPU to execute various processes is stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile or nonvolatile storage unit used as a temporary storage memory (working area) for various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 17 controls the image forming apparatus 1 by causing the CPU to execute various control programs stored in advance in the ROM or the storage unit 15.

  Specifically, the control unit 17 includes a data acquisition unit 171, an image processing unit 172, a determination processing unit 173, a print setting information acquisition unit 174, a toner consumption calculation unit 175, a notification processing unit 176, and the like. The control unit 17 functions as each of these processing units by executing various processes according to the control program. Moreover, the control part 17 may be provided with the electronic circuit which implement | achieves a part or some processing function of each of these process parts.

  The data acquisition unit 171 acquires print data for executing image formation (printing) corresponding to the print job. The data acquisition unit 171 may acquire the print data when the image reading unit 12 reads a document set on a document table by a user, or an external device (a user connected via a communication I / F 14 and a network). The print data transmitted from a terminal or the like may be acquired. The data acquisition unit 171 acquires the print data by connecting a computer-readable recording medium such as a USB, SD card, CD (registered trademark), or DVD (registered trademark) to the image forming apparatus 1. May be.

  The image processing unit 172 executes image processing including conversion processing for converting the print data acquired by the data acquisition unit 171 into image data. For example, the image processing unit 172 converts the print data into image data of reproduction colors of K (black), C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow). Note that the image processing unit 172 executes known image processing.

  Further, the image processing unit 172 stores the converted image data in the memory 151 based on the determination result of the following determination processing unit 173.

  The determination processing unit 173 determines whether or not the data capacity Md of the image data converted by the image processing unit 172 exceeds the free capacity Mb of the memory 151 that stores the image data. When the data capacity Md does not exceed the free capacity Mb (Md ≦ Mb), the image processing unit 172 stores the image data in the memory 151. On the other hand, when the data capacity Md exceeds the free capacity Mb (Md> Mb), the image processing unit 172 suspends the storage process of the image data. When a part of the data capacity Md does not exceed the free capacity Mb (part of Md ≦ Mb), the image processing unit 172 stores a part of the image data in the memory 151, and the image data The remaining storage process is suspended.

  When executing print processing on the image data stored in the memory 151, the control unit 17 transfers the image data from the memory 151 to the image forming unit 13. The image forming unit 13 executes a printing process based on the acquired image data. If there is image data that is pending storage processing in the memory 151, the image processing unit 172 when the data capacity Md of the pending image data falls within the free capacity Mb (Md ≦ Mb). However, the image data is stored in the memory 151.

  Here, a specific example of a print pattern (print job) when the data capacity Md of the image data exceeds the free capacity Mb (Md> Mb) is shown below. 4 to 6 are diagrams schematically showing image data that can be stored in the memory 151 and image data that cannot be stored in the memory 151 in the image data corresponding to one print job.

  For example, the print pattern can be a print pattern based on “number of copies” and a print pattern based on “multiple sheets”. The printing pattern by the number of copies printing is a pattern in which, for example, one set of 3 pages of A4 size paper is printed and 10 sets (30 sheets in total) of this set are printed. On the other hand, the print pattern by printing a plurality of sheets is a pattern for printing one copy (30 sheets in total) of 30 pages of A4 size paper.

  As a case where the print job prints the number of copies and the data capacity Md exceeds the free capacity Mb, as shown in FIG. 4, image data corresponding to the print job (for example, when 10 copies of 3 pages are printed) The first copy (3 pages) of the image data can be stored in the memory 151, but the second and third copy image data cannot be stored in the memory 151. (Referred to as “Case A”), as shown in FIG. 5, only a part of the image data of the first copy (for example, two pages) can be stored in the memory 151. A case (hereinafter referred to as “case B”) in which the rest of the image data of the eyes (for example, for one page) and the image data of the second and third copies cannot be stored in the memory 151 is considered. It is.

  Further, as a case where the print job prints a plurality of sheets and the data capacity Md exceeds the free capacity Mb, as shown in FIG. 6, image data corresponding to the print job (for example, one copy of 30 pages) Only a part (for example, 5 pages) of image data when printing can be stored in the memory 151, and the rest of the image data (for example, 25 pages) is stored in the memory 151. There is a case that cannot be performed (referred to as “Case C”).

  In consideration of the print pattern, the determination processing unit 173 further includes all pages including different pieces of image information among a plurality of pages corresponding to one print job (for example, 30 pages (3 pages × 10 copies)). It is determined whether or not the data capacity Md1 (data capacity for three pages) of the image data corresponding to (first to third pages) exceeds the free capacity Mb.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the print setting information acquisition unit 174 acquires various setting information set by the user in the operation display unit 10. For example, the print setting information acquisition unit 174 acquires setting information such as color information, resolution information, and eco print information.

  The toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 calculates a toner consumption amount (printing rate) consumed by printing based on the image data based on the determination result of the determination processing unit 173. Specifically, when the data capacity Md does not exceed the free capacity Mb (Md ≦ Mb), the toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 calculates the toner consumption amount by the first calculation method. On the other hand, when the data capacity Md exceeds the free capacity Mb (Md> Mb), the toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 calculates the toner consumption amount by a calculation method (second calculation method or The third calculation method) is used for calculation.

  An example of the first calculation method will be described. First, the toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 acquires the coverage (print coverage) of image data stored in the memory 151 for one print job. The print coverage is the ratio of the area of the toner adhesion area to the area of the printable area on a recording medium such as paper. For example, the toner consumption (usage) of each color per page of A4 size paper It is the information which shows the sum total of ratio. The print coverage is calculated based on various setting information (color information, resolution information, eco-print information, etc.) acquired by the print setting information acquisition unit 174 regarding the image data stored in the memory 151.

  When printing in the color mode, the coverage is a total value of the toner consumption amounts of the respective colors (K (black), C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow)). A well-known technique can be used as a method for obtaining print coverage of image data stored in the memory 151.

  The toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 calculates the toner consumption amount of the entire image data by summing up the coverage (toner usage amount) of each page corresponding to the image data. In other words, in the first calculation method, the toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 calculates the toner consumption amount of each page corresponding to one print job, and sums up the respective toner consumption amounts to thereby calculate the toner consumption amount for the print job. Toner consumption is calculated.

  Next, an example of the second calculation method and the third calculation method will be described.

  When one print job is the “case A”, the toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 calculates the toner consumption amount by the second calculation method, and one print job is the “case B” and “case C”. In this case, the toner consumption amount is calculated by the third calculation method.

  That is, among a plurality of pages corresponding to one print job (for example, 30 pages (3 pages × 10 copies)), it corresponds to all pages (for example, first to third pages) including different image information. When the data capacity Md1 of the image data (for example, the data capacity for three pages) does not exceed the free capacity Mb (Md1 ≦ Mb), the toner consumption amount is calculated by the second calculation method.

  On the other hand, among a plurality of pages corresponding to one print job (for example, 30 pages (3 pages × 10 copies)), all pages including different image information (for example, first to third pages) are supported. When the data capacity Md1 of the image data (for example, the data capacity for three pages) exceeds the free capacity Mb (Md1> Mb), the toner consumption is calculated by the third calculation method.

  In the second calculation method (corresponding to “Case A”), the toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 calculates the toner consumption amount of the first set (for example, three pages) of image data stored in the memory 151. Then, the toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 multiplies (multiplies) the calculated toner consumption amount by the number of copies corresponding to the print job (for example, 10 copies) to thereby calculate the toner consumption of the entire image data. Calculate the amount.

  In the third calculation method (corresponding to “Case B” and “Case C”), the toner consumption calculation unit 175 calculates the average value of the toner consumption of the image data stored in the memory 151. For example, the toner consumption calculation unit 175 calculates the toner consumption corresponding to the image data stored in the memory 151 and the number of prints corresponding to the image data, and the calculated toner consumption is calculated based on the number of prints. By dividing (dividing), a toner consumption amount (average value) per sheet is calculated. Then, the toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 multiplies the calculated toner consumption amount per sheet (average value) by the number of printed sheets (for example, 30 sheets) corresponding to the print job, thereby obtaining the entire image data. Toner consumption is calculated.

  Note that the method of calculating the toner consumption amount for one sheet is not limited to the above method, and a known method may be used.

  The notification processing unit 176 notifies (presents) information regarding the toner consumption calculated by the toner consumption calculation unit 175 to the user. For example, the notification processing unit 176 displays on the display unit 101 of the operation display unit 10 a display screen showing the toner consumption amount of each color shown in FIG. The notification processing unit 176 may transmit the notification information (display data) illustrated in FIG. 3 to the user terminal via the communication I / F 14 and the network.

  Further, the notification processing unit 176 may notify the user of information (recommended print mode (print setting information)) for reducing the toner consumption amount based on the setting information and the toner consumption amount. For example, when the user selects “recommended mode” on the display screen shown in FIG. 3, the notification processing unit 176 displays the setting screen for print setting items shown in FIG. 7 on the display unit 101. The setting screen shown in FIG. 7 displays the reduction rate (suppression rate) of the toner consumption for each print setting item (print mode), and the user can refer to the reduction rate to determine the desired print setting item. Select. When the user selects the desired print setting item, the toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 calculates the toner consumption amount again, and the notification processing unit 176 notifies the user of information regarding the changed toner consumption amount (FIG. 8). reference).

  After notifying the user of information related to the toner consumption, the control unit 17 obtains a print execution instruction (for example, pressing of the “Start” button shown in FIGS. 3 and 8) from the user, and then notifies the image forming unit 13. Execute print processing.

[Toner consumption calculation processing]
Hereinafter, the toner consumption calculation process executed in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. For example, the toner consumption calculation process is started when a user inputs a print job to the image forming apparatus 1. Note that the toner consumption calculation process may be terminated halfway in response to a predetermined operation on the image forming apparatus 1 by the user.

  Note that one or a plurality of steps included in the toner consumption calculation process described here may be omitted as appropriate. Further, the execution order of the steps in the toner consumption calculation process may be different as long as the same effect is obtained. Furthermore, here, a case where each step in the toner consumption calculation process is executed by the control unit 17 of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described as an example. However, in another embodiment, the toner is executed by a plurality of other processors. Each step in the consumption calculation process may be executed in a distributed manner.

<Step S101>
In step S101, the data acquisition unit 171 acquires print data for executing image formation (printing) corresponding to one print job.

<Step S102>
In step S102, the image processing unit 172 performs image processing including conversion processing for converting the print data acquired by the data acquisition unit 171 into image data.

<Step S103>
In step S103, the determination processing unit 173 determines whether the data capacity Md of the image data converted by the image processing unit 172 exceeds the free capacity Mb of the memory 151 storing the image data. If the data capacity Md does not exceed the free capacity Mb (S103: NO), the image processing unit 172 stores the image data in the memory 151, and then proceeds to step S104.

  On the other hand, when the data capacity Md exceeds the free capacity Mb (S103: YES), the image processing unit 172 suspends the storage process of the image data. If a part of the data capacity Md does not exceed the free capacity Mb (part of Md ≦ Mb) (see FIGS. 4 to 6), the image processing unit 172 stores a part of the image data in the memory. 151, the remaining storage processing of the image data is suspended, and then the process proceeds to step S105.

<Step S104>
In step S104, the toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 calculates the toner consumption amount by the first calculation method described above.

<Step S105>
In step S105, the determination processing unit 173 determines whether the data capacity Md1 of the image data corresponding to all pages including different image information among the plurality of pages corresponding to one print job exceeds the free capacity Mb. Determine whether or not.

<Step S106>
When the data capacity Md1 does not exceed the free capacity Mb (S105: NO) (Md1 ≦ Mb), the toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 calculates the toner consumption amount by the second calculation method described above.

<Step S107>
When the data capacity Md1 exceeds the free capacity Mb (S105: YES) (Md1> Mb), the toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 calculates the toner consumption amount by the third calculation method described above.

<Step S108>
In step S108, the notification processing unit 176 notifies (presents) information regarding the toner consumption calculated by the toner consumption calculation unit 175 to the user (see FIG. 3).

<Step S109>
In step S109, when the control unit 17 acquires a change of the print setting item from the user, the process proceeds to step S110.

<Step S110>
In step S110, the notification processing unit 176 notifies (presents) information about the changed toner consumption calculated by the toner consumption calculation unit 175 to the user (see FIG. 8).

<Step S111>
In step S111, when the control unit 17 obtains a print execution instruction (for example, pressing of the “start” button shown in FIGS. 3 and 8) from the user, the control unit 17 causes the image forming unit 13 to execute print processing (S112).

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the toner consumption amount calculation unit 175 stores image data corresponding to print data for executing image formation (printing) corresponding to one print job. When the data capacity Md does not exceed the free capacity Mb of the memory 151, the toner consumption consumed by the printing based on the image data is calculated by the first calculation method, and the data capacity Md determines the free capacity Mb. If it exceeds, the toner consumption is calculated by the second calculation method or the third calculation method. The notification processing unit 176 notifies the user of information regarding the calculated toner consumption before executing printing. As a result, the user can grasp the appropriate toner consumption amount for the print job to be printed before executing printing. For this reason, the user can also perform print settings for further reducing the toner consumption based on the notified toner consumption.

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may have the following configuration.

  The notification processing unit 176 may notify the user of the amount calculated based on the toner consumption amount in addition to the calculated toner consumption amount. For example, the control unit 17 may calculate the amount per unit weight of the toner in advance, and calculate the amount corresponding to the toner consumption amount when the toner consumption amount is calculated. As a result, the user can grasp the cost (printing cost) for the print job.

  Further, the notification processing unit 176 may notify the user of the remaining amount of toner based on the toner consumption amount. Further, the notification processing unit 176 may notify the user of the number of printable sheets based on the toner consumption amount.

  Further, the notification processing unit 176 may notify the user of recommended print setting items (see FIG. 7) (recommended print mode) based on the toner consumption. For example, the image processing unit 172 recommends the eco print mode 1 when the toner consumption amount (such as an average value of the toner consumption amount of each color) exceeds the first threshold value, and the toner consumption amount exceeds the second threshold value. If it exceeds, Eco Print Mode 2 is recommended.

  The image processing unit 172 may extract character information and image (and photo) information from the image corresponding to the image data. Then, the notification processing unit 176 may determine a recommended print setting item (see FIG. 7) based on the ratio of the image information per page and notify the user. For example, when the ratio of the image information is high, the notification processing unit 176 recommends the eco print mode in which the toner consumption is reduced (the saving effect is increased).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 10 Operation display part 101 Display part 11 ADF
12 Image Reading Unit 13 Image Forming Unit 14 Communication I / F
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Memory | storage part 151 Memory 17 Control part 171 Data acquisition part 172 Image processing part 173 Determination processing part 174 Print setting information acquisition part 175 Toner consumption calculation part 176 Notification processing part

Claims (9)

A data acquisition unit for acquiring print data in one print job;
An image processing unit for converting the print data acquired by the data acquisition unit into image data;
A determination processing unit for determining whether the data capacity of the image data converted by the image processing unit exceeds a free capacity of a memory for storing the image data;
When the data capacity does not exceed the free capacity, a toner consumption amount consumed by printing based on the image data is calculated by the first calculation method, and when the data capacity exceeds the free capacity, the toner A toner consumption amount calculation unit for calculating a consumption amount by a calculation method different from the first calculation method;
A notification processing unit for notifying a user of information related to the toner consumption calculated by the toner consumption calculation unit;
An image forming apparatus comprising: In the first calculation method, the toner consumption amount calculation unit calculates the toner consumption amount of each page corresponding to the one print job, and totals the respective toner consumption amounts to thereby calculate the one print job. Calculating the toner consumption corresponding to
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The calculation method different from the first calculation method includes a second calculation method and a third calculation method,
The toner consumption amount calculation unit, when the data capacity of image data corresponding to all pages including different image information among the plurality of pages corresponding to the one print job does not exceed the free capacity, Calculating the toner consumption by the second calculation method;
The toner consumption amount calculation unit, when a data capacity of image data corresponding to all pages including different image information among a plurality of pages corresponding to the one print job exceeds the free capacity, Calculating the toner consumption amount by a third calculation method;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. In the case where the one print job is the number of copies printing that prints a plurality of pages including different image information,
In the second calculation method, the toner consumption amount calculation unit calculates a toner consumption amount of image data corresponding to all pages stored in the memory and including the different image information, and the calculated toner consumption amount Is multiplied by the number of copies corresponding to the one print job to calculate the toner consumption amount corresponding to the one print job.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3. In the third calculation method, the toner consumption amount calculation unit calculates a toner consumption amount per page in the image data stored in the memory, and the calculated toner consumption amount per page includes the one toner consumption amount. The toner consumption amount corresponding to the one print job is calculated by multiplying the number of prints corresponding to the print job.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 or 4. The notification processing unit notifies the user of information related to the toner consumption before printing corresponding to the one print job is executed;
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The notification processing unit notifies a user of print setting information capable of reducing the toner consumption amount based on the toner consumption amount calculated by the toner consumption amount calculation unit;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. Obtaining print data for one print job;
Converting the acquired print data into image data;
Determining whether the data capacity of the image data to be converted exceeds the free capacity of the memory storing the image data;
When the data capacity does not exceed the free capacity, a toner consumption amount consumed by printing based on the image data is calculated by the first calculation method, and when the data capacity exceeds the free capacity, the toner Calculating consumption by a calculation method different from the first calculation method;
Notifying the user of information about the calculated toner consumption;
An image forming method comprising: Obtaining print data for one print job;
Converting the acquired print data into image data;
Determining whether the data capacity of the image data to be converted exceeds the free capacity of a memory storing the image data;
When the data capacity does not exceed the free capacity, a toner consumption amount consumed by printing based on the image data is calculated by the first calculation method, and when the data capacity exceeds the free capacity, the toner Calculating consumption by a calculation method different from the first calculation method;
Notifying the user of information about the calculated toner consumption;
A program that causes a computer to run.

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