JP2022012144A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] When a stamp image is to be composited with image data of a job in an image forming device, the composite can be performed using the most suitable composite method according to the image forming conditions. [Solution] A control unit of the image forming device determines whether to use a first composite unit that composites the stamp image with the image data at the time of printing while outputting the image to the image forming unit, or a second composite unit that composites the stamp image with image data in memory and outputs the composite image data to the memory, based on one or more pieces of information among the type of job, the type of stamp specified in the job, the designation of aggregation or repeat in the job, and the number of planes determined according to the color information specified in the job to composite the stamp image of the specified stamp. [Selected Figure] Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

The stamp function is an applied function in the image forming apparatus. The stamp function is a function that combines the stamp image of the type of stamp specified in the job, such as page number, part number (numbering), print date and time, with the image data of the job and outputs it.

The stamp image was synthesized by the procedure shown in FIG. That is, the stamp image of the stamp specified in the job (“P.1” part in Fig. 3) is written to the RAM built in the ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and the stamp composite coordinates and YMCK value are sent to the ASIC. When specified, the image data was output to the image forming unit while synthesizing the stamp image with the image data by the ASIC at the time of printing.

By the way, since the data size of the ASIC built-in RAM is limited, a stamp having a large data size (stamp image size) of the stamp image cannot be used in the above-mentioned stamp composition method. Therefore, in order to make it possible to use a stamp with a large stamp image size, instead of synthesizing the stamp when outputting the image data to the image forming unit at the time of printing, the stamp image is written in the memory and the job is stored in the memory. It is conceivable to combine the stamp image with the image data to generate the stamped image data, and then output the stamped image data to the image forming unit for printing (see FIG. 4).

However, since it takes a long time to combine stamp images on the memory, it may be preferable to combine them while printing from the viewpoint of performance.

Here, for example, Patent Document 1 describes that a stamp is synthesized by providing two synthesis means.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-243582

However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 does not determine the optimum compositing means under various image forming conditions such as the type of stamp specified in the job.

An object of the present invention is to enable an image forming apparatus to synthesize a stamp image with job image data by an optimum compositing means according to an image forming condition.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 is
An image processing unit that writes the image data of the input job to the memory and performs image processing on the image data on the memory.
An image forming unit that prints an image on a recording medium based on the image data output from the image processing unit, and an image forming unit.
It is an image forming apparatus equipped with
The image processing unit
A first compositing unit that outputs to the image forming unit while compositing a stamp image with the image data at the time of printing.
It has a second compositing unit that synthesizes a stamp image with the image data on the memory and outputs the combined image data to the memory.
The first compositing unit has restrictions on the size and number of stamp images that can be composited.
One or more of the job type, the stamp type specified in the job, the aggregate or repeat designation in the job, and the number of planes determined according to the color information specified in the job. Based on the above, a control unit for determining which of the first synthesis unit and the second composition unit is used to synthesize the stamp image of the designated stamp is provided.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1.
When the job type is a scan job, the control unit determines to use the second composition unit to synthesize stamp images of all the designated stamps.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2.
In the control unit, the type of the job is a print job or a copy job, and at least one of the stamp image sizes of the stamps specified in the job exceeds the stamp image size that can be synthesized by the first synthesis unit. If so, it is determined that the second compositing unit is used to synthesize the stamp images of all the designated stamps.

The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
In the control unit, the type of the job is a print job or a copy job, and the number of images to be printed on one side of the recording medium by the aggregation or repeat specified in the job is designated as N in the job. When the number of stamps is M, and N × M exceeds the number of stamp images that can be synthesized by the first compositing unit, the second compositing unit is used to obtain all the stamps specified above. Decide to combine stamp images.

The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
In the control unit, the type of the job is a print job or a copy, the number of planes determined according to the color information is P, and the P plane image is synthesized by the second synthesis unit. The time required for printing is Ts, the time required for printing the image data in the image forming unit is Tp, and when Ts ≦ Tp, all the specified items are specified using the second compositing unit. Decide to synthesize the stamp image of the stamp of.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
When the type of the job is a print job or a copy job and the color information is monochrome, the control unit uses the second composition unit to synthesize stamp images of all the designated stamps. Decide to do.

The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2.
When the type of the job is a print job or a copy job and the job of the A page B part is printed by repeatedly printing the image data of A sheets B times, the control unit has the specified stamps. With respect to the stamp for synthesizing different stamp images between the parts, it is determined to use the first synthesizing part for synthesizing.

According to the present invention, when the stamp image is synthesized with the image data of the job in the image forming apparatus, it is possible to synthesize by the optimum compositing means according to the image forming conditions.

It is a figure which shows the schematic structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the main functional composition of an image forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows typically the flow of the stamp synthesis by the 1st synthesis part. It is a figure which shows typically the flow of the stamp synthesis by the 2nd synthesis part. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the synthesis means determination process A executed by the collaboration between the CPU of the control unit of FIG. 2 and the program stored in ROM in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the synthesis means determination process B executed by the collaboration between the CPU of the control unit of FIG. 2 and the program stored in ROM in the 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the illustrated examples.

<First Embodiment>
(Configuration of image forming apparatus)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 11, an operation unit 12, a display unit 13, an interface 14, a scanner 15, and a control unit 10 having a CPU 101 (Central Processing Unit), a RAM 102 (Random Access Memory), and a ROM 103 (Read Only Memory). It includes an image processing unit 16, an image forming unit 17, a fixing unit 18, a transport unit 19, and the like.
The control unit 10 is connected to the storage unit 11, the operation unit 12, the display unit 13, the interface 14, the scanner 15, the image processing unit 16, the image forming unit 17, the fixing unit 18, and the transport unit 19 via the bus 21. ..

The CPU 101 reads and executes a control program stored in the ROM 103 or the storage unit 11 to perform various arithmetic processes.

The RAM 102 provides a working memory space for the CPU 101 and stores temporary data.

The ROM 103 stores various control programs, setting data, and the like executed by the CPU 101. Instead of the ROM 103, a rewritable non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) or a flash memory may be used.

The control unit 10 including the CPU 101, RAM 102, and ROM 103 controls each unit of the image forming apparatus 1 in accordance with the above-mentioned various control programs. For example, the control unit 10 causes the image processing unit 16 to perform predetermined image processing on the image data of the job. Further, the control unit 10 conveys the paper to the conveying unit 19, and causes the image forming unit 17 to form an image on the paper based on the image data that has been image-processed.

The storage unit 11 is composed of storage means such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and HDD (Hard Disk Drive), which are semiconductor memories, and the image data of the job acquired by the scanner 15, the image formation conditions thereof, and the interface 14 The image data of the job and the image formation conditions of the job input from the outside are stored via the above. Note that these image data and the like may be stored in the RAM 102.

Further, the storage unit 11 stores stamp image data of a plurality of types of stamps (page number, part number (numbering), print date / time, standard stamp, watermark, watermark numbering, etc.) that can be used in the stamp function. Has been done.

The operation unit 12 includes input devices such as an operation key and a touch panel arranged so as to be superimposed on the screen of the display unit 13, and converts input operations for these input devices into operation signals and outputs them to the control unit 10.

The display unit 13 includes a display device such as an LCD (Liquid crystal display), and displays an operation screen or the like showing the state of the image forming device 1 or the content of an input operation on the touch panel.

The interface 14 is configured by a NIC (Network interface card), a serial interface, or the like, and transmits / receives data to / from an external device such as a PC (Personal Computer).

The scanner 15 is provided with a light source, an optical system, and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor, reads image data of a document formed on paper, and has R (red), G (green), and B (blue) color components for each. The image data having the monochrome image data is acquired as the image data of the job.

The image processing unit 16 includes, for example, a rasterization processing unit, a first compositing unit 161, a second compositing unit 162, a color conversion unit, and the like, and is an image of a job acquired (input) by the scanner 15 or the interface 14. The data is written to the memory (storage unit 11 or RAM 102), various image processing is performed on the image data on the memory, and the image-processed Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan) and K (black) The image data for each color component is output to the image forming unit 17.

The first synthesizing unit 161 includes an ASIC, and at the time of printing in the image forming unit 17, the image forming unit 17 synthesizes the stamp image with the ASIC for the image data for which image processing other than the stamp synthesizing has been completed. Output to. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the first synthesis unit 161 reads the stamp image of the stamp of the type specified in the job from the storage unit 11 and writes it in the ASIC built-in RAM, and the stamp position specified by the job. The YMCK value corresponding to the stamp composite coordinates and the specified stamp color is specified in the ASIC, and the image data processed by the ASIC is read from the memory for each line and output to the image forming unit 17. Output while synthesizing the stamp image of the specified color at the specified position.

The second compositing unit 162 synthesizes a stamp image with the image data of the job written in the memory, and outputs the synthesized image data to the memory again. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a flow from synthesizing a stamp image to printing by a second synthesizing unit 162 with respect to RGB image data. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, in the second compositing unit 162, the stamp image of the type specified by the job is read from the storage unit 11, and the read stamp image is arranged at the designated position for compositing. The stamp image is generated in the memory, the stamp pixel of the generated stamp image is colored with the specified color, combined with the image data of the job, and stored in the memory again.
The stamped image data in which the stamp image is synthesized by the second compositing unit 162 is output to the image forming unit 17 when the image data of the job is a YMCK image, and when the image data of the job is an RGB image. Is color-converted from RGB to YMCK and output to the image forming unit 17.

The functions of each part of the image processing unit 16 may be realized by dedicated hardware, but in the present embodiment, the functions of each part are executed in cooperation with the CPU 101 of the control unit 10 and the program stored in the ROM 103. Will be done.

The image forming unit 17 forms (prints) an image on paper based on the image data that has undergone image processing. The image forming unit 17 includes four sets of exposed units 171, a photoconductor 172, and a developing unit 173 corresponding to the color components of Y, M, C, and K, respectively. Further, the image forming unit 17 includes an intermediate transfer belt 174 as an image carrier, a primary transfer roller 175, and a secondary transfer roller 176.

The exposure unit 171 includes an LD (Laser Diode) as a light emitting element. The exposure unit 171 drives the LD based on the image data output from the image processing unit 16, irradiates the charged photoconductor 172 with laser light, exposes the photoconductor 172, and forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 172. .. The developing unit 173 supplies toner (coloring material) of a predetermined color (any of Y, M, C, and K) by a developing roller charged on the exposed photoconductor 172 to form the toner (coloring material) on the photoconductor 172. Develop the electrostatic latent image.

Images (monochromatic images) formed of Y, M, C, and K toners on the four photoconductors 172 corresponding to Y, M, C, and K are sequentially placed on the intermediate transfer belt 174 from each photoconductor 172. It is overlaid and transferred.
The intermediate transfer belt 174 is a semi-conductive endless belt suspended and rotatably supported by a plurality of rollers including the intermediate transfer drive roller 41, and is rotationally driven as the rollers rotate. The intermediate transfer belt 174 rotates according to the rotation of each roller when transferring the toner image.

The intermediate transfer belt 174 is pressed against each of the opposing photoconductors 172 by the primary transfer roller 175. A transfer current corresponding to the applied voltage flows through each of the primary transfer rollers 175. As a result, each toner image developed on the surface of each photoconductor 172 is sequentially transferred (primary transfer) to the intermediate transfer belt 174 by each primary transfer roller 175.

The secondary transfer roller 176 presses against the intermediate transfer belt 174 and rotates, so that toner images of Y, M, C, and K colors formed by being transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 174 are conveyed from the paper feed section. Transfer to the paper (secondary transfer). The residual toner of the intermediate transfer belt 174 is removed by a cleaning unit (not shown).

The fixing unit 18 has a fixing upper member 181 provided with a heating means and a fixing lower member 182, and performs a fixing process of heating and pressurizing the paper on which the toner is transferred to fix the toner on the paper.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport unit 19 includes a plurality of paper transport rollers for transporting paper by rotating while sandwiching the paper, and transports the paper by a predetermined transport path.

(Operation of image forming apparatus 1)
Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 in the first embodiment will be described.
When the user wants to copy or scan an image in which a stamp is combined with an image of a manuscript, the user selects a copy job or a scan job by operating the operation unit 12, displays the stamp function specification screen on the display unit 13, and displays the stamp. Specify the type, the position to attach the stamp, and the color of the stamp. Multiple types of stamps can be specified, and different colors can be specified for each stamp. Further, in the copy job or the scan job, in addition to the stamp function, it is possible to specify an application function including aggregation and repeat, and image formation conditions such as colors (automatic, monochrome, full color, etc.) used for printing and the like. When the specification of the image formation conditions is completed, the user sets the original in the scanner 15 and scans it. As a result, the original is read by the scanner 15, the image data of the job is acquired (input), and the image forming conditions of the job specified by the operation unit 12 are acquired (input).

If the user wants to combine the stamp with the original image and print it, the user specifies the type, position, and color of the stamp to be combined with the image data of the original on the setting screen of the printer driver of the external device. Similar to copying and scanning, in printing, a plurality of types of stamps can be specified, and different colors can be specified for each stamp. In addition to the stamp function, application functions including aggregation and repeat, and image formation conditions such as print color (automatic, monochrome, full color, etc.) can be specified on the setting screen of the printer driver. When the specification of the image forming condition is completed and the user instructs to print, the print job (that is, the image data of the job (image data of the original) and the image forming condition) is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 1 and acquired by the interface 14. To.

When the image data of the job and the image formation conditions are input, the control unit 10 executes the synthesis means determination process A, and the stamp image of the stamp specified in the job is synthesized by the first synthesis unit 161. It is determined whether or not to synthesize by the synthesis unit 162 of 2.

Here, the first compositing unit 161 writes a stamp image in the ASIC built-in RAM, but since the data size that can be written in the ASIC built-in RAM is small, the type of stamp that can be synthesized (stamp image size) and one surface (one sheet). There is a limit to the number of stamps. Further, since the first compositing unit 161 outputs the combined image data of the stamp image to the image forming unit 17 as it is without writing it to the memory, it cannot be applied to the scan job. On the other hand, the first compositing unit 161 does not need to access the memory and write the image data after compositing, so that the processing can be performed at high speed.

The second compositing unit 162 writes the stamp image on the memory and synthesizes the stamp image with the image data on the memory. Therefore, the types of stamps (stamp image size) and one surface (one sheet) that can be synthesized can be combined. There is no restriction on the number of stamps per stamp as in the first composition unit 161 (strictly speaking, there is a limit, but there is no restriction on the type of stamp and the number of stamps that can be specified by the operation unit 12 or the printer driver). It can also be applied to scan jobs, copy jobs, and print jobs. On the other hand, since it takes time to access the memory, the processing time is longer than that of the first synthesis unit 161. In particular, the larger the number of planes determined by color information such as automatic, monochrome, and full color, the longer the processing time.

That is, in the scan job, the stamp image cannot be combined unless the first composition unit 161 is used, but in the copy job and the print job, the composition can be performed by using any of the composition means. .. However, in order to secure the printing speed, it is preferable to use the first compositing unit 161 as much as possible. On the other hand, the first synthesis unit 161 has restrictions as described above. Therefore, the optimum composition means according to the image formation conditions of the specified job, that is, the composition means that can be used under the specified image formation conditions and has good performance (first composition unit 161 or second composition unit 161 or second composition unit). 162) needs to be determined. Therefore, the control unit 10 executes the compositing means determination process A, and determines the optimum compositing means under the image forming conditions specified in the job.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the synthesis means determination process A. The synthesis means determination process A is executed in collaboration with the CPU 101 of the control unit 10 and the program stored in the ROM 103.

First, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the acquired job type is a scan job (step S1).
When it is determined that the acquired job type is a scan job (step S1; YES), the control unit 10 synthesizes the stamp images of all the stamps specified in the job by using the second synthesis unit 162. (Step S4), and the synthesis means determination process A is terminated.

When it is determined that the acquired job type is not a scan (copy job or print job) (step S1; NO), the control unit 10 has the first composite of the stamp image size in the designated stamp. It is determined whether or not there is a unit 161 that exceeds the usable upper limit (step S2).
When it is determined that the stamp image size exceeds the upper limit that can be used by the first compositing unit 161 among the designated stamps (step S2; YES), the control unit 10 determines that the stamp image size exceeds the upper limit that can be used by the first compositing unit 161. It is determined that the stamp images of all the stamps specified in the job are to be combined using the composition unit 162 (step S4), and the composition means determination process A is terminated.

When it is determined that none of the designated stamps has a stamp image size exceeding the upper limit that can be used by the first compositing unit 161 (step S2; NO), the control unit 10 is placed on one surface. N × M> L, where N is the number of images to be printed, M is the number of stamps specified by the job, and L is the maximum number of stamp images that can be combined by the first compositing unit 161. Judgment (step S3). When aggregation or repeat is specified, N is the number of images printed on one side by aggregation or repeat.
When it is determined that N × M> L (step S3; YES), the control unit 10 uses the second synthesis unit 162 to synthesize the stamp images of all the stamps specified in the job. The determination is made (step S4), and the synthesis means determination process A is terminated.
When it is determined that N × M> L is not satisfied (step S3; NO), the control unit 10 uses the first synthesis unit 161 to synthesize the stamp images of all the stamps specified in the job. The determination is made (step S5), and the synthesis means determination process A is terminated.

In the synthesis means determination process A, when the image formation condition of the job corresponds to any of the following (1) to (3), the first synthesis unit 161 cannot synthesize, so the second synthesis unit 162 is used. In other cases, it is decided to use the first synthesis unit 161.
(1) This is a scan job.
(2) Among the types of stamps specified for the job, stamps exceeding the maximum stamp image size that can be used by the first compositing unit 161 are included.
(3) The total number of stamps printed on one side of the paper exceeds the maximum number of stamps that can be combined by the first combining unit 161.

[Table I] shows an example of the determination result by the synthesis means determination process A when the maximum number of stamps that can be synthesized by the first synthesis unit 161 is four. The small size stamps 1 and 2 have a size in which the stamp image fits in the ASIC built-in RAM of the first synthesis unit 161. The large size stamp has a size in which the stamp image does not fit in the ASIC built-in RAM of the first synthesis unit 161. be. Also, at the time of aggregation or repeat, the stamp is combined with all the aggregated or repeated images.

When the compositing means determination process A is completed, the control unit 10 performs image processing necessary for the image data of the image processing unit 16 job, and also performs the determined compositing means (first compositing unit 161 or second compositing unit 162). The stamp image is combined with the image data of the job, and the image forming unit 17 prints the stamped image on the paper.

As described above, in the first embodiment, in the case of the image formation condition that does not correspond to the restriction of the first synthesis unit 161, the stamp image is synthesized by the first synthesis unit 161, so that the stamp image is synthesized at high speed. And printing becomes possible. In the case of the image forming condition corresponding to the restriction of the first compositing unit 161, since the stamp image is synthesized by the second compositing unit 162, a stamp having a large stamp image size or a large number of stamps can be used. That is, it is possible to combine the stamp image with the image data by the optimum composition means according to the image formation conditions of the job.

<Second embodiment>
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the first embodiment, the stamp image is combined by the first compositing unit 161 as much as possible in order to secure the printing speed. However, for example, since the monochrome image has a small number of planes, the second compositing unit is used. The compositing speed at 162 exceeds the printing speed. Therefore, when the number of image planes is small as in a monochrome image, there is no problem in performance even if the stamp image is always combined by the second composition unit 162. Therefore, in the second embodiment, when the time required for compositing the stamp images on all planes is shorter than the time required for printing, the second compositing unit 162 is used.

Since the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 in the second embodiment is the same as that described in the first embodiment, the description is incorporated. Further, in the operation of the second embodiment, the synthesis means determination process for determining which of the first synthesis unit 161 and the second synthesis unit 162 is used is different from that of the first embodiment. The synthesis means determination process (synthesis means determination process B) in the second embodiment will be described.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the synthesis means determination process B. The synthesis means determination process B is executed in collaboration with the CPU 101 of the control unit 10 and the program stored in the ROM 103.

First, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the acquired job type is a scan job (step S11).
When it is determined that the acquired job type is a scan job (step S11; YES), the control unit 10 synthesizes the stamp images of all the stamps specified in the job by using the second synthesis unit 162. (Step S16), and the synthesis means determination process B is terminated.

When it is determined that the acquired job type is not a scan job (copy job or print job) (step S11; NO), the control unit 10 sets the number of planes of the image data of the job to P and the number of planes per plane. The processing time required for synthesizing the stamp image by the synthesizing unit 162 of 2 is Tc, and the processing time required for synthesizing the stamp image by the second synthesizing unit 162 with the image data (P plane image) of the job having the number of planes P is Ts. , Ts = P × Tc is calculated (step S12).

Next, the control unit 10 determines whether or not Ts ≦ Tp, with the time required for printing (image formation) of the combined image data of the stamp image as Tp (step S13).
When it is determined that Ts ≦ Tp (step S13; YES), the control unit 10 determines that the second composition unit 162 is used to synthesize the stamp images of all the stamps specified in the job. (Step S16), the synthesis means determination process B is terminated.

On the other hand, when it is determined that Ts≤Tp is not satisfied (step S13; NO), the control unit 10 exceeds the upper limit of the stamp image size that can be used by the first synthesis unit 161 in the designated stamp. It is determined whether or not there is something (step S14).
When it is determined that the stamp image size exceeds the upper limit that can be used by the first compositing unit 161 among the designated stamps (step S14; YES), the control unit 10 determines that the stamp image size exceeds the upper limit that can be used by the first compositing unit 161. It is determined that the stamp images of all the stamps specified in the job are combined using the composition unit 162 (step S16), and the composition means determination process B is terminated.

When it is determined that none of the designated stamps has a stamp image size exceeding the upper limit that can be used by the first compositing unit 161 (step S14; NO), the control unit 10 is placed on one surface. Whether or not N × M> L is determined, where N is the number of images to be printed, M is the number of stamps specified in the job, and L is the maximum number of stamp images that can be combined by the first compositing unit 161. Determine (step S15).
When it is determined that N × M> L (step S15; YES), the control unit 10 uses the second synthesis unit 162 to synthesize the stamp images of all the stamps specified in the job. The determination is made (step S16), and the synthesis means determination process B is terminated.
When it is determined that N × M> L is not satisfied (step S15; NO), the control unit 10 uses the first synthesis unit 161 to synthesize the stamp images of all the stamps specified in the job. The determination is made (step S17), and the synthesis means determination process B is terminated.

When the compositing means determination process B is completed, the control unit 10 performs image processing necessary for the image data of the job, and the determined compositing means (first compositing unit 161 or second compositing unit 162) performs the image processing of the job. The stamp image is combined with the data, and the image forming unit 17 prints the stamped image on the paper.

As described above, in the second embodiment, when the number of planes is small and the processing time required for compositing by the second compositing unit 162 is less than the printing time, such as monochrome printing, the image forming condition of the job is the first. It is possible to carry out the synthesis in the second synthesis unit 162 regardless of whether or not the constraint condition of the synthesis unit 161 is satisfied.

<Third embodiment>
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
There are page mode and job mode for print jobs. In the page mode, when the job of the A page B part is performed, A × B image data is received and printing is performed once based on one image data. Even if the image is the same between the units, the image data is received from the controller again. In the job mode, in the case of the job of the B part of page A, the image data of A sheets is received, and the received image data of A sheets is repeatedly printed B times.

Here, among the stamps, there is a stamp that combines different stamp images between parts with image data. For example, in the stamp of the part number, the image of "1" is combined in the first part, and the image of "2" is combined in the second part. In the case of the page mode, since the image data is received for each unit, there is no problem in the composition by the second composition unit 162. The first embodiment and the second embodiment presuppose a page mode.
On the other hand, in the job mode, when the composition is executed by the second composition unit 162 in the first part, the image of "1" is combined with the image data of the job, and when the image of "2" is combined in the second part, the image of "2" is combined. Both "1" and "2" images are printed on the image data.
Therefore, in the third embodiment, in the job mode, stamp composition is performed using the first composition unit 161 for the stamp that synthesizes different stamp images for each unit. In this embodiment, the stamp image size of the stamp that synthesizes different stamp images for each part is a size that can be combined by the first synthesis part 161.

Since the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 in the third embodiment is the same as that described in the first embodiment, the description is incorporated. Further, in the operation of the third embodiment, the synthesis means determination process for determining which of the first synthesis unit 161 and the second synthesis unit 162 is used is different from that of the first embodiment. The synthesis means determination process (synthesis means determination process C) in the third embodiment will be described.

In the compositing means determination process C, the control unit 10 determines that when the job type is a scan job, the second compositing unit 162 is used to synthesize the stamp images of all the stamps specified in the job. ..
When the job type is a copy job, or when the job type is a print job and the page mode, the control unit 10 is used by the same processing as in steps S2 to S5 in FIG. 5 or steps S12 to 17 in FIG. Determine the synthetic means to be used.
When the job type is a print job and the job mode is set, the control unit 10 determines whether or not a stamp for synthesizing different stamp images between departments is specified in the job, and synthesizes different stamp images between departments in the job. When it is determined that the stamp to be printed is specified, it is determined to use the first compositing unit 161 for the stamp that synthesizes different stamp images between the sections. Then, for the other stamps, the synthesis means to be used is determined by the same processing as in steps S2 to S5 of FIG. 5 or steps S12 to 17 of FIG. On the other hand, when it is determined in the job that a stamp for synthesizing different stamp images is not specified in the job, the control unit 10 performs the same processing as in steps S2 to S5 in FIG. 5 or steps S12 to 17 in FIG. , Determine the synthetic means to use.

When the compositing means determination process C is completed, the control unit 10 performs image processing necessary for the image data of the job, and the determined compositing means (first compositing unit 161 or second compositing unit 162) performs the image processing of the job. The stamp image is combined with the data, and the image forming unit 17 prints the stamped image on the paper.

As described above, in the third embodiment, when the job type is print and the job mode is used, the stamp image is synthesized by using the first synthesis section 161 for the stamp that synthesizes different stamp images between the sections. Decide to do. Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems when the job type is print and job mode, and the type of stamp to be combined is different between departments, and the optimum composition method according to the image formation conditions of the job can be used. It is possible to synthesize a stamp image with the image data.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the above embodiment, the description in the above embodiment is a suitable example of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and is not limited thereto.

For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus has been described as an example, but the present invention may be applied to an image forming apparatus of another type such as an inkjet method.

Further, in the above embodiment, the recording medium on which the image is printed is described as paper, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an OHP sheet, cloth, or the like may be used.

In addition, specific details such as the configuration, structure, control content, and order shown in the above embodiment can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 Image forming device 10 Control unit 11 Storage unit 12 Operation unit 13 Display unit 14 Interface 15 Scanner 16 Image processing unit 161 First compositing unit 162 Second compositing unit 17 Image forming unit 18 Fixing unit 19 Transport unit 21 Bus

Claims (7)

An image processing unit that writes the image data of the input job to the memory and performs image processing on the image data on the memory.
An image forming unit that prints an image on a recording medium based on the image data output from the image processing unit, and an image forming unit.
It is an image forming apparatus equipped with
The image processing unit
A first compositing unit that outputs to the image forming unit while compositing a stamp image with the image data at the time of printing.
It has a second compositing unit that synthesizes a stamp image with the image data on the memory and outputs the combined image data to the memory.
The first compositing unit has restrictions on the size and number of stamp images that can be composited.
One or more of the job type, the stamp type specified in the job, the aggregate or repeat designation in the job, and the number of planes determined according to the color information specified in the job. An image forming apparatus comprising a control unit for determining which of the first synthesis unit and the second composition unit is used to synthesize the stamp image of the designated stamp based on the above. The image according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines to synthesize stamp images of all the designated stamps by using the second synthesis unit when the job type is a scan job. Forming device. In the control unit, the type of the job is a print job or a copy job, and at least one of the stamp image sizes of the stamps specified in the job exceeds the stamp image size that can be synthesized by the first synthesis unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second compositing unit is used to synthesize stamp images of all the designated stamps. In the control unit, the type of the job is a print job or a copy job, and the number of images to be printed on one side of the recording medium by the aggregation or repeat specified in the job is designated as N in the job. When the number of stamps is M, and N × M exceeds the number of stamp images that can be synthesized by the first compositing unit, the second compositing unit is used to obtain all the stamps specified above. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which determines to synthesize stamp images. In the control unit, the type of the job is a print job or a copy, the number of planes determined according to the color information is P, and the P plane image is synthesized by the second synthesis unit. The time required for printing is Ts, the time required for printing the image data in the image forming unit is Tp, and when Ts ≦ Tp, all the specified items are specified using the second compositing unit. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which determines to synthesize a stamp image of the stamp of. When the type of the job is a print job or a copy job and the color information is monochrome, the control unit uses the second composition unit to synthesize stamp images of all the designated stamps. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. When the type of the job is a print job or a copy job and the job of the A page B part is printed by repeatedly printing the image data of A sheets B times, the control unit has the specified stamps. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the stamp for synthesizing different stamp images between the parts is determined to be combined by using the first synthesizing part.

Images