JP3581704B2 - Print control apparatus and method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a print control apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a print control apparatus and method for outputting a printed matter ready for bookbinding in a system including information processing such as a personal computer and an output device such as a printer.
[0002]
[Prior art]
According to the related art, when bookbinding printing is performed using a printer having a double-sided printing unit, that is, when printing is performed so that the page order is aligned by folding the printed output paper into two, the memory of the printer is used. The pages to be printed are stored in the printer, and the pages are arranged and output by a printer. In this method, four continuous pages are arranged and printed so that when the paper on which the four pages are printed is folded in two, the pages are continuous.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In printing with such a conventional printer, the output printed matter is folded in two sheets one by one, and the folded printed matter must be arranged in the page order with respect to the entire document. Therefore, the user folds the sheet into two sheets one by one, and the work increases when the number of pages is large. As described above, there is a disadvantage that the user is burdened with a great deal of labor.
[0004]
Further, if the unit to be folded is set to a predetermined number of separate volumes and printing is performed so as to bind and bind the separate volumes, many blank pages are generated in the last separate volume, and recording paper may be wasted. This not only leads to waste of paper, but also includes a time for outputting a blank paper in the print processing time.
[0005]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional example, and provides a print control apparatus and method which can reduce the number of recording surfaces and the time required for print output without wasting recording paper. Aim.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.
That is, a print control device as a host computer that generates a print job including a printer control command,
In the case of bookbinding , in which a predetermined number of print sheets are divided into a plurality of booklet blocks into one booklet block for data to be printed input from an application , when a predetermined number of print sheets are folded in two, An input unit for inputting bookbinding settings including a setting of a unit of the number of print sheets to be arranged ;
Spooling means for spooling the data to be printed in the storage means so as to be readable in a desired order in page units;
Acquiring means for acquiring a unit of the number of sheets of printing paper of one booklet block at the time of bookbinding input by the input means;
The number of remaining pages of the data to be printed arranged in the last booklet block is smaller than the maximum number of pages that can be arranged in the last booklet block obtained based on the unit of the number of print sheets acquired by the acquiring unit. In such a case, a deriving unit that derives a sheet unit in which the number of remaining pages fits,
An arrangement unit that determines the arrangement of pages so as to bind each booklet block in units of the number of print sheets acquired by the acquisition unit ,
Reading means for reading print data from the storage means in an order according to the arrangement determined by the arrangement means, for outputting print data to the printing apparatus,
The arrangement unit is configured to calculate a remaining amount of the data to be printed arranged in the last booklet block from a maximum number of pages that can be arranged in the last booklet block obtained based on the unit of the number of print sheets acquired by the acquisition unit. When the number of pages is small, the arrangement of the pages of the last booklet block is determined so that the last booklet block is bound in units of the number derived by the deriving means .
[0007]
More preferably, the arrangement means, when performing separate bookbinding for every predetermined number N, when the number of pages that can be arranged in the last booklet is smaller than 4N pages by 4α pages (α is an integer, truncated to a small number), the last booklet block is deleted. The layout of pages is determined so as to bind with (N-α) sheets.
[0008]
More preferably, there is further provided a determination means for determining whether to bind the last booklet with a predetermined number (N) or with a reduced number (N-α) according to a user's designation.
[0009]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment suitable for applying the present invention will be described.
[0010]
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printer control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As long as the functions of the present invention are executed, connection and processing are performed via a network such as a LAN or a WAN, whether a single device or a system including a plurality of devices. The present invention can be applied to a system.
[0011]
<Configuration of printing system>
In the figure, a host computer 3000 executes document processing in which graphics, images, characters, tables (including spreadsheets, etc.) are mixed based on a document processing program or the like stored in a program ROM of the ROM 3 or the external memory 11. The CPU 1 controls the devices connected to the system bus 4. An operating system program (hereinafter referred to as OS), which is a control program of the CPU 1, is stored in the program ROM or the external memory 11 of the ROM 3, and the font ROM or the external memory 11 of the ROM 3 is used for the above-described document processing. Font data and the like to be used are stored, and various data used when performing the above-described document processing and the like are stored in the data ROM of the ROM 3 or the external memory 11. The RAM 2 functions as a main memory, a work area, and the like for the CPU 1.
[0012]
A keyboard controller (KBC) 5 controls a key input from a keyboard 9 or a pointing device (not shown). A CRT controller (CRTC) 6 controls display on a CRT display (CRT) 10. The disk controller (DKC) 7 includes a hard disk (HD) that stores a boot program, various applications, font data, user files, edit files, a printer control command generation program (hereinafter, printer driver), a floppy (registered trademark) disk ( Access to the external memory 11 such as FD) is controlled. The printer controller (PRTC) 8 is connected to the printer 1500 via a predetermined bidirectional interface (interface) 21, and executes a communication control process with the printer 1500.
[0013]
The CPU 1 executes, for example, a process of developing (rasterizing) the outline font on the display information RAM set on the RAM 2 to enable WYSIWYG on the CRT 10. Further, the CPU 1 opens various registered windows based on commands specified by a mouse cursor or the like (not shown) on the CRT 10, and executes various data processing. When executing printing, the user opens a window related to print settings, and can set a printer and a print processing method for a printer driver including selection of a print mode.
[0014]
In the printer 1500, the printer CPU 12 sends a print program (printer engine) 17 connected to the system bus 15 based on a control program or the like stored in the program ROM of the ROM 13 or a control program or the like stored in the external memory 14. An image signal is output as output information. The program ROM of the ROM 13 stores a control program of the CPU 12 and the like. The font ROM of the ROM 13 stores font data and the like used when generating the output information. In the case of a printer having no external memory 14 such as a hard disk in the data ROM of the ROM 13, the font ROM is stored on the host computer. The information used is stored.
[0015]
The CPU 12 can perform communication processing with the host computer via the input unit 18 and can notify the host computer 3000 of information in the printer and the like. The RAM 19 is a RAM that functions as a main memory, a work area, and the like for the CPU 12, and is configured so that the memory capacity can be expanded by an optional RAM connected to an extension port (not shown). The RAM 19 is used for an output information development area, an environment data storage area, an NVRAM, and the like. The access to the external memory 14 such as a hard disk (HD) and an IC card is controlled by a memory controller (MC) 20. The external memory 14 is connected as an option, and stores font data, an emulation program, form data, and the like. The operation unit 1501 is provided with a switch for operation, an LED display, and the like.
[0016]
The above-mentioned external memory is not limited to one, and at least one external memory is provided. In addition to the built-in fonts, an option card and a plurality of external memories storing programs for interpreting printer control languages of different language systems can be connected. It may be. Further, an NVRAM (not shown) may be provided to store printer mode setting information from the operation unit 1501.
[0017]
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a typical printing process in a host computer to which a printing device such as a printer is directly connected or connected via a network. The application 201, the graphic engine 202, the printer driver 203, and the system spooler 204 exist as files stored in the external memory 11, and when executed, are loaded into the RAM 2 by the OS or a module using the module and executed. It is a program module. Further, the application 201 and the printer driver 203 can be added to the FD of the external memory 11, a CD-ROM (not shown), or the HD of the external disk 11 via a network (not shown).
[0018]
The application 201 stored in the external memory 11 is loaded into the RAM 2 and executed. When printing from the application 201 to the printer 1500, the graphic 201 which is also loaded into the RAM 2 and is executable. Output (drawing) is performed using the engine 202. The graphic engine 202 similarly loads a printer driver 203 prepared for each printing device from the external memory 11 to the RAM 2, and converts the output of the application 210 into a printer control command using the printer driver 203. The converted printer control command is output to the printer 1500 via the interface 21 via the system spooler 204 loaded into the RAM 2 by the OS.
[0019]
The system according to the present embodiment is based on the premise that, in addition to the printing system including the printer and the host computer shown in FIG. 2, the print data from the application is temporarily spooled as intermediate code data as shown in FIG. .
[0020]
<Configuration of print control system>
FIG. 3 is an extension of the system of FIG. 2, and when a print command is sent from the graphic engine 202 to the printer driver 203, a spool file 303 composed of intermediate codes is once generated. In the system shown in FIG. 2, the application 201 is released from the printing process when the printer driver 203 finishes converting all print commands from the graphic engine 202 into printer control commands. On the other hand, in the system shown in FIG. 3, the spooler 302 converts all the print commands into intermediate code data and outputs them to the spool file 303. Usually, the latter requires less time. Further, in the system shown in FIG. 3, the contents of the spool file 303 can be processed. As a result, it is possible to realize functions that the application does not have, such as enlargement / reduction of print data from the application, reduction of a plurality of pages to one page, and printing.
[0021]
For these purposes, the system of FIG. 2 has been expanded to spool the intermediate code data as shown in FIG. In order to process the print data, the operator normally makes settings on a setting screen provided by the printer driver 203, and the printer driver 203 stores the set contents in the RAM 2 or the external memory 11.
[0022]
Hereinafter, details of FIG. 3 will be described. As shown in the figure, in this extended processing method, the dispatcher 301 receives a print command from the graphic engine 202. When the print command received by the dispatcher 301 from the graphic engine 202 is a print command issued from the application 201 to the graphic engine 202, the dispatcher 301 loads the spooler 302 stored in the external memory 11 into the RAM 2 and The print command is sent to the spooler 302 instead of the driver 203.
[0023]
The spooler 302 converts the received print command into an intermediate code and outputs it to the spool file 303. Further, the spooler 302 acquires processing settings related to print data set for the printer driver 203 from the printer driver 203 and stores the processing settings in the spool file 303. Although the spool file 303 is generated as a file on the external memory 11, it may be generated on the RAM 2. Further, the spooler 302 loads the spool file manager 304 stored in the external memory 11 onto the RAM 2 and notifies the spool file manager 304 of the status of generation of the spool file 303. After that, the spool file manager 304 determines whether or not printing can be performed in accordance with the contents of the processing settings relating to the print data stored in the spool file 303. When the spool file manager 304 determines that printing can be performed using the graphic engine 202, the despooler 305 stored in the external memory 11 is loaded into the RAM 2, and the despooler 305 is described in the spool file 303. An instruction is issued to perform an intermediate code printing process.
[0024]
The despooler 305 processes the intermediate code included in the spool file 303 in accordance with the processing settings included in the spool file 303, and outputs the processed intermediate code via the graphic engine 202 again.
[0025]
If the print command received by the dispatcher 301 from the graphic engine 202 is a print command issued from the despooler 305 to the graphic engine 202, the dispatcher 301 sends the print command to the printer driver 203 instead of the spooler 302.
[0026]
The printer driver 203 generates a printer control command according to the received print command, and outputs it to the printer 1500 via the system spooler 204 and the bidirectional interface 21.
[0027]
<Configuration of Printer>
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a color laser beam printer having a duplex printing function, which is an example of the printer 1500.
[0028]
This printer forms an electrostatic latent image by scanning the photosensitive drum 15 with the polygon mirror 31 using laser light modulated with image data for each color obtained based on print data input from the host computer 3000. Then, a visible image is obtained by developing the electrostatic latent image with toner, and the visible image is multiplex-transferred to the intermediate transfer member 9 for all colors to form a color visible image. Further, the color visible image is transferred to the transfer material 2, and the color visible image is fixed on the transfer material 2. The image forming unit that performs the above control includes a drum unit having a photosensitive drum 15, a primary charging unit having a contact charging roller 17, a cleaning unit, a developing unit, an intermediate transfer body 9, a paper cassette 1 and various rollers 3, 4, 5, 7, a transfer unit including the transfer roller 10, and a fixing unit 25.
[0029]
The drum unit 13 is configured by integrally forming a photosensitive drum (photoconductor) 15 and a cleaner container 14 having a cleaning mechanism also serving as a holder for the photosensitive drum 15. The drum unit 13 is detachably supported by the printer main body, and is configured so that the unit can be easily replaced according to the life of the photosensitive drum 15. The photosensitive drum 15 is formed by applying an organic photoconductor layer on the outer periphery of an aluminum cylinder, and is rotatably supported by the cleaner container 14. The photosensitive drum 15 rotates when a driving force of a drive motor (not shown) is transmitted. The drive motor rotates the photosensitive drum 15 in a counterclockwise direction according to an image forming operation. Exposure to the photosensitive drum 15 is configured so that an electrostatic latent image is formed by selectively exposing the surface of the photosensitive drum 15 to laser light transmitted from the scanner unit 30. In the scanner section 30, the modulated laser light is reflected by a polygon mirror that rotates in synchronization with a horizontal synchronization signal of an image signal by a motor 31a, and irradiates the photosensitive drum via a lens 32 and a reflection mirror 33.
[0030]
The developing unit includes three color developing units 20Y, 20M, and 20C for developing yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C), and a black ( And a single black developing unit 21B for performing the development of B). The color developing units 20Y, 20M, 20C and the black developing unit 21B include sleeves 20YS, 20MS, 20CS, and 21BS, and coating blades 20YB, 20MB, 20CB, and 21BB that press against the outer circumferences of the sleeves 20YS, 20MS, 20CS, and 20BS, respectively. Are respectively provided. The three color developing units 20Y, 20M, and 20C are provided with coating rollers 20YR, 20MR, and 20CR.
[0031]
The black developing device 21B is detachably attached to the printer main body, and the color developing devices 20Y, 20M, and 20C are detachably attached to a developing rotary 23 that rotates around a rotation shaft 22.
[0032]
The sleeve 21BS of the black developing device 21B is arranged at a minute interval of, for example, about 300 μm with respect to the photosensitive drum 15. The black developing device 21B conveys the toner by a feeding member built in the device, and applies electric charge to the toner by frictional charging so that the toner is applied to the outer periphery of the sleeve 21BS that rotates clockwise by the application blade 21BB. Further, by applying a developing bias to the sleeve 21BS, the photosensitive drum 15 is developed in accordance with the electrostatic latent image, and a visible image is formed on the photosensitive drum 15 using black toner.
[0033]
The three color developing units 20Y, 20M, and 20C rotate with the rotation of the developing rotary 23 during image formation, and the predetermined sleeves 20YS, 20MS, and 20CS are spaced from the photosensitive drum 15 at a minute interval of about 300 μm. Will face each other. As a result, the predetermined color developing units 20Y, 20M, and 20C are stopped at the developing position facing the photosensitive drum 15, and a visible image is created on the photosensitive drum 15.
[0034]
At the time of forming a color image, the developing rotary 23 rotates every rotation of the intermediate transfer body 9, and the developing process is performed in the order of a yellow developing device 20Y, a magenta developing device 20M, a cyan developing device 20C, and then a black developing device 20B. The transfer member 9 rotates four times to sequentially form visible images using the respective toners of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. As a result, a full-color visible image is formed on the intermediate transfer member 9.
[0035]
The intermediate transfer body 9 is configured to rotate in accordance with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 15 in contact with the photosensitive drum 15 and rotate clockwise at the time of forming a color image. The image undergoes multiple transfer. Further, the intermediate transfer member 9 simultaneously transfers the visible color image on the intermediate transfer member 9 to the transfer material 2 by multiple transfer by sandwiching and transferring the transfer material 2 by contacting a transfer roller 10 described later during image formation. TOP sensor 9a and RS sensor 9b for detecting the position of the intermediate transfer member 2 in the rotation direction, and density sensors for detecting the density of the toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer member are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the intermediate transfer member. 9c is arranged.
[0036]
The transfer roller 10 includes a transfer charger that is supported so as to be able to contact and separate from the photosensitive drum 15, and is configured by winding a metal shaft with a medium-resistance foam elastic body.
[0037]
The transfer roller 10 is separated downward so as not to disturb the color visible image during the multiple transfer of the color visible image onto the intermediate transfer body 9 as shown by a solid line in FIG. After the four color visible images are formed on the intermediate transfer member 9, the transfer roller 10 is moved by a cam member (not shown) in accordance with the timing at which the color visible images are transferred to the transfer material 2. It is located above indicated by. As a result, the transfer roller 10 is pressed against the intermediate transfer body 9 via the transfer material 2 with a predetermined pressing force, and a bias voltage is applied to transfer the color visible image on the intermediate transfer body 9 to the transfer material 2.
[0038]
The fixing unit 25 fixes the transferred color visible image while conveying the transfer material 2. The fixing unit 25 heats the transfer material 2 and pressurizes the transfer material 2 against the fixing roller 26. And a roller 27. The fixing roller 26 and the pressure roller 27 are formed in a hollow shape, and have heaters 28 and 29 therein, respectively. That is, the transfer material 2 holding the color visible image is conveyed by the fixing roller 26 and the pressure roller 27, and the toner is fixed on the surface by applying heat and pressure.
[0039]
The transfer material 2 after the fixing of the visible image is thereafter discharged to the paper discharge unit 37 by the paper discharge rollers 34, 35, 36, and the image forming operation is completed.
[0040]
The cleaning unit is for cleaning the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 15 and the intermediate transfer member 9. The cleaning unit removes waste toner after transferring the visible image formed by the toner formed on the photosensitive drum 15 to the intermediate transfer member 9. After transferring the four color visible images formed on the intermediate transfer member 9 to the transfer material 2, the waste toner is stored in the cleaner container 14.
[0041]
The transfer material (recording paper) 2 to be printed is taken out from the paper feed tray 1 by the paper feed roller 3 and is conveyed so as to be sandwiched between the intermediate transfer body 9 and the transfer roller 10 to record a color toner image. Then, the toner image passes through the fixing unit 25 and is fixed. In the case of single-sided printing, the conveyance path is formed so that the guide 38 guides the recording sheet to the upper discharge section, but the path is formed so that the sheet for double-sided printing is guided to the lower double-sided unit. .
[0042]
The recording paper guided to the double-sided unit is once fed into the lower portion of the tray 1 (the conveyance path indicated by the two-dot chain line) by the conveyance rollers 40, is conveyed in the opposite direction, and is sent to the double-sided tray 39. On the double-sided tray 39, the sheet is upside down from the state of being placed on the sheet feed tray 1, and the sheet is upside down in the transport direction. By transferring and fixing the toner image again in this state, double-sided printing can be performed.
[0043]
<How to perform bookbinding printing>
FIG. 4 illustrates bookbinding printing and its implementation results.
[0044]
Bookbinding printing is printing in which the page order is matched as a result of folding the print result output on both sides of the paper into two, and there are the following two methods.
[0045]
1. In a case where all pages to be printed are in the unit of the number of sheets for bookbinding In this case, an output like the printed matter 41 in FIG. 4 is obtained, and the output is folded in two to form a book.
[0046]
2. In the case where an arbitrary page is set as a unit of bookbinding In this case, an output such as the printed matter 42 in FIG. 4 is obtained, which is folded in two for each sheet unit, and further arranged to form a book.
[0047]
The unit of bookbinding here indicates how many sheets of output paper should be bundled and folded in two for bookbinding printing.
[0048]
In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the format of bookbinding output by bookbinding printing includes the following cases.
1. Pages are arranged in ascending order from the left (left opening).
2. Pages are arranged in ascending order from right (open right).
[0049]
Also, when the page to be printed is in the horizontal direction, the page order is not changed only by rotating the page.
[0050]
In the printing system of the present embodiment, print output is performed in accordance with the various bookbinding printing methods described above.
[0051]
<Print control procedure>
Hereinafter, the bookbinding printing process will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 11 show control procedures executed by the spool file manager 304. When the spool file manager 304 determines that printing can be started, the processing in FIG. 6 is started.
[0052]
In step 601, if the user has set bookbinding printing, the process proceeds to step 602; otherwise, normal printing is performed and the process proceeds to step 607.
[0053]
In step 602, a setting relating to the number of sheets for bookbinding printing and a setting relating to the print style are acquired.
[0054]
The following options are available for setting the number of prints.
1. Bookbinding printing for all pages to be printed.
2. Bookbinding printing for specified arbitrary page units.
[0055]
The following options are available for setting the print style.
1. Open left.
2. Open right.
[0056]
In step 603, if all pages have been selected in the unit of bookbinding printing, the process proceeds to step 604. If not, the process proceeds to step 605.
[0057]
In step 604, the unit of bookbinding is set to the entire print page, and bookbinding printing is performed. Details of this processing will be described later.
[0058]
In step 605, if a specific number of sheets has been selected for bookbinding printing, the process proceeds to step 606, and if not, the process proceeds to step 607.
[0059]
In step 606, bookbinding printing is performed in the designated number of sheets. Details of this processing will be described later.
[0060]
In step 607, normal print processing is performed.
[0061]
Note that the setting of bookbinding printing and the setting of the number of sheets are performed by input from the host computer 3000 by an operator or the like.
[0062]
Hereinafter, the processing related to step 604 in FIG. 6 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
[0063]
In step 701, a print format is obtained. In step 702, the number of print pages is obtained. This print page can be acquired when all the print data from the application has been spooled.
[0064]
In step 703, a bookbinding printing progress counter is set to zero. Pages printed when this counter is an even number are printed so as to be inside when folded, and pages printed when an odd number are printed are outside when folded.
[0065]
In step 704, the number of sheets to be used is calculated by the following equation.
Number of sheets = number of pages / 4 (rounded up to the nearest decimal point).
[0066]
In step 705, two pages to be printed inside the innermost sheet when folded in half are calculated using the following formula. Based on these two pages, pages to be printed thereafter are calculated.
Basic page 1 = number of sheets × 2.
Basic page 2 = number of sheets × 2-1.
[0067]
For example, if 50 pages of print data are sent from the application, the number of sheets used for bookbinding printing is 50/4 = 13, and the basic page printed on the folded sheet when folded in half is , Basic page 1 = 13 × 2 = 26 pages and basic page 2 = 3 × 2-1 = 25 pages. In the example of FIG. 4, the eleventh page and the tenth page, which are the innermost surfaces of the printed material 41, correspond to these.
[0068]
In step 706, if the bookbinding printing process has been completed, the process is terminated. If not, the process proceeds to step 707.
[0069]
In step 707, two pages to be printed side by side on one side of the recording paper are calculated by the following formula.
Print page 1 = basic page 1 + progress counter.
Print page 2 = basic page 2-progress counter.
[0070]
For example, in the case of the above-mentioned 50-page bookbinding printing, 26 + 1 = 27 pages and 25-1 = 24 pages are included in the second printing surface. Thereafter, each time the progress counter is incremented, pages 28 and 23, 29 and 22... Since the progress counter is initially 0, the basic page is the first printing surface.
[0071]
In step 708, it is determined whether or not the calculated print page 1 is larger than the number of print pages from the application. If not, the process skips to step 710.
[0072]
In step 709, since a margin is arranged on the print page 1, for example, a page number 0 representing the margin is substituted.
[0073]
In steps 710 and 711, the layout of the two pages calculated from the print format (left or right) and the progress counter (inward or outward when folded) is determined.
[0074]
Specifically, the inside / outside determination is made inside when the number of print requests issued so far is even, and outside when the number of print requests is odd. As a result of the determination in steps 710 and 711, the processing proceeds as follows.
[0075]
In the case of a page that is opened leftward and is inside the folding, the process proceeds to step 712. In the case of a page that is opened leftward and is outside the fold, the process proceeds to step 713. In the case of a page that opens rightward and is outside the folding, the process proceeds to step 712. In the case of a page that is opened leftward and is inside the folding, the process proceeds to step 713.
[0076]
In step 712, print page 1 is arranged on the left and print page 2 is arranged on the right.
[0077]
In step 713, print page 1 is arranged on the right side, and print page 2 is arranged on the left side. However, in step 712 and step 713, if print page 1 = 0, a margin is arranged there.
[0078]
The processing from step 710 to step 713 is processing for printing, for example, page 24 on the back side of page 25 and page 27 on the back side of page 26.
[0079]
In step 714, the printing progress counter is incremented by one.
[0080]
In step 715, it is determined whether the next print request can be made to the despooler 305. If so, the process proceeds to step 716. If not, the process proceeds to step 717 to wait until the next print request becomes possible.
[0081]
In step 716, a print request for one recording sheet is made for the printed pages that have been arranged.
[0082]
In step 717, it is determined whether the output request for the next page is possible. If possible, the process proceeds to step 706. If not, the process waits until it becomes possible.
[0083]
The printed matter printed and output as described above can be bound simply by folding it in two in an overlapping state.
[0084]
Hereinafter, the processing related to step 606 in FIG. 6 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
[0085]
The number of sheets here indicates how many sheets are folded and bound and printed. This unit is called a block. For example, in the case where bookbinding printing of 40 pages of print data from an application is performed in units of two sheets, two sheets of folded paper are regarded as one block, and eight pages of data are arranged in one block. . Therefore, bookbinding printing is performed by dividing the entire print data into five blocks.
[0086]
In step 801, a print format and a number unit are obtained. In step 802, the print end page is set to 0.
[0087]
In step 803, it is determined whether the bookbinding printing process is completed. If the process is completed, the process is completed. If not, the process proceeds to step 804.
[0088]
In step 804, a print page (bookbinding printability determination page) that enables bookbinding print processing is acquired. The number of bookbinding print determination pages determined in step S804 is the maximum number of pages in the block.
[0089]
The number of bookbinding printable pages in the first block is obtained as follows.
Bookbinding printable page = number of sheets × 4.
[0090]
For the second and subsequent blocks, the bookbinding printability determination page is obtained as follows.
Bookbinding printability determination page = bookbinding printability determination page of previous block + number of sheets × 4.
[0091]
For example, in the case of bookbinding printing in units of 40 pages, the binding printability determination page in the first block is 2 × 4 = 8, and the next block is 8 + 2 × 4 = 16 pages. Thereafter, the number of pages becomes 24, 32, and 40.
[0092]
In step 805, the number of pages for which spooling has been completed is obtained.
[0093]
In step 806, it is determined whether spooling has been completed up to a print page (bookbinding printable determination page) in which bookbinding print processing can be performed, or whether spooling of all pages has been completed. If not, the process returns to step 805.
[0094]
In step 807, the progress counter is set to 0.
[0095]
In step 808, two basic pages to be printed inside the innermost sheet when folded in half are calculated using the following equation. Based on these two pages, pages to be printed thereafter are calculated.
Basic page 1 = bookbinding printability determination page−number of sheets × 2 + 1.
Basic page 2 = bookbinding printability determination page−number of sheets × 2.
[0096]
In step 809, it is determined whether the print request for the current block has been completed. If the request has been completed, the process proceeds to step 803; Specifically, when the progress counter becomes equal to the number of sheets, it is determined that the print request has been completed.
[0097]
In step 810, two pages for which a print request is made are calculated by the following equation.
Print page 1 = basic page 1 + progress counter.
Print page 2 = basic page 2-progress counter.
[0098]
Since the progress counter is initially 0, the basic page is the first print page.
[0099]
In step 811, it is determined whether or not the calculated print page 1 is larger than the number of print pages from the application. If not larger, the process skips to step 813.
[0100]
In step 812, the print page 1 is provided with a blank space, and therefore, for example, a page number 0 representing the blank space is substituted.
[0101]
In steps 813 and 814, the layout of the two pages calculated from the print format (left or right) and the progress counter (inward or outward when folded) is determined.
[0102]
More specifically, the inside / outside determination is made inside when the number of print requests is even, and outside when the number of print requests is odd.
[0103]
In the case of a page that is opened leftward and is inside the folding, the process proceeds to step 815. In the case of a page that is opened leftward and is outside the fold, the process proceeds to step 816. In the case of a page that opens rightward and is outside the folding, the process proceeds to step 815. In the case of a page that is opened leftward and is inside the folding, the process proceeds to step 816.
[0104]
In step 815, print page 1 is arranged on the left and print page 2 is arranged on the right.
[0105]
At step 816, print page 1 is placed on the right and print page 2 is placed on the left. However, in step 815 and step 816, if print page 1 = 0, a margin is arranged there.
[0106]
In step 817, the printing progress counter is incremented by one.
[0107]
In step 818, it is determined whether the next print request is possible. If so, the process proceeds to step 819. If not, the process waits until the next print request becomes possible.
[0108]
In step 820, a print request for one sheet of paper is made for the printed pages that have been arranged.
[0109]
If the printer 1500 performs double-sided printing in response to the print request issued according to the above-described procedure, it is possible to create a bound printed matter only by folding and arranging the printed output paper in units of a desired number of sheets. Can be.
[0110]
[Second embodiment]
When performing bookbinding print processing in arbitrary number units after spooling all pages from the application, if the number of pages to be printed in the last block is small, only the last block should be bound in a smaller number of pages than the specified number. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the number of sheets used.
[0111]
For example, when the number of remaining pages is 3 and the unit of number is 2 for 5 pages, the margin for 5 pages becomes a margin. However, when this is changed to the unit of 1 page, the margin is 1 page and the margin is only 1 page. One less.
[0112]
Hereinafter, the number adjustment process of the last block will be described in detail with reference to FIG. This is also applied to a case where an unnecessarily large number of sheets is designated for a print page. For example, if bookbinding printing in units of 10 sheets is specified for 30 pages of print data from the application, the number of sheets actually required is 8, so the unit of sheets is adjusted from 10 to 8 sheets. This is the same output result as when bookbinding printing is performed on the entire page.
[0113]
The following processing is performed between step 806 and step 807 in FIG. 8 when the determination in step 806 is YES, thereby achieving the above-described reduction in the number of sheets.
[0114]
In step 901, it is determined whether or not spooling of all pages has been completed. If it has been completed, the process proceeds to step 902, and if not, the process exits.
[0115]
In step 902, the number of remaining pages is calculated by the following equation.
Remaining page number = printed page from application−current bookbinding printability determination.
[0116]
In the page step 903, the number of pages that can be accommodated in the block in the currently set number of units is compared with the number of remaining pages. If the number of remaining pages is smaller, the process proceeds to step 904; It exits as no.
[0117]
In step 904, the unit of the smallest number of bookbindings that can accommodate the remaining pages is determined by the following equation.
New bookbinding unit = remaining pages / 4 (rounded up to the nearest decimal).
[0118]
If the last block is printed after step 807 using the new bookbinding unit obtained in this way, only one blank page can be used, so that the recording paper is not wasted and the number of recording surfaces is reduced. The time required for print output is also reduced.
[0119]
[Third Embodiment]
In the case of performing bookbinding printing processing in arbitrary number units, when paper saving of the last block is performed as in the above-described second embodiment, it is necessary to issue a print request after spooling all pages from the application. is there. On the other hand, when the paper saving of the last block is not performed, the print request can be started without waiting for the end of the spooling of all the pages in the block. Can be shortened. Also, by starting the print processing earlier, an improvement in the overall throughput can be expected compared to printing. In the second embodiment, saving of blank pages is determined depending on whether spooling of all pages has been completed. However, in the present embodiment, saving is instructed to be performed. If so, save a blank page.
[0120]
FIG. 13 shows a flowchart of the procedure. In this process, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to wait for the end of spooling of all pages in the block depending on whether or not to save the paper of the last block. If the paper saving of the last block is not performed, the print request is started without waiting for the end of the spooling of all the pages in the block. FIG. 13 is inserted between step S806 (-YES) and step S807 in FIG. This is obtained by adding a step 1301 for determining whether or not to save paper to the head of the procedure shown in FIG. 11 in the second embodiment. That is, when saving paper, the same processing as in the second embodiment is performed, and otherwise, the same processing as in the first embodiment is performed. It should be noted that this determination criterion in step 1301 may be specified by the operator from the keyboard 9 of the host computer 3000, for example, and may be stored in the RAM 2.
[0121]
However, if the paper is not saved, the print request can be started without waiting for the end of spooling of all pages of the block. Therefore, in the first and second embodiments, in step S804 in FIG. The binding printability determination page of the first block, which is obtained by “number of sheets × 4”, can be replaced with “number of sheets × 2 + 1”.
[0122]
For example, in the case of bookbinding printing in units of 40 pages, if spooling of all pages in a block is to be waited, completion of spooling of 4 × 2 = 8 pages is to be waited. For example, the number of bookbinding print determination pages in the first block is 2 × 2 + 1 = 5 pages. That is, printing can be started three pages earlier. In any case, the subsequent blocks are “bookbinding printable determination page of previous block + number of sheets × 4”, so printing is completed three pages earlier.
[0123]
FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a procedure for replacing step 804 in FIG. If it is not necessary to save paper, the number of printable pages is obtained in step 1403 as follows.
・ First block:
Bookbinding printable page = number of sheets × 2 + 1.
・ Second and subsequent blocks:
Bookbinding printability determination page = previous bookbinding printability determination page + number of sheets × 4.
[0124]
FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a procedure for replacing step 804 in FIG. If paper is to be saved, the number of printable pages is determined in step 1402 as follows.
・ First block:
Bookbinding printable page = number of sheets × 4.
・ Second and subsequent blocks:
Bookbinding printability determination page = previous bookbinding printability determination page + number of sheets × 4.
[0125]
If the last block does not save paper in the last block, a print request can be started without waiting for spooling of all pages in the block. Is shortened. This effect increases as the number of sheets per block in bookbinding printing increases. Also, by starting the print request early, it is expected that the throughput of the entire print processing will be improved.
[0126]
[Other embodiments]
The present invention can be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), but it can be applied to a device including one device (for example, a copier, a facsimile device, etc.) May be applied.
[0127]
Further, an object of the present invention is to provide a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or an apparatus, and a computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus to store the storage medium. This is also achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the.
[0128]
In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the function of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.
[0129]
As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, or the like is used. be able to.
[0130]
When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. This also includes a case where some or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.
[0131]
Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. This includes the case where the CPU or the like provided in the board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.
[0132]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first, second, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth aspects of the present invention, when the bookbinding setting is separate bookbinding, the last booklet obtained based on the unit of the number of print sheets to be obtained. When the number of remaining pages of the data to be printed arranged in the last booklet block is smaller than the maximum number of pages that can be arranged in the block, the number of print sheets of the last booklet block is set to the last booklet block. By deriving the number of sheets to accommodate the remaining number of pages to be arranged, and by deciding the page arrangement of the last booklet block so that the last booklet block is bound by the derived number , recording paper is not wasted and recording is performed. the time required to print out also reduces the number of surfaces may be shortened.
[0133]
According to the third, sixth, and ninth aspects of the present invention, the user's intention can be respected by determining whether to bind the last booklet with a predetermined number or with a reduced number according to the user's specification. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printing system according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing typical print data generation in a host computer.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating print data generation that is an extension of FIG. 2 for generating an intermediate code.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining bookbinding printing and its realization result.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a bookbinding format output by bookbinding printing.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a plurality of bookbinding printing control procedures.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of binding and printing all pages collectively.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of binding and printing all pages collectively.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of performing bookbinding printing with an arbitrary number of sheets as one block.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of performing bookbinding printing with an arbitrary number of sheets as one block.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a paper saving method.
FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a laser beam printer having a duplex unit.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a procedure for selecting whether to save paper in the third embodiment.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a procedure for setting a bookbinding printability determination page in the third embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 CPU
2 RAM
3 ROM
4 System bus 12 CPU
13 ROM
19 RAM
3000 Host computer 1500 Printer

Claims (9)

A print control device as a host computer that generates a print job including a printer control command,
In the case of bookbinding , in which a predetermined number of print sheets are divided into a plurality of booklet blocks into one booklet block for data to be printed input from an application , when a predetermined number of print sheets are folded in two, An input unit for inputting bookbinding settings including a setting of a unit of the number of sheets of printing paper to be arranged ;
Spooling means for spooling the data to be printed in the storage means so as to be readable in a desired order in page units;
Acquiring means for acquiring a unit of the number of sheets of printing paper of one booklet block at the time of bookbinding input by the input means;
The number of remaining pages of the data to be printed arranged in the last booklet block is smaller than the maximum number of pages that can be arranged in the last booklet block obtained based on the unit of the number of print sheets acquired by the acquiring unit. In such a case, a deriving unit that derives a sheet unit in which the number of remaining pages fits,
An arrangement unit that determines the arrangement of pages so as to bind each booklet block in units of the number of print sheets acquired by the acquisition unit ,
Reading means for reading print data from the storage means in an order according to the arrangement determined by the arrangement means, for outputting print data to the printing apparatus,
The arrangement unit is configured to calculate a remaining amount of the data to be printed arranged in the last booklet block from a maximum number of pages that can be arranged in the last booklet block obtained based on the unit of the number of print sheets acquired by the acquisition unit. A print control device for arranging the pages of the last booklet block so that the last booklet block is bound in the number of sheets derived by the deriving means when the number of pages is small . The arrangement means, when performing separate bookbinding for every predetermined number N, when the number of pages that can be arranged in the last booklet is 4α pages (α is an integer, rounded down to the nearest number), the last booklet block is set to (N−α 2. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement of the pages is determined so as to bind the sheets. 2. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether to bind the last booklet with a predetermined number (N) or with a reduced number (N-α) according to a user's designation. . An information processing method in a host computer for generating a print job including a printer control command, comprising:
In the case of bookbinding , in which a predetermined number of print sheets are divided into a plurality of booklet blocks into one booklet block for data to be printed input from an application , when a predetermined number of print sheets are folded in two, An input step of inputting a bookbinding setting including a setting of a unit of the number of printing papers to be arranged in order ,
A spooling step of spooling the data to be printed in a storage unit so as to be readable in a desired order in page units;
An acquisition step of acquiring a unit of the number of sheets of printing paper of one booklet block at the time of bookbinding input in the input step;
The number of remaining pages of the data to be printed arranged in the last booklet block is smaller than the maximum number of pages that can be arranged in the last booklet block obtained based on the unit of the number of print sheets acquired in the acquiring step. In the case, a derivation step of deriving a unit of number in which the number of remaining pages can be accommodated,
An arrangement step of determining the arrangement of pages so as to bind each booklet block in units of the number of print sheets acquired in the acquisition step ,
A read step of reading print data from the storage unit in an order according to the arrangement determined by the arrangement step, in order to output print data to the printing apparatus,
The arranging step includes: calculating a remaining amount of the data to be printed arranged in the last booklet block from a maximum number of pages that can be arranged in the last booklet block obtained based on the unit of the number of print sheets acquired in the acquiring step. And determining the layout of the pages of the last booklet block so that the last booklet block is bound by the number of sheets derived by the deriving means when the number of pages is small . In the arrangement step, when bookbinding is performed for each predetermined number N, if the number of pages that can be arranged in the last booklet is 4α pages (α is an integer, rounded down to the nearest number), the last booklet block is set to (N−α). 5. The print control method according to claim 4, wherein the arrangement of the pages is determined so as to bind the sheets. 5. The print control method according to claim 4, further comprising a determination step of determining whether to bind the last booklet with a predetermined number (N) or with a reduced number (N-α) according to a user's designation. . A host computer that generates a print job including a printer control command,
In the case of bookbinding , in which a predetermined number of print sheets are divided into a plurality of booklet blocks into one booklet block for data to be printed input from an application , when a predetermined number of print sheets are folded in two, An input unit for inputting bookbinding settings including a setting of a unit of the number of sheets of printing paper to be arranged ;
Spooling means for spooling the data to be printed in the storage means so as to be readable in a desired order in page units;
Acquiring means for acquiring a unit of the number of sheets of printing paper of one booklet block at the time of bookbinding input by the input means;
The number of remaining pages of the data to be printed arranged in the last booklet block is smaller than the maximum number of pages that can be arranged in the last booklet block obtained based on the unit of the number of print sheets acquired by the acquiring unit. In such a case, a deriving unit that derives a sheet unit in which the number of remaining pages fits,
An arrangement unit that determines the arrangement of pages so as to bind each booklet block in units of the number of print sheets acquired by the acquisition unit ,
In order to output print data to the printing apparatus, function as read means for reading print data from the storage means in an order according to the arrangement determined by the arrangement means,
The arrangement unit is configured to calculate a remaining amount of the data to be printed arranged in the last booklet block from a maximum number of pages that can be arranged in the last booklet block obtained based on the unit of the number of print sheets acquired by the acquisition unit. A computer program for determining the arrangement of pages of the last booklet block so that the last booklet block is bound in the number of sheets derived by the deriving means when the number of pages is small. A readable storage medium. The arrangement means, when performing separate bookbinding for every predetermined number N, when the number of pages that can be arranged in the last booklet is 4α pages (α is an integer, rounded down to the nearest number), the last booklet block is set to (N−α The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 7, wherein the arrangement of the pages is determined so as to bind the sheets. 8. The computer-readable recording according to claim 7, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether to bind the last booklet with a predetermined number (N) or with a reduced number (N-α) according to a user's designation. Medium.

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