JP4106757B2 - Printing system, printing control device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  The present invention relates to a technique for grasping the progress of printing on a recording medium in a printing apparatus connected to a printing control apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printing system that prints data to be printed created by an information processing terminal using a printing apparatus is known. In this system, a print control device called RIP (Raster Image Processor) for converting data to be printed into print data that can be processed by the printing device is interposed between the information processing terminal and the printing device. In other words, data to be printed that is normally generated by an information processing terminal is PDL (Page Description Language) such as PostScript or image data such as TIFF or JPEG. A data conversion device is required.
[0003]
  In a small-scale system, for example, a personal system, an information processing terminal may incorporate this print control device. On the other hand, in a large-scale system, for example, a print system that is constructed as a network and prints a banner such as several tens of meters, it is printed on the network separately from the information processing terminal for the purpose of reducing the processing load on the information processing terminal. The structure which connects a control apparatus is employ | adopted. At this time, when the print control apparatus receives the print target data from the information processing terminal via the network, the print control apparatus converts the print target data into print data and transmits the print target data to the connected printing apparatus.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
  By the way, in such a printing system, the progress of printing in the printing apparatus, which is how far it has been printed, has been grasped based on the amount of printing data transmitted from the printing control apparatus to the printing apparatus described above.
[0005]
  However, the actual printing progress in the printing apparatus is not directly related to the transmission amount of printing data. That is, the printing data transmitted from the printing control apparatus is temporarily stored in a memory device included in the printing apparatus and sequentially processed. Therefore, when the transmission amount of printing data is used as an index, there is a problem that an accurate printing progress cannot be grasped.
[0006]
  Even if the printing data can be transmitted normally, the actual printing process may stop due to a malfunction of the printing apparatus. For this reason, in a printing system via a network, there has been a problem that the printing progress cannot be grasped particularly when the user works at a place away from the printing apparatus.
[0007]
  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable a user to accurately grasp the progress of printing on a recording medium in a printing apparatus.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention]
  The printing system according to claim 1, which has been made to achieve the above-described object, includes an information processing terminal that generates data to be printed, a printing apparatus that performs printing on a recording medium based on printing data, In a printing system including a print control device that is interposed between an information processing terminal and a printing device and converts at least data to be printed into printing data that can be processed by the printing device, A printing information acquisition unit that acquires printing information that is an indicator of printing progress; and a printing information transmission unit that transmits the printing information acquired by the printing information acquisition unit to the printing control device. Based on the print information received at different timings by the print information receiving means,According to whether the print information received last time and the print information received this time match,Printing speed detection means for detecting the printing speed, information based on the printing speed detected by the printing speed detection means, and printing information received by the printing information receiving means, indicating the progress of printing on the recording medium Printing status notification means for informingThe printing status notifying unit stops the printing operation of the printing apparatus when the printing information received last time by the printing speed detecting unit and the printing information received this time are continuously matched multiple times as the printing progress status. Announce that you are doingIt is characterized by that.
[0009]
  The printing system of the present invention includes an information processing terminal such as a personal computer, a printing apparatus such as various printers and plotters such as an ink jet printer and a laser printer, and a printing control apparatus interposed between the information processing terminal and the printing apparatus. Are provided. This print control apparatus converts at least print target data generated by the information processing terminal into print data that can be processed by the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus performs printing on the recording medium based on the printing data.
[0010]
  In particular, in the printing system of the present invention, the print information acquisition unit of the printing apparatus acquires print information that is an indicator of the progress of printing on the recording medium, and the print information transmission unit prints the acquired print information. Send to the control device. Then, the print information receiving means of the print control apparatus receives this print information, and the print speed detecting means detects the print speed from the difference between the print information transmitted last time and the print information transmitted this time and the transmission interval, for example. To do.
[0011]
  Then, the printing status notification means notifies the information based on the printing speed and the printing information as the printing progress status on the recording medium. The notification of the printing progress status may be performed using a display using, for example, a CRT or liquid crystal, or may be performed using sounds such as synthesized speech. Note that this print status notification means may be provided in either the print control device or the information processing terminal.
  Note that the information based on the printing speed may be the printing speed itself, a change in the printing speed that the printing speed has decreased, or a determination result based on the printing speed. Also good.
  As described above, when notifying the printing speed and the change in the printing speed, the user can determine the abnormality of the printing apparatus by making a comparison with the normal printing speed. If the determination result based on the printing speed, for example, the determination result that “the printing apparatus is abnormal” is notified when the printing speed is “0”, the user is directly, that is, based on information notified by the user himself / herself. Therefore, it is possible to grasp the normality / abnormality of the printing device without making any judgment.
[0012]
  As described above, conventionally, the progress of printing has been reported based on information on the print control apparatus side. Specifically, since the amount of printing data sent from the print control device to the printing device was used as an indicator of printing progress, it was not possible to accurately grasp the printing progress, and the printing device was particularly It was inconvenient when away from the place.
[0013]
  In contrast, the present invention notifies the printing progress based on information on the printing apparatus side. That is, in the printing apparatus, the print information acquisition unit acquires print information that is an indicator of the progress of printing on the recording medium, and the print information transmission unit transmits the print information. For example, the processing amount of printing data in the printing apparatus is acquired as printing information, and this printing information is notified as progress information. As a result, the user can accurately grasp the progress of printing as compared with the conventional case.
[0014]
  Note that from the viewpoint of accurately grasping the progress, it is more preferable that the information directly indicating the progress of printing is the above-described print information. In other words, as described above, when the print data processing amount in the printing apparatus is used as the print information, even if the print data is processed, it may take a predetermined time until printing is actually performed. is there.
[0015]
  Therefore, for example, as described in claim 2, if it is assumed that the printing apparatus is configured to perform printing in line units by scanning the print head in a predetermined line direction, the print information acquisition means It may be configured to acquire the number of lines obtained as print information. Thus, by counting the printed lines, the progress of printing can be grasped more accurately. For example, the number of lines may be calculated based on the paper feed amount or may be calculated by counting the number of scans of the print head with a sensor.
[0016]
  By the way, the print information acquisition unit and the print information transmission unit of the printing apparatus may be configured to acquire and transmit print information at predetermined time intervals, for example, but a plurality of printing apparatuses are connected to the print control apparatus. In this case, there is a possibility that the print information transmission timing overlaps with other printing apparatuses. Therefore, as shown in claim 3, the print control apparatus has a print information requesting means for requesting the printing apparatus to transmit print information, and when there is a request by the print information requesting means, the print information acquiring means acquires it. The print information may be configured so that the print information transmission unit transmits the print information to the print control apparatus.
[0017]
  In this case, when there is a request from the print information request unit of the print control apparatus, the printing apparatus transmits the acquired print information. With this configuration, even when a plurality of printing apparatuses are connected, the printing control apparatus can manage the transmission timing of printing information from the printing apparatus, and the transmission timing overlaps. There are no inconveniences.
[0018]
  The print information requesting unit may be configured to automatically request the printing apparatus to transmit the print information at a predetermined time interval. However, if the time interval is too long, the print information requesting unit may only request the time interval. The printing status is not updated. On the other hand, if the time interval is too short, the processing load of the printing apparatus becomes larger than necessary. Accordingly, it is preferable that the print information requesting unit is configured to request the printing apparatus to transmit the print information in accordance with an instruction from the user. For example, if the print control apparatus has an input means such as a keyboard, the instruction from the user may be given through the input means, or an information processing terminal connected to the print control apparatus It is also conceivable to be done through As a result, the printing progress status is updated and notified at a timing desired by the user, and the processing load on the printing apparatus does not increase more than necessary.
[0019]
[0020]
[0021]
[0022]
[0023]
[0024]
  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the printing control apparatus has a printing amount calculation unit that calculates the total printing amount of the converted printing data, and the printing status notification unit calculates the printing information and the printing amount calculation unit. The information based on the total print amount and the print speed detected by the print speed detecting means may be notified as the print progress status. In this case, for example, based on the unprinted amount and the printing speed, it may be possible to notify information on how long it takes for the remaining printing. In this way, the user does not need to determine the time required to complete printing, which is very convenient for the user.
  The information notification based on the total print amount, the print speed, and the print information is, for example, the total number of prints, the amount already printed (printed amount), the amount not yet printed (unprinted amount) using the number of lines or the like. ), Or the ratio of these quantities may be displayed. For example, if two amounts of the total print amount and the already printed amount are displayed side by side or superimposed as a graph, the user can determine how much printing has been completed without knowing the total print amount. Can do. Also, if the ratio of the printed amount to what percentage of the total printed amount is displayed, the user does not have to make any judgment directly, that is, based on the information displayed by the user. It is possible to understand how much printing has been performed.The
[0025]
Less thanThe above has been described as an invention of a print system including an information processing terminal, a print control device, and a print device, but can also be realized as an invention of a print control device.
  That is, the claim6In a print control apparatus that controls a printing apparatus that prints an image based on printing data on a recording medium as shown in FIG. 4, printing that receives printing information that is transmitted from the printing apparatus and serves as an index of printing progress on the recording medium Information receiving means, printing speed detecting means for detecting a printing speed based on printing information received at different timings by the printing information receiving means, information based on the printing speed detected by the printing speed detecting means, and receiving the printing information A printing control apparatus comprising: a printing status notifying unit that notifies the printing information received by the unit as a printing progress status indicating the progress of printing on the recording medium.
[0026]
  The description of the operation of the print control apparatus in this case is the same as that described above as the operation of the print control apparatus constituting the print system according to the first aspect. In other words, the print information receiving means receives the print information transmitted from the printing apparatus, and the print speed detecting means determines the print speed from the difference between the print information transmitted last time and the print information transmitted this time and the transmission interval, for example. To detect.
  Then, the printing status notification means notifies the information based on the printing speed and the printing information as the printing progress status on the recording medium. That is, since the printing progress status is notified based on the printing information acquired on the printing apparatus side, the user can accurately grasp the printing progress status. Note that, similarly to the print control apparatus in the print system according to the third aspect, a configuration may be provided that includes print information requesting means for requesting print information from the printing apparatus. In this case, the printing apparatus transmits print information in response to a request from the print information request unit. In addition, like the print control apparatus in the print system according to the fourth aspect, it is naturally possible to configure the print information requesting unit so as to request print information based on an instruction from the user.
[0027]
  The print control apparatus of the present invention is also claimed in the claims.7As described above, the printing status notifying unit includes a printing status notifying unit that calculates the total printing amount of the printing data, and the printing status notifying unit includes the printing information, the total printing amount calculated by the printing amount calculating unit, and the printing speed detecting unit. Information based on the detected printing speed may be notified as the printing progress status.
  According to the printing control apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the printing system according to claim 5.The
[0028]
[0029]
[0030]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Less thanHereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a print system according to the present embodiment. The print system of the present embodiment is a network system as shown in FIG. That is, a terminal 10 as an “information processing terminal” and a raster image processor (hereinafter referred to as “RIP”) 20 as a “printing control device” are connected via a network 40 such as a local area network. In addition, a printer 30 as a “printing apparatus” is connected.
[0031]
  The printing system of the present embodiment is a large-format printing system that prints, for example, an advertising banner, and the like, and a recording medium having a width of 1.5 m and a length of several tens of meters is set in the printer 30. Therefore, in the printing system of the present embodiment, the amount of processing data for printing becomes large, so the RIP 20 having a print control function is prepared separately from the terminal 10 to reduce the processing load on the terminal 10. ing.
[0032]
  The terminal 10 includes a display 11, a mouse 12, a keyboard 13, and a terminal computer 14. Similarly, the RIP 20 includes a display 21, a mouse 22, a keyboard 23, and a RIP computer 24. The terminal computer 14 and the RIP computer 24 are configured as a computer system having a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an input / output circuit, a network interface, and a bus connecting these components as main parts. The displays 11 and 21, the mice 12 and 22, and the keyboards 13 and 23 are connected to the terminal computer 14 and the RIP computer 24 through the input / output circuit, respectively. Since the configuration of such a computer system is well known, detailed description of the configuration is omitted.
[0033]
  The printer 30 has a printing mechanism that performs printing in line units by scanning the print head in a predetermined line direction and sending the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the scan direction, and detects the scanning position of the head. Sensor. Note that a control mechanism mainly including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM is provided, and a printing process described later is executed by the CPU.
[0034]
  The terminal 10 generates data to be printed, which is image data such as TIFF or JPEG, in response to an instruction from the user. When there is a print instruction from the user, the print target data is transmitted to the RIP 20 via the network 40. When data to be printed is transmitted from the terminal 10, the RIP 20 outputs a print start command to the printer 30, and the data to be printed can be processed by the printer 30 such as bitmap data indicating each dot of the print image. Is converted into print data and output to the printer 30. The printer 30 executes a printing process based on the printing data, and as a result, an image based on the print target data transmitted from the terminal 10 is printed on the recording medium. In this embodiment, in order to avoid complications, the terminal 10 and the printer 30 are connected one by one. However, a plurality of terminals are connected to the network 40, and a plurality of terminals are connected to the RIP 20. It is also possible to have a configuration in which other printers are connected.
[0035]
  The print system according to the present embodiment is characterized by notifying the user of the progress of printing during execution of such printing processing.
  Thus, next, a printing process executed in the printer 30 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. This printing process is a process executed by the CPU built in the printer 30 and is executed when there is a print start command from the RIP 20.
[0036]
  First, in the first step S100, the number of lines is reset. The printer 30 scans the print head in a predetermined line direction, performs printing in line units, and obtains the number of printed lines as will be described later. Therefore, this process sets the number of lines at the start of printing to “0”.
[0037]
  In S110, printing is executed. In this process, printing on a recording medium is performed based on print data transmitted from the RIP 20. That is, printing is performed by scanning the print head in a predetermined line direction while feeding the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction.
[0038]
  In step S120, the number of printed lines is acquired. The printer 30 counts the number of scans of the print head by detecting the physical position of the print head with a sensor, and acquires the number of lines based on the number of scans.
  In this embodiment, the number of lines is counted by detecting the physical position of the print head with a sensor. For example, data for one line is printed by a process based on a program for executing the print process. The software can determine that the head has been supplied, and the number of lines can be counted, or the feed amount of the recording medium can be determined by software or hardware such as a sensor, and the number of lines can be counted. Good. However, when counting the number of lines with software, there may be a time lag between the actual print timing, so the method of counting the number of lines with hardware such as a sensor is not accurate. It is advantageous in that it can be obtained.
[0039]
  In S130, it is determined whether or not there is a transmission request for the number of lines from the RIP 20. If it is determined that there is a transmission request for the number of lines (S130: YES), the acquired number of lines is transmitted to the RIP 20 in S140, and then the process proceeds to S150. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no transmission request for the number of lines (S130: NO), the process of S140 is not executed, and the process proceeds to S150.
[0040]
  In S150, it is determined whether printing has ended. This process determines whether or not all printing processes based on the printing data transmitted from the RIP 20 have been completed. If it is determined that the printing has been completed (S150: YES), a printing completion notification is sent to the RIP 20 in S160, and then the printing process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that printing has not been completed (S150: NO), the processing from S110 is repeated.
[0041]
  Next, print control processing executed by the RIP 20 will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. This print control process is executed when a print instruction is issued from the terminal 10, and is executed by the CPU of the RIP computer 24 based on a program stored in the ROM of the RIP computer 24.
[0042]
  First, in the first step S200, a print start command is transmitted to the printer 30. In response to this print start command, the printer 30 executes the above-described print processing.
  In subsequent S 210, the print target data that is image data transmitted from the terminal 10 is converted into print data that can be processed by the printer 30. In S220, the printing data converted in S210 is sequentially transmitted to the printer 30. At this time, since the converted print data is transmitted in accordance with the progress of processing of the printer 30, transmission of all print data is not always completed at once. Based on the printing data, the printer 30 performs printing (S110 in FIG. 2).
[0043]
  In S230, the transmission of the number of lines is requested. Thereby, an affirmative determination is made in S130 in FIG. 2, and the number of lines is transmitted in S140. Therefore, in S240, the number of lines transmitted from the printer 30 is received.
  In S250, the print status display process is called. This print status display process is a process based on the received number of lines, and this process notifies the user of the print progress status in the printer 30. This print status display process will be described later.
[0044]
  In subsequent S260, it is determined whether or not printing by the printer 30 is completed. This determination is made based on the print end notification from the printer 30 shown in S160 in FIG. If it is determined that printing has been completed (S260: YES), the print control process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that printing has not been completed (S260: NO), the process proceeds to S270.
[0045]
  In S270, it is determined whether transmission of print data is completed. This process determines whether or not all the print data converted in S210 has been transmitted to the printer 30 in the transmission process of S220. If it is determined that the transmission of the print data has been completed (S270: YES), the process from S230 is repeated because there is no need to transmit the print data. On the other hand, if it is determined that the transmission of print data has not been completed (S270: NO), the processing from S220 is repeated.
[0046]
  Next, based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, the printing status display process called in S250 during the above-described printing control process will be described.
  First, in the first step S300, it is determined whether it is immediately after the start of printing. That is, when the print control process shown in FIG. 3 is executed and the print status display process is first called in S250, an affirmative determination is made here. If it is determined that printing has just started (S300: YES), each variable is initialized in S310, the total printing amount is calculated in S320, and then the process proceeds to S330. Each variable is prepared in the RAM provided in the RIP 20. The total print amount calculation processing in S320 is to calculate how many lines are printed by the printer 30 in total. The number of lines is calculated based on the data amount of the printing data converted in S210 in FIG. On the other hand, when it is determined that it is not immediately after the start of printing (S300: NO), the process proceeds to S330 without executing the processes of S310 and S320.
[0047]
  In S330, the number of lines received in S240 in FIG. In subsequent S340, the difference D is calculated by subtracting the previously received line number PL from the line number CL.
  In S350, it is determined whether or not the difference D is “0”. When the difference D is “0”, it means that the previously acquired line number PL and the currently acquired line number CL are the same value, and the printing speed is “0”. If D = 0 (S350: YES), that is, if the printing speed is “0”, the process proceeds to S370. On the other hand, if D ≠ 0 (S350: NO), that is, if the printing speed is not “0”, “0” is assigned to the counter DC in S360, and “normal printing” is set in the character variable MSG in S410. The message data is substituted, and the process proceeds to S420.
[0048]
  In S370, where the determination is affirmative in S350, the counter DC is incremented. In S380, it is determined whether or not the counter DC is greater than 10. If DC> 10 (S380: YES), the message data “Head is stopped” is substituted into the character variable MSG in S400, and then the process proceeds to S420. On the other hand, if DC ≦ 10 (S380: NO), message data “Printing speed is decreasing” is substituted into the character variable MSG in S390, and then the process proceeds to S420.
[0049]
  In S420, the message is displayed on the display 21 of the RIP 20 based on the character variable MSG. For example, FIG. 5 shows a screen display example. Here, a state in which the message is displayed in the area B in the center of the screen is shown.
  In S430, the progress graph is displayed based on the number of lines CL and the number of lines corresponding to the total printing amount calculated in S320. As shown in FIG. 5, the graph is displayed in the area A, and a rectangular area having a predetermined area indicating the total printing amount has already been printed, and an area indicating an already printed amount and an unprinted amount. It is displayed separately in the area indicating the print amount. In FIG. 5, the hatched area indicates the already printed amount.
[0050]
  In S440, the line number CL received this time is substituted into a variable PL. That is, the difference between the current number of lines and the number of lines received next time is calculated. After executing the process of S440, the process returns from the present print status display process to S250 in FIG. 2, and proceeds to S260.
[0051]
  Next, effects exhibited by the print system of the present embodiment will be described. In order to facilitate understanding of the description here, first, conventional problems will be described.
  In the conventional printing system, the progress of printing is notified based on the transmission amount of printing data, that is, the data transmission amount in the transmission processing performed in S220 in FIG. 3 in this embodiment. However, since there is no direct relationship between the amount of print data transmitted and the progress of the printing process, it has not been possible to accurately grasp the progress of printing.
[0052]
  On the other hand, in the printing system of the present embodiment, the printing progress status is notified based on the information on the printer 30 side. That is, the printer 30 detects the physical position of the print head, acquires the number of lines that have been printed (S120 in FIG. 2), and the RIP 20 receives the number of lines transmitted from the printer 30 (in FIG. 3). S240), the progress of printing is notified based on the number of lines (S430 in FIG. 4). As a result, the user can accurately grasp the progress of printing as compared with the conventional case.
[0053]
  Further, in the printing system of the present embodiment, when the RIP 20 requests transmission of the number of lines (S230 in FIG. 3) and there is a transmission request for the number of lines (S130: YES in FIG. 2), the printer 30 obtains it. The transmitted number of lines is transmitted (S140 in FIG. 2). Therefore, for example, even when a plurality of printers are connected to the RIP 20, the transmission timing of the number of lines from the printer 30 can be managed on the RIP 20 side, and the transmission timing of the number of lines from each printer overlaps. There is no inconvenience.
[0054]
  Furthermore, in the print system of the present embodiment, the RIP 20 converts the print target data transmitted from the terminal 10 into print data (S210 in FIG. 3). Based on the converted print data. Then, the total printing amount printed by the printer 30 is calculated as the number of lines (S320 in FIG. 4). Then, the already printed amount and the unprinted amount with respect to the total print amount are displayed as a graph (see region A in FIG. 5). The RIP 20 repeatedly receives the number of lines from the printer 30, calculates the difference between the number of lines acquired this time and the number of lines acquired last time (S340 in FIG. 4), and the printing process in the printer 30 is performed normally. It is notified whether it is broken (S350-S420 in FIG. 4). As a result, the user can grasp how much printing has been performed directly and without making any judgment based on information displayed by the user himself / herself, and can determine whether the printer 30 is normal or abnormal. I can grasp.
[0055]
  The CPU included in the RIP computer 24 in the print system of the present embodiment corresponds to “print information requesting means”, “print information receiving means”, “print amount calculation means”, and “printing speed detection means”. Similarly, the display 21 included in the RIP 20 corresponds to a “print information notification unit”. 3 corresponds to processing as a print information requesting unit, and S240 in FIG. 3 corresponds to processing as a printing information receiving unit. Further, the process of S320 in FIG. 4 corresponds to the process as the printing amount calculation unit, and the process of S340 in FIG. 4 corresponds to the process as the printing speed detection unit. Furthermore, the processing from S350 to S430 in FIG. 4 corresponds to the processing as print information notification means.
[0056]
  The CPU included in the printer 30 corresponds to a “print information transmitting unit”, and the CPU and a sensor that detects the position of the print head included in the printer 30 correspond to a “print information acquisition unit”. 2 corresponds to the process as the print information acquisition unit, and the processes of S130 and S140 in FIG. 2 correspond to the process as the print information transmission unit.
[0057]
  As described above, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention.
  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the RIP 20 requests the printer 30 to transmit the number of lines at a predetermined timing. However, the RIP 20 determines the number of lines to the printer 30 when there is an instruction from the user. May be requested and the progress status may be displayed based on the number of lines received. The instruction from the user can be made through input means such as a mouse 22 and a keyboard 23 provided in the RIP 20 as shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, an update button is displayed on the screen, and when this is clicked with the mouse 22, the RIP 20 requests transmission of the number of lines so that the display of the progress status is updated. Also good. As a result, the display of the printing progress status is updated at a timing desired by the user, and the processing load on the printing apparatus does not increase more than necessary.
  In the above embodiment, the progress status is displayed on the display 21 of the RIP 20. However, it is also possible to display the progress on the display 11 of the terminal 10. In that case, for example, the process of S250 in FIG. 3 is replaced with the process of transmitting the number of lines received in S240 and the data amount of the print data converted in S210 to the terminal 10, and the printing shown in FIG. What is necessary is just to comprise so that the terminal 10 may perform a status display process. Through the processes of S420 and S430, a message and a graph indicating the progress of printing are displayed on the display 11 of the terminal 10.
[0058]
  As a display format on the display 21 of the RIP 20, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the total print amount, the already printed amount, and the unprinted amount are displayed by being overlapped using a graph. Of course, it is also possible to display the images side by side or the number of lines themselves. In addition, when displaying a graph, a scale, for example, a scale from 0 to 100, is placed on the graph so that it is possible to grasp what percentage of printing has been completed or what percentage of printing has remained. Good. Furthermore, the ratio of the already printed amount or the unprinted amount to the total print amount may be displayed as a numerical value. If the printing speed is known, the time required for printing the unprinted amount may be displayed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a print system according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating print processing in a printer.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating print control processing in RIP.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a print status display process called from the print control process.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display screen of a printing progress status.
[Explanation of symbols]
  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Terminal 11 ... Display 12 ... Mouse 13 ... Keyboard 14 ... Terminal computer 20 ... RIP (raster image processor) 21 ... Display 22 ... Mouse 23 ... Keyboard 24 ... RIP computer 30 ... Printer 40 ... Network

Claims (7)

An information processing terminal that generates data to be printed, a printing device that prints on a recording medium based on printing data, and at least data that is to be printed, interposed between the information processing terminal and the printing device In a printing system comprising: a printing control device that converts data into the printing data that can be processed by the printing device;
The printing apparatus is configured to acquire print information serving as an index of the progress of printing on the recording medium, and print information transmission means for transmitting the print information acquired by the print information acquisition means to the print control apparatus. And
On the other hand, the print control device has a print information receiving means for receiving the print information transmitted by the print information transmitting means,
The information processing terminal or the print control apparatus is
Based on the print information received at different timings by the print information receiving means, the print speed detecting means for detecting the print speed according to whether the previously received print information and the currently received print information match ,
The printing status notifying means for notifying information based on the printing speed detected by the printing speed detecting means and the printing information received by the printing information receiving means as a printing progress status indicating the progress of printing on the recording medium. It has a door,
The printing status notifying means performs the printing operation of the printing apparatus when the printing information received last time by the printing speed detecting means and the printing information received this time coincide with each other a plurality of times as the printing progress status. A printing system that performs notification that a stop has occurred . The printing system according to claim 1,
The printing apparatus is configured to perform printing in line units by scanning a print head in a predetermined line direction.
The print system according to claim 1, wherein the print information acquisition unit is configured to acquire the number of printed lines as the print information. The printing system according to claim 1 or 2,
The printing control device includes a printing information requesting unit that requests the printing device to transmit the printing information;
The printing system is configured such that, when requested by the print information request unit, the print information transmission unit transmits the print information acquired by the print information acquisition unit to the print control apparatus. The printing system according to claim 3,
The printing system is configured to request the printing apparatus to transmit the printing information in response to an instruction from a user. In the printing system in any one of Claims 1-4,
The print control apparatus includes a print amount calculation unit that calculates a total print amount of the converted print data,
The printing status notifying unit is configured to notify, as the printing progress status, information based on the printing information, the total printing amount calculated by the printing amount calculating unit, and the printing speed detected by the printing speed detecting unit. A printing system characterized by   To a print control apparatus for controlling a printing apparatus for printing an image based on printing data on a recording medium Leave
  Print information receiving means for receiving print information transmitted from the printing apparatus and serving as an index of printing progress on the recording medium;
  Based on the print information received at different timings by the print information receiving means, the print speed detecting means for detecting the print speed according to whether the previously received print information and the currently received print information match,
  Printing status notifying means for notifying information based on the printing speed detected by the printing speed detecting means and printing information received by the printing information receiving means as a printing progress status indicating the progress of printing on the recording medium;
  With
  The printing status notifying unit is configured to perform a printing operation of the printing apparatus when the printing information received last time by the printing speed detecting unit and the printing information received this time continuously match a plurality of times as a printing progress status. A printing control apparatus that performs notification that a stop has occurred. The print control apparatus according to claim 6.
  A printing amount calculating means for calculating the total printing amount of the printing data;
  The printing status notifying unit is configured to notify, as the printing progress status, information based on the printing information, the total printing amount calculated by the printing amount calculating unit, and the printing speed detected by the printing speed detecting unit. A printing control apparatus.

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