JP4926030B2 - Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and image forming program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and an image forming program for detecting a marking obtained by encoding an ID of a printing paper and reprinting an image corresponding to the ID.

  In recent years, a scanner that reads a document image, a copier that prints a document image read by the scanner, a printer or facsimile machine that prints image data input from the outside, or a so-called MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) that combines these functions A multi-function machine called is used. Further, a technique is known in which a marking such as a two-dimensional barcode in which various types of information are embedded is read from a document, and subsequent printing processing and the like are controlled based on the embedded information.

  For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-260260, a technique for preventing image quality deterioration of an output image by printing original image data generated by analyzing a watermark detected from a document, not image data read from an input document. Has been proposed.

  In Patent Document 2, when the read image data includes two-dimensional code information, access information to the web server is decoded from the two-dimensional code information, and content data is acquired and printed according to the decoded access information. Techniques to do this have been proposed.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-094563 JP 2006-1115020 A

  However, in the method of Patent Document 1, for example, when a document printed in a predetermined unit such as a job is printed for each unit, or when only a part of a document included in the unit is printed, printing is performed. It was necessary to prepare all target documents and detect the watermark.

  Further, in the method of Patent Document 2, it is possible to print the entire content data acquired by referring to the access information, but it is not possible to print only a part of the content data.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and an image forming program capable of efficiently executing a process of reprinting a part of a printing unit using marking. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 is an image storage means for storing an input image and an image ID for identifying the image in association with each other, and the image A unit ID for identifying a printing unit including at least one printed recording medium, an ID for identifying the recording medium, a medium ID that can specify a printing order within the printing unit, and the printed image Based on the detected medium ID, ID storage means for storing ID information in association with the image ID, detection means for detecting the medium ID from the recording medium, and the same unit ID Among the medium IDs, a start ID that is the medium ID for starting printing and a final ID that is the medium ID for which the printing order is after the start ID and that ends printing are specified, and the printing order is An ID acquisition unit that acquires the image ID corresponding to the medium ID after the start ID and before the final ID from the ID storage unit, and the image corresponding to the acquired image ID is acquired from the image storage unit. Image acquisition means, and printing means for printing the acquired image , wherein the detection means detects a first medium ID from the first recording medium and detects a second medium ID from the second recording medium. The ID storage means stores the ID information further associated with a parent ID representing the medium ID detected by the detection means when the image included in the printing unit is printed, and the ID acquisition means Specifies the first medium ID as the start ID, specifies the second medium ID as the final ID, and further, the unit ID corresponding to the first medium ID and the second medium It is determined whether or not the unit ID corresponding to D matches. If the unit ID does not match, the parent ID corresponding to the first medium ID is specified as the start ID and corresponds to the second medium ID. identifying a parent ID as the last ID, and the feature.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing unit including an image storage unit that stores an input image and an image ID that identifies the image in association with each other, and at least one recording medium on which the image is printed. ID information for identifying a unit ID, an ID for identifying the recording medium, a medium ID that can specify a printing order within the printing unit, and the image ID of the printed image is stored. ID storage means for detecting, detection means for detecting the medium ID from the recording medium, and the medium that starts printing out of the medium IDs corresponding to the same unit ID based on the detected medium ID A start ID that is an ID and a print order that is after the start ID and a final ID that is the medium ID for which printing is to be finished are specified, and the print order is after the start ID and before the final ID ID acquisition means for acquiring the image ID corresponding to the medium ID from the ID storage means, image acquisition means for acquiring the image corresponding to the acquired image ID from the image storage means, and the acquired image Printing means for printing, wherein the detection means detects a first medium ID from a first recording medium, detects a second medium ID from a second recording medium, and the ID acquisition means includes the first recording medium The medium ID is specified as the start ID, the second medium ID is specified as the final ID, the unit ID corresponding to the first medium ID, and the unit ID corresponding to the second medium ID; If the two IDs do not match, the first related ID, which is another medium ID associated with the image ID corresponding to the first medium ID, is acquired from the ID storage means. The second related ID, which is another medium ID associated with the image ID corresponding to the second medium ID, is acquired from the ID storage unit, and both the first related ID and the second related ID are obtained. The associated unit ID is acquired from the ID storage unit, and the first related ID is specified as the start ID among the medium IDs corresponding to the acquired unit ID, and the second related ID is It is characterized by specifying as a final ID .

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 2 , wherein a plurality of the unit IDs associated with both the first related ID and the second related ID are acquired by the ID acquisition means. A receiving unit that receives designation of the unit ID to be printed among the plurality of obtained unit IDs, and the ID obtaining unit further includes the medium corresponding to the unit ID for which the designation is accepted. Among the IDs, the first related ID is specified as the start ID, and the second related ID is specified as the final ID.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming method executed by an image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus stores an input image and an image ID for identifying the image in association with each other. An image storage means, a unit ID for identifying a printing unit including at least one recording medium on which the image has been printed, and an ID for identifying the recording medium, the medium being capable of specifying the printing order within the printing unit ID storage means for storing ID information in which an ID is associated with the image ID of the printed image, and a detecting step for detecting the medium ID from the recording medium, and an ID acquisition means However, based on the detected medium ID, among the medium IDs corresponding to the same unit ID, the start ID that is the medium ID for starting printing and the print order are after the start ID. ID acquisition step of identifying the final ID that is the medium ID for ending printing and acquiring the image ID corresponding to the medium ID after the start ID and before the final ID from the ID storage unit And an image acquisition step in which the image acquisition unit acquires the image corresponding to the acquired image ID from the image storage unit, and a printing unit prints the acquired image . The ID storage means stores the ID information further associated with a parent ID representing the medium ID detected in the detection step when the image included in the print unit is printed, and the detection step includes: The first medium ID is detected from the first recording medium, the second medium ID is detected from the second recording medium, and the ID acquisition step uses the first medium ID as the start ID. And specifying the second medium ID as the final ID, and whether the unit ID corresponding to the first medium ID matches the unit ID corresponding to the second medium ID. If the two IDs do not match, the parent ID corresponding to the first medium ID is specified as the start ID, and the parent ID corresponding to the second medium ID is specified as the final ID. It is a sign.

The invention according to claim 6 is a program that causes a computer to execute the image forming method according to claim 4 or 5 .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently execute a process of reprinting a part of a printing unit using marking.

  Exemplary embodiments of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  When the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment prints an image in a predetermined printing unit, the image forming apparatus prints a code image (hereinafter referred to as marking) obtained by encoding the identification information of the print paper on each print paper. It is assumed. Then, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment rereads the marking on one or two print sheets with a scanner, so that a part of pages specified by the reread marking in the related print unit. Only the image corresponding to can be reprinted.

  The printed image is stored in a predetermined storage unit, and at the time of reprinting, a printing process is performed based on the image stored in the storage unit. As a result, image deterioration can be prevented as compared with the case where normal copy processing is executed on printed paper.

  First, marking printing processing by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a sheet printed by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, when a document A composed of a plurality of sheets is copied or printed, a marking obtained by encoding identification information (hereinafter referred to as PID) that uniquely identifies the sheet is output on each sheet. For example, PID = A1 is marked on the first sheet, and PID = A2, A3, and A4 are marked on the second, third, and fourth sheets, respectively.

  In the marking generation process, any conventionally used code generation method such as a QR code obtained by encoding a PID or a method of generating another two-dimensional barcode can be used.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining reprint processing by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, for example, among the sheets printed in FIG. 1, a sheet marked with PID = A1 and a sheet marked with PID = A3 are scanned. Thus, when reprinting is designated, reprinting is executed only for the pages from the paper with PID = A1 to the paper with PID = A3.

  This makes it possible to prepare only the paper corresponding to the print start page and print end page in the print unit and scan only some pages without preparing all paper corresponding to the pages to be reprinted. Reprinting can be easily performed. As will be described later, when reprinting from the first page of the print unit, or when reprinting to the last page, simply prepare and scan the paper corresponding to the print end page or print start page, respectively. Only some pages can be reprinted. In addition, the marking which encoded each new PID (B1, B2, B3) is printed on the paper at the time of reprinting.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the multifunction peripheral 100 that is the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the MFP 100 of the present embodiment includes an image storage unit 121, a document information storage unit 122, an ID storage unit 123, an operation panel 130, a printer engine 140, a scanner engine 150, and the like. A display input control unit 101, a print control unit 102, a scanner control unit 103, an ID management unit 104, a detection unit 105, an ID acquisition unit 106, and a document management unit 107.

  The image storage unit 121 stores an image read by the scanner, and stores an image and an image ID (hereinafter referred to as EID) that uniquely identifies the image in association with each other. Note that an image input by an external image forming apparatus or the like may be captured by a network interface (I / F) (not shown) and stored in the image storage unit 121.

  The document information storage unit 122 stores information for managing document information constituted by the read image. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data structure of the document information stored in the document information storage unit 122 of this embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, the document information stores the FID, the EID of each image included in the document, the update date and time, and the document name in association with each other.

  The FID is identification information for identifying a document, and a unique value is assigned in the apparatus when the document is stored. In the EID, the EID of the latest image group belonging to the FID document is set. The EID is updated every time an image group belonging to a document is changed by editing or the like. In the change date and time, the last date and time when the document content was changed is recorded.

  Note that document editing methods such as a method of deleting an image designated from the operation panel 130, a method of adding an image newly read by a scanner to a document, and a method of editing by an external program are conventionally used. You can apply any way you are. Regardless of which method is applied, the EID of the image included in the latest document is set in the EID of the document information storage unit 122.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the ID storage unit 123 stores ID information such as an image ID (EID) associated with various types of identification information necessary for image reprinting. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data structure of the ID information stored in the ID storage unit 123 of the present embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, the ID information stores a PID of a sheet, an EID of an image printed on the sheet, a parent PID, a BID, and a JID in association with each other.

  Here, each ID included in the ID information will be described. First, assuming that one job is a print job for a series of input document images, an ID uniquely assigned in the device for each job is called a JID.

  In addition, when a plurality of copies are printed out by the print output, an ID uniquely assigned in the device for each copy is set as a BID. Since a plurality of copies can be designated in one job, a plurality of BIDs can correspond to one JID.

  Further, image data is stored in the image storage unit 121 for each page of the input image, and an ID uniquely assigned in the device to the stored image is assumed to be EID (ID for each electronic image).

  As described above, the PID is an ID for each sheet that is uniquely assigned in the apparatus to the sheet to be printed out. The parent PID is set in the case of reprinting processing, and represents the PID of the paper that is the source of reprinting.

  In the present embodiment, the PID is assigned to each sheet a value that increases by 1 according to the printing order. Thereby, when a plurality of PIDs are given, other PIDs printed during that time can be specified. Note that the method of assigning the PID value is not limited to this, and any method can be applied as long as the printing order can be specified within the printing unit. For example, the PID value itself may be set arbitrarily, and the print order may be specified by the storage order in the ID storage unit 123.

  Also, job information including printing conditions for each job is stored in another storage unit (not shown) in association with the JID so that it can be referred to during reprinting. Note that job information may be stored in the ID storage unit 123. As a result, reprinting can be executed under the same printing conditions as the first printing.

  By storing such information in association with each other in the ID storage unit 123, it is possible to specify a job corresponding to the detected PID and a corresponding EID only by detecting the PID of an arbitrary sheet. For example, it is possible to specify an image printed between two detected PIDs among images included in the job, and reprint only a part of the specified images.

  The image storage unit 121, the document information storage unit 122, and the ID storage unit 123 are stored in an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 120. In addition to the HDD 120, the image storage unit 121, the document information storage unit 122, and the ID storage unit 123 are configured by any commonly used storage medium such as an optical disc, a memory card, and a RAM (Random Access Memory). be able to. In order to read the stored image information even after the apparatus is turned off, it is desirable to be a non-volatile storage medium such as the HDD 120.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the operation panel 130 will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the operation panel 130. As shown in FIG. 6, the operation panel 130 includes a display unit 610 that displays a function setting key, the number of copies, and a message indicating the status of the multifunction peripheral 100, a numeric keypad 601, a clear / stop (C / S) key 602, And an input unit for receiving key inputs such as a key 603, a reset key 604, an initial setting key 605, and a mark reading key 606. The display unit also serves as an input unit that displays an image and can be operated and input by a touch panel method.

  A numeric keypad 601 is used for inputting the number of copies to be printed. The C / S key 602 is used to interrupt the printing operation. A start key 603 is used to start execution of a printing operation. A reset key 604 is used to reset the setting. An initial setting key 605 is used to move to a screen for setting an initial state of the device. The mark reading key 606 is used when reading the marking printed on the paper and performing reprinting.

  Display unit 610 includes a document storage key 611 and a stored document designation key 612. The document accumulation key 611 is used when accumulating the read original image in the HDD 120. An accumulated document designation key 612 is used when a document accumulated in the HDD 120 is designated and each process such as printing is executed. By using this key, for example, it is possible to execute a merge print in which a plurality of documents read separately are specified, the specified plurality of documents are merged and printed as one document.

  In this manner, the operation panel 130 performs image scanning and printing processing instructions, reprinting processing instructions, setting of printing conditions for printing, and the like.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the printer engine 140 forms image data on a recording sheet or the like by a method such as an ink jet method or an electrophotographic method, and includes a marking unit 141 and an image acquisition unit 142.

  The marking unit 141 generates a marking obtained by encoding the PID designated by the print control unit 102. The printer engine 140 combines the marking image (code image) generated by the marking unit 141 with the image data of the document and prints it.

  The image acquisition unit 142 acquires an image corresponding to the EID acquired by the ID acquisition unit 106 from the image storage unit 121. The printer engine 140 prints the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 142.

  The marking unit 141 and the image acquisition unit 142 are provided outside the printer engine 140, and an image obtained by combining the image data acquired by the image acquisition unit 142 with the code image generated by the marking unit 141 is sent to the printer engine 140. Alternatively, printing may be performed.

  The scanner engine 150 drives the scanner and executes document scanning processing.

  The display input control unit 101 performs display control of various screens on the display unit 610 of the operation panel 130 and accepts key input events from the input unit.

  The print control unit 102 controls the printer engine 140. In this embodiment, the print control unit 102 stores the image input from the scanner engine 150 when the print instruction is given in the image storage unit 121 and then prints the stored image. It also controls the image storage process.

  The scanner control unit 103 controls the scanner engine 150.

  The ID management unit 104 manages various IDs stored in the ID storage unit 123. For example, the ID management unit 104 generates a print unit ID such as JID or BID for each image input / print output, and stores the ID in the ID storage unit 123. Further, EID of each image generated by the document management unit 107 described later is stored in the ID storage unit 123 in association with JID or the like.

  Further, the ID management unit 104 performs processing for acquiring various IDs corresponding to the inquiry from the ID storage unit 123 and responding. For example, when the ID management unit 104 receives an inquiry about the FID or BID corresponding to the PID detected by the detection unit 105, the ID management unit 104 acquires the FID or BID corresponding to the PID from the ID storage unit 123 and returns it to the inquiry source. .

  The detecting unit 105 detects the marking from the document image read by the scanner engine 150, and detects the PID of the document by decoding the detected marking.

  The ID acquisition unit 106 refers to the PID detected by the detection unit 105 and identifies the PID that starts printing (start PID) and the PID that ends printing (final PID) among the PIDs corresponding to the JID of a certain job. Then, an image to be reprinted is specified by acquiring an EID corresponding to the PID printed between the two specified PIDs.

  Specifically, when a method for reprinting an image between two detected PIDs is designated, the ID acquisition unit 106 starts the PID detected as the PID of the page to start printing, and finishes printing. The PID detected as the PID of the page to be specified is specified as the final PID. Further, when a method for reprinting from the first page of the print unit is designated, the ID acquisition unit 106 uses the detected PID as the final PID and the first printed sheet in the job to which the detected PID belongs. The PID is specified as the start PID. Further, when the method for reprinting up to the last page of the printing unit is designated, the ID acquisition unit 106 uses the detected PID as the start PID and the last printed sheet in the job to which the detected PID belongs. The PID is specified as the final PID.

  If the detected two PIDs are not included in the same job, the ID acquisition unit 106 further specifies an image to be reprinted with reference to the parent PID or other related PIDs (details will be described later).

  The image information is transmitted through the following transmission path. First, an image input by the scanner or the network I / F is transmitted to the image storage unit 121 according to an instruction from the print control unit 102. The image stored in the image storage unit 121 is transmitted to the printer engine 140 in accordance with an instruction from the print control unit 102, and printing is performed.

  The document management unit 107 manages document information stored in the document information storage unit 122. For example, the document management unit 107 generates an FID every time a document is accumulated and stores it in the document information storage unit 122. Also, EID of each image input for printing is generated and stored in the document information storage unit 122 in association with the FID.

  Further, the document management unit 107 performs a process of acquiring various IDs corresponding to the inquiry from the document information storage unit 122 and responding. For example, when the document management unit 107 receives an EID inquiry corresponding to the PID detected by the detection unit 105, the document management unit 107 acquires the EID corresponding to the PID from the document information storage unit 122 and returns it to the inquiry source.

  Next, a printing process by the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. 7 and 8 are sequence diagrams illustrating the overall flow of the printing process according to the present embodiment.

  First, when a job start instruction is input from the operation panel 130 by the user (step S701), the print control unit 102 transmits a JID generation instruction to the ID management unit 104 (step S702). The ID management unit 104 newly generates a JID and stores it in the ID storage unit 123 (step S703).

  Next, the print control unit 102 transmits an FID generation instruction to the document management unit 107 (step S704). The document management unit 107 newly generates an FID and stores it in the document information storage unit 122 (step S705).

  Next, the print control unit 102 repeats an image accumulation process for reading an image with a scanner and saving it in the image storage unit 121 for the number of input images (steps S706 to S715). Note that the image storage process is not executed when marking and printing the stored image.

  Specifically, first, the print control unit 102 transmits an EID generation instruction to the document management unit 107 (step S706). The document management unit 107 newly generates an EID, saves it in the document information storage unit 122, and notifies the print control unit 102 of it (step S707).

  Next, the print control unit 102 notifies the ID management unit 104 of the notified EID registration instruction (step S708). The ID management unit 104 stores the instructed EID in the ID storage unit 123 in association with the JID stored in step S703 (step S709).

  Next, the print control unit 102 instructs the image storage unit 121 to start image accumulation (step S710). At this time, the image storage unit 121 prepares to store image data for one page. Next, the print control unit 102 instructs the scanner engine 150 to start image input (step S711). Upon receiving the instruction, the scanner engine 150 starts transferring the read image to the image storage unit 121 (step S712).

  When the transfer is completed, the image storage unit 121 notifies the scanner engine 150 of the completion of the image transfer (step S713). Further, the scanner engine 150 notifies the print control unit 102 that the image input has been completed (step S714). Further, the print control unit 102 notifies the image storage unit 121 of completion of accumulation of image data for one page (step S715).

  When the image accumulation process ends, the print control unit 102 repeats the accumulated image print process for printing the stored image for the number of copies for which the output is designated and the image for which the output is designated (steps S716 to S724).

  Specifically, first, the print control unit 102 transmits a BID generation instruction to the ID management unit 104 in accordance with the number of copies to be printed (step S716). The ID management unit 104 newly generates a BID and stores it in the ID storage unit 123 (step S717).

  Next, the print control unit 102 transmits a PID generation instruction to the ID management unit 104 (step S718). The ID management unit 104 newly generates a PID and stores it in the ID storage unit 123 (step S719).

  Subsequently, the print control unit 102 instructs the printer engine 140 to print an image (step S720). The print instruction includes the EID of the image to be printed and the PID to be encoded and combined on the paper to be printed. Is included.

  The image acquisition unit 142 of the printer engine 140 starts a process of reading an image corresponding to the EID for which printing has been instructed from the image storage unit 121 (step S721). When reading of the image from the image storage unit 121 is completed (step S722), the marking unit 141 generates a marking obtained by encoding the PID, and the printer engine 140 combines the generated marking with a print image and prints it (step S72). S723).

  When printing is completed, the printer engine 140 notifies the print control unit 102 of the completion of printing (step S724).

  When the accumulated image printing process is completed for all the copies and images, the print control unit 102 displays the completion of the job on the operation panel 130 via the display input control unit 101 (step S725). Exit.

  Next, a reprint process performed by the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. The reprinting process is a process for reproducing the printing of the document corresponding to the paper by scanning the paper on which the marking is printed by the printing process. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the reprint process in the present embodiment.

  First, when the display input control unit 101 accepts pressing of the mark reading key 606 (step S901), a marking reading mode selection screen is displayed on the operation panel 130 (step S902). FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a marking reading mode selection screen. As shown in FIG. 10, the marking reading mode selection screen 1001 includes a “two places designation” key 1002, a “one place designation” key 1003, a “from the head to a designated place” key 1004, and “from the designated place”. To the end "key 1005.

  The “designate two places” key 1002 is selected when both the print start page and the print end page are designated. When the “designate one place” key 1003 is pressed, a “from start to designated place” key 1004 and a “from designated place to last” key 1005 can be selected. The “from start to designated location” key 1004 is selected when only the print end page is designated. A “from designated portion to the end” key 1005 is selected when only a print start page is designated.

  Returning to FIG. 9, the display input control unit 101 determines whether or not the “specify two places” key has been selected (step S <b> 903). When the “designate two places” key is selected (step S903: YES), the display input control unit 101 displays an instruction screen prompting the user to set the first document. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the instruction screen.

  When the user sets the first marked document and presses the start key according to the instruction screen as shown in FIG. 11, the display input control unit 101 receives the start key press and starts detection of marking (step S904). As a result, the detection unit 105 detects the marking from the marked document.

  When detecting the marking from the first document, the detecting unit 105 determines whether or not the detection of the second marking is completed (step S905). In this case, since the detection of the first marking, that is, the marking of the first document has been completed, the detection unit 105 determines that the detection of the second marking has not been completed (step S905: NO).

  Then, the display input control unit 101 displays an instruction screen that prompts the user to set the next document. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an instruction screen displayed in this case. When the user sets the next marked document and presses the start key according to the instruction screen as shown in FIG. 12, the display input control unit 101 receives the start key press and starts detection of marking (step S904). As a result, the detection unit 105 detects the marking from the marked document.

  In this state, the detection unit 105 determines that the detection of the second marking has been completed (step S905: YES). Therefore, the ID acquisition unit 106 acquires a JID for the marking for each of the two detected markings (start ID and final ID), and acquires an EID group and a parent PID group corresponding to the acquired JID (step S906).

  Specifically, the ID acquisition unit 106 inquires of the ID management unit 104 about the JID corresponding to the start ID or the final ID. Upon receiving the inquiry, the ID management unit 104 acquires the JID corresponding to the start ID or the final ID from the ID storage unit 123 and notifies the ID acquisition unit 106 of the JID. Further, the ID acquisition unit 106 inquires of the ID management unit 104 about all EIDs and parent PIDs associated with the notified JID. Then, the ID management unit 104 acquires all EIDs and parent PIDs associated with the JID from the ID storage unit 123, and notifies the ID acquisition unit 106 of the acquired EID list and parent PID list.

  Next, the ID acquisition unit 106 determines whether or not the JID acquired for each of the two detected PIDs matches (step S907). If they match (step S907: YES), the ID acquisition unit 106 acquires the EID corresponding to each PID between the two detected PIDs as the EID of the image to be reprinted (step S908).

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the PID acquired in such a case. FIG. 13 shows an example in which the PID (start ID) detected for the first time is “2”. In this case, the ID acquisition unit 106 acquires the PID groups “1 to 4” belonging to JID = 1 and the EID group and the parent ID group corresponding to them. Then, assuming that the PID (final ID) detected for the second time is “4”, the ID acquisition unit 106 further sets PID groups “1 to 4” belonging to JID = 1 as information corresponding to PID = 4. The EID group and parent ID group corresponding to them are acquired.

  In this case, since the first detected PID = 2 and the second detected PID = 4 belong to the same JID = 1, the ID acquisition unit 106 supports PIDs between PID = 2 and PID = 4. "9 to 11" which are EIDs to be acquired are acquired.

  Returning to FIG. 9, when the “two places designation” key is not selected in step S903, that is, when “one place designation” is selected (step S903: NO), the display input control unit 101 Further, it is determined whether or not the “from start to specified location” key or “from specified location to end” key has been selected (step S909). If no key is selected (step S909: NO), the process returns to the key selection acceptance process and the process is repeated (step S903).

  When any key is selected (step S909: YES), the display input control unit 101 starts detection of marking after accepting pressing of the start key (step S910). As a result, the detection unit 105 detects the marking from the marked document.

  When the detection of the marking is completed, the ID acquisition unit 106 acquires a JID for the detected marking (PID), and acquires an EID group and a parent PID group corresponding to the acquired JID (step S911).

  Next, the ID acquisition unit 106 determines whether or not the “from head to designated location” key has been selected (step S912). When the “from start to specified location” key is selected (step S912: YES), the ID acquisition unit 106 detects the PID (final) from the PID (start ID) corresponding to the first page of the job to which the detected PID belongs. EID corresponding to ID) is acquired as the EID of the image to be reprinted (step S913).

  When the “from start to specified location” key is not selected, that is, when the “from specified location to end” key is selected (step S912: NO), the ID acquisition unit 106 detects the detected PID (start ID). The EID corresponding to the PID (final ID) corresponding to the last page of the job to which the detected PID belongs is acquired as the EID of the image to be reprinted (step S914).

  With such a process, it is possible to designate a reprint range simply by reading one mark. That is, it is not necessary to read the mark of the first page or the last page, and the user operation can be simplified.

  If it is determined in step S907 that the JID acquired for each of the two detected PIDs does not match (step S907: NO), the ID acquisition unit 106 specifies the parent PID of each of the two detected PIDs. Then, for each identified parent PID, the ID acquisition unit 106 acquires a JID corresponding to the PID that matches the parent PID, and further acquires an EID group and a parent PID group corresponding to the acquired JID (step S915).

  Next, the ID acquisition unit 106 determines whether or not the JID acquired for each of the two parent PIDs matches (step S916). If they match (step S916: YES), the ID acquisition unit 106 acquires the EID corresponding to each PID between the two parent PIDs as the EID of the image to be reprinted (step S917).

  14 and 15 are diagrams illustrating an example of the PID acquired in such a case. FIG. 14 shows an example in which the PID detected for the first time is “22”. In this case, the ID acquisition unit 106 acquires the PID group “21 to 24” belonging to JID = 3 and the EID group and the parent ID group corresponding to them.

  FIG. 15 shows an example in which the PID detected for the second time is “14”. In this case, the ID acquisition unit 106 acquires PID groups “11 to 14” belonging to JID = 2 corresponding to the PID detected for the second time, and EID groups and parent ID groups corresponding to them.

  In this case, since the JID of PID = 22 detected at the first time and the JID of PID = 14 detected at the second time do not match “3” and “2”, the JID of the corresponding job matches the corresponding parent PID. Determine whether or not. In this example, since the JIDs corresponding to the parent PIDs “2” and “4” match with “1”, the ID acquisition unit 106 sets the parent PID = 2 and the parent PID = 4 with JID = 1. E9 corresponding to each PID between corresponding PIDs “9 to 11” is acquired.

  In FIG. 13 described above, the PID and its parent ID match. This shows an example of each ID when a normal copy operation is performed, not when reprinting from marking reading. In a normal copy operation, there is no concept of parent PID because there is no PID that is the source of reprinting. However, in this embodiment, since the same algorithm can be applied in any case, the same value as the assigned PID is set in the parent PID even in the case of a copy operation.

  Further, although omitted in the figure, not only the parent PID of the detected PID but also the parent PID of the parent PID is recursively searched to finally determine that the images belong to the same print job. You may comprise.

  By such processing, not only the page range of the print job to which the read mark belongs, but also the page range of the original print job can be printed. In other words, even when the user erroneously scans a sheet printed by marking printing before as a new sheet to be used for marking printing, the desired page range can be correctly reprinted.

  If the JID acquired for each of the two parent PIDs does not match in step S916 (step S916: NO), the ID acquisition unit 106 further searches for a related PID to specify an EID to be reprinted. Is executed (step S918). Details of the EID identification processing will be described later.

  After acquiring the EID to be reprinted in step S908, step S913, step S914, step S917, and step S918, an image print process for reprinting the image corresponding to the acquired EID is executed (step S919), and the reprint process is performed. Exit. Details of the image printing process will be described later.

  Next, details of the EID identification processing in step S918 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of EID identification processing in the present embodiment.

  First, the ID acquisition unit 106 acquires all PIDs associated with the EID corresponding to the detected PID, and creates a PID list including the acquired PID (step S1601). Specifically, the ID acquisition unit 106 inquires of the ID management unit 104 about the PID associated with the EID corresponding to the PID. Upon receiving the inquiry, the ID management unit 104 acquires an EID corresponding to the PID from the ID storage unit 123, and further acquires a PID associated with the acquired EID from the ID storage unit 123. Then, the ID management unit 104 notifies the ID acquisition unit 106 of the acquired PID.

  The ID acquisition unit 106 determines whether a PID list has been created for each of the two detected PIDs (step S1602). If not, the ID acquisition unit 106 processes the unprocessed PIDs (step S1602: NO). Is repeated (step S1601).

  If created (step S1602: YES), the ID acquisition unit 106 searches for a PID group belonging to the same job from among the PID groups each including one PID in the two PID lists (step S1603). .

  Note that the JID of the job corresponding to each PID is acquired by making an inquiry to the ID management unit 104 in this step, or acquired together with the acquisition of the PID in step S1601, and used to determine whether they belong to the same job. Although not shown in the figure, if a pair of PIDs belonging to the same job is not found, it is determined that an invalid sheet has been read, error processing such as error message display is performed, and the process is terminated. To do.

  Next, the ID acquisition unit 106 determines whether a plurality of sets of PIDs belonging to the same job have been searched (step S1604). If a plurality of sets are not searched (step S1604: NO), the ID acquisition unit 106 selects EIDs corresponding to the searched sets from a PID having a small value to a PID having a large value. The EID is specified (step S1605).

  17 and 18 are diagrams illustrating examples of PIDs identified by such processing. FIG. 17 shows an example in which the PID detected for the first time is “32”. FIG. 18 shows an example in which the PID detected for the second time is “44”.

  In this case, the jobs corresponding to the detected PIDs are not the same. In addition, since the parent PID corresponding to each detected PID is set to the same value as the PID, jobs corresponding to the parent PID do not match.

  For example, there is a job (merge print job) in which the accumulated document A corresponding to FIG. 17 and the accumulated document B corresponding to FIG. 18 are merge-printed. This may occur when marking printing is performed using not the paper output in this job but the paper when each of the accumulated documents A and B is printed individually. According to the present embodiment, even in such a situation, it is possible to reprint by designating a partial range of the pages output by the merge print job.

  For the examples of FIGS. 17 and 18, for example, a PID list as shown in FIG. 19 is created. FIG. 19 shows an example in which PID = 2 and PID = 32 are searched and registered in the PID list as PID referring to EID = 9 (see FIG. 17) corresponding to PID = 32. Further, an example is shown in which PID = 8 and PID = 44 are searched and registered in the PID list as PIDs referring to EID = 15 (see FIG. 18) corresponding to PID = 44.

  Here, it is assumed that ID information as shown in FIG. 20 is further stored in the ID storage unit 123. In this case, among the PID sets included in the PID list of EID = 9 and the PID list of EID15, a job with JID = 1 to which PID = 2 and PID = 8 belong is a job that includes each of the PIDs in common. Searchable. Therefore, the ID acquisition unit 106 specifies EIDs corresponding to PID = 2 to PID = 8 as EIDs of images to be reprinted.

  With this process, when printing a merged print job for a stored document by specifying the range by reading the mark, not only the page range of the job to which the read mark belongs, but also the merge print using the original stored document The page range at the time can also be printed. In other words, even if the user accidentally scans paper that has been output from a print job that is the same stored document and is not merged printing as new paper to be used for marking printing, the desired page range is correctly reprinted. can do.

  Note that when there are a plurality of jobs that commonly include a PID included in a certain group, the ID acquisition unit 106 cannot determine which job to select. For this reason, it is necessary to display a list of searched jobs and allow the user to select a job to be reprinted.

  For example, when ID information as shown in FIG. 21 is further stored in the ID storage unit 123, as jobs that commonly include PID = 52 corresponding to EID = 9 and PID = 61 corresponding to EID = 15, A job with JID = 100 can be searched. That is, it is commonly included in the PID set (PID = 2, 8) commonly included in JID = 1 retrieved from the ID information in FIG. 20 and the job of JID = 100 retrieved from the ID information in FIG. Two sets of PID sets (PID = 52, 61) are searched.

  Returning to FIG. 16, when a plurality of sets are searched in this way (step S1604: YES), the display input control unit 101 displays a list of jobs corresponding to the searched sets on the display unit 610 (step S1604). S1606).

  FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a job list screen. The user can select a job to be reprinted by designating a desired job on the job list screen.

  Returning to FIG. 16, the display input control unit 101 accepts selection of a job to be reprinted (step S1607). Next, the ID acquisition unit 106 specifies EIDs corresponding to a PID having a small value to a PID having a large value as a EID of an image to be reprinted from among a set of PIDs commonly included in the selected job (Step SID). S1608).

  By displaying a list of print jobs that are candidates for reprinting in this way and reprinting the print job selected by the user, only the print job that meets the user's intention can be restored.

  Next, details of the image printing process in step S919 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of image printing processing in the present embodiment.

  In the image printing process, as in the printing process, the PID of the paper to be reprinted and the BID of the part to be reprinted are generated, but are omitted in the figure. Also, print settings such as the designation of the number of copies can be changed during reprinting, and the BID for reprinting is generated with reference to the changed number of copies. As a result, even when the number of copies required at the time of previous printing is different from that at the time of reprinting, it is possible to designate and print the required number of copies.

  First, the print control unit 102 instructs the printer engine 140 to perform reprinting (step S2301). This instruction includes the EID of the image to be printed and the generated PID.

  Next, the image acquisition unit 142 of the printer engine 140 starts a process of reading an image corresponding to the instructed EID from the image storage unit 121 (step S2302). When the reading of the image from the image storage unit 121 is completed (step S2303), the marking unit 141 generates a marking obtained by encoding the PID, and the printer engine 140 combines the generated marking with the print image and prints it (step S2303). S2304).

  When the reprint is completed, the printer engine 140 notifies the print control unit 102 of the completion of the reprint (step S2305), and the image printing process ends.

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, when an image is printed in a predetermined print unit, the marking of one or two print sheets is re-read by the scanner, so Of these, only images corresponding to some pages designated by the re-read marking can be reprinted. Thereby, the process which reprints a part of printing unit using marking can be performed efficiently. In addition, when the number of pages per copy is large, it is possible to easily execute page designation at the time of reprinting the stored document. Further, for example, a plurality of pages can be partially printed on a stapled printed material without removing the staples.

  FIG. 24 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the multifunction machine 100. As shown in the figure, the multifunction peripheral 100 has a configuration in which the controller 10 and the engine unit 60 are connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus. The controller 10 is a controller that controls the entire MFP 100 and controls drawing, communication, and input from an operation unit (not shown). The engine unit 60 includes a printer engine 140 and a scanner engine 150 that can be connected to a PCI bus. The printer engine 140 is, for example, a monochrome plotter, a 1-drum color plotter, a 4-drum color plotter, a scanner, or a fax unit. The engine unit 60 includes an image processing part such as error diffusion and gamma conversion in addition to a so-called engine part such as a plotter.

  The controller 10 includes a CPU 11, a north bridge (NB) 13, a system memory (MEM-P) 12, a south bridge (SB) 14, a local memory (MEM-C) 17, and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). 16 and the HDD 120, and the NB 13 and the ASIC 16 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 15. The MEM-P 12 further includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12a and a RAM 12b.

  The CPU 11 performs overall control of the multifunction peripheral 100, has a chip set including the NB 13, the MEM-P 12, and the SB 14, and is connected to other devices via the chip set.

  The NB 13 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 11 to the MEM-P 12, SB 14, and the AGP bus 15, and includes a memory controller that controls reading / writing with respect to the MEM-P 12, a PCI master, and an AGP target.

  The MEM-P 12 is a system memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for developing programs and data, a memory for drawing a printer, and the like, and includes a ROM 12a and a RAM 12b. The ROM 12a is a read-only memory used as a program / data storage memory, and the RAM 12b is a writable / readable memory used as a program / data development memory, a printer drawing memory, or the like.

  The SB 14 is a bridge for connecting the NB 13 to a PCI device and peripheral devices. The SB 14 is connected to the NB 13 via a PCI bus, and a network I / F 160 and the like are also connected to the PCI bus.

  The ASIC 16 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing having hardware elements for image processing, and has a role of a bridge for connecting the AGP bus 15, the PCI bus, the HDD 120, and the MEM-C 17. The ASIC 16 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 16, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 17, a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory) that perform rotation of image data by hardware logic and the like. Access Controller) and a PCI unit that performs data transfer between the engine unit 60 via the PCI bus. An FCU (Fax Control Unit) 30, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) 40, and an IEEE 1394 (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface 50 are connected to the ASIC 16 via a PCI bus.

  The MEM-C 17 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer, and the HDD 120 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms.

  The AGP bus 15 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed for speeding up graphics processing. The AGP bus 15 speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the MEM-P 12 with high throughput. It is.

  The image forming program executed by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  An image forming program executed by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is a file in an installable format or an executable format, and is a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). For example, the program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

  Furthermore, the image forming program executed by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. . The image forming program executed by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  The image forming program executed by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes the above-described units (display input control unit, print control unit, scanner control unit, ID management unit, detection unit, ID acquisition unit, document management unit). As the actual hardware, a CPU (processor) reads out and executes an image forming program from the ROM, and the respective units are loaded on the main storage device. The respective units are the main storage device. It is supposed to be generated above.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus, the image forming method, and the image forming program according to the present invention are suitable for the image forming apparatus that controls the printing process using the marking printed on the printing paper.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a sheet printed by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the reprint process by the image forming apparatus concerning this Embodiment. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction peripheral that is an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment; It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the data structure of the document information stored in the document information storage part of this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the data structure of ID information stored in the ID memory | storage part of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of an operation panel. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an overall flow of printing processing according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an overall flow of printing processing according to the present embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing an overall flow of reprint processing in the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a marking reading mode selection screen. It is a figure which shows an example of an instruction | indication screen. It is a figure which shows an example of an instruction | indication screen. It is a figure which shows an example of PID acquired. It is a figure which shows an example of PID acquired. It is a figure which shows an example of PID acquired. It is a flowchart which shows the whole flow of the EID specific process in this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of identified PID. It is a figure which shows an example of identified PID. It is a figure which shows an example of a PID list. It is a figure which shows an example of the ID information stored in ID storage part. It is a figure which shows an example of the ID information stored in ID storage part. It is a figure which shows an example of a job list screen. 6 is a flowchart showing an overall flow of image printing processing in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a multifunction machine.

Explanation of symbols

10 Controller 11 CPU
12 System memory (MEM-P)
12a ROM
12b RAM
13 North Bridge (NB)
14 South Bridge (SB)
15 AGP bus 16 ASIC
17 Local memory (MEM-C)
30 FCU
40 USB
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 IEEE1394 interface 60 Engine part 100 Multifunction machine 101 Display input control part 102 Print control part 103 Scanner control part 104 ID management part 105 Detection part 106 ID acquisition part 107 Document management part 121 Image storage part 122 Document information storage part 123 ID storage part 130 Operation Panel 140 Printer Engine 141 Marking Unit 142 Image Acquisition Unit 150 Scanner Engine 160 Network I / F
601 Numeric keypad 602 C / S key 603 Start key 604 Reset key 605 Initial setting key 606 Mark reading key 610 Display unit 611 Document accumulation key 612 Accumulated document designation key 1001 Marking reading mode selection screen 1002 “Specify two places” key 1003 “1” "Specify location" key 1004 "From start to specified location" key 1005 "From specified location to end" key

Claims (6)

Image storage means for storing the input image and an image ID for identifying the image in association with each other;
A unit ID for identifying a printing unit including at least one recording medium on which the image is printed, an ID for identifying the recording medium, and a medium ID that can specify a printing order within the printing unit, and printing ID storage means for storing ID information in association with the image ID of the image;
Detecting means for detecting the medium ID from the recording medium;
Based on the detected medium ID, out of the medium IDs corresponding to the same unit ID, the start ID that is the medium ID for starting printing, and the print order is after the start ID, and printing is performed. An ID acquisition unit that identifies a final ID that is the medium ID to be ended, and acquires the image ID corresponding to the medium ID after the start ID and before the final ID from the ID storage unit;
Image acquisition means for acquiring the image corresponding to the acquired image ID from the image storage means;
Printing means for printing the acquired image ,
The detecting means detects a first medium ID from the first recording medium, detects a second medium ID from the second recording medium,
The ID storage means stores the ID information further associated with a parent ID representing the medium ID detected by the detection means when the image included in the print unit is printed,
The ID acquisition unit specifies the first medium ID as the start ID, specifies the second medium ID as the final ID, and further, the unit ID corresponding to the first medium ID, and the second ID It is determined whether or not the unit ID corresponding to the medium ID matches. If the unit ID does not match, the parent ID corresponding to the first medium ID is specified as the start ID and corresponds to the second medium ID. Identifying the parent ID to be used as the final ID,
An image forming apparatus feature a. Image storage means for storing the input image and an image ID for identifying the image in association with each other;
A unit ID for identifying a printing unit including at least one recording medium on which the image is printed, an ID for identifying the recording medium, and a medium ID that can specify a printing order within the printing unit, and printing ID storage means for storing ID information in association with the image ID of the image;
Detecting means for detecting the medium ID from the recording medium;
Based on the detected medium ID, out of the medium IDs corresponding to the same unit ID, the start ID that is the medium ID for starting printing, and the print order is after the start ID, and printing is performed. An ID acquisition unit that identifies a final ID that is the medium ID to be ended, and acquires the image ID corresponding to the medium ID after the start ID and before the final ID from the ID storage unit;
Image acquisition means for acquiring the image corresponding to the acquired image ID from the image storage means;
Printing means for printing the acquired image,
The detecting means detects a first medium ID from the first recording medium, detects a second medium ID from the second recording medium,
The ID acquisition unit specifies the first medium ID as the start ID, specifies the second medium ID as the final ID , and further, the unit ID corresponding to the first medium ID, and the second ID It is determined whether or not the unit ID corresponding to the medium ID matches. If the unit ID does not match, the first related ID that is another medium ID associated with the image ID corresponding to the first medium ID Is acquired from the ID storage means, and a second related ID, which is another medium ID associated with the image ID corresponding to the second medium ID, is acquired from the ID storage means, and the first related ID The unit ID associated with both the second related ID and the second related ID is acquired from the ID storage means, and among the medium IDs corresponding to the acquired unit ID, the first related ID is specified as the start ID. It is, identifying the second associated ID as the last ID,
An image forming apparatus. When a plurality of the unit IDs associated with both the first related ID and the second related ID are acquired by the ID acquisition unit, the unit to be printed among the plurality of acquired unit IDs A receiving means for receiving an ID designation;
The ID acquisition means further specifies the first related ID as the start ID and the second related ID as the final ID among the medium IDs corresponding to the unit IDs for which the designation is accepted. thing,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 . An image forming method executed by an image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus includes:
Image storage means for storing the input image and an image ID for identifying the image in association with each other;
A unit ID for identifying a printing unit including at least one recording medium on which the image is printed, an ID for identifying the recording medium, and a medium ID that can specify a printing order within the printing unit, and printing ID storage means for storing ID information in association with the image ID of the image,
A detecting step for detecting the medium ID from the recording medium;
Based on the detected medium ID, the ID acquisition means includes a start ID that is the medium ID for starting printing out of the medium IDs corresponding to the same unit ID, and a print order after the start ID. An ID that identifies the final ID, which is the medium ID for ending printing, and acquires the image ID corresponding to the medium ID after the start ID and before the final ID from the ID storage unit An acquisition step;
An image acquisition step in which an image acquisition unit acquires the image corresponding to the acquired image ID from the image storage unit;
A printing step for printing the acquired image ;
The ID storage means stores the ID information further associated with a parent ID representing the medium ID detected in the detection step when the image included in the print unit is printed,
The detecting step detects a first medium ID from the first recording medium, detects a second medium ID from the second recording medium,
In the ID acquisition step, the first medium ID is specified as the start ID, the second medium ID is specified as the final ID, the unit ID corresponding to the first medium ID, and the second ID It is determined whether or not the unit ID corresponding to the medium ID matches. If the unit ID does not match, the parent ID corresponding to the first medium ID is specified as the start ID and corresponds to the second medium ID. Identifying the parent ID to be used as the final ID,
Image forming method according to feature a.   An image forming method executed by an image forming apparatus,
  The image forming apparatus includes:
  Image storage means for storing the input image and an image ID for identifying the image in association with each other;
  A unit ID for identifying a printing unit including at least one recording medium on which the image is printed, an ID for identifying the recording medium, and a medium ID that can specify a printing order within the printing unit, and printing ID storage means for storing ID information in association with the image ID of the image,
  A detecting step for detecting the medium ID from the recording medium;
  Based on the detected medium ID, the ID acquisition means includes a start ID that is the medium ID for starting printing out of the medium IDs corresponding to the same unit ID, and a print order after the start ID. An ID that identifies the final ID, which is the medium ID for ending printing, and acquires the image ID corresponding to the medium ID after the start ID and before the final ID from the ID storage unit An acquisition step;
  An image acquisition step in which an image acquisition unit acquires the image corresponding to the acquired image ID from the image storage unit;
  A printing step for printing the acquired image;
  The detecting step detects a first medium ID from the first recording medium, detects a second medium ID from the second recording medium,
  In the ID acquisition step, the first medium ID is specified as the start ID, the second medium ID is specified as the final ID, the unit ID corresponding to the first medium ID, and the second ID It is determined whether or not the unit ID corresponding to the medium ID matches. If the unit ID does not match, the first related ID that is another medium ID associated with the image ID corresponding to the first medium ID Is acquired from the ID storage means, and a second related ID, which is another medium ID associated with the image ID corresponding to the second medium ID, is acquired from the ID storage means, and the first related ID And the second related ID are acquired from the ID storage unit, and the first related ID is used as the start ID among the medium IDs corresponding to the acquired unit ID. Identified, identifying the second associated ID as the last ID that,
  An image forming method. A program for causing a computer to execute the image forming method according to claim 4 .

Images