JP4972050B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus for preventing useless trial print by preview display before the trial print. <P>SOLUTION: A digital multifunction machine 1 includes: a touch panel 10 for displaying various information; a key operation section 20 for receiving operation input by a user; a preview image generation section 16a for generating a preview image of image data; a recording section 12 for printing the image data; and a panel control section 11 for displaying the preview image of the image data on the touch panel 10 before the print by the recording section 12. The recording section 12 can print only one copy as a trial print when a plurality of copies for print are designated to the image data. The key operation section 20 receives the execution instruction of the trial print by a user after the preview image of the image data is displayed on the touch panel 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus having a function of previewing image data obtained by reading a document image before forming the image.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some image forming apparatuses such as copying machines have a function of displaying a preview of image data for image formation before image formation.
For example, when image data of a document read by a scanner or image data transmitted from an external device is formed (printed), the image data to be formed is displayed as a preview, and the user confirms the display. In some cases, image formation can be performed.

  Some image forming apparatuses have a function of performing test printing according to user settings when image data is formed. In this trial printing, when a copy is specified by specifying the number of copies, only a part is printed first, and after the user confirms the print result, it is output continuously or is canceled and restarted from reading. Or is done to choose either method.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a digital copying machine that, during trial copying (trial printing), partially prints out and displays a preview screen so that pages can be deleted, added, and rotated. According to this digital copying machine, a part of the printed copy is output regardless of the number of input, and at the same time, the preview screen is displayed, the image data of the page specified on the preview screen is erased and rotated, and an additional page is read, Insertion can be performed.
JP 2004-15475 A

  However, in the case of the digital copying machine described in Patent Document 1, trial printing has already been executed at the time when the preview is displayed, so the user changed the print settings of the image data after confirming the preview display. In this case, it is necessary to perform test printing again with the changed image data. In such a case, the portion that has already been trial printed before the preview display is wasted, and there is a problem that paper and toner are wasted due to the trial printing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which unnecessary preview printing is not performed by performing a preview display before trial printing. And

In order to solve the above problems, a first technical means of the present invention includes a display unit that displays various information, an operation input unit that receives an operation input by a user, and a preview image generation unit that generates a preview image of image data. And a printing unit that prints the image data, and displays a preview image of the image data on the display unit before printing by the printing unit, wherein the printing unit includes the image data When a plurality of copies are designated for the data, only one copy can be printed as a test print, and the display unit displays the preview image on the display screen of the preview image simultaneously with the display of the last page of the preview image. As an operation input unit, a print execution key for instructing execution of the trial printing is displayed so that a touch operation is possible, and when the user touches the print execution key, In which serial print unit is characterized that you perform the test printing.

According to a second technical means, in the first technical means, the display unit displays a selection screen for selecting a process after the trial printing after the trial printing is performed. One of the change processing, the second trial printing processing, and the remaining number of printing processing can be selected by the user.

According to a third technical means, in the first or second technical means, a document reading unit for reading a document and inputting image data, an interface unit connected to an external device storing the image data, and storing the image data An image storage unit, and image data to be subjected to the trial printing includes image data acquired from the document reading unit, image data acquired from the external device, and image data acquired from the image storage unit. It is one of the features.

  According to the present invention, by performing the preview display before the test print, the user can perform the test print after confirming the print content in the preview display, so that it is not necessary to perform a wasteful test print, Wasteful consumption of paper and toner can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to an image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a digital multi-function peripheral having a print function, a copy function, a facsimile transmission / reception function, and the like will be specifically described with reference to the drawings illustrating the embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image processing system constructed using a digital multifunction peripheral as an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 1, 1 is a digital multifunction peripheral, 2 and 3 are external computers, 4 is an Internet facsimile machine (Internet FAX machine), and 5 is a facsimile machine.

  The digital multi-function peripheral 1 is one of the embodiments of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. In addition to a print function and a copy function, a function for transmitting / receiving image data by fax (facsimile function) and / or image data for Internet FAX. Has a function of transmitting and receiving (Internet FAX function). Various external devices are connected to the digital multi-function peripheral 1 via a communication network. For example, an external computer 2 such as a personal computer (PC) is connected to a communication network LN laid as a local communication network and connected to an Internet network IN connected via a gateway or the like not shown in the figure. Is connected to an external computer 3 and an Internet FAX apparatus 4. Further, an external facsimile machine 5 is connected to the digital multi-function peripheral 1 via a public telephone line network PN.

  Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the digital multifunction peripheral of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an external view illustrating an example of a touch panel and a key operation unit in the digital multifunction peripheral of FIG.

  2 includes a touch panel 10, a panel control unit 11, a recording unit 12, a reading unit 13, a format conversion unit 14, an image storage unit 15, an image processing unit 16, an encoding / decoding unit 17, a main unit. Control unit 18, control memory 19, key operation unit 20, LAN (Local Area Network) control unit 21, control buffer 22, network control unit (NCU: Network Control Unit) 23, modem 24, and USB (Universal Serial Bus: (Registered trademark) interface (I / F) 25 is provided.

  The main control unit 18 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The control memory 19 includes a nonvolatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM). In the control memory 19, a program (firmware) and various setting data are stored so that they can be read from the main control unit 18. Among these, at least various setting data are stored in a rewritable memory. These programs and various setting data may be stored in the image storage unit 15. The control buffer 22 is composed of a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

  The above-described program includes instructions related to generation and display of a preview image, which will be described later, according to the present invention, instructions related to generation / transmission / reception of facsimile images and e-mails, instructions related to document reading, and printing. This is for the main control unit 18 to issue commands, commands related to reading and printing (that is, copying), etc., to other parts. This program is developed on the control buffer 22 by the main control unit 18, and is executed while referring to various setting data described later as appropriate, with the control buffer 22 used as a data area for temporary storage (work).

  The reading unit 13 is a scanner using a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), reads a document as a bitmap image of RGB (R: red, G: green, B: blue) having a predetermined resolution, and reads the read RGB image data. (Dot image data) is output to the image processing unit 16. The image processing unit 16 is configured by an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or the like, and performs various image processing on target image data. Other parts such as the encoding / decoding unit 17 may be incorporated in the ASIC described above.

  The image storage unit 15 is configured by a hard disk or the like, and stores image data read by the reading unit 13 and passed through the image processing unit 16, image data received from the outside via the LAN control unit 21, the NCU 23, and the like. When image data is stored in the image storage unit 15, the data encoded by the encoding / decoding unit 17 can be stored. The image storage unit 15 may also temporarily store intermediate data generated during image processing in the image processing unit 16.

  The encoding / decoding unit 17 compresses the image data by encoding and decodes (decompresses) the encoded image data into the original image data. For example, the encoding / decoding unit 17 performs encoding of image data read from a document, decoding of the encoded data, decoding of encoded image data received from the outside, and the like. In the encoding / decoding unit 17, JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) generally used in filing, MH (Modified Huffman), MR (Modified READ), and MMR (Modified READ) generally used in facsimile communication are used. (Modified READ) or the like can be used according to the application. As an encoding method, MH can be adopted in IP facsimile communication, and JPEG and JBIG (Joint Bi-level Image Experts Group) can be adopted in Internet facsimile communication in addition to MH, MR, and MMR.

  The format conversion unit 14 converts the read image data or image data received from the outside into a predetermined file format such as PDF (Portable Document Format), GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), or TIFF (Tag Image File Format). .

  The recording unit 12 includes a printer apparatus that employs a printing method such as an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method, and functions as a printing unit that records (that is, prints) image data or the like stored in the image storage unit 15 on a recording sheet. . The USB I / F 25 is an I / F for connecting to a USB device such as a USB memory, and outputs image data after reading a document stored in the image storage unit 15 to the USB device. Read a file from.

  The modem 24 is composed of a facsimile modem capable of facsimile communication, and is connected to a telephone line and directly connected to the NCU 23. The NCU 23 is connected to a telephone line and controls the line. That is, the NCU 23 is hardware that performs operations for closing and opening a line with an analog public telephone line network (PSTN), and connects the modem 24 to the public telephone line network as necessary. With this configuration, the image data stored in the image storage unit 15 is transmitted to the outside by facsimile, or the facsimile image data is received from the telephone line and stored in the image storage unit 15 or directly printed by the recording unit 12. It becomes possible to do.

  The LAN control unit 21 is connected to the LAN, and performs communication of electronic mail data and Internet FAX via the Internet. The Internet FAX transmits and receives electronic mails via a computer network such as a LAN using a LAN interface or the like.

  When the touch panel 10 or the key operation unit 20 executes an operation for selecting a desired process from processes such as a document reading process, image data transmission, and printing, an operation for starting the process, and each process. This is an operation input unit that receives an operation (selection operation or input operation) for performing settings necessary for the operation.

  The key operation unit 20 includes a group of keys necessary for operation. The touch panel 10 includes a display unit and an operation receiving unit such as a touch sensor. The touch panel 10 is subjected to display control and operation acceptance control by the panel control unit 11. That is, the panel control unit 11 performs display control of the display unit and operation reception control of the operation reception unit on the touch panel 10.

  The display unit of the touch panel 10 displays the current operation state, setting information, and the like. This display is realized by the panel control unit 11 controlling so as to display a GUI (Graphical User Interface) image. With the GUI, the display and operation reception position can be changed according to a user operation. Each GUI and its image may be stored in the internal memory of the panel control unit 11 or the control memory 19 so as to be readable. As the display unit, various display formats such as a liquid crystal display and an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display can be adopted.

  The user operation received on the touch panel 10 is interpreted by the panel control unit 11 and transmitted to the main control unit 18 as an operation signal. The user operation received by the key operation unit 20 is interpreted by the key operation unit 20 itself and transmitted to the main control unit 18 as an operation signal. The main control unit 18 issues a command according to the operation signal obtained in this manner to another part, thereby causing the other part to execute a process according to the user operation. Although the touch panel 10 in which the display device and the operation unit are integrated has been described, only the display device may be provided instead of the touch panel 10, and in this case, the user operation is accepted only by the key operation unit 20.

  The touch panel 10 and the key operation unit 20 are configured as an operation panel 30 as illustrated in FIG. In this example, the operation panel 30 includes a key operation unit 31 (corresponding to the key operation unit 20) having various hardware keys, and a touch panel 32 (corresponding to the touch panel 10) including a liquid crystal display and a touch sensor. Is done. Hereinafter, the touch panel 32 and the key operation unit 31 are applied instead of the touch panel 10 and the key operation unit 20 in the configuration of FIG.

  The key operation unit 31 includes, as hardware keys, a numeric keypad 31a for inputting a numerical value, a clear key 31b for clearing an input set value, an all cancel key 31c for canceling all input settings, a copy start, In addition to a start key 31d for receiving an instruction such as transmission start, function switching keys 31e, 31f, and 31g for switching a print function, a transmission function, and a copy function, and a system setting key 31h for receiving a setting by a user are provided.

An operation example in the digital multi-function peripheral 1 having the above-described configuration example will be described.
<Original scanning operation>
In the original reading operation, the image data of the read original is stored (filed) in the image storage unit 15, the image data of the read original is transmitted to the outside, or the image data of the read original is printed (that is, a copy). To be done).

  When a user operation for performing a process that requires reading of a document is received by the operation panel 30, the main control unit 18 reads the reading unit 13, the image storage unit 15, the image processing unit 16, and the encoding / decoding unit 17. Is instructed to execute processing as described below.

  The reading unit 13 optically reads an image of a document placed on a document table or an automatic document feeder, and passes RGB image data (RGB bitmap data) as a result of the reading to the image processing unit 16. The image processing unit 16 executes various types of image processing (hereinafter referred to as document image processing) such as A / D conversion, shading correction, and γ correction on the RGB image data. Here, the shading process is a process for removing various distortions generated in the illumination system, the imaging system, and the imaging system of the reading unit 13.

  As document image processing, document discrimination processing and region separation processing may be executed following A / D conversion, shading correction, and γ correction. The document determination processing includes processing for determining the type of document from input image data (here, image data after γ correction) and processing for determining whether the document is a color document or a monochrome document. Examples of the type of document include a character document, a printed photo document, and a character printed photo document in which they are mixed. The image processing unit 16 outputs a determination signal (hereinafter referred to as document determination data) as a result of these document determination processing and monochrome / color document determination processing.

  The area separation process is a process of determining what kind of area each pixel of input image data (here, image data after γ correction) belongs to. For example, each pixel is a black character area, This is a process of determining which region belongs to, such as a color character region or a halftone dot region. The image processing unit 16 outputs region separation data as the determination result. Note that this region separation processing may be executed based on the results of the document discrimination processing and the monochrome / color discrimination processing described above.

  The document determination data and the area separation data are stored in the image storage unit 15 in association with corresponding image data (image data after document image processing). At this time, after the original determination data and the region separation data are encoded by the encoding / decoding unit 17, each encoded data is stored in the image storage unit 15 in association with the corresponding image data. It should be noted that encoding at the time of storing in the image storage unit 15 is not essential, but in the following description, it is assumed that image data is stored in an encoded state. The same applies to operations other than the document reading operation.

<Printing action>
By the above-described original reading operation, filing of image data of the read original is completed. Next, a description will be given of a printing operation when printing (image forming) the image data of the read original (that is, when copying the original). When a user operation for performing processing that requires printing is received by the operation panel 30, the main control unit 18 includes the recording unit 12, the image storage unit 15, the image processing unit 16, the encoding / decoding unit 17, and the like. Is instructed to execute processing as described below. Note that the main control unit 18 also gives an instruction to the reading unit 13 (original reading instruction) when, for example, a copy operation is performed.

  The encoding / decoding unit 17 reads out the image data to be printed and the corresponding document determination data and area separation data from the image storage unit 15, decodes them, and passes them to the image processing unit 16. The image processing unit 16 performs various image processing (hereinafter referred to as printing image processing) on the decoded image data (RGB image data). Image processing for printing, as outlined below, image quality adjustment processing, dichroic processing, color correction processing, black generation / under color removal processing, spatial filter processing, scaling processing, output tone correction Processing, halftone generation processing, and the like. The black generation / under color removal process, the spatial filter process, and the halftone generation process are processes corresponding to various areas indicated by the area separation data.

  As the image quality adjustment processing, the background is detected by detecting the background from the decoded image data. Further, as image quality adjustment processing, RGB adjustment (overall color adjustment such as color adjustment and reddish bluishness), brightness adjustment, and image data after background removal based on setting information set by the user through the operation panel 30. Also adjust the vividness. At this time, adjustment may be performed according to the document type indicated by the document determination data.

  As color correction processing, CMY data having CMY (C: cyan, M: magenta, Y: yellow), which are complementary colors of RGB, is generated from RGB data after image quality adjustment processing to improve color reproducibility. Process. Black generation / under color removal processing includes black generation processing for generating black (K) data from color-corrected CMY data, and new CMY data by subtracting K data obtained by black generation from the original CMY data. The undercolor removal process to be generated is performed.

As the spatial filter processing, enhancement processing and smoothing processing are performed on the CMYK data that is the data of these four colors. When a two-color mode for outputting image data in two colors (for example, red and black) is selected, a dichroic process is executed.
As the dichroic processing, processing for converting the RGB data into CMY data that expresses the specified two colors (in this case, red and black) is performed. In the two-color mode, the black generation / under color removal process is performed on the CMY data after the two-color process, and the spatial filter process is also performed, but the color correction process is not performed.

  As the scaling process, an image enlargement process or an image reduction process is performed on the CMYK data after the spatial filter process based on the print magnification set by the user operation on the operation panel 30. The printing magnification is the magnification of the image after printing with respect to the image indicated by the read and stored image data. Of course, the print magnification is not limited to the magnification obtained by the user operation, and is the default magnification when there is no operation for the print magnification.

  As output gradation correction processing, output γ correction processing for outputting to a recording medium such as recording paper is performed on the CMYK data. As halftone generation processing, tone reproduction processing for outputting an image is performed on the CMYK data after the output tone correction processing by error diffusion processing or dither processing. In the output tone correction process and the halftone generation process, for example, processing corresponding to the document type indicated by the document determination data may be performed, for example, processing contents are different between the character area and the other areas.

  The CMYK data after the halftone generation process is transferred to the recording unit 12. The recording unit 12 receives the image data (in this example, CMYK image data) subjected to the image processing for printing by the image processing unit 16 in this way, and performs hard copy (printout) by an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method. To do. Note that the target data of the printing operation described here is not limited to the image data read by the reading unit 13, and is, for example, transferred in advance from an external recording medium or a network-connected PC or the like, and the image storage unit 15. The same applies to the image data (image file) stored in. The printing operation of the image data received by facsimile and stored in the image storage unit 15 will be described later.

<Preview display operation of image data to be printed>
Next, an operation (preview display operation) of previewing image data stored in the image storage unit 15 as a result of document reading on the touch panel 32 before printing will be described.
The preview display operation is performed when a user operation for performing a process that requires a preview display is received by the operation panel 30. For example, the preview display operation is also performed when the image data after reading the document is set to be previewed first before printing.

  In the preview display operation, the main control unit 18 instructs the image storage unit 15, the image processing unit 16, the encoding / decoding unit 17, the panel control unit 11, and the like to execute processing as described below. Note that the main control unit 18 also gives an instruction to the reading unit 13 (original reading instruction) when, for example, an operation for copying an original is performed.

The encoding / decoding unit 17 reads out the image data to be previewed and the corresponding document determination data and region separation data from the image storage unit 15, decodes them, and passes them to the image processing unit 16. The image processing unit 16 performs various image processing (hereinafter referred to as preview image processing) on the decoded image data (RGB image data).
Image processing for preview includes image quality adjustment processing, dichroic processing, color correction processing, spatial filter processing, scaling processing, output tone correction processing, and the like, as will be described below in outline. Spatial filter processing and output tone correction processing are processing corresponding to various regions indicated by the region separation data.

  The image quality adjustment process here is the same as the image quality adjustment process in the image processing for printing. As the color correction processing, processing for converting the image data (RGB data) after the image quality adjustment processing into R′G′B ′ data is performed based on the display characteristics of the touch panel 32. As the spatial filter processing, enhancement processing and smoothing processing are performed on the R′G′B ′ data.

  As the scaling processing, the R′G′B ′ data after the spatial filter processing is subjected to image enlargement processing / image reduction processing according to the print magnification, and the number of pixels of the R′G′B ′ data is set on the touch panel. In addition to performing conversion to the number of pixels (display resolution) of 32, image enlargement processing and image reduction processing are performed based on the preview display magnification set by the user operation on the operation panel 30. The preview display magnification is a fixed magnification such as 2 times or 4 times, for example, and is a magnification of an image at the time of preview display. Of course, the preview display magnification is not limited to the magnification obtained by the user operation, and becomes the default magnification when there is no operation for the preview display magnification.

  The preview image generation unit 16a provided in the image processing unit 16 generates an image for preview display (preview image) mainly by such scaling processing for preview display.

  As the output tone correction processing, output γ correction processing for displaying image data on the touch panel 32 is performed on the R′G′B ′ data of the preview image. In the output tone correction process, for example, a process corresponding to the document type indicated by the document determination data may be performed, for example, the processing content is different between the character area and the other.

The dichroic processing is executed only when a two-color mode that outputs image data in two colors, for example, red and black, is selected. As the dichroic processing, processing for converting the RGB data after the image quality adjustment processing into CMY data expressing the specified two colors (in this case, red and black) is performed.
The generated CMYK is converted into R′G′B ′ data based on the display characteristics of the touch panel 32 in the subsequent color correction processing.

The R′G′B ′ data generated by the preview image generation unit 16 a and subjected to the output gradation correction processing is passed to the touch panel 32. The panel control unit 11 controls the touch panel 32 to display an image corresponding to the R′G′B ′ data in a GUI image, and displays the GUI image on the touch panel 32.
Note that the target data for the preview display operation described here is not limited to the image data read by the reading unit 13, and is, for example, an image storage unit that is transferred in advance from an external recording medium or a network-connected PC. The same applies to the image data (image file) stored in 15.

<Supplementary information on document reading, preview display, and printing>
Although the preview display operation has been described separately from the print operation, first, image data (CMYK data) that has been subjected to output gradation correction processing as the print operation is converted into R′G′B ′ data based on the display characteristics of the touch panel 32. May be displayed on the touch panel 32 by performing conversion processing according to the number of pixels (display resolution) of the touch panel 32 and scaling processing according to the reduction / enlargement ratio at the time of preview display. Since the printing operation is completed to some extent and the printing operation after the preview display can be completed quickly, it is useful when, for example, the preview display is set in advance when a copy operation is performed.

  Further, as an example of a document reading operation, an example in which encoded image data, document type data, and area separation data are associated with each other and stored in the image storage unit 15 will be described. Based on this example, a printing operation and a preview display operation will also be described. did. As an alternative method, only the image data read by the reading unit 13 may be encoded and stored in the image storage unit 15 once. In this case, at the time of printing operation or preview display operation, the image processing unit 16 performs document type determination processing or region separation processing on the image data read from the image storage unit 15 and decoded by the encoding / decoding unit 17. What is necessary is just to comprise. Such an alternative method can also be applied to image data transmission such as facsimile transmission and Internet FAX transmission.

<Facsimile transmission operation>
Next, a transmission operation when the image data of the read original is transmitted by facsimile will be described. The facsimile image data is transmitted to destination (transmission destination) information set by a user operation on the touch panel 32 or the key operation unit 31. The other party information (phone number in this example) is stored in the control memory 19 and is read out as necessary. Normally, the destination information is stored as address book data so that information on a plurality of destinations can be viewed and selected, or is directly input before transmission.

  When a user operation for executing facsimile transmission is accepted on the operation panel 30, the main control unit 18 instructs the image storage unit 15, the image processing unit 16, the encoding / decoding unit 17, the NCU 23, the modem 24, and the like. To execute processing as described below. Note that the main control unit 18 also gives an instruction (original reading instruction) to the reading unit 13 when an operation for facsimile transmission of the original is performed, for example. It is also possible to select image data to be transmitted while executing a preview display for the image data stored in the image storage unit 15 and start facsimile transmission for the image data.

  The encoding / decoding unit 17 reads out the image data to be printed and the corresponding document determination data and area separation data from the image storage unit 15, decodes them, and passes them to the image processing unit 16. The image processing unit 16 performs various image processing (hereinafter referred to as image processing for facsimile transmission) on the decoded image data (RGB image data). The image processing for facsimile transmission includes image quality adjustment processing, spatial filter processing, scaling processing, output tone correction processing, halftone generation processing, and the like as will be described below. The spatial filter process and the halftone generation process may be processes corresponding to various areas indicated by the area separation data, but the area separation data may not be used. Further, in the document reading operation accompanying facsimile transmission, it is not necessary to execute the region separation process on the read image data and the encoding and storage of the region separation data.

  As the image quality adjustment process, the decoded image data is converted into K data using a matrix coefficient. At this time, a matrix coefficient corresponding to the document type indicated by the document determination data may be used. As the spatial filter processing, enhancement processing and smoothing processing are performed on the K data. As the scaling process, an image enlargement process or an image reduction process is performed on the K data after the spatial filter process according to the transmission resolution set on the operation panel 30 or the default transmission resolution. As the output tone correction process, an output γ correction process is performed on the K data after the scaling process for the purpose of outputting the data to a recording medium such as a recording sheet at the transmission destination. Actually, output γ correction for a general device may be performed instead of output γ correction in consideration of the transmission destination device. As the halftone generation process, the K data after the output tone correction process is binarized by, for example, an error diffusion process. In the output tone correction process and the halftone generation process, a process according to the document type indicated by the document determination data may be performed.

Although the facsimile transmission with a monochrome image has been described, in the facsimile transmission with a color image, the image processing unit 16 uses the matrix coefficient as the decoded image data as an image quality adjustment process in the above-described facsimile transmission image processing. May be used to perform processing for conversion to L ^* a ^* b ^* data for color transmission, and subsequent processing may be performed on the L ^* a ^* b ^* data.

  The image data after the halftone generation process is subjected to a rotation process as necessary, and is compressed and encoded in the compression format at the time of facsimile transmission by the encoding / decoding unit 17 and temporarily stored in the image storage unit 15. The The modem 24 performs a transmission procedure with the transmission destination set via the NCU 23, and at the stage where communication with the transmission destination is established (when transmission is possible), this temporarily stored encoding is performed. The read K data is read, and after necessary processing such as changing the compression format, it is sequentially transmitted to the transmission destination via the public line network.

  The digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present invention can transmit the image data to be transmitted with additional information such as sender information added thereto. It can be said that the additional information added to the image data is an additional image. This additional information may be stored in the control memory 19. A plurality of additional information may be stored in the control memory 19 and the additional setting information may be stored in the control memory 19. This additional setting information includes at least information indicating a position (additional position) to be added to image data to be transmitted, and also includes information on which one to select when a plurality of additional information is stored. Shall be.

  When facsimile transmission is performed with additional information added, the following composition processing may be performed. The main control unit 18 reads the additional information and information indicating the additional position, the main control unit 18 or the image processing unit 16 converts it into image data, and the image processing unit 16 converts the converted image data (image data of the additional information). ) May be combined at the addition position with the addition destination image data which is the image data after the scaling process. In the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present invention, the position at which the image data of the additional information is added to the image data after the scaling process can be set by the user through the operation panel 30 while performing the preview display described below. The combined image data is transmitted to the transmission destination after being subjected to the above-described output tone correction processing, rotation processing, compression processing, and the like.

<Preview display operation for image data to be sent by facsimile>
In the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the present invention, a configuration that enables preview display of image data that is a transmission target by facsimile transmission or the like is essential. This preview display operation is performed when there is a prior setting or a user operation for performing transmission after confirming in advance the image data before transmission. A preview display operation of image data to be transmitted by facsimile will be described based on a facsimile transmission operation of the image data. In the preview display operation, the main control unit 18 also gives an instruction to the panel control unit 11.

  In this preview display operation, the image processing unit 16 performs the same processing as the facsimile transmission until the image quality adjustment processing, the spatial filter processing, and the scaling processing, executes the preview image generation processing by the preview image generation unit 16a, and outputs it. An output γ correction process for displaying image data may be performed as the gradation correction process. As this preview image generation processing, the preview image generation unit 16a performs conversion processing according to the number of pixels (display resolution) of the touch panel 32 and image data subjected to image enlargement processing / image reduction processing according to the transmission resolution. Data of a preview image is generated by performing a scaling process according to the reduction / enlargement ratio at the time of preview display. In this preview display operation, the spatial filter process does not have to be executed, and the halftone generation process is not executed.

  The R′G′B ′ data generated by the preview image generation unit 16 a and subjected to the output gradation correction processing is passed to the touch panel 32. The panel control unit 11 controls the touch panel 32 to display an image corresponding to the R′G′B ′ data in a GUI image, and displays the GUI image on the touch panel 32.

<Image data transmission operation via the Internet>
Next, a transmission operation in a case where image data of a read original is transmitted by electronic mail or Internet FAX via the Internet will be described. For the image data to be transmitted through the Internet, transmission destination information (in this example, an e-mail address) set by a user operation on the touch panel 32 or the key operation unit 31 and stored in the control memory 19 ).

  When a user operation related to transmission via the Internet is accepted by the operation panel 30, the main control unit 18 includes a format conversion unit 14, an image storage unit 15, an image processing unit 16, an encoding / decoding unit 17, and a LAN control unit. 21 is instructed to execute transmission processing via the Internet as described below. Note that the main control unit 18 also gives an instruction to the reading unit 13 (original reading instruction) when an operation for transmitting the original via the Internet is performed, for example.

  The encoding / decoding unit 17 reads out the image data to be printed and the corresponding document determination data and area separation data from the image storage unit 15, decodes them, and passes them to the image processing unit 16. The image processing unit 16 executes various types of image processing (hereinafter referred to as Internet transmission image processing) on the decoded image data (RGB image data). Examples of the image processing for Internet transmission include image quality adjustment processing, spatial filter processing, scaling processing, output tone correction processing, and halftone generation processing described in the facsimile transmission image processing.

Also, the image processing at the time of transmission with a color image is the same as the image processing for facsimile transmission, and the image processing unit 16 uses the matrix coefficient as the image data after decoding as image quality adjustment processing in the image processing for Internet transmission. It is possible to perform processing for conversion into L ^* a ^* b ^* data for color transmission and perform subsequent processing on the L ^* a ^* b ^* data.

  The encoding / decoding unit 17 encodes (compresses) the image data after the image processing for Internet transmission to obtain a compressed file. This compression is performed for each page of the document. Next, the format conversion unit 14 converts these compressed files into one file, and attaches the file to the multipart mail according to, for example, MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension). Through the processing so far, the read image data is converted into an e-mail format. This e-mail is transmitted to the transmission destination via the Internet by the LAN control unit 21 via the LAN interface using a mail transfer protocol such as SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).

  Here, in the case of Internet facsimile transmission, the encoding / decoding unit 17 compresses in a compression format dedicated to facsimile, such as MH, and the format conversion unit 14 obtains a compressed file in page units into, for example, one TIFF file. Convert it. Further, in the case of transmission that is simply attached as an attached file to an e-mail (in the case of transmission by so-called scan to e-mail), the encoding / decoding unit 17 compresses it in a compression format such as JPEG and the format conversion unit 14 For example, the page-by-page compressed file obtained may be converted into one PDF file.

  In addition, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the present invention adds additional information such as sender information even when the image data to be transmitted is image data transmitted via the Internet, as in the case of facsimile transmission image data. It is possible to send. As the additional information adding process, it is only necessary to execute the synthesizing process described in the facsimile transmission. After the above-described output tone correction process, compression process, format conversion process, and the like are performed, the address of the transmission destination is sent as an e-mail. Will be sent to.

<Preview display operation for image data sent via the Internet>
Similarly to the description of preview display during facsimile transmission, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the present invention can be configured so that preview data can be displayed on the touch panel 32 for image data to be transmitted via the Internet.

  In this preview display operation, the image processing unit 16 performs the same processing as the image processing for Internet transmission until the image quality adjustment processing, the spatial filter processing, and the scaling processing, as described for the preview display at the time of facsimile transmission. The preview image generation processing by the preview image generation unit 16a may be executed, and output γ correction processing for displaying image data may be performed as output gradation correction processing. The R′G′B ′ data generated by the preview image generation unit 16a and subjected to the output tone correction processing is transferred to the touch panel 32, and is incorporated into the GUI image by the panel control unit 11 and displayed on the touch panel 32. . Further, the description of the preview display at the time of facsimile transmission can be used for the information indicating the additional position or the synthesis of the additional information.

<Description of preview display before image data transmission>
As described above, as described in the preview display operation at the time of facsimile transmission or image data transmission via the Internet, the digital multifunction peripheral 1 according to the present invention reads at least image data to be transmitted from the image storage unit 15. A preview image generation unit 16a that generates the preview image is provided. The preview image generated by the preview image generation unit 16 a is sent to the touch panel 32 under the control of the main control unit 18, and is controlled to be incorporated into the GUI image and displayed by the panel control unit 11 and displayed on the touch panel 32. As described above, the touch panel 32 is an example of an image display unit that previews image data to be transmitted.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a standard screen of the digital multifunction peripheral. The standard screen 40 is displayed on the touch panel 32 of the digital multifunction device 1 when the power of the digital multifunction device 1 is turned on or reset. In this standard screen 40, the copy mode is selected by the copy tab 42, and various conditions for copying can be set. For example, items such as color mode, copy density, magnification, document, paper, double-sided copy, and finishing can be set.

  A preview confirmation key 41 is displayed on the standard screen 40, and the user can display a preview of image data by operating the preview confirmation key 41 using the touch panel 32. When the image transmission tab 43 is selected, the standard screen 40 shifts to an image transmission mode, switches to a screen for setting various conditions for image transmission, and when the document filing tab 44 is selected. Switch to the document filing mode and switch to a screen for setting various conditions for document filing.

  The special function key 45 is a key for shifting to a special function setting screen provided in the digital multifunction peripheral 1, and a test print function (trial print mode) described later can be set on the setting screen.

The image data displayed as a preview at this time is image data of a document image read by the reading unit 13 (FIG. 2) and stored in the image storage unit 15. In addition, the image data received from an external device by facsimile, Internet FAX, or the like and stored in the image storage unit 15 can be used as a preview target.
For example, when a user attempts to copy a document, the user sets the document on the reading unit 13 and first operates the preview confirmation key 41. Then, by pressing the start key 31d (FIG. 3) for starting copying, the original image is read, and the image data stored in the image storage unit 15 is displayed as a preview. Alternatively, when the image data received from the external device is printed, the image data can be preview-displayed by pressing the start key 31d after operating the preview confirmation key 41.

<Description of Preview Display According to the Present Invention>
In the digital multi-functional peripheral 1 configured as described above, the main characteristic part of the present invention is to prevent unnecessary trial printing from being performed by performing a preview display before trial printing. As a configuration for this, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 includes a touch panel 10 that corresponds to a display unit that displays various information, a key operation unit 20 (or touch panel 10) that corresponds to an operation input unit that receives an operation input by a user, and an image. A preview image generation unit 16a that generates a data preview image, a recording unit 12 that corresponds to a printing unit that prints image data, and a panel that displays a preview image of image data on the touch panel 10 before printing by the recording unit 12 And a control unit 11.

  The recording unit 12 can print only one copy as trial printing (trial copy) when a plurality of copies are designated for image data. After the preview image of the image data is displayed on the touch panel 10, the key operation unit 20 receives a test print execution instruction from the user. That is, when the trial print mode can be set, and this trial print mode is set, for example, for a print designation of all 10 copies, a preview image of the image data is displayed on the touch panel 10 and then an execution instruction is issued by the user. Only one copy can be printed on the basis of this. In this way, by performing the preview display before the trial print, the user can confirm the print contents in the preview display and then perform the trial print. Wasteful consumption of toner can be suppressed.

  For example, when the touch panel 10 is used as an operation input unit, the touch panel 10 is based on the control from the panel control unit 11 as shown in FIG. A print execution key (corresponding to a copy start key) for instructing execution of trial printing is displayed so as to be touch-operable. When the print execution key is touched by the user, the recording unit 12 executes test printing.

  On the other hand, when the key operation unit 20 is an operation input unit, the key operation unit 20 displays a print execution button (in the start key 31d in FIG. 3) for instructing execution of test printing outside the display screen of the preview image. Equivalent). When the print execution button is pressed by the user after the preview image is displayed, the recording unit 12 executes test printing. In this case, control is performed so that input to the print execution button is not accepted until the preview image is displayed.

  Further, the touch panel 10 is a selection screen (trial print confirmation dialog) for selecting a process after the trial printing after the trial printing is performed based on the control from the panel control unit 11 as shown in FIG. Is displayed. This selection screen allows the user to select one of printing condition changing processing, retrial printing processing, and remaining number of printing processing.

  Further, the digital multifunction peripheral 1 reads a document and reads a document 13 corresponding to a document reading unit for inputting image data, and a LAN control unit 21 (or USBI) corresponding to an interface unit connected to an external device storing image data. / F25, NCU23) and an image storage unit 15 storing image data. The image data to be subjected to the trial printing is one of image data acquired from the reading unit 13, image data acquired from an external device via the LAN control unit 21 and the like, and image data acquired from the image storage unit 15. can do.

  Hereinafter, the flow of preview display processing by the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present invention will be described in association with screen display examples. The following screen display examples (FIGS. 9 to 12) show display examples of the touch panel 32 in the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  5 to 8 are flowcharts for explaining an example of preview display processing by the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the present invention. 6 to 8 are a continuation of the flow shown in FIG. In this example, a case where the copy mode is selected by the copy tab 42 on the standard screen 40 shown in FIG. 4 will be described.

  In FIG. 5, first, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 sets various copy conditions based on a user operation while displaying the standard screen 40 shown in FIG. 4 (step S1). By turning on the special function key 45, it is possible to shift to a special function setting screen and perform setting of trial printing (setting of trial printing mode on / off). Then, it is determined whether or not the user has pressed the start key 31d of the operation panel 30 (step S2). When it is determined that the start key 31d has been pressed (in the case of YES), the main control unit 18 moves the reading unit 13 to the reading unit 13. An instruction is given to start the document reading process (sub process), and an instruction is given to start the process (sub process) for generating a preview image in the preview image generating unit 16a (step S3). If it is determined in step S2 that the start key 31d is not pressed (NO), the process returns to step S1 and the process is repeated.

  Next, the main control unit 18 determines whether or not the preview setting by the preview confirmation key 41 on the standard screen 40 has been made (step S4). If it is determined that the preview setting has been made (YES), It is determined whether or not trial printing is set (step S5). In step S4, when the preview setting is not made (in the case of NO), the process proceeds to step S31 shown in FIG.

  Next, when it is determined in step S5 that the main control unit 18 has set trial printing (YES), the panel control unit 11 displays a preview display screen shown in FIG. (Step S6). In step S5, when the trial print setting is not made (in the case of NO), the process proceeds to step S41 shown in FIG.

  Next, the main control unit 18 determines whether or not the copy start key 57 (corresponding to the print execution key) on the preview display screen 50 is turned on for the preview display screen (FIG. 9) displayed in step S6. If it is determined (step S7) and it is determined that the copy start key 57 is turned on (in the case of YES), only a part is printed (trial print) under the set copy conditions (step S8). If it is determined in step S7 that the copy start key 57 is not turned on (in the case of NO), the process proceeds to step S21 shown in FIG.

  Here, when preview display is performed in step S6, the copy start key 57 (print execution key) may be displayed at the same time when the last page of the preview image is displayed. That is, the copy start key 57 is not displayed or grayed out (invalid) is displayed until the image of the last page is displayed as a preview, and the user operates the key 61 to move to the next page, When the “number of preview image pages” / “total number of pages of preview image” key 60 is equal to “total number of pages of preview image”, the copy start key 57 is pressed. You may make it display. As a result, the user can be prompted to confirm the preview of the last page of the image data, and test printing can be performed after confirming the preview of all pages.

  In addition, when only part of the trial printing is performed in step S8, the trial printing may be performed on the page displayed as a preview on the preview display screen 50 in FIG. Specifically, on the preview display screen 50 of FIG. 9, a “number of pages of preview image being displayed” / “total number of pages of preview image” key 60 is displayed corresponding to the page being previewed. . Then, a preview image of a page (“0001” in the example of FIG. 9) designated by “number of pages of preview image being displayed” is test printed. In this way, the number of sheets used in the test print can be reduced by performing the test print only on the page being previewed.

  Further, after trial printing (one copy) is executed in step S8, a trial printing confirmation dialog 70 (corresponding to a selection screen) shown in FIG. 10 described later is displayed (step S9), and the start key 31d of the operation panel 30 is displayed. It is determined whether or not it is turned on (step S10). If it is determined that the start key 31d is turned on (in the case of YES), the process returns to step S8, and trial printing (one copy) is executed again. If it is determined that the start key 31d is not turned on (in the case of NO), it is determined whether or not the change key 71 in the test print confirmation dialog 70 is turned on (step S11).

  Next, when it is determined in step S11 that the change key 71 in the print confirmation dialog 70 is turned on (in the case of YES), the process proceeds to step S22 shown in FIG. If it is determined that the change key 71 is not turned on (in the case of NO), it is determined whether or not the trial print end key 72 in the print confirmation dialog 70 is turned on (step S12). Here, when it is determined that the trial printing end key 72 is turned on (in the case of YES), the second and subsequent copies (remaining number of copies) are executed (step S13). If it is determined that the trial print end key 72 is not turned on (NO), the process returns to step S9 and the process is repeated.

  In FIG. 6, when the copy start key 57 on the preview display screen 50 is not turned on in step S7 of FIG. 5 (NO), the main control unit 18 turns on the reset key 51 on the preview display screen 50. If it is determined that the reset key 51 is not turned on (in the case of NO), the process returns to step S7 in FIG. 5 and the process is repeated. If it is determined in step S21 that the reset key 51 is turned on (in the case of YES), the panel control unit 11 causes the touch panel 32 to display a preview reset screen 80 shown in FIG. S22).

  Next, the main control unit 18 determines whether or not the cancel key 81 in the preview reset screen 80 shown in FIG. 11 is turned on (step S23), and determines that the cancel key 81 is turned on (YES) In this case, the copy setting is returned to the original reading setting (setting in step S1) or the default setting (step S24), and the process proceeds to step S22. If it is determined in step S23 that the cancel key 81 is not turned on (in the case of NO), it is determined whether or not the re-preview key 82 in the preview resetting screen 80 is turned on (step S25). If it is determined that the re-preview key 82 is turned on (in the case of YES), the process returns to step S6 in FIG. 5 to generate and display a preview display screen based on the conditions set on the preview reset screen 80. . If it is determined that the re-preview key 82 is not turned on (in the case of NO), it is determined whether or not a setting change key such as a “copy density” key is turned on on the preview resetting screen 80 (step S26). If it is determined that the setting change key is turned on (in the case of YES), a setting change window (screen) (not shown) is displayed, and the setting is changed by a setting change operation in the setting change window (step S27). The process returns to step S23 and is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the setting change key is not turned on (in the case of NO), the process returns to step S23 and the process is repeated.

  In FIG. 7, when the preview setting is not made in step S4 of FIG. 5 (in the case of NO), it is determined whether or not trial printing is set (step S31). Here, if it is determined by the main control unit 18 that trial print settings have been made (in the case of YES), only a part is printed (trial print) under the set copy conditions (step S32). In step S31, when the trial print setting is not made (in the case of NO), the process proceeds to step S43 shown in FIG. 8 to execute the printing process for the designated number of copies.

  Next, after trial printing (one copy) is executed in step S32, a trial printing confirmation dialog 70 (selection screen) shown in FIG. 10 described later is displayed (step S33), and the start key 31d of the operation panel 30 is turned on. It is determined whether or not it has been done (step S34). If it is determined that the start key 31d has been turned on (in the case of YES), the process returns to step S32, and trial printing (one copy) is executed again. If it is determined that the start key 31d is not turned on (NO), it is determined whether or not the change key 71 in the test print confirmation dialog 70 is turned on (step S35).

  Next, when it is determined in step S35 that the change key 71 in the print confirmation dialog 70 has been turned on (in the case of YES), the change screen 90 after the trial printing in the case of not displaying the preview shown in FIG. Thus, the copy condition is changed and set (step S36), and it is determined whether or not the OK key 91 in the change screen is turned on (step S37). Here, when it is determined that the OK key 91 is turned on (in the case of YES), the process returns to step S33 and is repeated. If it is determined that the OK key 91 is not turned on (in the case of NO), the process returns to step S36 and the process is repeated. If it is determined in step S35 that the change key 71 is not turned on (in the case of NO), it is determined whether or not the test print end key 72 in the print confirmation dialog 70 is turned on (step S38). If it is determined that the trial printing end key 72 is turned on (in the case of YES), the process proceeds to step S13 in FIG. 5 to execute the second and subsequent copies (remaining number of copies). If it is determined that the trial print end key 72 is not turned on (in the case of NO), the process returns to step S33 and the process is repeated.

  In FIG. 8, when the trial print setting is not made in step S5 of FIG. 5 (in the case of NO), the panel control unit 11 displays a preview display screen 50 shown in FIG. 9 described later on the touch panel 32 (step S41). .

  Next, the main control unit 18 determines whether or not the copy start key 57 on the preview display screen 50 is turned on with respect to the preview display screen 50 (FIG. 9) displayed in step S41 (step S42). If it is determined that the copy start key 57 is turned on (in the case of YES), the designated number of copies are executed (step S43). If it is determined in step S42 that the copy start key 57 is not turned on (in the case of NO), the main control unit 18 determines whether or not the reset key 51 on the preview display screen 50 is turned on ( If it is determined in step S44 that the reset key 51 is not turned on (in the case of NO), the process returns to step S42 and the process is repeated. If it is determined in step S44 that the reset key 51 is turned on (in the case of YES), the panel control unit 11 causes the touch panel 32 to display a preview reset screen 80 shown in FIG. S45).

  Next, the main control unit 18 determines whether or not the cancel key 81 in the preview resetting screen 80 shown in FIG. 11 is turned on (step S46), and determines that the cancel key 81 is turned on (YES) ), The copy setting is returned to the original reading setting (setting in step S1) or the default setting (step S47), and the process proceeds to step S45. If it is determined in step S46 that the cancel key 81 is not turned on (in the case of NO), it is determined whether or not the re-preview key 82 in the preview resetting screen 80 is turned on (step S48). If it is determined that the re-preview key 82 is turned on (in the case of YES), the process returns to step S41, and a preview display screen is generated and displayed based on the conditions set on the preview reset screen 80. If it is determined that the re-preview key 82 is not turned on (in the case of NO), it is determined whether or not a setting change key such as a “copy density” key is turned on on the preview resetting screen 80 (step S49). If it is determined that the setting change key is turned on (in the case of YES), a setting change window (screen) (not shown) is displayed, and the setting is changed by a setting change operation in the setting change window (step S50). The process returns to step S46 and is repeated. On the other hand, when it is determined that the setting change key is not turned on (in the case of NO), the process returns to step S46 and the process is repeated.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a preview display screen. In the figure, 50 indicates a preview display screen. FIG. 9A shows an example of normal preview display, and FIG. 9B shows an example of double preview display. When various settings are made on the standard screen 40 shown in FIG. 4 and the start key 31d (FIG. 3) of the operation panel 30 is pressed after the preview confirmation key 41 is turned on, the document table or the document feeder The reading of the original set in is started, and the preview display screen 50 is displayed. At the same time as reading the original, a dialog message “The original is being read.” Is displayed. When the image processing for the first read original is completed, the preview display screen 50 is displayed. At this time, even when the document is being read, the process may be shifted when the preview image is generated.

  9A and 9B, the preview display screen 50 includes a reset key 51, a finish display key 52, a setting confirmation key 53, a page deletion key 54, an enlargement / reduction key 55, a display rotation key 56, A copy start key 57, a preview image 58, page movement keys 59 to 61, and a scroll bar 62 are provided.

  The reset key 51 is a key for opening a reset screen shown in FIG. 11 described later, and is turned on when changing the setting after confirming the preview screen. The finish display key 52 is a key for displaying information that can be confirmed on the preview image, such as staple, punch, saddle stitching, and print menu, on the preview image as information. The finish display key 52 can be pressed only in the case of “full screen display”, and is grayed out in the case of reduced / enlarged display. Functions that can be confirmed when the finish display key 52 is pressed include stapling (including saddle stitching staples), punching, print menu settings, and the like.

  The setting confirmation key 53 is a key for displaying setting contents set in the digital multi-function peripheral 1. The page deletion key 54 is a key for opening a page deletion screen. Select one of “delete page being displayed”, “delete specified page”, and “delete all pages” to delete a page. I do. Normally, “Delete displayed page” is selected. The enlargement / reduction key 55 is a key for enlarging / reducing the preview image. As selectable menus, for example, four types of “full screen display”, “2 times”, “4 times”, and “8 times” are available. The default is “double”. Enlargement / reduction is reflected on the entire data, not on a page-by-page basis, and the enlargement / reduction setting is retained even when page movement or display rotation is performed.

  The display rotation key 56 is a key for rotating the preview image 90 degrees to the left or right when the orientation of the preview image is horizontal, and the display rotation is not performed in units of pages but on the entire data. The display rotation setting can be maintained even when the page is moved or enlarged / reduced. It is also possible to continuously press the key and change the display to 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees,.

  The copy start key 57 is a key for starting copy output. Since the copy start key 57 is displayed in the preview image display screen together with the preview image, the user can surely perform a trial copy after viewing the preview image. Further, when the trial copy is started by the start key 31d (FIG. 3) of the operation panel 30, the copy may be started before the preview image is confirmed. Therefore, until the preview image is displayed. Is controlled not to accept input to the start key 31d.

  Here, when preview display is performed, the copy start key 57 (print execution key) may be displayed simultaneously with the display of the last page of the preview image. That is, the copy start key 57 is not displayed or grayed out (invalid) is displayed until the image of the last page is displayed as a preview, and the user operates the key 61 to move to the next page, When the “number of preview image pages” / “total number of pages of preview image” key 60 is equal to “total number of pages of preview image”, the copy start key 57 is pressed. You may make it display. As a result, the user can be prompted to confirm the preview of the last page of the image data, and test printing can be performed after confirming the preview of all pages.

  In addition, when only part of the test printing is performed, the test printing may be performed on the page preview-displayed on the preview display screen 50 in FIG. Specifically, on the preview display screen 50 of FIG. 9, a “number of pages of preview image being displayed” / “total number of pages of preview image” key 60 is displayed corresponding to the page being previewed. . Then, a preview image of a page (“0001” in the example of FIG. 9) designated by “number of pages of preview image being displayed” is test printed. In this way, the number of sheets used in the test print can be reduced by performing the test print only on the page being previewed.

  The preview image 58 is a preview image of image data input by reading a document and displayed on a paper basis. Here, a state in which the preview image is displayed on the upper left basis is shown. The page movement keys 59 to 61 are keys used for page movement. Reference numeral 59 denotes a key for moving in the forward direction, which is a key for moving to the first page and a key for moving to the previous page in order from the left. Reference numeral 61 denotes a key for moving backward, and a key for moving to the last page and a key for moving to the next page in order from the right. Reference numeral 60 denotes “number of pages of preview image being displayed” / “total number of pages of preview image”. When the “Number of displayed preview image pages” key (in this example, “0001” is displayed) is pressed, the page number input screen can be displayed, and it is possible to move to the page specified by the numeric keypad. To do. The scroll bar 62 is grayed out when the preview is displayed in “full screen display”, but changes as the image is enlarged.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a test print confirmation dialog. In FIG. 10, reference numeral 70 denotes a test print confirmation dialog. Based on the control from the panel control unit 11, the touch panel 10 displays a test print confirmation dialog 70 for selecting a process after the test print after executing the test print. In the print confirmation dialog 70, when preview display is performed, when a “change” key 71 in the dialog is turned on, a preview resetting screen 80 for performing print condition change processing as shown in FIG. 11 below. Is displayed. In the case where the preview display is not performed, when the “change” key 71 in the dialog is turned on, a change screen 90 for performing a print condition change process is displayed as shown in FIG.

  When the start key 31d of the operation panel 30 is turned on, another trial printing process is executed. When the “test print end” key 72 in the dialog is turned on, the remaining number of copies are printed.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the preview resetting screen, in which 80 indicates the resetting screen. This reset screen 80 is displayed when the reset key 51 shown in FIG. 9 is pressed after the preview image is displayed. The reset screen 80 is provided with a cancel key 81 for returning the copy setting at the time of reading the original and a re-preview key 82 for displaying a preview again after the resetting. On the resetting screen 80, items such as color mode, copy density, magnification, document, and paper can be reset. When the re-preview key 82 is turned on after resetting these items, a preview image reflecting the resetting is displayed. When the cancel key 81 is turned on, the copy setting can be restored to the original reading setting.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a change screen after trial printing when no preview is displayed. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 90 denotes a change screen. The change screen 90 is displayed when the copy condition is changed after the trial printing when the preview display is not performed. That is, the change screen 90 is displayed when the trial print confirmation dialog 70 shown in FIG. 10 is displayed after the trial print is performed without displaying the preview, and the “change” key 71 in the dialog is turned on. Is done. The items that can be reset here include, for example, color mode, paper, duplex copying, finishing, special functions, and the like. If the OK key 91 is turned on after resetting these items, the reset copy conditions are set. Determine.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image processing system constructed using a digital multifunction peripheral as an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the digital multifunction peripheral of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an external view illustrating an example of a touch panel and a key operation unit in the digital multifunction peripheral of FIG. 2. It is a figure which shows the example of the standard screen of a digital multi-function peripheral. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of preview display processing by the digital multi-function peripheral according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of preview display processing by the digital multi-function peripheral according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of preview display processing by the digital multi-function peripheral according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of preview display processing by the digital multi-function peripheral according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a preview display screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a trial printing confirmation dialog. It is a figure which shows an example of a preview reset screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the change screen after trial printing when not displaying a preview.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital compound machine, 2 ... External computer, 3 ... External computer, 4 ... Internet FAX apparatus, 5 ... Facsimile apparatus, 10 ... Touch panel, 11 ... Panel control part, 12 ... Recording part, 13 ... Reading part, 14 ... Format Conversion unit 15 ... Image storage unit 16 ... Image processing unit 16a ... Preview image generation unit 17 ... Encoding / decoding unit 18 ... Main control unit 19 ... Control memory 20 ... Key operation unit 21 ... LAN control unit, 22 ... control buffer, 23 ... NCU, 24 ... modem, 25 ... USB I / F, 30 ... operation panel, 31 ... key operation unit, 31a ... numeric keypad, 31b ... clear key, 31c ... all release key, 31d ... Start key, 31e, 31f, 31g ... Function switching key, 31h ... System setting key, 32 ... Touch panel.

Claims (3)

A display unit that displays various types of information; an operation input unit that receives an operation input by a user; a preview image generation unit that generates a preview image of image data; and a printing unit that prints the image data. An image forming apparatus for displaying a preview image of the image data on the display unit before printing,
The printing unit can print only one copy as a test print when a plurality of copies are designated for the image data,
At the same time as the display of the last page of the preview image, the display unit displays, in the preview image display screen, a print execution key for instructing execution of the test printing as a touch operation as the operation input unit. Let
When the print execution key by a user is touched, an image forming apparatus wherein the printing unit is characterized that you perform the test printing. The display unit displays a selection screen for selecting a process after the trial printing after the trial printing is performed,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection screen allows a user to select any one of a printing condition changing process, a second trial printing process, and a remaining number of printing process. An original reading unit that reads an original and inputs image data; an interface unit that is connected to an external device that stores image data; and an image storage unit that stores image data.
The image data to be subjected to the trial printing is any one of image data acquired from the document reading unit, image data acquired from the external device, and image data acquired from the image storage unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 .

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