JP5669121B2 - Computer, program and printing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a computer, a program, and a printing system.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a printing apparatus that adheres a plurality of sheets by applying toner to an adhesive portion of each sheet and applying heat and pressure. Further, Patent Document 1 controls the amount of toner, heating time, heating temperature, and pressure applied to an adhesive portion according to the number of printed sheets and the paper type, and allows the user to input the paper type using a printer driver. To be able to.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a heating and pressurizing member in which a toner adhesion portion is provided on any one of four sides of a sheet, and two orthogonal sides of the sheet can be heated and pressed.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228688 discloses that when toner is used as a sheet adhesive to remove staples, the position of an adhesive portion is set using a printer driver, and the toner coupling portion is combined with a logo.

Patent Document 4 also allows information on adhesive toner (for example, which toner of a plurality of colors used for printing is used for adhesion) to be input from the control panel, and based on this information, the adhesion conditions (heating temperature, heating And adjusting the pressurization time, the applied pressure, etc.). Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228707 discloses that the toner having the largest remaining amount among the toners of a plurality of colors included in the printing apparatus is used as the adhesive toner.
JP-A-2005-215230 JP 2005-162352 A JP 2001-54989 A JP 2004-209858 A

  However, in each patent document, there are few items that can be specified by the user, and if the setting items are increased, the adhesive strength is reduced and the sheet laminate (binding) may be separated. On the other hand, when bookbinding is used as a form, it is necessary to separate the sheet from the bookbinding. Therefore, if the adhesive force of the adhesive layer is too strong, the sheet cannot be separated. As described above, in the conventional technique, it is difficult to increase the number of items that can be specified by the user and to separate the book from the bookbinding when it is not necessary.

An object of the present invention is to provide a computer, a program, and a printing system capable of easily maintaining a bookbinding state at the time of heat fusion using toner.

The computer according to one aspect of the present invention generates a print instruction for printing the content of print data and attaching toner used for heat fusion, and transmits the generated print data to a printing apparatus. A print instruction accepting unit that accepts a print instruction for print data, and whether the print data accepted by the print instruction accepting unit is designated for double-sided printing or single-sided printing As a result of the determination by the printing surface determination means and the printing surface determination means, when it is determined that single-sided printing is specified, the print data is applied to the back surface that is not specified as the surface on which the print data is printed. And additional print data for adding a back page for attaching the toner used for the heat fusion. A printing instruction generation means, to said print data, to add additional print data for attaching the toner used for the heat-fusible relative to a plane designated as plane printing the print data When printing is performed, the overlap determination unit that determines whether the print areas overlap each other, and the determination by the overlap determination unit determines that the print areas overlap each other as a result of the determination by the overlap determination unit. A notifying means for notifying the contents of the print data, and a transmitting means for transmitting the print data to the printing apparatus in order to cause the printing apparatus to print the print data to which the additional print data generated by the print instruction generating means is added. It is characterized by providing. A program that causes a computer to function in this way also constitutes one aspect of the present invention.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing system that generates a print instruction and a print instruction for attaching a toner to be used for printing the content of print data and performing heat fusion. A printing system capable of communicating with a computer that transmits data to a printing apparatus, wherein a print instruction receiving unit that receives a print instruction for print data, and the print data received by the print instruction receiving unit is designated for duplex printing. Printing surface determination means for determining whether or not single-sided printing is specified, and when it is determined that single-sided printing is specified as a result of the determination by the printing surface determination means, The back surface page for attaching the toner used for the heat fusion to the back surface not designated as the data printing surface. A print instruction generation means for adding additional print data to add di, the print data, the toner used for the heat-fusible relative to a plane designated as plane printing the print data When additional print data for attachment is added and printing is performed, the overlap determination unit that determines whether the print regions overlap each other, and the result of the determination by the overlap determination unit, the print regions overlap each other. If it is determined that the printing area is to be notified, the notifying means for notifying the contents that the print areas will overlap, and the printing apparatus to which the additional print data generated by the print instruction generating means is added are printed on the printing apparatus. Transmission means for transmitting the print data to a printing apparatus.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a computer, a program, and a printing system that can easily maintain a bookbinding state at the time of thermal fusion using toner.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printing system according to the first embodiment. The printing system includes a PC (personal computer) terminal 100, a printer (printing apparatus) 100, and an iron jig 120, which are connected by a communication line 150.

  The PC terminal 100 may be a mobile terminal (electronic device such as a PDA or a mobile phone). FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main hardware configuration of the PC terminal 100. The PC terminal 100 includes a CPU 21, a RAM 22, a ROM 23, a communication adapter 24, a display adapter 25, a keyboard 26, a mouse 27, a hard disk device 28, and a DVD-RW 29, which are connected via a system bus 20.

  The CPU 21 controls the entire computer using programs and data stored in the RAM 22 and the ROM 23 and executes each process described later.

  The RAM 22 has an area for temporarily recording programs and data loaded from the HDD 28 and the DVD-RW drive 29. The RAM 22 also includes a program and data received from an external device via the communication adapter 24, and a work area used when the CPU 21 executes various processes.

The ROM 23 stores a boot program, setting data for each hardware device constituting the PC terminal 100, and the like.

  The communication adapter 24 functions as an interface unit for connecting the PC terminal 100 to the communication line 150, and the PC terminal 100 can perform data communication with an external device via the communication line 150 via the communication adapter 24. The type of the communication adapter 24 does not matter.

  The display adapter 25 is connected to a CRT, a liquid crystal display, or the like, and can display the processing result of the CPU 21 (for example, a print setting screen to be described later) as an image or text.

  Reference numerals 26 and 27 are typical examples of an input device using a keyboard and a mouse, respectively, and function as a user interface for inputting various instructions to the CPU 21. Note that the types of input devices are not limited to these.

  A hard disk device (HDD, storage unit) 28 stores an OS (operating system), a document creation program, a printer driver, and table data to be described later. The printer driver forms a toner image on a sheet with one or a plurality of colors of toner and a printer (printing apparatus) 110 that forms an adhesive toner layer with a toner selected from the one or a plurality of colors of toner. Is stored. The table data also stores the bonding conditions. Here, the “adhesion condition” means that the adhesion of a plurality of sheets is maintained with the parameters of the color of the adhesive toner, the paper type, the application position of the adhesive toner, the application direction, the application pattern, and the number of printed sheets. It is a condition to do. In this embodiment, the parameters further include the presence / absence of a hole, the number of holes, and the arrangement of holes.

  The DVD-RW drive 29 reads a program and data recorded on a CD-ROM or the like and outputs them to the RAM 22 or the HDD 28.

When the PC terminal 100 reads the installed operation system and each program to the RAM 22 and creates a document and then prints the document, the PC terminal 100 transmits print information to the printer 110 via the communication line 150 via the printer driver.
As shown in FIG. 1, the PC terminal 100 includes a first designation unit 22a, a print number calculation unit 22b, a second designation unit 22c, and a determination unit 22d.

  The first designating unit 22a sets printing conditions including the number of pages to be printed per unit sheet when the printer (printing apparatus) 110 forms a toner image on a sheet, margins, and the type of single-sided printing or double-sided printing. specify. The designation is made by the user on the print setting screen 30 described later or by default.

  The print number calculation unit 22b (S408 in FIG. 4) calculates the number of prints from the print conditions specified by the first specification unit 22a.

  The second designating unit 22c designates the bookbinding conditions including the color of the adhesive toner, the paper type, the application position of the adhesive toner, the application direction, and the application pattern. If necessary, the application position of the toner for adhesion (start position from the end of the sheet) and the width in the direction orthogonal to the application direction (application width) may be settable. In the present embodiment, the bookbinding conditions further include the presence / absence of a hole, the number of holes, and the arrangement of holes. The application direction specifies which side of the four sides of the sheet. The application pattern specifies whether it is a straight line extending parallel to the side of the sheet, a dotted line, or a logo. The designation is made by the user on the print setting screen 30 described later, by default, or on the printer 110. That is, the second designation unit 22c may be provided in the printer 110.

  The determination unit 22d determines whether the print number calculated by the print number calculation unit 22b and the bookbinding conditions specified by the second specification unit 22c satisfy the bonding conditions stored in the HDD 28, and satisfies the bonding conditions. A combination of bookbinding conditions can be designated by the second designation unit 22c. In other words, a combination of bookbinding conditions that do not satisfy the bonding conditions cannot be designated by the second designation unit 22c. If there is no bookbinding condition that satisfies the bonding condition, bookbinding printing itself cannot be specified. Further, the determination unit 22d sets the length of the toner layer in the application direction and the application width in the direction orthogonal to the application direction based on the number of printed sheets and bookbinding conditions so that the adhesive force is appropriate.

  The printer 110 is a color laser printer that uses toner, but a color type multifunction peripheral (multifunctional peripheral device: MFP) may be used, or a monochrome type laser printer or a monochrome type multifunction peripheral may be used. . As described above, this embodiment uses a monochrome or color electrophotographic image forming apparatus as the printing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the printing process executed on the PC terminal 100. In FIG. 3, “S” represents a step, and the same applies to these other figures.
S301 to S315 are printing processes executed in the PC terminal 100 under the control of the CPU 21 of the PC terminal 100, and are executed by a printer driver called when printing is designated by the document creation program.

  Before executing the processing of this flowchart, the PC terminal 100 is activated in advance, and the document creation program is loaded into the RAM 22 and is being executed. It is assumed that the name of the document file of the document being created by the document creation program and the number of document pages are stored in the work area of the RAM 22 and the print menu is selected by the document creation program.

  When detecting that the print menu is selected in the document creation program, the CPU 21 displays a print setting screen 30 shown in FIG. 9 on a display (not shown) via the printer driver (S301).

  Next, the CPU 21 accepts input or selection for each setting of printing and stores it in the work area of the RAM 22 (S302).

  The print setting screen 30 includes a help button 31, a button 32 for closing the print setting screen 30, a printer identification unit 33, a first setting unit 40, a second setting unit 50, an option setting button 35, a print preview button 36, an OK button 37, A cancel button 38 is provided. The settings on the print setting screen 30 are stored in the work area of the RAM 22, and if not selected, default values are stored in the work area of the RAM 22.

  The printer identification unit 33 is a field that displays information such as the name of the printer 110, the properties of the printer 110, the current state of the printer 110, the type of the printer 110, and the address of the printer 110 on the network. If a plurality of printers 110 can be connected, one of them can be selected in this field. In this embodiment, when the property of the printer 110 is selected, a property screen (not shown) is displayed, and the paper size, the printing direction (paper vertical / horizontal), the type of single-sided printing or double-sided printing, color printing / monochrome printing are selected. Can be specified.

  The print preview button 36 displays the print status. The OK button 37 confirms the print setting. A cancel button 38 cancels print settings.

  The first setting unit 40 sets all or part of the printing conditions. The first setting unit 40 according to the present exemplary embodiment prints a print range (printing all pages, printing only the current page, or specifying a page to be printed), the number of copies, and printing per unit sheet. The number of pages to be played can be set. The margin is set on another setting screen. The first designation unit 22a recognizes these set printing conditions and designates them.

  The second setting unit 50 sets all or part of the bookbinding conditions. The second setting unit 50 of this embodiment includes a toner bookbinding designation field 51, a toner color designation field 52, a bookbinding position designation field 53, a toner remaining priority designation field 54, an object designation field 55, a hole designation field 56, and a paper type. It has a designation field 57. The application width is automatically set. The second designation unit 22c recognizes these set bookbinding conditions and designates them.

  The toner binding designation field 51 designates “Yes” or “No” for toner binding. If “No” is specified in the toner binding specification field 51, the other fields 52 to 57 cannot be specified (become inactive).

  Further, as described above, the determination unit 22d determines whether the print number calculated by the print number calculation unit 22b and the bookbinding conditions specified by the second specification unit 22c satisfy the bonding conditions stored in the HDD 28. . Then, a combination of bookbinding conditions satisfying the bonding conditions can be designated by the second designation unit 22c. For this reason. When the determination unit 22d determines that there is no combination of bookbinding conditions that satisfies a large number of printed sheets and satisfies the bonding conditions, the toner bookbinding designation field 51 is automatically set to “No”.

  The toner color designation field 52 designates the color of the toner for adhesion, and is one of “none”, “cyan (C)”, “yellow (Y)”, “magenta (M)”, and “black (K)”. One can be specified.

  In the present embodiment, the bookbinding position designation field 53 designates one of “vertical (left edge of paper)”, “horizontal (paper upper edge)”, and “upper corner (upper left corner of paper)”. It may be possible to specify.

  The remaining toner priority designation field 54 designates the toner with the largest remaining amount as the adhesive toner by acquiring the remaining amount of toner for each color from the printer 110, and designates “Yes” or “No”.

  The object designation field 55 designates whether or not to form a specific logo with toner for adhesion, and presses a “reference” button to specify a specific file in a specific folder.

  The punching designation field 56 designates punching in the sheet, and specifically designates one of “No”, “Two holes”, “30 holes” for A4 paper, and “26 holes” for B5 paper. To do.

  The paper type designation field 57 designates the paper type of the sheet. In the paper type designation field 57 of this embodiment, the paper type of the front cover or the back cover is designated, and the page range and the paper type are designated. The paper type corresponds to the tray of the printer 110 and is stored in the RAM 22. For example, tray 1 is associated with plain paper, tray 2 with coated paper, and tray 3 with non-carbon paper.

  Returning again to FIG. 3, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the OK button 37 has been pressed (S303), and waits until it is determined that the button has been pressed. If the CPU 21 determines that the OK button 37 has been pressed, the CPU 21 determines whether toner binding has been selected (designated) (S304), and if it has not been selected, proceeds to S313. If the CPU 21 determines that toner binding has been selected (S304), the CPU 21 determines print settings on the print setting screen 30 (S305).

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining details of S305. Note that the determination results of S401 to S409 are stored in the work area of the RAM 22.

  First, the CPU 21 determines whether “all” is selected in the print range of the print setting screen 30 (S401). If the CPU 21 determines that “all” has been selected (Yes in S401), it reads the number of document pages stored in advance in the work area of the RAM 22 (S402). On the other hand, when determining that “all” has not been selected (No in S401), the CPU 21 determines whether “page designation” has been selected (S403). If the CPU 21 determines that “page designation” has been selected, it calculates the number of pages (S404).

  On the other hand, when determining that “page designation” is not selected (No in S403), the CPU 21 determines that “current page” is selected in “printing range”. The position designated in the bookbinding position designation field 53 is recognized after No in S403 or after S404 (S405). If the upper right side of the paper is to be bound, the front and back sides of the paper may be set reversely when binding with the iron jig 120 described later.

  Next, when the number of pages to be printed per unit sheet is set by the first setting unit 40, the CPU 21 recognizes that (S406). In FIG. 4, Nin1 means that the number of pages printed per unit sheet is N pages. For example, when 2in1, 4in1, and no designation are specified, 2, 4, and 1 are stored in the work area of the RAM 22 as Nin1 designation. Further, the CPU 21 recognizes whether double-sided printing / single-sided printing is performed (S407). For example, 2 is set for double-sided printing and 1 is set for single-sided double-sided classification for single-sided printing.

Next, the print number calculation unit 22b calculates the actual print number as follows using the number of print pages stored in the work area of the RAM 22, the designation of Nin1, and information on double-sided / single-sided printing (S408). .
(Equation 1)
Number of printed pages = number of printed pages / (Nin1 x single-sided double-sided classification)
The printed sheet number calculation unit 22b calculates by rounding up the fraction to a natural number. For example, when the number of printed pages is 14, 2in1, and duplex printing is performed, 14 / (2 * 2) = 3.5, and the actual number of printed sheets (number of sheets) is 4 by rounding up the fraction. The print number calculation unit 22b calculates and determines the number of prints in S408 even when the information of the printer identification unit 33 and the information of the first setting unit 40 on the print setting screen 30 are specified and before the OK button 37 is pressed. Notification to the unit 22d.

  Next, the CPU 21 recognizes color printing / monochrome printing (S409). Next, the CPU 21 recognizes information in the paper type designation field 57 (S410).

  Returning to FIG. 3 again, the CPU 21 refers to the application quantity table for each paper number and binding position shown in FIG. 6 based on the paper size and the printing direction, and is designated by the number of printed sheets and the bookbinding position calculated in S408. The standard application length and standard application width that match the binding position are read (S306). For example, when A4 paper is printed vertically, the number of printed sheets is 4, and the binding position is vertical (left edge of the paper), the standard application length is 270 mm and the standard application width is 3 mm. The calculated standard application length and standard application width are stored in the work area of the RAM 22 for each front and back of each print page, and each page is also used when the standard application length or standard application width is corrected in the following steps. Corrected for each side and front.

  Note that even when the print number calculation unit 22b calculates the number of prints before the user selects the OK button 37 on the print setting screen 30, the determination unit 22d performs S306 to determine whether the application length and the application width exist. to decide. For example, if the number of printed sheets is 101, the determination unit 22d automatically sets the toner binding designation field 51 to “No”. Similarly, when it is determined that a place for application cannot be secured in the margin portion of the sheet, the toner binding designation field 51 is automatically set to “No”. The table shown in FIG. 6 varies depending on the toner color and the paper type, and the determination unit 22d can set information in the second setting unit before the OK button 37 is pressed (that is, before the print setting is completed). Is displayed.

  Further, the CPU 21 adjusts the application amount (S306). Specifically, the CPU 21 sets the paper type coefficient of the paper type application amount TBL stored in advance in the HDD 28 corresponding to the information specified in the paper type specification field 57 (1 for plain paper and non-carbon paper, coated paper). Recognizes 1.3). Next, the CPU 21 multiplies the coefficient by the standard application width when the binding position is vertical (left end of the paper) and upper left, and by the standard application length when the binding position is horizontal (upper end of the paper).

  Next, the CPU 21 determines whether or not a hole opening is designated in the hole opening designation field 56 (S307), and if it is determined that a hole opening is designated, the CPU 21 refers to the application increment table by number of holes shown in FIG. When the binding position is the left end (vertical) of the sheet, the standard application width is updated (S308). For example, if the standard application width is 3 mm in S306, and 30 mm holes are used for A4 paper, 2.0 mm is added to the left and right, so the standard application width is 7 mm. In the case of 30 holes in A4 paper, if the binding position is the top edge (horizontal) of the paper, 2.0 mm above and below is added to the standard application length. If the binding position is the upper corner (upper left) of the sheet, no addition is performed. The updated standard application length and standard application width are stored in the work area of the RAM 22.

  The CPU 21 determines whether or not a toner color has been designated in the toner color designation field 52 of the print setting screen 30 after S308 or when it is determined that punching has not been designated (S307) (S309). . Even if monochrome designation is made in S409, if there is a color designation in S309, binding is performed in that color. If monochrome is designated in S409 and no color is designated in S309, binding is performed in black.

  When the CPU 21 determines that the toner color is designated (S309), the CPU 21 obtains a coefficient corresponding to the toner color from the area ratio table for each color shown in FIG. 8 and updates the application width or the application length (S310). . That is, when the binding position is the left end (vertical) of the paper, a new application width is calculated by multiplying the standard application width by a coefficient, and when the binding position is the upper end (horizontal) of the paper, the standard application length is multiplied by a coefficient. The appropriate coating length is calculated. When the binding position is the upper corner (upper left) of the sheet, the smaller one of the standard application width and the standard application length is multiplied by a coefficient for each color. The updated standard application length, standard application width, and designated toner color are stored in the work area of the RAM 22.

  After S310 or when it is determined that the toner color has been designated (S309), the CPU 21 judges whether or not “Yes” is designated in the remaining toner priority designation field 54 (S311). If the CPU 21 determines that priority is given to the remaining amount of toner (S311), the CPU 21 inquires of the printer 110 about the remaining amount of toner for each color, and designates the color having the largest remaining amount of toner as the color of the adhesive toner. Then, the same processing as S310 is performed (S312). When both the toner color designation and the toner remaining amount priority designation are selected, the toner remaining amount priority designation after the processing order becomes valid. The updated standard application length, standard application width, and designated toner color are stored in the work area of the RAM 22.

  The CPU 21 generates print information after S312 or when it is determined that the toner remaining priority is not designated (S311) (S313). That is, the CPU 21 generates print data (printer description language PDL) of a document file to be printed, and executes the form overlay when the form overlay is designated. When the print designation is single-sided printing, print data of blank paper for the back surface is generated in order to apply toner to the back surface.

  Next, the CPU 21 determines whether or not toner binding is selected on the print setting screen 30 (S314). If it is determined that toner binding is selected (S314), overlay processing of the bookbinding toner application portion is executed (S314). S315). The overlay processing uses the standard application length and standard application width stored in the work area of the RAM 22 and the toner color stored in the work area of the RAM 22 for the bookbinding toner application position. At that time, when the total number of printed pages is a predetermined page (for example, 5 pages) or less, bookbinding toner application is single-sided application, and when the total number of printed pages exceeds the predetermined page, double-sided application is used.

  Prior to S315, the CPU 21 uses the XY coordinates of the toner application area stored in the work area of the RAM 22 to determine whether the toner application area and the print area generated by the print data generated in S313 overlap, and the print data generated in S313. Judgment is made based on the XY coordinates of the print area. When the toner application area overlaps with the print area generated by the print data generated in S313, a dialog is displayed, and one of the following three is selected: bookbinding priority (print area reduction), print data priority, and superimposed printing (color printer only) Is displayed in a selectable manner (not shown). If the CPU 21 determines that “bookbinding priority” has been selected, the print area based on the print data is reduced so that the toner application area and the print area based on the print data do not overlap (for example, the entire print is reduced to 95%. ). When the CPU 21 determines that “print data priority” is selected, the CPU 21 reduces the toner application area so as not to overlap. If the CPU 21 determines that “superimposition printing” has been selected, the color of the color printer is changed to yellow and printing is performed with priority given to the print data. For example, when the designated color of the character font of the print data is black, printing is performed with black characters on a yellow background, and when the designated color of the character font is yellow, it is changed to a color other than yellow (for example, red) and printed.

  After S315, or when it is determined that toner binding has not been selected (S314), the CPU 21 transmits print data to the printer 110 (S316), and is waiting to receive discharge completion information from the printer 110. Wait at.

  Note that if the print preview button 36 is pressed on the print setting screen 30 in S302, the CPU 21 does not transmit the print data on which the bookbinding toner application portion is superimposed to the printer 110. Instead, the CPU 21 displays a preview screen corresponding to the spelling position as shown in FIG. 10 using the print data stored in the work area of the RAM 22.

  Next, the CPU 21 receives control information including the standard application length and standard application width, toner color, bookbinding position information, number of printed sheets, and timing information stored in the RAM 22 after receiving the discharge completion information from the printer 110. The information is promptly transmitted to the iron jig 120 (S317). In response to this, the printer 110 performs a printing process (S321).

  The timing information is a heating time plus a margin time (about 10 to 30 seconds) calculated according to the number of printed sheets. For example, if the number of printed sheets is 10 or less, 20 seconds + 20 seconds (the timing information is 40 seconds in the case where the above-described printing paper is 4 pages), and if the number of printed sheets exceeds 10 sheets and 20 sheets or less, 30 seconds + 20 seconds, If the number of prints exceeds 20 and is 30, it will be 40 seconds + 20 seconds. Here, the heating time is calculated as preheating time of 10 seconds + number of printed sheets × 1 second, but the preheating time may be about 20 seconds depending on the room temperature. In this way, by transmitting timing information to the iron jig side and controlling the heating time of the iron jig (on time of the heating wire), it is possible to suppress wasteful energy consumption and to suppress burn accidents and the like. .

  When the print preview button 36 is pressed in S302, control information is not transmitted to the iron jig 120. The iron jig 120 executes a bookbinding process to be described later using the received control information.

  The iron jig 120 functions as a sheet bonding apparatus that bonds a plurality of sheets by heating and pressing the toner layer. The heating control signal includes iron part selection information for selecting an iron part to be heated, heating area information for specifying an area to be heated (heat wire to be heated in a plurality of heating wire farms) in each iron part, and heating temperature information. . The iron jig 120 can communicate with the PC terminal 100 via the communication line 150.

  The iron jig 120 includes a base part 121, sheet stoppers 122 and 123, six iron parts 124 to 128 (the iron parts in the upper corner are not numbered), a pressurizing part, a power supply part 141, a heating control part 142, A communication interface unit 143 is included.

  FIG. 11A is a top view of the iron jig 120 excluding the handle portions 132 and 138, the iron beam portions 133 and 139 (including the upper iron and the elastic body), and the support portions 130 and 135. FIG. FIG.11 (b) is AA sectional drawing of Fig.11 (a).

  The base part 121 is a pedestal made of a heat-resistant resin (for example, a carbon fiber composite resin or a heat-resistant polyamide resin having a glass transition temperature of 250 ° C. or higher), and functions as an overall base.

  The sheet stopper (horizontal) 122 is a stopper extending in the x direction in FIG. 11A, and the sheet stopper (vertical) 123 is a stopper extending in the y direction in FIG. 11A. As shown in FIG. 11A, the sheet stoppers 122 and 123 are used to align (align) the end portions of a plurality of sheets. As shown in FIG. 11B, the upper ends 122 a and 123 a of the sheet stoppers 122 and 123 protrude from the upper surface of the base part 121 by about 12 mm.

  The iron parts 124 to 126 are provided in the lower part inside the sheet stopper. The iron part 124 is a rectangular parallelepiped member extending in the x direction in FIG. The iron part 125 is a rectangular parallelepiped member provided in the upper left corner of FIG. The iron part 126 is a rectangular parallelepiped member extending in the y direction in FIG. Thus, the iron part 124 and the iron part 126 are arranged so as to form a right angle, and the iron part 125 is arranged in the vicinity where the extension parts of both iron parts intersect. As shown in FIG. 11B, the upper ends of the iron portions 124 to 126 protrude from the upper surface of the base portion 121 by about 1 mm to 2 mm. FIG. 11B shows only the upper ends 124 a and 125 b of the iron portions 124 and 125.

  FIG. 12A is a partially enlarged view (three views) of the end portion of the iron portion 126. Thus, a plurality of insulated heating wires EW are built in each iron part, and the toner layer (adhesion part) for bonding a plurality of sheets is heated. The heating wire EW is heated by the electric power supplied from the heating control unit 142.

  For example, the iron part 126 has a length of 280 mm, a thickness of 4.5 mm, and a width of 15 mm. The iron part 126 presses three copper plates having a width of 15 mm and a thickness of 1.5 mm to fasten both ends. A semicircular groove having a depth of 0.3 mm is formed on the front and back surfaces of the middle copper plate and the upper and lower copper plates at a spacing of 0.2 mm (the width of the portion having no groove is 0.2 mm, the pitch is 0.5 mm) The book is engraved. One heating wire EW (diameter: 0.3 mm, total of 28 wires) is buried in the 28 upper and lower grooves at the end.

  The heating wire EW is covered with a heat-resistant insulating film having good heat conduction characteristics. At the opposite end, each heating wire EW passes through the hollow portion of the iron beam portion and the hollow portion of the handle portion. The 28 pairs of output terminals of the heating control unit 142 in the base unit 121 are respectively connected. By controlling on / off of each heating wire, the heating area can be controlled with a width of 0.5 mm to 14 mm. A DC voltage of about 5 V to 12 V is applied to each heating wire EW so that a current of 0.2 A to 0.5 A flows, and the iron part can be heated to 180 ° C. to 200 ° C. . Other iron parts have the same configuration except for the iron in the upper corner.

  FIG. 12B is a partially enlarged plan view of the end portion of the iron portion 126. The iron part 126 is different in that heat insulation wires having different lengths are arranged vertically and horizontally from the upper left to the lower right. The same applies to the upper iron part (not shown) in the upper left corner. The shape and size of the upper iron part and the lower iron part are the same.

  FIG. 13A is a top view of the iron jig 120. 13 (b) and 13 (c) are cross-sectional views taken along the line BB of FIG. 13 (a), FIG. 13 (b) shows a state in which the handle portion is lowered, and FIG. 13 (c) shows the handle. The state which raised the part is shown. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG.

  The ironing jig 120 has a pressurizing unit that pressurizes the sheet through the ironing unit. The pressurizing unit includes support units 130 and 135, rotating shafts 131 and 136, handle units 132 and 138, iron beam units 133 and 139, and an elastic body 134.

  The support unit 130 is coupled to the iron beam unit 133 and the base unit 121, and supports the handle unit 132 rotatably around the rotation shaft 131. The rotating shaft 131 passes through the support portion 130 and the handle portion 132. The support part 135 is coupled to the iron beam part 139 and the base part 121 and supports the handle part 138 so as to be rotatable around the rotation shaft 136. The rotating shaft 136 passes through the support portion 135 and the handle portion 138.

  The handle portion 132 presses the iron portions 124 and 127 to pressurize the sheet. The handle portion 138 presses the iron portions 126 and 128 to pressurize the sheet. As shown in FIG. 14, the iron beam portion 133 is coupled to the handle portion 132 and holds the iron portion 127 and the elastic body 134 inside. As shown in FIGS. 13B and 13C, the iron beam portion 139 is coupled to the handle portion 138 and holds the iron portion 127 and the elastic body 134 inside.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the base unit 121 is provided with a power supply unit 141, a heating control unit 142, and a communication interface unit 143.

  The power supply unit 141 supplies power to the heating control unit 142 and the communication interface unit 143.

  The heating control unit 142 uses the standard application length, standard application width, toner color, bookbinding position information, number of printed sheets, and timing information (seconds indicating on-time) included in the received control information to make a predetermined iron. On / off control of each connected heating wire is executed. Specifically, the heating information at the position corresponding to the standard application width of the pair of irons (for example, the lower iron (vertical) and the upper iron (vertical)) corresponding to the bookbinding position information is included in the number of on seconds. Only energize. A pressure sensor (not shown) is installed on the back side of the elastic body 134 in each handle beam, and heating is started when a pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined value is detected, and can be controlled so as to continue the on-seconds. .

  For example, if the standard coating width is 6 mm, since the heating wires EW are laid out at intervals of 0.5 mm in FIG. 12, the corresponding 12 heating wires EW are turned on. One heating wire EW at each of the 12 ends may be further turned on. In this case, a total of 14 heating wires EW are turned on.

  Since a thermostat or a temperature sensor (not shown) is attached to each iron unit, the heating control unit 142 can control the temperature of each iron unit and control each iron unit to a set temperature (for example, 140 ° C.). Can do. The heating control unit 142 stores an optimal temperature table corresponding to the toner color in a memory (not shown), and can control the temperature of the iron unit according to the toner color included in the received control signal. For on / off control, a relatively small switching element (an element rated at a maximum of about 1 A at 12 V) such as a transistor or GTO is used.

  The communication interface unit 143 receives control information from the PC terminal 100.

  In operation, when a plurality of sheets are set on the iron jig 120, the adhesive toner layer at a desired position can be heated by the iron part and bound. In the present embodiment, the means for moving the handle portions 132 and 138 is set to manual, but an automatic means may be provided.

  According to this embodiment, as shown in the print setting screen 30 shown in FIG. 9, there are many items that can be set by the user. Further, since the CPU 21 secures the adhesive force with reference to various tables, it is possible to prevent bookbinding separation. Further, the CPU 21 refers to various tables and sets an adhesive force such that bookbinding may be used as a form.

  In the first embodiment, the function for determining the bookbinding for toner (S304), the function for determining print settings (S305 and the flowchart of FIG. 4), and the application control function (S306 to S312) are executed on the PC terminal 100 side. However, as shown in FIG. 5, these functions can be executed on the printer 110 side.

  In this case, the programs S521 to S534 of the program shown in FIG. 5 and the program of FIG. 4 are stored in the hard disk device of the printer 110 or a nonvolatile memory (not shown), read out to the RAM, and executed under the control of the CPU. In addition, each table and information of application amount table by page number and binding position, application increase table by number of holes, area ratio table by color, and remaining amount information by color are also stored in the hard disk of the printer 110 or a non-illustrated nonvolatile memory. Stored in advance. A part of each of these tables can be stored on the PC terminal 100 side and inquired from the printer 110 to execute processing.

  In FIG. 5, S501 through S503 are processes executed on the PC terminal 100 side and are the same as S301 through S303 in FIG.

  In step S504, the PC terminal 100 transmits print information that is all or part of document data corresponding to the print page range and the print settings input in step S502 to the printer 110. In step S521, the printer 110 receives the print information and the print settings input in step S502, and stores them in the work area of the RAM.

  Steps S522 to S533 are the same as steps S304 to S315 executed by the PC terminal 100 in FIG. The processing of FIG. 4 executed in S523 is also omitted because the execution subject is merely changed to the printer 110. S534 performs the same processing as S321 in FIG. Step S535 is the same as step S317 in FIG. 3 except that the execution subject is changed to the printer 110, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  In the third embodiment, the iron jig 120 is configured as a stand-alone. In this case, since the iron jig does not have a communication interface unit and a heating region control unit, the heating temperature and the heating region are constant regardless of the toner color and the toner application width, and the timing control is not performed. This is different from the first and second embodiments.

  Although not specifically illustrated, information for managing a program group stored in the recording medium, for example, version information, creator, etc. is stored, and information depending on the OS on the program reading side, for example, a program is identified. An icon to be displayed may also be stored. Further, data depending on various programs is also managed in the directory. In addition, when a program or data to be installed is compressed, a program to be decompressed may be stored.

  The programs shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 may be supplied to the PC terminal 100 or the printer 110 from the outside via a network or by a storage medium. The type of recording medium for supplying the program code is not limited.

1 is a block diagram of a printing system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram of the PC terminal of the printing system shown in FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printing system shown in FIG. 1. 4 is a flowchart for explaining details of S305 shown in FIG. 3. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printing system according to the second embodiment. 3 is a table stored in the HDD of the PC terminal according to the first embodiment. 3 is a table stored in the HDD of the PC terminal according to the first embodiment. 3 is a table stored in the HDD of the PC terminal according to the first embodiment. 6 is an example of a print setting screen used in the PC terminal according to the first embodiment. 3 is a table stored in the HDD of the PC terminal according to the first embodiment. It is the fragmentary top view and fragmentary sectional view of the iron jig of Example 1. It is the elements on larger scale of the iron part of the iron jig of Example 1. FIG. It is the top view and sectional drawing of the iron jig of Example 1. FIG. It is CC sectional drawing of Fig.13 (a).

Explanation of symbols

21 CPU
22 RAM
22a 1st designation | designated part 22b print number calculation part 22c 2nd designation | designated part 22d judgment part 100 PC terminal (computer)
110 Printer (printing device)
120 Ironing jig

Claims (16)

A computer that prints the content of print data and generates a print instruction for attaching toner used for heat fusion, and transmits the generated print data to a printing apparatus;
A print instruction receiving means for receiving a print instruction for the print data;
Print surface determination means for determining whether the print data received by the print instruction reception means is designated for double-sided printing or single-sided printing;
As a result of the determination by the printing surface determination means, if it is determined that single-sided printing is specified, the thermal fusion is applied to the back surface that is not specified as the surface on which the printing data is printed. Print instruction generation means for adding additional print data for adding a back page for attaching toner used for printing;
When the print data is printed with additional print data for attaching the toner used for the heat fusion to the surface designated as the surface on which the print data is printed, Overlap determination means for determining whether the print areas overlap;
As a result of the determination by the overlap determination means, when it is determined that the print areas overlap each other, a notification means for notifying the contents that the print areas will overlap,
A computer comprising: transmission means for transmitting the print data to the printing apparatus to cause the printing apparatus to print the print data to which the additional print data generated by the print instruction generation means is added. When informing by the informing means, a selection screen is displayed that allows the user to select a solution method for resolving the fact that the contents of the print data cannot be identified when printed on paper due to overlapping print areas. The computer according to claim 1 , further comprising display means for performing control. The resolution method includes any one of a method for giving priority to the print data, a method for giving priority to the additional print data, and a method for superimposing printing.
When a method for prioritizing the print data is selected via the selection screen displayed by the display unit, the print instruction generation unit reduces the print area of the additional print data to the print data. When the method of adding and prioritizing the additional print data is selected, the print instruction generation unit adds the print data with a reduced print area to the additional print data and performs the superimposed printing. When selected, the print instruction generation unit can identify the contents of the print data even when the print data and the print area of the additional print data overlap the print data and the print area of the additional print data. The computer according to claim 2 , wherein additional print data designating a color to be added is added. A computer that prints the content of print data and generates a print instruction for attaching toner used for heat fusion, and transmits the generated print data to a printing apparatus;
A print instruction receiving means for receiving a print instruction for the print data;
Page number determination means for determining whether the number of pages of print data received by the print instruction reception means is less than a predetermined number of pages;
Print surface determination means for determining whether the print data received by the print instruction reception means is designated for double-sided printing or single-sided printing;
As a result of the determination by the printing surface determination means, if it is determined that single-sided printing is specified, the thermal fusion is applied to the back surface that is not specified as the surface on which the printing data is printed. additional print data to be added back surface of the page for attaching toner used for the addition, if it is determined that less than the predetermined number of pages by the page number determination means, to attach the toner on one side only Therefore, a print instruction generating unit that designates and adds the additional print data to one side of the print data ;
Transmitting means for transmitting the print data to the printing apparatus to cause the printing apparatus to print the print data to which the additional print data generated by the print instruction generation means is added;
Characterized in that it comprises a computer. A computer that prints the content of print data and generates a print instruction for attaching toner used for heat fusion, and transmits the generated print data to a printing apparatus;
A print instruction receiving means for receiving a print instruction for the print data;
Print surface determination means for determining whether the print data received by the print instruction reception means is designated for double-sided printing or single-sided printing;
As a result of the determination by the printing surface determination means, if it is determined that single-sided printing is specified, the thermal fusion is applied to the back surface that is not specified as the surface on which the printing data is printed. Print instruction generation means for adding additional print data for adding a back page for attaching toner used for printing;
Transmitting means for transmitting the print data to the printing apparatus to cause the printing apparatus to print the print data to which the additional print data generated by the print instruction generation means is added;
Color accepting means for accepting designation of the color of the toner to be adhered ;
With
It said print instruction generation means, a color printing the additional print data on paper, computer, characterized in that specifying the color received by the color receiving unit. A computer that prints the content of print data and generates a print instruction for attaching toner used for heat fusion, and transmits the generated print data to a printing apparatus;
A print instruction receiving means for receiving a print instruction for the print data;
Print surface determination means for determining whether the print data received by the print instruction reception means is designated for double-sided printing or single-sided printing;
As a result of the determination by the printing surface determination means, if it is determined that single-sided printing is specified, the thermal fusion is applied to the back surface that is not specified as the surface on which the printing data is printed. Print instruction generation means for adding additional print data for adding a back page for attaching toner used for printing;
Transmitting means for transmitting the print data to the printing apparatus to cause the printing apparatus to print the print data to which the additional print data generated by the print instruction generation means is added;
Priority designation accepting means for accepting priority designation for applying toner in preference to colors with a large amount of toner remaining;
When accepting the priority designated by the priority designation receiving unit, and a query unit for querying each color of toner remaining in the printer,
Said print instruction generation means uses the results of the query by the query means, computer, characterized by specifying more colors remaining toner amount as the additional print data color. A position accepting unit for accepting designation of a position on the paper to which the toner is attached;
It said print instruction generation means, a position for printing the additional print data on a sheet, in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that designating a position on the accepted paper by the position receiving unit The listed computer. An object receiving means for receiving designation of an object formed by attaching toner;
The said print instruction generation means specifies the shape of the object received by the said object reception means as a shape which prints the said additional print data on a paper, The any one of Claim 1 thru | or 7 characterized by the above-mentioned. Computer. A program executable on a computer for generating a print instruction for printing the content of print data and attaching toner used for heat fusion, and transmitting the generated print data to a printing apparatus. ,
A print instruction receiving means for receiving a print instruction for the print data;
Print data received by the print instruction receiving means, and determines the printing surface determination means for determining designation of single-sided print designation of duplex printing has been made have been made,
As a result of the determination by the printing surface determination means, if it is determined that single-sided printing is specified, the thermal fusion is applied to the back surface that is not specified as the surface on which the printing data is printed. a print instruction generation means for adding additional print data to be added back surface of the page for attaching toner used for,
When the print data is printed with additional print data for attaching the toner used for the heat fusion to the surface designated as the surface on which the print data is printed, Overlap determination means for determining whether the print areas overlap;
As a result of the determination by the overlap determination means, when it is determined that the print areas overlap each other, a notification means for notifying the contents that the print areas will overlap,
A program that causes the computer to function as a transmission unit that transmits the print data to the printing apparatus in order to cause the printing apparatus to print the print data to which the additional print data generated by the print instruction generation unit is added. . Communication between the printing device and a computer that prints the contents of the print data and generates a print instruction for attaching the toner used for heat fusion and transmits the generated print data to the printing device Printing system,
A print instruction receiving means for receiving a print instruction for the print data;
Print surface determination means for determining whether the print data received by the print instruction reception means is designated for double-sided printing or single-sided printing;
As a result of the determination by the printing surface determination means, if it is determined that single-sided printing is specified, the thermal fusion is applied to the back surface that is not specified as the surface on which the printing data is printed. Print instruction generation means for adding additional print data for adding a back page for attaching toner used for printing;
When the print data is printed with additional print data for attaching the toner used for the heat fusion to the surface designated as the surface on which the print data is printed, Overlap determination means for determining whether the print areas overlap;
As a result of the determination by the overlap determination means, when it is determined that the print areas overlap each other, a notification means for notifying the contents that the print areas will overlap,
A printing system comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit the print data to the printing apparatus so that the print apparatus can print the print data to which the additional print data generated by the print instruction generation unit is added. A program executable on a computer for generating a print instruction for printing the content of print data and attaching toner used for heat fusion, and transmitting the generated print data to a printing apparatus. ,
A print instruction receiving means for receiving a print instruction for the print data;
Page number determination means for determining whether the number of pages of print data received by the print instruction reception means is less than a predetermined number of pages;
Print surface determination means for determining whether the print data received by the print instruction reception means is designated for double-sided printing or single-sided printing;
As a result of the determination by the printing surface determination means, if it is determined that single-sided printing is specified, the thermal fusion is applied to the back surface that is not specified as the surface on which the printing data is printed. When additional print data is added to add a back page for attaching toner used for the purpose, and the number of pages is determined to be below a predetermined number of pages, the toner is attached only to one side. Therefore, a print instruction generating unit that designates and adds the additional print data to one side of the print data;
Transmitting means for transmitting the print data to the printing apparatus so as to cause the printing apparatus to print the print data to which the additional print data generated by the print instruction generating means is added.
A program for causing the computer to function as: Communication between the printing device and a computer that prints the contents of the print data and generates a print instruction for attaching the toner used for heat fusion and transmits the generated print data to the printing device Printing system,
A print instruction receiving means for receiving a print instruction for the print data;
Page number determination means for determining whether the number of pages of print data received by the print instruction reception means is less than a predetermined number of pages;
Print surface determination means for determining whether the print data received by the print instruction reception means is designated for double-sided printing or single-sided printing;
As a result of the determination by the printing surface determination means, if it is determined that single-sided printing is specified, the thermal fusion is applied to the back surface that is not specified as the surface on which the printing data is printed. When additional print data is added to add a back page for attaching toner used for the purpose, and the number of pages is determined to be below a predetermined number of pages, the toner is attached only to one side. Therefore, a print instruction generating unit that designates and adds the additional print data to one side of the print data;
Transmitting means for transmitting the print data to the printing apparatus so as to cause the printing apparatus to print the print data to which the additional print data generated by the print instruction generating means is added.
And a printing system. A program executable on a computer for generating a print instruction for printing the content of print data and attaching toner used for heat fusion, and transmitting the generated print data to a printing apparatus. ,
A print instruction receiving means for receiving a print instruction for the print data;
Print surface determination means for determining whether the print data received by the print instruction reception means is designated for double-sided printing or single-sided printing;
As a result of the determination by the printing surface determination means, if it is determined that single-sided printing is specified, the thermal fusion is applied to the back surface that is not specified as the surface on which the printing data is printed. Print instruction generation means for adding additional print data for adding a back page for attaching toner used for printing;
Transmitting means for transmitting the print data to the printing apparatus to cause the printing apparatus to print the print data to which the additional print data generated by the print instruction generation means is added;
Color accepting means for accepting designation of toner color to be adhered
Function the computer as
The program according to claim 1, wherein the print instruction generation means designates the color received by the color reception means as a color for printing the additional print data on a sheet. Communication between the printing device and a computer that prints the contents of the print data and generates a print instruction for attaching the toner used for heat fusion and transmits the generated print data to the printing device Printing system,
A print instruction receiving means for receiving a print instruction for the print data;
Print surface determination means for determining whether the print data received by the print instruction reception means is designated for double-sided printing or single-sided printing;
As a result of the determination by the printing surface determination means, if it is determined that single-sided printing is specified, the thermal fusion is applied to the back surface that is not specified as the surface on which the printing data is printed. Print instruction generation means for adding additional print data for adding a back page for attaching toner used for printing;
Transmitting means for transmitting the print data to the printing apparatus to cause the printing apparatus to print the print data to which the additional print data generated by the print instruction generation means is added;
Color accepting means for accepting designation of toner color to be adhered
And
The print instruction generation unit designates the color received by the color reception unit as a color for printing the additional print data on paper.
A printing system featuring. A program executable on a computer for generating a print instruction for printing the content of print data and attaching toner used for heat fusion, and transmitting the generated print data to a printing apparatus. ,
A print instruction receiving means for receiving a print instruction for the print data;
Print surface determination means for determining whether the print data received by the print instruction reception means is designated for double-sided printing or single-sided printing;
As a result of the determination by the printing surface determination means, if it is determined that single-sided printing is specified, the thermal fusion is applied to the back surface that is not specified as the surface on which the printing data is printed. Print instruction generation means for adding additional print data for adding a back page for attaching toner used for printing;
Transmitting means for transmitting the print data to the printing apparatus to cause the printing apparatus to print the print data to which the additional print data generated by the print instruction generation means is added;
Priority designation accepting means for accepting priority designation for applying toner in preference to colors with a large amount of toner remaining;
Inquiry means for inquiring the remaining amount of toner for each color in the printer when priority designation is accepted by the priority designation acceptance means
Function the computer as
The print instruction generation means designates a color having a large amount of remaining toner as a color of the additional print data using a result of the inquiry by the inquiry means.
A program characterized by that. Communication between the printing device and a computer that prints the contents of the print data and generates a print instruction for attaching the toner used for heat fusion and transmits the generated print data to the printing device Printing system,
A print instruction receiving means for receiving a print instruction for the print data;
Print surface determination means for determining whether the print data received by the print instruction reception means is designated for double-sided printing or single-sided printing;
As a result of the determination by the printing surface determination means, if it is determined that single-sided printing is specified, the thermal fusion is applied to the back surface that is not specified as the surface on which the printing data is printed. Print instruction generation means for adding additional print data for adding a back page for attaching toner used for printing;
Transmitting means for transmitting the print data to the printing apparatus to cause the printing apparatus to print the print data to which the additional print data generated by the print instruction generation means is added;
Priority designation accepting means for accepting priority designation for applying toner in preference to colors with a large amount of toner remaining;
Inquiring means for inquiring the remaining amount of toner for each color to the printer when priority designation is accepted by the priority designation receiving means,
The print instruction generation means designates a color having a large amount of remaining toner as a color of the additional print data using a result of the inquiry by the inquiry means.
A printing system featuring.