JP5799588B2 - Printing apparatus and printing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for performing double-sided printing with a printing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art As a double-sided printing method in a printing apparatus, it is well known that after printing on one side of a sheet, the operation of inverting the sheet and printing on the other side is repeated for each sheet. In this method, after the second page is printed, the first page is printed (hereinafter referred to as 21 methods).

  As another method, for example, after the second page is printed on the first sheet, the fourth page is printed on the second sheet, the first page on the first sheet, and the third page on the second sheet in order. A method of repeating the operation (hereinafter referred to as a 2413 method) is known.

  Conventionally, for example, in a printing apparatus capable of executing the 2413 system, the 24-13 system always performs double-sided printing using the 2413 system because the processing speed of the 2413 system is faster than that of the 21 system.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-284818

  However, when performing double-sided printing using the 2413 method or the like, particularly on a page with a large amount of ink attached, the ink does not dry sufficiently until the sheet is discharged, and therefore, ink may adhere to the facing sheet. there were. In order to avoid this, for example, a method of securing the ink drying time by delaying the sheet conveyance speed can be considered, but there is a problem that the time required for the printing process increases.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for performing double-sided printing by a printing method corresponding to the ink adhesion amount for each page.

  A printing apparatus disclosed in the present specification includes a reception unit that receives a print job for double-sided printing including a plurality of pages, a printing unit that performs printing on a sheet using ink, and a print unit that performs printing for each page based on the print job. A printing procedure for the plurality of pages by selecting a printing method based on the ink adhesion amount for each page from among a plurality of types of printing methods with different acquisition orders for duplex printing and an acquisition unit that acquires the ink adhesion amount A printing apparatus comprising: a procedure determining unit that determines a print job; and an execution unit that causes the printing unit to execute the print job according to the printing procedure.

  Further, the printing apparatus obtains a processing time when the procedure determining unit executes each of the plurality of types of printing methods for consecutive pages included in the plurality of pages, and the processing time is determined by another printing method. A printing procedure that is smaller than that may be determined.

  Further, the printing apparatus faces the stacking unit on which the sheets discharged after printing are stacked, and the ink adhesion amount of a pair of pages facing when the sheet is discharged to the stacking unit. A time determination unit for determining a reserved time to be secured from the completion of printing of the first page of the pair of pages until the subsequent page is discharged; and printing of the first page of the pair of pages facing each other An adjustment unit that adjusts a time interval from the completion of the process until the subsequent page is ejected to be equal to or greater than the reserved time, and the procedure determination unit sets the time interval adjusted by the adjustment unit. It is good also as a structure which calculates | requires the said processing time based on.

  Further, in the printing apparatus, the acquisition unit divides an image to be printed on the pair of pages facing each other into a plurality of areas, obtains the maximum ink adhesion amount among the plurality of areas, and determines the time. The unit may be configured to increase the securing time as the maximum ink adhesion amount increases.

  In addition, the printing apparatus performs processing when a predetermined number of consecutive pages included in the plurality of pages are set as an analysis range, and a plurality of print procedures having different printing orders of the pages in the analysis range are executed. Performing an analysis process for obtaining a time and selecting a printing method for at least a part of the pages in the analysis range according to a printing procedure that minimizes the processing time among the plurality of printing procedures. The analysis range may be changed to a subsequent page and the analysis process may be repeatedly executed.

  Further, in the printing apparatus, the procedure determining unit sets all consecutive pages included in the plurality of pages as an analysis range, and a plurality of print procedures having different print orders of the plurality of pages in the analysis range are respectively printed. The processing procedure for obtaining the processing time when the print job is executed may be determined as the printing procedure for the plurality of pages.

  In the printing apparatus, the printing unit performs a first method in which printing on both sides of a single sheet is continuously performed on each side and a second method in which printing on both sides of a plurality of sheets is alternately performed on each side. The procedure determining unit may select a printing method from the first method and the second method to determine the printing procedure for the plurality of pages.

  The printing apparatus may further include a first method in which the printing unit continuously performs printing on both sides of one sheet on each side and a second method in which printing on both sides of two sheets is alternately performed on each side. The procedure determining unit selects a printing method from the first method and the second method, determines the printing procedure, and the predetermined number is a multiple of 4 that is 8 or more. It is good.

  Further, in the printing apparatus, the procedure determination unit performs the first procedure in which the second method is repeatedly executed on the pages in the analysis range in the analysis process, and the first method is executed first, followed by The second method is executed at least once, and finally the processing time of the second procedure for executing the first method is obtained, and the processing time of the first procedure among the first procedure and the second procedure is obtained. When the second method is smaller, the second method is selected as the printing method for the first four pages of the analysis range, and when the processing time of the second procedure is smaller, the first two pages of the analysis range are selected. The first method may be selected as the page printing method.

  The present invention is realized in various modes such as a printing apparatus, a printing system, a printing apparatus control method, a computer program for realizing these apparatuses, a system function or method, and a recording medium on which the computer program is recorded. can do.

  According to the present invention, an ink adhesion amount for each page of a print job is acquired, and a printing method is selected based on the ink adhesion amount for each page from a plurality of types of printing methods with different printing methods for double-sided printing. The printing procedure is determined by the above, and the print job is executed according to the determined printing procedure. Thus, double-sided printing can be performed using a printing method corresponding to the ink adhesion amount.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing an electrical configuration of a printer and a terminal device according to a first embodiment. Schematic showing the internal structure of the printer when the 21 system is executed Schematic showing the internal structure of the printer when executing the 2413 system Flow chart of printing procedure decision processing Flowchart of remaining page procedure determination process Explanatory drawing showing the order of pages of discharged sheets Explanatory drawing which shows the state which divided the image of 1 page into n area | regions Table showing examples of analysis results when the analysis range is printed with the first pattern Explanatory diagram showing four types of basic intervals The figure explaining the printing timing of each page at the time of performing a print job according to the analysis result of FIG. Table showing examples of analysis results when the analysis range is printed with the second pattern The figure explaining the printing timing of each page at the time of performing a print job according to the analysis result of FIG. Table showing an example of analysis results when it is assumed that a print job has been continuously executed from the top in the 2413 system The figure explaining the printing timing of each page at the time of performing a print job according to the analysis result of FIG. Table showing examples of results analyzed by the printing procedure determination process The figure explaining the printing timing of each page at the time of performing a print job according to the analysis result of FIG.

<Embodiment 1>
Next, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Configuration of printer and terminal device)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an electrical configuration of the printer 10 and the terminal device 50. The printer 10 is, for example, an ink jet printing apparatus having a function of printing on both surfaces of a sheet 40 using ink. The printer 10 includes a control unit 11 configured by an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or the like. The control unit 11 includes a CPU 12, a ROM 13, a RAM 14, an NVRAM (nonvolatile memory) 15, and the like.

  The ROM 13 stores a control program for executing various operations of the printer 10 such as a printing procedure determination process described later, and a CPU 12 (an example of a procedure determination unit, an acquisition unit, an execution unit, a time determination unit, and an adjustment unit). Controls each unit in accordance with the program read from the ROM 13. The RAM 14 is a volatile memory used as a work area for the CPU 12, and the NVRAM 15 is a non-volatile memory that stores various setting values and the like.

  The printer 10 further includes a network interface 17, a printing unit 18, a transport unit 19, an operation unit 20, and a display unit 21. The network interface 17 (an example of a reception unit) is connected to a communication line 30 such as a LAN, for example, and performs communication with the terminal device 50 or the like connected on the communication line 30.

  The printing unit 18 prints an image on a sheet 40 such as paper using a plurality of colors of ink based on a print job received from the terminal device 50 or the like. The conveyance unit 19 conveys the sheet 40 to the printing unit 18 or the like as will be described later. The operation unit 20 includes a plurality of buttons and receives input of various instructions by the user. The display unit 21 includes a display, a lamp, and the like, and displays various messages and setting screens.

  The terminal device 50 includes a CPU 51, ROM 52, RAM 53, HDD (hard disk drive) 54, network interface 56, operation unit 57, and display unit 58.

  The ROM 52 stores a program such as BIOS. The HDD 54 stores various programs such as an OS and a printer driver. The CPU 51 controls the operation of the terminal device 50 while storing the processing results in the RAM 53 and the HDD 54 in accordance with the program read from the ROM 52 and the HDD 54.

  The network interface 56 is connected to the communication line 30 described above. The operation unit 57 includes a keyboard and a pointing device, and the user can input various instructions to the CPU 51 using the operation unit 57. The display unit 58 includes a display and displays various images under the control of the CPU 51.

  When the user inputs an image data print instruction from the operation unit 57, the CPU 51 calls a printer driver to generate a print job, and transmits the print job to the printer 10 via the network interface 56.

(Internal structure of printer)
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the printer 10. As shown in the figure, the printer 10 includes a supply tray 24 on which a plurality of sheets 40 before printing are stacked, a discharge tray 25 (an example of a stacking unit) on which printed sheets 40 are stacked, the printing unit 18 described above, And a transport unit 19. The transport unit 19 includes a pickup roller 26, a plurality of transport rollers 27, a discharge roller 28, a flapper 29, and the like. Further, in the printer 10, the first conveyance path P <b> 1 from the supply tray 24 via the printing unit 18 to the discharge roller 28, and a path different from the discharge roller 28 to the first conveyance path P <b> 1 of the printing unit 18. A second transport path P2 that reaches the upstream side is provided.

  At the time of double-sided printing, first, the sheet 40 stacked on the supply tray 24 is sent out to the first conveyance path P1 by the pickup roller 26, and after the image is printed on the upper surface of the sheet 40 by the printing unit 18, the sheet 40 is temporarily turned on. It is conveyed to the discharge roller 28. And after the conveyance path | route of the sheet | seat 40 is switched by the flapper 29, the discharge roller 28 reversely rotates and the sheet | seat 40 by which the single-sided printing was carried out is sent to the 2nd conveyance path P2 from the rear end side. Then, the sheet 40 is sent again to the printing unit 18 in an inverted state, where an image is printed on the other side, and then discharged onto the discharge tray 25 by the discharge roller 28.

(Printing procedure decision processing)
Next, the operation of the printing procedure determination process for determining the printing procedure for duplex printing will be described.

  When performing double-sided printing, the printer 10 executes a printing method selected from a plurality of types of printing methods having different printing orders. In the printing procedure determination process, which printing method is used for printing each page of the print job is determined as a printing procedure. This printing procedure also determines the printing order of each page.

  The printer 10 executes two types of 21 printing methods (an example of the first method) and a 2413 method (an example of the second method). FIG. 2 described above shows the state of the sheet 40 during printing in the 21 system. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the printer 10 as in FIG. 2, and shows the state of the sheet 40 during printing in the 2413 system. 2 and 3, the numbers assigned to the top and bottom of the sheet 40 indicate the page numbers of images printed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the sheet 40, respectively.

  In the 21 method, after the second page is printed on the first sheet 40, the sheet 40 is reversed and the first page is printed (see FIG. 2). In the 2413 system, the second page is printed on the first sheet 40, then the fourth page is printed on the second sheet, the first page is printed on the first sheet, and the third page is printed on the second sheet in order (see FIG. 3). In the 2413 method, since the second sheet 40 is printed while the first sheet 40 is reversed, the processing speed per sheet is faster than that in the 21 method.

  In the case of duplex printing, the printer 10 executes, in principle, 21 sheets for one sheet 40 as one unit, and 2413 system for two sheets 40 as one unit. In other words, the 21 method prints two continuous pages in one execution, and the 2413 method prints four continuous pages in one execution.

  In the printing procedure determination process, a printing procedure for sequentially and selectively executing one of these two methods is determined until all pages of the print job are printed by the printing unit 18. In order to determine the printing procedure, in the printing procedure determination process, a predetermined number (8 in this example) of continuous pages included in the print job is set as the analysis range, and analysis processing described later is performed on the pages in the analysis range. Based on the result, the printing method of at least a part of the pages in the analysis range is determined.

  When the CPU 12 receives a print job for double-sided printing via the network interface 17, the CPU 12 determines a print procedure by a print procedure determination process, and executes the print job according to the determined print procedure.

4 and 5 are flowcharts of the printing procedure determination process.
When the printing procedure determination process shown in FIG. 4 is started, the CPU 12 first sets the analysis start page S, which is the first page number of the analysis range, to 1, that is, the first page of the print job (S101). Then, it is determined whether the number obtained by adding 4 to the analysis start page S is equal to or less than the last page L of the print job, that is, whether the number of pages after the analysis start page S in the print job is greater than 4 (S102). When the number of pages after the print job analysis start page S is 4 or less (S102: NO), a remaining page procedure determination process described later is performed (S103).

  In addition, when the number obtained by adding 4 to the analysis start page S is equal to or less than the last page L of the print job (S102: YES), that is, when the number of pages after the analysis start page S is 5 or more. Further, it is determined whether the number obtained by adding 8 to the analysis start page S is equal to or less than the last page L of the print job, that is, whether the number of pages after the analysis start page S of the print job is greater than 8 (S104).

  When the number obtained by adding 8 to the analysis start page S is equal to or less than the last page L of the print job (S104: YES), that is, when the number of pages after the analysis start page S of the print job is greater than 8. Uses the analysis start page S plus 7 as the analysis end page E which is the last page number of the analysis range (S105). As a result, among the pages included in the print job, eight consecutive pages from the analysis start page S to the analysis final page E are set as the analysis range.

  Further, the CPU 12 determines that the number obtained by adding 8 to the analysis start page S is larger than the last page L of the print job (S104: NO), that is, the number of pages after the analysis start page S of the print job is less than 8. The final page L of the print job is set as the analysis final page E (S106). In this case, the number of pages in the analysis range is any one of 5 to 7.

  Here, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the order of pages of the sheets 40 discharged to the discharge tray 25. In the figure, the numbers given to the top and bottom of the sheet 40 indicate the page numbers of images printed on the top and bottom surfaces of the sheet 40, respectively. On the discharge tray 25, a plurality of sheets 40 are stacked in order so that the smaller page number is at the bottom.

  When the plurality of sheets 40 are discharged, if the ink attached to one of the pair of pages facing each other is not sufficiently dried, the ink may move to the page facing the pages. For example, when the ink on the second page of the first sheet 40 or the third page of the second sheet 40 is not sufficiently dried when the second sheet 40 is discharged Then, the ink moves to the sheet 40 facing the ink.

  Therefore, the printer 10 obtains the ink adhesion amount of each facing page by the following analysis processing (S107 to S114), and the time to be secured for drying according to the obtained ink adhesion amount, that is, the previous time After the printing of the page of the sheet 40 is completed, a securing time to be secured until the subsequent sheet 40 is discharged to the discharge tray 25 is determined.

  First, the CPU 12 acquires the ink adhesion amount of each page from the analysis start page S to the analysis final page E based on the print job (S107). Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the CPU 12 equally divides the image to be printed on each page of the analysis range into n areas A, and obtains the number of print dots in each area A. Note that the number of print dots is the total number of dots ejected from the ink jet head of each color to the area A in a color ink jet printer, for example.

  Then, the maximum number of print dots in the area A of each page is set as the ink adhesion amount of the page. For example, if the number of print dots in each area A is “32, 48, 120, 19,...” In order from the first area A, and the maximum number of print dots is “120”, then “120” "Is the ink adhesion amount.

  When acquiring the ink adhesion amount, the number of print dots of the entire image of one page may be used as the ink adhesion amount. However, as described above, by setting the number of printing dots for each area A as the ink adhesion amount, the time required for drying each page can be obtained with higher accuracy.

  Subsequently, the CPU 12 obtains a drying time necessary for drying each page in the analysis range based on the ink adhesion amount, and determines a securing time between both pages from the drying time of the facing pages (S108). More specifically, when an amount of ink corresponding to the number of print dots acquired in S107 is used in the area A, data for obtaining a time until the ink is sufficiently dried is stored in the ROM 13 or the like. The CPU 12 obtains the drying time for each page based on the data.

  The table in FIG. 8 shows an example of the drying time obtained based on the ink adhesion amount of each page, with the first to eighth pages of the print job as the analysis range. The drying time increases as the ink adhesion amount increases. In addition, ambient temperature and humidity may be detected, and the drying time may be changed according to the detected value.

  Then, the CPU 12 determines the longer one of the drying times of the pair of pages facing each other in the analysis range as the securing time between both pages. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the drying time for the second page is 1 sec and the drying time for the third page is 8 sec, 8 sec is set as the securing time between both pages. For the first page of the print job, there is no page to be faced, so no securing time is obtained. In addition, for the last page in the analysis range, since the page to be faced is not in the analysis range, the secured time is not obtained at the present time.

  Next, the CPU 12 includes a first pattern (an example of the first procedure) for printing the pages in the analysis range as much as possible in the 2413 system and a second pattern (an example of the second procedure) for printing the first two pages in the 21 system. A processing time when a print job is executed in each printing procedure is calculated (S109).

  When the number of pages in the analysis range is 7 or 8, the first pattern executes the 2413 method twice in succession, and the second pattern has 21 methods for the first two pages and 2413 for the next four pages. Print the last 2 pages using the 21 method. Assuming that the analysis range is from the first page to the eighth page, the first pattern has a printing order of “2, 4, 1, 3, 6, 8, 5, 7”, and the second pattern has “2, 1 , 4, 6, 3, 5, 8, 7 ". In addition, when the number of pages in the analysis range is 5 or 6, the first pattern is executed once in the 2413 system, and then 21 systems once, and the second pattern is executed in the 21 system once. Next, the 2413 system is executed once.

  When each of the above two patterns is executed at the maximum speed (without providing a securing time), the time interval from the printing of the previous page to the discharge of the subsequent page of the pair of pages facing each other is: It is determined by which printing method these pages are printed, in other words, in what printing order. Here, the time interval is referred to as a basic interval.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing four types of basic intervals, and the numbers on the right side indicate the order in which pages are printed. The numbers enclosed in circles indicate the printing order of the pages that the sheet 40 faces. As shown in the figure, the basic interval is one of the following types (A) to (D).
Type (A): The time from the completion of printing the second page when the 2413 method is performed until the third page is discharged. Type (B): The first four pages when the 2413 method is performed twice. Time from printing the second page until discharging the first page Type (C): When performing the 2413 system after performing the 21 system, the 2413 system after the completion of the printing of the second page of the 21 system Time to discharge the first page of type (D): When performing the 21 method after performing the 2413 method, after the completion of the printing of the fourth page of the 2413 method, until the first page of the 21 method is discharged time

  In the type (A), the basic interval prints another two pages between facing pages, while in the types (C) and (D), another three pages are printed between facing pages. In type (B), since printing for another four pages is performed between pages facing each other, the time is usually longer for the latter type. In this embodiment, the type (A) is 4 sec, the type (B) is 6 sec, and the type (C) and the type (D) are 5 sec. The ROM 13 or the like stores data obtained by measuring these basic intervals in advance, and the CPU 12 reads the data to obtain the basic interval.

  FIG. 8 described above is a table showing an example of an analysis result when the analysis range is printed with the first pattern. As shown in the figure, when the first to eighth pages are printed with the first pattern, the basic interval between the second page and the third page printed by the 2413 method is 4 sec since it is the type (A). It is. On the other hand, the securing time for the second page and the third page obtained previously is 8 sec. That is, when printing is performed with the basic interval between both pages, a sufficient drying time is not ensured.

  Therefore, in such a case, the CPU 12 sets a delay time for delaying the time from when the previous page is printed until the subsequent page is discharged so that the time interval between the facing pages is equal to or more than the reserved time. To do. At the time of execution of the print job, at the location where the delay time is set, for example, the conveyance unit 19 lowers the conveyance speed of the subsequent sheet 40 than usual, or the subsequent sheet 40 is moved on the conveyance paths P1 and P2. By waiting, the subsequent discharge of the sheet 40 is delayed by a delay time. In the example of FIG. 8, since the difference between the securing time of the second page and the third page and the basic interval is 4 seconds, the delay time is 4 seconds.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the print timing of each page when a print job is executed according to the analysis result of FIG. In the figure, in the first 2413 method, a delay time of 4 sec is provided from the first page printing to the third page ejection, so that the time interval between the second page and the third page is set. It is shown that it becomes 8 sec.

  8 and 10, the securing time is 4 sec between the fourth page and the fifth page, that is, between the fourth page of the first 2413 system and the first page of the second 2413 system. In contrast, since the basic interval is type (B), it is 6 seconds. The time interval between the fourth page and the fifth page is at least 10 sec by adding the delay time 4 sec between the second and third pages to the basic interval 6 sec. Therefore, in this case, the delay time between the two pages is set to 0 sec because it is equal to or longer than the reserved time without adding any delay time.

  Similarly, since the securing time is 7 sec and the basic interval is 4 sec of type (A) between the sixth page and the seventh page, a delay time of 3 sec is provided. Thus, in the example of FIGS. 8 and 10, the total delay time is 4 + 3, which is 7 seconds. That is, when the first to eighth pages of the print job are printed with the 2413 method twice with the reserved time, the processing time is increased by 7 sec compared with the case of printing without providing the reserved time.

  FIG. 11 is a table showing an example of an analysis result when the analysis range is printed with the second pattern, and FIG. 12 explains the print timing of each page when a print job is executed according to the analysis result of FIG. FIG.

  In this analysis processing, the processing time is compared based on the processing time when the pages in the analysis range are continuously printed in the 2413 system. The 21 method has a slower processing speed per sheet than the 2413 method, so a minimum delay time of 1 sec is required between the printing of the second page of the 21 method and the discharge of the first page. Analyzes are made as provided.

  In FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, while the securing time is 8 sec between the second page and the third page, that is, between the second page of the 21 method and the first page of the 2413 method, the basic interval is Type (C) is 5 sec. Therefore, the difference time of 3 seconds between the secured time and the basic interval is subtracted from the delay time of 1 sec according to the 21 method, and 2 seconds is set as the delay time.

Similarly, the time interval between the 4th page and the 5th page is 4 sec, while the basic interval is 4 sec of type (A), and the delay time between the second and third pages is 2 sec. Therefore, the delay time is set to 0 sec.
The time interval between the seventh page and the eighth page is 7 sec, while the basic interval is 5 sec of type (D), and the delay time between the second and third pages is 2 sec. Since the delay time 1 sec by the 21 method is added to 8 sec, the delay time becomes 1 sec by the 21 method.

  From the above, in the example of FIGS. 11 and 12, the total delay time is 4 sec. That is, the processing time when the first to eighth pages of the print job are printed with the second pattern is increased by 4 sec compared with the case where printing is performed with the 2413 method twice and no securing time is provided.

  Next, the CPU 12 determines whether the processing time of the first pattern is shorter than the processing time of the first pattern and the processing time of the second pattern obtained as described above (S110). When the processing time of the first pattern is shorter (S110: YES), the printing method for the first four pages (S page to S + 3 page) of the analysis range is determined as the 2413 method (S111). Then, by adding 4 to the analysis start page S, the analysis range is shifted to a page after 4 pages (S112).

  That is, in this case, it is determined that it is more likely that the processing time will be shorter or shorter when the first four pages of the analysis range are printed with the 21 method than when the first four pages are printed with the 2413 method. . For the remaining pages in the analysis range, the printing method with a short processing time may change depending on the ink adhesion amount of the subsequent page, so the determination of the printing method is suspended until the next analysis processing (S107 to S114). .

  In addition, when the CPU 12 determines that the processing time of the first pattern is the same as the processing time of the second pattern or the processing time of the second pattern is shorter (S110: NO), the CPU 12 starts the analysis range first. Next, the printing method of 2 pages S and S + 1 is determined to be 21 methods, and the printing method of the next 4 pages S + 2 to S + 5 is determined to be 2413 methods (S113). Then, by adding 6 to the analysis start page S, the analysis range is shifted to a page after 6 pages (S114).

  That is, in this case, it is determined that it is more likely that the processing time will be shorter or shorter when the first two pages are printed by the 21 method than when the first four pages of the analysis range are printed by the 2413 method. . In this embodiment, if the 21 method is executed twice, the processing time will not be shorter than if the 2413 method is executed once. Therefore, after the 21 method is executed, the next printing is always performed. The system is the 2413 system. For the remaining pages in the analysis range, the determination of the printing method is suspended until the next analysis process for the reason described above.

  Subsequently, the CPU 12 determines whether or not the analysis start page S is equal to or less than the last page L of the print job, that is, whether there is a page whose printing method has not been determined (S115). If S is greater than L, that is, if there is no page for which the printing method has not yet been determined (S115: NO), this printing procedure determination process ends. If S is L or less (S115: YES), the process returns to S102.

  In S102, if the number of pages after the analysis start page S of the print job is larger than 4 in S102 (S102: YES), the CPU 12 determines the analysis final page E as described above (S105 or S106), and then The analysis process (S107 to S114) is repeated.

  For example, if the first analysis process determines that the printing procedure for the first to sixth pages of the print job is 21 method once and 2413 method once, the subsequent 7th to 14th pages are set as the analysis range. Perform the second analysis process. Note that, in the second and subsequent analysis processes, the overlapping process can be omitted by using the previously acquired value for the page for which the ink adhesion amount has been acquired first and the reserved time has been determined.

  Thereafter, in the manner described above, the CPU 12 prints the seventh to 14th pages with the first pattern in which the 2413 method is first printed and the second pattern in which the 21 method is first printed. And a printing method for a part of the analysis range is determined based on the result.

  Further, when the number of pages after the print job analysis start page S is 4 or less in S102 (S102: NO), the CPU 12 performs the remaining page procedure determination process of FIG. 5 (S103).

  In the remaining page procedure determination process, the CPU 12 first determines whether the number obtained by adding 2 to the analysis start page S is equal to or less than the last page L of the print job, that is, whether the number of pages after the analysis start page S of the print job is greater than 2. Judgment is made (S201). If S + 2 is not less than or equal to L (S201: NO), that is, if the number of pages after the analysis start page S of the print job is 1 or 2, the printing method of those pages is determined to be 21 (S202). ). In this case, the previously obtained values are used for the ink adhesion amount and the securing time of each page.

  In addition, when S + 2 is L or less (S201: YES), that is, when the number of pages after the analysis start page S of the print job is 3 or 4, the ink from the analysis start page S to the last page L is displayed. An adhesion amount is acquired (S203), and a securing time between facing pages is determined based on the obtained ink adhesion amount (S204). In this case as well, values can be used for the previously determined ink adhesion amount and securing time. Then, the printing method for each of the pages S to L is determined to be the 2413 method (S206). Thus, the CPU 12 exits the remaining page procedure determining process and ends the printing procedure determining process.

  After completing the printing procedure determination process, the CPU 12 executes the print job according to the determined printing procedure. The printing operation may be started when the printing procedure is determined for some pages of the print job by the printing procedure determination process, and then the printing operation may be performed in parallel with the printing procedure determination process.

  FIG. 13 is a table showing an example of an analysis result when it is assumed that a print job with 18 pages is continuously executed from the top of the 2413 method, and FIG. 14 executes the print job according to the analysis result of FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the print timing of each page in the case of having performed. In this example, the 2413 system from the top is repeated a plurality of times, and only the last two pages are printed in the 21 system. As shown in both figures, a delay time of 17 sec occurs.

  FIG. 15 is a table showing an example of the result of analyzing the same print job as in FIGS. 13 and 14 by the above-described printing procedure determination process, and FIG. 16 is a case where the print job is executed according to the analysis result of FIG. It is a figure explaining the printing timing of each page. In this example, the 21 method is first executed once, and then the 2413 method is repeatedly executed a plurality of times. In the examples of FIGS. 15 and 16, the delay time is 11 sec. Compared with the examples of FIGS. 13 and 14, it can be seen that the processing time is shortened by changing the printing method or printing order of each page.

(Effect of this embodiment)
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the ink adhesion amount for each page of the print job is acquired, and printing is performed based on the ink adhesion amount for each page from a plurality of types of printing methods with different printing methods for double-sided printing. A printing procedure is determined by selecting a method, and a print job is executed according to the determined printing procedure. Thus, double-sided printing can be performed using a printing method corresponding to the ink adhesion amount.

  In addition, for each of a plurality of continuous pages included in the print job, a processing time when each of a plurality of types of printing methods is executed is obtained, and a printing procedure in which the processing time is smaller than that of other printing methods is determined. Accordingly, double-sided printing can be performed using a printing method with a fast processing time in addition to the ink adhesion amount.

  Further, based on the ink adhesion amount of a pair of pages facing when the sheet is ejected, a securing time that is secured until the subsequent page is ejected after the printing of the previous page is determined, Of the pair of pages facing at the time of execution of the print job, the time interval from the completion of printing of the previous page to the discharge of the subsequent page is adjusted to be equal to or longer than the above-mentioned reserved time. Then, when determining the printing procedure, the processing time is obtained based on the adjusted time interval.

  Thereby, since the time interval between pages facing each other is ensured according to the ink adhesion amount, the ink drying time can be secured, and printing can be performed by a printing procedure with a fast processing time.

  In addition, each image printed on a pair of pages facing each other is divided into a plurality of areas A, and the maximum ink adhesion amount among those areas A is obtained. The larger the obtained maximum ink adhesion amount, the longer the securing time. Enlarge. As a result, the time required to dry each page can be determined with higher accuracy, and a more appropriate time is secured from the printing of the previous page to the discharge of the subsequent page. can do.

  In addition, when a predetermined number of continuous pages included in the print job are set as the analysis range, and each printing procedure is executed for a plurality of printing procedures (first pattern and second pattern) having different printing orders of the pages in the analysis range The analysis process is performed, and according to the printing procedure that minimizes the processing time among a plurality of printing procedures, an analysis process is performed to select a printing method for at least some of the pages that are printed first in the analysis range, Change the analysis range to a later page and then repeat the analysis process. Thereby, processing time can be suppressed. Also, the printing procedure can be determined without analyzing all the pages at once.

  In addition, the printing unit can execute the 21 method in which printing on both sides of one sheet 40 is continuously performed on each side and the 2413 method in which printing on both sides of a plurality of sheets 40 is alternately performed on each side. Thus, a printing method is selected from the 21 method and the 2413 method, and a printing procedure for a plurality of pages is determined.

  Further, if the analysis range is a multiple of 4 that is 8 or more, the number of pages in the analysis range is a common multiple of the first method and the second method, and therefore analysis is easy.

  In the analysis process, the first pattern in which the 2413 method is repeatedly executed on the pages in the analysis range, the 21 method is executed first, then the 2413 method is executed once or more, and finally the 21 method is executed. When the processing time of each of the two patterns is obtained and the processing time of the first pattern is shorter than both patterns, the 2413 method is selected as the printing method for the first four pages of the analysis range, and the second pattern If the processing time is shorter, the 21 method is selected as the printing method for the first two pages in the analysis range. Thereby, a printing method with a short processing time can be obtained efficiently.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, the printer 10 is executed alone. However, the present invention is applied to a printing system including the printer 10 and the terminal device 50 shown in FIG. Can also be applied.

  When a print instruction is input from the operation unit 57 of the terminal device 50 by the user, the CPU 51 (an example of a generation unit, an acquisition unit, and a procedure determination unit) generates a print job with the printer driver, and also a printer driver or other program The process corresponding to the printing procedure determination process described above is executed. Then, the CPU 51 transmits the generated print job and settings such as a printing procedure and a delay time determined by the printing procedure determination process to the printer 10 via the network interface 56 (an example of a transmission unit). The CPU 12 (an example of an execution unit) of the printer 10 executes a print job according to settings such as a printing procedure received via the network interface 17 (an example of a reception unit).

(2) In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a case where a print job is transmitted from the terminal device 50 to the printer 10 has been described. However, the present invention, for example, copies data obtained by reading a document by a document reading device. Printing apparatus that executes a print job to print, a print job to print facsimile data received by the FAX communication unit, or a print job to print data stored in a storage medium connected by USB or a built-in storage medium It can also be applied to.

(3) In the above embodiment, the printing method is selected from the two types of the 21 method and the 2413 method. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and the printing apparatus that selects and executes another printing method can also be used. Can be applied. For example, the 246135 method prints in the order of pages “2, 4, 6, 1, 3, 5” by printing up to two pages on the other sheet 40 while printing on the front and back of one sheet 40. and so on.

  In the above embodiment, the processing time of two types of printing procedures is compared in one analysis process, but three or more types of printing procedures may be compared. For example, when the analysis range is 12 pages, the processing time when the 21 method, 2413 method, and the 246135 method are executed once each, the processing time when the 246135 method is repeated twice, the 21 method, the 2413 method, and the 21 method , The processing time of various types of printing procedures, such as the processing time when the 2413 method is executed once in order, may be obtained, and a printing procedure with a short processing time may be selected from them.

  In the analysis process, the possibility of all printing procedures may be checked, or only the possibility of some printing procedures may be checked. In addition, it is desirable to select the one that minimizes the processing time. However, it is only necessary to select the one that makes the processing time relatively short if not the smallest.

(4) In the above embodiment, an example in which the number of pages in the analysis range is 8 has been described. However, the number of pages in the analysis range can be changed as appropriate, for example, 9 pages, 10 pages, and the like. Further, the analysis processing may be performed using all pages of the print job as the analysis range.

(5) In the above embodiment, the print procedure is determined for each print job. However, according to the present invention, a plurality of double-sided print jobs that are continuously executed are regarded as one print job. The printing procedure may be determined as in the above embodiment. In this case, for example, when the 2413 method is executed once, the last page of the previous print job and the first page of the subsequent print job may be printed.

(6) In the above embodiment, the procedure determination unit, the acquisition unit, the execution unit, the time determination unit, the adjustment unit, or
Although an example in which the generation unit, the acquisition unit, and the procedure determination unit are realized by the same CPU (12 or 51) has been shown, according to the present invention, these functions can be configured by different CPUs or different circuits. it can.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printer, 12 ... CPU, 17 ... Network interface, 18 ... Printing part, 25 ... Discharge tray, 40 ... Sheet, 50 ... Terminal device, 51 ... CPU, 56 ... Network interface

Claims (8)

A reception unit for receiving a print job for double-sided printing including a plurality of pages;
A printing unit that prints on the sheet using ink;
A stacking unit for stacking the sheets discharged after printing;
An acquisition unit that acquires an ink adhesion amount of each of the plurality of pages based on the print job;
Face the drying time required for the ink attached to each of the pair of facing pages to dry based on the amount of ink attached to each of the pair of pages facing when the sheet is discharged to the stacking unit. Obtained for each of the pair of pages, and after the printing of the first page of the pair of facing pages is completed based on the drying time of each of the pair of facing pages, the subsequent pages are discharged to the stacking unit A time determination unit for determining a reserved time to be secured until
Of the pair of pages facing each other, the time interval from the completion of printing of the previous page to the discharge of the subsequent page out of a plurality of types of printing methods with different printing orders for duplex printing is greater than or equal to the reserved time. When a plurality of printing procedures for the plurality of pages are selected by selecting a printing method to be executed, and each of the plurality of printing procedures for the plurality of pages is executed for the plurality of selected printing procedures for the plurality of pages. A procedure determining unit for obtaining a time and determining a printing procedure in which the processing time is smaller than other printing procedures;
An execution unit that causes the printing unit to execute the print job according to the printing procedure determined by the procedure determination unit ;
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
The acquisition unit divides an image to be printed on the pair of pages facing each other into a plurality of areas, and obtains the maximum ink adhesion amount among the plurality of areas.
The said time determination part is a printing apparatus which lengthens the said securing time, so that the said largest ink adhesion amount is large. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The time determination unit and the procedure determination unit have a predetermined number of continuous pages included in the plurality of pages as an analysis range ,
The procedure determining unit obtains a processing time when each printing procedure is executed for a plurality of printing procedures having different printing orders of pages in the analysis range, and the processing time is minimized among the plurality of printing procedures. According to a printing procedure, an analysis process for selecting a printing method for at least a part of the pages in the analysis range to be printed first is executed, and the analysis process is repeated after changing the analysis range to a later page A printing device that executes. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The procedure determination unit includes all consecutive pages included in the plurality of pages as an analysis range, and a plurality of print procedures having different print orders of the pages in the analysis range when the print job is executed in each print procedure. Printing device that calculates processing time. In the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The printing unit can execute a first method in which printing on both sides of one sheet is continuously performed on each side and a second method in which printing on both sides of a plurality of sheets is alternately performed on each side. ,
The procedure determining unit is a printing apparatus that determines a printing procedure for the plurality of pages by selecting a printing method from the first method and the second method. The printing apparatus according to claim 3 .
The printing unit can execute a first method in which printing on both sides of one sheet is continuously performed on each side and a second method in which printing on both sides of two sheets is alternately performed on each side. ,
The procedure determining unit selects a printing method from the first method and the second method, determines a printing procedure for the page in the analysis range ,
The printing apparatus, wherein the predetermined number is a multiple of 4 equal to or greater than 8. The printing apparatus according to claim 6 .
In the analysis process, the procedure determination unit executes the first method repeatedly on the pages in the analysis range, first executes the first method, and then executes the second method once. When the processing time of the second procedure for executing the first method is finally obtained and the processing time of the first procedure is smaller than the first procedure and the second procedure, When the second method is selected as the printing method for the first four pages of the analysis range, and the processing time of the second procedure is shorter, the first two pages are printed as the printing method for the first two pages of the analysis range. Printing device that selects one method. A printing system comprising a terminal device and a printing device connected to the terminal device,
The printing apparatus includes:
A printing unit that prints on the sheet using ink;
A stacking unit for stacking the sheets discharged after printing;
With
The terminal device
A generation unit for generating a double-sided print job including a plurality of pages;
An acquisition unit that acquires an ink adhesion amount of each of the plurality of pages based on the print job;
Drying time required for drying ink attached to each of the pair of facing pages based on the amount of ink attached to each of the pair of pages facing when the sheet is discharged to the stacking unit of the printing apparatus Is determined for each of the pair of pages facing each other, and after the printing of the first page of the pair of pages facing each other is completed based on the drying time of each of the pair of pages facing each other, A time determination unit for determining a securing time secured before being discharged to the loading unit;
Of the pair of pages facing each other, the time interval from the completion of printing of the previous page to the discharge of the subsequent page out of a plurality of types of printing methods with different printing orders for duplex printing is greater than or equal to the reserved time. When a plurality of printing procedures for the plurality of pages are selected by selecting a printing method to be executed, and each of the plurality of printing procedures for the plurality of pages is executed for the plurality of selected printing procedures for the plurality of pages. A procedure determining unit for obtaining a time and determining a printing procedure in which the processing time is smaller than other printing procedures ;
A transmission unit that transmits the printing procedure determined by the procedure determination unit and the print job to the printing apparatus;
With
The printing apparatus includes:
A receiver for receiving a printing procedure and the print job is determined by the previous SL procedure determining unit,
An execution unit that causes the printing unit to execute the print job according to the printing procedure determined by the procedure determination unit ;
The printing system further comprising:

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