JP5839183B2 - Image forming apparatus and image forming method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method capable of forming an image based on image data obtained by rasterizing command data related to an image.

In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine, an image is formed on an image forming unit based on image data, and the image is transferred to a sheet. The image forming unit includes raster image data. Image data is used to write an image. In addition, the image data includes print data defined by a command such as a page description language (PDL). Such print data is subjected to RIP processing (rasterization processing: raster image processing) to generate raster image data, whereby writing in the image forming unit becomes possible.
The rasterization process is performed by a print controller built in the image forming apparatus, a print controller outside the image forming apparatus and constituting an image forming system together with the image forming apparatus. Note that the print controller normally stores the command data as a base until printing is completed even when raster image data is generated by performing rasterization processing.

In a normal print output procedure, when a print job is input to an image forming apparatus or an image forming system, image data composed of raster image data is generated by RIP (Raster Image Processor) processing. Based on this image data, the image forming unit prints on the paper. In such a print output procedure, the user cannot confirm the image of the output result during the period from the input of the print job to the output.
Therefore, when the image forming apparatus prints a job related to rasterized image data stored in the image forming apparatus, the user can perform ticket editing, that is, print change. Such print changes can be handled only by processing performed on the image forming side, but cannot be handled by processing performed on the image forming side, such as changing the paper type or changing the color, and image data obtained by re-RIP. It may be necessary to regenerate the.
In the re-RIP, for example, the job number assigned to the print job in the image forming apparatus. Is notified to the print controller, and the print controller can re-RIP the job.

  Depending on the image forming apparatus, an executable job is registered in the print queue. Therefore, in a job that performs re-RIP, it is registered at the end of the print queue after re-RIP, and output is delayed. There is. Therefore, a print job that has received an output instruction is registered at the end of the print queue regardless of whether or not re-RIP is required. When the first job in the print queue is being re-RIPed, the time required for re-RIP of the job is compared with the estimated time required for printing the next job. If the predicted time <re-RIP time, the next job is first There has been proposed an image forming apparatus that can secure an output order at the time when an output instruction is issued even for a job that requires re-RIP by execution (see Patent Document 1).

In addition, when PDL data and image data are mixed in the print data processing, image data that takes a long time to process is temporarily stored in the storage unit, and PDL data that requires relatively light processing such as RIP processing is stored. An image forming apparatus that preferentially outputs from a printer unit and then processes image data has been proposed (see Patent Document 2).
In the above Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is intended to efficiently print a job related to image data subjected to RIP processing.

JP 2010-46864 A JP 2000-246977 A

By the way, when re-RIP is performed, the following two timings can be considered.
・ When ticket editing is completed ・ When printing the job is instructed When ticket editing is completed, it is assumed that the ticket is further edited after that, even if re-RIP is started at that timing, it becomes useless processing there is a possibility. Also, since the controller does not know when a new job is input, it is better not to use unnecessary RIP processing as much as possible.
When RIP is started at the time of print instruction, there is a problem that when RIP takes time, printing cannot be started immediately after the print instruction.
For this reason, there is a problem in that re-RIP cannot be performed efficiently depending on the operating status of the image forming apparatus. In Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, the start time of re-RIP is not considered, and such a problem cannot be solved.

  The present invention has been made against the background of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming method that enable efficient processing by making the start time of re-RIP appropriate.

That is, among the image forming apparatuses of the present invention, the first aspect of the present invention is:
An image forming unit that forms an image based on job image data;
A storage unit for storing data relating to the job;
A control unit that manages the job and controls the image formation,
The control unit compares the case where there is a need to re-rasterize the image data generated by the raster La size, the time required for time and the re-rasterization required for printing of the reserved job during printing and print waiting and,
If it is determined that the time required for printing the reserved job during printing and the time required for re-rasterization is less than the time required for re-rasterization, a determination is made to start the re-rasterization before a job print instruction for image data to be re-rasterized,
A decision to start re-rasterization during or after a print instruction of a job relating to image data to be re-rasterized when it is determined that the time required for printing of the reserved job during printing or the time required for re-rasterization is greater It is characterized by performing .

According to the present invention, it is possible to make an appropriate decision based on the status of a reserved job being printed and waiting for printing. If there is no other reserved job waiting to be printed, it is determined based on the status of the job being printed.
In order to start a printing operation without delay after a print instruction for a job related to re-RIP, re-RIP only needs to be completed at the start of printing. On the other hand, since the job is RIP once at the time of re-RIP, the time required for RIP can be predicted.
Therefore,
-RIP time required for accumulation in the image forming apparatus (at the first RIP) (a)
If the total print time (b) of the job being printed or the job reserved after that is (a)> (b), the re-RIP process is instructed before the print start instruction, that is, when the ticket editing is completed can do. If (a) ≦ (b), there is a possibility that re-RIP can be completed while an already executed / reserved job is printed. Can be directed.
Further, according to the present invention, if the time required for printing during printing and the time required for printing the reserved job is less than the time required for re-rasterization, re-rasterization is started before the job print instruction for the image data to be re-rasterized. A job related to rasterized image data can be prepared as soon as possible, and the waiting time until the job is printed can be reduced.
Further, according to the present invention, if the time required for printing and printing of the reserved job ≧ time required for re-rasterization, re-rasterization is started after the print instruction of the job relating to the image data to be re-rasterized, so that printing is in progress. And re-rasterization can be completed during the printing of the reserved job.

  The image forming apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that in the first aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus further includes a rasterization processing unit that rasterizes command data related to an image to generate image data.

  According to the present invention, rasterization is executed by the rasterization processing unit. The rasterization processing unit can be configured by a soft processor or a hard processor, and may be a combination of these. The rasterization processing unit may be provided outside the image forming apparatus, or may be included in the image forming apparatus. When the image forming apparatus includes a rasterization processing unit, the rasterization processing unit may be provided separately from the control unit, or a part of the control unit may function as a rasterization processing unit. .

  An image forming apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the second aspect of the present invention, the storage unit can store the command data.

  According to the present invention, command data stored in the storage unit can be used for re-RIP.

An image forming apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a communication unit capable of communicating with an external rasterization processing unit that rasterizes command data related to an image and generates image data in the first aspect of the present invention,
The control unit can receive rasterized image data from the rasterization processing unit through the communication unit, and can transmit an instruction regarding re-rasterization to the rasterization processing unit through the communication unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to receive rasterized image data and transmit a re-rasterization instruction to / from an external rasterization processing unit via a network connected to the image forming apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the control unit requires the re-rasterization when the print setting relating to the rasterized image data is changed. It is characterized by determining whether or not.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to determine the necessity of re-rasterization according to the changed print setting item. The print setting items that need to be re-rasterized are stored in advance in the storage unit, and when the print settings are changed, the above determination is made by referring to the print setting items stored in the storage unit according to the corresponding print setting item. It can be carried out.

The image forming apparatus of the present sixth aspect of the present invention of the second or fourth, the control unit, to said Rasutarai's processing unit, wherein the re-rasterization execution instruction corresponding to the start timing of the re-rasterized It is characterized by performing.

  According to the present invention, when the re-rasterization start time is determined, an execution instruction is issued from the control unit to the re-rasterization processing unit according to the determination time. The execution instruction time may be any time as long as it is not after the determined time, and the execution instruction can be given before the determined time or in accordance with the determined time.

In the image forming apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, the time required for the control unit to print the reserved job is less than the time required for the re-rasterization. If it is determined, it is determined that the re-rasterization is started immediately.

  According to the present invention, the waiting time for executing the re-rasterized job can be made as short as possible.

In the image forming apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the control unit requires a time required for the re-rasterization to be longer than the time required for printing the reserved job. If it is determined, the time required for the re-rasterization is predicted, and the start time of the re-rasterization is determined so that the re-rasterization is completed during printing and the time required for printing the reserved job .

  According to the present invention, the re-rasterization can be completed by the end of the printing, and the job can be printed without waiting time.

The image forming apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the control unit determines that the re-rasterization is necessary when printing is in progress and there is no reserved job. The decision is made to start the re-rasterization.

  According to the present invention, when there is no job to be printed first, re-rasterization is started immediately when it is determined that re-rasterization is necessary, and the waiting time can be shortened as much as possible.

An image forming apparatus according to a tenth aspect of the present invention includes, in any one of the first to ninth aspects of the present invention, a display operation unit capable of displaying and operating, and the control unit performs a job in the job through the display operation unit The print setting and the print setting can be changed.

  According to the present invention, an input operation for print setting of a job can be performed by the display operation unit.

The image forming apparatus according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, wherein the control unit is required for rasterizing each job based on command data and based on the stored processing time. The time required for re-rasterization of the command data is predicted.

  According to the present invention, the time required for re-rasterization can be easily predicted using the rasterization processing time for the rasterized image data. The processing time may be stored in the rasterization processing unit, or may be stored in a storage unit that stores data relating to the job. It is not limited.

An image forming method according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention includes a step of generating image data by rasterizing command data related to an image;
Determining whether it is necessary to re-rasterize the command data relating to the image data raster La size,
If it is determined in the step that the re-rasterization is necessary, the time required for printing the reserved job being printed and waiting for printing is compared with the time required for the re-rasterization,
If it is determined that the time required for printing the reserved job during printing and less than the time required for the re-rasterization, a decision is made to start the re-rasterization before the job print instruction for the image data to be re-rasterized,
When it is determined that the time required for printing the reserved job during the printing and the time required for the re-rasterization is determined to be greater than the time required for the re-rasterization, a determination is made to start the re-rasterization at the time of printing the job regarding the image data to be re-rasterized or after the printing command. And performing .

  According to the present invention, the start time of re-rasterization can be determined more appropriately than the job relating to the image data to be re-rasterized based on the status of the reserved job being printed and waiting to be printed.

  According to the present invention, when it is predicted that re-RIP will not be completed before the start of printing, it is possible to reduce the print start waiting time by instructing re-RIP when it is determined that re-RIP is necessary. If it is predicted that the re-RIP will be completed before the start of printing, the re-RIP is instructed by the print start instruction so that the RIP is completed as much as possible before the start of printing, and unnecessary RIP processing is performed as much as possible. This has the effect of reducing the RIP load.

It is a figure which shows the outline of the image forming apparatus of one Embodiment and other embodiment of this invention. Similarly, it is a figure explaining the start timing of re-RIP. Similarly, it is a flowchart showing a procedure for performing re-RIP. Similarly, it is a flowchart showing a procedure for determining a timing for performing re-RIP.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A, the image forming apparatus 1 and the print controller 2 are connected by a dedicated line 15, and a LAN 30 is connected to the print controller 2. A terminal (PC) 3 or the like is connected to the LAN 30. The print controller 2 corresponds to a rasterization processing unit of the present invention.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes a control unit 10 that controls the entire image forming apparatus 1. The control unit 10 includes a CPU and a program for operating the CPU.

An image forming unit 11 that forms an image on a sheet based on image data that is raster image data is connected to the control unit 10 in a controllable manner.
The image forming unit 11 includes a photoconductor (not shown), a writing unit including a charger, an LD, and the like arranged on a peripheral portion of each photoconductor, a developing unit, and further includes a transfer unit and a fixing unit. The photosensitive member surface charged by the charger is subjected to image exposure by a writing unit based on the image data, and a latent image is formed on the photosensitive member surface. The latent image is developed by a developing unit to become a toner image. The toner image is transferred to a sheet conveyed by the transfer unit. The transferred sheet is heated and fixed by the fixing unit. After the image is transferred to the photoconductor, the residual toner is removed by the cleaning unit, and the photoconductor is prepared for writing the next image.

  In addition, a storage unit 12 is connected to the control unit 10 in a controllable manner. The storage unit 12 stores image data and job numbers. It is possible to store data about jobs including In addition, initial print setting information of the image forming apparatus 1, machine setting information such as process control parameters, user setting values, and the like are stored.

Further, a display operation unit 13 is connected to the control unit 10 in a controllable manner. The display operation unit 13 can display various types of information and input operations. In other words, the display operation unit 13 receives the control of the control unit 10 and makes settings relating to machine setting input and output such as print settings and operation control conditions in the image forming apparatus 1 and setting of paper information of each paper feed tray ( Size, paper type), and output mode settings (for example, normal copy mode and confirmation copy mode) can be set. Furthermore, the display operation unit 13 can display setting information and desired information such as a list of reserved jobs and standby jobs. In the list display of reserved jobs and standby jobs, it is possible to select a currently displayed job and perform an instruction operation such as ticket editing or deletion.
In the present invention, the operation unit that performs only the operation and the display unit that performs the display may be configured separately and the operation display unit may be configured, and a part of the operation can be performed on the display unit. It may be a thing. Examples of the display unit include a panel shape such as a CRT, a liquid crystal, and an EL. Examples of the operation unit include a touch panel, a mouse, a touch pen, and a tablet that detect a coordinate position corresponding to a button position on the display panel.

  The communication unit 14 is connected to the control unit 10 in a controllable manner. The communication unit 14 is connected to the print controller 2 via a dedicated line 15 and enables communication between the control unit 10 and the print controller 2.

Further, the print controller 2 can be connected to an external device through the LAN 30 and can communicate with a terminal (PC) 3 connected to the LAN 30.
The print controller 2 can receive print data defined by a command such as a page description language (PDL) received via the LAN 30, and the print data is stored in the storage unit 20 included in the print controller 2. be able to. The print data can be deleted, for example, when the output is completed in the image forming apparatus 1.

  The print controller 2 can generate raster image data by performing RIP processing (rasterization processing) on the print data defined by the command. The RIP process may be executed immediately by receiving the print data defined by the command, or the reception is notified to the control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 and the RIP process is started according to the instruction of the control unit 10. It may be a thing. The generated raster image data is temporarily stored in the storage unit 20, then transmitted to the image forming apparatus 1 through the dedicated line 15, and stored in the storage unit 12 as job data including print settings under the control of the control unit 10. And managed. When a job is already stored, it is added to the job list and managed as a reserved job. Note that the time required for the RIP at this time can be stored in the storage unit 20, or may be notified to the image forming apparatus 1 together with the raster image data and stored in the storage unit 12.

Note that the display operation unit 13 can perform print settings by the user as described above, and can edit tickets for RIP-processed image data.
The ticket editing may require re-RIP such as a color change. In such a case, the control unit 10 can issue a re-RIP instruction to the print controller 2 through the communication unit 14 and the dedicated line 15 at an appropriate timing. Whether or not re-RIP is necessary is determined in advance according to the contents of ticket editing, and stored in the storage unit 12 so that it can be read out. Can be determined.

  When instructing re-RIP, the control unit 10 determines the job number. For example, information that can identify the job is sent to the print controller 2 together. The print controller 2 that has received the information for specifying the job reads the print data defined by the command stored in the storage unit 20 for the corresponding job, performs re-RIP, and temporarily stores the print data in the storage unit 20. The raster image data generated in the same manner as described above is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 1. In the image forming apparatus 1, raster image data is received and stored again in the storage unit 12 as job data including print settings and managed. The job is added to the reserved job list when a print instruction is issued.

  In the above-described embodiment, the print controller 2 corresponding to the rasterization processing unit is outside the image forming apparatus 1 and connected to the image forming apparatus 1 so as to be communicable. It may be included in the configuration. The image forming apparatus 1a will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the structure similar to the said embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is simplified.

Similar to the image forming apparatus 1, the image forming apparatus 1 a includes a control unit 10 that controls the entire image forming apparatus 1 a.
An image forming unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a display operation unit 13 are connected to the control unit 10 in a controllable manner. The configurations and functions of the image forming unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the display operation unit 13 are as described above.
In this embodiment, a print controller 17 is connected to the control unit 10 by an internal path 16 so as to be controllable, and the print controller 17 has a storage unit 18 for storing print data defined by commands. Yes. Further, the print controller 17 has a communication unit 19, and a LAN 30 is connected to the communication unit 19. External devices such as a terminal (PC) 3 are connected to the LAN 30 as in the above embodiment.
The print controller 17 can perform RIP processing (rasterization processing) on the print data defined by the command to generate raster image data, and corresponds to a rasterization processing unit of the present invention.

  When the print controller 17 receives the print data defined by the command through the LAN 30 and the communication unit 19, the print controller 17 notifies the reception to the control unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 a and can start the RIP process according to the instruction of the control unit 10. . The generated raster image data is temporarily stored in the storage unit 18, then transmitted to the control unit 10 through the internal path 16, and stored in the storage unit 12 as job data including print settings under the control of the control unit 10. Are managed as standby jobs. The standby job is managed as a reservation job by receiving a print instruction from the user. Note that the time required for the RIP can be stored in the storage unit 18 or may be notified to the control unit 10 together with the raster image data and stored in the storage unit 12. Note that the print data acquisition means defined by the command is not limited to the LAN 30.

Also in this embodiment, the display operation unit 13 can perform print settings by the user and can edit tickets for image data subjected to RIP processing.
When the result of the ticket editing indicates that re-RIP is necessary, the control unit 10 instructs the print controller 17 through the internal path 16 to perform re-RIP at an appropriate timing. Whether or not re-RIP is necessary is determined in advance according to the contents of ticket editing, and stored in the storage unit 12 so as to be readable, so that whether or not re-RIP is necessary when ticket editing is performed. Can be determined.

When instructing re-RIP, the control unit 10 determines the job number. For example, information that can identify the job is sent to the print controller 17 together. The print controller 17 that has received the information for specifying the job reads out the print data defined by the command stored in the storage unit 18 for the corresponding job, performs re-RIP, and temporarily stores it in the storage unit 18. The raster image data generated in the same manner as described above is transmitted to the control unit 10. The control unit 10 receives the raster image data, stores it again as job data including print settings, and manages it in the storage unit 12.
In this embodiment, the print data defined by the command is stored in the storage unit 18 provided in the print controller 17. However, the print data may be stored in the storage unit 12 that stores job data and the like. .

Next, the timing when re-RIP is performed in each of the above embodiments will be described based on FIGS. 2 (a), 2 (b), and 2 (c).
Assume that a job requiring re-RIP is A, and there are a job being printed and a reserved job. The time required for re-RIP of job A is a, and the time required for printing a job being printed and a reserved job is b.
As shown in FIG. 2A, if a> b, the time required for re-RIP is long. Therefore, RIP is not completed even at the print start timing of job A. Will start waiting before the start of printing for job A. Therefore, under such a condition (a> b), a re-RIP instruction is issued before the job A print start instruction, preferably at the completion of ticket editing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, when a ≦ b, the time required for re-RIP is short, so that the RIP can be completed before the print start timing of job A. For this reason, even if the RIP is started when the job A print start instruction is issued, there is a high possibility that no waiting occurs before the job A print starts. Therefore, under such conditions (a ≦ b), it is possible to instruct re-RIP when instructing the print start of job A.

In the case of a ≦ b, even after the job A print start instruction is given, there is no waiting before the job A print start depending on the conditions.
That is, if re-RIP is started before the time when the job is expected to be printed minus the time required for RIP, no waiting time occurs.
In FIG. 2C, the print button for job A is pressed. At that time, RIP is not started, and it is necessary for re-RIP of job A from the estimated print time (b) of the currently executed / reserved job. This shows a state where the controller is requested to re-RIP job A from the time obtained by subtracting time (a).

Next, the procedure for determining the re-RIP instruction timing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The following procedure is executed under the control of the control unit 10.
The procedure is started upon completion of the job ticket editing related to the RIP processed image data.
After the ticket is edited, the user presses the save button (step s1), and it is determined whether re-RIP is necessary according to the contents of the ticket edit (step s2). The contents of the ticket edit that requires re-RIP are stored in the storage unit 12, and the above determination can be made by referring to this.
If it is determined in the above determination that re-RIP is not required (step s2, unnecessary), the print button is pressed by the user (step s10), print output is started when the job execution order is reached (step s8), and processing is performed. finish.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that re-RIP is necessary (step s2, necessary), the timing of the RIP request is determined (step s3).

Details of the timing determination will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.
First, the time required for re-RIP is predicted (step s30).
The time required for the re-RIP can be predicted by referring to the storage unit 18, the storage unit 20, or the storage unit 12 with respect to the time when the image data was previously RIPped.
Next, it is determined whether or not there is a reservation job being executed (step s31). If it is being executed and there is no reserved job (step s31, NO), the re-RIP timing is determined as “immediately RIP request” (step s35), and the process ends. If it is being executed or there is a reserved job (step s31, YES), the time required for printing the currently executed or reserved job is predicted (step s32). The control unit can calculate the time required for printing from the print setting of the job, the number of printed sheets, and the like. For example, the time associated with the print setting or the like is stored in the storage unit 12 so as to be readable, and is referred to by the control unit. Further, the time required for printing can be predicted by multiplying the number of printed sheets.

Next, the time a required for RIP of the image data determined to require re-RIP is compared with the time b required during printing and printing of the reserved job (step s33).
If a> b as a result of the comparison, the timing is determined to be “immediately RIP request” (step s35), and if a ≦ b, it is determined after the print instruction, that is, “later RIP request” (step s35). s34), the process ends.

If it is immediately determined in step s3 that it is a RIP request, a request for RIP is made to the print controller (step s5). If it is determined in step s3 that the RIP request is issued after the print instruction, the print button is pressed by the user (step s4), and then the RIP request is issued to the print controller (step s5).
When RIP is executed by the print controller, the re-RIP raster image data is received by the image forming apparatus or the control unit in the image forming apparatus (step s6). The data is stored as a reserved job or a standby job in the storage unit 12 (for example, HDD) together with the print settings (step s7). Thereafter, when the job execution order is reached, print output is started (step s8), and the job is terminated.

  The present invention has been described based on the above embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the content of the above embodiment, and appropriate modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 1a Image forming apparatus 2 Print controller 3 Terminal (PC)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Control part 11 Image formation part 12 Storage part 13 Display operation part 14 Communication part 16 Internal path 17 Print controller 18 Storage part 19 Communication part 20 Storage part 30 LAN

Claims (12)

An image forming unit that forms an image based on job image data;
A storage unit for storing data relating to the job;
A control unit that manages the job and controls the image formation,
The control unit compares the case where there is a need to re-rasterize the image data generated by the raster La size, the time required for time and the re-rasterization required for printing of the reserved job during printing and print waiting and,
If it is determined that the time required for printing the reserved job during printing and the time required for re-rasterization is less than the time required for re-rasterization, a determination is made to start the re-rasterization before a job print instruction for image data to be re-rasterized,
A decision to start re-rasterization during or after a print instruction of a job relating to image data to be re-rasterized when it is determined that the time required for printing of the reserved job during printing or the time required for re-rasterization is greater image forming apparatus and performs.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rasterization processing unit that rasterizes command data related to an image to generate image data.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the storage unit can store the command data. A communication unit capable of communicating with an external rasterization processing unit that rasterizes command data related to an image to generate image data,
The control unit can receive rasterized image data from the rasterization processing unit through the communication unit, and can transmit an instruction for re-rasterization to the rasterization processing unit through the communication unit. The image forming apparatus according to 1.   5. The image according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether or not the re-rasterization is necessary when a print setting relating to the rasterized image data is changed. Forming equipment. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit instructs the rasterization processing unit to execute the re-rasterization in accordance with a start time of the re-rasterization.
Wherein, when the time required for printing of the printing and in the reserved job is determined to the be less than the time required for re-rasterized, according to claim 1, immediately above to start re-rasterized, and performs decision The image forming apparatus of any one of -6 . The control unit predicts the time required for the re-rasterization when the time required for the re-rasterization is longer than the time required for the re-rasterization during the printing and the reservation job, and the re-rasterization is performed during the printing and the reservation job. the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that determining the start timing of the re-rasterized to be completed by required printing time. Wherein, when there is no the printing during and reserved job, the re-rasterization starts the re-rasterization when it is deemed necessary, claim 1-8, characterized in making a decision 1 The image forming apparatus described in the item. It has a display operation unit that can display and operate,
Wherein the control unit, the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein it is possible to change the print settings and the print settings in the job through the display operation unit. Wherein the control unit takes the rasterization of each job based on the command data, and based on the stored processing time of claims 1-10, characterized in that estimates the time required for re-rasterized to the command data The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. Rasterizing command data relating to an image to generate image data;
Determining whether it is necessary to re-rasterize the command data relating to the image data raster La size,
If it is determined in the step that the re-rasterization is necessary, the time required for printing the reserved job being printed and waiting for printing is compared with the time required for the re-rasterization,
If it is determined that the time required for printing the reserved job during printing and less than the time required for the re-rasterization, a decision is made to start the re-rasterization before the job print instruction for the image data to be re-rasterized,
When it is determined that the time required for printing the reserved job during the printing and the time required for the re-rasterization is determined to be greater than the time required for the re-rasterization, a determination is made to start the re-rasterization at the time of printing the job regarding the image data to be re-rasterized or after the printing command. image forming method characterized by comprising the steps of performing, the.

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