JP5854611B2 - Printing control apparatus, method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control apparatus, method, and program for performing printing using recording materials stored in a plurality of storage units.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a printing apparatus having a plurality of storage units that can store recording materials such as recording paper, one that performs printing using recording materials stored in each storage unit while switching the storage units is known. Yes. In such a printing apparatus, the type of recording material to be used in a print job to be executed by the user is confirmed, and the recording material is set in advance. On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, after starting printing, a storage unit capable of replenishing the current sheet is shown together with the order of use of a plurality of storage units that store the same sheet as the sheet in use, and printing processing is performed. Paper supply is possible even while you are.

JP 2005-193486 A

  However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151561 shows the order of use of each storage unit when a sheet having the same size as the currently used sheet exists in another storage unit when executing a certain print job. Therefore, the sheet currently stored in the storage unit is a sheet to be used for printing currently being executed. Therefore, even when a sheet that is not used in a print job that is currently waiting for printing is stored in a certain storage unit, it is determined whether the sheet can be replaced with a sheet that should be used in a print job that is currently waiting for printing. It was difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and print control that can easily replace a recording material to be used in a print job waiting for printing with a recording material stored in a recording material that is not scheduled to be used. An apparatus, method, and program are provided.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a print control apparatus according to the present invention is a print control apparatus for performing printing using recording materials stored in a plurality of storage units. It is determined during execution of the first print job whether a recording material to be used in a second print job waiting to execute print processing after the print job is stored in any of the plurality of storage units. And when the determination unit determines that the recording material to be used in the second print job is not stored in the plurality of storage units, the second printing is performed for each of the plurality of storage units. And a notifying unit for notifying differently different error information based on the contents of the error state relating to the recording material to be used in the job.

  According to the present invention, the recording material stored in the plurality of storage units is notified of whether or not the recording material is scheduled to be used in a print job waiting for printing, and based on the result, the recording materials stored in the storage unit are replaced. be able to.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus that is an example of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration relating to control of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the contents of a print job transmitted from the host apparatus 211 to the image forming apparatus 200. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the operation unit 206. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process in embodiment. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the operation unit 206. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process in embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process in embodiment. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the operation unit 206. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the operation unit 206. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the operation unit 206. FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the relative arrangement | positioning of each component of the apparatus used by this embodiment, an apparatus shape, etc. are an illustration to the last, and are not limited only to them.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus that is an example of a print control apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment. Although the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 has only a printing function for printing data received from an external apparatus, the image forming apparatus is not limited to this, and further includes a reading apparatus for reading an image on a document, and functions as a copying machine. It is good also as a compound apparatus which added things and other functions.

  Further, an example in which a roll sheet is used as a recording material (recording medium or recording sheet) to be printed will be described. This roll sheet is an example of a continuous sheet, but it may be other than a roll sheet. Further, the continuous sheet may be cut automatically by the image forming apparatus, or may be cut by a user's manual instruction. The material of the recording material is not limited to paper, and various materials can be used as long as they can be printed. The image forming apparatus may be an image forming apparatus capable of printing not only on a continuous sheet but also on a cut sheet that has been cut into a predetermined size.

  Further, the printing method is not limited to the image printing by the ink jet method using the liquid ink for image printing described later. A solid ink may be used as a recording agent applied to the recording material, and various types such as an electrophotographic method using toner, a sublimation method, a thermal transfer method, and a dot impact method can be employed. Further, the recording is not limited to color recording using a plurality of color recording agents, and monochrome recording using only black (including gray) may be performed. The printing is not limited to the printing of a visible image, but may be an invisible or difficult-to-view image printing. Other than general images, for example, a wiring pattern, a physical pattern in the manufacture of parts, a DNA base It is good also as printing of various things, such as a print of arrangement | sequences. That is, the present invention can be applied to various types of recording apparatuses as long as the recording agent can be applied to the recording material. Further, when the operation of the printing process in the image forming apparatus is controlled by an instruction from the external apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1, this external apparatus becomes the print control apparatus.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus using a roll sheet (a continuous continuous sheet longer than the length of a printing unit (one page) in the conveyance direction) as a recording material. The image forming apparatus includes the following components 101 to 115, which are arranged in one housing. However, these components may be divided into a plurality of cases.

  The control unit 108 incorporates a controller (including a CPU or MPU), an output device for user interface information (a generator for display information, acoustic information, etc.), and a control unit having various I / O interfaces, and the entire image forming apparatus. Manage various controls.

  Two units, an upper sheet cassette 101a and a lower sheet cassette 101b, are provided as units for storing and supplying roll sheets. The user loads a roll sheet (hereinafter referred to as a sheet) on the magazine and then loads it on the image forming apparatus main body. The sheet pulled out from the upper sheet cassette 101a is conveyed in the direction a in the figure, and the sheet pulled out from the lower sheet cassette 101b is conveyed in the direction b in the figure. Sheets from any cassette travel in the direction c in the figure and reach the transport unit 102. The conveyance unit 102 conveys the sheet in the d direction (horizontal direction) in the drawing during the printing process through the plurality of rotating rollers 104. When the sheet cassette as the supply source is switched from one to the other, the already drawn sheet is rewound into the cassette and newly supplied from the cassette in which the sheet to be newly supplied is set. Further, the sheet cassette can be expanded in units of two, and the additional sheet cassette is arranged on the right side of the sheet cassettes 101a and 101b as viewed in FIG. 1, and the sheets are also conveyed in the a direction and the b direction. When replacing the roll sheet of each sheet cassette, the user opens the door of the sheet magazine, and when the roll sheet or roll sheet is used up, the roll core is removed and a new roll sheet is mounted. While the sheet magazine door is open, the sheet supply process from the sheet cassette is prohibited.

  Further, the roll sheet set in each sheet cassette measures the diameter of the roll by a sensor, and an approximate remaining amount (length) is determined. When the roll sheet is used in the printing process, the length is measured and the remaining amount is updated. Further, the diameter of the roll sheet is also periodically measured, and the remaining amount is corrected as appropriate. Instead of measuring the diameter, various methods such as measuring the radius and measuring the distance from the core of the roll to the outermost position may be used.

  A head unit 105 is disposed above the transport unit 102 so as to face the transport unit 102. In the head unit 105, independent print heads 106 for a plurality of colors (seven colors in the present embodiment) are held along the sheet conveyance direction. In this example, there are seven print heads corresponding to seven colors of C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), LC (light cyan), LM (light magenta), G (gray), and K (black). The Of course, other colors may be used, and it is not necessary to use all of them.

The image forming apparatus forms an image on the sheet by ejecting ink from the print head 106 in synchronization with the conveyance of the sheet by the conveyance unit 102. Note that the print head 106 is disposed at a position where the ink discharge destination does not overlap the rotation roller 104. Instead of ejecting the ink directly onto the sheet, an image may be formed by applying the ink to the intermediate transfer member and then applying the ink to the sheet.
The printing unit according to the present embodiment includes the transport unit 102, the head unit 105, and the print head 106.

  The ink tank 109 stores each color ink independently. Ink is supplied from the ink tank 109 to a sub tank provided corresponding to each color by a tube, and ink is supplied from the sub tank to each print head 106 through the tube. The print head 106 has line heads of respective colors (seven colors in the present embodiment) arranged along the conveyance direction d during printing. The line head of each color may be formed with a single nozzle tip without a seam, or the divided nozzle tips may be regularly arranged in a single row or a staggered arrangement. . In this embodiment, a so-called full multi-head in which nozzles are arranged in a range that covers the width of the print area of the maximum size sheet that can be used by the apparatus is used. As an ink jet method for ejecting ink from a nozzle, a method using a heating element, a method using a piezo element, a method using an electrostatic element, a method using a MEMS element, or the like can be adopted. Ink is ejected from the nozzles of each head based on the print data, and the ejection timing is determined by the output signal of the transport encoder 103.

  After the image is formed on the sheet, the sheet is conveyed from the conveyance unit 102 to the scanner unit 107. The scanner unit 107 optically reads a print image or special pattern on a sheet to check whether there is a problem with the print image, and checks the state of the apparatus including the ink discharge state. As a method for confirming the print image, a method for confirming the ejection state of the ink by reading a pattern for confirming the state of the head or a method for confirming the success or failure of the print by comparing with the original image may be used. Good. The confirmation method can be appropriately selected from various methods.

  The sheet is conveyed in the direction e from the vicinity of the scanner unit 107 and introduced into the cutter unit 110. The cutter unit 110 cuts the sheet every predetermined printing unit length. The length of the predetermined printing unit varies depending on the image size to be printed. For example, the length in the transport direction is 135 mm for the L size photograph, and the length in the transport direction is 297 mm for the A4 size. The cutter unit 110 cuts the sheet in units of pages in the case of single-sided printing, but may not cut in units of pages depending on the contents of the print job. In the case of double-sided printing, the cutter unit 110 does not cut the first surface of the sheet (the surface on which printing is performed first. For example, the front surface) in units of pages, and continuously prints images up to a predetermined length. When printing is performed and the second surface (the surface on which printing will be performed later, for example, the back surface) is printed, cutting is performed in units of pages. Note that the cutter unit 110 is not limited to one that cuts each image when performing single-sided printing or reverse-side printing of double-sided printing. It is not cut until it is transported for a predetermined length, but is cut after it is transported to a predetermined length, and is cut by manual operation or the like with another cutter device. It is good. In the width direction of the sheet, when cutting is necessary, the sheet is cut using another cutter device.

  The sheet conveyed from the cutter unit 110 is conveyed in the direction f in the drawing and is conveyed to the back surface printing unit 111. The back side printing unit 111 is a unit for printing predetermined information on the back side of the sheet when printing an image only on one side of the sheet. Information to be printed on the back side of the sheet includes information (for example, order management number) corresponding to each print image, such as characters, symbols, and codes. When the print head 106 prints an image for a double-sided print job, the back surface printing unit 111 prints information as described above in addition to the area where the print head 106 prints an image. The back surface printing unit 111 can employ a method such as imprinting of a recording agent, thermal transfer, and ink jet.

  The sheet that has passed through the back surface printing unit 111 is then conveyed to the drying unit 112. The drying unit 112 is a unit that heats a sheet that passes through the unit in the direction g in the drawing with warm air (heated gas (air)) in order to dry the sheet to which ink has been applied. . In addition, instead of using warm air, various drying methods such as cold air, heating with a heater, natural drying only by waiting, irradiation with electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet light can be employed. The sheets cut to the printing unit length pass through the drying unit 112 one by one, are conveyed in the h direction in the figure, and are conveyed to the sorting unit 114.

  The sorting unit 114 holds a plurality of trays (18 in this embodiment), and distinguishes the sheet discharge destination tray according to the length of the printing unit or the like. Each tray is assigned a tray number. In the sorting unit 114, a sheet that passes through the unit in the direction i in the figure is checked with a sensor provided on each tray, and a tray set for each print image is checked while checking whether the tray is empty or full. Discharge to the tray corresponding to the number. A tray to which the cut sheet is discharged may be specified by a print job issuer (host device), or an empty tray may be arbitrarily specified on the image forming apparatus side. . One tray can be discharged up to a predetermined number. In the case of a print job exceeding this predetermined number of sheets, it is discharged across a plurality of trays. The number, size, type, and the like of sheets that can be discharged from a tray vary depending on the size (type) of the tray. In FIG. 1, the trays (hereinafter referred to as large trays) arranged vertically (upper and lower) are discharged from both large size sheets (A4 size, etc., larger than the L size) and small sizes (L size). Is possible. Further, a tray (hereinafter referred to as a small tray) arranged side by side (left and right) can discharge a small size (L size) sheet, but cannot discharge a large size sheet. The large tray has more sheets that can be discharged than the small tray.

  In addition, a state such as sheet discharge or discharge completion can be identified by the user using a display (for example, an LED or the like is used). For example, a plurality of LEDs that emit light of different colors can be provided for each tray, and the user can be notified of the various states of each tray depending on the color of the LEDs that are lit or whether they are lit or blinking. Also, priorities can be assigned to each of the plurality of trays, and the image forming apparatus, when executing a print job, uses empty trays (sheets do not exist) as sheet discharge destinations in order of priority. Assign. By default, the large tray has a higher priority on the upper tray and the smaller tray has a higher priority on the left. The priority of the small tray is higher than that of the large tray. This priority may be set in advance so that the user can easily take out the sheet. Moreover, it is good also as what can be suitably changed by operation by a user.

  The sheet winding unit 113 winds a sheet on which the front surface is printed without being cut for each page. In duplex printing, a sheet on which an image has been formed on the front side is not cut by the cutter unit 110 in units of pages, but is cut after printing of the continuous front side is completed. The sheet on which the front surface is printed passes through the unit in the j direction in the figure, and is wound by the sheet winding unit 113. Then, after the image formation on the front surface for a series of pages has been completed, the wound sheet has a surface opposite to the previous front surface that can be printed, that is, facing the print head 106. The surface to be reversed is reversed and conveyed again in the k direction in the drawing of the unit. By carrying it in this way, the image on the back surface opposite to the front surface is printed. In the case of normal single-sided printing, the sheet on which the image is printed is conveyed to the sorting unit 114 without being wound by the sheet winding unit 113.

  As described above, when performing duplex printing, the sheet winding unit 113 is used to wind the sheet, and the sheet is reversed and printed on the back side. Therefore, the sorting unit is used for single-sided printing and double-sided printing. The surface of the sheet when discharged to 114 is different. That is, in the case of single-sided printing, since the sheet is not reversed using the sheet winding unit 113, the sheet on which the image of the first page is printed is discharged with the image of the first page facing down. When a single print job is a job having a plurality of pages, the first sheet is discharged to the tray, and then sequentially discharged to subsequent pages so that the sheets overlap. Such discharge is called face-down discharge. On the other hand, in the case of duplex printing, since the sheet is reversed using the sheet winding unit 113, the sheet on which the image of the first page is printed is discharged with the image of the first page facing up. When a single print job is a job that outputs multiple sheets, the sheet including the last page is discharged to the tray, and then sequentially discharged to the younger page sheets. The sheet on which the page image is printed is ejected. Such discharge is called face-up discharge. Note that the printing order of the first side is the same for single-sided printing and double-sided printing so that the surface of the sheet during discharge is the same for both single-sided printing and double-sided printing (unified face-up or face-down). You may make it change (it is set as descending order or ascending order).

  The operation unit 115 is a unit for the user to perform various operations and notify the user of various information. For example, it is possible to check the printing status for each order such as on which tray the sheet on which the image designated by the user is printed is stacked, or whether the image is being printed or has been printed. In addition, the user can operate / confirm in order to confirm the various states of the apparatus such as the remaining amount of ink and the remaining amount of the sheet, and to instruct the execution of apparatus maintenance such as head cleaning.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration relating to control in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus 200 is the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. However, the following configuration is an example, and various changes can be made.

The CPU 201, ROM 202, RAM 203, image processing unit 207, engine control unit 208, and scanner control unit 209 are mainly included in the control unit 108. The control unit 108 is connected to the HDD 204, the operation unit 206, the external I / F 205, and the like via the system bus 210.
The CPU 201 is a central processing unit in the form of a microprocessor (microcomputer), and is included in the control unit 108 of FIG. The CPU 201 controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 200 by executing a program or starting up hardware. The ROM 202 stores programs to be executed by the CPU 201 and fixed data necessary for various operations of the image forming apparatus 200. The RAM 203 is used as a work area for the CPU 201, used as a temporary storage area for various received data, and stores various setting data. The HDD 204 can store or read a program to be executed by the CPU 201, print data, and setting information necessary for various operations of the image forming apparatus 200 on a built-in hard disk. In place of the HDD 204, another mass storage device may be used.

  The operation unit 206 includes a hard key and a touch panel for the user to perform various operations, and a display unit for presenting (notifying) various information to the user, and corresponds to the operation unit 115 in FIG. . Information can also be presented to the user by outputting sound (buzzer, sound, etc.) based on the sound information from the sound generator.

  The image processing unit 207 performs development (conversion) and image processing of print data (for example, data expressed in a page description language) handled by the image forming apparatus 200 into image data (bitmap image). A color space (for example, YCbCr) of image data included in the input print data is converted into a standard RGB color space (for example, sRGB). In addition, various image processing such as resolution conversion to the number of effective pixels (image processing apparatus 200 can perform print processing), image analysis, image correction, and the like is performed on the image data as necessary. Image data obtained by these image processes is stored in the RAM 203 or the HDD 204.

  The engine control unit 208 controls processing for printing an image based on print data on a sheet in accordance with a control command received from the CPU 201 or the like. An ink ejection instruction to the print head 106 of each color, an ejection timing setting for adjusting a dot position (ink landing position) on the recording medium, adjustment based on acquisition of a head driving state, and the like are performed. The print head drive is controlled according to the print data, and ink is ejected from the print head to form an image on the sheet. In addition, the conveyance roller is controlled such that the drawing roller is driven to pull out the sheet from the cassette, the conveyance roller is driven to convey the drawn sheet, and the rotation state of the conveyance roller is acquired. Transport and stop along the route.

  The scanner control unit 209 controls the image sensor in accordance with the control command received from the CPU 201 or the like, reads an image on the sheet, and analog luminance data of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors. Is obtained and converted to digital data. As the image sensor, a CCD image sensor, a CMOS image sensor, or the like can be employed. The image sensor may be a linear image sensor or an area image sensor. Further, the scanner control unit 209 obtains an image sensor driving instruction and acquires the status of the image sensor based on the driving, analyzes the luminance data acquired from the image sensor, and discharges ink from the print head 106 or cuts the sheet. The position is detected. The sheet on which the image is correctly printed by the scanner control unit 209 is discharged to the tray of the designated sorting unit after the ink on the sheet is dried.

  The host apparatus 211 corresponds to the above-described external apparatus, is connected to the outside of the image forming apparatus 200, and is an apparatus serving as a supply source of image data for causing the image forming apparatus 200 to perform printing. Issue an order.

The host device 211 may be realized by a general-purpose personal computer (PC), or may be another type of data supply device. As another type of data supply device, there is an image capture device that captures an image and generates image data. The image capture device is a reader (scanner) that reads an image on a document and generates image data, a film scanner that reads a negative film or a positive film, and generates image data. Other examples of the image capture device include a digital camera that captures a still image and generates digital image data, and a digital video that captures a moving image and generates moving image data. Alternatively, a photo storage may be installed on the network, an image file stored in the photo storage via the network may be acquired, and an image of image data generated from the image file may be printed. Further, a socket for inserting a removable portable memory may be provided in the image forming apparatus 200, and an image file stored in the portable memory may be read to generate and print image data. Further, instead of a general-purpose PC, various data supply devices such as a dedicated terminal for the image forming apparatus may be used. These data supply apparatuses may be components of the image forming apparatus or may be other apparatuses connected to the outside of the image forming apparatus. When the host device 211 is a PC, an OS, application software for generating image data, and a printer driver for the image forming apparatus 200 are installed in the storage device of the PC. The printer driver controls the image forming apparatus 200 or generates print data by converting the image data supplied from the application software into a format that can be handled by the image forming apparatus 200. Alternatively, conversion from print data to image data may be performed on the host apparatus 211 side before being supplied to the image forming apparatus 200. Note that it is not essential to implement all of the above processing by software, and a part or all of the processing may be realized by hardware such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Image data, other commands, status signals, and the like supplied from the host device 211 can be transmitted / received to / from the image forming apparatus 200 via the external I / F 205. The external I / F 205 may be a local I / F or a network I / F. The external I / F 205 may be a wired connection or a wireless connection.
The above-described components in the image forming apparatus 200 are connected via the system bus 210 and can communicate with each other.

  In the above example, one CPU 201 controls all the components in the image forming apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 2, but other configurations are possible. That is, some of the functional blocks may be provided with separate CPUs and individually controlled by the respective CPUs. Each functional block may adopt various forms, such as appropriately dividing as an individual processing unit or control unit, or integrating some of the functional blocks according to a method other than the configuration shown in FIG. Also, a direct memory access controller (DMAC) can be used to read data from the memory.

  When the image forming apparatus 200 receives a print job transmitted from the host apparatus 211 and causes the printing to be performed, print settings such as a finished size are set from the host apparatus 211 by the orderer of the printed material as shown in FIG. Here, an example is shown in which 6 × 8 inches are specified as the finished size and 15 is specified as the number of copies to be printed. The image forming apparatus 200 receives this and registers it as a print job in the HDD 204. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the print job designated by the orderer is managed as the order 1 by the host apparatus 211 and the print job received as the order 1 by the image forming apparatus 200 is managed as JOBID_03.

When printing using a roll sheet is performed by the image forming apparatus 200, the following procedure is performed.
First, when the image forming apparatus 200 receives a new print job, it is temporarily stored in the HDD 204. Then, print settings (size and material of usable sheets, print mode (single-sided printing, double-sided printing, bookbinding printing, etc.) set in the print job stored in the HDD 204 are checked. As a result, the printing order (page order) in the print job is determined, that is, when face-down discharge is performed, if single-sided printing is performed, it is determined that printing is performed in ascending order of pages. When printing (double-sided printing, bookbinding printing), the pages arranged on the opposite side of the first page are arranged in descending order from the page with the largest number of pages to the first side of the sheet, and then on the second side. In normal double-sided printing, even pages are printed continuously in descending order on the first side, and then odd pages are printed on the second side. In addition, the image forming apparatus 200 determines the printing order so that printing is performed continuously in order, and the image forming apparatus 200 performs printing on both sides of the sheet when the same sheet can be used in the preceding and succeeding print jobs. The first side of the job is continuously printed, and then the second side is continuously printed, thereby reducing the number of sheet inversions. After confirming the settings, the printing order is determined in accordance with the result, and the print order of the target print job and the print settings of the preceding and succeeding print jobs are used so that the same sheet can be continuously printed as much as possible. The sheet to be determined is also determined.

  Note that “printing a plurality of pages (images) continuously” simply means that pages arranged on the same surface of the sheet are continuously printed, and does not ask whether there is a gap between the pages. In other words, this includes a page with a margin between pages. Further, depending on the page configuration of the print job, there may be a page where there is no image to be printed.

  Each time a new print job is received, the print job is sequentially registered in a queue provided in the HDD 204. Then, according to the confirmation result of the print setting described above, the sheet information (size and material) of the sheet used in the print job included in the queue, the cassette to be used based on the sheet information, the status of the print job (progress or error is possible) ) Is managed in the HDD 204. Also, the time (date and time) and required time for starting each print job are calculated based on the print contents of each job, and these pieces of information are also managed.

  When the printing order is determined as described above, the print data of the print job is supplied to the image processing unit 207 so that printing is completed in order from the first print job in the queue. At this time, when printing on both sides of the sheet, the pages arranged on the first side of the plurality of print jobs are continuously printed as described above. Accordingly, the print data of the last print job among a plurality of print jobs to be continuously printed is supplied to the image processing unit 207 first (in the case of face-down discharge). That is, printing is started in descending order from the last page of a group of pages arranged on the first surface of the sheet on the surface opposite to the first page of the last print job of a print job that is continuously printed, Finally, the top page of the top print job arranged on the surface is printed. Then, printing is performed from the first page of the first print job on the second surface of the sheet, and the process sequentially proceeds to printing on the second surface of the next print job. As a result, face-down discharge is performed from the first print job, and printing is completed.

  The image data to be printed generated according to the print data received by the image processing unit 207 is sequentially stored in the HDD 204. The image data stored in the HDD 204 is sequentially supplied to the engine control unit 208 according to the determined printing order. At this time, it is possible to specify the image data to be printed on which side of the sheet (when printing on both sides), the page number, and the print job based on attributes such as the print settings set in the print job Such information is also notified to the engine control unit 208 together with the image data. The image stored in the HDD 204 may be rotated by 90 degrees depending on the printing method and the like.

  Receiving this image data, the engine control unit 208 supplies the sheet from the sheet cassette corresponding to the size (finished size) of the image to be printed and transports it to the printing position by the head unit 105. Then, ink is ejected from the print head 106 according to the image data to form an image on the sheet. The scanner unit 107 determines whether the printed image has been successfully printed. If it is determined that the image has been printed correctly, the drying unit 112 performs a drying process. If it is determined that printing has not been performed correctly, the sheet is cut by the cutter unit 110 and discharged from the trays of the sorting unit 114 to a tray that discharges defectives (for example, the tray at the bottom). Then, the image data is re-supplied to the engine control unit 208 to perform reprinting for the portion that has not been correctly printed, and the above processing is repeated. When printing on both sides of the sheet, reprinting is performed unless both the front and back images are printed correctly.

Further, when the print job that is being printed by the engine control unit 208 is single-sided printing, the sheet on which the image is printed is cut by the cutter unit 110 in units of pages. The cut sheet is discharged to a designated tray of the sorting unit 114. On the other hand, when the print job is to print on both sides of the sheet and printing on the first side is continued for a plurality of pages, the cutter unit 110 does not perform cutting on a page basis even if printing on the first side is performed. Cut after tail page is printed. The sheet with the image printed on the first side is supplied to the sheet take-up unit 113. When printing on the second side, the sheet take-up unit 113 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the sheet is moved from the cut surface toward the head unit 105. To supply. When printing on the second surface is performed, cutting is performed by the cutter unit 110 in units of pages (there may not be performed in units of pages depending on print settings). Then, the printed and cut sheets are discharged to a designated tray of the sorting unit 114. Further, when the information is set to be printed by the back surface printing unit 111, the back surface printing unit 111 performs printing after the sheet is cut.
As described above, a series of print processing is sequentially performed, and information on the print job managed in the queue is updated as the print processing progresses.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of the operation unit 115 (operation unit 206). In FIG. 4, reference numeral 401 denotes a display area indicating the state of the main body of the image forming apparatus 200, and information indicating the state of each part in the apparatus is schematically added to the external view of the image forming apparatus 200. The state information includes the presence / absence of a sheet on each tray, an error state, the presence / absence of a sheet in each sheet cassette, the type of sheet, an error state, and the like. The job list 402 is received by the image forming apparatus 200, and a list of print jobs that have not yet been printed is displayed. This list of print jobs includes a job ID for specifying a print job, a status of the print job, a sheet width of a sheet that can be used in the print job, a sheet type specified in the print job, the number of copies, and the like. Reference numeral 403 denotes an area for displaying the state of the consumables of the image forming apparatus 200. Here, the state of the sheet is shown as a consumable. In this example, two sheet cassettes are added and four sheet cassettes exist in the image forming apparatus 200. For each sheet cassette, the presence / absence of sheets, the type of sheet, the remaining amount of sheets, and the usage status of these sheets are indicated. A status display area 404 displays a message indicating a status such as an operation state or an error state of the image forming apparatus 200.

  Next, a flow of processing until the image forming apparatus 200 receives a print job from the host apparatus 211 and performs printing will be described. Here, an example in the case of processing a print job having contents such as the order 1 shown in FIG. 3 will be described, but the process is performed in the same flow for print jobs having other contents.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing when the image forming apparatus 200 receives the order 1 shown in FIG. 3 as a print job and executes it. This flowchart shows the flow of processing performed when the CPU 201 loads a control program stored in the ROM 202 or the HDD 204 into the RAM 203 and executes it.

First, the order 1 information created by the orderer in S501 is transmitted from the host device 211, and the image forming apparatus 200 receives the order 1 information via the external I / F 205. Job IDs are sequentially assigned to the received order information. Here, it is assumed that JOBID_03 is assigned.
In step S <b> 502, the CPU 201 acquires information such as a finish size designated from the setting information included in the received order information, and determines a printable sheet width candidate.
Here, since the finished size of order 1 is 6 inches long and 8 inches wide, it is determined that the printable sheet width is 6 inches or 8 inches. To do.
When the print job is registered in the HDD 204, the print job information including the sheet width registered as described above is displayed in the job list 402 of the operation unit 206 in step S504 as shown in the column of JOBID_03 in FIG. In this display, the user of the apparatus can recognize that a sheet having a sheet width of 6 inches or 8 inches can be used.
In step S505, it is confirmed whether 6 or 8 inch sheets are loaded in the sheet cassette. If the sheet is loaded, the process proceeds to S506, and if it is not loaded, the process proceeds to S510. In step S510, a display prompting the apparatus operator to set a sheet having a sheet width of 6 or 8 inches is displayed on the operation unit 206 by a display as described later.

If an affirmative determination is made in step S506, or if the corresponding sheet is loaded by the user in step S510, the CPU 201 determines in step S506 which sheet is to be used for printing. This determination is made based on a sheet set in the image forming apparatus 200, a sheet used in a preceding print job, and the like. Here, it is assumed in S507 that it is determined to use a sheet having a sheet width of 6 inches, and the sheet width information registered in S503 is re-registered only for 6 inches. In step S508, the display of the sheet width of JOBID_03 in the job list 402 on the operation unit 206 is changed to 6 inches.
If the print order of JOBID_03 is reached, the engine control unit 208 causes the job to be printed in step S509.

  Next, processing when an error relating to a sheet used for printing occurs when performing printing processing in the image forming apparatus 200 will be described. The error relating to the sheet includes no optimal size sheet, no optimal sheet type, no sheet, insufficient sheet remaining, and sheet mounting error. In the following description, the sheet width and the sheet type will be described as an example for one side and for both sides, but other sheet sizes may be used. For example, if it is a cut sheet as the sheet size, it may be a material or a processing method of the sheet such as a vertical and horizontal size and a sheet type such as gloss, semi-gloss, and silk tone.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of the operation unit 206 when an error relating to a sheet occurs in the image forming apparatus 200. In the status display area 404, a message indicating that an error has occurred is displayed. In the display area 601, the details of the error contents are displayed. Here, since there is no sheet necessary for printing the print job accepted by the image forming apparatus 200, a message to that effect is displayed. In the display area 602, a supplementary image of the error is displayed. Here, since the error is related to the sheet, a diagram showing the state of the sheet cassette is displayed. In this embodiment, two sheet cassettes are added, and the image forming apparatus 200 includes a total of four sheet cassettes. In the figure, a indicates the sheet cassette 101a, b indicates the sheet cassette 101b, c indicates the added upper sheet cassette, and d indicates the added lower sheet cassette. The arrangement of the sheet cassettes in the figure matches the arrangement of the sheet cassettes as viewed in the direction shown in FIG. 1, that is, the arrangement of the sheet cassettes as viewed from the display screen side of the operation unit 206. Therefore, the apparatus operator can easily grasp which sheet cassette state is indicated intuitively. The cassette states 603 and 604 will be described later.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing when processing a print job A for 6 inches and one side as usable sheets. However, this is merely an example, and other print jobs are processed in the same procedure except that the sheet specifying method is different. Here, it is assumed that sheets are loaded (set) in any of the sheet cassettes. This flowchart shows the flow of processing performed when the CPU 201 loads a control program stored in the ROM 202 or the HDD 204 into the RAM 203 and executes it.

  In step S <b> 701, the image forming apparatus 200 receives a print job, and starts preparation for printing the print job as illustrated in steps S <b> 501 to S <b> 504 in FIG. 5. In S702, since single-sided printing is performed here, it is determined whether a single-sided sheet is loaded in any of the sheet cassettes. If it is determined that it is loaded, the process proceeds to S703, and if it is determined that it is not loaded, the process proceeds to S708.

  In step S <b> 703, it is determined whether a sheet having a sheet width of 6 inches is included in the loaded single-sided sheet. If it is determined that it is included, the process proceeds to S704, and if it is determined that it is not included, the process proceeds to S706.

  In S704, a cassette in which a sheet for one side is loaded with a sheet width of 6 inches is confirmed. Here, since the sheet is loaded in the cassette a (sheet cassette 101a), it is determined to use the sheet of the cassette. If it is determined that the sheets are loaded in a plurality of cassettes, it is determined to use the one having the smaller remaining amount of sheets first. In step S705, the engine control unit 208 is instructed to print the print job A using the sheet in the cassette a, and printing is executed.

  In S706, there is no optimally sized sheet to be used for printing of the print job A. Therefore, a no sheet size error is generated, and in S707, the printing process of the print job is stopped. Here, although a sheet is set, an error display indicating that the sheet is not the optimal size is displayed. In the display of FIG. 6, an error indicated by 603 indicates that the sheet is set (the sheet is not displayed when the sheet is not set is displayed as 604), but is not an appropriate sheet (the upper right triangle of each cassette). Mark). Further, the display of 603 indicates that there is no plan to use the sheets of the corresponding cassettes in the print job A waiting for printing.

  In S708, since there is no optimum type of sheet, an error of no sheet type is generated. In step S709, it is determined whether a sheet having a sheet width of 6 inches is loaded. If it is determined that the sheet is loaded, a display indicating that the sheet is set but not the optimum sheet is displayed as in 603, and the printing process is stopped in S710. If it is determined that the sheet is not loaded, an error of no sheet size is generated in S711, a display such as 603 is performed, and the printing process is stopped in S712.

  As described above, in the display as shown in FIG. 6, a cassette in which a sheet that is not scheduled to be used is set is marked so that the operator can identify it. As a result, the apparatus operator can identify which cassette sheet may be exchanged. Note that the printing process is stopped in S707, S710, and S712 when the optimum sheet is not set. When the sheet is larger than the designated size, or when only one side of the double-sided sheet is used, printing can be performed even in such a case. Therefore, when the apparatus operator views the screen of FIG. 6 and instructs to print using one of these sheets, printing is executed using the sheet. In the above case, the display may be made such that an error without sheet size and an error without sheet type can be distinguished from each other.

  Next, the flow of processing when there is no cassette sheet during printing of one print job will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the flow at the time of processing the print job B which uses 6 inches as a usable sheet and for one side and uses 20 m sheets will be described. Here, for example, it is assumed that there is no sheet in the cassette that was originally used after printing for 15 m due to an error in detecting the remaining amount of the sheet. This is just an example, and the same procedure is used for other print jobs and other situations. This flowchart shows the flow of processing performed when the CPU 201 loads a control program stored in the ROM 202 or the HDD 204 into the RAM 203 and executes it.

  In step S801, printing preparation for the print job B is started in the same manner as in step S701. In step S <b> 802, it is confirmed that the sheet loaded in the cassette a is a sheet that can execute the print job B, and the remaining amount that can execute the print job is the smallest. In step S803, the engine control unit 208 is instructed to print the print job B using the sheet in the cassette a, and printing is started.

  Here, it is assumed that, in step S804, it is detected that sheets in the cassette a have run out before printing of the print job B is completed. In step S805, it is determined whether another cassette has a sheet width of 6 inches and a single-side sheet loaded. If it is determined that it is loaded, the process proceeds to S806, and if it is determined that it is not loaded, the process proceeds to S808.

  In S806, it is detected that, for example, 100 m of a 6-inch single-sided sheet remains in the cassette d, and the remaining printing of the print job B is determined to use the sheet of the cassette d. In step S807, the engine control unit 208 is instructed to perform the remaining printing of the print job B using the cassette d, and the remaining printing is started.

  In S808, since no remaining sheets that can be printed are loaded in any cassette, a no sheet error is generated, and in S809, the printing process is stopped. Here, in order to prevent different sheets before and after interruption in the same print job, even if a sheet that can be printed is loaded in another cassette, there is no sheet if it is different from the sheet before interruption An error occurs. When a sheet-out error occurs, the display is as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 9, no sheet is loaded in any cassette, and there is a print job that is stopped, and therefore identification information (a cross mark on the upper right of each cassette) that prompts sheet setting is attached. It is.

  Note that the above errors related to sheets indicate that there is no optimum sheet (optimum size, optimum type) or no sheet to be used. For example, if the magazine is not set properly, the sheet cannot be pulled out from the cassette. An error such as being in a nonexistent state is also conceivable. In the case of such an error, a display as shown in FIG. 10 is performed. In FIG. 10, 1001 indicates that an abnormality has occurred in the cassette d. If there is a sheet and no abnormality has occurred, a display such as 1002 is displayed.

  In the example of FIG. 6, the apparatus user cannot determine whether or not the sheet of each cassette is scheduled to be used for the print job subsequent to print job A, but the display should be able to determine this. You can also. The image forming apparatus 200 determines usable sheets for a plurality of print jobs. As a result, it is not used in the preceding print job (current print target print job), but in the subsequent print job, the sheet to be used is determined, and the display is made so that it can be determined. Reference numeral 1101 in FIG. 11 indicates that no subsequent print job is scheduled to be used. That is, in 1101, a mark indicating that there is no plan to use in a subsequent print job is added in addition to a mark indicating that printing is not optimal for a print job whose printing is stopped as shown in FIG. Since the cassettes a and c are scheduled to be used in subsequent print jobs, no mark indicating that they are not scheduled to be used is added. The apparatus operator confirming the display in FIG. 11 determines whether to load the sheet into the cassette b or replace it with the sheet in the cassette a or c in order to execute the print job that has been stopped by the optimum sheet. You can see that Then, even if the cassette d is replaced here, it is scheduled to be used in a subsequent print job. As a result, the frequency of sheet replacement can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the present exemplary embodiment, the user can perform various displays according to the contents of the print job received by the image forming apparatus 200 and the status of the sheet set in the image forming apparatus 200. You can be notified of how to properly set the sheets against. In other words, the presence of a sheet, the presence of a sheet, but it is not optimal for printing a received print job, there is no sheet that can continue interrupted printing, and the succeeding sheet, not the optimal sheet for printing the preceding print job It can be notified that it is scheduled to be used in other print jobs. Therefore, the user can easily set the sheet in an appropriate cassette. At this time, the user can make a more reliable determination by making a determination together with the display of FIG. 4, or more detailed information may be displayed by the display of FIGS.

  Note that the information displayed on the operation unit 206 as described above may be displayed on the host information 211 display device. At that time, the host device 211 receives the usage status of the sheet, the contents of the received print job (or the sheet scheduled to be used), and the like from the image forming apparatus 200, and performs the display as described above. Similar processing may be performed by an external controller other than the host device 211 except for a portion to be printed from the image forming apparatus 200. In these embodiments, an external device such as the host device 211 or an external controller functions as a print control device.

  The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed. Further, the program may be executed by a single computer or may be executed in conjunction with a plurality of computers. Moreover, it is not necessary to implement all of the above-described processing by software, and part or all of the processing may be implemented by hardware.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications (including application to other embodiments, combinations with other embodiments, etc.) are possible based on the spirit of the present invention.

Claims (8)

A printing control apparatus for performing printing using recording materials stored in a plurality of storage units,
Whether a recording material to be used in a second print job waiting to execute a print process after the first print job in which the print process is executed is stored in any of the plurality of storage units , Determination means for determining during execution of the first print job ;
When the determination unit determines that the recording material to be used in the second print job is not stored in the plurality of storage units, each of the plurality of storage units should be used in the second print job. A printing control apparatus comprising: a notification unit that notifies different error information based on the content of an error state relating to a recording material in an identifiable manner.   2. The notification unit according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the storage unit in which a recording material not used in the second print job is stored and the storage unit in which the recording material is not stored in an identifiable manner. Print control device. The notification means further includes the same recording material when there is no recording material in the storage section during printing of the first print job using the recording material stored in one of the plurality of storage sections. 3. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when there is no storage in another storage unit, the print control apparatus notifies that there is no recording material to be used in the first print job in an identifiable manner.   The notifying means is further used by the third print job for a storage unit that does not store a recording material used by a third print job waiting to execute a printing process after the second print job. 4. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein information indicating that a recording material to be stored is not stored is notified in an identifiable manner together with the error information. 5.   5. The notification unit according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the first error information indicating that a recording material not used in the second print job is stored as the error information in an identifiable manner. The printing control apparatus according to claim 1.   6. The notification means according to claim 1, wherein the error information is identifiable notification of second error information indicating that a recording material to be used in the second print job is not stored. The printing control apparatus according to any one of the above. A print control method executed in a print control apparatus for performing printing using any of recording materials stored in a plurality of storage units,
Whether a recording material to be used in a second print job waiting to execute a print process after the first print job in which the print process is executed is stored in any of the plurality of storage units , A determination step for determining during execution of the first print job ;
In the determination step, when it is determined that the recording material to be used in the second print job is not stored in the plurality of storage units, each of the plurality of storage units is used in the second print job. A printing control method comprising: a notification step of identifiably reporting different error information based on the content of an error state relating to a recording material to be printed. A program for realizing each means of the print control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or the print control method according to claim 7 by a computer.

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