JP6004630B2 - Printing control apparatus, method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing control apparatus, method, and program for performing printing using a continuous sheet.

  Conventionally, when printing an image on both sides of a continuous sheet such as roll paper, after printing on one side of the continuous sheet introduced into the printing means, the continuous sheet is cut and temporarily wound, There is one that re-introduces the printing means to perform printing on the opposite surface (see Patent Document 1). In such a printing apparatus, in order to perform efficient printing, printing on one side is continuously performed for a plurality of pages, and printing on the opposite side is performed when printing of all pages on one side is completed. By performing double-sided printing in such a procedure, double-sided printing can be performed efficiently.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-249346

  However, when printing is performed in such a procedure, if printing is interrupted, the sheet printed on only one side of the sheet is incomplete, but this amount increases. There is a fear.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. When printing is interrupted during printing on both sides of a continuous sheet, a printing control apparatus and method that can interrupt printing at an appropriate timing And providing a program.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the printing control apparatus of the present invention interrupts printing when printing on both sides of a continuous sheet regardless of whether printing on the second side of the continuous sheet is finished. Presenting means for presenting an option for selecting a first interruption method or a second interruption method for interrupting printing after finishing printing on the second surface of the continuous sheet, and printing on both sides of the continuous sheet A receiving unit that receives an instruction to interrupt the printing in the middle of performing, and an interrupting unit that interrupts printing according to a selected interruption method when the receiving unit receives an interruption instruction. The means presents, together with the options, the amount of sheets that are ejected in an incomplete state when interrupted by the first interrupting method. Further, another printing control apparatus of the present invention, when printing on both sides of a continuous sheet, a first interruption that interrupts printing regardless of whether or not printing on the second side of the continuous sheet has been completed. Presenting means for presenting an option for selecting a method or a second interruption method for interrupting printing after finishing printing on the second side of the continuous sheet, and printing on both sides of the continuous sheet A receiving unit that receives an instruction to interrupt the printing in the middle, and an interrupting unit that interrupts printing according to a selected interruption method when the interrupting instruction is received by the receiving unit. Along with the options, the number of pages to be ejected in an incomplete state when interrupted by the first interrupting means and the time required for interrupting printing when interrupted by the second interrupting method are presented To do.

  According to the present invention, the printing is interrupted regardless of whether printing on the second side of the continuous sheet is finished or by stopping printing after finishing printing on the second side. Therefore, printing can be interrupted at an appropriate timing.

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. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process in the case of printing on both surfaces of a continuous sheet. It is a figure which shows the printing order at the time of making it print on both surfaces of a continuous sheet. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case where pages are combined and a case where printing is not performed when printing is performed on both sides of a continuous sheet. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which determines whether page combination is performed. It is a figure which shows the process at the time of an immediate interruption. It is a figure which shows the process in the case of interrupting after continuing to an effective unit. It is a figure which shows the screen for setting the interruption method. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the process at the time of an immediate interruption. It is a figure which shows the process in the case of interrupting after continuing to an effective unit. It is a figure which shows the screen for selecting the interruption method. It is a figure which shows the screen for instruct | indicating reprinting.

  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 a thing and another function.

  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. However, the roll sheet is not limited to a roll shape as long as it can continuously print a plurality of pages on the same surface without being cut halfway. . 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. Further, 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 holding 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.

  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.

  In addition, the width of the print head 106 is longer than the width of a sheet that can be used in the image forming apparatus, and the print head 106 is not discharged from all the nozzles in one recording. Accordingly, when performing maintenance by ejecting ink onto the sheet of the print head 106, ejection processing from all nozzles is performed while moving the print head 106 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction (Y movement).

  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. The back surface here refers to a surface opposite to a surface on which an image based on an input print job is printed in a sheet used for printing. 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 methods such as dot impact, recording material imprinting, thermal transfer, and inkjet.

  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) can discharge large size sheets (A4 size, etc., larger than the L plate size) and small sizes (L plate size). is there. Further, trays arranged side by side (left and right) (hereinafter, small trays) can discharge small size sheets (L size), but cannot discharge large size sheets. 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. Further, priorities can be assigned to each of the plurality of trays, and when the image forming apparatus 200 executes the print job, the empty trays (sheets do not exist) are assigned to the sheet discharge destinations in order according to the priorities. Will be assigned as. 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.

  In this way, when performing double-sided printing of a sheet, the sheet is wound using the sheet winding unit 113, and the back side is printed by inverting the sheet. Therefore, the surface of the sheet when discharged to the sorting unit 114 differs between when printing on only one side of the sheet and when printing on both sides of the sheet. 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 discharged sequentially to the younger page sheets. The sheet on which the image of the first page is printed is discharged. Such discharge is called face-up discharge. It should be noted that in the case of single-sided printing and in the case of double-sided printing, the first and second-side printing is the first for single-sided printing and double-sided printing so that the sheet surface when discharging the sheet is the same (unified face-up or face-down). You may make it change the printing order (whether it is a descending order or an ascending order) of a surface.

  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.

  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 addition, the HDD 204 constructs a queue for managing print jobs, and sequentially registers jobs input to the image forming apparatus 200 in the queue. In place of the HDD 204, another mass storage device may be used. A flowchart to be described later shows a flow of processing performed by the CPU 201 loading the program code stored in the ROM 202 or the HDD 204 into the RAM 203 and executing the program code.

  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. Further, the image processing unit 207 and the external I / F 205 can supply power separately from the main power of the image forming apparatus 200. A print job can be received from the host device 211 with the main power turned off, and can be stored in the HDD 204 with some image processing performed. It is also possible to keep the maintenance processing in the HDD 204 as a job by turning off the main power of the image forming apparatus 200 and supplying power to the image processing unit 207.

  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 to perform an instruction such as a pulling roller driving instruction for pulling out the sheet from the cassette, a conveyance roller driving instruction for conveying the drawn sheet, and a rotation state of the conveyance roller. 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. In addition, install a photo storage on the network or provide a socket for inserting removable memory, read the image file stored in the photo storage or portable memory, generate image data and print it It may be a thing. 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.

  Next, a flow of processing when executing a print job by the image forming apparatus 200 in the above configuration will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow when the image forming apparatus 200 receives a print job for printing on both sides of a sheet and executes the print job. The sheet size (roll width) and sheet type (plain paper, glossy paper, film, etc.) set in the sheet cassettes 101a and 101b by the operation from the operation unit 206 by the user are registered in the RAM 203. And

  In S301, when a print job is received via the external I / F 205, processing of this print job is started. The accepted print job is temporarily stored in the HDD 204. In step S302, the print page order of the received print job is determined.

  In S302, first, the printing order is determined so that printing on the first surface (for example, the front surface) of the sheet is continued for a plurality of pages, and then printing on the opposite surface is continued for a plurality of pages. Here, what is continuously printed on the same surface is that the sheet types (sheet size and sheet type) of the sheets to be used match. However, even if the sheet sizes do not match, printing on a sheet larger than the output sheet size specified in the print job may be permitted, or the sheet type may not be considered. In addition, it may be determined whether to perform continuous printing based on the printing mode (single-sided printing, double-sided printing, bookbinding printing). In any case, any multi-page image that can be printed on the same sheet may be printed continuously. Here, a plurality of pages may be continued on the same surface only in one print job or across a plurality of print jobs. Further, the printing order is reversed between the first surface and the second surface. That is, if the first surface is in ascending order, the second surface is in descending order. When printing on the second side, after the last printing on the first side, the sheet is cut and conveyed from the cut side of the sheet (the opposite side of the page that was printed last on the first side) It is to be done.

  Next, in S303, printing on the first surface (here, the front surface) of the sheet is started in accordance with the page order determined in S302. That is, the CPU 201 supplies the print data of each page to the image processing unit 207 according to the determined printing order. The image processing unit 207 converts the print data of the front surface into a format that can be printed (development processing to image data), and stores the image data in the HDD 204. The generated image data is supplied to the engine control unit 208 in the order of the pages. At this time, the engine control unit 208 is notified of the image data for printing on which side of the sheet, the number of pages of data, and information that can specify the print job together with the image data.

  Upon receiving this image data, the engine control unit 208 feeds the sheet from the sheet cassette 101a or 101b according to the size of the image to be printed and the sheet type of the sheet to be used. The engine control unit 208 causes the conveyance unit 102 to convey the sheet to the printing position by the head unit 105, sequentially prints an image based on the image data on the front surface of the sheet, and reaches the reading position of the scanner unit 107. Transport the sheet. Whether or not the image is printed correctly is confirmed based on the content of the image data obtained by reading the printed image by the scanner unit 107 and conveyed to the cutter unit 110. If it is confirmed that the image is printed correctly, the cutter unit 110 does not cut the page unit, and passes the drying unit 112 while the pages are connected to perform the ink drying process. After that, the sheet is wound by the sheet winding unit 113. The reason why the sheet winding unit 113 performs the winding without cutting the sheet unit is that the printing here is double-sided printing. In the case of single-sided printing, sheets are cut in page units (may not be cut in some cases), and winding by the sheet winding unit 113 is not performed. On the other hand, when it is confirmed that the image is not printed correctly, the CPU 201 causes the cutter unit 110 to perform cutting to discharge a page that is not printed correctly. Then, the cut sheet is discharged to a tray (for example, a tray at the lowermost position) that discharges defectives among the trays of the sorting unit 114. Then, the CPU 201 supplies image data to the engine control unit 208 again and repeats the subsequent processing in order to perform reprinting for the portion that has not been correctly printed.

  Then, when printing up to the continuous printing on the front surface is completed, the process proceeds to S304, where the cutter unit 110 cuts the printed sheet on the front surface. In step S <b> 305, the sheet with the front surface printed on the sheet winding unit 113 is re-conveyed to the conveyance unit 102 so that the surface opposite to the first surface faces the head unit 105. In step S306, the back side is printed. Since the back side printing is the same as the front side, detailed description is omitted. However, when printing the back side, the sheet is printed by the cutter unit 110 in units of pages (there may be two pages in case of bookbinding printing). Disconnect. Then, the cut sheet is discharged to the tray of the sorting unit 114. Depending on the content specified in the print job, the sheet may not be cut here.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a printing order when performing duplex printing, and this example is a printing order when performing face-up discharge. As shown in FIG. 4, odd pages are printed in ascending order for the first side, and even pages are printed in descending order for the second side. An example of performing face-down discharge is omitted here, but is the same except that the page order to be printed is different. The same applies to printing on both sides of a sheet by bookbinding printing or the like, except that the order of pages is different.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a difference in processing between the case where pages are not combined and the case where pages are combined when performing duplex printing. FIG. 5 (a) is a diagram showing a case where no connection is made. In this case, the print order is JOB_A: 1Page → JOB_A: 3Page → JOB_A: 4Page → JOB_A: 2Page (to this point 501). Next, JOB_B: 1 Page → JOB_B: 3 Page → JOB_B: 4 Page → JOB_B: 2 Page (502 so far). Next, the print order is JOB_C: 1Page → JOB_C: 3Page → JOB_C: 4Page → JOB_C: 2Page (up to 503). In this case, JOB_A: 3Page and JOB_A: 4Page, JOB_A: 2Page and JOB_B: 1Page. Also, JOB_B: 3Page and JOB_B: 4Page, JOB_B: 2Page and JOB_C: 1Page. Further, a reversal operation from the first surface to the second surface occurs between JOB_C: 3Page and JOB_C: 4Page. FIG. 5 (b) is a diagram showing a case of coupling. In this case, in the printing order, first, the printing page of the first side is continuously printed, and then the second side is continuously printed. JOB_A: 1Page → JOB_A: 3Page → JOB_B: 1Page → JOB_B: 3Page → JOB_C: 1Page → JOB_C: 3Page. Next, the print order is JOB_C: 4Page → JOB_C: 2Page → JOB_B: 4Page → JOB_B: 2Page → JOB_A: 4Page → JOB_A: 2Page (504). In this case, the reversal operation from the first surface to the second surface occurs between JOB_C: 3Page and JOB_C: 4Page. Thus, inversion operation can be reduced in FIG. 5B compared to FIG. In addition, the setting as to whether or not to combine pages can be switched between on / off by using a control command from the operation unit 206 or the host device 211. The contents of this on / off setting are registered in the RAM 203. Also, in this example, an example of dividing by job is shown. However, this does not necessarily need to be divided for each job, and if the setting item for combining / not changing also changes within the job, even within the job, the page It is possible to separate them. For this reason, it is possible not to be bound by the unit that has been combined in advance, but to combine in units that permit the connection depending on the circumstances of the apparatus (such as running out of sheets).

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing details of processing for determining whether or not to combine pages in S302.

  In S601, the RAM 203 is referred to and it is determined whether or not the combination setting is ON. When the combination setting is OFF, the combination across the jobs is not performed, so in S302, the print page order is determined so that processing is performed in units of jobs.

  If the combination setting is ON, the process advances to step S602 to determine whether there is a next print page. Here, the page order of printing is determined in S302, the last page of the first page of the job group that is printing in S303 is the last page for each print job, and subsequent print jobs are accumulated in the HDD 204. If it is determined that there is a next print page. When combining in units of pages is completed in the middle of one print job, the preceding print job will not be completed unless the subsequent pages of the print job are printed first, so it is determined that there is no such case. To do. However, when considering the processing of multiple waiting print jobs, if it is determined that the job will be completed earlier if the subsequent print job is executed first, combining will be completed in the middle of the preceding print job. Even if this is the case, subsequent print jobs may be combined. Even if the subsequent print job is not stored in the HDD 204, it is determined that there is no next print page. If it is determined that there is no next print page, the flow returns to the flow of FIG.

  If it is determined in S602 that there is a next print page, the process proceeds to S603, in which print settings related to the sheet type of the last page of the first page of the preceding job group, and the first page of the subsequent print job are displayed. The print setting related to the sheet type of the first page is compared.

  If it is determined in step S604 that the compared print settings are the same, the process advances to step S605 to determine whether the page can be combined. The determination here determines the number of images (pages) arranged on the same plane within a range in which the images arranged on the same plane do not exceed a predetermined length according to the following criteria (1) to (3). . (1) The sheet length based on one job group does not exceed a predetermined length. This is to prevent the completion of the preceding print job from being delayed if they are combined too long. (2) The sheet length based on one job group should not exceed the remaining sheet capacity. This is to prevent the printing from being delayed if the remaining amount of the sheet is insufficient even if the criterion (1) is satisfied. (2) The tray of the sorting unit 114 to be used in one job group is empty. This is to prevent the printing from being delayed due to the tray not being empty. If these criteria are satisfied, the process proceeds to S606, where pages are combined and added to the previous job group. Then, returning to S602, the same processing is performed while switching the target page.

  If it is determined in S604 that the print settings related to the sheet type are not the same, or it is determined in S605 that the print settings cannot be combined, the process proceeds to S607, and the page and subsequent pages are set as another group, and the process returns to the flow of FIG.

  Next, a process when a print interruption instruction is given while the image forming apparatus 200 is executing a print process will be described. In the present embodiment, as a print interruption method, “promptly interrupt” or “print until the end of an effective print unit” can be designated. Here, as shown in FIG. 5B, it is assumed that JOB_A, JOB_B, and JOB_C are combined to perform duplex printing. An example in which the operator gives an interruption instruction while printing JOB_B: 1Page on the sheet surface will be described. The interruption instruction can be input from, for example, a method of transmitting a control command from the host device 211 or the operation unit 206.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing processing when “promptly interrupt” is designated. Upon receiving the interruption instruction, the image forming apparatus 200 immediately stops printing, and ends printing without performing printing after JOB_B: 3Page. The roll sheet is cut by the cutter unit 110, and the cut sheet passes through the drying unit 112 and is dried. Then, the cut sheet is conveyed to the sorting unit 114, and a tray for unnecessary items (for example, the lowermost tray) or a temporary tray ( For example, transport to the uppermost tray).

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing processing in the case of “printing to the end of a valid printing unit”. Effective printing units for avoiding wasteful printing results include copy units, job units, and units in which a plurality of jobs are combined. Here, a case where the effective print unit is a job unit will be described as an example. If an interruption instruction is received while printing JOB_B: 1Page, printing is performed up to JOB_B: 3Page, which is the end of the first side of JOB_B, based on the determination of the remaining print data amount, and the first side is finished by the cutter unit 110 Make time cuts. The sheet is taken up by the sheet take-up unit 113 after passing through the drying unit 112 and being dried without being cut in units of pages. The first surface printed sheet that has been wound around the sheet winding unit 113 is transported again to the transport unit 102. An image on the second side of JOB_B (JOB_B: 4Page → JOB_B: 2Page) and the second side of JOB_A (JOB_A: 4Page → JOB_A: 2Page) is printed. The cutter unit 110 cuts the images of JOB_B and JOB_A for each page length, passes through the drying unit 112 and is dried, and then transports the images to the sorting unit 114 and designates the tray specified for each image. Carry to.

  As described above, in the case of “printing until the end of an effective printing unit” in FIG. 8 in the interruption during the printing on the first surface, in the case of “printing until the end of the effective printing unit” in FIG. Printing is performed until the end of the effective printing unit, and the second side is also printed. Therefore, it is possible to use the sheet that was being printed on the first side at the time of the interruption instruction as an effective printed matter.

  FIG. 9 is a screen for allowing the operator to select the interruption mode. The screen of FIG. 9 is displayed by the operation unit 206 or the display device of the host device 211. When the CPU 201 recognizes the operation by the operator for this display, the operation according to the mode specified by the operator is performed. If the operator sets the interruption mode in advance, the printing interruption process is performed by the operator's desired printing interruption method when the printing is interrupted.

  Next, a description will be given of processing in a case where an operator designates an interruption method when interrupting printing. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing from interruption to reprinting when an interruption instruction is issued during the first side printing. Assume that at the start of this flow, the first side of a double-sided printing job is being printed, and job data being printed and job data waiting to be printed are held in the HDD 204. First, in 1000, the operator is requested to select a printing interruption method by display on the operation unit 206 or the display device of the host device 211. When the print interruption method is “print to valid print unit” (1001), the print is made to the valid print unit in 1002. Effective printing units for avoiding wasteful printing results include copy units, job units, and units in which a plurality of jobs are combined. Here, a case where the effective print unit is a job unit will be described as an example. In this embodiment, in order to perform double-sided printing (1003), the sheet is reversed at 1004 and printed on the second side at 1005. If the printing is not duplex printing, the sheet reversal (1004) and the second printing (1005) are not performed. In step 1006, the printed job data is deleted from the HDD 204. If the selected printing interruption method is the “quick interruption” method in 1001, printing is stopped in 1007, and the sheet that was being printed is discharged to the tray for unnecessary items in the sorting unit 114. In step 1008, information on the remaining print jobs held in the HDD 204 is displayed to the operator by displaying on the display unit of the operation unit 206 or the host device 211, and any of the remaining print jobs is reprinted. Or ask for a choice. The job selected not to be reprinted in 1008 is deleted from the HDD 204 in 1009. In 1010, the job held in the HDD 204 is reprinted and deleted from the HDD 204 when printing is completed.

  11 and 12 show the processing in each printing interruption method in FIG. 10 and the remaining print job data corresponding to 1008 in FIG. 10 corresponding thereto. Assume that JOB_A, JOB_B, and JOB_C shown in FIG. 5B are combined to perform duplex printing. As in the case of FIGS. 7 and 8, a case will be described as an example where the operator gives an interruption instruction while printing JOB_B: 1Page on the first surface of the sheet.

  FIG. 11A is a diagram showing processing in the case of “promptly suspend” as in FIG. In this case, JOB_B on the first surface of the sheet is not printed after 3 Pages, and the sheet is discharged without printing the second surface of the sheet. Therefore, in preparation for reprinting, print job data of JOB_A, JOB_B, and JOB_C is held in the HDD 204 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 12A is a diagram showing processing in the case of “printing to the end of an effective printing unit”, as in FIG. In this case, JOB_A and JOB_B complete printing on both the first and second sides. Therefore, in preparation for reprinting, only the print job data of JOB_C is held in the HDD 204 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 13 is a display screen for displaying the remaining print data amount and the like displayed at 1000 in FIG. 10 and for selecting a print interruption method, and accepts selection of the print interruption method according to this screen.

  Reference numeral 1300 denotes the number of pages that need to be printed in the denominator and the number of printed pages in the numerator on the first side (here, the front) and the second side (here, the back). Reference numeral 1301 denotes the time required for the remaining printing. By selecting 1302, the operator can interrupt printing by the method of “promptly interrupting” as shown in FIG. By selecting 1303, as shown in FIG. 12A, printing can be interrupted by a method of “printing to the end of an effective printing unit”. In addition, the length and the number of pages of sheets discarded when 1302 is selected (sheets that are not printed on the second side and are discharged in an incomplete state) are also presented here. This helps the operator decide which of 1302, 1303 to choose.

  For example, when incorrect job data is input and printing is started, it is desirable to stop printing immediately. In such a case, by selecting 1302, a sheet on which incorrect job data is printed is discarded, and the next printing can be started immediately. On the other hand, when it is necessary to interrupt the sheet without wasting it as much as possible, the operator selects 1303 and generates a wasted page by the method of “printing until the end of the effective printing unit”. Printing can be interrupted. However, since the method of “printing to the end of the effective printing unit” needs to print until the end of the effective printing unit on the first side, and further reverse the sheet and print to the second side, It takes a particularly long time to complete the printing interruption process. The operator can know from 1300 and 1301 the number of pages that are wasted by “promptly suspending” and the time taken to suspend printing by “printing until the end of an effective printing unit”. Then, it can be used as a reference for considering whether it is better to “interrupt promptly” or “print until the end of a valid print unit”.

  FIG. 14 is a reprint screen that shows a list of interrupted jobs and accepts a reprint instruction for an arbitrary job. The screen in FIG. 14 is a screen displayed at 1008 in FIG. 10, and the operator selects whether to reprint the interrupted job or delete it without performing reprinting.

  The screen of FIG. 14 will be described with reference to the examples of FIGS. When the print job is interrupted by the “promptly interrupt” method (FIG. 11A), the remaining print data is JOB_A, JOB_B, and JOB_C shown in FIG. , JOB_B and JOB_C are displayed. When the printing is interrupted by the method of “printing to the end of the valid unit” (FIG. 12A), the remaining print data is only JOB_C shown in FIG. Only JOB_C is displayed. For each job indicated by 1401, 1402 or 1403 allows the operator to select reprinting or deletion of the job. In the example of FIG. 14, JOB_A is selected to be reprinted, and JOB_B is selected to be deleted. When the operator selects 1404, selection of reprinting or deletion of each job by 1402 or 1403 is confirmed, and the process proceeds from 1008 to the next in FIG.

  When reprinting is not performed because the input job data is incorrect or the like, by selecting 1403, the job data can be discarded without reprinting. When reprinting is performed, 1402 is selected. When 1402 is selected, job data used for reprinting is stored in the HDD 204, so that the operator does not have to send the job data to the image forming apparatus 200 again using the host device 211. Can be reprinted immediately.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the printing process is interrupted, it can be interrupted by a method desired by the operator.

  In the above description, the processing excluding the portion to be printed may be realized by an external device such as a host device or an external controller, and a job may be executed by the image forming apparatus accordingly. At that time, the external apparatus acquires necessary information such as the job status from the image forming apparatus and performs the above-described processing.

  Moreover, this embodiment is implement | achieved also by performing the following processes. 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 (9)

When printing on both sides of the continuous sheet, the first interruption method for interrupting printing regardless of whether printing on the second side of the continuous sheet is completed, or on the second side of the continuous sheet Presenting means for presenting an option for selecting a second interruption method for interrupting printing after finishing printing;
Receiving means for receiving an instruction to interrupt the printing while printing on both sides of the continuous sheet;
An interruption unit for interrupting printing according to the selected interruption method when an interruption instruction is received by the reception unit;
Have
The presenting means presents, together with the options, the amount of sheets that are discharged in an incomplete state when interrupted by the first interrupting method.   The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the presenting unit further presents a time required for the printing to be interrupted when the second interrupting method is used. When printing on both sides of the continuous sheet, the first interruption method for interrupting printing regardless of whether printing on the second side of the continuous sheet is completed, or on the second side of the continuous sheet Presenting means for presenting an option for selecting a second interruption method for interrupting printing after finishing printing;
Receiving means for receiving an instruction to interrupt the printing while printing on both sides of the continuous sheet;
An interruption unit for interrupting printing according to the selected interruption method when an interruption instruction is received by the reception unit;
Have
The presenting means together with the options until the printing is interrupted when the number of pages discharged in an incomplete state when interrupted by the first interrupting means and when interrupted by the second interrupting method A printing control apparatus that presents the time required for the printing. 3. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the presenting unit further presents the number of pages to be ejected in a state where printing is incomplete when the first interrupting unit interrupts the presenting unit.   5. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selection unit that selects whether or not the printing interrupted by the interruption unit is executed again.   The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a printing unit that executes printing on a continuous sheet. When printing on both sides of the continuous sheet, the first interruption method for interrupting printing regardless of whether printing on the second side of the continuous sheet is completed, or on the second side of the continuous sheet A presenting step for presenting options for causing the second interruption method to interrupt the printing after the printing is terminated;
A reception step of receiving an instruction to interrupt the printing while printing on both sides of the continuous sheet;
When receiving an interruption instruction in the reception step, an interruption step of interrupting according to the selected interruption method;
Have
In the presenting step, together with the options, the amount of sheets to be ejected in a state where printing is incomplete when the first interruption method is used is presented. When printing on both sides of the continuous sheet, the first interruption method for interrupting printing regardless of whether printing on the second side of the continuous sheet is completed, or on the second side of the continuous sheet A presenting step for presenting options for causing the second interruption method to interrupt the printing after the printing is terminated;
A reception step of receiving an instruction to interrupt the printing while printing on both sides of the continuous sheet;
When receiving an interruption instruction in the reception step, an interruption step of interrupting printing according to the selected interruption method;
Have
In the presenting step, together with the options, until the printing is interrupted when the number of pages discharged in an incomplete state when interrupted by the first interrupting unit and when interrupted by the second interrupting method A printing control method characterized by presenting a time required for the printing. A program for causing a computer to execute the printing control method according to claim 7 or 8.

Images