JP6418096B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  Conventionally, various techniques for reducing the number of recording media used in an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium are known.

  For example, a printing apparatus is disclosed that rearranges a print document so that a print image of the last page is clogged with the previous page (see Patent Document 1). Specifically, the printing apparatus determines whether the print amount of the last page of a print document having a plurality of pages is small. Then, when it is determined that the print amount of the last page is small, the print document is rearranged so that the print image of the last page is clogged with the previous page. The rearrangement method is, for example, reduction of indentation, reduction of font size, or reduction of line spacing.

  Patent Document 1 describes that according to the printing apparatus, it is possible to eliminate wasteful use of paper.

JP 2003-276271 A

  However, in the printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, if there is an image in at least one of the header part, the footer part, and the fore edge part, the print document may not be rearranged. For example, when an image having a page number is formed in the footer part, the printing apparatus does not determine whether the image is formed in the footer part. In other words, the printing apparatus does not determine whether the image is an image in the text or an image of the footer part. When recognizing that the image is an image in the text, the printing apparatus may not determine that the printing amount of the last page is small. Therefore, the printing apparatus may not be able to rearrange the printed document.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus capable of reducing consumption of a recording medium.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium based on image information of a plurality of pages, and includes a first determination unit, an image removal unit, a rearrangement unit, and an image formation unit. . The first determination unit determines whether or not there is an image in at least one of a header part, a footer part, and a fore edge part in a page image that is an image of each page of the plurality of pages. The image removing unit removes the image when the first determining unit determines that the image is present. The rearrangement unit rearranges the images of the plurality of pages so that the image of the last page of the plurality of pages fits on the previous page after the image is removed by the image removal unit. The image forming unit prints the rearranged images of the plurality of pages.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the consumption of the recording medium can be reduced.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating configurations of an image reading unit and a document transport unit illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the original document shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the control part shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the control part shown in FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 6). In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is not repeated.

  First, an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 100 is a multi-function peripheral (MFP). The image forming apparatus 100 has functions of a scanner, a copier, a printer, and a facsimile. The image forming apparatus 100 includes an image forming unit 1, an image reading unit 2, a document transport unit 3, an operation panel 4, and a control unit 5.

  The image forming unit 1 forms an image on a sheet P that is an example of a recording medium. The image reading unit 2 reads an image formed on the document R. The document transport unit 3 transports a document R to be read. The operation panel 4 includes a touch panel 41 and receives input from the user to the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 5 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 100.

  The image forming unit 1 includes a paper feed cassette 11, a paper feed roller 12, a transport roller pair 13, a registration roller pair 14, an image forming unit 15, a fixing device 16, a discharge roller pair 17, and a discharge tray 18. The paper feed roller 12 feeds the paper P from the paper feed cassette 11 one by one. The paper P fed out by the paper supply roller 12 is conveyed to the image forming unit 15 by the conveyance roller pair 13 and the registration roller pair 14.

  The image forming unit 15 forms an image on the paper P conveyed from the paper feed cassette 11. The image forming unit 15 includes a photosensitive drum 151, a charging unit 152, an exposure unit 153, a developing unit 154, a transfer roller 155, and a cleaning unit 156. The photosensitive drum 151 is a cylindrical rotating body, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the peripheral surface thereof. The charging unit 152 charges the photosensitive drum 151 to a predetermined potential. The exposure unit 153 exposes the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 151 by irradiating laser light based on the image data. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 151. As the image data, for example, image data generated by the image reading unit 2 reading the document R, or image data received from an external computer via a communication network (not shown) is used. The paper P on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 15 is conveyed to the fixing device 16.

  The developing unit 154 supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the peripheral surface of the photoconductive drum 151 and develops it, and forms a toner image on the peripheral surface of the photoconductive drum 151. The transfer roller 155 transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 151 onto the paper P. The cleaning unit 156 removes residual toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 151 after the transfer.

  The fixing device 16 thermally fixes the image formed on the paper P to the paper P. The fixing device 16 includes a heating roller and a pressure roller. The heating roller contains a heating element. The heating roller and the pressure roller form a fixing nip portion by being pressed against each other. As the paper P passes through the fixing nip portion, the toner adhering to the surface of the paper P is melted and heated. As a result, the toner image is fixed on the paper P. The paper P on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to the discharge tray 18 by the discharge roller pair 17.

  Next, the image reading unit 2 and the document transport unit 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the image reading unit 2 and the document conveying unit 3.

  The image reading unit 2 includes a contact glass 210, a light source 22, a first mirror 231, a second mirror 232, a third mirror 233, a first carriage 26, a second carriage 27, an imaging lens 28, and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). 29). The light source 22 and the first mirror 231 are supported by the first carriage 26. Further, the second mirror 232 and the third mirror 233 are supported by the second carriage 27. The contact glass 210 has a wide document placing glass 212 and a long and thin document automatic reading glass 211. The automatic document reading glass 211 is located on the left side of the document placement glass 212 in FIG.

  There are two types of image reading methods of the document R by the image reading unit 2, that is, a flat bed reading mode and an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) reading mode. In the flat bed reading mode, the image of the document R placed on the document placement glass 212 is read. In the ADF reading mode, the original R is conveyed by the original conveying unit 3, and when the original R passes the first reading position 211a, an image of the original R is read.

  Specifically, in the flat bed reading mode, the light source 22 irradiates the document R placed on the document placement glass 212. Then, the reflected light from the document R is reflected in the order of the first mirror 231, the second mirror 232, and the third mirror 233 and enters the imaging lens 28. The light incident on the imaging lens 28 is imaged by photoelectric conversion on the light receiving surface of the CCD 29, and the CCD 29 outputs it as an image signal. When the reading for one line is completed, the first carriage 26 and the second carriage 27 are moved in a direction (sub-scanning direction, arrow Y direction) orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the document R (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2). It is moved and the next line is read.

  On the other hand, in the ADF reading mode, when the document R conveyed by the document conveying unit 3 passes through the first reading position 211a, the light source 22 irradiates the document R with light through the document automatic reading glass 211. The reflected light from the document R is reflected in the order of the first mirror 231, the second mirror 232, and the third mirror 233 and enters the imaging lens 28. The light incident on the imaging lens 28 is imaged by photoelectric conversion on the light receiving surface of the CCD 29, and the CCD 29 outputs it as an image signal. When the reading for one line is completed, the document R is transported by the document transport unit 3, and the next line is read.

  The document transport unit 3 includes a document tray 31, a pickup roller 32, a separation roller pair 33, a transport roller pair 34, a registration roller pair 35, a reading guide 36, a transport roller pair 37, a discharge roller pair 38, and a document discharge tray 39. I have. The document transport unit 3 constitutes an ADF.

  A plurality of documents R (see FIG. 1) are placed on the document tray 31. On the bottom surface of the document tray 31, for example, a lift mechanism for lifting the document R upward is provided. When the document R is placed on the document tray 31, the lift mechanism lifts the document R upward, and the uppermost document R contacts the pickup roller 32.

  The pickup roller 32 comes into contact with the uppermost document R on the document tray 31 and is rotated to feed the uppermost document R one by one toward the separation roller pair 33. The pickup roller 32 starts feeding the next document R after a predetermined inter-sheet time has elapsed after feeding the trailing edge of the document R.

  The separation roller pair 33 feeds the original R fed from the pickup roller 32 one by one toward the conveyance roller pair 34. The transport roller pair 34 feeds the document R transported from the separation roller pair 33 one by one toward the registration roller pair 35. The registration roller pair 35 sends the conveyed document R to the first reading position 211a at a predetermined timing.

  The reading guide 36 is disposed downstream of the registration roller pair 35 in the transport direction of the document R. The reading guide 36 is disposed so as to face the contact glass 210 of the image reading unit 2. The reading guide 36 is formed long in the width direction of the document R (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2). Further, the reading guide 36 is urged toward the contact glass 210 by, for example, coil springs disposed at both ends in the longitudinal direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2). The lower surface of the reading guide 36 is formed such that both end portions in the longitudinal direction protrude below the center portion. When the document transport unit 3 is in the closed position, both end portions in the longitudinal direction are in contact with the upper surface of the contact glass 210. In addition, the document R is configured to pass through a certain gap formed between the central portion in the length direction of the lower surface of the reading guide 36 and the contact glass 210. In this manner, in the ADF reading mode, when the document R passes between the reading guide 36 and the automatic document reading glass 211, an image formed on the document R is read. A gap between the reading guide 36 and the automatic document reading glass 211 is a first reading position 211a.

  The conveyance roller pair 37 is arranged downstream of the first reading position 211a in the conveyance direction of the document R. The conveyance roller pair 37 conveys the document R read at the first reading position 211 a to the discharge roller pair 38. The discharge roller pair 38 discharges the document R conveyed from the conveyance roller pair 37 to the document discharge tray 39. The document discharge tray 39 is positioned below the discharge roller pair 38 in the vicinity of the discharge roller pair 38 and can stack the discharged document.

  In the following description, a mode in which the image reading unit 2 reads images of a plurality of documents R placed on the document tray 31 in the ADF reading mode will be described. A form in which the read image of the original R is formed on the paper P using the image forming unit 1 will be described. In other words, a mode in which an image of the original R is copied onto the paper P will be described.

  Next, the configuration of the control unit 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 5. The control unit 5 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. A control program is stored in the memory. The CPU functions as various functional units by executing the control program. The CPU causes the memory to function as various functional units by executing a control program. As a result, the various functional units of the CPU and memory control the operation of the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 5 includes an image storage unit 51, a reception unit 52, an image reading unit 53, a first determination unit 54, an image removal unit 55, a second determination unit 56, a rearrangement unit 57, and an image formation unit 58. Prepare.

  The image storage unit 51 stores image information RMJ corresponding to the page image RM of the document R having a plurality of pages. The page image RM is an image formed on each page of a multi-page document R. The image information RMJ is read from the document R by the image reading unit 53 via the image reading unit 2. The image information RMJ is generated by the image reading unit 53. Further, the image information RMJ is written into the image storage unit 51 by the image reading unit 53.

  Further, the image information RMJ is read from the image storage unit 51 by the first determination unit 54. Further, when the image Q is present in at least one of the header part, the footer part, and the fore edge part of the page image RM, the page image RN obtained by removing the image Q from the page image RM is generated by the image removing unit 55. The Then, the image removal unit 55 writes the image information RNJ corresponding to the page image RN into the image storage unit 51. Further, the image information RNJ is read from the image storage unit 51 by the second determination unit 56. Then, a page image RL in which the page image RN is rearranged by the rearrangement unit 57 is generated. In addition, the image information RLJ corresponding to the page image RL is written into the image storage unit 51 by the rearrangement unit 57.

The accepting unit 52 accepts user input via the operation panel 4. Specifically, the accepting unit 52 accepts user input via the operation panel 4 and sets the following four items.
Setting item A: Whether to execute the rearrangement process.
Setting item B: Whether to remove the image Q in the header part.
Setting item C: Whether to remove the image Q in the footer part.
Setting item D: Whether to remove the image Q at the fore edge.
In the present embodiment, a configuration in which all of the setting items A to D are set to “YES” will be described. The accepting unit 52 accepts user input via the operation panel 4, and sets distances L1 to L3, which will be described later with reference to FIG. Further, the accepting unit 52 accepts an instruction to execute copying via the operation panel 4.

  The image reading unit 53 reads the page images RM of a plurality of pages of the document R placed on the document tray 31 via the image reading unit 2, and generates image information RMJ corresponding to the page image RM. Further, the image reading unit 53 writes the generated image information RMJ into the image storage unit 51.

  The first determination unit 54 determines whether or not the image Q is present in at least one of the header part, the footer part, and the fore edge part in the page image RM of the document R having a plurality of pages. Specifically, the first determination unit 54 reads page images RM of a plurality of pages of the document R from the image storage unit 51. Then, the first determination unit 54 determines whether or not there is an image QH in the header portion of the page image RM. Next, the first determination unit 54 determines whether or not there is an image QF in the footer part in the page image RM. Further, the first determination unit 54 determines whether or not there is an image QS in the fore edge in the page image RM. Details of the first determination unit 54 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The image removal unit 55 removes the image Q from the page image RM when the first determination unit 54 determines that there is an image Q. Specifically, when the first determination unit 54 determines that there is an image QH in the header portion, the image removal unit 55 removes the image QH from the page image RM. When the first determination unit 54 determines that the image QF is present in the footer unit, the image removal unit 55 removes the image QF from the page image RM. Further, when the first determination unit 54 determines that there is an image QS in the fore edge, the image removal unit 55 removes the image QS from the page image RM. Further, the image removing unit 55 writes the image information RNJ corresponding to the page image RN obtained by removing the image Q from the page image RM in the image storage unit 51. Note that the image Q is a generic name indicating all images of the image QH, the image QF, and the image QS. Further, the image removing unit 55 performs “white filling” on the image QH, the image QF, and the image QS using the margin function, and removes the image QH, the image QF, and the image QS. “White fill” is a process of changing the pixel values of all the pixels included in the region including the image Q to pixel values indicating white. Details of the image removing unit 55 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The second determination unit 56 performs the following four determinations after the image Q is removed by the image removal unit 55. First, the second determination unit 56 determines whether or not the print amount PV of the page image RN of the last page of the plurality of pages of the document R is equal to or less than a preset threshold value PVS. The threshold value PVS is, for example, 10%. Further, the second determination unit 56 determines whether or not the page number N of the document R is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value NS. The threshold value NS is, for example, 2 pages. Furthermore, the second determination unit 56 determines whether or not the indent amount ND of the page image RN is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value DS. The threshold value DS is, for example, 10 mm. In addition, the second determination unit 56 determines whether or not the font size F of the page image RN is greater than or equal to a preset threshold FS. The threshold FS is, for example, 12 points.

  The rearrangement unit 57 rearranges the page images RN when the four determinations made by the second determination unit 56 are all “YES”. In other words, when at least one of the four determinations made by the second determination unit 56 is “NO”, the rearrangement unit 57 does not rearrange the page images RN. The rearrangement unit 57 rearranges the page images RN to generate a page image RL, and writes the generated page image RL in the image storage unit 51.

  Specifically, for example, the rearrangement unit 57 rearranges the page image RN by reducing the indent amount ND of the page image RN. More specifically, the rearrangement unit 57 rearranges the page image RN by reducing the indent amount ND of the page image RN by a predetermined amount ΔD (for example, 1 mm). For example, the rearrangement unit 57 may rearrange the page images RN by reducing the page images RN. More specifically, the rearrangement unit 57 rearranges the page image RN by reducing the page image RN to a predetermined ratio (for example, 95%) set in advance.

  The image forming unit 58 prints the page image RL rearranged by the rearrangement unit 57. Specifically, the image forming unit 58 reads the page image RL from the image storage unit 51. Then, the image forming unit 58 prints the page image RL on the paper P via the image forming unit 1.

  Next, a document 6 that is an example of the document R will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the document 6. The document 6 includes a header part 61, a footer part 63, and a fore edge part 62. The document 6 is provided with a header 61 at the upper end of the document 6. A footer 63 is disposed at the lower end of the document 6. A fore edge 62 is disposed at the right end of the document 6. A text part 64 in which a text is written is arranged below the header part 61 of the document 6 and above the footer part 63 and on the left side of the fore edge part 62. A text image 641 is arranged in the text portion 64.

  The header portion 61 is a range of a distance L1 set in advance from the upper edge of the document 6. The distance L1 is 30 mm, for example. The fore edge portion 62 is a range of a distance L2 set in advance from the right edge of the document 6. The distance L2 is 30 mm, for example. The footer 63 is a range of a distance L3 set in advance from the lower edge of the document 6. The distance L3 is 30 mm, for example. Note that the distances L1 to L3 are set based on user input via the operation panel 4 by the receiving unit 52, for example.

  In the header portion 61, an image 611 with “reference number: XXX” is arranged. The image 611 corresponds to an example of the image QH. The image removing unit 55 fills the image 611 with white and deletes the image 611, and sets the header unit 61 as an upper margin. An image 621 for “Chapter 1” is arranged in the fore edge portion 62. The image 621 corresponds to an example of the image QS. The image removing unit 55 fills the image 621 with white and deletes the image 621, and sets the fore edge 62 as the right margin. In the footer unit 63, an image 631 of “1/5” is arranged. The image 631 corresponds to an example of the image QF. The image removing unit 55 fills the image 631 with white and deletes the image 631, and sets the footer unit 63 as a lower margin.

  Next, the operation of the control unit 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 are flowcharts showing the operation of the control unit 5. In the present embodiment, for the sake of convenience, the case where all of the setting items A to D are set to “YES” in advance and the distances L1 to L3 are set in advance will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 5, the accepting unit 52 accepts an instruction to execute copying via the operation panel 4 (step S101). Next, the image reading unit 53 reads the page images RM of a plurality of pages of the document R placed on the document tray 31 via the image reading unit 2 (step S103). Then, the image reading unit 53 generates image information RML corresponding to the page image RM, and writes the generated image information RML in the image storage unit 51 (step S105).

  Next, the first determination unit 54 determines whether or not the header image has the image QH in the page image RM (step S107). If it is determined that there is no image QH in the header portion (NO in step S107), the process proceeds to step S111. If it is determined that there is an image QH in the header part (YES in step S107), the image removing unit 55 removes the image QH from the page image RM. Further, the image removing unit 55 generates a page image RN obtained by removing the image QH from the page image RM. Then, the image removal unit 55 writes the image information RNL corresponding to the page image RN into the image storage unit 51 (step S109).

  In the case of NO in step S107 or when the process of step S109 is completed, the first determination unit 54 determines whether or not there is an image QF in the footer part in the page image RM (or page image RN). Determination is made (step S111). If it is determined that there is no image QF in the footer part (NO in step S111), the process proceeds to step S115. If it is determined that there is an image QF in the footer part (YES in step S111), the image removal unit 55 removes the image QF from the page image RM (or page image RN). In addition, the image removal unit 55 generates a page image RN obtained by removing the image QF from the page image RM (or page image RN). Then, the image removal unit 55 writes the image information RNL corresponding to the page image RN into the image storage unit 51 (step S113).

  If NO in step S111, or if the process of step S113 ends, the first determination unit 54 determines whether or not there is an image QS in the fore edge in the page image RM (or page image RN). Determination is made (step S115). If it is determined that there is no image QS in the fore edge (NO in step S115), the process proceeds to step S119 shown in FIG. If it is determined that there is an image QS in the fore edge (YES in step S115), the image removal unit 55 removes the image QS from the page image RM (or page image RN). The image removing unit 55 generates a page image RN obtained by removing the image QS from the page image RM (or page image RN). Then, the image removal unit 55 writes the image information RNL corresponding to the page image RN into the image storage unit 51 (step S117).

  If NO in step S115, or if the process of step S117 ends, as shown in FIG. 6, the second determination unit 56 determines that the print amount PV of the page image RN of the last page is equal to or less than the threshold value PVS. It is determined whether or not (step S119). If it is determined that the print amount PV is not less than or equal to the threshold value PVS (NO in step S119), the process proceeds to step S129. If it is determined that the print amount PV is equal to or less than the threshold value PVS (YES in step S119), the process proceeds to step S121. Then, the second determination unit 56 determines whether or not the page number N of the document R is greater than or equal to the threshold value NS (step S121). If it is determined that the page number N is not equal to or greater than the threshold value NS (NO in step S121), the process proceeds to step S129. If it is determined that the page number N is equal to or greater than the threshold value NS (YES in step S121), the process proceeds to step S123.

  Then, the second determination unit 56 determines whether or not the indent amount ND of the page image RN is greater than or equal to the threshold value DS (step S123). If it is determined that the indent amount ND is not greater than or equal to the threshold value DS (NO in step S123), the process proceeds to step S129. If it is determined that the indent amount ND is equal to or greater than the threshold value DS (YES in step S123), the process proceeds to step S125. Then, the second determination unit 56 determines whether or not the font size F of the page image RN is greater than or equal to the threshold value FS (step S125). If it is determined that the font size F is not greater than or equal to the threshold FS (NO in step S125), the process proceeds to step S129. If it is determined that the font size F is greater than or equal to the threshold FS (YES in step S125), the process proceeds to step S127. Then, the rearrangement unit 57 rearranges the page image RN by reducing the indent amount ND of the page image RN by a predetermined amount ΔD (step S127). Next, the image forming unit 58 prints the page image RL rearranged in step S127 on the paper P (step S129), and the process ends. If NO in step S119, NO in step S121, NO in step S123, or NO in step S125, image forming unit 58 prints page image RN on paper P (step S129). The process is terminated.

  As described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, the first determination unit 54 includes a header part, a footer part, and a fore edge part in the page image RM that is an image of each page of the document R of a plurality of pages. It is determined whether or not there is an image Q in at least one place. When the first determination unit 54 determines that there is an image Q, the image removal unit 55 removes the image Q and generates a page image RN. After the image Q is removed by the image removal unit 55, the rearrangement unit 57 re-relays the page images RN of the plurality of pages so that the image of the last page of the plurality of pages fits on the previous page. Arrange and generate page image RL. The image forming unit 58 prints the rearranged page images RL of a plurality of pages.

  Therefore, even when there is an image Q in at least one of the header part, the footer part, and the fore edge part, the page images RN of a plurality of pages can be rearranged and printed. Therefore, the consumption of the paper P can be reduced.

  Further, the image reading unit 53 generates image information RMJ corresponding to the page image RM of the document R having a plurality of pages. Therefore, when the copy function is executed, the page images RM of a plurality of pages can be rearranged and printed. Therefore, the consumption of paper P can be reduced when copying is executed.

  Further, the rearrangement unit 57 rearranges the page image RN by reducing the indent amount ND of the page image RN. Therefore, a plurality of page images RN can be rearranged and printed without changing the size of characters included in the page image RN.

  The rearrangement unit 57 rearranges the page image RN by reducing the page image RN. Therefore, after the image is removed by the image removal unit 55, even if the printing amount PV of the last page among the plurality of pages is large, the plurality of images are arranged so that the image of the last page fits on the previous page. The page image RN of the page can be rearranged.

  Further, after the image Q is removed by the image removal unit 55, the second determination unit 56 determines whether or not the print amount PV of the last page of the plurality of pages is equal to or less than a preset threshold value PVS. To do. When it is determined that the printing amount PV of the last page is not equal to or less than the threshold value PVS, the rearrangement unit 57 does not rearrange the page images RN of a plurality of pages.

  Therefore, rearrangement is not performed when the printing amount PV of the last page is large. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not to perform rearrangement by appropriately setting the threshold value PVS.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof (for example, (1) to (5) shown below). In order to facilitate understanding, the drawings schematically show each component as a main component, and the thickness, length, number, and the like of each component shown in the drawings are different from the actual for convenience of drawing. . Moreover, the shape, dimension, etc. of each component shown by said embodiment are an example, Comprising: It does not specifically limit, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate substantially from the structure of this invention.

  (1) As described with reference to FIG. 1, the form in which the recording medium is the paper P has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The recording medium may be a resin film such as an OHP (Over-Head Projector) sheet.

  (2) As described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the mode in which the reception unit 52 sets the distance L <b> 1 to the distance L <b> 3 has been described, but is not limited thereto. A form in which the areas of the header part, the footer part, and the fore edge part are obtained based on the page image RM of the document R may be used. For example, first, the area of the body part of the page image RM is obtained from the page image RM of the document R. Then, a position away from the upper end position of the body portion of the page image RM by a preset distance (for example, 1 mm) is set as the lower end position of the header portion. Further, for example, a position away from the lower end position of the body part of the page image RM by a preset distance (for example, 1 mm) is set as the upper end position of the footer part. Further, for example, a position away from the right end position of the body part of the page image RM to the right by a preset distance (for example, 1 mm) is set as the left end position of the fore edge part.

  (3) As described with reference to FIG. 3, the mode of copying the image of the original R onto the paper P has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The image forming apparatus 100 may print an image in response to an instruction from an external computer that is communicably connected to the image forming apparatus 100. In this case, the print setting when instructing printing from the external computer to the image forming apparatus 100 may include a setting for defining the range of the header part, the footer part, and the fore edge part. Therefore, the image removing unit 55 can easily remove the image Q from the page image RM.

  (4) As described with reference to FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the setting items A to D are all set to “YES” has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The setting item A may be set to “YES”, and at least one of the setting items B to D may be set to “YES”.

  (5) As described with reference to FIG. 3, the second determination unit 56 has performed the four determinations. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The second determination unit 56 may perform at least one determination. For example, the second determination unit 56 determines whether or not the page number N of the document R is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value NS (for example, two sheets).

  (6) As described with reference to FIG. 3, the rearrangement unit 57 has described the form in which the indent amount ND of the page image RN is reduced by a predetermined amount ΔD. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the rearrangement unit 57 determines a predetermined amount ΔD based on the number N of pages of the document R, the printing amount PV of the page image RN of the last page, the indentation amount ND of the page image RN, and the font size F of the page image RN. The form which asks for may be sufficient. In this case, the rearrangement unit 57 can perform proper rearrangement.

  The present invention can be used in the field of image forming apparatuses.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Image forming apparatus 1 Image forming unit 2 Image reading unit 3 Document conveyance unit 4 Operation panel 5 Control part 51 Image memory | storage part 52 Reception part 53 Image reading part 54 1st determination part 55 Image removal part 56 2nd determination part 57 Rearrangement 58 Image forming unit

Claims (5)

An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium based on image information of a plurality of pages,
A first determination unit that determines whether or not there is an image in at least one of a header part, a footer part, and a fore edge part in a page image that is an image of each page of the multi-page document;
An image removing unit that removes the image when the first determining unit determines that the image is present;
A rearrangement unit that rearranges the images of the plurality of pages so that the image of the last page of the plurality of pages fits in the previous page after the image is removed by the image removal unit;
An image forming unit that prints the rearranged images of the plurality of pages ,
It further includes a reception unit that receives whether to remove the image of the header part, whether to remove the image of the footer part, and whether to remove the image of the fore edge part,
An image forming apparatus in which the image removal unit removes the image based on a reception result of the reception unit. An image reading unit that reads an image formed on a document and generates image information;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading unit generates image information of the plurality of pages. A second determination unit that determines whether or not a printing amount of the last page of the plurality of pages is equal to or less than a preset threshold after the image is removed by the image removal unit;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rearrangement unit does not rearrange the images of the plurality of pages when it is determined that the printing amount of the last page is not less than the threshold value. The said image removal part removes the said image by changing the pixel value of all the pixels contained in the area | region containing the said image into the pixel value which shows white, The any one of Claims 1-3. The image forming apparatus described in 1. The header portion indicates a range of a first predetermined distance from an upper edge of the document;
The fore edge portion indicates a range of a second predetermined distance from a right edge of the document;
The footer portion indicates a range of a third predetermined distance from a lower edge of the document;
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit receives each of the first predetermined distance, the second predetermined distance, and the third predetermined distance. 6.

Images