JP6503999B2 - Image processing apparatus, imposition control program, and imposition control method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an imposition control program, and an imposition control method, and in particular, an image processing apparatus and an imposition control program for controlling imposition of pages on the same sheet, and a printing system including the image processing apparatus. Imposition control method in

  A recent image forming apparatus has a function of imposing (allocating) a plurality of pages on one sheet (hereinafter referred to as N in 1 printing function), and printing is performed using this function. By cutting the sheets, the booklet can be efficiently created with a small number of sheets. However, in the case where sheets printed using the N in 1 printing function are cut into pages and put together as a booklet, it is necessary for the user to rearrange them in the page order after cutting.

  With regard to imposition of pages in such N in 1 printing, for example, in Patent Document 1 below, there is a means for combining and printing two pages of a document page on the same side of one sheet of paper, and When the number of print copies is N, when the sheet after image formation is cut at the center and the other sheet bundle after cutting is overlapped below the sheet bundle including the first page, N copies in order of pages 1 to D An image forming apparatus is disclosed that includes control means for aggregating and printing so as to have a finish to be sorted.

  Further, Patent Document 2 below shows an information processing apparatus which outputs print data interpretable by a printing apparatus, and obtained by a cutting ability acquiring means for acquiring information on cutting ability of the cutting apparatus, and the cutting ability acquiring means Setting means for setting a bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets within the number of sheets that can be cut in an imposition unit based on the information on the cutting ability, the imposition unit, and the logical page of how many pages are arranged on the physical surface of the paper There is disclosed an information processing apparatus having a logic page arrangement method for selecting and layout means for performing imposition based on the method.

JP 2002-281278 A JP, 2007-184713, A

  In the cutting process after N in 1 printing, it is necessary to cut the paper end by aligning the sheet end for each sheet bundle, so the number of cuttings increases as the number of pages imposed on one sheet increases, and booklet creation is performed There is a problem that the productivity of Further, the rearranging according to the page order becomes more complicated as the number of pages imposed on one sheet of paper becomes larger, and there is a problem that the rearranging operation becomes complicated.

  To address this problem, Patent Document 1 proposes a method in which imposition is performed in N in 1 printing to form one booklet when sheets are stacked after cutting. However, cited reference 1 is a technique relating to imposition where the cutting process is completed by one cutting like 2 in 1, and imposition requiring multiple cutting like 4 in 1 or 8 in 1 Is not considered. Therefore, in the case of imposition where multiple cuttings occur, cutting can not proceed while stacking the sheet bundle, and there is a problem that efficient cutting can not be performed.

  Further, Patent Document 2 proposes a method of controlling the number of pages to be superimposed according to the maximum number of cut sheets of the cutting machine. However, Patent Document 2 does not consider reducing the number of cuttings. Therefore, as in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that efficient cutting can not be performed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its main object is to reduce the number of cutting times and to rearrange after cutting in N in 1 printing in which a plurality of pages are imposed on the same sheet. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus, an imposition control program, and an imposition control method capable of facilitating image processing.

One aspect of the present invention is an image processing apparatus for processing a job of N in 1 printing in which a plurality of pages of an original is allocated to the same sheet, wherein the job cuts the sheet after the N in 1 printing with a cutting machine. The job is to create a booklet consisting of a sheet of paper for each page by repeatedly stacking the cut sheets, cutting the stacked sheets further, and repeatedly performing cutting and stacking. Obtain the number of pages of the original, the number of page allocations, and the trimming order for setting the order of multiple cuttings set according to the number of page allocations, and divide the number of pages of the original by the number of page allocations. After creating a plurality of groups in which the number of pages of the page layout is continuous, and arranging the head group at a predetermined position of the sheet, the same layout as the previous group when the sheet is cut at the cutting position according to the cutting order When Repeat the process to place the next group in a position that until the end of the cutting sequence, characterized in that instructs printing by outputting the image data obtained by imposing the image of a page of each group to the print engine in accordance with the arrangement .

One aspect of the present invention is an imposition control program operating in an apparatus for creating or processing a N in 1 print job for allocating a plurality of pages of an original to the same sheet, and the job is a process after the N in 1 printing This is a job to cut sheets of paper with a cutting machine , overlap the cut sheets, further cut the superposed sheets , repeat cutting and superposition repeatedly, and create a booklet consisting of sheet pieces for each page First processing for specifying the number of pages of the original, the number of page allocations, and a cutting order for determining the order of multiple cuttings according to the number of page allocations in the apparatus ; The second process of creating a plurality of continuous groups of pages by dividing the number of pages by the number of allocations, arranging the leading group at a predetermined position of the sheet, and then cutting the sheet at the cutting position according to the cutting order The Third processing, the print engine prints that imposing an image of a page of each group in accordance with the arrangement of repeating Court the processing to place the next group in the same arrangement a position as the previous group if the end of the said cutting order And a fourth process of outputting data to be printed on the image forming apparatus.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a user terminal for creating a N in 1 print job for allocating a plurality of pages of an original to the same sheet, an image processing apparatus for processing the job, and a sheet after the N in 1 printing. Imposition in a printing system that includes a cutting machine to be used, stacks the cut sheets, further cuts the stacked sheets, and repeatedly performs cutting and stacking to create a booklet consisting of a sheet of paper for each page The control method, wherein the user terminal sets the number of pages of the document, the number of page allocations, and a cutting order for determining the order of multiple cuttings according to the number of page allocations when creating the job. First processing, second processing for dividing the number of pages of the original document by the number of page allocations, and creating a plurality of continuous groups of pages for the number of page allocations; After placement, a third process of repeating a process of placing the next group in a position having the same arrangement as the previous group when cutting the paper cutting position corresponding to the cutting sequence to the end of the cutting sequence, And performing a fourth process of outputting the job for creating a printed matter imposing the images of pages of each group according to the arrangement to the image processing apparatus.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a user terminal for creating a N in 1 print job for allocating a plurality of pages of an original to the same sheet, an image processing apparatus for processing the job, and a sheet after the N in 1 printing. Imposition in a printing system that includes a cutting machine to be used, stacks the cut sheets, further cuts the stacked sheets, and repeatedly performs cutting and stacking to create a booklet consisting of a sheet of paper for each page In the control method, the image processing apparatus acquires, from the job, the number of pages of the document, the number of page allocations, and a cutting order for determining the order of multiple cuttings set according to the number of page allocations. First processing, second processing for dividing the number of pages of the original document by the number of page allocations, and creating a plurality of continuous groups of pages for the number of page allocations; After placing a third process of repeating a process of placing the next group in a position having the same arrangement as the previous group when cutting the paper cutting position corresponding to the cutting sequence to the end of the cutting sequence A fourth process of outputting, to a print engine, image data in which images of pages of each group are imposed according to the arrangement, and instructing printing.

  According to the image processing apparatus, the imposition control program, and the imposition control method of the present invention, in N in 1 printing in which a plurality of pages are imposed on the same sheet, the number of cuttings is reduced and sorting after cutting is facilitated Can be

  The reason is that when processing an N in 1 print job in which the image processing apparatus (imposition control program) allocates a plurality of pages of a document (in particular, a plurality of pages of length and width both to the power of 2) on the same sheet. The number of pages of the original is divided by the number of page allocations to create a plurality of groups in which the pages of the page allocation number are continuous, and the first group is arranged at a predetermined position of the sheet, and then the sheet is cut at the cutting position according to the cutting order. This is because imposition is performed by sequentially arranging the next group at the same position as the previous group when cutting.

It is a figure which shows the imposition control method (imposition example of 8 in 1 printing) which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the imposition control method (Example of cutting in imposition of 8 in 1 printing) which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process of the user terminal which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process of the image processing apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing (job division processing) of the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process (white page insertion process) of the image processing apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process (imposition process) of the image processing apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process (a plurality of copies imposition process) of the image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of job division according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of page grouping according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of imposition of pages in 8 in 1 printing according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the cut guide banner page which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the cutting frequency priority mode which concerns on one Example of this invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a unit priority mode according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of imposition in the conventional 8 in 1 printing. It is a figure which shows the example of imposition in 8 in 1 printing to which the technique of patent document 1, 2 is applied. It is a figure which shows the example of cutting in imposition in 8 in 1 printing to which the technique of patent document 1, 2 is applied.

  As described in the background art, recent image forming apparatuses have an N in 1 printing function for imposing a plurality of pages on the same sheet, and by using this function to cut the printed sheet, A booklet can be efficiently created with a small number of sheets. However, as the number of pages imposing on the same sheet increases, rearranging according to the page order becomes more complicated and the operation becomes more complicated. This problem will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is an example of 8 in 1 printing in which 8 pages are imposed on the same sheet, and normally, from the left of the upper stage to the right and the lower stage from the left to the right, based on one end of the sheet (here, upper left). Pages are allocated in order. In this case, since the pages overlap on the upper left sheet bundle as in the first page, the 9th page, and the 17th page, after cutting, the user takes out the first sheet piece of each sheet bundle in order and stacks it. Next, it is necessary to rearrange a second sheet of the sheet bundle by sequentially taking it out and overlapping it.

  As a method for improving the complexity of the sorting operation, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a method in which imposition is performed in N in 1 printing to form one booklet when sheet bundles are stacked after cutting. is suggesting. This method will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is an example of 8 in 1 printing in which 8 pages are allocated to the same sheet, and is a diagram in the case where the techniques of Patent Documents 1 and 2 are applied to 8 in 1 printing. As shown in FIG. 17A, pages (10 pages) obtained by dividing the total number of pages (80 in this case) by the number of divisions (8 in this case) are based on one end of the sheet (here, upper left). , From the left of the upper stage to the right, from the left of the lower stage to the right. In this case, as shown in FIG. 17B, since the upper left sheet bundle has pages 1 to 10 and the next sheet bundle has pages such as 11 to 20 pages, the user can respectively By stacking the sheet bundle of in order, it is possible to create a booklet in which pages are arranged in order.

  However, in this method, in the case where a plurality of cuttings occur, the cutting can not proceed while stacking the sheet bundle, and therefore, the cutting can not be performed efficiently. This problem will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 shows a state in which the sheet bundle is cut by the cutting machine. First, as shown in FIG. 18 (a), the sheet bundle subjected to the page imposition is set in the cutting machine, and the center of the short side is set. Cut once in the longitudinal direction. Next, as shown in FIG. 18B, the bundle of sheets cut into two is cut once (totally twice) in the direction of the short side at the center of the long side. Then, as shown in FIG. 18C, the sheet bundle cut into four sheets is cut once (four times in total) in the direction of the short side at the center of the long side. That is, in the conventional method, when imposition of a page is performed by 8 in 1 printing, a total of seven cuttings are required, and the number of cuttings increases. Further, in the conventional method, it is necessary to sequentially stack eight sheet bundles (totally overlap seven times), and sorting after cutting becomes complicated.

  Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, in an off-line cutting workflow in which cutting is performed in a separate process after N in 1 printing, it is possible to set in what order the sheet bundle is to be cut and cut. By controlling the imposition of the pages according to the order, it is possible to cut while stacking the sheet bundle, and it is possible to create a booklet consisting of sheet pieces for each page arranged in the page order of the original with a small number of cuttings . Specifically, when processing a job of N in 1 printing in which multiple pages of the original (specifically, multiple pages of both the vertical and horizontal directions are allocated to the same sheet) on the same sheet, the number of original pages is divided by the number of page allocations Then, after creating a plurality of groups in which the number of pages of the page layout is continuous and arranging the top group at a predetermined position of the sheet, the same arrangement as the previous group when the sheet is cut at the cutting position according to the cutting order Imposition is performed by sequentially arranging the next group at the position where

  Hereinafter, description will be made with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the cutting direction is defined on the basis of the direction of the document, the cutting direction along the direction of the document is taken as the vertical direction, and the cutting direction along the direction orthogonal to the direction of the document is taken as the horizontal direction.

  FIG. 1 shows 8 in 1 printing in which 8 pages of a portrait original are imposed on one sheet of paper. In the present embodiment, first, the number of original pages (here, 80 pages) is divided by the number of page allocations (here, 8), and eight groups of 1 to 10 pages, 11 to 20 pages,. To G8). Then, the trimming order is set arbitrarily (here, horizontal → vertical → vertical). Next, as shown in FIG. 1A, the arrangement of the head group (G1) is set arbitrarily (here, at the upper left of the horizontally long sheet of paper). Next, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), when it is cut by the cutting axis of the first cutting (here, the cutting axis in the horizontal direction passing the center of the sheet), the surface position that becomes the same position as the previous group. Place the next group (G2) at (here, the lower left of the sheet). Next, as shown in FIG. 1 (c), when the cutting is performed by the cutting axis of the second cutting (in this case, the vertical cutting axis passing through the center of the divided sheet), the previous group (G1 and G2) The next group (G3 and G4) is arranged at the same position on the surface (here, the center right of each sheet). Next, as shown in FIG. 1 (d), when the sheet is cut at the cutting axis of the third cutting (here, the vertical cutting axis passing through the center of each of the four divided sheets), the previous group (G1) The following groups (G5 to G8) are respectively arranged at the surface positions (here, the right side of the respective sheets of paper) at the same positions as.

  FIG. 2 shows a state in which the sheet imposed by the above method is cut by a cutting machine. First, as shown in FIG. 2A, a sheet bundle subjected to page imposition is set in a horizontally long state in a cutting machine, and cut once along the cutting axis of the first cutting. Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the sheet bundle cut into two is overlapped (here, the sheet bundle on the upper side of the cutting position is overlapped on the sheet bundle on the lower side), and the sheet bundle is overlapped. (In the figure, the position of the superposition is described in order to make it easy to understand.) Cut one time along the cutting axis of the second cutting. Then, as shown in FIG. 2C, the sheet bundle cut into two is overlapped (here, the sheet bundle on the lower side of the cutting position is overlapped on the sheet bundle on the upper side), and the overlapped sheet bundle is Cut one time along the cutting axis of the third cutting. Thereafter, the sheet bundle cut into two is overlapped (here, the sheet bundle on the lower side of the cutting position is overlapped on the upper sheet bundle), and the creation of the booklet is completed.

  As described above, according to the method of the present embodiment, since cutting is performed while stacking the cut sheet bundle, a desired booklet can be created with a smaller number of cutting times. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the case of printing an 80-page original 8 in 1, the number of cutting times can be reduced from 7 times to 3 times in the prior art. It can be reduced from 7 times to 3 times. The present invention has a remarkable effect in N in 1 (4 in 1, 8 in 1, 16 in 1 ...) in which a plurality of pages in the vertical and horizontal directions are impelled on the same sheet. Even in the case of 6 in 1 or 12 in 1 or the like in which one side imposes a plurality of pages of a power of 2, it is possible to reduce the number of times of cutting and the number of times of stacking of sheet bundles as compared with the prior art.

  In order to describe the above-described embodiment of the present invention in more detail, an image processing apparatus, an imposition control program, and an imposition control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 15. Do. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printing system of the present embodiment, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing of the user terminal of the present embodiment, and FIGS. 5 to 9 are image processing devices of the present embodiment. It is a flowchart figure showing processing of. 10 is a diagram showing an example of job division, FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of page grouping, and FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an imposition example of 8 in 1 printing. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the cut guide banner page, FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the cutting number priority mode, and FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the copy unit priority mode.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the printing system of this embodiment, a user terminal 10 connectable with a communication network, a printer controller 20, and a print engine 30 are arranged on an intranet. Although Ethernet (registered trademark) or the like can be used as the standard of the communication network, data transfer from the printer controller 20 to the print engine 30 can also use IEEE 1394, Parallel or the like in addition to Ethernet (registered trademark). is there. Although the printer controller 20 is provided separately from the print engine 30 in FIG. 3, the printer controller 20 may be included in the print engine 30. Each device will be described in detail below.

[User terminal]
The user terminal 10 is a computer device such as a personal computer and issues a print instruction to the print engine 30 via the printer controller 20. The user terminal 10 includes a control unit 11, an OS (Operating System) 12, an application 13, a printer driver 14, a network I / F unit 15, a storage unit 16, a display unit 17, an operation unit 18, and the like.

  The control unit 11 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory such as a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM), and the CPU develops the control program stored in the ROM and the storage unit 16 in the RAM. By executing the control, the overall operation of the user terminal 10 is controlled.

  The OS 12 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark) or Macintosh (registered trademark), and enables the application 13 and the printer driver 14 to operate on the user terminal 10.

  The application 13 is software that performs text creation, spreadsheet, image processing, and the like, reads the printer driver 14 at the time of a print instruction, and transfers data (referred to as document data) created by the application 13 to the printer driver 14 .

  The printer driver 14 is print control software, and the document data created by the application 13 is a job (PJL (Printer Job Language), PS (PostScript), PCL (Printer Control Language), etc.) of a language readable by the printer controller 20. It is converted into Page Description Language (PDL) data or PDF (Portable Document Format) data described in the page description language. The print setting information (for example, the number of copies, the number of page allocations, the cutting order, the maximum number of cutting sheets of the cutting machine, the presence or absence of printing of a cut guide banner page described later, etc.) ) Is added.

  The network I / F unit 15 includes a network interface card (NIC), a modem, and the like, connects the user terminal 10 to a communication network, and transmits a job to the printer controller 20.

  The storage unit 16 is configured by a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and a program for the CPU to control each unit, information on processing functions of its own device, document data created by the application 13, and a printer The job etc. which the driver 14 created are memorize | stored.

  The display unit 17 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display device, and displays an original creation screen of the application 13 and a print setting screen of the printer driver 14. In the print setting screen of the printer driver 14, for example, setting items are classified into tabs, and when a layout tab is selected from them, settings relating to imposition become possible, and in the pull-down menu of the imposition items, 2 in 1, 4 in 1, 6 in 1, 8 in 1, etc. are displayed selectable. In addition, if you select the tab of finishing, it will be possible to select the cutting, pull-down menu of cutting order items, cutting order according to the N in 1 function (in the case of 8 in 1, horizontal → vertical → vertical, Vertical → horizontal → vertical, vertical → vertical → horizontal, etc. are displayed selectable. Further, in the maximum cutting number setting column, a desired maximum cutting number is displayed so as to be input. In addition, when the tab of the heading is selected, settings relating to the cutting position, cutting order, and guide page (referred to as a cut guide banner page) that clearly indicates the stacking order become possible, and the cut guide banner page setting field is cut guide Whether to print a banner page is displayed in a selectable manner.

  The operation unit 18 includes a mouse, a keyboard, and the like, creates an original using the application 13, and sets print settings using the printer driver 14 (in particular, the number of copies, the number of page allocations, the cutting order, the maximum number of sheets for the cutting machine, Enables operation such as setting of printing / non-printing of cut guide banner page.

  When a job of a specific format (for example, PDF data) is stored in a predetermined folder of the printer controller 20, the printer controller 20 is configured to automatically execute the job. The print instruction may be issued by copying a file to the specific folder.

[Printer controller]
The printer controller 20 is an apparatus (image processing apparatus) that controls the print engine 30 according to an instruction of the user terminal 10. The printer controller 20 includes a control unit 21, a network I / F unit 22, a printer I / F unit 23, a storage unit 24, a RIP (Raster Image Processor) unit 25, an imposition setting unit 26, and a display unit as necessary. And 27 and the like.

  The control unit 21 includes a CPU and a memory such as a ROM and a RAM, and the CPU controls the entire operation of the printer controller 20 by developing the control program stored in the ROM and the storage unit 24 in the RAM and executing it. Do.

  The network I / F unit 22 is configured by a NIC, a modem, and the like, and connects the printer controller 20 to a communication network. The printer I / F unit 23 is configured by an NIC, a modem, or the like, and enables communication with the print engine 30.

  The storage unit 24 is configured of an HDD, an SSD, or the like, and stores programs for the CPU to control the respective units, information on processing functions of the own device, jobs received from the user terminal 10, image data generated by the RIP unit 25, and the like. Do.

  The RIP unit 25 analyzes the job, and rasterizes each page of the job based on print setting information in the job to generate image data for each page.

  From the print setting information of the job, the imposition setting unit 26 determines the number C of printed copies of the document, the number P of pages, the number N of page allocations representing the number of pages allocated to one sheet, cutting order, maximum number of sheets D, cut guide banner page Obtain information such as whether to print or not, and based on this information, perform processing such as job division, insertion of white pages, page imposition, and creation of cut guide banner pages, etc. The image data for imposing the image data imposed at each position and the image data for printing the image of the cut guide banner page on the entire surface of the sheet are output to the print engine 30 and printing is instructed.

  Specifically, the page number P is divided by the page allocation number N to create a plurality of groups in which the page allocation number N is continuous. At this time, when the page number P is divided by the page allocation number N and a fraction is obtained, white pages of the number obtained by subtracting the fraction from the page allocation number N are inserted into the document (preferably, the beginning of the document). In addition, when the value obtained by dividing the number of pages P by the number of page allocations N exceeds the maximum number of cutting sheets D of the cutting machine, the job is divided for each page of the number obtained by multiplying the number of page allocations N by the maximum number of cutting sheets D Create multiple groups for each job. Also, when printing is instructed by the job for the number of print copies C equal to or more than the page allocation number N, the job is divided in accordance with a preset operation mode. For example, when the cutting number priority mode is set, a plurality of groups are created after combining the pages of each part of the number of print copies C. In addition, when set to the copy unit priority mode, the page allocation number N part creates a plurality of groups per copy, and the remaining parts less than the page allocation number N are multiple after combining the pages of the relevant parts. Create a group of Then, after arranging the leading group at the preset position of the sheet, sequentially arranging the next group at the same position as the previous group when the sheet is cut at the cutting position according to the cutting order The page imposition is performed, and the image data imposing the image of the page is output to the print engine 30 to instruct printing. In addition, when printing of the cut guide banner page is set to ON, a cut guide banner page that clearly indicates the cutting position, cutting order, and overlay order is generated, and the cut guide banner page is inserted at the beginning of the job ( That is, prior to the image data imposing the page, the image data for printing the image of the cut guide banner page on the entire surface of the sheet is output to the print engine 30 and printing is instructed.

  The imposition setting unit 26 may be configured as hardware, or is configured as an imposition control program that causes the control unit 21 to function as the imposition setting unit 26 and configured to cause the CPU to execute the imposition control program. It is also good.

  The display unit 27 includes a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display device, and the like, and displays various setting screens. The operation unit 28 includes a mouse, a keyboard and the like, and enables various setting operations and the like.

[Print engine]
The print engine 30 is an image forming apparatus such as an MFP (Multi-Functional Peripherals) that executes printing according to an instruction of the printer controller 20, and forms an image based on image data received from the printer controller 20 on designated paper. . The print engine 30 includes a control unit 31, a controller I / F unit 32, a storage unit 33, a panel operation unit 34, a screening processing unit 35, a print execution unit 36, and the like.

  The control unit 31 includes a CPU and a memory such as a ROM and a RAM, and the CPU controls the entire operation of the print engine 30 by expanding a control program stored in the ROM and the storage unit 33 in the RAM and executing it. Do.

  The controller I / F unit 32 includes a NIC, a modem, and the like, enables communication with the printer controller 20, and receives image data and print instruction information from the printer controller 20.

  The storage unit 33 is configured of an HDD, an SSD, or the like, and stores programs for the CPU to control the respective units, information on processing functions of the own device, image data received from the printer controller 20, printing instruction information, and the like.

  The panel operation unit 34 is a touch panel or the like provided with a pressure-sensitive operation unit (touch sensor) in which transparent electrodes are arranged in a grid on the display unit, displays various screens related to printing processing, and performs various operations related to printing. to enable.

  The screening processing unit 35 performs mask calculation corresponding to the screen shape specified by the print instruction information on the image data received from the printer controller 20, and converts it into a halftone image.

  The print execution unit 36 receives the screened image (binary image) as an input and executes a print operation. For example, in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic imaging process, light corresponding to an image is irradiated onto a uniformly charged photosensitive drum to form an electrostatic latent image, and this electrostatic latent image is formed. The charged toner is attached to make the toner image visible, and the toner image is transferred to a sheet through an intermediate transfer member such as a primary transfer roller and a secondary transfer belt, and then the toner image is heated and pressed. Perform processing to fix on paper. Then, the sheet bundle printed by the printing execution unit 36 is cut by the user using a cutting machine (not shown), and a booklet made of sheet pieces for each page is formed.

  Although the imposition setting unit 26 is provided in the printer controller 20 in FIG. 1, the function of the imposition setting unit 26 (imposition control program) can also be realized by the print engine 30. In that case, the printer controller 20 transmits the rasterized image data to the print engine 30, and the print engine 30 (for example, the control unit 31) transmits the number C of copies of the document based on the print setting information transmitted along with the image data. Information such as number of pages P, number of page allocation N, cutting order, maximum number of cut sheets D, printing presence / absence of cut guide banner page, etc. is acquired, division of job mentioned above based on such information, insertion of white pages, Processing such as page imposition and creation of a cut guide banner page may be performed.

  The function of the imposition setting unit 26 can also be realized by the user terminal 10. In that case, the printer driver 14 determines the number of copies C of the original, the number P of pages, the number N of page allocations, the cutting order, the maximum number of cut sheets D, whether to print the cut guide banner page, etc. based on the settings on the print setting screen. Based on this information, the job division, insertion of blank pages, page imposition, cut guide banner page creation, etc. are performed based on the above information, and the image of each group page is placed on each position of the paper. Print setting information including layout information for imposition may be added to the job and transmitted to the printer controller 20.

  The operation of the printing system having the above configuration will be described below.

  First, the process of the user terminal 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The user creates a document using the application 13 of the user terminal 10 (S101). Then, the user uses the print setting screen displayed by the printer driver 14 or the like to set the number of copies of the document (S102).

  Next, when printing a plurality of pages on the same sheet, the user sets the page layout (2 in 1, 4 in 1, 6 in 1, 8 in 1, etc.) using the print setting screen etc. (S103). Next, when cutting a sheet to create a booklet, the user sets a cutting order using a print setting screen or the like (S104). For example, in the case of imposing a vertically long original document in 8 in 1, the user selects one of three modes: horizontal → vertical → vertical, vertical → horizontal → vertical, vertical → vertical → horizontal.

  Next, as necessary, the user uses the print setting screen or the like to set the maximum number of cut sheets of the cutting machine used for cutting (S105). The maximum number of sheets to be cut may be automatically set by the control unit 11 of the user terminal 10 based on the information acquired in advance from the cutting machine or the information set in advance.

  Next, as necessary, the user uses the print setting screen or the like to set whether to print the cut guide banner page (S106). This cutting guide banner page is used to prevent operator's mistakes because it is necessary to cut in accordance with the cutting order and the stacking order in the cutting process. The details of the cut guide banner page will be described later.

  Then, after the above setting is completed, the printer driver 14 generates a job, inputs the generated job to the printer controller 20, and issues a print instruction (S107). After printing of all the sheets by the print engine 30 is completed, the user cuts the sheets using a cutting machine.

  Next, operations of the printer controller 20 and the print engine 30 after job input will be described. The CPU of the printer controller 20 (or the print engine 30) develops the imposition control program stored in the ROM or the storage unit in the RAM and executes it, thereby performing the processing of each step shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. Run.

  First, the imposition setting unit 26 of the printer controller 20 acquires the number P of pages of the document, the number N of page allocations, and the maximum number of cut sheets D from the print setting information of the job. At this time, in the case of the setting for printing the cut guide banner page, the page allocation number N is added to the page number P of the document. Here, the page allocation number N is added to the page number P of the original because the cut guide banner page is printed on the entire surface of one sheet of paper. In the following, for ease of explanation, the number of print copies is one.

  Next, the imposition setting unit 26 of the printer controller 20 divides the job based on the number of pages P of the document, the number N of page allocations, and the maximum number of cut sheets D (S202). The job division is performed to divide the job itself when the number of print sheets exceeds the maximum number of cut sheets of the cutting machine. FIG. 6 shows the details of the job division processing, and it is determined whether P / N (that is, the number of print sheets) is larger than the maximum number of cut sheets D (S301). If P / N> D, the job can be divided into a plurality (m: m is an integer obtained by raising the value of P / N / D) according to the maximum number of sheets to be cut D (S302). . The number of pages of each job after division is N × D, and when there is a remainder, the number of pages of the last job is the remainder value of P / (N × D).

  In the above description, the job is divided to allow the first cutting, but if it is possible to cut until the last cutting, the last cutting is to cut the sheet bundle to which 2 pages are allocated. Therefore, if P / 2 is larger than D, if P / 2> D, divide the job into multiple (n: n is an integer obtained by raising the value of P / 2 / D). Good. The number of pages of each job after division is 2 × D, and if there is a remainder, the number of pages of the last job is the remainder of P / (2 × D).

  Returning to the flow chart of FIG. 5, the imposition setting unit 26 of the printer controller 20 inserts a predetermined number of white pages if a remainder occurs in P / (N × D) (S203). FIG. 7 shows the details of the white page insertion process. First, a remainder M is calculated by dividing the number of original pages P by the number of page allocations N (S401). Next, white pages of NM pages are inserted at the beginning of the document (S402). Here, the reason why the white page is inserted at the top of the document is to enable easy removal of the white page from the sheet bundle after cutting.

  For example, in the case of imposing a 100-page longitudinal original at 8 in 1, the number of print sheets is 13. Here, if the maximum number of sheets to be cut by the cutting machine is 10, as shown in FIG. 10, the sheet is divided into a first job of 1 to 10 sheets and a second job of 11 to 13 sheets, and the top (the first job I will insert 4 pages of white pages in the upper left). Although the white page is inserted at the beginning of the first job in FIG. 10, the white page can be inserted in the second and subsequent jobs, and if inserted in the second and subsequent jobs, each sheet is cut off. When overlapping a sheet bundle of a job, the white pages may be removed.

  Referring back to the flow chart of FIG. 5, the imposition setting unit 26 of the printer controller 20 performs the page replacement and imposition in accordance with the preset cutting order (S204). This imposition is performed by an imposition algorithm that minimizes the number of cuttings. FIG. 8 shows the details of the imposition processing. First, the quotient S (that is, the number of print sheets) obtained by dividing the number of original pages P by the number of page allocations N is calculated (S501). Next, original pages are grouped in units of the number of print sheets S and divided into groups Gn (S502). FIG. 11 shows an example of grouping in the case of imposing an 80-page original at 8 in 1. In this case, since the quotient S is 10, grouping is performed every 10 pages.

  Next, the imposition setting unit 26 of the printer controller 20 arranges the head group G1 at a predetermined position (for example, upper left) of the sheet (S503). Next, the next cutting axis (cutting position) is acquired with reference to the print setting information (S504), and if there is the next cutting axis, the position where the same arrangement as the previous group is obtained when the cutting axis is cut. The next group is placed in (S505). This process is performed on all cutting axes. Then, when the arrangement of each group is determined, the image of each arranged group is imposed (S506).

  The imposition algorithm is specifically described with reference to FIG. For G1 to G8 grouped in FIG. 11, as shown on the left of FIG. 12A, G1 is arranged at a predetermined position (for example, upper left) of the sheet. Next, G2 is disposed at the same position as G1 when the sheet is cut by the cutting axis of (1). Next, as shown in the center of FIG. 12 (a), G3 and G4 are arranged at the same positions as G1 and G2 when divided by the cutting axis of (2). Next, as shown on the right of FIG. 12 (a), G5 to G8 are arranged at the same positions as G1 to G4 when divided by the cutting axis of (3). Although two cutting axes are described on the right of FIG. 12A, in actuality, since cutting is performed in a state in which four sheet bundles are stacked, one cutting axis is provided. FIG. 12 (a) is an example in which the cutting order is vertical → horizontal → vertical, but when the cutting order is vertical → vertical → horizontal, it becomes as shown in FIG. 12 (b) and the cutting order is horizontal. → The case of vertical → vertical becomes as shown in FIG. 12 (c).

  Referring back to the flowchart of FIG. 5, the imposition setting unit 26 of the printer controller 20 determines whether the cut guide banner page is printed by referring to the print setting information (S205). If printing of the cut guide banner page is set to ON, the number of cuttings exceeding the maximum number of cuttings D is calculated in the process of stacking the sheet bundle (S206). Then, a cut guide banner page is generated based on the calculated number of times of cutting, and the generated cut guide banner page is inserted at the head of the job (S207). FIG. 13 shows an example of the cut guide banner page.

  FIG. 13A is a cut guide banner page for explaining a cutting procedure in the case where the number of sheets does not exceed the maximum number of sheets D even when the cutting order is 8 in 1, and the cutting order is vertical → horizontal → vertical, and the last cutting. When cutting using this cut guide banner page, first, the cut guide banner page is placed on the top surface of the document, and cut along the longest line (the vertical line between 1 and 2 and 3). After cutting, the remaining white pages (white pages described as 1) having no line are removed, and the remaining sheet bundle (sheet bundle from which the white pages have been removed) is placed on top. The next cutting operation is repeated along the longest line of the cut guide banner page which remains, removing the remaining white pages of the line, and stacking the remaining sheet bundle downward. When the last page of the same size remains, remove the white page in which the smaller number is written, and stack the remaining sheet bundle down. Then, the booklet can be completed by removing the white page on which the larger number is written.

  FIG. 13B is a cut guide banner page for explaining the cutting procedure in the case of 8 in 1, the cutting order is vertical → horizontal → vertical, the number of original pages is 104, and the maximum number of sheets is 30. When cutting using the cut guide banner page, since the maximum number of cut sheets is exceeded in the third and subsequent cuts, two or more overlapping can not be performed. Therefore, first cut along the longest line (longitudinal line between 1 and 2-1 and 3-1) and remove the white pages (white pages described as 1) with no remaining lines. Stack the remaining stacks of paper down. If the line intersects with a cross on the remaining cut guide banner page, the line highlighted by the arrow is cut, and at this point the stack of sheets is not superimposed. Then, the last remaining line is cut, white pages are removed in order from the smaller number, and the remaining sheet bundle is placed on the bottom to stack the booklet.

  FIG. 13C shows a cutting guide banner for explaining the cutting procedure when 8 in 1, the cutting order is horizontal → vertical → vertical, the number of original pages is 77 pages, and the number of sheets does not exceed the maximum number of sheets D even with the last cutting. It is a page. When cutting using this cut guide banner page, cutting and stacking are repeated in the same procedure as in FIG. 13 (a). In this case, three white pages are added, so the top 3 of the booklet A sheet becomes a white page. Therefore, the number of white pages is described in the cut guide banner page, and by removing the specified number of white pages at the same time as the last cut guide banner page, a booklet excluding white pages can be completed. it can.

  Referring back to the flowchart of FIG. 5 again, the imposition setting unit 26 of the printer controller 20 completes the imposition (in the case of No in S205) or after the generation / insertion of the cut guide banner page is completed (Yes in S205). In the above procedure, the image data (image data of the cut guide banner page, if necessary) imposed by imposing the image of each page of the document in the above procedure is output to the print engine 30, and the print engine 30 prints using the image data Is executed (S108).

  In the above flow, although the case where the number of copies is one is described, the case where a plurality of copies are designated in the job will be described below. In this case, the imposition setting unit 26 of the printer controller 20 performs the imposition processing of S204 according to the imposition algorithm shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  The operation mode (plural copy print mode) in the case of multiple copy printing includes a cutting number priority mode and a copy priority mode, and which mode to use is set in advance. When the cutting number priority mode is set, pages are combined and imposed as a plurality of copies as one job. On the other hand, when the copy unit priority mode is set, it is possible to create a booklet without overlapping the copies as much as possible.

  First, it is determined whether the number of print copies C is 1 (S601). If the number of copies is one, imposition is performed by applying the imposition algorithm shown in the flow chart of FIG. 8 described above. On the other hand, if the number of print copies C is 2 or more, the operation mode of multiple copy printing is determined (S602).

  When the operation mode of multiple copy printing is set to the cutting number priority mode, pages are combined with multiple copies as one job (S603), and the imposition algorithm shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is applied for imposition Do.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 14, in the case of 8 in 1, the cutting order is vertical → horizontal → vertical, the number of original pages is 36 pages, and the number of copies is 3 copies, the total number of pages is 36 × 3 = 108 pages, 108/8. Since 13 is equal to 4/3, the number of print sheets is 14 and the number of white pages is 4 pages. As a result, 4 pages of white and 1 to 10 pages of the first set on the upper left, 11 to 24 pages of the first set on the third from the left on the upper row, and 25 to 36 pages of the first set on the lower left 2nd page 1 to 2 pages, 3rd page from the left in the lower row to 3-16 pages in the 2nd set, 2nd page from the left on the upper row to 17-30 pages in the second part, 4 from the left on the upper row The second part is pages 31 to 36 and the third part is pages 1 to 8, the second from the left in the lower part is the third to ninth page in the third part, and the third from the left in the lower part is the third The 23rd to 36th pages of the set are respectively imposed. Then, when cutting and stacking are performed according to FIG. 13A, a booklet in which four white pages, the first copy, the second copy, and the third copy are stacked in order is completed.

  On the other hand, if the copy unit priority mode is set, it is determined whether the number of copies C is equal to or less than the number N of page allocations (S604). If the number of print copies C is smaller than the number of page allocations N (No in S604), it is not possible to consolidate in copy units, so multiple pages are combined as one job (S603) and the number of cutting priority mode is selected. Attach. On the other hand, when the number of print copies C is equal to or more than the number of page allocations N, the same part is imposed so as to be continuous in the vertical direction (S605). Then, the remainder of the print copy number C divided by the page allocation number N is imposed by applying the imposition algorithm shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 (S606).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 15, in the case of 8 in 1, the cutting order is vertical → horizontal → vertical, the number of original pages is 80 pages, and the number of copies is 10, the number of copies is more than the number of page allocations. The corresponding part (1 part to 8 parts) performs imposition in the copy unit priority mode, and the remainder part (9 part to 10 part) obtained by dividing the number of print copies by the page allocation number impositions in the cutting number priority mode. That is, as shown on the left side of FIG. 15, 1 part to 8 parts imposition one part page (1 to 80 pages) at each imposition position. On the other hand, 9 parts and 10 parts combine pages, imposing 2 × 80/8 = 20 pages at each imposition position. For example, the first nine pages from the upper left to the first 20 pages, the third from the left in the upper row from the third to the ninth pages 21 to 40, the lower left from the fourth pages 41 to 60, the lower third from the left Eyes: 61 to 80 pages in the 9th part of the upper row, 1 to 20 pages of the 10th part on the second from the left of the upper row, 21 to 40 pages of the 10th part on the fourth from the left on the upper row For the second part from the left, pages 41 to 60 of the tenth part are imposed, and for the fourth part from the left on the lower part, pages 61 to 80 of the tenth part are imposed. Then, with regard to the right side of FIG. 15, when cutting and stacking are performed according to FIG. 13A, a booklet in which the ninth and tenth copies are stacked in order is completed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when processing a job of N in 1 printing in which a plurality of pages of an original is allocated to the same sheet, the number of pages of the original is divided by the number of page allocations. A plurality of consecutive groups are created, and the first group is placed at a predetermined position on the sheet, and the next group is sequentially arranged at the same position as the previous group when the sheet is cut at the cutting position according to the cutting order By arranging and imposing, it is possible to carry out cutting while superimposing cut sheet bundles, and it is possible to create a desired booklet with less number of cuttings.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the configuration and control can be appropriately changed without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the imposition of 8 in 1 has been described as an example, but the invention can be similarly applied to the imposition such as 2 in 1 and 16 in 1 in which both the length and width are powers of two. In addition, when vertical or horizontal is a power of 2, such as 6 in 1 or 12 in 1, superposition may be performed after cutting twice in succession, but the basic idea of the present invention It can apply. For example, in the case of 6 in 1, the cutting order may be horizontal → vertical (× 2) or vertical (× 2) → horizontal, and cutting in the vertical direction may be performed continuously.

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an imposition control program for controlling imposition of pages in N in 1 printing in which a plurality of pages are allocated to the same sheet, a recording medium recording the imposition control program, and the image processing apparatus. The invention is applicable to an imposition control method in a printing system including:

10 user terminal 11 control unit 12 OS
13 application 14 printer driver 15 network I / F unit 16 storage unit 17 display unit 18 operation unit 20 printer controller 21 control unit 22 network I / F unit 23 printer I / F unit 24 storage unit 25 RIP unit 26 imposition setting unit 27 Display unit 28 Operation unit 30 Print engine 31 Control unit 32 Controller I / F unit 33 Storage unit 34 Panel operation unit 35 Screening processing unit 36 Print execution unit 40 Cutting machine 50 Paper

Claims (18)

An image processing apparatus that processes N in 1 print jobs in which multiple pages of an original are allocated to the same sheet,
In the job, the sheets after the N in 1 printing are cut by a cutting machine, the cut sheets are superposed , the superposed sheets are further cut, and cutting and superposition are repeatedly performed to cut sheet pieces for each page. Job to create a booklet consisting of
From the job, a cutting order for determining a plurality of cutting times set according to the number of pages of the document, the number of page allocations, and the number of page allocations is acquired;
The number of pages of the original is divided by the number of page allocations to create a plurality of continuous groups of pages of the number of page allocations,
The process of arranging the next group at the same position as the previous group when the sheet is cut at the cutting position according to the cutting order after the leading group is arranged at the predetermined position of the sheet in the cutting order Repeat until the end
Outputting image data obtained by imposing the images of the pages of each group according to the arrangement to the print engine and instructing printing
An image processing apparatus characterized by When the number of pages of the document is divided by the number of page allocations, if a fraction appears, white pages of the number obtained by subtracting the fraction from the number of page allocations are inserted into the document.
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, Inserting the white page at the beginning of the original;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that: Obtain the maximum number of cut sheets of the cutting machine from the job,
When the value obtained by dividing the number of pages of the document by the number of page allocations exceeds the maximum number of cut sheets, the job is divided for every page of the number obtained by multiplying the number of page allocations by the maximum number of cut sheets Create the multiple groups in
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: When printing of a number of copies less than the page allocation number is instructed in the job:
Create the multiple groups after combining the pages of each part,
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: When printing of the number of copies equal to or more than the page allocation number is instructed in the job,
The page allocation number part creates the plurality of groups in units of copies, and the remaining parts less than the page allocation number create the plurality of groups after combining the pages of the parts.
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: From the job, obtain the setting of the presence or absence of printing of the guide page for supporting cutting.
If printing of the guide page is set to ON, generate the guide page specifying the cutting position, cutting order and overlaying order;
Outputting image data for printing the image of the guide page on the entire surface of the sheet to the print engine and instructing printing;
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The job is a job for allocating pages of power of 2 on both sides of the same sheet,
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: An imposition control program that operates in an apparatus that creates or processes N in 1 print jobs in which multiple pages of an original are allocated to the same sheet,
In the job, the sheets after the N in 1 printing are cut by a cutting machine, the cut sheets are superposed , the superposed sheets are further cut, and cutting and superposition are repeatedly performed to cut sheet pieces for each page. Job to create a booklet consisting of
In the device,
A first process specifying a number of pages of the document, a number of page allocations, and a cutting order for determining a plurality of cutting times according to the number of page allocations;
A second process of dividing the number of pages of the document by the number of page allocations to create a plurality of continuous groups of pages of the number of page allocations;
The processing for placing the next group at the same position as the previous group when the sheet is cut at the cutting position according to the cutting order after the leading group is arranged at the predetermined position of the sheet, the cutting order The third process to repeat to the end of
Performing a fourth process of outputting data for causing a print engine to print a printed material on which an image of a page of each group is imposed according to the arrangement;
An imposition control program characterized by In the third process, if a fraction appears when the page number of the document is divided by the page allocation number, white pages of the number obtained by subtracting the fraction from the page allocation number are inserted into the document.
The imposition control program according to claim 9, characterized in that: In the third process, the white page is inserted at the beginning of the document.
The imposition control program according to claim 10, characterized in that: In the second process, when a value obtained by dividing the number of pages of the document by the number of page allocations exceeds the maximum number of cutting sheets of the cutting machine, the maximum number of cutting sheets is multiplied by the number of page allocations. Divide a job and create the plurality of groups for each divided job,
The imposition control program according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that: When printing of a number of copies less than the page allocation number is instructed in the job:
In the second process, the plurality of groups are created after combining the pages of each part.
The imposition control program according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that: When printing of the number of copies equal to or more than the page allocation number is instructed in the job,
In the second process, the page allocation number part creates the plurality of groups in copy units, and the remaining parts less than the page allocation number create the plurality of groups after combining pages of the parts.
The imposition control program according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that: In the third process, a guide page specifying cutting position, cutting order and overlaying order is generated;
In the fourth process, data for printing the image of the guide page on the entire surface of the sheet is output.
The imposition control program according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that: The job is a job for allocating pages of power of 2 on both sides of the same sheet,
An imposition control program according to any one of claims 9 to 15, characterized in that. It includes a user terminal that creates N in 1 print jobs that allocate multiple pages of a document on the same sheet, an image processing apparatus that processes the job, and a cutting machine that cuts the sheets after the N in 1 printing. An imposition control method in a printing system that stacks cut sheets, further cuts the stacked sheets, and repeatedly performs cutting and stacking to create a booklet consisting of sheet pieces for each page,
The user terminal is
A first process for setting the number of pages of the document, the number of page allocations, and a cutting order for determining the order of multiple cuttings according to the page allocation number when creating the job;
A second process of dividing the number of pages of the document by the number of page allocations to create a plurality of continuous groups of pages of the number of page allocations;
The processing for placing the next group at the same position as the previous group when the sheet is cut at the cutting position according to the cutting order after the leading group is arranged at the predetermined position of the sheet, the cutting order A third process that repeats until the end of the
Performing a fourth process of outputting the job for creating a printed matter imposing the images of pages of each group according to the arrangement to the image processing apparatus;
An imposition control method characterized by It includes a user terminal that creates N in 1 print jobs that allocate multiple pages of a document on the same sheet, an image processing apparatus that processes the job, and a cutting machine that cuts the sheets after the N in 1 printing. An imposition control method in a printing system that stacks cut sheets, further cuts the stacked sheets, and repeatedly performs cutting and stacking to create a booklet consisting of sheet pieces for each page,
The image processing apparatus is
A first process for acquiring, from the job, the number of pages of the document, the number of page allocations, and a cutting order for setting the order of multiple cuttings set according to the number of page allocations;
A second process of dividing the number of pages of the document by the number of page allocations to create a plurality of continuous groups of pages of the number of page allocations;
The processing for placing the next group at the same position as the previous group when the sheet is cut at the cutting position according to the cutting order after the leading group is arranged at the predetermined position of the sheet, the cutting order A third process that repeats until the end of the
Performing a fourth process of outputting image data obtained by imposing images of pages of each group to the print engine according to the arrangement and instructing printing;
An imposition control method characterized by

Images