JPH06247011A - Printer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To print out all received printing data irrespective of the residual amount of paper. CONSTITUTION:Before a printing file formed in a host computer 4 is outputted to an engine 2, information of the number of files (the number of printing pages) is stored in a RAM 15, and information of the number of residual sheets in a paper supply tray is also inputted to the RAM 15. Therefore, with the judgement that the number of residual sheets is smaller than the number of files on the basis of the information of the number of files and the information of residual sheets, a CPU 10 makes the engine 2 print on the both surfaces of paper as compensation for a shortage of paper for the number of files.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer device having a printing section for receiving print data and printing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to know the status of a printer device which receives print data from a host device and prints, a command for knowing the status is sent from the host device to the printer device, and the printer device uses the received command as a command. In addition, the status was transmitted to the host device.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional technique, the host device can confirm only the state of the printer device when the command is transmitted in order to know the status. When the consumable items such as the developer and the developer are exhausted, the printer device sends error information to the host device while receiving the data. The host device that received this error information
Data transfer is automatically terminated.

For this reason, the paper that has been printed out before the error occurs is wasted, and the user has to cancel the error state and send the print data again to retry the print output.

It is an object of the present invention, regardless of the remaining amount of paper,
It is to provide a printer device capable of printing out all received print data.

[0006]

To achieve the above object, the present invention receives print data and prints on a sheet,
A printing means having a double-sided printing function capable of printing on both sides of the paper, a detection means for detecting the number of remaining sheets in the paper feeding section, a memory means for a page buffer of print data, and a memory means for storing the data. Control of comparing the page number information of the print data with the remaining sheet number information detected by the detecting unit, and causing the printing unit to perform double-sided printing when the remaining sheet number is smaller than the page number And means.

Further, the printing means receives the print data, prints on a sheet, and has a reduction function capable of reducing the print image vertically and horizontally, a detecting means for detecting the number of remaining sheets in the paper feed section, and a print data The page buffer memory means is compared with the page number information of the print data stored in the memory means and the remaining sheet number information detected by the detecting means, and the remaining sheet number is smaller than the page number. And a control unit that enables reduction printing in the printing unit when a plurality of pages are printed.

Further, the printing means receives the print data, prints on a sheet, has a double-sided printing function capable of printing on both sides of the sheet, and a reduction function capable of reducing the print image vertically and horizontally; Detection means for detecting the number of remaining sheets,
The page number information of the print data stored in the memory means and the page number information of the print data stored in the memory means are compared with the remaining sheet number information detected by the detecting section, and the remaining sheet number is determined based on the page number. And a control means for causing the printing means to perform double-sided printing and reduction printing when the number becomes smaller.

[0009]

According to the above-mentioned means, the page number information of the print data is compared with the remaining sheet number information of the paper feeding section, and when the remaining number of sheets is smaller than the number of pages, the printing means determines the number of sheets. By printing on both sides, the shortage of paper for the number of pages is compensated, and the interruption of printing due to running out of paper is prevented.

Similarly, when the number of remaining sheets becomes smaller than the number of pages, reduction printing is performed by the printing means to print several pages on one sheet,
By compensating for the shortage of sheets with respect to the number of pages and printing a large number of pages on one sheet, it is possible to save sheets.

Similarly, when the number of remaining sheets is smaller than the number of pages, the double-sided printing and the reduction printing are performed at the same time, so that the shortage of sheets with respect to the number of pages can be compensated and the sheets can be saved.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part in one embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 is a controller which is an image processing unit for receiving character information or image information to generate image image information. An engine 3 which is a ROM (FLASH ROM, EEPROM, etc.) of a non-volatile storage medium in which the control program is rewritable and which is a printing unit that receives image image information from the controller 1 and forms an image on a recording medium such as recording paper An operation panel which is an operation unit for displaying various function settings (mode instruction, download instruction, etc.) of the controller 1 and the engine 2, and various information, 4 is a host computer, 5 is font data, download・ Floppy disk drive unit or hardware for storing various data such as programs and print data A disk device such as a disk drive unit and 6 are various sensors for detecting the state of each part of the printer.

In the controller 1, 10
Is a detection signal from the various sensors 6, the controller 1
Rewritable non-volatile program ROM 11 program storing the control program of the above, operation panel 3
CP that controls the entire controller 1 by a mode instruction from the host computer or a command from the host computer 4.
U and 12 are memory cards for supplying font data, download programs or download data from the outside, 13 is a non-volatile storage medium (NVRAM) for storing the contents of mode instructions from the operation panel 3, and 14 is a font. A non-volatile font ROM 15 capable of rewriting the stored data such as pattern data is a RAM used as a work memory of the CPU 10, an input buffer for input data, a page buffer for print data, a memory for download fonts, and the like. .

Further, 16 is an engine interface (hereinafter, interface is abbreviated as I / F) for communicating commands, status, print data and download data with the engine 2, and 17 is a control program rewritable. A non-volatile ROM is a panel I / F for communicating commands, status, and download data with the operation panel 3, and a host I / F (normally a Centro I / F) for communicating with the host computer 4. F or RS232C), 19 is a disk I / F for communicating with the disk device 5, 20 is a sensor I / F for receiving detection signals from various sensors 6, and 21 is an internal bus in the CPU 10.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the printer according to the present embodiment. The printer body 25 is provided with a paper feed section 27 provided with the operation panel 3 and the paper feed tray 26. Further, below the paper feed tray 26, there is provided a paper feed section lever 28 that is moved when a predetermined number of paper sheets are set and sends a paper set signal to the controller 1 by detection of a sensor (not shown). (The state of Fig. 2 is the state with no paper set).

In the printer, when a predetermined number of sheets (for example, 200 sheets) of paper are set in the paper feed tray 26 and then the paper feed section lever 28 is raised, the sensor detects it and the RAM 15 in the controller 1 stores the same. The remaining sheet number information is automatically set to 200 sheets. In the CPU 10, the RA
By counting down the remaining sheet number information on M15, the current remaining sheet number information is detected.

In the printer, the controller 1 according to the print data or the control command from the host computer 4, the normal printing, the double-sided printing for printing on both sides of the paper, and the reduced printing capable of vertically and horizontally reducing the printed image. Data is processed so that it can be printed by any of the above, and printing is performed by outputting this data to the engine 2.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart relating to print control in the printer. After the print file is created by the host computer 4 (S1) and before the print file is actually output to the engine 2 to start printing, The number of files to be printed (the number of pages to be printed) is stored in the RAM 15 which is a page buffer memory (S2).

In the CPU 10, the page number information stored in the RAM 15 is compared with the remaining sheet number information in the paper feed tray 26 (S3).
(YES in S3), according to the print command from the host computer 4, single-sided and normal-size normal printing is performed (S4).

However, when the number of remaining sheets is smaller than the number of pages (NO in S3), the CPU 10 processes the print data so that the engine 2 can perform double-sided printing and reduction printing, and sends the data to the engine 2. (S5).

In other words, double-sided printing enables printing of all print data even if the paper runs short due to printing of all print data in printing on one side of the paper. In addition, due to the reduced printing, as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), several pages (two print files (two pages in the figure) are printed on one sheet P (FIG. 4 (b)). ) Is shown)
Printout of P ₁ and P ₂ is possible. Further, by using the double-sided printing and the reduction printing together, the effect of compensating for the shortage of paper becomes larger, and the paper can be saved.

In the above embodiment, when the number of remaining sheets in the paper feed tray 26 becomes small during printing, double-sided printing, reduced printing, or both printings are used to increase the time until the paper runs out. Thus, the user can send data to the printer without paying much attention to paper replenishment, and paper can be saved.

[0024]

As described above, according to the printer device of the present invention, according to the constitutions of claims 1, 2 and 3, the page number information of the print data is compared with the remaining sheet number information of the sheet feeding section. Then, when the number of remaining sheets becomes smaller than the number of pages, double-sided printing and reduction printing can be performed in the printing unit, so that the shortage of sheets with respect to the number of pages is compensated and the sheets are exhausted. Printing can be prevented from being interrupted, and paper can be saved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part in an embodiment of a printer device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the printer device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart relating to print control of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of reduced printing according to the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... engine (printing means), 4 ... host computer,
6 ... Various sensors, 10 ... CPU (control means), 15 ... R
AM, 26 ... Paper feed tray, 27 ... Paper feed section, 28 ... Paper feed section lever.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Internal reference number FI technical display location G03G 15/22 105 B 6830-2H

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. Receiving print data, printing on paper,
A printing means having a double-sided printing function capable of printing on both sides of the paper, a detection means for detecting the number of remaining sheets in the paper feeding section, a memory means for a page buffer of print data, and a memory means for storing the data. Control of comparing the page number information of the print data with the remaining sheet number information detected by the detecting unit, and causing the printing unit to perform double-sided printing when the remaining sheet number is smaller than the page number And a printer device. 2. The print data is received and printed on a sheet,
And a printing means having a reduction function capable of reducing the horizontal and vertical dimensions with respect to the printed image; a detection means for detecting the number of remaining sheets in the paper feeding section;
The page number information of the print data stored in the memory means and the page number information of the print data stored in the memory means are compared with the remaining sheet number information detected by the detecting section, and the remaining sheet number is determined based on the page number. A printer device, comprising: a control unit that causes the printing unit to perform reduction printing when the number becomes smaller, and enables printing of a plurality of pages on one sheet. 3. Receiving print data, printing on paper,
In addition, a printing unit having a double-sided printing function capable of printing on both sides of the paper and a reduction function capable of vertical and horizontal reduction of a printed image, a detection unit for detecting the number of remaining sheets in the paper feeding unit, and a page buffer for print data The memory means for use and the page number information of the print data stored in this memory means are compared with the remaining sheet number information detected by the detecting means, and the remaining sheet number is smaller than the page number. In this case, the printer unit is provided with a control unit for performing double-sided printing and reduction printing.