JPH09263356A - Printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately classify printed results so as to lighten the burden of a user by simple constitution. SOLUTION: When printing data is received from a host, the printing data is taken out of a receiving buffer by fixed length, it is judged at every time to be which of letter data, image data, straight line data, and curve data, and the number of data is counted at every sort of judged data. In the case of performing printing, the results of the above-mentioned counting are summed up (230), the received printing data is judged to be generated by which of word precesser soft, tabular computation soft, a paint tool, and CAD soft, based on the occupied rate of each sort of data in the printing data (232, 236, 240, 244), and the discharging destination of the printed result is set according to the judged result (234, 238, 242, 246).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, and more particularly to a printing apparatus provided with a plurality of discharge units for accommodating sheets on which images are recorded.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an output device of an information processing device such as a workstation or a personal computer, a processing result (for example, a document) by the information processing device is printed on paper and output. Printers are known. In the past, printers of the type that output print results to a single tray were common, but in recent years, multiple hosts such as workstations and personal computers have been connected via a network for the purpose of distributing information and load. Information processing systems that can share various resources such as printers that are connected to each other via the same network have become widespread, and in recent years, in order to respond to diversifying user needs, bins (or Printers equipped with multiple trays are also on the market.

In a printer having a plurality of bins, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 306063/1993 discloses a time sorting mode, a paper sorting mode, and a terminal sorting mode for determining a bin as a discharge destination of print results. , A plurality of modes such as a specific sorting mode are provided, and when the time sorting mode is specified, the bin to be ejected is determined according to the time zone in which the printing operation is performed, and when the paper sorting mode is specified, the printing is performed. If the bin to be ejected is determined according to the size of the paper used for and the terminal sorting mode is specified,
A print request source that can obtain terminal information indicating the terminal (host) of the print request source from the recording unit or by optically reading the barcode printed on the header sheet and identify based on the obtained terminal information. When the specific sorting mode is specified, the discharge destination bin is determined according to the host of, and, for example, the discharge destination bin is determined according to a predetermined order set in advance for an empty bin. The sorting and storing device for the recorded materials is described.

According to the above, the bin of the ejection destination is determined by the method according to the designated mode, and the print result is ejected to the bin determined as the ejection destination. It is also possible to effectively use a plurality of bins according to the usage pattern and the like by designating the different modes in advance.

However, considering the case where the terminal sorting mode is designated in the above, in order for the printer side to acquire the terminal information, for example, a means for extracting the terminal information from the received data and storing it, a printed bar code (or a special character). Kaihei
To read the identification code described in No. 2-233403), it is necessary to provide a reading means such as a barcode reader, and for the host side to transmit terminal information, to print the barcode or identification code, etc. Since it is necessary to provide a means for generating and transmitting the above data, there is a problem that the configuration becomes complicated and the cost increases.

Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-316137, by assigning different bins to each host or user,
A recording network system is disclosed in which each of a plurality of bins of a recording device is used as a so-called mailbox. In the above, all print results corresponding to the same host or user will be output to the same bin.
In such a discharge form, for example, when a large number of print results of different types corresponding to a specific host or user are discharged to the same bin, the work of sorting the print results by the user becomes very complicated. It is also possible.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts, and an object thereof is to obtain a printing apparatus having a simple structure and capable of appropriately sorting print results so as to reduce the burden on the user. is there.

[0008]

A plurality of pieces of print information whose contents (for example, character data, bitmap data, percentages of various data such as vector data representing straight lines and curves, etc. in the print information) greatly differ from each other If print information is present, the contents of the images represented by these print information are very different, and the paper (print result) on which the image represented by each print information is recorded has different types of print results, that is, sorting work. Considering the burden on the user, it is highly possible that the print results are preferably discharged to different discharge units.

Based on the above, the invention according to claim 1 is an acquisition unit for acquiring print information, an analysis unit for analyzing the content of the print information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a print information acquired by the acquisition unit. Recording means for recording the image represented by the paper on the paper, a plurality of discharge parts for accommodating the paper on which the image is recorded, and the paper on which the image is recorded based on the content of the print information analyzed by the analysis means. Selecting means for selecting the destination of the discharge from the plurality of discharge units,
And a discharge control unit that discharges the sheet on which the image is recorded by the recording unit to the discharge destination selected by the selecting unit.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the content of the print information is analyzed by the analyzing means, and the selecting means selects the discharge destination of the sheet on which the image is recorded based on the analyzed content of the print information. The paper is discharged to the discharge destination selected by the selecting means by the discharge control means. Therefore, when the content of the print information is different, the paper (print result) on which the image represented by the print information is recorded is discharged to a different discharge unit, and the print result estimated to be different type is discharged to a different discharge unit. Will be discharged.

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the discharge destination of the print result is selected so that the print result estimated to be different in type based on the content of the print information is discharged to different discharge units. Therefore, even if a large number of different types of print results are discharged for a single user, it is not necessary for the user to sort each print result type, and the burden on the user is reduced. The print results can be properly sorted. Further, since it is not necessary to add new information indicating the type of the print result to the print information on the side that outputs the print information and to obtain the new information on the side of the printing apparatus according to the present invention, Can be simplified.

The analysis of the content of the print information by the analysis means is not limited to the ratio of various data in the print information described above, but is included in the print information as described in claim 2. The content of the print information may be analyzed based on the data representing the attribute of the print information.

Generally, in a document consisting of a plurality of pages, information representing attributes of print information (for example, characters representing user names, user IDs, host names, bar codes, etc.) is often recorded on the first page. The print information for printing the above document includes data representing the characters and the barcode. According to the second aspect of the invention, the content of the print information is analyzed based on the data that is included in the print information and represents the attribute of the print information. The print results can be properly sorted so that the burden is reduced.

Further, in the above, since the content of the print information is analyzed based on the data representing the attribute of the print information, even if the data is the data representing the bar code, the bar code is optically converted as in the conventional case. It is not necessary to provide reading means for reading.

By the way, when there are a plurality of pieces of print information having different uses of the paper (print result) on which the image represented by the print information is recorded, the print results corresponding to each piece of print information are sent to different discharge units. It can be judged that it is preferable to discharge.

Therefore, the invention according to claim 3 is based on the acquisition means for acquiring the print information and the use of the paper on which the image represented by the print information is recorded based on the print information acquired by the acquisition means. Discriminating means for discriminating, recording means for recording the image represented by the print information acquired by the acquiring means on a paper sheet, a plurality of discharge parts for accommodating the paper sheet on which the image is recorded, and the discriminating means for judging. Selection means for selecting the discharge destination of the paper on which the image is recorded from the plurality of discharge units, and the paper on which the image is recorded by the recording means is selected by the selection means based on the purpose of the paper. And a discharge control means for discharging to a discharge destination.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the discriminating means discriminates the use of the paper on which the image represented by the print information is recorded (use of the print result) based on the print information. This use determination may be performed at least as long as it is possible to determine print information having different uses in print results. For example, as described in claim 4, it is possible to perform determination based on the data indicating the use of the paper included in the print information. it can.

As an example, in a document which is supposed to be transmitted by facsimile or the like, information indicating a transmission destination (address) is often recorded on the first page, and print information for printing the above-mentioned document. Contains data representing the destination.
Thus, when the contents of the data representing the destination included in the print information are different, it can be determined that the print information is for the document having a different destination, that is, a different purpose.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the selecting means selects the discharge destination of the paper on which the image is recorded from the plurality of discharge portions based on the use determined by the determining means, and the discharge control means selects the selecting means. The paper is discharged to the discharge destination selected by. Therefore, since the print results determined to have different uses are discharged to different discharge units, as in the case of the first aspect of the invention, when a plurality of print results having different uses are discharged corresponding to a single user. In addition, the user does not need to perform a sorting operation for each purpose of the print result, the print result can be appropriately sorted so as to reduce the burden on the user, and the configuration can be simplified.

The usage of the print result is not always the same for each page in the same document. For example, when printing a slip of a plurality of sheets, the print result of a specific page is a copy of the slip. Often In printing this kind of document,
If all the print results are discharged to the same discharge unit, the user needs to perform a sorting operation such as extracting only a specific page after taking out the print result from the discharge unit.

In view of the above, as described in claim 5, it is preferable that the discriminating means discriminates the use of the sheet on which the image is recorded for each page. As an example, in printing a slip with a plurality of sheets, it is possible to determine the copy page of a slip by determining whether or not the print information of each page includes data representing the letters “copy”. . This allows
The print result of the page determined to have a different purpose will be discharged to another discharge section, and the user does not need to perform sorting work such as taking out a specific page. Even when printing a document whose use is different from the use of other pages, the print results can be properly sorted so as to reduce the burden on the user.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a printer 10 as a printing device according to the present invention. The printer 10 includes a recording unit 14 that records an image on a sheet 12.
And an image supply unit 16 that controls the operation of the recording unit 14 and the like. The recording unit 14 and the image supply unit 16 operate when a predetermined DC or AC power is supplied from a power supply unit 18 connected to a commercial power supply (not shown).

The recording unit 14 is composed of a laser beam printer or the like, and various operation command signals 20 and an image signal 22 representing image data to be recorded are input from the image supply unit 16. Then, an image is recorded on one side or both sides of the sheet 12 according to the input image signal 22, and the sheet 12 on which the image is recorded is discharged to the outside. In addition, the recording unit 14 includes a status signal 24 indicating the status of each unit (for example, the size of a sheet accommodated in a cassette tray (not shown), whether or not the fixing unit (not shown) has reached the fixing temperature), and the image supply unit 1.
6, the synchronizing pulse 26 for synchronizing with the image supplying section 16
Output to

As shown in FIG. 4, the front of the main body of the printer 10 is provided with a plurality of keys for the operator to input commands and the like, and a display section for visually confirming the processing status. An operation panel 28 is provided. The operation panel 28 is connected to the image supply unit 16, and an instruction input by an operator operating a key of the operation panel 28 is input from the operation panel 28 to the image supply unit 16 as an instruction signal 30. Further, the image supply unit 16 outputs a response to the instruction signal 30 and an instruction signal 32 indicating information to be displayed on the display unit to the operation panel 28. A liquid crystal display (LCD), an LED, or the like can be used as the display unit.

The printer 10 is constructed so that a host such as a personal computer or a workstation can input print information to be output to the printer 10 in a plurality of systems when the printer 10 requests the printer 10 for printing. FIG. 1 shows an example in which print information can be input in two systems, and a host interface (I / F) terminal 34 and a network interface (I / F) terminal 36 are provided as terminals for inputting print information. Two terminals are provided. The print information is composed of text data, image data (bitmap data), vector data, and the like, which indicates the content of the document to be printed, the number of pages of the document to be printed, the number of copies, and the paper 12 to be printed. It is configured to include control data representing various designations regarding printing such as size.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a schematic configuration of the host with reference numeral 94. The host 94 is the CPU 94A,
It has a ROM 94B, a RAM 94C and an input / output port 94D, which are connected to each other via a bus. The input / output port 94D is connected to an external device such as a display 94E for displaying various kinds of information, a keyboard 94F for inputting various kinds of information, and the printer 10, directly or via a network, and controls communication with the outside. The control unit 94G is connected.

The host I / F terminal 34 is a terminal used when the printer 10 and the host are connected via a communication cable, and print information is input from a host such as a personal computer through a dedicated cable. Used in cases such as when Also, the network I / F terminal 3
6 is a printer 1 in a network in which a plurality of hosts such as personal computers and workstations are connected.
This is a terminal used when 0 is connected. Examples of networks connectable via the network I / F terminal 36 include a digital network such as ISDN and a LAN such as Ethernet. Network I /
When connected to the network via the F terminal 36,
Print information may be input from each of a plurality of hosts connected to the network.

As described above, the printer 10 has the host I / F.
There is a possibility that printing information may be input by requesting printing from a host such as various personal computers or workstations via the terminal 34 or the network I / F terminal 36. The contents of the control data included in the print information output from various hosts are not always unified,
For example, in some hosts, the size of the paper 12 and the size of characters are finely designated by the control data, whereas in another host, the above designation may not be made by the control data.

In consideration of the above case, the printer 10
Various input commands can be input via the operation panel 28. The operation panel 28 outputs various input commands to the image supply unit 16 as an instruction signal 30. Also, when various instructions are input as control data from the host, it is possible to input various instructions separately via the operation panel 28. in this case,
It is possible to always give priority to an instruction input as control data from the host via the communication line, or always give priority to an instruction input via the operation panel 28.
It is also possible to give priority to an instruction input later in time. Further, various designations relating to printing may be preset and stored as defaults, and for example, among the various designations relating to printing, items not particularly designated may be printed using default values.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image supply unit 16 includes a CPU 40 that plays a central role in various controls.
The CPU 40 is connected to the system bus 42. A panel interface (I / F) circuit 44 is connected to the system bus 42. The panel I / F circuit 44 is a circuit for interfacing with the operation panel 28,
When the instruction signal 30 is input from the operation panel 28, the panel I / F circuit 44 outputs instruction information corresponding to the instruction signal 30, and the output instruction information is the system bus 42.
Transferred on. Further, the instruction information for displaying the predetermined information on the display of the operation panel 28 is transferred to the panel I / F circuit 44 via the system bus 42, and the panel I / F circuit 44 outputs the instruction signal 32 as an instruction signal 32.
8 is output.

The system bus 42 has a host interface (I / F) circuit 46 and a non-volatile memory device (NVM:
Non-Volatile Memory) 48 is connected. Host I
The / F circuit 46 is connected to the host I / F terminal 34 and the network I / F terminal 36, and the host I / F terminal 3
4 and the print information input via the network I / F terminal 36 are received according to the RS232C standard, the Centronics interface, or the like. The NVM 48 is a storage device backed up by a battery (not shown), and can retain stored data even when the power of the printer 10 main body is turned off.

A RAM 50 is connected to the system bus 42. The RAM 50 is a working memory, and a part of its storage area is used as a work memory 50A for temporarily storing data and the like necessary for performing various controls of the printer 10, and other storage areas. Is used as a reception buffer 50B for temporarily storing data and the like input via the host I / F circuit 46, and another part of the storage area is recorded on the paper 12.
It is used as a page buffer 50C for storing bit map data for pages.

The other part of the storage area is used as a temporary buffer 50D for temporarily expanding a character pattern, an image, etc. read from a character pattern memory 54, which will be described later, as bitmap data.
The bitmap data expanded in the temporary buffer 50D is electronically edited such as pasted on the page buffer 50C in correspondence with the recording position on the paper 12, so that one page to be recorded on the paper 12 is recorded. Bitmap data will be generated on the page buffer 50C.

A program memory 52 and a character pattern memory 54 are also connected to the system bus 42. The program memory 52 is a non-volatile memory,
Various programs for controlling the printer 10 are stored. The character pattern memory 54 is also a non-volatile memory, and stores a large number of types of font data (character pattern data) used for printing.

A recording interface (I / F) circuit 58 and a bitmap controller 60 are connected to the system bus 42. The recording unit I / F circuit 58 is
The image data stored in the page buffer 50C is sequentially read to generate the image signal 22, and the generated image signal 22 is output to the recording unit 14. Further, the status signal 24, the synchronization pulse 26, and the operation command signal 20 (see FIG. 1) are transmitted to and received from the recording unit 14 via the recording unit I / F circuit 58. The bitmap controller 60 is connected to the page buffer 50C and the recording unit I / F circuit 58, respectively, and controls the transfer of image data between the page buffer 50C and the recording unit I / F circuit 58.

Since the printer 10 can be connected to various hosts as described above, a program or character pattern corresponding to various control data or print data sent from various hosts may be required. is there. For this reason, the printer 10 is configured such that the program memory 62 and the character pattern memory 64, which are constituted by a ROM of an IC card type or a SIMM type, are detachable. A plurality of types of program memory 62 and character pattern memory 64 are prepared in advance according to the type of host to be connected or to realize a special function required by an operator, and are selectively mounted and used depending on the situation. It is supposed to be done.

Further, the printer 10 can be expanded with host I / F terminals. When a new host interface is required due to the addition of host I / F terminals, the host I / F circuit 66 is added according to the requested host interface (for example, Centronics interface or Ethernet). . Further, the printer 10
The hard disk 68 can be added if necessary. The hard disk 68 is used for adding character patterns, saving form data and logo data, saving data input from the host computer, and the like.

Next, the structure of the recording unit 14 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, the recording unit 14 includes a recording control unit 72. The recording control unit 72 includes the image supply unit 16 and the paper feeding unit 7.
4, connected to the printing unit 76 and the paper discharge unit 78,
The operation command signal 20, the image signal 22, the status signal 24, and the synchronization pulse 26 described above are transmitted to and received from the image supply unit 16, and the operations of the paper feed unit 74, the print unit 76, and the paper discharge unit 78 are controlled.

As shown in FIG. 4, the printer 10 is provided with a plurality of trays 80A, 80B, 80C, 80D, and each tray accommodates a paper 12 of a different size. . Further, on the side surface (left side surface in FIG. 4) of the printer 10, there is also provided a manual feed tray 86 on which various size sheets can be set. Paper feeder 7
4 detects the size of the paper set in each of the trays 80A to 80D and the manual feed tray 86, and when the feeding of the paper 12 of the predetermined size is instructed, the predetermined tray in which the paper of the predetermined size is set Remove the paper 12 from the
It is supplied to the printing unit 76.

The image signal 22 output from the image supply unit 16 is input to the printing unit 76 via the recording control unit 72. The printing unit 76 uses the paper 12 supplied from the paper feeding unit 74.
On the other hand, an image is recorded by a known electrophotographic method based on the input image signal 22, and the paper 12 on which the image is recorded is discharged to the paper discharge unit 78. The printing unit 76 corresponds to the recording means of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the printer 1
In No. 0, a face down tray 82 is provided on the upper surface of the main body, a face up tray 83 is provided on the side of the main body, and a plurality of paper discharge bins 84 are provided further above the face down tray 82. There is.

In response to an instruction from the recording control unit 72, the paper discharge unit 78 transfers the paper 12 discharged from the printing unit 76 to one of the face-down tray 82, the face-up tray 83, and a plurality of paper discharge bins 84. Discharge.

Next, as the operation of this embodiment, the receiving process executed by the CPU 40 of the printer 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Note that this reception processing is performed by the CPU 4 when the printer 10 is powered on.
It is repeatedly executed at 0. The reception process corresponds to the acquisition means of the present invention.

In step 100, the host I / F terminal 34
Alternatively, it is determined whether or not some data such as print information is received from the host via the network I / F terminal 36, and the process waits until the determination is affirmed. When some data (for example, print information) is received from the host by the host I / F circuit 46 or the host I / F circuit 66 via the host I / F terminal 34 or the network I / F terminal 36, step 1
02, the received data is transferred to the reception buffer 50B and stored in the reception buffer 50B. In the next step 104, the data analysis / printing process is started only when the data analysis / printing process is not being executed.
Return to 0.

Next, referring to the flow chart of FIG.
The data analysis / printing process executed in U40 will be described. The data analysis / printing process is executed when the power of the printer 10 is turned on and when it is activated by the previous receiving process.

In step 110, the reception buffer 50B
It is determined whether or not received data is stored in. When the data analysis / printing process is activated by the previous receiving process, this determination is always affirmed, but when the determination is denied when the data analysis / printing process is activated by turning on the power of the printer 10, for example. Can also occur. If the determination is negative, the process ends. On the other hand, if the determination is affirmative, the value of each print data counter is cleared (to 0) in step 112. The print data counter is composed of a character data counter, an image data counter, a straight line data counter, and a curved line data counter (details will be described later).

At the next step 114, the reception buffer 5
It is again determined whether the received data is stored in 0B. If the determination is affirmative, the routine proceeds to step 116, where data analysis processing is performed. In this data analysis process,
As will be described later in detail, while extracting data of a predetermined length from the receiving buffer 50B and analyzing the content, if the extracted data is print data, the print data is expanded in the temporary buffer 50D, and the temporary buffer If 50D is full, the bitmap data stored in the temporary buffer 50D is expanded in the page buffer 50C.

When the data analysis process of step 116 is completed, the process proceeds to step 118 of the flowchart of FIG.
It is determined whether the data analysis for one page is completed. This determination is made when the data analyzed by the data analysis process is control data that means or indicates a page break operation, a paper discharge operation, a line feed operation exceeding one page, or any data in the reception buffer 50B. Is not stored (the determination in step 114 is denied during this state, and the data analysis process in step 116 is not performed) continues for a predetermined time or longer, and is affirmed. If the above determination is negative, the process moves to step 122 and it is determined whether or not the job is completed. If this determination is also denied, the process returns to step 114 and the data analysis process is repeated.

On the other hand, when it is judged that the data analysis for one page is completed and the judgment in step 118 is affirmed, the printing process is executed in step 120. In this printing process, as will be described later in detail, a tray (paper feeding tray) as a target for drawing out the paper 12 for recording an image is determined, and
The discharge destination for discharging the paper 12 on which the image is recorded is set, the image is recorded on the paper 12 pulled out from the paper feed tray by using the bitmap data stored in the page buffer 50C, and the paper 12 on which the image is recorded is recorded. Is discharged to the discharge destination set earlier.

When the printing process of step 120 is completed,
The process proceeds to step 122, and it is determined again whether or not the job is completed. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 114. Therefore, step 116 is repeated until the data analysis processing is performed on all the received data, and the print processing of step 120 is repeated each time the data analysis processing for one page is completed until the job is completed. It will be.

Next, details of the data analysis processing performed in step 116 of the data analysis / print processing shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The data analysis process shown in FIG. 7 is merely an example.
When the user operates the operation panel 28 or transmits control data via the host, step 116 in FIG.
In, the user can select which of the data analysis process shown in FIG. 7 and another data analysis process described later is to be executed.

In the data analysis process shown in FIG. 7, in step 130, a predetermined length (for example, 1
Capture the received data in bytes or longer). In step 132, it is determined whether the fetched data is control data. When the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 134, and after performing control data processing, the process proceeds to step 162. Details of this control data processing will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

At step 170, it is determined whether or not the fetched control data is format data for instructing the size and orientation of the paper 12 on which the image is to be recorded, the image enlargement or reduction ratio, and tab setting. judge. When the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 172, the format setting process according to the content of the format setting data taken in is performed, and the process ends. If the determination in step 170 is negative, the process proceeds to step 174, and the control data that has been imported is such that the type and size of the font to be used and various character modifications (for example, italics,
It is determined whether or not it is character attribute setting data for instructing the character attribute such as bold letters, bag characters, shadow characters, etc. When the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 176, the character attribute setting process is performed according to the content of the fetched character attribute setting data, and the process ends.

If the determination in step 174 is negative, the process proceeds to step 178, and it is determined whether or not the fetched control data is image attribute setting data that indicates the attribute of the image data. If the determination is affirmative, the routine proceeds to step 180, where the image attribute setting processing is performed according to the content of the captured image attribute setting data, and the processing ends.

When the determination at step 178 is negative, the routine proceeds to step 182, where the fetched control data is the width of the line drawn according to the straight line data or the curved line data described later, the line end shape, and the predetermined value in the image. It is determined whether or not the data is graphic attribute setting data that specifies the color and the density when filling the area. When the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 184, the graphic attribute setting process according to the content of the fetched graphic attribute setting data is performed, and the process ends.

When the determination in step 182 is negative, the process proceeds to step 186, and it is determined whether or not the fetched control data is recording section control data for performing various designations on the recording section 14. If the determination is affirmative, the recording unit control process is performed in step 188, and the process ends. Details of this recording unit control processing will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

At step 200, it is judged whether the fetched recording section control data is sheet feed tray designation data. In the paper feed tray designation data, the first tray 80A and the second tray 80A are used as trays for pulling out paper for recording an image.
Paper is specified by directly specifying any of the tray 80B on the third level, the tray 80C on the third level, the tray 80D on the fourth level, and the manual tray 86, and by specifying the size of the paper 12 to be fed. There is data that indirectly specifies the tray to be pulled out. If the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step 202, and the paper feed tray designation data is stored in the RAM 5
A paper feed tray setting process for storing in a predetermined area above 0 is performed.

If the determination in step 200 is negative, the routine proceeds to step 204, where it is determined whether the captured recording unit control data is the discharge destination designation data. The discharge destination designation data includes data that designates any one of the face-up tray 82, the face-down tray 83, and the plurality of paper discharge bins 84 as the discharge destination of the print result (the paper 12 on which the image is recorded). There is data that specifies that a plurality of paper discharge bins 84 should be used as a sorter for paper discharge. If the determination is affirmative, the routine proceeds to step 206, where a discharge destination setting process for storing the discharge destination designation data in a predetermined area on the RAM 50 is performed.

If the determination in step 204 is negative, the process proceeds to step 208, and it is determined whether the captured recording unit control data is data designating the power save transition time. In the printer 10, when the printer 10 is not used for a long time while being powered on, the printer 10 shifts to the power save mode for the purpose of saving the power consumption of the printer, and the fixing roller (fuser) of the printing unit 76. And stop the operation of the laser scan motor, etc. The power save transition time represents the time from when the printer 10 ejects the last print result and the processing of the recording unit 14 is completely completed until the printer shifts to the power save mode.

If the determination in step 208 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 210, and the data designating the power save transition time is transferred to a predetermined area on the RAM 50 and NV.
A power save time setting process for storing each in a predetermined area on M48 is performed. When the power is turned on and the unused state continues, the RAM 50 or the NVM 48
Based on the power save transition time stored in, the power save mode is entered.

When the determination at step 208 is negative, the routine proceeds to step 212, where the fetched recording section control data is other than the recording section control data (steps 200, 204 and 208). For example, it is determined whether or not it is control data that specifies jam recovery valid / invalid, resolution, print density, toner save mode, paper size standard, etc.). If the determination is positive, step 21
4 and transfers the other recording section control data to the RAM 5
0 or other control processing stored in the NVM 48 is performed and the processing ends. Then, the recording unit 14 performs the printing process according to the other recording unit control data stored in the RAM 50 or the NVM 48 when the next printing is performed.

If it is determined in step 212 that the fetched recording section control data is not the above-mentioned other control data, the recording section control data is undefined data. Performs undefined control data processing such as skipping of recording control data.

Further, in the control data processing of FIG. 8, if the determination in step 186 is negative, step 19
0, and the imported control data is the same as in step 17 above.
It is determined whether or not it is other control data (for example, control data for instructing return, line feed, initialization, etc.) other than the determination made in 0, 174, 178, 182, 186. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 192, and the processing according to the contents of the other control data is performed, but if the determination is negative, it is determined that the control data is undefined,
At step 194, undefined control data processing such as skipping of the control data is performed.

On the other hand, in the data analysis process shown in FIG. 7, if the determination in step 132 is negative, the fetched data is print data or other data. It is determined whether it is text data (character data). If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 138, the character pattern corresponding to the character data is read from the character pattern memory 54, and the read character pattern is stored in the temporary buffer 50D.
Expand to the area for the characters. 1 in next step 140
The value of the character data counter is incremented for each character, and the process proceeds to step 162.

If the determination in step 136 is negative, the process proceeds to step 142 and it is determined whether the fetched data is bitmap data (image data).
If the determination is affirmative, the routine proceeds to step 144, where the captured image data is expanded to the image area of the temporary buffer 50D, and the next step 146 is performed.
Then, the value of the image data counter is incremented in units of a single data block of the image data, and the process proceeds to step 162.

If the determination in step 142 is negative, the process proceeds to step 148, and the acquired data is
Vector data representing a straight line to be drawn in the image (hereinafter,
(Referred to as straight line data). If the determination is affirmative, the routine proceeds to step 150, where the captured straight line data is expanded into the straight line area of the temporary buffer 50D as bit map data representing the straight line, and at the next step 152, the straight line data is extracted. Increment the value of the linear data counter in units of one data block,
Go to step 162.

If the determination in step 148 is negative, the process proceeds to step 154, and the acquired data is
Vector data representing the curve to be drawn in the image (hereinafter,
Curve data)). If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 156, and the acquired curve data is expanded in the curve area of the temporary buffer 50D as bitmap data representing the curve, and at the next step 158, the curve data is simply extracted. Increment the value of the curve data counter in units of one data block,
Go to step 162.

If the determination in step 154 is negative, the data acquired in step 130 is the data other than the data determined in steps 132, 136, 142, 148, and 154 (here, undefined data). Therefore, the processing corresponding to the undefined data is performed in step 160, and then the process proceeds to step 162.

The above steps 136, 142,
148, 154 determination, and steps 140, 146,
The increments of the print counters 152 and 158 are
It corresponds to the analyzing means according to claim 1.

In step 162, it is determined whether printing has been decided. This determination is affirmed when the data processed above is control data such as a carriage return or line feed, or when the temporary buffer 50D is full. If the determination is negative, the received data processed as described above is cleared from the reception buffer 50B and the data analysis process is temporarily ended. However, if the determination is positive, the contents of the temporary buffer 50D are paged. Buffer 50C
And the contents of the temporary buffer 50D are cleared, and the data analysis process is terminated.

Next, the details of the print processing performed in step 120 of the data analysis / print processing shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step 220, step 2 of the recording unit control process (see FIG. 9)
In 02, a tray to be used as a paper feed tray is determined based on the paper feed tray designation data stored in a predetermined area on the RAM 50. In the next step 222, discharge destination setting processing is performed. An example of this discharge destination setting process will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. The discharge destination setting process shown in FIG. 11 corresponds to the selecting means described in claim 1.

In step 230, the values currently set in the respective print data counters are taken in (the values of the respective counters represent the contents of the print data of the page to be printed), and one page of paper is printed. The total of the values of the respective counters is calculated as the total number of print data representing the image to be recorded, and the totaling process is performed to calculate the proportion of each of the character data, the image data, the straight line data and the curved line data in the print data. . Then, the next step 232
After that, the discharge destination of the print result is set based on the result of the tabulation process.

That is, in the next step 232, it is determined whether or not the print data of the page to be printed is the print data generated by the word processor software in the host based on the result of the counting process. The image (print data) generated by word processing software has a very high ratio of characters empirically. Therefore, if the result of the aggregation process is, for example, that the ratio of character data is 80% or more, the printing The data can be judged to have been generated by word processing software.

When the determination in step 232 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 234, and is previously assigned as the discharge destination of the paper 12 (print result) for discharging the print result of the print data generated by the word processor software. The discharge destination is set, and the process proceeds to step 250.

If the determination in step 232 is negative, the process proceeds to step 236, and the print data of the page to be printed is generated by the host computer using the spreadsheet software based on the counting result in step 230. It is determined whether the data is print data. The image (print data) generated by the spreadsheet software empirically has a relatively high proportion of straight line data, and there is almost no curved line data. The ratio is 30% or more and the ratio of curve data is 0%
If it is, it can be determined that the print data is generated by spreadsheet software.

When the determination in step 236 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 238, and is pre-assigned as the discharge destination of the paper 12 (print result) for discharging the print result of the print data generated by the spreadsheet software. The discharge destination is set and the process proceeds to step 250.

When the determination in step 236 is negative, the process proceeds to step 240, and based on the totalized result in step 230, the print data of the page to be printed by the host is a paint tool (also called a paint program). : It is determined whether or not the print data is generated by an application program that generates an image as bitmap data. The image (print data) generated by the paint tool empirically has a very high proportion of image data (bitmap data). Therefore, when the result of the aggregation processing is, for example, the proportion of image data is 80% or more. Therefore, it can be determined that the print data is generated by the paint tool.

When the determination in step 240 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 242, and the sheet 12 (printing result) is discharged in advance and is previously assigned for discharging the printing result of the print data generated by the paint tool. The discharge destination is set, and the process proceeds to step 250.

When the determination in step 240 is negative, the process proceeds to step 244, and the print data of the page to be printed is generated by the CAD software in the host based on the result of counting in step 230. It is determined whether it is data. Since the image (print data) generated by the CAD software has a high proportion of straight line data and curve data empirically, the total of the straight line data ratio and the curve data ratio is 70% or more as a result of the aggregation processing. If it is, the print data is C
It can be judged that it is generated by the AD software.

When the determination in step 244 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 246, and is previously assigned as the discharge destination of the paper 12 (print result) for discharging the print result of the print data generated by the CAD software. The discharge destination is set, and the process proceeds to step 250.

If the determination in step 244 is negative, the print data is added to steps 232, 236, and 24.
This is the case where the characteristics determined in steps 0 and 244 are not seen, so in step 248, the discharge destination that is assigned in advance for other purposes is set as the discharge destination of the paper 12, and then step 25
Move to 0. Then, in step 250, the value of each print counter is cleared, the discharge destination setting process is terminated, and the process proceeds to step 224 in the flowchart of FIG.

It should be noted that the discharge destination for word processing software, the discharge destination for spreadsheet software, the discharge destination for paint tools, CAD
The discharge destination for software is, for example, the user operating the operation panel 28 or transmitting control data via the host. For example, the discharge destination for word processing software is the first-stage discharge bin 84, spreadsheet software. The discharge destination for paper is set to the second-stage discharge bin 84, the discharge destination for paint tools is set to the fifth-stage discharge bin 84, the discharge destination for CAD software is set to the face-up tray 83, and so on. Can be set arbitrarily.

Further, in the above-mentioned discharge destination setting process, the contents of the print data are judged by the judgments of the steps 232, 236, 240, 244, but these judgment criteria are various software for generating the print data. , And what kind of print data the tool generates. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the user can change or add the determination criterion by operating the operation panel 28 or transmitting the control data via the host.

On the other hand, in step 224 of the flowchart of FIG. 10, the paper 12 is pulled out from the tray 80 determined as the paper feed tray in step 220 described above,
The paper feeding unit 74 is controlled so that the pulled-out paper 12 is conveyed to the printing unit 76. In the next step 226, the bitmap data stored in the page buffer 50C is output to the recording unit 14 to instruct the recording of the image on the paper 12. As a result, in the recording unit 14, the printing unit 76 records the image. In step 228, the paper discharge unit 78 is controlled so that the paper 12 on which the image is recorded by the printing unit 76 is discharged to the discharge destination set by the discharge destination setting process. This process corresponds to the discharge control means of the present invention.

As described above, in the above, the print result of print data generated by different application software or tools, that is, print data estimated to be of different types, based on the content of print information (more specifically, print data). However, since the print result discharge destination is set so that the print results are discharged to different discharge destinations, the user does not need to sort the print results discharged from the printer 10 by type, and the burden on the user is reduced. It

In the above description, regardless of whether or not the discharge destination of the print result is designated by the control data, the discharge destination setting process (see FIG. 11) for setting the discharge destination of the print result according to the content of the print data is performed. However, the print result may be discharged to a tray or bin different from the discharge destination specified by the user according to the control data.However, the present invention is not limited to this, and priority is given to specifying the discharge destination according to the control data. As an example, as shown in FIG. 12, after performing the paper feed tray determination process of step 220 in the printing process, it is determined in step 221 whether or not the paper feed tray is designated by the control data, and the determination is negative. The discharge destination setting process may be performed only in the case of the above.

Further, in the above-described processing, when print data representing a document consisting of a plurality of pages is received, data analysis processing is performed on each page and a discharge destination is set for each page. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the data analysis processing is performed only for the first page of the document represented by the print data to set the discharge destination, and for the second and subsequent pages, You may make it discharge to the discharge destination set previously. As a result, it is possible to minimize the increase in processing time due to the data analysis processing.

Next, another example of the data analysis process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This data analysis processing corresponds to the analyzing means according to claim 2, and after the data is fetched from the reception buffer 50B in step 240, the fetched data is transferred to the header sheet (plural pages) in the next step 242. It is determined whether or not the data is the first page of the document consisting of. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 248, and as the other data analysis process, the processes of steps 132 to 164 of FIG. 7 and the like (however, the counter increments of steps 140, 146, 152, and 158 are unnecessary). However, if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 244, and it is determined whether the fetched data is identification data capable of identifying the attribute or the like of the print data.

The data that can identify the attributes of the print data differs depending on the content to be printed on the header sheet. For example, the user name, the user ID, the department name to which the user belongs, the character data representing the host name, the bar Image data representing a code, straight line data, and the like are included. The data representing the bar code may be instruction information for instructing the printing of the bar code, which includes data such as the character code to be represented by the bar code and the printing position of the bar code on the paper 12. .

If the determination in step 244 is negative, the process proceeds to step 248 to perform the other data analysis process described above. If the determination in step 244 is positive, the identification data is represented in step 246. The attribute or the like of the print data is analyzed, the analysis result is stored in the RAM 50 or the like, and then the process proceeds to step 248.

When the above processing is performed as the data analysis processing, the processing shown in FIG. 14 may be performed as the discharge destination setting processing. That is, in step 250, the analysis result of the identification data stored in step 246 of the data analysis process shown in FIG. 13 is fetched, and in the next step 252, the discharge destination corresponding to the attribute of the print data is set as the discharge destination of the print result. Then, the process ends.

According to the above, the content of the print information is analyzed based on the identification data included in the print data and capable of identifying the attribute of the print data, and the attribute of the print data (type of print data) is different. Since the discharge destination of the print result is set so that the print result of the existing print data is discharged to different discharge destinations, the user does not need to sort the print results discharged from the printer 10 by type, Burden is reduced. Further, even when the attribute of the print data is identified by using the barcode, it is not necessary to provide a barcode reader or the like for optically reading the barcode printed on the paper 12, so that the configuration of the printer 10 can be simplified. Become.

Next, another example of the data analysis process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This data analysis processing corresponds to the discrimination means described in claim 3,
After the data is fetched from the reception buffer 50B in step 260, the fetched data is
It is determined whether or not the data is identification data indicating that it is a copy page (for example, character data indicating the character "copy").

If the determination is negative, step 266.
However, if the determination is positive, step 2
In step 64, the page number of the print data whose data is currently analyzed is stored in the RAM 50 or the like as the page number of the reserved page, and then the process proceeds to step 266. And step 26
6, other data analysis processing (for example, the processing of steps 132 to 164 in FIG. 7, etc., but steps 140 and 14
The counters of 6, 152, and 158 are not required to be incremented), and the process ends. From the above, a page having a different purpose (in this case, whether it is a reserved page or not) is determined.

When the above processing is performed as the data analysis processing, the processing shown in FIG. 16 may be performed as the discharge destination setting processing. The discharge destination setting process shown in FIG. 16 corresponds to the selecting means described in claim 3, and in step 270, the page number of the page to be printed is stored in the RAM 50 or the like in step 264 of the flowchart of FIG. Is compared with the page number of the page to determine whether the page to be printed is a reserved page. And if the determination is denied,
In step 272, a normal discharge destination setting process (see, for example, FIG.
However, if the determination is positive,
In step 274, as a discharge destination of the print result, a predetermined discharge destination for the copy page is set, and the process ends.

As described above, even when the document represented by the print data is a slip in which a plurality of sheets are spelled, the copy page is automatically determined, and the determined copy page is different from other pages. Since it is discharged first, the user does not need to perform a sorting operation such as taking out a reserved page, and the burden on the user is reduced.

Next, another example of the discharge destination setting process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this discharge destination setting process, a normal discharge destination setting process is performed in step 280. As the normal discharge destination setting process, for example, the process shown in FIG. 11, the process shown in FIG. 14, the process shown in FIG. 16 or the like can be applied. Next step 282
Then, it is determined whether or not the state of the discharge destination set in step 280 is normal. This determination is whether or not there is a paper jam at the discharge destination, a paper full, a mechanical failure, a discharge mechanism not installed, a cover opened at any place on the transport path leading to the discharge destination, or the like. It can be realized by determining whether or not.

When the determination is affirmative, the discharge destination setting process is terminated without performing any processing, but when it is determined that the discharge destination is not in a normal state, the determination is denied. The process proceeds to step 284, and any one of the first processing to the fourth processing described below is executed.

In the first processing, an error is generated when the determination in step 282 is negative, and the bitmap data stored in the page buffer 50C is cleared without printing, indicating that an error has occurred. Information to NVM
The data is stored in 48 and the process for the next page is started. The occurrence of the above error causes the user to instruct to execute the function (print utility) for printing the information stored in the NVM 48, or the display unit of the operation panel 28 for the information stored in the NVM 48. The user can recognize it by instructing the display to. If the user resends the print data of the unprinted page after the cause of the error is eliminated, the unprinted page is printed.

As a result, even if the above-mentioned abnormalities of the discharge destination occur in a situation where a large number of jobs are in the print execution waiting state, the processing for each job is not stopped and the printing is performed. The process for the job whose result can be discharged is executed, and the print result is discharged.

In the second process, the print result is discharged to the tray for exclusive use of error discharge, which is installed in the printer 10 in advance.
As a result, in the situation where many jobs are in the print execution waiting state, even if the above-mentioned abnormality of the discharge destination occurs, all the processing for each job will not be stopped and the user will not be able to print. There is no need to resend the print data of the missing page.

In the third processing, the print result is discharged to an arbitrary tray designated as an error discharge tray in advance by the operation panel 28 or control data. As a result, similarly to the second process, in the situation where many jobs are in the print execution waiting state, even if the above-mentioned discharge destination abnormality occurs, all the processes for each job will not stop. In addition, there is no need for the user to resend the print data of the unprinted page. Further, since any tray can be designated as the error ejection tray, even if an abnormality occurs in the tray designated as the error ejection tray in advance, the printing operation of the printer 10 can be continued by switching the error ejection tray. .

In the fourth processing, unlike the second processing and the third processing, the discharge destination is not switched, and an abnormality occurs in the discharge destination from which the print result should be discharged, and the discharge cannot be performed. The user is notified by displaying a message to that effect on the display unit of the operation panel 28 or by notifying the host via the communication line. This is effective, for example, when the user specifies a specific discharge destination by control data or the like and the user desires to discharge the print result to the specific discharge destination.

For example, the specific discharge destination has a special function (for example, a stapling function for binding the print result, a confidentiality maintaining function for allowing only a specific user who recognizes the personal identification number to retrieve the print result). If so, if the print result is discharged to another discharge destination that does not have the special function, the special function cannot be used, and the user may be disadvantaged. In the fourth process, although the user needs to resend the print data, the print result can be reliably discharged to the print destination desired by the user.

The first to fourth processes can be arbitrarily designated according to the purpose by the user operating the operation panel 28 or transmitting control data from the host. is there.

In the above description, the received print data is expanded into the temporary buffer 50D as bitmap data and is temporarily stored, but the data format to be stored in the temporary buffer 50D is limited to the bitmap data format. However, the received data may be saved in the temporary buffer without any conversion, or the intermediate data format data before being converted into bitmap data may be saved in the temporary buffer. You may

The discharge destination setting process shown in FIG.
If it is applied to each page in the printing of a document consisting of a plurality of pages, the print data representing the document is generated by the word processing software, the print data generated by the spreadsheet software, and the paint tool. Different print data, print data generated by CAD software, or print data having similar characteristics to print data generated by various application software or tools, page by page It is also possible that the output destination of the print result will be different. If the discharge destination setting process shown in FIG. 11 is performed only for the first page of the document, the discharge destination depends on the content of the print data of the first page (first printed page). Therefore, the discharge destination varies depending on the printing order of each page.

Considering the above case, a plurality of samples of data (print data and control data) are prepared for each same application software or tool, and the printer 1
When 0, data statistics are taken for the same application software or tool for the sample, and the standard for identifying the data generated by various application software or tools is calculated from the results, and the calculated standard is used. It is preferable to remember. The calculation of the reference at this time can be realized by comparing the data generated by the same application software or tool in page units and extracting the common part of the data.

As a result, for example, in a specific application software or tool, data instructing initialization, data instructing the paper size, and data instructing the enlargement / reduction ratio are always continuously inserted at the top of the page. And so on,
A data sequence unique to each type of application software or tool is extracted as a common part of data. Further, if the format of each page is the same, data unique to the format, for example, straight line data representing the outer frame, character data representing the company name, etc. are extracted as the common part of the data. By analyzing the print information and setting the discharge destination based on the common part of the data as described above, the proper discharge destination can be set according to the attribute of the print information. The analysis means described in claim 2 includes the analysis processing as described above.

[0109]

As described above, according to the first and second aspects of the invention, the content of the print data is analyzed by the analyzing means, and the paper on which the image is recorded based on the analyzed content of the print data. The paper output destination is selected from a plurality of paper output units, and the paper on which the image is recorded is output to the selected paper output destination. It has an excellent effect that it can be properly sorted.

According to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, the use of the paper on which the image represented by the print data is recorded is determined based on the print data, and the image is recorded based on the determined use of the paper. The paper output destination is selected from among multiple output units, and the paper on which the image is recorded is output to the selected output destination, so the print results are properly sorted so that the burden on the user is reduced. It has an excellent effect that it can be done.

According to the invention of claim 5, the use of the sheet on which the image is recorded is determined for each page. Therefore, in addition to the above effects, the use of a specific page made up of a plurality of pages is the use of other pages. Even when printing different documents, it is possible to properly sort the print results so that the user's burden is reduced.
It has the effect of.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printer according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image supply unit.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a recording unit.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the external appearance of the printer.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a data reception process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a data analysis / printing process.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of data analysis processing.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing control data processing.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a recording unit control process.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of print processing.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a discharge destination setting process.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating another example of print processing.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing another example of data analysis processing.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the discharge destination setting process.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing another example of data analysis processing.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing another example of the discharge destination setting process.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing another example of the discharge destination setting process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Printer 16 Image Supply Section 40 CPU 76 Printing Section 82 Face-up Down 82 Face-up Tray 84 Paper Ejection Bin

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Taiichi Furukawa 3-7-1, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture Iwatsuki Plant, Fuji Zerox Co., Ltd. (72) Kenji Kawana 3-7 Prefecture, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture No. 1 Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Iwatsuki Plant (72) Inventor Ichiro Konno 3-7-1 Fuchu, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture Fuji Zerox Co., Ltd. Iwatsuki Plant (72) Inventor Seiichi Yoshinobu 3-Chome, Iwatsuki City Saitama 7-1 Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Iwatsuki Plant

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An acquisition unit for acquiring print information, an analysis unit for analyzing contents of the print information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a record for recording an image represented by the print information acquired by the acquisition unit on a sheet. Means, a plurality of discharge units for accommodating the paper on which the image is recorded, and a plurality of discharge units for the discharge destination of the paper on which the image is recorded based on the content of the print information analyzed by the analysis unit. And a discharge control unit that discharges the sheet on which the image is recorded by the recording unit to the discharge destination selected by the selecting unit. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit analyzes the content of the print information based on the data representing the attribute of the print information included in the print information. 3. Acquisition means for acquiring print information, and based on the print information acquired by the acquisition means,
Discriminating means for discriminating the application of the paper on which the image represented by the print information is recorded, recording means for recording the image represented by the print information acquired by the acquiring means on the paper, and accommodating the paper on which the image is recorded A plurality of discharge units, a selection unit that selects a discharge destination of the sheet on which the image is recorded from the plurality of discharge units based on the use of the sheet determined by the determination unit, and the recording unit A printing apparatus including: a discharge control unit configured to discharge a sheet having an image recorded thereon to a discharge destination selected by the selection unit. 4. The discriminating means discriminates the use of the paper on which the image represented by the print information is recorded, based on the data representing the use of the paper contained in the print information. The printing device according to claim 3. 5. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the discrimination unit discriminates, for each page, the purpose of the paper on which the image is recorded.