Printing method, storage medium and image forming device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a printing method, storage medium, and image forming device. The image forming device includes an engine control unit, and the method includes: obtaining print job information and special media identification information input by a user, wherein the print job information includes at least a first print mode, a media type, and a media size, and the special media identification information is used to indicate whether the user initiates a custom printing scheme to execute the print job; determining a target print mode for the print job based on the special media identification information and the print job information; and in the target print mode, invoking the engine control unit to execute the print job according to a custom printing scheme for a preset media type corresponding to the special media identification information, thereby initiating the custom printing scheme to execute the print job, reducing paper waste and user losses, and improving the user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to the technical field of image formation, and in particular to a printing method, a storage medium, and an image forming device. Background Art

[0002] With technological advancements, user demand for image forming devices, such as single-function printers, multifunction printers, scanners, and copiers, is growing. Currently, most image forming devices offer custom printing capabilities. By enabling this function on the image forming device's control panel, users can customize the media type and size to meet diverse printing needs.

[0003] However, during custom printing, users often don't know the media sizes corresponding to different media types, resulting in a mismatch between the selected media type and the media size. The data firmware in the image forming device doesn't perform mutually exclusive judgments on the media type and size in custom printing. For example, if a user-defined media size is the size of a standard envelope, but the user-selected media type is plain paper, the data firmware will still determine the media type as plain paper. This can easily cause paper jams, increasing the probability of paper jams and leading to paper waste. Furthermore, most image forming devices currently store a fixed and limited number of special paper types, which cannot meet the user's arbitrary media type and size requirements, impacting the user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, embodiments of the present invention provide a printing method, a storage medium, and an image forming device to solve the technical problems in the prior art that customized printing easily causes paper waste and poor user experience.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a printing method, which is applied to an image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus includes an engine control unit, and the printing method includes:

[0006] Acquiring print job information and special media identification information input by a user, wherein the print job information includes at least a first print mode, a media type, and a media size, and the special media identification information is used to indicate whether the user initiates a custom printing solution to execute the print job;

[0007] determining a target printing mode for the print job according to the special medium identification information and the print job information;

[0008] In the target printing mode, the engine control unit is called to execute the printing job according to the custom printing scheme of the preset media type corresponding to the special media identification information.

[0009] In a possible implementation, if the special media identification information indicates that the user initiates a custom printing scheme to execute a print job, determining a target printing mode for the print job based on the special media identification information and the print job information includes:

[0010] When the medium type belongs to a preset medium type set range corresponding to the special medium identification information and the first printing mode is a duplex printing mode, updating the first printing mode to a second printing mode corresponding to the medium type as the target printing mode according to a mapping relationship between the preset medium type set range and preset printing modes, wherein the second printing mode is different from the first printing mode;

[0011] When the media type does not belong to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information and the first printing mode is a duplex printing mode, the first printing mode is updated to a third printing mode as the target printing mode based on the comparison result between the media size and the preset size threshold, wherein the third printing mode is different from the first printing mode.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the third printing mode includes an interval duplex printing mode or an alternating duplex printing mode.

[0013] In a possible implementation, updating the first printing mode to a third printing mode according to a comparison result between the medium size and a preset size threshold includes:

[0014] When the medium size is larger than the preset size threshold, determining that the third printing mode is the interval duplex printing mode, and updating the first printing mode to the interval duplex printing mode;

[0015] When the medium size is smaller than or equal to the preset size threshold, it is determined that the third printing mode is the alternating duplex printing mode, and the first printing mode is updated to the alternating duplex printing mode.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the custom printing scheme includes a full-media custom printing scheme and a thick paper medium custom printing scheme, wherein the preset media type set range corresponding to the thick paper medium custom printing scheme includes at least three preset media types of different thicknesses.

[0017] In a possible implementation, when the special media identification information indicates that a user has initiated the customized printing solution for thick paper, and when the media type belongs to a preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information and the first printing mode is a duplex printing mode, updating the first printing mode to a second printing mode corresponding to the media type according to a mapping relationship between the preset media type set range and the preset printing mode includes:

[0018] Upon detecting that the first printing mode is a duplex printing mode, obtaining a preset media type set range corresponding to the thick paper medium custom printing scheme and a preset printing mode corresponding to each preset media type, wherein the preset printing modes include at least any two of a manual duplex printing mode, an interval duplex printing mode, an alternating duplex printing mode, and a single-sided printing mode;

[0019] According to the medium type input by the user, a second printing mode corresponding to the medium type is selected from the mapping relationship between the preset medium type set range and the corresponding preset printing modes.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the printing method further includes:

[0021] When determining that the user has started a custom printing plan, if the media type input by the user does not belong to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, the first printing mode corresponding to the print job is maintained as the target printing mode, wherein the first printing mode is a printing mode other than the duplex printing mode.

[0022] In a possible implementation, before executing the print job, the method further includes:

[0023] After determining that the user starts the customized printing plan, the engine control unit controls only the correction sensor in the paper path to be started.

[0024] In a possible implementation, in the target printing mode, calling the engine control unit to execute the printing job according to the custom printing scheme of the preset media type corresponding to the special media identification information includes:

[0025] Obtaining a print page spacing correction value and a preset media spacing threshold value preset in the custom printing scheme, wherein the preset media spacing threshold value is used to represent page spacing information corresponding to a normal printing job;

[0026] If the media type belongs to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, determining the target page spacing of the print job according to the print page spacing correction value and the preset media spacing threshold;

[0027] If the medium type does not belong to the preset medium type set range corresponding to the special medium identification information, the preset medium spacing threshold is used as the target page spacing;

[0028] In the target printing mode, the engine control unit is called to execute the printing job according to the target page spacing.

[0029] In a possible implementation, in the target printing mode, calling the engine control unit to execute the printing job according to the custom printing scheme of the preset media type corresponding to the special media identification information further includes:

[0030] If the media type belongs to a preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, invoking the engine control unit to control execution of the print job at a first print speed or a second speed lower than the first print speed; wherein the first print speed is a preset print speed for a normal print job;

[0031] If the media type does not belong to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, the engine control unit is called to control the execution of the print job at a first printing speed.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the second speed is 1 / 2 of the first printing speed.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the printing method further includes:

[0034] When it is detected that printing of the first page of the current job is completed, a prompt is displayed on the image forming apparatus for the user to select whether to continue to execute the remaining printing job based on the print quality of the first page.

[0035] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a storage medium, which includes a stored program, wherein when the program is running, the device where the storage medium is located is controlled to execute the printing method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0036] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an image forming device, comprising an engine control unit and a correction sensor, wherein the image forming device utilizes the engine control unit and the correction sensor to execute the steps of the printing method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0037] An embodiment of the present invention provides a technical solution for a printing method, a storage medium, and an image forming device, wherein the image forming device includes an engine control unit, and the image forming device obtains print job information and special media identification information input by a user, wherein the print job information includes at least a first print mode, a media type, and a media size, and the special media identification information is used to indicate whether the user starts a custom printing scheme to execute the print job; based on the special media identification information and the print job information, a target print mode for the print job is determined; in the target print mode, the engine control unit is called to execute the print job according to the custom printing scheme of the preset media type corresponding to the special media identification information, thereby being able to start the custom printing scheme to execute the print job, reducing paper waste and user losses, and improving user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0039] Figure 1 A flowchart of a conventional printing method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 2 A flowchart of a printing method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a user setting interface provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 4 A flowchart of determining a target printing mode for a print job provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 5 A flowchart of selecting a second printing mode provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 6 A printing schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 7 Another flowchart of selecting a second printing mode provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 8 Another printing schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 9 Another printing schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of an image forming device provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] In order to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0050] It should be understood that the embodiments described are only a portion of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by persons of ordinary skill in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0051] The terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular forms "a", "an", "the" and "the" used in the embodiments of the present invention and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0052] It should be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein is merely a description of the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0053] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe numbers in embodiments of the present invention, these numbers should not be limited to these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish numbers from each other. For example, a first number may also be referred to as a second number, and similarly, a second number may also be referred to as a first number without departing from the scope of embodiments of the present invention.

[0054] The word "if," as used herein, may be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining" or "in response to detecting," depending on the context. Similarly, the phrases "if it is determined" or "if (stated condition or event) is detected" may be interpreted as "when it is determined" or "in response to the determination" or "when detecting (stated condition or event)" or "in response to detecting (stated condition or event)," depending on the context.

[0055] Currently, when printing envelopes, if a user uses the custom paper printing function to print a C4 envelope that is not supported by the image forming device's standard size data, due to the special characteristics of envelope products, the C4 envelope product state is the envelope flap is open. The standard size data for the image forming device's standard paper type is 223 millimeters (mm) * 324 mm, but the actual length of a C4 envelope needs to include the length of the envelope flap, and the total length of a C4 envelope is 354 mm. Therefore, if the user enters the C4 standard size data in the custom paper for printing, there is a high probability of paper jams due to the inconsistent paper size, and the final printing result is abnormal, resulting in paper waste, increased user losses, and a reduced user experience.

[0056] When printing postcards, assuming that the user uses the custom paper printing function to print postcards that are not supported by the standard size data of the image forming device, due to the special nature of postcard products, postcards are usually products with relatively thick paper thickness. Therefore, if the user sets the print media type of the custom postcard to plain paper, the engine unit will rub the paper at high speed. However, rubbing thick paper at high speed will increase the slip rate, which will eventually cause the image forming device to jam. If the user also checks the duplex printing mode by default, it will cause multiple postcards to be stuck in the image forming device. The unique thickness, length and width of the postcards will make it difficult for the user to remove the jammed postcards from the image forming device after the paper jam is reported. This will reduce the user's impression of the image forming device, cause paper waste, increase the user's loss, and reduce the user's experience.

[0057] For example, when a user prints custom paper on a postcard, the user-defined media size is the postcard size, the media size is 102 mm (millimeter, mm) * 165 mm, the media type is plain paper, the printing mode is duplex printing mode, the number of printed pages is 5 consecutive pages, and the paper input tray is a multi-purpose paper input tray. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a conventional printing provided for an image forming apparatus, such as Figure 1As shown, an image forming device receives print job information; the image forming device includes data firmware, which decomposes the print job information into multiple job parameters, including custom paper size, plain paper type, duplex printing mode, 5-page continuous printing, and multi-purpose input tray. The data firmware determines that the duplex setting is valid and determines the printing mode to be alternating duplex printing mode based on the paper length of the media. The image forming device also includes engine firmware, which continuously sends page data to the engine firmware, which executes printing, uses the job paper length to control the paper spacing, prints at full speed on plain paper, and then prints. However, during the printing process, due to the thickness of postcards, the image forming device experiences paper reversal problems during duplex printing, resulting in a paper jam in the image forming device, with at least three sheets of paper jammed, causing paper waste and user losses.

[0058] In order to reduce paper waste and user losses, Figure 2 A flow chart of a printing method provided by an embodiment of the present invention is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the method includes:

[0059] Step 101: The image forming apparatus obtains print job information and special media identification information input by a user, wherein the print job information includes at least a first print mode, a media type, and a media size, and the special media identification information is used to indicate whether the user initiates a custom print solution to execute the print job.

[0060] In the embodiments of the present invention, the first print mode refers to a print mode input by a user, for example, the first print mode is single-sided printing mode or double-sided printing mode. The media type refers to the type of printing medium, for example, the media type is thick paper 1, thick paper 2, thick paper 3, envelope, postcard, plain paper, recycled paper, or thin paper. The media size refers to the size of the printing medium, for example, the media size is 229 mm * 324 mm, 140 mm * 203 mm, or 102 mm * 165 mm.

[0061] The image forming device is capable of receiving print job information input by a user. The image forming device includes a print driver, a data firmware, and an engine firmware. Print job parameters include media type and paper length. The data firmware controls whether to implement automatic duplex printing based on the media type in the print job parameters issued by the print driver, and controls whether to implement automatic alternating duplex printing based on the paper length. The engine firmware can also transmit the print job parameters to the engine firmware. The engine firmware controls the paper spacing between media in the paper path and the printing speed based on the print job parameters issued by the data firmware. In particular, in duplex printing mode, intermittent duplex pickup timing or alternating duplex pickup timing can be implemented based on the media length. Thus, when the user selects duplex printing mode, the data firmware identifies whether to use intermittent duplex printing mode or alternating duplex printing mode based on the job parameters corresponding to the selected duplex printing mode, causing the engine firmware to implement intermittent duplex pickup timing or alternating duplex pickup timing based on this identification result. Among them, the interval duplex paper pickup timing means that when a page of paper is ejected from the machine on both sides, the next sheet of paper starts to be picked up. That is, in the interval duplex printing mode, there are only two sheets of paper in the image forming device at the same time; the alternating duplex paper pickup timing means that there can be three or more sheets of paper in the machine during duplex printing. In the alternating duplex printing mode, the paper length, paper pickup sequence and paper pickup speed specifications are higher than those of interval duplex printing.

[0062] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a user setting interface of an image forming device provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown, the first layer of the user setting interface is the custom paper effective utilization protection setting, which provides relevant instructions for the custom paper effective utilization protection setting, so that users can learn and understand the custom paper effective utilization protection setting, and choose to use the setting in the custom paper printing scenario. The second layer of the user setting interface is for paper tray selection, such as standard paper tray 1, standard paper tray 2, multi-purpose paper tray, optional paper tray 1 and optional paper tray 2. It should be noted that the number of paper trays can be cut according to actual needs. After the user selects any of the above paper trays and presses the button corresponding to the corresponding button, the third layer of the user setting interface will pop up. The third layer of the user setting interface is used to instruct the user whether to start the custom printing plan (or referred to as the custom paper protection plan below) to perform the job. The third level setting displays three setting items: [0]: Off (default value), which means that the custom paper protection scheme is not enabled; [1]: All media, which means that the custom paper protection scheme is enabled for all media under custom paper printing; [2]: Thick paper only, which means that the custom paper protection scheme is enabled for the preset thick paper media types under custom paper printing (in this embodiment, the preset thick paper media types include thick paper 1, thick paper 2, thick paper 3, envelopes, postcards, etc.).

[0063] like Figure 3 As shown, based on step 101, the special media identification information is [1] or [2]; the special media identification information is [1], indicating that the user starts a custom printing scheme to perform a print job, and the protection scheme is enabled for all media under custom paper printing; the special media identification information is [2], indicating that the user starts a custom printing scheme to perform a print job, and the protection scheme is enabled only for thick paper media types (thick paper 1, thick paper 2, thick paper 3, envelopes, postcards, etc.) under custom paper printing.

[0064] Step 103: The image forming apparatus determines a target printing mode for the print job according to the special medium identification information and the print job information.

[0065] In an embodiment of the present invention, the target print mode includes a manual duplex printing mode, an interval duplex printing mode, an alternating duplex printing mode, or a single-sided printing mode. The print job information includes at least a first print mode, a media type, and a media size, and may also include job attribute settings such as the number of copies, zoom ratio, color / grayscale, and centering. The first print mode is a mode set by a user on a client or a panel of an image forming device, and may include a single-sided printing mode, a double-sided printing mode, a booklet mode, a binding mode, and the like. The client may be a PC connected to the image forming device, or a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone.

[0066] Step 105 : The image forming apparatus, in the target printing mode, calls the engine control unit to execute a print job according to the custom printing solution of the preset media type corresponding to the special media identification information.

[0067] In an embodiment of the present invention, the image forming apparatus includes an engine control unit.

[0068] An embodiment of the present invention provides a printing method, which is applied to an image forming device, wherein the image forming device includes an engine control unit, and the image forming device obtains print job information and special media identification information input by a user, wherein the print job information includes at least a first print mode, a media type, and a media size, and the special media identification information is used to indicate whether the user starts a custom printing scheme to execute the print job; based on the special media identification information and the print job information, a target print mode for the print job is determined; in the target print mode, the engine control unit is called to execute the print job according to the custom printing scheme of the preset media type corresponding to the special media identification information, thereby enabling the custom printing scheme to be started to execute the print job, reducing paper waste and user losses, reducing printing failure rate, improving printing efficiency, and improving user experience.

[0069] In a possible implementation, if the special media identification information instructs the user to start a custom printing solution to execute a print job, Figure 4 A flow chart of determining a target printing mode for a print job provided by an embodiment of the present invention is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, step 103 may specifically include:

[0070] Step 1031 : When the first printing mode is the duplex printing mode, the image forming apparatus determines whether the medium type belongs to the preset medium type set range corresponding to the special medium identification information. If so, step 1032 is executed; if not, step 1033 is executed.

[0071] In an embodiment of the present invention, when the medium type belongs to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information and the first printing mode is a duplex printing mode, the image forming device executes step 1032; when the medium type does not belong to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information and the first printing mode is a duplex printing mode, the image forming device executes step 1033.

[0072] Step 1032: The image forming apparatus updates the first printing mode to a second printing mode corresponding to the media type as the target printing mode according to the mapping relationship between the preset media type set range and the preset printing mode, wherein the second printing mode is different from the first printing mode.

[0073] In the embodiment of the present invention, the customized printing scheme includes an all-media customized printing scheme and a thick paper medium customized printing scheme, wherein the preset media type set corresponding to the thick paper medium customized printing scheme includes at least three preset media types of different thicknesses.

[0074] For example, the preset media type set corresponding to the all-media custom printing plan includes thick paper 1, thick paper 2, thick paper 3, envelopes, postcards, recycled paper, and thin paper; the preset media type set corresponding to the thick paper media custom printing plan includes thick paper 1, thick paper 2, thick paper 3, envelopes, and postcards.

[0075] When special media identification information is used to indicate that the user has activated a custom printing scheme for thick paper media, for example Figure 3 As shown, the setting item selected by the user in the third layer of the user setting interface is [2]. Figure 5 A flowchart of selecting a second printing mode is provided in an embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 5 Step 1032 may specifically include:

[0076] Step 1032a: When the image forming device detects that the first printing mode is a duplex printing mode, the preset media type set range corresponding to the custom printing scheme for thick paper media and the preset printing mode corresponding to each preset media type are obtained, wherein the preset printing modes include at least any two of a manual duplex printing mode, an interval duplex printing mode, an alternating duplex printing mode, and a single-sided printing mode.

[0077] In this embodiment of the present invention, the preset media type set corresponding to the custom printing scheme for thick paper media includes Thick Paper 1, Thick Paper 2, Thick Paper 3, Envelopes, and Postcards, and the preset media types are Thick Paper 1, Thick Paper 2, Thick Paper 3, Envelopes, or Postcards. When the first printing mode is duplex printing, the preset printing modes corresponding to each preset media type include: the preset printing mode for Thick Paper 1 is manual duplex printing; the preset printing modes for Thick Paper 2, Thick Paper 3, Envelopes, and Postcards are all single-sided printing.

[0078] Step 1032b: The image forming apparatus selects a second printing mode corresponding to the medium type from the mapping relationship between the preset medium type set range and the corresponding preset printing modes according to the medium type input by the user.

[0079] In an embodiment of the present invention, if the media type input by the user is thick paper 1, the second printing mode is a manual duplex printing mode; if the media type input by the user is thick paper 2, thick paper 3, envelope or postcard, the second printing mode is a single-sided printing mode.

[0080] For example, Figure 3 The following instructions are provided for custom paper utilization protection settings: If the custom size paper used is thick paper, it is recommended to set the value under Custom Paper Utilization Protection to 2, and to use the print job mode of Multi-Purpose Tray + Thick Paper 1 / Thick Paper 2 / Thick Paper 3 / Envelope / Postcard. When printing custom paper on a C4-sized envelope, according to the instructions for custom paper utilization protection settings, the user-defined media size is C4, the media size is 229mm*324mm, the media type is envelope, the print mode is duplex printing, the number of pages to be printed is 5 consecutive pages, and the input tray is the multi-purpose input tray.

[0081] Figure 6 A printing schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 6As shown, an image forming device receives print job information; the data firmware checks whether the print job is a custom paper print job; if not, the print job is executed according to conventional techniques; if so, the custom paper utilization protection setting is checked. If the setting value is determined to be 2, the data firmware decomposes the print job information into multiple job parameters, including custom paper size, envelope paper medium, duplex printing mode, 5-page continuous printing, and multi-purpose input tray. The data firmware determines that the setting value matches the paper medium and activates job protection. If the duplex setting is determined to be invalid, the print mode is fixed to single-sided printing mode. If the setting value is non-zero, the 5-page job is decomposed into two jobs, 1+4. The image forming device also includes engine firmware, and the data firmware sends one page of data to the engine firmware. The engine firmware executes the print job, determines that the setting value matches the media type, and activates custom paper utilization timing control. The custom paper utilization timing control includes not using the job paper length to control the paper spacing, but instead, paper feed for each page is maintained after the rear end of the page passes the calibration sensor + 70mm margin before the next page is fed. Envelope paper medium prints at half speed. After the engine firmware ejects one page, the data firmware prompts the user: "Please confirm the current custom paper print results. To continue printing, press the Start key; to cancel, press the Cancel key." If the user presses the Cancel key, printing ends. If the user presses the Start key, the data firmware sends the remaining four pages of data to the engine firmware. The engine firmware executes the print, confirms that the settings match the media type, and re-enables the custom paper timing control. After the engine firmware ejects four pages, printing ends.

[0082] like Figure 6 As shown, the medium type input by the user is envelope, and the image forming apparatus determines that the second printing mode is the single-sided printing mode.

[0083] When special media identification information is used to indicate that the user has started a full media custom printing solution, for example, Figure 3 As shown, the setting item selected by the user in the third layer of the user setting interface is [1]. Figure 7 Another flow chart for selecting the second printing mode provided by an embodiment of the present invention is as follows: Figure 7 Step 1032 may specifically include:

[0084] Step 1032c: When the image forming device detects that the first printing mode is a duplex printing mode, the preset media type set range corresponding to the full-media custom printing scheme and the preset printing mode corresponding to each preset media type are obtained, wherein the preset printing mode includes at least any two of the manual duplex printing mode, the interval duplex printing mode, the alternating duplex printing mode, and the single-sided printing mode.

[0085] In an embodiment of the present invention, for example, a preset media type set corresponding to a full-media custom printing solution includes thick paper 1, thick paper 2, thick paper 3, envelopes, postcards, plain paper, recycled paper, and thin paper, and the preset media types are thick paper 1, thick paper 2, thick paper 3, envelopes, postcards, plain paper, recycled paper, or thin paper. When the first printing mode is duplex printing, the preset printing modes corresponding to each preset media type include: the preset printing mode corresponding to thick paper 1 is manual duplex printing; the preset printing modes corresponding to thick paper 2, thick paper 3, envelopes, and postcards are all single-sided printing; and the preset printing modes corresponding to plain paper, recycled paper, and thin paper are all interval duplex printing.

[0086] Step 1032d: The image forming apparatus selects a second printing mode corresponding to the medium type from the mapping relationship between the preset medium type set range and the corresponding preset printing modes according to the medium type input by the user.

[0087] In an embodiment of the present invention, if the media type input by the user is thick paper 1, the second printing mode is a manual duplex printing mode; if the media type input by the user is thick paper 2, thick paper 3, envelope or postcard, the second printing mode is a single-sided printing mode; if the media type input by the user is plain paper, recycled paper or thin paper, the second printing mode is an interval duplex printing mode.

[0088] For example, Figure 3 The instructions for the custom paper effective utilization protection setting shown include: If the custom size paper used is non-thick paper and the sizes are different, it is recommended to specify the setting value corresponding to the paper tray other than the multi-purpose tray under the custom paper effective utilization protection setting to 1, and it is also recommended to use a paper tray other than the multi-purpose tray + plain paper / recycled paper / thin paper, etc. for printing operations. When the user prints custom paper on 32k-sized plain paper, according to the instructions for the custom paper effective utilization protection setting, the size of the user-defined media is 32k size. Currently, the 32k size is 127.5mm*185mm or 135mm*195mm. The 32k size in this application is the large 32k size, the media size is 140mm*203mm, the media type is plain paper, the print mode is duplex printing mode, the number of pages to be printed is 5 consecutive pages, and the paper input tray is the standard paper input tray.

[0089] Figure 8 Another printing schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the present invention is as follows Figure 8As shown, an image forming device receives print job information; the data firmware checks whether the print job is a custom paper print job; if not, the print job is executed normally; if so, the custom paper utilization protection setting is checked. If the setting value is determined to be 1, the data firmware decomposes the print job information into multiple job parameters, including custom paper size, plain paper media, duplex printing mode, 5-page continuous printing, and standard paper input tray. The data firmware determines that the setting value matches the paper media and activates job protection. If the duplex setting is valid, the print mode is fixed to interval duplex printing mode. If the setting value is non-zero, the 5-page job is decomposed into two jobs, 1+4. The image forming device also includes engine firmware, and the data firmware sends one page of data to the engine firmware. The engine firmware executes the print job, determines that the setting value matches the media type, and activates custom paper utilization timing control. The custom paper utilization timing control includes not using the job paper length to control the paper spacing, but instead, paper feed for each page is maintained after the trailing edge of the page passes the calibration sensor + 70mm margin before the next sheet of paper is fed. Printing on plain paper media is at full speed. After the engine firmware ejects one page, the data firmware prompts the user: "Please confirm the current custom paper print results. To continue printing, press the Start key; to cancel, press the Cancel key." If the user presses the Cancel key, printing ends. If the user presses the Start key, the data firmware sends the remaining four pages of data to the engine firmware. The engine firmware executes the print, confirms that the settings match the media type, and re-enables the custom paper timing control. After the engine firmware ejects four pages, printing ends.

[0090] like Figure 8 As shown, the medium type input by the user is plain paper, and the image forming apparatus determines that the second printing mode is the interval duplex printing mode.

[0091] Step 1033: The image forming apparatus updates the first printing mode to a third printing mode as a target printing mode based on a comparison result between the medium size and a preset size threshold, wherein the third printing mode is different from the first printing mode.

[0092] In the embodiment of the present invention, the third printing mode includes an interval double-sided printing mode or an alternating double-sided printing mode.

[0093] Step 1033 may specifically include: when the medium size is greater than a preset size threshold, the image forming device determines that the third printing mode is an interval duplex printing mode, and updates the first printing mode to an interval duplex printing mode; when the medium size is less than or equal to the preset size threshold, the image forming device determines that the third printing mode is an alternating duplex printing mode, and updates the first printing mode to an alternating duplex printing mode.

[0094] For example, when the first printing mode is a duplex printing mode, the special media identification information is used to indicate that the user starts a custom printing scheme for thick paper media and the media type is plain paper, recycled paper or thin paper. Since the above media types do not belong to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, the image forming device determines whether the media size is greater than the preset size threshold. If any value of the media size is greater than the preset size threshold, it is determined that the media size is greater than the preset size threshold; if any value of the media size is less than or equal to the preset size threshold, it is determined that the media size is less than or equal to the preset size threshold.

[0095] In an embodiment of the present invention, the preset size threshold is 250 mm, and can also be set according to actual needs, such as the preset size threshold is 180 mm, or the preset size threshold is set to an interval range to further subdivide the media length into narrow paper, standard paper, and extended paper. For example, media less than 180 mm is determined to be narrow paper, media with a media length of 180 mm ≤ media length ≤ 250 mm is determined to be standard paper, and media with a length greater than 250 mm is determined to be extended paper.

[0096] When a user prints customized paper on a C4-sized envelope, the user-defined media size is C4, the media size is 229mm*324mm, the media type is plain paper, the print mode is duplex printing mode, the number of printed pages is 5 consecutive pages, and the paper input tray is a multi-purpose input tray. Figure 9 Another printing schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the present invention is as follows Figure 9As shown, an image forming device receives print job information; the data firmware checks whether the print job is a custom paper print job; if not, the print job is executed according to conventional techniques; if so, the custom paper effective utilization protection setting is checked. When the setting value is determined to be 2, the data firmware decomposes the print job information into multiple job parameters, including custom paper size, plain paper medium, duplex printing mode, 5-page continuous printing, and multi-purpose input tray. The data firmware determines that the setting value does not match the paper medium and disables job protection. The data firmware determines that the duplex setting is valid and determines that the print mode is interval duplex printing mode based on the paper length. When the setting value is determined to be non-zero, the 5-page job is decomposed into two jobs, 1+4. The image forming device also includes engine firmware, and the data firmware sends 1 page of data to the engine firmware. The engine firmware executes the print job. The engine firmware determines that the setting value does not match the media type and does not deploy the custom paper effective utilization timing control. The engine firmware uses the job paper length to control the paper spacing. Printing is performed at full speed on plain paper medium. After the engine firmware ejects one page, the data firmware prompts the user: "Please confirm the current custom paper print results. To continue printing, press the Start key; to cancel, press the Cancel key." If the user presses the Cancel key, printing ends. If the user presses the Start key, the data firmware sends the remaining four pages of data to the engine firmware. The engine firmware executes the print. It determines that the settings do not match the media type and does not unfold the custom paper, effectively utilizing timing control. The engine firmware uses the job paper length to control the paper gap. Printing on plain paper media proceeds at full speed. After the engine firmware ejects four pages, printing ends.

[0097] like Figure 9 As shown, the media type input by the user is plain paper. Since the paper length is 324 mm and the preset size threshold is 250 mm, 324 mm is greater than 250 mm. Therefore, the image forming device determines that the second printing mode is the interval duplex printing mode based on the media size being greater than the preset size threshold.

[0098] In one possible implementation, step 103 may specifically include: when determining that the user initiates a custom printing scheme, if the media type input by the user does not belong to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, the image forming device maintains the first printing mode corresponding to the print job as the target printing mode, wherein the first printing mode is a printing mode other than the duplex printing mode.

[0099] In the embodiment of the present invention, for example, the first printing mode selected by the user is a single-sided printing mode.

[0100] In a possible implementation, before step 105 , the method further includes: step 104 : after determining that the user starts the customized printing solution, the image forming apparatus controls the engine control unit to start only the correction sensor in the paper path.

[0101] In the embodiment of the present invention, the paper path includes a correction sensor and an abnormality detection sensor. The image forming apparatus turns off the abnormality detection sensor in the paper path, thereby reducing the probability of paper jams due to slippage.

[0102] In one possible implementation, step 105 may specifically include: the image forming device obtains the print page spacing correction value and the preset media spacing threshold preset by the custom printing scheme, the preset media spacing threshold is used to represent the page spacing information corresponding to the normal printing job; if the media type belongs to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, the target page spacing of the printing job is determined according to the print page spacing correction value and the preset media spacing threshold; if the media type does not belong to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, the preset media spacing threshold is used as the target page spacing; in the target printing mode, the engine control unit is called to execute the printing job according to the target page spacing.

[0103] In the embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 or Figure 8 As shown, the preset media spacing threshold is the operating paper length, and the print page spacing correction value is pre-set to 70mm. In the embodiment of the present invention, the 70mm is an empirical value that can better meet the probability of paper jams for different media, greatly reduce the paper jam rate, and improve printing efficiency. When the media type belongs to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, the target page spacing is the operating paper length + 70mm, for example, Figure 6 As shown in the figure, the target page spacing is the sum of the operating paper length of 324mm and the print page spacing correction value of 70mm. Since the actual paper length of the C4 envelope is 354mm, but the operating paper length selected by the user is 324mm, the added print page spacing correction value avoids paper jams caused by the smaller standard size, allowing normal printing and the printed image to be normal. When the media type does not belong to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, the target page spacing is the operating paper length, for example, Figure 9 The target page spacing shown is for a worksheet length of 324 mm.

[0104] In a possible implementation, step 105 further specifically includes: if the media type belongs to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, calling the engine control unit to control the execution of the printing job at a first printing speed or a second speed lower than the first printing speed; wherein the first printing speed is the preset printing speed for normal printing jobs; if the media type does not belong to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, calling the engine control unit to control the execution of the printing job at the first printing speed.

[0105] In the embodiment of the present invention, the second speed is 1 / 2 of the first printing speed. Figure 6 As shown, the envelope image forming device belongs to the preset media type set range corresponding to the thick paper medium custom printing solution. Since the thickness of thick paper 1, thick paper 2, thick paper 3, envelopes and postcards are all relatively large, the image forming device prints envelopes at half speed. Figure 8 As shown, plain paper belongs to the preset media type set range corresponding to the full media custom printing solution, but since the thickness of plain paper, recycled paper and thin paper are all small, the image forming device prints on plain paper at full speed. Figure 9 As shown, plain paper does not belong to the preset media type set range corresponding to the thick paper medium custom printing solution, and the image forming device prints on the plain paper at full speed.

[0106] In a possible implementation, the printing method further includes: step 106, when the image forming device detects that printing of the first page of the current job is completed, the image forming device displays a prompt for the user to select whether to continue executing the remaining printing job based on the print quality of the first page.

[0107] In the embodiment of the present invention, the user can check whether the image is ideal, whether the paper is twisted or wrinkled, etc. based on the first page printed by the image forming device to decide whether to continue printing the remaining print jobs. Thus, the user can stop the print job in time when the print result is not ideal, thereby reducing paper waste, improving printing efficiency, and reducing the probability of paper jams. Figure 6 、 Figure 8 or Figure 9 As shown in FIG, the image forming apparatus divides the continuous 5 pages of data into 2 job data, that is, the first job data is the 1st page data, and the second job data is the remaining 4 pages of data (1+4 pages of data), so that after the image forming apparatus prints the first page, the user can decide whether to continue printing the remaining data based on the printing result. For example, Figure 9 After the message "After the engine firmware ejects 1 page, the data firmware prompts the user: Please confirm the current custom paper printing effect. If you continue printing, please press the start button. If you cancel printing, please press the cancel button" is displayed, because the image forming device may not reverse the paper smoothly when performing interval double-sided printing on envelopes, causing the image forming device to jam or the printed paper to be wrinkled, users usually choose the cancel button to stop printing the remaining 4 pages of data, thereby reducing paper waste, reducing user losses, and improving user experience.

[0108] Furthermore, when it is determined that the user has initiated a custom printing scheme, regardless of whether the media type input by the user falls within the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, a prompt will be displayed on the image forming device for the user to select whether to continue executing the remaining print jobs based on the print quality of the first page. For example, if the user selects the special media identification information as [2], but the selected medium is plain paper, which does not fall within the preset media type set range [thick paper 1 / 2 / 3] corresponding to the special media identification information [2], a prompt will still be displayed on the panel of the image forming device after executing the first page of the job, allowing the user to select the print quality of the first page and continue executing the remaining print jobs.

[0109] Of course, if it is determined that the user does not start the customized printing plan, no prompt for the user to select whether to continue to execute the remaining printing job based on the print quality of the first page will be displayed on the image forming apparatus.

[0110] An embodiment of the present invention provides a printing method, which is applied to an image forming device, wherein the image forming device includes an engine control unit, and the image forming device obtains print job information and special media identification information input by a user, wherein the print job information includes at least a first print mode, a media type, and a media size, and the special media identification information is used to indicate whether the user starts a custom printing scheme to execute the print job; based on the special media identification information and the print job information, a target print mode for the print job is determined; in the target print mode, the engine control unit is called to execute the print job according to the custom printing scheme of the preset media type corresponding to the special media identification information, thereby being able to start the custom printing scheme to execute the print job, reducing paper waste and user losses, and improving user experience.

[0111] An embodiment of the present invention provides a storage medium, which includes a stored program. When the program runs, the device where the storage medium is located is controlled to execute the steps of the embodiment of the above-mentioned printing method. For detailed description, please refer to the embodiment of the above-mentioned printing method.

[0112] An embodiment of the present invention provides an image forming device, including an engine control unit and a correction sensor. The image forming device uses the engine control unit and the correction sensor to execute the various steps of the embodiment of the above-mentioned printing method. For detailed description, please refer to the embodiment of the above-mentioned printing method.

[0113] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of an image forming device provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10As shown, the image forming device 30 of this embodiment includes an engine control unit 31 and a correction sensor 32. The engine control unit 31 and the correction sensor 32 are connected. The image forming device 30 utilizes the engine control unit 31 and the correction sensor 32 to implement the steps of the above-mentioned printing method embodiment. For detailed descriptions, please refer to the above-mentioned printing method embodiment.

[0114] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A printing method, applied to an image forming device, characterized in that: The image forming apparatus includes an engine control unit, and the printing method includes: Acquiring print job information and special media identification information input by a user, wherein the print job information includes at least a first print mode, a media type, and a media size, and the special media identification information is used to indicate whether the user initiates a custom printing solution to execute the print job; determining a target printing mode for the print job according to the special medium identification information and the print job information; In the target printing mode, calling the engine control unit to execute the printing job according to the custom printing scheme of the preset media type corresponding to the special media identification information; If the special media identification information indicates that the user initiates a custom printing scheme to execute a print job, determining a target printing mode for the print job based on the special media identification information and the print job information includes: When the medium type belongs to a preset medium type set range corresponding to the special medium identification information and the first printing mode is a duplex printing mode, updating the first printing mode to a second printing mode corresponding to the medium type as the target printing mode according to a mapping relationship between the preset medium type set range and preset printing modes, wherein the second printing mode is different from the first printing mode; When the media type does not belong to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information and the first printing mode is a duplex printing mode, the first printing mode is updated to a third printing mode as the target printing mode based on the comparison result between the media size and the preset size threshold, wherein the third printing mode is different from the first printing mode.

2. The printing method according to claim 1, wherein: The third printing mode includes an interval duplex printing mode or an alternating duplex printing mode.

3. The printing method according to claim 2, wherein: The updating of the first printing mode to a third printing mode according to a comparison result of the medium size with a preset size threshold includes: When the medium size is larger than the preset size threshold, determining that the third printing mode is the interval duplex printing mode, and updating the first printing mode to the interval duplex printing mode; When the medium size is smaller than or equal to the preset size threshold, it is determined that the third printing mode is the alternating duplex printing mode, and the first printing mode is updated to the alternating duplex printing mode.

4. The printing method according to claim 1, wherein: The custom printing scheme includes a full media custom printing scheme and a thick media type custom printing scheme, wherein the preset media type set range corresponding to the thick media type custom printing scheme includes at least three preset media types of different thicknesses.

5. The printing method according to claim 4, wherein: When the special media identification information indicates that the user has started the customized printing scheme for thick media type, and when the media type belongs to a preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information and the first printing mode is a duplex printing mode, updating the first printing mode to a second printing mode corresponding to the media type according to a mapping relationship between the preset media type set range and the preset printing mode includes: Upon detecting that the first printing mode is a duplex printing mode, obtaining a preset media type set range corresponding to the thick media type custom printing scheme and a preset printing mode corresponding to each preset media type, wherein the preset printing modes include at least any two of a manual duplex printing mode, an interval duplex printing mode, an alternating duplex printing mode, and a single-sided printing mode; According to the medium type input by the user, a second printing mode corresponding to the medium type is selected from the mapping relationship between the preset medium type set range and the corresponding preset printing modes.

6. The printing method according to claim 1, wherein: The printing method further comprises: When determining that the user has started a custom printing plan, if the media type input by the user does not belong to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, the first printing mode corresponding to the print job is maintained as the target printing mode, wherein the first printing mode is a printing mode other than the duplex printing mode.

7. The printing method according to claim 1, wherein: Before executing the printing job, the method further includes: After determining that the user starts the customized printing plan, the engine control unit controls only the correction sensor in the paper path to be started.

8. The printing method according to claim 7, wherein: In the target printing mode, calling the engine control unit to execute the printing job according to the custom printing scheme of the preset media type corresponding to the special media identification information includes: Obtaining a print page spacing correction value and a preset media spacing threshold value preset in the custom printing scheme, wherein the preset media spacing threshold value is used to represent page spacing information corresponding to a normal printing job; If the media type belongs to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, determining the target page spacing of the print job according to the print page spacing correction value and the preset media spacing threshold; If the medium type does not belong to the preset medium type set range corresponding to the special medium identification information, the preset medium spacing threshold is used as the target page spacing; In the target printing mode, the engine control unit is called to execute the printing job according to the target page spacing.

9. The printing method according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that: In the target printing mode, calling the engine control unit to execute the printing job according to the custom printing scheme of the preset media type corresponding to the special media identification information further includes: If the media type belongs to a preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, invoking the engine control unit to control execution of the print job at a first print speed or a second speed lower than the first print speed; wherein the first print speed is a preset print speed for a normal print job; If the media type does not belong to the preset media type set range corresponding to the special media identification information, the engine control unit is called to control the execution of the print job at a first printing speed.

10. The printing method according to claim 9, wherein: The second speed is 1 / 2 of the first printing speed.

11. The printing method according to claim 4, wherein: The printing method further comprises: When it is detected that printing of the first page of the current job is completed, a prompt is displayed on the image forming apparatus for the user to select whether to continue to execute the remaining printing job based on the print quality of the first page.

12. A storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium includes a stored program, wherein when the program is executed, the device where the storage medium is located is controlled to execute the steps of the printing method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that: The image forming apparatus comprises an engine control unit and a correction sensor, and utilizes the engine control unit and the correction sensor to implement the steps of the printing method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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