Printing device, control method thereof, program, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

To maintain or improve productivity of printing as to printing job data which can be processed at a plurality of printing speeds.SOLUTION: A printer performs printing on the basis of printing job data. The printer includes: determination means which determines printing speed when printing; switching means which switches printing speed during the printing; and analysis means which analyzes the printing job data. The analysis means analyzes whether sheets to be printing objects include a plurality of kinds of sheets with the printing job data. The switching means switches printing speed during the printing on the basis of productivity of each sheet kind when performing printing on the sheets and productivity of printing when switching the printing speed by the switching means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to printing devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Among printers, there are MFPs (Multi Function Peripherals) that have a plurality of print speed modes. For example, when using plain paper, printing can be performed in a high-speed print mode, and when using special paper, printing can be performed in a low-speed print mode. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-142163 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] To further increase the functionality of MFPs, it is conceivable to configure print job data for printing on multiple sheet types. If the applicable print speed differs depending on the sheet type, unnecessary time may be spent switching print speed modes, which may result in a decrease in printing productivity. Patent Document 1 describes a technique for changing the order of print jobs to maintain printing productivity, but does not take into account print jobs that contain a mixture of multiple sheet types.

[0005] The present invention was made in response to the inventor's recognition of the above-mentioned problems, and has an exemplary object to maintain or improve printing productivity for print job data that can be processed at a plurality of printing speeds. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention relates to a printing device, the printing device comprising: A printing device that performs printing based on print job data, A determination means for determining a printing speed during the printing; A switching means for switching a printing speed during the printing; an analysis means for analyzing the print job data, The analyzing means analyzes whether or not sheets to be printed according to the print job data include a plurality of sheet types; The switching means switches the print speed during printing based on the print productivity for each sheet type when printing on the sheet and the print productivity when the print speed is switched by the switching means. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, printing productivity can be maintained or improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an entire printing system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of an MFP. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of a DFE. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an MFP program. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a DFE program. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of media management information. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen for setting a print speed mode. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of job data processed by the MFP. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a job management screen of the DFE. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a result of analyzing job data by a DFE. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing an example of the effect of switching a print speed mode. [Figure 12] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing other examples of the effects of switching the print speed mode. [Figure 13] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for determining a print speed mode by the DFE. [Figure 14] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing other examples of analysis results of job data by the DFE. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing another example of a method for determining a print speed mode. [Figure 16] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing other examples of the effects of switching the print speed mode. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart showing another example of a method for determining a print speed mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0010] (First embodiment) 1 shows an example of a print processing system SY according to the first embodiment. The print processing system SY includes an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) 101 and a PC (Personal Computer) 102, which are connected via a network 100 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0011] The MFP 101 is shown as an example of a printing device or image forming device, and is assumed to have various functions, some of which may be omitted. Typical examples of functions provided by the MFP 101 include a printing function for printing images on sheets, a reading function for reading images on sheets, etc. Other examples include a post-processing function for binding multiple printed sheets, and binding, aligning, and bookbinding the multiple sheets.

[0012] The sheet referred to here may be any sheet-like member that can be the subject of the above-mentioned functions, and the concept may include paper materials such as plain paper, thick paper, and coated paper, as well as non-paper materials such as film and cloth. A sheet may also be expressed as a medium.

[0013] The PC 102 is shown as an example of a computing device, a signal processing device, or an information processing device, and the concept includes desktop or laptop computers as well as mobile terminals such as smartphones and tablet terminals. The PC 102 can execute various programs required for printing. An example of the program is an application program that generates a desired print job and transmits it to the MPF 101. The PC 102 also has a function of converting print data into a printer language compatible with the MFP 101, and various applications (e.g., printer drivers, workflow software, etc.) having this function are installed. This allows a user to input a print instruction to the PC 102, and based on this print instruction, print data generated by the application program can be converted into a format that can be processed by the MFP 101 and transmitted to the MFP 101 via the network 100. Although a single PC 102 is illustrated here, the number of PCs 102 may be two or more.

[0014] The print processing system SY may further include a DFE (Digital Front End) 103 and a monitor 105.

[0015] DFE 103 mainly processes print job data (hereinafter referred to as print job data) input from PC 102 to MFP 101. Examples of data processing include data correction, editing, RIP processing (conversion to raster image), storage, and management. DFE 103 can display required information on monitor 105, and may also include a device capable of inputting and outputting required information in addition to monitor 105. MFP 101 may also be directly connectable to network 100 via network cable 104. Some or all of the functions of DFE 103 may be provided in MFP 101, that is, some or all of DFE 103 may be configured integrally with MFP 102.

[0016] The MFP 101 includes a printer unit 203 that executes printing, and a sheet processing unit 200 that transports sheets and performs processes associated therewith.

[0017] The printer unit 203 performs printing based on image data using toner on a sheet or medium fed from a paper feed unit 225, forming an image. Specifically, a light beam (e.g., laser light, etc.) modulated according to the image data is reflected by a rotating polygon mirror (e.g., a polygon mirror, etc.), and the reflected light is used as scanning light to irradiate a photosensitive drum. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum in this way is developed with toner and transferred to a sheet attached to a transfer drum. This series of operations is performed in order for multiple color toners such as yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), thereby enabling color printing. The sheet on the transfer drum on which the color image has been formed in this way is transported to a predetermined fixing device, where the toner on the sheet is fixed by a heat source such as a halogen heater.

[0018] Incidentally, the printer unit 203 is capable of performing monochrome printing using only black (K) toner, in addition to color printing.

[0019] Here, depending on the type of sheet to be printed (hereinafter, sheet type), the DFE 103 can select a print speed mode when the printer unit 203 executes a print operation, and instruct the MFP 101. Here, since the print speed appropriate for the fixing process can be limited depending on the sheet type, basis weight (weight per unit area), etc., it is necessary to switch the print speed mode depending on the sheet type, basis weight, etc. Although details will be described later, this switching of the print speed mode requires a certain time, and therefore the switching can cause a decrease in productivity of printed matter.

[0020] The MFP 101 further includes a large capacity feeder 220 , an inserter 221 , a punching device 222 , a binding device 223 , and a finishing device 224 .

[0021] The large-capacity paper feeder 220 can be attached as a paper feeder that is detachable from the printer unit 203. This allows the printer unit 203 to perform print processing on a large volume of sheets.

[0022] The inserter 221 is used when inserting a sheet that is not the target of printing processing (a sheet on which no image is formed) into a sheet that has already been printed by the printer unit 203. In this embodiment, the inserter 221 includes two trays 226 and 227, through which sheets can be inserted.

[0023] The punch device 222 can perform processing such as punching holes on sheets conveyed from the printer unit 203 or the inserter 221. The punch device 222 is provided with a door 234, and when a part inside the punch device 222, such as a die, needs to be replaced, the user can open the door 234 and access the part to be replaced.

[0024] The bookbinding device 223 can perform bookbinding processing on a plurality of sheets conveyed from the printer unit 203 or the inserter 221. For example, a binding material can be inserted through holes in the sheets (punched sheets) processed by the punch device 222 to bind the plurality of sheets together, resulting in a bookbinding product. The bookbinding product thus generated is loaded on a tray provided in a bookbinding door 231. The bookbinding device 223 is also provided with a door 232, and when replenishing the binding material, the user can open the door 232 and replenishing the binding material. The bookbinding device 223 is further provided with a door 233, and when, for example, a jam (paper jam) occurs, the user can open the door 233 and access the sheet that caused the jam.

[0025] The processing device 224 can perform staple processing on a plurality of sheets conveyed from the printer unit 203 or the inserter 221. Types of staple processing include corner binding, two-position binding, saddle binding, etc. The sheet stack stapled in this manner can be discharged, for example, to tray 228 or 229 in the case of corner binding or two-position binding, or to tray 230 in the case of saddle binding.

[0026] In this configuration, the MFP 101 can be divided into three parts. For example, the part located in the center in Fig. 1 is a printer unit 203, which can perform the above-mentioned printing operation.

[0027] The elements corresponding to the right side of the printer unit 203 in the figure correspond to a paper feed system, whose main function is to continuously supply sheets to the printer unit 203 at appropriate timing, and which can also detect the remaining amount of sheets as a supplement. Note that a paper feed unit 225 is also provided within the printer unit 203 and has the functions of the paper feed system described above, and here these may be collectively referred to as a paper feed system device.

[0028] The elements corresponding to the portion on the left side of the printer unit 203 in the figure may be referred to as a sheet processing device (or post-processing device). The sheet processing device performs various processing processes on printed sheets. The concept of this processing may also include stacking printed sheets. Here, the paper feed system device and the sheet processing device are collectively referred to as the sheet processing unit 200, but they may also be distinguished and expressed as the paper feed system device 200 and the sheet processing device 200, respectively. These may be controlled by a controller unit 205, which will be described later.

[0029] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the MFP 101. The MFP 101 may further include a scanner unit 201, an external I / F (interface) 202, an operation unit 204, a controller unit 205, and a compression / decompression unit 206. The MFP 101 may further include a ROM (Read Only Memory) 207, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 208, and a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 209.

[0030] The scanner 201 reads an image from an original (a sheet on which an image is formed), performs a predetermined image processing on the image data obtained thereby, and outputs the image data. As a result, the MFP 101 can realize, as one of its printing functions, a function of storing data received from the scanner 201 in the HDD 209, reading the data from the HDD 209, and printing the data by the printer unit 203, i.e., a so-called copy function.

[0031] The external I / F unit 202 enables transmission and reception of image data between a network-connected device such as a facsimile or an external device. This allows the MFP 101 to perform printing by receiving job data from an external device via the external I / F unit 202, for example.

[0032] The operation unit 204 functions as a user interface unit that accepts operation input from a user. The operation unit 204 can typically be a touch panel display that is integrated with a display unit that displays predetermined information to the user.

[0033] The controller unit 205 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown) and, as will be described in detail later, centrally controls the processing and operations of various units included in the MFP 101 .

[0034] The ROM 207 is a read-only memory that stores various programs such as a boot sequence, font information, etc. The RAM 208 is a readable and writable memory that stores various programs such as image data received from the scanner 201 or received from an external device via the external I / F 202, setting information, etc.

[0035] For example, ROM 207 stores various control programs including programs for executing processes such as those shown in flowcharts described below. ROM 207 also stores a display control program for displaying a user interface screen on the display unit of operation unit 204. These programs are expanded on RAM 208 by controller unit 205 and executed, thereby enabling various operations of MFP 101 to be realized.

[0036] The ROM 207 also stores a program for the controller unit 205 to convert page description language (hereinafter abbreviated as PDL) data received from an external device via the external I / F 202 into raster image data (bitmap image data). Similarly, the ROM 207 also stores a program for the controller unit 205 to process a print job received from an external device. These can be processed by software.

[0037] A compression / decompression unit 206 can compress or decompress (expand or expand) image data stored in the RAM 208 or HDD 209 into, for example, JBIG, JPEG, or the like.

[0038] As described above, HDD 209 is capable of storing various types of management information that need to be continuously stored or that should be changed or managed by MFP 101. For example, HDD 209 is configured to be able to hold multiple pieces of data such as print data of a print job, and can also store image data compressed by compression / decompression unit 206. Note that HDD 209 is an example of a non-volatile storage device capable of storing job data, and other storage devices may be used instead of HDD 209.

[0039] In such a configuration, the controller unit 205 performs various data processes on data stored in the HDD 209. For example, the controller unit 205 stores input print job data in the HDD 209, reads the data from the HDD 209, and outputs the data to the printer unit 203 for printing. The controller unit 205 can also transmit the read job data to an external device via the external I / F 202.

[0040] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the DFE 103. The DFE 103 includes a controller 308, a keyboard (KB) 309, a display unit (CRT) 310, and a HDD 311. The controller 308 includes a CPU 301, a RAM 302, a ROM 303, a keyboard controller (KBC) 305, a display controller (CRTC) 306, a disk controller (DKC) 307, and a network controller (NC) 312. These are connected to each other by a bus 304 in the controller 308 and are capable of communicating with each other, enabling the transmission and reception of data signals and control signals.

[0041] The CPU 301 executes various programs such as an OS (operating system) and application programs stored in the ROM 303 or read from the HDD 311 to the RAM 302. The RAM 302 functions as a main memory or a work area for the CPU 301. The ROM 303 can be used as a font ROM or a data ROM.

[0042] The keyboard controller 305 performs control based on an operation input to a keyboard 309 or an operation input from a pointing device (not shown). The display controller 306 performs display control for a display unit 310. The disk controller 307 performs access control for a HDD 311 that stores a boot program, application programs, font data, user files, etc. The network controller 312 performs communication control with other devices connected to the network 100.

[0043] 4 shows an example of the contents of the programs of the MFP 101. As described above, these programs are stored in the ROM 207, and can be read and executed by the controller unit 205.

[0044] The boot loader 401 is a startup program that is executed immediately after a power supply voltage is supplied to the MFP 101. This program can include a program for executing a startup sequence that is necessary to start up the MFP 101 system.

[0045] The operating system 402 is a program for providing an execution environment for various programs that realize the functions of the MFP 101. That is, this program can provide functions such as resource management of the memory (i.e., the ROM 207, the RAM 208, and the HDD 209) of the MFP 101 and input / output control of the individual elements illustrated in FIG.

[0046] The network control program 403 is a program that is executed when transmitting and receiving data to and from devices connected via the network 100. This program can include a device driver program for controlling the external I / F 202.

[0047] The JDF (Job Definition Format) function program 404 is a program for a JDF print function that can be executed by instructions from the external I / F 202 when the MFP 101 receives JDF job data via the external I / F 202. The data processing order and processing conditions are described in this program. Based on this, the controller unit 205 sequentially controls the drive of each device shown in FIG. 2, such as the sheet processing unit 200, the printer unit 203, the HDD 209, the compression / decompression unit 206, and the RAM 208, thereby executing JDF print processing. Note that this program is a program that analyzes the JDF job data received via the external I / F 202 and determines whether the settings are appropriate for JDF, and may further include a program that changes the settings to eliminate inappropriate settings if any.

[0048] The PDL function program 405 is a program for executing a print function by rendering the PDL data when the MFP 101 receives PDL data as image data to be printed via the external I / F 202. Like the JDF function program 404, the controller unit 205 sequentially controls the driving of each device shown in Fig. 2 based on the processing order and processing conditions described in this program, thereby realizing the PDL function. This program can also be configured to operate together with the JDF function program 404 as a means for analyzing various job setting formats when executing print processing.

[0049] The media management program 406 is a program for managing sheets that can be used by the MFP 101. This program can provide media management functions such as registering new media and deleting unnecessary media, and can also change the settings of registered media or adjust unadjusted media and re-register them as adjusted media. Information managed by this program can be exported as media information to the outside of the MFP 101, for example, to the PC 102 via the external I / F 202, or imported from the PC 102, and such a function can be provided in the MFP 101. Furthermore, the information managed by this program can be managed in association with information indicating a print speed mode that can be supported when printing. Note that the information managed by this program can be stored in the HDD 209.

[0050] The setting management program 407 is a program for making various settings in the MFP 101. Instructions to this program can be given via the operation unit 204, but may also be given remotely from an external system such as the PC 102 or the DFE 103 via the external I / F 202.

[0051] Other programs 408 are programs for implementing various functions of the MFP 101 other than the above-mentioned programs.

[0052] FIG. 5 shows an example of the program contents of the DFE 103, similar to FIG.

[0053] The boot loader 501 is a startup program that is executed immediately after a power supply voltage is supplied to the DFE 103. This program can include a program for executing a startup sequence required to start up the DFE 103 system.

[0054] The operating system 502 is a program for providing an execution environment for various programs that realize the functions of the DFE 103. That is, this program can provide functions such as resource management of the memory of the DFE 103 (that is, the ROM 303, the RAM 302, and the HDD 311).

[0055] The network control program 503 is a program executed when transmitting and receiving data to and from devices connected via the network 100, and can be used when sending print job data to the MFP 101 to instruct printing processing. This program can also be used when receiving print data from an external device such as the PC 102, sending a status to an external device, and the like.

[0056] The job management program 504 is a program for managing jobs transmitted by the DFE 103 to the MFP 101. This program manages a plurality of jobs in a job list in the order in which they were transmitted, and can also change the order of jobs and execute processes such as pausing, canceling, and changing settings for jobs. When the DFE 103 receives a print job from an external device such as the PC 102, this program operates in cooperation with a PDL function program 506, a scheduler program 507, a Pre-RIP program 505, and the like (to be described later). This makes it possible to realize job management and job execution control in the DFE 103.

[0057] The pre-RIP program 505 is a program for analyzing the configuration of print job data when the DFE 103 receives a print job from the PC 102 via the network control program 503. For example, this program acquires the number of pages, page size, sheet information for each page, various setting information, and the like of the print job data, and transmits them to be used by the job management program 504.

[0058] The PDL function program 506 is a program for performing a print job data expansion process that is executed when the DFE 103 receives a print job from the PC 102 via the network control program 503. The expanded data is converted into a printable format and transmitted to the MF 101 by the network control program 503, which instructs the MFP 101 to execute print processing.

[0059] The pre-RIP program 505 and the PDL function program 506 can be executed by the network control program 503 in conjunction with the media management program 406 (see FIG. 4), which is a program of the MFP 101. As a result, it is possible to determine the type of media and printing conditions used by the print job, and to select and control an appropriate print speed, as will be described in detail later.

[0060] The scheduler program 507 is a program for displaying information on the progress of each job registered in the job management program 504. This program, for example, displays the time required for a job, the remaining time until the sheet runs out, and the like, in chronological order on the display unit 310. This allows the user to recognize time information related to a print job, and enables the user to appropriately perform, for example, sheet resupply and print production planning.

[0061] The JDF function program 508 is a program that analyzes JDF job data when it is received from the PC 102 by the network controller 312. This program analyzes the received JDF job data to determine whether the settings are appropriate for JDF, and makes it possible to change the settings to eliminate inappropriate settings if any are found.

[0062] Other programs 509 are programs included in the DFE 103 other than the above-mentioned programs.

[0063] 6 shows an example of the configuration of media management information 600 including a media database and related information managed by the media management program 406 (see FIG. 4) and stored in the HDD 209. Note that the information stored and managed in the media database can also be referenced and edited from the DFE 103 by the network control program 503.

[0064] Media management information 600 includes multiple fields 601 to 607. ID field 601 is a field that indicates an internal ID that is determined within MFP 101 for all media entries stored in the media database. Furthermore, media name field 602, media size field 603, media type field 604, and basis weight field 605 are fields that manage parameters related to media in the media database.

[0065] Print speed 1 field 606 is a field that indicates whether a high-speed print mode (first print speed), one of multiple print speed modes provided in MFP 101 in this embodiment, is available. Print speed 2 field 607 is a field that indicates whether a low-speed print mode (second print speed), another of multiple print speed modes provided in MFP 101 in this embodiment, is available. Based on the information stored in these fields 606 and 607, it is possible to refer to information about each medium managed by the media database, and to determine whether print processing can be executed at the corresponding print speed.

[0066] The information stored in fields 606 and 607 may be provided as fixed information unique to the provider or manufacturer of MFP 101. On the other hand, the information stored in fields 606 and 607 may be edited or created by the operator of MFP 101. Fields 606 and 607 may be configured to be compatible with either of these modes.

[0067] For ease of explanation, four examples 608, 609, 610, and 611 are shown in Fig. 6. Example 608 shows that the media name is coated paper A, the media size is A4, the media type is double-sided coated, the basis weight is 200g, the print speed 1 is possible, and the print speed 2 is possible. Example 609 shows that the media name is coated paper B, the media size is A4, the media type is double-sided coated, the basis weight is 200g, the print speed 1 is possible, and the print speed 2 is possible. Example 610 shows that the media name is coated paper C, the media size is A4, the media type is single-sided coated, the basis weight is 200g, the print speed 1 is possible, and the print speed 2 is possible. Example 611 shows that the media name is coated paper X, the media size is A4, the media type is double-sided coated, the basis weight is 200g, the print speed 1 is not possible, and the print speed 2 is possible. In the following description, coated papers A, B, C and X corresponding to examples 608, 609, 610 and 611 may be denoted as coated papers A 608, B 609, C 610 and X 611, respectively.

[0068] Although the coated papers A608, B609, C610 and X611 are equivalent to each other in nature, in this embodiment they can be distinguished based on the print speed 1 field 606 and the print speed 2 field 607. That is, all of the coated papers A608, B609, C610 and X611 can be processed by the second print speed (low-speed print mode). On the other hand, the first print speed (high-speed print mode) is available for the coated papers A608, B609 and C610, but is unavailable for the coated paper X611.

[0069] Details will be described later, but according to this embodiment, print jobs that contain a mixture of multiple media types that could have been considered the same in previous MFPs can be executed in an advanced and flexible manner while maintaining high productivity.

[0070] 7A, 7B, and 7C show examples of setting screens for setting a print speed mode using the operation unit 204 of the MFP 101. FIG.

[0071] 7A shows, as an example of a basic screen, an example in which a setting section 701, which is one of the functions of the MFP 101, is displayed. The setting section 701 is provided to provide various default functions in the MFP 101, and a means for managing or setting the same, and can be used to instruct the execution of the setting management program 407.

[0072] Fig. 7B shows an example of setting items provided by selecting setting section 701 in the state of Fig. 7A, and shows an example of a state in which print setting section 702 is selected. There can be multiple items in print setting section 702, but here it is assumed that productivity setting section 703 is displayed selectable.

[0073] FIG. 7C shows an example of a display screen provided when the productivity setting section 703 is selected in the state shown in FIG. 7B.

[0074] The quality designation unit 706 is a means for selecting a print speed to be applied during print processing, and is a means for selecting and instructing the slowest of one or more applicable print speed modes. The productivity designation unit 707 is a means for selecting a print speed to be applied during print processing, and is a means for selecting and instructing the fastest of one or more applicable print speed modes. The optimum designation unit 708 is a setting means for instructing that an appropriate print speed mode be automatically determined and applied when it is necessary to switch the print speed mode while the productivity designation unit 707 is selected. The determination by the optimum designation unit 708 is made by comparing the decrease in productivity accompanying the occurrence of the switch with the increase in productivity due to printing in the high-speed print mode.

[0075] In response to being pressed, the OK button 705 accepts the settings made by the various setting means shown in Figures 7(A) to 7(C) and instructs that the contents of the settings be stored in the HDD 209. On the other hand, in response to being pressed, the Cancel button 704 instructs to end the setting operation without accepting the settings made by the various setting means shown in Figures 7(A) to 7(C) and without storing the contents of the settings in the HDD 209.

[0076] Here, the optimum designation unit 708 may be set by the DFE 103, but when it is set by the MFP 101, the DFE 103 can acquire the setting value of the optimum designation unit 708 via the network controller 312 and the external I / F 202. When the optimum designation unit 708 is set, the DFE 103 performs the following control.

[0077] When the DFE 103 receives print job data from the PC 102 via the network control program 503, the DFE 103 analyzes configuration information of the print job data via the Pre-RIP program 505. As a result, the number of pages of the print job data, the page size, sheet information for each page, various setting information, and the like can be acquired.

[0078] The DFE 103 performs a process of expanding the print job data using a PDL function program 506, converts the data into a data format suitable for printing, and transmits the data to the MFP 101 using a network control program 503, thereby instructing the MFP 101 to execute printing.

[0079] After receiving a print job, the MFP 101 expands the print job data to generate page image information or page image data to be printed. This can be done by the controller unit 205 reading and executing the PDL function program 405. At roughly the same time, sheet information to be used when printing can be determined based on the results of the expansion process. The data constituting the job is expanded in order from the first page, and printable page image data can be stored in the HDD 209.

[0080] In conventional MFPs, page image data stored in the HDD is quickly printed by the PDL function program 405 and the controller unit 205. At that time, the print speed mode to be applied when printing is performed is selected based on the speed information in fields 606 and 607 in the media database (see FIG. 6) managed by the media management program 406.

[0081] However, when multiple sheet types are mixed and it is difficult to process the printing at a single printing speed, a printing speed mode switching process is required. As a result, the production of printed matter is temporarily interrupted at the page boundary of the mixed sheet types as the MFP 101 switches the printing speed mode. Therefore, in conventional MFPs, when printing when multiple sheet types are mixed, there was a possibility that productivity would decrease due to the time required for the printing speed mode switching process.

[0082] Here, even when the printing speed mode switching process occurs, the productivity does not uniformly decrease compared to when the printing speed mode switching is suppressed and printing is performed in a single printing speed mode. For example, when the number of sheets that can be printed in the high-speed printing mode is large, there may be a case where the productivity improvement by printing in the high-speed printing mode exceeds the productivity decrease caused by the time required to switch the printing speed mode. Therefore, in order to more accurately suppress the decrease in productivity, it may be necessary to compare and consider the decrease in productivity (its degree) caused by switching the printing speed mode and the productivity improvement (its degree) caused by the number of continuous sheets that can be printed in the high-speed printing mode. As an example, by setting the judgment condition of the printing speed mode based on the number of continuous sheets that can be printed in the high-speed printing mode that is the break-even point, the productivity decrease caused by switching the printing speed mode can be more accurately suppressed.

[0083] On the other hand, the break-even number of consecutive sheets that can be printed in the high-speed print mode may vary depending on the conditions. This is because the decrease in productivity due to switching the print speed mode is uniform, whereas the increase in productivity due to printing in the high-speed print mode varies depending on conditions such as paper size. Therefore, in order to more accurately suppress the decrease in productivity, it is necessary to compare the increase in productivity due to the number of consecutive sheets that can be printed in the high-speed print mode with the decrease in productivity due to switching the print speed mode, taking into account conditions such as paper size.

[0084] In this embodiment, the break-even number of sheets between the decrease in productivity due to switching the print speed mode and the increase in productivity by continuously printing the number of sheets that can be printed in the high-speed print mode is calculated based on conditions such as paper size. This makes it possible to suppress or prevent the decrease in productivity. To make this possible, when the optimum designation section 708 is selected, the DFE 103 executes the following operation.

[0085] First, the DFE 103 receives print job data from the PC 102 using the network control program 503. At that time, the DFE 103 analyzes the configuration information of the print job data using the pre-RIP program 505, and analyzes various setting information such as the number of pages of the print job and the sheet size (see S1301 and S1302 described later). Furthermore, the DFE 103 acquires sheet information for each sheet to be printed from the above-mentioned media database (see FIG. 6) using the media management program 406 based on the configuration information of the print job data. At that time, it is possible to determine the mixed state of the setting contents of fields 606 and 607 for the sheet type used in the print job data.

[0086] Here, it is determined whether or not the print speed is optimized based on the setting value of the optimum designation section 708 (see S1303 and S1304 described later). If the print speed is optimized, a suitable print speed mode determination condition is specified based on print job settings such as the sheet size of the print job data (see S1305 described later). The number of continuous sheets that can be printed in the high-speed print mode is specified based on the configuration information of the print job data and the print speed setting content for the sheet type used in the print job data, and the optimum print speed mode can be determined (see S1306 described later). The DFE 103 generates page data of the print job data by the PDL function program 506, and can instruct the MFP 101 to execute print processing in the determined optimum print speed mode.

[0087] The following describes the state when the quality designation section 706, the productivity designation section 707, and the optimum designation section 708 are selected. Here, an example is given of a case in which, in the print processing of pages included in a job, sheets that can be processed at print speed 1 (high-speed printing) and sheets that can only be processed at print speed 2 (low-speed printing) are mixed.

[0088] When the quality designation section 706 is selected, even if there are pages that can be processed at print speed 1, the entire sheet is printed at print speed 2. This is because, generally, when the same sheet can be processed at multiple print speeds, it is more advantageous to print at a slower speed in order to maintain quality (for example, glossiness and uniformity of the image). However, in this case, even a sheet that could originally be processed at print speed 1, which is high-speed printing, will be printed at print speed 2, which is low-speed printing, placing more importance on quality than productivity.

[0089] When the productivity designation section 707 is selected, if there are sheets that can be processed at print speed 1, they are processed at print speed 1 as much as possible. However, if a job includes a sheet that can only be processed at print speed 2, that sheet cannot be printed at print speed 1 and will be processed at print speed 2. This results in a process of switching between print speed 1 and print speed 2, but if the majority of sheets printed by the job can be processed at print speed 1, productivity will be higher at print speed 1, which is a high-speed printing.

[0090] When the optimum designation section 708 is selected, unlike the productivity designation section 707, the print processing of the job is not started immediately, but rather an evaluation is made as to whether the first predetermined number of sheets of the job can be printed only at print speed 1 or print speed 2, or a mixture of both. If all of the predetermined number of sheets can be printed at print speed 1, it is presumed that there is a high possibility that subsequent sheets can also be printed at print speed 1. Therefore, in this case, the print processing that was suspended using print speed 1 is carried out after the print speed has been determined.

[0091] On the other hand, if all of the predetermined number of sheets can be processed only at print speed 2, it is assumed that there is a high possibility that subsequent sheets can also be processed only at print speed 2. Therefore, in this case, the print process that was interrupted using print speed 2 will be executed after the print speed is determined.

[0092] Furthermore, if a certain number of sheets are a mixture of sheets that can be processed at print speed 1 and sheets that can be processed only at print speed 2, applying print speed 1 or print speed 2 to each sheet during print processing will definitely result in print speed switching processing. In this case, it is estimated that there is a high possibility that productivity will decrease due to the time required to switch print speeds. Therefore, in order to suppress the effect of switching print speeds, print speed 2, which can process both types of sheets, is uniformly applied and control is performed so that the sheets of the entire job are printed and processed.

[0093] More specifically, as described above, the sheet usage status of a predetermined number of sheets at the beginning of a job is analyzed, and the print speed is determined based on the analysis results, thereby suppressing the occurrence of print speed switching and thereby preventing a decrease in productivity. In this embodiment, the presence or absence of a print speed switch is determined based on the predetermined number of sheets at the beginning of a job, and an appropriate print speed is selected. This determination may be made based on all sheets of the job, thereby making it possible to more appropriately prevent a decrease in productivity.

[0094] Here, even if the determination is made based on the predetermined number of sheets at the beginning of a job as in this embodiment, since different sheet types tend to be specified at the beginning of a job, it is often possible to prevent a decrease in productivity. A typical example is a product that uses thick coated paper for the cover and plain paper for the body, that is, the thick coated paper has a large basis weight and is coated paper, so image quality can be maintained by printing speed 2, while printing speed 1 is applicable to plain paper. In such a case, the cover and the body are mixed at the beginning of the entire job, and the outline of the product can be inferred by analyzing the predetermined number of sheets at the beginning of the job (without analyzing all the sheets of the job). As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in productivity by determining whether or not the printing speed will be switched based on the predetermined number of sheets at the beginning of the job and selecting an appropriate printing speed.

[0095] Next, as another example, consider the case where a series of data consisting of multiple records is executed as a single job, specifically, the case of so-called variable printing job data consisting of multiple linked pages of records consisting of personal data. For example, if the top of the record is preprinted paper and the main body of the record is plain paper, it is considered that multiple records are included within the range of the first predetermined number of sheets. Even in this case, it is possible to prevent a decrease in productivity by determining whether or not a switch in print speed has occurred based on the analysis result of the first predetermined number of sheets and selecting an appropriate print speed.

[0096] 8(A) and 8(B) show an example of print job data shown to explain the effects of this embodiment.

[0097] 8A shows an example of the overall configuration of print job data. The illustrated data is created by various application programs on the PC 102 or the like for processing by the PDL function program 405, and includes a job ticket section 801 and a PDL data section 802 here. The job ticket section 801 is a data section that stores print settings, and can include setting information that is applied to the entire job, settings for post-processing and image processing, etc. The PDL data section 802 is a data section in PDF format, and can store image information that constitutes a page and various print control commands.

[0098] In this example, the setting information of the media used when printing each page is acquired by expanding the PDL data portion 802, but as another example, it may be specified in the job ticket portion 801.

[0099] 8B shows an example of media information for each page that can be acquired by extracting and storing the media information in the PDL data portion 802. This media information can be acquired by analyzing the PDL data portion 802.

[0100] The page field 803 is a field that indicates the page number in the job data. The sheet ID field 804 and the sheet type field 805 are fields that are used when printing the page data indicated in the page field 803 and store sheet information corresponding to the page number.

[0101] Based on this media information, the DFE 103 sets a sheet for each page that constitutes the job, and executes a print instruction to the MFP 101. In response to this, the MFP 101 selects one of the paper feed units 225 (see FIG. 1) and causes the corresponding sheet to be supplied.

[0102] 8B, multiple sheet types are mixed and set, for example, in the setting 806 for pages 1 to 98, the sheet ID is "011" and the sheet type is "Coated Paper B." Similarly, in the setting 807 for pages 99 to 100, the sheet ID is "012" and the sheet type is "Coated Paper C," and in the setting 808 for pages 101 to 200, the sheet ID is "020" and the sheet type is "Coated Paper X."

[0103] 9 shows an example of a job management screen that can be displayed on monitor 105 (or display unit 310) in a state where Job_A 902 is registered in DFE 103 with job management screen selection section 901 selected. Job_A 902 is executed when a print job is sent from PC 102 to DFE 103 and DFE 103 accepts the print job (see FIG. 1). When DFE 103 receives job data, the job data is executed on MFP 101 after DFE 103 determines the print speed mode as described above.

[0104] FIG. 10 shows, like FIG. 8B, an example of data contents for each page / sheet regarding job data generated and managed by the DFE 103 when determining the print speed to be applied to the printing execution of Job_A 902.

[0105] For job data indicated by sheet field 1001, media information for each sheet to be printed is indicated by a sheet ID field 1002 and a sheet type field 1003. Furthermore, for each sheet, the print speed mode in MFP 101, whether or not processing is possible at print speed 1 (high-speed print mode) or print speed 2 (low-speed print mode), is indicated by a print speed 1 field 1004 and a print speed 2 field 1005, respectively. Note that, for ease of explanation, the case of single-sided printing is considered here, but information indicating whether single-sided printing or double-sided printing can be additionally indicated by other fields.

[0106] Also, settings 1006 to 1008 in the figure correspond to settings 806 to 808 in Fig. 8(B), respectively. That is, for sheets 1 to 100, fields 1004 and 1005 both indicate "OK", and for sheets 101 to 200, field 1004 indicates "NOT OK" and field 1005 indicates "OK".

[0107] According to the example of FIG. 10, pages 1 to 200 can all be printed in the low-speed print mode at print speed 2. Meanwhile, pages 1 to 100 can be printed in the high-speed print mode at print speed 1, whereas pages 101 to 200 must be printed in the low-speed print mode at print speed 2. Therefore, the time required to switch the print speed mode is added as the print processing time or the required printing time. Here, according to the process described below, it is possible to compare the decrease in productivity caused by the time required for switching with the improvement in productivity by executing printing in the high-speed print mode, and based on the result, it is possible to determine the print speed mode that is advantageous for improving productivity.

[0108] 11(A) to 11(C) show an example of the contents of the print process in MFP 101 when single-sided printing is performed for the above-mentioned print job.

[0109] FIG. 11(A) shows printing conditions in this example. Here, the paper size to be printed is "A4". Furthermore, among the print speed modes executable by MFP 101, print speed 1, which is the high-speed print mode, is 100 PPM (Page Per Minutes, the number of pages that can be printed per minute). Similarly, print speed 2, which is the low-speed print mode, is 75 PPM. Furthermore, the time required to switch between print speed 1 and print speed 2 is 30 seconds. The total number of pages of the job data exemplified in FIGS. 8(A) to 8(B) is 200 pages, that is, the number of print sheets is 200 sheets.

[0110] Fig. 11B is a timing chart for explaining the time required for print processing when the print speed is switched, and Fig. 11C is a timing chart for explaining the time required for print processing when the print speed is not switched. The vertical axis in the figure shows print speed 1 as parameter 1101, print speed 2 as parameter 1102, and the switching time between print speed 1 and print speed 2 as parameter 1103, and the horizontal axis shows the cumulative time required for them.

[0111] As described above, in this example, sheets 1 to 100 can be printed at print speed 1 in the high-speed print mode, i.e., 100 PPM, so in the example of Fig. 11(B), the required time 1105 is 60 seconds. On the other hand, sheets 101 to 200 can only be printed at print speed 2 in the low-speed print mode, i.e., 75 PPM, so a switch in the print speed mode occurs, so the required time 1106 for switching is 30 seconds, and the required time 1107 for the subsequent printing is 80 seconds. As a result, the cumulative time 1108 until printing is completed is 170 seconds.

[0112] 11C, the printing speed mode is suppressed to suppress the occurrence of the required time, that is, all sheets are printed at printing speed 2 in the low-speed printing mode, and the required time 1111 is 160 seconds. As a result, the accumulated time 1112 until printing is completed is 160 seconds.

[0113] Therefore, in the job data of this example, the accumulated time 1112 when the printing speed mode switching is suppressed is 10 seconds shorter than the accumulated time 1108 when the printing speed mode is switched. In other words, the productivity of printing (or printed matter) is improved when the printing speed mode switching is suppressed.

[0114] 12(A)-12(C) show another example of single-sided printing of the above-mentioned print job, similar to FIGS. 11(A)-11(C). The printing conditions shown in FIG. 12(A) are different from the example in FIG. 11(A) in that the paper size is "A3", the print speed 1 of the high-speed print mode is 50 PPM, and the print speed 2 of the low-speed print mode is 32 PPM. Parameters 1201-1203 shown in FIGS. 12(B) and 12(C) correspond to the above-mentioned parameters 1101-1103, respectively. In addition, times 1205-1208 and 1211-1212 shown in FIGS. 12(B) and 12(C) correspond to the above-mentioned times 1105-1108 and 1111-1112, respectively.

[0115] 12B, the time required 1205 for printing speed 1 in the high-speed printing mode is 120 seconds, the time required 1206 for switching the printing speed mode is 30 seconds, and the time required 1207 for printing speed 2 in the low-speed printing mode is 187.5 seconds. As a result, the cumulative time 1208 until printing is completed is 337.5 seconds.

[0116] 12C, the time required 1211 at print speed 2 in the low-speed print mode is 375 seconds. As a result, the cumulative time 1212 until printing is completed is 375 seconds.

[0117] Therefore, in the job data of this example, the accumulated time 1208 when the print speed mode is switched is 37.5 seconds shorter than the accumulated time 1212 when the print speed mode switching is suppressed. In other words, printing productivity is improved when the print speed mode is switched.

[0118] In summary, whether or not the printing speed mode is switched improves productivity, because the productivity improvement due to the number of pages that can be printed at printing speed 1 in the high-speed printing mode varies depending on the conditions of the printing job. Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether or not to switch the printing speed mode by calculating the break-even point between the decrease in productivity due to switching the printing speed mode and the productivity improvement due to the number of consecutive pages that can be printed in the high-speed printing mode. These are advantageous in determining which printing speed mode to start the printing in, when it is necessary to switch from the high-speed printing mode to the low-speed printing mode during printing, for example, by comparing and considering the case where the printing is completed in the low-speed printing mode from the beginning of the printing.

[0119] FIG. 13A shows a flow chart illustrating a method for determining whether or not to switch the printing speed mode as described above.

[0120] In step S1301 (hereinafter simply referred to as S1301; the same applies to other steps described below), when the DFE 103 receives print job data, the JDF function program 508 analyzes the job ticket 801.

[0121] In S1302, the DFE 103 performs pre-RIP processing using the pre-RIP program 505 to expand the print job data, thereby analyzing the configuration information and various setting information such as the number of pages and sheet size of the print job. At this time, the network control program 503 and the job management program 504 refer to the media database managed by the media management program 406 to obtain an applicable print speed mode. This makes it possible to manage information on whether printing is possible at print speed 1 (high-speed print mode) and print speed 2 (low-speed print mode) using fields 1004 and 1005.

[0122] In S1303, the DFE 103 acquires the setting value of the optimum designation section 708 by the network control program 503, and in S1304 determines whether or not the mode is one for optimizing the print speed. If the optimum designation section 708 is not set (NO in S1304), this flowchart ends. If the optimum designation section 708 is set (YES in S1304), the process proceeds to S1305, where the DFE 103 performs the print speed mode determination condition specification process shown in FIG. 13B.

[0123] As shown in Fig. 13(B), DFE 103 acquires the sheet size of the job data in S1310, and determines the paper size of the sheet in S1311. If the sheet size is small (YES in S1311), DFE 103 sets the parameter THRESHOLD of the print speed mode determination condition to 150 in S1312, and then returns to the flowchart in Fig. 13(A). If the sheet size is not small (NO in S1311), DFE 103 sets the parameter THRESHOLD to 75 in S1313, and then returns to the flowchart in Fig. 13(A).

[0124] In S1306, the DFE 103 performs the print speed mode determination process shown in FIG.

[0125] 13C, in S1321, the DFE 103 initializes the number of continuous sheets that can be printed in the high-speed print mode in the job data as a parameter COUNT (COUNT=0). At the same time, the maximum number of continuous sheets that can be printed in the high-speed print mode is initialized as a parameter COUNT_MAX (COUNT_MAX=0). Note that S1322 to S1328 after S1321 show the processing content for each sheet in this job data.

[0126] In S1322, information indicating whether processing is possible at print speeds 1 and 2 is obtained as print speed information from fields 1004 and 1005 of the job data in FIG. 10, and in S1323, it is determined whether printing is possible in the high-speed print mode.

[0127] When the page to be processed can be printed in the high-speed printing mode (when YES is determined in S1323), the process proceeds to S1324, and 1 is added to the parameter COUNT (COUNT = COUNT + 1).

[0128] In S1325, it is determined whether the parameter COUNT is greater than the parameter COUNT_MAX (COUNT_MAX < COUNT). When COUNT_MAX < COUNT (when YES is determined in S1325), the process proceeds to S1326, and the parameter COUNT_MAX is updated with the parameter COUNT, thereby defining the number of consecutive sheets printable in the high-speed printing mode by COUNT_MAX. On the other hand, when COUNT_MAX ≥ COUNT (when NO is determined in S1325), the process proceeds to S1328.

[0129] Also, when the page to be processed cannot be printed in the high-speed printing mode (when NO is determined in S1323), the process proceeds to S1327, and the parameter COUNT is set to 0 (COUNT = 0).

[0130] In S1328, it is determined whether all of the sheets to be printed in the job data have been processed. When there are unprocessed pages (when NO is determined in S1328), for each of the unprocessed pages, the processing contents of S1322 to S1327 described above are repeatedly performed in order.

[0131] When all of the sheets to be printed in the job data have been processed (when YES is determined in S1328), DFE103 determines in S1329 whether the parameter COUNT_MAX is greater than the parameter THRESHOLD (COUNT_MAX > THRESHOLD).

[0132] If COUNT_MAX>THRESHOLD (YES in S1329), the high-speed print mode (first print speed) is selected as the print speed for this job in S1330, and this flow chart ends. In other words, DFE 103 determines that the degree of improvement in productivity due to the number of continuous sheets that can be printed in the high-speed print mode is greater (effective) than the degree of decrease in productivity due to switching the print speed mode.

[0133] On the other hand, if COUNT_MAX≦THRESHOLD (NO in S1329), in S1331, the low-speed printing mode (second printing speed) is selected as the printing speed for this job, suppressing the switching of the printing speed mode, and this flowchart ends. In other words, DFE 103 determines that the degree of decrease in productivity due to switching of the printing speed mode is greater (the effect is greater) than the degree of improvement in productivity due to the number of continuous sheets that can be printed in the high-speed printing speed mode.

[0134] Through the above process, in the case of the print job data exemplified in FIG. 11(A), the parameter THRESHOLD indicating the print speed mode judgment condition is 150, and the parameter COUNT_MAX indicating the maximum number of continuous sheets that can be printed in the high-speed print mode is 100. In this case, in S1329, it may be determined that productivity will be improved by printing in the low-speed print mode (second print speed) (FIG. 11(C)). On the other hand, in the case of the print job data exemplified in FIG. 12(A), the parameter THRESHOLD indicating the print speed mode judgment condition is 75, and the parameter COUNT_MAX indicating the maximum number of continuous sheets that can be printed in the high-speed print mode is 100. In this case, in S1329, it may be determined that productivity will be improved by printing in the high-speed print mode (first print speed) (FIG. 12(B)).

[0135] According to this embodiment, as shown in S1306 and S1307, the determination condition for switching the print speed mode is made variable based on the size information of the sheet to be printed in the print job. This makes it possible to appropriately determine the print speed mode for improving printing productivity, taking into account the time required to switch the print speed mode.

[0136] Second embodiment In the first embodiment described above, when each page of a print job is printed on each sheet by single-sided printing, the determination condition for switching the print speed mode is made variable based on the sheet size information of the sheet to be printed by the print job. In the following, the case of double-sided printing will be described as the second embodiment. For the print job configured as shown in FIG. 8B, when each page is printed on both sides of a sheet, the print job data will be configured as shown in FIG.

[0137] In FIG. 14, in comparison with FIG. 10 showing the case of single-sided printing, fields 1401 to 1405 correspond to fields 1001 to 1005, respectively, and settings 1406 to 1408 correspond to settings 1006 to 1008, respectively.

[0138] 14, double-sided printing on the target sheets is further specified in the single-sided printing field 1411, i.e., two pages of information are printed on each sheet. Therefore, a print job for 200 pages will consist of information for a total of 100 sheets, as shown in sheet information 1401.

[0139] FIG. 15 shows a flowchart of the print speed mode determination process according to the present embodiment for S1306 (see FIG. 13A) as part of a method for determining whether or not to switch the print speed mode for the print job in this case.

[0140] In S1501, similar to S1321, initialize the parameter COUNT and the parameter COUNT_MAX (COUNT = 0, COUNT_MAX = 0). Note that S1502 to S1509 after S1501 indicate the processing content for each sheet in this job data.

[0141] In S1502, similar to S1322, obtain information indicating the availability of processing at printing speeds 1 and 2 as printing speed information from fields 1004 and 1005 of the job data in FIG. 14, and similar to S1323, determine the availability of printing in high-speed printing mode in S1503.

[0142] If the page to be processed can be printed in high-speed printing mode (YES determination in S1503), proceed to S1504, obtain the setting of the duplex printing field 1411, and thereby determine in S1505 whether the page is set for duplex printing.

[0143] If the sheet to be processed is not set for duplex printing (NO determination in S1505), proceed to S1506 and add 1 to the parameter COUNT (COUNT = COUNT + 1). On the other hand, if the target sheet is set for duplex printing (YES determination in S1505), proceed to S1507 and add 2 to the parameter COUNT (COUNT = COUNT + 2). Thus, the number of sides of the sheet to be processed in single-sided printing settings and duplex printing settings can be represented by the parameter COUNT.

[0144] In S1508, similar to S1325, determine whether the parameter COUNT is greater than the parameter COUNT_MAX (COUNT_MAX < COUNT). If COUNT_MAX < COUNT (YES determination in S1508), proceed to S1509 and update the parameter COUNT_MAX with the parameter COUNT. On the other hand, if COUNT_MAX ≥ COUNT (NO determination in S1508), proceed to S1511.

[0145] Furthermore, if the page to be processed cannot be printed in the high-speed print mode (NO in S1503), the process proceeds to S1510, where the parameter COUNT is set to 0 (COUNT=0) as in S1327.

[0146] In S1511, as in S1328, it is determined whether all sheets to be printed in the job data have been processed. If there are unprocessed pages (NO in S1511), the process of S1502 to S1510 described above is repeated in order for each unprocessed page.

[0147] If all sheets to be printed on for the job data have been processed (YES in S1511), the DFE 103 determines in S1512 whether the parameter COUNT_MAX is greater than the parameter THRESHOLD (COUNT_MAX>THRESHOLD), similarly to S1329.

[0148] If COUNT_MAX>THRESHOLD (YES in S1512), then in S1513, the high-speed print mode (first print speed) is selected, as in S1330, and this flowchart ends. That is, DFE 103 determines that the degree of improvement in productivity due to the number of continuous sheets that can be printed in the high-speed print mode is greater (effective) than the degree of decrease in productivity due to switching the print speed mode.

[0149] On the other hand, if COUNT_MAX≦THRESHOLD (NO in S1512), in S1514, similar to S1331, the low-speed print mode (second print speed) is selected to suppress switching of the print speed mode, and this flowchart ends. In other words, DFE 103 determines that the degree of decrease in productivity due to switching of the print speed mode is greater (the effect is greater) than the degree of improvement in productivity due to the number of continuous sheets that can be printed in the high-speed print speed mode.

[0150] According to this embodiment, even when a print job includes a mixture of single-sided and double-sided printing, it is possible to appropriately determine a print speed mode to improve printing productivity, and the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

[0151] Third embodiment In the first and second embodiments described above, the case was described in which the printing target for each page of the print job is a sheet of the same size. However, in a third embodiment, the determination condition for switching the print speed mode may be made variable depending on whether the sheet size is large or small.

[0152] 16(A) to 16(C) show an example of a print job in which a plurality of sheet sizes are mixed, similar to FIGS. 11(A) to 11(C) or 12(A) to 12(C).

[0153] The printing conditions shown in Fig. 16(A) are for "A4" and "A3" paper sizes, print speed 1 in the high-speed print mode is 100 PPM and 50 PPM, respectively, and print speed 2 in the low-speed print mode is 75 PPM and 32 PPM, respectively. In addition, pages 1 to 50 are A4 size, pages 51 to 100 are A3 size, pages 101 to 150 are A4 size, and pages 151 to 200 are A3 size. Other items are the same as Fig. 11(A) or Fig. 12(A).

[0154] Here, pages 1 to 100 can be printed at either print speed 1 (high-speed print mode) or print speed 2 (low-speed print mode). On the other hand, pages 101 to 200 cannot be printed at print speed 1, but can be printed at print speed 2.

[0155] Parameters 1601 to 1603 shown in FIGS. 16(B) and 16(C) correspond to the above-mentioned parameters 1101 to 1103 (or 1201 to 1203), respectively.

[0156] Time 1604 shown in FIG. 16B indicates the time required for printing pages 1 to 50 of A4 size at print speed 1, which is 30 seconds in this example. Time 1605 indicates the time required for printing pages 51 to 100 of A3 size at print speed 1, which is 40 seconds in this example. Time 1606 indicates the time required for switching the print speed mode, which is 30 seconds in this example. Time 1607 indicates the time required for printing pages 101 to 150 of A4 size at print speed 2, which is 60 seconds in this example. Time 1608 indicates the time required for printing pages 151 to 200 of A3 size at print speed 2, which is 93.8 seconds in this example. Time 1609 indicates the cumulative time of times 1604 to 1608, which is 253.8 seconds in this example.

[0157] Time 1611 shown in FIG. 16C indicates the time required for pages 1 to 50 of A4 size at print speed 2, which is 40 seconds in this example. Time 1612 indicates the time required for pages 51 to 100 of A3 size at print speed 2, which is 93.8 seconds in this example. Time 1613 indicates the time required for pages 101 to 150 of A4 size at print speed 2, which is 40 seconds in this example. Time 1614 indicates the time required for pages 151 to 200 of A3 size at print speed 2, which is 93.8 seconds in this example. Time 1615 indicates the cumulative time of times 1611 to 1614, which is 267.6 seconds in this example.

[0158] Therefore, in the job data of this example, the accumulated time 1609 when the print speed mode is switched is 13.8 seconds shorter than the accumulated time 1615 when the print speed mode switching is suppressed. In other words, printing productivity is improved when the print speed mode is switched.

[0159] In summary, when multiple sheet sizes are mixed in the print job data, the print speed mode to be specified may vary compared to the first embodiment in which multiple sheet sizes are not mixed. Therefore, it can be said that it is necessary to determine whether or not to switch the print speed mode in order to improve productivity according to the state of the mixed sheet sizes.

[0160] 17 shows a flowchart of the print speed mode determination condition specification process for S1305 (see FIG. 13A) according to the present embodiment as part of the method for determining whether to switch the print speed mode for the print job in the above case. The gist of the process is that an arbitrary sheet size is set as the reference sheet size, and the print speed mode determination condition is specified when multiple sheet sizes are mixed based on the inverse ratio (reciprocal ratio) of the length in the transport direction between the reference sheet size and the sheet to be actually printed.

[0161] In S1701, the DFE 103 assigns a value indicating the print speed determination condition for the standard sheet size to the parameter THRESHOLD. For example, the parameter THRESHOLD indicating the print speed mode determination condition for the standard sheet size in the case of A4 size (small size) is 150.

[0162] In S1702, the length A in the transport direction of the reference sheet size is acquired. For example, in the case of A4 size, the length A in the transport direction of the reference sheet size is 210 mm.

[0163] In S1703, the sum of the inverse ratios of the lengths of the sheets in the conveying direction in the print job is set as the parameter INV_LENGTH and initialized (INV_LENGTH=0). Note that S1704 to S1705 after S1703 show the processing contents for each sheet in this job data.

[0164] In S1704, the length X in the conveying direction of the sheet size of the sheet to be processed is acquired, and in S1705, the inverse ratio of the length X is added to the parameter INV_LENGTH (INV_LENGTH=INV_LENGTH+1 / X).

[0165] In S1706, it is determined whether all sheets to be printed in the job data have been processed. If there are unprocessed pages (NO in S1706), the process of S1704 to S1705 described above is repeated in order for each unprocessed page.

[0166] If all sheets to be printed on the job data have been processed (YES in S1706), the DFE 103 performs calculation processing for the parameter THRESHOLD in S1707. The calculation formula is INV_LENGTH=INV_LENGTH×Σ1 / X×(Σ1 / A) -1 That is, the parameter INV_LENGTH is calculated based on the ratio between the sum of the inverse ratios of the length A of the reference sheet size in the transport direction, Σ1 / A, and the sum of the inverse ratios of the length X of the sheet size of the sheet to be processed in the transport direction, Σ1 / X.

[0167] As described above, the print speed mode determination condition when a plurality of sheet sizes are mixed in the print job data can be specified as the parameter THRESHOLD.

[0168] In the example of Figure 16A, if the standard sheet size is A4 size and its length in the transport direction is "A", the length in the transport direction of A3 size is "2A". Since the parameter THRESHOLD indicating the print speed mode judgment condition for the standard sheet size is 150, THRESHOLD =150 ×(50×1 / A+50×1 / 2A+50×1 / A+50×1 / 2A) ×(A / 200) =112.5.

[0169] The above calculation result (THRESHOLD=112.5) is greater than the parameter COUNT_MAX, which indicates the maximum number of continuous sheets that can be printed in the high-speed print mode, which is 100. Therefore, in S1329, it is determined that productivity will be improved by printing at the first print speed (high-speed print mode) (see FIG. 16A).

[0170] As described in the above embodiment, there are cases where a print job uses multiple sheet types, and job data is processed with settings or configurations that may cause a print speed mode switching process. When performing print processing for such job data, the decrease in productivity due to the switching of the print speed mode and the increase in productivity due to printing in a high-speed print mode are compared and evaluated based on the conditions of the print job. According to the embodiment, an appropriate print speed mode is selected based on the evaluation results and printing is performed, thereby making it possible to appropriately maintain printing productivity.

[0171] (program) The present invention may be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. For example, the present invention may be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0172] (others) In the above description, for ease of understanding, each element is indicated by a name related to its function, but each element is not limited to having the content described in the embodiment as its main function, and may have it as an auxiliary function. Therefore, each element is not strictly limited to the expression, and the expression can be replaced with a similar expression. As an example, the expression "apparatus" may be replaced with "unit," "component, piece," "member," "structure," "assembly," etc., or may be omitted.

[0173] (summary) Some features of the embodiments can be summarized as follows: [1] A printing device that performs printing based on print job data, A determination means for determining a printing speed during the printing; A switching means for switching a printing speed during the printing; an analysis means for analyzing the print job data, The analyzing means analyzes whether or not sheets to be printed according to the print job data include a plurality of sheet types; The switching means switches the print speed during printing based on the print productivity for each sheet type when printing on the sheet and the print productivity when the print speed is switched by the switching means. A printing device comprising: [2] the printing speeds include a first printing speed and a second printing speed that are different from each other; The plurality of sheet types include sheets that can be printed at both the first printing speed and the second printing speed, and sheets that can be printed at either the first printing speed or the second printing speed. The printing device according to [1], [3] Further comprising an evaluation means for evaluating printing productivity, the first printing speed is faster than the second printing speed; the evaluation means performs the evaluation based on a degree of improvement in printing productivity when printing is performed at the first printing speed and a degree of decrease in printing productivity when the printing speed is switched by the switching means, The switching means switches the print speed during the printing based on a result of the evaluation by the evaluation means. The printing device according to [2], [4] The plurality of sheet types further includes sheets for single-sided printing and sheets for double-sided printing. The printing device according to [3], [5] The plurality of sheet types further includes sheets of different sheet sizes. The printing device according to [3], [6] A method for controlling a printing device that performs printing based on print job data, comprising: determining a printing speed during said printing; switching print speed during said printing; and analyzing the print job data. The analyzing step includes analyzing whether or not sheets to be printed according to the print job data include a plurality of sheet types; The switching includes switching the print speed during the printing based on the print productivity for each sheet type when printing on the sheet and the print productivity when the print speed is switched. A method comprising: [7] the printing speeds include a first printing speed and a second printing speed that are different from each other; The plurality of sheet types include sheets that can be printed at both the first printing speed and the second printing speed, and sheets that can be printed at either the first printing speed or the second printing speed. The method according to [6], [8] and evaluating printing productivity. the first printing speed is faster than the second printing speed; the evaluation is performed based on a degree of improvement in printing productivity when printing is performed at the first printing speed and a degree of decrease in printing productivity when the printing speed is switched; Switching print speeds during the printing based on the results of the evaluation The method according to [7], [9] The plurality of sheet types further includes sheets for single-sided printing and sheets for double-sided printing. The method according to [8],

[10] The plurality of sheet types further includes sheets of different sheet sizes. The method according to [8],

[11] A program for causing a computer to execute each of the means described in any one of [1] to [5].

[0174] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0175] SY: print processing system, 101: MFP (printing device), 102: PC, 100: network.

Claims

1. A printing device that performs printing based on print job data, a determination means for determining a printing speed during the printing; a switching means for switching the printing speed during the printing; an analysis unit for analyzing the print job data, the analyzing means analyzes whether or not sheets to be printed according to the print job data include a first sheet type that can be printed at a first printing speed and a second printing speed that is slower than the first printing speed, and a second sheet type that cannot be printed at the first printing speed but can be printed at the second printing speed; When the analysis result of the analyzing means indicates that the print job data includes both the first sheet type and the second sheet type, the switching means switches the print speed during the printing based on the print productivity for each sheet type when printing on the sheets and the print productivity when the printing speed is switched by the switching means; When the number of sheets that can be continuously printed at the first printing speed is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the switching unit switches the printing speed from the second printing speed to the first printing speed. A printing device characterized by:

2. further comprising an evaluation means for evaluating printing productivity, the evaluation means performs the evaluation based on a degree of improvement in printing productivity when printing is performed at the first printing speed and a degree of decrease in printing productivity when the printing speed is switched by the switching means, The switching means switches the print speed during the printing based on the result of the evaluation by the evaluation means.

2. The printing device according to claim 1.

3. The first sheet type and the second sheet type are part of a plurality of sheet types, The plurality of sheet types further includes sheets for single-sided printing and sheets for double-sided printing.

3. The printing device according to claim 2.

4. The first sheet type and the second sheet type are part of a plurality of sheet types, The plurality of sheet types further includes sheets of different sheet sizes.

3. The printing device according to claim 2.

5. The shorter the time required to complete printing, the higher the productivity.

2. The printing device according to claim 1.

6. A method for controlling a printing device that performs printing based on print job data, comprising: determining a printing speed during said printing; switching print speeds during said printing; and analyzing the print job data. the analyzing step includes analyzing whether or not sheets to be printed by the print job data include a first sheet type that can be printed at a first printing speed and a second printing speed that is slower than the first printing speed, and a second sheet type that cannot be printed at the first printing speed but can be printed at the second printing speed; The switching When it is analyzed that the print job data includes both the first sheet type and the second sheet type, switching the print speed during the printing based on the print productivity for each sheet type when printing on the sheets and the print productivity when the print speed is switched; When the number of sheets that can be continuously printed at the first printing speed is equal to or greater than a threshold value, switching the printing speed from the second printing speed to the first printing speed; Contains A method characterized by:

7. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each means of a printing device described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

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