Information processing device and image forming device

Abstract

To solve the problem that decolorizable toner to be selected based on a toner mode is limited to one-colored blue and setting items of printing other than the toner mode are not considered in particular in a conventional technique, which may make it difficult for a user to determine whether the user is performing settings of printing using which toner in performing settings of color printing on a printer driver or on an image forming device, as the decolorizable tone is colorized further.SOLUTION: An information processing device, which can make communication with an image forming device having executing means that can execute a printing process using a non-decolorizable recording material and a decolorizable printing process using a decolorizable recording material, comprises display means that displays a printer driver for transmitting a printing job to the image forming device, and control means that performs control so that the printer driver can switch between first display in a case where the non-decolorizable recording material is used and second display in a case where the decolorizable recording material is used.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a print setting screen of an image forming apparatus that allows the type of output toner used for printing to be set between normal toner and color erasing toner, and to an information processing apparatus that communicates with the image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, with the rise of environmental awareness such as SDGs, there is a demand for the reuse of paper printed by image forming devices. In response to this, image forming devices are known that support printing with decolorizable toner, which allows the printing paper to be reused, in addition to printing with normal toner. In the printer driver of such image forming devices that support decolorizable toner printing, there is a program that displays print setting items on a terminal, which provides a toner mode in addition to a color mode as a print setting item and allows the selection of a toner (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-176531 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional technology, the decolorizing toner selected by the toner mode was limited to a single color blue, and print setting items other than the toner mode were not particularly considered. Therefore, as the number of decolorizing toners increases, it may become difficult for users to determine which toner is being used when setting color print settings on the printer driver or image forming device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention is an information processing device capable of communicating with an image forming device having an execution means capable of executing a printing process using a non-erasable recording material and a decolorization printing process using an erasable recording material, characterized in that the information processing device has a display means for displaying a printer driver for sending a print job to the image forming device, and a control means for controlling the printer driver to be switchable between a first display when the non-erasable recording material is used and a second display when the erasable recording material is used. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, print settings can be made while being aware of whether normal toner printing or color-changing toner printing is to be used, making it easier to print without making a mistake in the toner used for the output, thereby improving user convenience. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] Printing system configuration diagram [Diagram 2] PC system configuration diagram [Diagram 3] System configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus [Figure 4] Software configuration diagram of image forming device [Diagram 5] Flowchart showing the reception of print settings by a PC [Figure 6] Printer driver selection screen of the application [Figure 7] Printer driver print settings screen [Figure 8] Printer driver print settings screen when selecting paper [Figure 9] Printer driver print settings screen when setting stapler, etc. [Figure 10] Printer driver print settings screen when color mode is selected [Figure 11] Printer driver print settings screen when paper source is selected [Figure 12] A flowchart showing the reception of copy printing settings on an operation unit of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 13] Print setting screen on the operation unit of the image forming apparatus [Figure 14] Example of reuse mark printing DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Each embodiment of the present invention 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, and not all of the combinations of features described in each embodiment are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention. In this embodiment, an image forming apparatus is used as an example of an information processing apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0009] A typical image forming apparatus has multiple printing functions, such as a printing function from a printer driver, a copy function, a scanner function, and a FAX function. The image forming apparatus in this embodiment can execute normal printing processing and decolorizing printing processing. Specifically, the decolorizing printing processing is a decolorizing toner printing function that prints characters and images using decolorizing toner (decolorizable recording material) instead of normal toner (non-decolorizable recording material), and then performs a decolorizing printing processing on the printed characters and images.

[0010] Example 1 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a printing system 100. An image forming apparatus 101 is connected to the Internet via a LAN (Local Area Network) 103 such as Ethernet (registered trademark). The printing system 100 includes a PC 102 as a terminal. The PC 102 and the image forming apparatus 101 are capable of communicating with each other via the network.

[0011] 2 is a system configuration diagram of the PC 102. The PC 102 is not limited to a PC (Personal Computer), and may be a tablet, a smartphone terminal, or the like. The PC 102 can transmit a print job to the image forming apparatus 101. The PC 102 has a display 201, a controller 202, an operation unit 203, and a memory 204.

[0012] The display 201 is a screen display device of a PC, a patch panel of a tablet, etc., and displays a setting screen for a print job. The controller 202 controls the entire PC 102. The controller 202 includes a CPU (not shown). The controller 202 loads various programs stored in a memory 204 (described later) and executes the loaded programs to realize the functions of the PC 102. The operation unit 203 accepts various operations from a user using keys, buttons, a touch panel, or a keyboard or mouse in the case of a PC.

[0013] The memory 204 has an OS (Operating System) 205, an application 206, and a printer driver 207 specific to the image forming apparatus 101. The printer driver 207 holds toner type print setting information 208 as setting information for the toner type used when printing with the image forming apparatus 101. The toner type setting information is information such as whether to use normal toner or color erasing toner (which may include color / monochrome information). The printer driver 207 also holds an Eco mode flag 209 indicating that color erasing toner is selected as the toner type. It is assumed that the Eco mode flag 209 can be set by the printer driver 207 as a default value for the print setting for the toner type. The Eco mode flag 209 is linked to the OFF / ON state of an Eco mode button of the printer driver 207, which will be described later.

[0014] 3 is an example of a hardware configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus 101. A control unit 200 including a CPU 210 controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 101. The CPU 210 reads out a control program stored in a semiconductor storage device eMMC 219 and executes various control processes such as reading control, printing control, and firmware update control. The eMMC 219 is also used as a work area and a user data area. A ROM 291 is a read-only memory, and stores a startup program, fixed parameters, etc. of the image forming apparatus 101. A RAM 212 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory of the CPU 210 and a work area.

[0015] The SRAM 213 is a non-volatile memory that stores setting values ​​and image adjustment values ​​required by the image forming apparatus 101, and the data is not lost even when the power is turned on again. The HDD 218 has a file storage area for firmware updates, and also stores image data, user data, and the like. The HDD 218 may not be installed, in which case the file storage area for firmware updates, image data, user data, and the like are all stored in the eMMC 219. The operation unit I / F 215 connects the operation unit 220 and the control unit 200. The operation unit 220 is provided with a liquid crystal display unit having a touch panel function, a keyboard, and the like.

[0016] Printer I / F 216 connects printer engine 221 and control unit 200. Printer engine firmware 231 is stored in a ROM (not shown) included in printer engine 221. Image data to be printed by printer engine 221 is transferred from control unit 200 to printer engine 221 via printer I / F 216, and is printed on a recording medium by printer engine 221.

[0017] The printer engine 221 also has a paper feed unit 233 with multiple paper feed stages that store recording paper, and a marking unit 234 that transfers and fixes image data onto the recording paper. In this embodiment, the paper feed unit 233 has a reuse paper feed stage (reusable cassette) in addition to a paper feed cassette that holds normal new paper. The reuse cassette is a cassette in which paper that has been subjected to a decolorization process on paper printed with decolorizing toner by an erasing device (not shown) and that can be reused is set. The marking unit 234 also transfers and fixes image data onto the recording paper using decolorizing toner (decolorable color material) and non-decolorizing toner (normal color material). The decolorization process is, for example, a process in which characters and images printed on paper are erased by applying a predetermined amount of heat using decolorizing toner (erasable recording material) to make the paper reusable.

[0018] The paper discharge unit 235 discharges the printed recording paper to the outside. When the paper discharge unit 235 is configured to be connected to an accessory unit 241 that is connected to the outside of the image forming apparatus 101, the recording paper is discharged to the accessory unit 241. The accessory unit 241 performs finishing processes (post-processing) such as sorting and stapling, processes the printed matter, and discharges it.

[0019] The scanner I / F 217 connects the scanner engine 222 and the control unit 200. A ROM (not shown) included in the scanner engine 222 stores scanner engine firmware 232. The scanner engine 222 reads an image on a document, generates image data, and inputs the image data to the control unit 200 via the scanner I / F 217.

[0020] The scanner engine 222 also has an original feed unit 236 that transports original paper, and a scanner unit 237 that optically reads an original image and converts it into image data in the form of an electrical signal.

[0021] A network I / F card NIC 214 connects the control unit 200 (image forming apparatus 101) to the LAN 103. The NIC 214 transmits image data and information to an external device (e.g., an external server 250 or PC 102) on the LAN 103, and receives update firmware and various information from the external device. The external server 250 may exist on the Internet.

[0022] The PC 102 may operate the image forming apparatus 101 from a web browser (not shown). The chipset 211 refers to a series of multiple related integrated circuits. The RTC 270 is a real-time clock, and is a chip dedicated to timekeeping. The external power supply 240 cuts off the power supply in response to an instruction from a control program stored in the eMMC 219. However, even if the external power supply 240 is not connected, the RTC 270 can operate in sleep mode because it receives power from a built-in battery (not shown). When some power is supplied to the chipset 211, the RTC 270 can return from sleep mode. Conversely, when the chipset 211 is in a shutdown state where no power is supplied to it, the RTC 270 cannot operate. The LED 290 is turned on as necessary and is used to notify the outside of software or hardware abnormalities.

[0023] 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of firmware stored in the semiconductor storage device eMMC 219 of the image forming apparatus 101. The eMMC 219 includes an OS 401 and boot firmware 402 as programs executed by the CPU 210. The boot firmware 402 includes each program for the image forming apparatus 101 to operate and provide functions. The eMMC 219 also stores toner type print setting information 403. The toner type print setting information 403 is similar to the toner type print setting information 208 stored in the printer driver 207.

[0024] This is used when the user sets print settings from the operation unit 220 of the image forming apparatus 101. It also holds an Eco mode flag 404 indicating that color erasing toner is selected as the toner type. It is assumed that the Eco mode flag information 404 can be set in the device settings of the image forming apparatus 101 as a default value for the print settings of the toner type. The Eco mode flag 404 is linked to the OFF / ON state of an Eco mode button on the print settings screen of the image forming apparatus 101, which will be described later.

[0025] Next, the print settings of the printer driver will be described. The user sets the printer driver in accordance with the intended use of the output. For example, the user can set whether the output using normal toner or color-changing toner will be used as an official document or will be reused afterwards.

[0026] 2 shows an example of setting items according to the toner type held in the toner type print setting information 208 of the printer driver 207 and the toner type print setting information 208 in the image forming apparatus 101.

[0027] [Table 1]

[0028] In Table 1, the setting item "Paper" does not need to be particularly restricted for normal toner printing. On the other hand, for color erasing toner printing, the printed contents are erased by an erasing device and the paper is reused, so it is desirable to be able to select only paper sizes that can be erased by the erasing device. Here, as an example, an example is shown in which A4, B5, and A5 can be erased, but this is not limiting.

[0029] For the setting item "paper feed unit," it is desirable to use only new paper cassettes for normal toner printing, and for color erasing toner printing, to give priority to the reuse cassette, which holds paper with printed content erased by an erasing device.

[0030] The setting item "Finishing setting such as stapling" does not need to be restricted in particular for normal toner printing. However, for color erasing toner printing, if finishing processing other than sorting is performed with the accessory unit 241 of the image forming apparatus 101, such as stapling, folding, hole punching, etc., reuse becomes impossible, so it is desirable to prohibit settings other than sorting.

[0031] The setting item "Print reuse mark" allows the user to print a reuse indicator and mark outside the printing range when printing with erasable toner, so that the user can check the toner type of the output and ensure that reusable output is reused (see Figure 14). It is desirable that this setting is not possible when printing with normal toner, but is possible when printing with erasable toner.

[0032] Next, the print setting screens of Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 will be described. Fig. 6 shows a print setting screen 600 in the application 206. In the print setting screen 600 of the application, the user selects an image forming device to be used for printing. At that time, the printer drivers of a plurality of available image forming devices are displayed in a pull-down list for printer driver selection in the print setting screen 600 (printers A to D). Here, printer A will be described as the image forming device 101. The printer driver of the image forming device 101 displays two selectable icons, an icon 601 of a printer driver for color erasing toner and an icon 602 of a printer driver that does not specify a toner type. This allows the user to select a printer driver according to the toner to be used in the image forming device 101 when selecting the printer driver for the image forming device 101.

[0033] When the user presses the print button 603, the controller 202 transmits a print job to the selected image forming apparatus. At that time, if the controller 202 has set the color erasing toner printing, it can display a dialog 605 to notify the user that the color erasing toner printing setting has been set. When the property button 604 is selected by the user, the controller 202 of the PC 102 starts the selected printer driver, and the print setting screen (property screen) of the corresponding image forming apparatus is displayed.

[0034] 7 shows a print setting screen (display screen) of the printer driver 207. The print setting screen of the printer driver 207 is displayed on the display 201.

[0035] FIG. 7A shows a print setting screen 700 for normal toner of the printer driver 207. The print setting screen 700 for normal toner includes a setting item 701 for document size, a setting item 702 for number of copies, a finishing setting item 703 for stapling / sorting / grouping, and a setting item 704 for color mode. An Eco mode button 705 switches between normal toner and color-changing toner, and when set to ON, the color-changing toner is selected as Eco mode. A setting item 706 for printing a reuse mark selects whether or not a mark is printed on an output to identify whether it is reusable when printing with color-changing toner. An OK button 707 is pressed when the user completes the print setting. In the case of the print setting screen 700 for normal toner, the Eco mode button 705 is displayed in an OFF state. In addition, in the print setting items for the toner type in Table 1 described above, the setting item 506 for printing a reuse mark cannot be selected for normal toner, so it is made uneditable, and the background color is also displayed in the same color as the print setting screen of the normal printer driver.

[0036] 7B is a print setting screen 708 for the color-changing toner of the printer driver 207. The print setting screen 708 for the color-changing toner includes the same setting items as the print setting screen 700 for the normal toner, but the Eco mode button 709 is displayed in the ON state. Also, in the print setting items for the toner types in Table 1 described above, the setting item 710 for printing a reuse mark is selectable for the color-changing toner, so it is made editable, and the background color is displayed in a different color from that of the print setting screen of the normal printer driver. The OK button 711 is pressed when the user completes the print settings, similar to the OK button 707 on the print setting screen 700 for the normal toner. A dialog 712 is displayed when the OK button 711 is pressed, and it is possible to notify the user that it is color-changing toner printing.

[0037] Next, the print setting reception process in the printer driver in the PC 102 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0038] In step S501, the controller 202 starts the application 206 and displays a file such as a document on the display 201. When the controller 202 of the PC 102 receives an instruction to print a file on the application 206, it displays a print setting screen 600 of the application 206.

[0039] If the printer driver for the image forming apparatus 101 (printer A) is selected on the print setting screen 600, in S502 the controller 202 of the PC 102 starts the printer driver 207 for the image forming apparatus 101. Specifically, when the properties button 604 is pressed with the printer driver (image forming apparatus 101) to be used selected by the user, the controller 202 starts the printer driver 207 for the image forming apparatus 101.

[0040] At startup, the printer driver 207 checks in step S503 whether the printer driver for color-changing toner has been selected on the print setting screen 600 of the application. Specifically, the printer driver 207 checks whether the icon 601 of the printer driver for color-changing toner has been selected.

[0041] If the icon 601 is not selected and the printer driver is selected without specifying a toner type, in S504, the printer driver 207 checks whether the Eco mode flag 404 is ON. Specifically, if the icon 602 is selected, the process proceeds to S504.

[0042] If Eco mode flag 404 is not ON, in S505 printer driver 207 checks via LAN 201 whether a reusable cassette has been selected in paper feed unit 233 in image forming apparatus 101. If a reusable cassette has not been selected, printer driver 207 displays print setting screen 700 for normal toner ( FIG. 7A ) in which the background color and setting items of the print setting screen of printer driver 207 have been switched to those for normal toner in S506. Specifically, printer driver 207 checks via LAN 201 whether a reusable cassette has been selected in paper feed unit 233 in image forming apparatus 101.

[0043] If the color-changing toner printer driver is selected in S503, if the Eco mode flag 404 is ON in S504, or if a reusable cassette is selected in S505, the process proceeds to S507.

[0044] In S507, the printer driver 207 displays a print setting screen 708 for color erasing toner (FIG. 7B) in which the background color and setting items of the print setting screen of the printer driver 207 are switched to those for color erasing toner.

[0045] In S506, the printer driver 207 displays the print setting screen 700 for normal toner. Then, in S508, the printer driver 207 accepts print settings on the print setting screen 700 for normal toner.

[0046] When the printer driver 207 accepts the user's print settings, in S510 it checks the ON / OFF state of the Eco mode button to see whether the color erasing toner has been selected. When the user switches the Eco mode button 705 from OFF to ON, in S512 the printer driver 207 switches the background color and setting items of the print setting screen to those for the color erasing toner and displays them. In S514 the printer driver 207 continues to accept print settings on the print setting screen 708 for the color erasing toner. If the user performs print settings with the Eco mode button 705 in the OFF state in S510, the print settings are accepted with the screen displayed for normal toner.

[0047] Furthermore, when the printer driver 207 displays the print setting screen 708 for the color erasing toner in S507, the printer driver 207 accepts the print settings on the print setting screen 708 for the color erasing toner in S509. When accepting the user's print settings, the printer driver 207 checks the ON / OFF state of the Eco mode button to see if the color erasing toner has been selected in S511, as in S510. When the user switches the Eco mode button 709 from ON to OFF, the printer driver 207 switches the background color and setting items of the print setting screen to those for normal toner and displays them in S513. Note that if setting items dedicated to the color erasing toner have been set, they are reset to the initial values ​​in Table 1 when normal toner is selected for the toner type.

[0048] In S515, the printer driver 207 continues to accept print settings on the print setting screen 700 for normal toner. In S511, if the printer driver 207 accepts print settings from the user with the Eco mode button 709 in the ON state, the printer driver 207 accepts print settings with the screen 708 for color-changing toner displayed.

[0049] When the user completes the print settings and presses the print button of the printer driver, in S516, the controller 202 of the PC 102 generates a print job based on the set print settings and transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus 101. Note that, if color-changing toner printing is to be performed, a dialog 605 may be displayed before the print job is transmitted to notify the user that color-changing toner printing is to be performed.

[0050] Next, with reference to Figs. 8 to 11, an example of the print setting screen for each setting item when editing will be described.

[0051] 8 is an example of editing the document size setting item on the print setting screen 708 for color-changing toner. In the print setting items for the toner types in Table 1 described above, the document sizes available for color-changing toner printing are only A4, B5, and A5. Therefore, the pull-down list 800 for the document size setting item on the print setting screen 708 for color-changing toner is grayed out so that document sizes other than A4, B5, and A5 cannot be selected. Note that document sizes that cannot be selected may be hidden. In the case of normal toner printing, there are no restrictions, so all can be selected.

[0052] 9 is an example of editing the staple / sort / group finishing setting items on the print setting screen 708 for color-changing toner. In the print setting items by toner type in Table 1 described above, the staple / sort / group finishing setting items in the case of color-changing toner printing cannot be selected other than sort. Therefore, the pull-down list 900 for the staple / sort / group finishing setting items on the print setting screen 708 for color-changing toner is grayed out so that finishing settings other than sort cannot be selected. Note that finishing settings that cannot be set may be hidden without being grayed out. In the case of normal toner printing, there are no restrictions, so all can be selected.

[0053] 10 shows an example of editing the color mode setting item on the print setting screen 708 for the color erasing toner. When the color erasing toner is selected in the print setting item of the toner type in Table 1 described above, only items corresponding to the color erasing toner can be selected as the color mode.

[0054] Therefore, in the pull-down list 1000 of the color mode setting items on the print setting screen 708 for the color erasing toner, color mode settings other than the color erasing toner are displayed in gray out. Note that color mode settings that cannot be set may be hidden without being grayed out. In the case of normal toner printing, modes corresponding to the color erasing toner are made unselectable.

[0055] 11A shows an example of when the paper feed tray tab on the print setting screen for color-changing toner is selected. The PC 102 acquires paper feed tray information from the image forming apparatus 101. If color-changing toner is selected in the print setting item for the toner type in Table 1 described above, the reusable cassette is given priority. Therefore, in the pull-down list 1100 of the setting item of the paper feed tab on the print setting screen 708 for color-changing toner, the reusable cassette is selected as the default. If the user wants to print on paper from another cassette, even if it is color-changing toner, the user can select it.

[0056] FIG. 11(b) is an example when the Paper Feed tab is selected on the print setting screen 700 for normal toner. When normal toner is selected in the print setting item for toner type in Table 1 described above, the use of reusable cassettes is prohibited. This is because there is a possibility that decolorized toner may be reactivated under certain conditions (such as low temperature). For this reason, in the pull-down list 1101 of the setting item of the Paper Feed tab on the print setting screen 700 for normal toner, reusable cassettes are grayed out and cannot be selected. Note that reusable cassettes that cannot be set may be hidden without being grayed out.

[0057] In this manner, the controller 202 of the PC 102 accepts the print settings on the print setting screen of the printer driver 207. When the print settings are accepted, the printer driver screen is closed. After the print settings are accepted on the print setting screen 708 for the color-changing toner, when the printer driver screen is closed, a dialog 712 may be displayed to notify the user that color-changing toner printing is to be performed.

[0058] As described above, by displaying the print setting screen of the printer driver as a visually recognizable user interface according to the selected toner type, it is possible to improve the operability for the user. Specifically, by setting the print settings while being aware of the toner type, the user can print without making a mistake with the toner for the output. In addition, by changing and displaying candidate settings according to the selected toner type for the print setting items, the user can set appropriate print settings while being aware of the toner type, improving convenience.

[0059] Example 2 As a second embodiment, a print setting screen of the operation unit 220 of the image forming apparatus 101 will be described with reference to Figs. 12 and 13. In the print setting of the image forming apparatus 101, as in the print setting on the printer driver of the PC, it is possible to accept the print setting while making the user visually aware of the toner type.

[0060] 12 is a flowchart of the print setting acceptance on the operation unit 220 when copying and printing is performed by the image forming apparatus 101. The flowchart shown in FIG. 12 is executed by the CPU 210 in accordance with the program stored in the eMMC 219 shown in FIG.

[0061] In S1201, the image forming apparatus 101 receives a print setting screen for copy printing in response to a user instruction from the operation unit 220. Then, in S1202, the image forming apparatus 101 checks whether the color-changing toner is selected as the initial setting. The initial setting here assumes the default device setting that is preset in the Eco mode flag 404 stored in the eMMC 219 of the image forming apparatus 101.

[0062] It is assumed that the toner type print setting information 403 holds desirable settings according to the toner type in Table 1, similar to the toner type print setting information 208 held by the printer driver 207. If the Eco mode flag 404 is set to ON by default, in S1205, the image forming apparatus 101 switches the background color and initial values ​​of the setting items on the print setting screen for copy printing to those for the color erasing toner, and displays them on the operation unit 220.

[0063] If the color-changing toner is not selected in the initial settings, in S1203, the image forming apparatus 101 checks whether a reusable cassette is selected. If a reusable cassette is selected, in S1205, the background color and the initial values ​​of the setting items on the print setting screen for copy printing are switched to those for the color-changing toner, and are displayed on the operation unit 220. If the reusable cassette is not selected, in S1204, the image forming apparatus 101 switches the background color and the initial values ​​of the setting items on the copy printing setting screen to those for the normal toner, and are displayed on the operation unit 220.

[0064] 13A shows a print setting screen 1300 for normal toner during copy printing when normal toner is set for the image forming apparatus 101. The Eco mode button 1301 switches between normal toner and color erasing toner, similar to the Eco mode button on the print setting screen of the printer driver 207, and when set to ON, the color erasing toner is selected as Eco mode. In the case of the print setting screen 1300 for normal toner, the Eco mode button 1301 is displayed in the OFF state.

[0065] 13B shows a print setting screen 1302 for the color erasing toner during copy printing when the color erasing toner of the image forming apparatus 101 is set. An Eco mode button 1303 switches between normal toner and color erasing toner. In the case of the print setting screen 1302 for the color erasing toner, the Eco mode button 1303 is displayed in the ON state, and further, the background color is displayed in a different color from the print setting screen 1300 for the normal toner so that the user can easily recognize that the color erasing toner has been selected.

[0066] The image forming apparatus 101 displays the print setting screen 1300 for normal toner on the operation unit 220 in S1204, and then accepts print settings on the print setting screen 1300 for normal toner in S1206. When accepting the user's print settings from the operation unit 220, the image forming apparatus 101, like the printer driver 207, checks the ON / OFF state of the Eco mode button 1301 to see whether the color-changing toner has been selected in S1208.

[0067] When the user switches the Eco mode button 1301 from OFF to ON, in S1210, the image forming apparatus 101 switches the background color and setting items of the print setting screen for copy printing to those for the color erasing toner and displays them. Here, if setting items dedicated to the normal toner have been set, they are reset to the initial values ​​when the color erasing toner of the toner type in Table 1 is selected. After that, in S1212, the image forming apparatus 101 continues to accept print settings on the print setting screen 1302 for the color erasing toner. If the Eco mode button 1301 remains in the OFF state, the image forming apparatus 101 accepts print settings while keeping the display for the normal toner.

[0068] On the other hand, when the CPU 210 of the image forming apparatus 101 displays the print setting screen 1302 for the color-changing toner on the operation unit 220 in S1205, in S1207, the CPU 210 accepts print settings on the print setting screen 1302 for the color-changing toner. When accepting the user's print settings from the operation unit 220, similarly to the printer driver 207, the CPU 210 checks whether the color-changing toner has been selected in S1209 and checks the ON / OFF state of the Eco mode button 1303.

[0069] When the user switches the Eco mode button 1303 from ON to OFF, the image forming apparatus 101 switches the background color and setting items on the print setting screen for copy printing to those for normal toner and displays them in S1211. Here, if setting items dedicated to color-changing toner have been set, the image forming apparatus 101 resets them to the initial values ​​when normal toner is selected for the toner type in Table 1. After that, in S1213, the image forming apparatus 101 continues to accept print settings on the print setting screen 1300 for normal toner. If the Eco mode button 1303 remains ON, the image forming apparatus 101 accepts print settings while still displaying those for color-changing toner.

[0070] When the user completes the print settings and issues a print instruction from the operation unit 220, in S1214 the image forming apparatus 101 executes print processing based on the print settings that have been set.

[0071] In the second embodiment, a copy process is taken as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be a function for holding a print job and executing the print job according to a user's instruction. Specifically, the present invention is a BOX function for holding print jobs in a folder for each user, a reservation process for holding a print job received from a PC until a user's instruction to execute the print job, and a reprint process for re-executing an executed print job according to a user's instruction to execute the print job. In each function, the configuration of the print setting screen described in the second embodiment may be applied when executing a print job.

[0072] As described above, by displaying the print setting screen of the image forming apparatus 101 as a visually recognizable user interface according to the selected toner type, it is possible to improve the operability for the user. Specifically, by setting the print setting while considering the toner type, the user can print without making a mistake in the toner for the output. In addition, by changing and displaying candidate settings according to the selected toner type for the print setting items, the user can set appropriate print settings while considering the toner type, improving convenience.

[0073] (Other embodiments) Although various examples and embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, the spirit and scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific descriptions within this specification.

[0074] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 101 Image forming device 102 PC 202 Controller 203 Operation section 207 Printer Driver 210 CPU 220 Operation section 221 Printer Engine

Claims

1. An information processing device capable of communicating with an image forming device having an execution unit capable of executing a printing process using a non-erasable recording material and an erasable printing process using an erasable recording material, a display unit for displaying a printer driver for transmitting a print job to the image forming apparatus; an information processing apparatus comprising: a control means for controlling, in the printer driver, a first display when the non-erasable recording material is used and a second display when the erasable recording material is used in such a manner that the first display can be switched between the first display and the second display when the erasable recording material is used.

2. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means switches the display of the printer driver from the first display to the second display by accepting a setting to use the erasable recording material while the first display is displayed in the printer driver.

3. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control means switches the display of the printer driver from the second display to the first display by accepting a setting to use the non-erasable recording material while the second display is displayed in the printer driver.

4. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control means displays the second display instead of the first display on the second screen by receiving an instruction to select a mode for executing the color erasure printing process on the first screen of the printer driver and to switch from the first screen to the second screen.

5. an acquisition unit for acquiring information on a reuse paper feed tray on which paper that has been subjected to a decoloring process for erasing printing processing has been placed from the image forming apparatus; The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the acquisition means acquires information about the reuse paper feed tray, the control means switches the display of the printer driver from the first display to the second display by accepting a setting to use the reuse paper feed tray while the first display is displayed in the printer driver.

6. The image forming apparatus has an acquisition means for acquiring information on a paper feed tray on which paper is placed that has not been subjected to the printing process and the decoloring printing process, and information on a reuse paper feed tray on which paper is placed that has been subjected to a decoloring process for erasing printing on paper on which the image forming apparatus has been subjected to the decoloring printing process, 2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least the paper feed tray is displayed selectably in the first display, and at least the reuse paper feed tray is displayed selectably in the second display.

7. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first display and the second display have different background colors.

8. In the first display, a setting of post-processing for bundling printed materials by a stapler can be accepted, 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the post-processing setting cannot be accepted in the second display.

9. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first display and the second display are property screens in the printer driver.

10. An image forming apparatus having an execution unit capable of executing a printing process using a non-erasable recording material or an erasable recording material, A printing means for printing an image on a sheet of paper; an operation means for receiving an instruction from a user to execute the printing process by the printing means, the operation means including a display screen for displaying settings of the printing process by the printing means to a user; and a control means for controlling the display screen to be switchable between a first display when the non-erasable recording material is used and a second display when the erasable recording material is used.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the control means switches the display screen from the first display to the second display by accepting a setting for using the erasable recording material from the operation means while the first display is displayed on the display screen.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the control means switches the display screen from the second display to the first display by accepting a setting to use the non-erasable recording material from the operation means while the second display is displayed on the display screen.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the control means displays the second display instead of the first display on the second screen when a mode for executing a printing process using the erasable recording material is selected on a first screen of the display screen and an instruction is received to switch from the first screen to a second screen.

14. a reuse paper feed tray on which paper is placed that has been subjected to a decoloring process for erasing the printing of printed paper that has been subjected to a printing process using the decolorable recording material; The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the control means switches the display screen from the first display to the second display by accepting a setting to use the reuse paper feed tray while the first display is displayed on the display screen.

15. a paper feed tray on which paper has been placed that has not been subjected to a printing process using the erasable recording material and a printing process using the non-erasable recording material, and a reuse paper feed tray on which paper has been placed that has been subjected to an erasure process for erasing the printing of the paper that has been subjected to a printing process using the erasable recording material, 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein at least the paper feed tray is displayed selectably in the first display, and at least the reuse paper feed tray is displayed selectably in the second display.

16. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first display and the second display have different background colors.

17. a post-processing means for performing post-processing of bundling printed materials by stapling; In the first display, a setting of the post-processing can be received, 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the setting of the post-processing cannot be accepted in the second display.

18. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first display and the second display are displays on a property screen for configuring settings for the print process.

19. 20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the printing process is a copying process.

20. 20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the print process is a print process in which a print job accepted from an information processing apparatus via a network is held until a user issues an instruction to execute the print job.

Images