Printer, control method of printer, and program

Abstract

To improve a user's working efficiency during start processing a device.SOLUTION: A printer comprises: start processing means for start processing of a first unit and a second unit for performing printing; determination means for determining whether or not a printing job exists that can be executed with the first unit, without using the second unit, among printing jobs standing by, if the printer has printing jobs standing by; and execution means for executing printing of a first printing job at the stage of completing start processing of the first unit, although being in the midst of start processing of the second unit, if the first printing job that can be executed with the first unit, without using the second unit, is determined to exist by the determination means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a printing device, a control method for a printing device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a multi-layered print medium called a sticker or label, which is made up of a mount and a sheet attached to the mount. In order to realize optimal printing on these print media with various characteristics, there is a configuration in which recording can be performed using color inks such as cyan ink, magenta ink, yellow ink, and black ink for image formation, and white ink for forming a base layer. In addition, the maintenance required for inks such as color ink and white ink differs depending on the characteristics of the ink. Therefore, there is a configuration in which color ink and white ink are treated as different units. In addition, since the maintenance required for color ink and white ink differs, one unit may require longer (or shorter) maintenance time than the other unit. In this way, the content of maintenance affects the time it takes for the device to be ready for printing when the user starts it up.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which, when a timer for printing is set, the maintenance time to be performed after the startup process of the device is recognized in advance, and maintenance work is performed so that the device is ready to print at the timer set time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-201605 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] If printing cannot be performed until the startup process of the unit is completed, this may reduce the user's work efficiency.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the work efficiency of a user during the startup process of a device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A printing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that it comprises a startup processing means for performing startup processing of a first unit and a second unit for printing, a determination means for determining, when the printing device has a waiting print job, whether or not there is a print job among the waiting print jobs that can be executed using the first unit and without the second unit, and, when the determination means determines that there is a first print job that can be executed using the first unit and without the second unit, an execution means for executing printing of the first print job when the startup processing of the first unit is completed, even if the startup processing of the second unit is in progress. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the work efficiency of a user during the startup process of a device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the printing apparatus. [Diagram 3] 4 is a basic flowchart of printing. [Figure 4] 13 is a screen showing a list of print jobs. [Diagram 5] 1 is a flowchart showing a process from start of booting of the printing apparatus to start of printing. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a time axis from when the printing device starts to be booted up to when printing starts. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart showing a process from start of booting of the printing apparatus to start of printing. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a time axis from when the printing device starts to be booted up to when printing starts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present disclosure according to the claims, and all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution of the present disclosure.

[0011] <Embodiment 1> 1 shows an example of the schematic configuration of a printing device according to this embodiment. The printing device 100 is a device that forms an image on a continuous print medium (hereinafter referred to as roll paper) 111 used in this embodiment that is capable of continuous printing. In this embodiment, the printing device 100 is made up of a paper feeder 104 that feeds the roll paper 111, and a recording unit 116 that performs spot color printing. It also includes a recording unit 115 that performs basic color printing, a winding device 105 that winds up the roll paper 111, and a user interface (hereinafter referred to as UI) operation panel 101.

[0012] The paper feeder 104 is a device that supplies the roll paper 111 to the printing device 100. The paper feeder 104 rotates the paper tube of the roll paper 111 around a rotating shaft 117, and transports the roll paper 111 wound around the paper tube toward the printing device 100 at a constant speed via multiple rollers (transport rollers, paper feed rollers, etc.). The winding device 105 is a device that winds up the roll paper 111 transported from the printing device 100 into a roll around the paper tube. The paper tube is attached to a rotating shaft 118, and by rotating it around the rotating shaft 118, the roll paper 111 transported to the paper tube via multiple rollers (e.g., transport rollers, paper discharge rollers) is wound up as a print product at a predetermined speed. The print product is wound around the paper tube and held in a roll shape. As a work before printing starts, the roll paper 111 is passed from the paper feeder 104 through the winding device 105. The roll paper 111 is set in the paper feeder 104, and the leading edge of the roll paper 111 is passed over the skew correction device 110. Next, it is passed under the printing device 103 of the recording unit 116. The printing device 103 in this embodiment is a device that prints colors other than the color inks cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) (for example, white ink). It is passed under the drying device 112, and over the cooling devices 113 and 114. Next, it is passed under the mark detection sensor 120 of the recording unit 115, under the printing device 102, under the drying device 106, and over the cooling devices 108 and 109.

[0013] In this embodiment, the mark detection sensor 120 is used for alignment when forming an image of the printing device 102 on an image formed by the printing device 103, but a scanner device may also be used, and this is not limited to this. The printing device 102 in this embodiment is a device that prints the basic printing colors (CMYK). The paper is wound around the winding device 105 through the connected scanner device 107. After the roll paper 111 is passed through the printing system 100, a print job is input to the control PC (print control device) 119 of the printing system 100. After inputting the print job, the print start button is pressed on the UI operation panel 101 to start printing. The printed image is read by the mark detection sensor 120, and the read image is analyzed by the control PC 119 to inspect whether there are any defects in the printed matter. In this embodiment, the printing device 103, the drying device 112, the cooling device 113, and the cooling device 114, etc., which are necessary for printing with the printing device 103 using white ink in the recording unit 116, are collectively called the white unit. Meanwhile, devices necessary for printing using color inks in the printing device 102 are collectively referred to as color units. Also, units necessary for printing in both the white unit and the color unit, such as the paper feeder 104 or the winding device 105, are referred to as common units. In other words, whether printing is performed using the color units or the white unit, it is a prerequisite that the startup process of the common units has been completed. In this embodiment, the printing device 103 is located within the recording unit 116, and the printing device 102 is located within the recording unit 115, but the printing devices 102 and 103 that print color inks and white inks may be arranged side by side. In this case, there may be only one drying device or cooling device.

[0014] Next, the control configuration of the printing device 100 will be described in detail.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the control configuration of the printing device 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the printing device 100 includes a paper transport unit 201, an image forming unit 202, a communication unit 203, a control unit 204, a storage unit 205, an operation display unit 206, an inspection unit 207, a paper feed control unit 208, and a winding control unit 209. The paper transport unit 201 is a transport mechanism for the roll paper 111 inside the printing device 100. For example, the roll paper 111 transported from the paper feed control unit 208 is transported to the image forming unit 202 by a plurality of rollers, and the roll paper 111 that has passed through the image forming unit 202 is transported to the winding control unit 209. The image forming unit 202 forms an image on the roll paper 111 supplied from the paper feed control unit 208 based on the print data for which an output command has been received. The image forming unit 202 controls both the printing device 103 and the printing device 102. The image forming unit 202 transports the roll paper 111 on which an image has been formed toward the winding device 105. The communication unit 203 is composed of a communication control card such as a LAN (Local Area Network) card. It transmits and receives various data to and from an external control device 211 (e.g. a personal computer) connected to a communication network 210 such as a LAN or WAN (Wide Area Network). A printing application required for printing and the like are installed in the external control device 211.

[0016] The control unit 204 is composed of, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), and the like. The CPU of the control unit 204 reads various programs such as a system program or a processing program stored in the storage unit 205, expands the programs in the RAM, and executes various processes according to the expanded programs. For example, the control unit 204 can perform a print process to execute a print job (hereinafter, referred to as a job) in response to a user's instruction. The storage unit 205 is composed of, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory (so-called flash memory) or a hard disk drive (HDD). The storage unit 205 stores various programs, including a system program and a processing program, executed by the control unit 204, and various data required for executing these programs. The operation display unit 206 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD: Liquid Crystal Display) with a touch panel, and includes a display unit 206a and an operation unit 206b.

[0017] The display unit 206a displays various information on the display screen according to a display control signal input from the control unit 204. The operation unit 206b has various operation keys such as a numeric keypad and a start key, and accepts various input operations by the user and outputs an operation signal to the control unit 204. The operation display unit 206 is used, for example, to set job information when executing a job. The user can arbitrarily set any of the conditions, such as the paper to be used, the printing speed information, the number of prints, the number of copies to be printed, the printing length, or the printing diameter. Next, the operation when performing printing processing on the roll paper 111 in the printing device 100 will be described. First, the user creates print data in an external device, sets the print settings of the job and the number of rolls to be delivered, and transmits this information to the printing device 100 via a communication network. The control unit 204 of the printing device 100 receives the job data transmitted from the external device via the communication unit 203, and a job ticket including the print settings information of the job and the number of rolls to be delivered.

[0018] The inspection unit 207 is a device that checks whether the print image sheet is printed without any discharge defects. A detection pattern for the discharge defect inspection is printed and read by a scanner to check whether there is any discharge defect in the print image, and if a discharge defect is detected, the printing device is stopped. There are various inspection methods, such as a method of printing a detection pattern and reading it by a scanner, a method of directly reading and inspecting the print image by a camera or scanner, and a method of monitoring the discharge status from the nozzle. In this embodiment, the configuration is such that whether there is any discharge defect is checked by printing a detection pattern and reading it by a scanner. The mechanism (unit) part that constitutes the printing device 100 is controlled by the control unit 204 or each of the other parts. In this embodiment, the software that is the system of the control unit 204 or each of the other parts is running, but the hardware part that is the mechanism of the printing device 100 is in a state where the power is OFF is defined as a standby state. In the standby state, system control that does not involve the mechanism operation of the device is operable. In the standby state, just like when the device is started, it is possible to display the device status on the operation and display unit 206, execute print processing of jobs with the control unit 204, and perform various other settings. In this embodiment, there are two ways to shut down the device: a standby state transition in which only the mechanical parts are turned off, and a stop state transition in which the device is completely turned off. The stop state refers to a state in which both the hardware and software are turned off and all various operations are stopped. Timer time information set by instructions from the operation and display unit 206 is stored in the memory unit 205.

[0019] The control unit 204 receives an instruction from the operation display unit 206 and shuts down the device. In the standby state, if the timer start setting is set, the control unit 204 starts up the mechanism using the timer information stored in the storage unit 205. On the other hand, if the timer start setting is not set, the control unit 204 starts up the mechanism upon receiving an instruction to return from the operation display unit 206. When the device is in a stopped state, the power button of the device is pressed, the control unit 204 starts up, and then other systems are started up or each mechanism is started up. The mechanism start-up of the printing device 100 includes maintenance processing for keeping the printing device 100 in an optimal state. In particular, the maintenance processing for maintaining the quality of images printed by the printing device 103 and the printing device 102 is diverse, including circulating and stirring ink, and cleaning the print head, and takes time to process. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the maintenance processing of the white unit requires more time than the maintenance processing of the color units, and it takes time to complete the startup.

[0020] Next, the basic flow of printing using a printing device will be explained step by step.

[0021] Fig. 3 is a basic printing flow diagram, and explains the flow from loading the print medium into the device to printing. In the process of this flowchart, the CPU of the control unit 204 reads out various programs, such as system programs or processing programs, stored in the storage unit 205, loads them into RAM, and executes various processes according to the loaded programs. Also, the symbol "S" in the explanation of each process in this flowchart indicates a step in that flowchart, and the same applies to the subsequent flowcharts.

[0022] First, in S301, a print medium is loaded into the paper feeder 104 of the printing device 100. In this embodiment, the print medium is wound in a roll. While the rolled print medium is pulled out, it passes through a plurality of transport rollers along the path of the printer's transport mechanism and is fixed to a take-up core attached to the winding device 105 at the end of the transport path. In S302, the print medium loaded into the printer is set by the user before starting the printing process. This setting is performed by specifying the print medium from among the print media preregistered in the printer. As a result, optimal transport parameters linked to the prestored print medium information are set, making it possible to properly transport the loaded print medium.

[0023] In addition to the transport parameters, the parameters set for the print job include the presence or absence of white printing, the hiding rate when white printing, the drying temperature after white printing, or the drying temperature when color printing, and the tension applied to the print medium. In addition, the type of ink to be used, the type of color profile to be used when color matching, etc. are conceivable. Note that these print parameters are merely examples, and the present embodiment is not limited to these. In the printing device 100, if there is no print medium identical to the one installed, a print medium with similar physical characteristics or origins to the installed print medium is set. The physical characteristics include the type of material of the print medium (coated paper, fine paper, film, etc.), the thickness, width, or basis weight of the print medium, etc.

[0024] In S303, the user sets a print job that describes the data to be printed, the medium to be printed, or the print settings. The processes of S302 and S303 are executed by the user operating the control PC 119 of the printing device 100. The created print job is sent to the printing device 100. In S304, the control unit 204 of the printing device 100 acquires print setting information including the print job set by the user of the printing device 100. Then, the print job included in the print setting information is analyzed.

[0025] In S305, the control unit 204 determines whether the print medium specified in the print job matches the print medium loaded in the printer before starting printing. If it is determined that the print medium specified in the print job does not match the print medium loaded in the printer, the control unit 204 proceeds to S311. If it is determined that the print medium specified in the print job matches the print medium loaded in the printer, the control unit 204 proceeds to S306.

[0026] In S311, the control unit 204 notifies the user that printing cannot be performed due to a mismatch in settings. After that, the control unit 204 ends the processing of this flowchart. In S306, the control unit 204 determines whether all print settings necessary for printing have been completed. If it is determined that the print settings necessary for printing have not been completed, the control unit 204 proceeds to S310. If it is determined that the print settings necessary for printing have been completed, the control unit 204 proceeds to S307. In S310, the control unit 204 notifies the user that the print settings have not been completed. After that, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0027] In S307, the control unit 204 performs RIP (Raster Image Processor) processing of the print image data specified in the print job.

[0028] In RIP processing, it is possible to perform processing to convert vector image data, which is image data described in a command, into raster image data, which is a collection of print pixels. In addition, some also have a color conversion function to convert the color of the print data. In S308, the control unit 204 executes printing of the print image data generated by the RIP. Thereafter, the control unit 204 ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0029] In S308, the control unit 204 determines whether the startup of the mechanism (unit) of the device is complete. If it is determined that the startup of the mechanism of the device is complete, the control unit 204 proceeds to S309. The confirmation of the startup completion of the mechanism may be performed at another timing before printing of the print control flow or before the print control flow, and is not limited to this.

[0030] In S309, the control unit 204 executes printing of the print image data that has been subjected to the RIP process, and then ends the process of this flowchart.

[0031] FIG. 4 is an example of a UI screen displaying a list of print jobs. In FIG. 4, an entire UI screen 400 is the entire UI displayed on the UI operation panel 101. A status display area 401 displays summary information on the status of the printing device 100, such as the current status of the printing device 100 or information on a job being printed. An operation status display 402 of the printing device 100 shows the status of the printing device 100. In FIG. 4, it is "Waiting" for waiting to print. In addition to "Waiting", the operation status can be "Stopped" or "Printing". Pressing a print button 403 starts printing of the selected print job. A printing job display 404 displays the name of the job to be printed. A print medium information display 405 displays the name and remaining amount of the print medium attached to the printing device 100. An ink status display 406 displays the type of ink being used or the status of the remaining amount.

[0032] In this embodiment, the contents of the status display area 401 are shown as examples of the operation status display of the printing device 100, the print button, the job being printed, the print medium information display, and the ink state display, but are not limited to these, and other states may be displayed. The work area 407 is a work area for the user to operate. When checking detailed information related to each information in the status display area 401, it is possible to display the related detailed information in the work area 407 by pressing each state display area of ​​the status display area 401. For example, pressing the job being printed display 404 switches to the display of the print job list in FIG. 4. The screen switching method may also be to provide a menu screen and switch the screen by selecting a menu, and is not limited to this. The print job list 408 displays information such as the ID of the print job, the current state, or the print medium. The printing device 100 starts printing by pressing the print button 403 for the job selected in this list. The print medium information display 409 displays detailed information of the print medium. The paper edit button 410 allows the user to edit the information of the print medium displayed in the print medium information display 409. The paper information load button 411 is used to load new paper information other than the currently set paper information. The settings loaded with the paper information load button 411 are displayed in the print medium information display 405 as information of the print medium attached to the printing device 100.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the process of performing print control in advance based on a unit monitored by print job information after the start-up process of the printing device 100 in this embodiment has started.

[0034] 5 starts when the mechanism starts the startup process in response to a startup instruction from a user pressing the power button when the printing device 100 is in a stopped state, a startup instruction from a user when the printing device is in a standby state, or an automatic mechanism startup instruction set by a timer startup setting. In this embodiment, both cases are assumed: a user submits a job to the device when the device is in a standby state, or a user submits a job to the device while the mechanism is running.

[0035] In S501, the control unit 204 determines whether there is a unit undergoing startup processing. In this embodiment, the "unit" refers to a "common unit," a "color unit," and a "white unit," as described in FIG. 1. If it is determined that there is a unit undergoing processing, the control unit 204 proceeds to S502. If it is determined that there is no unit undergoing processing, the control unit 204 proceeds to S509.

[0036] In S502, it is determined whether there is a print job waiting. If there is no print job waiting, the control unit 204 returns to S501. That is, the startup process continues. If there is a print job waiting, the control unit 204 proceeds to S503.

[0037] In S503, the control unit 204 determines whether the ink to be used is color ink only for one of the waiting print jobs. The ink to be used can be confirmed by obtaining it during RIP, by the user specifying it as a parameter when inputting print data, or by performing a preflight when inputting print data. If it is determined that the ink to be used is color ink only, the control unit 204 proceeds to S504. If it is determined that the ink to be used is not color ink only, the control unit 204 proceeds to S511.

[0038] In S511, the control unit 204 determines whether there is another print job for which the process of determining whether the ink used in S503 is color ink only has not been performed. If there is another print job, the control unit 204 returns to S503. Then, in S503, the process of determining whether the ink used in the other print job is color ink only has been performed. That is, S503 and S511 determine whether there is even one print job that uses color ink only among the waiting print jobs.

[0039] In S504, the control unit 204 determines whether the printer 100 is in a limited printable state. In the present embodiment, the limited printable state refers to a color-only printable state. In the color-only printable state, a print job that uses only color inks can be executed. Therefore, a print job that uses white ink, for example, cannot be executed. If the printer 100 is in a limited printable state in S504, the control unit 204 proceeds to S508. On the other hand, if the printer 100 is not in a limited printable state, the control unit 204 proceeds to S505. In S505, the control unit 204 sets the common unit and the color unit as startup monitoring targets of the printing device 100. The startup monitoring targets are set as units that are to be monitored for whether startup processing has been completed in each situation. In S506, the control unit 204 receives the startup process status of the startup monitoring target from the paper feed control unit 208, the take-up control unit 209, the paper transport unit 201, or the image forming unit 202, and determines whether the startup process of each target has been completed. If it is determined that the startup process has been completed, the control unit 204 proceeds to S507. If it is determined that the startup process has not been completed, the control unit 204 waits until the startup process of the startup monitoring target has been completed.

[0040] In S507, the control unit 204 transitions to a printable state with restrictions. Specifically, the state transitions to a restricted state in which printing of a print job using only color ink is possible. At this time, the operation status display 402 of the operation display unit 206 displays "Waiting (color printing only)", and the print button 403 becomes active. When the user performs an operation to start printing in S508, the control unit 204 starts printing of a print job using only color ink that can be printed except for the white unit being started. When the print execution is completed, the control unit 204 returns to S501. If there is no unit being started in S501 (i.e., if the start-up of all units is completed), the control unit 204 proceeds to S509. Note that the unit being started in S501 refers to all units regardless of the limit state of the start-up monitoring target. That is, in this embodiment, it refers to the color units, the white unit, and the common unit.

[0041] In S509, the control unit 204 transitions to a state in which all print jobs can be printed. At this time, the operation status display 402 of the operation display unit 206 displays "Waiting", indicating that all printable data is being accepted. When the process of S509 ends, the control unit 204 ends the process of this flowchart.

[0042] In this embodiment, the print button 403 becomes valid only after the printer is ready to print. However, this is not limited to the above, and printing may be started automatically when the print button 403 is pressed in advance and RIP processing of image data is completed, or when RIP-processed data is sent from an external control device. Also, in this embodiment, an example of two printing units, a color unit and a white unit, is described. However, this is not limiting, and other configurations are also possible, such as adding another spot color unit to increase the number of printable states with restrictions, or monitoring only the white unit to enable printing only with white ink in advance.

[0043] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the startup process of each unit after the start of the mechanism startup process of the printing device 100 in the first embodiment, the state of the printing device 100, and the printing status of the input print job on a time axis. Print job 1 is a print job that uses only color ink. Also, print job 2 is a print job that uses color ink and white ink. Since printing is not possible while the common unit and color units are performing startup processes, the state of the printing device 100 is "starting up", and print jobs 1 and 2 are each "waiting". When the startup processes of the common unit and color units are completed, the printing device 100 transitions to a limited state in which only color printing is possible, and starts printing print job 1. Meanwhile, print job 2 is a print job that uses white ink, so it has not yet been printed and remains waiting.

[0044] When the startup process of the white unit is completed, the printing device 100 transitions to a state in which all print jobs are printable, and starts printing job 2. In this way, when a print job using only color ink is waiting during startup process, the printing device 100 transitions to a state in which only color ink is printable (limited printing state) first when the startup process of the color unit and the common unit is completed. After that, when the startup process of the white unit is completed, all print jobs transition to a state in which printing is completed. This is because the startup process of the white unit takes more time than the startup process of the color unit. Therefore, for example, even if print job 2 is input first between print job 1 and print job 2, print job 1 corresponding to the common unit and color unit that complete the startup process first will be printed first. Note that in this embodiment, the explanation is based on the assumption that the startup process time of the color unit is shorter than that of the white unit, but if the startup process time of the color unit is longer, the idea is reversed.

[0045] Furthermore, when it is desired to print print job 1 and print job 2 successively, there may be a function for turning off the function for transitioning to a limited printing state in the printing device 100 or job settings, etc. Furthermore, print job 1 and print job 2 may be printed successively by predicting the printing time of print job 1 and the startup processing time of the white unit, and starting printing of print job 1 taking into consideration the time until the startup of the white unit is completed minus the printing time of job 1.

[0046] Furthermore, in the case of a configuration in which the roll paper 111 passes through the recording (white) unit 116 and then the recording (color) unit 115 as in FIG. 1 of this embodiment, when printing is performed in a limited printable state, the units undergoing startup processing undergo startup processing that does not affect printing. That is, for example, the white unit undergoes startup processing that does not affect printing using the color units. Examples of startup processing that does not affect printing include temperature adjustment of the cooling device, ink refilling processing, ink circulation processing, and buzzer checks. Startup processing that affects printing can be performed when printing is not taking place (before or after printing).

[0047] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to improve the work efficiency during the startup process of the device. Specifically, when the printing device 100 has a first (color) unit that has a short startup process time and a second (white) unit that has a long startup process time, the printing of a print job that can be printed by the first unit is executed at the stage where the startup process of the first unit is completed. This allows printing to be executed without waiting for the startup process of the second unit to be completed, thereby improving the work efficiency.

[0048] <Embodiment 2> In this embodiment, a process will be described for a case where no print job has been input at the start of the startup process of the printing device 100.

[0049] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the mechanism startup process of the printing device 100 according to the second embodiment.

[0050] This process is started when the printing device 100 is in a stopped state and a start instruction is given by pressing the power button by the user, when the printing device 100 is in a standby state and a mechanism start instruction is given by the user, or when the mechanism is automatically started by a timer start setting. Note that the process of this embodiment shown in Fig. 7 corresponds to both cases: when a print job is input to the printing device 100 by the user when the printing device 100 is in a standby state, and when a print job is input while the mechanism is started.

[0051] In S701, the control unit 204 determines whether or not all units have completed startup. If it is determined that all units have completed startup, the control unit 204 proceeds to S708. If it is determined that all units have not completed startup, the control unit 204 proceeds to S702.

[0052] In S702, the control unit 204 determines whether or not there is a waiting print job. If it is determined that there is a waiting print job, the control unit 204 proceeds to S703. If there is no waiting print job, the control unit 204 proceeds to S721.

[0053] In S721, the control unit 204 determines whether the printing device 100 is in a limited printing state. If it is in a limited printing state, the control unit 204 returns to S701. If it is not in a limited printing state, the control unit 204 proceeds to S722. In S722, the control unit 204 sets the startup of each unit to minimum startup. Minimum startup means, for example, performing time-consuming maintenance and not performing specific maintenance that does not take time (for example, drying process, buzzer check, etc.). In S723, upon receiving an instruction from the control unit 204, each unit interrupts the respective time-consuming maintenance and performs time-consuming maintenance (for example, ink circulation, ink temperature adjustment, ink filling, etc.). At this time, instead of interrupting, it is also possible to not start up mechanical parts that do not take time to start up from the beginning.

[0054] Returning to the explanation of the case where a print job is waiting in S702, the control unit 204 determines in S703 whether all waiting print jobs are print jobs that use only color inks. The ink to be used can be confirmed by obtaining it during RIP, by having the user specify it as a parameter when the print data is input, or by performing a preflight when the print data is input. If it is determined that all waiting print jobs use only color inks, the control unit 204 proceeds to S711. If it is determined that at least one print job that uses white ink is included among all waiting print jobs, the control unit 204 proceeds to S704.

[0055] In S704, the control unit 204 sets the common unit, color unit, and white unit as startup monitoring targets. On the other hand, in S711, the control unit 204 sets the common unit and color unit as startup monitoring targets. In S705, if the startup process of the units that are startup monitoring targets has been interrupted, the control unit 204 resumes it. This process is executed by the control unit 204 notifying each unit that performs each mechanism process shown in FIG. 2.

[0056] In S706, the control unit 204 determines whether or not all of the startup monitoring targets have completed startup. If it is determined that startup of all of the startup monitoring targets has not completed, the control unit 204 proceeds to S712. If it is determined that startup of all of the startup monitoring targets has completed, the control unit 204 proceeds to S707.

[0057] If it is determined in S706 that the startup of all startup monitoring targets is not complete, the control unit 204 determines in S712 whether the startup of the common unit and the color unit is complete and there is a print job using only color ink. If it is determined that the startup of the common unit and the color unit is complete and there is a print job using only color ink, the control unit 204 proceeds to S713. If it is determined that the startup of the common unit and the color unit is not complete, or if it is determined that the startup of the common unit and the color unit is complete but there is no print job using only color ink, the control unit 204 returns to S706.

[0058] If it is determined in S706 that all of the activation monitoring targets have completed activation, the control unit 204 determines in S707 whether the activation of the white unit has completed. If it is determined that the activation of the white unit has not completed, the control unit 204 proceeds to S713. If it is determined that the activation of the white unit has completed, the control unit 204 proceeds to S708.

[0059] In S713, the control unit 204 transitions to a limited printable state in which only color ink is printable. At this time, the operation status display 402 of the operation display unit 206 displays "Waiting (color printing only)" and the print button 403 becomes active. In S714, the control unit 204 executes printing of a print job that uses only color ink. After that, the process returns to S701.

[0060] If the white unit has completed startup in S707, or if all units have completed startup in S701, the control unit 204 transitions to a state in which all print jobs can be printed in S708. At this time, the operation status display 402 of the operation display unit 206 displays "Waiting", indicating that all printable data is being accepted. After completing S708, the control unit 204 ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0061] The above is the flow of the startup process of this embodiment. If there is no print job waiting when the startup process of the units is started, the control unit 204 sets each unit to minimum startup in S722. As a result, maintenance that does not take much time is suspended (or not performed from the beginning), so that costs such as power can be reduced. In addition, the suspended maintenance is resumed in sequence according to the print job. As a result, the startup time when restarting can be reduced. For example, when a color-only job that does not use the white unit is input, the suspended process of the white unit is left as it is, and only the common unit and the color unit are restarted. As a result, costs are reduced by not performing maintenance of the white unit, and the startup time can be reduced by resuming the suspended maintenance of the common unit and the color unit compared to performing the startup process from the beginning.

[0062] Furthermore, if a print job has already been submitted when the startup process begins, as in embodiment 1, no processing such as interrupting maintenance is performed, and printing is performed when the startup process of the unit that executes the submitted print job is completed.

[0063] In this embodiment, the print button 403 becomes valid only after the printer is ready to print. However, this is not the only option; for example, printing can be started automatically when the print button 403 is pressed in advance and RIP processing of image data is completed, or when RIP-processed data is sent from an external control device. Also, this embodiment describes an example of two printing units, a color unit and a white unit. As a result, there are differences in maintenance processing, etc., and other options are not limited to this, such as adding another spot color unit to increase the number of printable states with restrictions, or monitoring only the white unit to enable printing only with white ink in advance.

[0064] FIG. 8 shows on a time axis the startup process status of each unit after the start of the mechanism startup process of the printing device 100 in the second embodiment, the state of the printing device 100, and the printing status of the input print jobs 1 and 2.

[0065] No print jobs can be executed while the common unit and color units are performing startup processes, so the status of the printing device 100 is "starting up" and each print job is "waiting." In this embodiment, each unit has startup process 1 and startup process 2. Startup process 1 is a startup process that requires time for maintenance (e.g., processes such as ink circulation, ink temperature adjustment, and ink refilling), while startup process 2 is a startup process that does not require time for maintenance (e.g., drying process, buzzer check). The ratio of startup process 1 to startup process 2 varies depending on the device configuration, and if the time required for the startup processes is short, the ratio of startup process 1 to startup process 2 may be 0:100.

[0066] Since no print job has been input to the common unit, it performs startup process 1 and then stops. Startup process 2 for the common unit is performed after print job 1, which uses color ink, is input.

[0067] Since the color unit was performing start-up process 1 when print job 1 was submitted, it performs start-up process 2 after start-up process 1 is completed. When the start-up processes of the common unit and color unit are completed, the printing device 100 transitions to a restricted state in which only color printing is possible, and starts printing print job 1, which uses only color inks.

[0068] Since no print job using white ink has been submitted to the white unit, it is suspended after only startup process 1. When print job 2 is submitted, the white unit performs the suspended startup process 2. When print job 2 using white ink is submitted, the white unit has already completed the time-consuming startup process 1, so print job 2 is printed as soon as startup process 2 is completed. After that, the printing device 100 becomes capable of printing all jobs.

[0069] As described above, according to this embodiment, the maintenance content of each unit is changed depending on the print job that is input. As a result, for example, if there is no print job that uses the first unit in the print job, maintenance of some items of the first unit is suspended. This makes it possible to reduce costs such as electricity. Maintenance of the suspended items is resumed when a print job that uses the first unit is input. This makes it possible to shorten the startup time compared to when the startup process of the first unit is not performed at all.

[0070] Although a startup process that does not take much time has been described as an example of a maintenance item that is interrupted, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, maintenance that does not affect ongoing printing may be performed when a print job that uses the unit is submitted, whereas maintenance that affects ongoing printing may be performed at initial startup or after ongoing printing has finished. For example, when suspending maintenance of a part of the white unit, maintenance items that do not affect printing of a print job using the color units and common units may be suspended, and the suspended maintenance may be resumed when a print job using the white unit is submitted.

[0071] <Other embodiments> In the above embodiment, the startup process of the white unit is described as taking longer than the startup process of the color units, but this is not limiting and it may be assumed that the startup process of the white unit takes less time. In other words, when a first (white) unit with a short startup process time and a second (color) unit with a long startup process time are provided, the first unit executes printing of a print job that can be printed. This allows printing to be performed without waiting for the startup process of the second unit to be completed, improving work efficiency.

[0072] The present disclosure can also be realized by a process in which a program for realizing one or more 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. Also, the present disclosure can be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) for realizing one or more functions.

[0073] The present embodiment also includes the following configuration. (Configuration 1) a start-up processing means for performing start-up processing of a first unit and a second unit for performing printing; a determination means for determining, when the printing device has print jobs waiting, whether or not there is a print job among the waiting print jobs that can be executed by using the first unit and without using the second unit; an execution means for executing printing of the first print job when the determination means determines that there is a first print job that can be executed by using the first unit and without using the second unit, when the start-up process of the first unit is completed even if the start-up process of the second unit is in progress; A printing device comprising: (Configuration 2) When the determining unit determines that a second print job for which printing is to be performed using the second unit is waiting, 2. The printing device according to configuration 1, wherein the execution unit executes printing of the second print job when a startup process of the second unit is completed. (Configuration 3) 3. The printing device according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the timing at which the determination means makes the determination is when the start-up process starts or during the start-up process. (Configuration 4) 4. The printing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the first unit controls color inks. (Configuration 5) 5. The printing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein the second unit controls white ink. (Configuration 6) the printing device further includes a third unit in addition to the first unit and the second unit, 6. The printing device according to any one of configurations 2 to 5, wherein the execution unit executes the first print job or the second print job on the assumption that startup processing of the third unit has been completed. (Configuration 7) 7. The printing apparatus according to configuration 6, wherein the third unit controls a paper feeder or a winder. (Configuration 8) If the startup processing means is in the startup process and the printing device does not have a print job waiting, 8. The printing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, wherein the startup processing means suspends specific maintenance in the first unit and the second unit. (Configuration 9) If the printing device does not have a print job waiting when the startup process is started by the startup process means, 8. The printing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, wherein the startup processing means does not execute specific maintenance included in the startup processing in the first unit and the second unit. (Configuration 10) 10. The printing apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the specific maintenance includes a drying process or a buzzer check process. (Configuration 11) The printing apparatus according to configuration 8 or 9, wherein the specific maintenance is performed after a print job that uses the target unit is submitted. (Configuration 12) a start-up process step for performing start-up processes of a first unit and a second unit for performing printing; a determining step of determining, when the printing device has print jobs waiting, whether or not there is a print job among the waiting print jobs that can be executed using the first unit and without using the second unit; an execution step of executing printing of the first print job when it is determined in the determination step that there is a first print job that can be executed by using the first unit and without using the second unit, when the start-up process of the first unit is completed even if the start-up process of the second unit is in progress; 13. A method for controlling a printing device, comprising: (Configuration 13) A program that operates on a printing device, the program comprising: a start-up processing means for performing start-up processing of a first unit and a second unit for performing printing; a determination means for determining, when the printing device has print jobs waiting, whether or not there is a print job among the waiting print jobs that can be executed by using the first unit and without using the second unit; an execution means for executing printing of the first print job when the determination means determines that there is a first print job that can be executed by using the first unit and without using the second unit, when the start-up process of the first unit is completed even if the start-up process of the second unit is in progress; A program characterized by causing the program to function as a

Claims

1. a start-up processing means for performing start-up processing of a first unit and a second unit for performing printing; a determination means for determining, when the printing device has print jobs waiting, whether or not there is a print job among the waiting print jobs that can be executed by using the first unit and without using the second unit; an execution means for executing printing of the first print job when the determination means determines that there is a first print job that can be executed by using the first unit and without using the second unit, when the start-up process of the first unit is completed even if the start-up process of the second unit is in progress; A printing device comprising:

2. When the determining means determines that a second print job for which printing is to be performed using the second unit is waiting, 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the execution unit executes printing of the second print job when a startup process of the second unit is completed.

3. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit makes the determination at a timing when the startup process starts or during the startup process.

4. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the first unit controls color ink.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second unit controls white ink.

6. the printing device further includes a third unit in addition to the first unit and the second unit, 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the execution unit executes the first print job or the second print job on the assumption that the start-up process of the third unit has been completed.

7. 7. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the third unit controls a paper feeder or a winder.

8. If the startup processing means is in the startup process and the printing device does not have a print job waiting, 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the startup processing means suspends specific maintenance included in the startup processing in the first unit and the second unit.

9. If the printing device does not have a print job waiting when the startup processing means starts the startup processing, 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the startup processing means does not execute specific maintenance on the first unit and the second unit.

10. 10. The printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the specific maintenance includes a drying process or a buzzer check process.

11. 10. The printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the specific maintenance is performed after a print job that uses the target unit is submitted.

12. a start-up process step for performing start-up processes of a first unit and a second unit for performing printing; a determining step of determining, when the printing device has print jobs waiting, whether or not there is a print job among the waiting print jobs that can be executed using the first unit and without using the second unit; an execution step of executing printing of the first print job when it is determined in the determination step that there is a first print job that can be executed by using the first unit and without using the second unit, when the start-up process of the first unit is completed even if the start-up process of the second unit is in progress; 13. A method for controlling a printing device, comprising:

13. A program that operates on a printing device, the program comprising: a start-up processing means for performing start-up processing of a first unit and a second unit for performing printing; a determination means for determining, when the printing device has print jobs waiting, whether or not there is a print job among the waiting print jobs that can be executed by using the first unit and without using the second unit; an execution means for executing printing of the first print job when the determination means determines that there is a first print job that can be executed by using the first unit and without using the second unit, when the start-up process of the first unit is completed even if the start-up process of the second unit is in progress; A program characterized by causing the program to function as a

Images