Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus that enables simplify the operation for confirming the setting items changed from the initial values in the case that an output result not intended by a user when an image is output in a state in which various settings, such as the setting of the printing position on the printing medium and the type of printing medium, have been changed by another user, the operation having been complicated in conventional image forming apparatus requiring to individually confirm the setting contents of the respective items.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus includes: display means configured to display information related to the image forming apparatus; change means configured to allow a user to change a setting related to the image forming apparatus; and a control unit configured to cause a display screen of the display means to display a predetermined icon when there is an item changed from an initial value by the user using the change means among predetermined items of the setting, and to display a list of items changed from the initial value when the user selects the predetermined icon.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] In a conventional image forming apparatus using an inkjet recording method, there is one that enables changing the control content of the image forming apparatus in order to suppress problems caused by the type of recording medium and the content of the recorded image. Patent Document 1 discloses setting the height of a recording head so that the recording head does not rub against the recording medium when the height of the recording medium changes due to cockling caused by the recording medium absorbing ink and expanding and contracting.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When recording is performed with the height of the recording head increased to avoid rubbing between the recording head and the recording medium, the deviation in the landing positions of the main dots and the satellite dots may increase, resulting in a decrease in the output image quality. In an environment where multiple users use an image forming apparatus, if another user performs recording with the height of the recording head set high, recording will be performed with the recording head in a high state even though the condition for cockling does not occur. In this case, an unintended decrease in the output image quality will occur for the user.

[0005] In addition to the height of the recording head, when outputting an image in a state where various settings such as the recording position with respect to the recording medium and the type of the recording medium are changed by other users, the output result may be unintended by the user. However, in a conventional image forming apparatus, in order to check the setting items that have been changed from the initial values, it is necessary to individually check the setting contents of each item, and the operation is complicated.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can easily grasp items that have been changed from the initial values among the setting items of the image forming apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object has the following configuration. That is, a conveying unit that conveys a recording medium, a recording unit that forms an image on the recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit and performs recording, a display unit that displays information regarding the image forming apparatus, a changing unit that allows a user to change settings regarding the image forming apparatus, and when there is an item among predetermined items of the settings that has been changed by the user from the initial value by the changing unit, a control unit that displays a predetermined icon on a display screen of the display unit and displays a list of items that have been changed from the initial value when the user selects the predetermined icon.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can easily grasp items that have been changed from the initial values among the setting items of the image forming apparatus.

[0009] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] The attached drawings are included in the specification, form a part thereof, show embodiments of the present invention, and are used to explain the principles of the present invention together with the description.

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Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0012] First, the terms used in this embodiment are defined in advance as follows. · "Forming" In this specification, "forming" refers not only to the case of forming significant information such as characters and figures. Regardless of whether it is significant or not, and regardless of whether it is made manifest so that it can be perceived visually by humans. It also represents the case of forming an image, pattern, pattern, etc. on a recording medium widely, or performing processing on the medium. Also, forming is regardless of whether it is made manifest so that it can be perceived visually by humans. · "Recording medium" The recording medium refers not only to paper used in a general image forming apparatus, but also widely represents materials such as cloth, plastic film, metal plate, glass, ceramics, wood, leather, etc. that can receive ink. · "Ink" Ink should be interpreted widely in the same way as the definition of "forming" above, and represents a medium including a recording material that can be used for forming an image, pattern, pattern, etc., processing the recording medium, or processing the ink by being applied on the recording medium. It is a liquid as a physical property. The above ink processing refers to, for example, the coagulation or insolubilization of a colorant in the ink applied to the recording medium. · "Nozzle" Unless otherwise specified, the nozzle represents the discharge port. Inside the nozzle, there is a liquid passage that communicates and an element that generates energy used for ink ejection.

[0013] [Embodiment 1] First, the schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a printing system including an image forming apparatus 100 and a host computer 104 according to Embodiment 1.

[0015] The image forming apparatus 100 includes an apparatus main body 101 provided with a touch panel 102 and a feeding unit 103 that mounts and feeds a roll sheet wound in a roll shape as a recording medium. The image forming apparatus 100 prints image data received from the host computer 104 on a label attached to the roll sheet while transporting the roll sheet by a transporting unit. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 and the host computer 104 are connected via a printer cable 105. In Embodiment 1, a configuration in which the image forming apparatus 100 and the host computer 104 are connected by the printer cable 105 is shown, but a configuration in which they are connected by wireless communication using Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or the like may also be used. The image forming apparatus 100 is activated in the normal mode by briefly pressing the power button 106. The activation method in the normal mode is described in the user manual.

[0016] The operation unit 102 can display software keys on the LCD (liquid crystal) panel 102A (Fig. 3) and receive information input by contact (touch operation) on the touch operation unit 102B (Fig. 3). That is, the operation unit 102 can display software keys and input information by detecting that the software keys have been touched. The panel size of the operation unit 102 according to Embodiment 1 is 480 pixels × 272 pixels. The touch operation unit 102B may apply any of an optical type such as a resistive film type, a capacitance type, and infrared rays. Here, a configuration in which the touch panel module and the liquid crystal module are separate bodies has been described as an example, but any configuration that can change the settings of the image forming apparatus 100 by input through touch operation may be an integrated configuration. In the present embodiment, the touch panel refers to one including both the touch panel module and the liquid crystal module. Also, in the present embodiment, "display on the touch panel" includes display on the liquid crystal module in a structure in which the touch panel module and the liquid crystal module are provided separately.

[0017] Also, in the present embodiment, the operation unit 102 is a touch panel, but the operation unit for the user to perform an operation to change the settings of the image forming apparatus 100 and the display unit for displaying information may be arranged at separate positions. In this case, cursor movement keys, an enter key, a cancel key, etc. are arranged as the operation unit, and a display panel such as a liquid crystal module is arranged at a position different from the operation unit as the display unit. The user presses the cursor movement key to move the cursor displayed on the display panel and presses the enter button to select the item selected by the cursor key.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1.

[0019] The roll sheet includes a roll sheet which is a mark sheet with a plurality of marks regularly attached in the conveyance direction of the sheet as a recording medium, a roll sheet which is a continuous sheet without marks, and a label sheet in which labels are laminated on a roll sheet as a backing sheet. Hereinafter, in the image forming apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1, the case where a roll sheet with regularly attached marks is used as a recording medium will be described as an example.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, such an image forming apparatus 100 includes an image forming apparatus main body 101 and a feeding unit 103. The feeding unit 103 has a roll sheet holder 10A and a pair of roll sheet conveyance rollers 10B. The roll sheet M mounted in the roll sheet holder 10A is placed on the pair of roll sheet conveyance rollers 10B and is supplied to the apparatus main body 101 by the rotation of these roll sheet conveyance rollers 10B. The apparatus main body 101 has a conveyance unit 20 that conveys the roll sheet M, an image forming unit 30 that forms an image on the label of the roll sheet, a discharge unit 40 that discharges the roll sheet, and a control unit 50 (see FIG. 3) that controls the image forming apparatus 100. The apparatus main body 101 also has a sheet detection sensor 70A and a post-processing sheet detection sensor 80A.

[0021] The conveyance unit 20 sequentially conveys the roll sheet M fed from the feeding unit 10 to the image forming unit 30 and the discharge unit 40. The image forming unit 30 forms an image on the fed roll sheet M. The discharge unit 40 cuts the roll sheet M conveyed from the image forming unit 30 by the conveyance unit 20 and discharges it outside the apparatus. The control unit 50 controls the operations of each unit of the image forming apparatus 100, such as the feeding unit 10, the conveyance unit 20, the image forming unit 30, and the discharge unit 40. Hereinafter, the configuration of each unit will be described in detail.

[0022] The conveying unit 20 includes a conveying roller 20A, an endless conveying belt 20B stretched around the conveying roller 20A, and a conveying motor 20C (see FIG. 3) for driving the conveying belt 20B, and is configured to convey the roll sheet M by the conveying belt 20B. An image forming unit 30 is provided at a position facing the conveying surface of the conveying belt 20B for conveying the roll sheet. Further, a sheet detection sensor 70A is disposed upstream of the image forming unit 30 in the sheet conveying direction. The image forming unit 30 includes a recording head unit 30A and an ink cartridge 30B.

[0023] The recording head unit 30A internally holds recording heads 30A1, 30A2, 30A3, 30A4 of each color having a plurality (6000 in Embodiment 1) of nozzles. The recording heads 30A1, 30A2, 30A3, 30A4 have heating elements (not shown) inside, and the ink is heated by the heating elements to eject the ink from the nozzles. Also, the ink cartridges 30B1, 30B2, 30B3, 30B4 are disposed below the conveying belt 20B in the apparatus main body 101. And the ink cartridges 30B1, 30B2, 30B3, 30B4 are respectively connected to the corresponding color recording heads 30A1, 30A2, 30A3, 30A4 by flexible tubes (not shown) and are configured to supply ink of each color. The maintenance cartridge 30C is a part for storing the ink that is extraneously ejected during printing, recovery operations, etc.

[0024] The recording head unit 30A is configured as an inkjet recording head unit that performs recording in a line method. When recording on a recording medium in the line method, the recording head is fixed at the recording position, and the recording medium is conveyed thereunder. The recording head unit 30A forms an image by ejecting ink onto the roll sheet M conveyed below.

[0025] The sheet detection sensor 70A can detect the leading edge of the roll sheet M and the position of the mark attached to the roll sheet M in the conveyance direction, respectively. This sheet detection sensor 70A detects the presence or absence of the leading edge in the conveyance direction of the roll sheet M and the mark attached to the roll sheet M before image formation by the recording head unit 30A. For this purpose, it is arranged at a position upstream in the conveyance direction from the recording head unit 30A. In the case of Embodiment 1, the sheet detection sensor 70A has a light emitting part and a light receiving part arranged on one side of the roll sheet M conveyed by the conveyance belt 20B, and is a reflection type sensor that receives the light reflected from the light irradiated from the light emitting part toward the conveyance belt 20B by the light receiving part.

[0026] Further, the discharge unit 40 has a cutter unit 40A and a cutting motor 40B (FIG. 3) for driving the cutter unit 40A. The cutter unit 40A has a cutter 40A1 capable of cutting the roll sheet M and a lifting mechanism (not shown) capable of lifting and lowering the cutter 40A1 in the vertical direction, and is arranged on the downstream side in the conveyance direction from the recording head unit 30A. Also, the cutting motor 40B can drive the above-described lifting mechanism to lift and lower the cutter 40A1 in the vertical direction. By driving the cutting motor 40B by a control unit 50 described later, the lifting mechanism lifts and lowers the cutter 40A1, and the roll sheet M can be cut at a position set by the control unit 50 or between arbitrary images specified by the user.

[0027] Also, the post-processing sheet detection sensor 80A is arranged at a position upstream in the conveyance direction from the cutter unit 40A, and is a reflection type sensor similar to the sheet detection sensor 70A, and is used to detect the leading edge in the conveyance direction of the roll sheet M and the presence or absence of the mark attached to the roll sheet M. The control unit 50 can determine the cut position by the cutter unit 40A based on the result of detecting the sheet by the post-processing sheet detection sensor 80A.

[0028] Next, the control unit 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of a control unit 50 that controls the apparatus main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1.

[0030] The control unit 50 includes a main controller 50A, a driver controller 50B, a ROM 50C, a RAM 50D, an image buffer memory 50E, a head drive circuit 50F, a drive circuit 50G, and a sensor circuit 50H.

[0031] The main controller 50A has functions of controlling the entire image forming apparatus 100, storing data in the ROM 50C and the like, controlling data, and changing the operation of the main body based on setting data as a setting unit. The main controller 50A is connected to the host computer 104 and can exchange signals with the host computer 104. The ROM 50C is connected to the main controller 50A and is a memory that stores a control program and the like. The CPU 300 operates as the main controller 50A using the RAM 50D as a working memory. The main controller 50A is also connected to the touch panel 102, and the user can access the functions of the image forming apparatus 100 using a touch operation unit 102B that can recognize that a software key displayed on the liquid crystal panel 102A has been touched and input information.

[0032] The image buffer memory 50E as a storage means for recording data includes image buffer memories 50E1, 50E2, 50E3, and 50E4 for each color of Bk (black), C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow). The image buffer memory 50E stores the bitmap-formatted image data of each color transmitted from the host computer 104. The head drive circuit 50F is a drive circuit that drives heating elements (not shown) built in the recording heads 30A1, 30A2, 30A3, and 30A4 of each color. Here, the recording heads 30A1, 30A2, 30A3, and 30A4 are recording heads that eject ink of Bk (black), C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow). The control unit 50 can form an image using these components. Specifically, the driver controller 50B connected to the main controller 50A controls the driving of the recording head unit 30A via the head drive circuit 50F based on the image data stored in the image buffer memory 50E to record an image.

[0033] The drive circuit 50G can drive the above-described conveyance motor 20C and cutting motor 40B and is controlled by the main controller 50A. The sensor circuit 50H includes a sheet detection sensor 70A, a post-processing sheet detection sensor 80A, etc. The main controller 50A can control an image forming operation, a cutting operation of the roll sheet M, etc. based on the signals input from the sensor circuit 50H.

[0034] Next, the layout of the display screen displayed on the touch panel of the operation unit 102 of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 10.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen 400 displayed on the touch panel of the operation unit 102 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1. This home screen (initial display screen) 400 is an example of a screen displayed when the image forming apparatus 100 is waiting to receive an instruction for image formation. That is, the home screen 400 in FIG. 4 is a screen displayed in the standby state where the image forming apparatus 100 can start image formation after the power is turned on.

[0036] The home screen 400 has a header section 401 that displays the state of the image forming apparatus 100, the connection line, and the setting status of special printing, and a shortcut key 402 that displays a screen on which shortcuts for executing the functions of the image forming apparatus 100 are registered. Further, it includes an information key 403 that displays help and guidance regarding the image forming apparatus 100, and a menu key 404 that displays an overall menu for setting each function of the image forming apparatus 100. Further, it includes a backfeed key 405 related to the conveyance of the roll sheet M, a forward feed key 406, a cut key 407 for executing cutting of the roll sheet M, and a pause key 408 for temporarily stopping the printing process by the image forming apparatus 100. Further, the home screen 400 includes a consumable remaining amount display section 409 that displays the remaining ink amounts of the installed ink cartridges 30B1, 30B2, 30B3, 30B4 and the maintenance cartridge 30C, and a counter display section 410 that displays the counter numbers related to printing.

[0037] On the home screen 400 of FIG. 4, the user can temporarily stop the operation of the image forming apparatus 100 by touching the pause key 408. That is, by touching the pause key 408 in a state where no image forming job is being received and setting it to a temporarily stopped state (so-called offline state), it is possible to prevent the operations related to image formation from starting immediately even when an image forming job is received. For example, by setting the image forming apparatus 100 to a temporarily stopped state (offline state), it is possible to suppress the start of an image forming operation based on an image forming job transmitted from an external device while the user is touching the menu key 404 or the like to set each function. In this case, the user can touch the pause key 408 before changing the settings, and after completing the setting change, touch the pause key 408 again to return the image forming apparatus 100 to the online state, thereby executing the image forming job received during the temporary stop.

[0038] Since the home screen 400 of FIG. 4 is before printing is executed, "Can print" indicating that printing is possible is displayed in the header section 401, and the number of printed sheets is "0" and the number of jobs indicating the number of executed jobs is also "0" in the counter display section 410. When printing is started on the home screen 400, the screen transitions to the printing screen 500 of FIG. 5. Here, the number of printed sheets is, for example, the number of printed labels in the case of a label sheet.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a menu screen 501. The menu screen 501 is displayed when the user touches the menu key 404 on the home screen 400 in FIG. 4. On the menu screen 501, there are "Maintenance" for instructing the cleaning operation of the recording head unit 30A or adjusting the printing position, instructing the printing operation of the nozzle check pattern for checking the ejection state of the recording head unit 30A, and "Paper Settings" for specifying the type and size of the recording medium such as roll media and cut media, "System Settings" for setting the display language and display unit, "Network Settings" for setting up the image forming apparatus 100 to connect to a network, and each item of "Administrator" including setting items related to user authorities such as setting items that affect the image quality and passwords are displayed.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a maintenance screen 601. The maintenance screen 601 is displayed when the user touches the maintenance key 502 on the menu screen 501 in FIG. 5. On the maintenance screen 601, "Printing Position Adjustment" for adjusting the printing position with respect to the recording medium is displayed.

[0041] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a printing position adjustment screen 701. The printing position adjustment screen 701 is displayed when the user touches the printing position key 602 on the maintenance screen 601. On the printing position adjustment screen 701, the position where the image is printed can be adjusted vertically and horizontally by inputting a numerical value. In the present embodiment, the initial value of the printing position adjustment is set to "0.0". When changing the printing position adjustment from the initial value, in addition to inputting a numerical value by using the numeric keypad, the increase or decrease of the numerical value by touching the arrow keys, the setting by selecting from the pull-down menu, or the selection of the radio box may be performed. This is the same for the following setting items.

[0042] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a paper settings screen 801. The paper settings screen 801 is displayed when the user touches the paper settings key 503 on the menu screen 501 in FIG. 5. On the paper settings screen 801, "Paper Feeding Type" for setting the type of the recording medium used in the image forming apparatus 100 is displayed.

[0043] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a paper feed type screen 901. The paper feed type setting screen 901 is displayed when the user touches the paper feed type key 802 on the paper setting screen 801. On the paper feed type setting screen 901, it is possible to select roll paper and fan-fold paper as the types of recording media used in the image forming apparatus 100. Roll paper is a recording medium in which a long recording medium is wound around a hollow paper tube in a roll form. Fan-fold paper is a recording medium in which a long recording medium is folded in a Z shape. For roll paper and fan-fold paper, the control methods for transporting and reverse transporting the recording medium are different. In this embodiment, the initial value of the paper feed type is set to "roll paper".

[0044] When a plurality of users use the image forming apparatus 100, for the setting items with the initial values set as described so far, there is a possibility that other users have changed them from the initial values. When printing is performed in such a state, the printing position may be unintentionally shifted, or an error may occur because the paper feed type is different. However, when the user checks the setting contents of the image forming apparatus, if each item is to be checked separately, the number of times of touching the touch panel increases and the operation becomes complicated. Therefore, in this embodiment, when there is an item that has been changed from the initial value among the setting items, an icon is displayed on the home screen to notify the user.

[0045] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the home screen when there is a setting item changed from the initial value. The setting change item icon 1001 is displayed when the setting item has been changed from the initial value. Other displays are the same as those on the home screen of FIG. 4.

[0046] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a setting change item screen 1101. The setting change item screen 1101 is displayed when the setting change item icon 1001 in FIG. 10 is touched. On the setting change item screen 1101, a list of setting items changed from the initial values is displayed. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the paper feed type and the printing position have been changed from the initial values, and they are displayed together with the setting contents. In this way, on the setting change item screen 1101, those changed from the initial values can be listed.

[0047] When the paper feed type key 1102 is touched on the setting change item screen 1101, the paper feed type setting screen 901 in FIG. 9 is displayed. That is, it is possible to transition from the setting change item screen 1101 to the setting screens of the respective setting items. And, if necessary, the user can reset each setting item. The same applies when the printing position key 1103 is touched. Here, the item that has been set to the initial value is not displayed when the setting change item screen 1101 is displayed again.

[0048] Note that the initial value in this embodiment is the setting content set at the time of factory shipment of the image forming apparatus or the setting content set when the settings of the image forming apparatus are initialized.

[0049] As described above, in the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment, when there is a setting item changed from the initial value, a setting change item icon is displayed as an icon indicating it on the home screen, and by the user touching the setting change item icon, a list of the setting items changed from the initial value is displayed. Therefore, the items changed from the initial value can be easily grasped with a small number of operations. Furthermore, since it is possible to transition from the setting change item screen to the setting screens of the respective items, it becomes possible to easily reset the items changed from the initial value.

[0050] In addition, in this embodiment, the setting change item icon is displayed on the home screen, but it is not limited to this. When there are setting items changed from the initial values, the setting change item icon may be displayed on other screens such as the menu screen. Also in this case, when the user touches the setting change item icon, a list of the setting items changed from the initial values is displayed.

[0051] [Embodiment 2] In this embodiment, an explanation will be given about what enables a service technician of the image forming apparatus to grasp the items of special settings changed from the initial values. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an administrator screen 1201. The administrator screen 1201 is displayed when the user touches the administrator key 504 on the menu screen 501 in FIG. 5. On the administrator screen 1201, “Password Setting” for setting a password for managing the authority of the user who makes settings for the image forming apparatus 100, “Special Setting” for making settings that may affect the image quality, “Setting Export” for outputting the current setting contents of the image forming apparatus 100 to the host computer 104 or an external memory, etc. are displayed. In order to transition from the menu screen 501 to the administrator screen 1201, the user may be requested to input a password so that only the user having administrator authority can set the items displayed on the administrator screen 1201.

[0052] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a special setting screen 1301. The special setting screen 1301 is displayed when the user touches the special setting key 1202 on the administrator screen 1201 in FIG. 12. On the special setting screen 1301, “Paper Reserve Discharge Amount”, “AIS Mode”, “Back Feed Timing”, “Density Unevenness Reduction Mode”, “Paper Rubbing Reduction Mode” are displayed. Since these settings include items that affect the output image quality, the users who can make the settings are limited to the administrators of the image forming apparatus 100. Among these setting items, the setting items that may affect the output image quality of the image forming apparatus 100 will be explained.

[0053] “Paper Reserve Discharge Amount” The image forming apparatus 100 performs recording in a line manner using a recording head unit 30A that discharges ink droplets. In order to maintain the discharge performance of the recording head unit 30A, it is necessary to periodically discharge ink droplets from each nozzle of the recording head unit in addition to discharging for forming recording pixels. Since this discharge is performed toward the roll sheet M which is a recording medium, it is called pre-discharge onto the paper surface. The larger the amount of pre-discharge onto the paper surface, the more advantageous it is for maintaining the discharge performance of the nozzles. However, when the amount of pre-discharge onto the paper surface increases, the amount of ink droplets adhering onto the roll sheet M other than the recording pixels increases. When the amount of ink adhering onto the roll sheet M increases, the quality of the output image may deteriorate. On the other hand, when the amount of pre-discharge onto the paper surface is small or "none", the amount of ink droplets adhering onto the roll sheet M other than the recording pixels decreases, but the ink dries and thickens in the nozzles of the recording head unit 30A, normal discharge of ink droplets is inhibited, white spots occur, and image quality deterioration may occur.

[0054] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a paper surface pre-discharge amount setting screen 1401. The paper surface pre-discharge amount setting screen 1401 is displayed when the user touches the paper surface pre-discharge amount key 1302 on the special setting screen 1301 in FIG. 13. The paper surface pre-discharge amount can be selected from "none", "half" (1 / 2), standard, and "double". The user can set the paper surface pre-discharge amount from these settings. In this embodiment, "none" is set as the initial value.

[0055] "Density unevenness reduction mode" FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a density unevenness reduction mode setting screen 1501. The density unevenness reduction mode setting screen 1501 is displayed when the user touches the density unevenness reduction mode key 1303 on the special setting screen 1301 in FIG. 13. The density unevenness reduction mode is a mode for reducing the density difference between the output result of the first label and the output result of the last label when recording is continuously performed on a large number of labels. When recording is performed on a large number of labels by an inkjet method, the temperature of the recording head unit 30A rises, and the volume of the ejected ink droplets increases, so that the density of the output image of the last label may be higher than the density of the output image of the first label. In the density unevenness reduction mode, before recording on the first label, control is performed to heat the recording head unit 30A to a temperature higher than normal and then start recording, thereby reducing the density difference between the output images of the first label and the last label. When the user selects "effective" on the density unevenness reduction mode setting screen 1501, this control is executed.

[0056] When the density unevenness reduction mode is set to "effective", the volume of the ink droplets ejected from the recording head unit 30A increases and the density of the output image increases as a whole. Therefore, depending on the content of the output image, bleeding of the ink may increase and the reproducibility of white fine lines may decrease. In this embodiment, the initial value is set to "invalid".

[0057] "Paper rubbing reduction mode" FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a paper rubbing reduction mode setting screen 1601. The paper rubbing reduction mode setting screen 1601 is displayed when the user touches the paper rubbing reduction mode key 1304 on the special setting screen 1301 in FIG. 13. The paper rubbing reduction mode is for setting the height of the recording head unit 30A when recording is performed so that the recording head unit 30A does not rub against the surface of the roll sheet M when the roll sheet M absorbs ink and expands and contracts, causing the roll sheet M to undulate and the height of the surface of the roll sheet M to change.

[0058] On the paper rubbing reduction mode setting screen 1601, the user can select from "Invalid", "Level 1", "Level 2", and "Level 3". The height of the recording head unit 30A during recording is set such that "Invalid" is the lowest and "Level 3" is the highest. The higher the height of the recording head unit 30A during recording, the lower the possibility of rubbing against the roll sheet M. On the other hand, when the height of the recording head unit 30A increases, the distance between the recording head unit 30A and the roll sheet M widens, so the landing position of the ink droplets ejected from the recording head unit 30A on the roll sheet M may shift, or satellite dots or mist may occur when ejecting the ink droplets, resulting in a decrease in the output image quality. In this embodiment, "Invalid" is set as the initial value.

[0059] "Paper surface preliminary ejection volume", "density unevenness reduction mode", and "paper rubbing reduction mode" may affect the output image quality depending on the setting content. Therefore, when the printer administrator or service technician troubleshoots the cause when a problem occurs in the output image, it is necessary to check these setting contents.

[0060] At this time, in the conventional image forming apparatus, since it was necessary to display the setting screen of each item to check the current setting content, the number of operations on the touch panel 102 was large, and the confirmation work took time.

[0061] In this embodiment, when the image forming apparatus 100 is started in the service mode, an icon is displayed on the home screen to notify that the setting of the item affecting the output image quality has been changed from the initial value. The service mode refers to a mode in which, when the service technician sets the image forming apparatus 100, in addition to the setting items normally used by the user, special settings can be made. In this embodiment, when starting the image forming apparatus 100, it is started in the service mode by pressing and holding the power button 106 in FIG. 1 for 10 seconds or more. The method of starting in the service mode is described in the service manual used by the service technician, not in the user manual used by the user.

[0062] When the setting items that affect the image quality are changed from the initial values when starting in the service mode, an icon is displayed on the home screen in the same manner as in the first embodiment, but it becomes the service technician setting change item icon. When touching the service technician setting change item icon 1001, a setting change item screen 1701 for the service mode is displayed as shown in FIG. 17. On the setting change item screen 1701, the items that have been changed from the initial values among the setting items that affect the image quality are listed. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the density unevenness reduction mode and the paper rubbing reduction mode have been changed from the initial values, and they are displayed together with their setting contents. In this way, on the setting change item screen 1701, the items that have been changed from the initial values among the setting items that affect the image quality can be listed in a list.

[0063] When touching the density unevenness reduction mode key 1702 on the service mode setting change item screen 1701, the density unevenness reduction mode setting screen 1501 of FIG. 15 is displayed. Also, when touching the paper rubbing reduction mode key 1703 on the service mode setting change item screen 1701, the paper rubbing reduction mode setting screen 1601 of FIG. 16 is displayed. That is, it is possible to transition from the setting change item screen 121 to the setting screens of each setting item. And, if necessary, each setting item can be set to the initial value. Here, the item whose setting item is set to the initial value is not displayed when the service mode setting change item screen 1701 is displayed again.

[0064] Note that in this embodiment, the power button 106 of the image forming apparatus 100 is long-pressed for 10 seconds or more to start in the service mode, but it may be started in the service mode by pressing a combination of a plurality of keys, or restarted in the service mode by inputting a password after starting the image forming apparatus 100 in the normal mode, or started in the service mode by other methods.

[0065] Also, in this embodiment, items that have been changed from the initial values among the items set on the special setting screen 1301 are displayed on the service mode setting change item screen 1701, but it is not limited to this. Items that have been changed from the initial values among the items of a plurality of setting screens may be displayed on the service mode setting change item screen 1701. Further, the items displayed on the setting change item screen 1701 may be the items displayed in Embodiment 1 added to the items set on the special setting screen 1301. Further, when the image forming apparatus is started in the normal mode, the setting change item icon may not be displayed, and the setting change item icon may be displayed only when it is started in the service mode.

Explanation of Signs

[0066] 100…Image forming apparatus, 102…Touch panel, 103…Feeding unit, 30A…Recording head unit, 400…Home screen, 501…Menu screen, 601…Maintenance screen, 701…Printing position adjustment screen, 801…Paper setting screen, 901…Paper feed type screen, 1001…Setting change item icon, 1101…Setting change item screen, 1201…Administrator screen, 1301…Special setting screen, 1401…Paper surface preliminary discharge amount setting screen, 1501…Density unevenness reduction mode setting screen, 1601…Paper rubbing reduction mode setting screen, 1701…Service use setting change item screen

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium, comprising: transport means for transporting the recording medium; recording means for forming an image on the recording medium transported by the transport means and performing recording; display means for displaying information regarding the image forming apparatus; changing means by which a user can change settings regarding the image forming apparatus; a control unit that, when there is an item among the predetermined items of the settings that has been changed by the changing means by the user from the initial value, displays a predetermined icon on the display screen of the display means, and when the user selects the predetermined icon, displays a list of the items that have been changed from the initial value; An image forming apparatus comprising the above.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays the predetermined icon when the image forming apparatus is started in service mode and does not display the predetermined icon when started in normal mode.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined items are items that affect the output image quality of the image forming apparatus.

Images