Information processing system and program

Abstract

To grasp consumption of a consumable supply used for reprinting when setting a threshold value for inspection of a print.SOLUTION: An inspection control section 34 receives setting of a threshold value of inspection for a print printed in a printer 20 as a printing device and comprising a plurality of pages to a first threshold value. The inspection control section 34 specifies a first reprinting page at least including a page determined to be printing failure through inspection performed on the basis of the set first threshold value. The inspection control section 34 displays first consumption that is consumption of a consumable supply used for printing of the first reprinting page on a display section 36.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an image inspection report creation device that calculates a difference level indicating the degree of difference between an inspection image and a read image, compares the calculated difference level with a preset reference difference level, and determines whether to display the difference in a result report, so as to display only the defects recognized as necessary for the user to grasp in the result report.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses an image processing device that analyzes a read image obtained by reading a printed matter to detect an image abnormality, sorts the printed matter into good products and defective products and discharges them, and when accepting a change in the detection threshold value and / or detection items of the image abnormality, re-judges the discharged printed matter and notifies the output position of the printed matter whose pass / fail judgment has been changed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] For a printed matter consisting of a plurality of pages printed by a printing device, an inspection device inspects each page for dirt, and in some cases, a page on which dirt larger than a threshold value set for a certain parameter, such as size, is detected is determined to be a printing defect. In such a case, the quality of the printed matter improves as the inspection threshold serving as a criterion for determining whether the printed matter is normal is decreased, but the consumption amount of consumables such as printing paper and toner increases due to reprinting the pages determined to be printing defects. Conversely, the quality of the printed matter deteriorates as the inspection threshold is increased. However, when setting the inspection threshold, the user cannot grasp the consumption amount of the consumables used for reprinting.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing system and a program capable of grasping the consumption amount of consumables used for reprinting when setting a threshold value for an inspection performed on a printed matter.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The information processing system according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a processor, and the processor receives a setting in which a threshold value for an inspection performed on a printed matter consisting of a plurality of pages printed by a printing device is set as a first threshold value, identifies a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold value, displays a first consumption amount, which is the consumption amount of consumables used for printing the first reprint page.

[0008] The information processing system according to the second aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing system according to the first aspect, and the processor displays, within the same screen, a display for receiving the setting of the inspection threshold value and a display of the first consumption amount.

[0009] The information processing system according to the third aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing system according to the first aspect, The first reprint page includes printed pages in a printing apparatus that follow a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold value.

[0010] In the information processing system according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, in the information processing system according to the first aspect, the processor displays a first page configuration indicating a configuration of a page to be printed when a setting is received to set a threshold value of the inspection as a first threshold value, wherein the first page configuration includes the first reprint page.

[0011] In the information processing system according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in the information processing system according to the first aspect, the processor receives a setting of a threshold value of an inspection for each page of the printed matter, and performs an inspection of each page based on the threshold value of the inspection for each received page.

[0012] In the information processing system according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, in the information processing system according to the fourth aspect, the processor displays a first waste paper rate that is a ratio of the number of pages of the first reprint page to the number of pages of the first page configuration.

[0013] In the information processing system according to the seventh aspect of the present disclosure, in the information processing system according to the sixth aspect, the processor associates and stores the first threshold value and the first waste paper rate, and displays the consumption amount of consumables predicted when inspecting a new printed matter based on the first threshold value based on the first waste paper rate.

[0014] The information processing system according to the eighth aspect of the present disclosure includes a processor, and the processor receives a setting to set a threshold value of an inspection performed on a printed matter composed of a plurality of pages printed in a printing apparatus as a first threshold value, identifies a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold value, Receive a setting that sets the threshold of the inspection to a second threshold, Identify a second reprint page that includes at least a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the second threshold, Display a difference between a first consumption amount, which is a consumption amount of consumables used for printing the first reprint page, and a second consumption amount, which is a consumption amount of consumables used for printing the second reprint page.

[0015] The information processing system according to the ninth aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing system according to the eighth aspect, wherein the processor Displays, within the same screen, a display for receiving a setting of the threshold of the inspection and a display of the difference.

[0016] The information processing system according to the tenth aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing system according to the eighth aspect, The first reprint page includes printed pages in a printing apparatus that follow a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold, The second reprint page includes printed pages in a printing apparatus that follow a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the second threshold.

[0017] The information processing system according to the eleventh aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing system according to the eighth aspect, wherein the processor Displays a first page configuration indicating a configuration of a page printed when a setting that sets the threshold of the inspection to a first threshold is received, Displays a second page configuration indicating a configuration of a page printed when a setting that sets the threshold of the inspection to a second threshold is received, The first page configuration includes the first reprint page, The second page configuration includes the second reprint page.

[0018] The information processing system according to the twelfth aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing system according to the eighth aspect, wherein the processor Accept the setting of the inspection threshold for each page of the printed matter, and perform the inspection of each page according to the received inspection threshold for each page.

[0019] The information processing system according to the 13th aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing system according to the 11th aspect, wherein the processor Displays the difference between a first waste paper rate, which is the ratio of the number of pages of the first reprint pages to the number of pages of the first page configuration, and a second waste paper rate, which is the ratio of the number of pages of the second reprint pages to the number of pages of the second page configuration.

[0020] The information processing system according to the 14th aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing system according to the 13th aspect, wherein the processor Associates and stores the first threshold value and the first waste paper rate, Displays the consumption amount of consumables predicted when inspecting a new printed matter based on the first threshold value based on the first waste paper rate.

[0021] The program according to the 15th aspect of the present disclosure includes a step of accepting a setting to set a threshold value for inspection performed on a printed matter composed of a plurality of pages printed by a printing device as a first threshold value, A step of identifying a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold value, A step of causing a computer to display a first consumption amount, which is the consumption amount of consumables used for printing the first reprint page.

[0022] The program according to the 16th aspect of the present disclosure includes a step of accepting a setting to set a threshold value for inspection performed on a printed matter composed of a plurality of pages printed by a printing device as a first threshold value, A step of identifying a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold value, A step of accepting a setting to set the threshold value of the inspection as a second threshold value, Specifying a second reprint page including at least a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the second threshold value; Causing a computer to execute: displaying a difference between a first consumption amount, which is a consumption amount of consumables used for printing the first reprint page, and a second consumption amount, which is a consumption amount of consumables used for printing the second reprint page.

[0023] The information processing system according to the seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing system according to the first aspect, wherein the processor: Receives information on a new print job, Inputs the information on the print job and the threshold value of the inspection performed on the print job, and specifies the first reprint page based on the result of the inspection corresponding to the new print job obtained by inputting the received information on the new print job and the first threshold value into a learned model that has been learned in advance to output the result of the inspection corresponding to the print job.

[0024] The information processing system according to the eighteenth aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing system according to the seventeenth aspect, wherein the information on the print job includes information on pages constituting the print job, and the information on the new print job includes information on pages constituting the new print job.

[0025] The information processing system according to the nineteenth aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing system according to the eighteenth aspect, wherein the information on the pages constituting the print job includes image density, object information, or print setting information of each page constituting the print job.

[0026] The information processing system according to the twentieth aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing system according to the eighteenth aspect, wherein the information on the print job includes information on the type of paper used for the print job or information on the printing apparatus that processes the print job. The information on the new print job includes information on the type of paper used for the new print job or information on the printing device that processes the new print job.

[0027] The information processing system according to the 21st aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing system according to the 17th aspect, The result of the inspection corresponding to the print job includes the probability that each page constituting the print job is determined to be a printing defect, The result of the inspection corresponding to the new print job includes the probability that each page constituting the new print job is determined to be a printing defect, The processor, identifies the first reprint page based on the probability that each page constituting the new print job is determined to be a printing defect and the number of copies of the new print job.

[0028] The information processing system according to the 22nd aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing system according to the 21st aspect, wherein the processor, inputs the information on the new print job and the threshold value of the inspection performed on the print job, and inputs the received information on the new print job and the first threshold value to a learned model that has been pre-learned to output the result of the inspection corresponding to the print job, thereby outputting the probability that each page constituting the new print job is determined to be a printing defect.

[0029] The program according to the 23rd aspect of the present disclosure is the program according to the 15th aspect, further causes the computer to execute a step of receiving information on a new print job, In the step of identifying a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold value, when inputting information of a print job and a threshold value of an inspection performed on the print job, the information of the new print job received and the first threshold value are input to a learned model that has been previously learned to output a result of an inspection corresponding to the print job, and the first reprint page is identified based on the result of the inspection corresponding to the new print job thus obtained.

Effect of the Invention

[0030] According to the information processing system of the first aspect of the present disclosure, when setting a threshold value of an inspection, it becomes possible to grasp the consumption amount of consumables used for reprinting.

[0031] According to the information processing system of the second aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to set a threshold value of an inspection while confirming the consumption amount of consumables used for reprinting.

[0032] According to the information processing system of the third aspect of the present disclosure, even when reprinting not only the page determined to be a printing defect but also subsequent pages, it becomes possible to grasp the consumption amount of consumables used for reprinting.

[0033] According to the information processing system of the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, when setting a threshold value of an inspection, it becomes possible to grasp the configuration of the pages to be printed.

[0034] According to the information processing system of the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to perform an inspection according to the page.

[0035] According to the information processing system of the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, when setting a threshold value of an inspection, it becomes possible to grasp the waste paper rate.

[0036] According to the information processing system of the seventh aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to grasp the consumption amount of consumables predicted before executing printing of a new printed matter.

[0037] According to the information processing system of the eighth aspect of the present disclosure, when changing the inspection threshold, it becomes possible to grasp how the consumption amount of consumables changes.

[0038] According to the information processing system of the ninth aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to change the inspection threshold while confirming the difference in the consumption amount of consumables used for reprinting.

[0039] According to the information processing system of the tenth aspect of the present disclosure, even when reprinting not only the pages determined to have printing defects but also subsequent pages, it becomes possible to grasp the difference in the consumption amount of consumables used for reprinting.

[0040] According to the information processing system of the eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to grasp the change in the configuration of the printed pages due to the change in the inspection threshold.

[0041] According to the information processing system of the twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to set the inspection threshold according to the page.

[0042] According to the information processing system of the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure, when changing the inspection threshold, it becomes possible to grasp the difference in the waste paper rate.

[0043] According to the information processing system of the fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to grasp the consumption amount of consumables predicted before executing the printing of a new printed matter.

[0044] According to the program of the fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure, when setting the inspection threshold, it becomes possible to grasp the consumption amount of consumables used for reprinting.

[0045] According to the program of the sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure, when changing the inspection threshold, it becomes possible to grasp how the consumption amount of consumables changes.

[0046] According to the information processing system of the 17th aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to identify reprint pages without inspecting each page of a new print job.

[0047] According to the information processing system of the 18th aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to identify reprint pages without inspecting each page of a new print job based on the information of the pages constituting the print job.

[0048] According to the information processing system of the 19th aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to identify reprint pages without inspecting each page of a new print job based on the image density, object information, or print setting information of each page constituting the print job.

[0049] According to the information processing system of the 20th aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to identify reprint pages without inspecting each page of a new print job based on the information regarding the type of paper used for the print job or the information regarding the printing apparatus that processes the print job.

[0050] According to the information processing system of the 21st aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to identify reprint pages without inspecting each page of a new print job by using the probability that each page of the new print job is determined to be a printing defect.

[0051] According to the information processing system of the 22nd aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to output, without inspecting each page of a new print job, the probability that each page constituting the new print job is determined to be a printing defect.

[0052] According to the program of the 23rd aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to identify reprint pages without inspecting each page of a new print job.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0053]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0054] Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0055] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of an image forming system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a printing device 20, an inspection device 30, and a post-processing device 40.

[0057] The printing device 20 has a function of storing paper and performing a process of printing an image on the stored paper. Then, the inspection device 30 receives the paper on which the image has been printed from the printing device 20, and inspects the image printed on this paper, that is, determines whether there are abnormalities such as printing stains, corner folds, and misalignment on the image printed on the paper.

[0058] Specifically, the inspection device 30 receives the image data of the image printed on the paper from the printing device 20 as a reference image, scans the image of the printed paper conveyed from the printing device 20, and collates the received reference image with the scanned image to inspect whether there are abnormalities in the image printed on the conveyed paper.

[0059] Then, the post-processing device 40 performs various post-processing such as folding, stapling, punching, and booklet making on the paper after being inspected by the inspection device 30 and discharges it to the designated discharge tray. Note that the inspection device 30 may be configured to perform an inspection after the post-processing by the post-processing device 40.

[0060] In such an image forming system 10, when an abnormality is detected in a certain paper in the inspection device 30, a process is performed to switch the discharge destination of the paper in which the abnormality is detected and discharge it to a discharge tray different from the normal discharge tray. However, when trying to perform such a process, when an abnormality is detected in the paper of the page to be inspected, simply reprinting only that page will cause the page order to be shifted, and a printed matter of a plurality of consecutive pages will not be printed in the correct order.

[0061] For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when printing 10 pages on A4-sized paper, the case where the 4th page is determined to be a printing defect will be described.

[0062] In such a case, since the printing of pages 5 to 8, which are subsequent pages, has already been performed, it is not simply a matter of reprinting only the 4 pages that have been determined to be printed defectively. When the inspection device 30 determines that page 4 has a printing defect, the printing of pages 5 to 8 has already been performed in the printing device 20 and they are left in the machine. Therefore, it is necessary to switch the discharge destination to the waste discharge tray and discharge the 5 sheets of paper, namely pages 4 to 8, as purge pages. Then, reprinting starts from page 4. Therefore, the total number of sheets of paper required to execute the printing of 10 pages is 15 sheets. When the inspection device 30 detects that there is a printing defect in the image of a page at the rear of the print job, the number of pages that have already been printed and left in the machine may be different from normal even in the same printing system. For example, in the example of page 9 in FIG. 4, after it is detected that there is a printing defect in the image of page 9, only pages 9 and 10 are discharged as purge pages. This is because in this print job, page 10 is the last page to be printed and there are no pages to be printed after that.

[0063] Note that when a certain page is determined to have a printing defect, the remaining number of sheets of paper left in the machine, i.e., the remaining number, is determined by the length of the paper conveyance path of the printing device 20 and the paper size, etc. Therefore, in the image forming system 10, a remaining number table as shown in FIG. 3 is stored, and the remaining number is estimated according to the paper size of the print job being printed. For example, when the paper size is A4, it can be estimated that the remaining number of sheets left in the machine is 5 sheets.

[0064] When multiple pages including the page determined to have a printing defect are discarded and reprinted in this way, the consumption of consumables used for printing, such as toner and paper, will increase compared to the case where reprinting is not performed. Here, since the number of sheets of paper to be printed increases due to such reprinting, the printing time also becomes longer. Therefore, the printing time is also described as being included in the consumables together with toner, paper, etc.

[0065] Here, when inspecting printed matter as described above, an inspection threshold is set to determine at what level of abnormality detected on the printed paper the paper is considered a printing defect and at what level of abnormality the paper is considered normal.

[0066] In such a case, the higher the inspection threshold, which is the criterion for determining whether the printed matter is of good quality, the better the quality of the printed matter. However, reprinting the pages determined to be printing defects will increase the consumption of consumables such as printing paper and toner. Conversely, the lower the inspection threshold, the worse the quality of the printed matter.

[0067] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a case where a printing stain of 0.5 mm in size is detected on the paper of the 4th page and a printing stain of 2 mm in size is detected on the paper of the 9th page will be described. In this case, if the inspection threshold is set such that when a printing stain of 0.5 mm or more in size is detected, the paper is determined to be a printing defect, then a total of 7 pages, including pages 4 to 8 and pages 9 and 10, will be discarded. The consumption of toner for printing the discarded paper will also increase, and the printing time will become longer.

[0068] However, as shown in FIG. 4, if the inspection threshold is set such that when a printing stain of 2 mm or more in size is detected, the paper is determined to be a printing defect, then even if a printing stain of 0.5 mm is present on the paper of the 4th page, the paper of the 4th page will be determined to be normal, and the papers of pages 4 to 8, including subsequent pages, will not be discarded. That is, the consumption of consumables changes depending on whether the inspection threshold is set to a large value or a small value.

[0069] However, when setting the inspection threshold, the user could not grasp the consumption of consumables used for reprinting.

[0070] Therefore, in the image forming system 10 of the present embodiment, by performing the processes described below, it is possible to grasp the consumption amount of consumables used for reprinting when setting the threshold value of the inspection performed on the printed matter.

[0071] Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming system 10 of the present embodiment is shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, the image forming system 10 is described as having a hardware configuration provided with only one CPU. However, each of the printing apparatus 20, the inspection apparatus 30, and the post-processing apparatus 40 may have a hardware configuration as shown in FIG. 5.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 5, the image forming system 10 includes a CPU 11, a memory 12, a storage device 13 such as a hard disk drive, a communication interface (abbreviated as IF) 14 that transmits and receives data to and from external devices via a network, a user interface (abbreviated as UI) device 15 including a touch panel or a liquid crystal display and a keyboard, a scanner 16, a print engine 17, and a post-processing mechanism 18. These components are connected to each other via a control bus 19.

[0073] The print engine 17 prints an image on a recording medium such as printing paper through processes such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing. The recording medium includes paper, film, etc., and any material capable of printing an image may be used.

[0074] The CPU 11 is a processor that executes predetermined processing based on a control program stored in the memory 12 or the storage device 13 to control the operation of the image forming system 10. In this embodiment, the CPU 11 has been described as reading and executing a control program stored in the memory 12 or the storage device 13, but it is not limited thereto. This control program may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. For example, this program may be provided in a form recorded on an optical disk such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, or in a form recorded on a semiconductor memory such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory and a memory card. Further, this control program may be acquired from an external device via a communication line connected to the communication interface 14. Furthermore, this control program may be provided, for example, as a single application software, or may be incorporated into the software of each device as a function of the image forming system 10.

[0075] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the image forming system 10 realized by executing the above control program.

[0076] In the image forming system 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the printing device 20 includes a paper feeding device 21, an image output unit 23, and a printing control unit 22. The inspection device 30 includes an image reading unit 31, a printed image receiving unit 32, an image comparison unit 33, an inspection control unit 34, an inspection result management unit 35, and a display unit 36. Further, the post-processing device 40 includes discharge trays 41 and 42, a discharge switching device 43, and a post-processing control unit 44.

[0077] The paper feeding device 21 stores the paper before the image is formed and feeds the paper to the image output unit 23. The image output unit 23 prints an image on the paper fed from the paper feeding device 21. The print control unit 22 controls the operation of the image output unit 23 to execute a process of printing an image on the paper. Note that the print control unit 22 transmits the information of the printed image on the paper to the inspection control unit 34 in the inspection device 30.

[0078] The image reading unit 31 in the inspection device 30 reads an image from the paper on which the image has been printed by the image output unit 23. The printed image receiving unit 32 receives the printed image transmitted from the print control unit 22 as a reference image.

[0079] The image comparison unit 33 compares the scanned image read by the image reading unit 31 with the reference image which is the printed image received by the printed image receiving unit 32, and determines whether there is an abnormality such as a printing defect in the image printed on the paper. Specifically, the image comparison unit 33 detects various abnormalities such as printing stains, printing smudges, and toner abnormalities on the printed paper by comparing the scanned image with the reference image. Note that the image comparison unit 33 may use one of the images read by the image reading unit 31 as the reference image and compare it with other scanned images.

[0080] The inspection control unit 34 controls the operation of the inspection device 30, receives the detection result from the image comparison unit 33, and performs an inspection of the printed image by determining whether the detected abnormality exceeds a preset inspection threshold. The inspection result management unit 35 stores and manages the inspection result in the inspection control unit 34.

[0081] Then, the inspection control unit 34 transmits the inspection results to the print control unit 25 and the post-processing control unit 44. Specifically, the inspection control unit 34 transmits information such as which page was determined to be a printing defect and from which page reprinting should be executed to the print control unit 22. Also, the inspection control unit 34 transmits information such as purge page information, which is information on the pages to be discarded before reprinting, along with information on which page was determined to be a printing defect, to the post-processing control unit 44. Further, the inspection control unit 34 displays information such as the consumption amount of consumables based on the inspection results acquired from the inspection result management unit 35 on the display unit 36.

[0082] Note that in the inspection apparatus 30 of the present embodiment, the case where information such as the consumption amount of consumables based on the inspection results is displayed on the display unit 36 will be described, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which information such as the consumption amount of consumables based on the inspection results is displayed on the display screen of a terminal device such as a personal computer connected externally. Further, not only the display unit 36 but also at least one of the print image receiving unit 32, the image comparison unit 33, the inspection control unit 34, and the inspection result management unit 35 may be realized by a terminal device connected externally.

[0083] The discharge switching device 43 in the post-processing apparatus 40 switches the discharge destination of the paper conveyed from the inspection apparatus 30 to either the discharge trays 41 or 42. The post-processing control unit 44 controls the operation of the post-processing apparatus 40 and performs control to instruct the discharge switching device 43 to switch to which discharge destination based on information such as the purge page information transmitted from the inspection control unit 34.

[0084] Then, the print control unit 22, the inspection control unit 34, and the post-processing control unit 44 cooperate with each other by transmitting and receiving information to control the overall operation of the image forming system 10.

[0085] In the post-processing device 40 configured as described above, the sheets determined to be normal in the inspection device 30 are discharged to the discharge tray 41, and the sheets determined to have printing defects and the purge page sheets are controlled to be discharged to the discharge tray 42.

[0086] Further, the inspection control unit 34 receives a setting that sets the threshold for inspection performed on a printed matter composed of a plurality of pages printed by the printing device 20 as a first threshold.

[0087] Then, the inspection control unit 34 identifies a first reprint page that includes at least a page determined to have a printing defect by the inspection performed based on the set first threshold.

[0088] Then, the inspection control unit 34 displays on the display unit 36 a first consumption amount that is the consumption amount of consumables used for printing the first reprint page.

[0089] At this time, the inspection control unit 34 may display the display for receiving the setting of the inspection threshold and the display of the first consumption amount within the same screen on the display unit 36.

[0090] Furthermore, the inspection control unit 34 receives a setting that sets the threshold for inspection performed on a printed matter composed of a plurality of pages printed by the printing device 20 as a second threshold.

[0091] Then, the inspection control unit 34 identifies a second reprint page that includes at least a page determined to have a printing defect by the inspection performed based on the set second threshold.

[0092] Then, the inspection control unit 34 may display on the display unit 36 the difference between the first consumption amount that is the consumption amount of consumables used for printing the first reprint page and the second consumption amount that is the consumption amount of consumables used for printing the second reprint page.

[0093] At this time, the inspection control unit 34 may display, within the same screen on the display unit 36, a display for receiving the setting of the inspection threshold and a display of the difference.

[0094] Here, the first reprint page includes the pages printed by the printing apparatus 20 that follow the page determined to be a printing defect by the inspection performed based on the first threshold.

[0095] Also, the second reprint page includes the pages printed by the printing apparatus 20 that follow the page determined to be a printing defect by the inspection performed based on the second threshold.

[0096] In addition, when the inspection control unit 34 receives a setting to set the inspection threshold to the first threshold, the inspection control unit 34 displays on the display unit 36 a first page configuration indicating the configuration of the pages to be printed. Here, the first page configuration includes the above-described first reprint page.

[0097] Furthermore, when the inspection control unit 34 receives a setting to set the inspection threshold to the second threshold, the inspection control unit 34 displays on the display unit 36 a second page configuration indicating the configuration of the pages to be printed. Here, the second page configuration includes the above-described second reprint page.

[0098] Note that the inspection control unit 34 may receive the setting of the inspection threshold for each page of the printed matter and perform the inspection of each page based on the inspection threshold for each received page. That is, the inspection control unit 34 may set different inspection thresholds for each page instead of setting one inspection threshold for the entire print job and perform the inspection of each page.

[0099] Furthermore, the inspection control unit 34 may display on the display unit 36 a first waste paper rate that is the ratio of the number of pages of the first reprint page to the number of pages of the first page configuration.

[0100] Furthermore, the inspection control unit 34 may cause the display unit 36 to display the difference between the first paper loss rate and the second paper loss rate which is the ratio of the number of pages of the second reprint pages to the number of pages of the second page configuration.

[0101] Then, the inspection control unit 34 may associate and store the first threshold value with the first paper loss rate, calculate the consumption amount of consumables predicted when inspecting a new printed matter based on the first threshold value based on the first paper loss rate, and display it on the display unit 36.

[0102] Next, the operation of the image forming system 10 of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0103] First, FIG. 7 shows an example of a setting screen when the inspection control unit 34 receives the setting of the threshold value for the inspection regarding printing stains.

[0104] Referring to FIG. 7, it can be seen that as threshold values for the inspection, settings for the density of printing stains and the size of printing stains are each received. In FIG. 7, it means printing stains with higher density from level 1 to level 6. And in the example of the setting screen shown in FIG. 7, for printing stains with a density of level 5, it is shown that an inspection threshold value is set such that it is regarded as a printing defect when the size is 0.5 mm or more, and for printing stains with a density of level 6, it is regarded as a printing defect when the size is 0.3 mm or more. And the inspection threshold value set in this way is received as the first threshold value.

[0105] Then, the inspection control unit 34 receives the detection result of the printing defect location from the image comparison unit 33, and identifies a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a printing defect by the inspection performed based on the set first threshold value.

[0106] Specifically, based on the information of the printed stain locations detected by the image comparison unit 33, the inspection control unit 34 generates a list of printed stain locations as shown in FIG. 8, and identifies a first reprint page including the pages determined to be printed defects by the inspection based on the set first threshold value, and the pages printed by the printing apparatus 20 subsequent to the pages determined to be printed defects by the inspection.

[0107] In the list of printed stain locations shown in FIG. 8, the printed stains of level 4 and size 3 mm included in 3 pages exceed the inspection threshold value, and it is determined that the 3 pages are printed defects. Referring to FIG. 8, it can be seen that pages 3 to 7 including the 3 pages determined to be printed defects are determined to be purge pages.

[0108] Here, in order to calculate the first consumption amount, which is the consumption amount of consumables used for printing the first reprint page that is a purge page, information on the toner consumption amount used for printing each page is required. Therefore, the inspection control unit 34 receives an image density list as shown in FIG. 9 from the printing control unit 22. This image density list shows the image density of the image of each page of the print job for each color plate of C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black). And this image density indicates the toner consumption amount when printed, and it is a list showing the toner consumption amount for each page. In this image density list, the values with the toner consumption amount when printed at a density of 7.5% in the printable area of A4 paper are listed as 1. In this image density list, the image densities of the normal colors of CMYK are shown for each page, but when special colors such as gold and silver are used, the image densities of these special colors may be listed, or when a pressure-sensitive toner is used, the image density of the pressure-sensitive toner may be listed.

[0109] Then, based on the printed stain location list shown in FIG. 8 and the image density list as shown in FIG. 9, the inspection control unit 34 creates a page configuration list as shown in FIG. 10. This page configuration list lists the image densities of all the pages actually printed when reprinting is performed for each color of CMYK. Therefore, the toner consumption amount used can be calculated by calculating the cumulative value of the image density for each color of CMYK. Specifically, the inspection control unit 34 can calculate the toner consumption amount used for printing the purge pages, which are the first reprint pages, by cumulatively adding the image density values of pages 3 to 7, which are purge pages, for each of CMYK. Also, the inspection control unit 34 can calculate the toner consumption amount used for printing all the pages to be printed by cumulatively adding the image density values of all the pages in the page configuration list for each of CMYK.

[0110] Also, by referring to this page configuration list, the inspection control unit 34 can calculate the number of defective pages for which the inspection result is determined to be NG, that is, printing defects, the number of purge pages that are the number of pages to be discarded, and the total number of pages that is the number of sheets of paper on which printing is performed. Also, the inspection control unit 34 calculates the waste paper rate, which is the ratio of the number of purge pages to the total number of pages.

[0111] Then, the inspection control unit 34 displays information such as the calculated number of defective pages, number of purge pages, total number of pages, waste paper rate, and toner consumption amount for each color on the display unit 36. FIG. 11 shows an example of the display of the inspection results thus displayed. Referring to FIG. 11, the inspection results when the inspection is performed based on the set inspection threshold are shown. Specifically, it can be seen that the information on the page configuration of the pages to be printed is displayed together with the toner consumption amount for each toner of CMYK, the number of defective pages, the number of purge pages, the total number of pages, and the waste paper rate. In the display example shown in FIG. 11, the symbol 50 indicates that 3 pages are defective printing pages. And a display is made such that it can be understood that pages 3 to 7 are purge pages to be discarded.

[0112] Furthermore, in the display example shown in FIG. 11, it is possible to view the scanned image, and by displaying three pages, it is possible to specifically grasp the detected print stains. In the display example shown in FIG. 11, it can be seen that print stains with a size of 3 mm and a level of 5, and print stains with a size of 1 mm and a level of 1 are detected on three pages. Note that the print stain with a size of 3 mm and a level of 5 is shown to be a print stain that exceeds the inspection threshold by being surrounded by a solid line. Conversely, the print stain with a size of 1 mm and a level of 1 is shown to be a print stain that does not exceed the inspection threshold by being surrounded by a dashed line. Also, in the display example shown in FIG. 11, information on the printing time when the printing job is printed in this state is also shown.

[0113] Note that the list of print stain locations shown in FIG. 8, the list of image densities shown in FIG. 9, and the list of page configurations shown in FIG. 10 are stored and managed by the inspection result management unit 35 as inspection results.

[0114] And in this embodiment, after setting a certain inspection threshold and executing the printing process, it is possible to simulate the printing process when the inspection threshold is changed.

[0115] When executing such a simulation, the user moves to an inspection level modification screen as shown in FIG. 12 and changes the inspection level, that is, the inspection threshold.

[0116] Note that FIG. 12 shows an example of a display screen when changing the inspection threshold to a larger value. Specifically, the user changes the inspection threshold to a larger value by deselecting the checkbox set to the print stain density level 5. Then, when the user presses the "Recalculate" operation button after changing the inspection threshold, a simulation of the inspection result based on the changed inspection threshold is executed.

[0117] Next, the flowchart of FIG. 13 shows the processing flow when the threshold value of such an inspection is changed and a simulation of the printing process based on the changed inspection threshold value is performed.

[0118] In step S101, when the inspection threshold value is changed, the inspection control unit 34 acquires, in step S102, the printing defect location information for all pages of the print job, that is, the printing defect location list as shown in FIG. 8, from the inspection result management unit 35.

[0119] Then, in step S103, the inspection control unit 34 acquires the printing defect location information for one unprocessed page from the printing defect location list.

[0120] Next, in step S104, the inspection control unit 34 determines whether there is a printing defect in the acquired printing defect location information.

[0121] If it is determined in step S104 that there is a printing defect in the printing defect location information, in step S105, the inspection control unit 34 determines whether the size or density of the printing defect is greater than the changed inspection threshold value.

[0122] If it is determined in step S105 that the size or density of the target printing defect is smaller than the changed inspection threshold value, the inspection control unit 34 determines, in step S107, that the page with the target printing defect is not a printing defect. Also, if it is determined in step S105 that the size or density of the target printing defect is greater than the changed inspection threshold value, the inspection control unit 34 determines, in step S106, that the page with the target printing defect is a printing defect.

[0123] After that, or if it is determined in step S104 that there is no printing defect in the acquired printing defect location information, the inspection control unit 34 determines, in step S108, whether there is a next printing defect in the printing defect location information.

[0124] If it is determined in step S108 that there is the following printing stain, the inspection control unit 34 repeats the processes from step S104 to S107.

[0125] And, if it is determined in step S108 that there is no following printing stain, the inspection control unit 34 determines in step S109 whether there is a change in the inspection result of the page. Here, a change in the inspection result of the page includes both the case where the inspection result of the page changes from a printing defect to normal and the case where the inspection result of the page changes from normal to a printing defect.

[0126] If it is determined in step S109 that there is a change in the inspection result of the page, the inspection control unit 34 executes a recalculation of the consumption amount of the consumables in step S110.

[0127] And, after the execution of step S110, or if it is determined in step S109 that there is no change in the inspection result of the page, the inspection control unit 34 determines in step S111 whether there is a next page in the printing stain location list.

[0128] And, if it is determined in step S111 that there is a next page in the printing stain location list, the inspection control unit 34 returns to the process of step S103.

[0129] Finally, if it is determined in step S111 that there is no next page in the printing stain location list, the inspection control unit 34 displays in step S112 the recalculation result of the consumption amount of the consumables due to the change in the inspection threshold on the display unit 36.

[0130] Next, the details of the process of executing the recalculation of the consumption amount of the consumables due to the change in the inspection threshold, shown in step S110 of the flowchart in FIG. 13, are shown in the flowchart in FIG. 14.

[0131] First, when the inspection control unit 34 performs recalculation by changing the inspection threshold, in step S201, it determines whether the inspection result for the page being processed has changed from normal (OK) to printing defect (NG).

[0132] If it is determined in step S201 that the inspection result has changed from normal to printing defect, the inspection control unit 34 adds a purge page to the page configuration list and executes recalculation in step S202.

[0133] Also, if it is determined in step S201 that the inspection result has changed from printing defect to normal, the inspection control unit 34 reduces the purge page from the page configuration list and executes recalculation in step S203.

[0134] Next, the details of the process of adding a purge page and executing recalculation of the consumption amount of consumables shown in step S202 of the flowchart in FIG. 14 are shown in the flowchart in FIG. 15.

[0135] First, the inspection control unit 34 acquires information on the paper size of the page with a printing defect in step S301.

[0136] Next, the inspection control unit 34 acquires information on the remaining number from the remaining number table based on the acquired paper size and determines the purge number in step S302.

[0137] Then, the inspection control unit 34 acquires the page configuration list before the inspection threshold is changed from the inspection result management unit 35 in step S303.

[0138] Then, the inspection control unit 34 adds a purge page to the acquired page configuration list in step S304.

[0139] Furthermore, the inspection control unit 34 acquires information on the image density of the added purge page from the image density list and adds it as the image density information of the purge page added to the page configuration list in step S305.

[0140] Then, in step S306, the inspection control unit 34 determines whether there is a next purge page. If it is determined in step S306 that there is a next purge page, the inspection control unit 34 returns to the process of step S304.

[0141] Also, if it is determined in step S306 that there is no next purge page, the inspection control unit 34 calculates the image density and printing time for the added purge pages in step S307.

[0142] Next, the details of the process of reducing the purge pages and recalculating the consumption amount of the consumables shown in step S203 of the flowchart in FIG. 14 are shown in the flowchart in FIG. 16.

[0143] First, in step S401, the inspection control unit 34 acquires the page configuration list before the inspection threshold is changed from the inspection result management unit 35.

[0144] Next, in step S402, the inspection control unit 34 acquires the information of the pages whose determination has been changed from printing defect to normal.

[0145] Then, in step S403, the inspection control unit 34 identifies the purge pages that will no longer occur.

[0146] Then, in step S404, the inspection control unit 34 acquires the information of the image density of the identified purge pages from the image density list.

[0147] Furthermore, in step S405, the inspection control unit 34 deletes the identified purge pages from the page configuration list.

[0148] Then, in step S406, the inspection control unit 34 determines whether there are other pages whose determination has been changed. If it is determined in step S406 that there are other pages whose determination has been changed, the inspection control unit 34 returns to the process of step S403.

[0149] Also, when it is determined in step S406 that there is no other page for which the determination has been changed, the inspection control unit 34 calculates, in step S407, the image density and the printing time for the purged pages that have been deleted.

[0150] By performing the above-described processing, a page configuration list example generated when the inspection threshold value is changed to a large value on the display screen shown in FIG. 12 is shown in FIG. 17.

[0151] In the page configuration list example shown in FIG. 17, it can be seen that since the inspection threshold value has been changed to a large value, there are no pages determined to be printing defects, and there are also no purge pages.

[0152] Then, an example of a display screen of the simulation result displayed when the inspection threshold value is changed to a large value on the display screen shown in FIG. 12 is shown in FIG. 18.

[0153] Referring to the display screen of FIG. 18, it can be seen that since the inspection threshold value has been changed to a large value, all of the number of defective pages, the number of purge pages, the total number of pages, the waste paper rate, the consumption amount of consumed toner, and the printing time have decreased.

[0154] For example, on the display screen of FIG. 18, it is displayed that the consumption amount of K toner has decreased by 4.0 from 20.0 to 16.0, and for M toner, C toner, and Y toner as well, the values of the consumption amount before the change of the inspection threshold value, the consumption amount after the change, and the decreased consumption amount are respectively displayed.

[0155] Also, on the display screen of FIG. 18, the values of the number of defective pages, the number of purge pages, the total number of pages, the waste paper rate, and the printing time are displayed so as to show how they have decreased from before the change of the inspection threshold value to after the change, and the difference due to the change of the inspection threshold value can be understood.

[0156] Next, Fig. 19 shows an example of a display screen when the inspection threshold is changed to a small value. In the example of the display screen in Fig. 19, the user changes the inspection threshold to a small value by adding a selection of check boxes set to print stain density levels 1 to 5. Then, when the user presses the "Recalculate" operation button after changing the inspection threshold, a simulation of the inspection result based on the changed inspection threshold is executed.

[0157] By performing the above processing, Fig. 20 shows an example of a page configuration list generated when the inspection threshold is changed to a small value on the display screen shown in Fig. 19.

[0158] Referring to the example of the page configuration list shown in Fig. 20, it can be understood that when the inspection threshold is changed to a small value, not only the third page but also the eleventh page is determined to be a printing defect. And it can be seen that the number of purge pages has increased by two due to the determination that the eleventh page is a printing defect.

[0159] Then, Fig. 21 shows an example of a display screen of the simulation result displayed when the inspection threshold is changed to a small value on the display screen shown in Fig. 19.

[0160] Referring to the display screen in Fig. 21, it can be seen that when the inspection threshold is changed to a small value, all of the number of defective pages, the number of purge pages, the total number of pages, the waste paper rate, the consumption of toner, and the printing time have increased.

[0161] For example, on the display screen in Fig. 21, it is displayed that the consumption of K toner has increased by 3.0 from 20.0 to 23.0, and for M toner, C toner, and Y toner, the values of the consumption before the change of the inspection threshold, the consumption after the change, and the increased consumption are also displayed respectively.

[0162] In the display screen of FIG. 21, the values of the number of defective pages, the number of purge pages, the total number of pages, the waste paper rate, and the printing time are displayed so as to show how they increase from before to after the change of the inspection threshold value and the difference due to the change of the inspection threshold value.

[0163] In the above description, the case of executing one print job has been described. However, when a plurality of print jobs are continuously executed, if a printing defect occurs on a page close to the last page of the first print job, there may be a case where the paper for the next print job is also included in the purge pages.

[0164] Therefore, in such a case, as shown in FIG. 22, the inspection control unit 34 executes a simulation including the paper for the next print job to be executed in the number of purge pages.

[0165] For example, referring to FIG. 22, when jobs 1 and 2 are continuously executed, a printing defect is detected on the 6th page of job 1, and the number of purge pages is 7 sheets. It can be seen that pages 6 to 10 of job 1 and pages 1 and 2 of job 2 are calculated as purge pages.

[0166] In the above embodiment, the case where the simulation result when the inspection threshold value is changed is displayed for the print job in which the purge page actually occurred during the printing process has been described. However, it is also possible to display the simulation result for the print job in which the proof printing is performed with the setting of not performing the purge.

[0167] Also, in the above embodiment, the increase or decrease amount of the toner consumption amount due to the change of the inspection threshold value is calculated and displayed. However, the toner consumption amount may be converted into an amount and displayed. In this case, it is possible to set a unit price for each type of CMYK of the toner and display the amount reflecting the difference in each unit price.

[0168] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the increase or decrease in the consumption amount of consumables was calculated and displayed by changing the inspection threshold. However, the increase or decrease in the power consumption and carbon dioxide emission amount due to changing the inspection threshold may be calculated and displayed.

[0169] Furthermore, the inspection control unit 34 may associate the set inspection threshold with the waste paper rate when performing an inspection based on the inspection threshold and store it in the inspection result management unit 35. Then, when the inspection control unit 34 performs an inspection of a new printed matter based on the stored inspection threshold, the consumption amount of consumables predicted at that time may be calculated based on the waste paper rate stored in association with the inspection threshold and displayed on the display unit 36. For example, when the waste paper rate when performing an inspection based on a certain inspection threshold is 10%, the inspection control unit 34 displays the number of purge pages predicted when performing an inspection of 1000 pages of a new printed matter based on the inspection threshold as 100 pages (1000 × 10%) on the display unit 36. Also, the average image density of the new printed matter may be acquired, and the toner consumption amount predicted when performing an inspection of the new printed matter may be displayed on the display unit 36 by multiplying the predicted number of purge pages by the average image density.

[0170] [Other Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] As shown in FIG. 23, the image forming system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a printing apparatus 20, an inspection apparatus 30A, and a post-processing apparatus 40. In FIG. 23, the same components as those in the embodiment described above are referred to by the same reference numerals and their description is omitted.

[0171] The inspection apparatus 30A in the present embodiment has a configuration further including a learning data storage unit 37, a learning unit 38, and a model storage unit 39 with respect to the inspection apparatus 30 in the image forming system 10 shown in FIG. 6.

[0172] When the inspection control unit 34 in this embodiment inputs information regarding a print job and an inspection threshold, it identifies reprint pages using a learning model constructed to output the probability that each page included in the print job is determined to be a printing defect, and predicts the toner consumption amount that is expected when inspecting a new printed matter. Note that the reprint pages identified here do not necessarily have to be reprinted in an actual print job.

[0173] The learning data storage unit 37 stores learning data used for constructing the learning model. The learning data includes information on print jobs processed in the past, inspection thresholds, and inspection results.

[0174] The inspection control unit 34 collects information on print jobs processed in the past from the printing apparatus 20 or an information processing apparatus that manages the printing apparatus 20, and also collects the inspection thresholds and inspection results of inspections performed on the print jobs processed in the past from the inspection result management unit 35, and stores them in the learning data storage unit 37.

[0175] The information of a print job includes information on the type of paper used for the print job, the type of printed matter printed by the print job, information regarding the pages that make up the print job, and information regarding the printing apparatus that processes the print job. Note that the print job may be composed of one page. The information regarding the type of paper used for the print job may be information that identifies the type of paper, such as plain paper or thick paper, or may be information that indicates characteristics such as the area, thickness, or basis weight of the paper. The information regarding the printed matter may be information that identifies the type of printed matter printed by the print job, such as a poster or a flyer. The information regarding the pages that make up the print job includes, for example, image density, object information, and print setting information for each page that makes up the print job. More specifically, the object information includes, for example, the number, size, and position of images and text arranged on one page, and the print setting information includes, for example, single-sided / double-sided setting. The information regarding the printing apparatus that processes the print job includes information that identifies the printing apparatus. The results of inspections performed on the print job include, for example, the ratio of each page that makes up the print job being determined to be a printing defect. The ratio of each page that makes up the print job being determined to be a printing defect may be obtained by dividing the number of times each page is determined to be a printing defect by the number of printed copies of each page.

[0176] Based on the learning data stored in the learning data storage unit 37, the learning unit 38 takes as input the information of the print job and the threshold of the inspection performed on the print job, and constructs a neural network model for outputting the probability that each page constituting the print job corresponding to the input information of the print job and the inspection threshold is determined to be defective, and stores the constructed neural network model in the model storage unit 39.

[0177] Specifically, the learning unit 38 takes as input the information of the print job and the threshold of the inspection included in the learning data, obtains the probability that each page constituting the print job is determined to be defective as the output of the neural network model, compares the ratio of each page determined to be a printing defect in the learning data with the probability that each obtained page is determined to be a printing defect, and updates the parameters of the neural network model so as to minimize the error.

[0178] Here, the correlation between various information included in the print job information and the inspection threshold value, and the probability that each page constituting the print job is determined to be defective will be described.

[0179] The tendency to be determined as a printing defect varies depending on the type of paper used for the print job. For example, since thin paper is likely to have back transfer, it has a tendency to be more easily determined as a printing defect compared to thick paper. Also, since the ink bleeding tendency and the toner fixing tendency differ depending on the paper material, the probability of being determined as a printing defect also differs depending on the paper material. Thus, there is a correlation between the type of paper used for the print job and the probability that each page constituting the print job is determined to be defective.

[0180] The probability that a page is determined to be a printing defect differs depending on the image density of each page constituting the print job. For example, a page with a large image density for each color and a lot of black filling is difficult to distinguish even if there is printing dirt, so it is less likely to be determined as a printing defect compared to a page that is not. Also, since a black-and-white print job has a narrower color gamut compared to a color print job, it is less likely to be determined as a printing defect. Thus, there is a correlation between the image density of each page constituting the print job and the probability that each page is determined to be defective.

[0181] The probability that a page is determined to be a printing defect differs depending on the object information of each page constituting the print job. For example, when comparing a page containing an object with a complex design and a page that does not, the tendency to be determined as a printing defect is different. Thus, there is a correlation between the object information of each page constituting the print job and the probability that each page is determined to be defective.

[0182] The probability that a page is determined to be a printing defect differs depending on the print settings for each page constituting the print job. For example, since double-sided printing has a possibility of back transfer compared to single-sided printing, it is more likely to be determined as a printing defect. Thus, there is a correlation between the print setting information for each page constituting the print job and the probability that each page is determined to be defective.

[0183] The probability that a page is determined to be a printing defect varies depending on the printing apparatus that processes the print job. For example, there are printing apparatuses with high printing speeds but low printing accuracies, or those with high printing accuracies but low printing speeds, and thus the characteristics vary for each apparatus. Also, depending on which apparatus processes which print job, the probability of being determined as a printing defect varies due to differences in printing methods such as toner or inkjet, which affect the ease of back transfer. Thus, there is a correlation between the information of the printing apparatus that processes the print job and the probability that each page is determined to be defective.

[0184] When the inspection control unit 34 receives information on a new print job, it inputs the information on the print job to be newly executed and the inspection threshold value to the learning model stored in the model storage unit 39, thereby estimating the probability that each page constituting the print job to be newly executed is determined to be a printing defect.

[0185] Specifically, the inspection control unit 34 converts various information and the inspection threshold value included in the received print job information into a data structure (scalar value, vector) that can be input to the learned neural network model, inputs it to the learned neural network model, and estimates the probability that each page constituting the print job to be newly executed is determined to be a printing defect from the output of the learned model.

[0186] Based on the estimated probability that each page is determined to be a printing defect and the number of pages of the new print job, the inspection control unit 34 calculates the number of pages determined to be printing defects for each page constituting the new print job. Next, the inspection control unit 34 identifies the reprint pages in the new print job based on the calculated number of pages determined to be printing defects for each page and the remaining number table shown in FIG. 3. The inspection control unit 34 may display on the display unit 36 the toner consumption predicted when inspecting the new printed matter based on the reprint pages thus identified and the image density of each page.

[0187] Note that the learning data storage unit 37, the learning unit 38, and the model storage unit 39 may be provided in an information processing device connected to the inspection device 30A. Also, it is not necessary to use all the information of the above-described print jobs as learning data, and a learning model may be constructed using some of them.

[0188] In each of the above embodiments, the processor refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes a general-purpose processor (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and a dedicated processor (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0189] Also, the operation of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be achieved not only by one processor but also by a plurality of physically separated processors cooperating with each other. Also, the order of each operation of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0190] Also, in each of the above embodiments, the color difference between the printed stain portion of the scanned image and the corresponding portion of the reference image may be measured, and an inspection may be performed based on the measured color difference, and an inspection threshold may be set for the color difference.

[0191] The "system" in the present embodiment includes both a system configured by a plurality of devices and a system configured by a single device.

[0192] [Modification Example] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present disclosure is applied to the image forming system 10 including the printing apparatus 20 has been described. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The present disclosure can be similarly applied to a configuration in which an inspection for a printed matter as described above is performed in an information processing system such as a personal computer.

[0193] [Appendix] The following describes the preferred forms of the present disclosure as an appendix.

[0194] (((1))) An information processing system comprising a processor, wherein the processor receives a setting in which a threshold value for an inspection performed on a printed matter consisting of a plurality of pages printed by a printing apparatus is set as a first threshold value, identifies a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold value, and displays a first consumption amount which is a consumption amount of consumables used for printing the first reprint page.

[0195] (((2))) The processor displays, within the same screen, a display for receiving the setting of the threshold value of the inspection and a display of the first consumption amount. The information processing system according to ((1)).

[0196] (((3))) The first reprint page includes printed pages in the printing apparatus that follow a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold value. The information processing system according to ((1)) or ((2)).

[0197] (((4))) The processor ​When receiving a setting that sets the threshold of the inspection as a first threshold, display a first page configuration indicating the configuration of a page to be printed. The first page configuration includes the first reprint page. (((1))) to ((3))) Any one of the information processing systems described in.

[0198] (((5))) The processor Receives a setting of an inspection threshold for each page of the printed matter, and performs an inspection of each page based on the inspection threshold for each received page. (((1))) to ((4))) Any one of the information processing systems described in.

[0199] (((6))) The processor Displays a first waste paper rate, which is a ratio of the number of pages of the first reprint page to the number of pages of the first page configuration. (((4))) The information processing system described in.

[0200] (((7))) The processor Associates and stores the first threshold and the first waste paper rate, When performing an inspection of a new printed matter based on the first threshold, displays the consumption amount of consumables predicted based on the first waste paper rate. (((6))) The information processing system described in.

[0201] (((8))) Comprising a processor, The processor Receives a setting that sets the threshold of an inspection performed on a printed matter composed of a plurality of pages printed by a printing device as a first threshold, Identifies a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold, Receives a setting that sets the threshold of the inspection as a second threshold, Identify a second reprint page that includes at least a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the second threshold value. Display a difference between a first consumption amount, which is a consumption amount of consumables used for printing the first reprint page, and a second consumption amount, which is a consumption amount of consumables used for printing the second reprint page. An information processing system.

[0202] (((9))) The processor Displays a display for receiving a setting of the threshold value of the inspection and the display of the difference within the same screen. The information processing system according to ((8)).

[0203] (((10))) The first reprint page includes printed pages in a printing apparatus that follow a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold value. The second reprint page includes printed pages in a printing apparatus that follow a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the second threshold value. The information processing system according to ((8)) or ((9)).

[0204] (((11))) The processor Displays a first page configuration indicating a configuration of a page printed when a setting to set the threshold value of the inspection as a first threshold value is received. Displays a second page configuration indicating a configuration of a page printed when a setting to set the threshold value of the inspection as a second threshold value is received. The first page configuration includes the first reprint page. The second page configuration includes the second reprint page. The information processing system according to any one of ((8)) to ((10)).

[0205] (((12))) The processor Receiving a setting of an inspection threshold for each page of the printed matter, and performing an inspection on each page according to the received inspection threshold for each page. The information processing system according to any one of ((8)) to ((11)).

[0206] (((13))) The processor Displaying a difference between a first paper waste rate, which is a ratio of the number of pages of the first reprint pages to the number of pages of the first page configuration, and a second paper waste rate, which is a ratio of the number of pages of the second reprint pages to the number of pages of the second page configuration. The information processing system according to ((11)).

[0207] (((14))) The processor Storing the first threshold and the first paper waste rate in association with each other, Displaying the consumption amount of consumables predicted when performing an inspection on a new printed matter based on the first threshold based on the first paper waste rate. The information processing system according to ((13)).

[0208] (((15))) Receiving a setting for setting a threshold for an inspection performed on a printed matter composed of a plurality of pages printed by a printing device as a first threshold, Identifying a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold, Displaying a first consumption amount, which is a consumption amount of consumables used for printing the first reprint page, A program for causing a computer to execute.

[0209] (((16))) Receiving a setting for setting a threshold for an inspection performed on a printed matter composed of a plurality of pages printed by a printing device as a first threshold, Identifying a first reprint page that includes at least a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold value; Receiving a setting to set the threshold value of the inspection to a second threshold value; Identifying a second reprint page that includes at least a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the second threshold value; Displaying a difference between a first consumption amount that is a consumption amount of consumables used for printing the first reprint page and a second consumption amount that is a consumption amount of consumables used for printing the second reprint page; A program for causing a computer to execute.

[0210] (((17))) The processor Receives information on a new print job, When information on the print job and the threshold value of the inspection performed on the print job are input, the information on the new print job received and the first threshold value are input to a learned model that has been previously learned to output the result of the inspection corresponding to the print job, and the first reprint page is identified based on the result of the inspection corresponding to the new print job thus obtained. (((1))) The information processing system described.

[0211] (((18))) The information on the print job includes information on the pages that make up the print job, The information on the new print job includes information on the pages that make up the new print job, (((17))) The information processing system described.

[0212] (((19))) The information on the pages that make up the print job includes the image density, object information, or print setting information of each page that makes up the print job. (((18))) The information processing system described.

[0213] (((20))) The information of the print job includes information regarding the type of paper used for the print job or information regarding the printing apparatus that processes the print job, The information of the new print job includes information regarding the type of paper used for the new print job or information regarding the printing apparatus that processes the new print job, The information processing system according to ((18)).

[0214] (((21))) The result of the inspection corresponding to the print job includes the probability that each page constituting the print job is determined to be a printing defect, The result of the inspection corresponding to the new print job includes the probability that each page constituting the new print job is determined to be a printing defect, The processor, identifies the first reprint page based on the probability that each page constituting the new print job is determined to be a printing defect and the number of copies of the new print job. The information processing system according to any one of ((17)) to ((20)).

[0215] (((22))) The processor, inputs the information of the new print job and the first threshold value into a learned model that has been pre-learned to output the result of the inspection corresponding to the print job when the information of the print job and the threshold value of the inspection performed on the print job are input, thereby outputting the probability that each page constituting the new print job is determined to be a printing defect respectively. The information processing system according to ((21)).

[0216] (((23))) further causes the computer to execute a step of receiving information of a new print job, In the step of identifying a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a printing defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold value, when inputting information of a print job and a threshold value of an inspection performed on the print job, the information of the new print job received and the first threshold value are input to a learned model that has been previously learned to output a result of an inspection corresponding to the print job, and the first reprint page is identified based on the result of the inspection corresponding to the new print job obtained thereby. The program according to ((15)).

[0217] The effects of the configuration of the appended claims will be described below.

[0218] According to the information processing system of ((1)), it becomes possible to grasp the consumption amount of consumables used for reprinting when setting the inspection threshold value.

[0219] According to the information processing system of ((2)), it becomes possible to set the inspection threshold value while confirming the consumption amount of consumables used for reprinting.

[0220] According to the information processing system of ((3)), even when reprinting not only the page determined to be a printing defect but also subsequent pages, it becomes possible to grasp the consumption amount of consumables used for reprinting.

[0221] According to the information processing system of ((4)), when setting the inspection threshold value, it becomes possible to grasp the configuration of the pages to be printed.

[0222] According to the information processing system of ((5)), it becomes possible to perform an inspection according to the page.

[0223] According to the information processing system of ((6)), when setting the inspection threshold value, it becomes possible to grasp the waste paper rate.

[0224] According to the information processing system of ((7)), it becomes possible to grasp the consumption amount of consumables predicted before executing the printing of a new printed matter.

[0225] According to the information processing system of ((8)), when changing the inspection threshold, it becomes possible to grasp how the consumption amount of consumables changes.

[0226] According to the information processing system of ((9)), it becomes possible to change the inspection threshold while checking the difference in the consumption amount of consumables used for reprinting.

[0227] According to the information processing system of ((10)), even when reprinting not only the page determined to be a printing defect but also subsequent pages, it becomes possible to grasp the difference in the consumption amount of consumables used for reprinting.

[0228] According to the information processing system of ((11)), it becomes possible to grasp the change in the configuration of the printed pages due to changing the inspection threshold.

[0229] According to the information processing system of ((12)), it becomes possible to set the inspection threshold according to the page.

[0230] According to the information processing system of ((13)), when changing the inspection threshold, it becomes possible to grasp the difference in the waste paper rate.

[0231] According to the information processing system of ((14)), it becomes possible to grasp the consumption amount of consumables predicted before executing the printing of a new printed matter.

[0232] According to the program of ((15)), when setting the inspection threshold, it becomes possible to grasp the consumption amount of consumables used for reprinting.

[0233] According to the program of ((16)), when changing the inspection threshold, it becomes possible to grasp how the consumption amount of consumables changes.

[0234] (((17)))'s information processing system enables the identification of reprint pages without inspecting each page of a new print job.

[0235] (((18)))'s information processing system enables the identification of reprint pages without inspecting each page of a new print job based on the information of the pages constituting the print job.

[0236] (((19)))'s information processing system enables the identification of reprint pages without inspecting each page of a new print job based on the image density, object information, or print setting information of each page constituting the print job.

[0237] (((20)))'s information processing system enables the identification of reprint pages without inspecting each page of a new print job based on the information regarding the type of paper used for the print job or the information regarding the printing device that processes the print job.

[0238] (((21)))'s information processing system enables the identification of reprint pages without inspecting each page of a new print job by using the probability that each page constituting the new print job is determined to be a printing defect.

[0239] (((22)))'s information processing system enables the output of the probability that each page constituting the new print job is determined to be a printing defect without inspecting each page of the new print job.

[0240] (((23)))'s program enables the identification of reprint pages without inspecting each page of a new print job.

Explanation of Signs

[0241] 10 Image forming system 11 CPU 12 Memory 13 Storage device 14 Communication interface 15 User interface device 16 Scanner 17 Print engine 18 Post-processing mechanism 19 Control bus 20 Printing device 21 Paper feeding device 22 Print control unit 23 Image output unit 30, 30A Inspection device 31 Image reading unit 32 Printed image receiving unit 33 Image comparison unit 34 Inspection control unit 35 Inspection result management unit 36 Display unit 37 Learning data storage unit 38 Learning unit 39 Model storage unit 40 Post-processing device 41, 42 Discharge tray 43 Discharge switching device 44 Post-processing control unit 50 Symbol

Claims

1. A processor is provided. The processor, A setting is received in which a threshold value for an inspection performed on a printed material consisting of multiple pages printed by a printing device is set as a first threshold value; Identifying a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a print defect by an inspection based on the first threshold value; displaying a first consumption amount, the first consumption amount being a consumption amount of a consumable used in printing the first reprint page; Information processing system.

2. The processor, a display for accepting the setting of the threshold value of the inspection and a display of the first consumption amount are displayed on the same screen. The information processing system according to claim 1 .

3. the first reprint page includes a page that has been printed by a printing device and follows a page that has been determined to be a print defect by an inspection based on the first threshold value; The information processing system according to claim 1 .

4. The processor, displaying a first page configuration showing a configuration of a page to be printed when a setting is accepted in which the inspection threshold value is a first threshold value; the first page configuration includes the first reprint page; The information processing system according to claim 1 .

5. The processor, receiving a setting of an inspection threshold for each page of the printed matter, and inspecting each page based on the received inspection threshold for each page; The information processing system according to claim 1 .

6. The processor, displaying a first waste rate which is a ratio of the number of pages of the first reprinted pages to the number of pages of the first page configuration; 5. The information processing system according to claim 4.

7. The processor, The first threshold value and the first waste paper rate are stored in association with each other; a predicted consumption amount of the consumables when a new printed matter is inspected based on the first threshold value is displayed based on the first waste rate; 7. The information processing system according to claim 6.

8. A processor is provided. The processor, A setting is received in which a threshold value for an inspection performed on a printed material consisting of multiple pages printed by a printing device is set as a first threshold value; Identifying a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a print defect by an inspection based on the first threshold value; Accepting a setting of the inspection threshold as a second threshold; Identifying a second reprint page including at least a page determined to be a print defect by the inspection based on the second threshold value; displaying a difference between a first consumption amount, which is a consumption amount of a consumable used for printing the first reprinted page, and a second consumption amount, which is a consumption amount of a consumable used for printing the second reprinted page; Information processing system.

9. The processor, a display for accepting the setting of the inspection threshold value and a display of the difference are displayed on the same screen. The information processing system according to claim 8.

10. the first reprint page includes a page that has been printed by a printing device and that follows a page that has been determined to be a print defect by an inspection based on the first threshold value; the second reprint page includes a page that has been printed by a printing device and that follows the page that has been determined to be a print defect by the inspection based on the second threshold value; The information processing system according to claim 8.

11. The processor, displaying a first page configuration showing a configuration of a page to be printed when a setting is accepted in which the inspection threshold value is a first threshold value; displaying a second page configuration showing a page configuration to be printed when a setting is accepted in which the inspection threshold value is set as a second threshold value; the first page configuration includes the first reprint page; the second page configuration includes the second reprint page; The information processing system according to claim 8.

12. The processor, receiving a setting of an inspection threshold for each page of the printed matter, and inspecting each page based on the received inspection threshold for each page; The information processing system according to claim 8.

13. The processor, displaying a difference between a first waste paper rate, which is a ratio of the number of pages of the first reprinted pages to the number of pages of the first page configuration, and a second waste paper rate, which is a ratio of the number of pages of the second reprinted pages to the number of pages of the second page configuration; The information processing system according to claim 11.

14. The processor, The first threshold value and the first waste paper rate are stored in association with each other; a predicted consumption amount of the consumables when a new printed matter is inspected based on the first threshold value is displayed based on the first waste rate; The information processing system according to claim 13.

15. A step of accepting a setting that a threshold value for an inspection performed on a printed material consisting of multiple pages printed by a printing device is a first threshold value; Identifying a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a print defect by an inspection based on the first threshold value; displaying a first consumption amount, the first consumption amount being a consumption amount of a consumable used in printing the first reprint page; A program for causing a computer to execute the following.

16. A step of accepting a setting that a threshold value for an inspection performed on a printed material consisting of multiple pages printed by a printing device is a first threshold value; Identifying a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a print defect by an inspection based on the first threshold value; receiving a setting of the inspection threshold value as a second threshold value; identifying a second reprint page including at least a page determined to be a print defect by an inspection based on the second threshold; displaying a difference between a first consumption amount, which is a consumption amount of a consumable used for printing the first reprinted page, and a second consumption amount, which is a consumption amount of a consumable used for printing the second reprinted page; A program for causing a computer to execute the following.

17. The processor, Accepts new print job information, identifying the first reprint page based on a result of an inspection corresponding to the new print job, the result being obtained by inputting the received information of the new print job and the first threshold into a trained model that has been trained in advance to output a result of an inspection corresponding to the print job when information of the print job and a threshold of an inspection performed on the print job are input; The information processing system according to claim 1 .

18. The information on the print job includes information on pages that constitute the print job, The information of the new print job includes information of pages constituting the new print job.

18. The information processing system according to claim 17.

19. The information on the pages constituting the print job includes image density, object information, or print setting information of each page constituting the print job.

20. The information processing system according to claim 18.

20. The information on the print job includes information on a type of paper used in the print job or information on a printing device that processes the print job, The information about the new print job includes information about a paper type to be used for the new print job or information about a printing device to process the new print job.

20. The information processing system according to claim 18.

21. The results of the inspection corresponding to the print job include a probability that each page constituting the print job is determined to be a print defect, the results of the inspection corresponding to the new print job include a probability that each page constituting the new print job is determined to be defective; The processor, identifying the first reprint page based on a probability that each page constituting the new print job is determined to be a print defect and the number of copies of the new print job; 18. The information processing system according to claim 17.

22. The processor, a trained model that has been trained in advance to input print job information and a threshold value for an inspection performed on the print job, and output a result of the inspection corresponding to the print job, and then inputs the received new print job information and the first threshold value into the trained model, and outputs the probability that each page constituting the new print job will be determined to be a print defect; 22. The information processing system according to claim 21.

23. and causing the computer to further execute a step of accepting information of a new print job; In the step of identifying a first reprint page including at least a page determined to be a print defect by an inspection performed based on the first threshold value, the first reprint page is identified based on a result of an inspection corresponding to the new print job, which is obtained by inputting the received information of the new print job and the first threshold value into a trained model that has been trained in advance to output a result of the inspection corresponding to the print job when information of the print job and a threshold value of the inspection performed on the print job are input. The program according to claim 15.

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