Printing control device, printing control system, program and printing control method

Abstract

To provide a printing control device, which when receiving an instruction for cancelling a job, quickly stops reception of jobs thereafter.SOLUTION: A printing control device 10 comprises: a receiving part 11 that receives a plurality of small jobs transmitted from a client terminal on the basis of a printing instruction; control means 13 that performs control so that printing is performed based on the small jobs received by the receiving part 11; and receiving means 12 that receives a job cancellation instruction that is an instruction for cancelling printing or an instruction for interrupting printing. When the receiving means 12 receives the job cancellation instruction while the receiving part 11 receives the plurality of small jobs, the control means 13 performs control so that printing based on the small jobs is cancelled or interrupted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a print control device, a print control system, a program, and a print control method. [Background technology]

[0002] In the past, small jobs (hereinafter referred to as "small jobs") were sent to an image forming device in succession to be printed one after the other. In such printing, even if printing was canceled due to some kind of trouble during printing, the cancellation was not possible in time, and most of the jobs ended up being printed. In this regard, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for monitoring and canceling jobs in a spooler, thereby stopping printing after cancellation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-282412 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 only supports cancellation from the client terminal side, and does not consider cancellation from the image forming device side. Furthermore, jobs that come in after a job has been canceled are not canceled. This makes it difficult to quickly stop subsequent jobs when a problem occurs.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a print control device, print control system, program, and print control method that can quickly stop subsequent jobs when a job cancellation instruction is received. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the print control device of the present invention comprises: a receiving unit that receives a plurality of small jobs transmitted from a client terminal based on a print instruction; a control means for controlling printing based on the small job received by the receiving unit; an accepting unit for accepting a job cancel instruction, which is an instruction to stop printing or an instruction to interrupt printing; Equipped with The control means controls the printing of the small jobs to be stopped or interrupted when the job cancel instruction is received by the reception means while the receiving section is in the middle of receiving a plurality of small jobs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, when a job cancellation instruction is received, it is possible to quickly stop the subsequent job. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a main system configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a print control system including a print control device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 10 is an example of a job cancellation setting screen for making job cancellation settings displayed on an operation screen of a display unit in the embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is an example of a cancellation status screen displayed on an operation screen of a display unit in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is an example of a cancellation target setting screen displayed on an operation screen of a display unit in the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is an example of a cancellation condition setting screen displayed on an operation screen of a display unit in the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is an example of an inquiry screen displayed on an operation screen of a display unit in the embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is an example of a cancellation time setting screen displayed on a display screen of a display unit in the embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is an example of a reception interval setting screen displayed on an operation screen of a display unit in the embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is an example of a reception job count setting screen displayed on an operation screen of a display unit in the embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a case where a job cancellation instruction is received from each unit of the apparatus in the printing control system according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart illustrating print control in a print control system including a print control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating print control in a print control system including a print control device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 is an example of a job cancellation candidate list screen displayed on an operation screen of a display unit in the embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is an example of a cancel job history screen displayed on an operation screen of a display unit in the embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a system configuration diagram illustrating a main part of a print control system including a print control device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of a print control device, a print control system, a program, and a print control method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are subject to various limitations that are technically preferable for implementing the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

[0010] First Embodiment [Printing control system configuration] In the embodiment, the print control device constitutes a print control system. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a print control system according to the first embodiment.

[0011] 1, a print control system 100 of this embodiment includes an image forming apparatus 1 and a client terminal 5. The image forming apparatus 1 and the client terminal 5 are connected to various communication networks such as a LAN, and are capable of communicating with each other via the communication networks. Note that the communication method between the image forming apparatus 1 and the client terminal 5 is not particularly limited.

[0012] The client terminal 5 is a computer device such as a PC (Personal Computer) operated by a user, for example, or may be a portable device such as a tablet PC. The client terminal 5 transmits a plurality of small jobs based on print instructions to the image forming apparatus 1 via a communication network in accordance with user operations or the like.

[0013] In the embodiment, the multiple small jobs are jobs that are divided into multiple units and each unit is small in size. It is assumed that multiple small jobs of this size will be sent consecutively from the client terminal 5. Such a print job may be a job (variable printing) that includes variable elements (so-called variable elements) in part of the document. For example, in flyers addressed to individuals or various usage statements, the name field, amount field, etc. are different for each person, but other parts are common, making it variable printing. In such variable printing, a document for one person that includes variable elements is considered one job. Then, multiple small jobs, each separated into one job, are sent from the client terminal 5 to the image forming apparatus 1 in a batch, for example, one for each person. Note that "multiple small jobs" is not limited to those related to variable printing.

[0014] The client terminal 5 accesses, for example, the print control device 10 of the image forming device 1, and displays an operation screen 51 (see FIG. 2, etc.) provided by the print control device 10 on the display means 50 (see FIG. 2, etc.). When the user performs an operation to input an instruction from the operation screen 51, an operation instruction signal according to the operation is transmitted to the print control device 10 of the image forming device 1. Although not shown, the client terminal 5 itself may include a job management application program (hereinafter referred to as "job management AP"), etc. In this case, the operation screen by the job management AP can be displayed on the display means 50 without receiving the operation screen 51, etc. from the print control device 10.

[0015] The image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming unit 20 and a print control device 10. The print control device 10 is a controller that controls operations (printing operations) performed by the image forming unit 20. The print control device 10 and the image forming unit 20 are capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from each other.

[0016] The image forming unit 20 forms an image on a medium such as various types of paper. That is, the image forming unit 20 is a printer that executes a print job in accordance with print instructions received from the print control device 10. There is no particular restriction on the image formation method used in the image forming unit 20. That is, the image forming unit 20 may form images using an electrophotographic method. Alternatively, it may form images using an inkjet method. Furthermore, the image forming unit 20 may be a color printer or a monochrome printer.

[0017] The print control device 10 is a computer including a control unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), and a volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory) (none of which are shown). The CPU, ROM, and RAM are interconnected via an internal bus (not shown) so that they can communicate with each other. The CPU reads various processing programs stored in, for example, the ROM and loads them into the RAM. The CPU then works in conjunction with the various programs loaded into the RAM to comprehensively control the operation of each unit of the image forming device 1, including the print control device 10 and the image forming unit 20, and performs various processes.

[0018] FIG. 1 shows the functional configuration of a print control device. 1, the print control device 10 includes a receiving unit 11, an accepting unit 12, and a job control unit 13. The print control device also includes a RIP (Raster Image Processor) 14, an image transfer module 15, and the like.

[0019] The receiving unit 11 receives the above-mentioned "plurality of small jobs" from the client terminal 5. Specifically, the receiving unit 11 receives, at a spooler 111, a print job (print data) transmitted from the client terminal 5 via the communication network. The print data received by the spooler 111 is sequentially sent to the RIP 14. The RIP 14 converts the print data into image data that can be printed in the image forming unit 20. The converted data is sent to the image transfer module 15. The image transfer module 15 sends the converted image data to the image forming unit 20. This enables the image forming unit 20 to execute a print job in accordance with the print instructions (printing operation in accordance with the print data).

[0020] The receiving unit 11 in this embodiment includes a job monitoring / identifying means 112 in addition to a spooler 111 . The job monitoring / identification unit 112 transitions to a cancel state when the later-described reception unit 12 receives a job cancellation instruction. Then, the job monitoring / identification unit 112 monitors a print job newly input to the spooler 111.

[0021] Furthermore, the job monitoring / identification means 112 of the receiving unit 11 is capable of analyzing the characteristics of job data (print data) received from the client terminal 5. When the job monitoring / identification means 112 transitions to the cancel state, it determines whether or not a new print job that subsequently enters the spooler 111 is to be canceled. Specifically, it analyzes whether or not the job newly received by the receiving unit 11 has the same characteristics as the job data received at the time the accepting means 12 accepted the job cancellation instruction. The analysis result of the job monitoring / identification means 112 is output to the job control means 13.

[0022] If the job monitoring / identification means 112 analyzes a print job to have characteristics in common with the job data received at the time the reception means 12 receives the job cancellation instruction, the print job is determined to be subject to cancellation by the job control means 13. Then, the job control means 13 stops (cancels) the operation of each unit related to printing for the job determined to be subject to cancellation. When the job monitoring / identifying unit 112 is released from the canceled state, the print job received by the spooler 111 is sent to the image forming unit 20 as usual and output (printed).

[0023] The job monitoring / identification means 112 identifies whether a print job newly received by the receiving unit 11 is to be canceled or not, as will be described in detail later. In addition, the circumstances under which the job monitoring / identification means 112 is released from the canceled state will be described in detail later.

[0024] The receiving unit 12 receives a job cancellation instruction, which is an instruction to stop printing or an instruction to interrupt printing. That is, when a user inputs an instruction to cancel a print job from the operation screen 51 of the client terminal 5 or the like, an operation instruction signal corresponding to the input is output to the print control device 10. When the operation instruction signal is sent to the print control device 10, the receiving unit 12 receives the instruction content corresponding to the operation instruction signal. It should be noted that the user is not limited to inputting operations on the operation screen 51 of the client terminal 5. For example, the image forming apparatus 1 including the print control device 10 may also be provided with a display means 30 (see FIG. 1). In this case, the user may input operations on the operation screen 31 (see FIG. 2, etc.) displayed on the display means 30 of the image forming apparatus 1. In this case, the receiving means 12 receives instructions corresponding to the operation instructions input from the operation screen 31 of the image forming apparatus 1. It should be noted that, hereinafter, when the reference numerals are used together, such as "operation screen 31, 51," this indicates that either the operation screen 51 of the client terminal 5 or the operation screen 31 of the image forming apparatus 1 may be used. When the receiving means 12 receives an instruction, it transmits the received instruction content to the job control means 13, which will be described later.

[0025] Among the job cancellation instructions, a "print cancellation instruction" is an instruction to stop both the printing operation of the print job and the reception of print instructions. In other words, when the reception unit 12 receives a print cancellation instruction, the job control unit 13 (described later) stops printing of jobs that have already been received and are currently being printed. In other words, not only does it stop the printing operation in the image forming unit 20, it also cancels (stops processing) all jobs that are remaining in the spooler 111, RIP 14, image transfer module 15, etc. This prevents further progress in the printing operation. The job control unit 13 also stops printing of jobs that are newly received by the receiving unit 11. Furthermore, it also stops the reception of print instructions by the receiving unit 11 from the point in time when the cancellation instruction is received.

[0026] In contrast, among job cancellation instructions, a "print interruption instruction" is an instruction to stop the printing operation of a print job. In other words, when the receiving unit 12 receives a print interruption instruction, the job control unit 13 stops printing of jobs that have already been received and are currently being printed. Note that, as with a "print cancellation instruction," "stop" here means not only stopping the printing operation in the image forming unit 20 but also canceling (stopping processing) all jobs remaining in the spooler 111, RIP 14, image transfer module 15, etc. Furthermore, printing of jobs newly received by the receiving unit 11 is also stopped, but the receiving unit 11 continues to receive print instructions even after the interruption instruction is received. In this case, the received job is saved and accumulated in the spooler 111 and put on hold, and transfer to the image forming unit 20 is stopped. Note that the job that is stopped or interrupted based on the job cancellation instruction is, for example, a small job that was received when the job cancellation instruction was received, or a small job that will be printed next to the small job currently being printed.

[0027] Whether the job cancellation instruction is an instruction to stop printing or an instruction to suspend printing is determined by an operation input by the user from the operation screen 31, 51, or the like, for example. For example, in the embodiment, the job cancellation setting screens 311 and 511 can be displayed on the operation screen 51 of the client terminal 5, the operation screen 31 of the image forming apparatus 1, and the like. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a job cancellation setting screen displayed on the operation screen. When a user wants to set job cancellation, the job cancellation setting screen 311, 511 as shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on the operation screen 31, 51.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the job cancellation setting screens 311 and 511 allow the user to set the content (type) of job cancellation. For example, if the user selects 1), only the received job is canceled (stopped). In this case, the job control means 13 controls each section so that the received job is not printed after the job cancellation instruction is received. Also, for example, if 2) is selected, the job control means 13 cancels (stops) the job that has already been received. Then, the job control means 13 controls so that no new jobs are received after the job cancellation instruction is received (stop instruction). Also, for example, if option 3) is selected, the job control means 13 cancels (stops) the job that has already been received. Then, the job control means 13 continues to receive new jobs after the job cancellation instruction is accepted, but controls the job so that it is in a pending state and is not printed (interrupt instruction). For example, the processing of each section is stopped, such as stopping transfer to the image forming section 20. In the illustrated example, by operating the "back button" 91, it is possible to return from the job cancellation setting screen 311, 511 to an initial screen (not shown) or the like.

[0029] On the job cancellation setting screen 311, 511, the user selects one of 1) to 3) to input a job cancellation instruction according to the selection. When the job cancellation instruction is input, the reception means 12 receives the job cancellation instruction according to the operation. The job cancellation instruction received by the reception means 12 is then output to the job control means 13. In this case, when the job control means 13 receives the job cancellation instruction, it is preferable to display a cancellation status screen 312, 512 on the operation screen 31, 51, etc., which indicates that job cancellation is being executed (continued).

[0030] Figure 3 is an example of a cancellation status screen when, for example, "2)" in Figure 2 is selected. Figure 3 shows that printing of jobs that have already been received has been stopped, and that the reception of new jobs after the job cancellation instruction has been accepted has also been stopped. It is preferable that the cancellation status screens 312 and 512 display a "cancel button" 92 for canceling the cancellation status, as shown in Figure 3.

[0031] While job cancellation is in progress (ongoing), printing of all received jobs and reception of all new jobs may be stopped, but in this embodiment, the job monitoring / identification means 112 identifies whether a newly incoming print job is to be canceled.

[0032] That is, when the reception unit 12 receives a job cancellation instruction, the fact that the job cancellation instruction has been received is communicated to the job monitoring / identification unit 112 via the job control unit 13. As a result, as described above, the job monitoring / identification unit 112 enters a cancellation state, and monitors a print job newly entering the spooler 111 to determine whether or not it is to be canceled. When job cancellation continues, the user can set, for example, on the operation screens 31, 51, etc., what kind of print jobs the job monitoring / identifying unit 112 will determine as being subject to cancellation.

[0033] FIG. 4 shows an example of a cancellation target setting screen for setting the type of print job to be cancelled when job cancellation is continued. FIG. 4 shows six examples of jobs that can be canceled. For example, if the job was sent from the same IP address as the job that was received when the job cancellation instruction was accepted, or the job was sent from the same application, or the job was sent from the same network session, it can be assumed that the job was sent by the same user.

[0034] Also, for example, if the job has the same file name as the job that was received when the job cancellation instruction was accepted, it can be seen as a series of jobs. Also, for example, if the print job has the same file size as the job that was received when the job cancellation instruction was accepted, it is highly likely that a series of small jobs is continuing.

[0035] Furthermore, when job cancellation continues, the job monitoring / identification unit 112 may also monitor and detect the contents of the print job. For example, the job data constituting the print job may have the same structure as the job that was received when the job cancellation instruction was accepted. In this case, it is highly likely that a series of small jobs is continuing.

[0036] "Similar configuration" means, for example, that the number of images, graphics, text, etc. in the job data that make up the print jobs are similar. In such cases, the job monitoring / identification unit 112 determines which print jobs are to be canceled. In the case of jobs with "similar file sizes" or "similar configurations," a threshold value is set for determining whether the jobs are "similar." If the jobs are within the threshold value, the job monitoring / identification unit 112 preferably determines the jobs as "similar."

[0037] On the other hand, if the sender's IP address or file name has changed, it is highly likely that the user or job content has changed. For example, a job sent from a different application may be an interrupt job that is different from the job that was received when the job cancellation instruction was accepted. Also, if the job file size or structure has changed, it is highly likely that the series of small jobs that were received when the job cancellation instruction was accepted has been switched to another job.

[0038] Therefore, in such a case, the job monitoring / identification unit 112 determines that the newly received job is not to be canceled. For jobs that are not to be canceled, the job control unit 13 controls each unit of the device so that printing is carried out as usual.

[0039] This means that users no longer have to individually decide whether or not to cancel a transaction, and if certain conditions are met, the transaction will automatically be considered for cancellation, reducing the burden on users. Note that the items shown in Figure 4 are just an example, and the factors for determining whether or not to cancel may be other than those shown here. Also, even among the items listed in Figure 4, if the user wants to exclude any items from the items that are determined to be cancelable, the items may be customized, such as by excluding them as appropriate.

[0040] Furthermore, the reception unit 12 of the embodiment is capable of receiving a cancel instruction for canceling a job cancellation instruction from the user in addition to a job cancellation instruction. The cancel instruction is an instruction to cancel a job cancellation instruction issued by a user after the accepting unit accepts the job cancellation instruction. For example, the user can manually cancel the job cancellation state by operating the "cancel cancel button" 92 in FIG. 3. In addition, in this embodiment, it is also possible to predefine conditions for canceling the job cancellation state. In this case, when the predefined conditions are met, the job cancellation state is automatically canceled, assuming that a cancellation instruction has been issued.

[0041] When the receiving unit 12 receives the cancellation instruction, the job control unit 13 (described later) restarts the operations of the units that were stopped in accordance with the job cancellation instruction at the timing when the cancellation instruction was received. This also cancels the cancel state of the job monitoring / identification unit 112, for example. If the reception of a new job by the receiving unit 11 has been stopped, the reception is restarted. In addition, the "timing at which the cancellation instruction was received" refers to the timing at which the "cancel cancellation button" 92 is operated in the case of cancellation by the user operating the "cancel cancellation button" 92. In the case of automatic cancellation when a predetermined cancellation condition is met, the timing refers to the timing at which the cancellation condition is met.

[0042] In this embodiment, the user can also set, via the operation screens 31, 51, etc., when to release the job cancellation state, that is, the conditions for releasing the job cancellation state. FIG. 5 shows an example of a cancellation condition setting screen for setting a cancellation condition for canceling the job cancellation state.

[0043] For example, in the examples shown in Fig. 5, in 1), the job cancellation state is released after a predetermined set time has elapsed since the reception unit 12 received the job cancellation instruction. In 2), the job cancellation state is released when the reception interval is equal to or longer than a predetermined time. In 3), the job cancellation state is released when the number of receptions reaches a predetermined number. In 4), the job cancellation state is released when the session is disconnected.

[0044] Fig. 6 is an example of the inquiry screen 315, 515 inquiring whether or not to set "4)". When the user selects "Set" on the inquiry screen 315, 515 shown in Fig. 6, the "4)" field becomes selected on the cancellation condition setting screen 314, 514 in Fig. 5. In either case, the job cancellation state is automatically canceled when there is a possibility that the situation has changed since the job cancellation instruction was received. Note that the cancellation conditions are not limited to those shown in Figure 5. Furthermore, the user may customize the conditions by adding any other conditions to the cancellation conditions.

[0045] When the user selects one of the examples on the cancellation condition setting screen 314, 514, the job cancellation state is canceled when the selected cancellation condition is met. Figure 5 shows the case where "1)" is selected by the user. If the user selects "1), a cancellation time setting screen 316, 516 such as that shown in Fig. 7 is further displayed on the operation screen 31, 51, etc. On the cancellation time setting screen 316, 516, the user can set the time for which the job cancellation state should continue before the state is released, i.e., the time until a timeout occurs. In this case, the job monitoring / identification unit 112 uses a timer function to measure the elapsed time since the job cancellation state was entered.

[0046] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, a set time display field 93, a "plus button" 94 for increasing the set time, and a "minus button" 95 for decreasing the set time are displayed on the screen. In the illustrated example, the job cancellation state is set to be released 10 minutes after the reception unit 12 receives the job cancellation instruction.

[0047] Furthermore, if the user selects "2), a reception interval setting screen 317, 517 such as that shown in Fig. 8 is further displayed on the operation screen 31, 51, etc. The reception interval setting screen 317, 517 allows the user to set how long a state of no reception from the client terminal 5 should continue after the reception unit 12 receives a job cancellation instruction before the job cancellation state is released. In this case as well, the job monitoring / identification unit 112 uses its timer function to measure the elapsed time since the reception unit 12 received the job cancellation instruction.

[0048] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, a set time display field 96, a "plus button" 94 for increasing the set time, and a "minus button" 95 for decreasing the set time are displayed on the screen. In the illustrated example, the job cancellation state is set to be released if the reception unit 12 does not receive any information from the client terminal for 10 minutes after receiving the job cancellation instruction.

[0049] Furthermore, if the user selects "3), a received job count setting screen 318, 518 as shown in Fig. 9 is further displayed on the operation screen 31, 51, etc. The received job count setting screen 318, 518 allows the user to set how many jobs the receiving unit 12 must receive from the client terminal 5 after receiving a job cancellation instruction before canceling the job cancellation state. In this case, the job monitoring / identification unit 112 counts the number of jobs received from the client terminal 5. Then, when the number of times reaches a predetermined number, it is determined that the cancellation condition has been met.

[0050] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 9, a number of times display field 97, a "plus button" 94 for increasing the number of times, and a "minus button" 95 for decreasing the number of times are displayed on the screen. In the illustrated example, the setting is such that when 10 jobs are received from the client terminal 5, the job cancellation state is cancelled.

[0051] In the embodiment, the reception unit 12 not only receives operation inputs from the user via the operation screens 31, 51, etc., but also monitors the device status. When an abnormality or the like of the device is detected, the reception unit 12 transmits to the job control unit 13 a message indicating that the job being executed will be canceled. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a case in which the reception unit receives a job cancellation instruction (cancellation request) from each unit of the device in the printing control system of this embodiment. In FIG. 10, the cancellation requests from each unit of the device are indicated by dashed arrows. In this case, the transmission of the cancellation request from the reception unit 12 to the job control unit 13 is indicated by a thick dashed arrow.

[0052] 10, if any abnormality occurs in the spooler 111 of the receiving unit 11, the RIP 14, the image transfer module 15, or the image forming unit 20, each of these units notifies the reception means 12 of a cancellation request. Upon receiving the cancellation request, the reception means 12 notifies the job control means 13 to cancel the job being executed.

[0053] It is preferable that the notification from the reception means 12 to the job control means 13 also includes information about which component has experienced the abnormality. In this case, if an abnormality has occurred in, for example, the RIP 14, the image transfer module 15, or the image forming unit 20, the job control means 13 may cancel the job by either "canceling printing" or "interrupting printing." On the other hand, if an abnormality has occurred in the spooler 111, the job control means 13 notifies each device component of "canceling printing," which stops both the printing operation of the print job and the reception of print instructions, as a job cancellation.

[0054] [Operation of a printing control system including a printing control device, and a printing control method] Next, the operation of the print control system 100 including the print control device and the print control method will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the process of canceling a print job and releasing the job cancellation state in this embodiment.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 11, when a plurality of small jobs are sent from the client terminal 5 to the image forming apparatus 1 based on a print instruction, the plurality of small jobs are received by the spooler 111 of the print control apparatus 10 (step S1).

[0056] The job control means 13 determines whether the reception means 12 has received a job cancellation instruction (step S2). That is, the job control means 13 constantly determines whether the reception means 12 has notified the job control means 13 that a job cancellation instruction has been received. When the receiving means 12 notifies the job control means 13 that it has received a job cancellation instruction (step S2; YES), the job control means 13 notifies each part of the device, such as the spooler 111, which is the receiving unit 11, the job monitoring / identification means 112, the RIP 14, the image transfer module 15, the image forming unit 20, etc., that the print job has been canceled (step S3).

[0057] When a print job cancellation notice is received from the job control means 13, each unit of the device sets the job cancellation state in accordance with the job cancellation instruction (step S4). Specifically, the spooler 111, RIP 14, image transfer module 15, and image forming unit 20 each stop the job being executed. Furthermore, when the reception unit 12 receives a job cancellation instruction, the job monitoring / identification unit 112 transitions to a cancellation state and monitors a new print job that enters the spooler 111 . Furthermore, in this embodiment, after transitioning to the cancelled state, the job monitoring / identifying means 112 checks the state of a job newly input to the spooler 111 and identifies (determines) whether or not the job is to be cancelled.

[0058] While the job cancellation state continues, the job control means 13 further determines whether or not the reception means 12 has received an instruction to cancel the job cancellation state (step S5). That is, the job control means 13 determines whether or not the reception means 12 has notified it that an instruction to cancel the job cancellation state has been received (step S5). When the reception means 12 notifies the reception of an instruction to cancel the job cancellation state (step S5; YES), the job control means 13 cancels the cancellation state of each part of the device (step S6) and outputs the job as usual (step S7).

[0059] That is, if the reception of the receiving unit 11 itself has been canceled (in the case of an instruction to stop printing), the receiving unit 11 resumes receiving the job, and sends the received job to the image forming unit 20 via the RIP 14 and image transfer module 15. If the received job is in a pending state (in the case of an instruction to interrupt printing), the jobs stored in the spooler 111 are sent sequentially to the image forming unit 20 via the RIP 14 and image transfer module 15. Then, the image forming unit 20 performs a printing operation in accordance with the print instruction.

[0060] On the other hand, if there is no notification from the receiving means 12 that an instruction to cancel the job cancellation state has been received (step S5; NO), the job control means 13 further determines whether the job constituting the received print instruction is a job to be canceled (step S8). Specifically, the job control means 13 acquires the identification result of whether or not a job entering the spooler 111 is to be canceled from the job monitoring / identification means 112 after transitioning to the cancel state. Then, the job control means 13 determines that a print job that is determined to be a print job to be canceled by the job monitoring / identification means 112 is to be canceled among the newly received print jobs (step S8; YES), and cancels the job (step S9).

[0061] On the other hand, if the job constituting the received print instruction is not a job to be canceled (step S8; NO), the job control means 13 sends the job from the spooler 111 to the image forming unit 20 via the RIP 14 and the image transfer module 15. Then, the image forming unit 20 performs output (printing operation) in accordance with the print instruction (step S7).

[0062] Furthermore, if there is no notification from the receiving means 12 that the job cancellation instruction has been received (step S2; NO), the job control means 13 further determines whether each part of the device is already in a job cancellation state (job cancellation is ongoing) (step S10). If the job has already been cancelled (step S10; YES), the process proceeds to step S5 and the subsequent processes are carried out. On the other hand, if the job is not in a canceled state (step S10; NO), the job is sent as usual from the spooler 111 to the RIP 14, the image transfer module 15, and the image forming unit 20. Then, the image forming unit 20 performs output (printing operation) in accordance with the print instruction (step S7).

[0063] [effect] As described above, the print control device 10 according to this embodiment includes a receiving unit 11, an accepting unit 12, and a job control unit 13. When the receiving unit 11 receives multiple small jobs sent from a client terminal based on a print instruction, the control unit 13 controls the receiving unit 11 to print based on the received small jobs. The accepting unit 12 also accepts a job cancellation instruction, which is an instruction to stop printing or to interrupt printing. When the control unit 13 accepts a job cancellation instruction from the accepting unit 12 while the receiving unit 11 is in the middle of receiving multiple small jobs, the control unit 13 controls the printing based on the small jobs to be stopped or interrupted. As a result, the progress of printing-related processing will be halted from the point at which the job cancellation instruction is received, so that not only the currently running job but also small jobs continuously sent from the client terminal 5 can be quickly stopped from being executed. The job to be stopped or interrupted based on the job cancellation instruction is, for example, the small job that has been received when the job cancellation instruction is accepted, or the small job that will be printed next to the small job that is currently being printed.

[0064] In addition, in this embodiment, when the receiving unit 12 receives a print cancel instruction, the job control unit 13 stops printing of the job that is currently being printed. It also stops printing of any jobs that the receiving unit 11 will newly receive. Then, after the stop instruction is received, the receiving unit 11 also stops receiving print instructions. In this way, by canceling the reception of the job itself, it is possible to reliably stop the processing relating to printing from proceeding after the reception unit 12 receives the job cancellation instruction.

[0065] In addition, in this embodiment, when the receiving unit 12 receives a print interrupt instruction, the job control unit 13 stops printing of the job that is currently being printed. The job control unit 13 also stops printing of a job that is newly received by the receiving unit 11. However, the receiving unit 11 continues to receive print instructions even after the interrupt instruction is received. This stops the progress of printing-related processing from the point in time when the job cancellation instruction is received, but when the job cancellation state is released, the printing operation of the stopped job can be quickly resumed.

[0066] Furthermore, the reception unit 12 of the embodiment can receive a job cancellation instruction and a cancellation instruction to cancel the job cancellation instruction from the user. When the reception unit 12 receives a job cancellation instruction and then a cancellation instruction to cancel the job cancellation instruction, the job control unit 13 resumes the operations of the units that have been stopped at the timing when the cancellation instruction is received. This allows the user to easily cancel a job or release the canceled state through a user operation.

[0067] The print control device 10 of the embodiment also has a timer function. The job control unit 13 of the embodiment resumes the operation of each unit that has been stopped when a predetermined time has elapsed after the reception unit 12 has received a job cancellation instruction. This allows the printing operation of a job that was stopped by a job cancellation instruction to be automatically resumed after a predetermined time has elapsed, without the user having to perform an individual operation.

[0068] The print control device 10 of the embodiment also has a counting function for counting the number of jobs. Then, after the accepting unit 12 accepts a job cancellation instruction, the job control unit 13 of the embodiment resumes the operation of each unit that has been stopped when the number of jobs received by the receiving unit 11 reaches a set predetermined number of jobs. This allows the printing operation of a job that has been stopped by a job cancellation instruction to be automatically resumed when the job has been received a predetermined number of times, without the user having to perform an individual operation.

[0069] Furthermore, the job monitoring / identification means 112 of the receiving unit 11 in the embodiment can monitor the reception status of data from the client terminal 5. After receiving a job cancellation instruction, the job control means 13 resumes the operation of each unit that has been stopped when communication from the client terminal 5 to the receiving unit 11 is interrupted for a predetermined period of time or longer. If communication from the client terminal 5 is interrupted, it is assumed that the user has switched or the type of job has changed. In such cases, the job cancellation state can be automatically released and printing operations can be resumed without the user having to perform any individual operation.

[0070] Furthermore, the job monitoring / identification means 112 of the receiving unit 11 in this embodiment is capable of analyzing the characteristics of job data received from the client terminal 5. The job monitoring / identification means 112 analyzes whether or not the characteristics of the job newly received by the receiving unit 11 are common to those of the job data received at the time the accepting means 12 accepted the job cancellation instruction. The job control means 13 determines that the job has "common characteristics" as a job to be canceled. Then, it stops the operation of each unit related to printing for the job to be canceled. Job data with common characteristics often constitutes a series of jobs. For this reason, the job cancellation state continues for those with common characteristics without the need to issue a new job cancellation instruction. This reduces the burden on the user. Furthermore, it becomes possible to perform printing operations for new jobs that are distinct from the job for which a job cancellation instruction has been accepted, enabling smooth printing control.

[0071] In addition, the receiving unit 12 in this embodiment can receive an error signal from each unit of the device as a job cancellation instruction, and when the receiving unit 12 receives an error signal from each unit of the device, the job control unit 13 stops the operation of each unit related to printing. This allows the job to be automatically and quickly cancelled even if the user does not notice an abnormality or if the cancellation instruction is delayed.

[0072] In the embodiment, the display means 30, 50 can be used to check the history list of jobs that the job control means 13 has determined to be subject to cancellation. This allows the user to easily check on the display means 30, 50 which of the jobs for which printing has been instructed has been canceled.

[0073] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the print control device, print control system, program, and print control method according to the present invention will be described. Note that this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the way a job that has been selected for cancellation is handled. The device configuration is the same as that shown in the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted. The following will particularly focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0074] 12 is a flowchart showing the print control in this embodiment, particularly the flow of canceling a print job and releasing the job cancellation state. Note that steps S21 and S22 shown in Fig. 12 are the same as steps S1 and S2 shown in Fig. 11, and therefore their explanation will be omitted.

[0075] 12, when the reception means 12 notifies the reception of a job cancellation instruction (step S22; YES), the job control means 13 sets a cancel flag in each part of the apparatus, such as the spooler 111 which is the receiving unit 11, the job monitoring / identification means 112, the RIP 14, the image transfer module 15, the image forming unit 20, etc. (cancel flag ON; step S23). That is, similar to step S3 in FIG. 11, the job control means 13 notifies each part of the apparatus that the print job has been canceled.

[0076] When the cancel flag is turned ON, each unit of the apparatus sets the job cancel state in accordance with the job cancel instruction (step S24). Specifically, the spooler 111, RIP 14, image transfer module 15, and image forming unit 20 each stop the job being executed. Furthermore, when the reception unit 12 receives a job cancellation instruction, the job monitoring / identification unit 112 transitions to a cancellation state and monitors a new print job that enters the spooler 111 . Furthermore, in this embodiment, after transitioning to the cancelled state, the job monitoring / identifying means 112 analyzes the characteristics of a job newly entering the spooler 111 and identifies (determines) whether or not the job is to be cancelled.

[0077] While the job cancellation state continues, the job control means 13 determines whether the reception means 12 has received an instruction to cancel the job cancellation state (step S25), similar to step S5 in Fig. 11. Then, when the reception means 12 notifies the reception of an instruction to cancel the job cancellation state (step S25; YES), the job control means 13 turns OFF the cancellation flag to cancel the cancellation state of each part of the device (step S26), and outputs the job as usual (step S27).

[0078] On the other hand, if there is no notification from the receiving means 12 that an instruction to cancel the job cancellation state has been received (step S25; NO), the job control means 13 further determines whether the job constituting the print instruction newly received by the receiving unit 11 is a job to be canceled (step S28). Specifically, the job control means 13 obtains the identification result of whether or not a job entering the spooler 111 after transitioning to the cancel state is to be canceled from the job monitoring / identification means 112. Then, the job control means 13 determines that a print job that is determined not to be canceled by the job monitoring / identification means 112 among the newly received print jobs is not to be canceled (step S28; NO), and outputs the job as usual (step S27).

[0079] In contrast, among newly received print jobs, if the job monitoring / identification means 112 determines that the print job is to be canceled, the job control means 13 determines that the print job is to be canceled (step S28; YES), and displays it on the job cancellation candidate list screen 319, 519 of the display means 30, 50 (step S29). FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a job cancellation candidate list screen displayed on the display unit. In the embodiment, the processing of a job determined to be a target for cancellation by the job control means 13 is put on hold and the job is accumulated in the spooler 111 or the like of the receiving unit 11. The job control means 13 displays a job cancellation candidate list screen 319, 519 as shown in Fig. 13 on the operation screen 31, 51 of the display means 30, 50, so that the user can check the job determined to be a target for cancellation.

[0080] For example, Fig. 13 shows a case where five print jobs with file names 01 to 05 are to be canceled. As shown in Fig. 13, for each job, the number of pages, the reason why the job was identified as a job to be canceled by the job monitoring / identification means 112 (identification means), etc. are displayed. Furthermore, the job cancellation candidate list screens 319 and 519 display a "cancel button" 98, a "print button" 99, a "back button" 91, and the like.

[0081] The job control means 13 determines whether or not the "Cancel button" 98 has been pressed on the job cancellation candidate list screen 319, 519 (step S30). If the "Cancel button" 98 has been pressed by the user (step S30; YES), the job control means 13 cancels all of the jobs that are candidates for cancellation (step S31).

[0082] In this case, all jobs on the list that are candidates for cancellation may be canceled, but in this embodiment, the user can select the jobs to be canceled for which they wish to confirm the cancellation. In the example shown in FIG. 13, file names 01 and 03 are selected on the job cancellation candidate list screens 319 and 519. When the "Cancel button" is pressed in this state, the cancellation of the two jobs can be confirmed at once. The text or background color of a job whose cancellation has been confirmed may change, or the job may disappear from the list display on the job cancellation candidate list screens 319 and 519.

[0083] Note that the job cancellation candidate list screens 319, 519 shown in Fig. 13 are examples, and the screen configuration, button types, layout, etc. can be changed as appropriate. For example, the job cancellation candidate list screens 319, 519 may be provided with a "batch selection button" and a "batch cancel button" in addition to the buttons shown in Fig. 13. In this case, the user can be spared the trouble of selecting jobs one by one. When there are a large number of jobs to be canceled, the operation can be made easier by being able to select them all at once.

[0084] It is preferable that jobs whose cancellation has been confirmed can be checked as history. For example, FIG. 14 shows an example of the cancel job history screen 320, 520 displayed on the display means 30, 50. In FIG. FIG. 14 shows a case where all jobs displayed on the job cancellation candidate list screens 319 and 519 in FIG. 13 have been canceled. In this way, by being able to check which jobs have been confirmed to be canceled, the user can check the job cancellation status. This makes it possible to quickly check if a job has been canceled by mistake. Note that the canceled job history screens 320 and 520 shown in FIG. 14 are merely examples, and the screen configuration, button types, layout, etc. can be changed as appropriate.

[0085] If the "Cancel button" 98 is not pressed on the job cancellation candidate list screen 319, 519 (step S30; NO), the job control means 13 further determines whether or not the "Print button" 99 is pressed on the job cancellation candidate list screen 319, 519 (step S32). If the "Print button" 99 is pressed by the user (step S32; YES), the job control means 13 outputs (prints in the image forming unit 20) all the jobs that are candidates for cancellation (step S33). In this case, all of the jobs on the list that are candidates for cancellation may be output (printed), or only the jobs selected by the user from among the jobs to be canceled may be output (printed) all at once. It is preferable that the jobs that have been output (printed) are deleted from the list display on the job cancellation candidate list screen.

[0086] If the "Print button" 99 is not pressed (step S32; NO), the job control means 13 further determines whether or not the "Back button" 91 is pressed on the job cancellation candidate list screen 319, 519 (step S34). If the "Back button" 91 is pressed by the user (step S34; YES), the job control means 13 returns to step S30 and repeats the subsequent processes.

[0087] On the other hand, if the "Back button" 91 is not pressed either (step S34; NO), the job control means 13 places the jobs listed on the job cancellation candidate list screen 319, 519 in a temporarily saved state (i.e., they remain on hold) and terminates the processing.

[0088] According to this embodiment, the job control means 13 suspends the processing of the job determined to be subject to cancellation, and displays the job to be canceled on the display means 30, 50. Then, the job control means 13 receives an input as to whether or not to confirm the cancellation of the job to be canceled that is displayed on the display means 30, 50. This allows the user to easily check which jobs are to be canceled, and whether or not to actually confirm the cancellation is left to the user's discretion, allowing the user to make the final decision on how to handle jobs that have been selected for cancellation, preventing unintentional job cancellation.

[0089] <Third embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of a print control device, a print control system, a program, and a print control method according to the present invention will be described. Note that in this embodiment, the system configuration of the print control system is different from that of the first embodiment, etc. In the following, differences from the first embodiment, etc. will be particularly described.

[0090] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a print control system according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, a print control system 200 of this embodiment includes a client terminal 5, a print control device 6, and an image forming device 7. The print control device 6 is a controller that controls operations (printing operations) performed by the image forming device 7. The print control device 6 is configured as a separate device from the image forming device 7 and is a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. (not shown). Other than being separate from the image forming device 7, the print control device 6 is similar to the print control device 10 (see FIG. 1) described in the first embodiment, etc. Therefore, the components of the print control device 6 that are similar to those of the print control device 10 are given the same names and symbols as those shown in FIG. 1, and their description will be omitted.

[0091] The image forming device 7 includes a receiving unit 71 that receives print data and the like from an external device. The image forming device 7 also includes a display unit 72 that displays an operation screen. The display unit may be provided in the print control device 6. Alternatively, the client terminal 5, the print control device 6, and the image forming device 7 may each have a display unit.

[0092] In this embodiment, various signals are transmitted and received between the print control device 6 and the image forming device 7 via, for example, a Video IF. For example, a print instruction is sent from the print control device 6 to the image forming device 7. Furthermore, when the reception means 12 of the print control device 6 receives a job cancellation instruction, a notification that the print job has been canceled is sent to the image forming device 7. For example, if some kind of trouble occurs and the printing operation cannot continue, the image forming device 7 sends a job cancellation instruction (cancellation request) to the print control device 6 requesting that the job be canceled.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 15, even when the print control device 6 and the image forming device 7 are configured as separate devices, the operation of each part of the print control device 6 is the same as that of the print control device 10 described in the first embodiment, etc. That is, when multiple small jobs are sent from the client terminal 5, the print control device 6 receives the small jobs (print jobs) at the receiving unit 11. The print control device 6 converts the print jobs received from the client terminal 5 into data that can be printed by the image forming device 7 and outputs it to the image forming device 7. As a result, the image forming device 7 performs a printing operation in accordance with the print instructions.

[0094] Furthermore, when a job cancellation instruction is input from the operation screen 51 of the display means 50, 72, etc., and is accepted by the accepting means 12, the job control means 13 sends a notification to the image forming device 7 that the print job has been cancelled. In this case, the image forming device 7 cancels the currently running job until an instruction to cancel the job cancellation instruction is sent. In addition, all jobs that have been received from the client terminal 5 and are remaining in each section (e.g., RIP 14, etc.) within the print control device 6 are also cancelled (processing stopped). Furthermore, any jobs that have been newly sent to the print control device 6 are cancelled (reception stopped) or put on hold, so that the jobs are not output to the image forming device 7.

[0095] As a result, even if the print control device 6 and the image forming device 7 are separate, once a job cancellation instruction is received, all job output (printing) is canceled until the cancellation state is released. This makes it possible to reliably prevent printing from continuing even after a job cancellation instruction is received.

[0096] [Variations] It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0097] For example, in the above embodiment, among print jobs newly received by the receiving unit 11 while job cancellation is in progress (ongoing), only those identified as jobs to be canceled by the job monitoring / identification means 112 are subject to cancellation. However, for example, while job cancellation is in progress (ongoing), printing of all jobs that have already been received and reception of all jobs newly received by the receiving unit 11 may be stopped (canceled).

[0098] Furthermore, when some kind of trouble occurs in each part of the apparatus, the reception unit 12 receives a notification from each part of the apparatus requesting job cancellation, but the notification from each part of the apparatus is not limited to being received by the reception unit 12. For example, the job control unit 13 may receive a notification from each part of the apparatus and notify each part of the apparatus that is still operating of the job cancellation.

[0099] In addition, the configuration and operation of the print control device 10 and the print control system 100 including the print control device 10 can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0100] 1. Image forming device 10 Printing control device 11 Receiving unit 111 Spooler 112 Job Monitoring / Identification Measures 12. Reception methods 13 Job Control Method 14 RIP 15 Image Transfer Module 20 Image forming unit 30 Display means 31 Operation screen 5. Client terminal 50 Display means 51 Operation screen 100 Printing Control System

Claims

1. a receiving unit that receives a plurality of small jobs transmitted from a client terminal based on a print instruction; a control means for controlling printing based on the small job received by the receiving unit; an accepting unit for accepting a job cancel instruction, which is an instruction to stop printing or an instruction to interrupt printing; Equipped with the control unit controls the printing based on the small jobs to be stopped or interrupted when the job cancel instruction is received by the reception unit while the receiving unit is in the middle of receiving the plurality of small jobs. A print control device characterized by:

2. The job to be stopped or interrupted based on the job cancellation instruction is a small job that has been received when the job cancellation instruction is received, or a small job that will be printed next to the small job that is currently being printed.

2. The print control device according to claim 1.

3. After receiving the job cancellation instruction, the reception of small jobs is stopped.

2. The print control device according to claim 1.

4. Even after receiving the job cancellation instruction, the reception of small jobs continues.

2. The print control device according to claim 1.

5. When the receiving means receives the instruction to stop printing, The printing control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means stops printing of a job that is currently being printed, stops printing of a job that is newly received by the receiving unit, and also stops receiving print instructions by the receiving unit from the point in time when the stop instruction is accepted.

6. When the receiving means receives the instruction to interrupt printing, The printing control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means stops printing of a job that is currently being printed and also stops printing of a job that the receiving unit is newly receiving, but allows the receiving unit to continue receiving print instructions even after the interrupt instruction is accepted.

7. the receiving unit is capable of receiving a job cancellation instruction and a cancellation instruction for canceling the job cancellation instruction from a user, When the receiving unit receives a cancel instruction to cancel the job cancellation instruction from the user after receiving the job cancellation instruction from the user, 2. The print control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit restarts the operations of the units that have been stopped in accordance with the job cancellation instruction at the timing when the cancellation instruction is received.

8. 2. The print control device according to claim 1, further comprising a timer function, wherein the control means resumes the operation of each part that was stopped in accordance with the job cancellation instruction when a predetermined time has elapsed after receiving the job cancellation instruction.

9. 2. The print control device according to claim 1, further comprising a counting function for counting the number of jobs, wherein the control means, after receiving the job cancellation instruction, resumes the operation of each part that was stopped in accordance with the job cancellation instruction when the number of jobs received by the receiving unit reaches a predetermined number of jobs that has been set.

10. the receiving unit is capable of monitoring the reception status of data from the client terminal; The printing control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, after receiving the job cancellation instruction, the control means resumes operation of each part that was stopped in accordance with the job cancellation instruction when communication from the client terminal to the receiving unit is interrupted for a predetermined period of time or more.

11. the receiving unit is capable of analyzing characteristics of job data received from a client terminal; The printing control device described in claim 1, characterized in that the control means determines, among the jobs newly received by the receiving unit, those jobs that are analyzed to have characteristics common to the job data received at the time the accepting unit accepted the job cancellation instruction as jobs to be canceled, and stops the operation of each part related to printing for the jobs to be canceled.

12. the receiving means is capable of receiving an error signal from each unit of the apparatus as a job cancellation instruction, 2. The print control device according to claim 1, wherein the control means, when the accepting means accepts the error signal from each unit of the device, stops the operation of each unit related to printing.

13. The processing of the job determined by the control means to be the job to be canceled is suspended, a display means for displaying the job determined to be the job to be canceled; 12. The print control device according to claim 11, wherein the control unit receives an input as to whether or not to confirm the cancellation of the job to be canceled that is displayed on the display unit.

14. 12. The print control device according to claim 11, further comprising a display unit that enables the user to check a history list of the job determined by the control unit to be canceled.

15. a receiving unit that receives a plurality of small jobs transmitted from a client terminal based on a print instruction; a control means for controlling printing based on the small job received by the receiving unit; a print control device having an accepting unit for accepting a job cancellation instruction, which is an instruction to stop printing or an instruction to interrupt printing; the client terminal that transmits a plurality of small jobs based on the print instruction; an image forming apparatus that executes a printing operation for the small job; Including, the control unit controls the printing based on the small jobs to be stopped or interrupted when the job cancel instruction is received by the reception unit while the receiving unit is in the middle of receiving the plurality of small jobs. A printing control system comprising:

16. The computer that controls the printing operation a receiving function for receiving a plurality of small jobs transmitted from a client terminal based on a print instruction; a print control function that controls printing based on the small job received by the receiving function; An acceptance function for accepting a job cancellation instruction, which is an instruction to stop printing or an instruction to suspend printing; To achieve this, the print control function controls to stop or interrupt printing based on the small jobs when the reception function receives the job cancellation instruction while the reception function is in the middle of receiving the plurality of small jobs; A program characterized by:

17. a receiving step of receiving a plurality of small jobs transmitted from a client terminal based on a print instruction; a print control step of controlling printing based on the small job received in the receiving step; a receiving step of receiving a job cancellation instruction, which is an instruction to stop printing or an instruction to interrupt printing; Including, In the print control step, when the job cancellation instruction is received in the reception step while the plurality of small jobs are being received in the reception step, printing based on the small jobs is stopped or interrupted. A printing control method comprising:

Images