Print control apparatus, method of controlling print control apparatus, program, and storage medium

Abstract

To reduce the occurrence of a failure in transportation of a paper sheet during printing.SOLUTION: A print control apparatus includes; a storage unit for storing a printing agent resupplied from a resupplier capable of resupplying a printing agent from a printing agent container; and control means configured to perform control of, in a case that a first condition corresponding to a decrease in a remaining amount of printing agent that can be resupplied from the resupplier is met during printing, but a second condition corresponding to a decrease in the remaining amount of printing agent in the storage unit is not met and a supply source that is supplying a paper sheet being printed is a first supply source at a first position among a plurality of supply sources and a second supply source at a second position among the plurality of supply sources can supply a paper sheet of the same type as a paper sheet supplied from the first supply source, switching the supply source supplying the paper sheet to a printing unit for printing on the paper sheet from the first supply source to the second supply source and causes the printing to be continued.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] To achieve practical space savings and high usability, printers have traditionally adopted a full front access configuration, allowing almost all operations, including UI operation and consumable replacement, to be performed from the front. Printers with a full front access configuration may also adopt a configuration in which the paper feed path passes in front of the ink tank mounting section in order to simultaneously achieve face-down output, continuous printing, or throughput.

[0003] Patent document 1 discloses a printing device that has an intermediate tank in the ink supply path, so that even if the ink runs out during printing and the cover is opened, printing can continue by using the ink in the intermediate tank. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-80945 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a printing device that employs a configuration in which the paper feed path passes in front of the ink tank mounting unit, when a user opens and closes the ink tank mounting unit, this can affect paper transport and cause a jam.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to reduce problems occurring in paper transport during printing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A print control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a supply unit capable of supplying recording material from a recording material container; a storage section for storing the recording material supplied from the supply section; a paper feed means for feeding paper from one of a plurality of paper feed sources; a control means for controlling the paper feed source for the printing unit where printing is performed on the paper to be switched from the first paper feed source to the second paper feed source and continuing printing when a first condition corresponding to a decrease in the remaining amount of recording material that can be replenished from the replenishing unit is satisfied during printing and a second condition corresponding to a decrease in the remaining amount of recording material in the storage unit is not satisfied, and the paper feed source for the paper being printed is a first paper feed source at a first position among the plurality of paper feed sources and a second paper feed source at a second position among the plurality of paper feed sources can feed paper of the same type as the paper fed from the first paper feed source; The present invention is characterized by having the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce problems occurring in the transport of paper during printing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a recording device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating an ink supply mechanism. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a control configuration diagram of the recording apparatus. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a recording apparatus when a jam occurs in a fed sheet. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of a printing process. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen that displays a notification urging replacement of ink. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the claimed invention. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] <Embodiment 1> (Device configuration) 1 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus 1 (hereinafter referred to as recording apparatus 1) used in this embodiment. The recording apparatus 1 is also called a print control apparatus.

[0012] The recording device 1 is a device equipped with a printing unit, but it may also have a form equipped with the functionality of a multifunction device having a scanner unit. The recording device 1 is configured to have three paper feed cassettes that serve as paper feed sources, but the number does not have to be three. Paper feed cassette 112 is the uppermost paper feed cassette, and paper feed cassette 113 is located below paper feed cassette 112. An ink tank mounting section 114 is located below paper feed cassette 113, and when replacing an ink tank, the user can access the ink tank (recording material container) by pulling out ink tank mounting section 114 toward the front of the device, which is on the left side of the drawing. The ink tank mounting section 114 is a section for replenishing ink, which is the recording material.

[0013] The recording device 1 is configured to allow for the addition of paper feed cassettes to accommodate user needs, such as storing a large amount of paper within the device or storing paper of various sizes or types. In this embodiment, a paper feed cassette 115 is installed below the ink tank installation unit 114. The recording device 1 has multiple transport rollers to feed paper from the paper feed cassette and pass it through the paper feed path until it is discharged. Transport roller 116a is used to pull out paper loaded in paper feed cassette 112. Transport roller 116b is used to pull out paper loaded in paper feed cassette 113. Transport roller 116c is used to pull out paper loaded in paper feed cassette 115.

[0014] When printing on paper, the recording operation is performed using the recording head 111. When printing on both sides, the paper is passed through the paper feed path on both sides using the reversing path 117, and the paper on which the recording operation has been performed is discharged to the paper discharge path 118. When printing on one side, the paper on which the recording operation has been performed is discharged to the paper discharge path 118. In addition to the paper feed cassette, paper can also be set in the manual feeder 119 for printing.

[0015] The operation panel 120 is a mechanism that allows the user to input and output data to and from the recording device 1. The user can use the operation panel 120 to instruct operations, set print modes, and view information about the recording device 1.

[0016] (Paper feeding operation) When paper is loaded in the paper feed cassette 112 and printing is started by selecting the paper feed cassette 112, the paper is pulled out using a transport roller 116a attached to the paper feed cassette. The fed paper passes through a transport path 121, causing the recording head 111 to perform a recording operation based on the recording data. After the recording operation has been performed, the paper passes through a paper discharge path 118 and is in a state where the printed side faces down after printing is completed (hereinafter referred to as "face down"). The configuration of this embodiment is characterized by the fact that face down printing and operations performed on the recording device 1 can be performed from the front.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the ink supply mechanism of the recording device 1 used in this embodiment. The ink tank 141 can be accessed by mechanically adjusting the ink tank mounting section (i.e., by pulling out the ink tank mounting section 114). The ink tank 141 is an ink container (recording material container) and may be a tank-type container in which ink is replenished by refilling, or a cartridge-type container in which each tank can be detached and replaced. The intermediate tank (storage section) 142 is a mechanism for storing ink injected into the ink tank 141. With this configuration, even if the ink tank 141 runs out of ink, as long as there is ink in the intermediate tank 142, the ink tank 141 can be replenished or replaced while continuing printing, enabling stop-and-go printing. The intermediate tank 142 is equipped with a remaining ink detection sensor 143 for monitoring the remaining ink level. This sensor monitors the remaining ink level in the intermediate tank 142, and when the remaining ink level falls below a predetermined threshold (e.g., 30%), it can determine whether to suck ink from the ink tank 141 or notify the user of the appropriate timing for ink replacement. In this embodiment, the ink remaining amount in the ink tank 141 is measured using a dot counting method, and no remaining amount detection sensor is provided, but like the intermediate tank 142, the ink tank 141 may be provided with a remaining amount detection sensor that detects the ink remaining amount.

[0018] The pressure chamber 144 is a mechanism for pushing out ink from the intermediate tank 142. The choke valve 145 is a mechanism for sucking ink from the intermediate tank 142. The sucked ink is supplied to the recording head 111 (printing unit) through a supply tube 146. With this configuration, ink attached to the recording device 1 can be supplied to the recording head 111, enabling printing.

[0019] In reality, the ink tank mounting section 114 has an ink tank for each ink color, as well as an intermediate ink tank. In this embodiment, the ink tank mounting section 114 and the ink tanks of each color are collectively referred to as the supply section. Also, in this embodiment, the supply section of the recording device 1 does not have a physical locking mechanism that prevents mechanical changes (i.e., pulling out the ink tank mounting section 114). By configuring the supply section without a locking mechanism, the cost of installing a locking mechanism can be reduced. However, this is not limiting, and the supply section may also have a locking mechanism.

[0020] 3 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the recording apparatus 1. The control configuration mainly consists of a print engine unit 200 that controls the printing section, a scanner unit 300 that controls the scanner section, and a controller unit 400 that controls the entire recording apparatus 1. A print engine controller 202 controls various mechanisms of the print engine unit 200 in accordance with instructions from a main controller 401 of the controller unit 400. Various mechanisms of the scanner unit 300 are controlled by the main controller 401 of the controller unit 400. The control configuration will be described in detail below.

[0021] In the controller unit 400, a main controller 401 configured by a CPU controls the entire recording device 1 using a RAM 406 as a work area in accordance with programs and various parameters stored in a ROM 407. For example, a print job is input from a host via a host I / F 402 or a wireless I / F 403. For example, a print job is input from a server via a server I / F 410, and an image processing unit 408 performs predetermined image processing on the received image data in accordance with instructions from the main controller 401. The main controller 401 transmits the processed image data to the print engine unit 200 via a print engine I / F 405.

[0022] The operation panel 404 is a mechanism that allows the user to input and output data to and from the recording device 1. The user can use the operation panel 404 to instruct operations such as copying and scanning, set print modes, and view information about the recording device 1. The operation panel 404 is equipped with a touch panel display that can display various types of information and accept various user operations.

[0023] In the print engine unit 200, a print engine controller 202, which is configured by a CPU, controls various mechanisms in accordance with programs and various parameters stored in a ROM 203, using a RAM 204 as a work area. When various commands and image data are received via a controller I / F 201, the print engine controller 202 temporarily stores them in the RAM 204. The print engine controller 202 then causes an image processing controller 205 to convert the stored image data into print data so that the print head 111 can use it for printing. Once the print data is generated, the print engine controller 202 causes the print head 111 to perform a printing operation based on the print data via a head I / F 206. At this time, the print engine controller 202 drives the transport roller 116 shown in FIG. 1 via a transport control unit 207 to transport a printing medium such as paper. In accordance with instructions from the print engine controller 202, the transport control unit 207, head carriage control unit 208, and ink supply unit 209 work together to execute a printing operation by the print head 111, thereby carrying out printing processing. The maintenance control unit 210 is responsible for control processing for wiping off ink adhering to the recording head 111 and detecting non-ejection.

[0024] The print engine controller 202 determines the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 141 by counting the dots of ink used and stores this in non-volatile memory 222. The dot count method is a method in which the amount of ink used is stored in advance in a storage unit such as ROM 203, and the remaining amount of ink is detected from the number of times ink droplets have been output. When the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 141 falls below a certain threshold (first threshold), the print engine controller 202 notifies the main controller 401 of this detection by sending a detection signal (detection command) (hereinafter referred to as remaining amount low notification 1). The state in which remaining amount low notification 1 is generated is a state in which a first condition corresponding to the remaining amount of recording material that can be replenished from the ink tank mounting unit 114 is met (a state in which the remaining amount falls below the first threshold).

[0025] The print engine controller 202 also monitors the remaining amount of ink in the intermediate tank 142 using the remaining amount detection sensor 143, and stores the information in the non-volatile memory 222. When a first remaining amount notification is generated and the remaining amount in the intermediate tank 142 falls below a certain threshold (hereinafter referred to as a second threshold), the print engine controller 202 sends a detection signal (a low remaining amount notification) to the main controller 401 to notify the main controller 401 of the detection. A second remaining amount notification is generated when a second condition corresponding to a low remaining amount of printing material in the intermediate tank 142 is met (the ink falls below the second threshold). Information regarding the generation of the first remaining amount notification and the second remaining amount notification, as well as information regarding the cancellation of the first remaining amount notification and the second remaining amount notification due to the replacement of an ink tank or the addition of ink, are all stored and managed in the non-volatile memory 222. The waste ink control unit 223 has a function of controlling ink that is no longer needed after being ejected for cleaning the print head 111, etc.

[0026] Various parameters stored in ROM 203 can be set, for example, N-in-1 printing (N is an integer), double-sided or single-sided printing, color or monochrome printing, photo or document printing, etc. When applying parameter settings for each user from the default settings, the setting values ​​input on operation panel 404 can be received by the print engine controller via the print engine IF and reflected in the print settings.

[0027] In the scanner unit 300, a main controller 401 controls the hardware resources of a scanner controller 302 in accordance with programs and various parameters stored in a ROM 407, using a RAM 406 as a work area. This controls various mechanisms of the scanner unit 300. The main controller 401 controls the hardware resources in the scanner controller 302 via a controller I / F 301, so that a document placed on the ADF by a user is transported via a transport control unit 304 and read by a sensor 305. The scanner controller 302 then stores the read image data in a RAM 303. The print controller 402 converts the image data acquired as described above into print data, thereby enabling the print head 111 to perform a print operation based on the image data read by the scanner controller 302.

[0028] (Problem description) 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a jam occurs when the ink tank mounting section 114 is pulled out during paper feeding. When a job that feeds paper from the paper feed cassette 115 is executed, paper is fed through a transport path 121 that passes in front of the paper feed cassette 112, the paper feed cassette 113, and the ink tank mounting section 114.

[0029] If the ink tank mounting section 114 is pulled out while paper is passing in front of the paper feed cassette, the transport path 121 and the ink tank mounting section 114 will overlap, causing a jam.

[0030] However, if a hardware locking mechanism is provided to solve the above-mentioned problem so that the paper feed cassette cannot be pulled out when the conveying path 121 passes in front of the paper feed cassette, there is a concern that the cost of implementing the locking control will be high.

[0031] This problem can also be solved by passing the paper through the rear of the paper cassette instead of the front, but if face-down output is possible and the paper is passed through the rear, the transport path becomes longer, which raises concerns about printing time or the size of the device.

[0032] Therefore, as a solution to the above-mentioned problem, we will explain an example of a process that switches paper feed cassettes depending on the position of the paper feed cassette being used for printing when the remaining ink level is low, allowing ink replacement while continuing printing.We will also explain an example of a process that notifies the user whether it is appropriate to replace ink depending on the position of the paper feed cassette being used for printing when the remaining ink level is low, thereby preventing jams.

[0033] 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of printing processing of the recording device in this embodiment. The processing of this flowchart is executed by the main controller 401 of the recording device 1 loading a program stored in ROM 401 into RAM 407. The processing is also executed by the print engine controller 202 of the recording device 1 loading a program stored in ROM 203 into RAM 204. The processing of this flowchart is started when the recording device 1 performs a function that uses ink, such as copying or printing, and is executed by the main controller 401. Note that the symbol "S" in the following explanation of each process indicates a step in the flowchart.

[0034] In S501, the main controller 401 executes printing processing. That is, the main controller 401 executes control to supply ink from the ink tank 141 to the intermediate tank 142 (hereinafter, ink supply), supply ink from the intermediate tank 142 to the recording head 111, and print on various media (print media) such as paper. During ink supply, if the print engine controller 202 determines that the ink tank 141 has run out, it generates a remaining amount low notification 1 and stores the information in the non-volatile memory 222.

[0035] In S502, the main controller 401 determines whether low ink level notification 1 has occurred. As described above, low ink level notification 1 is a signal (command) sent from the print engine controller 202 to the main controller 401 when the amount of ink remaining in the ink tank 141 falls below a certain threshold. When the main controller 401 receives low ink level notification 1, it determines that low ink level notification 1 has occurred. If it determines that low ink level notification 1 has occurred, the process proceeds to S503; if not, the process proceeds to S517.

[0036] In S503, the main controller 401 determines whether a second low ink notification has been issued. As described above, a second low ink notification is a signal (command) sent from the print engine controller 202 to the main controller 401 when the remaining ink level in the intermediate tank 142 falls below a certain threshold while a first low ink notification has been issued. When the main controller 401 receives the second low ink notification, it determines that a second low ink notification has been issued. If it determines that a second low ink notification has been issued, that is, if the remaining ink level in the ink tank 141 is below a certain threshold and the remaining ink level in the intermediate tank 142 is also below a threshold, the process proceeds to S504. If it determines that a second low ink notification has not been issued, that is, if the remaining ink level in the ink tank 141 is below a certain threshold but there is still ink remaining in the intermediate tank 142, the process proceeds to S509.

[0037] In S504, the main controller 401 stops printing because there is insufficient ink remaining. That is, if both Low Ink Notification 1 and Low Ink Notification 2 have occurred, the main controller 401 controls to stop printing regardless of the position of the paper feed source.

[0038] In S505, the main controller 401 displays a message on the operation panel 404 urging the user to replace the ink cartridge.

[0039] 6 is a diagram showing an example of a notification displayed on the operation panel 404 of the recording device 1. In S505, the screen image 601 shown in FIG.

[0040] In S506, the main controller 401 determines whether the ink tank that caused printing to stop (the ink tank with low remaining ink) has been replaced. In the recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the ink tank 141 is a cartridge type, and ink replacement is determined based on a change in the IC chip attached to the ink tank 141, but this determination method is not limited to this. There are multiple methods for determining whether ink has been replaced. For example, in the case of a tank type, this can be determined by a remaining ink detection sensor indicating that the ink level has increased to a threshold value or higher. Another method is for the user to input the replacement information via the operation panel 404. If it is determined that the ink has been replaced, the main controller 401 proceeds to S507. If it is determined that the ink has not been replaced, the main controller 401 returns to S505 and continues displaying a message urging the user to replace the ink. That is, the screen image 601 shown in FIG. 6(a) is an image displayed on the operation panel 404 and will remain displayed until the ink replacement operation described in FIG. 5 is performed.

[0041] In S507, the main controller 401 deletes (cancels) the information that remaining amount low notification 1 was generated in response to the ink replacement. In other words, the state in which remaining amount low notification 1 was received is reset. In addition, in S508, the main controller 401 deletes (cancels) the information that remaining ink amount in the intermediate tank 142 increased due to the ink replacement, and that remaining amount low notification 2 was generated due to the cancellation of remaining amount low notification 1. In other words, the state in which remaining amount low notification 2 was received is reset. Note that if remaining amount low notification 1 and remaining amount low notification 2 are canceled due to the ink replacement, the main controller 401 performs control to stop the display of FIG. 6(a) displayed on the operation panel 120 in S505.

[0042] In S509, the main controller 401 determines whether the paper supply source (paper feed cassette) for the paper being printed on is located above the ink tank mounting unit 114 (closer to the recording head 111 than the ink tank mounting unit 114). If it is determined that the paper feed cassette for the paper being printed on is located above the ink tank, the process proceeds to S512; otherwise, the process proceeds to S510.

[0043] In S512, the main controller 401 displays a message on the operation panel 404, as shown in FIG. 6B, urging the user to replace the ink. This message urges the user to increase the amount of ink (recording material) remaining in the ink supply unit. Screen image 602 is an image displayed on the operation panel 404. However, it does not need to be continuously displayed during printing; it may be displayed as a pop-up for a certain period of time, or the screen may disappear when the operation panel 404 is touched. In this case, the paper feed cassette being printed is located above the ink tank mounting unit 114, so opening and closing the ink tank mounting unit 114 does not overlap with the conveyance path 121. Therefore, pulling out the ink tank mounting unit 114 will not cause a jam, and the user is urged to replace the ink tank 141 to continue printing. If the ink tank 141 is a refillable type rather than a replaceable type, a message urging the user to refill the ink tank 141 is displayed in S512.

[0044] In S510, the main controller 401 determines whether paper of the same type (category) as the paper being printed is also loaded (i.e., paper can be fed) in a paper feed cassette above the ink tank mounting unit 114 (closer to the recording head 111 than the ink tank mounting unit 114). If it determines that paper of the same type as the paper being printed is loaded in a paper feed cassette above the ink tank mounting unit 114, the process proceeds to S511; if not, the process proceeds to S517 without prompting the user to replace the ink tank 141.

[0045] In S511, the main controller 401 saves information about the paper feed cassette before switching in the RAM 204. Then, the main controller 401 switches (changes) the paper supply source (transport source) to an upper paper feed cassette loaded with the same type of paper as the paper being printed, which was determined to exist in S510, and continues printing. If the determination in S509 is No, this means that the paper feed cassette is located below the ink tank mounting unit 114. As described above, opening and closing the ink tank mounting unit 114 may obstruct the transport path 121, causing a jam. Therefore, first, through the control of S510 and S511, the paper supply source is switched to a paper feed cassette located above the ink tank mounting unit 114 (closer to the print head 111 than the ink tank mounting unit 114). This switching process allows the transport path 121 to be unobstructed even if the ink tank mounting unit 114 is pulled out during printing, preventing a jam from occurring. Then, the process proceeds to S512, where a message is displayed prompting the user to replace the ink, as shown in FIG. 6(b).

[0046] On the other hand, if the paper feed cassette is located below the ink tank mounting portion 114 and it is not possible to switch to a paper feed cassette above the ink tank mounting portion 114 (if S510 returns No), the process proceeds to S517 without displaying S512. In other words, the process proceeds to S517 without performing control to prompt the user to replace the ink tank 141. This prevents the user from carelessly pulling out the ink tank mounting portion 114 and causing a jam.

[0047] In S513, the main controller 401 determines whether the ink corresponding to Low Amount Notification 2 has been replaced. If so, the process proceeds to S514; if not, the process proceeds to S517. In S514, as in S507, the process cancels Low Amount Notification 1, and also controls the display of FIG. 6B, which was displayed in S512, to stop.

[0048] In S515, the main controller 401 determines whether or not the paper feed cassette was switched in S511. If it is determined that the paper feed cassette was switched, the process proceeds to S516, and if not, the process proceeds to S517.

[0049] In S516, the main controller 401 switches the paper feed source (transport source) to the original paper feed cassette before switching in S511 (switchback processing) based on the information about the paper feed cassette before switching that was saved in RAM 204 in S511. Note that although the paper feed cassette switchback processing has been described as processing that is performed automatically, a screen that allows the user to select whether or not to perform the switchback processing may be displayed on the operation panel 404, allowing the user to make the selection.

[0050] In S517, the main controller 401 determines whether the series of printing operations is complete. If it is determined that the series of printing operations is not complete, the main controller 401 returns to S501 and continues the series of printing operations. For example, if printing of 1,000 sheets was instructed, the remaining printing operations are continued. If it is determined that the series of printing operations is complete, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0051] As described above, this embodiment can reduce problems with paper transport during printing. Specifically, if the paper feed source for the paper being printed is located above the ink tank mounting section 114, the paper transport path and the opening and closing operation of the ink tank mounting section do not overlap, preventing jams. Therefore, when the ink level is low, a notification is displayed urging the user to replace the ink. This allows printing to continue without stopping even when the ink level is low by replacing the ink tank.

[0052] On the other hand, if the paper feed source for the paper being printed is located below the ink tank mounting unit 114 (farther from the recording head 111), the paper transport path and the opening and closing operation of the ink tank mounting unit overlap, which could cause a jam. Therefore, first, an attempt is made to switch the paper feed source (transport source) cassette for the same paper to a cassette above the ink tank mounting unit 114 (closer to the recording head 111). If switching is possible, the switch is made by processing in S511, and a notification is displayed urging the user to replace the ink. This makes it possible to replace the ink tank and continue printing even when the remaining ink level is low, without stopping printing or causing problems with paper transport.

[0053] Furthermore, if the paper source is located farther from the print head 111 than the ink tank mounting unit 114 and the paper source cassette cannot be switched to a position above the ink tank mounting unit 114, the following control is performed. That is, printing is performed without displaying a notification urging the user to replace the ink, so that the user will not pull out the ink tank mounting unit 114 even when the ink level is low. If a notification urging the user to replace the ink is not displayed on the operation panel, the user will not realize that the ink level is low, and therefore it is likely that the user will not replace the ink. This prevents the ink tank mounting unit from interfering with paper transport. In this way, it is possible to perform printing without jamming depending on the situation.

[0054] In the above embodiment, ink is used as the recording material for printing, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the recording material may be toner.

[0055] In the above-described embodiment, the process when ink runs low during printing has been described. However, there are also cases where printing paper runs out during printing. In the flowchart for processing to reduce paper transport issues shown in FIG. 5 , when the paper cassette being used for printing runs out of paper, the printer determines which paper cassette is currently holding the same type of paper. If paper is being held in both the upper and lower paper cassettes of the ink tank installation area, the printer switches to the upper paper cassette. This makes it possible to display a notification prompting the user to replace the ink when ink levels are low without stopping printing. If the same type of paper is being held in a paper cassette below the ink tank installation area, the printer switches to the lower paper cassette. When ink levels are low, the printer performs the process shown in FIG. 5 . If neither paper cassette is holding paper, the printer simply stops printing until the user loads paper.

[0056] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the recording device of the above embodiment is described as having a configuration in which the printing unit and paper discharge path are located above the ink tank installation unit and paper feed cassette. However, this is not limited to this configuration. The above-described embodiment may also be applied to a recording device configured such that the printing unit and paper discharge path are located below the ink tank installation unit and paper feed cassette. In this case, the process when ink levels are low can be reversed from that of the above embodiment. That is, if the paper feed cassette is located above the ink tank installation unit, the opening and closing of the ink tank installation unit and the paper transport may overlap, so a notification prompting an ink change is not displayed immediately. On the other hand, if the paper feed cassette is located below the ink tank installation unit, the opening and closing of the ink tank installation unit and the paper transport do not overlap, so a notification prompting an ink change is displayed when ink levels are low. In other words, the user only needs to be notified in a way that prevents the opening and closing of the ink tank installation unit and the paper transport during printing from overlapping.

[0057] The various controls described above as being performed by the main controller 401 may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or the entire device may be controlled by multiple pieces of hardware (e.g., multiple processors or circuits) sharing the processing.

[0058] <Other embodiments> The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Claims

1. a supply unit capable of supplying recording material from a recording material container; a storage section for storing the recording material supplied from the supply section; a paper feed means for feeding paper from one of a plurality of paper feed sources; a control means for controlling the paper feed source for the printing unit where the paper is printed to be switched from the first paper feed source to the second paper feed source and continuing printing when a first condition corresponding to a decrease in the remaining amount of recording material that can be replenished from the replenishing unit is satisfied during printing and a second condition corresponding to a decrease in the remaining amount of recording material in the storage unit is not satisfied, and the paper feed source for the paper being printed is a first paper feed source at a first position among the plurality of paper feed sources and a second paper feed source at a second position among the plurality of paper feed sources can feed paper of the same type as the paper fed from the first paper feed source; A print control device comprising:

2. 2. The print control device according to claim 1, wherein the first position is farther from the printing unit than the supply unit, and the second position is closer to the printing unit than the supply unit.

3. 2. The printing control device according to claim 1, wherein a mechanical change in the supply unit when increasing the remaining amount of recording material in the supply unit hinders the transport of paper in the transport path from the first paper feed source to the printing unit.

4. 4. The print control device according to claim 3, wherein the mechanical change is to pull out the supply unit toward the front of the print control device.

5. 4. The print control device according to claim 3, wherein the supply unit does not have a physical locking mechanism for suppressing the mechanical change.

6. 2. A printing control device according to claim 1, characterized in that even if a mechanical change occurs when increasing the remaining amount of recording material in the supply section, the transport of paper in the transport path from the second paper feed source to the printing section is not hindered.

7. The printing control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means controls printing to stop when both the remaining amount of recording material in the recording material container and the remaining amount of recording material in the storage section become less than their respective threshold values, regardless of the position of the paper feed source of the paper being printed.

8. The printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the first condition is met but the second condition is not met during printing, if the paper source for the paper being printed is the second paper source, the control means notifies the user to increase the remaining amount of recording material that can be replenished from the supply unit and controls the device to continue printing.

9. The printing device according to claim 8, characterized in that, when the first condition is met but the second condition is not met during printing, if the paper source for the paper being printed is the first paper source, the control means controls the printing to continue without issuing the notification.

10. The printing control device described in claim 1, characterized in that if the first condition is no longer met while changing from the first paper feed source to the second paper feed source and continuing printing, the control means controls the paper feed source of the paper being printed to be changed back to the first paper feed source.

11. 2. The print control device according to claim 1, wherein the recording material is ink or toner.

12. The print control device according to claim 1 , wherein the print control device includes a supply unit for each color of ink or toner.

13. a supply unit capable of supplying recording material from a recording material container; a storage section for storing the recording material supplied from the supply section; a paper feed means for feeding paper from one of a plurality of paper feed sources; A control method for a print control device having a control means for controlling the paper feed source for the printing unit where the paper is printed to be switched from the first paper feed source to the second paper feed source and continuing printing when a first condition corresponding to a decrease in the remaining amount of recording material that can be replenished from the replenishing unit is satisfied during printing and a second condition corresponding to a decrease in the remaining amount of recording material in the storage unit is not satisfied, and the paper feed source for the paper being printed is a first paper feed source at a first position among the plurality of paper feed sources and a second paper feed source at a second position among the plurality of paper feed sources can feed paper of the same type as the paper fed from the first paper feed source; A control method for a print control device, comprising:

14. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the print control device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the print control device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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