Printing control system and program

Abstract

To allow an inspection level according to an environmental condition of an environment in which a printer is located, to be set on an inspection apparatus that inspects a printed matter printed by the printer.SOLUTION: An inspection control unit 47 acquires environmental information in a printing factory which is an environment in which printers 21-23 are located, and sets an inspection level according to the acquired environmental information, in an inspection apparatus 48 that inspects printed matters printed by the printers 21-23. The inspection control unit 47 calculates an inspection speed required for inspection at the inspection level set in the inspection apparatus 48, and notifies a printing control unit 46 of the calculated speed. The printing control unit 46 controls the printers 21-23 so that printing is performed at a printing speed according to the calculated inspection speed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a printing control system and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system in which a plurality of print image inspection devices are connected via a general-purpose network and are managed centrally.

[0003] Patent document 2 discloses a printing system in which multiple printing devices are connected via a network, and the calibration interval of one printing device is adjusted according to the calibration result information and environmental information of another printing device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-170489 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-276278 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a printing factory where commercial printing is performed, multiple printing lines containing printing devices are formed. However, even multiple printing devices operating in the same environmental area of ​​a printing factory may have different optimal environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity. Since the print quality of a printing system that prints on printing paper is affected by environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, there is a concern that print quality may deteriorate if the printing system is operated in an environment that is far from the optimal environmental conditions.

[0006] In printing systems used for commercial printing, print results are inspected to ensure the quality of printed materials. While the stricter the inspection level, the higher the quality of the print results, the longer the inspection time. Furthermore, in commercial printing processes, there are often time constraints between order placement and delivery, and there are also demands to reduce the cost of printed materials, so higher productivity is required. Therefore, it is not always sufficient to set the inspection level to a strict level.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a printing control system and program that, when inspecting printed matter printed by a printing device using an inspection device, can set an inspection level for the inspection device according to the environmental conditions of the environment in which the printing device is located. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A printing control system according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a processor, the processor acquiring environmental information of an environment in which a printing device is placed, setting an inspection level corresponding to the acquired environmental information for an inspection device that inspects printed matter in the printing device; Calculating the inspection speed when the inspection is performed at the inspection level set in the inspection device; The printing device is controlled so that printing is performed at a printing speed corresponding to the calculated inspection speed.

[0009] A printing control system according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is the printing control system according to the first aspect, wherein when there are multiple printing lines including printing devices, the processor refers to the printing speeds set for each of the multiple printing devices, and selects a printing device that will execute a new print instruction from among the multiple printing devices; The print instruction is executed on the selected printing device.

[0010] A printing control system according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the printing control system according to the second aspect, wherein when executing one print instruction using multiple print lines, the processor refers to the print speeds set for each of the multiple printing devices, and selects multiple printing devices from the multiple printing devices that will execute a new print instruction; The print instruction is divided and executed by the selected printing devices.

[0011] A printing control system according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the printing control system according to the first aspect, the environmental information is composed of temperature information and humidity information, The inspection level is set by one or more of the following conditions: inspection items that indicate what items of the printed matter are to be inspected; inspection standards that are the criteria for determining whether the printed matter passes or fails; and inspection accuracy when conducting the inspection.

[0012] A fifth aspect of the printing control system of the present disclosure is the printing control system of the fourth aspect, in which the processor sets an inspection level for the inspection device according to the acquired environmental information using a table in which inspection levels are set for each combination of temperature and humidity.

[0013] A sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides a program, comprising: acquiring environmental information of an environment in which a printing device is placed; setting an inspection level according to the acquired environmental information for an inspection device that inspects printed matter in the printing device; calculating an inspection speed when inspection is performed at an inspection level set in the inspection device; and a step of controlling the printing device so that printing is performed at a printing speed corresponding to the calculated inspection speed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the printing control system of the first aspect of the present disclosure, when inspecting printed matter printed by a printing device using an inspection device, it is possible to set an inspection level for the inspection device that corresponds to the environmental conditions of the environment in which the printing device is located.

[0015] According to the print control system of the second aspect of the present disclosure, when a new print instruction is to be executed, it is possible to select a printing device suitable for executing the print instruction and have the printing device execute the print instruction.

[0016] According to the printing control system of the third aspect of the present disclosure, when a single printing instruction is divided and executed using multiple printing devices, it is possible to select a printing device that is suitable for executing the printing instruction and execute it.

[0017] According to the printing control system of the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, when inspecting printed matter printed by a printing device using an inspection device, it is possible to set an inspection level for the inspection device according to the temperature and humidity of the environment in which the printing device is located.

[0018] According to the printing control system of the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to set the inspection level to be set for the inspection device based on the temperature information and humidity information in the acquired environmental information without requiring complex calculations.

[0019] According to the program of the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, when inspecting printed matter printed by a printing device using an inspection device, it is possible to set an inspection level for the inspection device that corresponds to the environmental conditions of the environment in which the printing device is located. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a print control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a print control server 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3]1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a print control server 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen when setting an inspection level for each combination of temperature and humidity based on an operation from the operation input unit 42. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printing control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of a print control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the printing control system of one embodiment of the present disclosure is configured such that printing devices 21-23, post-processing devices 31-33, a temperature sensor 51, and a humidity sensor 52 arranged within a printing factory are connected to a printing control server 10 via a network 40 within the printing factory and the Internet 60.

[0024] The post-processing devices 31 to 33 are devices that perform post-processing on the printed materials printed by the printing devices 21 to 23, respectively. Specifically, the post-processing devices 31 and 33 perform saddle-stitching processing on the printed materials printed by the printing devices 21 and 23. The post-processing device 32 also performs cutting processing on the printed materials printed by the printing device 22.

[0025] Printing line 1 is made up of a printing system consisting of printing device 21 and post-processing device 31, and printing line 2 is made up of a printing system consisting of printing device 22 and post-processing device 32. Furthermore, printing line 3 is made up of a printing system consisting of printing device 23 and post-processing device 33.

[0026] In this manner, in this embodiment, it is assumed that three printing lines 1 to 3, which are rows of printing devices, are arranged in a printing factory.

[0027] The print quality of the printing devices 21 to 23 that print on printing paper is sensitive to environmental changes such as temperature and humidity changes, and there are optimal environmental conditions for each device to stabilize print quality.

[0028] For example, the optimum environmental conditions for printing line 1, which is made up of printing device 21 and post-processing device 31, are a temperature of 20°C and a humidity of 30%. The optimum environmental conditions for printing line 2, which is made up of printing device 22 and post-processing device 32, are a temperature of 30°C and a humidity of 20%. The optimum environmental conditions for printing line 3, which is made up of printing device 23 and post-processing device 33, are a temperature of 20°C and a humidity of 30%.

[0029] Therefore, the printing factory is provided with a temperature sensor 51 that detects the temperature in the environmental area of ​​the printing factory, and a humidity sensor 52 that detects the humidity in the environmental area of ​​the printing factory. The print control server 10 acquires environmental information about the printing factory from the temperature sensor 51 and the humidity sensor 52, and controls the operation of the printing lines 1 to 3 based on the acquired environmental information.

[0030] When multiple printing systems exist in a printing factory and the optimal environmental conditions for each printing system are different, it is difficult to achieve the optimal environment for all printing systems. Furthermore, because the print quality of each printing system is affected by environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, there is a concern that print quality may deteriorate if the printing systems are operated in environmental conditions that are far from the optimal environmental conditions.

[0031] In printing systems used for commercial printing, print results are inspected to ensure the quality of printed materials. While the stricter the inspection level, the higher the quality of the print results, the longer the inspection time. In commercial printing processes, there are often time constraints between order placement and delivery, and there are also demands to reduce the cost of printed materials, so higher productivity is required. Therefore, it is not always sufficient to set the inspection level to a strict level.

[0032] Therefore, the print control server 10 of this embodiment controls the operation of three print lines 1 to 3, which have different optimal environmental conditions, via the Internet 60 and the network 40, by performing the control described below to maintain the quality of the printed materials output from the print lines 1 to 3.

[0033] Next, the hardware configuration of the print control server 10 in the print control system of this embodiment is shown in FIG.

[0034] 2, the print control server 10 has a CPU 11, memory 12, a storage device 13 such as a hard disk drive, a communication interface (abbreviated as IF) 14 that transmits and receives data to and from external devices via a network 30, and a user interface (abbreviated as UI) device 15 that includes a touch panel or liquid crystal display and a keyboard. These components are connected to each other via a control bus 16.

[0035] The CPU 11 is a processor that controls the operation of the print control server 10 by executing predetermined processes based on a control program stored in the memory 12 or the storage device 13. While the present embodiment has been described as the CPU 11 reading and executing the control program stored in the memory 12 or the storage device 13, this is not limiting. The control program may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. For example, the program may be provided in a form recorded on an optical disc such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, or in a semiconductor memory such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a memory card. The control program may also be acquired from an external device via a communication line connected to the communication interface 14.

[0036] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the print control server 10 that is realized by executing the above control program.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, the printing control server 10 of this embodiment includes a display unit 41, an operation input unit 42, a data transmission / reception unit 43, a system control unit 44, an inspection setting memory unit 45, a printing control unit 46, an inspection control unit 47, and an inspection device 48.

[0038] The operation input unit 42 accepts various inputs from the user. The display unit 41 is controlled by the system control unit 44 and displays various information to the user. The data transmission / reception unit 43 transmits and receives data to and from the temperature sensor 51, humidity sensor 52, printing devices 21-23, and post-processing devices 31-33 via the Internet 60 and the network 40.

[0039] The system control unit 44 controls the overall operation of the print control server 10. When executing print processing on the printing devices 21-23 and post-processing devices 31-33, the system control unit 44 instructs the print control unit 46 to execute the print processing. The system control unit 44 also instructs the inspection control unit 47 to inspect the print results printed by the printing devices 21-23, and receives the inspection results from the inspection control unit 47.

[0040] Based on instructions from the system control unit 44, the print control unit 46 transmits print data to the printing devices 21-23 and post-processing devices 31-33, and transfers the printed image data to the inspection control unit 47.

[0041] The inspection setting storage unit 45 stores an inspection setting table in which an inspection level is set for each combination of temperature and humidity.

[0042] FIG. 4 shows an example of a setting screen when setting an inspection level for each combination of temperature and humidity based on an operation from the operation input unit 42.

[0043] Fig. 4 shows an example of a settings screen for setting the inspection level for each combination of temperature and humidity for inspection device 48, whose optimum environmental conditions are a temperature of 20°C and a humidity of 30%. Referring to Fig. 4, it can be seen that under the optimum environmental conditions of a temperature of 20°C and a humidity of 30%, the resolution for inspecting the density of a printed image is set to a value of 300 dpi, the gradation is set to a value of 8 bits, and the threshold is set to a value of ±10%.

[0044] In contrast, if the temperature in a printing factory is, for example, the reference temperature -5°C, or 15°C, and the humidity is the reference humidity -5%, or 25%, the inspection level is changed to be stricter, and the resolution for inspecting the density of the printed image is set to 300 dpi, the gradation to 10 bits, and the threshold to ±8%. Furthermore, under these environmental conditions, it can be seen that an inspection item called "voids" is added to inspect for whiteouts, where the printed image is missing. In this way, in the inspection setting table for inspection levels, the stricter the inspection level is set as the environmental conditions move away from the optimal conditions.

[0045] Furthermore, based on the temperature and humidity information within the printing factory acquired from the temperature sensor 51 and humidity sensor 52, the inspection control unit 47 acquires inspection level information corresponding to the current environmental conditions within the printing factory from the inspection setting table stored in the inspection setting storage unit 45 and sets this information in the inspection device 48. In other words, the inspection control unit 47 acquires environmental information within the printing factory, which is the environment in which the printing devices 21-23 are located, and sets an inspection level corresponding to the acquired environmental information for the inspection device 48 that inspects the printed materials printed by the printing devices 21-23. The inspection control unit 47 then transfers scan data obtained by scanning the print results printed by the printing devices 21-23 and image data from the print control unit 46 to the inspection device 48, and inspects the print results.

[0046] The inspection device 48 performs an inspection by comparing the scan data and image data transferred from the print control unit 46 according to a preset inspection level, and transmits the inspection results to the inspection control unit 47. The inspection control unit 47 transfers the received inspection results to the system control unit 44.

[0047] Then, based on the inspection results transferred from the inspection control unit 47, the system control unit 44 performs processing such as interrupting the printing process or reprinting from the page where the printing defect was detected.

[0048] The inspection control unit 47 calculates the inspection speed when the inspection is performed at the inspection level set in the inspection device 48, and notifies the print control unit 46. The print control unit 46 controls the printing devices 21 to 23 so that printing is performed at a print speed corresponding to the calculated inspection speed.

[0049] If the environmental conditions in the printing factory deviate significantly from the optimal environmental conditions for a certain printing line, the printing speed of that printing line may drop significantly. Therefore, if there are multiple printing lines each including printing devices 21-23, the printing control unit 46 may refer to the printing speed set for each of the multiple printing devices 21-23, select a printing device from the multiple printing devices 21-23 to execute a new print job, and have the selected printing device execute the print job.

[0050] Furthermore, when executing one print job using multiple print lines, the print control unit 46 may refer to the print speeds set for each of the multiple print devices 21-23, select multiple print devices 21-23 from the multiple print devices 21-23 to execute the new print job, and divide the print job and have the selected multiple print devices execute it.

[0051] In this embodiment, the environmental information is described as being composed of temperature information and humidity information, but information other than temperature information or humidity information may be used as the environmental information. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inspection level is described as being composed of inspection items that indicate what items of the printed matter are to be inspected, inspection standards that are the criteria for determining whether the printed matter passes or fails, and inspection accuracy when the inspection is performed, but the inspection level may be set based on any one or more conditions from the inspection items, inspection standards, and inspection accuracy.

[0052] Next, the operation of the print control system of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0053] When a print job is to be executed, first, in step S101, the inspection control unit 47 acquires temperature information and humidity information from the temperature sensor 51 and humidity sensor 52 in the printing factory as environmental information.

[0054] Then, in step S102, the test control unit 47 determines whether the currently acquired environmental information has changed from the previously acquired environmental information.

[0055] If it is determined in step S102 that the environmental information acquired this time has not changed from the environmental information acquired previously, the inspection control unit 47 periodically acquires environmental information within the printing factory based on the processing of step S101.

[0056] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S102 that the environmental information acquired this time has changed from the environmental information acquired previously, the inspection control unit 47 acquires, in step S103, an inspection level corresponding to the acquired environmental information from the inspection setting table stored in the inspection setting memory unit 45.

[0057] Then, in step S104, the inspection control unit 47 calculates the inspection speed based on the set inspection level, and in step S105, the inspection control unit 47 notifies the print control unit 46 of the print speed corresponding to the calculated inspection speed.

[0058] The print control unit 46 then adjusts the print speed of the printing devices 21 to 23 so that the print process is executed at the print speed notified by the inspection control unit 47.

[0059] Then, in step S106, the inspection control unit 47 determines whether the printing process has been completed, and if so, ends the process, and if not, returns to the process of step S101.

[0060] In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0061] Furthermore, the operations of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be performed not only by a single processor but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments and may be changed as appropriate.

[0062] In this embodiment, the term "system" includes both a system made up of multiple devices and a system made up of a single device.

[0063] [Note] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below.

[0064] (((1))) a processor; The processor: Obtaining environmental information about the environment in which the printing device is located; setting an inspection level corresponding to the acquired environmental information for an inspection device that inspects printed matter in the printing device; Calculating the inspection speed when the inspection is performed at the inspection level set in the inspection device; controlling the printing device so that printing is performed at a printing speed corresponding to the calculated inspection speed; Printing control system.

[0065] (((2))) The processor: When there are multiple printing lines including printing devices, the printing device that will execute the new print instruction is selected from the multiple printing devices by referring to the printing speeds set for each of the multiple printing devices; Execute a print instruction to the selected printing device; The printing control system according to (((1))).

[0066] (((3))) The processor: When a single print instruction is executed using a plurality of print lines, the printing device is selected from the plurality of print devices by referring to the print speeds set for each of the plurality of print devices, and the plurality of print devices is selected to execute the new print instruction. Divide and execute print instructions among multiple selected printing devices. The printing control system according to (((2))).

[0067] (((4))) the environmental information is composed of temperature information and humidity information, A printing control system described in any one of (((1))) to (((3))), wherein the inspection level is set based on one or more of the following conditions: inspection items indicating what items of the printed matter are to be inspected; inspection standards that are the criteria for determining whether the printed matter passes or fails; and inspection accuracy when conducting the inspection.

[0068] (((5))) the processor sets an inspection level for the inspection device according to the acquired environmental information using a table in which an inspection level is set for each combination of temperature and humidity; The printing control system according to (((4))).

[0069] (((6))) acquiring environmental information about an environment in which the printing device is located; setting an inspection level according to the acquired environmental information for an inspection device that inspects printed matter in the printing device; calculating an inspection speed when inspection is performed at an inspection level set in the inspection device; controlling the printing device so that printing is performed at a printing speed corresponding to the calculated inspection speed; A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

[0070] The effects of the configuration described above will be described below.

[0071] According to the printing control system (((1))), when inspecting printed matter printed by a printing device using an inspection device, it is possible to set an inspection level for the inspection device according to the environmental conditions of the environment in which the printing device is located.

[0072] According to the printing control system (((2))), when a new print instruction is to be executed, it is possible to select a printing device suitable for executing the print instruction and have the printing device execute the instruction.

[0073] According to the printing control system (((3))), when a single print instruction is divided and executed by multiple printing devices, it is possible to select a printing device suitable for executing the print instruction.

[0074] According to the printing control system (((4))), when inspecting printed matter printed by a printing device using an inspection device, it is possible to set an inspection level for the inspection device according to the temperature and humidity of the environment in which the printing device is located.

[0075] According to the printing control system (((5))), it is possible to set the inspection level for the inspection device from the temperature and humidity information in the acquired environmental information without requiring complex calculations.

[0076] According to the program (((6))), when inspecting printed matter printed by a printing device using an inspection device, it is possible to set an inspection level for the inspection device according to the environmental conditions of the environment in which the printing device is located. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 10 Printing Control Server 11 CPU 12 Memory 13 Storage device 14 Communication Interface 15 User Interface Device 16 Control Bus 21~23 Printing device 31~33 After-treatment device 40 Network 41 Display section 42 Operation input section 43 Data transmission and reception unit 44 System control section 45 Inspection setting memory unit 46 Printing control unit 47 Inspection Control Unit 48 Inspection Equipment 51 Temperature Sensor 52 Humidity sensor 60 Internet

Claims

1. a processor; The processor: Obtaining environmental information about the environment in which the printing device is located; setting an inspection level corresponding to the acquired environmental information for an inspection device that inspects printed matter in the printing device; Calculating the inspection speed when the inspection is performed at the inspection level set in the inspection device; controlling the printing device so that printing is performed at a printing speed corresponding to the calculated inspection speed; Printing control system.

2. The processor: When there are multiple printing lines including printing devices, the printing device that will execute the new print instruction is selected from the multiple printing devices by referring to the printing speeds set for each of the multiple printing devices; Execute a print instruction to the selected printing device; The printing control system according to claim 1 .

3. The processor: When a single print instruction is to be executed using a plurality of print lines, the printing speeds set for the plurality of print devices are referenced, and a plurality of print devices to be used for executing a new print instruction are selected from the plurality of print devices; Divide and execute print instructions among multiple selected printing devices. The printing control system according to claim 2 .

4. the environmental information is composed of temperature information and humidity information, The printing control system of claim 1, wherein the inspection level is set based on one or more of the following conditions: inspection items indicating what items of the printed material are to be inspected; inspection standards that are the criteria for determining whether the printed material passes or fails; and inspection accuracy when conducting the inspection.

5. the processor sets an inspection level for the inspection device according to the acquired environmental information using a table in which an inspection level is set for each combination of temperature and humidity; The printing control system according to claim 4 .

6. acquiring environmental information about an environment in which the printing device is located; setting an inspection level according to the acquired environmental information for an inspection device that inspects printed matter in the printing device; calculating an inspection speed when inspection is performed at an inspection level set in the inspection device; controlling the printing device so that printing is performed at a printing speed corresponding to the calculated inspection speed; A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

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