Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To perform printing in a proper paper direction.SOLUTION: A printer 1 includes: a detection section 40 that detects that paper placed in a paper feed tray is changed; an acquisition section 42 that acquires a paper size and a paper direction which are information on the changed paper placed in the paper feed tray; and a notification section 44 that notifies a recommended direction of paper placed in the paper feed tray with a warning message MSG on the basis of the information on the changed paper, a paper support table TB1 to be information related to double-sided printing, double-sided printing setting of device setting, and a utilization ratio of the double-sided printing in a printing job history in a job log storage section 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and is suitable for application to an image forming apparatus compatible with, for example, SEF and LEF. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is an image forming apparatus that prints an image by forming a toner image (also called a developer image) using toner (also called a developer) with a developing device, transferring it to paper (also called a medium), and then fixing the image by applying heat and pressure to the paper with a fixing device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Some of these image forming apparatuses support both SEF (short edge feed) and LEF (long edge feed) paper orientations. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-194102 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in such image forming apparatuses, depending on the paper size, either the SEF or LEF may not support double-sided printing, and printing may not be possible in the appropriate paper orientation.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose an image forming apparatus that can print in an appropriate paper orientation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve this problem, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is provided with a detection unit that detects when the medium placed in the paper feed unit is changed, an acquisition unit that acquires information about the changed medium placed in the paper feed unit, and a notification unit that notifies the recommended orientation of the medium placed in the paper feed unit based on the information about the changed medium and information about double-sided printing.

[0008] When the paper size and paper orientation are changed to a size and orientation that do not allow double-sided printing, the present invention can notify the user that double-sided printing is not possible with the changed paper orientation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, when the paper size and paper orientation are changed to one that does not allow double-sided printing, it is possible to notify that double-sided printing is not possible with the changed paper orientation, thereby realizing an image forming device that can print with the appropriate paper orientation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printer. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a paper support table. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a job log. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating transitions of the display on the display when the paper size of the MP tray is changed by pressing a button on the operation panel. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the transition of the display on the display when the paper size of tray 1 is changed when tray 1 is open. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating transitions of the display on the display when the current setting of double-sided printing is confirmed by pressing a button on the operation panel. [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram showing initial setting values ​​of paper sizes of paper feed trays in a paper feed tray paper setting storage section. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a change (1) in the setting value of the paper size of the paper feed tray in the paper feed tray paper setting storage section. [Figure 9]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a change (2) in the setting value of the paper size of the paper feed tray in the paper feed tray paper setting storage section. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the printer. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a warning process procedure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings. [1. Printer configuration] As shown in Figure 1, printer 1 is an image forming device that prints on paper, receiving print data from an external host PC (Personal Computer) and printing the print data. This printer 1 has a control unit 10, non-volatile memory 12, and ROM 14, and the entire printer is controlled by the control unit 10. The control unit 10 is made up of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and by reading and executing predetermined programs from ROM 14, it performs various processes and performs functions such as a button press detection unit 20, a paper feed tray open detection unit 21, a settings display unit 22, a settings change unit 23, a log analysis unit 24, and a recommended settings display unit 25.

[0012] Although printer 1 also has a print data receiving unit, a job control unit, a drawing command interpretation unit, an image forming unit, and a print control unit, which are general processing components that receive print data from the host PC and perform printing, these are not shown in Figure 1 because the present invention relates to the behavior of control unit 10 at a point in time before receiving print data or starting print processing.

[0013] The button press detection unit 20 detects when the up / down button, OK button, back button, cancel button, and help button provided on the operation panel of the printer 1 are pressed by a user. The operation panel is composed of an input unit such as buttons that accept input operations by the user who is the operator, and a display unit such as a display that outputs information to the user. The control unit 10 detects by the button press detection unit 20 that a button on the operation panel of the printer 1 has been pressed by a user operation, and changes the screen display and device settings.

[0014] The paper feed tray open detection unit 21 detects that the paper feed tray has been opened by a user's operation to replenish paper. When the paper feed tray is opened, not only may the paper feed tray be replenished with paper of the same paper size, but also with paper of a different paper size, paper of a different paper orientation, or paper of a different media type (paper type).

[0015] The setting display unit 22 reads out the current setting values ​​stored in the paper feed tray paper setting storage unit 34 and displays them on the display of the operation panel. The setting change unit 23 changes the setting values ​​in the paper feed tray paper setting storage unit 34 in response to a user operation on the operation panel.

[0016] The log analysis unit 24 acquires the job log information stored in the job log storage unit 32 and analyzes whether or not predetermined conditions are met based on the job log, the device settings, and the information in the paper support table TB1 (Figure 2) stored in the paper specification storage unit 38.

[0017] If the log analysis unit 24 determines that a specified condition is met based on the analysis results of the log analysis unit 24, the recommended setting display unit 25 displays a warning message MSG (details of which will be described later) shown in Figures 4(E) and 5(E) on the display of the operation panel, which is a message urging a change to the device settings.

[0018] The non-volatile memory 12 is, for example, a flash memory, and has a device setting storage section 30 and a job log storage section 32, and retains information such as device settings, print job usage history, and toner remaining counter value even when the printer 1 is turned off.

[0019] The device setting storage unit 30 has a paper feed tray paper setting storage unit 34 and a duplex setting storage unit 36, and stores the device settings of the printer 1. The printer 1 displays the current setting values ​​of the device settings on the display of the operation panel for the user to confirm, and also changes the display in response to the user pressing a button on the operation panel, allowing the user to change variable setting values ​​among the device settings. The device settings include, for example, items such as default print resolution, which are used as the initial value if the print resolution is not specified in the print job.

[0020] The paper feed tray paper setting storage unit 34 stores settings for each of the multiple paper feed trays of the printer 1, such as paper size, media type, and media weight (paper thickness). In addition to the MP tray and Tray 1, the printer 1 according to this embodiment is also equipped with optional trays Tray 2 and Tray 3. The MP tray is a front tray known as a multi-purpose tray, and can be used by opening the front cover of the printer 1. It can accommodate custom-sized paper longer than standard sizes, as well as special media such as envelopes and cardboard. The MP tray is also a multi-purpose paper feed tray that can be used for various purposes, such as manual printing, where printing begins by pressing the OK button on the operation panel one sheet at a time.

[0021] The duplex setting storage unit 36 ​​stores the duplex setting, which is the default setting for duplex printing, as ON or OFF. When the printer 1 receives raw text data or print data without a duplex printing setting command, it performs either duplex or single-sided printing based on the duplex printing setting stored in the duplex setting storage unit 36. The printer 1 also performs either duplex or single-sided printing based on the duplex printing setting stored in the duplex setting storage unit 36 ​​when the operation panel is operated and self-test printing is performed from the device menu. On the other hand, when the printer 1 receives print data from a standard printer driver, the duplex setting specified on the printer driver screen is specified in the print data, so the printer 1 performs either duplex or single-sided printing based on the duplex printing setting specified on the printer driver screen. Incidentally, in recent years, an increasing number of device models have been designed with the duplex printing setting ON as the initial setting (default) of the printer 1 in order to conserve paper.

[0022] The job log storage unit 32 records an execution log indicating whether the print result of a print job processed by a print job control unit (not shown) was a success or failure, and if it was a failure, whether any errors or warnings occurred, the number of printed pages for each paper size, single-sided / double-sided, color / monochrome, etc. The print job control unit records a job log in a predetermined format in the job log storage unit 32 based on the execution result of the print job. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, a single-sided printing counter and a double-sided printing counter are stored in the job log storage unit 32 as a usage history of the printer 1 itself as a single device, rather than for each user or paper size. The print job control unit can calculate the usage rates of double-sided printing and single-sided printing by incrementing the single-sided printing counter by 1 for single-sided printing and the double-sided printing counter by 1 for double-sided printing each time printing on a paper surface of each page is successful.

[0023] ROM (Read Only Memory) 14 is a so-called read-only memory that stores fixed information such as device specifications. ROM 14 also has a paper specification storage unit 38. Paper specification storage unit 38 stores the printer 1's support status for paper sizes and paper orientations for each paper feed tray, such as the paper support table TB1 shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the printer 1 is a standard A4 printer, and typical paper sizes LETTER[SEF], A4[SEF], A5[SEF], and A5[LEF] are also included in paper support table TB1, but their description has been omitted to simplify the explanation.

[0024] Here, SEF (Short Edge Feed) is a mode in which the printer 1 conveys paper placed in the paper feed tray with the short side positioned at the leading edge in the transport direction along the long side of the paper, forming an image on the paper, and is also called portrait orientation, portrait paper feed, short edge feed, short edge direction feed, etc. LEF (Long Edge Feed) is a mode in which the printer 1 conveys paper placed in the paper feed tray with the long side positioned at the leading edge in the transport direction along the short side of the paper, forming an image on the paper, and is also called landscape orientation, landscape paper feed, long edge feed, long edge direction feed, etc.

[0025] Here, we will explain the mechanism by which duplex printing is achieved in printer 1. Printer 1 achieves duplex printing by transporting paper by flipping it over using a duplex printing unit inside the printer device housing. In addition, printer 1 has maximum and minimum width and height values ​​for the paper size that can be transported inside the printer device housing and duplex printing unit, taking into account paper tilt and paper jams during paper transport, as determined by the device specifications. For this reason, printer 1 may or may not be able to perform duplex printing depending on the combination of paper size, paper orientation during paper transport, and paper feed tray.

[0026] As shown in the paper support table TB1 (Figure 2), printer 1 is capable of double-sided printing for B6 SEF from all paper feed trays, but is only capable of single-sided printing for B6 LEF from the MP tray and tray 1 (in other words, printer 1 only supports single-sided printing for B6 LEF from the MP tray and tray 1, and does not support double-sided printing).

[0027] The printer 1 according to this embodiment is a printer (A4 printer) with a print head length capable of printing up to A4 size. As shown in the paper support table TB1 (FIG. 2), the printer 1 supports double-sided printing of B6 SEF paper, but not B6 LEF paper. Furthermore, the printer 1 only supports paper feeding from the MP tray and tray 1 for B6 LEF paper. In a printer 1 with these device specifications, the initial paper size setting for each paper feed tray is set to A4 size for all paper feed trays (MP tray, tray 1, tray 2, and tray 3), as shown in FIG. 7, which shows part of the information stored in the paper feed tray paper setting storage unit 34. Note that the "paper size" in FIG. 7 is information that includes the paper size and paper orientation, such as for B6 SEF paper. For paper sizes that only have an SEF paper size, the "paper size" in FIG. 7 is information that indicates the paper size itself.

[0028] [2. Display transitions] 4, 5, and 6 show examples of transitions in the display on the operation panel and examples of transitions in the display when device settings are changed. In FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, when the OK button on the operation panel is pressed, the control unit 10 transitions the display to an internal menu for the currently selected setting item, and in the case of an individual setting item such as tray 1 paper size, transitions the display to a setting change screen for that setting value. When the back button on the operation panel is pressed, the control unit 10 transitions the display to return to the previous screen. When the online button on the operation panel is pressed, the control unit 10 transitions the display to return to the standby screen. Also, the right-facing arrow mark Ma in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 indicates the currently selected setting item.

[0029] On the setting change screen for individual setting items such as paper size settings for paper feed trays and double-sided printing settings, the item with a "v"-shaped mark Mv to the left of options such as A4 or B6 LEF is the currently selected setting value. The user can move the arrow mark Ma to another option (item) and press the OK button to move the v mark Mv to that item and change the setting. When there are many options, such as paper size, the control unit 10 scrolls the display up and down to switch to the screen display of the next option.

[0030] For paper sizes that support both SEF and LEF, the printer 1 indicates that the orientation is portrait or landscape, respectively, even for the same paper size, by displaying SEF or LEF after the paper size name in Figures 4, 5, and 6. Furthermore, for paper sizes that only have SEF, the printer 1 omits displaying SEF after the paper size name.

[0031] The printer 1 may display the SEF as a vertically long rectangular paper icon and the LEF as a horizontally long rectangular paper icon. In this case, when the user faces the operation panel of the printer 1, the printer 1 can more easily visualize how the paper is transported according to the orientation of the paper loaded in the paper tray.

[0032] [2-1. Display transition when changing the paper size of the MP tray by pressing a button on the operation panel] First, we will explain the case where the user sets B6 LEF, which does not support double-sided printing, as the MP tray from the state shown in Figure 7. When the user operates the operation panel to select paper feed tray setting, the control unit 10 displays the paper feed tray setting screen DIP1 shown in Figure 4(A) on the display. The paper feed tray setting screen DIP1 displays selectable options such as MP tray, tray 1, tray 2, and tray 3.

[0033] When the user presses the OK button on the operation panel with the MP tray selected, the control unit 10 displays the MP tray setting screen DIP2 shown in Fig. 4(B) on the display (i.e., transitions to another screen). The MP tray setting screen DIP2 displays selectable options such as paper size, media type, and media weight.

[0034] When the user presses the OK button on the operation panel with the paper size selected, the control unit 10 displays the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP3 shown in Fig. 4(C) on the display. The MP tray paper size setting screen DIP3 displays selectable options for each paper size and paper orientation. On this MP tray paper size setting screen DIP3, the control unit 10 reads out the current setting value stored in the paper feed tray paper setting storage unit 34 and displays a v-shaped mark Mv on the setting display unit 22. As shown in Fig. 7, because the current MP tray paper size is set to A4, the setting display unit 22 displays the v-shaped mark Mv next to A4 on the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP3.

[0035] When the user scrolls from the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP3 to the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP4 shown in FIG. 4D and selects B6 LEF, and then presses the OK button on the operation panel, the control unit 10 changes the MP tray paper size from A4 to B6 LEF using the setting change unit 23, as shown in FIG. 8A. The control unit 10 then displays the warning message MSG shown in FIG. 4E on the display using the recommended setting display unit 25. The warning message MSG states, "This paper orientation does not support double-sided printing. Please switch SEF / LEF as necessary." This message notifies the user that the paper size and orientation currently changed by the user are not compatible with double-sided printing and that they must change the paper orientation if they want to perform double-sided printing. The user then presses the OK button on the operation panel while the warning message MSG is displayed. When the user presses the OK button on the operation panel while the warning message MSG is displayed, the control unit 10 erases the warning message MSG and displays the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP4 shown in Figure 4(D) on the display.

[0036] In this case, if the user wants to perform double-sided printing on B6-sized paper, he operates the buttons on the operation panel to change the MP tray paper size from B6 LEF to B6 SEF on the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP4 (FIG. 4(D)). When the user presses the OK button on the operation panel with B6 SEF selected as on the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP5 shown in FIG. 4(F), the control unit 10 changes the MP tray paper size from B6 LEF to B6 SEF using the setting change unit 23, as shown in FIG. 8(B).

[0037] On the other hand, if the user wants to print only on one side of B6-sized paper instead of double-sided, they do not operate the buttons on the operation panel to change the MP tray paper size from B6 LEF to B6 SEF on the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP4 (Figure 4(D)), but instead leave the MP tray paper size changed to B6 LEF and finish setting the MP tray paper size. As a result, the MP tray paper size does not change (specifically, the paper orientation does not change for the same paper size), and it remains B6 LEF as shown in Figure 8(A). In this case, because LEF has a higher print throughput than SEF, printer 1 can print with a higher throughput than SEF.

[0038] [2-2. Display transition when changing the paper size in Tray 1 when Tray 1 is open] As described above, the paper feed tray open detection unit 21 detects that the paper feed tray has been opened by a user's paper refill operation. When the paper feed tray is opened, not only may the paper feed tray be refilled with paper of the same paper size, but also with paper of a different paper size, paper of a different paper orientation, or paper of a different media type (paper type).

[0039] Therefore, when the paper feed tray open detection unit 21 detects that the paper feed tray has been opened, the control unit 10 displays the setting change confirmation screen DIP11 shown in Fig. 5(A) on the display. The setting change confirmation screen DIP11 displays the current settings of tray 1, which are the current setting values ​​stored in the paper feed tray paper setting storage unit 34 read and displayed by the setting display unit 22, and a message asking whether or not to change the settings of tray 1.

[0040] When the user presses the OK button on the operation panel and selects OK on the setting change confirmation screen DIP11, the control unit 10 displays the tray 1 setting screen DIP12 shown in Figure 5(B) which corresponds to the MP tray setting screen DIP2 (Figure 4(B)) on the display.

[0041] In this way, the control unit 10 displays the setting change confirmation screen DIP11 when it detects that a paper feed tray has been opened, and transitions to the tray 1 setting screen DIP12 simply by selecting OK, without requiring the user to operate buttons on the operation panel and transitioning screens one by one from the standby screen. This saves the user the trouble of changing the tray 1 settings.

[0042] In the printer 1 according to this embodiment, the other paper feed trays (tray 2 and tray 3) are configured in the same way, but the MP tray may not be provided with a cover open / close sensor because paper can be transported even with the cover open. For this reason, the control unit 10 does not display a screen such as the setting change confirmation screen DIP11 on the display even if the MP tray cover is opened.

[0043] When the user presses the OK button on the operation panel with the paper size selected, the control unit 10 displays the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP3 (FIG. 4C) and the corresponding Tray 1 paper size setting screen DIP13 shown in FIG. 5C on the display. On this Tray 1 paper size setting screen DIP13, the control unit 10 reads out the current setting value stored in the paper feed tray paper setting storage unit 34 and displays a v-shaped mark Mv on the setting display unit 22. As shown in FIG. 7, since the current paper size for Tray 1 is set to A4, the setting display unit 22 displays the v-shaped mark Mv next to A4 on the Tray 1 paper size setting screen DIP13.

[0044] When the screen is scrolled from the tray 1 paper size setting screen DIP13, and B6 LEF is selected on the tray 1 paper size setting screen DIP14 corresponding to the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP4 (FIG. 4(D)), and the user presses the OK button on the operation panel, the control unit 10 changes the paper size of tray 1 from A4 to B6 LEF using the setting change unit 23, as shown in FIG. 9(A). Next, the control unit 10 displays a warning message MSG shown in FIG. 5(E), which corresponds to the warning message MSG (FIG. 4(E)), on the display using the recommended setting display unit 25. With the warning message MSG displayed, the user presses the OK button on the operation panel. When the warning message MSG is displayed and the user presses the OK button on the operation panel, the control unit 10 erases the warning message MSG and displays the tray 1 paper size setting screen DIP14 shown in FIG. 5(D) on the display.

[0045] In this case, if the user wants to perform double-sided printing on B6-sized paper, he or she operates the buttons on the operation panel to change the tray 1 paper size setting screen DIP14 (FIG. 5(D)) from B6 LEF to B6 SEF. When the user presses the OK button on the operation panel with B6 SEF selected as in the tray 1 paper size setting screen DIP15 shown in FIG. 5(F) which corresponds to the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP5 (FIG. 4(F)), the control unit 10 causes the setting change unit 23 to change the paper size of tray 1 from B6 LEF to B6 SEF, as shown in FIG. 9(B).

[0046] On the other hand, if the user wants to print only on one side of B6-sized paper instead of double-sided, they can leave the Tray 1 paper size changed to B6 LEF and finish setting the Tray 1 paper size without operating the operation panel button to change the Tray 1 paper size from B6 LEF to B6 SEF on the Tray 1 paper size setting screen DIP14 (FIG. 5D). As a result, the Tray 1 paper size remains unchanged (specifically, the paper orientation remains unchanged for the same paper size), remaining as B6 LEF as shown in FIG. 9A. In this case, because LEF has a higher print throughput than SEF, the printer 1 can print with a higher throughput than SEF.

[0047] [2-3. Display transition when checking the current setting for double-sided printing by pressing buttons on the operation panel] When a print setting is selected by a user operating the operation panel, the control unit 10 displays a print setting screen DIP21 shown in Fig. 6(A) on the display. The print setting screen DIP21 displays selectable options such as operation mode, copy, double-sided printing, binding method, and media check.

[0048] When the user presses the OK button on the operation panel with double-sided printing selected, the control unit 10 displays the double-sided printing setting screen DIP22 shown in Fig. 6(B) on the display. On this double-sided printing setting screen DIP22, the control unit 10 reads out the double-sided printing setting value stored in the double-sided setting storage unit 36 ​​and displays a v-shaped mark Mv on the setting display unit 22. If the default setting value for double-sided printing is set to ON, the setting display unit 22 displays the v-shaped mark Mv next to ON on the double-sided printing setting screen DIP22.

[0049] [3. Warning Processing] Next, a warning processing procedure RT1, which is a specific processing procedure for warning the user when the paper size and paper orientation of the paper feed tray are changed to a state in which double-sided printing cannot be performed in the printer 1, executed by the control unit 10 of the printer 1 will be described using the flowchart shown in Fig. 11. The control unit 10 starts the warning processing procedure RT1 and proceeds to step SP1.

[0050] In step SP1, the control unit 10 waits until an event occurs, and when an event occurs, the control unit 10 proceeds to step SP2. In step SP2, the control unit 10 determines whether the event that occurred was an operation on the operation panel or the opening of a paper feed tray based on the detection results of the button press detection unit 20 and the paper feed tray open detection unit 21. If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that the paper size and paper orientation settings of the paper feed tray may be changed, and the control unit 10 proceeds to step SP3. On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP2, this indicates that the event that occurred was neither an operation on the operation panel nor the opening of a paper feed tray, and therefore the paper size and paper orientation settings of the paper feed tray may not be changed, and the control unit 10 returns to step SP1 and waits until an event of an operation on the operation panel or the opening of a paper feed tray occurs.

[0051] In step SP3, the control unit 10 determines, by the setting change unit 23, whether or not the tray paper size (i.e., paper size and paper orientation) in the device settings has been changed, as shown in Fig. 4(D) or Fig. 5(D). If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that it is necessary to determine whether or not the changed tray paper size is supported by the printer 1, and the control unit 10 then proceeds to step SP4. On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP3, this indicates that it is not necessary to determine whether or not the changed tray paper size is supported by the printer 1, and the control unit 10 then returns to step SP1.

[0052] In step SP4, the control unit 10 refers to the paper support table TB1 (FIG. 2) and determines whether the changed paper size supports both SEF and LEF paper orientations. If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that it is necessary to determine whether duplex printing for the changed paper size and paper orientation is supported by the printer 1, and the control unit 10 then proceeds to step SP5. On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP4, this indicates that it is not necessary to determine whether duplex printing for the changed paper size and paper orientation is supported by the printer 1, and the control unit 10 then returns to step SP1. For example, if the changed paper size and paper orientation are B6 LEF, as listed in the paper support table TB1 (FIG. 2), both SEF and LEF paper sizes are supported for the B6 paper size, and therefore the control unit 10 obtains a positive result in step SP4.

[0053] In step SP5, the control unit 10 refers to the paper support table TB1 (FIG. 2) and determines whether the paper orientation for the changed paper size does not support duplex printing. If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that it is necessary to determine whether duplex printing is possible in the printer 1, and the control unit 10 proceeds to step SP6. On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP5, this indicates that duplex printing is supported for the changed paper size and paper orientation, and there will be no problem if duplex printing is performed in the printer 1, so it is not necessary to determine whether duplex printing is possible in the printer 1, and the control unit 10 returns to step SP1. For example, if the paper orientation for the changed paper size and paper orientation is B6 LEF, as listed in the paper support table TB1 (FIG. 2), for the B6 paper size, duplex printing is supported when the paper orientation is SEF, but duplex printing is not supported when the paper orientation is LEF, so the control unit 10 obtains a positive result in step SP5.

[0054] In step SP6, the control unit 10 determines whether the double-sided printing setting in the device settings is ON (FIG. 6B), or whether the usage rate of double-sided printing in the past print job history is equal to or greater than 50% as a usage rate threshold, by referring to the job log storage unit 32. Here, the usage rate of double-sided printing in the past print job history is the ratio of the number of print jobs that performed double-sided printing to the total number of print jobs that have been printed by the printer 1 up to now. If a positive result is obtained here, this indicates that double-sided printing has been confirmed to be performed by the printer 1 or that double-sided printing is highly likely to be performed, and the control unit 10 then proceeds to step SP7. On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP6, this indicates that double-sided printing is unlikely to be performed by the printer 1, and the control unit 10 then returns to step SP1.

[0055] In step SP7, the control unit 10 causes the recommended settings display unit 25 to display the warning message MSG shown in Fig. 5(E) or 6(E) on the display of the operation panel, and then proceeds to step SP8. In step SP8, the control unit 10 waits until the OK button on the operation panel is pressed, and when the button press detection unit 20 detects that the OK button has been pressed, it erases the warning message MSG, proceeds to step SP9, and ends the warning processing procedure RT1.

[0056] This allows a user who wants to do double-sided printing to press the OK button on the operation panel and reset the MP tray paper size to B6 SEF, as shown on the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP5 (Fig. 4(F)), or reset the tray 1 paper size to B6 SEF, as shown on the tray 1 paper size setting screen DIP15 (Fig. 5(F)).On the other hand, a user who wants to do single-sided printing can leave the MP tray paper size or tray 1 paper size as B6 LEF, allowing printing in LEF, which is suitable for paper with high throughput.

[0057] [4. Printer Functional Configuration] Here, the basic functions related to warning processing in printer 1 are shown in a functional block diagram in Figure 10. Detection unit 40 corresponds to button press detection unit 20 and paper feed tray open detection unit 21 (Figure 1), and detects a change in the paper placed in the paper feed tray on the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP4 (Figure 4(D)) or the tray 1 paper size setting screen DIP14 (Figure 5(D)). Acquisition unit 42 corresponds to button press detection unit 20 (Figure 1), and acquires information about the changed paper placed in the paper feed tray, such as the paper size and paper orientation (e.g., B6 LEF). The notification unit 44 corresponds to the log analysis unit 24 and the recommended setting display unit 25 (Figure 1), and notifies the user of the recommended orientation of the paper to be placed in the paper feed tray with a warning message MSG based on the changed paper information (e.g., B6 LEF), the paper support table TB1 (Figure 2) which is information related to double-sided printing, the double-sided printing setting in the device settings, and the double-sided printing usage rate in the print job history in the job log storage unit 32.

[0058] [5. Effects, etc.] Incidentally, printer 1 can accommodate both B6 portrait (B6 SEF) and B6 landscape (B6 LEF) paper in its paper feed tray, but its specifications mean that even for the same paper size, some paper orientations allow for double-sided printing and others do not. For example, B6 portrait allows double-sided printing, while B6 landscape does not. With this printer 1, if a user attempts to feed paper from a paper feed tray set to B6 landscape and perform double-sided printing, the printer will perform single-sided printing because double-sided printing is not possible with B6 landscape. In this case, the printer will unintentionally print single-sided paper, even though the user expected double-sided printing.

[0059] Furthermore, the printer driver in the host PC or the like does not take portrait or landscape orientation into consideration and only specifies the paper size, for example, B5, so it is not possible to recognize whether B5 paper is placed portrait or landscape in the printer 1. As a result, the host PC cannot determine whether paper is placed in the paper tray of the printer 1 in an orientation that does not allow double-sided printing, and is therefore unable to issue a warning.

[0060] If printing is performed in such a case, the printer 1 will print the front and back pages on separate sheets of paper and display a duplex printing error on the device panel display. The user will only realize that duplex printing is not possible with the current paper size and orientation when they see the printout on the paper and the display on the operation panel, and will not be aware of this when changing device settings or the paper placed in the paper tray, which is a stage before printing, which could result in a loss of convenience.

[0061] In response to this, the printer 1 is configured to display a warning message MSG (Fig. 4(E) and Fig. 5(E)) on the display if the paper size and paper orientation of the paper feed tray are changed by operating the operation panel or opening the paper feed tray, and if the changed paper size and paper orientation do not allow double-sided printing, if the double-sided printing setting in the device settings is ON, or if the usage rate of double-sided printing in the past print job history is equal to or greater than the usage rate threshold. This allows the printer 1 to notify the user that double-sided printing is not possible with the changed paper size and paper orientation, and to switch between portrait and landscape orientation as necessary.

[0062] Therefore, when the user changes the paper size and orientation of the paper feed tray, the printer 1 can display a warning message MSG to notify the user that the paper orientation does not allow double-sided printing. In this case, a user who wants to perform double-sided printing can reset the device settings to an orientation that allows double-sided printing and re-install the paper, allowing the printer 1 to perform double-sided printing normally. On the other hand, a user who wants to perform single-sided printing and increase throughput, for example, can continue printing with the paper orientation that does not allow double-sided printing without resetting the device settings. In this way, the printer 1 can prompt the user to install the paper in the appropriate orientation, either portrait or landscape, before printing, depending on whether the user wants double-sided or single-sided printing.

[0063] Furthermore, even if the changed paper size and orientation do not allow double-sided printing, if the double-sided printing setting in the device settings is not ON and the usage rate of double-sided printing in the past print job history is less than the usage rate threshold, the printer 1 does not display the warning message MSG (FIGS. 4(E) and 5(E)) on the display. This prevents the printer 1 from impairing convenience by excessively displaying warning messages MSG even when the printer 1 is unlikely to perform double-sided printing, and also improves throughput.

[0064] Furthermore, the printer 1 displays a warning message MSG based on the past usage history of the printer 1 itself. For this reason, the present invention is particularly effective when applied to a printer 1 installed in an office environment where various users use a single printer 1 to perform single-sided / double-sided printing on various paper sizes and orientations.

[0065] Furthermore, in the case of RIP printing, in which the host PC generates an image (RIP processing) of a page image in print resolution units and sends the RIP processed print data to the printer 1, and the printer 1 prints the RIP processed print data, it is not possible to re-specify the paper orientation on the printer 1 side and re-RIP the image using image processing within the printer 1, so the present invention is particularly effective when applied to RIP printing.

[0066] According to the above configuration, the printer 1 is provided with a detection unit 40 that detects a change in the paper medium placed in the paper feed tray serving as the paper feed unit, an acquisition unit 42 that acquires information about the changed paper placed in the paper feed tray, and a notification unit 44 that notifies the recommended orientation of the paper placed in the paper feed tray based on the information about the changed paper and information about double-sided printing.

[0067] This allows the printer 1 to notify the user that double-sided printing is not possible with the changed paper size and paper orientation when the paper size and paper orientation are changed to a size and orientation that does not allow double-sided printing.

[0068] 6. Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, when an operation on the operation panel or an event of opening the paper feed tray occurs, the printer 1 displays the paper feed tray setting screen DIP1 (FIG. 4A) or the setting change confirmation screen DIP11 (FIG. 5A) to allow the user to select the paper size and paper orientation. The present invention is not limited to this. The printer 1 may be provided with a sensor in the paper feed tray, and the detection unit 40 and acquisition unit 42 may detect the paper size and paper orientation of the paper placed in the paper feed tray based on the detection results of the sensor.

[0069] In the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 displays a warning message MSG when the double-sided printing setting in the device settings is ON or when the usage rate of double-sided printing is equal to or greater than the usage rate threshold. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the printer 1 may determine only whether the double-sided printing setting in the device settings is ON or whether the usage rate of double-sided printing is equal to or greater than the usage rate threshold.

[0070] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 has been described as displaying the setting change confirmation screen DIP11 (FIG. 5A) on the display when the paper feed tray is opened. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the printer 1 may display the setting change confirmation screen DIP11 (FIG. 5A) on the display both when the paper feed tray is opened and when it is closed, or when the paper feed tray is closed.

[0071] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 may display B6 LEF (double-sided printing not possible) instead of B6 LEF on the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP4 (Figure 4(D)) or the tray 1 paper size setting screen DIP14 (Figure 5(D)).

[0072] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 may display on the MP tray paper size setting screen DIP4 (FIG. 4D) and the tray 1 paper size setting screen DIP14 (FIG. 5D) that, since B6 LEF has a higher throughput than B6 SEF, if the user's printing purpose is single-sided printing only, the time required to complete printing will be shorter.

[0073] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the printer 1 has been described as recommending changing the paper orientation to SEF when the paper size is B6 and the paper orientation is LEF. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and depending on the mechanism for realizing double-sided printing in the printer 1, it may be recommended to change the paper orientation to LEF when the paper orientation is SEF.

[0074] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 has been described as storing the past usage history of the printer 1 as a single device in the job log storage unit 32. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the printer 1 may store the past usage history for each user or each paper size in the job log storage unit 32.

[0075] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 has been described as having a utilization rate threshold of 50%. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the printer 1 may set the utilization rate threshold to various values ​​other than 50%.

[0076] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 does not display a screen such as the setting change confirmation screen DIP11 (FIG. 5A) on the display even when the MP tray cover is opened. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the printer 1 may display a screen such as the setting change confirmation screen DIP11 on the display even when the MP tray cover is opened.

[0077] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to the printer 1, which is an image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to various devices that perform various image-related processes, such as a facsimile, an MFP (Multifunction Printer), or a copier.

[0078] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and other embodiments. That is, the scope of application of the present invention extends to embodiments in which the above-described embodiment and the other embodiments are combined in part or in whole. The scope of application of the present invention also extends to embodiments in which part of the configuration described in any of the above-described embodiment and other embodiments is extracted and used as part of the configuration of any of the above-described embodiment and other embodiments, or in which part of the extracted configuration is added to any of the above-described embodiment.

[0079] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 as an image forming apparatus is described as being configured by the detection unit 40 as a detection unit, the acquisition unit 42 as an acquisition unit, and the notification unit 44 as a notification unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming apparatus may be configured by a detection unit, an acquisition unit, and a notification unit having various other configurations. [Industrial Applicability]

[0080] The present invention can be used in, for example, an image forming apparatus. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1...Printer, Ma...Arrow mark, Mv...V mark, TB1...Paper support table, MSG...Warning message, 10...Control unit, 12...Non-volatile memory, 14...ROM, 20...Button press detection unit, 21...Paper feed tray open detection unit, 22...Settings display unit, 23...Settings change unit, 24...Log analysis unit, 25...Recommended settings display unit, 30...Device settings storage unit, 32...Job log storage unit, 34...Paper feed tray paper settings storage unit, 36... ...Duplex setting storage section, 38...Paper specification storage section, DIP1...Paper tray setting screen, DIP2...MP tray setting screen, DIP3, DIP4, DIP5...MP tray paper size setting screen, DIP11...Setting change confirmation screen, DIP12...Tray 1 setting screen, DIP13, DIP14, DIP15...Tray 1 paper size setting screen, DIP21...Print setting screen, DIP22...Duplex printing setting screen, 40...Detection section, 42...Acquisition section, 44...Alarm section.

Claims

1. a detection unit that detects that a medium placed in a paper feed unit is changed; an acquisition unit that acquires information about the changed medium that is to be installed in the paper feed unit; a notification unit that notifies the user of a recommended orientation of the medium to be placed in the paper feed unit based on the changed information about the medium and information about double-sided printing; An image forming apparatus having the same.

2. the changed information about the medium includes information about the changed size of the medium and the installation orientation in the paper feed unit; When the orientation of the medium after the change is changed to one in which double-sided printing is not possible for the size of the medium, the notification unit notifies that double-sided printing is not possible in the changed orientation. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The information regarding double-sided printing includes information regarding the frequency of use of double-sided printing in past printing history, The notification unit notifies a recommended orientation of the medium to be placed in the paper feed unit when the frequency of use is higher than a predetermined threshold. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

4. the information regarding double-sided printing includes information regarding double-sided printing settings in the image forming apparatus; The notification unit notifies the user of a recommended orientation of the medium to be placed in the paper feed unit when double-sided printing is enabled. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

5. The acquisition unit acquires information about the replaced medium based on a user's operation regarding print settings. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

6. The detection unit detects that the medium placed in the paper feed unit is changed based on a user's operation regarding print settings. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 .

7. The detection unit detects that the medium placed in the paper feed unit is changed based on an operation on the paper feed unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 .

8. the detection unit detects that the medium placed in the paper feed unit is changed based on a detection result of a sensor provided in the paper feed unit; The acquisition unit acquires information about the replaced medium based on a detection result of a sensor provided in the paper feed unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

9. the image forming apparatus, A paper size is set that does not allow double-sided printing in either portrait or landscape orientation.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

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