Printing device

Abstract

To confirm that identification data are prepared, in side view of printed matters collected and loaded, so as to make it obvious at a glance whether all the printed print matters have been collected, which can easily confirm whether some printed matters have not been collected.SOLUTION: A printing device comprises an inkjet head that prints a plurality of sheets of printing data on sheets and an identification data applying part 22 that applies identification data to the printing data so that the plurality of sheets of printing data can be identified one by one. When the plurality of papers having the plurality of sheets of printing data printed thereon are bound up, the identification data applying part 22 applies the identification data so that arrangements of the identification data can be confirmed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing device that allows stacked printed materials to be viewed from the side and allows easy visual confirmation of any missing or missing items for collection. [Background technology]

[0002] In scenarios where multiple printed documents are distributed, such as test papers at school, and all of them are collected after someone has written something on them, it can be time-consuming to check for any missing documents after collecting them.

[0003] This is particularly troublesome when the collection timing is not one time but is spread out over several times.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for printing marking images M1 and M2 on the fore edge of a printed recording paper P, the marking positions of which vary for each print job. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-248507 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the technology shown in Patent Document 1, marking images M1 and M2 are printed in which the marking position differs for each print job, but it was difficult to visually check whether any printed materials had been left out of collection by looking at them from the side of the stacked printed materials.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a printing device that allows the user to view the loaded printed materials from the side and easily visually check for any missing or omission items for collection. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the printing device according to the present invention is characterized by: a printing means for printing the print data on a plurality of sheets of paper; and an identification data assigning means for assigning identification data to the print data so that the print data for a plurality of sheets can be identified individually; The identification data assigning means To provide identification data so that the arrangement of the identification data can be confirmed when a plurality of sheets of paper on which a plurality of print data are printed are bundled. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the features of the printing device of the present invention, the stacked printed materials can be viewed from the side and it is easy to visually check whether any missing or missing items have been collected. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a printing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an identification data assignment process in an identification data assignment unit 22 included in the inkjet printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 3] 3A and 3B show an example of a side view of a printed matter on which the identification data shown in Fig. 2 is printed in the inkjet printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3A is a view from above, and Fig. 3B is a view from the right side. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing processing contents in the inkjet printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5]5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an identification data assignment process in an identification data assignment unit 22 included in an inkjet printing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5A shows an example of print data to which identification data has been assigned, Fig. 5B shows a state in which a printed matter printed based on the print data shown in Fig. 5A has been cut, and Fig. 5C shows a state in which the printed matter on which the identification data has been printed is viewed from the side. [Figure 6] 6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an identification data assignment process in an identification data assignment unit 22 included in an inkjet printing device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6A shows an example of print data to which identification data has been assigned, Fig. 6B shows a state in which a printed matter printed based on the print data shown in Fig. 6A has been cut, and Fig. 6C shows a state in which the printed matter on which the identification data has been printed is viewed from the side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent parts and components are designated by the same or equivalent reference numerals throughout the drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and may differ from the actual product. Furthermore, the drawings may include parts with different dimensional relationships and ratios.

[0012] Furthermore, the embodiments shown below are merely examples of devices that embody the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention does not limit the arrangement of each component to that shown below. Various modifications can be made to the technical concept of the present invention within the scope of the claims.

[0013] Example 1 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the inkjet printing apparatus 1 includes a print job receiving unit 10, a processing unit 20, and an inkjet head control unit 30.

[0014] The print job receiving unit 10 receives a print job generated by using application software or the like in a computer or the like connected via a network (not shown).

[0015] The processing unit 20 generates output image data based on the print data included in the print job received by the print job receiving unit 10.

[0016] The inkjet head control unit 30 controls an inkjet head (not shown) based on the output image data output from the processing unit 20 to perform printing.

[0017] The processing unit 20 includes a job storage unit 21, an identification data assigning unit 22, and an area changing unit .

[0018] The job storage unit 21 is configured with a storage medium such as a hard disk drive, and stores print jobs received by the print job receiving unit 10. The print job includes printing conditions such as the total number of ink drops, density, paper size, number of sheets, whether double-sided printing is required, paper source, and output destination, as well as image data to be printed.

[0019] The identification data assigning unit 22 assigns identification data to the print data so that each sheet of print data can be identified. In doing so, the identification data assigning unit 22 assigns the identification data so that the placement of the identification data can be confirmed when multiple sheets of paper on which multiple sheets of print data have been printed are bundled. Specifically, when printing different identification data for each page, the identification data assigning unit 22 assigns the identification data to the print data so that the printed location of the identification data can be easily confirmed from the side of the printed material, at the edge, cut portion, or fold portion of the printed material.

[0020] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the identification data assignment process in the identification data assignment unit 22 included in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, for example, it is assumed that a print job includes nine pages of print data D1 to D9.

[0022] Identification data D11, D21, and D31 of different colors are assigned above the print data D1 to D9. Here, the identification data D11 is red, the identification data D21 is blue, and the identification data D31 is green. The identification data D11 is positioned above and to the left of the center in the horizontal direction, the identification data D21 is positioned above and near the center in the horizontal direction, and the identification data D31 is positioned above and to the right of the center in the horizontal direction.

[0023] Furthermore, identification data D12, D42, and D72, each of different colors, are assigned to the right of the print data D1 to D9. Here, the identification data D12 is red, the identification data D42 is blue, and the identification data D72 is green. The identification data D12 is positioned on the right side, toward the top from the center in the vertical direction, the identification data D42 is positioned on the right side near the center in the vertical direction, and the identification data D72 is positioned on the right side, toward the bottom from the center in the vertical direction.

[0024] In this way, by combining three types of colors and three placement positions, a user can distinguish nine patterns by visually examining the printed matter from the side.

[0025] Note that each piece of identification data is printed with a number indicating how many pieces of identification data exist nearby. Here, three types of identification data, D11, D21, and D31, are added to the top, so "3" is printed on the identification data D11, D21, and D31. Also, three types of identification data, D12, D42, and D72, are added to the right, so "3" is printed on the identification data D12, D42, and D72.

[0026] Fig. 3 shows an example of a side view of a printed matter on which the identification data shown in Fig. 2 is printed in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3(a) is a view from above, and Fig. 3(b) is a view from the right side.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3(a), when the printed matter is viewed from above, the number of identification data printed on the left side (printed in red) is 2, the number of identification data printed in the center (printed in blue) is 3, and the number of identification data printed on the right side (printed in green) is 3.

[0028] Therefore, when the printed matter is viewed from above, it is clear that the identification data printed in red is missing.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3(b), when the printed matter is viewed from the right side, the number of identification data printed on the left side (printed in red) is three, the number of identification data printed in the center (printed in blue) is three, and the number of identification data printed on the right side (printed in green) is two.

[0030] Therefore, when the printed matter is viewed from above, it is clear that the identification data printed in green is missing.

[0031] Therefore, in Figure 2, the print data for which identification data is printed in red at the top and in green on the right is print data D7, so it can be seen that the printed materials printed based on print data D7 have not been collected from the stack of printed materials shown in Figure 3.

[0032] In this way, the user can see from the side of the collected and stacked printed materials and check that the identification data is complete, so that it is clear at a glance whether all of the materials have been collected or not, and can easily visually check for any missing or incomplete materials.

[0033] Here, the identification data is added so that it is printed on the top and right sides of the printed matter, but the positions at which the identification data is added are not limited to the top and right sides of the printed matter.

[0034] The area change unit 23 determines whether the type of identification data exceeds a predetermined threshold, and if it does, adds the identification data to another area.

[0035] This allows the identification data to be added so that it is printed not only on the top and right sides of the printed matter, but also on the bottom or left side.

[0036] In addition, here, the identification data is added so that it is printed on the top and right side of the printed matter, but if only a small number of types of identification data are required, the identification data may be added so that it is printed only on the top or only on the right side of the printed matter, for example.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing contents in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 4, in step S101, the identification data assigning unit 22 assigns different identification data to each page so that print data for a plurality of pages can be identified individually.

[0039] In step S103, the area change unit 23 determines whether the number of types of identification data exceeds a predetermined threshold. The threshold is determined based on whether the number of identification data is visually identifiable, and may be determined based on the application, paper size, etc. The number of types of device-specific data exceeding the threshold means that the number exceeds the number that can fit on one side of a sheet of paper.

[0040] If the area modification unit 23 determines that the type of identification data exceeds a predetermined threshold (step S103; YES), in step S105, the area modification unit 23 changes the area of ​​the identification data and adds the identification data to another area.

[0041] When the area changing unit 23 determines that the type of identification data does not exceed the predetermined threshold value (step S103; NO), the process proceeds to step S107.

[0042] In step S107, the identification data providing unit 22 and the area changing unit 23 repeatedly execute the processes of steps S101 to S105 until the final page is reached.

[0043] <Example 2> In some cases, borderless printing is not possible with general printing devices, and even if identification data is printed on the side of the document, it can be difficult to visually confirm it.

[0044] In the second embodiment of the present invention, an inkjet printing device 1 that prints identification data so as to be positioned at a cut portion or a fold portion of a printed material will be described as an example.

[0045] 5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an identification data assignment process in the identification data assignment unit 22 included in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5A shows an example of print data to which identification data has been assigned, Fig. 5B shows a state in which a printed matter printed based on the print data shown in Fig. 5A has been cut, and Fig. 5C shows a state in which the printed matter on which the identification data has been printed is viewed from the side.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 5(a), for example, it is assumed that a print job includes three pages of print data A101 to A103.

[0047] A cutting line L1 is provided in the print data A101 to A103. Identification data D101, D102, and D103 are provided so as to straddle this cutting line L1. Identification data D101 is positioned left of the center in the left-right direction, identification data D102 is positioned near the center in the left-right direction, and identification data D103 is positioned right of the center in the left-right direction.

[0048] Then, when the printed matter printed based on the print data shown in FIG. 5(a) is cut, the identification data D101, D102, and D103 remain at the ends A201 to A203 of the cut printed matter, as shown in FIG. 5(b).

[0049] As shown in Figure 5(c), when the cut surface of the printed matter is viewed from the side, it can be seen that the identification data D101, D102, and D103 are printed at the positions of the printed matter P101, so that three pages of printed matter of print data A101 to A103 are included.

[0050] On the other hand, in printed matter P102, of the identification data D101, D102, and D103, the identification data D102, which is located near the center, is not printed, so it can be seen that the printed matter printed based on the print data A102 has not been collected.

[0051] In this way, even if borderless printing is not possible, by cutting, the user can view the collected and stacked printed materials from the side and confirm that the identification data is complete, making it clear at a glance whether all of the materials have been collected, and can easily visually check for any missing or incomplete materials.

[0052] Example 3 In the second embodiment, single-color identification data is added to the cut portion, but in the third embodiment, multiple-color identification data is added.

[0053] 6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an identification data assignment process in the identification data assignment unit 22 included in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6A shows an example of print data to which identification data has been assigned, Fig. 6B shows a state in which a printed matter printed based on the print data shown in Fig. 6A has been cut, and Fig. 6C shows a state in which the printed matter on which the identification data has been printed is viewed from the side.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 6(a), for example, it is assumed that a print job includes three pages of print data A301 to A303.

[0055] A cutting line L1 is provided in the print data A301 to A303. Identification data D201, D202, D203, D301, D302, and D303 are assigned so as to straddle this cutting line L1. Here, it is assumed that the identification data D201, D202, and D203 are black, and the identification data D301, D302, and D303 are red. The identification data D201, D202, D203, D301, D302, and D303 are arranged in order from the left, with their positions shifted. Note that the identification data D201, D202, D203, D301, D302, and D303 are assigned consecutive numbers "1" to "5."

[0056] When the prints printed based on print data A301 to A303 are cut, they are each divided into two prints. For example, the print printed based on print data A302 is divided into a print printed based on print data A302a and a print printed based on print data A302b.

[0057] When a printed matter printed based on the print data shown in FIG. 6(a) is cut, the identification data D201, D202, D203, D301, D302, and D303 remain at the ends of A401 to A403 of the cut printed matter, as shown in FIG. 6(b).

[0058] As shown in Figure 6(c), when the cut surface of the printed matter is viewed from the side, it can be seen that the identification data D201, D202, D203, D301, D302, and D303 are printed at the positions of printed matter P201, so that it can be seen that there are six pages of printed matter with print data A301 to A303 cut.

[0059] On the other hand, in the printed matter P202, it is clear that the printed matter based on the print data A302b on which the identification data D202 and the identification data D302 are printed has not been collected.

[0060] In this way, even if borderless printing is not possible, by cutting, the user can check from the side of the collected and stacked printed materials to see if all the printed materials have been collected, and can easily visually check if any have been collected. Also, by changing the color of each cut surface, it becomes easier to distinguish them.

[0061] The size of the identification data should preferably be around 5mm to 10mm (larger is easier to read, but if there are many pages, make it smaller). In that case, for example, 20 to 40 pieces of identification data can be placed on an A4 sheet of paper that is 210mm wide (with 5mm left and right margins).

[0062] The size of the identification data can be changed depending on the number of printed sheets to be distributed. Also, if one type of identification data and one color are not enough for the number of sheets to be distributed, you can increase the amount of information by adding more colors, using multiple pieces of identification data, or increasing the number of sides to be printed, thereby making it possible to accommodate an increase in the number of sheets.

[0063] (Addendum) The present application discloses the following inventions.

[0064] (Appendix 1) a printing means for printing the print data on a plurality of sheets of paper; and an identification data assigning means for assigning identification data to the print data so that the print data for a plurality of sheets can be identified individually; The identification data assigning means When a plurality of sheets of paper on which a plurality of print data has been printed are bundled, identification data is assigned so that the arrangement of the identification data can be confirmed. A printing device comprising:

[0065] This allows the user to see from the side the collected and stacked printed matter and check that the identification data is complete, so that it is clear at a glance whether all the matter has been collected or not, and the user can easily visually check if any matter has been omitted from collection. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10 Print job receiving unit 20 Processing section 21 Job storage unit 22 Identification data assignment unit 23 Area change section 30 Inkjet head control unit

Claims

[Claim 1] a printing means for printing the print data on a plurality of sheets of paper; an identification data assigning means for assigning identification data to the print data so that the print data for a plurality of pages can be identified individually; The identification data assigning means When a plurality of sheets of paper on which a plurality of print data has been printed are bundled, identification data is assigned so that the arrangement of the identification data can be confirmed. A printing device comprising:

Images