Image forming apparatus, control method for image forming apparatus, and program

Abstract

This reduces the amount of colorants used to print code images while maintaining the accuracy of reading the code images. [Solution] A print job is accepted. Whether or not to print the background of the code image in the print image to be printed according to the print job is determined based on the estimated readability of the code image printed on the substrate to be printed. Printing is instructed according to the print job and the determination result.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a control method for an image forming apparatus, and a program, and relates to control when printing a code image.

Background Art

[0002] In printing, in addition to ordinary color materials (e.g., process ink) such as CMYK, special colorants (e.g., special inks such as white ink) are used.For example, Patent Document 1 discloses using white ink for the undercoat treatment of a printing medium.Patent Document 1 particularly proposes improving the reading accuracy of a barcode by printing the barcode undercoat only with white ink and not mixing color ink with the white ink.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, always printing the barcode undercoat causes a problem of increased consumption of color materials (e.g., white ink).

[0005] An object of the present invention is to reduce the consumption of color materials for printing a code image while maintaining the reading accuracy of the code image.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the following configuration.That is, Receiving means for receiving a print job, A determination means for determining whether or not to print the background of the code image in the printed image to be printed according to the print job, based on the estimated readability of the code image printed on the substrate to be printed, A print instruction means that instructs printing according to the print job and the determination result by the determination means, It is equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This method reduces the amount of colorants used to print code images while maintaining the accuracy of reading the code images. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example configuration of an image forming system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing an example configuration of an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example of job information that will be printed. [Figure 4] A flowchart of a control method according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] A diagram showing an example of a GUI for displaying warnings to the user. [Figure 6] A flowchart of a control method according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] A flowchart of a control method according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] A flowchart illustrating an example of a process for automatically generating a base layer. [Figure 9] A diagram showing an example GUI for setting up automatic background generation. [Figure 10] A flowchart of a control method according to one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any way. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, identical or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0010] Figure 1 shows the configuration of an image forming system 1 according to one embodiment. The image forming system 1 performs printing on a substrate to be printed on. In this embodiment, the image forming system 1 forms an image on a roll paper (continuous paper) P that allows for continuous image formation.

[0011] The image forming system 1 includes a paper feeder 10, an image forming apparatus 20, and a winding apparatus 30. The paper feeder 10, the image forming apparatus 20, and the winding apparatus 30 are connected in this order from the upstream side along the transport direction of the roll paper P.

[0012] The paper feeder 10 supplies roll paper P to the image forming apparatus 20. The paper feeder 10 rotates the rotating shaft 11, which is a paper tube around which the roll paper P is wound. The paper feeder 10 then transports the roll paper P toward the image forming apparatus 20 at a constant speed via a plurality of rollers (for example, transport rollers and paper feed rollers).

[0013] The image forming apparatus 20 forms an image on the roll paper P supplied from the paper feeder 10. The image forming apparatus 20 also transports the roll paper P with the image formed on it toward the winding device 30.

[0014] The take-up device 30 winds up the roll paper P conveyed from the image forming device 20 in a roll shape. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, in the take-up device 30, the roll paper P is wound around a paper tube which is the rotating shaft 31. By rotating the rotating shaft 31, the take-up device 30 winds up the conveyed roll paper P onto the paper tube at a constant speed via a plurality of rollers (for example, a conveyance roller and a paper discharge roller). In this way, the finished product P' of the roll paper is wound around the rotating shaft 31.

[0015] Next, the configuration for controlling the image forming device 20 will be described in detail. FIG. 2(A) is a functional block diagram showing the control configuration of the image forming device 20. In this figure, the paper feeding device 10 and the take-up device 30 are shown as external devices. As shown in FIG. 2(A), the image forming device 20 includes, for example, a paper conveyance unit 21, an image forming unit 22, a communication unit 23, a control unit 24, a storage unit 25, an operation display unit 26, and an inspection unit 27. The image forming device 20 in the present embodiment functions as an information processing device having the control unit 24. On the other hand, a separate information processing device connected to the image forming device 20 may function as the control unit 24. For example, an image forming device according to an embodiment may be an information processing device having a printer driver connected to an image forming device that performs printing and configured to realize each process performed by the control unit 24.

[0016] The paper conveyance unit 21 is a conveyance mechanism for the roll paper P inside the image forming device 20. The paper conveyance unit 21 includes, for example, a plurality of rollers. Then, the paper conveyance unit 21 conveys the roll paper P conveyed from the paper feeding device 10 to the image forming unit 22. Also, the paper conveyance unit 21 conveys the roll paper P that has passed through the image forming unit 22 to the take-up device 30.

[0017] The image forming unit 22 forms an image on the roll paper P supplied from the paper feeding device 10 based on the print data instructed by the control unit 24. Further, the image forming unit 22 conveys the roll paper P on which the image is formed toward the winding device 30. In the present embodiment, the image forming unit 22 forms an image by discharging ink. However, it is not essential to use ink as the coloring material. The image forming unit 22 may form an image by adhering a coloring material such as toner to a base material. In the present embodiment, the image forming unit 22 can perform printing using coloring materials of process colors (for example, CMYK). The image forming unit 22 can also perform printing using coloring materials of special colors (for example, white) other than process colors.

[0018] The communication unit 23 transmits and receives various data to and from an external device (for example, a personal computer). The communication unit 23 and the external device are connected to a communication network such as a LAN or a Wide Area Network (WAN). The communication unit 23 may be a communication control card such as a Local Area Network (LAN) card.

[0019] ​​​​​In this embodiment, the print data can further indicate the amount of spot colorant (e.g., white ink) to be used for printing. For this purpose, spot colorant may be assigned to a spot color. In this case, the pixels on which printing using the spot colorant can be identified by specifying the spot color. However, the PDF job may indicate areas on which printing using the spot colorant (e.g., white ink) will be performed.

[0021] The processing performed by the control unit 24 can be realized using a processor and memory. For example, as shown in Figure 2(B), the image forming apparatus may have a processor 201, memory 202, and storage medium 203. The processor 201 is, for example, a Central Processing Unit (CPU). The memory 202 is, for example, Random Access Memory (RAM) and temporarily stores programs and data. The computer-readable storage medium 203 stores programs and data long-term. The storage medium 203 is, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory (so-called flash memory) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The processor 201 reads various programs, such as system programs or processing programs, stored in the storage medium 203 and loads them into the memory 202. The processor 201 then executes various processes according to the loaded programs.

[0022] The storage unit 25 stores various programs, such as system programs or processing programs, that are executed by the control unit 24. The storage unit 25 can also store various data necessary for the execution of these programs. The storage unit 25 can be implemented using a storage medium 203.

[0023] The operation display unit 26 has the function of accepting various operations from the user and the function of displaying various information. The operation display unit 26 is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) with a touch panel. The operation display unit 26 comprises a display unit 26a and an operation unit 26b.

[0024] The display unit 26a displays various information on the display screen according to the display control signals input from the control unit 24. The operation unit 26b accepts various input operations from the user and outputs signals indicating the operation to the control unit 24. The operation unit 26b may be equipped with various operation keys such as a numeric keypad or a start key.

[0025] The operation display unit 26 can be used, for example, to set partition information when executing a job. Partition information refers to the insertion position information of partition pages. When producing and delivering a product P' of multiple rolls of paper by image forming processing, partition pages can be inserted into the print data in advance. In this embodiment, partition information is generated when the user sets the number of prints, the number of copies, the print length, the print weight, or the print diameter.

[0026] The inspection unit 27 performs an inspection of the substrate on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit 22. For example, the inspection unit 27 can confirm whether printing has been performed on the roll paper without ejection defects. For example, the image forming unit 22 can print a pattern for ejection defect inspection on the substrate. The inspection unit 27 may also have a scanner. The inspection unit 27 can check whether there are any ejection defects by scanning the printed substrate with the scanner. If the inspection unit 27 detects an ejection defect, it can stop the image forming apparatus 20.

[0027] Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 20 when performing image forming processing will be described. First, the user creates job data in an external device. The job data may include print image data that indicates the image to be printed on the substrate to be printed according to the job. The user then transmits the job data from the external device to the image forming apparatus 20 via a communication network. The user can also transmit control information related to printing to the image forming apparatus 20. For example, the user can set print settings and the quantity of printed materials. The user can also transmit the print setting information and the number of rolls to be delivered along with the job data from the external device to the image forming apparatus 20.

[0028] The data format of the print image is not particularly limited. For example, the print image data may indicate the spot color name of each pixel. Alternatively, the print image data may indicate pixels on which printing is performed using spot color pigments. For example, the print image data may include a background image indicating an area on which printing is performed using a background pigment (e.g., a white pigment such as white ink). In one embodiment, if the color of a particular pixel indicated by the print image data is white, the ejection amount of each CMYK ink corresponding to this pixel is 0. On the other hand, the ejection amount of white ink corresponding to this pixel may also be 0. Thus, the ejection amount of white ink does not have to be controlled according to the color information of the pixel indicated by the print image data. In one embodiment, the ejection amount of white ink is controlled according to information (white image) indicating an area on which printing is performed using white ink.

[0029] The control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 20 receives job data and print-related control information transmitted from an external device via the communication unit 23. The image forming apparatus 20 can receive a job ticket containing this information.

[0030] Next, the processing performed by the control unit 24 will be explained in more detail. As shown in Figure 2(A), the control unit 24 can function as a reception unit 241, a determination unit 242, an information addition unit 243, a print instruction unit 244, and a setting unit 245.

[0031] The reception unit 241 accepts jobs. As described above, the reception unit 241 can receive job tickets containing job data and control information related to printing from external devices.

[0032] The determination unit 242 determines whether or not to print a background for a code image in the print image to be printed according to the job. A code image is an image from which information can be read by a machine. In one embodiment, information is encoded in the code image. Examples of such codes include barcodes. Barcodes include one-dimensional barcodes such as UPC codes and two-dimensional barcodes such as QR codes (registered trademark).

[0033] When printing code images, a background is often omitted. For example, barcodes can be represented by a combination of white and black. In this case, the code image is often printed by ejecting black ink to the black areas and not ejecting ink to the white areas. On the other hand, printing a background for the code image makes it easier to read. For example, ejecting white ink to the entire white and black areas, or to only the white areas, makes a code image printed with black ink easier to read. However, always printing a background for the code image increases the consumption of colorants.

[0034] The readability of a code image printed on a substrate depends on the type of substrate. For example, it is not easy to read a barcode printed on a transparent substrate. It can also be difficult to read a barcode printed on a colored substrate. Furthermore, it can be difficult to read a barcode printed on a substrate with high reflectivity. Therefore, in this embodiment, the determination unit 242 determines whether or not to print a background based on the estimated readability of the code image printed on the substrate to be printed. Such readability can be estimated, for example, based on information indicating the type of substrate to be printed.

[0035] In one embodiment, the determination unit 242 determines whether or not to print a background based on information indicating the type of substrate to be printed. The determination unit 242 can determine to print a background for the code image if it determines that the substrate to be printed is a predetermined type of substrate (e.g., plain paper). The type of substrate to be printed may be indicated by control information related to printing received from an external device. For example, a user can send control information specifying the type of substrate to be printed to the image forming apparatus 20 from an external device, in addition to the job data. The type of substrate to be printed may also be registered with the image forming apparatus 20 by the user. The setting unit 245 can perform print settings according to user input. For example, a user can specify the type of substrate to be printed via the operation display unit 26. The setting unit 245 can also set the type of substrate to be printed according to user input via the operation display unit 26.

[0036] Furthermore, the user may register a new substrate via the operation display unit 26. When registering a new substrate, the user can register information about the substrate (for example, whether the substrate is transparent or not). In addition, when registering a new substrate, the user may recall information about a substrate that is pre-set in the image forming unit 22. The user can modify the recalled substrate information as needed and register it as information about the new substrate.

[0037] In one embodiment, the determination unit 242 determines to print a background for the code image if the color of the substrate to be printed is other than white. The determination unit 242 can determine whether the color of the substrate is other than white based on the type of substrate to be printed. For example, if the determination unit 242 determines that the substrate to be printed is a predetermined type of substrate (e.g., plain paper), it can determine that the substrate to be printed is white. On the other hand, the information indicating the type of substrate to be printed may include information indicating the color of the substrate.

[0038] In one embodiment, the determination unit 242 determines to print a background for the code image if the substrate to be printed is transparent. The determination unit 242 can determine whether the color of the substrate is transparent or not based on the type of substrate to be printed. For example, the determination unit 242 can determine that the substrate to be printed is transparent if it determines that the substrate to be printed is a predetermined type of substrate (e.g., film paper). On the other hand, the information indicating the type of substrate to be printed may include information indicating the transparency of the substrate. The determination unit 242 may determine to print a background for the code image if the transparency is above a predetermined value.

[0039] In one embodiment, the determination unit 242 determines whether to print the background of the code image if the substrate to be printed is reflective. The determination unit 242 can determine whether or not a substrate is reflective based on the type of substrate to be printed. For example, if the determination unit 242 determines that the substrate to be printed is a predetermined type of substrate (e.g., coated paper or metallic paper), it can determine that the substrate to be printed is transparent. On the other hand, the information indicating the type of substrate to be printed may include information indicating the reflectance of the substrate (e.g., specular reflectance). The determination unit 242 may determine whether to print the background of the code image if the reflectance is above a predetermined value.

[0040] The determination unit 242 may determine whether or not to print the code image background based on information about the substrate to be printed measured by the sensor. For example, the inspection unit 27 may have such a sensor. The sensor can measure the color, transparency, or reflectance of the substrate to be printed. The inspection unit 27 may have a light source that projects light onto the substrate and a CCD or CMOS sensor that measures the color or intensity of the light reflected by the substrate or the light transmitted through the substrate.

[0041] In this embodiment, in addition to the print image transmitted from an external device, information related to the job is printed on the substrate to be printed. For this purpose, the control unit 24 functions as an information addition unit 243. The information addition unit 243 adds a code image indicating information related to the job to the print image. However, it is not essential that the control unit 24 functions as an information addition unit 243.

[0042] The information adding unit 243 can generate a code image based on print control information. For example, the information adding unit 243 can generate a code image by encoding at least one of the following: job ID, PDF file name, print date and time, number of copies, and other strings entered by the user. Such a code image can be used, for example, for managing the resulting printed materials. However, the type of code image is not particularly limited. For example, it is not necessary for the code image generated by the information adding unit 243 to be based on print control information.

[0043] The information addition unit 243 can update a print image transmitted from an external device to print a code image. The code image can be represented by a combination of a foreground area (e.g., bars) and a background area. The color of the foreground area is, for example, black. The color of the background area is, for example, white. On the other hand, the colors of the foreground area and the background area may be different. The information adding unit 243 can generate a code image without using a white colorant or a base colorant to record the background area. For example, the information adding unit 243 according to this embodiment does not add a base image to the area of ​​the code image.

[0044] Figure 3 shows an example of job information that the information adding unit 243 adds to the printed image. The information adding unit 243 adds job information 301 to the printed image so that the job information 301 is printed before the first page, after the last page, or both before the first page and after the last page of the printed material that follows a job transmitted from an external device via the communication unit 23.

[0045] Figure 3 shows examples of a two-dimensional code image 302 and a one-dimensional code image 303. The information addition unit 243 can generate a two-dimensional code image 302 or a one-dimensional code image 303 based on string or numerical information input from the operation display unit 26 or contained in the job ticket. The job information 301 includes at least one of such a two-dimensional code image 302 and a one-dimensional code image 303. The job information 301 also includes a job ID, PDF file name, print date and time, number of copies to print, and a string 304 containing an arbitrary string.

[0046] Whether or not to add job information can be set by the setting unit 245 according to user input via the operation display unit 26. Alternatively, the setting unit 245 may specify whether or not to add job information according to control information transmitted from an external device via the communication unit 23. Any string to be included in string 304 can similarly be set by the setting unit 245. Similarly, whether or not to print the two-dimensional code image 302 and the one-dimensional code image 303 can also be set by the setting unit 245.

[0047] The information addition unit 243 may add character images to the print image in addition to the code image. Such character images may indicate information about the job.

[0048] The information adding unit 243 can add a code image to the printed image so that it is printed on the edge of the substrate to be printed. The information adding unit 243 may also add a code image to the printed image so that it is printed near the cutting position when the roll paper P is cut after printing. The information adding unit 243 may also print the code image at the edge of the printed image.

[0049] The print instruction unit 244 instructs printing according to the job received by the reception unit 241. For example, the print instruction unit 244 can control each part, including the image forming unit 22, to print on the substrate to be printed, according to the job data and control information. The print instruction unit 244 can determine the amount of each colorant used by the image forming unit 22, corresponding to the color of each pixel shown in the printed image.

[0050] In this embodiment, the print instruction unit 244 instructs printing according to the job received by the reception unit 241 and the determination result by the determination unit 242. That is, the print instruction unit 244 can control the image forming unit 22 to perform printing according to the determination result of whether or not to print the background of the code image. In this embodiment, the print instruction unit 244 instructs the information adding unit 243 to print the background of the code image added according to the determination result by the determination unit 242. For example, the print instruction unit 244 can update the print image to print the background of the code image added by the information adding unit 243 and instruct printing according to the updated print image.

[0051] In this embodiment, the background is printed using a white colorant. The print instruction unit 244 can add a background image to the area of ​​the code image in the printed image, or to the area surrounding the code image. In this case, the image forming unit 22 prints using a white colorant over the entire area of ​​the code image. The image forming unit 22 can then print the foreground area of ​​the code image on top of the white colorant. The print instruction unit 244 may also add a background image to the background area of ​​the code image in the printed image.

[0052] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the control method for an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment. The process shown in Figure 4 determines whether or not to print a background for the code image depending on the type of substrate. The process according to Figure 4 is performed after the information addition unit 243 adds the code image to the print image included in the job.

[0053] In S401, the determination unit 242 determines whether or not to print the code image. In this embodiment, if the setting unit 245 is set to print job information including the code image, the determination unit 242 determines to print the code image. If the determination unit 242 determines to print the code image, the process proceeds to S402. Otherwise, the process in Figure 4 ends.

[0054] In S402, the determination unit 242 determines whether or not to print a background for the code image based on the estimated readability of the code image printed on the substrate to be printed. In this embodiment, as described above, the determination unit 242 determines whether or not to print a background for the code image based on information indicating the type of substrate to be printed. For example, if the determination unit 242 determines that the color of the substrate is other than white, the process proceeds to S403. Otherwise, the process in Figure 4 ends.

[0055] In S403, the print instruction unit 244 adds a background image to the code image that the information addition unit 243 has added to the print image. For example, the print instruction unit 244 adds a white image to the rectangular area of ​​the code image, which is printed using a background colorant (e.g., white ink). This rectangular area may be, for example, the area enclosed by the outer lines of the two-dimensional code image 302 and the one-dimensional code image 303.

[0056] After the processing shown in Figure 4 is completed, the print instruction unit 244 controls the image forming unit 22 to print on the substrate based on the obtained print image.

[0057] According to this embodiment, whether or not to print a background for the code image is controlled based on the estimated readability of the code image printed on the substrate to be printed, for example, based on the type of substrate. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of colorant consumed for printing the code image while maintaining the readability of the code image.

[0058] (Modified version: Underlay printing control of a code image based on information indicating the colorants used for printing) The method for estimating the readability of a code image printed on a substrate is not limited to referring to information indicating the type of substrate. For example, the readability of a code image can be estimated based on information indicating the colorants used for printing.

[0059] For example, the determination unit 242 may determine whether or not to print a background for the code image based on whether or not the job specifies that printing should be performed using a specific colorant. For example, the determination unit 242 can determine to print a background for the code image if the print image transmitted from the external device contains pixels that are printed using a specific colorant. The determination unit 242 can also determine to print a background for the code image if the control information received by the reception unit 241 specifies that printing should be performed using a specific colorant. The specific colorant may be a predetermined colorant used for printing a background, such as a white colorant (e.g., white ink). For example, the determination unit 242 can determine to print a background for the code image if the print image contains the above-mentioned white image, or contains white pixels that are printed using white ink. The fact that the print image contains areas that are printed using a colorant for the background suggests that printing a background on the substrate to be printed is desired, for example, that the substrate to be printed is transparent or not white.

[0060] Figure 6 is a flowchart for determining whether or not to print the background of the code image in such a modified example. The process shown in Figure 6 can be performed instead of the process shown in Figure 4. S601 is the same as S401. In S602, the determination unit 242 determines whether or not the printed image contains pixels that are printed using a specific colorant. For example, the determination unit 242 can determine to print the background of the code image if the printed image contains pixels that are recorded with white ink. If the determination unit 242 determines to print the background of the code image, the process proceeds to S603. Otherwise, the process in Figure 6 ends. S603 is the same as S403.

[0061] As another method, the readability of a code image may be estimated based on whether or not the code image can be read. For example, the print instruction unit 244 can control the image forming unit 22 to print a code image without a background onto the substrate to be printed as a test code image. This code image may be a code image generated by the information adding unit 243 as described above, or a predetermined code image. The inspection unit 27 can read the printed code image without a background. If the inspection unit 27 can correctly read the code image without a background, the determination unit 242 can determine that the background of the code image should not be printed. If the inspection unit 27 cannot correctly read the code image without a background, the determination unit 242 can determine that the background of the code image should be printed.

[0062] (Modification: Controlling the background printing of code images while considering the automatic background generation settings) The image forming apparatus 20 may print a base layer according to the automatic base layer generation settings. For example, the setting unit 245 can perform the automatic base layer generation settings. The setting unit 245 can perform the automatic base layer generation settings according to user input via the operation display unit 26, or according to control information transmitted from an external device. In order to accept user input, the setting unit 245 can display the GUI 901 shown in Figure 9 on the operation display unit 26. The GUI 901 can accept the automatic base layer generation setting value 902.

[0063] For example, the setting unit 245 can set whether or not to print a background for the print image. The setting unit 245 can also set the conditions for printing the background. In this embodiment, the automatic background generation setting value includes "OFF" which indicates that the background will not be printed. The automatic background generation setting value also includes "Generate under color data" which indicates that the background will be printed on the portion to be color printed. The automatic background generation setting value also includes "Generate over the entire surface" which indicates that the background will be printed on the entire portion to be printed.

[0064] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the process of generating a background image according to the automatic background generation settings. According to the process shown in Figure 8, a background image is added to the print image transmitted from an external device via the communication unit 23, according to the settings.

[0065] In S801, the determination unit 242 determines whether the print image included in the received job contains pixels that are printed using a colorant (e.g., white ink) used for background printing. If the determination unit 242 determines that the print image contains pixels that are printed using a colorant used for background printing, the process in Figure 8 ends without adding a background image. Otherwise, the process proceeds to S802. Thus, in one embodiment, if the print image contains pixels that are printed using a colorant used for background printing, the background image is not added by the process in Figure 8. With this configuration, printing can be performed so as to reflect the designation of areas in the print image where printing is performed using a colorant and areas where printing is not performed using a colorant. However, the process in S801 may be omitted.

[0066] In S802, the determination unit 242 determines the setting value for the automatic background generation setting. If the setting value indicates "generate over the entire surface," the process proceeds to S803. If the setting value indicates "generate under color data," the process proceeds to S804. If the setting value indicates "OFF," the process in Figure 8 ends without adding a background image.

[0067] In S803, the print instruction unit 244 adds a background image to the entire page of the received job (for example, the entire print image contained in the job). In S804, the print instruction unit 244 adds a background image to the portion of the print image contained in the job that is to be printed in color. In this specification, the portion that is to be printed in color refers to pixels that are recorded using one of the C, M, Y, and K colorants.

[0068] Figure 7 is a flowchart for determining whether or not to print the background of the code image in such a modified example. The process shown in Figure 7 can be performed instead of the process shown in Figure 4. The process according to Figure 7 may be performed before or after the process according to Figure 8. S701 is the same as S401. In S702, the determination unit 242 determines the setting value of the automatic background generation setting. If the setting value indicates "generate on the entire surface", the process proceeds to S703. If the setting value indicates "generate under color data" or "OFF", the process proceeds to S704.

[0069] In S703, the print instruction unit 244 adds a background image to the entire page of the received job (the entire print image, including the code image added by the information addition unit 243). In S704, the print instruction unit 244 adds a background image to the code image added by the information addition unit 243 to the print image, similar to S403.

[0070] According to this embodiment, even when the setting to not print the background of the printed image is configured (for example, "OFF"), the background of the code image is printed. That is, the print instruction unit 244 can instruct printing to print a first background image as the background of the code image. On the other hand, even when the setting to print the background of the printed image is configured (for example, "generate on the entire surface"), that is, the print instruction unit 244 can instruct printing to print a second background image. Here, the second background image can be made larger than the first background image. For example, the first background image can be added to a region of the code image that is narrower than the entire printed image, or to a region surrounding the code image. On the other hand, the second background image can be set to cover the entire printed image. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the amount of colorant consumed for printing the code image while maintaining the accuracy of reading the code image.

[0071] Furthermore, the process according to Figure 7 and the process described with reference to Figures 4 and 6, which determines whether or not to print the background of the code image based on the estimated readability of the code image printed on the substrate to be printed, can be combined. For example, a process similar to S402 or S602 may be performed before S702. If the determination unit 242 determines that the background of the code image should be printed based on these processes, the process may proceed to S702. Otherwise, the process according to Figure 7 may be terminated.

[0072] (Variation: User confirmation) The determination unit 242 may determine whether or not to print the background of the code image in the printed image, based on the results of user confirmation in addition to the estimated readability of the code image. Such a process will be explained with reference to Figure 10. Figure 10 is a flowchart for determining whether or not to print the background of the code image in such a modified example. The process shown in Figure 10 can be performed instead of the process shown in Figure 4 or Figure 6.

[0073] S1001 is performed in the same manner as S401. In S1002, the determination unit 242 determines whether or not to contact the user based on the estimated readability of the code image printed on the substrate to be printed. The criteria for the determination may be the same as in S402. In S1003, the determination unit 242 displays a warning. This warning can notify the user of the possibility that the code image may not be readable. The determination unit 242 can also contact the user to ask whether or not to print a background for the code image. The determination unit 242 may also display a GUI as shown in Figure 5 on the operation display unit 26.

[0074] In S1004, the determination unit 242 obtains user input via the operation display unit 26 indicating whether or not to print the background of the code image. In S1005, the determination unit 242 determines, based on the response to the inquiry, whether or not to print the background of the code image in the print image to be printed according to the print job. For example, in S1006, the determination unit 242 can determine whether or not the user input obtained in S1004 indicates that the background of the code image should be printed. If the determination unit 242 determines that the user input indicates that the background of the code image should be printed, the process proceeds to S1006. Otherwise, the process in Figure 10 ends. The process in S1006 is performed in the same way as in S403.

[0075] The determination unit 242 may control whether or not to perform the processing in S1003 to S1005 depending on the type of substrate to be printed. Furthermore, the processing shown in Figure 10 may be combined with the processing shown in Figure 7. For example, the processing in S1003 to S1005 may be performed before S704. With this configuration, if the setting to not print the background of the print image is enabled (e.g., "OFF"), the user can be asked whether or not to print the background of the code image. Then, in accordance with the user input specifying that the background of the code image should be printed, the print instruction unit 244 can instruct the printer to print the background of the code image.

[0076] (Type of code image) In the above embodiment, the determination unit 242 determined whether to print the background of the code image added by the information addition unit 243. However, the code image to be printed as a background is not limited to the code image added by the information addition unit 243. For example, the print image included in the job received by the reception unit 241 may include a code image. In this case, the determination unit 242 can determine whether to print the background of the code image included in the print image according to the method described above.

[0077] For example, the control information received by the reception unit 241 may include information indicating whether or not a code image is present in the printed image. In this case, in S401, the determination unit 242 can determine whether or not to print the code image according to the control information. The control information may also include information indicating the area of ​​the code image in the printed image. In this case, in S403, the print instruction unit 244 can instruct printing to print a background in the area of ​​the code image indicated by the control information.

[0078] As another example, in S401, the determination unit 242 may determine the presence or absence of a code image in the printed image by image recognition processing. In this case, in S403, the print instruction unit 244 can instruct printing to print a background in the area of ​​the code image recognized by the determination unit 242.

[0079] (Other examples) The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0080] This disclosure includes the following image forming apparatus, control method for the image forming apparatus, and program.

[0081] (Item 1) A means of accepting print jobs, A determination means for determining whether or not to print the background of the code image in the printed image to be printed according to the print job, based on the estimated readability of the code image printed on the substrate to be printed, A print instruction means that instructs printing according to the print job and the determination result by the determination means, An image forming apparatus characterized by comprising: (Item 2) The image forming apparatus according to item 1, characterized in that the determination means determines whether or not to print the background of the code image in the printed image based on information indicating the type of substrate to be printed or information indicating the colorant used for printing. (Item 3) The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 2, characterized in that the aforementioned base is printed using a white colorant. (Item 4) The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, further comprising information adding means for adding a code image indicating information about the print job to the print image. (Item 5) The image forming apparatus according to item 4, characterized in that the printing instruction means instructs the information adding means to print the background of the code image added by the information adding means, in accordance with the determination result by the determination means. (Item 6) The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 5, characterized in that the determination means determines to print the background of the code image when the color of the substrate to be printed is other than white. (Item 7) The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 6, characterized in that the information indicating the type of substrate to be printed includes information indicating the color of the substrate. (Item 8) The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 7, characterized in that the determination means determines to print the background of the code image when the substrate to be printed is transparent. (Item 9) The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 8, wherein the information indicating the type of substrate to be printed indicates the transparency of the substrate. (Item 10) The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 9, characterized in that the determination means determines whether or not to print the background of the code image based on information indicating the type of substrate to be printed, which is received together with the print job. (Item 11) The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 10, characterized in that the determination means determines whether or not to print the background of the code image based on information indicating the type of substrate to be printed, which has been registered by the user. (Item 12) The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 11, characterized in that the determination means determines whether or not to print the background of the code image based on information of the substrate to be printed measured by the sensor. (Item 13) The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 12, characterized in that the determination means determines whether or not to print the background of the code image based on whether or not the print image included in the received print job includes pixels that are printed using a specific colorant. (Item 14) The system further includes setting means for setting whether or not to print the background of the aforementioned print image, The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 13, characterized in that the setting is configured not to print the background of the print image, and when the determination means determines that the background of the code image should be printed, the print instruction means instructs printing to print the first background image as the background of the code image. (Item 15) The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 14, characterized in that the determination means determines whether or not to make an inquiry to the user based on the estimated readability of the code image printed on the substrate to be printed, and determines whether or not to print a background for the code image in the printed image to be printed according to the print job based on the answer to the inquiry. (Item 16) A setting means for setting whether or not to print the background of the printed image, A means of accepting print jobs, If the setting is configured not to print the background of the print image, a print instruction means instructs printing according to the print job to print the first background image as the background for the code image in the print image to be printed according to the print job, An image forming apparatus characterized by comprising: (Item 17) The image forming apparatus according to item 16, characterized in that, when the printing instruction means is set to print a background for the print image, it instructs the printing to print a second background image that is larger than the first background image, in accordance with the print job. (Item 18) A control method performed by an image forming apparatus, The process of accepting print jobs, A step of determining whether or not to print the background of the code image in the printed image to be printed according to the print job, based on information indicating the type of substrate to be printed or information indicating the colorant used for printing, A step of instructing printing according to the print job and the judgment result, A control method characterized by including (Item 19) A control method performed by an image forming apparatus, The process of setting whether or not to print a background for the printed image, The process of accepting print jobs, If the setting is configured not to print the background of the print image, the process of instructing the printer to print according to the print job so that the first background image is printed as the background for the code image in the print image to be printed according to the print job, A control method characterized by including (Item 20) A program for causing a computer to function as one of the means of an image forming apparatus described in any one of items 1 through 17.

[0082] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1: Image forming system, 20: Image forming apparatus, 22: Image forming unit, 24: Control unit, 26: Operation display unit, 241: Reception unit, 242: Judgment unit, 243: Information addition unit, 244: Print instruction unit, 245: Setting unit

Claims

1. A means of accepting print jobs, A determination means for determining whether or not to print the background of the code image in the printed image to be printed according to the print job, based on the estimated readability of the code image printed on the substrate to be printed, A print instruction means that instructs printing according to the print job and the determination result by the determination means, An image forming apparatus characterized by comprising:

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination means determines whether or not to print the background of the code image in the printed image based on information indicating the type of substrate to be printed or information indicating the colorant used for printing.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the base material is printed using a white colorant.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising information adding means for adding a code image indicating information related to the print job to the print image.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the printing instruction means instructs the information adding means to print the background of the code image added by the information adding means, in accordance with the determination result by the determination means.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination means determines to print the background of the code image when the color of the substrate to be printed is other than white.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the information indicating the type of substrate to be printed includes information indicating the color of the substrate.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination means determines that the background of the code image is printed when the substrate to be printed is transparent.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the information indicating the type of substrate to be printed indicates the transparency of the substrate.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination means determines whether or not to print the background of the code image based on information indicating the type of substrate to be printed, which is received together with the print job.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination means determines whether or not to print the background of the code image based on information indicating the type of substrate to be printed, which has been registered by the user.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination means determines whether or not to print the background of the code image based on information of the substrate to be printed measured by the sensor.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination means determines whether or not to print the background of the code image based on whether or not the print image included in the received print job includes pixels that are printed using a specific colorant.

14. The system further includes setting means for setting whether or not to print the background of the aforementioned print image, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, if the setting is configured not to print the background of the print image, and the determination means determines that the background of the code image should be printed, the print instruction means instructs the printing to print the first background image as the background of the code image.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination means determines whether or not to make an inquiry to the user based on the estimated readability of the code image printed on the substrate to be printed, and determines whether or not to print a background for the code image in the printed image to be printed according to the print job based on the answer to the inquiry.

16. A setting means for setting whether or not to print the background of the printed image, A means of accepting print jobs, If the setting is configured not to print the background of the print image, a print instruction means instructs printing according to the print job to print the first background image as the background for the code image in the print image to be printed according to the print job, An image forming apparatus characterized by comprising:

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that, when the printing instruction means is set to print a background for the print image, it instructs printing according to the print job to print a second background image that is larger than the first background image.

18. A control method performed by an image forming apparatus, The process of accepting print jobs, A step of determining whether or not to print the background of the code image in the printed image to be printed according to the print job, based on information indicating the type of substrate to be printed or information indicating the colorant used for printing, A step of instructing printing according to the print job and the judgment result, A control method characterized by including

19. A control method performed by an image forming apparatus, The process of setting whether or not to print a background for the printed image, The process of accepting print jobs, If the setting is configured not to print the background of the print image, the process of instructing the print job to print the first background image as the background for the code image in the print image to be printed according to the print job, A control method characterized by including

20. A program for causing a computer to function as one of the means of an image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

Images