Printing apparatus, method for controlling the printing apparatus, and program

Abstract

This reduces the amount of wasted paper when printing is resumed. [Solution] The printing device analyzes the printing conditions of each of the multiple print jobs that have been submitted, and if there is a print job among the multiple print jobs that requires cutting the recording medium before the start of printing of the next print job to be executed, and if the length of the recording medium required for the execution of the print job submitted after the print job requiring cutting is shorter than the length of the recording medium that needs to be rewound after the completion of printing by the print job requiring cutting, the printing device controls the execution of the print job submitted after the print job requiring cutting so that the print job submitted after the next print job is executed consecutively.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a printing apparatus that performs printing on a roll-shaped recording medium, a control method for the printing apparatus, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] A printing apparatus that performs printing on a roll-shaped recording medium, for example, continuously executes a plurality of printing jobs to continue printing in order to prioritize productivity, or, in order to prioritize post-processing, cuts the recording medium printed by the execution of the printing job to take out the finished product. When the printing operation is restarted after temporarily stopping the printing for cutting, acceleration is required until the speed at which printing can be performed with stable print quality is reached. When supplied in a roll shape, since the recording medium is continuous, the area conveyed during acceleration becomes an area where printing cannot be performed because stable print quality cannot be obtained, resulting in waste paper. Specifically, since printing is not performed in the conveyance area during acceleration when printing is restarted, that portion becomes waste paper.

[0003] Regarding reduction of waste paper when printing is restarted, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for reducing waste paper by performing printing by the next printing job to be executed until the recording medium reaches a position where it can be cut after finishing printing by a printing job that requires cutting.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the technique of Patent Document 1, if the length of the recording medium required for printing the next printing job to be executed is short, a blank area that is not printed after the last page of the printing job may occur, and as a result, waste paper may not be reduced.

[0006] This disclosure provides a technology to suppress the generation of waste paper when printing is resumed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A printing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a printing apparatus that performs printing while transporting a roll-shaped recording medium, and comprises: an analysis means for analyzing the printing conditions of each of a plurality of input print jobs; and a control means for causing the printing means to execute the plurality of print jobs in the order they are input based on the results of the analysis, wherein, as a result of the analysis by the analysis means, there is a print job among the plurality of print jobs that requires cutting the recording medium before the start of printing of the next print job to be executed, and the control means controls the execution of the print job that is input after the print job that requires cutting if the length of the recording medium required for the execution of the print job that is input after the print job that requires cutting is shorter than the length of the recording medium that needs to be rewound after the completion of printing by the print job that requires cutting, so that the print job that is input after the next print job that requires cutting is executed consecutively. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the technology disclosed herein, it is possible to suppress the generation of waste paper when printing is resumed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the printing system, including the printing device. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram of the controller in a printing device. [Figure 3] This is a software block diagram showing the functional configuration of a printing device. [Figure 4] This is an example of a job list. [Figure 5] This is a diagram illustrating the procedure for starting printing. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the operating mode setting screen. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of the print job settings screen. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows the detailed flow of the rewind printing decision process. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows the detailed flow of the print start request process. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen. [Figure 11] This diagram shows the print area before and after printing resumes. [Figure 12] This diagram shows the print area before and after printing resumes. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments for carrying out the technology of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are not intended to limit the technology of this disclosure as defined in the claims. Not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential as solutions to the technology of this disclosure, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. The same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, each step in the flowchart will be indicated by the letter "S" at the beginning.

[0011] <<Embodiment 1>> (Printing system configuration) Figure 1 is a diagram of the entire printing system including the printing device 101 according to this embodiment. The printing device 101 is an inkjet printer that generates recorded material P' by ejecting ink onto a recording medium P from the printing unit 103. The recording medium P is supplied to the printing device 101 from the paper feeding unit 102, and after the printing device 101 generates recorded material P', the recorded material P' is collected by the paper discharge unit 105. The recording medium P passes along the transport path by rollers 106. The printing device 101 inspects the recorded material P' for images acquired by the print image acquisition unit 104. The rollers 106 can also rotate in reverse, and the recording medium P can be rewound from the paper discharge unit 105 to the paper feeding unit 102. Note that "recording" includes not only printing meaningful information such as characters and figures, but also broadly printing images, patterns, etc., on the recording medium, regardless of whether they are meaningful or not. It also includes processing the medium, regardless of whether it is visually apparent or not. In this embodiment, a roll of paper is assumed as the "recording medium," but cloth, plastic film, etc., may also be used. There are no particular limitations on the components of the ink, but in this embodiment, it is assumed that an ink containing a pigment as a coloring agent, water, and resin is used.

[0012] (Controller hardware configuration) Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the controller in the printing device 101. The controller 200 of the printing device 101 includes a CPU 201, RAM 202, ROM 203, storage device 204, general-purpose interface (I / F) 205, operation unit 206, job control unit 207, and engine control unit 208. These devices are connected via the main bus 209 to enable the sending and receiving of data from each other. The host device 210 is connected to the controller 200 of the printing device 101 via the general-purpose I / F 205.

[0013] The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201 is a processor that comprehensively controls each part within the printing device 101. The RAM (Random Access Memory) 202 functions as the main memory, work area, etc. of the CPU 201. The ROM (Read Only Memory) 203 stores a group of programs to be executed by the CPU 201. The storage device 204 stores applications to be executed by the CPU 201, job information used for printing, image data, etc. The general-purpose I / F 205 is, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus) or LAN (Local Area Network), and accepts the input of job data, etc. via the host device 210. The operation unit 206 displays the current status and settings, etc. on a touch-input-compatible liquid crystal display or the like, presents various information to the user, and displays a user interface screen (UI screen) that accepts user inputs such as an instruction to resume printing. The job control unit 207 performs controls related to printing, such as analyzing print jobs and determining the print order. The engine control unit 208 controls the printing unit 103. The host device 210 prepares image data, etc. necessary for the print jobs to be processed by the printing device 101.

[0014] (Functional Configuration of Job Control Unit) FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the job control unit 207 in the printing device 101. The job control unit 207 includes a job analysis unit 301, a job management unit 302, an operation mode management unit 303, and a print control unit 304. The job control unit 207 also performs control to display a user interface screen (UI screen) on the engine control unit 208 and the operation unit 206, and communicates via the main bus 209. Note that each functional unit may assume part or all of the functions of other functional units.

[0015] The job analysis unit 301 receives the print job input from the host device 210, analyzes the print conditions of the received print job, and acquires job information such as the number of printed copies and print paper information (total number of pages).

[0016] The job management unit 302 manages the job information acquired by the job analysis unit 301 and controls the execution order of multiple submitted print jobs. Details of the job information managed by the job management unit 302 will be described later with reference to Figure 4. The job management unit 302 performs image processing (RIP) and instructs the print control unit 304 to start printing. When the job management unit 302 receives a print command from the user via the UI screen displayed by the UI display control unit 305, it makes a decision to start printing using information indicating the operation mode managed by the operation mode management unit 303. Then, if the job management unit 302 decides to start printing, it instructs the print control unit 304. Details of the print start decision in the job management unit 302 will be described later with reference to Figure 6.

[0017] The operation mode management unit 303 manages the operation mode that indicates how printing will be performed. In this embodiment, the operation mode management unit 303 manages the "rewind" operation mode, which is used when cutting is performed. The operation mode management unit 303 also manages the setting of whether or not to prioritize post-processing, including cutting, after printing. The settings for each mode will be described later with reference to Figure 5.

[0018] The print control unit 304 sets the print speed to the engine control unit 208 and issues print instructions according to the print order determined by the job management unit 302.

[0019] The UI display control unit 305 controls the operation unit 206 to display a UI screen containing job information managed by the job management unit 302. The UI display control unit 305 controls the display of a UI screen that provides input / output related to user operations, such as selecting a print job and starting printing, on the displayed job information. The UI display control unit 305 also controls the display of a UI screen to notify the user of information based on the result of the print start decision made by the job management unit 302. Note that the UI screen is not limited to being displayed on the operation unit 206, but may also be displayed on a display device of the host device 210.

[0020] (Job information) Figure 4 shows an example of job information. The job information is stored in the job management unit 302 in the form of a job list 400. The job list 400 displays multiple submitted print jobs in the order they were submitted. Specifically, the job list 400 contains information about each job obtained by analysis by the job analysis unit 301, and includes information on the following items: job ID 401, job type 402, paper ID 403, print length 404, job cutting 405, and print order 406.

[0021] Job ID 401 is a unique job identifier issued by the job analysis unit 301 for each print job submitted to the job control unit 207. Job type 402 indicates the type of job submitted. Job types can be, for example, "Print" or "Maintenance". "Print" indicates a print job that performs printing. "Maintenance" indicates a maintenance job that performs maintenance.

[0022] Paper ID 403 is an identifier used to identify the paper used by a received job during printing. Paper ID 403 is used to obtain information about the paper, such as paper width and paper type. Paper ID 403 is obtained by analyzing the submitted job.

[0023] The print length 404 indicates the total print length when the job is executed. The total print length is calculated by the product of the number of pages included in the job, the page length relative to the transport direction, and the number of copies to be printed. In this embodiment, the print length 404 is set when the image processing within the job is completed and the job is ready for printing. That is, a job with a value set for the print length 404 is a printable job, while a job without a value set is in the process of being prepared for printing. The job cut 405 indicates whether or not to cut the job after printing. The job cut 405 is set by user operation via the UI screen displayed by the UI display control unit 305 before printing starts. If the job cut 405 is ON, the paper will be cut after printing is completed so that the output consists only of that job. On the other hand, if the job cut 405 is OFF, the paper will not be cut after printing is completed as it is not necessary. If a print job with a pre-set job cut is submitted, the results of the job analysis by the job analysis unit 301 regarding the job cut are shown in the job cut 405.

[0024] The print order 406 indicates the printing order of each job. The print order 406 is assigned a value starting from 1, based on the order selected via the UI screen displayed by the UI display control unit 305. If printing is complete, the print order is assigned a value of 0.

[0025] (Printing Instructions) Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the printing initiation procedure. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the operation mode setting screen. Figure 7 is a diagram showing the print job selection screen. Note that the screens shown in Figures 6 and 7 are displayed on the operation unit 206 by the UI display control unit 305.

[0026] In S501, the user decides whether to perform post-printing cutouts when starting the print job. If it is decided not to perform post-printing cutouts (NO in S501), the process moves to S502. In S502, the user sets the rewind 601 (rewind mode) to OFF on the operation mode setting screen 600 displayed on the operation unit 206 by the UI display control unit 305. After completing the process in S502, the process moves to S508.

[0027] On the other hand, if it is decided to perform cutting after printing (YES in S501), the process moves to S503. In S503 to S506, the UI display control unit 305 sets the operation mode setting screen 600 displayed on the operation unit 206, which includes "rewind", "rewind threshold", "automatic selection printing", and "priority setting".

[0028] In S503, the user sets the rewind 601 (rewind mode) to ON on the operation mode setting screen 600. In S504, the user sets the rewind threshold 602 to an arbitrary value, such as 30, on the operation mode setting screen 600. Similarly, in S505, the user sets the automatic selection print mode 603 to ON or OFF on the operation mode setting screen 600. When ON is selected, a print job that meets the conditions will be automatically selected. When OFF is selected, a print job will not be automatically selected.

[0029] In S506, the user sets the priority setting on the operation mode setting screen 600, which is the priority operation for the print job, and sets either post-processing or productivity. Post-processing is the operation mode set when the control prioritizes performing post-processing immediately after printing. Productivity is the operation mode set when the control prioritizes keeping the printing device running continuously. In S507, after setting the operation mode, the user changes the setting of Job Cut 701 on the operation mode setting screen 600 displayed on the operation unit 206 by the UI display control unit 305 to ON for jobs that are to be cut.

[0030] In S508, the rewind print determination process is executed by pressing the print start button 704 on the print job setting screen 700. Printing starts upon execution of this process. Details of the rewind print determination process (S508) will be explained using Figure 8. Here, we will explain the settings of the operation mode setting screen 600 that are referenced in the rewind print determination (S508) described in Figure 8 below.

[0031] (Operation mode setting screen) The operation mode setting screen 600 allows you to configure settings for "Rewind," "Rewind Threshold," "Automatic Print Selection," and "Priority Setting."

[0032] The "Rewind" setting 601 determines whether the engine control unit 208 performs reverse transport when printing and resuming the second group of jobs following the first job printout. The "Rewind Threshold" setting 602 is a value applied when the "Rewind" setting is ON, and sets the print length and reverse transport length of the second group of jobs. The rewind threshold is used when determining the next print job to be executed after a print job that requires cutting the recording medium. The rewind threshold is used to determine whether the length of the recording medium required for the next print job to be executed is shorter than the length of the recording medium that needs to be rewound after the completion of printing by the print job that requires cutting. The reverse transport length is the length of the recording medium transported in the opposite direction to the transport direction, and is the length of the recording medium that needs to be rewound after the completion of printing by the print job that requires cutting. The "Automatic Selection Print" setting 603 determines whether to automatically select the jobs necessary for rewinding and start printing. The "Priority Setting" setting 604 is applied when it is determined that print control with rewind ON cannot be performed even if a job is automatically selected. Either the "Post-processing" setting 605, which sets a post-processing priority mode that prioritizes performing post-processing immediately after printing, or the "Productivity" setting 606, which sets a productivity priority mode that prioritizes continuous operation of the printing device, can be set.

[0033] (Rewind printing decision process) Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the detailed procedure for the rewind print decision process (S508). Each process shown in Figure 8 is executed by the job management unit 302. Details of the notification screen used in the notification process described in Figure 8 will be described later using Figure 10.

[0034] In S801, the job management unit 302 displays a print job setting screen 700 on the operation unit 206 via the UI display control unit 305, based on the job list 400 held by the job management unit 302. The print job setting screen 700 then accepts the selection of the print job to be printed. When a print job is selected, the checkbox 702 and print order 703 corresponding to the selected print job are set on the print job setting screen 700. Specifically, a mark is displayed in the checkbox 702. The print order 703 is set to a number indicating the order in which the print job selection was accepted, with the order starting from 1. In this way, the print job setting screen 700 can also be called a print job selection screen, as it sets the job selected by the user from among multiple submitted print jobs. In S802, the job management unit 302 obtains the operation mode set on the operation mode setting screen 600 from the operation mode management unit 303.

[0035] In S803, the job management unit 302 determines whether the rewind mode is ON in the operation mode acquired in S802. Based on this determination, processing according to the setting of the operation mode will be executed from S803 onward. If it is determined that the rewind mode is OFF and not ON (NO in S803), the process moves to S806. In S806, the job management unit 302 registers the selected print jobs as a print group in the order they were selected. The job management unit 302 may manage the print group together with the job list 400 shown in Figure 4, or it may manage it separately from the job list 400 shown in Figure 4. In S807, the job management unit 302 requests the start of printing. Since print control is switched between rewind mode ON and rewind mode OFF, the details of the print start request (S807) will be described later using Figure 9.

[0036] On the other hand, if it is determined that the rewind mode is ON (YES in S803), the process moves on to S804.

[0037] In S804, the job management unit 302 checks if two or more jobs are selected and determines whether a second job exists. If only one job is selected and it is determined that a second job does not exist (NO in S804), the process moves to S814. In S814, the job management unit 302 determines that the effect of reducing paper waste through rewinding cannot be obtained and displays the print job setting screen 700 to set the print job to be selected. After completing the process in S814, the process moves to S801. On the other hand, if two or more jobs are selected and it is determined that a second job exists (YES in S804), the process moves to S805.

[0038] In S805, the job management unit 302 determines whether the job length of the second job is greater than or equal to the rewind threshold. If it determines that the job length of the second job is greater than or equal to the rewind threshold (YES in S805), the process moves to S806. In S806, the job management unit 302 registers the selected job to the print group. As a result, the print group consists of print jobs whose print length is longer than the transport length of the recording medium between the completion of printing by the first print job that requires cutting the recording medium and the resumption of printing. In S807, the job management unit 302 executes a process to request the start of printing. Details of the print start request process (S807) will be explained using Figure 9.

[0039] On the other hand, if it is determined that the job length of the second job is below the threshold (NO in S805), the process moves to S808.

[0040] In S808, the job management unit 302 determines if there are any other printable jobs. In this embodiment, in order to terminate the first job, it searches for a job that has the same paper ID as the first and second jobs and has the job termination OFF setting. If it determines that no such job exists (NO in S808), the process moves to S815. In S815, the job management unit 302 obtains information indicating the priority setting.

[0041] In S816, the job management unit 302 determines whether the priority setting is post-processing priority mode. If it determines that it is not post-processing priority mode, i.e., productivity priority mode is set (NO in S816), the process moves to S819. In S819, the job management unit 302 determines whether automatic selection print mode is enabled. If it determines that automatic selection print mode is enabled (YES in S819), the process moves to S820. In S820, the job management unit 302, in order to prioritize productivity, displays a UI screen indicating the mode change as a pop-up to notify the user of the mode change. In S821, the job management unit 302 changes the operating mode to rewind mode OFF. After the process in S821 is completed, the process moves to S806.

[0042] On the other hand, if the automatic selection print mode is disabled and it is determined that the automatic selection print mode is not enabled (NO in S819), the process moves to S822. In S822, a notification is sent to the user. In S823, the job management unit 302 displays the print job settings screen 700 to set the print job selection. After completing the process in S823, the process moves to S801.

[0043] If it is determined in S816 that the post-processing priority mode is set (YES in S816), the process moves to S817. In S817, the job management unit 302 notifies the user that only the first job will be printed. In S818, the job management unit 302 registers only the first job to the print group. After the process in S818 is completed, the process moves to S807.

[0044] If it is determined in S808 that a suitable job exists (YES in S808), the process moves to S809. In S809, the job management unit 302 adds the job with the smallest job ID among the jobs obtained through the search to the temporary group. Specifically, a job that prints on the same type of recording medium as the first print job is added to the temporary group. The job management unit 302 may manage the temporary group together with the job list 400 shown in Figure 4, or it may manage the temporary group separately from the job list 400 shown in Figure 4.

[0045] In S810, it is determined whether the total job length of the second job and the jobs added in S809 is greater than or equal to the rollback threshold. If the total job length of the second job and the jobs added in S809 is less than or equal to the rollback threshold, and it is determined that it is not greater than or equal to the rollback threshold (NO in S810), the process returns to S809, and the processes of S809 and S810 are executed repeatedly. If it is determined that the job length of the second job and subsequent jobs is greater than or equal to the rollback threshold (YES in S810), the process moves to S811.

[0046] In S811, the job management unit 302 determines whether the automatic selection print mode is enabled. If it determines that the automatic selection print mode is set to ON and is enabled (YES in S811), the process moves to S812. In S812, the job management unit 302 adds the jobs that were designated as a temporary group in S809 to the selected jobs and registers them as a print group. As a result, the print group is composed of multiple print jobs such that the print length is longer than the transport length of the recording medium between the completion of printing by the first print job that requires cutting the recording medium and the resumption of printing.

[0047] If the automatic selection print mode is set to OFF in S811 and it is determined that it is not effective (NO in S811), the process moves to S813.

[0048] In S813, the job management unit 302 notifies the user of the temporary group. In S814, the job management unit 302 displays the print job settings screen 700. In this embodiment, when the print job settings screen 700 is displayed in S814, the UI screen shown in Figure 10, which will be described later, is displayed as a pop-up notification, and the process returns to S801, where the selection of the print target job is performed again.

[0049] Here, we will specifically explain the flowchart in Figure 6, assuming that the settings shown on the operation mode setting screen 600 and jobs 0001 and 0005 are selected on the print job setting screen 700. Specifically, we will assume that rewind is ON, the rewind threshold is 30m, automatic selection printing is ON, and the priority setting is post-processing. The first job is job ID 001, and the second job is job ID 005.

[0050] The rewind threshold is "30m," and the job length of the second job, job 0005, is "10m." Therefore, the job length of the second job is less than the rewind threshold (NO in S805), and in S808, the system searches for other jobs that can be selected. Job 0006 is found to be one of these jobs (YES in S808), and in S809, job 0006 is registered as a temporary group. The total job length of jobs 0005 and 0006 is "510m," which exceeds the rewind threshold of "30m" (YES in S810), so the addition to the temporary group is completed, and in S811, the system determines the automatic selection print mode. Since the automatic selection print mode is "ON," the system determines that the automatic selection print mode is enabled (YES in S811), and in S812, jobs 0001, 0005, and 0006 are registered as a print group, and in S904, the system requests the start of printing.

[0051] (Processing of print start request) Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating the detailed procedure of the print start request process (S807). When a print start request is received, the print start request process (S807) begins.

[0052] In S901, the job management unit 302 checks if there are jobs in the print group and determines whether the number of jobs in the print group is 1 or more. If there are no jobs in the print group and it is determined that the number of jobs in the print group is not 1 or more (NO in S901), the flow shown in Figure 9 is terminated. If there are jobs in the print group and it is determined that the number of jobs in the print group is 1 or more (YES in S901), the process moves to S902.

[0053] In S902, the job management unit 302 obtains the operating mode. In S903, the job management unit 302 determines whether the rewind mode among the operating modes is ON. If it determines that the rewind mode is ON (YES in S903), the process moves to S904. If it determines that the rewind mode is OFF (NO in S903), the process moves to S905.

[0054] In S904, the job management unit 302 notifies the print control unit 304 that the rewind mode is ON and that there are jobs in the print group. In S905, the job management unit 302 notifies the print control unit 304 that the rewind mode is OFF and that there are jobs in the print group. Once the processing in S904 or S905 is complete, the flow ends as shown in Figure 9.

[0055] (Notification information UI screen) Figure 10 shows an example of a UI screen that displays notification information on the operation unit 206 by the UI display control unit 305 in the rewind print decision described in Figure 8. UI screens 1001 to 1004 are UI screens that are displayed when requesting to start printing, and UI screens 1005 and 1006 are UI screens that are displayed when returning to the print job setting screen 700.

[0056] UI screen 1001 shows a notification screen displayed on S820, notifying the user that the operating mode has been changed and the selected job will be printed. UI screen 1002 shows a UI screen displayed on S817, notifying the user that only the first job will be printed depending on the operating mode. UI screens 1003 and 1004 are UI screens displayed on S807 when printing is performed. UI screen 1003 shows the print group UI screen displayed on S812 when rewind mode is ON, notifying the user that the selected job and automatically selected jobs will be printed. UI screen 1004 shows the UI screen displayed on S813 when rewind mode is OFF, notifying the user that only the selected job will be printed.

[0057] UI screen 1005 is a UI screen that is displayed when the total job length of the second and subsequent jobs is shorter than the rewind threshold (NO in S819), and displays information related to re-selecting print jobs. UI screen 1005 notifies the user to confirm the settings in the operation mode setting screen 600 or the selected jobs in the print job setting screen 700. UI screen 1006 is a UI screen that is displayed when there are jobs in S813 where the total job length of the second and subsequent jobs can be greater than or equal to the rewind threshold, and displays information related to re-selecting print jobs. UI screen 1006 notifies the user of the temporary group set in S809 and recommends adding it as a print job in the print job setting screen 700.

[0058] In this embodiment, if printing is not possible with the automatic selection print mode OFF, UI screen 1005 or 1006 is displayed as a pop-up to notify the user, and the settings on the operation mode setting screen 600 and the job selection on the print job setting screen 700 are performed again. However, this is not limited to this. A forced print mode may be added to force printing to be performed only for the relevant job.

[0059] (Status before and after resuming printing) Figures 11(a) and 11(b) show the print area before and after resuming printing according to a reference example to which this embodiment is not applied. Figure 11(a) shows the state before resuming printing, and Figure 11(b) shows the state after resuming printing. Figures 12(a) and 12(b) show the print area before and after resuming printing according to this embodiment. Figure 12(a) shows the state before resuming printing, and Figure 12(b) shows the state after resuming printing. The operation mode is described as follows: jobs 0001 and 0005 shown on the operation mode setting screen 600 and the print jobs are jobs 0001 and 0005 shown on the print job setting screen 700 are selected, and job 0006 is printed following job 0005.

[0060] In a reference example where this embodiment is not applied, printing is performed using jobs 0001 and 0005. As shown in Figure 11(a), since the print length of job 0005 is short relative to the rewind threshold, all of job 0005 is printed, and then area 1101 is transported to a position where job 0001 can be cut. When job 0001 is cut and printing is resumed, as shown in Figure 11(b), area 1103, which consists of area 1101 and the gap 1102 between pages, becomes a waste area because it cannot be printed, and printing of job 0006 is performed after area 1103 has been transported.

[0061] When this embodiment is applied, since the print length of job 0005 is short relative to the rewind threshold, job 0006 is additionally selected. As shown in Figure 12(a), a portion of job 0006 (4 pages) is printed in the area 1201 necessary for cutting job 0001. When job 0001 is cut and printing is resumed, the area 1203, which consists of area 1201 and the gap 1202 between pages as shown in Figure 12(b), is an area that cannot be printed but has already been printed, and after area 1203 is transported, the remaining part of job 0006 (pages 5 and beyond) is printed. Therefore, unlike the area 1101 described above, area 1201 of job 0001 does not become waste paper. Also, since the print length to be printed after resumption is shorter, a reduction in printing time can be expected.

[0062] As explained above, according to this embodiment, the optimal print job is selected depending on whether or not it is necessary to split the job, and sufficient print length can be secured for the area required to reduce paper waste when resuming, thereby reducing paper waste.

[0063] (Other embodiments) This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. In this embodiment, job disconnection is set for each job, but depending on the rewind mode, the first selected job may be interpreted as job disconnection ON, and subsequent jobs as job disconnection OFF. Furthermore, the setting method may be simplified by defining the priority order of the operation modes and making the operation mode setting a selection format.

[0064] This process involves supplying software (programs) that realize the functions of the above embodiment to a system or device via a network or various recording media, and having the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of that system or device read and execute the program.

[0065] This disclosure can also be implemented by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above 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 implemented by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions. Furthermore, the program may be recorded on a recording medium readable by a computer and provided.

[0066] This embodiment includes the following configuration examples.

[0067] (Composition 1) A printing apparatus that performs printing while transporting a roll-shaped recording medium, An analysis means for analyzing the printing conditions of each of the multiple print jobs that have already been submitted, A control means that causes the printing means to execute the plurality of print jobs in the order they are submitted, based on the results of the analysis, It has, If, as a result of the analysis by the analysis means, there is a print job among the plurality of print jobs that requires cutting the recording medium before the start of printing of the next print job to be executed, the control means controls the execution of the print job that was submitted after the print job requiring cutting if the length of the recording medium required for the execution of the print job submitted after the print job requiring cutting is shorter than the length of the recording medium that needs to be rewound after the completion of printing by the print job requiring cutting, so that the print job submitted after the next print job is executed consecutively. A printing apparatus characterized by the following features.

[0068] (Configuration 2) The print job that is submitted after the aforementioned print job is a print job that prints on the same type of recording medium as the printing medium that is printed on in the print job requiring cutting. The printing apparatus according to configuration 1, characterized in that it is a printing apparatus.

[0069] (Composition 3) The print job submitted after the aforementioned next print job is, as a result of the analysis by the analysis means, a print job that does not require cutting. A printing apparatus according to configuration 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

[0070] (Composition 4) The system has a management means for managing the operating mode related to the control of the printing, The control means further controls the execution order of the plurality of print jobs according to the operation mode managed by the management means. A printing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized by the above.

[0071] (Composition 5) The aforementioned operating mode includes rewinding the recording medium, automatically selecting and printing the print job, and prioritizing the print job. The printing apparatus according to configuration 4, characterized by the features described above.

[0072] (Composition 6) The priority operations for the print job include operations that prioritize immediate post-processing after printing, and operations that prioritize continuous operation of the printing device. The printing apparatus according to configuration 5, characterized in that

[0073] (Composition 7) It has a display control means that displays a UI screen that accepts user input on a display means, The printing apparatus according to any one of configurations 4 to 6, characterized in that the management means manages the operating mode set by user operation via the UI screen.

[0074] (Composition 8) The display control means causes the display means to display a notification screen on the display means that notifies information regarding the resumption of printing or the re-selection of a print job, based on the operation mode managed by the management means. The printing apparatus according to configuration 7, characterized by the features described above.

[0075] (Composition 9) A control method for a printing apparatus that performs printing while transporting a roll-shaped recording medium, An analysis process to analyze the printing conditions of each of the multiple print jobs that have already been submitted, A control step that causes the printing means to execute the multiple print jobs in the order they are submitted, based on the results of the analysis, Includes, If, as a result of the analysis performed in the analysis step, there is a print job among the multiple print jobs that requires cutting the recording medium before the start of printing of the next print job to be executed, the control step controls the execution of the print job that was submitted after the print job requiring cutting if the length of the recording medium required for the execution of the print job submitted after the print job requiring cutting is shorter than the length of the recording medium that needs to be rewound after the completion of printing by the print job requiring cutting, so that the print job submitted after the next print job is executed consecutively. A method for controlling a printing apparatus, characterized by the following:

[0076] (Composition 10) A program that causes a computer to execute the control method of the printing device described in Configuration 9.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus that performs printing while transporting a roll-shaped recording medium, An analysis means for analyzing the printing conditions of each of the multiple print jobs that have already been submitted, A control means that causes the printing means to execute the plurality of print jobs in the order they are submitted, based on the results of the analysis, It has, If, as a result of the analysis by the analysis means, there is a print job among the plurality of print jobs that requires cutting the recording medium before the start of printing of the next print job to be executed, the control means controls the execution of the print job that was submitted after the print job requiring cutting if the length of the recording medium required for the execution of the print job submitted after the print job requiring cutting is shorter than the length of the recording medium that needs to be rewound after the completion of printing by the print job requiring cutting, so that the print job submitted after the next print job is executed consecutively. A printing apparatus characterized by the following features.

2. The print job that is submitted after the aforementioned print job is a print job that prints on the same type of recording medium as the print job that requires cutting. The printing apparatus according to feature 1.

3. The print job submitted after the aforementioned next print job is, as a result of the analysis by the analysis means, a print job that does not require cutting. The printing apparatus according to feature 1.

4. The system has a management means for managing the operating mode related to the control of the printing, The control means further controls the execution order of the plurality of print jobs according to the operation mode managed by the management means. The printing apparatus according to feature 1.

5. The aforementioned operating mode includes rewinding the recording medium, automatically selecting and printing the print job, and prioritizing the print job. The printing apparatus according to feature 4.

6. The priority operations for the print job include operations that prioritize immediate post-processing after printing, and operations that prioritize continuous operation of the printing device. The printing apparatus according to feature 5.

7. It has a display control means that displays a UI screen that accepts user input on a display means, The printing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the management means manages the operating mode set by user operation via the UI screen.

8. The display control means causes the display means to display a notification screen on the display means that notifies information regarding the resumption of printing or the re-selection of a print job, based on the operation mode managed by the management means. The printing apparatus according to feature 7.

9. A control method for a printing apparatus that performs printing while transporting a roll-shaped recording medium, An analysis process to analyze the printing conditions of each of the multiple print jobs that have already been submitted, A control step that causes the printing means to execute the multiple print jobs in the order they are submitted, based on the results of the analysis, Includes, If, as a result of the analysis performed in the analysis step, there is a print job among the multiple print jobs that requires cutting the recording medium before the start of printing of the next print job to be executed, the control step controls the execution of the print job that was submitted after the print job requiring cutting if the length of the recording medium required for the execution of the print job submitted after the print job requiring cutting is shorter than the length of the recording medium that needs to be rewound after the completion of printing by the print job requiring cutting, so that the print job submitted after the next print job is executed consecutively. A method for controlling a printing apparatus, characterized by the following:

10. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method of the printing apparatus described in claim 9.

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