Printing control device, control method thereof, and program

Abstract

To appropriately control the timing of job cancellation processing when cancellation is requested during continuous printing of a plurality of jobs.SOLUTION: There is provided cancellation means that, when a first print job for executing double-sided printing and a second print job continuing from the first print job are received and subsequently a cancellation request for cancelling the second print job is received, even when the first print job is a double-sided print job and rear-side printing based on the first print job is set to be executed immediately before front-face printing based on the second print job, executes cancellation processing for canceling the second print job after all printings based on the first print job are completed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing control apparatus, a control method thereof, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in high-speed printers for commercial use or the like, there is known a technique of conveying cut paper fed from a paper feeding unit while following the feeding of the next cut paper. This technique can shorten the time required for printing a plurality of pages as compared with a method of feeding the next page after the paper discharge of a page is completed. Thus, making a series of operations of paper feeding, printing, and paper discharge parallel is called continuous printing.

[0003] In high-speed inkjet printers for commercial use or the like, if the printing operation stops for some reason during the printing operation, it takes time for several preparatory operations such as discharging all the sheets on the conveyance path or performing registration adjustment for ink ejection when restarting printing. As a result, the productivity of printing decreases. Therefore, in high-speed printers for commercial use or the like, it is important to keep the device running as much as possible without stopping it.

[0004] Also, in a high-speed printer, if paper is fed one by one after the image processing is completed, the speed of the paper feeding operation may not keep up with the printing speed, and the printing operation may stop. For this reason, throughput is improved by notifying the printer in advance of the number of sheets to be fed in a series of processes and continuously feeding the paper when printing starts.

[0005] In recent years, commercial printing machines have been increasingly replaced by digital printing machines, and the opportunities for printing not only conventional large-volume prints but also small-lot jobs with a small number of pages have been increasing. However, in the case of small-lot jobs with a small number of pages, the number of sheets notified to the printing machine decreases, and there are cases where the speed of the paper feeding operation cannot keep up with the printing speed. For example, when consecutive one-page printing jobs occur, if each job is processed separately, the paper is fed one by one. Therefore, scheduling is performed to group a plurality of printing jobs before printing, making it appear as if a large-volume page job is being processed, and continuous operation is carried out for a long time. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for performing scheduling and making a plurality of jobs appear as one job to perform continuous printing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] As the opportunities for printing small-lot jobs with a small number of pages increase, the opportunities for performing cancellation processing also increase in order to handle a variety of jobs. However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, cancellation of jobs is not considered, and after starting a scheduled job group, a cancellation request cannot be issued for a specific job included in the scheduled job group. In order to interrupt the printing of a job for which cancellation is requested, the printing can only be interrupted by stopping the paper feeding itself. Also, depending on the paper feeding stop timing, the paper feeding may be stopped for jobs that should originally be printed, and there is a risk that the printing cannot be completed.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object thereof is to appropriately control the timing of job cancellation processing when a cancellation is requested during continuous printing of a plurality of jobs.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0009] To solve the above problems, a printing control apparatus according to the present invention includes job receiving means for receiving a print job, printing request means for executing a printing request based on the print job for a print engine, request receiving means for receiving a cancel request for canceling the print job, To a plurality of sheets including the first sheet and the second sheet When a first print job for executing duplex printing and a second print job consecutive to the first print job are received, and for executing printing on a plurality of sheets including the third sheet and the fourth sheet and thereby, setting means for setting such that the front surface printing on the third sheet based on the second print job is executed sandwiched between the back surface printing on the first sheet based on the first print job and the back surface printing on the second sheet, and such that the front surface printing on the fourth sheet based on the second print job is executed after the back surface printing on the second sheet based on the first print job At a timing when the first print based on the first print job has started after the first print job and the second print job have been received, but the first print based on the second print job has not started a cancel request for canceling the second print job is received, Printing including the back surface printing on the first sheet and the back surface printing on the second sheet all printing based on the first print job Controlling such that a first print which is printing including the back surface printing on the first sheet and the back surface printing on the second sheet and a second print which is printing including the front surface printing on the third sheet and is a part of the printing based on the second print job are executed, and Controlling such that the remaining printing among the printing based on is not executed the second print job means, and is characterized by having.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, when a cancel is requested during continuous printing of a plurality of jobs, it becomes possible to appropriately control the timing of the job cancel process.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a printing control device, a control method, and a program will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present invention, and not all combinations of the features described in this embodiment are essential for the solution means of the present invention. Also, the relative positions, shapes, etc. of the components described in this embodiment are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto.

[0013] First, the schematic configuration of the printing control apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described. In the present embodiment, an inkjet printer is exemplified as the printing control apparatus. The printing control apparatus in the present embodiment has a printing function as an image forming function, but may further have, for example, a reading function for reading an image on a document or other functions. Also, the printing control apparatus in the present embodiment performs printing processing using cut paper (paper trimmed to a predetermined size such as A3 or A4) as a recording medium, but is not limited to this form, and printing processing may be performed using a continuous sheet such as roll paper. Further, the printing control apparatus of the present embodiment may form an image by directly discharging ink onto a sheet, or may form an image by applying the ink to a sheet after applying the ink to an intermediate transfer member. Also, the printing method of the printing control apparatus of the present embodiment is not limited to the inkjet method, and may be other printing methods such as an electrophotographic method, a sublimation method, a thermal transfer method, etc. Further, it is not limited to those that perform color recording using a plurality of color recording agents, and may be those that perform monochrome recording using only black (including gray). Also, the printing processing executed by the printing control apparatus is not limited to the printing processing of visible images, and may be processing for printing invisible or difficult-to-recognize images. Also, it may be processing for printing various things other than general images, such as printed wiring patterns, physical patterns in the manufacture of parts, DNA base sequences, etc. That is, the printing control apparatus can execute various printing processes as long as it is a process of applying a recording agent onto a recording medium. Also, the recording medium used in the printing process executed by the printing control apparatus of the present embodiment is not limited to the above-described sheet, and various ones may be used. For example, plain paper, photo paper, OHP sheet, transparent film, special paper with a metallic color laminated with aluminum, acrylic plate, cardboard, etc. may be used. Also, the recording agent used in the printing process executed by the printing control apparatus of the present embodiment is not limited to liquid ink, and various ones may be used according to the printing method employed. For example, in the printing control apparatus of the present embodiment, solid ink, toner, etc. may be used.Further, the printing control device to which the present invention is applied may not be the printer itself having a printing function, but may be a control device that controls the printer from inside or outside the printer.

[0014] <Printing control device> FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printing control device 100. The printing control device 100 is a sheet-fed inkjet printing control device that manufactures a recording material P' by transferring an ink image onto a recording medium P via a transfer body 12. In the present embodiment, the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction respectively indicate the width direction (overall length direction), the depth direction, and the height direction of the printing control device 100. The recording medium P is conveyed in the X direction.

[0015] The printing control device 100 includes a recording unit 14 that performs recording on the recording medium P, and a conveyance unit 16 that conveys the recording medium P and the recording material P'. In the present embodiment, the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction that are orthogonal to each other respectively indicate the width direction (overall length direction), the depth direction, and the height direction of the printing control device 100 in FIG. 1. Note that the recording medium P is conveyed in the X direction.

[0016] =Recording unit= The recording unit 14 includes a recording unit 18 that discharges ink, and a transfer unit 20 that transfers the ink discharged from the recording unit 18 onto the recording medium. Further, it includes a peripheral unit 22 disposed around the transfer unit 20, and a supply unit 24 that supplies ink to the recording unit 18.

[0017] ·Recording unit FIG. 2 is a perspective configuration diagram of the recording unit 18. The recording unit 18 includes a plurality of recording heads 26 that discharge the ink supplied from the supply unit 24, and a carriage 28 that holds the recording heads 26 and moves the recording heads 26.

[0018] The recording head 26 ejects ink onto a transfer member 12 (described later) of the transfer unit 20 to form an ink image of a recorded image on the transfer member 12. In the present embodiment, each recording head 26 is a full-line head extending in the Y direction, and nozzles (not shown) for ejecting ink are arranged in a range covering the width of the image recording area of the recording medium with the maximum recordable size. The recording head 26 has ejection ports of the nozzles formed on the surface facing the transfer member 12. In this specification, a nozzle is formed by an ejection port from which ink is ejected and a flow path that supplies ink to the ejection port. Hereinafter, the surface of the recording head 26 facing the transfer member 12 will be appropriately referred to as the "ejection port surface". The ejection port surface faces the surface of the transfer member 12 with a predetermined gap (for example, several millimeters). In the present embodiment, since the transfer member 12 is configured to move circularly on a circular orbit, a plurality of recording heads 26 are arranged radially in the recording unit 18.

[0019] ·Transfer unit The transfer unit 20 includes a transfer cylinder 34 that supports the transfer member 12 on its outer peripheral surface, and a pressure cylinder 36 that presses against the transfer cylinder 34 (transfer member 12). The transfer cylinder 34 and the pressure cylinder 36 are substantially cylindrical rotating bodies that rotate around a rotation axis extending in the Y direction. The transfer cylinder 34 rotates in the direction of arrow A, and the pressure cylinder 36 rotates in the direction of arrow B.

[0020] Due to the rotation of the transfer cylinder 34, the transfer member 12 moves circularly on a circular orbit. Depending on the rotation phase of the transfer cylinder 34, the position of the transfer member 12 can be divided into a pre-ejection processing area R1, an ejection area R2, post-ejection processing areas R3 and R4, a transfer area R5, and a post-transfer processing area R6. The transfer member 12 passes through areas R1 to R6 circularly.

[0021] The ejection pre - treatment area R1 is an area where pre - treatment is performed on the transfer body 12 by an application unit 22a (described later) of the peripheral unit 22 before the ink is ejected by the recording unit 18. The ejection area R2 is an area where the recording unit 18 ejects ink onto the transfer body 12 to form an ink image. The post - ejection treatment areas R3 and R4 are areas where processing is performed on the ink image formed on the transfer body 12. Specifically, in the post - ejection treatment area R3, processing is performed by an absorption unit 22b (described later) of the peripheral unit 22, and in the post - ejection treatment area R4, processing is performed by a heating unit 22c (described later) of the peripheral unit 22. The transfer area R5 is an area where the ink image formed on the transfer body 12 is transferred to the recording medium P held by the pressure cylinder 36. The post - transfer treatment area R6 is an area where post - treatment is performed on the transfer body 12 after the ink image has been transferred to the recording medium P by a cleaning unit 22d (described later) of the peripheral unit 22.

[0022] · Peripheral unit The peripheral unit 22 is arranged around the transfer cylinder 34 so as to face the outer peripheral surface of the transfer cylinder 34. In the present embodiment, an application unit 22a is arranged at a position facing the ejection pre - treatment area R1. The application unit 22a is a mechanism for applying a reaction liquid onto the transfer body 12 before the ink is ejected by the recording unit 18. Also, an absorption unit 22b and a heating unit 22c are respectively arranged at positions facing the post - ejection treatment areas R3 and R4, and a cleaning unit 22d is arranged at a position facing the post - transfer treatment area R6. The absorption unit 22b is a mechanism for absorbing the liquid component from the ink image on the transfer body 12 before transfer. The heating unit 22c is a mechanism for heating the ink image on the transfer body 12 before transfer. The cleaning unit 22d is a mechanism for cleaning the transfer body 12 after transfer.

[0023] · Supply unit The supply unit 24 is a mechanism for supplying ink to each recording head 26 of the recording unit 18. In the printing control device 100, the supply unit 24 is provided, for example, on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording medium P. The supply unit 24 includes a storage unit TK for storing ink for each type of ink. The storage unit TK may be configured by a main tank (not shown) and a sub-tank (not shown). Each storage unit TK and each recording head 26 communicate with each other through a flow path 38, and the ink stored in the storage unit TK is supplied to the recording head 26 through the flow path 38. The flow path 38 may be configured to circulate the ink by a pump or the like between the storage unit TK and the recording head 26. A degassing mechanism for degassing the bubbles in the ink may be provided in the flow path 38 or the storage unit TK. Also, a valve for adjusting the liquid pressure of the ink and the atmospheric pressure may be provided in the flow path 38 or the storage unit TK. Further, in the supply unit 24, the arrangement positions in the height direction (Z direction) of the storage unit TK and the recording head 26 may be designed such that the liquid level of the ink in the storage unit TK is lower than the ink ejection surface of the recording head 26.

[0024] =Transport Unit= The transport unit 16 is a device that feeds the recording medium P to the transfer unit 20 and collects the recorded object P' onto which the ink image has been transferred in the transfer unit 20. The transport unit 16 includes a feeding unit 40 that feeds the stored recording medium P, and a transport cylinder 42 that transports the fed recording medium. Further, it includes a transport mechanism 46 that transports the recorded object P' to a collection unit 48 (described later), and a collection unit 48 that collects the recorded object P' transported by the transport mechanism 46. Furthermore, it includes a post-processing unit 50 that performs post-processing on the recorded object P', and a photographing unit 52 that photographs the recorded image recorded on the recorded object P'.

[0025] In FIG. 1, the arrows on the inner side of the figure showing the components of the conveyance unit 16 indicate the rotation directions of the components, and the arrows on the outer side indicate the conveyance paths of the recording medium P or the recording object P'. The recording medium P is conveyed from the feeding unit 40 through the conveyance cylinder 42, the transfer unit 20, and the conveyance mechanism 46 to the recovery unit 48. In this specification, the upstream side in the conveyance direction on the feeding unit 40 side is appropriately referred to as the "upstream side", and the downstream side in the conveyance direction on the recovery unit 48 side is appropriately referred to as the "downstream side".

[0026] · Feeding unit The feeding unit 40 includes a stacking unit 40a in which a plurality of recording media P are stacked and stored, and a supply mechanism 40b that supplies the recording media P one by one from the stacking unit 40a to the conveyance cylinder 42 located on the most upstream side.

[0027] · Conveyance cylinder A plurality (seven in this embodiment) of conveyance cylinders 42 are provided, and they are substantially cylindrical rotating bodies that rotate around a rotation axis extending in the Y direction. A grip mechanism (not shown) for holding the leading end of the recording medium P (or the recording object P') is provided on the outer peripheral surface of each conveyance cylinder 42. The grip mechanism is controlled in its gripping operation and release operation so that the recording medium P is transferred between adjacent conveyance cylinders 42.

[0028] The conveyance cylinder 42 includes a conveyance cylinder 42a for inverting the recording medium P. When double-sided recording is performed on the recording medium P, after the transfer to the surface of the recording medium P, the recording medium P is not passed from the pressure cylinder 36 to the adjacent conveyance cylinder 42 on its downstream side, but is passed to the adjacent conveyance cylinder 42a below the pressure cylinder 36. The recording medium P passes through the conveyance cylinder 42a, and the front and back are inverted, and then it is passed to the pressure cylinder 36 again through the conveyance cylinder 42 adjacent to the upstream side of the pressure cylinder 36. As a result, the back surface of the recording medium P faces the transfer body 12, and an ink image can be transferred to the back surface.

[0029] · Conveyance mechanism The conveying mechanism 46 includes two sprockets 46a and 46b arranged at intervals in the X direction, and a chain 46c stretched endlessly around the sprockets 46a and 46b. One of the sprockets 46a and 46b is a driving sprocket, and the other is a driven sprocket. The chain 46c runs cyclically by the driving of the driving sprocket. A plurality of grip mechanisms (not shown) are provided on the chain 46c at intervals in the X direction. This grip mechanism grips the end of the recording material P'. The recording material P' is passed from the conveying cylinder 42 located at the downstream end to the grip mechanism of the chain 46c, and the recording material P' gripped by the grip mechanism is conveyed to the recovery unit 48 by the running of the chain 46c, and the gripping by the grip mechanism is released. Thereby, the recording material P' is recovered into the recovery unit 48.

[0030] ·Post-processing unit The post-processing unit 50 includes a post-processing unit 50a provided at a position facing the recording material P' held by the conveying cylinder 42 in the conveying cylinder 42 adjacent to the downstream side of the pressure cylinder 36. Further, it includes a post-processing unit 50b provided at a position facing the recording material P' held by the conveying cylinder 42 in the conveying cylinder 42 adjacent to the upstream side of the conveying mechanism 46. The post-processing unit 50a performs processing on the back surface of the recording material P', and the post-processing unit 50b performs processing on the front surface of the recording material P'. As specific processing contents, for example, coating for the purpose of protecting the image or enhancing the gloss is performed on the image recording surface of the recording material P'. The coating contents include, for example, liquid application, sheet welding, lamination, etc.

[0031] ·Imaging unit The imaging unit 52 includes an imaging unit 52a that images the image recorded on the recording material P' held by the pressure cylinder 36, and an imaging unit 52b that images the image recorded on the recording material P' held by the chain 46c. The imaging units 52a and 52b are imaging elements such as CCD sensors or CMOS sensors, for example.

[0032] During the continuous recording operation, the imaging unit 52a captures the recorded images. Based on the images captured by the imaging unit 52a, for example, in the processing unit 54 (described later), the processing unit 54 checks for temporal changes such as the color tone of the recorded images. Based on this result, the processing unit 54 determines whether the image data or the recording data can be corrected. In the present embodiment, the imaging unit 52a is disposed at a position where it can partially capture the recorded image immediately after transfer, facing the outer peripheral surface of the impression cylinder 36. Note that the imaging unit 52a may inspect all the recorded objects P', or may inspect the recorded objects P' every predetermined number of sheets.

[0033] The imaging unit 52b captures the recorded images during the test recording operation. The imaging unit 52b captures the entire recorded image. The image information captured by the imaging unit 52b is output to, for example, the processing unit 54, and based on the image information, various basic settings for correcting the recording data are performed. In the case of the present embodiment, the imaging unit 52b is disposed at a position where it captures the recorded object P' conveyed by the chain 46c. When the imaging unit 52b captures a pattern, the running of the chain 46c is temporarily stopped to capture the entire pattern. The imaging unit 52b may be a scanner that scans over the recorded object P' held by the chain 46c.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the printing control device 100. The CPU 301, ROM 302, RAM 303, image processing unit 307, engine control unit 308, and scanner control unit 309 correspond to the control unit 108. Then, the HDD 304, operation unit 306, external I / F 305, etc. are connected to those configurations corresponding to the control unit 108 via the system bus 310.

[0035] The CPU 301 is a central processing unit in the form of a microprocessor (microcomputer), and controls the operation of the entire printing control device 100 by executing various programs and starting up the hardware.

[0036] The ROM 302 stores various programs such as the control program executed by the CPU 301 and the embedded operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) program. In this embodiment, the control program stored in the ROM 302 performs software control such as scheduling and task switching under the management of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 302.

[0037] The RAM 303 is composed of a memory such as SRAM (static RAM), and stores setting information such as program control variables, set values registered by the user, and management data of the printing control device 100. Note that these data may be stored in other storage areas such as the ROM 302 or the HDD 304 instead of the RAM 303. Further, the RAM 303 is used as a work area by the CPU 301 or as a temporary storage area for various received data.

[0038] The HDD 304 stores and reads out the control program executed by the CPU 301, print data, and setting information necessary for various operations of the printing control device 100 in the built-in hard disk. Further, when a job is input, the CPU 301 sets an ID that can identify the job received in the job queue in the HDD 304 and manages the printing order. Note that instead of the HDD 304, other large-capacity storage devices may be used, and the information stored in the HDD 304 may be stored in other storage areas such as the ROM 302 or the RAM 303.

[0039] The operation unit 306 includes hard keys, a touch panel for the user to perform various operations, and a display unit for presenting (notifying) various information to the user, and corresponds to the operation unit 115 in FIG. 1. Further, the presentation of information to the user may be performed by outputting sound (buzzer, voice, etc.) based on sound information from the sound generator.

[0040] The image processing unit 307 performs expansion (conversion) into a bitmap image and image processing on the image data (for example, data represented in a page description language) included in the job received from the external device 311. For example, the image processing unit 307 converts the color space (for example, YCbCr) of the input image data into a standard RGB color space (for example, sRGB). Further, the image processing unit 307 performs various image processes such as resolution conversion to an effective number of pixels (printable by the printing control device 100), image analysis, and image correction on the image data as necessary. The data (print data) obtained by these image processes is stored in the RAM 303 or the HDD 304.

[0041] The engine control unit 308 controls the process of printing an image based on the print data (printing process) in accordance with the control command received from the CPU 301 or the like. For example, the engine control unit 308 performs an ink ejection instruction to each print head 106 of each color, a discharge timing setting for adjusting the dot position (ink landing position) on the sheet, an adjustment based on the head drive state acquisition, and the like. Further, the engine control unit 308 performs drive control of the print head according to the print data, ejects ink from the print head, and forms an image on the sheet. Further, the engine control unit 308 controls the conveyance rollers such as a drive instruction for the paper feed roller, a drive instruction for the conveyance roller, and acquisition of the rotation state of the conveyance roller, and conveys and stops the sheet at an appropriate speed and path. Thereby, paper feeding to the conveyance path is executed. At this time, the engine control unit 308 controls the order of the sheets to be printed based on the print order list described later.

[0042] The scanner control unit 309 determines whether the image on the sheet is printed correctly. First, the scanner control unit 309 issues a drive instruction for the image sensor (CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor) according to the control command received from the CPU 301 or the like to read the image on the sheet. Specifically, the scanner control unit 309 acquires the analog luminance data of the red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors of the image on the sheet from the image sensor and converts it into digital data. At this time, the image sensor may be a linear image sensor or an area image sensor. Then, the scanner control unit 309 analyzes the luminance data acquired from the image sensor, and detects the ink non-ejection state in the print head 106, the cutting position of the sheet, etc., to determine whether the image on the sheet is printed correctly. Note that the sheet determined by the scanner control unit 309 to have the image printed correctly is discharged to the tray of the designated sorting unit after the drying process of the recording agent on the sheet is performed.

[0043] The external device 311 is connected to the printing control device 100, is a device that serves as a supply source of image data for causing the printing control device 100 to perform printing, and orders the printing control device 100 to process various jobs. Details of the external device 311 will be described later.

[0044] The external I / F 305 is a user interface for receiving image data, other commands, and further status signals from the external device 311. The external I / F 305 may be a local I / F or a network I / F. Also, the communication between the external device 311 and the external I / F 305 may be directly communicated by wireless communication, or may be communicated via an access point outside the device installed on the wired network. Examples of the communication method include Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark), NFC (Near Field Communication; ISO / IEC IS 18092), etc.

[0045] Each of the above-described components within the printing control device 100 is connected via the system bus 310 and can communicate with each other.

[0046] In the above example, one CPU 301 controls all the components within the printing control device 100 shown in FIG. 2, but other configurations are also possible. That is, some of the functional blocks may be separately provided with CPUs and individually controlled by each CPU. Also, the functional blocks can adopt various forms, such as being appropriately divided into individual processing units or control units according to sharing methods other than the configuration shown in FIG. 2, or integrating some of them. Further, a DMAC (Direct Memory Access Controller) can also be used for reading data from the memory.

[0047] When the external device 311 causes the printing control device 100 to print image data, it issues a job including the image data to the printing control device 100. Note that the external device 311 may be any device that is a source of image data. For example, it may be a device such as a mobile terminal, a personal computer (PC), a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a digital camera. Further, the external device 311 may be a device that captures an image and generates image data, such as a reader (scanner) that reads an image on a document and generates image data, or a film scanner that reads a negative film or a positive film and generates image data. Also, the external device 311 may be a device that reads an image file stored in a photo storage or a portable memory and generates image data by installing a photo storage on the network or providing a socket for inserting a removable portable memory. Further, the external device 311 may be a component of the printing control device 100. When the external device 311 is a PC, an OS, application software for generating image data, and a printer driver for the printing control device 100 are installed in the storage device of the PC. The printer driver controls the present printing control device 100 and converts the image data supplied from the application software into a format that the printing control device 100 can handle to generate print data. Alternatively, the conversion from print data to image data may be performed on the side of the external device 311 and then supplied to the printing control device 100. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the external device 311 executes RIP processing of the image data. Note that it is not essential to implement all of the above processes by software, and part or all of them may be implemented by hardware. In the present embodiment, the external device 311 transmits a job to the printing control device 100. Here, a job refers to something composed of print setting information and image data. The print setting information stores information on settings related to the printing to be executed by the job. For example, the print setting information includes information such as an identifier of the job, the number of copies of the printing paper, the size of the printing paper, the paper type of the printing paper, single-sided / double-sided printing setting, the resolution in printing, the number of colors used in printing, the job type, and color / monochrome setting.Note that the job type indicates whether the print job is a maintenance job. Also, one job will include one set of print setting information and multiple pieces of image data corresponding to the number of pages to be printed. In this embodiment, the external device 311 divides the job into print setting information and other information (such as image data) and sends them to the print control device 100. Note that since the other information includes image data, the data volume is very large. Therefore, in this embodiment, the external device 311 sends the print setting information and the other information respectively through two different interfaces. And the external device 311 sends the other information through an interface with a higher communication speed than the interface used for communicating the print setting information.

[0048] Also in this embodiment, after sending the print job to the print control device 100, the external device 311 can execute a cancel request for canceling the print based on the print job. In the cancel request, information indicating which print job is to be canceled is sent to the print control device 100. Note that the method for canceling the print job is not limited to the method requested from the external device 311. For example, it may be a method requested by a user operation on the print control device 100. In that case, the user inputs which job among the print jobs received by the print control device 100 is to be canceled.

[0049] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functions of the print control device 100. Note that each function of the print control device 100 shown in FIG. 4 is realized by the CPU 301 reading out various programs stored in a memory such as the ROM 302 and executing them in the RAM 303.

[0050] Among the jobs received from the external device 311, the print setting information is handled by the control unit 403, and the other information is handled by the image processing unit 404.

[0051] The printing control device 100 creates commands and data required by the printing information transfer unit 414 based on the analysis result of the printing settings received from the external device 311 and the instructions from the user interface unit 405 by the control unit 403.

[0052] The printing control device 100 receives operation instructions and displays the device status on the display unit (not shown) provided in the printing control device 100 by the user interface unit 405.

[0053] The printing control device 100 receives a command based on the printing setting information handled by the control unit 403 and image data handled by the image processing unit 404 by the printer engine unit 406. Then, the printing control device 100 performs printing on the recording medium based on each received piece of information by the printer engine unit 406.

[0054] The printing control device 100 receives printing setting information from the external device 311 by the receiving unit 407 and stores it in the memory. The stored information is handled by the control unit 403. Also, the printing control device 100 notifies the external device 311 of the result of the analysis by the job analysis unit 409 by the receiving unit 407.

[0055] The printing control device 100 controls each function such as the image processing management unit 410 and the printing information transfer unit 414 by the job management unit 408, and controls the transmission order of the printing setting information and the image data. Note that the job management unit 408 has a function as a printing page order determination unit, and determines the printing order of each page to be printed by the received job.

[0056] The printing control device 100 analyzes the printing setting information received from the external device 311 by the job analysis unit 409.

[0057] The printing control device 100 manages the image processing instructed by the job management unit 408 by the image processing management unit 410.

[0058] The printing control device 100 issues a printing request based on a job received from an external device 311 to the printer engine unit 406 through the print information transfer unit 414. Specifically, the printing control device 100 transmits the print setting information, the paper feed sheet count information, and the status information instructed by the job management unit 408 to the printer engine unit 406. Thereby, the paper feed instruction based on the job is executed. Also, the printing control device 100 transmits the print order determined by the job management unit 408 to the printer engine unit as well.

[0059] The printing control device 100 notifies the job management unit 607 of information indicating the state of the printing control device 100 through the state management unit 415. Assume that the states of the printing control device 100 are "device held", "standby", and "printing". The state of the printing control device 100 will be described later with reference to FIG. 7.

[0060] The printing control device 100 receives, through the receiving unit 411 of the image processing unit 404, image data which is received data from the external device 311, stores it in the memory, and then performs image processing on the image data. Note that the data received by the receiving unit 411 is data generated by the external device 311 executing RIP processing. Then, the printing control device 100 writes the print data generated by the image processing to the transfer unit 412 and transfers the print data to the printer engine unit 406. Note that the image processing executed by the image processing unit 404 is, for example, color conversion processing and quantization processing for printing. Also, the printing control device 100 may execute a part of the image processing such as RIP processing executed by the external device 311 by the image processing unit 404 instead of the external device 311.

[0061] FIG. 5 shows parameter settings and management information regarding a job. The job information 700 is an example of print parameters input from the external device 311. After being analyzed by the job analysis unit 409, it is centrally managed by the job management unit 408 in the format shown in the table 501. The table 501 is stored in the memory of the printing control device 100.

[0062] FIG. 6 shows the processing executed by the print control device 100 after a job is received from the external device 311. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 are performed by the CPU 301 expanding and executing the program code stored in the ROM 302 and the like.

[0063] First, the CPU 301 determines whether a job cancellation is requested from the external device 311 (S601). If the CPU 301 determines that a job cancellation is not requested from the external device 311 (No in S601), the cancellation process ends. If the CPU 301 determines that a cancellation is requested (Yes in S601), the CPU 301 determines whether the state of the print control device 100 is printing (S602). If a print request based on the job received from the external device 311 is issued to the job management unit 408 by the print information transfer unit 414, the state of the print control device 100 is printing. If a print request is not issued, the state of the print control device 100 is in device hold. The state of the print control device 100 will be described in more detail later with reference to FIG. 7.

[0064] If the result at S602 is No, the CPU 301 proceeds to S608 described below. If the result at S602 is Yes, the CPU 301 determines whether there are multiple jobs received from the external device 311 and not yet printed (S603). If there are multiple jobs received from the external device 311 and not yet printed (Yes at S603), the CPU 301 executes multi-job cancel processing (S604). If there is only one job received from the external device 311 and not yet printed (No at S603), the CPU 301 checks the paper feed state for the job corresponding to the currently executing print (hereinafter, the printing job), and determines whether all sheets for the printing job have been fed (S605). If the printing job is a double-sided printing job for printing 10 pages and the 5th sheet has been fed, S605 is Yes; if only up to the 4th sheet has been fed, S605 is No. If all sheets for the printing job have been fed (Yes at S605), the CPU 301 ends the process. If there are unfed sheets among the sheets for the printing job (No at S605), the CPU 301 requests the printer engine unit 406 to stop paper feeding (S607). When the printer engine unit 406 receives the paper feed stop request, the printer engine unit 406 stops paper feeding thereafter even if there are remaining sheets that correspond to the previously received paper feed instruction and have not been fed, and does not execute printing for the sheets that have not been fed. Further, the CPU 301 executes cancel processing for the job for which cancellation has been requested (S608). Specifically, the cancel processing is processing for deleting various information related to the job for which cancellation has been requested.

[0065] FIG. 7 is a diagram specifically explaining the state of the print control device 100. The job information 701 is information about the job received by the control unit 403 from the external device 311 and is information managed by the control unit 403. The job information 701 indicates the page number of each page to be printed by the job received by the control unit 403 from the external device 311 and the sheet number of the sheet on which the page is printed.

[0066] Job information 702 is information regarding a print request transmitted from the control unit 403 to the printer engine unit 406, and is information managed by the printer engine unit 406. Job information 702 indicates the page number of the page to be printed by the print request transmitted from the control unit 403 to the printer engine unit 406 and the sheet number of the sheet on which the page is printed. Also, the printing order of each page is the printing order determined by the print page order determination unit. Note that job information 702 regarding pages for which printing has been completed is deleted.

[0067] And in the present embodiment, a state in which the control unit 403 manages job information 701 and the printer engine unit 406 manages job information 702 is treated as a "printing" state. In other words, the "printing" state means that the control unit 403 receives a job from the external device 311, a print request based on the job is transmitted to the printer engine unit 406, and printing based on the print request has not been completed.

[0068] Also in the present embodiment, a state in which the control unit 403 manages job information 701 and the printer engine unit 406 does not manage job information 702 is treated as a "device hold" state. In other words, the "device hold" state means that the control unit 403 has received a job from the external device 311, but a print request based on the job has not been transmitted to the printer engine unit 406.

[0069] Also in the present embodiment, a state in which the control unit 403 does not manage job information 701 and the printer engine unit 406 does not manage job information 702 is treated as a "standby" state. In other words, the "standby" state means that the control unit 403 has not received a job from the external device 311.

[0070] Both FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) show that a duplex printing job for printing 6 pages has been input from the external device 311 to the control unit 403. Also, since the printer engine unit 406 does not hold the job information 701 in FIG. 7(a), it shows a state where no print request has been issued from the control unit 403 to the printer engine unit 406. More specifically, it shows a state where "device hold" has been notified from the device state management unit 606 to the job management unit 607. In this state, the determination in S602 is No. On the other hand, FIG. 7(b) shows a state where a print request for front-side printing of the first page and the third page has been issued to the printer engine unit 406. More specifically, it shows a state where "printing" has been notified from the device state management unit 606 to the job management unit 607. In this state, the determination in S602 is Yes. Note that the job management unit 607 determines the printing order by the print page order determination unit when the "device hold" is released.

[0071] Prior to the description of the multi-job cancellation process, the "preceding job" and "printing group" will be described. In the control unit 403, it is determined whether to execute continuous printing according to the set values of the jobs received from the external device 311. Continuous printing means printing two or more jobs without sandwiching the printing end operation and the printing preparation operation between the printing of each job. The printing end operation is a process executed when printing is completed. For example, it is an operation of capping the ink ejection part of the recording head 26. The printing preparation operation is a process executed when printing is started. For example, it is an operation of removing the cap of the ink ejection part of the recording head 26, moving it to the printing position, or heating the ink ejection mechanism of the recording head 26. Also, for example, it is an operation of changing various set values for the printing to be executed next. Also, continuous printing means printing in which, before the discharge of all the sheets printed based on the preceding job to the tray is completed, paper feeding to the conveyance path of the sheets to be printed based on the job next to the preceding job is executed. Also, as will be described later, in continuous printing, when the preceding job is a double-sided printing job, the backside printing based on the preceding job is executed sandwiched between the frontside printing of the subsequent job of the preceding job. Due to continuous printing, the printing end operation and the printing preparation operation are omitted, so the printing of two or more jobs can be completed quickly.

[0072] When it is determined to execute continuous printing, the control unit 403 makes settings as if continuous printing is to be executed, and issues a print request to the printer engine unit 406 in a state where jobs are mixed. The printer engine unit 406 defines a printing section that prints between one printing preparation operation and one printing completion operation as a printing group. The set values referred to in the print continuation determination are values related to the type and size of the recording medium used for printing and the printing speed. Note that the resolution is cited as one of the values related to the printing speed. Also, the preceding job for a predetermined job is the job received immediately before the predetermined job is received from the external device 311 and for which printing has not yet been completed. In other words, a predetermined job is received continuously after the preceding job. Here, as an example of job grouping, a case where there are three double-sided printing jobs for printing 10 pages each received from the external device 311 will be described. Also, in the following figures, there is no preceding job for job 801, and the preceding job for job 802 is 0001.

[0073] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the multi-job cancel process. In FIG. 8, the preceding job for job 802 is job 801. And FIG. 8 shows a state in which a print request (including a paper feed instruction) based on job 801 and a print request (including a paper feed instruction) based on job 802 are issued to the printer engine unit 406 by the print information transfer unit 414.

[0074] In FIG. 8(a), since the sizes of the recording media set for job 801 and job 802 are different, they are processed in different printing groups. Therefore, the printing groups are divided into 1001 and 1002, and printing is executed in two separate batches of 10 pages each. In other words, after the printing preparation operation is executed, the printing of 10 pages, which is the printing of printing group 803, is executed, and then the printing completion operation is executed. And then, after the printing preparation operation is executed again, the printing of 10 pages, which is the printing of printing group 804, is executed, and then the printing completion operation is executed. Note that in "during printing preparation" in FIG. 8(a), the printing completion operation and the printing preparation operation are being executed.

[0075] In FIG. 8(b), since the sizes and resolutions of the recording media set for job 801 and job 802 are the same, they are processed in the same printing group 805. That is, in the case of FIG. 8(b), the printing group is one group. In other words, after the printing preparation operation is executed, printing of 20 pages, which is the printing of printing group 805, is executed, and then the printing end operation is executed. Also at this time, since printing is performed with the front and back surfaces mixed by the two transport cylinders 42, FIG. 8(b) shows that the front side (page 1) of the first sheet of job 802 is printed after the back side (page 6) of the third sheet of job 801. That is, the last 2 pages (page 8 and page 10) of job 801 and the first 2 pages (page 1 and page 3) of job 802 are printed in a mixed manner.

[0076] FIG. 9 shows the multi-job cancel processing executed by the printing control device 100. FIG. 9 is the processing corresponding to S604 in FIG. 6. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9 is performed by the CPU 301 expanding and executing the program code stored in the ROM 302 and the like.

[0077] First, the CPU 301 determines whether a preceding job for the job for which a cancel request has been received from the external device 311 exists among the jobs held by the printing control device 100 (S901). When the cancel request job is a job corresponding to the printing currently being executed by the printing control device 100, the CPU 301 determines No in S901 because the preceding job has already been printed and deleted from the printing control device 100. If No in S901, the CPU 301 requests the paper feed stop to the printer engine unit 406 in S905 (sends a paper feed stop instruction), and executes the cancel processing for the job for which the cancel request has been received in S906. Then, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0078] If the cancel request job is not a job corresponding to the printing currently being executed by the printing control device 100, since the preceding job has not yet completed printing and is held by the printing control device 100, the CPU 301 determines Yes in S901. If Yes in S901, the CPU 301 determines whether the job with the cancel request and its preceding job belong to the same printing group (S902). If the job with the cancel request and its preceding job do not belong to the same printing group (No in S902), the process proceeds to S905. Note that the case of No in S902 is, for example, the case where there is a cancel request for job 801 in the case of FIG. 8(a) or FIG. 8(b). Also, here, when No in S902, the process proceeds to S905 and paper feed stop is immediately requested, but it is not limited to this form. For example, after all the printing based on the preceding job is completed, the process of S905 may be controlled to be performed.

[0079] If the job with the cancel request and its preceding job belong to the same printing group (Yes in S902), the CPU 301 determines whether the print setting of the job with the cancel request is double-sided printing (S903). Note that the case of Yes in S902 is, for example, the case where there is a cancel request for job 802 in printing group 805 in FIG. 8(b). Also, when the print setting of the job with the cancel request is double-sided printing, as explained in FIG. 8(b), the job with the cancel request and the preceding job will be printed in a mixed manner.

[0080] If the print setting of the job with the cancel request is double-sided printing (Yes in S903), the CPU 301 performs print order determination processing for the job with the cancel request and the preceding job (S904). This process will be explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 10. After that, the CPU 301 proceeds to S905.

[0081] If the print setting of the job with the cancel request is not double-sided printing (No in S903), the CPU 301 proceeds to S905.

[0082] Figure 10 shows the print order determination process executed by the print control device 100. Figure 10 corresponds to the process for S904 in Figure 9. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 10 is performed by the CPU 301 expanding and executing the program code stored in the ROM 302 or the like.

[0083] First, the CPU 301 receives a paper feed notification from the printer engine unit 406 (S1001). The paper feed notification is notified to the control unit 403 each time the printer engine unit 406 feeds one sheet of paper.

[0084] Next, the CPU 301 determines whether the sheet corresponding to the received paper feed notification is a sheet corresponding to a job with a cancel request (S1002).

[0085] If the result in S1002 is No, the CPU 301 returns to S1001 to receive the next paper feed notification. In this case, since the cancel process has not been performed yet, printing by the printer engine unit 406 continues.

[0086] If the result in S1002 is Yes, the CPU 301 determines whether there is a sheet corresponding to the preceding job for the job with a cancel request and for which the printing based on the preceding job has not yet been executed on the back side (S1003).

[0087] If the result in S1003 is Yes, the CPU 301 returns to S1001 to receive the next paper feed notification. That is, even though the sheet corresponding to the job with a cancel request has been fed, printing is continued without executing the cancel process. On the other hand, if the result in S1003 is No, the CPU 301 ends the process of this flowchart and proceeds to S905 and S906 to stop the printing based on the job with a cancel request.

[0088] By this process, it is possible to suppress waste paper of the job for which cancellation has been requested while ensuring the completion of printing of the job for which cancellation has not been requested.

[0089] <Case 1> In Case 1, in the case of continuously printing two double-sided printing jobs shown in Fig. 8(b), the control when canceling the second job during the printing of the first job will be described.

[0090] Fig. 11(a) shows the printing order when continuously printing two 10-page double-sided printing jobs. Section 1101 is the first job, section 1102 is the second job, and each shows the range from the start of the first page to the end of printing of the tenth page. Also, sections 1104 - 1106 show the order of printing requests to the printer engine unit 406. Sections 1104 and 1106 are sections where the printing requests are constituted only by the first job and the second job respectively. Section 1105 shows a section where the printing requests of the first job and the second job are mixed. Here, the case where a cancel request for the second job comes from the external device 311 at the time of section 1107 shown in Fig. 11(b) will be described. The timing of section 1107 is immediately after the paper feed of the third sheet of the first job is executed, and it is the state immediately after the third page of the first job, which is the front side of the second sheet, is printed. For the second job, not even the first page has been printed yet. Among the sections of section 1104 shown in Fig. 11(b), section 1108 is a section where printing has already been completed, and section 1109 is a section where printing will be executed from now on.

[0091] Since a cancel is requested for the second job, according to the flowchart of Fig. 6, since S603 becomes Yes, the multi-job cancel process shown in Fig. 9 is executed. According to Fig. 9, since it becomes Yes at S903, the printing order determination process of S904 is carried out. Next, the printing order determination process is carried out according to the flowchart of Fig. 10. First, since it is a 10-page double-sided two-job, the number of sheets i for the paper feed request is 10. The timing of section 1107 in Fig. 11(b) is that a paper feed notification for the third sheet is received at S1001 in Fig. 10, and a determination is made at S1002. Since it is the paper feed of the first job and it is not the job for which a cancel is requested, the printing of the first job is carried out.

[0092] Figure 11(c) shows the execution result after cancellation. At the timing of section 1110 in Figure 11(c), that is, at the timing when the paper feeding of the fifth sheet of the first job is executed, the determination in S1006 of Figure 10 becomes Yes. This is because the fifth sheet is the last sheet of the first job. As a result, as shown in the range of section 1111 in Figure 11(c), only the back side (page 8) of the fourth sheet and the back side (page 10) of the fifth sheet of the first job are printed, and a paper feed stop (S905) is requested for the engine. Finally, since the paper feeding of the second job is not performed, it is not printed.

[0093] Thus, due to the cancellation during continuous printing, a paper feed stop instruction can be issued at an appropriate timing for the parts that would originally be blank sheets, thereby suppressing blank sheet output.

[0094] <Case 2> In Case 2, the case where a cancellation request is made from the external device 311 to the job corresponding to the sheet that has already been fed will be described. Figure 12(a) is a diagram showing that there is a cancellation request from the external device 311 in the paper feeding middle section 1203 of the first sheet of the section 1202 which is the processing section of the second job when performing double-sided printing of 10 pages in two consecutive jobs. That is, the sixth sheet is in the paper feeding state. According to the flowchart of Figure 6, the multi-job cancellation process shown in Figure 9 is executed. According to the flowchart of Figure 9, S904 is executed, and the print order determination process shown in Figure 10 is executed. Since it is a paper feeding notification for the second job, S1002 in Figure 10 becomes Yes, and since the back sides of the fourth and fifth sheets of the first job that have not been printed remain, S1003 also becomes Yes. After printing the fourth and fifth sheets, a paper feed stop instruction (S905) is executed for the engine to stop the remaining paper feeding.

[0095] Figure 14(b) shows the execution result after cancellation. As shown in the range of section 1204, the back side (page 8) of the fourth sheet and the fifth sheet (page 10) of the first job are printed. Also, the back side (page 2) of the first sheet and the back side (page 4) of the second sheet of the second job which is the cancellation target are printed.

[0096] In this embodiment, although the first and second pages of the second job to be canceled are also printing targets, the first and second pages of the second job may be replaced with blank pages by mask processing or the like.

[0097] This enables minimizing the printing of the job for which cancellation is requested even when there is a cancellation request for the job being printed due to cancellation during continuous printing.

[0098] (Other Embodiments) The above-described embodiment can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment is supplied to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and a computer (such as a CPU or MPU) of the system or device reads and executes the program. Also, the program may be executed by one computer or may be executed by linking a plurality of computers. Further, it is not necessary to realize all of the above-described processing by software, and part or all of the processing may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC. Also, the CPU is not limited to one that performs all processing, and a plurality of CPUs may perform processing while appropriately cooperating.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0099] 100 Printing control device 301 CPU

Claims

1. Job receiving means for receiving a print job; Print request means for executing a print request based on the print job for a print engine; Request receiving means for receiving a cancel request for canceling the print job; A first print job for performing double-sided printing on a plurality of sheets including a first sheet and a second sheet, and following the first print job, and a third sheet and a fourth sheet. Setting means for setting so that the front-side printing on the third sheet based on the second print job is sandwiched between the back-side printing on the first sheet based on the first print job and the back-side printing on the second sheet, and the fourth sheet based on the second print job. The front-side printing on the sheet is executed after the back-side printing on the second sheet based on the first print job; Control means for controlling such that, when a cancel request for canceling the second print job is received at a timing when the first print based on the first print job has started but the first print based on the second print job has not started after the first print job and the second print job have been received. A first print that includes printing on the back side of the first sheet and printing on the back side of the second sheet and is all printing based on the first print job, and a second print that includes printing on the front side of the third sheet and is a part of the printing based on the second print job. And controlling so that the remaining printing based on the second print job is not executed. A printing control apparatus characterized by comprising:

2. The surface printing on the third sheet based on the second printing job is performed sandwiched between the back printing on the first sheet based on the first printing job and the back printing on the second sheet, and the surface printing on the fourth sheet based on the second printing job is performed after the back printing on the second sheet based on the first printing job. The state in which the continuous printing process, which is a process of supplying a recording medium to be printed based on the second printing job to the conveyance path before the discharge of all the recording media on which the printing based on the first printing job has been executed is completed, is set is the printing control apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it is in a state so set that the continuous printing process is executed.

3. The process of controlling so that the remaining printing among the printing based on the second printing job is not executed includes a process of transmitting a paper feed stop instruction to the print engine, the printing control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The process of controlling so that the remaining printing among the printing based on the second printing job is not executed includes a process of deleting information regarding the second printing job, the printing control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5.

4. The printing control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising printing means for executing printing based on the printing job by the print engine.

6. The control means is after the first printing job and the second printing job are received, and at the timing after both the first printing based on the first printing job and the first printing based on the second printing job are started, even when a cancel request for canceling the second printing job is received, it controls so that the first printing and the second printing are executed, and controls so that the remaining printing among the printing based on the second printing job is not executed.

6. The printing control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is as described above.

7. The control means, when a cancel request for canceling the first printing job is received after the first printing job and the second printing job are received, controls so that at least a part of the printing based on the first printing job is not executed. The printing control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that...

8. A control method, comprising: A job receiving step of receiving a print job; A print request step of executing a print request based on the print job for a print engine; A request receiving step of receiving a cancel request for canceling the print job; A setting step of setting such that, when a first print job for performing double-sided printing on a plurality of sheets including a first sheet and a second sheet and a second print job for performing printing on a plurality of sheets including a third sheet and a fourth sheet, which are consecutive to the first print job, are received, the front-side printing on the third sheet based on the second print job is executed sandwiched between the back-side printing on the first sheet based on the first print job and the back-side printing on the second sheet, and the front-side printing on the fourth sheet based on the second print job is executed after the back-side printing on the second sheet based on the first print job; A control step of controlling such that, when a cancel request for canceling the second print job is received at a timing when the first print based on the first print job has started after the first print job and the second print job have been received but the first print based on the second print job has not started, a first print that includes the back-side printing on the first sheet and the back-side printing on the second sheet and is all the printing based on the first print job, and a second print that includes the front-side printing on the third sheet and is part of the printing based on the second print job are executed, and the remaining printing based on the second print job is not executed. The control method is characterized by having the above steps.

9. A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the printing control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images