Image forming device

Abstract

To improve the convenience.SOLUTION: An image formation apparatus comprises: an image formation unit which prints an image on a medium based on a printing job; a setting unit which sets the page number according to one or more pages of the printing job as a printing temporary stopping number; a discharge unit which discharges a medium group according to the printing temporary stopping number to the outside from a discharge port and executes a holding operation of holding a portion of the medium group in a state of being exposed to the outside; and a control unit which causes the discharge unit to execute the holding operation. The control unit discharges a second medium group after printing according to a second printing temporary stopping number from the discharge port when a portion of a first medium group is taken out from the discharge port in such a state that a portion of the first medium group after printing according to a first printing temporary stopping number is held by the holding operation by the discharge unit, and causes the discharge unit to execute the holding operation of holding a portion of the second medium group in a state of being exposed to the outside from the discharge port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a label printer. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are image forming apparatuses that, after outputting the first page of a printout, can instruct whether to output the remaining printouts (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-178041 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional image forming devices, when printing multiple pages, it is not possible to stop printing at any page. If it were possible to stop printing at any page, it would be more convenient.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and proposes an image forming apparatus that can improve convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, an image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an image forming unit that prints images on media based on a print job having multiple pages; a setting unit that sets a number of sheets corresponding to one or more pages of the multiple pages as a number of pages to be paused for printing; a discharge unit that discharges a group of media corresponding to the number of pages to be paused for printing set by the setting unit from a discharge outlet after printing and performs a holding operation to hold the group of media in a state where a portion of the group of media is exposed to the outside; and a control unit that causes the discharge unit to perform the holding operation, wherein when a portion of a first group of media after printing corresponding to a first number of pages to be paused for printing is removed from the discharge outlet while the portion of the first group of media is being held by the discharge unit in the holding operation, the control unit causes the discharge unit to subsequently discharge a second group of media after printing corresponding to a second number of pages to be paused for printing from the discharge outlet and perform the holding operation to hold the second group of media in a state where a portion of the second group of media is exposed to the outside from the discharge outlet. The first printing pause number and the second printing pause number are set separately. I made it so that. The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an image forming unit that prints images on media based on a print job having multiple pages; a setting unit that sets a number of sheets corresponding to one or more pages of the multiple pages as a printing pause number; a discharge unit that discharges a group of media corresponding to the printing pause number set by the setting unit from a discharge port to the outside after printing and performs a holding operation that holds a portion of the group of media in a state where the group of media is exposed to the outside; and a control unit that causes the discharge unit to perform the holding operation, and the control unit controls the discharge unit to hold a portion of the first group of media after printing corresponding to a first printing pause number. When a portion of the first media group is removed from the discharge outlet while the first media group is being held by the holding operation by the control unit, the control unit executes the holding operation to discharge a second media group after printing according to the second printing pause number from the discharge outlet and hold a portion of the second media group in a state where the second media group is exposed to the outside from the discharge outlet, and further the control unit ends the holding operation when a time set as a holding operation duration has elapsed since the start of the holding operation by the discharge unit while a portion of the media group is being held at the discharge outlet by the holding operation.Furthermore, the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an image forming unit that prints images on media based on a print job having multiple pages; a setting unit that sets a number of sheets corresponding to one or more pages of the multiple pages as a printing pause number; a discharge unit that discharges a group of media corresponding to the printing pause number set by the setting unit from a discharge outlet to the outside after printing and performs a holding operation that holds a portion of the media group in a state where the group is exposed to the outside; and a control unit that causes the discharge unit to perform the holding operation, When the media are removed from the discharge outlet, the control unit subsequently discharges a second group of printed media from the discharge outlet according to the second number of pages to be paused for printing, and causes the discharge unit to perform the holding operation of holding a portion of the second group of media in a state where the media are exposed to the outside from the discharge outlet; and further, when printing the first print job and the second print job, if the number of remaining unprinted pages included in the first print job is less than the first number of pages to be paused for printing, the control unit discharges a group of printed media from the discharge outlet according to the remaining number of pages, and causes the discharge unit to perform the holding operation of holding a portion of the media in a state where the media are exposed to the outside from the discharge outlet.Furthermore, the image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises an image forming unit that prints an image on a medium based on a print job having multiple pages; a setting unit that sets a number corresponding to one or more pages of the multiple pages as the number of pages to be paused for printing; a discharge unit that performs a holding operation to discharge a group of media corresponding to the number of pages to be paused for printing set by the setting unit from an outlet to the outside after printing and hold a portion of the group of media exposed to the outside; a control unit that causes the discharge unit to perform the holding operation; and a receiving unit that receives the number of pages to be paused for printing set by an external device, wherein when a portion of a first group of media after printing corresponding to a first number of pages to be paused for printing is removed from the discharge outlet while being held by the holding operation by the discharge unit, the control unit subsequently causes the discharge unit to perform the holding operation to discharge a second group of media after printing corresponding to a second number of pages to be paused for printing from the discharge outlet and hold a portion of the second group of media exposed to the outside from the discharge outlet.

[0007] By specifying the first number of pages to pause printing and the second number of pages to pause printing, printing can be stopped at any page (i.e., any number of pages) when printing multiple pages, and printing can be resumed by removing the medium that is held exposed to the outside from the discharge outlet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, an image forming apparatus that can improve convenience can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of a label sheet. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 4] 6A to 6C are diagrams illustrating screen transitions of a setting menu screen of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 5]5 is a flowchart illustrating a printing operation for each print job performed by the image forming apparatus. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation performed by the image forming apparatus from temporarily suspending printing to resuming printing. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a screen displayed while printing is temporarily stopped. [Figure 8] 10 is a sequence chart showing a specific flow of printing. [Figure 9] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a method for cutting label paper. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [1. Overall configuration of image forming device] FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of image forming apparatus 1. Image forming apparatus 1 is configured as an electrophotographic printer and prints desired color images, for example, on long label paper. Image forming apparatus 1 is controlled by a control unit 4. This control unit 4 is primarily comprised of a central processing unit (CPU), not shown, which reads predetermined programs from a storage unit (not shown) comprised of a read-only memory (ROM) or flash memory, stores them in random access memory (RAM), and executes the programs to control various components and perform various processes. Image forming apparatus 1 is broadly divided into a main body 2 that performs printing processing, a conveying and cutting unit 3 located on the right side of main body 2 in FIG. 1 and that conveys and cuts label paper, and a roll feeder unit (not shown) located on the right side of conveying and cutting unit 3 in FIG. 1 and that supplies label paper. In the following description, the main body 2 side of image forming apparatus 1 is referred to as the front side, the conveying and cutting unit 3 side as the rear side, the front side of the drawing as the right side, and the back side of the drawing as the left side. Furthermore, upper and lower sides are defined.

[0012] The label paper is wound around the circumferential surface of a core material (not shown) aligned in the left-right direction to form a roll, and one end is peeled off from the outermost periphery during printing, and the label paper runs along a conveyance path (described below). Figure 2 shows the specific structure of label paper Lp. Label paper Lp is composed of a backing sheet Mo as a base layer and labels Lb as release layers provided on backing sheet Mo at regular intervals along the conveyance direction of label paper Lp. Image forming apparatus 1 prints color images on the labels Lb of label paper Lp.

[0013] 1, a conveying path 3Y is formed in the conveying and cutting unit 3 along the front-to-rear direction, and a pair of paper feed rollers 5a and a paper cutting unit 6 are provided along this conveying path 3Y from rear to front. The pair of paper feed rollers 5a is made up of two rollers arranged to sandwich the conveying path 3Y from above and below, and by appropriately rotating each roller, the paper is advanced in the forward direction as the conveying direction.

[0014] The paper cutting unit 6 is a rotary cutter unit that cuts the label paper as it is conveyed using a cutter 12 made up of a fixed blade and a rotating blade, and incorporates a pair of registration rollers 5b that convey the label paper. The paper cutting unit 6 cuts the label paper to a predetermined length in the conveyance direction, and the pair of registration rollers 5b conveys the label paper along the conveyance path 3Y, forward into the main body 2, and hands it over to the pair of conveyance rollers 5c.

[0015] A conveyance path 2Y is formed in the main body 2 along the front-to-rear direction. The conveyance roller pair 5c is composed of two rollers arranged to sandwich the conveyance path 2Y from above and below. By appropriately rotating each roller, the label paper is conveyed forward along the conveyance path 2Y. The main body 2 is provided with an image forming unit 8 located near the top inside a main body housing 7 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The image forming unit 8 has three image forming units 9 aligned along the front-to-rear direction. Each image forming unit 9 forms a toner image of a predetermined color under the control of the control unit 4 and transfers the image to the paper conveyed by the conveyance belt 10. The conveyance belt 10 runs between multiple belt rollers and conveys the label paper forward along the conveyance path 2Y until it reaches a fixing unit 11.

[0016] The fuser 11 heats and rotates the fuser rollers located above and below the conveying path 2Y, applying heat and pressure to fuse the toner image to the label paper, which is then delivered to the pair of discharge rollers 5d in front. The pair of discharge rollers 5d consists of two rollers arranged to sandwich the conveying path 2Y from above and below, and by rotating each roller appropriately, the label paper is conveyed forward along the conveying path 2Y and discharged to the outside through the discharge port 16.

[0017] The clamping roller pair 5e is located slightly behind the discharge outlet 16 and is composed of two rollers arranged to sandwich the conveyance path 2Y from above and below. Based on the control of the control unit 4, the clamping roller pair 5e clamps from above and below the upstream end (i.e., rear end) of the label paper, whose downstream end (i.e., front end) in the conveyance direction is exposed forward from the discharge outlet 16, thereby holding the front portion of the label paper exposed to the outside through the discharge outlet 16 and preventing it from falling out of the discharge outlet 16. This holding mode, in which the clamping roller pair 5e holds the printed label paper in a state where a portion of the label paper is exposed to the outside through the discharge outlet 16, is called the presenter mode. When discharging the label paper, the clamping roller pair 5e, together with the discharge roller pair 5d, transports the label paper forward along the conveyance path 2Y and discharges it to the outside through the discharge outlet 16.

[0018] Furthermore, inside the image forming apparatus 1, there are provided a paper end sensor 18, a paper feed sensor 19, a write sensor 20, a discharge sensor 21, and a removal sensor 22. The paper end sensor 18, the paper feed sensor 19, the write sensor 20, the discharge sensor 21, and the removal sensor 22 are paper detection sensors that recognize the passage of label paper, and they operate mechanically as label paper passes by, sending the detection results to the control unit 4. The control unit 4 measures the detection timing of the paper end sensor 18, the paper feed sensor 19, the write sensor 20, the discharge sensor 21, and the removal sensor 22 to detect delays in label paper transport, paper jams, etc.

[0019] Furthermore, an operator panel 23 having a display and a button operation section is provided on the front side of the main body housing 7 of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 accepts various operations on this operator panel 23, and also displays the status of the image forming apparatus 1 on this operator panel 23 and displays a screen for making various settings. The overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 is as described above.

[0020] In the image forming apparatus 1 having the above configuration, paper detected by the paper end sensor 18 is fed by the paper feed roller pair 5a, passes through the paper feed sensor 19, and is conveyed by the registration roller pair 5b and the conveyance roller pair 5c. The image forming apparatus 1 then conveys the label paper by the conveyor belt 10, transfers the toner image to the label paper by the image forming unit 9 and transfer roller 14, and fixes the image to the label paper by the fuser 11. The image forming apparatus 1 also cuts the label paper to a predetermined length by the cutter 12. The image forming apparatus 1 can cut the label paper Lp shown in FIG. 2 into individual labels Lb or into multiple labels Lb. Furthermore, by stopping various rollers, the image forming apparatus 1 stops the label paper that has passed the discharge sensor 21 and been discharged by the discharge roller pair 5d before its upstream end in the conveyance direction passes the removal sensor 22. The image forming apparatus 1 then clamps the upstream end of the label paper in the conveyance direction between the clamping roller pair 5e and waits for the label paper to be removed by an operator. In this state, when the removal sensor 22 detects that the label paper has been removed by the operator, the image forming apparatus 1 starts the next printing.

[0021] [2. Functional configuration of image forming device] 3 shows the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. The functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a print data receiving unit 100, a print job analyzing unit 101, a page image generating unit 102, a control unit 4, a printing unit 103, an operator panel unit 23, a status management unit 104, a setting value storage unit 105, and a paper removal detection unit 106.

[0022] The print data receiving unit 100 receives print data sent from a host device such as a mobile terminal or a personal computer. The print data receiving unit 100 communicates with the host device connected via a wired LAN (Local Area Network) or a wireless LAN.

[0023] The print job analysis unit 101 receives print data received by the print data receiving unit 100 and analyzes the print job included in the print data based on PJL (Printer Job Language). PJL is a language for controlling print jobs, and it can transmit not only print settings that can be set within a single print job but also environmental settings that can be set across multiple print jobs to the image forming apparatus 1. The print settings here include, for example, settings such as color / monochrome, print quality, and number of copies, and the environmental settings include a print pause setting value that indicates the number of pages after which printing should be paused. When the print job analysis unit 101 acquires environmental settings from the print data, it stores the environmental setting values ​​(such as a print pause setting value) in the setting value storage unit 105. The print pause setting included in the environmental settings can be set on the host device side or on the image forming apparatus 1 side. A method for setting the print pause setting on the image forming apparatus 1 side will be described later. The print pause setting set on the image forming apparatus 1 side is also stored in the setting value storage unit 105.

[0024] The print job analysis unit 101 also extracts page data from the print job and sends it to the page image generation unit 102. The print job analysis unit 101 also sends the start and end of the print job to the page image generation unit 102.

[0025] The page image generation unit 102 analyzes the page data received from the print job analysis unit 101 based on the PDL (Printer Job Language) and performs drawing processing to generate a page image. The page image generation unit 102 passes the completed page images to the control unit 4 in order. The page image generation unit 102 also passes the start and end of the print job to the control unit 4 as incidental information about the page image.

[0026] The control unit 4 stores the page images received from the page image generation unit 102 in RAM and passes them in order to the printing unit 103. The control unit 4 also determines the start and end of a print job by receiving the start and end of the print job as accompanying information for the page images. The control unit 4 also has a print count unit 110, which counts the number of page images passed to the printing unit 103 (i.e., the number of printed pages).

[0027] Furthermore, if a print pause setting is stored in the setting value storage unit 105, the control unit 4 acquires the print pause setting and executes print pause in accordance with the acquired setting value of the print pause setting. Note that, as will be described later, the control unit 4 executes print pause when the print pause function is enabled. When executing print pause, the control unit 4 notifies the status management unit 104 of the print pause status. Furthermore, when the control unit 4 receives a notification from the paper removal detection unit 106 that it has detected the removal of label paper exposed from the discharge slot 16, it notifies the status management unit 104 of the print resume status.

[0028] 2, paper cutting unit 6, image forming unit 8, fuser 11, etc., and prints on label paper under the control of control unit 4. This printing unit 103 suspends printing when the status managed by status management unit 104 becomes a printing suspended status, and then resumes printing when the status becomes a printing resumed status.

[0029] The status management unit 104 manages the status of the image forming apparatus 1. The paper removal detection unit 106 includes a removal sensor 22, and the paper removal detection unit 106 detects, by the removal sensor 22, that label paper held in an exposed state at the discharge outlet 16 has been removed, and notifies the control unit 4 of this.

[0030] The operator panel unit 23 has a timer unit 111, a display unit 112, and a button operation unit 113. The operator panel unit 23 acquires a print pause setting from the setting value storage unit 105, and stores a print pause setting input by operating the button operation unit 113 on a setting menu screen displayed on the display unit 112 in the setting value storage unit 105. The operator panel unit 23 also acquires a print pause status from the status management unit 104, and upon acquiring the print pause status, displays a screen on the display unit 112 indicating that printing is paused. Note that the operator panel unit 23 may have, for example, a touch panel instead of the display unit 112 and the button operation unit 113.

[0031] The timer unit 111 is used when a print pause time is set in the print pause setting. Specifically, the operator panel unit 23 starts timing using the timer unit 111 from the point when the status of the status management unit 104 becomes a print pause status, and when the print pause time has elapsed, notifies the control unit 4 to that effect. The functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 is as described above.

[0032] [3. Screen transition of the setting menu screen for setting print pause] Next, using FIG. 4, the screen transitions of the setting menu screen for setting print pause, which is displayed on the display unit 112 of the operator panel unit 23, will be described. This setting menu screen has a hierarchical structure, and first, screen Sc1 is displayed. This screen Sc1 is a screen for setting whether to enable or disable the print pause function, and displays a setting field Sf1. The operator can select whether to enable or disable the print pause function by operating this setting field Sf1. Once the print pause function is set to enable or disable on this screen Sc1, the next options are screen Sc2 and screen Sc10. When screen Sc2 is selected by the operator, the screen transitions to screen Sc2.

[0033] Screen Sc2 is a screen for setting the number of pages to pause printing, and displays setting field Sf2. The number of pages to pause printing is a setting that indicates how many pages printing will be paused after, and the print pause function of image forming apparatus 1 allows this number of pages to be set to one or more. For example, if two print pause pages are set, 3 pages (first print pause page) and 2 pages (second print pause page), image forming apparatus 1 will pause printing after printing 3 pages, then after resuming, pause after printing 2 pages, then after resuming, pause after printing 3 pages, then after resuming, pause after printing 2 pages, and so on.

[0034] The print pause function also allows you to set the print pause time, which indicates the time after which printing will automatically resume after being paused for each print pause count. The print pause count can also be set to 0, in which case printing will not be paused due to the print pause count. The print pause time can also be set to OFF, in which case printing will not automatically resume due to the print pause count.

[0035] The operator can specify the number of pages to pause printing by operating the setting field Sf2 displayed on screen Sc2. When the number of pages to pause printing is set to a value other than 0 on this screen Sc2, the screen transitions to a screen for setting the number of pages to pause printing. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the number of pages to pause printing is set to 2, so the next options are screen Sc3 for setting the first number of pages to pause printing and screen Sc4 for setting the second number of pages to pause printing.

[0036] The operator can specify the first print pause number by operating the setting field Sf3 displayed on screen Sc3. When the first print pause number is set on this screen Sc3, the screen transitions to screen Sc5 for setting the first print pause time that is paired with the first print pause number.

[0037] The operator can specify the first print pause time by operating the setting field Sf5 displayed on screen Sc5. When the first print pause time is set on this screen Sc5, the operator can transition to screen Sc4, for example.

[0038] The operator can specify the second print pause count by operating the setting field Sf4 displayed on screen Sc4. When the second print pause count is set on this screen Sc4, the screen transitions to screen Sc6 for setting the second print pause time that is paired with the second print pause count.

[0039] The operator can specify the second print pause time by operating the setting field Sf6 displayed on screen Sc6. When the second print pause time is set on this screen Sc6, the operator can transition to screen Sc10, for example.

[0040] Screen Sc10 is a screen for making inter-job print pause settings, and displays a setting field Sf10. Inter-job print pause settings are settings that indicate whether printing is paused between print jobs (i.e., at the end of a print job) regardless of the number of pages paused when multiple print jobs are received and printed.

[0041] The operator can set the inter-job printing pause (enable or disable) by operating the setting field Sf10 displayed on screen Sc10. When the inter-job printing pause setting is set on this screen Sc10 (specifically, when it is set to enabled), the screen transitions to screen Sc11. Note that when the inter-job printing pause setting is enabled, for example, if the number of pages to be paused is three and the number of pages remaining in the print job is one, the control unit 4 will pause printing when printing of this one remaining page is completed (i.e., when the print job is completed). In this case, one label sheet on which the last page of the print job has been printed is held through the discharge outlet 16 with a portion of it exposed to the outside.

[0042] Screen Sc11 is a screen for setting the print pause time when pausing print between jobs, and displays a setting field Sf11. The operator can specify the print pause time when pausing print between jobs by operating the setting field Sf11 displayed on screen Sc11. When the print pause time when pausing print between jobs is set on this screen Sc11, the screen transitions to screen Sc12.

[0043] Screen Sc12 is a screen for setting whether to reset the print pause count when pausing printing between jobs. If this setting is enabled, when printing resumes after pausing between print jobs (i.e., when a print job ends and the next print job starts), the first print pause count will be counted from 0.

[0044] The operator can set (enable / disable) whether to reset the print pause count when pausing printing between jobs by operating the setting field Sf12 displayed on screen Sc12. When the setting on this screen Sc12 is made as to whether to reset the print pause count when pausing printing between jobs, it is possible to transition to a screen at a higher level, for example. The screen transitions on the setting menu screen are as described above.

[0045] In this way, in image forming apparatus 1, it is possible to set whether to enable or disable the print pause function, the number of pages to pause printing, the print pause time, the inter-job setting for pausing printing, the print pause time when pausing printing between jobs, and whether to reset the number of pages to pause printing when pausing printing between jobs, on the setting menu screens (screens Sc1 to Sc6, screens Sc10 to Sc12) displayed on display unit 112 of operator panel unit 23. Operator panel unit 23 saves the setting values ​​set on the setting menu screens in setting value storage unit 105 as the above-mentioned print pause settings.

[0046] In addition, in the image forming apparatus 1, for example, a print pause setting can be set in a similar manner on a printer driver installed in a host device. The print pause setting set in the host device is included in the print data received from the host device, and the print job analysis unit 101 extracts this print pause setting from the print data and stores it in the setting value storage unit 105.

[0047] [4. Operation of image forming device] Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. The operation shown in Fig. 5 is the printing operation for each print job, and the operation shown in Fig. 6 is the operation from pausing printing to resuming printing.

[0048] First, the printing operation for each print job will be explained using Figure 5. This printing operation is mainly performed by the control unit 4. In the first step SP1, the control unit 4 requests the print sheet count unit 110 to initialize the print pause setting. Here, if the print sheet count unit 110 received a request to reset the print pause sheet count at the end of the previous print job, it sets the first print pause sheet count as the current print pause sheet count and initializes the current print sheet counter to 0. Note that this step SP1 is skipped if the print pause sheet count reset request was not received immediately before.

[0049] In the next step SP2, the control unit 4 determines whether the print job has ended. If the print job has ended, the control unit 4 obtains a positive result in step SP2 and proceeds to step SP9. In step SP9, the control unit 4 references the print pause setting stored in the setting value storage unit 105 to determine whether the setting for resetting the print pause page count when pausing print between jobs is enabled.

[0050] If the setting is valid, the control unit 4 obtains a positive result in step SP9 and proceeds to step SP10. In step SP10, the control unit 4 requests the print sheet count unit 110 to reset the printing pause sheet count. On the other hand, if the setting to reset the printing pause sheet count when pausing printing between jobs is invalid, the control unit 4 obtains a negative result in step SP9 and ends the series of printing operations.

[0051] On the other hand, if it is determined in step SP2 that the print job has not ended, the control unit 4 obtains a negative result in step SP2 and proceeds to step SP3. In step SP3, the control unit 4 passes the page image of the next page received from the page image generation unit 102 to the printing unit 103. The printing unit 103 prints the page image received from the control unit 4 on a label on label paper and outputs label paper for one label.

[0052] In the next step SP4, the control unit 4 updates the number of printed sheets. Specifically, the control unit 4 notifies the printed sheet counting unit 110 that one sheet (i.e., one page) has been printed. Upon receiving the notification, the printed sheet counting unit 110 increments (+1) the printed sheet counter that it manages.

[0053] In the next step SP5, the control unit 4 determines whether the print number counter of the print number counting unit 110 has reached the currently set number of pages for which printing is to be paused. If the number of pages for which printing is to be paused has not been reached, the control unit 4 obtains a negative result in step SP5, returns to step SP2, and continues the operations from step SP2 onwards. On the other hand, if the number of pages for which printing is to be paused has been reached, the control unit 4 obtains a positive result in step SP5, and proceeds to step SP6.

[0054] In step SP6, the control unit 4 notifies the status management unit 104 of the print pause status. The operator panel unit 23 monitors the status by periodically inquiring about the current status from the status management unit 104, and when it confirms that the status of the status management unit 104 has become the print pause status, it displays a screen indicating that printing is being paused. Furthermore, if a print pause time has been set, the operator panel unit 23 starts timing with the timer unit 111 from the time the status of the status management unit 104 becomes the print pause status, and if the print pause time has elapsed before the print pause status becomes the print resume status, it notifies the control unit 4 to that effect.

[0055] In the next step SP7, the control unit 4 waits until the status of the status management unit 104 changes to the printing resumed status, and when it confirms that the status has changed to the printing resumed status, a positive result is obtained in step SP7 and the process proceeds to step SP8. Note that triggers for resuming printing are the elapse of the printing pause time while the printing status is paused, and the removal of label paper that is held exposed from the discharge port 16. The detailed operation from pausing printing to resuming printing will be described later using Figure 6.

[0056] In step SP8, the control unit 4 requests the print sheet count unit 110 to update the print pause sheet count. Upon receiving the request to update the print pause sheet count, the print sheet count unit 110 initializes the print sheet count counter to 0 and updates the print pause sheet count. As described above, multiple print pause sheet counts can be set. If only one print pause sheet count is set, the print sheet count unit 110 retains the current print pause sheet count when it receives a request to update the print pause sheet count. On the other hand, if multiple print pause sheet counts are set, the print sheet count unit 110 updates the print pause sheet count to the next print pause sheet count when it receives a request to update the print pause sheet count. In other words, if the current print pause sheet count is the first print pause sheet count, it updates it to the second print pause sheet count. Furthermore, if the current print pause sheet count is the last print pause sheet count, it returns to the beginning and updates it to the first print pause sheet count.

[0057] After executing step SP8, the control section 4 returns to step SP2 and continues the operations from step SP2 onwards. The printing operation for each print job is as described above.

[0058] Next, the operation from pausing printing until resuming printing will be described using Figure 6. This operation is executed by the control unit 4 and the operator panel unit 23 working together. In the image forming apparatus 1, the conditions under which printing is paused when the status of the status management unit 104 becomes a printing paused status are when the print sheet counter of the print sheet counting unit 110 reaches the print paused sheet number, and when a print job ends with the inter-job print pause setting enabled. The operation from pausing printing until resuming printing is almost the same in both cases, so here we will describe the operation when the print sheet counter of the print sheet counting unit 110 reaches the print paused sheet number.

[0059] In the first step SP30, the operator panel unit 23 waits until the status of the status management unit 104 becomes the printing pause status, and when it confirms that the printing pause status has been reached, it obtains a positive result in step SP30 and proceeds to step SP31.

[0060] In step SP31, operator panel unit 23 displays on display unit 112 a screen indicating that printing is paused. Specifically, screen Sc30 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on display unit 112. Screen Sc30 displays message Tx1 indicating that printing is paused, and message Tx2 indicating that print data remains and urging the operator to remove the label paper that is being held exposed at discharge outlet 16. By looking at screen Sc30, the operator can understand that image forming apparatus 1 is currently pausing printing and that printing will resume by removing the held label paper. Note that if no print data remains, that is, if the currently held label paper is the last page, the message Tx2 omits the information that print data remains.

[0061] In the next step SP32, the operator panel unit 23 checks that the print pause time is not OFF by referring to the print pause setting stored in the setting value storage unit 105. As described above, the print pause time is set as a set with the number of print pause pages, so if multiple sets of the number of print pause pages and print pause time are set, the operator panel unit 23 refers to the print pause time that is set with the current number of print pause pages.

[0062] If the print pause time is not OFF, the operator panel unit 23 obtains a positive result in step SP32 and proceeds to step SP33. In step SP33, the operator panel unit 23 notifies the timer unit 111 of the print pause time and instructs it to notify when the print pause time has elapsed. In response to this instruction, the timer unit 111 starts timing, and when the print pause time has elapsed, the timer unit 111 notifies the operator panel unit 23, which in turn notifies the control unit 4. On the other hand, if the print pause time is OFF, the processing of step SP33 is skipped.

[0063] In the next step SP34, the control unit 4 determines whether or not it has received a notification from the paper removal detection unit 106 that it has detected the removal of label paper that is held exposed at the discharge outlet 16. If no such notification has been received from the paper removal detection unit 106, the control unit 4 obtains a negative result in step SP34 and proceeds to step SP35.

[0064] In step SP35, the control unit 4 determines whether or not a notification that the printing pause time has elapsed has been received from the operator panel unit 23. If the notification has not been received from the operator panel unit 23, the control unit 4 obtains a negative result in step SP35 and returns to step SP34.

[0065] On the other hand, if the control unit 4 receives a notification from the paper removal detection unit 106 that it has detected the removal of label paper that is held exposed at the discharge port 16, the control unit 4 obtains a positive result in step SP34 and proceeds to step SP36. Also, if the control unit 4 receives a notification from the operator panel unit 23 that the printing pause time has elapsed, the control unit 4 obtains a positive result in step SP35 and proceeds to step SP36.

[0066] If a positive result is obtained in either step SP34 or step SP35, this means that the conditions for canceling the printing pause and resuming printing (removal of label paper or passage of the printing pause time) have been met. Therefore, in step SP36, the control unit 4 notifies the status management unit 104 of the printing resume status. As a result, the status management unit 104 changes to the printing resume status, and the printing unit 103 resumes printing. Note that if printing resumes because the printing pause time has passed without the label paper being exposed and held at the discharge outlet 16 being removed, the printing unit 103 resumes printing after discharging the label paper being held at the discharge outlet 16 (i.e., after the clamping roller pair 5e stops holding the label paper Lp and discharges the label paper Lp). The operation when resuming printing from a printing pause is as described above.

[0067] In addition, the operation when a print job ends while the inter-job print pause setting is enabled is the same as the operation when the print count counter of the print count counting unit 110 described above reaches the print pause count, except that the print pause time when printing is paused between jobs in the above-mentioned steps SP32, SP33, and SP36 is used.

[0068] Here, the actual printing flow will be briefly explained using a specific example and the sequence chart shown in Fig. 8. In the first step SP50, the operator Op sets the number of sheets for which printing will be paused on screen Sc3 displayed on image forming apparatus 1. In the following step SP52, the operator Op sets the printing pause time on screen Sc5 displayed on image forming apparatus 1. Here, it is assumed that the number of sheets for which printing will be paused is set to 3 sheets and the printing pause time is set to 100 seconds.

[0069] In the next step SP52, the host device Pc sends print data including a print job for 100 pages to the image forming device 1, and the image forming device 1 receives this.

[0070] In the next step SP53, the image forming apparatus 1 pauses printing after continuously printing three sheets, which is the number set as the number of sheets to pause printing (i.e., after printing three pages of labels for the first medium group). At this time, as shown in Fig. 9(A), the image forming apparatus 1 ejects the label sheets Lp1 to Lp3 connected together from the ejection slot 16 without cutting the spaces between them, and holds the trailing edge of the third label sheet Lp3 while exposing the entire first label sheet Lp1, the entire second label sheet Lp2, and the parts of the third label sheet Lp3 other than the trailing edge from the ejection slot 16 (see Fig. 1).

[0071] In step SP54, the image forming apparatus 1 that has paused printing displays a screen Sc30 indicating that printing is paused. Meanwhile, in step SP55, the operator removes the three connected label papers Lp1-Lp3 from the image forming apparatus 1 before the 100 seconds set as the printing pause time has elapsed, and performs label application work by peeling off the labels Lb1-Lb3 from the label papers Lp1-Lp3 and applying them to desired locations.

[0072] When the image forming apparatus 1 detects in step SP56 that label papers Lp1 to Lp3 have been removed, it resumes printing, and in the following step SP57, it prints the next three sheets in succession (i.e., prints the next three pages of labels as the second media group), and then pauses printing again.

[0073] In this case, as shown in Figure 9(A), the image forming device 1 discharges the printed first label paper Lp1, second label paper Lp2, and third label paper Lp3 from the discharge outlet 16 in a connected state, and holds the rear end of the third label paper Lp3.

[0074] In step SP58, the image forming apparatus 1 that has paused printing displays a screen Sc30 indicating that printing is paused. Meanwhile, in step SP59, the operator removes the three connected label papers Lp1 to Lp3 from the image forming apparatus 1 before the 100 seconds set as the printing pause time has elapsed, and performs the label pasting work again.

[0075] When image forming apparatus 1 detects in step SP60 that label papers Lp1-Lp3 have been removed, it resumes printing, and then in the following step SP61, it prints the next three sheets in succession (i.e., prints the next three pages of labels), after which it pauses printing again. Image forming apparatus 1 repeats this operation until it has printed 100 pages of labels. The specific printing flow is as described above.

[0076] [5. Summary and Effects] As described above, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with an image forming unit 8 that prints images on label paper Lp as a medium on a page-by-page basis based on a print job having multiple pages; an operator panel unit 23 that serves as a setting unit that sets the number of sheets for which printing will be paused to a number corresponding to one or more pages of the multiple pages; a pair of clamping rollers 5e that serves as a discharge unit that discharges a group of label paper Lp (for example, three label paper sheets Lp1 to Lp3 shown in Figure 9(A)) according to the number of sheets for which printing will be paused (for example, three sheets) set on the operator panel unit 23 to the outside from the discharge outlet 16 after printing, and performs a holding operation to hold a portion of the group of label paper Lp exposed to the outside (for example, holding the third label paper Lp3 exposed to the outside); and a control unit 4 that causes the pair of clamping rollers 5e to perform the holding operation.

[0077] When a portion of the first group of label sheets Lp after printing corresponding to the first number of sheets to be temporarily stopped is held by the holding operation of the clamping roller pair 5e and the portion of the first group of label sheets Lp is removed from the discharge outlet 16, the control unit 4 causes the clamping roller pair 5e to execute a holding operation to hold and expose a portion of the second group of label sheets Lp to the outside from the discharge outlet 16 while discharging a second group of label sheets Lp after printing corresponding to the second number of sheets to be temporarily stopped.

[0078] By setting the first and second printing pause numbers by the operator, printing can be stopped at any page when printing multiple pages, and printing can be resumed by the operator removing the label paper Lp that is held exposed to the outside from the discharge port 16. Thus, the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment can provide improved convenience compared to conventional techniques.

[0079] Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment, one or more printing pause counts can be set. When only one printing pause count is set, the second printing pause count described above becomes the first printing pause count. On the other hand, when two printing pause counts are set, the first printing pause count (e.g., the first printing pause count) and the second printing pause count (e.g., the second printing pause count) are set separately.

[0080] In this way, by being able to set one or more print pause counts, it is possible to pause printing in a variety of combinations of print pause counts, such as printing two sheets, pausing, resuming, printing three sheets, pausing, resuming, printing one sheet, pausing, etc. This is particularly useful when performing labeling work such as attaching two labels to the front, three labels to the sides, and one label to the back of a product to be labeled.

[0081] Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment, when the time set as the print pause time, which is the duration of the holding operation, has elapsed since the holding operation by the clamping roller pair 5e began while part of the group of label sheets Lp held by the holding operation is held at the discharge outlet 16, the control unit 4 ends the holding operation and causes the clamping roller pair 5e to execute a discharge operation that discharges part of the group of held label sheets Lp from the discharge outlet 16, and the image forming unit 8 begins printing on the next group of label sheets Lp. In this way, in the image forming apparatus 1, the label sheets Lp can be automatically discharged after the print pause time has elapsed, without the operator having to remove them, and this print pause time can be set to suit the operator's working speed.

[0082] Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment, one or more print pause times can be set in combination with the print pause count. In other words, it is possible to separately set a first print pause time (e.g., the first print pause time) that is set with a first print pause count, and a second print pause time (e.g., the second print pause time) that is set with a second print pause count. This makes it possible to pause printing in a variety of combinations of print pause counts and print pause times.

[0083] Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment, when outputting the number of label sheets Lp set as the number of sheets for which printing is paused, the label sheets Lp are not cut one by one by the paper cutting unit 6, but are cut in units of the number of sheets for which printing is paused (i.e., in units of groups of label sheets Lp consisting of the number of label sheets Lp for which printing is paused). In other words, if the number of sheets for which printing is paused is set to, for example, three, the image forming apparatus 1 ejects the first, second, and third label sheets Lp connected together from the ejection outlet 16, and holds a portion of these (the third label sheet Lp3) exposed from the ejection outlet 16 by the pair of clamping rollers 5e. This improves convenience when, for example, performing label application work on multiple sheets at a time.

[0084] Furthermore, in the image forming device 1 of this embodiment, even when printing is temporarily stopped, the page image generating unit 102 can generate page images for the next page and subsequent pages and store them in the RAM of the control unit 4. Therefore, after printing resumes, the control unit 4 can immediately start the image forming operation by the image forming unit 8 using the page images stored in the RAM.

[0085] Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment, print pause settings such as the number of pages to pause printing can be made on the operator panel 23 provided in the image forming apparatus 1 or on the host device Pc side as an external device, and print pause settings made on the host device Pc side are received together with the print data by the print data receiving unit 100 as a receiving unit. In this way, the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment can achieve the above-mentioned effects in various environments.

[0086] Furthermore, in image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment, when the inter-job print pause setting is enabled, control unit 4 pauses printing between a first print job and a second print job (as multiple print jobs) (i.e., at the end of the first print job) regardless of the number of pages to be paused. That is, when printing multiple print jobs with the inter-job print pause setting enabled, if the number of pages (e.g., one page) corresponding to the remaining pages in the first print job is less than the first number of pages to be paused (e.g., three pages), control unit 4 ejects a group of label sheets Lp of the number corresponding to the remaining pages (e.g., one page) from discharge outlet 16 after printing, and causes nipping roller pair 5e to perform a holding operation that exposes and holds a portion of the group of label sheets Lp from discharge outlet 16. In this way, image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment can pause printing according to the number of pages to be paused, while pausing printing between the first print job and the second print job regardless of the number of pages to be paused.

[0087] 6. Other Embodiments [6-1. Other embodiment 1] In the embodiment described above, when label paper held partially exposed through the discharge port 16 is removed during a printing pause, the image forming apparatus 1 ends the printing pause and resumes printing. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Alternatively, the printing pause may be canceled and printing resumed when the operator panel 23, which serves as the operating unit, is operated during a printing pause. In this case, for example, the process performed by the control unit 4 in step SP34 shown in FIG. 6 may be changed from determining whether label paper has been removed to determining whether the operator panel 23 has been operated. The operation in this case may be a predetermined operation, such as operating a specific button on the button operating unit 113 of the operator panel 23 or operating any button.

[0088] Furthermore, the conditions for canceling the paused printing and resuming printing may be, in addition to removing label paper and the elapse of the paused printing time, the operation of button operation unit 113. Furthermore, it may be possible to set whether each of these three conditions is valid or invalid.

[0089] [6-2. Other embodiment 2] In the above-described embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9(A), the label paper Lp is cut and discharged in units of the number of sheets for which printing is paused. However, as shown in Fig. 9(B), the label paper Lp may be cut and discharged in units of one sheet (that is, in units of pages, or in units of labels Lb). In this case, of the label papers Lp1 to Lp3 corresponding to the number of sheets for which printing is paused, the last label paper Lp3 is held exposed at the discharge slot 16. Whether the label paper Lp is cut in units of the number of sheets for which printing is paused or in units of one sheet may be set on the settings menu screen as a print pause setting.

[0090] [6-3. Other embodiment 3] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, print pause settings (number of pages to pause printing, print pause time, etc.) are configured to be performed on the image forming apparatus 1 before the image forming apparatus 1 receives print data from the host device Pc. However, the timing for performing print pause settings is not limited to this. For example, print pause settings may be performed on the image forming apparatus 1 after the image forming apparatus 1 receives print data from the host device Pc and before printing starts. Also, for example, print pause settings may be changed on the image forming apparatus 1 while printing is paused. In this case, the changed print pause settings are applied after printing resumes.

[0091] [6-4. Other embodiment 4] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the paper removal detection unit 106 uses the removal sensor 22 provided near the discharge outlet 16 to detect the removal of label paper that is exposed from the discharge outlet 16 and held by the clamping roller pair 5e. However, this is not limiting, and other methods may be used to detect the removal of label paper. For example, a sensor may be provided that detects the nip pressure of the clamping roller pair 5e, and the removal of label paper may be detected based on the detection results of this sensor. Because the nip pressure of the clamping roller pair 5e changes when the clamping roller pair 5e is holding and holding the label paper and when the held label paper is removed, the removal of label paper can also be detected using the nip pressure of the clamping roller pair 5e in this way.

[0092] Alternatively, without being limited to this, for example, a sensor may be provided that detects the direction and amount of rotation of one or both rollers of the clamping roller pair 5e, and removal of label paper may be detected based on the detection result of this sensor.When label paper is removed while it is being clamped and held by the clamping roller pair 5e, the two rollers of the clamping roller pair 5e rotate in the direction that ejects the label paper, as if pulled by the label paper, and so removal of label paper can also be detected using the direction and amount of rotation of the clamping roller pair 5e in this way.

[0093] [6-5. Other embodiment 5] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to an image forming apparatus 1 that prints on label paper, which is continuous paper made up of multiple sheets of paper joined together, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be applied to an image forming apparatus that prints on paper other than label paper (for example, pre-cut paper). Also, in the above-described embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 prints one page of image on one label, but the present invention is not limited to this and may, for example, be configured to print multiple pages of images on one label depending on the print settings.

[0094] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the paper cutting unit 6 is provided upstream of the image forming unit 8 in the transport direction, but this is not limiting, and the paper cutting unit 6 may be provided downstream of the image forming unit 8 in the transport direction. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the image forming apparatus 1 of the direct transfer type is described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to image forming apparatuses of various types, such as an intermediate transfer type in which a toner image that has been primarily transferred onto an intermediate transfer belt is secondarily transferred onto paper.

[0095] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is described as being applied to an image forming apparatus 1 having three image forming units 9, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be applied to an image forming apparatus having one image forming unit, or an image forming apparatus having two or four or more image forming units. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is described as being applied to an image forming apparatus 1 that is an electrophotographic printer, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be applied to an image forming apparatus included in a multifunction peripheral or the like.

[0096] [6-6. Other Embodiments 6] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and other embodiments, and the scope of application of the present invention also extends to embodiments in which the above-described embodiments and part or all of the other embodiments are combined as desired. [Industrial Applicability]

[0097] The present invention can be used in a printer that can print multiple pages continuously. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 1...image forming device, 2...main body, 4...control unit, 5e...pair of clamping rollers, 6...paper cutting unit, 8...image forming unit, 12...cutter, 16...output port, 22...removal sensor, 100...print data receiving unit, 101...print job analysis unit, 102...page image generation unit, 103...printing unit, 104...status management unit, 105...setting value memory unit, 106...paper removal detection unit, 110...print number count unit, 111...timer unit, 112...display unit, 113...button operation unit, Sc1 to Sc6, Sc10 to Sc12, Sc30...screen, Lp...label paper, Lb...label, Mo...backing paper.

Claims

1. an image forming unit that prints an image on a medium based on a print job having multiple pages; a setting unit that sets a number of pages corresponding to one or more pages of the plurality of pages as the number of pages for which printing is temporarily stopped; a discharge unit that discharges a group of media according to the number of sheets of printing that has been temporarily stopped by the setting unit from a discharge port to the outside after printing, and that performs a holding operation to hold the group of media in a state where a portion of the group of media is exposed to the outside; a control unit that causes the discharge unit to perform the holding operation; Equipped with The control unit When a portion of a first group of media after printing corresponding to a first number of sheets to be temporarily stopped is being held by the holding operation by the discharge unit and the portion of the first group of media is removed from the discharge outlet, the discharge unit is caused to subsequently discharge a second group of media after printing corresponding to a second number of sheets to be temporarily stopped from the discharge outlet and to perform the holding operation to hold the portion of the second group of media in a state where it is exposed to the outside from the discharge outlet; The first printing pause number and the second printing pause number are set separately. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

2. the medium is continuous paper; a cutting unit that cuts the continuous paper; The cutting portion is cutting the continuous paper into individual medium groups; The discharge section is In the holding operation, the group of media cut by the cutting unit is discharged to the outside through the discharge port, and the rearmost medium included in the group of media is held in a state where it is exposed to the outside.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

3. the medium is continuous paper; a cutting unit that cuts the continuous paper; The cutting portion is cutting the continuous paper into pages of the medium; The discharge section is In the holding operation, the page units cut by the cutting unit are discharged to the outside from the discharge port, and the rearmost medium included in the medium group is held in a state where it is exposed to the outside.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

4. An image forming unit that prints an image on a medium based on a print job having multiple pages; a setting unit that sets a number of pages corresponding to one or more pages of the plurality of pages as the number of pages for which printing is temporarily stopped; a discharge unit that discharges a group of media according to the number of sheets of printing that has been temporarily stopped by the setting unit from a discharge port to the outside after printing, and that performs a holding operation to hold the group of media in a state where a portion of the group of media is exposed to the outside; a control unit that causes the discharge unit to perform the holding operation; Equipped with The control unit When a portion of a first group of media after printing corresponding to a first number of sheets to be temporarily stopped is being held by the holding operation by the discharge unit and the portion of the first group of media is removed from the discharge outlet, the discharge unit is caused to subsequently discharge a second group of media after printing corresponding to a second number of sheets to be temporarily stopped from the discharge outlet and to perform the holding operation to hold the portion of the second group of media in a state where it is exposed to the outside from the discharge outlet; Furthermore, the control unit When a time set as a holding operation duration has elapsed after the holding operation by the discharge unit is started and a part of the media group is being held at the discharge port by the holding operation, the holding operation is ended. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

5. As the holding operation duration, a first holding operation duration indicating the duration of the holding operation in which the discharge unit holds a part of the first group of media after printing corresponding to the first number of sheets of printing paused, and a second holding operation duration indicating the duration of the holding operation in which the discharge unit holds a part of the second group of media after printing corresponding to the second number of sheets of printing paused, are set separately.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.

6. The medium is It is composed of a base layer and a release layer provided on the base layer.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

7. Further provided with an operation unit, The control unit When a time set as a holding operation duration has elapsed since the start of the holding operation by the ejection unit while a portion of the media group is being held at the ejection outlet by the holding operation, or when a predetermined operation is performed on the operation unit during the holding operation by the ejection unit, the ejection unit is caused to end the holding operation and eject a portion of the held media group from the ejection outlet.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

8. An image forming unit that prints an image on a medium based on a print job having multiple pages; a setting unit that sets a number of pages corresponding to one or more pages of the plurality of pages as the number of pages for which printing is temporarily stopped; a discharge unit that discharges a group of media according to the number of sheets of printing that has been temporarily stopped by the setting unit from a discharge port to the outside after printing, and that performs a holding operation to hold the group of media in a state where a portion of the group of media is exposed to the outside; a control unit that causes the discharge unit to perform the holding operation; Equipped with The control unit When a portion of a first group of media after printing corresponding to a first number of sheets to be temporarily stopped is being held by the holding operation by the discharge unit and the portion of the first group of media is removed from the discharge outlet, the discharge unit is caused to subsequently discharge a second group of media after printing corresponding to a second number of sheets to be temporarily stopped from the discharge outlet and to perform the holding operation to hold the portion of the second group of media in a state where it is exposed to the outside from the discharge outlet; Furthermore, the control unit When printing a first print job and a second print job, if the number of remaining unprinted pages included in the first print job is less than the first printing pause number, the ejection unit is caused to execute the holding operation of ejecting a group of printed media corresponding to the number of remaining pages from the ejection outlet and holding a portion of the group of media in a state where it is exposed to the outside from the ejection outlet. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

9. An image forming unit that prints an image on a medium based on a print job having multiple pages; a setting unit that sets a number of pages corresponding to one or more pages of the plurality of pages as the number of pages for which printing is temporarily stopped; a discharge unit that discharges a group of media according to the number of sheets of printing that has been temporarily stopped by the setting unit from a discharge port to the outside after printing, and that performs a holding operation to hold the group of media in a state where a portion of the group of media is exposed to the outside; a control unit that causes the discharge unit to perform the holding operation; a receiving unit that receives the number of sheets for which printing is temporarily stopped, which is set by an external device; Equipped with The control unit When a portion of a first group of media after printing corresponding to a first number of sheets to be temporarily stopped is being held by the holding operation by the discharge unit and the portion of the first group of media is removed from the discharge outlet, the discharge unit subsequently discharges a second group of media after printing corresponding to a second number of sheets to be temporarily stopped from the discharge outlet and executes the holding operation to hold the portion of the second group of media in a state where the second group of media is exposed to the outside from the discharge outlet. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

Images