Printing system, information processing device, and program

Abstract

To allow imposition in which printed materials for each of a plurality of print instructions can be formed by cutting printed sheets even when the print instructions are different from each other in the number of pages.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus comprises a processor. The processor receives a plurality of print instructions A to F, and generates a new print instruction G including the plurality of received print instructions, the new print instruction G in which blank pages 42 are added to the head or the end of the second print instruction A having a smaller number of pages than the first print instruction B having the largest number of pages in the plurality of print instructions A to F. The number of pages of the added blank page 42 is the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction B and the number of pages of the second print instruction A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing system, an information processing apparatus, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a printing control method that includes a function to rearrange the printed pages so that they are in page order when a booklet is bound, a function to change the reduction ratio or margin length of the printed page of each sheet based on the semicircle of the folded part, and a function to print marks on each sheet indicating the folding direction and stacking order. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-305915 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, in a printing machine that prints one print instruction by imposing it onto paper that will be cut and stacked after printing to become the printed matter of the print instruction, when imposing multiple print instructions onto the same paper, if the number of pages for the multiple print instructions differs, it is difficult to impose the printed paper to become the printed matter for each print instruction by cutting it. An object of the present invention is to enable imposition of printed matter into each print instruction by cutting the printed paper, even when the number of pages in a plurality of print instructions differs from one another. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention of claim 1 includes a processor, wherein the processor receives a plurality of print instructions, and generates a new print instruction including the received plurality of print instructions, the new print instruction being a second print instruction having a number of pages less than a first print instruction having the largest number of pages among the plurality of print instructions, with a predetermined page added to the beginning or end of the second print instruction, the number of pages of the added predetermined page being the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction. the law of nature, The number of pages in each of the plurality of print instructions is a total value obtained by adding up the number of pages in each copy of the print instructions in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies, and the position at which the predetermined page is added in the case of the print instruction to print multiple copies is determined using the total value. R It is an information processing device. Claim 2 In the invention described in the item (1), when the second print instruction is to print a plurality of copies, the position at which the predetermined page of the second print instruction is to be added is set to a position following the last page of the last copy of the plurality of copies for which the total value is calculated, or a position preceding the first page of the first copy. 1 The information processing device is described in the above. Claim 3 The invention described in the item (1) is a method for printing a third print instruction other than the first print instruction and the second print instruction among the plurality of print instructions. of When the print instruction is a print instruction to print multiple copies and the total value is the same as the number of pages of the first print instruction, of 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined position for adding the page is not set in response to a print instruction. 1 The information processing device is described in the above. Claim 4 The invention described in a processor that receives a plurality of print instructions, generates a new print instruction including the received plurality of print instructions, the new print instruction being a second print instruction having a number of pages fewer than a first print instruction having the largest number of pages among the plurality of print instructions, and adds a predetermined page to the beginning or end of the second print instruction, the number of pages of the added predetermined page being a difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction; The number of pages in each of the plurality of print instructions is the number of pages in each copy of the print instruction even in the case of a print instruction to print a plurality of copies, and the position at which the predetermined page is added in the case of a print instruction to print a plurality of copies is determined using the number of pages in each copy. R It is an information processing device. Claim 5 In the invention described in the item (1), when the second print instruction is to print multiple copies, the position at which the predetermined page of the second print instruction is to be added is set to a position following the last page or a position preceding the first page of each of the multiple copies. 4 The information processing device is described in the above. Claim 6 and when the second print instruction is a print instruction to print multiple copies, if a total value of the number of pages in each copy of the second print instruction is calculated and the total value is less than the number of pages in the first print instruction, the position at which the predetermined page of the second print instruction is added is set to a position following the last page of the last copy of the multiple copies or a position preceding the first page of the first copy. 4 The information processing device is described in the above. Claim 7 The invention described in a processor that receives a plurality of print instructions, generates a new print instruction including the received plurality of print instructions, the new print instruction being a second print instruction having a number of pages fewer than a first print instruction having the largest number of pages among the plurality of print instructions, and adds a predetermined page to the beginning or end of the second print instruction, the number of pages of the added predetermined page being a difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction; The new print instruction includes an image page showing information about the print instruction added before the first page of the plurality of print instructions. The information regarding the print instruction is information regarding the number of copies in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies. It is characterized by R It is an information processing device. Claim 8 The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that the information relating to the print instruction is information indicating the print instruction. 7 The information processing device is described in the above. Claim 9 The invention described in the item (1) above is such that the information regarding the print instruction includes information indicating whether a predetermined page is included or not and information indicating whether the predetermined page is included or not. Be If the page contains a Be The information is about the page that is being used. 7 The information processing device is described in the above. Claim 1 0The invention described in the item (1) receives a plurality of print instructions, generates a new print instruction including the received plurality of print instructions, and adds a predetermined page to the beginning or end of a second print instruction having a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction having the largest number of pages among the plurality of print instructions, and the number of added predetermined pages is the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction. The number of pages in each of the plurality of print instructions is a total value obtained by adding up the number of pages in each copy of the print instructions in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies, and the position where the predetermined page is to be added in the case of the print instruction to print multiple copies is determined using the total value. The printing system is characterized by: The invention described in claim 11 is a printing system characterized in that it receives multiple print instructions, generates a new print instruction that includes the received multiple print instructions, and adds a predetermined page to the beginning or end of a second print instruction that has a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction that has the largest number of pages among the multiple print instructions, the number of pages of the added predetermined page being the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction, the number of pages of each of the multiple print instructions being the number of pages of each copy of the print instruction even in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies, and the position at which to add the predetermined page in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies is determined using the number of pages of each copy. The invention described in claim 12 is a printing system characterized in that it receives multiple print instructions, generates a new print instruction that includes the received multiple print instructions, and adds a predetermined page to the beginning or end of a second print instruction that has a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction that has the largest number of pages among the multiple print instructions, the number of pages of the added predetermined page being the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction, and adds an image page showing information related to the print instructions before the first page of the multiple print instructions to the new print instruction, and the information related to the print instruction is information regarding the number of copies in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies. The invention described in claim 13 allows an information processing device to have a function of receiving a plurality of print instructions, and a function of generating a new print instruction including the received plurality of print instructions, the new print instruction being a second print instruction having a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction having the largest number of pages among the plurality of print instructions, with a predetermined page added to the beginning or end of the second print instruction, and the number of pages of the added predetermined page is the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction. The number of pages in each of the plurality of print instructions is a total value obtained by adding up the number of pages in each copy of the print instructions in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies, and the position where the predetermined page is to be added in the case of the print instruction to print multiple copies is determined using the total value. This is a program characterized by the above. The invention described in claim 14 is a program that enables an information processing device to have the following functions: a function of accepting multiple print instructions; and a function of generating a new print instruction that includes the accepted multiple print instructions, where a predetermined page is added to the beginning or end of a second print instruction that has a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction that has the largest number of pages among the multiple print instructions; the number of pages of the added predetermined page is the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction; the number of pages of each of the multiple print instructions is the number of pages of each copy of the print instruction, even in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies; and the position at which the predetermined page is added in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies is determined using the number of pages of each copy. The invention described in claim 15 is a program that enables an information processing device to have the following functions: a function of accepting multiple print instructions; and a function of generating a new print instruction that includes the accepted multiple print instructions, where a predetermined page is added to the beginning or end of a second print instruction that has a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction that has the largest number of pages among the multiple print instructions; the number of the added predetermined page is the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction; an image page showing information related to the print instruction is added to the new print instruction before the first page of the multiple print instructions; and the information related to the print instruction is information related to the number of copies in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to claim 1 、 Compared to when the position to add a predetermined page is determined without using the total value, printing efficiency can be improved when the difference in the number of pages between the first print instruction and the second print instruction is relatively large and the second print instruction prints multiple copies. Claim 2 This improves the workability of post-processing compared to when the predetermined position for adding a page is not set to a position following the last page of the last copy or a position preceding the first page of the first copy. Claim 3 According to the third ofCompared to when the positions at which predetermined pages are to be added are set in response to a print instruction, the number of predetermined pages to be added can be reduced. Claim 4 According to this, the difference in the number of pages between the first print instruction and the second print instruction is relatively small compared to when the position to add a predetermined page is determined using a total value, and printing efficiency can be improved when the second print instruction prints multiple copies. Claim 5 This improves the workability of post-processing compared to when the predetermined position for adding a page is not set to a position following the last page of each of multiple copies or a position preceding the first page. Claim 6 This improves the workability of post-processing compared to when the predetermined position for adding a page is not set to a position following the last page of the last copy of multiple copies or a position preceding the first page of the first copy. Claim 7 According to Printing multiple copies Print instructions Number of copies in the case Information about of This can improve the workability of post-processing compared to when no image pages are added. Claim 8 According to the method, the workability of post-processing can be improved compared to when a page of an image of information indicating a print instruction is not added. 。 Claim 9 According to the above, information indicating whether a predetermined page is included and the information indicating whether the predetermined page is included are Be If a page containing Be This improves the workability of post-processing compared to when no page of images of information about the included page is added. According to claim 10, compared to when the position to add a predetermined page is determined without using the total value, the difference in the number of pages between the first print instruction and the second print instruction is relatively large, and printing efficiency can be improved when the second print instruction prints multiple copies. According to claim 11, the difference in the number of pages between the first print instruction and the second print instruction is relatively small compared to when the position to add a predetermined page is determined using a total value, and printing efficiency can be improved when the second print instruction prints multiple copies. According to claim 12, multiple Department Printing When printing, the image page with information about the number of copies is not added. case Compared to , This can improve the workability of post-processing. do. According to claim 13, It is predetermined page The position where the value is added is determined without using the total value. case Compared to , When the difference in the number of pages between the first print instruction and the second print instruction is relatively large and the second print instruction prints multiple copies, printing efficiency can be improved. do. According to claim 14, the difference in the number of pages between the first print instruction and the second print instruction is relatively small compared to when the position to add a predetermined page is determined using a total value, and printing efficiency can be improved when the second print instruction prints multiple copies. According to claim 15, in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies, the workability of post-processing can be improved compared to the case where a page of images of information regarding the number of copies is not added. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a printing system. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating imposition methods, in which FIG. 1A illustrates cut-and-stack, which is an example of an imposition method, and FIG. 1B illustrates cut-and-split, which is an example of an imposition method. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the server device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a first example of how a server device generates a new print instruction. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a second example of use of the server device to generate a new print instruction. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a third example of use of a server device to generate a new print instruction. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a workflow according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating specific examples of steps for print instructions, where FIG. 10A is for print instruction A, and FIG. 10B is for print instruction B. FIG. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a new print instruction that includes multiple print instructions, where (a) shows a job list for the new print instruction that includes multiple print instructions, (b) is a diagram illustrating the imposition processing of the new print instruction, and (c) is a diagram illustrating the piles formed by cutting after printing. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process of changing the number of original copies by expanding the number of copies in the first embodiment. [Figure 12]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a workflow according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating specific examples of steps for print instructions, where (a) is for print instruction A, (b) is for print instruction B, and (c) is for another print instruction C. [Figure 14] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating specific examples of each step for a print instruction, where (a) is a job list for a new print instruction including multiple print instructions, (b) is a diagram illustrating the imposition process for the new print instruction, (c) is a diagram illustrating the position of each page of the imposed new print instruction, and (d) is a diagram illustrating the ridges formed by cutting after printing. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process of changing the number of original copies by expanding the number of copies in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating specific examples of each step for a print instruction, where (a) is a job list for a new print instruction that includes multiple print instructions, (b) is a diagram illustrating the imposition process for the new print instruction, and (c) is a diagram illustrating the piles formed by cutting after printing. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a post-processing step in a workflow according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a printing system 100. As shown in FIG. The printing system 100 shown in the figure includes a printing device 10 that prints on paper. The printing device 10 is connected to server devices 20 and 30 so that they can communicate with each other.

[0009] The printing device 10 prints an image on paper based on the acquired print instructions. The print instructions here refer to the image to be printed, and include information on the number of pages, and may also include information on the number of copies to be printed, and may also include an instruction to execute printing. The print instructions are an example of a print instruction. The printing device 10 is, for example, a so-called production printer used for commercial printing, and has the function of executing high-quality, high-speed printing. The printing device 10 also has the function of executing post-processing on paper sheets on which images have been printed in accordance with print instructions. Examples of post-processing include binding a stack of paper sheets, folding paper sheets, cutting paper sheets, and bookbinding. The printing device 10 is not limited to a production printer, but may also be applied to a general printer (such as a printer for business use or a printer for home use).

[0010] The printing device 10 includes a paper feed unit 11 that feeds paper to be printed, a printing unit 12 that prints on the paper from the paper feed unit 11, multiple output destinations 13 to which printed paper is output, and an operation display unit 14 for the user. The paper feed unit 11 is configured to include a plurality of paper feed trays 11A, 11B, and 11C for feeding paper sheets. Each of the paper feed trays 11A to 11C can feed paper sheets of the same size or different sizes.

[0011] The printing unit 12 may use an electrophotographic method in which toner attached to a charged and exposed photosensitive element is transferred to a recording material to fix and form an image, or it may use an inkjet method in which ink is ejected onto a recording material to form an image. The printing unit 12 is configured to be able to perform double-sided printing, which prints on both sides of a sheet of paper. The printing unit 12 may also be configured to perform rasterization processing.

[0012] In this embodiment, the multiple discharge destinations 13 include a stacker tray 13A, a finisher tray 13B, a finisher discharge tray 13C, and a discharge tray 13D. In response to a print command, the transport path for printed paper is changed by a drive source, allowing switching to one of these trays 13A to 13D for continuous printing. The paper transport path is formed by transport rolls, guide plates, and the like (not shown). More specifically, the stacker tray 13A of the discharge destination 13 is provided with a unit for post-processing the printed paper by cutting it into a standard size such as A4.

[0013] The operation display unit 14 includes a display unit that displays various images for operation and various information to notify the user, and an input unit on which various buttons are arranged for input according to the operation images on the display unit. Note that the operation display unit 14 may be configured to have a display screen made of, for example, a touch panel that functions as both a display unit and an input unit.

[0014] In addition to the function of printing an image on paper, the printing device 10 according to the present embodiment also has the function of optically reading an image of a document or the like, and the function of feeding documents one by one into a reading area. The functions listed for the printing device 10 are merely examples, and other functions may be included.

[0015] The server device 20 is connected to the printing device 10 and the server device 30 via a network, and upon receiving a print instruction from the server device 30 via the network, the server device 20 processes the image data included in the print instruction to generate a new print instruction and outputs it to the printing device 10. The server device 20 is an example of an information processing device. After the imposition process is performed in response to a new print instruction, the rasterization process is performed. The rasterized image, which is an image for which rasterization has been completed, is printed and output by the printing device 10. The imposition process and rasterization process may be performed by the printing device 10 or by another server device (not shown).

[0016] The network connecting the printing device 10 and the server device 20 is, for example, a local area network (LAN), and the network connecting the printing device 10 and the server device 30 is, for example, the Internet. The server device 30 may be configured to be connected to other post-processing units (not shown) other than the printing device 10 via a network. The server devices 20 and 30 may be physically one computer, or may be realized by distributed processing using a plurality of computers.

[0017] Here, an imposition method for arranging multiple pages on each sheet will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining imposition methods, where (a) shows cut and stack, which is an example of an imposition method, and (b) shows cut and split, which is an example of an imposition method. The number alone in the figure indicates the number of pages. Also, a stack of printing paper that has been cut and separated according to the layout is sometimes called a "pile."

[0018] Cut and stack, shown in Figure 2(a), is an imposition method in which, when placing multiple pages on a single sheet of paper, sheets of printed output with the same layout are stacked and then cut, and when the cut results are stacked, the pages are arranged in the original order. This method is sometimes called cut-and-stack imposition.

[0019] In the example shown in Figure 2(a), for example, a cut-and-stack process is performed in which 60 pages are printed single-sided, with six images arranged on each sheet, resulting in 10 sheets of paper. That is, the first sheet of paper has the images of pages 1, 11, 21, 31, 41, and 51 arranged in that order. The final sheet of paper has the images of pages 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 arranged in that order. Ten printed sheets of paper are stacked and cut to separate each page, forming six piles divided into pages 1 to 10, 11 to 20, and 51 to 60. These six piles are then stacked to form printed matter in the correct order of pages 1 to 60, which are then sent to the next process.

[0020] Cut and split, shown in Figure 2(b), is an imposition method in which, when ganging, sheets of printed output with the same layout are stacked and then cut, with each stack being arranged assuming that it will be sent to a separate processing step. Ganging here refers to a general term or imposition method for arranging multiple different printing instructions on a single sheet of paper and printing them all at once, and is a method that can reduce printing plate costs.

[0021] In the example shown in Figure 2(b), when there are four 10-page print instructions and one 9-page print instruction, cut and split is performed to arrange the prints on six sides, resulting in 10 sheets of paper. That is, on the first sheet of paper, only the first page of each of the five print instructions is arranged in order, and on the final sheet of paper, the 10th page, only the 10th page of each of the four print instructions is arranged in order. By cutting the 10 stacked printed sheets so that they are separated by page, a total of six piles are formed: five piles corresponding to the five printing instructions and one pile containing only blank sheets. The blank pile is discarded, while four of the five piles are sent to the next process, and the remaining pile is sent to the next process after removing the last blank sheet.

[0022] By adopting the cut-and-split method described above, work can be made more efficient as it is no longer necessary to collate the cut stacks when sending them to the next process, and work can also be made more efficient by utilizing the maximum paper size. On the other hand, in the cut-and-split example shown in Figure 2(b), one print instruction must fit into one stack, so if the number of pages to be placed on one sheet of paper is not equal to the number of print instructions to be ganged, or if there is a difference in the number of pages between the print instructions to be ganged, the paper waste rate will be high and it will be difficult to remove blank pages.

[0023] Here, the printing device 10 (see FIG. 1) is a model that cannot support the cut-and-split method of imposing multiple different jobs so that they are separated into jobs when cut, but can support the cut-and-stack method of imposing so that the pages are arranged in page order simply by cutting. Even with this model, if cut-and-stack can be implemented, it becomes possible to improve the efficiency of printing operations and reduce printing costs, even when multiple print instructions have different page counts. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to enable imposition of printed matter for each print instruction by cutting the printed paper, the server device 20 (see FIG. 1) has a function to generate new print instructions that add blank pages for cutting and stacking for multiple print instructions. The new print instructions are sent to the printing device 10 (see FIG. 1), where imposition processing and rasterization processing are performed, followed by printing and cutting.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the server device 20. As shown in the figure, the server device 20 includes a print instruction receiving unit 21, a page number confirmation unit 22, an addition position setting unit 23, a banner page setting unit 24, and a print instruction generating unit 25.

[0025] The print instruction receiving unit 21 receives a plurality of print instructions sent from the user and manages each of the received print instructions. Furthermore, the print instruction receiving unit 21 transmits the received print instruction to the page number confirmation unit 22, thereby acquiring page number information of the print instruction. When a predetermined condition is met, the print instruction receiving unit 21 determines that the time has come for the print instruction generating unit 25 to generate a new print instruction, and transmits the received print instruction to the additional position setting unit 23, etc.

[0026] The page number confirmation unit 22 confirms the number of pages in the print instruction, and also confirms whether the print instruction is for printing multiple copies. If the print instruction is to print multiple copies, the page count confirmation unit 22 confirms the number of pages by adding up the number of pages in each copy of the multiple copies and also by adding up the number of pages in each copy. Note that the total value here is the sum of the number of pages in each copy, and is also the value obtained by multiplying the number of pages in each copy by the number of copies. Furthermore, the page number confirmation unit 22 identifies the print instruction with the largest number of pages among the multiple print instructions. The print instruction identified in this way may be one or may be multiple. The identified print instruction is an example of the first print instruction having the largest number of pages.

[0027] The adding position setting unit 23 sets the adding position in response to a print instruction to add a blank page, and also sets the number of blank pages to be added. A blank page is an example of a predetermined page.

[0028] The banner page setting unit 24 sets the content of the banner page to be added to the first page. A banner page is a page that contains information equivalent to a work instruction sheet so that each pile can be managed after cutting, and is also called a face sheet. The banner page is an example of an image page that shows information related to a print instruction.

[0029] The content of the banner page here is an image showing information related to the print instruction accepted by print instruction accepting unit 21. Note that the image of the print instruction accepted by print instruction accepting unit 21 is not printed on the banner page, but a portion of such an image (for example, a reduced image of the first page) may be printed for the user. One-dimensional or two-dimensional identification information (for example, a barcode) may also be added to the banner page. Also, so-called register marks are added to the banner page as marks for cutting.

[0030] The information related to the print instruction is, for example, identification information of the print instruction and information indicating the number of copies to be printed. The identification information of the print instruction is an example of information related to the print instruction, and the information indicating the number of copies to be printed is an example of information related to the number of copies. The information related to the print instruction may also be information indicating whether blank pages have been added and / or, if so, how many blank pages there are. Such information about blank pages is an example of information indicating whether predetermined pages are included and, if the predetermined pages are included, information about the predetermined pages.

[0031] Print instruction generation unit 25 generates a new print instruction that includes the print instruction accepted by print instruction acceptance unit 21. A blank page is added to the generated print instruction at the position set by addition position setting unit 23. The generated print instruction also includes an image of the banner page set by banner page setting unit 24. The print instruction reproduced by print instruction generation unit 25 is an example of a new print instruction. The print instruction generated by the print instruction generating unit 25 is sent to the printing device 10 in place of the print instruction accepted by the print instruction accepting unit 21.

[0032] Here, each function of the server device 20 is realized by a CPU 20A, which is an example of a processor. The CPU 20A reads a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 20B and executes the program using a random access memory (RAM) 20C as a work area. The program executed by the CPU 20A may be provided to the server device 20 in a state where it is stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium (such as a magnetic tape or a magnetic disk), an optical recording medium (such as an optical disk), a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. The program executed by the CPU 20A may also be downloaded to the server device 20 using a communication means such as the Internet.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the functions of the server device 20 are realized by software, but this is not limiting and the functions may be realized by, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific IC).

[0034] [Explanation of the first to third use examples] Next, usage examples of generating a new print instruction by the server device 20 will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating a first usage example of generating a new print instruction by the server device 20, Figure 5 is a second usage example, and Figure 6 is a third usage example. The first use example shown in Figure 4 is when the pages of a single print instruction are stacked in one pile. The second use example shown in Figure 5 is when the pages of a single print instruction that is not for multiple copies are stacked in multiple piles, that is, when one copy is printed with one print instruction, the pages are stacked in multiple piles. The third use example shown in Figure 6 is when multiple copies are printed with one print instruction, and the pages are stacked in piles for each copy, and the number of piles corresponding to this print instruction is the same as the number of copies.

[0035] [1st usage example] 4, imposition, printing, and cutting are performed for six print instructions, print instructions A11 to A16. Print instruction A11 has a file or manuscript (hereinafter referred to as manuscript) B11. Print instructions A12 to A16 have manuscripts B12 to B16, respectively.

[0036] Document B11 is an image for store A, document B12 is an image for store B, document B13 is an image for store C, document B14 is an image for store D, document B15 is an image for store E, and document B16 is an image for store F. The number of pages of the documents B11 to B16 is the same, but there may be differences in the number of pages.

[0037] Then, for imposition, these documents B11 to B16 are arranged in six sections, with three rows divided left and right, resulting in six sections. That is, the image of document B11 is arranged on the top left side, and the image of document B12 is arranged on the top right side. In the middle row, the image of document B13 is arranged on the left side and the image of document B14 is arranged on the right side, and in the bottom row, the image of document B15 is arranged on the left side and the image of document B16 is arranged on the right side. Therefore, the first imposition image is image C1, in which the first page of each of the documents B11 to B16 is arranged, the second is image C2, in which the second page of each is arranged, the third is image C3, in which the third page of each is arranged, and the final nth is image Cn (not shown), in which the nth page of each is arranged.

[0038] When these images C1 to Cn are printed on paper and the paper is cut, six piles D11 to D16 corresponding to the print instructions A11 to A16 are formed. Therefore, piles are formed for each store, making it easy to carry out post-processing work.

[0039] Print instructions A11 to A16 are for price cards for each store, and manuscripts B11 to B16 are, for example, PDF files. The price tags referred to here can be shipped to one destination per stack, eliminating the need to change paper types mid-shipment. More specifically, when printing price tags for a chain of stores in bulk, the printing instructions are generally for the same number of sheets (number of pages), making it suitable for processing per stack per store. In other words, there is no need to bind the sheets after cutting, and even if there are blank pages inside, it is considered acceptable to ship the cut stacks as they are to each store. By adding the store name to the banner sheet, it is possible to see at a glance which store the cut stacks should be shipped to.

[0040] [Second usage example] 5, the second usage example involves imposing, printing, and cutting four print instructions, A21 to A24, and printing price cards for each store, just like in the first usage example. The print instructions A21 to A24 each have original documents B21 to B24.

[0041] Document B21 is an image for store A, document B22 is an image for store B, document B23 is an image for store C, and document B24 is an image for store D. Originals B21 and B23 have the same number of pages, but there may be a difference in the number of pages. Originals B22 and B24 also have the same number of pages, but there may be a difference in the number of pages. To explain further, originals B21 and B23 have a larger number of pages than originals B22 and B24. Specifically, in the second use example, the number of pages of originals B21 and B23 is about twice the number of pages of originals B22 and B24.

[0042] As in the first use example, six impositions are performed on these documents B21 to B24. As described above, the number of pages in documents B21 and B23 is about twice the number of pages in documents B22 and B24, and in the second use example, the number of impositions is adjusted to match the fewer number of pages, so documents B21 and B23 are arranged across two sides. That is, an image of document B21 is arranged on the right and left sides of the top row. An image of document B22 is arranged on the left side of the middle row. An image of document B23 is arranged on the right side of the middle row and the left side of the bottom row. An image of document B24 is arranged on the right side of the bottom row. Therefore, if the number of pages of documents B22 and B24 is n, the first imposition image is image C1, which is an arrangement of pages 1 of documents B21 to B24 and pages 2-n of documents B21 and B23. The same applies to images C2 to C3 and the final image Cn (not shown), and their explanation will be omitted.

[0043] When the paper on which these images C1 to Cn are printed is cut, six peaks D21 to D26 are formed, each corresponding to the printing instructions A21 to A24. More specifically, of peaks D21 to D26, peak D23 corresponds to printing instruction A22, and peak D26 corresponds to printing instruction A24. Peak D21 stacked on peak D22 corresponds to printing instruction A21, and peak D24 stacked on peak D25 corresponds to printing instruction A23. In this way, piles are formed for each store, making it easier to carry out post-processing work.

[0044] [Third usage example] 6, the third usage example involves imposing, printing, and cutting three print instructions, A31 to A33, and, unlike the first and second usage examples, is for printing a photo book. The print instructions A31 to A33 each have originals B31 to B33.

[0045] Here, in the case of a photo book, it is possible to collect print instructions that have the same number of pages, page configuration, etc. In the third use example, one copy of print instruction A32 is printed, while two copies of print instruction A31 are printed, and three copies of print instruction A33 are printed. Many digitally processed photo books have a fixed number of pages, and orders tend to be for one to three copies. If one copy is arranged as a stack, there is no need to insert blank pages, and this printing method (imposition) is likely to be efficient. Since each copy will be bound in post-processing, it is efficient to keep each pile of copies separate. By using a grouping condition that branches based on the catalog order number, you can collect only jobs with the same number of pages. Also, if the number of pages is the same, you can use thick paper for the cover for the first page and thick paper for the last page as well. With photo books, you can change the paper used midway through the process, so you can also accommodate variations in the finished product.

[0046] Document B31 is an image for customer A, document B32 is an image for customer B, and document B33 is an image for customer C. Originals B31 to B33 have the same number of pages, but there may be page differences. On the other hand, originals B31 to B33 have different numbers of copies to be printed. That is, in the third usage example, two copies of original B31 are printed, one copy of original B32 is printed, and three copies of original B33 are printed.

[0047] As in the first and second use examples, six impositions are performed for these originals B31 to B33. As described above, because the number of copies to be printed differs for originals B31 to B33, the same image is arranged on two sides of original B31, and the same image is arranged on three sides of original B33. That is, the same image of original B31 is arranged on the right and left sides of the top row. The image of original B32 is arranged on the left side of the middle row. The image of original B33 is arranged on the right side of the middle row and on the left and right sides of the bottom row. Therefore, if the number of pages of documents B31 to B33 is n, the imposition image of the first sheet is image C1, which is made up of two copies of page 1 of document B31, one copy of page 1 of document B32, and three copies of page 1 of document B33. The same is true for images C2 to C3 and the last image Cn (not shown), and their description will be omitted.

[0048] When the paper on which these images C1 to Cn are printed is cut, six peaks D31 to D36 corresponding to the printing instructions A31 to A33 are formed. More specifically, of the peaks D31 to D36, peaks D31 and D32 correspond to the printing instruction A31, peak D33 corresponds to the printing instruction A32, and peaks D34 to D36 correspond to the printing instruction A33. In this way, a pile is formed to be handed over to the customer, and post-processing can be easily carried out.

[0049] Although the first use example of one stack per print instruction, the second use example of multiple stacks per print instruction (one copy), and the third use example of multiple stacks per print instruction (multiple copies) have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these examples. For example, when multiple copies are printed with one print instruction, all or some of the copies may be stacked in one stack. In such cases, the stacks corresponding to this print instruction will be one for all copies, and will be fewer than the number of copies for some copies. Additionally, such cases correspond to the first use example in FIG. 4 above, where one print instruction prints multiple copies, and can also be considered a modified version of the first use example.

[0050] The first to third usage examples described above (including variations of the first usage example) are classified by the number of copies to be printed, i.e., whether the print instruction is for printing one copy or multiple copies, and regardless of the classification of the number of copies to be printed, they are further classified by the number of stacks, i.e., whether the pages of one print instruction are stacked in one stack or multiple stacks.

[0051] To explain further, when multiple pages with print instructions are stacked in one stack, this should be excluded because it makes it difficult to improve the efficiency of subsequent processes. However, it may be applied if there is equipment that can eliminate the associated user effort. For example, this is the case when the printing device 10 is equipped with a sorting unit (not shown) that can sort one stack of documents according to printing instructions. Furthermore, even if the printing device 10 does not have a sorting unit, it is conceivable that information indicating that one stack contains multiple print instructions can be sent from the server device 20 via the server device 30 to an external sorting unit (not shown), which is equipment other than the printing device 10. In other words, if a user transports a stack of printed materials containing multiple print instructions to an external sorting unit (not shown), the sorting unit (not shown) can sort the printed materials by print instruction based on the above-mentioned information, thereby reducing the user's effort.

[0052] Next, an example of a processing procedure according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in this embodiment. In the processing example shown in the figure, when the print instruction receiving unit 21 receives a print instruction (step 101), it is determined whether or not the instruction satisfies predetermined conditions (step 102).

[0053] The predetermined condition here refers to a condition for starting processing to generate a new print instruction by print instruction generation unit 25, such as when the sum of the specified indices of the accumulated print instruction group exceeds a threshold. Specifically, in the case of six-imposition, this is when six copies of a print job have accumulated, or when a predetermined time has passed since five copies accumulated. Also, when a combination of print instructions to be processed has already been determined, this may be when the combination is complete.

[0054] Furthermore, the predetermined condition may be that the number of pages per part of the print instruction is within a specified range and the total number of copies is 6. For example, if the print instruction is to print 3 copies, dividing the pages of the print instruction into two parts, the first half and the second half, allows for 6 impositions. When performing grouping as described above, various conditions can be set and branched in preprocessing to achieve effective multi-imposition, allowing the functions of this embodiment to be used more effectively.

[0055] Returning to the processing example, the explanation will be continued. If the predetermined conditions are met (Yes in step 102), processing is performed as a group job (step 103). A group job can collectively manage multiple print instructions. Processing as a group job involves classifying print instructions by paper size and finished size, and grouping print instructions with similar page counts, for example. Also, the image orientation of the print instructions is aligned to either portrait or landscape, and the number of copies is expanded, blank pages are added, banner pages are added, etc. As a result, new print instructions are generated by the print instruction generation unit 25.

[0056] Thereafter, the new print instruction is imposed using the imposition template (step 104), and after rasterization processing, it is printed on paper (step 105), and the print paper is cut (step 106) to form a pile corresponding to the print instruction. If the predetermined condition is not met (No in step 102), the process returns to step 101.

[0057] Next, the first embodiment will be described below. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the workflow of the first embodiment, which corresponds to the first use example described above. The example shown in Fig. 8 shows a case where print instructions A and B are received (see step 101 in Fig. 7). When print instruction receiving unit 21 (see Fig. 3) of server device 20 receives print instructions A and B (step 201), it checks the paper size of each image in print instructions A and B and performs conditional branching to separate A4 size from other sizes (step 202). If both print instructions A and B are A4 size, and if print instructions A and B are A4 landscape, they are rotated to A4 portrait and imposed (step 203). In other words, the orientation of the originals of print instructions A and B is aligned. If they are not A4 size, the process branches to the upper part of step 203.

[0058] If print instruction A is to print three copies of a three-page document, the number of copies is expanded (step 204) to print one copy of nine pages. If print instruction B is to print two copies of a five-page document, the number of copies is also expanded (step 204) to print one copy of ten pages. If print instructions A and B are not to print multiple copies, step 204 is omitted. Steps 202 to 204 can be considered as pre-processing for the grouping process.

[0059] The term "number of copies" used here refers to the process of converting a print instruction that specifies multiple copies into a print instruction that copies the image data by the specified number of copies and prints it for one copy. For example, a print instruction to print 10 copies of a 100-page document is converted into a print instruction to print one copy of a 1000-page document.

[0060] Then, a conditional branch is performed to sort by the number of pages (step 205). That is, the number of pages that make up the pile is calculated based on the print instructions, and the pile is sorted by the calculated number of pages. For example, if the page number confirmation unit 22 (see FIG. 3) confirms that the maximum number of pages is 10, a grouping process is performed to sort the pile into those with 1 to 10 pages, those with 11 to 20 pages, and those with 21 or more pages (step 206). Then, when six print instructions, for example print instructions A to F, have accumulated, grouping is performed (see step 103 in FIG. 7). Specifically, print instructions A and B are distributed to pages 1 to 10.

[0061] Thereafter, the position where a blank sheet is to be inserted is set by the adding position setting unit 23 (see FIG. 3) so as to match the maximum number of pages to 10, and a blank sheet is inserted at the set position (step 207). Specifically, since print instruction A becomes 9 pages after expansion into the number of copies, one blank page is inserted at the end of the manuscript of print instruction A.

[0062] Furthermore, a banner page that will be the beginning of each mountain is inserted (step 208). The image to be printed on the banner page is set by the banner page setting unit 24. The image printed on the banner page can include, for example, identification information that identifies the print instructions included in the stack, such as the ID or name of the print instruction. It can also include information about the processing work (folding, etc.), information about the shipping work (delivery destination, etc.), and other information related to the work done on a stack-by-stack basis after cutting, such as the person in charge and the deadline for the work. Furthermore, supplementary information may include information as to whether or not the stack contains blank sheets, and if so, information indicating where in the stack and how many sheets are included. This information may be printed as operator-readable text or as a machine-readable bar code.

[0063] In this way, when a new print instruction including the accepted print instructions A and B is generated by the print instruction generating unit 25 (see FIG. 3), it is transmitted as print data from the server device 20 to the printer 10 (step 209).

[0064] 9A and 9B are diagrams for explaining specific examples of steps (see FIG. 8) for print instructions, where (a) is for print instruction A, and (b) is for print instruction B. In FIG. For print instruction A, as shown in Fig. 9(a), the number of pages is three and three copies are to be printed, so manuscript 41 is expanded into manuscripts 41a to 41c through copy expansion (see step 204 in Fig. 8), resulting in a total of nine pages. Then, one blank page 42, which is the difference from the maximum number of pages, 10, is added to the end (see step 207 in Fig. 8). Then, banner page 43 is added to the beginning (see step 208 in Fig. 8).

[0065] 9(b), print instruction B has five pages and two copies are to be printed, so manuscript 44 is expanded into manuscripts 44a to 44b through copy expansion (see step 204 in FIG. 8), resulting in a total of 10 pages. Since this is the same number as the maximum number of pages, no blank pages are added, and banner page 45 is added to the beginning (see step 208 in FIG. 8).

[0066] Figure 10 is a diagram explaining a new print instruction G including multiple print instructions A and B, which was generated by the print instruction generation unit 25, where (a) shows a job list of the new print instruction G including multiple print instructions A to F, (b) is a diagram explaining the imposition processing of the new print instruction, and (c) is a diagram explaining the peaks formed by cutting after printing. As shown in Fig. 10(a), new print instruction G includes accepted print instructions A to F. To print instruction A, manuscripts 41a to 41c are created by expanding the number of copies, and then blank page 42 and banner page 43 are added (see Fig. 9(a)). To print instruction B, manuscripts 44a to 44b are created by expanding the number of copies, and then banner page 45 is added (see Fig. 9(b)).

[0067] The addition of blank page 42 will be further explained. For print instruction A, which prints three copies and has three pages, the total number of pages in each copy is nine, and one blank page is added, which is the difference. The position of the one blank page to be added is determined using the total value. That is, since the total value is nine, blank page 42 is added following page 9. In other words, blank page 42 is added following the final page of the last copy of the multiple copies. Furthermore, for print instruction B, which prints two copies and has five pages, the total number of pages in each copy is 10, which is the same as the maximum number of pages, so no blank page 42 is added.

[0068] Furthermore, print instruction F, other than print instructions A and B, calls for printing five copies with two pages, so the total number of pages in each copy is 10, the same as the maximum number of pages, and so no blank pages are added, but a banner page is added to the beginning. In other words, for print instruction F, the total number is the same as the number of pages in print instruction B, and no position is set for adding blank page 42. In Figure 10, which explains the first embodiment, print instruction A is an example of a second print instruction, print instruction B is an example of a first print instruction, and print instruction F is an example of a third print instruction.

[0069] Furthermore, for the other print instructions C to E, since the number of copies to be printed is one, the number of copies is not expanded, and blank pages are added in the number equal to the difference from the maximum number of pages, which is 10, and a banner page is added to the beginning. For example, if print instruction C has eight pages, two blank pages, which are the difference, are added following page 8. If print instruction D has seven pages, for example, three blank pages, which are the difference, are added following page 7, and if print instruction E has nine pages, for example, one blank page, which is the difference, is added following page 9.

[0070] Then, when print instructions A to F are aggregated into one page of print instruction manuscripts and imposed in Z order as shown in Figure 10(b), cutting after printing forms piles A to F as shown in Figure 10(c).

[0071] Here, a process for changing the number of original copies by expanding the number of copies in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the process of changing the number of original copies by expanding the number of copies in the first embodiment. 11, it is determined whether the number of printed sheets for the entire stack formed by cutting after printing matches (step 301). The number of printed sheets here is the value obtained by multiplying the number of pages in the print instruction by the number of copies to be printed. For example, as a simple example for ease of explanation, consider a case where there is a print instruction for 3 pages and 2 copies (called one print instruction), and a print instruction for 2 pages and 3 copies (called the other print instruction). In this case, the number of print sheets for one print instruction is 2 pages x 3 copies = 6, and the number of print sheets for the other print instruction is 3 pages x 2 copies = 6, so the number of print sheets for the entire stack matches.

[0072] If they match (Yes in step 301), the greatest common divisor of the number of copies of the print instructions for each mountain is found (step 302) and stored. Then, the number of copies of the value calculated based on the greatest common divisor for the print instructions for all mountains is expanded (step 303). The "value calculated based on the greatest common divisor" in step 303 is calculated from the original number of copies to be printed / greatest common divisor. Furthermore, the number of copies to be printed of the new print instruction (see symbol G in Figure 10) is set to the greatest common divisor (step 304). By performing this process of changing the number of original copies, the number of copies to be printed for all mountains becomes a common value of 1. Let's apply this to the simple example above. One print instruction's number of copies (the original number of copies to be printed) is 2, and the other's number of copies (the original number of copies to be printed) is 3, so the greatest common divisor is 1. In one print instruction, the original number of copies to be printed divided by the greatest common divisor yields 2 / 1, or 2, so 2 copies is expanded as the number of copies. In the other print instruction, the original number of copies to be printed divided by the greatest common divisor yields 3 / 1, or 3, so 3 copies is expanded as the number of copies. Then, the number of copies to be printed in the new print instruction is set to 1. If the number of printed sheets for the entire stack matches (Yes in step 301), no blank pages are inserted.

[0073] On the other hand, if the number of print sheets for all stacks does not match (No in step 301), all print instructions are expanded to the number of copies to be printed (step 305). As a result, the number of copies to be printed for all stacks becomes 1. After that, blank pages are inserted so that the stack with the maximum number of pages matches the number of pages for the other stacks (step 306).

[0074] For example, consider a case where there is a print instruction for 3 pages and 3 copies (called one print instruction; see print instruction A in Figure 9(a) or Figure 10(a)), and a print instruction for 5 pages and 2 copies (called the other print instruction; see print instruction B in Figure 9(b) or Figure 10(a)). In this case, the number of print sheets for one print instruction is 3 pages x 3 copies = 9, while the number of print sheets for the other print instruction is 5 pages x 2 copies = 10, and the numbers of print sheets for the entire stack do not match. When both print instructions are expanded to the number of copies to be printed, one print instruction to expand three copies of three pages has nine printed sheets, while the other print instruction to expand two copies of five pages has ten printed sheets. Therefore, one blank page is inserted into one print instruction to make the maximum number of pages, 10, match the nine pages of the other print instruction.

[0075] Next, a second embodiment will be described below. Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating a workflow according to the second embodiment, and corresponds to the third use example described above. The example shown in Figure 12 has some parts in common with the above-mentioned Figure 8, so the description of those parts may be omitted. Print instructions A to C in the second embodiment may differ in the number of pages or number of copies to be printed from print instructions A to C in the above-mentioned first embodiment.

[0076] 12, print instructions A and B are received (step 401), conditional branching of the document size is performed (step 402), and imposition is performed to align the orientation (step 403). These steps 401 to 403 correspond to steps 201 to 203 in FIG.

[0077] The number of copies to be printed for print instructions A and B is confirmed, and the copies are sorted according to the number of copies (step 404). That is, the number of copies to be printed is sorted into those with a threshold of 6 or less and those with a threshold of 7 or more. This threshold is set because the number of piles that can be placed is 6, so another value may be used as the threshold.

[0078] For print instructions with a print run of 6 or less copies, a conditional branch is performed to sort by the number of pages per copy (step 405), and a grouping process is performed to separate the print runs into those with 1 to 10 pages, those with 11 to 20 pages, and those with 21 or more pages (step 406). These steps 405 and 406 correspond to steps 205 and 206 in Fig. 8. The subsequent steps 407 to 409 correspond to steps 207 to 209 in Fig. 8, and a description thereof will be omitted.

[0079] 13 and 14 are diagrams illustrating specific examples of each step (see FIG. 12) for a print instruction. FIG. 13(a) is for print instruction A, and FIG. 13(b) is for print instruction B. Also, FIG. 13(c) is for another print instruction C not shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 14(a) is a job list for a new print instruction G including multiple print instructions A to C, FIG. 14(b) is a diagram illustrating the imposition process for the new print instruction, FIG. 14(c) is a diagram illustrating the position of each page of the imposed new print instruction, and FIG. 14(d) is a diagram illustrating the peaks formed by cutting after printing. Note that FIG. 14(a), (b), and (d) correspond to FIG. 10(a) to (c) above. Of the print instructions A to C shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, print instruction B has the largest number of pages.

[0080] For print instruction A, as shown in Figure 13(a), blank page 42 is added following document 41, and banner page 43 is added preceding document 41. Since print instruction A is for two copies, when the number of copies is expanded in this state, the same configuration is formed following print instruction A including blank page 42 and banner page 43, as shown in Figure 14(a). Note that when the number of copies is expanded, banner page 43 may have different content or the same content depending on the information it contains.

[0081] For print instruction B, as shown in Fig. 13(b), banner page 45 is added to a position preceding manuscript 44. Note that in the case of print instruction B, since it is the print instruction with the largest number of pages, no blank pages are added. Furthermore, since print instruction B is for one copy, the number of copies is not expanded as shown in FIG. 14(a).

[0082] For print instruction C, as shown in Fig. 13(c), a blank page 42 is added following the manuscript 46, and a banner page 47 is added preceding the manuscript 46. Since print instruction C is for three copies, when the number of copies is expanded in this state, two copies of the same configuration are added following print instruction C including blank page 42 and banner page 47, as shown in Fig. 14(a).

[0083] Then, for new print instructions including print instructions A to C shown in Fig. 14(a), by specifying an imposition template for cut and stack, the manuscripts of the print instructions for one page are aggregated and imposed in Z order as shown in Fig. 14(b). When this imposition is divided into pages 1 to 11, pages 12 to 22, and so on to pages 56 to 66 as shown in Fig. 14(c), cutting after printing forms piles A1 and A2 corresponding to print instruction A for printing two copies, pile B corresponding to print instruction B for printing one copy, and piles C1, C2, and C3 corresponding to print instruction for printing three copies as shown in Fig. 14(d).

[0084] In this way, when adding a blank page 42 to print instructions A and C, the blank page 42 is added to a position following the last page before the number of copies is expanded. In other words, the position to add the blank page is determined using the number of pages in each copy, and more specifically, is set to a position following the last page of each of the multiple copies. Specifically, print instruction A for printing two copies has fewer pages than print instruction B, and blank pages 42 in the number corresponding to the difference are added to the final pages of the first and second copies. Also, print instruction C for printing three copies has fewer pages than print instruction B, and blank pages 42 in the number corresponding to the difference are added to the final pages of the first, second, and third copies. In FIGS. 13(a) to 13(c) and 14(a) illustrating the second embodiment, print instruction A is an example of a second print instruction, and print instruction B is an example of a first print instruction.

[0085] Here, a process for changing the number of original copies by expanding the number of copies in the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the process of changing the number of original copies by expanding the number of copies in the second embodiment, and shows a case where one print instruction may be divided into multiple piles. In this explanation, the number of stacks that can be arranged is represented as M, and the number of print instructions is represented as N. Furthermore, the nth print instruction is represented as J(n), the number of copies to be printed for the nth print instruction is represented as C(n), and the number of print sheets for the nth job (number of pages x number of copies) is represented as S(n). Furthermore, the case where a decimal value x is converted to an integer value is represented as Round(x).

[0086] In the processing example shown in Fig. 15, calculations are performed for each print instruction (step 501). Specifically, for each print instruction, R(n) = M × S(n) / ΣS is calculated, and each Round(R(n)) is found so that ΣRound(R(n)) = M. The value of Round(R(n)) found in this way is defined as M(n).

[0087] For example, assume that the number of stacks that can be arranged, M, is 6, and the number of print instructions, N, is 3. The number of pages and number of copies of print instructions J(1) to J(3) based on this assumption will be different from those of print instructions A to C in Figures 13(a) to 13(c) described above. If the number of pages in print instruction J(1) is 90, the number of pages in print instruction J(2) is 15, and the number of pages in print instruction J(3) is 30, and the number of copies to be printed for print instruction J(1) is C(1) = 1, the number of copies to be printed for print instruction J(2) is C(2) = 4, and the number of copies to be printed for print instruction J(3) is C(3) = 1, then: S(1) = 90 pages x 1 copy = 90, S(2) = 15 pages x 4 copies = 60, S(3) = 30 pages x 1 copy = 30, ΣS=180 And, R(1)=M×S(1) / ΣS=6×90 / 180=3, R(2)=M×S(2) / ΣS=6×60 / 180=2, R(3)=M×S(3) / ΣS=6×30 / 180=1, And Round(R(1))=3=M(1) Round(R(2))=2=M(2) Round(R(3))=1=M(3) is required.

[0088] For the 1st to nth print instructions J(n), it is determined whether the value of S(n) / M(n) matches (step 502). If they match (Yes in step 502), the greatest common divisor of C(n) / M(n) for 1 to n is found (step 503). Each J(n) is expanded into the number of copies as (C(n) / greatest common divisor) (step 504). Then, the number of copies of the new print instruction (see symbol G in Figure 10) is set to the greatest common divisor (step 505). By changing the number of original copies in this way, the number of copies to be printed for all stacks becomes the common value of 1.

[0089] Applying this to the above example, Print instruction J(1):S(1) / M(1)=90 / 3=30, Print instruction J(2):S(2) / M(2)=60 / 2=30, Print instruction J(3):S(3) / M(3)=30 / 1=30, And, if we find the greatest common divisor of C(n) / M(n), we get Print instruction J(1):C(1) / M(1)=1 / 3 Print instruction J(2):C(2) / M(2)=4 / 2=1 Print instruction J(3):C(3) / M(3)=1 / 1=1 Since the greatest common denominator is 1, print instructions J(1) and J(3) are not expanded into the number of copies, and print instruction J(2) is expanded into the number of copies of 4 / 1=4. The number of copies to be printed in the new print instruction is set to 1.

[0090] If they do not match (No in step 502), all print instructions are expanded by the number of copies to be printed (step 506). As a result, the number of copies to be printed for all pile print instructions becomes 1. Then, among print instructions 1 to n, the maximum value of S(n) / M(n) (maximum pile size) is found, and blank pages are inserted for print instructions 1 to n by the number of maximum pile size × M(n) - S(n) (step 507).

[0091] For example, in the example described in step 501 above, let us assume that the number of pages in print instruction J(1) is 120 instead of 90. That is, if the number of stacks that can be arranged M is 6, the number of print instructions N is 3, the number of pages in print instruction J(1) is 120, the number of pages in print instruction J(2) is 15, the number of pages in print instruction J(3) is 30, and C(1) is 1, C(2) is 4, and C(3) is 1, then: S(1) = 120 pages x 1 copy = 120, S(2) = 15 pages x 4 copies = 60, S(3) = 30 pages x 1 copy = 30, ΣS=210 And, R(1)=M×S(1) / ΣS=6×120 / 210=3.42, R(2)=M×S(2) / ΣS=6×60 / 210=1.71, R(3)=M×S(3) / ΣS=6×30 / 210=0.85, And Round(R(1))=3=M(1), Round(R(2))=2=M(2), Round(R(3))=1=M(3), is required.

[0092] and, Print instruction J(1):120 / 3=40, Print instruction J(2):60 / 2=30, Print instruction J(3):30 / 1=30, and they do not match (No in step 502).

[0093] After that, the number of copies to be printed is expanded for each print instruction. The maximum pile size Mmax is calculated as follows: Print instruction J(1):S(1) / M(1)=120 / 3=40 Print instruction J(2):S(2) / M(2)=60 / 2=30 Print instruction J(3):S(3) / M(3)=30 / 1=30 and Mmax is 40. Therefore, Print instruction J(1): Mmax×M(1)-S(1)=40×3-120=0 Print instruction J(2): Mmax×M(2)-S(2)=40×2-60=20 Print instruction J(3): Mmax×M(3)-S(3)=40×1-30=10 In print instruction J(1), no blank pages are inserted, in print instruction J(2), 20 blank pages are inserted at the end, and in print instruction J(3), 10 blank pages are inserted at the end.

[0094] Here, a specific example of each step (see FIG. 12) for the above-mentioned example print instructions J(1) to J(3) will be described. 16A to 16C are diagrams illustrating specific examples of steps (see FIG. 12) for print instructions J(1) to J(3), where (a) is a job list for a new print instruction that includes multiple print instructions J(1) to J(3), (b) is a diagram illustrating the imposition process for the new print instruction, and (c) is a diagram illustrating the peaks formed by cutting after printing. Note that FIGS. 16A to 16C correspond to FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C. As shown in the job list in Figure 16(a), print instruction J(1) is divided into three parts, with banner page 43 added to the beginning of each. Print instruction J(2) is divided into two parts, with banner page 45 added to the beginning of each, and a blank page 42 added to the end of the second one. Print instruction J(3) is one, with banner page 47 added to the beginning and blank page 42 added to the end.

[0095] Then, as shown in Figure 16(b), when the manuscripts for one page of printing instructions are collected and imposed in Z order, the piles J(1)1, J(1)2, J(1)3, J(2)1, J(2)2, and J(3) are formed by cutting after printing, as shown in Figure 16(c). That is, for print instruction J(1) which prints one copy and has 120 pages, stacking piles J(1)1, J(1)2, and J(1)3 will yield one copy of the printed material. For print instruction J(2) which prints four copies and has 15 pages, stacking piles J(2)1 and J(2)2 and removing 20 blank pages 42 from the end will yield four copies of the printed material. Furthermore, removing 10 blank pages 42 from pile J(3) will yield one copy of the printed material.

[0096] In this way, print instruction J(2) will be printed across two piles (Jump J(2)1, J(2)2), but the blank pages added will not be 10 pages added to the end of each pile of print instruction J(2), but 20 pages will be added to the end of the second pile of print instruction J(2). In other words, of the 60 pages in print instruction J(2), the first pile will contain 40 pages and the second pile will contain 20 pages, with 20 blank pages added to the end of the second pile.

[0097] In other words, print instruction J(2) is to print four copies of 15 pages, and the total number of pages, 60, is less than the number of pages in print instruction J(1), which is to print one copy of 120 pages. In this case, the position to add blank page 42 in print instruction J(2) is set to a position following the final page of the fourth copy, which is the last of the four copies. As a result, a blank page is added to the end of the second stack. Print instruction J(1) is an example of a first print instruction, and print instruction J(2) is an example of a second print instruction.

[0098] Regarding print instruction J(2), the first pile is 30 pages, the second pile is also 30 pages, and control to add 10 blank pages to the end of each pile may be adopted when a sorting unit is included in the post-processing equipment, when an operator instructs it, etc. In other words, the blank pages added to the first pile are added somewhere in the middle of the total of 60 pages, but blank pages may also be added somewhere in the middle of the series of image pages from the beginning to the end of such print instruction J(2).

[0099] Next, the post-processing step in the workflow (see FIG. 12) of the second embodiment will be described. The post-processing step here refers to processing that is performed after the print data generation (see step 409 in FIG. 12) described in the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating post-processing steps in the workflow according to the second embodiment. After the print data shown in FIG. 17 is generated (step 409), it is sent to an external tool (step 410), imposition information is input to the collaborative tool (step 411), and post-processing setting information is input to the post-processing machine (step 412). The post-processing setting information input to the post-processing machine may be input manually, input by reading a barcode, or transmitted as data.

[0100] The print data is spooled (step 413) and sent to the printing device 10, where it is printed. The printed matter is sent to a post-processing machine (see step 412) where it is sorted, cut, etc.

[0101] As described above, according to this embodiment, the first embodiment, and the second embodiment, a blank page is set for a sheet of paper on which multiple pages are imposed on the same side so that cut-and-split results can be obtained by performing cut-and-stack printing. In particular, when adding blank pages to a print instruction for multiple copies, the position of the blank page can be determined using the total number of pages in each copy (see Figure 10) or the number of pages in each copy (see Figure 14). In the former case, the position of the blank page is set to a position following the same number of pages as the total number (the last page of the last copy), and in the latter case, the position of the blank page is set to a position following the same number of pages as the number of pages in each copy (the last page of each of the multiple copies).

[0102] In the above description, the position where a blank page is added is a position following the last page, but this is not limited to this and the blank page may be set to a position preceding the first page. Specifically, in the former case, the position of the blank page is set to a position preceding the first page of the first copy, and in the latter case, the position of the blank page is set to a position preceding the first page of each copy.

[0103] In addition, in the present embodiment, the first embodiment, and the second embodiment, the multiple print instructions included in the new print instruction are all described as being for single-sided printing, but this is not limited to this and all can be applied to double-sided printing. If single-sided printing and double-sided printing are mixed, the number of blank pages will be large, so this may not be applied. In the case of double-sided printing, if there is a print instruction to print multiple copies of odd-numbered pages, it is necessary to add blank pages at the copy separator positions.

[0104] In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.). Furthermore, the operations of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be performed not only by a single processor but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments and may be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 20...server device, 20A...CPU, 21...print instruction receiving unit, 22...page number confirmation unit, 23...addition position setting unit, 24...banner page setting unit, 25...print instruction generating unit, 100...printing system

Claims

1. a processor; The processor: Accepts multiple printing instructions, generating a new print instruction including the received plurality of print instructions, the new print instruction being a second print instruction having a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction having the largest number of pages among the plurality of print instructions, by adding a predetermined page to the beginning or end of the second print instruction; the number of pages of the added predetermined page is the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction, the number of pages of each of the plurality of print instructions is a total value obtained by adding up the number of pages of each copy of the print instructions in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies, the position at which the predetermined page is to be added in the case of the print instruction to print multiple copies is determined using the total value; 1. An information processing device comprising:

2. When the second print instruction is to print multiple copies, a position at which the predetermined page of the second print instruction is added is set to a position following the last page of the last copy of the multiple copies for which the total value has been calculated, or a position preceding the first page of the first copy; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

3. If a third print instruction other than the first print instruction and the second print instruction among the plurality of print instructions is a print instruction to print multiple copies and the total value is the same as the number of pages of the first print instruction, The position where the predetermined page is to be added is not set for the third print instruction.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

4. A processor is provided, The processor: Accepts multiple printing instructions, generating a new print instruction including the received plurality of print instructions, the new print instruction being a second print instruction having a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction having the largest number of pages among the plurality of print instructions, by adding a predetermined page to the beginning or end of the second print instruction; the number of pages of the added predetermined page is the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction, The number of pages of each of the plurality of print instructions is the number of pages of each copy of the print instruction even in the case of a print instruction to print a plurality of copies, In the case of the print instruction to print multiple copies, the position at which the predetermined page is to be added is determined using the number of pages in each copy.

1. An information processing device comprising:

5. When the second print instruction is to print multiple copies, a position at which the predetermined page of the second print instruction is to be added is set to a position following the last page or a position preceding the first page of each of the multiple copies; 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

6. If the second print instruction is a print instruction to print multiple copies, When the total number of pages of each copy of the second print instruction is calculated, the total number is smaller than the number of pages of the first print instruction. a position at which the predetermined page of the second print instruction is to be added is set to a position following the last page of the last copy of the plurality of copies or a position preceding the first page of the first copy; 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

7. A processor is provided, The processor: Accepts multiple printing instructions, generating a new print instruction including the received plurality of print instructions, the new print instruction being a second print instruction having a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction having the largest number of pages among the plurality of print instructions, by adding a predetermined page to the beginning or end of the second print instruction; the number of pages of the added predetermined page is the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction, a page of an image showing information about the new print instruction is added before the first page of the plurality of print instructions; The information regarding the print instruction is information regarding the number of copies in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies.

1. An information processing device comprising:

8. The information regarding the print instruction is information indicating the print instruction.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

9. The information related to the print instruction is information indicating whether a predetermined page is included, and information related to the predetermined page if the predetermined page is included.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

10. Accepting multiple print instructions, generating a new print instruction including the received plurality of print instructions, the new print instruction being a second print instruction having a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction having the largest number of pages among the plurality of print instructions, by adding a predetermined page to the beginning or end of the second print instruction; the number of pages of the added predetermined page is the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction, the number of pages of each of the plurality of print instructions is a total value obtained by adding up the number of pages of each copy of the print instructions in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies, the position at which the predetermined page is to be added in the case of the print instruction to print multiple copies is determined using the total value; A printing system characterized by:

11. Accepting multiple print instructions, generating a new print instruction including the received plurality of print instructions, the new print instruction being a second print instruction having a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction having the largest number of pages among the plurality of print instructions, by adding a predetermined page to the beginning or end of the second print instruction; the number of pages of the added predetermined page is the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction, The number of pages of each of the plurality of print instructions is the number of pages of each copy of the print instruction even in the case of a print instruction to print a plurality of copies, In the case of the print instruction to print multiple copies, the position at which the predetermined page is to be added is determined using the number of pages in each copy. A printing system characterized by:

12. Accepts multiple printing instructions, generating a new print instruction including the received plurality of print instructions, the new print instruction being a second print instruction having a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction having the largest number of pages among the plurality of print instructions, by adding a predetermined page to the beginning or end of the second print instruction; the number of pages of the added predetermined page is the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction, a page of an image showing information about the new print instruction is added before the first page of the plurality of print instructions; The information regarding the print instruction is information regarding the number of copies in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies. A printing system characterized by:

13. In the information processing device, A function to accept multiple print instructions, a function of generating a new print instruction including the received plurality of print instructions, the new print instruction being a second print instruction having a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction having the largest number of pages among the plurality of print instructions, with a predetermined page added to the beginning or end of the second print instruction; Realize this, the number of pages of the added predetermined page is the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction, the number of pages of each of the plurality of print instructions is a total value obtained by adding up the number of pages of each copy of the print instructions in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies, the position at which the predetermined page is to be added in the case of the print instruction to print multiple copies is determined using the total value; A program characterized by:

14. An information processing device, A function to accept multiple print instructions, a function of generating a new print instruction including the received plurality of print instructions, the new print instruction being a second print instruction having a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction having the largest number of pages among the plurality of print instructions, with a predetermined page added to the beginning or end of the second print instruction; Realize this, the number of pages of the added predetermined page is the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction, The number of pages of each of the plurality of print instructions is the number of pages of each copy of the print instruction even in the case of a print instruction to print a plurality of copies, In the case of the print instruction to print multiple copies, the position at which the predetermined page is to be added is determined using the number of pages in each copy. A program characterized by:

15. An information processing device, A function to accept multiple print instructions, a function of generating a new print instruction including the received plurality of print instructions, the new print instruction being a second print instruction having a fewer number of pages than a first print instruction having the largest number of pages among the plurality of print instructions, with a predetermined page added to the beginning or end of the second print instruction; Realize this, the number of pages of the added predetermined page is the difference between the number of pages of the first print instruction and the number of pages of the second print instruction, a page of an image showing information about the new print instruction is added before the first page of the plurality of print instructions; The information regarding the print instruction is information regarding the number of copies in the case of a print instruction to print multiple copies. A program characterized by:

Images