Print control device and program

Abstract

To enable an operator to easily input print result information of a print job in comparison with a case in which the operator inputs the print result information of the print job by operating a process management device.SOLUTION: A print control device 18 includes a processor. The processor transmits a print processing command based on a print job to a print device 20 (S102) when receiving a print instruction from an operator (S100), receives result information (completion report information) concerning a result from the print device 20 operated according to the print processing command from the operator (S114), and transmits the result information (the completion report information) to a process management device 14 (S116).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a print control device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Digital printing machines (electrophotographic printing machines, inkjet printing machines, etc.) are used to produce printed materials at printing companies and other similar businesses. Digital printing machines (hereafter referred to as printing machines) are communicably connected to a print control device called a DFE (Digital Front End) or print server, and the print control device and printing machine constitute a printing system.

[0003] The print control device receives a print job consisting of print setting information and document / image data to be printed from an upstream device in the print production process. The print control device operates according to the operator's operations, performs RIP processing etc. on the print job, and supplies the printing device with print processing commands corresponding to the print job, including various parameters and raster images, etc., to output the print from the printing device.

[0004] Furthermore, process control devices that control the manufacturing process of printed materials are used in printing companies, etc. An operator operates the process control device and, when the printing process of a print job is completed, inputs print result information (hereinafter also simply referred to as result information) for the print job, such as the time required for printing (required time), the number of defective copies that occurred, and the number of defective sheets that occurred.

[0005] By inputting this result information in association with the identification information of the printing device, the process control device creates statistical information indicating, for example, the processing efficiency, printing costs, and frequency of problems for each printing device. The process control device then provides this information to the manager of the printing company, etc. This allows the manager of the printing company, etc. to improve the printing process, for example by proactively allocating print jobs to printing devices (printing systems) with high processing efficiency and few problems.

[0006] Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus connected to a device that executes each step specified in a print job, and when it is determined that a predetermined step has been completed, the apparatus instructs the device that executed the processing up to that step to delete the data used in processing the print job, and then erases information related to the drawing data from the print job. The invention in this document relates to achieving both security management and data reuse in a printing system.

[0007] Patent document 2 discloses a printing device that, when reprinting is performed using the printing device's history printing function after a printing job has been completed, associates the work that has occurred with the original print job and notifies a system that manages work hours (MIS: Management Information System), and at the same time notifies the MIS of the work hours that have occurred as differential information from the work hours of the original print job. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-271793 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-111170 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] An operator operates a print control device to have the printing device perform print processing based on a print job. However, when the printing process is completed on the printing device, the operator must operate a process control device, which is a device separate from the print control device, to input print result information for the print job. Operating these different devices places a burden on the operator.

[0010] An object of the present invention is to enable an operator to input print result information of a print job more easily than when the operator inputs print result information of a print job by operating a process control device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The invention according to claim 1 includes a processor, The process control device manages the print job, and the process control device issues a print instruction to the print job. From the operator Accepted In that case, The aforementioned A print processing command based on the print job is sent to a printing device, and result information regarding the result of the operation of the printing device in accordance with the print processing command is sent. To receive the result information, one or more items of the result information are displayed on a display device, and the result information corresponding to each of the displayed items is received from the operator. The result information, The aforementioned The print control device is characterized in that it transmits the data to a process control device.

[0012] The invention according to claim 2 is the print control device according to claim 1, wherein the print job includes one or more items of the result information that require an operator to input, and the processor Each of the above Items, The aforementioned The display device is controlled to display the result information of the print job. Each of the above The print control device is characterized in that information corresponding to the items is received from an operator as the result information.

[0013] The invention of claim 3 is a printing control device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the result information received from the operator includes the stop time and reason for the stop of the printing device that occurred when the printing device operated in accordance with the printing processing command.

[0014] The invention of claim 4 is a printing control device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the result information received from the operator includes the number of sheets of paper that were consumed without forming a printed product when the printing device operated in accordance with the printing processing command.

[0015] The invention of claim 5 is the print control device of claim 1, wherein the print job includes request presence / absence information indicating whether or not to request an operator to input the result information, and when the request presence / absence information of the print job indicates a request, the processor displays a screen for receiving the result information from the operator, The aforementioned This is a print control device that controls the display on a display device, and if the request / non-request information for the print job indicates no request, controls to avoid displaying the screen on the display device.

[0016] The invention of claim 6 is a printing control device as described in claim 5, characterized in that when the operator changes the printing setting information of the print job, which may affect the operation of the printing device, the processor forcibly sets the request / non-request information of the print job to request.

[0017] The invention according to claim 7 is the print control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the processor, when receiving an instruction from an operator to delete the print job stored in the storage device before receiving the result information from the operator, displays a warning screen indicating that the result information has not been input. The aforementioned The print control device is characterized by controlling display on a display device.

[0018] The invention of claim 8 is the print control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the printing device has not completed printing the number of sheets specified in the print job and the processor receives a request to input the result information from an operator, the processor displays a warning screen indicating that the printing process has not been completed. The aforementioned The print control device is characterized by controlling display on a display device.

[0019] The invention according to claim 9 is The process control device manages the print job, and the process control device issues a print instruction to the print job. From the operator Accepted In that case, The aforementionedA print processing command based on the print job is sent to a printing device, and result information regarding the result of the operation of the printing device in accordance with the print processing command is sent. To receive the result information, one or more items of the result information are displayed on a display device, and the result information corresponding to each of the displayed items is received from the operator. The result information, The aforementioned This is a program that causes a computer to function so as to transmit the data to a process control device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the inventions of claims 1 and 9, it becomes easier for an operator to input print job result information (print result information) compared to when the operator operates a process control device to input print job result information.

[0021] According to the invention of claim 2, it is possible to vary the items of result information that the operator is required to input for each print job.

[0022] According to the invention of claim 3, it is possible to grasp the reasons why a printing device is likely to stop, as well as the tendency of the stop time for each reason.

[0023] According to the invention of claim 4, the tendency of the number of sheets of paper consumed without forming a print product can be grasped.

[0024] According to the invention of claim 5, it is possible to set for each print job whether or not the operator is to input result information.

[0025] According to the invention of claim 6, a change in print setting information of a print job is grasped by the process control device.

[0026] According to the invention of claim 7, it is possible to prevent the operator from not inputting the result information.

[0027] According to the invention of claim 8, it is possible to prevent the operator from inputting erroneous result information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printed matter production system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an order receiving system, a process management device, and a user terminal. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the printing system. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a list screen of print jobs. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a list screen of print jobs. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print job history screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating attribute information of a print job. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a group job. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the workflow of a printing process. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a completion report screen. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen for whether a completion report is required. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a warning screen regarding the deletion of a print job. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a warning screen regarding incomplete processing of a print job. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a warning screen indicating that the specified number of copies for a print job has not been reached. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a warning screen regarding incomplete processing of a group job. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a warning screen indicating that the specified number of copies for a group job has not been reached. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configurations described below are examples for explanatory purposes and can be modified as appropriate to suit the specifications of the system or device. Furthermore, when multiple embodiments or variations are included below, it is assumed from the beginning that their characteristic parts will be used in appropriate combination. The same elements will be assigned the same reference numerals in all drawings, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a printed matter production system 10. The production system 10 is used by printing companies and the like that manufacture printed matter. The printed matter includes various documents, booklets, pamphlets, catalogs, flyers, magazines, books, and the like. In this embodiment, the printed matter particularly refers to a printed matter produced by forming an image on paper using a digital printing machine.

[0031] The manufacturing system 10 includes an order receiving system 12, a process control device 14, multiple printing systems 16-1, 16-2, and 16-3, and a user terminal 24, all of which are communicatively connected to one another via a network 26. Note that the number of systems and devices shown in FIG. 1 is an example and can be changed as appropriate. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the printing systems 16-1, 16-2, and 16-3, they will be referred to as printing systems 16. The network 26 may be, for example, a LAN, an intranet, or the Internet.

[0032] The order receiving system 12 is a computer that manages information on requests for the production of printed materials received from customers. The process management device 14 is a computer that manages the progress of the production of printed materials, and is also called a workflow management device.

[0033] Printing system 16-1 includes print control device 18-1 and printing device 20-1. Printing systems 16-2 and 16-3 have the same configuration as printing system 16-1. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between print control devices 18-1, 18-2, and 18-3, they will be referred to as print control device 18, and when there is no need to distinguish between printing devices 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3, they will be referred to as printing device 20.

[0034] The printing device 20 is a device that forms an image on a medium such as paper, and is also called an image forming device. The printing device 20 is a digital printing machine such as an electrophotographic printing device or an inkjet printing device, and is, for example, a production printer that is capable of printing at high speed and high precision. Some or all of the multiple printing devices 20 may have a cover insertion function and post-processing functions (punching (hole punching), stapling, saddle stitching, folding, trimming, etc.). Such a printing device 20 can perform post-processing after printing on paper and output printed materials such as booklets. Note that some or all of the multiple printing devices 20 may have only a printing function.

[0035] The print control device 18 is a computer known as a DFE (Digital Front End) or print server. The print control device 18 is connected to the printing device 20 so that it can communicate with the printing device 20. The print control device 18 manages print jobs and, in accordance with operations from the operator 100, performs various processes and settings on the print jobs, and performs RIP processing on the image data of the print jobs to generate raster images. In addition, in accordance with print instructions from the operator 100, the print control device 18 supplies print processing commands to the printing device 20, including various parameters and raster images corresponding to the print jobs, thereby causing the printing device 20 to output printed materials. The print control device 18 also functions as a device that manages the status of the printing device 20 and performs various settings.

[0036] The user terminal 24 is, for example, a PC (personal computer), a tablet, a smartphone, etc. The manufacturing system 10 is configured so that a user (hereinafter also referred to as an operator) can use the user terminal 24 to remotely operate the order receiving system 12 and the process control device 14 and display information present in the order receiving system 12 and the process control device 14 on the display of the user terminal 24. The user terminal 24 is used by an operator in charge of order management, process management, etc., a manager, etc.

[0037] Here, we will briefly explain the process for producing printed matter. The process for producing printed matter consists of, for example, a manuscript submission process, a prepress process, a printing process, a post-processing process, and a delivery process. The manuscript submission process is a process for receiving a request for the production of printed matter from a customer. In the manuscript submission process, the order receiving system 12 receives the specifications of the printed matter, the document and image data to be printed, the number of copies to be produced, the delivery destination, etc. from the customer's terminal (such as a PC, not shown) connected to the network 26, and manages this information as production request information 38 (see FIG. 2).

[0038] The prepress process is a process of preparing for printing processing in the printing device 20. In the prepress process, manufacturing request information 38 in the order receiving system 12 is read, and one or more print jobs are generated based on the manufacturing request information 38. A print job is a processing unit in the printing system 16, and is configured to include print setting information and image data to be printed. The print setting information includes, for example, the number of copies to be printed, the number of sheets of paper per copy, the paper type, whether double-sided printing is required, and color / monochrome settings. The image data of the print job is, for example, data in PDF (Portable Document Format).

[0039] Each print job is sent to one of multiple print control devices 18-1, 18-2, 18-3 and managed within the print control device 18. In accordance with operations from an operator 100, the print control device 18 performs various processes and settings on the print job, and performs RIP processing on the image data of the print job to generate a raster image.

[0040] The printing process is a process in which printing processing is performed by the printing device 20. In the printing process, the operator 100 operates the print control device 18 to specify a print job and issue a print instruction. As a result, a print processing command (including various parameters and raster images) corresponding to the specified print job is supplied to the printing device 20, and a printed matter is output from the printing device 20. During the printing processing in the printing device 20, the operator 100 uses the print control device 18 to check for problems that occur in the printing device 20, such as paper jams, and events that are required in the printing device 20, such as paper replenishment and toner replacement, and take action.

[0041] After the printed matter is output from the printing device 20, the operator 100 operates the print control device 18 to input a completion report (details will be described later) and transmits it to the process management device 14. Note that the work of the printing process refers to the period from when the operator 100 issues a print instruction to the printing device 20 to when the completion report is transmitted to the process management device 14.

[0042] In addition, if the print job includes instructions related to post-processing (such as punching, stapling, saddle stitching, folding, and cutting), the printing device 20 will perform post-processing after printing onto the paper and then output the printed material.

[0043] The post-processing process is a process in which a processing device (not shown) is used to perform processes such as punching, stapling, saddle-stitching, folding, trimming, and binding on the paper sheets output from the printing device 20. The post-processing process is a process that is performed as needed.

[0044] The delivery process is a task of delivering the produced printed matter to the delivery destination contacted by the customer.

[0045] The above is the series of steps in the production process of printed matter. The operators in charge of each process notify the production status of each printed matter to the process control device 14 using a computer connected to the network 26. The process control device 14 creates and manages production progress information 50 (see FIG. 2) for each printed matter based on the production status notified by each operator. The progress information 50 is checked by the manager of the printing company using the user terminal 24 or the like.

[0046] Next, the configuration of each system and device will be described. Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the order receiving system 12, process control device 14, and user terminal 24. The order receiving system 12 includes a processor 30 and a storage device 32. The processor 30 includes a CPU and executes information processing in accordance with a program 34 and control data 36 installed in the order receiving system 12. The processor 30 can be defined as a computer in the narrow sense. The storage device 32 includes a ROM, RAM, flash memory, hard disk, etc. The program 34, control data 36, ​​and manufacturing request information 38 are stored in the storage device 32.

[0047] The process control device 14 includes a processor 40 and a storage device 42. The processor 40 includes a CPU and executes information processing in accordance with a program 44 and control data 46 installed in the process control device 14. The processor 40 can be defined as a computer in the narrow sense. The storage device 42 includes a ROM, RAM, flash memory, a hard disk, etc. The storage device 42 stores the program 44, control data 46, print jobs 48, progress information 50, report request settings 52, and completion report information 56.

[0048] The user terminal 24 includes a processor 80 and a storage device 82. The processor 80 includes a CPU, and executes information processing in accordance with a program 84 and control data 86 installed in the user terminal 24. The processor 80 can be defined as a computer in the narrow sense. The storage device 82 is a ROM, RAM, flash memory, hard disk, etc. The program 84 and control data 86 are stored in the storage device 82.

[0049] The printing system 16 includes a print control device 18 and a printing device 20. The print control device 18 includes a processor 60, a storage device 62, a display device 76, and an input device 78. The processor 60 includes a CPU and executes information processing in accordance with a program 64 and control data 66 installed in the print control device 18. The processor 60 can be defined as a computer in the narrow sense. The storage device 62 includes ROM, RAM, flash memory, a hard disk, etc. The storage device 62 stores the program 64, control data 66, print jobs 48, raster images 68, status information 70 (information indicating the status of each print job 48), and history information 72. The display device 76 is a display. The input device 78 includes a keyboard, a mouse, etc.

[0050] In addition, the programs executed by the processors of each system and each device, and the control data read can be provided via a network such as the Internet, or can be stored on a computer-readable recording medium such as an optical disc or USB memory and provided.

[0051] The process control device 14 stores a plurality of print jobs 48, and a print system 16 is assigned to each of the plurality of print jobs 48 in accordance with instructions from an operator, etc. The print job 48 is sent from the process control device 14 to the print control device 18 of the assigned print system 16 and managed within the print control device 18.

[0052] 4 and 5 are examples of a print job list screen 110 displayed on the display device 76 of the print control device 18, and Fig. 6 is an example of a print job history screen 111 displayed on the display device 76 of the print control device 18. In this specification, in addition to objects displayed on the entire display, windows displayed on part of the display may also be referred to as screens.

[0053] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the list screen 110 displays information about each print job stored in the print control device 18, categorized according to the print job's status (pending, processing, completed). In FIGS. 4 and 5, a scroll bar 112 can be operated to view a large amount of information about the print job. The "Information" item 116 for a print job displays the print job's status (e.g., whether RIP processing has been completed) and setting information in an easy-to-understand manner using marks, one of which is a "Completion report required" mark 117. The "Completion report required" mark 117 indicates whether the print job requires a completion report for the printing work; a print job with the mark 117 attached requires a completion report, while a print job without the mark 117 does not require a completion report.

[0054] The printing job completion report (see FIG. 10) is a task performed when the printing process of a print job is completed by the printing device 20. The completion report is a task in which the operator 100 inputs result information (also called print result information) regarding the results of the operation of the printing device 20 according to the print job into the print control device 18 and transmits it to the process management device 14.

[0055] 7 shows an example of attribute information included in a print job 48. Such attribute information is written in a predetermined format and language, but in this figure it is depicted in a list format to facilitate understanding. The attribute information of a print job includes a report request setting 52. The report request setting 52 includes information 53 indicating whether a completion report is requested and a completion report item 54 (also called a result information item).

[0056] The request presence / absence information 53 is information indicating whether or not a completion report is required. A print job for which the request presence / absence information 53 is specified as "required" is marked with a "completion report required" mark 117 in Figures 4 and 5, and a print job for which the request presence / absence information 53 is specified as "not required" is not marked with the "completion report required" mark 117 in the same figures. The completion report items 54 indicate items that the operator 100 is required to input in the completion report. Each item specified in the completion report items 54 is displayed on the completion report screen 130 (see Figure 10), and the operator 100 inputs information corresponding to each item.

[0057] The report request setting 52 is added to the print job 48 by the process control device 14, either by an operator's operation or automatically. For example, completion report request information 53 and completion report item 54 may be set according to the attributes of the printed material. For example, if the print job 48 is a "proof print" job for checking the color tone of the printed material, a completion report may be set to unnecessary, and if the print job 48 is a "production print" job, a completion report may be set to necessary. Also, for example, if the print job prints a predetermined number of sheets or less, a completion report may be set to unnecessary, and if the print job prints more than the predetermined number of sheets, a completion report may be set to necessary. Also, for example, if the print job prints a predetermined number of sheets or less, input of the time required for printing (required time) may not be required ("required time" may not be included in the completion report item), and if the print job prints more than the predetermined number of sheets, input of the required time may be required ("required time" may be included in the completion report item). Also, for example, if the print job is related to a printed product that is produced through a post-processing process (a printed product that is processed in a post-processing process after being output from the printing device 20), a completion report may be set to be required, and if the print job is one in which the printed product output from the printing device 20 is the final product, a completion report may be set to be unnecessary.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 4, the operator 100 uses the mouse to move the cursor 120 to one of the print jobs in the held state and right-clicks there, thereby displaying a menu 122 containing items such as "Start Printing," "Start Group Printing," and "Delete Job." The operator 100 can perform the instruction indicated by the item where the cursor 120 is located by moving the cursor 120 to a desired item in the menu 122 and left-clicking there. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5, the operator 100 uses the mouse to move the cursor 120 to one of the print jobs in the processed state and right-clicks there, thereby displaying a menu 123 containing items such as "Completion Report," "Group Completion Report," and "Delete Job." The operator 100 can perform the instruction indicated by the item where the cursor 120 is located by moving the cursor 120 to a desired item in the menu 123 and left-clicking there.

[0059] As shown in Fig. 6, history screen 111 displays history information 72 stored in print control device 18 in chronological order of recording date and time. History information 72 is information recorded for each print job when an event occurs for that print job. In Fig. 6, by operating horizontal scroll bar 113, more information about the print job can be confirmed, and by operating vertical scroll bar 114, information with older or newer recording dates can be confirmed.

[0060] 6, when the operator 100 operates the mouse to move the cursor 120 to one of the print jobs and right-click there, a menu 124 is displayed containing items such as "Completion Report," "Group Completion Report," and "Delete Job." The operator 100 can move the cursor 120 to a desired item in the menu 124 and left-click there to issue an instruction indicated by the item where the cursor 120 is located.

[0061] Here, we will explain group jobs. As shown in FIG. 8, the process control device 14 may group multiple print jobs 48-1, 48-2, 48-3, etc. and manage them as a group job 47. A group ID (see FIG. 7) is added as attribute information to the print jobs 48-1, 48-2, 48-3, etc. that make up the group job 47, and multiple print jobs with the same group ID constitute one group job. For example, when an order is received for the production of multiple printed materials, multiple print jobs are created. If these print jobs are set to use the same type of paper, these print jobs are grouped together to form a group job. Then, the print processing of the multiple print jobs that make up the group job is performed together. This reduces the work of changing paper fed into the printing device 20. In the case of a printing factory, the printing device 20 can store a large amount of paper, so changing paper takes time and effort, but this type of group job can reduce that burden.

[0062] As shown in Fig. 4, if the print job specified by cursor 120 is one print job that makes up a group job, a "Start group printing" item is displayed in menu 122, and when this is selected, the print processing of all print jobs that belong to the same group as the specified print job is carried out all at once. Also, as shown in Fig. 5 (or Fig. 6), if the print job specified by cursor 120 is one print job that makes up a group job, a "Report group completion" item is displayed in menu 123 (or 124), and when this is selected, the completion report of all print jobs that belong to the same group as the specified print job is carried out all at once.

[0063] Next, the printing process for a single print job (a print job that does not constitute a group job) will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the printing process. In S100, the operator 100 operates the print control device 18, and as shown in FIG. 4, specifies the print job with the cursor 120 and selects "Start Printing" from the menu 122. This causes the print control device 18 to specify the print job and accept the print instruction.

[0064] In S102, the print control device 18 sends a print processing command, including various parameters and raster images, corresponding to the specified print job to the print device 20. In S104, the print device 20 receives the print processing command and executes the print processing accordingly. As a result, printed matter is output from the print device 20. Note that if a problem such as a paper jam occurs in the print device 20 during the print processing, or if paper replenishment or toner replacement becomes necessary, the operator 100 takes appropriate action. The operator 100 also checks the printed matter output from the print device 20 and determines whether it is a good or bad product. If, for example, the required number of good products is not obtained, the operator 100 adjusts the number of copies to be produced in the print control device 18 and issues a print command for the print job again to obtain the required printed matter.

[0065] In S106, the operator 100 operates the print control device 18 to specify a print job with the cursor 120 as shown in Fig. 5 (or Fig. 6), and selects "Completion Report" from the menu 123 (or 124). This causes the print control device 18 to accept the specification of the print job and an instruction to report its completion.

[0066] In S108, the print control device 18 checks the completion report request information 53 in the attribute information of the print job specified in S106. If the request information 53 indicates "no" request (S108: No), in S110, the print control device 18 controls its own display device 76 to display a confirmation screen 150, as shown in FIG. 11, indicating that a completion report is not required. Note that if the request information 53 indicates "no" request, the selection items related to the completion report in the menu 123 of FIG. 5 or the menu 124 of FIG. 6 may be made unselectable (for example, the selection items related to the completion report may be disabled (grayed out) so that they cannot be selected). On the other hand, if the request information 53 indicates "yes" request (S108: Yes), in S112, the print control device 18 controls its own display device 76 to display a completion report screen 130 (a screen for receiving result information) as shown in FIG. 10.

[0067] The completion report screen 130 displays the completion report item 54 (result information item) in the attribute information of the print job specified in S106. The completion report screen 130 of FIG. 10 displays the following items: "Work start date and time," "Work completion date and time," "Required time," "Reason for stop," "Stop time," "Number of good products," "Number of defective products," "Print quantity," and "NG quantity." The completion report screen 130 has text boxes 134-1 to 134-10 for receiving information corresponding to each item from the operator 100. In addition, "+" and "-" buttons 138-1 to 138-6 are provided next to some of the text boxes so that the numerical values ​​in the text boxes can be increased or decreased. The "Reason for stop" item is selected from a pull-down menu 136. Note that the configuration for receiving information for each item shown in FIG. 10 is merely an example, and these can be changed as appropriate.

[0068] The "work start date and time" is the date and time when the operator 100 issues a print instruction, and may be automatically set by the print control device 18 instead of being input by the operator 100. The "work completion date and time" is the date and time when the operator 100 finishes reporting completion. The "required time" is the time from the work start date and time to the work completion date and time, and may be automatically set by the print control device 18 instead of being input by the operator 100. The "required time" includes not only the time required for the printing process of the printing device 20, but also the time required by the operator 100 to respond to problems such as paper jams, change paper, replenish paper, replace toner, etc., and check the output printouts. The "reason for stopping" is the reason for stopping the printing device 20 when it is stopped. The "stop duration" is the duration of the stoppage when the printing device 20 is stopped. The "number of good copies" is the number of copies of the printouts output by the printing device 20 that the operator 100 judges to be good copies. Note that one copy of a printout consists of one or more sheets of paper. The "number of defective items" is the number of copies of printed matter that the operator 100 judged to be defective among the printed matter output from the printing device 20. The "print quantity" is the number of sheets of paper output from the printing device 20. The "NG quantity" is the number of sheets of paper that were consumed without forming a printed product (printed matter judged to be non-defective).

[0069] 9, the operator 100 operates the print control device 18 (using the input device 78 of the print control device 18) to input information corresponding to each item on the completion report screen 130. That is, the operator 100 inputs information into text boxes 134-1 to 134-10 and selects information from the pull-down menu 136. The operator 100 then moves the mouse cursor over the "Send" button 140 on the completion report screen 130 and left-clicks to instruct transmission. This causes the print control device 18 to accept information related to the completion report input by the operator 100 (hereinafter referred to as "completion report information (result information, print result information)").

[0070] In S116, the printing control device 18 adds identification information of the printing device 20 or printing system 16 to the completion report information and transmits it to the process control device 14. Then, in S118, the process control device 14 receives the completion report information and stores it in its own storage device 42.

[0071] By accumulating completion report information 56 (see FIG. 2), the process control device 14 creates statistical information showing the processing efficiency, printing costs, frequency of problems, etc. of each printing device 20, and provides this information to the manager of the printing company, etc. This allows the manager of the printing company, etc. to obtain information for improving the printing process.

[0072] According to the embodiment described above, the operator 100 can report the completion of a print job (input print result information) by operating the print control device 18 used for the prepress process and printing process, which reduces the burden on the operator 100 compared to when the operator 100 reports the completion by operating the process management device 14, which is a device separate from the print control device 18.

[0073] Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, it is possible to flexibly set whether or not to request a completion report and the items of the completion report for each print job 48. Note that when the operator 100 operates the print control device 18 to change the print setting information of a print job, which may affect the operation of the printing device 20, the print control device 18 may forcibly change the request presence / absence information of that print job to "requested." This ensures that a completion report is always issued for print jobs whose print setting information has been changed.

[0074] When an instruction to delete (erase) a print job is received in a state where the request presence / absence information 53 indicates a request and the completion report has not been sent from the operator 100, the print control device 18 may perform control to display a warning screen 152 indicating that the completion report has not been sent (result information has not been entered) on its own display device 76, as shown in Fig. 12. In this way, the operator 100 is prevented from not sending a completion report.

[0075] Furthermore, for a print job for which the request presence information 53 indicates a request, when the operator issues an instruction (request to input result information) to "report completion" in the menu 124 of the history screen 111 (see FIG. 6) while the print processing of the print job is not complete, the print control device 18 may perform control to display a warning screen 153 indicating that the print processing is not complete, as shown in FIG. 13, on its own display device 76. In this way, the operator is prevented from inputting incorrect result information.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 7, the print job 48 specifies a "total number" as the number of copies to be produced. Some print jobs 48 also specify a "required number of copies" and a "spare number of copies." The "total number" is the sum of the "required number of copies" and the "spare number of copies." Here, when a quantity less than the "total number" of the print job is entered in the "number of acceptable copies" field (see FIG. 10) on the completion report screen 130 shown in FIG. 10 and the "Send" button 140 is pressed, the print control device 18 may control its own display device 76 to display a warning screen 154, as shown in FIG. 14, indicating that the printing process for the number of copies specified for the print job has not been completed. Alternatively, when a quantity less than the "required number of copies" of the print job is entered in the "number of acceptable copies" field (see FIG. 10) on the completion report screen 130 shown in FIG. 10 and the "Send" button 140 is pressed, the print control device 18 may control the .... This prevents the operator from inputting incorrect result information.

[0077] In the embodiment described above, the report request setting 52 (information 53 on whether completion report is requested and completion report item 54) was added to the print job, but the report request setting 52 may not be added to the print job and a completion report may be uniformly requested for all print jobs, or input into predetermined completion report items may be requested for all print jobs.

[0078] As for group jobs 47, as described above, the printing processes of all print jobs belonging to the same group are performed together, and the completion reports of all print jobs belonging to the same group are performed together. On the completion report screen 130 (see FIG. 10), the printing processes of all print jobs belonging to the same group are considered to be the printing process of a single print job, and print result information is entered. That is, the "number of good products" is entered as the total number of good products of all print jobs in the group, and the "number of defective products" is entered as the total number of defective products of all print jobs in the group. The same applies to the "print quantity" and "NG quantity" on the completion report screen 130. It is assumed that the same report request setting 52 is specified for all print jobs belonging to the same group.

[0079] Here, for a group job 47 whose request presence / absence information 53 indicates a request, when the printing process of all print jobs in the group has not been completed and the operator issues an instruction (request to input result information) to "report group completion" in menu 124 of history screen 111 (see FIG. 6), the print control device 18 may control its own display device 76 to display a warning screen 155, as shown in FIG. 15, indicating that the printing process of all print jobs in the same group has not been completed.

[0080] Furthermore, for a group job 47 for which the request presence / absence information 53 indicates a request, when a quantity less than the total number of copies obtained by adding up the "total number" of all print jobs in the group (the "total number" specified in the attribute information) is entered in the "number of conforming items" (see FIG. 10) on the completion report screen 130 shown in FIG. 10 and the "Send" button 140 is pressed, the print control device 18 may perform control to display a warning screen 156, as shown in FIG. 16, on its own display device 76, indicating that the printing process for the total number of copies has not been completed. Alternatively, when a quantity less than the total number of copies obtained by adding up the "required number of copies" (the "required number of copies" specified in the attribute information) of all print jobs in the group is entered in the "number of conforming items" (see FIG. 10) on the completion report screen 130 shown in FIG. 10 and the "Send" button 140 is pressed, the print control device 18 may perform control to display a warning screen 156, as shown in FIG. 16.

[0081] 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.).

[0082] 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]

[0083] 10 Printed matter manufacturing system (manufacturing system), 12 Order receiving system, 14 Process control device, 16, 16-1, 16-2, 16-3 Printing system, 18, 18-1, 18-2, 18-3 Printing control device, 20, 20-1, 20-2, 20-3 Printing device, 24 User terminal, 26 Network, 30 Processor, 32 Storage device, 34 Program, 36 Control data, 38 Manufacturing request information, 40 Processor, 42 Storage device, 44 Program, 46 Control data, 47 Group job, 48, 48-1 to 48-3 Print job, 50 Progress information, 52 Report request setting, 53 Request presence / absence information, 54 Completion report item (result information item), 56 Completion report information (print result information, result information), 60 Processor, 62 Storage device, 64 Program, 66 Control data, 68 Raster image, 70 Status information, 72 history information, 76 display device, 78 input device, 80 processor, 82 storage device, 84 program, 86 control data, 100 operator, 110 list screen (screen, window), 111 history screen (screen, window), 112, 113, 114 scroll bar, 116 item, 117 mark, 120 cursor, 122, 123, 124 menu, 130 completion report screen (screen, window that accepts result information), 134-1 to 134-10 text box, 136 pull-down menu, 138-1 to 138-6, 140 button, 150 confirmation screen (screen, window), 152 to 156 warning screen (screen, window).

Claims

1. a processor; The processor: When a print instruction for a print job that is managed by a process control device and assigned by the process control device is received from an operator, a print processing command based on the print job is transmitted to the printing device; displaying one or more items of result information on a display device to receive result information relating to the result of the operation of the printing device in accordance with the print processing command; receiving the result information corresponding to each of the displayed items from an operator; transmitting the received result information to the process control device; A print control device characterized by:

2. 2. The print control device according to claim 1, the print job includes one or more items of the results information requiring input from an operator; The processor: controlling the display of each of the items of the result information of the print job on the display device; receiving, from an operator, information corresponding to each of the items of the result information of the print job as the result information; A print control device characterized by:

3. 3. The print control device according to claim 1, the result information received from the operator includes a stop time and a stop reason of the printing device when the printing device is stopped in accordance with the print processing command; A print control device characterized by:

4. 3. The print control device according to claim 1, the result information received from the operator includes the number of sheets of paper consumed without forming a print product when the printing device operates in accordance with the print processing command; A print control device characterized by:

5. 2. The print control device according to claim 1, the print job includes request presence / absence information indicating whether or not an operator is requested to input the result information; The processor: If the request presence / absence information of the print job indicates that a request exists, control is performed to display a screen for receiving the result information from an operator on the display device; When the request presence / absence information of the print job indicates no request, control is performed to avoid displaying the screen on the display device. A print control device characterized by:

6. 6. The print control device according to claim 5, The processor: When the operator changes print setting information of the print job that may affect the operation of the printing device, The request presence / absence information of the print job is forcibly set to request presence. A print control device characterized by:

7. 5. A print control device according to claim 1, The processor: When an instruction to delete the print job stored in the storage device is received from the operator before the result information is received from the operator, a warning screen indicating that the result information has not been input is displayed on the display device. A print control device characterized by:

8. 5. A print control device according to claim 1, The processor: When the printing device has not completed the printing process for the number of sheets specified in the print job and has received a request from an operator to input the result information, the control unit controls the display device to display a warning screen indicating that the printing process has not been completed. A print control device characterized by:

9. When a print instruction for a print job that is managed by a process control device and assigned by the process control device is received from an operator, a print processing command based on the print job is transmitted to the printing device; displaying one or more items of result information on a display device to receive result information relating to the result of the operation of the printing device in accordance with the print processing command; receiving the result information corresponding to each of the displayed items from an operator; transmitting the received result information to the process control device; A program that makes a computer function like this.

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