Image Forming Apparatus Preview Display for Printing Settings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users cannot visually confirm the printed state of images before printing, as they need to select various setting items like color or black and white, one-side, or duplex printing without previewing the actual output.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus and electronic device with a display unit that shows reduced images representing the source document with applied processing for each setting item, allowing users to select and preview how the image will look with different settings before printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple setting items are provided for printing options, then printing functionality and versatility are improved, but user operation complexity and difficulty in visual confirmation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system generates preview images in advance that show the actual printed output for each setting item combination. These preview images are displayed before the user makes their selection, allowing the user to visually confirm the result of combining multiple settings (such as duplex printing with book binding, or specific margin settings) without having to imagine or pre-visualize the outcome. This preliminary visual feedback simplifies the operation of selecting appropriate printing settings.
2Measurement precision
If preview images for all setting combinations are displayed, then user confirmation accuracy is improved, but display resource consumption and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of displaying all possible setting combination previews simultaneously, the system segments the preview display into individual setting items. Each setting item (e.g., duplex printing, book binding, specific margin settings) has its own preview image showing the result when that setting is applied. The system then combines selected settings by synthesizing their individual preview effects, rather than pre-generating and displaying all possible combinations. This segmentation reduces display complexity while maintaining comprehensive preview capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from displaying multiple preview images in a two-dimensional spatial arrangement to a more efficient representation where setting combinations are synthesized through logical combination of individual setting effects. Instead of creating a comprehensive matrix of all setting combinations, the system uses another dimension of processing - combining individual setting previews programmatically - to achieve the same visual confirmation goal with reduced complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a display unit, an operation unit, and a controller. The controller causes, before printing an image, the display unit to reduce and display, with respect to each of setting items for printing, images to each of which a processing indicated by one of the setting items is applied. When a user designates one of the images to which the processing indicated by one of the setting items is applied, the controller accepts an instruction to print the image, reflecting the processing indicated by the setting item corresponding to a designated image, and causes the display unit to reduce and display the images to each of which the processing indicated by a remaining setting item not designated by the user, and the processing indicated by the designated setting item corresponding to the designated image, are applied, with respect to remaining setting items.