Print Job Analysis and Error Display in Hold Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In existing hold printing systems, users cannot determine if a print job contains errors before starting the printing process, particularly due to timeouts during print data analysis, making it difficult to recognize incorrect print jobs.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus with a controller that analyzes print data, predicts printing times, and displays error information on a job selection screen, allowing users to recognize potential issues before printing, including timeouts, unrestorable errors, and page-specific errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If print data is saved in the image forming apparatus for hold printing, then user authentication and print job selection can be performed, but users cannot determine if the print job contains errors before printing starts
Solution Approach 1:
The analysis unit analyzes print data of held print jobs in advance before printing starts, and the display unit presents error information to users before they initiate printing. This preliminary analysis and presentation of error information allows users to identify and correct errors before printing begins, resolving the contradiction between enabling hold printing operations and providing error visibility.
2Reliability
If error information is displayed for print jobs that have already started printing, then users can recognize errors, but error information cannot be displayed for print jobs before printing starts
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs analysis of print data and presentation of error information before printing starts. The analysis unit analyzes held print jobs in advance, and the display unit presents error information on the job selection screen before the user initiates printing. This eliminates the time loss associated with discovering errors after printing has already begun.
3Ease of operation
If print data is analyzed in advance for held print jobs, then error information can be displayed before printing, but analysis time and processing resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The analysis unit analyzes only the necessary portions of print data to identify errors, rather than performing complete analysis of all print jobs. The system presents error information selectively based on the analysis results, consuming processing resources only when and where needed, thus balancing ease of operation with resource consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus performs hold printing in which a received print job is held and printing of the held print job is performed according to a print instruction from a user. The apparatus includes a display device, and a controller including a processor and a memory. The controller is configured to act as an analysis unit to analyze print data of the print job received and held by using a reception of the print job as a trigger, wherein a print process based on the received print job is not performed by using the reception of the print job as a trigger, a display control unit to display a job selection screen on the display device, wherein the job selection screen includes the one or more held print jobs, and a receiving unit to receive a selection of the held print job and the print instruction for the selected held print job, via the job selection screen. In the job selection screen, identification information of the held print job and error information corresponding to the held print job are displayed in association with each other based on the analysis of the analysis unit.