Printing Management Apparatus Page-Specific Bar Code Reprint
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In printing processes, especially for books with unique page associations, printer failures lead to inefficient production due to difficulties in identifying and reprinting defective pages with embedded barcodes, causing increased data processing loads and production delays.
Innovation Solution
A printing management apparatus that generates and manages bar code information for each page, allowing efficient reprinting by acquiring and controlling the output of bar code information for failure pages, thereby reducing the load on raster image data generation and streamlining the reprinting process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If bar code information is embedded in raster image data for each page, then each page can be identified and tracked, but the data processing load increases significantly and production efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the bar code information from the raster image data and stores it separately in a database. This allows the bar code to be read and processed independently without embedding it in the print data, thereby reducing the data processing load while maintaining identification capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the bar code information from the main print data by creating a separate database structure to store bar code information. This segmentation allows for independent processing and retrieval of bar code data without affecting the main printing workflow.
2Productivity
If the bookbinding line rejects failure books immediately, then production efficiency is maintained, but the complexity of identifying and reprinting specific books increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the bar code reader detects failure books and provides information back to the printing management apparatus. This feedback loop enables automatic identification and targeted reprinting of only the failed pages, reducing the complexity of manual identification and processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the bar code information already present on the books to enable self-identification and self-tracking. The bar code reader automatically captures and processes this information, allowing the system to manage its own inventory and failure tracking without complex external intervention.
3Reliability
If all pages are reprinted when one page fails, then quality consistency is maintained, but the loss of time and resources increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and stores bar code information separately, enabling precise identification of only the failed page. This allows the system to reprint only the necessary page rather than the entire book, significantly reducing reprinted time while maintaining quality consistency through targeted reproduction.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of reprinting all pages (excessive action), the patent enables partial reprinting of only the failed page identified through bar code recognition. This partial action approach reduces time and resource loss while maintaining sufficient quality consistency for the specific defective page.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing management apparatus includes: a receiving unit that receives order information about a printed material and print data of the printed material; a generating unit that generates bar code information about a bar code assigned to each page of the printed material based on the order information; an output unit that outputs the print data and the bar code information to a printer for executing processing including printing of the printed material; an acquiring unit that, in response to a failure occurring in the processing executed by the printer on a failure page, acquires the bar code information about the bar code assigned to the failure page; and a controller that controls the output unit so that the output unit outputs the bar code information about the failure page and reprint data of a reprinted material including the failure page to the printer.