JP2008245322A - Printing system, control method of same, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control method of a printing system capable of realizing a trial printing function that minimizes unnecessary consumption of time and supplies. <P>SOLUTION: On a screen of an operation unit 150, whether the number of trial print pages is set automatically or manually or whether all pages are subjected to processing or not is designated (FIG.9). In a case where the manual setting is selected, the number of pages is set by a ten key. In the case of the manual setting (step S113), printing is carried out on the manually set number of pages (step S114). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing system control method, printing system, and program capable of performing trial printing.

In recent years, a digital copying machine has appeared, and a plurality of functions can be realized by this digital copying machine. A digital copying machine reads an image on a document with a CCD (Charged Coupled Device), converts it into a digital signal, performs various processing on it, converts it into a laser signal, and records it on a sheet by electrophotographic technology. . Further, the electronic sort function can be realized by repeatedly storing the read image data in an image memory such as a hard disk, reading the image data, and performing image formation a plurality of times. Furthermore, it is possible to form one copy using the data stored in the image memory and continue image formation or change the setting mode according to the result of the user confirming the finish. It is. This is a function called so-called trial printing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-341361 A

  However, in the test printing function as described above, since all the read images are targeted and all the pages included in the copy are printed, the consumables such as time and toner and sheets are consumed wastefully. There is. For example, if several pages are printed, the function as a trial print may be sufficiently achieved. In this case as well, all pages are output in units of one copy, which takes extra time for the trial print and the toner. Consumables such as sheets are wasted.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a printing system control method, printing system, and program capable of realizing a test printing function that suppresses wasteful consumption of time and consumables as much as possible.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a control method for a printing system having a printing apparatus capable of performing trial printing of a print job, wherein the number of printed output at the time of trial printing is set to the number of original pages of the print job. Regardless of the selection step for selecting a manual mode that can be arbitrarily specified by the user, and a control step for executing test printing for the number of sheets specified by the user when the manual mode is selected in the selection step. A control method characterized by comprising:

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a control method for a printing system having a printing apparatus capable of performing a trial print of a print job, wherein the trial print is performed for the number of output sheets corresponding to the print conditions set in the print job. A selection step of selecting an automatic mode for performing a test, and a control step of performing trial printing for the number of output sheets corresponding to the printing conditions set in the print job when the automatic mode is selected in the selection step. There is provided a control method characterized by comprising:

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a control method for a printing system having a printing apparatus capable of performing trial printing of a print job with N copies (N is 2 or more), and the above-described printing method is performed at the time of trial printing. All page mode for printing a print job with P copies (P is a predetermined value) under the print conditions set for the print job, and the number of prints of the print job with the print conditions and less than the P portion A selection step of selecting any mode from a plurality of modes including a non-all-page mode for performing a trial print in a change step, a change step enabling setting change of print conditions of the print job after the trial print, and the change When the setting is changed in the step, the print job can be printed with the print condition after the setting is changed, and when the setting is not changed in the changing step, the print job And a control step for enabling printing with the print conditions, and the control step is configured to print all the print jobs when the print conditions of the print job test-printed in the all page mode are not changed in the change step. A print job that has been trial printed in page mode is printed for the number of A copies (A = N−P) with the above printing conditions. However, for a print job that has been trial printed in the non-page mode, the printing conditions are changed in the change step. There is provided a control method characterized in that even when the setting is not changed, printing is performed for N copies with the above printing conditions.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a printing system for executing a control means for executing the above control method, and a program for executing the above control method.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a test printing function that suppresses wasteful consumption of time and consumables as much as possible.

  For example, when an original bundle composed of a large number of pages in one print job is to be printed in the trial print mode, the number of copies, for example, the first page, etc. A state in which the user can confirm the output result by printing only a predetermined page or a predetermined number of output sheets such as one output sheet (want to check only color appearance such as color output, In spite of the fact that only the area to be printed and the orientation of the image to be printed need only be checked), unnecessary output can be obtained by executing printing for one copy of one job in the conventional test printing. It is possible to prevent wasteful use.

  In addition to improving the usability (productivity and prevention of wasteful output) in trial printing, it is possible to prevent problems from occurring in the printing results such as the user does not output the required number of required copies due to improved usability. Printing results can be ensured, and it is possible to achieve both improved usability and guaranteeing printing in trial printing.

  In addition to improving usability in test printing (productivity and wasteful output prevention), and improving usability, it prevents the user from outputting the required number of required copies to prevent problems. Thus, it is possible to guarantee an appropriate printing result, and it is possible to achieve both improvement in usability and printing guarantee in trial printing.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the image input / output system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image input / output system 100 feeds a sheet by optically reading a document image and converting it into image data, and prints the image data as a visible image on the sheet. A printer apparatus 300 that discharges the sheet to the outside of the apparatus, and a control apparatus 110 for controlling the reader apparatus 200 and the printer apparatus 300.

  The reader device 200 includes a document feeding unit (DF unit) 250 for feeding document sheets and a scanner unit 210 for reading documents.

  The printer apparatus 300 includes a paper feed unit 310 having a plurality of types of sheet cassettes, a marking unit 320 for transferring and fixing image data to a sheet, and a paper discharge unit for outputting printed sheets to the outside of the apparatus. 330 and a finisher unit 500 that performs stapling processing, sorting processing, and the like.

  The control device 110 is electrically connected to the reader device 200 and the printer device 300, and is further connected to host computers (PCs) 401 and 402 via a LAN (Local Area Network) 400. The control device 110 provides a copy function that controls the reader device 200 to read image data of a document and controls the printer device 300 to output the image data to a sheet. Further, the control device 110 converts the image data read from the reader device 200 into code data and transmits it to the host computers 401 and 402 via the LAN 400, and the code received from the host computers 401 and 402 via the LAN 400. A printer function for converting data into image data and outputting the image data to the printer apparatus 300 is provided.

  The control device 110 is connected to an image storage unit 160 for storing image data read by the reader device 200. The printer device 300 can read image data from the image storage unit 160 via the control device 110 and print the read image data. Accordingly, reading of an original and printing can be performed asynchronously. Further, once read image data can be read and printed a plurality of times, thereby realizing an electronic sort function and a trial copy (trial print mode).

  For example, when the trial print mode is selected by the user from the operation unit, the control device 110 controls various units so as to operate as follows. First, processing modes set by the user via the operation unit (reduced layout processing mode, enlarged layout mode, stapling mode, image rotation mode, page continuous shooting mode, page printing mode, etc.), and Setting parameters as various processing conditions set under the mode (for example, when the reduced layout mode is selected, the mode parameters include setting parameters relating to the number of images to be formed on the sheet (two or less). (4, 8, 9, 16, etc.) and setting parameters related to the arrangement order of the plurality of images (for example, in the case of 4in1 mode, each of the first to fourth pages) Arrangement for designating where to place the image in the upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right layout area on the same side of one sheet And the processing according to the stored mode information and the parameter data of the mode is stored in the memory (hard disk etc.) for the print job (image data). The result is printed out as a test print so that the user can confirm the result.

  Then, the user confirms the print output result output in the trial print process.

  If there is no problem with the output result, and if the user inputs an instruction to permit output without changing the processing conditions set at the beginning, the first print setting is made. Sometimes the number of print copies (and / or print pages) based on the number of print copies (and / or the number of print pages) set by the user and the number of print copies (and / or the number of print pages) printed in the trial print process. The print job is executed according to the print processing conditions set by the previous user. For example, in a state in which the test print mode is designated by the user, one document bundle (one job) consisting of 5 pages as the document data for one job is processed based on various processing conditions. Is set to print five copies. In this case, for example, at the time of the trial printing process, the output bundle composed of the outputs of the first to fifth pages is output as one part (in this case, five pages × 1 part) according to the various setting conditions from the user. To do. Then, in response to an instruction from the user to continue printing without any particular correction of the printing conditions, the control device 110 subtracts the setting number 1 at the time of print processing from the initial setting number 5. Four copies are printed under the same printing conditions as the previous printing conditions (5 pages × 4 copies). This is because the output result at the time of test printing can also be counted as an appropriate output result, and is control for suppressing wasteful output as much as possible.

  On the other hand, as a result of confirming the trial print output by the user, an instruction for changing the print processing condition set in advance by the user instead of the desired output and executing the print output under the changed print processing condition is issued by the user. The control device 110 displays various UI screens for changing settings by the user on the operation unit, and changes the setting of print processing conditions via the screen (for example, double-sided). Changing settings from printing to single-sided printing, changing settings from non-sort mode to staple mode, etc.). Then, after the setting of the print processing condition is changed, the process according to the print processing condition after the change of the setting is executed for the print job stored in the memory and printed out. As described above, when the print processing condition setting is changed by the user after the trial printing process, the control device 110 determines the number of output copies (and / or the number of printed pages) of the print job to be executed after the trial printing. Are executed for the number of copies set first (in this example, 5 pages × 5 copies). This is a procedure for generating a user's desired output result again because the print result output at the time of test printing is different from the data desired by the user, and the print result at the time of the test print output is invalid. is there.

  As described above, the control device 110 controls the trial print mode, and the number of print outputs to be executed after the trial print process is the number of print copies (and / or the number of printed pages) from the user set before the trial print is executed. And the number of printed copies (and / or the number of printed pages) information output at the time of the trial printing and the instruction from the user input after the execution of the trial printing process (the printing process is continued with the same printing process conditions as at the time of the trial printing process) Or an instruction to execute the printing process again under a printing process condition different from that during the trial printing process), and print out.

  In this embodiment, in particular, the number of output pages of a print job at the time of trial printing can be adapted to a wide range of needs from users.

  For example, when an original bundle consisting of 100 pages in one print job is to be printed in the trial print mode, for example, a predetermined page such as the first page can be printed without printing one copy, that is, 100 pages. If you print only a certain number of output sheets, such as one output sheet, you can check the output result by the user (for example, you want to check only the color appearance such as color output, etc. Despite the fact that only the area to be printed and the orientation of the image to be printed need to be checked), printing 100 copies per job in the conventional trial printing results in all 100 pages being output. It is possible to prevent such waste.

  In order to prevent such a problem from occurring, the control device 110 according to the present embodiment controls the number of output pages during trial printing in the trial printing mode so that the number of output pages can be adjusted as appropriate.

  For example, the first mode for printing all the original pages included in one print job to be processed by the trial printing as the number of print outputs to be output at the time of the trial printing (for example, the original 100 in the above example). The number of pages to be printed, i.e., all copies are printed), and the number of output sheets to be printed at the time of trial printing can be arbitrarily set by the user regardless of the number of document pages included in the job to be processed by trial printing. Second mode that can be specified (For example, in the above example, there are 100 pages of a document in one job. Regardless of this, the user can specify any number of output pages or any number of pages of a document. Regardless of the number of document pages included in the print job that is the target of the test print mode, the print processing condition ( In accordance with the processing mode, setting parameters, and the like, the control device 110 automatically determines the number of prints to be output at the time of trial printing, and the third mode (for example, the processing mode set by the user is duplex printing). In the case of the mode, trial printing is performed for the number of print outputs set in advance for the duplex printing mode. For example, when the processing mode set by the user is the stapling mode, printing set in advance for the stapling mode is performed. Etc.), and a number of modes (in this case, there are three main modes). A desired mode can be selected by the user.

  In the present embodiment, the first mode described above corresponds to an “all pages” mode in an example of an operation screen shown in FIG. 9 described later, the second mode corresponds to a “manual” mode shown in FIG. The mode corresponds to the “automatic” mode in FIG. 9, and the user can select a desired mode via a UI screen in FIG. 9 described later.

  Further, as will be described later in detail with reference to an example of the operation screen in FIG. 16 and the like, in performing the “automatic” mode, the number of print outputs at the time of trial printing is set in advance for each processing mode that can be set by the user. This is stored and held in a memory (not shown) in a table data format, for example, and when the automatic mode is selected, the number of printed output sheets corresponding to the processing mode set by the user from the table data With reference to the data, trial printing is executed for the number of printed output sheets.

  In addition, the control device 110 according to the present embodiment also associates the number of prints (and / or the number of printed pages) to be executed in the print process for the production print process to be executed after the test print process in relation to the above control. Control.

  For example, when the user selects the all page mode among the all page mode, the manual mode, and the automatic mode for selecting the number of print outputs at the time of the trial printing process, all pages of the print job, that is, one copy. (In this embodiment, the predetermined number of copies is set to 1 in the all-page mode. However, the number of copies is not limited to this, and an arbitrary number of copies may be used.) Accordingly, when the user confirms that the test print result is an appropriate result and the user inputs an instruction to continue the print process as it is (after canceling the test print), as described above, the print set by the user The control device 110 controls to execute the printing process for the number of copies corresponding to the value obtained by subtracting one copy from the number of copies.

  However, in the above-described manual mode, the user can arbitrarily specify the number of prints at the time of trial printing, and the trial printing is executed accordingly. Therefore, the trial printing process outputs one copy of the print job. (For example, only 5 out of 100 sheets are test printed). Similarly, when the automatic mode is selected, when this mode is selected, trial printing is performed only for the number of output sheets corresponding to the print processing mode set by the user (the staple mode is selected). If so, test printing is performed for the number of sheets for the staple mode).

  Therefore, when the manual mode is selected and when the automatic mode is selected, the control device 110 is instructed to continue the printing process without changing the setting after the trial printing process, for example. However, control is performed so that the number of print copies to be executed after the trial print is executed for the number of print copies initially set by the user without depending on the number of prints output at the time of the trial print.

  As a result, for example, when processing a print job with 10 print copies set by the user, the control device 110 performs the following control.

  (1) Select “number of trial prints: all pages” → test print the print job for one copy at the time of trial printing. → “Setting changed by user” → After releasing trial printing, 10 copies are printed with new print settings (print settings after the setting is changed by the user).

  (2) Select “number of test prints: all pages” → test print one copy of the print job at the time of test print. → “No setting change by user” → After canceling trial printing, 9 copies are printed with the original print settings (the same printing conditions as the trial printing).

  In the present embodiment, the number of copies set in the initial setting for the print job is N (N = 10 in the above example), and the number of copies at the time of trial printing is a predetermined number P (in the above example, P = = 1). The value of the number of copies N is a print condition of the print job set by the user in the initial setting before the trial print mode is executed (10 copies in the above example). However, the number N of copies is determined to be at least two or more (that is, only a print job with a plurality of print copies is applicable. One print job is not applicable). The value of the number of copies P may be one as described above depending on the user mode or the like, and an arbitrary number of copies can be set. Then, the control device 110 performs a calculation process of the number of copies N (where N is 2 or more) −the number of copies P = the number of copies A as the number of copies after the trial printing in the control example (2), and the answer to the above calculation result. The actual printing is performed by the number of copies A. Therefore, in the above example, values are substituted based on the calculation formula of the number of copies N−the number of copies P = the number of copies A, respectively, and 10−1 = 9, and the actual printing is performed for 9 copies.

  (3) Select “number of trial prints: manual” → At the time of trial printing, the print job is trial printed by the number of sheets set by the user. → “Setting changed by user” → After canceling trial printing, print 10 copies with new print settings.

  (4) Select “number of trial prints: manual” → At the time of trial printing, the print job is trial printed by the number of sheets set by the user. → “No setting change by user” → After releasing trial printing, 10 copies are printed with the original print settings.

  As can be seen from this control example (4), when trial printing is performed in the manual mode, even if the user does not change the print condition setting after trial printing, the control example (2) , The actual printing is executed in the N part (10 copies in the above example) without executing the actual printing in the NP part (10 copies in the above example).

  (5) Select “number of trial prints: automatic” → At the time of trial printing, a print job is trial printed by the number corresponding to the processing mode set for the print job. → “Setting changed by user” → After canceling trial printing, print 10 copies with new print settings.

  (6) Select “number of trial prints: automatic” → At the time of trial printing, a print job is trial printed by the number corresponding to the processing mode set for the print job. → “No setting change by user” → After releasing trial printing, 10 copies are printed with the original print settings.

  As can be seen from this control example (6), when the trial printing is performed in the automatic mode, even if the user does not change the print condition setting after the trial printing, the control example (2) , The actual printing is executed in the N part (10 copies in the above example) without executing the actual printing in the NP part (10 copies in the above example).

  As can be seen by comparing the above (2), (4), and (6), the control device 110 of this embodiment has been instructed to continue printing without changing the setting by the user after the trial printing. Even in this case, the number of copies to be executed after the trial printing process is appropriately adjusted depending on whether the mode at the trial printing is the all-page mode, the manual mode, or the automatic mode.

  By varying the control for each mode in this way, the user-friendliness in trial printing is improved (productivity and wasteful output prevention), and the user does not output the required number of required copies because of improved usability. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a problem from occurring in the printing result, to guarantee an appropriate printing result, and to achieve both improved usability and printing guarantee in the trial printing.

  As a modification, when a predetermined processing mode such as a stapling mode, a reduced layout mode, or a duplex mode is set by the user for a print job to be a test print target, the above three modes (all page mode) are set. (Manual mode / automatic mode) is automatically set, or setting of one mode is prohibited and only the setting of another mode can be selected by the control device 110. Also good.

  For example, when the stapling mode, the duplex mode, and the reduced layout mode are set for a print job to be a test print target, the operation screen of FIG. The upper “manual” key is shaded, and only “automatic” and “all pages” can be selected, and the “manual” mode is controlled so that it cannot be selected by the user.

  Also, for example, when the stapling mode, duplex mode, and reduced layout mode are set for a print job to be a test print target, the mode is automatically selected even if the user does not select the mode on the operation screen of FIG. Therefore, control is performed to set the automatic mode.

  An operation unit 150 is connected to the control device 110. The operation unit 150 includes a liquid crystal display device (LCD) with a touch panel, and provides a user I / F for operating the image input / output system 100. Details of the operation unit 150 will be described later.

  Next, the configuration of the reader device 200 and the printer device 300 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the configuration of the reader device and the printer device in the image input / output system of FIG.

  The document feeder unit (DF unit) 250 of the reader device 200 feeds the documents one by one onto the platen glass 211 in order from the top, and discharges the document on the platen glass 211 after the scanner unit 210 finishes reading the document. It is discharged to the tray 219. The document feeding unit 250 is provided with a sensor 230 for detecting the presence or absence of a document. In the scanner unit 210, when the document is conveyed onto the platen glass 211, the lamp 212 is turned on, and the movement of the optical unit 213 is started to expose and scan the document. The reflected light from the original at this time is guided to a CCD image sensor (hereinafter referred to as CCD) 218 via mirrors 214, 215, 216 and a lens 217. The image of the original scanned in this way is read by the CCD 218. Image data output from the CCD 218 is transferred to the control device 110 after being subjected to predetermined processing.

  The printer apparatus 300 includes a laser driver 321 that drives a laser light emission unit 322, and the laser driver 321 emits laser light corresponding to the image data output from the control device 110 from the laser light emission unit 322. The laser beam is irradiated on the photosensitive drum 323, and a latent image corresponding to the laser beam is formed on the photosensitive drum 323. The latent image on the photosensitive drum 323 is visualized as a developer image by the developer supplied from the developing device 324.

  In addition, at the timing synchronized with the start of the laser beam irradiation, a sheet is fed from any of the cassette 311, the cassette 312, the cassette 313, the cassette 314, and the manual sheet feeding stage 315, and this sheet passes through the conveyance path 331. It is conveyed toward the transfer unit 325. The developer image on the photosensitive drum 323 is transferred onto the conveyed sheet by the transfer unit 325. The sheet on which the developer image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 327 by the conveyance belt 326.

  In the fixing unit 327, the developer image on the sheet is heat-pressed and fixed on the sheet. The sheet that has passed through the fixing unit 327 is discharged through the conveyance path 335 and the conveyance path 334. When the printing surface is reversed and discharged, the sheet that has passed through the fixing unit 327 is once guided to the transport path 336 and the transport path 338 and then transported in the reverse direction to the transport path 337 and the transport path. It is discharged via a path 334. If double-sided recording is set, the sheet is guided from the conveyance path 336 to the conveyance path 333 by the flapper 329 after passing through the fixing unit 327. Thereafter, the sheet is conveyed in the reverse direction, and is guided by the flapper 329 to the conveyance path 338 and the refeed conveyance path 332. The sheet guided to the refeed conveyance path 332 is fed to the transfer unit 325 through the conveyance path 331 at the timing described above.

  The sheet discharged through the conveyance path 334 is conveyed into the finisher unit 500. The sheet conveyed into the finisher unit 500 is first sent to the buffer unit 501. Here, according to circumstances, the conveyed sheet is wound around a buffer roller for buffering. For example, when processing such as stapling that takes place downstream takes time, by using this buffer unit, the conveyance speed of the sheet conveyed from the main body can be kept constant, and throughput can be improved. Is possible.

  The sheet from the buffer unit 501 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 507a by the upstream discharge roller pair 502 and the downstream discharge roller pair 503. In the staple mode, the sheet is conveyed by the upstream discharge roller pair 502, and immediately after the trailing edge of the sheet passes through this, the sheet is pulled back by the knurled belt 504 and discharged to the staple tray 505.

  When a predetermined number of sheets are stacked on the staple tray 505, the staple unit 506 performs a stapling process on the sheet bundle, and then the stapled sheet bundle is discharged to the discharge tray by the downstream discharge roller pair 503. It is discharged to 507a.

  In the present embodiment, two discharge trays 507a and 507b are provided, and these can be moved up and down by a drive unit (not shown) in conjunction with each other. Further, in this drawing, the discharge tray 507a is at a position where the sheet is discharged, but it is also possible to move it upward and discharge it to the discharge tray 507b.

  Next, the operation unit 150 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an operation unit of the image input / output system of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the operation unit 150 includes an LCD 600 with a touch panel for performing main mode setting and status display, and a plurality of keys. As a plurality of keys, a numeric keypad 601 for inputting a numerical value from 0 to 9, an ID key 602 used for inputting a department number and a password when the apparatus is managed by department, and a set mode are shown. A reset key 603 for resetting, a guide key 604 for displaying an explanation screen for each mode, a user mode key 605 for entering a user mode screen, and an interrupt key 606 for performing interrupt copying are provided.

  In addition, a start key 607 for starting the copy operation and a stop key 608 for stopping the copy job being executed are provided. Also, a soft power switch 609 is provided, and when the soft power switch 609 is pressed, the backlight of the LCD 600 is turned off, and the apparatus shifts to a low power state. Further, a power saving key 610 is provided. By pressing the power saving key 610, the power saving state is entered, and when the power saving key 610 is pressed again, the power saving state is restored. In addition, function keys 611, 612, and 613 are provided for shifting to the extended function, copy, and box. This figure (FIG. 3) shows a state in which the standard screen for copying is displayed. When the other function keys 611 and 612 are pressed, the standard screen for each function is displayed.

  Further, an adjustment key 614 and a counter confirmation key 615 for adjusting the contrast of the LCD 600 are provided. By pressing the counter confirmation key 615, a count screen for displaying the total number of copies used so far is displayed on the LCD 600. Further, during the execution of the job, the LED 616 indicating that the image is being stored in the image storage unit 160, the error LED 617 indicating that the device such as a jam or the door is in an error state, and that the main switch of the device is ON. A power LED 618 is provided.

  Next, the trial copy operation in this embodiment will be described.

  First, control of the operation unit 150 and the LCD 600 with a touch panel provided therein will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating control tasks of the operation unit 150 and the LCD 600 with a touch panel in FIG.

  Control for the operation unit 150 and the LCD 600 is started from the time of power-on, and is always in a running state. This control is executed by the control device 110.

  Referring to FIG. 4, first, in step S41, it is determined whether or not the apparatus state is an idle state. The idle state refers to a state where there is no job being executed such as a copy job. If it is determined that the device state is the idle state, control in the idle state is performed in step S42, and the process proceeds to step S43. On the other hand, when it is determined that the apparatus state is not the idle state, the process skips step S42 and proceeds to step S43.

  In step S43, it is determined whether or not it is operating. Here, when the copy operation is being executed, it is determined that the operation is being performed, and in step S44, control according to the operation content is performed. Then, the process proceeds to step S45. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not in operation, the process skips step S44 and proceeds to step S45.

  In step S45, it is determined whether or not the apparatus state is in the intermediate state of the trial copy. The intermediate state of the trial copy is a state where the job is temporarily suspended after a part of the trial output is completed, and an operation by the user (for example, an operation input from the LCD 600) is permitted during the suspended state. Details of this will be described later. If it is determined that the apparatus state is in the intermediate state of the trial copy, control in the intermediate state of the trial copy is performed in step S46. Then, the process returns to step S41. On the other hand, if it is determined that the apparatus state is not in the intermediate state of the trial copy, the process returns to step S41.

  Although not shown, in addition to the above processing, in the exceptional processing state such as when there is no paper interruption or during jam processing, corresponding individual processing is performed, but description thereof will be omitted.

  Next, the idle control in step S42 will be described with reference to FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of idle control in step S42 in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen in the idle state displayed on the LCD 600 of the operation unit 150 in FIG. 3, and FIG. 7 is step S60 in FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a reverse display state of the trial copy key 500 when the trial copy mode is turned on in step S61 of FIG. 5, and FIG. 12 is an application mode key on the screen of FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an application mode setting screen displayed by pressing 503. FIG. Here, a part related to the trial copy in the control of the operation unit 150 in the idle state will be described.

  In the idle state, the LCD 600 of the operation unit 150 displays a screen shown in FIG. In this idle state, a copy mode such as set number, paper selection, and sorting can be set by a user operation. In the screen of FIG. 6, a trial copy key 500 for setting trial copy is displayed. The trial copy key 500 is not normally displayed but is displayed according to the mode setting state. This will be described later.

  In the idle control, as shown in FIG. 5, first, in step S51, it is determined whether or not a numerical value is input by operating a numeric keypad of the key group 205. If it is determined that a numerical value has been input, the input numerical value is set in step S52. This number is retained unless cleared or reset by the user. Then, the process proceeds to step S53. On the other hand, when it is determined that no numerical value is input, the process skips step S52 and proceeds to step S53.

  In step S53, it is determined whether or not another mode other than a numeric value has been input. If it is determined that another mode has been input, the input mode is set in step S54, and the process proceeds to step S55. As other modes, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, there are paper selection, sorter, double-sided, etc. When the application mode key 503 is pressed on the screen shown in FIG. 6, a mode setting screen as shown in FIG. On this screen, it is possible to set functions generally used in the digital copying machine, such as cover / interleaf, bookbinding, mixed originals, movement, and frame erasing. Since these modes are known, detailed description thereof will be omitted. On the other hand, if it is determined that no other mode is input, the process skips step S54 and proceeds to step S55.

  In step S55, it is determined whether or not the number is greater than 1. If the number is greater than 1, it is determined in step S56 whether or not a sort mode is set. If it is determined that the sort mode is set, the trial copy key 500 is displayed in step S57 as shown in the screen of FIG. This is a measure that does not display a non-sort type or a copy of a numeric value 1 because it is meaningless to perform a trial copy. In step S58, it is determined whether or not the trial copy key 500 is turned on.

  If it is determined in step S58 that the trial copy key 500 has been turned on, trial print number setting is performed in step S60. Specifically, when the trial copy key 500 is turned on, the screen in FIG. 6 transitions to the screen in FIG. 9, and on this screen, the number of trial prints is set automatically or manually, Specify whether to target all pages. When manual setting is selected, the number of sheets is set using the numeric keypad, and the set number of sheets is displayed in the set number of sheets column 501. This screen is closed when the OK key 502 is pressed, and the screen changes to the screen of FIG. At the same time, in step S61, the trial copy mode is turned on. At this time, the trial copy key 500 is inverted to black as shown in FIG. Then, the process proceeds to step S62.

  If it is determined in step S58 that the trial copy key 500 is not desired to be turned on, if it is determined in step S55 that the numeric value is 1, or if it is determined in step S56 that it is not in the sort mode. In step S59, the trial copy mode is turned off. Then, the process proceeds to step S62.

  In step S62, it is determined whether or not the start key 607 has been pressed. If the start key 607 has not been pressed, the process returns to step S51, and the process in the idle state is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the start key 607 has been pressed, the copy sequence is activated in step S63. At this time, data such as the set number, the trial copy mode setting, and other mode settings are transferred from the operation unit control task to the copy sequence task.

  Next, in step S64, the process waits for the copy sequence to be in operation, and ends the idle control.

  Next, the copy sequence will be described with reference to FIGS. 8, 10, 11, and 13 to 24. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the copy sequence in step S63 of FIG. 5, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen during the trial copy operation displayed on the LCD 600 of the operation unit in FIG. 3, and FIG. 11 is a trial of step S84 in FIG. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the automatic page calculation process in step S115 of FIG. 11, and FIG. 14 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example in which slip sheets are inserted between output pages in the slip sheet mode. 15A is a diagram showing an example of a document read in the duplex mode, FIG. 15B is a diagram showing an example of a trial copy in the left-right open duplex mode, and FIG. 15C is a diagram in the up-down duplex mode. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a trial copy, FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which the number of pages set for automatic page calculation of a trial copy can be preset, and FIG. FIG. 18 schematically shows the basis for setting the trial print number in the reduced layout mode in automatic page calculation, and FIG. 19A schematically shows the basis for setting the trial print number in the print mode. FIG. 19B is a diagram showing an example of output, FIG. 19B is a diagram showing an example of the result of trial copy in the duplex mode in which the cover mode is set, and FIG. 19C is in the staple mode in which the cover mode is set. FIG. 19D shows an example of the result of trial copy when the cover mode is set, and FIGS. 20 and 21 show the intermediate state of the trial copy in step S46 of FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the control, FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a screen example displayed during the trial copy intermediate state control in step S46 of FIG. 4, and FIG. 23 is a setting change request issued in step S202 of FIG. It shows a resetting screen examples displayed when it is judged to have been, FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a window displayed when it is determined that there is a setting change in step S203 of FIG. 20.

  When the copy sequence is activated, as shown in FIG. 8, it is first determined in step S81 whether or not the copy mode is set. If it is determined that the copy mode is set, the number is set to 1 in step S82. The number set here is a temporary number used for internal processing that is different from the number set by the user. During the trial copy mode, it is necessary to enter the intermediate state once after partial printing. Is set.

  In step S83, the operation unit control task is notified that the trial copy operation has been started. Upon receiving this notification, the operation unit control task enters the operation of step S44 (FIG. 4), and performs display switching to the screen as shown in FIG. 10 by the control therein. On this screen, a message indicating that trial printing is in progress is displayed. In step S84, the trial copy operation is started. Here, one copy is printed while the original is read and the image data is stored in the image memory 120.

  In the trial copy operation, processing is performed based on the number of trial prints set in step S60. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, first, in step S111, it is determined whether or not all-page printing has been selected. If it is determined that all-page printing has been selected, reading is performed in step S112. Set to print all pages. Then, the process proceeds to Step 116. On the other hand, if it is determined that printing of all pages has not been selected, it is determined in step S113 whether manual setting has been performed. If it is determined that manual setting has been performed, in step S114, setting is performed so that printing is performed for the number of pages set manually. Then, the process proceeds to step S116.

  If it is determined in step S113 that manual setting has not been performed, automatic page calculation processing is performed in step S115.

  Specifically, in the automatic page calculation process, as shown in FIG. 13, first, in step S131, it is determined whether or not document mixed loading is set, and if it is determined that document mixed loading is set, Since it is necessary to print and confirm all the pages as the finished print result, in step S133, the setting is made to print all the pages, and this process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the original mixed loading is not set, it is determined in step S132 whether the slip sheet mode is set. As shown in FIG. 14, the slip sheet mode is a mode in which slip sheets are inserted between arbitrary pages among the output pages A to G, for example. Here, when it is determined that the slip sheet mode is set, it is necessary to print and check all pages as the finish of the print result as in the case of mixed document loading. Set to print the page.

  If it is determined in step S132 that the slip sheet mode is not set, it is determined in step S134 whether the duplex printing mode is set. If it is determined that the duplex printing mode is set, the number of duplex printing is set in step S135, and the process proceeds to step S136. Here, consider a case where a document composed of A to L as shown in FIG. As the duplex mode, a double-sided open mode as shown in FIG. 15B, that is, a mode in which a desired double-sided printing result can be obtained when the left end is closed, and a double-sided open mode as shown in FIG. That is, there is a mode in which a desired double-sided printing result can be obtained when the upper end is closed. In any mode, if two sheets can be printed, the overall finished result can be sufficiently predicted, so the number of prints in the duplex mode is determined to be two sheets.

  In the present embodiment, the set number of sheets for the duplex mode can be preset and changed. In this case, such a preset mode is set in a user mode setting screen that is changed by pressing a user mode key 605 provided on the operation unit 105 of FIG. For example, a screen on which the set number of pages in the automatic page calculation of the trial copy as shown in FIG. 16 can be set in advance is displayed. On this screen, it is possible to variably set the number of prints in double-sided, stapling, and reduced layout modes. In this screen, pressing each key reverses it, and the value entered with the numeric keypad is displayed there. It is set as the number of prints in this mode. Further, “other” on the screen of FIG. 16 is set as a default value when a special mode is not set.

  If it is determined in step S134 that the duplex printing mode is not set, the process skips step S135 and proceeds to step S136.

  In step S136, it is determined whether the staple mode is set. If it is determined that the staple mode is set, the number of sheets for the staple mode is set in step S137. In the staple mode, as shown in FIG. 17, it is sufficient to print on two sheets and staple them, so it is enough to check the finish such as the stapling position. To do.

  Next, in step S138, it is determined whether or not the number of pages newly set this time (number of prints set in step S137) is larger than the number of pages already set (number of prints set in step S135). To do. Here, for example, assuming that the duplex mode and the staple mode are set to overlap, the number of sheets set for the duplex mode in step S135 and the number of sheets set for the staple mode in step S137 are as follows. Compare If it is determined that the number of pages newly set this time (number of prints) is larger than the number of pages already set (number of prints), the number of test prints is set in step S137 in step S139. Update to value. Then, the process proceeds to step S140. If it is determined that the newly set page number (number of printed sheets) is equal to or less than the already set number of pages (number of printed sheets), the process skips step S139 and proceeds to step S140. That is, the trial print number is not updated to the value set in step S137, but is held at the set value in step S135.

  In step S140, it is determined whether the reduced layout mode is set. If it is determined that the reduced layout mode is not set, the number of reduced layouts is set in step S141. As shown in FIG. 18, the reduced layout is a mode in which a plurality of documents are laid out on one sheet surface and output. In this case, since the layout can be grasped from one output, the number of printed sheets is set to 1. In step S142, is the number of pages newly set this time (number of prints set in step S141) larger than the number of pages already set (number of prints set in step S135 or step S137)? Determine whether or not. Here, for example, it is assumed that any one of the duplex mode, the staple mode, and the reduced layout mode is set overlappingly, and the number of sheets set in step S135 or step S137 and the reduced layout mode in step S141 are compared. Compare with the set number. If it is determined that the number of pages newly set this time (number of prints) is larger than the number of pages already set (number of prints), the test print number is set in step S141 in step S143. Update to value. Then, the process proceeds to step S144. If it is determined that the newly set page number (number of printed sheets) is equal to or smaller than the already set number of pages (number of printed sheets), the process skips step S143 and proceeds to step S144. That is, the trial print number is not updated to the value set in step S141, but is held at the set value in step S135 or step S137.

  In step S144, it is determined whether or not the cover mode is set. If it is determined that the cover mode is not set, the process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the cover mode is set, cover page addition processing is performed in step S145. As shown in FIG. 19A, the cover mode is a mode in which a cover A and a back cover L are added to the top and the back of the printed sheets B to G, respectively. With respect to this cover mode, since it is impossible to check the finished condition unless the front cover and the back cover are added, the pages of the front cover and the back cover are added. For example, when a front cover and a back cover are added to the duplex mode, the front cover and the back cover are added to the designated number of sheets in the duplex mode, and the result shown in FIG. 19B is obtained as a result of the trial copy. The number of printed sheets is determined so that Further, in the staple mode, the result of the trial copy shown in FIG. 19C can be obtained, and when the mode is not particularly set, the result of the trial copy shown in FIG. 19D is obtained. The number of printed sheets is determined so that

  When the number of copies for trial copying is determined by this automatic page calculation process, one copy is printed for the set number of copies in step S116 (FIG. 11). Then, this process ends.

  When the trial copy operation (step S84 in FIG. 8) is completed by the above-described series of processing, in step S85, the operation unit control task is notified that the trial copy intermediate state is entered, and in step S86, the trial copy intermediate state is entered. Migrate to This information is sent to the operation unit control task, and as a result, the trial copy intermediate state control in step S46 (FIG. 4) of the operation unit control task is executed.

  During this intermediate state control, the screen shown in FIG. 22 is displayed, and this screen includes a setting change key 691, a cancel key 692, and a print start key 693.

  In the intermediate state control, as shown in FIG. 20, it is determined in step S201 whether or not the cancel key 692 has been pressed. If it is determined that the cancel key 692 has been pressed, a cancel request is issued to the copy sequence task in step S217 of FIG. 21, and the process waits for the copy sequence to transition to the idle state in step S218. When the copy sequence shifts to the idle state, this process ends.

  If it is determined in step S201 that the cancel key 692 has not been pressed, it is determined in step S202 whether the setting change key 691 has been pressed and a setting change request has been issued. If it is determined that a setting change request has been issued, the display on the operation unit 150 is switched to a resetting screen as shown in FIG. In this resetting screen, a paper selection key 701, a sort setting key 702, a binding margin setting key 703, a density setting key 704, and a double-sided copy setting 705 key are displayed together with a numerical value input field. Change is allowed.

  In step S212, it is determined whether or not the numerical value is changed by pressing a numeric key of the key group 601 provided in the operation unit 150. When it is determined that the number has been changed, in step S213, the set number is reset to the changed number. Then, the process proceeds to step 214. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number has not been changed, the process skips step S213 and proceeds to step S214.

  In step S214, it is determined whether any of the modes permitted to be changed on the reset screen has been changed. If it is determined that the mode has been changed, the mode is reset to the changed mode in step S215, and the process proceeds to step S216. On the other hand, when it is determined that the mode has not been changed, step S215 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S216. In step S216, it is determined whether or not the close key 706 has been pressed on the resetting screen in FIG. 23. If the close key 706 has been pressed, it is determined that the setting change by the user has ended, and the process proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, if the close key 706 has not been pressed, the process returns to step S212 again.

  In step S203, it is determined whether or not any setting change has been made in steps S212 to S215. If it is determined that there is a setting change, a trial copy key 801 is displayed on the screen of FIG. 22 as shown in FIG. By pressing this key, the user can perform trial copy again based on the mode whose setting has been changed. Therefore, in step S204, it is determined whether or not the trial copy key 801 has been pressed. If it is determined that the trial copy key 801 has not been pressed, it is determined in step S205 whether the print start key 693 has been pressed. By pressing the print start key 693, the user can end the copy job after performing the copy printing for the set number of changed settings based on the mode set so far or the reset mode. . If it is determined that the print start key 693 has not been pressed, the process returns to step S201. On the other hand, if it is determined that the print start key 693 has been pressed, it is determined in step S206 whether the setting has been changed in this intermediate state.

  If it is determined in step S206 that the setting has not been changed, it is determined in step S207 whether the output obtained by the trial copy is for all pages. If it is determined that all pages have been output in the trial copy, in step S208, the trial portion is regarded as a part of the valid copy, and 1 is subtracted from the set number so far as a new set number. Reset it. Then, the process proceeds to Step 209. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S206 that the setting has been changed, or if it is determined in step S207 that all pages have not been output in the trial copy, the set number is changed. If not (skip step S208), the process proceeds to step S209.

  In step S209, the trial copy mode is canceled, and in step S210, a restart request is issued to the copy sequence task. In step S211, the process waits for the copy sequence to be in operation. When the copy sequence is in operation, the process is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S204 that the trial copy key 801 has not been pressed, a restart is requested for the copy sequence in step S210. Here, the changed mode and the other mode data set first are transferred from the operation unit control task to the copy sequence task.

  Here, returning to FIG. 8 again, the operation of the copy sequence task from the intermediate state will be described. After the transition to the intermediate state, it is determined in step S87 whether or not a restart request is received from the operation unit control task. If it is determined that a restart request has not been received, it is determined in step S89 whether or not a cancel request has been received. If there is no cancel request, the process returns to step S87. On the other hand, if it is determined that an intermediate request has been made, the copy sequence in the intermediate state is canceled in step S90, and the copy operation is completed in the operation unit control task and the idle state is returned in step S93. And terminates the process.

  If it is determined in step S87 that a restart request has been received, it is determined in step S88 whether the trial copy mode is set. If it is determined that the trial copy mode is set, the process returns to step S82. On the other hand, if it is determined that the trial copy mode has not been set, in step S91, the operation control task is notified that the copy print operation has started, and in step S92, the test copy mode is reset upon restart. The copy print operation is started based on the selected mode and the number data. In step S93, the operation unit control task is notified that the copy operation has been completed and has returned to the idle state, and the process is terminated.

  Note that at the time of another trial copy printing from the intermediate state, and at the time of copy printing after releasing the trial copy, the original image data stored in the image storage unit 160 is read without reading the original, and the read image is read. Printing is performed by processing the data in the set mode.

  With the above control, the trial copy operates as follows.

  First, when the trial copy is set, after one part of the copy print is performed, the state shifts to a resettable intermediate state. The number of print pages at this time may be a part of pages or all pages according to the mode according to the method described above. As a result, the user can obtain the result of the trial copy in a shorter time and without waste than when all the pages are printed uniformly.

  When the trial copy is performed again in the intermediate state, unlike the above case, the number of prints by the print start key 693, that is, the copy print after the trial copy mode is canceled, is processed as follows.

  First, if the mode is changed in the intermediate state, the set number is printed as it is using the previously set number. This is because the print amount after the mode change is the print result that the user wants to obtain, and the test copy output before that time will not be considered.

  If the mode is not changed in the intermediate state, it can be assumed that the user is based on the willingness to continue printing with the trial copy output earlier as good. In this case, it is considered that the trial copy printed earlier is also valid and the number of copies is reduced by one copy and the remaining copies are printed to provide printing for the number of copies that the user has obtained. (In the above example, all page mode corresponds to this, and among the control examples (1) to (6) described above, this corresponds to the control example of item (2)). To do).

  However, if the trial copy is a mode that prints only a part of the pages (in the above example, manual mode, automatic mode, etc., non-full page mode other than full page mode corresponds to this) Since it is expected that this part is not regarded as a regular print, subtraction of the number as described above is not performed (in this case, for example, among the control examples (1) to (6) described above) The control example of item (4) and the control example of item (6) correspond to this).

  In addition, while the trial printing in the trial copy mode is being performed, the printing is always one copy, but the initially set number is not changed. That is, when the user makes a trial copy, it is possible to provide a print corresponding to the number desired by the user without being aware that the number is always changed at the time of mode change, which is extremely effective.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26 are flowcharts showing a procedure of idle control in the image input / output system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing a procedure of continuous reading in FIG. 26, and FIG. 28 is a flowchart of FIG. FIG. 29 is a view showing an example of a screen displayed on the operation unit 150 when the intermediate reading state is shifted to the intermediate state in step S265. FIG. 29 is a document type setting displayed when the document type key is pressed on the screen of FIG. FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing an automatic page calculation procedure, and FIG. 31A shows an example of a read original whose image quality has been changed to explain the details of step S282 in FIG. FIG. 31B is a diagram showing an example of a trial copy when the image quality is changed as shown in FIG. 31A, and FIG. 32 is a continuous reading sequence in step S254 of FIG. Cans is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the operation unit 150 upon activation.

  In the present embodiment, a case where the trial copy is applied to the continuous reading mode will be described. The continuous reading mode is a mode in which a plurality of originals are continuously read and printing is started after all the readings are completed. This mode is set by pressing a continuous reading mode key 901 displayed on the application mode setting screen of FIG.

  First, idle control in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26. FIG. Here, in the idle control in the present embodiment, the processing from step S241 to step S252 is the same as the processing from step S51 to step S62 in the idle control (shown in FIG. 5) of the first embodiment. The processing after step S253 is different. Therefore, here, the description of the part of the same processing flow is omitted, and the different part is described.

  In the idle control of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 25, if it is determined in step S252 that the start key 607 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S253 in FIG. 26 to determine whether or not the continuous reading mode is set. judge. If it is determined that the continuous reading mode is set, a continuous reading sequence is started in step S254.

  In the continuous reading sequence, as shown in FIG. 27, first, in step S261, the operating unit control task is notified that the reading operation is in progress. As a result, a message indicating that reading is in progress is displayed on the LCD 600 of the operation unit 150, as shown in FIG. In the subsequent step S262, an operation for reading one original image is performed. Here, in the case of a thick original, the scanner scans. In the case of a feeder original, the feeder is driven to read an image, and then the original is exchanged. In step S263, it is determined whether reading of all stacked originals has been completed. In the case of a thick original, the reading is always performed once. Therefore, when the reading of one original is completed, the process proceeds to step 264. In the case of a feeder document, the reading operation is continued until the reading of all the bundles of documents stacked on the feeder is completed. When the reading is completed, the process proceeds to step S264.

  In step S264, the operation unit control task is notified of the transition to the intermediate state for continuous reading, and in step S265, the state is shifted to the intermediate state for continuous reading. At this time, a screen as shown in FIG. 28 is displayed on the operation unit 150.

  Next, in step S266, it is determined whether or not the cancel key 1003 has been pressed on the screen shown in FIG. If it is determined that the cancel key 1003 has been pressed, stop information is set in step S274, and each task shifts to an end operation after this subroutine ends.

  If it is determined in step S266 that the cancel key 1003 has not been pressed, it is determined in step S267 whether or not the double-sided document key 1001 has been pressed. That is, it is determined whether the original reading setting has been switched to double-sided reading or single-sided reading. If it is determined that the double-sided document key 1001 has been pressed, the double-sided document reading mode is reset in step S268, and the process proceeds to step S269. On the other hand, if it is determined that the double-sided document key 1001 has not been pressed, the process skips step S268 and proceeds to step S269.

  In step S269, it is determined whether or not the document image quality has been changed according to whether or not the document type key 1000 and the density key 1005 are pressed on the screen of FIG. Here, the change in document image quality means a change in document type and density. When the manuscript type key 1000 is pressed on the screen of FIG. 28, a manuscript type setting pop-up 1004 as shown in FIG. 29 is displayed. Using the manuscript type setting pop-up 1004, characters, text photographs, printed photographs, and photographic paper photographs are displayed. The original type is set. A desired image quality can be obtained by operating the document type key 1000 and the density key 1005.

  If it is determined in step S269 that the document image quality has been changed, the document image quality is reset in step S270, and in step S271, marking information whose image quality setting has been changed is set from the document page. Hold this. Then, the process proceeds to step S272. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S269 that the document image quality has not been changed, the process skips steps S270 and S271 and proceeds to step S272.

  In step S272, it is determined whether or not the reading end key 1002 has been pressed. If the reading end key 1002 has been pressed, this process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the reading end key 1002 is not pressed, it is determined in step S273 whether the start key 607 of the operation unit 150 is pressed. If it is determined that the start key 607 has not been pressed, the process returns to step S266. If it is determined that the start key 607 has been pressed, the process returns to step S261, and the reading operation is started again.

  Here, steps S266 to S274 are processes mainly performed by the operation unit control task in the intermediate state of continuous reading.

  When the continuous reading of step 254 is completed in this way, the copy sequence is started in step S255. The contents of the sequence activated here are the same as the processing starting from step S81 in FIG. 8, and therefore detailed description thereof is omitted. Here, only the characteristic features of the present embodiment with respect to the automatic page calculation method (shown in FIG. 13) in the first embodiment will be described.

  In the automatic page calculation, as shown in FIG. 30, first, in step S281, it is determined whether or not the continuous reading mode is set. If it is not continuous reading, this processing is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the continuous reading mode is set, in step S282, a changed page of the original image quality setting marked by the above-described method is calculated and set to perform printing of this portion. . Then, this process ends.

  The details of the process in step S282 will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 31A, the read original is A to L, and different shaded portions are set with different image quality settings. To do. Here, it is assumed that the originals A, B, and C are read with a certain image quality setting, but different image quality settings are made for the next originals D and E. In this case, since it is presumed that the user wants to confirm the portion where the image quality setting has been changed, as shown in FIG. 31B, the first document D whose image quality has been changed next to the first document A is trial copied. Set to Similarly, the originals F and K are also subject to trial copying.

  According to the above, the user can quickly confirm the setting contents by partial test copy by printing only the portion where the image quality has been changed.

  In the present embodiment, the area for the trial copy is determined only when the image quality setting is changed in the intermediate state of continuous reading. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, other modes such as double-sided scanning are used. Even in the case of a change, it can be considered as a condition for performing a trial copy. In addition, even if the setting is not changed, it is possible to always set the page starting from the intermediate state of the continuous reading as the target of the trial copy, but the control of these can be easily inferred from the present embodiment. Since there is, explanation is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the part related to the continuous reading mode has been described in order to facilitate understanding, but it goes without saying that this may be combined with the first embodiment.

  In each of the above embodiments, examples in which the present invention is applied to copying have been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a digital copier has recently been devised that has a box function. This is provided so that image data transferred from a scanner or an external device is permanently stored in an image memory and can be printed at any time when it is to be printed. A test print can be applied to the printing of the data in this box.

  The test print can also be applied to the case where FAX data is received, temporarily stored in a memory, read out by a user operation, and printed.

  As described above, the present invention can be applied to all devices that can read out and print an image stored in a memory and can change a predetermined mode each time it is read out.

  It is to be noted that the object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (or recording medium) on which a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded to a system or apparatus, and to perform a computer ( Needless to say, this can also be achieved when the CPU or MPU) reads out and executes the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating system (OS) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code However, it is needless to say that some or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function is determined based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the case where the CPU or the like provided in the expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an image input / output system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating configurations of a reader device and a printer device in the image input / output system of FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation part of the image input / output system of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control task of the operation part 150 of FIG. 3, and LCD600 with a touch panel. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the idle control of step S42 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen in an idle state displayed on the LCD 600 of the operation unit 150 in FIG. 3. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen of the trial number setting of step S60 of FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a copy sequence in step S63 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the reverse display state of the trial copy key 500 at the time of trial copy mode ON of step S61 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen during a trial copy operation displayed on the LCD 600 of the operation unit in FIG. 3. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a trial copy operation in step S84 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of an application mode setting screen displayed by pressing down the application mode key 503 on the screen of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the automatic page calculation process of step S115 of FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the example which inserted the slip sheet between the output pages by a slip sheet mode. (A) is a diagram showing an example of a document read in the duplex mode, (b) is a diagram showing an example of a trial copy in the left-right open duplex mode, and (c) is a diagram showing an example of a trial copy in the up-down duplex mode. is there. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen which can preset the number of setting pages in automatic page calculation of a trial copy. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating the basis for setting the number of test prints in the staple mode in automatic page calculation. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a basis for setting the number of test prints in a reduced layout mode in automatic page calculation. (A) is a diagram showing an example of output in the cover mode, (b) is a diagram showing an example of a result of trial copy in the duplex mode in which the cover mode is set, and (c) is a staple in which the cover mode is set. FIG. 6D is a diagram illustrating an example of a result of trial copy in the mode, and FIG. 6D is a diagram illustrating an example of a result of trial copy when the cover mode is set. 6 is a flowchart showing trial copy intermediate state control in step S46 of FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing trial copy intermediate state control in step S46 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen displayed at the time of trial copy intermediate state control of step S46 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a reset screen displayed when it determines with the setting change request | requirement having been issued by step S202 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen displayed when it determines with there being a setting change by step S203 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the idle control in the image input / output system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the idle control in the image input / output system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the continuous reading of FIG. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the operation unit 150 when a transition to the intermediate state of continuous reading is made in step S265 of FIG. FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an example of a document type setting popup displayed when a document type key is pressed on the screen of FIG. 28. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of automatic page calculation. FIG. 30A is a diagram showing an example of a read original with the image quality changed for explaining the details of the processing in step S282 in FIG. 30, and FIG. 31B is a test copy when the image quality is changed in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the operation unit 150 when the continuous reading sequence in step S254 of FIG. 25 is activated.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Image input / output system 110 Control apparatus 150 Operation part 160 Image storage part 200 Reader apparatus 230 Sensor 250 Document feeder unit 300 Printer apparatus 310 Paper feed unit 330 Paper discharge unit 323 Photosensitive drum 325 Fixing part 401,402 Host computer 500 Finisher unit

Claims (10)

A control method for a printing system having a printing apparatus capable of performing trial printing of a print job,
A selection step of selecting a manual mode for allowing the user to arbitrarily specify the number of printed output at the time of test printing regardless of the number of document pages of the print job;
And a control step of executing test printing for the number of sheets designated by the user when the manual mode is selected in the selection step. In the selection step, any mode can be selected from a plurality of modes including the manual mode,
The control method according to claim 1, wherein the control step controls the number of print outputs at the time of trial printing for each mode selected in the selection step. In the selection step, any one of a plurality of modes including a test mode for printing one copy of the print job and a plurality of modes including the manual mode can be selected.
3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein when the all-page mode is selected, the control step causes all the original pages included in the print job to be test-printed for one copy. In the selecting step, any mode can be selected from a plurality of modes including an automatic mode for test printing for the number of output sheets corresponding to the printing conditions set in the print job, and the manual mode. ,
4. The control according to claim 1, wherein when the automatic mode is selected, the control step performs test printing for the number of output sheets corresponding to the print condition set in the print job. 5. Method.   When the stapling mode is set for the print job and the automatic mode is selected in the selection step, the control step performs test printing for the number of output sheets corresponding to the stapling mode. The control method according to claim 4.   When the duplex mode is set for the print job and the automatic mode is selected in the selection step, the control step performs test printing for the number of output sheets corresponding to the duplex mode. The control method according to claim 4. A control method for a printing system having a printing apparatus capable of performing trial printing of a print job,
A selection step of selecting an automatic mode for trial printing for the number of output sheets according to the printing conditions set in the print job;
And a control step of performing test printing for the number of output sheets corresponding to the print condition set in the print job when the automatic mode is selected in the selection step. A control method of a printing system having a printing apparatus capable of performing trial printing of a print job having N copies (N is 2 or more),
An all-page mode for trial printing of the P part (P is a predetermined value) with the printing conditions set for the printing job at the time of trial printing, and the printing job with the printing conditions and the P A selection step of selecting any mode from a plurality of modes including a non-all-page mode for test printing with less than the number of copies printed;
A change step for enabling setting change of the print condition of the print job after the trial printing;
When the setting is changed in the changing step, the print job can be printed with the print condition after the setting is changed, and when the setting is not changed in the changing step, the print job is printed with the printing condition. Control steps that enable,
In the control step, when the print condition of the print job that has been trial printed in the all-page mode is not changed in the change step, the print job that has been trial-printed in the all-page mode remains in the print condition A The number of copies (A = N−P) is printed. However, for a print job that has been trial printed in the non-page mode, the number of copies remains unchanged even if the print conditions are not changed in the change step. A control method characterized by causing partial printing.   A printing system for executing a control means for executing the control method according to claim 1.   A program for executing the control method according to claim 1.

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