JP2012155437A - Job management device, job management method, and program thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the used amount of a recording medium more.SOLUTION: A printer system 10 includes a printer 20 which prints on a base material S drawn out from a base material roll 50, and a personal computer 60 for printer which outputs a print job to the printer 20. In addition to primary printing in which the print job is executed to form an image of the print job on the base material S, the printer system carries out proof printing in which a proof image of the print job allowing a user to confirm an image formation result is formed on the base material S. An HDD 65 is stored with a job management program 70 which manages the print job corresponding to the type and size of the base material S loaded in the printer 20 when the proof printing and primary printing are carried out. A CPU 62 executes the job management program 70 to output a job capable of forming an image on the base material S loaded in the printer 20 to the printer 20 with the priority thereof raised.

Description

  The present invention relates to a job management apparatus, a job management method, and a program thereof.

  Conventionally, in this type of device, when a plurality of print jobs are spooled, a print job in which the type of the designated print medium matches the type of the print medium loaded in the printing apparatus is printed first. As described above, there has been proposed one in which the execution order of spooled print jobs is rearranged and printing is executed based on the rearrangement (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this apparatus, the operation rate can be improved by reducing the number of times of replacement of the print medium in the commercial printing apparatus.

JP 2010-128848 A

  By the way, in commercial printing as described above, the amount of printing executed in one print job is often large, and proof printing (trial printing) for checking the color and the like before executing main printing is performed. There is. Even in such a case, as in the apparatus of Patent Document 1, a print job in which the type of the designated print medium matches the type of the print medium loaded in the printing apparatus is printed first. Although it is possible to improve the rate, it has been desired to further suppress the wasteful consumption of the recording medium.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and in the case of forming an image on a continuous recording medium, a job management apparatus, a job management method, and a program thereof that can further reduce the usage amount of the recording medium The main purpose is to provide

  The job management apparatus of the present invention employs the following means in order to achieve the above-described main object.

The job management apparatus of the present invention
A job management apparatus that manages an image forming job executed by an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a continuous recording medium,
Medium information acquisition means for acquiring a medium type that is a type of a recording medium loaded in the image forming apparatus and a medium width that is a width of the recording medium loaded in the image forming apparatus;
Job acquisition means for acquiring an image included in the image forming job, a specified type that is a type of a recording medium on which the image is formed, and an actual formation width that is a width on which the image is formed;
When executing the confirmation image forming process for forming the confirmation image of the image formation job on which the user confirms the image formation result after the job acquisition unit has acquired a plurality of image formation jobs, the specified type and The priority order of the plurality of acquired image forming jobs is set so as to increase the priority of the image forming job that matches the medium type and the actual forming width is equal to or less than the medium width. And a job processing unit for causing the image forming apparatus to execute the confirmation image forming process.

  In this job management apparatus, when executing the confirmation image forming process, the medium type and medium width loaded in the image forming apparatus are acquired, and when a plurality of image forming jobs are acquired, The priority of the image forming job in which the designated type matches the medium type and the actual forming width is equal to or smaller than the medium width is increased, and the image forming apparatus is caused to execute the confirmation image forming process based on the increased priority. In this way, the priority of jobs capable of forming an image on the recording medium loaded in the image forming apparatus is increased and the image forming apparatus forms an image as much as possible, so that the recording medium is easily wasted. Processing can be further suppressed. Therefore, the usage amount of the recording medium can be further reduced.

  In the job management apparatus of the present invention, the job acquisition unit also acquires a specified width that is a width of a recording medium on which an image included in the image forming job is formed, and the job processing unit is configured to set the priority order. The priority order of the plurality of acquired image forming jobs may be set so that an image forming job in which the specified type matches the medium type and the specified width is equal to or smaller than the medium width is given higher priority. Good. In this way, an image suitable for the confirmation image can be formed first.

  In the job management apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the job processing unit may include, in the width direction, an image included in the image forming job in which a sum of actual forming widths is smaller than the medium width among the plurality of acquired image forming jobs. The confirmation images may be generated side by side, and the generated confirmation images may be output to the image forming apparatus. In this way, the amount of recording medium used when an image is formed by the image forming apparatus can be further reduced.

  In the job management apparatus of the present invention, the job acquisition unit also acquires a specified width that is a width of a recording medium on which the image of the image forming job is formed, and the job processing unit is configured to set the priority order. The last recording medium used in the confirmation image forming process matches the specified type and the specified width in the image forming job processed first in the main image forming process for forming the image of the image forming job on the recording medium. The priority order of the image forming job other than the case where the designated type and the medium type match and the actual formation width is equal to or smaller than the medium width may be set. In this way, since the main image forming process is performed using the recording medium that is used last when forming the confirmation image, it is possible to reduce the number of times the recording medium is replaced, and to further reduce the usage amount of the recording medium. be able to.

  In the job management apparatus of the present invention, the job acquisition unit also acquires a specified width that is a width of a recording medium on which the image of the image forming job is formed, and the job processing unit includes a plurality of job acquisition units. After the image forming job is acquired, when executing the main image forming process for forming the image of the image forming job on the recording medium, the specified type and the medium type match, and the specified width is equal to the medium width. The priority order in the main image forming process of the acquired plurality of image forming jobs is set so as to further increase the priority order of the matching image forming jobs, and the main image forming process is performed based on the set priority order. It may be executed by the forming apparatus. In this way, it is possible to reduce the amount of recording medium used not only in the confirmation image but also in the formation of the main image.

  In the job management apparatus of the present invention, the job acquisition unit also acquires a specified width that is a width of a recording medium on which the image of the image forming job is formed, and the job processing unit stores the image forming job. When executing the main image forming process for forming an image on the recording medium, the specified type and the specified width match the last recording medium loaded in the confirmation image forming process among the plurality of acquired image forming jobs. The priority of image forming jobs to be performed may be increased, and the image forming apparatus may be caused to execute the main image forming process based on the increased priority. Even in this case, the amount of recording medium used can be reduced not only in the confirmation image but also in the formation of the main image.

The job management method of the present invention includes:
A job management method for managing an image forming job executed by an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a continuous recording medium,
(A) obtaining a medium type that is a type of a recording medium loaded in the image forming apparatus, and a medium width that is a width of the recording medium loaded in the image forming apparatus;
(B) obtaining an image included in the image forming job, a specified type that is a type of a recording medium on which the image is formed, and an actual forming width that is a width on which the image is formed;
(C) after executing a confirmation image forming process for forming a confirmation image of the image formation job on which the user confirms an image formation result on the recording medium after the job acquisition unit has acquired a plurality of image formation jobs; The priority order of the plurality of acquired image forming jobs is set so as to increase the priority of the image forming job in which the designated type matches the medium type and the actual forming width is equal to or less than the medium width, Causing the image forming apparatus to execute the confirmation image forming process on the basis of the priorities obtained, and
Is included.

  In this job management method, as in the job management apparatus described above, in order to increase the priority of jobs that can form an image on a recording medium loaded in the image forming apparatus and to form an image on the image forming apparatus as much as possible, It is possible to further suppress the replacement process of the recording medium that is likely to be wasted on the recording medium. Therefore, the usage amount of the recording medium can be further reduced. In this job management method, various aspects of the above-described job management apparatus may be adopted, or steps for realizing each function of the above-described job management apparatus may be added.

  The program of the present invention is for causing one or more computers to realize each step of the above-described job management method. This program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium (for example, hard disk, ROM, FD, CD, DVD, etc.), or from a computer via a transmission medium (communication network such as the Internet or LAN). It may be distributed to another computer, or may be exchanged in any other form. If this program is executed by one computer or if each computer is assigned to each step and executed, each step of the above-described job management method is executed. Therefore, the same effect as this job management method can be obtained. can get.

1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a printer system 10. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a print processing control routine. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a proof printing control processing routine. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a print list and a proof list. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of changes in a print list 80 and a proof list 81. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the display screen 68. FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the base material S which carried out proof printing and this printing. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of changes in a print list and a proof list. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the display screen 68. FIG. FIG. 5 is a layout diagram illustrating an example of an image layout in proof printing. FIG. 5 is a layout diagram illustrating an example of an image layout in proof printing.

  Next, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of a configuration of a printer system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the printer system 10 according to the present embodiment includes a printer 20 that performs a printing process for forming an image by ejecting ink onto a base material S drawn from a base material roll 50, and a print job to the printer 20. And a printer personal computer 60 having the function of a print server for outputting. In this printer system, in addition to the main print that executes the print job and forms the image of the print job on the substrate S, the proof print that forms the proof image of the print job on which the user confirms the image formation result on the substrate S is performed. Do. As the substrate S, in addition to paper, a resin film, a metal foil, or the like can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 20 includes a print head 24 formed with a length equal to or larger than the maximum size of the usable substrates S, and can be mounted with a substrate roll 50 that pulls out the substrate S. This is configured as an inkjet printer that can print out a plurality of pages at once. This printer 20 is formed with a printing mechanism 21 that discharges ink as a fluid to a base material S that is transported from the back to the front (transport direction) in the figure as a target, and a length that is equal to or greater than the width of the base material S. A carriage moving mechanism 30 capable of moving the carriage 22 in a predetermined scanning direction (front side and back side in FIG. 1) in the discharge region, and a substrate feed driven by a drive motor 33 to transport the substrate S in the transport direction A mechanism 31, a heating and drying device (not shown) that is arranged downstream of the discharge region and fixes the ink discharged to the substrate S by heat drying to the substrate S, and displays information screens and accepts input from the user An operation panel 48 and a controller 41 that controls the entire printer 20 are provided.

  The printing mechanism 21 is provided below the carriage 22 with a carriage 22 supported by a carriage belt 32 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction (scanning direction) of the main body along guides 28 a and 28 b formed on the left and right sides of the housing 39. The print head 24 applies pressure to the ink of each color and ejects ink droplets as a fluid from the nozzle 23, and stores the ink of each color mounted on the housing 39 side through the tube (not shown). And an ink cartridge 26 to be supplied to 24. The carriage 22 is driven by a carriage motor 34a between a carriage motor 34a attached to the left rear side of the housing 39 and a driven roller 34b attached to the left front side of the housing 39. Accordingly, it moves over a wide range from the back side to the near side in the figure. The carriage moving mechanism 30 includes guides 28a and 28b, a carriage belt 32, a carriage motor 34a, a driven roller 34b, and the like. The print head 24 is provided in the lower part of the carriage 22, and each color is applied from a nozzle 23 provided on the lower surface of the print head 24 by applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element to deform the piezoelectric element and pressurize the ink. Ink is ejected. The mechanism for applying pressure to the ink may be based on the generation of bubbles due to the heat of the heater. The ink cartridge 26 is mounted on the front side of the housing 39 and is configured as a so-called off-carriage type that individually accommodates inks of each color of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K). ing.

  The substrate feeding mechanism 31 includes a substrate feeding roller 35 disposed on the supply position side of the substrate S and a transport roller 36 disposed on the discharge side of the substrate S. The base material feed mechanism 31 is configured to be able to transport the base material S intermittently with a predetermined area as one unit in a discharge area that is an area where ink can be discharged by scanning the carriage 22. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the lower surface side of the base material S has a transport belt that transports the base material S and serves as a platen, and the base material S placed on the transport belt moves downstream. It was supposed to be transported.

  The operation panel 48 is a device for a user to input various instructions to the printer 20, and includes a display unit configured by a color liquid crystal panel on which characters and images corresponding to the various instructions are displayed, and various operations. There is provided an operation unit on which an up / down / left / right key, an enter key, a cancel key and the like are arranged.

  The controller 41 is configured as a microprocessor centered on the CPU 42, and includes a flash ROM 43 that can store various processing programs and can rewrite data, and a RAM 44 that temporarily stores data and stores data. ing. The controller 41 controls the printing mechanism 21, the carriage moving mechanism 30, and the paper feed mechanism 31 to execute the printing process, and controls the heating and drying apparatus to execute the heating and drying process.

  The printer PC 60 is a well-known general-purpose personal computer configured as an information processing apparatus used by a user, and includes a CPU 62 that executes various controls, a flash ROM 63 that stores various control programs, a RAM 64 that temporarily stores data, and the like. 61, and an HDD 65, which is a large-capacity memory for storing various application programs and various data files. The printer PC 60 has a function of executing an operation corresponding to the input operation when the user performs an input operation on the cursor or the like displayed on the display 67 via the input device. The controller 61, the HDD 65, the input device 66, and the display 67 are electrically connected by a bus 69 so that various control signals and data can be exchanged.

  The HDD 65 stores a job management program 70 that enables management of a print job according to the type and size of the base material S loaded in the printer 20 when performing proof printing or main printing. The job management program 70 includes a base material information acquisition module 72, a job acquisition module 74, a job processing module 76, and the like. The base material information acquisition module 72 has a function of acquiring the base material type, the base material width, and the like of the base material S loaded in the printer 20. The job acquisition module 74 includes an image included in the print job, an actual formation width that is a width when the image is printed on the substrate S, and a type of substrate designated to print this image (specified type). And a function to acquire a width (specified width). The job processing module 75 determines the priority order of print jobs based on the base material information acquired by the base material information acquisition module 72 or the job information acquired by the job acquisition module 74 when performing proof printing or main printing. It has a function of setting and outputting a print instruction to the printer 20 based on this priority order.

  Next, the operation of the printer system 10 of the present embodiment configured as described above, particularly the operation when the job acquisition module 74 acquires a plurality of print jobs will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a print processing control routine. This routine is stored in the job management program 70 stored in the HDD 65, and is executed after a print job is input to the printer 20 by the operation of the input device 66 by the user. Here, a description will be mainly given of processing in which a plurality of print jobs are input by the user, proof printing is performed for all the input print jobs before the main printing, and then the main printing is performed. Here, the main printing is a printing process in which a large number of images included in the print job are repeatedly printed on the substrate S continuously. On the other hand, in proof printing, an image is printed on the substrate S only as necessary (for example, one) for the user to confirm the color and the like when the image included in the print job is printed on the substrate S. It is processing.

  When this routine is started, the CPU 62 of the printer PC 60 executes the base material information acquisition module 72 to acquire the base material type and the base material width of the base material S loaded in the printer 20 (step S100). Here, the CPU 62 makes an inquiry to the printer 20 side, and in response thereto, acquires the base material information including the base material type and the base material width transmitted from the printer 20 side. At this time, the base material information transmitted from the printer 20 side is stored in the flash ROM 43 of the printer 20, and the CPU 42 of the printer 20 reads it and transmits it to the printer PC 60 side. The CPU 42 of the printer 20 controls a QR code reader (not shown) provided in the vicinity of the base roll 50 each time the base roll 50 is replaced, and the base information is recorded on the base roll 50. The QR code (not shown) is read, and the read base material information is written in the ROM 43. For this reason, the base material information memorize | stored in flash ROM43 corresponds with the base material information of the base material S currently mounted | worn. Next, the CPU 62 executes the job acquisition module 74, acquires a print job input by the user (step S110), and adds the acquired print job to the job list (step S120). In addition to the image, the print job includes a designated type and a designated width of the base material on which the image is formed, an actual formation width of the image, and the like. Here, the designated type is classified according to the surface condition such as matte processing and glossy processing in addition to the material and thickness of the base material, and a unique symbol is given for each classification. In addition to this, the print job also includes information on dimensions such as the specified length, which is the length of the substrate required to form an image, and the actual formation length of the image, information on the number of images to be formed and their arrangement, Information such as time required for formation and delivery date may be included. The job list includes a job ID unique to each print job, and can be easily associated with a print job of a main print list or a proof list described later. Note that the job list may not include the job ID. The job list is stored in the RAM 64 of the printer PC 60, and when the CPU 62 acquires a print job, the CPU 62 writes the acquired print job in the job list of the RAM 64. Note that when writing to this job list, the print jobs are registered in the job list in the order in which the print jobs are acquired, and the priority of execution is set higher for print jobs that are registered earlier. Subsequently, the CPU 62 executes the job processing module 76, determines whether or not there is a proof printing instruction by the user (step S130), and executes the proof printing control process when there is a proof printing instruction (step S140).

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a proof printing process control routine performed in step S140. When this routine starts, the CPU 62 first generates a main print list and a proof list based on the job list stored in the RAM 64 (step S200). Here, the print list and the proof list are generated by copying the job list on the RAM 64. When the main print list and the proof list are generated in step S200, the CPU 62 subsequently sets the priority order of the proof list as shown below. In setting the priority order of the proof list, first, a print job that can be printed on the substrate S loaded in the printer 20 is extracted, and the priority is increased in the proof list (step S210). That is, a print job in which the designated type matches the base material type and the actual formation width is equal to or smaller than the base material width is extracted, and the priority order of the print job is set so as to increase the priority of the extracted print job. In this way, instead of simply following the priority order of the job list, the priority of the print job that can be printed on the substrate S loaded in the printer 20 is increased, and output is performed so that proof printing is performed first. In this way, it is not necessary to replace the substrate during the initial proof printing. Further, even if the specified width is larger than the substrate width, if the actual formation width is less than the substrate width and the print job can be printed on the substrate S, the proof image is displayed on the substrate S loaded in the printer 20. Can print. Here, when there are a plurality of print jobs that can be printed on the substrate S, these print job groups are collectively given the highest priority. Note that the priority order of print jobs may be set in the print job group, but it is not performed here. In other words, the priority order is set between the print jobs that can be printed on the substrate S so that the priority order of the job list does not collapse. Subsequently, among the remaining jobs in the proof list, the priority of the print job that has higher priority in the main printing is lowered (step S220). Here, for example, if the highest priority print job in the job list is not included in the print job group given the highest priority in step S210, it matches the designated type and designated width of the highest priority print job in the job list. A print job that can be printed on the base material to be extracted is extracted, and the priority in the proof list is lowered. On the other hand, when the highest priority print job in the job list is included in the print job group that has been given the highest priority in step S210, the print job with the highest priority other than the print job whose priority is increased in the proof list in step S210 is designated. A print job that can be printed on a substrate that matches the type and the specified width is extracted, and the priority in the proof list is lowered. Subsequently, the priority order of the remaining jobs in the proof list is set based on a predetermined priority order (step S230). This may be, for example, the order of the specified type in which the number of print jobs is large, the order of the specified width, the order of the actual formation width, or the like. Further, the job list may be in the order or the order specified by the user.

  Subsequently, the CPU 62 sets the priority order of the print list. In setting the priority order of the main print list, first, a print job using the same base material as the last base material of the proof printing is extracted to increase the priority order in the main print list (step S240). Here, the priority order of the print jobs is set so that the designated type and the designated width in the first print job processed in the main printing coincide with the last base material used in the proof printing. Subsequently, the CPU 62 sets priorities of the remaining jobs in the print list based on a predetermined priority (step S250). This may be, for example, the order of the specified type in which the number of print jobs is large, the order of the specified width, the order of the actual formation width, or the like. Further, the job list may be in the order or the order specified by the user.

  When the priority order of the proof list and the main print list is set in step S200 to step S250 described above, the CPU 62 reads out the proof list and the main print list for which the priority order has been set from the RAM 64, and prints the printer. The information is displayed on the display 67 of the personal computer 60 (step S260). Next, the CPU 62 accepts the user's operation content (step S270), and when the correction is instructed by the user's operation, the CPU 62 corrects the input content according to the user's operation (step S280), and the processing after step S260. repeat. When confirmation is instructed by a user operation, the CPU 62 generates a proof image based on the confirmed proof list (step S290). In this proof image generation, proof images are generated for all print job images. Here, the proof image is generated as an image in which a print job image is arranged on each substrate. For this reason, as many proof images as the number of substrates used for proof printing are generated. Subsequently, the CPU 62 displays the generated proof image on the display 67 of the printer PC 60 (step S300). After step S300, the CPU 62 accepts the user's operation content (step S310). When correction is instructed by the user's operation, the CPU 62 corrects the input content according to the user's operation (step S320). The processes after 310 are repeated. When confirmation is instructed by the user's operation, the CPU 62 outputs the confirmed proof image to the printer 20 side (step S330). Upon receiving this output, the CPU 42 of the printer 20 performs a proof printing process for printing the proof image on the substrate S by controlling the printing mechanism 21, the carriage moving mechanism 30, the substrate feeding mechanism 31, and the like. Here, in the proof printing process, the job ID is printed over the proof image. In this way, the user can confirm the print job corresponding to this ID from the main image list or proof list displayed on the display 67, and can more easily confirm the details of the print job information. When the proof image is output to the printer 20 in step S330, the CPU 62 of the printer PC 60 adds the proof image output information to the proof list, the main print list, and the job list (step S340). Then, it is determined whether there is an unprocessed print job by determining whether image output completion information is added to the proof list, the main print list, and the job list (step S350). If it is determined in step S350 that there is an unprocessed print job, a display for prompting replacement of the base material is displayed on the display 67 (step S360), and the processes in and after step S330 are repeated. The user replaces the substrate according to the display prompting the replacement of the substrate, and the proof printing is sequentially executed accordingly. When there is no unprocessed print job, the CPU 62 ends the proof print process control routine.

  When the proof printing process control routine in step S140 is completed or when it is determined in step S130 that there is no proof printing instruction, the CPU 62 determines whether or not there is a main printing instruction by the user (step S150). If there is, the print control process is executed (step S160). In this main print control process, when the proof print process control routine of step S140 is performed, the printer 20 outputs to the printer 20 side to perform the main print according to the main print list determined there. On the other hand, if the proof printing process control routine of step S140 is not performed, the priority order of the print job in which the specified type matches the specified type and the specified width matches the substrate S loaded in the printer 20 is further increased. The priority order of the main print list is set, and output to the printer 20 is performed so that the main print is performed according to the main print list. In this way, the amount of substrate used can be reduced not only during proof printing but also during actual printing.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the main print list 80 and the proof list 81 stored in the RAM 64 when the main print list and the proof list are formed in step S200 described above. Here, in the print list 80 and the proof list 81, information on the designated type, the designated width, the actual formation width, and whether or not proof printing (confirmation) has been completed among the print job information is displayed. did. In the following, setting of the priority order of the proof list and the main print list and subsequent processing will be described using a specific example. Here, in the present print list and proof list, a print job having a higher priority is displayed above the list.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing how the proof list and the main print list change. FIG. 5 shows the processing from step S200 to step S250 when the base material S loaded in the printer 20 is of type 02 and width 25. First, in step S210 described above, a print job having a specified type 02 and an actual formation width 25 or less is extracted from the initial proof list 81. Here, the job C and job G corresponding to this are moved to the top and rearranged as in the proof list 81b. Since the highest priority job A in the print list 80 is different from the job C and job G moved to the top of the proof list in step S210, in the subsequent step S220, the job A matches the specified type 01 and specified width 25. Extract print jobs that can be printed on the substrate. Here, job A and job H corresponding to this are extracted, moved to the lowest position, and rearranged as in the proof list 81c. In step S230, the remaining print jobs in the proof list are rearranged. Here, the proof list 81d is created by prioritizing the designated type having a large number of print jobs and rearranging the jobs in the higher order by prioritizing the order of the designated width. When the sorting of the proof list is completed in this way, the priority order of the print list 80 is subsequently set. First, in step S240, the priority of job A and job H that can be printed on the last base material for proof printing is increased. Note that the job A of the highest priority in the print list 80 can be printed on the last base material of the proof printing, so that the rearrangement may not be performed. In subsequent S250, the print jobs other than job A and job H are rearranged. Here, the print list 80e is created by rearranging the print jobs in the order of the designated type, and then rearranging the print jobs in the order of the designated width among the designated types.

  FIG. 6 is an example of a display screen 68 (68a and 68b) displayed on the display 67. The upper display screen 68a in FIG. 6 is displayed in step S260. Specifically, the CPU 62 reads the main print list 80e and the proof list 81d rearranged as described above from the RAM 64 and displays them on the display 67. The main print list 80e and the proof list 81d are displayed side by side on the display screen 68a, and the main print list 80e and the proof list 81d are displayed at the top of the print job with higher priority. The display screen 68a is also provided with an OK button 68e that is selected when the user instructs confirmation, a correction button 68f that is selected when the user instructs correction, and the like. The lower display screen 68b in FIG. 6 is displayed in step S300. Specifically, when the user who confirmed the main print list 80e and the proof list 81d displayed in step S260 selects the OK button 68e on the display screen 68a, the CPU 62 reads the proof list 81d from the RAM 64, and based on this. The proof images 91 to 94 are generated, and the generated proof images 91 to 94 are displayed on the display 67. Here, it is assumed that the proof image is generated so that the print job with the higher priority in the proof list is printed first and the image is arranged in the center of the substrate S. In addition to the proof image, the display screen 68b includes a previous screen button 68g that is selected when the user instructs to return to the display screen 68a, an OK button 68e that is selected when the user instructs confirmation, and a correction by the user. It is assumed that a correction button 68f and the like to be selected when instructing is also arranged. When the user selects the OK button 68e on the display screen 68b, the CPU 62 outputs a proof image in step S300. Note that the CPU 62 sequentially performs a process of rewriting the print list, the proof list, and the job list confirmation column from “not yet” to “completed” for the print job for which the output of the proof image has been completed. Although the proof image 92 describes the base material width, the specified width, and the actual formation width, they are not displayed on the actual display 67.

  Upon receiving this output, the CPU 42 of the printer 20 controls the printing mechanism 21 and the like to print a proof image on the substrate S. Thereafter, the main printing is performed. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the base material S when the proof printing and the main printing are performed based on the main printing list 80e and the proof list 81d. As described above, since the base material of the last proof printing and the base material of the first main printing can be made the same, it is not necessary to replace the base material roll 50 in the main printing that follows the proof printing. .

  By the way, even if the original job list is the same, if the substrate S loaded in the printer 20 is different, the transition of the main print list and the proof list is different. Therefore, hereinafter, a case where the contents of the job list are the same and the base material S loaded in the printer 20 is different will be described. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the transition of the proof list when the loaded substrate S is of type 01 and width 25. FIG. First, in step S210 described above, a print job having a designated type 01 and an actual formation width 25 or less is extracted from the initial proof list 83. Here, the job A and job H corresponding to this are moved to the top and rearranged as in the proof list 83b. Since the highest priority job A in the print list 82 is the print job that has been moved to the highest position in the proof list in step S210, in the subsequent step S220, the job B having a higher priority other than job A and job H in the job list. A print job that can be printed on a base material that matches the designated type 01 and the designated width 60 is extracted. Here, Job B, Job D, Job E, and Job I corresponding to this are extracted, moved to the lowest level, and rearranged as in the proof list 83c. In step S230, the remaining print jobs in the proof list are rearranged. First, priority is given to a specified type having a large number of print jobs, and the order of the specified width is given priority, and these jobs are rearranged to create a proof list 83d. When the sorting of the proof list is completed in this way, the priority order of the print list 82 is subsequently set. First, in step S240, the priority order of job B that can be printed on the last substrate of proof printing is increased. In subsequent step S250, the print jobs other than job B are rearranged. Here, the print list 82e is created by rearranging the print jobs in the order of the specified type, and then rearranging the print jobs in the order of the specified width among the specified types.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the display screen 68 (68c and 68d) displayed on the display 67. Again, a proof image is displayed. Although specific images to be displayed are different, the basic processing is the same as that described above with reference to FIG. When the proof image cannot be displayed on the display 67, a scroll bar 68h is provided for each image as in the proof image 98b, and the user can confirm the whole by operating the scroll bar 68h. I made it.

  Here, the correspondence between the components of the present embodiment and the components of the present invention will be clarified. The printer 20 of the present embodiment corresponds to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the controller 60 and the job management program 70 correspond to the job management apparatus, the base material information acquisition module 72 corresponds to the medium information acquisition unit, and the job acquisition module 74 corresponds to job acquisition means, and the job processing module 76 corresponds to job processing means. Further, the substrate S of the present embodiment corresponds to the recording medium of the present invention, the substrate type corresponds to the medium type, and the substrate width corresponds to the medium width. Further, the proof printing of the present embodiment corresponds to the confirmation image forming process of the present invention, the proof image corresponds to the confirmation image, the main printing corresponds to the main image forming process, the print job corresponds to the image forming job, Printing corresponds to image formation. In this embodiment, an example of the job management method of the present invention is also clarified by describing the operation of the job management apparatus.

  According to the job management program of the embodiment described above, when the base material type and the base material width of the base material S loaded in the printer 20 are acquired and a plurality of print jobs are acquired, when executing proof printing, Among the acquired print jobs, the priority of print jobs where the specified type matches the base material type and the actual forming width is less than or equal to the base material width is increased, and proof printing is performed based on the increased priority. 20 is executed. In this way, the priority order of the print jobs capable of forming an image on the base material S loaded in the printer 20 is increased, and this is printed as much as possible by the printer 20, so that the base material is easily wasted. Can be further suppressed. Therefore, the usage-amount of a base material can be reduced more.

  In addition, since it is possible to form the main image using the last base material used when forming the proof image, it is possible to reduce the number of times the base material is replaced, thereby further reducing the usage amount of the base material. be able to.

  In addition, since proof printing is performed collectively when a plurality of print jobs are input, for example, it is possible to shorten the restraint time of the person in charge who confirms the proof image.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modes as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the designated width is also acquired in step S110, but may not be acquired. In step S110, in addition to the image, a print job including the specified type and width of the substrate on which the image is formed and the actual formation width of the image is acquired. However, if the print job includes the image, Good. Others may be acquired separately from the print job. For example, information such as the designated type, designated width, and actual formed width may be recorded in a separate file, and this file may be obtained at the same time when a job including an image is obtained.

  In the above-described embodiment, the priority of the print job that is more prioritized in the main printing is lowered during the proof printing, but this need not be done. Also, the priority of the print job is set so that the main print can be performed on the last substrate of the proof print without performing the process of lowering the priority of the print job which is more prioritized during the proof print. May be performed. Even in this case, since the same substrate can be used for the last proof printing and the first main printing, the amount of the substrate used can be further reduced. In addition, although the priority order of the actual printing is set, it may not be set.

  In the above-described embodiment, the job list, the proof list, and the main print list are used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and priority may be given to the print job.

  In the above-described embodiment, when there are a plurality of print jobs that can be printed on the substrate S in step S210, the priority order of the print jobs is not further set in the print job group with the higher priority order. However, priority order may be set. For example, the priority order of the print jobs is such that a print job in which the base material type of the base material S loaded in the printer 20 matches the specified type and the specified width is equal to or smaller than the base material width of the base material S is given higher priority. May be set. In this way, an image more suitable for the confirmation image can be printed first. Alternatively, the priority order of the print jobs may be set so that a print job having the same type and width as the base material S loaded in the printer 20 is prioritized. Even in this case, an image more suitable for the confirmation image can be printed first.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, in step S290, a proof image is generated so that a print job having a high priority in the proof list is printed first and an image is arranged in the center of the substrate S. However, it is not limited to this. For example, a proof image may be generated by arranging images included in a print job in which the sum of the actual formation widths is smaller than the substrate width in the width direction. In this way, the amount of base material used when an image is formed by the image forming apparatus can be further reduced. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a proof image. How the images are arranged in the proof image can be determined as appropriate. For example, an image of a print job having the same actual formation length, which is the length of the image included in the print job, like the proof image 92b. They may be arranged adjacent to each other, or two or more print job images having a short actual formation length may be arranged next to a print job having a long actual formation length, such as a proof image 92c. Further, when the images included in the print job include a plurality of the same images (hereinafter also referred to as element images), the width of the image included in the print job is not set as the actual formation width, but the element image The formed width may be the actual formed width. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a proof image. For example, if the width of the base material of the proof image 94b is 25, the image M cannot be added to the proof image, but if the width in which the element image m is formed is the actual formation width, it is added to the proof image. Can do.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the proof printing is performed collectively. However, the proof printing of a print job that can be proof printed on the loaded substrate S is performed, and then the print job that can be printed on the equipment. The main printing may be performed. Even in this case, at least at the time of the first proof printing, it is possible to reduce the number of times the substrate is replaced, and the amount of the substrate used can be reduced.

  In the embodiment described above, the CPU 62 executes the job management program and executes the print processing control routine. However, it may be executed by hardware.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printer system 10 is configured by the printer PC 60 and the printer 20. However, the printer system 10 may be configured integrally.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printer 20 can set only one base roll 50. However, the printer 20 may have an auto feeder or the like and can set a plurality of base rolls. Even in such a case, it is necessary to set the substrate in the substrate feeding mechanism 31 every time the substrate is replaced, and the substrate is consumed. For this reason, if this invention is applied, the usage-amount of a base material can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the off-carriage type printer mechanism 21 in which the ink cartridge 26 is mounted on the main body is used. However, an on-carriage type printer mechanism in which the ink cartridge 26 is mounted on the carriage 22 may be used. The color ink jet printer 20 using ink as a colorant has been described. However, a color laser printer using toner as a colorant may be used, or these monochrome printers may be used. Although printing is performed, there is no particular limitation as long as it forms an image.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printing system 10 has been described. However, a job management method or a job management method program may be used.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printer system, 20 Printer, 21 Printing mechanism, 22 Carriage, 23 Nozzle, 24 Print head, 26 Ink cartridge, 28a, 28b Guide, 30 Carriage moving mechanism, 31 Substrate feeding mechanism, 32 Carriage belt, 33 Drive motor, 34a Carriage motor, 34b Driven roller, 35 Substrate feed roller, 36 Conveyor roller, 39 Housing, 40 Cutting device, 41 Controller, 42 CPU, 43 Flash ROM, 44 RAM, 48 Operation panel, 50 Base roll, 60 For printer Personal computer (PC), 61 Controller, 62 CPU, 63 Flash ROM, 64 RAM, 65 HDD, 66 Input device, 67 Display, 68 Display screen, 69 Bus, 70 Job management program Gram, 72 base material information acquisition module, 74 job acquisition module, 76 job processing module, 80, 82 print list, 81, 83 proof list, 91-98 proof image, S base material.

Claims (7)

A job management apparatus that manages an image forming job executed by an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a continuous recording medium,
Medium information acquisition means for acquiring a medium type that is a type of a recording medium loaded in the image forming apparatus and a medium width that is a width of the recording medium loaded in the image forming apparatus;
Job acquisition means for acquiring an image included in the image forming job, a specified type that is a type of a recording medium on which the image is formed, and an actual formation width that is a width on which the image is formed;
When executing the confirmation image forming process for forming the confirmation image of the image formation job on which the user confirms the image formation result after the job acquisition unit has acquired a plurality of image formation jobs, the specified type and The priority order of the plurality of acquired image forming jobs is set so as to increase the priority of the image forming job that matches the medium type and the actual forming width is equal to or less than the medium width. A job processing unit for causing the image forming apparatus to execute the confirmation image forming process based on
A job management device. The job acquisition means also acquires a specified width that is a width of a recording medium on which an image included in the image forming job is formed,
In the setting of the priority order, the job processing unit is configured to obtain the plurality of acquired plurality of jobs so that an image forming job in which the specified type matches the medium type and the specified width is equal to or less than the medium width is given higher priority. The job management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a priority order of image forming jobs is set.   The job processing unit generates the confirmation image by arranging, in the width direction, images included in the image forming job in which a sum of actual forming widths is smaller than the medium width among the plurality of acquired image forming jobs. The job management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generated confirmation image is output to the image forming apparatus. The job acquisition means also acquires a specified width that is a width of a recording medium on which the image of the image forming job is formed,
In the priority setting, the job processing unit is configured such that the last recording medium used in the confirmation image forming process is processed first in the main image forming process for forming an image of the image forming job on the recording medium. Setting a priority order of image forming jobs other than those in which the specified type and the medium type match and the actual forming width is equal to or smaller than the medium width so as to match the specified type and the specified width in the forming job; The job management apparatus according to claim 1. The job acquisition means also acquires a specified width that is a width of a recording medium on which the image of the image forming job is formed,
The job processing unit is configured to execute the image forming process for forming an image of the image forming job on the recording medium after the job acquiring unit acquires a plurality of image forming jobs. And the priority order in the main image forming process of the acquired plurality of image forming jobs is set so that the priority order of the image forming jobs whose specified width matches the medium width is higher. The job management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main image forming process is executed by the image forming apparatus based on a priority order. A job management method for managing an image forming job executed by an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a continuous recording medium,
(A) obtaining a medium type that is a type of a recording medium loaded in the image forming apparatus, and a medium width that is a width of the recording medium loaded in the image forming apparatus;
(B) obtaining an image included in the image forming job, a specified type that is a type of a recording medium on which the image is formed, and an actual forming width that is a width on which the image is formed;
(C) after executing a confirmation image forming process for forming a confirmation image of the image formation job on which the user confirms an image formation result on the recording medium after the job acquisition unit has acquired a plurality of image formation jobs; The priority order of the plurality of acquired image forming jobs is set so as to increase the priority of the image forming job in which the designated type matches the medium type and the actual forming width is equal to or less than the medium width, Causing the image forming apparatus to execute the confirmation image forming process on the basis of the priorities obtained, and
Job management method including.   A program for causing each step of the job management method according to claim 6 to be realized by one or more computers.

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