JP3255776B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer and a copying machine, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus capable of editing pages of image data to be printed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine, image data input from a host device is printed and output on recording paper in the order of input pages, or image data read by a scanner. Are printed on recording paper in the order of the pages in which they have been read, and are output.

However, in the above-described image forming apparatus, when one page of image data is printed on one side of a recording sheet, the image data can be printed without any trouble. However, the image data is printed on both sides of the recording sheet. In the double-sided printing mode for printing, or in the continuous page printing mode in which one sheet of recording paper is divided into two parts on the left and right, and one page of image data is printed on each, each sheet is printed until it is actually printed on the recording paper. Since it is not known how the image data is arranged on the front and back surfaces of the recording paper or the left and right pages, a desired print may not always be obtained. Specifically, there is a problem that image data of a continuous page to be referred to in a two-page spread is printed on the front and back surfaces of one recording sheet, or is printed separately on different recording sheets.

To solve this problem, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. S60-200348, "page editing method", image data for a plurality of pages is stored in page units, and An apparatus has been developed which manages the addresses of the pages in a page management table so that the page itself can be deleted / added without moving the data itself of each page.

As a technique for improving the convenience by editing input image data before printing, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-122375, "Copier", An apparatus that enables bookbinding to be performed in the same page order as an original by exchanging pages, or as described in “Image Output Apparatus” of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-291263, the contents of a page memory are printed before printing. There is provided an apparatus that can display the information and check and edit the information. However, these techniques are for adjusting the layout of image data on one page of bookbinding or recording paper in the same page order as an original.

[0006]

However, the "page editing method" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 60-200348 is disclosed.
According to the method, although the address of each page in the page management table can be deleted or added in page units, the image data of the page to be deleted or the image data of the pages before and after the page to be added cannot be confirmed. When specifying deletion or addition of a plurality of pages through the panel, there is a problem that even if a specification error is made, the user does not notice it and may not be able to perform desired printing.

Further, in the case of a double-sided printing mode or a continuous page printing mode, a plurality of pages can be deleted /
Each time the addition is designated, another page is shifted, so that it is necessary to always be aware of the correspondence between the page of the recording paper and the image data, and there is a problem that the operation is troublesome.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and in the case of a double-sided printing mode or a page continuous shooting mode, image data of front and back pages or right and left pages of each recording paper to be printed can be confirmed. It is an object of the present invention to easily and surely edit a desired page arrangement.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image data storing means for storing image data for a plurality of pages of a document to be printed, and an image data storing means for storing image data. Display means for dividing image data to be printed on one sheet of recording paper into left and right pages or front and back pages based on image data for a plurality of pages, and displaying a plurality of recording sheets simultaneously; A page designating means for designating an arbitrary page displayed on the display means,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus including a page adding unit for adding a blank page based on a page specified by the page specifying unit.

[0010] When the page is designated by the page designating means, the display means shifts the subsequent pages including the designated page by one page and shifts the position of the designated page to a predetermined blank page. The status is displayed again.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image data storage means for storing image data for a plurality of pages of a document to be printed, and a print data storing a print pattern for an additional page created in advance. Based on the pattern storage means and the image data for a plurality of pages stored in the image data storage means, the image data to be printed on one recording sheet is divided into left and right pages or front and back pages, and Display means for simultaneously displaying a plurality of recording papers, page designating means for designating an arbitrary page displayed on the display means, and the print pattern storage means based on the page designated by the page designating means Page adding means for adding the print pattern stored in the printer as an additional page. .

When the page is designated by the page designating means, the display means shifts subsequent pages including the designated page by one page, and shifts the print pattern to a position of the designated page. Is placed and displayed again.

[0013]

The image forming apparatus of the present invention divides image data to be printed on one sheet of recording paper into left and right pages or front and back pages, and displays a plurality of recording sheets simultaneously by a display means. Enables the user to confirm the image data printed on each recording paper, and to easily and reliably specify the position of an additional page by specifying an arbitrary page displayed on the display means with the page specifying means. Furthermore, by adding a blank page based on the page specified by the page adding means, desired editing can be easily and reliably performed.

Further, by adding the print pattern stored in the print pattern storage means as an additional page instead of the blank page described above, desired editing can be easily and surely performed.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment in which an image forming apparatus of the present invention is applied to a laser printer will be described in detail in the order of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a laser printer according to a first embodiment. Reference numeral 100 denotes a controller for controlling the entire laser printer; 101, an engine for actually performing printing; An operation panel serving as an input unit for an operator to give a mode instruction while displaying a status of the laser printer, 103 is a host device which is a host device of the laser printer, 104 is font data, a program, image data for printing, etc. A disk device for storing various kinds of data such as a floppy disk device and a hard disk device.

The controller 100 includes a RAM 105 used as a work memory for control operation, an input buffer for input data, a page buffer for storing image data for a plurality of pages, a memory for download fonts, and the like. ROM 106 for storing font pattern data and the like, and a program ROM 107 for storing a control program for the controller 100.
And an NVRAM 108 which is a non-volatile memory for storing the contents of the mode instruction from the operation panel 102 and the like.
An IC card 109 for supplying pattern data of font data and programs from the outside; an engine I / F (interface) 110 for communicating commands, status and image data between the engine 101; An operation panel I / F 11 for communicating commands and status with the communication terminal 102
1 and a host I / F using a Centro I / F or RS232C for communication between the host device 103 and the host device 103.
F112, a disk I / F 113 for performing communication between the disk device 104, and a program ROM 107.
Running the control program, based on a command from the operation panel 102 and the host device 103, and a CPU114 which controls the respective units.

An operation panel 102 is an LCD (liquid crystal display) for dividing image data to be printed on one sheet of recording paper into left and right pages or front and back pages, and displaying a plurality of recording sheets simultaneously. Display device) unit 102a and LC
The LCD unit 102a is disposed so as to cover the D unit 102a.
And a plurality of touch panels 102b for specifying an arbitrary page displayed on the touch panel 102b.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show the LCD unit 102a.
And a configuration example of the touch panel 102b.
This is a configuration in which a touch panel 102b of the same shape is placed on the CD unit 102a. FIG. 2A shows a display screen of the LCD unit 102a when the continuous page mode is designated. Shows a display screen of the LCD unit 102a when the double-sided printing mode is designated. In this embodiment, as shown in the figure, there are ten display frames 201 to 210 corresponding to 10 pages of image data to be a document (hereinafter, referred to as document image data).
In this configuration, two display frames correspond to one recording sheet in order from 01.

Accordingly, in the continuous page mode shown in FIG. 2A, the display frame 201 indicates the left page portion of the first recording sheet, and the display frame 202 indicates the right page portion of the first recording sheet. , And similarly, display frames 203, 205, 207, 20
Reference numeral 9 denotes a left page portion of the corresponding recording paper, and a display frame 20
Reference numerals 4, 206, 208, and 210 indicate corresponding right page portions of the recording paper.

In the double-sided printing mode shown in FIG.
A display frame 201 indicates a front surface portion of the first recording paper, a display frame 202 indicates a rear surface portion of the first recording paper, and similarly, display frames 203, 205, 207, and 209 correspond to the corresponding recording papers. Of the display frame 204, 206, 20
Reference numerals 8 and 210 denote the corresponding back surfaces of the recording paper.

Further, in this embodiment, the page numbers displayed on the LCD unit 102a are changed between the continuous page mode and the double-sided printing mode so that the correspondence described above becomes clear. Specifically, in the case of the page continuous shooting mode in FIG. 9A, the display frames 201 to 210 are treated as pages, and
"Pages 1 to 10" are displayed below each display frame,
In the case of the double-sided printing mode shown in FIG.
To 210 correspond to the front and back sides of the recording paper, respectively, to display “front” and “back”, and to use one recording paper as one.
“Pages 1 to 5” are displayed as pages.

In the first embodiment, only five sheets of recording paper (ie, 10 pages of original image data) are displayed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and image data is stored. RAM 105 which is a page buffer
If there is room in the memory capacity and the display size of the LCD unit 102a, the number of pages to be displayed can be further increased.

In the above configuration, the LCD unit 102a
Display of original image data on recording paper by LC, LC
The operation will be described in the order of a blank page addition operation using the D unit 102a, blank page addition control, and a control flowchart.

When the controller 100 receives a print request of the original image data from the host device 103, the controller 100 receives the print request of the original image data from the host device 103 via the host I / F 112, and displays the layout of the original image data on the recording paper. Original image data is input and temporarily stored as bit image print data in a page buffer on the RAM 105. Although the details will be described later, the page buffer on the RAM 105 is a page buffer provided on the RAM 105.
Identified and managed by the address table.

Further, the arrangement of the document image data on the recording paper is displayed on the LCD unit 102a of the operation panel 102 in accordance with the designated print mode. This printing mode may be specified by using a key switch (not shown) on the operation panel 102, for example.
Alternatively, a method of inputting a mode designation command from 13 may be used.

Here, when the printing mode is the duplex printing mode, nine pages of original image data as shown in FIG. 3A are transferred from the host device 103 as image data to be printed, and are transferred to the RAM 105. Assuming that
As shown in FIG. 3B, original image data is displayed in display frames 201 to 209 corresponding to nine pages on the LCD unit 102a. At this time, the images displayed in the display frames 201 to 209 may be the original image data itself or may be simply displayed. Note that 10
For the display frames 201 to 210 for pages, the document image data is 9 pages, and there is no document image data to be displayed in the display frame 210 on the 10th page.
Although 0 is blank (no image display), a predetermined end mark indicating that document image data does not exist may be displayed instead of this blank display.

Blank page addition operation using LCD unit 102a If the arrangement on the recording paper confirmed on the display screen of LCD unit 102a shown in FIG. 3B is not the desired page arrangement, the operator adds a blank page. Thus, the desired page arrangement can be changed. For example, in the figure, when a new chapter starts from the image placed on the back of the recording paper, each chapter is edited in an independent format by changing the corresponding image to the front of the recording paper. be able to. In addition, when images of continuous contents that are to be referred to in a two-page spread are arranged on the front side and the back side of one sheet of recording paper, a change is made so that the back side and the front side of the different recording papers are different from each other. Can be referred to.

More specifically, when it is desired to arrange the original image data of the image "ka" displayed in the display frame 206 at the position of the display frame 207 (the surface of the recording paper), the image shown in FIG. As described above, by touching the image “ka” in the display frame 206, the designation of the corresponding page is input via the touch panel 102b arranged on the surface of the LCD unit 102a, and as shown in FIG. The page in the display frame 206 is added as a blank page. In other words, pages subsequent to the specified page are shifted backward one by one and displayed again.

Next, blank page addition control based on a page specified by the blank page addition operation will be described. To add a blank page, the set value (address information) after the position of the specified page on the page buffer address table provided on the RAM 105 is shifted,
This is performed by writing information indicating that the page is a blank page (-1 in this embodiment) at the designated page position.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the page buffer address table 501 and the page buffer 502 provided on the RAM 105. The page buffer address table 501 stores the original of each page stored in the page buffer 502. The head address of the image data is stored. The page buffer address table 501 includes PAGE ADRS (1) to PAGE ADRS.
It is assumed that an address table for 20 pages of RS (20) is provided. Also, PAGE / ADRS (1)
The initial value of PAGE ADRS (20) is set to “0”.

For example, if original image data is received from the host device 103 and original image data for up to 10 pages is stored in the page buffer 502, the page buffer address table 501 is set as follows. .

PAGE • ADRS (1) = (start address of page buffer 502 storing original image data of first page) PAGE • ADRS (2) = (page buffer storing original image data of second page) PAGE / ADRS (3) = (start address of page buffer 502 in which document image data of third page is stored) PAGE / ADRS (4) = (document image data of page 4 is stored) PAGE / ADRS (5) = (Start address of page buffer 502 where original image data of page 5 is stored) PAGE / ADRS (6) = (Original image data of page 6 is stored) PAGE / ADRS (7) = (7th page) PAGE / ADRS (8) = (top address of page buffer 502 storing original image data of page 8) PAGE • ADRS (9) = (page 9) PAGE / ADRS (10) = (head address of page buffer 502 storing original image data of page 10)

Thereafter, for example, the sixth page (display frame 20)
When 6) is specified on a blank page, as shown below,
Shift the setting values of the sixth and subsequent pages downward one by one,
GE · ADRS (6) = − 1 is set.

PAGE • ADRS (1) = (head address of page buffer 502 storing original image data of first page) PAGE • ADRS (2) = (page buffer storing original image data of second page) PAGE / ADRS (3) = (start address of page buffer 502 in which document image data of third page is stored) PAGE / ADRS (4) = (document image data of page 4 is stored) PAGE / ADRS (5) = (start address of page buffer 502 in which original image data of the fifth page is stored) PAGE / ADRS (6) = − 1 PAGE / ADRS (7) = ( (Start address of page buffer 502 in which document image data of the sixth page is stored) ADRS (8) = (start address of page buffer 502 in which document image data of page 7 is stored) PAGE ADRS (9) = (start address of page buffer 502 in which document image data of page 8 is stored) PAGE / ADRS (10) = (start address of page buffer 502 storing original image data of page 9) PAGE / ADRS (11) = (page buffer 502 storing original image data of page 10) Start address)

Thereafter, based on the updated page buffer address table 501, PAGE / ADRS
(1) The original image data of the page buffer 502 corresponding to the head address stored in the PAGE / ADRS (10) is sequentially read and displayed in the corresponding display frame (201 to 210) of the LCD unit 102a. At this time, if the set value is “−1” or “0”, the page of the corresponding display frame is displayed as a blank page.

Next, when a print start key (not shown) on the operation panel 102 is pressed to instruct a print start, the controller 100 causes the PAGE / ADRS (1) to PAGE of the page buffer address table 501 to be displayed.
The value of E.ADRS (10) is read out in order, and if the set value is not "-1" or "0", the original image data of the page buffer 502 indicated by the start address is sent to the engine 101 via the engine I / F 110. Transfer to If the set value is "-1", the blank page designation command is transferred to the engine 101, and the engine 101 does not form an image but only carries the recording paper to form a blank page. If the set value is "0", there is no original image data to be printed, and the printing process is terminated. Thereafter, when original image data is further received from the host device 103, the above operation is repeatedly executed.

FIG. 6 shows a control flowchart of the first embodiment. When the CPU 114 of the controller 100 receives a request for printing original image data from the host device 103, the program R
The control program of FIG. 6 stored in the OM 107 is executed.

First, an instruction to display original image data and a print mode designated via the host device 103 or the operation panel 102 are transmitted to the operation panel 102, and the LCD
The document image data for 10 pages is displayed on the section 102a (S601).

Next, it is determined whether or not the print start key on the operation panel 102 has been pressed (S602). If the print start key has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S605, and if the print start key has not been pressed. Then, it is determined whether or not there is a designated blank page via the touch panel 102b (S603). If there is a designated page, the page buffer address table 501 is updated with the designated page as a blank page (S604),
Returning to step S601, the document image data for 10 pages is displayed again on the LCD unit 102a. On the other hand, if there is no designated page, the process returns to step S602.

If it is determined in step S 602 that the print start key has been pressed, the original image data in the page buffer 502 on the RAM 105 is deleted based on the set value stored in the page buffer address table 501. The data is transferred to the engine 101 and printed on recording paper in accordance with the print mode (S605), and it is determined whether or not document image data remains in the page buffer 502 (S606). If document image data remains, the process proceeds to step S602. Then, if there is no document image data remaining, the process ends.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the document image data to be printed on one sheet of recording paper is divided into left and right pages or front and back pages, and a plurality of recording sheets are simultaneously displayed on the LCD unit. By displaying at 102a, the original image data printed on each recording paper can be confirmed.
By specifying an arbitrary page displayed on the LCD unit 102a with the touch panel 102b, the position of an additional page can be easily and reliably specified, and a blank page is added based on the page specified by the touch panel 102b. As a result, desired editing can be easily and reliably performed.

In other words, a desired page layout can be easily specified by simply touching the touch panel 102b, and the page layout before and after the change is always displayed on the LCD unit 102a. A desired page arrangement can be specified.

Therefore, in the printing in the double-sided mode, when images of continuous contents to be referred to in a two-page spread are arranged on the front side and the back side of one recording sheet, respectively, the back side and the front side of different recording sheets are different. By changing to become
You can easily refer to the spread.

Even in the continuous page mode, when images having continuous contents to be referred to in a two-page spread are arranged on the left and right pages of one recording sheet, the image is output as shown in FIG. When the recording paper is stapled, the same problem as in the duplex mode occurs. However, by specifying a blank page on the touch panel 102b and changing the left and right pages of the recording paper to be different from each other, You can easily refer to the spread.

In the first embodiment, a laser printer has been described as an example. However, it is apparent that the present invention can be similarly applied to a copying machine. For example, in the case of a digital copying machine, it can be realized by using a scanner device and a scanner I / F instead of the host device 103 and the host I / F 112, respectively.

[Embodiment 2] In Embodiment 2, the LCD unit 102a and the touch panel 10
Based on the specified page using a 2b, in advance I
The print pattern stored in the C card (print pattern storage means) 109 is added as an additional page. The configuration and operation of the second embodiment are basically the same as those of the first embodiment.
Only different parts will be described.

In the second embodiment, the IC card 10 shown in FIG.
9 is used as print pattern storage means for storing a print pattern for an additional page created in advance. As the print pattern, for example, FIG.
As shown in (d), an internal message, a memo page, an introduction of a new product, a title of an attached document such as a reference material, and the like are registered in the IC card 109 in advance. Of course, a blank sheet may be registered as a print pattern.

In the above configuration, when an additional page of a print pattern is designated by using the LCD unit 102a and the touch panel 102b as shown in FIG. 9A, the designated page is designated as shown in FIG. 9B. Thereafter, the print pattern registered in the IC card 109 is displayed at the designated page position.

The IC card 109 is displayed on the page buffer address table 501 at the position of PAGE / ADRS (n) (n is the specified number of pages) of the specified page. By setting the start address of In addition, IC
When a plurality of print patterns are stored in the card 109, for example, after specifying a page on the touch panel 102b, a ten key (not shown) on the operation panel 102 is used.
The registration number of the print pattern may be input by using and the selection may be made.

FIG. 10 shows a control flowchart of the second embodiment. When a CPU 114 of the controller 100 inputs a document image data print request from the host device 103,
The control program of FIG. 10 stored in the program ROM 107 is executed.

First, an instruction to display original image data and a print mode designated via the host device 103 or the operation panel 102 are transmitted to the operation panel 102, and the LCD
The document image data for 10 pages is displayed on the section 102a (S1001).

Next, it is determined whether or not the print start key on the operation panel 102 has been pressed (S1002). If the print start key has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S1005, and if the print start key has not been pressed, It is determined whether there is a designated page of the print pattern via the touch panel 102b (S1003). If there is a designated page, the page buffer address table 501 is updated with the designated page as an additional page of the print pattern (S1004), and the process returns to step S1001 to display the document image data for 10 pages on the LCD unit 102a. Redisplay. On the other hand, if there is no designated page, the process returns to step S1002.

If it is determined in step S1002 that the print start key has been pressed, the page buffer 502 in the RAM 105 is set based on the set value stored in the page buffer address table 501.
The original image data or the print pattern on the IC card 109 is transferred to the engine 101 and printed on a recording sheet according to the print mode (S1005).
It is determined whether or not document image data remains in the file 02 (S1006). If document image data remains, the process returns to step S1002, and if document image data does not remain, the process ends.

In the second embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment,
In a normal printing mode (a mode in which one page of original image data is printed on only one side of one sheet of recording paper) other than the two-sided mode and the continuous page copying mode, by adding pages of a print pattern as needed, An advantage is provided in that a new method of use can be provided. Further, the recording paper can be effectively utilized without forming a blank page unnecessarily.

[0056]

As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, there are provided an image data storage means for storing image data for a plurality of pages of a document to be printed, and a plurality of page data stored in the image data storage means. Display means for dividing image data to be printed on one sheet of recording paper into left and right pages or front and back pages based on the image data of each minute, and displaying a plurality of sheets of recording paper simultaneously; And a page addition means for adding a blank page based on the page specified by the page specification means, so that a double-sided printing mode or a page continuous shooting mode is provided. In the case of, the image data of the front and back pages or the left and right pages of each recording paper to be printed can be confirmed, and the desired page arrangement can be easily and reliably edited. . Further, to shift the subsequent pages including the specified page by one page, and to redisplay the specified page position as a predetermined blank state,
The page arrangement after adding a blank page can be easily confirmed, and designation can be performed without error.

Further, the image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises an image data storage means for storing image data for a plurality of pages of a document to be printed, and a print pattern storage means for storing a print pattern for additional pages created in advance. ,
The image data to be printed on one sheet of recording paper is divided into left and right pages or front and back pages based on the image data of a plurality of pages stored in the image data storage means. Display means for simultaneously displaying the minutes, page designation means for designating an arbitrary page displayed on the display means, and the print pattern storage means based on the page designated by the page designation means. Since there is a page adding means for adding a print pattern as an additional page, a double-sided printing mode,
In the case of the continuous page mode, the image data of the front and back pages or the left and right pages of each recording sheet to be printed can be confirmed, and the desired page arrangement can be easily and reliably edited. Further, the recording paper can be effectively utilized without forming a blank page unnecessarily.

Further, in order to shift the subsequent pages including the specified page by one page and to arrange the print pattern at the position of the specified page and to redisplay the same,
The page arrangement after the page of the print pattern is added can be easily confirmed, and designation can be performed without error.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a laser printer according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration example of an LCD unit and a touch panel.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of an image in a display frame of an LCD unit.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a blank page adding operation using the LCD unit and the touch panel according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a page buffer address table and a page buffer provided on a RAM.

FIG. 6 is a control flowchart of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a problem in the page continuous shooting mode.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a print pattern stored in an IC card according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a print pattern adding operation using an LCD unit and a touch panel according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a control flowchart of the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 controller 101 engine 102 operation panel 102 a LCD unit 102 b touch panel 105 RAM (image data storage unit) 109 IC card (print pattern storage unit) 114 CPU 201 to 210 display frame

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Hosaka 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yuichi Exit 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Koji Hikawa 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-7-56903 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 21/00 G03G 21/00 376 G06F 3/12

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] An image data storage means for storing image data for a plurality of pages of a document to be printed, and a single sheet of recording paper based on the image data for a plurality of pages stored in the image data storage means. Display means for dividing the image data to be printed into left and right pages or front and back pages and displaying a plurality of recording papers simultaneously; and page designation means for designating an arbitrary page displayed on the display means ,
An image forming apparatus comprising: a page adding unit that adds a blank page based on a page specified by the page specifying unit. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the page is designated by the page designating unit, the display unit shifts subsequent pages including the designated page by one page and shifts the position of the designated page to a predetermined blank page. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the state is displayed again. 3. An image data storage means for storing image data for a plurality of pages of a document to be printed, a print pattern storage means for storing a print pattern for an additional page created in advance, and a storage means for the image data storage means. Display means for dividing image data to be printed on one sheet of recording paper into left and right pages or front and back pages based on image data of a plurality of pages, and simultaneously displaying a plurality of recording sheets. A page designating means for designating an arbitrary page displayed on the display means; and a print pattern stored in the print pattern storage means being added as an additional page based on the page designated by the page designating means. An image forming apparatus comprising: 4. When the page is designated by the page designating means, the display means shifts subsequent pages including the designated page by one page, and shifts the print pattern to a position of the designated page. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image is arranged and displayed again.