PRINTING APPARATUS AND PRINTING METHOD

Abstract

Following executing print processing according to a first print job, in the event of executing printing processing according to a second print job which has different sheet attributes from the first print job, a printing apparatus according to the present invention, which subjects sheets having various types of sheet attribute to printing processing, outputs a change instruction for changing the sheets loaded in a predetermined paper feed tray in response to completion of the printing processing according to the first print job.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate numerous embodiments, features and aspects of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a printing processing system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the library information of sheets.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an MFP.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the MFP.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the setting screen of a printer driver which runs on a client PC 109.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the screen to be displayed when a property button 505 is depressed at the setting screen of the printer driver.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the screen to be displayed when a finishing tab 608 is selected at the setting screen of the printer driver in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the screen to be displayed when a paper feeding tab 609 is selected at the setting screen of the printer driver in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the screen to be displayed when the finishing tab 608 is selected at the property setting screen of the printer driver in FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the data structure of a print job which the client PC 109 transmits to an MFP 110.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating reception processing which the MFP 110 executes in the event of receiving a print job from an external device via an external interface 202.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating one example of a print queue to be stored in an HDD 209.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the screen to be displayed on an operating unit 204 of the MFP 110 in step S116.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the screen to be displayed on the operating unit 204 of the MFP 110 in step S117.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating printing processing to be executed based on print jobs accumulated in the print queue.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the screen to be output to an operator of the MFP 110 via the operating unit 204.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating reception processing which the MFP 110 executes in the event of receiving a print job from an external device via the external interface 202.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating the display screen of the operating unit 204 for accepting a paper-feed-tray selecting instruction beforehand.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating reception processing which the MFP 110 executes in the event of receiving a print job from an external device via the external interface 202.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the display screen for storing sheet attribute information in the HDD 209.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating the display screen for setting a sheet type.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating the display screen for setting a sheet size.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating the screen to be displayed when the paper feeding tab 608 is selected in the setting screen of the printer driver in FIG. 6.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating the screen to be displayed when a “MIXTURE OF SHEET TYPES . . . ” button 2301 is selected at a paper feed setting screen of the printer driver in FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a job example of which sheet type differs for each page.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating display processing of a sheet change instruction.

FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating the screen to be displayed on the operating unit 204 of the MFP 110 in step S2604 in FIG. 26.

FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating the screen to be displayed on the operating unit 204 of the MFP 110 in step S2604 in FIG. 26.

FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating the screen to be displayed on the operating unit 204 of the MFP 110 in step S117.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus comprising: an input unit adapted to input a print job;a printing unit adapted to perform print processing on sheets based on said print job input by the input unit;a plurality of sheet loading units, each of the sheet loading units adapted to load sheets to be supplied to said printing unit;a holding unit adapted to hold a plurality of sheet attribute information, each of the sheet attribute information relating to the attributes of sheets loaded in one of the plurality of sheet loading units;a selecting unit adapted to select any of the plurality of sheet loading units;an allocation unit adapted to allocate said print job to the sheet loading unit of which sheet attribute information is identical to said print job in the case where the sheet attribute information included in said print job is identical to any of a plurality of sheet attribute information held by said holding unit, or allocate said print job to the sheet loading unit selected by said selecting unit in the case where the sheet attribute information included in said print job is not identical to any of a plurality of sheet attribute information held by said holding unit; andan output unit adapted to output a change instruction for changing the sheets loaded in a particular sheet loading unit with sheets corresponding to the sheet attribute information included in said second print job in response to completion of printing processing based on said first print job in the case where a first print job of which sheet attribute information is identical to the sheet attribute information held by said holding unit, and a second print job of which sheet attribute information is not identical to the sheet attribute information held by said holding unit, are allocated to said particular sheet loading unit.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said selecting unit selects any of the plurality of sheet loading units in response to said second print job being input by said input unit.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a storing unit adapted to store determination information for determining the sheet loading unit selected by said selecting unit;wherein said allocation unit allocates a sheet loading unit by reading out said determination information stored in said storing unit in response to said second print job being input by said input unit.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said printing unit starts the print processing of a third print job allocated to another sheet loading unit which is different from the sheet loading unit selected by said selecting unit in response to completion of the print processing of said first print job, and starts the print processing of said second print job following completion of at least the print processing of said third print job.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a display unit adapted to display information;wherein said output unit outputs information relating to said change instruction to said display unit.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said output unit transmits information relating to said change instruction to a notification destination.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sheet attribute information is information relating to the size and/or type of said sheets.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said holding unit holds the sheet attribute information included in said print job in a manner correlated with said sheet loading units, in response to a print job being allocated to said sheet loading unit which has not been allocated with said print job in said second allocation processing.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an accepting unit adapted to accept a setting instruction by an operator of said printing apparatus for setting said sheet attribute information to the sheet loading unit selected by said selecting unit;wherein said holding unit holds the sheet attribute information according to said setting instruction accepted by said accepting unit in a manner correlated with the sheet loading unit selected by said selecting unit.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a display unit adapted to display information relating to the processing status of a print job allocated to a sheet loading unit by said allocation unit in a manner correlated with the sheet loading unit to which said print job has been allocated;wherein said selecting unit selects any of the plurality of sheet loading units based on the input instruction input by the operator of said printing apparatus through the display screen of said display unit.

11. The printing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said display unit displays the sheet loading unit which has been correlated with a print job, which will be completed first, so as to identify this from the other sheet loading units, in the case where the plurality of sheet loading units are allocated with print jobs.

12. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input unit inputs said print job by reading originals.

13. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input unit inputs said print job by receiving said print job from an external device.

14. A printing method of a printing apparatus having a holding unit adapted to hold a plurality of sheet attribute information, each of the sheet attribute information relating to the attributes of the sheets loaded in one of the plurality of sheet loading units, comprising: an input step for inputting a print job;a print processing step for performing print processing on sheets based on said print job input in said input step;a selecting step for selecting any of the plurality of sheet loading units;an allocation step for allocating said print job to the sheet loading unit of which sheet attribute information is identical to the print job in the case where the sheet attribute information included in said print job is identical to any of a plurality of sheet attribute information held by said holding unit, or allocate said print job to the sheet loading unit selected in said selecting step in the case where the sheet attribute information included in said print job is not identical to any of a plurality of sheet attribute information held by said holding unit; andan output step for outputting a change instruction for changing the sheets loaded in a particular sheet loading unit with sheets corresponding to the sheet attribute information included in said second print job in response to completion of printing processing based on said first print job in the case where a first print job of which sheet attribute information is identical to the sheet attribute information held by said holding unit, and a second print job of which sheet attribute information is not identical to the sheet attribute information held by said holding unit, are allocated to said particular sheet loading unit.