This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-073397 filed on Apr. 27, 2022. The entire subject matter of the application is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosures relate to a printing apparatus, a control method of the printing apparatus, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing computer-executable instructions therefor.
There have been known image forming apparatuses (e.g., printing apparatuses) equipped with a cutting mechanism configured to cut out a printing medium. Among such image forming apparatuses, there is known a printing apparatus configured to perform printing on a printing media and then cut the print media with the cutting mechanism to generate two print media, on each of which an image is printed, and discharge the same from the printing apparatus.
In a conventional printing apparatus as described above, a case where images are formed on both surfaces (i.e., a front surface and a back surface) is not considered.
According to aspects of the present disclosure, there is provided a printing apparatus including an image printer configured to print a page image on a printing medium based on print data including a plurality of pieces of image data, each of the plurality of image data indicating a page image, a first conveying mechanism configured to convey the printing medium on which the page image is printer in a first conveying direction, the first conveying direction being a direction the printing medium is discharged to a discharge part, a second conveying mechanism configured to convey the printing medium in a second conveying direction opposite to the first direction, a cutting mechanism arranged on a downstream side of the image printer, the cutting mechanism being configured to cut the printing medium into n equal pieces, the n being an integer equal to or more than 2, and a controller. The controller is configured to perform a first conveying process of causing the first conveying mechanism to convey the printing medium in the first conveying direction to print the page image on a front surface of the printing medium, a second conveying process of causing the second conveying mechanism to convey the printing medium in the second conveying direction to print the page image on a back surface of the printing medium after the first conveying process, an image printing process of causing the image printer to print the page images on each of the front surface and the back surface cut by the cutting mechanism in a page number order, with page numbers decreasing sequentially as the printing medium is discharged to the discharge part, the page image being printed on the front surface and the back surface of the printing medium discharged to the discharge part in the page number order specified by the print data, and a first cutting process of, while the first conveying process, causing the cutting mechanism to cut the printing medium on which a last page image corresponding to a last page number of the print data is to be printed when a number of pages of the page images included in the print data is not divisible by 2n.
According to aspects of the present disclosure, there is provided a control method of a printing apparatus printing apparatus including an image printer configured to print a page image on a printing medium based on print data including a plurality of pieces of image data, each of the plurality of image data indicating a page image, a first conveying mechanism configured to convey the printing medium on which the page image is printer in a first conveying direction, the first conveying direction being a direction the printing medium is discharged to a discharge part, a second conveying mechanism configured to convey the printing medium in a second conveying direction opposite to the first direction, a cutting mechanism arranged on a downstream side of the image printer, the cutting mechanism being configured to cut the printing medium into n equal pieces, the n being an integer equal to or more than 2, and a controller. The control method comprises a first conveying process of causing the first conveying mechanism to convey the printing medium in the first conveying direction to print the page image on a front surface of the printing medium, a second conveying process of causing the second conveying mechanism to convey the printing medium in the second conveying direction to print the page image on a back surface of the printing medium after the first conveying process, an image printing process of causing the image printer to print the page images on each of the front surface and the back surface cut by the cutting mechanism in a page number order, with page numbers decreasing sequentially as the printing medium is discharged to the discharge part, the page image being printed on the front surface and the back surface of the printing medium discharged to the discharge part in the page number order specified by the print data, and a first cutting process of, while the first conveying process, causing the cutting mechanism to cut the printing medium on which a last page image corresponding to a last page number of the print data is to be printed when a number of pages of the page images included in the print data is not divisible by 2n.
According to aspects of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for a printing apparatus printing apparatus including an image printer configured to print a page image on a printing medium based on print data including a plurality of pieces of image data, each of the plurality of image data indicating a page image, a first conveying mechanism configured to convey the printing medium on which the page image is printer in a first conveying direction, the first conveying direction being a direction the printing medium is discharged to a discharge part, a second conveying mechanism configured to convey the printing medium in a second conveying direction opposite to the first direction, a cutting mechanism arranged on a downstream side of the image printer, the cutting mechanism being configured to cut the printing medium into n equal pieces, the n being an integer equal to or more than 2, and a controller. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing computer-executable instructions which cause, when executed by the controller, the printing apparatus to perform causing the first conveying mechanism to convey the printing medium in the first conveying direction to print the page image on a front surface of the printing medium, causing the second conveying mechanism to convey the printing medium in the second conveying direction to print the page image on a back surface of the printing medium after the first conveying process, causing the image printer to print the page images on each of the front surface and the back surface cut by the cutting mechanism in a page number order, with page numbers decreasing sequentially as the printing medium is discharged to the discharge part, the page image being printed on the front surface and the back surface of the printing medium discharged to the discharge part in the page number order specified by the print data, and causing the cutting mechanism to cut the printing medium on which a last page image corresponding to a last page number of the print data is to be printed while the first conveying process when a number of pages of the page images included in the print data is not divisible by 2n.
Hereinafter, referring to the accompanying drawings, a printing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosures will be described.
According to the present embodiment, the printing apparatus 1 is an MFP (multifunction printer) having multiple functions such as a scan function, a print function, a copy function and a facsimile function. Further, in the following description, directions (i.e., up, down, right, left, front and rear directions) of the printing apparatus 1 are defined with reference to a state of the printing apparatus 1 shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As also shown in
Further, on the front face of the printing apparatus 1, an operation panel 122 having a display screen is provided. The operation panel 122 includes, for example, a touchscreen panel, and is configured to receive user's operation, regarding the printing apparatus 1, to touch the touchscreen panel. The operation panel 122 receives, for example, settings of the size of the printing sheet P, a selection whether to perform a cutting process to cut the printing sheet P or not. Information set through the operation panel 122 is output to a controller 100 (see
As shown in
The sheet feed roller 23 is a roller for feeding one of the sheets P accommodated in the sheet feed tray 21 to a conveying start position V. The sheet feed roller 23 is rotatably supported at a front end part of a feed arm 24. The feed arm 24 is rotatably supported by a shaft 25 that is supported by a frame of the printing apparatus 1. The sheet feed roller 23 forwardly (i.e., clockwise in
The first conveying passage R1 extends upward from a rear end of the sheet feed tray 21, curves in an area sectioned by guide members 41 and 42, passes through the position of a print engine 3, and straightens in an area sectioned by the guide members 43, 44, and 45 to the discharge tray 22. In the following description, a first conveying direction D1 is a direction in which the printing sheet P is discharged the discharge tray 22, that is, a direction directed from the print engine 3 toward the discharge tray 22. Further, a second conveying direction D2 is a conveying direction of the printing sheet P opposite to the first conveying direction D1.
In other words, the first conveying passage R1 is a conveying passage for conveying the printing sheet P in the first conveying direction D1. The second conveying passage R2 is a conveying passage for conveying the printing sheet P switched back from the first conveying passage R1, in the second conveying direction D2. The printing sheet P conveyed in the second conveying direction D2 is conveyed toward the first conveying passage R1 with its front and back surfaces reversed at a joining position W. In this way, a page image can be printed on the back surface of the printing sheet P with the print engine 3. It is noted that, in the following description, a process of conveying the printing sheet P in the second conveying direction D2 may be referred to as a switchback process SB. The switchback process SB is an example of a second conveying process according to aspects of the present disclosures.
In the first conveying passage R1, the conveying roller 60 is arranged upstream of the print engine in the first conveying direction D1. At a position facing a lower part of the conveying roller 60, a pinch roller 61 is arranged. The conveying roller 60 is driven by a conveying motor 108 (see
The print engine 3 is arranged between the conveying roller 60 and the conveying roller 62 in the first conveying passage R1, and prints an image on the printing sheet P. The print engine 3 is an example of an image printer according to aspects of the present disclosures. The print engine 3 has a carriage 31, a recording head 32, nozzles 33 and a platen 34. The recording head 32 is mounted on the carriage 31. On a bottom surface of the recording head 32, multiple nozzles 33 are formed. The recording head 32 is configured to eject ink droplets from the nozzles 33. The platen 34 is a rectangular planer member on which the printing sheet P is placed. On the printing sheet P supported by the platen 34, the nozzles 33 selectively eject ink droplets to the printing sheet P supported by the platen in the process of movement of the carriage 31, thereby an image being printed on the printing sheet P.
The driving force of a carriage motor 109 (see
As shown in
On the downstream side, in the first conveying direction D1, with respect to the conveying roller 62, the conveying roller 64 is arranged. At a position facing an upper part of the conveying roller 64, a spur roller 65 is arranged. The conveying roller 64 is driven by the conveying motor 108. The spur roller 65 rotates in association with the rotation of the conveyor roller 64. As the conveying roller 64 and the spur roller 65 forwardly rotate, the printing sheet P is nipped by; the conveying roller 64 and the spur roller 65 and conveyed toward the cutting mechanism 10. On the other hand, when the conveying roller 64 and the spur roller 65 reversely rotate, the printing sheet P is nipped by the conveying roller 64 and the spur roller 65, while conveyed toward the second conveying passage R2 along a lower surface of the first flap 46.
Between the conveying rollers 62 and 64, in the first conveying passage R1, the first flap 46 is provided. The first flap 46 is arranged near a branch position Y facing the guide member 43. The first flap 46 is rotatably supported by the platen 34 to be in between first and second states. In the first state, which is a state where the first flap 46 is located at a position shown by solid lines in
The first flap 46 is urged upward by a coil spring 47. One end of the coil spring 47 is connected to the first flap 46, and the other end of the coil spring 47 is connected to the platen 34. The first flap 46 is in the first state as urged by the coil spring, and a front end of the first flap 46 contacts the guide member 43.
The cutting mechanism 10 is arranged, in the first conveying passage R1, between the conveying roller 64 and the conveying roller 66. The cutting mechanism 10 is arranged downstream from the print engine 3 in the first conveying direction D1. The cutting mechanism 10 is a well-known cutter mechanism that has a pair of upper and lower blades and a cutter carriage, and is configured to cut the printing sheet P with the upper and lower blades. Concretely, the cutting mechanism (cutting mechanism) 10 is configured to cut the printing sheet P at a particular position by moving the cutter carriage in the width direction of the printing sheet P. The cutting mechanism 10 is configured to cut the printing sheet P into n equal pieces. It is noted that the cutting mechanism 10 may be configured with only one blade on either the upper or lower side.
The conveying roller 66 is arranged downstream of the cutting mechanism 10 in the first conveying passage R1 in the first conveying direction D1. At a position facing an upper part of the conveying roller 66, a spur roller 67 is arranged. The conveying roller 66 is driven by the conveying motor 108 (
As shown in
A registration sensor 120 is provided upstream of the conveying roller 60 in the first conveying passage R1. The registration sensor 120 is a sensor configured to detect when a leading or trailing edge of the printing sheet P passes a point of contact with the conveying roller 60. As the registration sensor 120, a sensor with an actuator that oscillates when contacted by the printing sheet P, an optical sensor, or the like can be used.
The registration sensor 120 is configured to output an ON signal when the printing sheet P passes the position of the registration sensor 120, and an OFF signal when the printing sheet P does not pass the position of the registration sensor 120. That is, the registration sensor 120 outputs an ON signal from a timing when the leading edge of the printing sheet P reaches the position of the registration sensor 120 until the trailing edge of the printing sheet P passes the position of the registration sensor 120, and outputs an OFF signal during the rest of the time. The detection signal detected by the registration sensor 120 is output to the controller 100.
The conveying roller 60 is equipped with a rotary encoder 121 (
The second conveying passage R2 is a passage sectioned by guide members 71, 72, and 73, the conveying roller 68, and the pinch roller 69. The second conveying passage R2 branches off from the branch position Y upstream from the conveying roller 64 in the first conveying passage R1 and is connected to the joining position W upstream from the print engine 3 in the first conveying passage R1 in the first conveying direction D1. In this way, it is possible to print images on both surfaces of the printing sheet P.
Electrical Configuration of Printing Apparatus 1
The controller 100 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, an EEPROM (registered trademark of Renesas Electronics) 104, and an ASIC 105, which are interconnected via an internal bus 106. The ROM 102 contains programs and other data for the CPU 101 to control various operations. The RAM 103 is used as a storage area to temporarily record data, signals, and the like that are used when the CPU 101 executes the above program, and/or as a work area for data processing. In the EEPROM 104, setting information that should be retained after the power is turned off is stored. The controller 100 is configured to control the sheet feed motor 107, the conveying motor 108, the carriage motor 109, a recording head 32 and the cutting mechanism 10, and the like.
The ASIC 105 is connected to the sheet feed motor 107, the conveying motor 108, the carriage motor 109, the recording head 32, the cutting mechanism 10, the communication interface 110, the registration sensor 120, the rotary encoder 121, and the operation panel 122. The ASIC 105 is configured to supply drive current to the sheet feed motor 107, the conveying motor 108, and the carriage motor 109. The controller 100 is configured to control the rotation of the sheet feed motor 107, the conveying motor 108, and the carriage motor 109, for example, by a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control.
Further, the controller 100 is configured to apply driving voltage to the oscillating elements of the recording head 32 to eject ink droplets from the nozzles 33. Further, to the ASIC 105, the registration sensor 120 and the rotary encoder 121 are connected. The controller 100 is configured to detect the status of the printing apparatus 1 based on the signals output from the registration sensor 120 and the rotary encoder 121.
Concretely, the controller 100 is configured to detect that the printing sheet P has passed the contact position with the conveying roller 60 based on the detection signal output from the registration sensor 120. Further, the controller 100 is configured to detect the amount of rotation of the conveying roller 60 based on the pulse signal output from the rotary encoder 121. Furthermore, the controller 100 is configured to estimate a conveyed amount of the printing sheet P in the first conveying passage R1 based on the pulse signal output from the rotary encoder 121 after the ON signal is output from the registration sensor 120.
The communication interface 110 has, for example, a USB interface, a LAN interface, and a communication interface. To the USB interface, a USB memory stick, a USB cable, and the like are connected. To the LAN interface, an external device (e.g., a computer terminal device) of the printing apparatus 1 is connected via a LAN cable. To the communication interface, an external device such as a portable information terminal is connected via a wireless format network.
When receiving a print job via the communication interface 110, the controller 100 controls the respective components of the printing apparatus 1 to execute an image printing process of printing print data specified by the print job on the printing sheet P. Further, the controller 100 executes a cutting process of cutting the printing sheet P, an image printing process to realize duplex printing, and the like, according to the received print job.
Example of Operation of Printing Apparatus 1
Hereinafter, referring to
A printing sheet AP, a first printing sheet AP1, and a second printing sheet AP2 shown on the front side with respect to the plane of
According to the above configuration, it is possible to print page images on the printing sheet P for two pages on the front surface and two pages on the back surface. In other words, it is possible to print four pages (2n) of page images on a single printing sheet P. The printing sheet P has print areas F1-F4 on each of which page image for one page can be printed. Each print area F1-F4 corresponds to A5 size. Each of the print areas F1-F4 is defined as follows.
As shown in
The third print area F3 and the fourth print area F4 are areas on the back surface of the printing sheet P. The third print area F3 is the area corresponding to the second half, in the first conveying direction D1, on the printing sheet P that has not undergone the switchback process SB. The third print area F3 is the area directly behind the second print area F2. The fourth print area F4 is the area corresponding to the first half, in the first conveying direction D1, on the printing sheet P that has not undergone the switchback process SB. The fourth print area F4 is the area directly behind the first print area F1.
Image Printing Process
Next, the printing method in the image printing process implemented by printing apparatus 1 will be explained. The print engine 3 prints a page image on the printing sheet P based on the print data. The print data contains multiple page images, each of which represents page data for one page. The multiple page images in the print data are arranged in a sequence corresponding to the order of the page numbers. In this specification, the page number indicates the order of the page images contained in the print data. It is noted that the page number does not indicate a number printed on the printing sheet P.
The printing apparatus 1 causes the print engine 3 to print the page images on the front and back surfaces of the printing sheet P based on the received printing data such that the page images printed on the front and back surfaces of the first printing sheet P1 and the second printing sheet P2 discharged to the discharge tray 22 are in the order of the page numbers specified by the print data, and the page numbers of the page images are sequentially smaller according to the order in which they are discharged to the discharge tray 22. This printing method is hereinafter referred to as duplex reverse order printing. In this duplex reverse order printing, the page image printed on each print area F1-F4 of the printing sheet P are determined so that the first page of print data is printed on the reverse side of the second printing sheet P2, which is discharged last. According to such duplex reverse order printing, the image of the first page of print data can be printed on the topmost second printing sheet P2 of the printing sheets stacked in the discharge tray 22. Further, according to this duplex reverse order printing, the page images printed on the front and back surfaces of the first and second printing sheets P1 and P2 that are discharged to the discharge tray 22 are printed in page number order from the top to the bottom. Therefore, the user does not need to sort the printing sheets P discharged in the discharge tray 22 in order of the page number.
The printing method of duplex reverse order printing according to the present disclosures will be described in detail with reference to
In
First, the print engine 3 prints the page image G2 and the page image G4 on the front surface of the printing sheet P conveyed from the sheet feed tray 21. The print engine 3 prints the page image G2 in the first print area F1. That is, page image G2 is printed first on the printing sheet P. Thereafter, the print engine 3 prints the page image G4 in the second print area F2. On the surface of the printing sheet P, the page image G4, which is the page image corresponding to the last page number of the print data (hereinafter referred to as the final page image), is printed.
After the page images are printed on the front surface of the printing sheet P, the switchback process SB is performed. After the switchback process SB, the print engine 3 prints the page image G1 and the page image G3 on the back surface of the printing sheet P. The print engine 3 prints the page image G3 in the third print area F3. Thereafter, the print engine 3 prints the page image G1 in the fourth print area F4. That is, page image G1 is printed last on the printing sheet P.
After the page image G1 is printed on the back surface of the printing sheet P, the cutting process CU is performed. The first printing sheet P1 is discharged to the discharge tray 22 before the second printing sheet P2. That is, the first printing sheet P1 is discharged first. The second printing sheet P2 is discharged to the discharge tray 22 subsequent to the first printing sheet P1. That is, the second printing sheet P2 is ejected second (n-th). The page images G1 to G4 printed on the front and back surfaces of the first printing sheet P1 and the second printing sheet P2 are printed in page number order, with the page numbers decreasing in sequence as they are discharged to the discharge tray 22. In other words, the page images printed on both surfaces of the first printing sheet P1 and second printing sheet P2 stacked in the discharge tray 22 are in order of page number from the top.
The example shown in
According to the above configuration, the printing sheet P is not cut off during printing on the front surface. Therefore, when printing on the back surface of the printing sheet P, the first printing sheet P1 and the second printing sheet P2 are not conveyed with an interval between them. As a result, the printing time required to print on both surfaces can be shortened.
As shown in
After the page image is printed on the front surface of the printing sheet P, the cutting process CU is performed. The first printing sheet P1 is discharged to the discharge tray 22 before the second printing sheet P2. That is, the first printing sheet P1 is discharged first. After the first printing sheet P1 is discharged, the switchback process SB is performed. After the switchback process SB, the print engine 3 prints the page image G1 on the back surface of the second printing sheet P. The print engine 3 prints the page image G1 in the third print area F3. That is, page image G1 is printed last on the printing sheet P (i.e., the second printing sheet P2). After the page image G1 is printed on the second printing sheet P2, the second printing sheet P2 is discharged to the discharge tray 22. That is, the second printing sheet P2 is discharged second (n-th).
The page images G1 to G3 printed on the front and back surfaces of the first printing sheet P1 and the second printing sheet P2 are printed in page number order, with the page numbers decreasing sequentially as they are discharged to the discharge tray 22. In other words, the page images printed on both surfaces of the first printing sheet P1 and second printing sheet P2 stacked in the discharge tray 22 are in order of page number from the top.
The example shown in
With reference to
As shown in
After the page image G2 is printed on the front surface of the printing sheet P, the cutting process CU is performed. The first printing sheet P1 is discharged to the discharge tray 22 before the second printing sheet is discharged. That is, the first printing sheet P1, which has no page image printed on its front surface, is discharged first. The page image is not printed on the front and back surfaces of the first printing sheet P1. After the first printing sheet P1 is discharged, the switchback process SB is performed for the second printing sheet P2. Thereafter, the print engine 3 prints the page image G1 on the back surface of the second printing sheet P2. The print engine 3 prints the page image G1 in the third print area F3. That is, the page image G1 is printed last on the printing sheet P (in this case, the second printing sheet P2).
After the page image G1 is printed on the back surface of the second printing sheet P2, the second printing sheet P2 is discharged to the discharge tray 22. The second printing sheet P2 is discharged second (n-th). The page images G1 and G2, which are printed on the front and back surfaces of the second printing sheet P2 discharged to the discharge tray 22, are printed in page number order, with the page numbers decreasing sequentially as the sheet is discharged to the discharge tray 22.
The example shown in
Next, with reference to
As shown in
After the page image G5 is printed on the surface of the printing sheet FP, the cutting process CU is performed. A first printing sheet FP1 is discharged to the discharge tray 22 before a second printing sheet FP2 is discharged. That is, the first printing sheet FP1, which has no page image printed on its front surface, is discharged first. After the first printing sheet FP1 is discharged, the second printing sheet FP2 is subsequently discharged. That is, the second printing sheet FP2 is discharged second (n-th). The first printing sheet FP1 and the second printing sheet FP2 are discharged without being subjected to the switchback process SB.
After the second printing sheet FP2 is discharged, the printing sheet P is conveyed from the sheet feed tray 21. In
The page images G5 printed on the front surface of the second printing sheet FP2, and the page images to be printed on the front and back surfaces of the first and second printing sheets SP1 and SP2 are printed in page number order, with the page numbers decreasing sequentially as the sheets are discharged to the discharge tray 22. In other words, the page images printed on both surfaces of the first printing sheet P1 and second printing sheet P2 stacked in the discharge tray 22 are in order of page number from the top.
The duplex reverse order printing described above can be achieved by printing the page images contained in the print data in a particular order. The order of the page images to be printed depends on the number of page images to be printed. Further, the order of the page images to be printed varies depending on the format of the print data received by the printing apparatus 1. In such a case, it is necessary to rearrange the order of the page images to be printed in an internal process of the printing apparatus 1.
Referring to
The controller 100 is configured to analyze the contents of the print data DA1. The controller 100 obtains from analysis results the number of pages of the page images included in the print data DA1 and the page numbers of the page images included in the print data DA1. Based on the obtained number of pages, the controller 100 determines whether the order of image data A to E in the print data DA1 is suitable for the duplex reverse order printing. Since the order of the image data A to E in the print data DA1 is not suitable for the duplex reverse order printing, the controller 100 rearranges the image data A to E in the print data DA1 into the printing order suitable for the duplex reverse order printing.
As shown on the right-hand side of
The controller 100 analyzes the contents of the print data DA2 and obtains the number of pages of the page images contained in the print data DA2 and the page numbers of the page images contained in the print data DA1. Since the order of the image data A to E in the print data DA2 is the printing order suitable for the duplex reverse order printing, the controller 100 sets the order of the image data A to E in the print data DA2 as the printing order PO2. That is, the controller 100 does not perform the process of rearranging the printing order.
Since each of the image data A to C contains multiple page images, the controller 100 performs a process of splitting the page images contained in each of the image data A to C. The controller 100 divides the image data A into image data A1 (a page image of a first page) and image data A2 (a page image of a second page). Similarly for image data B and image data C, controller 100 divides image data B into image data B1 (a page image of a third page) and image data B2 (a page image of a fourth page), and divides image data C into image data C1 (a page image of a fifth page) and image data C2 (a blank image).
The controller 100 analyzes the contents of the print data DA3 and obtains the number of pages of the page images contained in the print data DA3 and the page numbers of the page images contained in the print data DA1. The page images contained in the image data A to C of the print data DA3 are arranged in order of page number. Therefore, it is necessary for the controller 100 to rearrange the page images contained in image data A to C of the print data DA1 into a printing order suitable for the duplex reverse order printing.
The controller 100 divides the image data A to C of the print data DA3 as described above and sets a print order of the divided image data to the print order PO3 suitable for the duplex reverse order printing. That is, the controller 100 sets the print order in the order of the image data C1, the image data A2, the image data B2, the image data B1, and the image data A1. In this way, the duplex reverse order printing can be achieved.
The controller 100 may be configured to analyze whether the last page image in the print data is a blank page image. Page images in the print data may contain blank page images that do not contain images to be printed. When the controller 100 analyzes that the last page image of the print data is a blank page image, the controller sets the print order excluding the blank page image. That is, the controller 100 performs the printing excluding the blank page images. A page that is one page before the blank page image is regarded as the last page of the print data.
As an example, it is assumed that print data DA4 (not shown) contains six pages of page images. It is further assumed that page images contained in the print data DA4 include images to be printed on pages 1 through 5, while page 6 does not include any images to be printed. In such a case, the controller 100 analyzes the print data DA4 and rearranges the print order, excluding the page image of the sixth page, which is the last page. That is, it is regarded that the last page of the print data DA4 is the fifth page. Therefore, the page images in the print data DA4 are printed in the order of page 5, page 2, page 4, page 3, and page 1.
According to the above configuration, in the image printing process, page images are printed on the printing sheet P excluding blank pages contained in the print data. Therefore, time can be reduced by the amount of time required to convey blank pages. As a result, printing time can be reduced when the duplex printing is performed. The printing apparatus 1 may be configured to obtain the number of pages of page images contained in the print data prior to receiving the print data as described above.
Reduction of Printing Time
As described above, in the duplex reverse order printing, when the number of pages contained in the print data is not a multiple of 4 (i.e., 2n), that is, when the number of pages is not divisible by 4, the printing sheet P, on which the final page image of the print data is printed, has blank areas where no page image is printed. Conveying the printing sheet P for such blank portions is a waste of time and unnecessarily increases printing time. As will be shown below, by conveying the printing sheet P unnecessarily, the number of switchback processes in the printing time may be increased. As a result, there are concerns about deterioration of the conveying motor 108 and increased paper waste. In this respect, there was room for improvement in the duplex reverse order printing.
The reduction in printing time made possible by the printing method of the present disclosure is explained in comparison with the examples shown in
In the examples mentioned above (i.e., the examples shown in
In the examples mentioned above, the page image G2 is printed on the print area F1 of the printing sheet P. The page image G4 is printed on the print area F2 of the printing sheet P. The page image G3 is printed on the print area F3 of the printing sheet P. The page image G1 is printed on the print area F4 of the printing sheet P.
Referring to
As described above, the page image to be printed is determined for each of the print areas F1-F4. In the example shown in
In contrast, according to the printing method shown in
The examples shown in
In
As shown in
According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the last page is printed on the front surface of the printing sheet P. That is, the printing sheet P on which the last page image is printed can be cut at the time of the front surface printing. Therefore, the first or second printing sheet P1 or the second printing sheet P2, on which the first page is printed, can be discharged without performing the second conveying process. Thus, it is possible to shorten the time for the duplex reverse order printing.
Further, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, when two or three page images are printed on the printing sheet P, the second conveying process is performed only for the second printing sheet P2, which is the printing sheet to be discharged second, and requires a page image to be printed on the back surface. Therefore, the first printing sheet P1, which does not require a page image to be printed on the back surface, can be discharged to the discharge tray 22 without performing the second conveying process. Thus, it is possible to shorten the time for the duplex reverse order printing.
According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the first printing sheet P1, which does not have a page image printed on its front surface, is discharged to the discharge tray 22 without being subjected to the second conveyance process. Therefore, the conveying amount of the first printing sheet P1 can be reduced by the conveying amount by the second conveying process. Thus, it is possible to shorten the time for the duplex reverse order printing.
A control flow by the controller 100 of the printing apparatus 1 is described with reference to flowcharts shown in
In the following description of the flowcharts, for a page image printed on a printing sheet P, the page image with the lowest page number is referred to as the first page image, the page image following the first page image is referred to as the second page image, the page image following the second page image is referred to as the third page image, and the page image following the third page image is referred to as the fourth page image.
As shown in
Referring to
Next, the controller 100 controls the print engine 3 to print the page image of the second page in the first print area F1 on the front surface of the printing sheet P (S12). After S12, the controller 100 controls the print engine 3 to print the page image of the fourth page in the second print area on the front surface of the printing sheet P (S13). It is noted that the process from S11 to S13 is an example of a first conveying process according to the present disclosures.
Next, the controller 100 controls the conveying motor 108 to convey the printing sheet P in the second conveying direction D2 (S14). Then, the controller 100 controls the print engine 3 to print the page image of the third page in the third print area F3 on the back surface of the printing sheet P (S15). After S15, the controller 100 controls the cutting mechanism 10 to cut the printing sheet P at the cutting position CL (S16). It should be noted that S16 is an example of a second cutting process according to the present disclosures. Thereafter, the controller 100 discharges the first printing sheet P1, from among the first printing sheet P1 and the second printing sheet P2 which are divided from the printing sheet P by cutting the same in S15, to the discharge tray 22 (S17).
Next, the controller 100 prints the page image of the first page on the fourth print area F4 on the back surface of the printing sheet P (S18). It should be noted that the process from step S14 to step S18 is an example of a second conveying process according to the present disclosures. After S18, the controller 100 discharges the second printing sheet P2 to the discharge tray 22 (S19). It should be noted that processes in S17 and S19 are examples of a discharging process according to the present disclosures. After S19, the first printing process (S2) is terminated. The process then returns to
As shown in
Referring to
Next, the controller 100 controls the print engine 3 to print the page image of the third page in the first print area F1 on the front surface of the printing sheet P (S22). In S22, a page image of an odd-numbered page is printed in the first print area F1. After S22, the controller 100 controls the cutting mechanism 10 to cut the printing sheet P at the cutting position CL (S23). It should be noted that S23 is an example of the first cutting process according to the present disclosures. Then, the controller 100 discharges the first printing sheet P1, from among the first printing sheet P1 and the second printing sheet P2 which are divided by dividing the printing sheet P in S23, to the discharge tray 22 (S24).
Next, the controller 100 controls the print engine 3 to print the page image of the second page in the second print area F2 on the front surface of the printing sheet P (S25). It should be noted that the process of from S21 to S25 is an example of the first conveying process according to the present disclosures. Next, the controller 100 controls the conveying motor 108 to convey the second printing sheet P2 in the second conveying direction D2 (S26). In S26, the second printing sheet P2 is switched back and conveyed in the second conveying direction D2.
Then, the controller 100 controls the print engine 3 to print the page image of the first page in the third print area F3 on the back surface of the printing sheet P (S27). It should be noted that the process from step S26 to S27 is an example of a second conveying process according to the present disclosures. After S27, the controller 100 discharges the second printing sheet P2 to the discharge tray 22 (S28). The processes in S24 and S28 are examples of a discharging process according to the present disclosures. After S28, the second printing process (S4) is terminated. Returning to
As shown in
Referring to
Next, the controller 100 controls the cutting mechanism 10 to cut the printing sheet P at the cutting position CL (S32). S32 is an example of the first cutting process according to the present disclosures. Then, the controller 100 discharges the first printing sheet P1, from among the first printing sheet P1 and the second printing sheet P2 which are divided by cutting the printing sheet P in S32, to the discharge tray 22 (S33). Next, the controller 100 controls the print engine 3 to print the page image of the second page in the second print area F2 on the front surface of the printing sheet P (S34). It should be noted that the process from S31 to S34 is an example of the first conveyance process according to the present disclosures.
Next, the controller 100 controls the conveying motor 108 to convey the second printing sheet P2 in the second conveying direction D2 (S35). S35 is similar to S26 of the second printing process (S4). Next, the controller 100 controls the print engine 3 to print the page image of the first page in the third print area F3 on the back surface of the printing sheet P (S36). It should be noted that the process from S35 to S36 is an example of the second conveyance process according to the present disclosures. After S36, the controller 100 discharges the second printing sheet P2 to the discharge tray 22 (S37). It should be noted that the processes in S33 and S37 are examples of the discharging process according to the present disclosures. After S37, the third printing process (S6) is terminated. Returning to
As shown in
Referring to
Next, the controller 100 controls the print engine 3 to print the page image of the first page in the second print area F2 on the front surface of the printing sheet P (S44). It should be noted that the process from S41 to S44 is an example of the first conveying process according to the present disclosures. After S44, the controller 100 discharges the second printing sheet P2 to the discharge tray 22 (S45). It should be noted that the processes in S43 and S45 are examples of the discharging process according to the present disclosures. After S45, the fourth print process (S7) is terminated. Returning to
As shown in
According to the above configuration, for the first printing sheet P and the second printing sheet P2 that have been cut and do not require page images to be printed on the back surface, they can be discharged to the discharge tray 22 without performing the second conveying process. On the other hand, for the first printing sheet P1 and the second printing sheet P2 that have been cut and need to have page images printed on the back surface, the second conveying process can be executed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the conveying amount for the first printing sheet P1 and the second printing sheet P2 after the cutting, which do not need to have the page image printed on the back surface. Thus, it is possible to shorten the time for the duplex reverse order printing.
Realization with Use of Software
The functions of the printing apparatus 1 (hereinafter referred to as an “apparatus”) can be realized by computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to function as each control block of the apparatus (especially the components included in the controller 100).
In such a case, the above apparatus is equipped with a computer having at least one controller (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware configured to execute the above program (i.e., instructions). By executing the above program (i.e., instructions) with the controller and the memory device, each function described above can be realized.
The above program (i.e., instructions) may be stored in one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media. The recording media may or may not be provided by the above apparatus. In the latter case, the above program (i.e., instructions) may be supplied to the above apparatus via any transmission medium, wired or wireless.
Further, it is also possible to realize some or all of the functions of each of the above control blocks by means of logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit functioning as each of the above control blocks is formed is also included according to aspects of the present disclosures. In addition, it is also possible to realize the functions of each of the above control blocks by, for example, a quantum computer.
The present disclosures are not limited to the above-mentioned configurations, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims, and the disclosures obtained by combining technical means disclosed above as appropriate are also included in aspects of the present disclosures.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2022-073397 | Apr 2022 | JP | national |