TECHNOLOGY FOR DEALING WITH ERRORS IN PRINTING DEVICE

Abstract

A printing device configured to print on the basis of a given print job includes an error detector configured to detect an error indicating the possibility that printing of the print job will not be completed under a printing condition that is set for the print job and a printing condition changing section configured to change the printing condition of the print job for completing the printing in a case where the error detector detects an error, wherein the printing condition changing section changes the printing condition of the print job on the basis of the type of the error detected by the error detector and a substitutive printing condition set for the print job corresponding to the type of the error for dealing with the error.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a network system according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing configurations of a printer and a client.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show an example of the job data transferred from the client to the printer.

FIG. 4 shows information that is stored in substitutive process information storing section when substitutive process configuration information shown in FIG. 3B is analyzed.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a print job receiving routine performed by a print job receiving section.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a print job executing routine performed by a print job executing section.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a print resuming subroutine performed in a step S300 shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a property configuration screen setting a print processing condition of a printer.

FIG. 9 shows a detailed configuration screen for setting a substitutive process in a case of “black toner end”.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a print resuming subroutine according to a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing configurations of a printer and a client according to a third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a print job receiving routine according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a print job executing routine according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a substitutive process selecting screen that is displayed when a printer monitoring section detects “black toner end”.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a print job executing routine according a fourth embodiment.

Claims

1. A printing device configured to print on the basis of a given print job, the printing device comprising: an error detector configured to detect an error indicating the possibility that printing of the print job will not be completed under a printing condition that is set for the print job; anda printing condition changing section configured to change the printing condition of the print job for completing the printing in a case where the error detector detects an error,wherein the printing condition changing section changes the printing condition of the print job on the basis of the type of the error detected by the error detector and a substitutive printing condition set for the print job corresponding to the type of the error for dealing with the error.

2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the substitutive printing condition is set on the basis of data supplied to the printing device at a time when the print job is given to the printing device.

3. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the printing condition changing section acquires the substitutive printing condition at a time when the error detected by the error detector is an error in printing and changes the printing condition of the print job on the basis of the substitutive printing condition that has been acquired.

4. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the substitutive printing conditions can be set for each type of error, andwherein the printing condition changing section is configured to select one of the substitutive printing conditions to be applied for changing the printing condition on the basis of priority levels assigned respectively to the substitutive printing conditions when the plurality of the substitutive printing conditions are set for each type of error.

5. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein printing is performed under a printing condition that is set before the printing condition is changed by the printing condition changing section when the error detected by the error detector is dealt with.

6. A method of controlling a printing device that is configured to perform printing on the basis of a given print job, the method comprising: (a) detecting an error indicating the possibility that printing of the print job will not be completed under a printing condition that is set for the print job; and(b) changing the printing condition of the print job for completing the printing in a case where an error is detected in (a),wherein the printing condition of the print job is changed on the basis of the type of error detected in (a) and a substitutive printing condition set for the print job corresponding to the type of error for dealing with the error in (b).