JP2001331292A - Printer selecting device and print system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily and properly select a printer when plural various kinds of printers are provided. SOLUTION: This system is provided with a printer selecting means 21 for accepting a print condition as a printer selecting element by an accepting means 22, and for selecting a printer suitable for the print condition from among plural printers 4, 5, and 6 by a selecting means 24, and for outputting print picture information to be printed to the selected printer. Thus, it is possible to easily and properly select a printer by automatically selecting a printer suitable for printing processing according to the print condition being a significant factor when selecting a printer. For example, when a specific paper size is designated, a printer capable of outputting the paper size is automatically selected. Moreover, it is possible to automatically select the suitable printer according to a priority order by setting the priority order in print conditions such as printing costs, a printing processing time, and picture quality.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing system in which a plurality of different types of printers are connected, and a printer selection device used in the printing system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printer is generally configured in a one-to-one correspondence so as to form a pair with an image information supply apparatus such as a scanner for supplying print image information. For example, in the case of a digital copying machine, a scanner unit (image information supply device) that reads an original image and original image information (print image information) read by its own scanner unit are printed by a printer unit (printer) using an electrophotographic process. It is configured to print out. This is almost the same in the case of a facsimile apparatus having a communication function for transmitting and receiving data. In the case of a stencil printing machine, the printer section in the digital copying machine is replaced with a stencil printing section (printer), and the same can be said. In the case of a single printer such as a laser printer using an electrophotographic process, the printer is used by being connected to a word processor or a personal computer (image information supply device) for supplying print image information as an electronic document. An image scanner (image information supply device) for reading is used by being connected via a personal computer or the like.

In recent years, however, various print systems have been proposed in which these image information supply devices and printers are distributed and arranged on a network such as a LAN to achieve common use of the printers (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4 -153
814, JP-A-7-214872, JP-A-9-330190, etc.), which are actually in practical use. In this case, not only a printing system of a type in which one or a plurality of printers of the same model (for example, a laser printer) are shared by a plurality of image information supply apparatuses, but also a plurality of printers of different models having different performances (for example, There is also an example of a print system of a type in which a laser printer, a digital copying machine, a stencil printing machine, or the like) is shared by a plurality of image information supply devices. According to the latter printing system example, by selecting a desired printer at the time of printing, it is possible to perform a printing process utilizing characteristics of each printer. For example, a laser printer can provide a print result with good image quality, and a stencil printing machine can reduce the printing cost when the number of prints is large.

[0004]

However, even if such a printing system is constructed, these printers are merely selectable, and for a user, which printer is used for printing each time. Has to be determined one by one to make a selection operation, which is troublesome. In addition, even if a printer selection operation is performed once, if the selected printer does not have a desired printing function, it is necessary to perform the selection operation again from the beginning, and it takes time to start printing. , Operation is troublesome.

[0005] By the way, there is a proposal in which the printing cost is suppressed by automatically selecting a printer existing on the network according to the number of prints. In some cases, the quality may be too different, and this is not always an appropriate printer selection for each user.

As a result, it is difficult to obtain printed materials under the printing conditions desired by each user at the lowest possible cost, and the merit of constructing a printing system is reduced by half.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a printer selection apparatus and a printing system which can easily and properly select a printer that provides a print result as desired by each user when a plurality of different types of printers are provided. The purpose is to provide.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer selecting apparatus which receives a printing condition as a printer selecting element, and which matches a printing condition received from the plurality of printers by the receiving unit. The printer includes a selection unit for selecting a printer, and an information output unit for outputting print image information to be printed to the printer selected by the selection unit.

Therefore, in selecting a printer, a printer that conforms to the printing conditions is automatically selected using the printing conditions as a printer selection element, so that a desired printer can be selected without performing a troublesome selection operation. Easy and proper. For example, when printing on paper of a specific size is designated as a printing condition, a printer suitable for the specific size is automatically selected. The same applies to other printing conditions, for example, color printing designation, paper type designation, resolution designation, special function printing designation, etc., and it is necessary to repeat the selection operation as in the case of the user's own printer selection operation. Almost disappears.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer selecting apparatus for receiving, as a printer selecting element, a printing condition set with a priority order, and a printing condition received from the plurality of printers by the receiving means. Selecting means for selecting a suitable printer in accordance with the priority order, and information output means for outputting print image information to be printed to the printer selected by the selecting means.

[0011] Therefore, a printing condition set with a priority in selecting a printer is used as a printer selection element, and a printer suitable for the priority of the printing condition is automatically selected. It is possible to easily and properly select a desired printer without performing a complicated selection operation. In particular, since the printer is selected according to the priority set by the user with respect to the specified printing conditions,
Even in a situation where a plurality of printers are selected according to only the printing conditions, it is possible to select a printer that can obtain a print result desired by the user as much as possible.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the printer selection apparatus according to the second aspect, the printing conditions set with the priority include at least a printing cost, a printing processing time, and an image quality.

[0013] Therefore, by setting the priority order, it is possible to obtain a print in which the printing cost is prioritized, a print in which the print processing time is prioritized, or a print in which the image quality is prioritized as desired by the user. An appropriate printer that can perform printing can be easily selected. That is, it is possible to easily and appropriately select a printer for performing printing in which printing cost is as low as possible, performing printing in which printing processing is as quick as possible, or performing printing with high image quality as much as possible.

The invention described in claim 4 is the first to third aspects of the present invention.
The printer selection device according to any one of the above, further comprising display means for displaying which printer is selected by the selection means from among a plurality of printers on a display unit.

Therefore, the selection of a suitable printer is automatically performed, but the selected printer is displayed on the display unit, so that the user can easily make a final confirmation before starting printing.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the printer selection device according to the fourth aspect, the display by the display means is:
The selection change from the printer selected by the selection means and displayed on the display unit to another printer can be set.

Accordingly, the selected printer can be clearly indicated to the user, and the final decision on the selection of the printer to be used can be left to the user.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print system, comprising: at least one image information supply device for supplying print image information to be printed; at least one print condition setting device for setting a print condition as a printer selection element; A plurality of different types of printers capable of performing print processing of print image information to be printed supplied from the image information supply device,
A printer selection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Therefore, since the printing system is constructed including the printer selecting device having the above-described printer selecting function, the printer can be selected easily and properly, and the printers of a plurality of different models can be selected. A printing system that makes the most of the features.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print system for supplying at least one image information supply device for supplying print image information to be printed, and at least one image information supply device for setting print conditions as prioritized printer selection elements. 6. The printer selection device according to claim 2, wherein a printing condition setting device, a plurality of different types of printers capable of performing print processing of print image information to be printed supplied from the image information supply device. And a device.

Therefore, since the printing system is constructed including the printer selecting device having the above-described printer selecting function, the printer can be selected easily and properly, and the printer of a different model can be selected. A printing system that makes the most of the features.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the print system according to the sixth or seventh aspect, at least one of the plurality of printers integrally includes the image information supply device and the printing condition setting device. It is a multifunction machine.

Therefore, the present invention is not limited to a single printer having only a printing function, but also to a so-called digital copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a stencil printing machine equipped with a scanner having a scanner and a printer together with an operation panel. The present invention can be applied to a print system including a multifunction peripheral as one of the printers without any trouble. Such an image processing multifunction machine is not limited to a normal monochrome compatible machine, but may be a color compatible machine.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the print system according to the sixth or seventh aspect, at least one of the plurality of printers includes the image information supply device, the printing condition setting device, and the printer selection device. This is an image processing multifunction machine provided integrally.

Therefore, the present invention is not limited to a single printer having only a printing function, but also a so-called digital copying machine or facsimile machine or a stencil printing machine having a scanner unit having a scanner unit and a printer unit together with an operation panel and a printer selection device. And the like can be applied without any problem to a print system including an image processing multifunction machine as one of the printers. Such an image processing multifunction machine is not limited to a normal monochrome compatible machine, but may be a color compatible machine.

The invention according to claim 10 is the invention according to claim 6 or 7.
At least one terminal, comprising: a printer controller for receiving print image information to be printed by each printer; and the image information supply device, the print condition setting device, and the printer selection device being integrated with each other. And the printer controllers of the plurality of printers are connected to each other via a communication medium so that data can be freely transmitted and received.

Accordingly, a plurality of single printers of different types having only a printing function, an operation panel, a printer selection device,
The present invention can be applied to a print system provided with an image information supply device, that is, a print system in which a terminal such as a personal computer is connected via a communication medium.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the printer selecting device in the print system according to any one of the sixth to tenth aspects has a single structure.

Therefore, system components other than the printer selection device can be applied without changing software or the like, and troubles on the system can be avoided beforehand, and maintenance becomes easy.

[0030]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a connection diagram showing an outline of an overall configuration of a printing system 1 as an example of the present embodiment. The print system 1 includes a plurality of personal computers (PCs) 2, a scanner 3, a laser printer 4, a digital copying machine 5, and a stencil printing machine 6 indicated by # 1, # 2,. Are connected to each other by a communication medium such as a LAN 7 so as to be able to transmit and receive data to and from each other.

The plurality of PCs 2 may be the same model or different models. Here, the main configuration is assumed to be the same, and the configuration of one of them will be described. PC2
Is provided with a display 11 integrated with or separate from the keyboard 11 and the PC main body 12 as usual, and generally has a document creation function and can supply print image information as an electronic document. Functions as one of the devices. The keyboard 11 is appropriately operated by an operator to input various data and the like. When printing an electronic document, a number setting device for setting and inputting the number of copies (number of copies) and a printing condition are used as printer selection elements. It also functions as one of the printing condition setting devices to be set. The display 13 displays various information and the like, and functions as a display unit for displaying which printer is selected at the time of printing, as described later. Further, the PC main body 12 has a built-in control device 14 having a microprocessor configuration for realizing various functions as the PC 2. In the control device 14, a printer selection device described later is incorporated. Therefore, as described above, the PC 2 can function not only as an image information supply device but also as a terminal for a single-structured printer because it has the functions of a print condition setting device and a printer selection device integrally.
The scanner 3 can read an image of a paper document by a reading optical system such as an image sensor and supply it as digital print image information, and functions as one of image information supply devices.

The laser printer 4 is a unitary printer that executes a printing process based on print image information using toner in accordance with an electrophotographic process centered on a photoreceptor. A printer controller 15 for receiving image information is provided. The printer controller 15 may be separate or may be built in the laser printer 4.

The digital copying machine 5 includes a printer unit 18 for executing a printing process based on print image information using toner in accordance with an electrophotographic process centered on a photoconductor, in addition to an operation panel 16 and a scanner unit 17. Functions as one of the printers. Here, the scanner unit 17 can read an image of a paper document by a reading optical system such as an image sensor and supply it as digital print image information.
It functions as one of the image information supply devices. Operation panel 1
Reference numeral 6 includes keys such as numeric keys and a display unit having a liquid crystal touch panel structure. Here, the keys of the operation panel 16 and the switch structure of the liquid crystal touch panel are appropriately operated by an operator to input various data and the like. When printing an electronic document, the number of prints is set and input. It also functions as a setting device and one of the printing condition setting devices for setting printing conditions as a printer selection element. The display portion of the liquid crystal touch panel displays various information and the like, but can also function as a display portion for displaying which printer is selected at the time of printing, as described later.
Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, the digital copying machine 5 can function as a printer, and is configured as an image processing multifunction machine since it has the functions of an image information supply device and a printing condition setting device integrally.

The stencil printing machine 6 is a printing machine that performs printing using a master, ink, or the like wound around a plate cylinder after a stencil making process. One is provided with a printer controller 19 for receiving print image information transmitted on the LAN 7. The printer controller 19 may be separate or may be built in the stencil printing machine 6.

That is, the printing system 1 illustrated in FIG.
Is an example of a configuration including three printers of different types, a laser printer 4, a digital copying machine 5, and a stencil printing machine 6. Here, these printers individually have advantages and disadvantages. For example, in a digital copying machine 5 using toner, the cost per printed sheet (printing cost) varies depending on various conditions, but currently 5 to 8 On the other hand, since the stencil printing machine 6 uses a master and ink, the cost per printed sheet decreases as the number of printed sheets increases, and this also depends on various conditions. If the number is 10 or more, it can be said that the cost is lower than that of the digital copying machine 5. Further, according to the laser printer 4, a print result with good image quality can be obtained.

Here, a functional configuration of the printer selection device 21 incorporated in the control device 14 in the PC 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer selection device 21 is functionally composed of a reception unit 22, a determination unit 23, a selection unit 24, an information output unit 25, and a display unit 26, and each function is a microprocessor constituting the control unit 14. Is executed by The receiving unit 22 prints the print image information created by the PC 2 or the print image information read by the scanner 3, and sets the number of prints set by the keyboard 11 (number-of-sheets setting device, print condition setting device) and the preset printing A process for accepting the condition information as a printer selection element is executed. Specifically, the printer selection utility software in the PC 2 functions as the receiving unit 22. That is, when printing is instructed by the application software used in the PC 2, the printer selection utility is started, the number of prints is set by the printer selection utility, and the printing condition information is set as a printer selection element.

By the way, even if the basic software is of a different model, if it is a conventional personal computer, the application software can execute [file] [print] or [file] [prin].
When you select [t], “Default Printer” is selected and the status, type, location, comments, etc. are displayed.
In the PC 2 of the present embodiment, “printer selection utility” is selected instead of “normally used printer”.
Therefore, when the "printer selection utility" is selected, the state of the printer which will be selected is not displayed on the monitor, but is displayed on the monitor after the printer is selected by the printer selection utility. Become.

The judging means 23 executes a process of transmitting the printing condition received by the receiving means 22 as a printer selection element to the selecting means 24 with the result of the presence or absence of a printer conforming to the printing conditions. The selection unit 24 is adapted from among a plurality of printers (the laser printer 4, the digital copying machine 5, and the stencil printing machine 6) according to the printing condition received by the reception unit 22 (according to the determination result of the determination unit 23). A process for selecting a printer to be executed is executed. The information output unit 25 selects the print image information to be printed supplied from the PC 2 itself (image information supply device) by the printer 4 selected by the selection unit 24.
The processing for outputting to 5 or 6 is executed. The display means 26 executes a process of displaying which printer is selected by the selection means 24 from the plurality of printers (laser printer 4, digital copier 5, stencil printer 6) on the display 13 (display unit). .

In such a configuration, when the print image information read by the scanner 3 is printed by the print system 1 based on the operation of the PC 2, the processing executed by the microprocessor of the control device 14 in which the printer selection device 21 is incorporated. Will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. First, this process is started by a print request from the user in the PC 2 (Y in step S1). When there is a print request, a printer selection utility starts (S2). As a result, information about the input / output devices connected to the LAN 7 is obtained (S3). For printers, printable paper sizes,
Information on printing functions (sorter / sorting, composition / continuous shooting, stamp / watermarking, processing (reversal, etc.), color, resolution, etc.), status (whether printing is possible, or an error is occurring), and the like are, for example, MIB (Management Information) Network Protocol SNMP (Simple Network)
Management Protocol) or NPMP (Network
It is supplied from each printer via a general-purpose protocol such as Peripheral Management Protocol. Regardless of whether the information is regular or irregular, such information may be collected by constantly monitoring with a monitoring device.

Next, information on printing conditions is stored in the PC.
In step 2, it is checked whether or not the settings have been initialized (S4), and whether or not there is a change request in the settings (S5). If no initial setting has been made (N in S4), or if there is a request to change the setting contents (Y in S5), the display 13
The setting screen is started through (S6). This makes it possible to set print conditions through the keyboard 11 (print condition setting device) or the like. The printing conditions include the PC
In addition to the qualitative printing desired conditions by the second user, individual printing conditions necessary for individual printing are included. Here, the printing conditions set as the printer selection elements include paper size, image quality priority conditions for specifying high resolution and color printing, special function printing such as continuous shooting, synthesis, and watermarking. Items. That is, in the present embodiment, among various printing conditions, the printing conditions are set such that the cost (printing cost), the time (print processing time), and the image quality (image quality) are assigned with priorities.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the setting screen 27 displayed through the display 13. When a predetermined switch operation is performed on the operation panel such as the keyboard 11 on the setting screen 27 and the "printing priority item setting mode" is displayed, a screen display as shown in FIG. Prompt input setting of the first item. Therefore,
"Cost" key 28a, "Image quality" key 28b, "Time"
A setting operation is performed by selecting and pressing one of the keys 28c. For example, if it is desired to set the order of “image quality”, “cost”, and “time”, when the “image quality” key 28b is pressed, “image quality” blinks in the number 1 portion as illustrated in FIG. Is done. Then, by pressing the "confirm" key 29, the selected content is confirmed, and the display changes to a lighted display. Hereinafter, similarly, a "cost" key 28a, a "confirm" key 29, a "time" key 28c, and a "confirm" key 29
By sequentially selecting and pressing, "image quality" and "cost"
The order setting in "time" order is determined. Finally, the “end” key 30 is pressed to end the superior item setting mode.

As described above, the user can set the printing conditions through the setting screen 27. One of the settings is the image quality, cost,
It can be set as a printer selection element with a priority, such as time or cost, image quality, and time. When the setting of the printing conditions such as the priority order is completed by pressing the setting keys 28a to 28c or the like (S7), the set contents are stored in a memory (not shown) (S8).
Therefore, since these printer selection elements are saved once set in the initial setting, a change request is required (S
There is no need to make settings other than 5) Y). If the initial setting has been completed (Y in S4) and the setting contents do not need to be changed (N in S5), the setting contents of the printing conditions stored in the memory are read (S9). The processing of step S8 or S9 is executed as a function of the receiving unit 22,
A printing condition set in advance or newly changed and set is received.

Then, it waits until the number of prints is input and set through the keyboard 11 (number setting device) (S1).
(Y of 0), a process of selecting an available printer in accordance with the printing conditions including the set priority order is performed (S11). This printer selection processing is performed by the determination unit 23 and the selection unit 24.
Is executed according to a subroutine shown in FIG. First, in this process, only available printers are extracted based on the printer information acquired in step S3 (S21). That is, a printer that cannot be used due to an error or the like at this time is excluded from the target of the current selection.

Next, it is checked whether or not there is a printer capable of printing on paper that matches the required paper size set as one of the printing conditions (S22). If there is no printer corresponding to the requested paper size (S
22) (N), a warning is displayed (S23), and the user is prompted to reset the printing conditions. Since the paper size is a more important factor for the user whether or not to obtain a desired print result than the print priority item, only a printer corresponding to the requested paper size is automatically extracted with the highest priority.

Subsequently, it is checked whether or not the image quality priority condition is set as the printing condition (S24). If the image quality priority condition is set (Y in S24), and it is a color print designation (Y in S25), it is checked whether or not a color printer exists in the printer (S2).
6) If a color printer exists (Y in S26), only a color printer is extracted as a candidate (S27). If color printing is not specified (N in S25), only a black and white printer is extracted as a candidate (S28). . If high-resolution printing is specified (Y in S29), it is checked whether a high-resolution (for example, 600 dpi or more) printer exists in the printer (S30). (Y of S30), only the high-resolution printer is extracted as a candidate (S31). If high-resolution printing is not specified (N in S29), only the remaining normal resolution printers are extracted as candidates (S32). If there is no printer corresponding to the color print designation or the high-resolution designation (N in S26, N in S30), a warning is displayed (S33, S34), and the settings relating to the printing conditions described above are made. Encourage rework. Since color printing or high-quality printing is a more important factor for a user whether or not a desired printing result is obtained than printing priority items, only a printer that supports the requested color printing or high-quality printing has priority. Automatically extracted.

Subsequently, it is checked whether or not a designation relating to printing of special functions such as continuous shooting, combination, and watermark is made as the printing condition (S35). If specified (Y in S35), it is checked whether there is a printer of the corresponding special function in the already extracted printers (S36). Only printers having the function of performing
7). If not present (N in S36), a warning is displayed (S38), and the user is prompted to reset the print conditions described above. Printing of special functions such as continuous shooting, synthesis, and watermarking is a more important factor for whether or not a user wants a desired printing result than priority items at the time of printing because of its specialty. Only printers with priority are automatically extracted.

In this way, a printer that meets these printing conditions is extracted from a plurality of printers, and if it is uniquely specified (N in S39), the extracted printer is output. The printer to be selected is determined (S40). However, if it is not possible to specify one printer only with these printing conditions (Y in S39), or if the above printing conditions are not specified, printing relating to cost, time, and image quality is performed. A sorting process is performed to rank the extracted candidate printers according to the priority of the time priority item (S41).

First, a printer corresponding to the first priority in the printing priority item is selected from the plurality of extracted printers (S42). By this selection process,
If only one printer is selected (N in S43),
The selected printer is selected and determined as a printer to be output (S40). If there are still a plurality of printers corresponding to the first priority (Y in S43),
A printer corresponding to the second priority in the printing priority item is selected from the printers (S44). When only one printer is selected by this selection processing (N in S45), the selected printer is selected and determined as a printer to be output (S40). However, the printer corresponding to the second priority is selected. If there are still a plurality of printers (Y in S45), a printer corresponding to the third priority in the printing priority item is selected from among them (S46), and a printer to be output is selected and determined (S40). Step S
Steps S21 to S46 (excluding step S40) are executed as a function of the determination unit 23, and step S40 is executed as a function of the selection unit 24.

When the printer selection process is performed (S11), information on the selected printer is displayed on the display 13 (S12) (see FIG. 3). This process is executed as a function of the display unit 26. In this display, if there is no change request or the like and the OK key or the like is operated (N in S13), print image information is output to the selected printer (S14), and the print data is provided for actual print processing. This processing is executed as a function of the information output means 25. In the display for the selected printer,
When it is desired to change the printer, a change request is made (Y in S13), so that the selection of the printer can be changed.

This embodiment is more effective as the number and type of printers connected through the LAN 7 and the like are increased. For example, five types of printers P as shown in FIG.
An example of selecting a printer according to the above-described flowchart will be described for an example of a printing system to which the printers 1 to P5 are connected.

The specifications of the printers P1 to P5 are as follows: Printer P1 resolution 400 dpi, black and white printing speed 60 sheets / min Paper size A3, A4 Printing cost 10 yen / sheet Printer P2 resolution 1200 dpi color printing speed 6 sheets / min paper Size A3, A4 Printing cost 100 yen / sheet Printer P3 Resolution 600 dpi Color printing speed 12 sheets / min Paper size A3, A4 Printing cost 50 yen / sheet Printer P4 Resolution 400 dpi Black and white Printing speed 60 sheets / min Paper size B4 Printing cost 10 yen / sheet Printer P5 Resolution 400 dpi Black and white Printing speed 120 sheets / min Paper size A3, A4 Printing cost 0.4 yen / sheet Assume that there is a combining function.

Case 1 Priority of printing priority items Image quality, cost, printing time Other printing condition requests: color printing designation, paper size A4
In the case of the specified print condition setting, first, the printers P1, P2, P3, and P5 are extracted as candidates by paper size check (Y in S22), and the printers P2 and P3 are selected as candidates according to the color print designation in the image quality priority condition. It is extracted (S27). Thereafter, in the sorting process of the candidate printers according to the priority order (S41), a higher resolution printer P2 is selected by considering the image quality of the first priority (S42), and the printer P2 is output as it is as it is. The printer P2 is determined (S40).

By the way, in the above printing condition setting, if the priority is the cost and the image quality, the printer P3 is selected as the final sorting result.

Case 2 Priority of printing priority items Image quality, cost, printing time Other printing condition requirements: None, paper size A4 designation In the case of printing condition setting, first, the printers P1, P2, P3 and P5 are extracted as candidates (Y in S22), and prior to the sorting process (S41) of the candidate printers according to the priorities, there is no particular image quality priority condition or the like. P1 and P5 are extracted as candidates. After that, the printers P1 and P1
5 are selected together (S42), and are subsequently sorted in the order of P5 and P1 (S44) by considering the cost of the second highest priority (S44). Is determined (S4
0). In the case where color printing is not explicitly designated as in the case of the present case, the color printer is excluded from the selection candidates, but the color printer may be extracted as a selection candidate including the color printer. Good. However, it is preferable that the priority be lower than that of the black and white printer.

Case 3: Priority cost of printing priority items, image quality, printing time Other printing condition requests: none, paper size A4 designation In the case of printing condition setting, first, the printers P1, P2, P3 and P5 are extracted as candidates (Y in S22), and prior to the sorting process (S41) of the candidate printers according to the priorities, there is no particular image quality priority condition or the like. P1 and P5 are extracted as candidates. Thereafter, in the sorting process of the candidate printers according to the priority order (S4
1) The printer P5 with lower printing cost is selected by considering the cost of the first priority (S4).
2) As it is, the printer P as a printer to be output
5 (S40). Here, even if the priorities are printing time, cost, and image quality, the printer P
It can be seen that 5 is selected.

In the printing condition setting, if the B4 size is specified as the paper size, the printer P4 is unconditionally set.
Is selected. If the composite printing is specified as the special printing function, the printer P5 is selected unconditionally.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by setting the printing conditions in advance, or by inputting the printing conditions at the time of printing, a printer that matches the printing conditions is selected from a plurality of printers. Is automatically selected, so that the printer can be selected easily and properly. In particular, regarding the printing priority items related to cost, time, and image quality, it is not necessary for the user to set the printing conditions each time printing is performed. The printer selection utility automatically selects a printer according to the set priority, and the selection result is displayed on the display 13, so that the user can immediately start printing only by confirming the selection. This makes it easy and appropriate to select a printer.

Further, since the printer which is automatically selected is displayed on the display 13, the user can easily make a final confirmation before starting printing. In particular, as in a modified example described later, depending on the type and function of the printer included in the system configuration, the automatically selected printer is not always the best for the user, and there are cases where it is desired to appropriately change the printer. By making it possible to confirm the display of the automatically selected printer, the user can see the result and select another printer again, and the user can make the final decision to the last.

As a result, as a system, the printing system 1 can make the most of the features of a plurality of printers of different models.

In this embodiment, the case where the print system 1 prints the print image information read by the scanner 3 based on the operation of the PC 2 has been described.
The same applies to a case where print image information, which is an electronic document created by the above, is printed.

In this embodiment, the printer selecting device 21 is incorporated in the control device 14 of the PC 2. However, as shown in FIG. 1, a microprocessor is provided in the digital copying machine 5 configured as an image processing multifunction machine. A control device 20 having the above configuration may be provided, and a printer selection device similar to the printer selection device 21 may be incorporated in the control device 20. This printer selection device functions in the same manner as described above when the print system 1 prints the print image information read by the scanner unit 17 based on the operation of the operation panel 16. Further, the example in which the stencil printing machine 6 is configured as a single printer has been described. However, as in the case of the digital copying machine 5, a scanner unit (image information supply device), an operation panel (print condition setting device), and the like are further provided. Alternatively, an image processing multifunction machine integrally including a printer selecting device may be configured as an integrated stencil printing machine.

The print system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and can take various modifications.

For example, in FIG. 1, not only the PC 2 but also a plurality of other devices each having the same model may be used. In this case, a color-compatible device may be included. FIG. 7 shows a system configuration example including a full-color digital copying machine 5C in addition to the digital copying machine 5.

The printer having a single configuration having only a printing function is not limited to the laser printer 4, but may be an ink jet printer, a dot printer, or the like. Further, the digital copying machine 5 may be a facsimile.

Further, as illustrated in FIG.
Digital copier 5 including a control device 20 in which a printer selection device is incorporated as an image information supply device side
The printing system 1A may use only the print system 1A.

As shown in FIG. 9, the image processing multifunction machines, for example, the digital copying machine 5 and the integrated stencil printing machine 32 are connected by a cable 31 without a network such as the LAN 7. The printing system 1B may be used. The integrated stencil printing machine 32 includes a scanner unit 33 and an operation panel 3 as in the case of the digital copying machine 5.
4, including a printer unit 35, a control device 36, and the like. Here, when the printing conditions are set on the operation panel 16 of the digital copying machine 5, the mode is automatically switched to the external output mode depending on the printing conditions, and when the confirmation key is pressed, the image information read by the scanner unit 17 is pressed. Is sent to the outside, that is, to the integrated stencil printing machine 32 side. That is, in this example, the digital copying machine 5 has the functions of a printing condition setting device and a printer selection device. By the way, conventionally, the printer function of the digital copying machine has meant that the copying machine functions as a printer when connected to a personal computer. However, in the illustrated example, the digital copying machine 5 has a scanner external output function. In particular, by adopting an integrated stencil printing machine 32 as an external output device to be connected, a printing mode capable of reducing printing costs is adopted. obtain.

Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 10, a laser printer 4 or a stencil printing machine 6 having only a printing function is connected as a plurality of printers, and all print image information is printed on a PC.
The print system 1C may be a print system 1C supplied from the second or the like.

Further, as illustrated in FIG.
In addition to the digital copying machine 5 and the integrated stencil printing machine 32, the printing system 1D may be configured by connecting a printer selection device 37 of a single configuration via the LAN 7 or the like. The printer selection device 37 may include an image display device 38. According to this print system 1D, P
The system can be constructed without changing the software on the C2 side at all, troubles in the system can be avoided before construction of the system, and the maintainability can be improved.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, a “peer-to-two
The print system 1E may have a simplified LAN configuration such as a “peer”. According to this, the versatility is increased as compared with the print system 1B shown in FIG. 9, for example, and the print system 1E can be used as if forming a network. Therefore, it is not necessary to construct a communication form by a formal network, and the configuration can be simplified.

[0070]

According to the printer selecting apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, when selecting a printer, a printing condition suitable for the printing condition is automatically selected by using the printing condition as a printer selecting element. Therefore, it is possible to easily and properly select a desired printer without performing a troublesome selection operation.

According to the printer selection device of the present invention, the print conditions set with priority in selecting a printer are used as printer selection elements and are adapted according to the priority of the print conditions. Is automatically selected, the user can easily and properly select a desired printer without performing a troublesome selection operation. Since the printers are selected in accordance with the set priority order, even in a situation where a plurality of printers are selected only according to the printing conditions, it is possible to select a printer that can obtain a print result desired by the user as much as possible. .

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the printer selecting apparatus according to the second aspect, by setting the priority order, the printing which gives priority to the printing cost, the printing which gives priority to the printing processing time, or the printing quality which gives priority to the image quality. Since the printing to be performed can be obtained as desired by the user, an appropriate printer that can perform the desired printing can be easily selected.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the printer selecting apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects,
The selection of a suitable printer is performed automatically, but the selected printer is displayed on the display,
The user can easily make a final confirmation before starting printing.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the printer selecting apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the selected printer can be clearly indicated to the user, and the final decision on the selection of the printer to be used can be left to the user. .

According to the printing system of the present invention, since the printing system includes the printer selecting device having the above-described printer selecting function, the printer can be selected easily and properly. Thus, it is possible to provide a print system that makes the most of the features of a plurality of printers of different types.

According to the printing system of the present invention, since the printing system includes the printer selecting device having the above-described printer selecting function, the printer can be selected easily and properly. Thus, it is possible to provide a print system that makes the most of the features of a plurality of printers of different types.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the print system according to the sixth or seventh aspect, at least one of the plurality of printers includes an image information supply device and a print condition setting device integrally. By using a multifunction device, not only a single printer with only a printing function but also a scanner unit and a printer unit together with an operation panel, etc.
The present invention can be applied to a so-called print system in which an image processing multifunction machine such as a digital copier, a facsimile machine, or a stencil printing machine having a scanner unit is provided as one printer.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the print system according to the sixth or seventh aspect, at least one of the plurality of printers integrally includes an image information supply device, a printing condition setting device, and a printer selection device. Since it is an image processing multifunction machine equipped with, not only a single printer having only a printing function, but also a so-called digital copier or facsimile device or a scanner unit having a scanner unit and a printer unit together with an operation panel, a printer selection device, etc. The present invention can be applied to a print system including an image processing multifunction machine such as a stencil printing machine provided as one of the printers without any trouble.

According to the tenth aspect, the sixth aspect is provided.
Or the printing system according to 7, wherein a plurality of single printers of different types having only a printing function, an operation panel,
The present invention can be applied to a print system including a printer selection device and an image information supply device, that is, a so-called personal computer or other terminal connected via a communication medium without any problem.

According to the eleventh aspect, the sixth aspect is provided.
Since the printer selection device in the print system according to any one of the above items 10 to 10 has a single configuration, system components other than the printer selection device can be applied without changing software and the like, and troubles on the system can be avoided beforehand. , Maintenance becomes easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a connection diagram illustrating an outline of an overall configuration of a print system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a printer selection device and the like.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating printer selection processing and the like at the time of printing.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the printer selection process.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a screen example of a priority item setting mode.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a system configuration for explaining an example of a printer selection process.

FIG. 7 is a connection diagram illustrating a modification of the system configuration.

FIG. 8 is a connection diagram illustrating a modification of the system configuration.

FIG. 9 is a connection diagram illustrating another modification of the system configuration.

FIG. 10 is a connection diagram showing another modification of the system configuration.

FIG. 11 is a connection diagram illustrating another modification of the system configuration.

FIG. 12 is a connection diagram illustrating another modification of the system configuration.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 2 image information supply device, terminal device 3 image information supply device 4 printer 5 printer, image processing multifunction device 6 printer, stencil printer 7 communication medium 11 printing condition setting device 13 display unit 15 printer controller 16 printing condition setting device 17 image information Supply device 21 Printer selection device 22 Receiving means 24 Selection means 25 Information output means 26 Display means

Claims (11)

[Claims] A receiving unit that receives printing conditions as a printer selection element; a selecting unit that selects a printer that meets printing conditions received by the receiving unit from a plurality of printers; A printer selection device comprising: an information output unit that outputs to the printer selected by the selection unit. 2. A receiving means for receiving, as a printer selection element, printing conditions set with priorities, and a printer adapted from the plurality of printers according to the priority of the printing conditions received by the receiving means. A printer selection device comprising: a selection unit for selecting; and an information output unit for outputting print image information to be printed to the printer selected by the selection unit. 3. The printer selection device according to claim 2, wherein the print conditions set with the priorities include at least print cost, print processing time, and image quality. 4. The printer selection device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying which printer is selected from the plurality of printers by the selection unit on a display unit. 5. The display by said display means is capable of freely setting a selection change from a printer selected by said selection means and displayed on said display unit to another printer.
Printer selection device as described. 6. At least one image information supply device for supplying print image information to be printed, at least one print condition setting device for setting a print condition as a printer selection element, and supplied from the image information supply device A print system comprising: a plurality of printers of different types capable of performing print processing of print image information to be printed; and the printer selection device according to claim 1. 7. At least one image information supply device for supplying print image information to be printed, at least one print condition setting device for setting print conditions as a printer selection element with priorities, and the image information A print system comprising: a plurality of different types of printers capable of performing print processing of print image information to be printed supplied from a supply device; and the printer selection device according to any one of claims 2 to 5. 8. The print system according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the plurality of printers is an image processing multifunction peripheral integrally including the image information supply device and the print condition setting device. 9. The print according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the plurality of printers is an image processing multifunction machine integrally including the image information supply device, the print condition setting device, and the printer selection device. system. 10. At least one terminal comprising: a printer controller for receiving print image information to be printed by each printer; and integrally including the image information supply device, the print condition setting device, and the printer selection device. 8. The print system according to claim 6, wherein the printer controllers of the plurality of printers are connected to each other via a communication medium so that data can be freely transmitted and received. 11. The print system according to claim 6, wherein the printer selection device has a single configuration.