Image printing system, image printing apparatus, and image printing method

An image printing apparatus which performs an image printing operation based on an image printing job supplied thereto, the image printing apparatus comprising:

• an operating display unit which displays a setting screen for setting image printing conditions of the supplied image printing job;
• and
• a nonvolatile memory which stores output condition information to be attached to the supplied image printing job;
• wherein the image printing apparatus has:
• (i) a proof mode in which after the image printing apparatus outputs a single image printing object as a confirmation print based on the image printing job, the image printing apparatus displays the setting screen on the operating display unit, to direct a change of the image printing conditions of the image printing job, a performance of the proof mode, or a performance of the image printing operation, and then the image printing apparatus waits, and (ii) a wait mode in which the image printing apparatus displays the setting screen on the operating display unit, to direct the change of the image printing conditions of the image printing job, the performance of the proof mode, or the performance of the image printing operation, without outputting the confirmation print, and then the image printing apparatus waits;
• wherein the image printing apparatus further comprises a switch which is set to one of enable selection of the proof mode or wait mode and to prevent selection of the proof mode or wait mode;
• wherein the image printing apparatus is operable as either of a main image machine printing apparatus and a sub machine image printing apparatus in a system including the main machine image printing apparatus, the sub machine image printing apparatus, and an image processing apparatus, wherein when the image printing apparatus operates as the main machine image printing apparatus the image printing job supplied thereto is supplied from the image processing apparatus, and when the image printing apparatus operates as the sub machine image printing apparatus the image printing job supplied thereto is supplied from the main machine image printing apparatus and is a part of the job supplied to the main machine image printing apparatus;
• wherein the image printing job comprises job status information, job setting information, and image information, and said job status information includes one of a proof selection flag to select the proof mode, a wait selection flag to select the wait mode, and no selection flag to select neither the proof mode nor the wait mode;
• wherein when the image printing apparatus operates as the main machine image printing apparatus:
• when the job status information of the image printing job supplied to the main machine image printing apparatus includes the proof selection flag or wait selection flag, the main machine image printing apparatus determines whether or not the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to enable selection of the proof mode or the wait mode;
• when the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to enable selection of the proof mode or the wait mode, the main machine image printing apparatus changes the job setting information of the image printing job supplied from the information processing apparatus by adding the output condition information stored in the nonvolatile memory of the main machine image printing apparatus to the job setting information and separately transfers a part of the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed to the sub machine image printing apparatus;
• when the job status information includes the proof selection flag, the main machine image printing apparatus outputs a single image printing object as a confirmation print based on the image printing job in which the job information has been changed, and then displays the setting screen and waits, and when the job status information includes the wait selection flag, the main machine image printing apparatus immediately displays the setting screen and waits, without outputting the confirmation print, and the main machine image printing apparatus performs the image printing operation based on the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed when performance of the image printing operation is directed on the setting screen;
• and
• when the job status information of the image printing job supplied from the image processing apparatus to the main machine image printing apparatus includes no selection flag, or when the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to prevent selection of the proof mode or the wait mode, the main machine image printing apparatus changes the job setting information of the image printing job supplied from the image processing apparatus by adding the output condition information stored in the nonvolatile memory of the main machine image printing apparatus to the job setting information, the main machine image printing apparatus separately transfers the part of the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed to the sub machine image printing apparatus, and the main machine image printing apparatus performs the image printing operation based on the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed;
• and
• wherein when the image printing apparatus operates as the sub machine image printing apparatus:
• when the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to enable selection of the proof mode or the wait mode, the sub machine image printing apparatus changes the job setting information of the image printing job separately transferred from the main machine image printing apparatus based on the output condition information stored in the nonvolatile memory of the sub machine image printing apparatus;
• when the job status information includes the proof selection flag, the sub machine image printing apparatus outputs a single image printing object as a confirmation print based on the image printing job in which the job information has been changed, and then displays the setting screen and waits, and when the job status information includes the wait selection flag, the sub machine image printing apparatus immediately displays the setting screen and waits, without outputting the confirmation print, and the sub machine image printing apparatus performs the image printing operation based on the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed when performance of the image printing operation is directed on the setting screen;
• and
• when the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to prevent selection of the proof mode or the wait mode, the sub machine image printing apparatus performs the image printing operation in parallel with the main machine image printing apparatus based on the job setting information of the image printing job separately transferred from the main machine image printing apparatus, without changing the job setting information at the sub machine image printing apparatus.

An image printing method, for a system that includes a main machine image printing apparatus, a sub machine image printing apparatus, communication means for interactively connecting the main machine image printing apparatus and the sub machine image printing apparatus, and an information processing apparatus which is connected to the communication means,

• wherein each of the main machine image printing apparatus and sub machine image printing apparatus further comprises:
• (i) an operating display unit which displays a setting screen for setting image printing conditions of the image printing job;
• and
• (ii) a nonvolatile memory which stores output condition information to be attached to the image printing job supplied from the information processing apparatus;
• wherein each of the main machine image printing apparatus and the sub machine image printing apparatus has:
• (i) a proof mode in which after the image printing apparatus outputs a single image printing object as a confirmation print based on the image printing job, the image printing apparatus displays the setting screen on the operating display unit, to direct a change of the image printing conditions of the image printing job, a performance of the proof mode, or a performance of an image printing operation, and then the image printing apparatus waits, and (ii) a wait mode in which the image printing apparatus displays the setting screen on the operating display unit, to direct the change of the image printing conditions of the image printing job, the performance of the proof mode, or the performance of image printing operation, without outputting the confirmation print, and then the image printing apparatus waits;
• wherein each of the main machine image printing apparatus and the sub machine image printing apparatus comprises a switch which is set to one of enable selection of the proof mode or wait mode and to prevent selection of the proof mode or wait mode;
• and
• wherein the method comprises:
• supplying an image printing job from the information processing apparatus to the main machine image printing apparatus, wherein the image printing job comprises job status information, job setting information and image information, and said job status information includes one of a proof selection flag to select the proof mode, a wait selection flag to select the wait mode, and no selection flag to select neither the proof mode nor the wait mode;
• determining, in the main machine image printing apparatus, whether the job status information of the image printing job includes the proof selection flag, the wait selection flag, or the no selection flag;
• determining, in the main machine image printing apparatus, whether the or not the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to enable selection of the proof mode or the wait mode, when it is determined that the job status information includes the proof selection flag or the wait selection flag;
• in the main machine image printing apparatus, when it is determined that the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to enable selection of the proof mode or the wait mode:
• changing the job setting information of the image printing job supplied from the information processing apparatus by adding the output condition information stored in the nonvolatile memory of the main machine image printing apparatus to the job setting information;
• and separately transferring a part of the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed to the sub machine image printing apparatus from the main machine image printing apparatus;
• in the main machine image printing apparatus:
• outputting a single image printing object as a confirmation print based on the image printing job in which the job information has been changed, and then displaying the setting screen and waiting, when the job status information includes the proof selection flag;
• immediately displaying the setting screen and waiting, without outputting the confirmation print, when the job status information includes the wait selection flag;
• and performing the image printing operation based on the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed when performance of the image printing operation is directed on the setting screen;
• in the main machine image printing apparatus, when the job status information of the image printing job supplied from the image processing apparatus to the main machine image printing apparatus includes no selection flag, or when the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to prevent selection of the proof mode or the wait mode:
• changing the job setting information of the image printing job supplied from the image processing apparatus by adding the output condition information stored in the nonvolatile memory of the main machine image printing apparatus to the job setting information;
• separately transferring the part of the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed to the sub machine image printing apparatus;
• and performing the image printing operation based on the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed;
• in the sub machine image printing apparatus, when the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to enable selection of the proof mode or the wait mode, changing the job setting information of the image printing job separately transferred from the main machine image printing apparatus based on the output condition information stored in the nonvolatile memory of the sub machine image printing apparatus;
• in the sub machine image printing apparatus:
• outputting a single image printing object as a confirmation print based on the image printing job in which the job information has been changed, and then displaying the setting screen and waiting, when the job status information includes the proof selection flag;
• immediately displaying the setting screen and waiting, without outputting the confirmation print, when the job status information includes the wait selection flag;
• and performing the image printing operation based on the image printing job in which the job setting information has been changed when performance of the image printing operation is directed on the setting screen;
• and
• in the sub machine image printing apparatus, when the switch in the sub machine image printing apparatus has been set to prevent selection of the proof mode or the wait mode, performing the image printing operation in parallel with the main machine image printing apparatus based on the job setting information of the image printing job separately transferred from the main machine image printing apparatus, without changing the job setting information at the sub machine image printing apparatus.