Printing apparatus and printing method

A printing apparatus, comprising:

• a controller;
• and
• an engine including a first printing unit and a second printing unit, wherein
• the first printing unit includes
• a first data management unit configured to manage a piece of first image data transferred from an upper level apparatus,
• one or more first output units, and
• a first output control unit configured to output a first image based on the piece of first image data to one of the one or more first output units,
• the second printing unit includes
• a second data management unit configured to manage a piece of second image data transferred from the upper level apparatus,
• one or more second output units, and
• a second output control unit configured to output a second image based on the piece of second image data to one of the one or more second output units, and
• the controller is configured to
• receive control information indicating a printing condition from the upper level apparatus,
• produce a first print management table for the piece of first image data and a second print management table for the piece of second image data, on the basis of the control information,
• cause the upper level apparatus to transfer the piece of first image data to the first data management unit on the basis of the first print management table, and
• cause the upper level apparatus to transfer the piece of second image data to the second data management unit on the basis of the second print management table,
• wherein:
• each of the first output units is connected to each of the second output units in series,
• the first output units are arranged in parallel with a conveying direction of printing paper,
• the second output units are arranged in parallel with the conveying direction,
• the printing condition includes a paper width of the printing paper,
• the controller determines, on the basis of the paper width and a maximum output size in a main-scanning direction of the first output unit and the second output unit connected in series, whether page layout printing or normal printing is performed using the first printing unit and the second printing unit,
• the controller sets the page layout printing in the first print management table and the second print management table if determining that the page layout printing is performed, and sets the normal printing in the first print management table and the second print management table if determining that the normal printing is performed,
• the printing condition includes a number of copies,
• the controller determines whether continuous page printing for continuously printing pages or copy page printing for printing and copying a page,
• the controller sets the continuous page printing in the first print management table and the second print management table if determining that the continuous page printing is performed, and sets the copy page printing in the first print management table and the second print management table if determining that the copy page printing is performed, when the normal printing is performed, each of the piece of first image data and the piece of second image data is image data for an identical page,
• the printing condition includes a size of the image data for the identical page, and
• the controller receives control information indicating a starting address of the image data for the identical page from the upper level apparatus, sets, in the first print management table, first requests repeated the number of times corresponding to a size of the image data in a sub-scanning direction, the first requests including an initial request of data having a maximum data size of the first output unit in the main-scanning direction from the starting address of the image data and following requests of data having the maximum data size of the first output unit in the main-scanning direction from an address incremented by the size of the image data in the main-scanning direction from a start of the previously requested data, and sets, in the second print management table, second requests repeated the number of times corresponding to the size of the image data in the sub-scanning direction, the second requests including an initial request of data corresponding to a size of a remainder of the size of the image data in the main-scanning direction minus the maximum data size of the first output unit in the main-scanning direction from an address incremented by the data having the maximum data size of the first output unit in the main-scanning direction from the starting address of the image data and following requests of data having a size of a remainder of the size of the image data in the main-scanning direction minus the maximum data size of the first output unit in the main-scanning direction from an address incremented by the size of the image data in the main-scanning direction from a start of the previously requested data.