Image forming apparatus, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions, and printing apparatus

A printing apparatus comprising:

• a printing device configured to perform printing of a plurality of sheets in an intermittent printing mode in which the plurality of sheets are printed within two or more of a variable printing cycle,
• wherein the variable printing cycle comprises:
• a non-printing period having a variable length during which the printing device does not perform printing;
• and
• a printing period subsequent to the non-printing period, wherein in the printing period the printing device prints a variable number of the plurality of sheets;
• and
• a controller configured to perform an assignment pattern determination process for assigning one pattern of a plurality of patterns for the printing device to print the plurality of sheets within the two or more of the variable printing cycle,
• wherein a required time for performing printing of the plurality of sheets under each of the plurality of patterns varies based on a first number of sheets to be printed in a printing period of a first variable printing cycle, a second number of sheets to be printed in a printing period of a second variable printing cycle, a length of a non-printing period of the first variable printing cycle, and a length of a non-printing period of the second variable printing cycle, and
• wherein the controller is configured to assign the one pattern of the plurality of patterns such that the one pattern has the shortest required time for performing printing of the plurality of sheets amongst the required times for performing printing under the plurality of patterns.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image forming unit;
• a controller configured to:
• receive a print job;
• cause the image forming unit to perform printing in printing periods after respective non-printing periods during which the image forming unit does not perform printing, wherein the printing periods and the non-printing periods occur alternately;
• determine a number of sheets to be printed in each of the printing periods in accordance with a number of sheets remaining to be printed in the print job, wherein, when printing periods include a first printing period and a second printing period, the controller is configured to determine a number of sheets to be printed in the first printing period and is configured to determine a number of sheets to be printed in the second printing period which is in relation to the determined number of sheets to be printed in the first printing period;
• and
• determine a length of each of the non-printing periods in accordance with the determined number of sheets to be printed in each of the printed periods;
• and
• a memory storing a counter value,
• wherein the controller is further configured to:
• increase the counter value by a specified amount every time a single sheet is printed during the printing period and to decrease the counter value by a specified amount periodically during the non-printing period,
• determine whether the number of sheets remaining to be printed in the print job is smaller than an assignment threshold;
• determine, when the controller determines that the number of sheets remaining to be printed in the print job is smaller than the assignment threshold:
• the number of sheets to be printed in the printing period in accordance with the number of sheets remaining to be printed;
• and
• the length of the non-printing period in accordance with the determined number of sheets to be printed in the printing period;
• and
• cause the image forming unit to perform printing in the printing period after the non-printing period in accordance with the determined number of sheets to be printed in the printing period and the determined length of the non-printing period.

A method comprising:

• providing an image forming unit;
• providing a controller;
• determining a plurality of possible assignment patterns for assigning a remaining number of sheets to be printed by the image forming unit,
• wherein each of the plurality of possible assignment patterns comprises a plurality of cycles,
• wherein each of the plurality of cycles comprises:
• a printing period during which a variable portion of the remaining number of sheets to be printed is printed, wherein a variable length of the printing period corresponds to the number of sheets to be printed during the printing period;
• and
• a non-printing period during which no sheet is printed, wherein a variable length of the non-printing period corresponds to the number of sheets to be printed during the printing period,
• wherein a required time for each cycle comprises a total of the variable length of the printing period and the variable length of the non-printing period, and
• wherein a required time for a possible assignment pattern in the plurality of possible assignment patterns comprises a total of the required time for each cycle in the possible assignment pattern;
• selecting one of the possible assignment patterns based on a comparison of the required time for each of the plurality of possible assignment patterns;
• associating the selected possible assignment pattern with the remaining number of sheets to be printed;
• and
• configuring the controller to:
• receive a print job including a total number of sheets to be printed;
• during printing of the total number of sheets to be printed, determine whether the remaining number of sheets to be printed out of the total number of sheets to be printed is smaller than an assignment threshold;
• in response to determining that the remaining number of sheets to be printed is smaller than the assignment threshold, retrieve the selected possible assignment pattern associated with the remaining number of sheets to be printed;
• and
• control the image forming unit to print the remaining number of sheets based on the selected possible assignment pattern.