Printing apparatus capable of controlling order of image formation on a plurality of pages to be post-processed, method of controlling the printing apparatus, and storage medium

A method of controlling a printing apparatus comprising:

• conveying sheets to a post-processing apparatus that is equipped with a stacking tray onto which a sheet is discharged from the printing apparatus, a saddle-stitched product tray onto which a brochure formed by executing a saddle-stitch bookbinding process on a plurality of sheets is discharged, and a conveying path along which the sheets to be subjected to execution of the saddle-stitch bookbinding process are switched back;
• determining whether or not the execution of the saddle-stitch bookbinding process is designated;
• deciding, when said determining determines that execution of the saddle-stitch bookbinding process is designated, between the stacking tray and the saddle-stitched product tray as a sheet discharge destination based on a number of sheets per one copy and a saddle-stitchable number of sheets capable of being saddle-stitched by the post-processing apparatus;
• controlling, when said deciding decides that the discharge destination is the stacking tray, an order of image formation such that a sheet corresponding to an outermost sheet of the brochure is discharged from the printing apparatus to the post-processing apparatus first and a sheet corresponding to an innermost sheet of the brochure is discharged from the printing apparatus to the post-processing apparatus last;
• and
• controlling, when said deciding decides that the discharge destination is the saddle-stitched product tray, the order of image formation such that a sheet corresponding to an innermost sheet of the brochure is discharged from the printing apparatus to the post-processing apparatus first and a sheet corresponding to an outermost sheet of the brochure is discharged from the printing apparatus to the post-processing apparatus last.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program for causing a post-processing apparatus to execute a method of controlling a printing apparatus,

• wherein the method comprises:
• conveying sheets to a post-processing apparatus that is equipped with a stacking tray onto which a sheet is discharged from the printing apparatus, a saddle-stitched product tray onto which a brochure formed by executing a saddle-stitch bookbinding process on a plurality of sheets is discharged, and a conveying path along which the sheets to be subjected to execution of the saddle-stitch bookbinding process are switched back;
• determining whether or not the execution of the saddle-stitch bookbinding process is designated;
• deciding, when said determining determines that execution of the saddle-stitch bookbinding process is designated, between the stacking tray and the saddle-stitched product tray as a sheet discharge destination based on a number of sheets per one copy and a saddle-stitchable number of sheets capable of being saddle-stitched by the post-processing apparatus;
• controlling, when said deciding decides that the discharge destination is the stacking tray, an order of image formation such that a sheet corresponding to an outermost sheet of the brochure is discharged from the printing apparatus to the post-processing apparatus first and a sheet corresponding to an innermost sheet of the brochure is discharged from the printing apparatus to the post-processing apparatus last;
• and
• controlling, when said deciding decides that the discharge destination is the saddle-stitched product tray, the order of image formation such that a sheet corresponding to an innermost sheet of the brochure is discharged from the printing apparatus to the post-processing apparatus first and a sheet corresponding to an outermost sheet of the brochure is discharged from the printing apparatus to the post-processing apparatus last.

A printing apparatus that is connected to a post-processing apparatus, to which the printing apparatus passes a printed sheet which has an image printed thereon, wherein the post-processing apparatus is configured to discharge printed sheets, each of which has an image printed thereon, to a first discharge unit without the printed sheets reversed nor subjected to execution of saddle-stitch bookbinding process, and discharge the printed sheets to a second discharge unit with the printed sheets reversed and subjected to the execution of the saddle-stitch bookbinding process,

• the printing apparatus comprising:
• a reception unit configured to receive setting for executing the saddle-stitch bookbinding process;
• a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the number of sheets used for a print of one copy exceeds a executable number of sheets which can be subjected to the saddle-stitch bookbinding process;
• a control unit configured to, in a case where the reception unit receives the setting for executing the saddle-stitch bookbinding process, control the printing apparatus to pass the printed sheets to the post-processing apparatus in a first order when the determination unit determines that the number of the sheets used for the print of the one copy exceeds the executable number of sheets, and control the printing apparatus to pass the printed sheets to the post-processing apparatus in a second order, which is reverse to the first order, when the determination unit determines that the number of the sheets used for the print of the one copy does not exceed the executable number of sheets.