US 11,861,245 B2
Printing method, printing system, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium recording print control program for scheduling of printing having an automatic switching function for roll paper
Tatsuya Enjo, Kyoto (JP); Kazuyuki Matsuoka, Kyoto (JP); and Satoru Kiyohara, Kyoto (JP)
Assigned to SCREEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD., Kyoto (JP)
Filed by SCREEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD., Kyoto (JP)
Filed on Jan. 30, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/161,250.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-049274 (JP), filed on Mar. 25, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0305766 A1, Sep. 28, 2023
Int. Cl. G06F 3/12 (2006.01); H04N 1/00 (2006.01); B41J 11/42 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 3/1215 (2013.01) [B41J 11/42 (2013.01); G06F 3/1229 (2013.01); G06F 3/1253 (2013.01); G06F 3/1262 (2013.01); G06F 3/1263 (2013.01); H04N 1/00665 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A printing method in a printing system including a printer configured to perform printing on continuous paper and an autochanger including a plurality of slots each holding a roll paper and a switching mechanism that automatically switches a slot from which a roll paper to be supplied to the printer is drawn, the autochanger being configured to supply a roll paper drawn from any one of the plurality of slots to the printer as the continuous paper, the printing method comprising:
a print job registration step of registering a plurality of print jobs to be executed by the printer in a job list;
a scheduling step of creating a print schedule including a job execution schedule defining an execution order of the plurality of print jobs and a roll paper loading schedule defining a schedule for using a roll paper loaded in each of the plurality of slots and a schedule for loading a roll paper into each of the plurality of slots on a basis of a type and a remaining amount of roll paper loaded in each of the plurality of slots, a type of roll paper necessary for execution of each of the plurality of print jobs, and a print distance of each of the plurality of print jobs; and
a possible loading time calculation step of obtaining, on a basis of the print schedule, a possible loading time that is a time at which a roll paper is loadable into a loading target slot being a slot into which a roll paper is to be loaded during execution of continuous printing based on the plurality of print jobs among the plurality of slots.