1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to print control apparatuses and print control methods that can discharge printed sheets to multiple discharging destinations.
2. Description of the Related Art
When performing printing of multiple copies, an apparatus that discharges sheets to different discharging destinations (trays) for each copy is known (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-26586). In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-26586, multiple adjoining trays are allocated to a single job in advance so that sheets are discharged to the adjoining trays for each copy, thereby preventing the sheets from being mixed with those that correspond to another job.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-26586, if the number of output sheets corresponding to each copy exceeds the number of sheets that can be discharged to each tray, the remaining sheets are discharged to another available tray at that point. When discharging printed sheets to a discharging destination, the sheets are discharged facing upward or facing downward. When discharging the sheets facing upward, the discharging operation starts from the last page and ends by discharging the first page with its image facing upward. In contrast, when discharging the sheets facing downward, the discharging operation starts from the first page with its image facing downward and ends by discharging the last page facing downward.
If the number of output sheets corresponding to each copy exceeds the number of sheets that can be discharged to each tray, a user needs to collect the discharged sheets from different trays and gather the sheets to form a sheet bundle. However, in the related art, the trays that are to be used are not selected in view of the fact that the sheets would ultimately be collected by the user. Specifically, although the arranged order of the sheets differs between when the sheets are to be discharged facing upward and when the sheets are to be discharged facing downward, the selection of the trays is not implemented in view of whether the sheets are to be discharged facing upward or downward. This results in a complicated process for the user since the user needs to collect the sheets while checking the arranged order thereof.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds