| 摘要 |
<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce wastes such as misprints which occur when a toner cartridge is replaced while printing is continued. <P>SOLUTION: The control part of an image forming apparatus counts print output pages from the time when the removal of the toner cartridge was detected (S10). When the number of pages reaches to a predetermined value (S16), the control part judges that the possibility of weak printing is high, stops a printing operation temporarily, and shows display that says printing is stopped because toner runs out (S18). When a user subsequently sets a fresh cartridge (S20) and depresses a specific start button (S22), the printing job which has been temporarily stopped resumes (S24). According to the control, toner can be replaced without stopping a printing operation and, in a case where the replacement is not carried out smoothly, the printing operation is stopped before weak printing occurs. Therefore, misprints can be prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO |
