Patent Publication Number: US-7905669-B2

Title: Media processing device and drive control method for a media processing device

Description:
Priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-298563 filed on Nov. 2, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to a media processing device such as a CD/DVD publisher that writes data and prints a label on media such as CD and DVD media, and relates more particularly to a media processing device that can continue writing data even when a problem occurs with the printer that prints the label, and to a drive control method for the media processing device. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Media processing devices such as CD/DVD publishers are used for producing media such as DVD graduation albums and CDs that are used as magazines inserts. A CD/DVD publisher first supplies blank media from a media supply unit to a media drive that writes data to the medium, and the written medium is then supplied to a printer that prints a label on the medium. The resulting media are then removed one by one from the media exit. When media are mass produced, the finished media are stored sequentially in a media stacker, and the operator removes the finished media from the media stacker as a single batch after the required number of media are finished. 
     If a data write error occurs in the media drive part or if a print error occurs in the printer part of a CD/DVD publisher, it is necessary to immediately abort or interrupt the data writing operation or the printing operation. The media drive or the printer must then be restored to the normal operating condition and the media that was being processed when the data write error or print error occurred must be removed in order to resume operation. 
     The likelihood of a print error occurring in the printer is significantly higher than the likelihood of a data write error occurring in the media drive. This is because even if there is no problem with the printer itself, depletion of consumables such as the ink or toner can result in error conditions such as defective printing or being unable to print. 
     Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. JP-A-2000-141700 teaches aborting or interrupting the printing operation of an inkjet printer when the ink supply is depleted until the ink supply is replenished. 
     Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. JP-A-2005-41025 teaches setting the remaining ink level at which the ink supply is considered nearly depleted, that is, when an ink near-end state is detected, in an image printing device to the amount of ink required to print one page of the printing paper, completing printing the page that was being printed when the ink near-end state was detected while printing, and then stopping or pausing the printing operation. 
     Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. JP-A-2001-191560 teaches to continue printing using the remaining color inks after a no-ink state is detected. 
     When mass-producing media such as graduation albums, the CD/DVD publisher commonly runs 24 hours a day producing the CDs, DVDS, or other media. The CD/DVD publisher is also commonly unattended at night, and if the printer runs out of ink while the system is unattended, the media production operation (including data writing and label printing) stops or pauses until the ink supply is replenished. Operation may therefore be interrupted for a long time due to a printer error such as there being no ink when the publisher is unattended. In addition, if the operator is working away from the CD/DVD publisher, the operator may not notice that the ink ran out or a printing error occurred, and operation may thus be interrupted in the same way as when the publisher is unattended. 
     Media production can become significantly delayed when this happens. Furthermore, if the time the CD/DVD publisher operation is stopped or paused becomes long, productivity drops significantly while wasted power consumption increases. In order to avoid running out of ink when mass producing media, it is necessary to regularly check the remaining ink level and add ink or replace the ink cartridges with new cartridges. Performing such tasks whenever is a bother, increases the ink cartridge replacement frequency, and wastes ink. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A media processing device and a drive control method for a media processing device according to the present invention do not require completely stopping or interrupting the processing operation when a problem such as an out-of-ink error occurs in the printer. 
     A drive control method for a media processing device according to a first aspect of at least one embodiment of the invention has steps including supplying media from a media supply unit to a media drive; the media drive writing data to the media; supplying written media after data writing to a printer; the printer printing a label on the written media; storing the finished media after label printing in a finished media stacker; diverting written media after data writing by the media drive to a prescribed retraction location after a printer error is detected; and continuing to write data to new media supplied from the media supply unit to the media drive, and divert written media to the retraction location until the printer returns to normal. 
     When a problem occurs in the printer, this aspect of the invention diverts written media to a retraction location. Because written media are not left inside the media drive, inside the printer, or on the transportation path, new media can be supplied to the media drive and data can be written on the new media. Writing data to media can therefore continue even if a printer problem such as running out of ink occurs because the media processing operation of the media processing device is not completely stopped or interrupted. 
     It generally takes approximately 150 seconds for a media drive to write a CD, and approximately 600 seconds to write a DVD. The label printing speed of the printer even at high resolution is approximately 40 seconds per disc. Lost processing time can therefore be significantly reduced compared with stopping or interrupting the entire media processing operation of the media processing device when a printer error occurs if writing data to the media is not stopped and continues. 
     The retraction location for written media after a print error occurs can be the finished media stacker or a media retraction stacker disposed separately from the finished media stacker. 
     If the retraction location is a media retraction stacker, the written media stored in the media retraction stacker can be removed and carried to the printer after the printer is returned to the normal operating condition, the printer can print the labels, and the unfinished media can be completed. Processing after the printer returns to normal can therefore continue efficiently. 
     If a printer error is detected after the printer starts printing to a written medium, this aspect of the invention unconditionally ends the printing operation of the printer, and removes and discharges the partially printed written medium from the printer to a defective media stacker. 
     Unlike the unprinted media that have been written and diverted to the media retraction stacker, media with such print defects cannot be used. Therefore, by discharging media with print defects to a different location than the unprinted media and the finished media, sorting the print defect media from the other media in order to dispose of the defectively printed media is not necessary and processing is more efficient after the printer returns to normal. 
     Frequently occurring ink supply problems, particularly depletion of ink in the printer (an ink end state) and near-depletion of ink (an ink near-end state) when the amount of ink remaining in the printer drops below a prescribed level, can be detected as printer errors. In this case, if an ink near-end state is detected after the printer starts printing on a written medium, the printing operation of the printer is preferably not unconditionally ended and continues in order to finish printing the written medium. 
     Further preferably, after a written medium for which the printing operation was completed after an ink near-end state was detected is removed from the printer and stored in the finished media stacker, written media after data is written by the media drive are diverted to the retraction location and are not transported to the printer. 
     If the remaining ink quantity of the printer that is used for detecting an ink near-end state is greater than or equal to the amount of ink required to print a label on one medium, printing on the medium can continue to completion if an ink near-end state is detected while the medium is being printed. This remaining ink level can be calculated from the print data. 
     Yet further preferably, a warning is issued when a printer error is detected in order to inform the operator. 
     Yet further preferably, because media that caused a data write error and print defect media cannot be used, media that resulted in a write error are preferably discharged for easier disposal to a defective media stacker that is separate from where the successfully written media and finished media are stored. 
     The drive control method for a media processing device according to at least one embodiment of the present invention can be realized using the hardware and firmware of the media processing device. In order to execute the drive control method of the invention on a media processing device without complicating the firmware and hardware arrangement of the media processing device, the media processing device can be driven and controlled externally through a communication connection. More specifically, using an application program or driver software on the drive control device side to receive status information describing the operating state of the hardware in the media processing device, the media processing device can be controlled to operate according to the drive control method of the invention. 
     Another aspect of at least one embodiment of the invention is a media processing device that has a media drive for writing data to media; a printer for printing a label on the media; a finished media stacker for storing the finished media after data writing and label printing are completed; a media retraction stacker for diverting media; a media transportation mechanism for transporting media; and a printer error detector for detecting printer problems. The media transportation mechanism diverts written media after data is written by the media drive to the media retraction stacker after a printer problem is detected. 
     Further preferably, the media processing device also has a defective media stacker. If a printer error is detected after the printer starts printing to a written medium, the printer unconditionally ends the printing operation, and the media transportation mechanism discharges the partially printed written medium from the printer to the defective media stacker. 
     If the printer error detector detects ink end states of the printer and ink near-end states of the printer in which the amount of ink remaining in the printer is less than a prescribed level, and the ink near-end state is detected after the printer has started printing to a written medium, the printer can continue printing instead of unconditionally ending the printing operation, and the media transportation mechanism can store the finished media after printing ends to the finished media stacker. If the printer detects the ink end after printing on a written medium has started, the printer unconditionally stops printing and the media transportation mechanism discharges the partially printed written medium from the printer to the defective media stacker. 
     Further preferably, the media processing device also has a warning indicator that issues a warning when a printer error is detected. 
     Yet further preferably, the media processing device also has a data write error detector that detects data writing errors by the media drive, and the media transportation mechanism discharges write defect media from which a data write error was detected to the defective media stacker. 
     EFFECT OF THE INVENTION 
     When a problem occurs in the printer, the invention causes written media to be diverted to a media retraction stacker, and no written media are left in the media drive, the printer, or the media transportation path. New media can therefore be supplied to the media drive and the data writing operation can continue. Because there is no need to stop or interrupt the time-consuming data writing operation, the loss of media production time can be greatly reduced compared with completely stopping or interrupting operation when a printer error occurs. 
     Other objects and attainments together with a fuller understanding of the invention will become apparent and appreciated by referring to the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an oblique view of a CD/DVD publisher according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a function block diagram of the CD/DVD publisher. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart describing the processing operation of the CD/DVD publisher. 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a media production system according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart describing the control operation of the drive control device in the media production system. 
         FIG. 6  is a flow chart describing the processing operation of the CD/DVD publisher in the media production system. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Preferred embodiments of a media processing device according to the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying figures. 
     Description of General Configuration 
       FIG. 1  is an oblique view showing a CD/DVD publisher according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. So that the internal arrangement can be more easily understood, the CD/DVD publisher is shown with the front doors open and a part of the top panel of the case removed. This embodiment of the invention is described using an inkjet printer by way of example. 
     The CD/DVD publisher  1  consecutively writes data and then prints a label on CD, DVD, or similar media, and has a media transportation mechanism  2  for transporting the media, a media drive  3  for writing data to the media, and a label printer  4  for printing labels on the media. The CD/DVD publisher  1  also has a blank media stacker  5  (media supply unit), a finished media stacker  6 , a media retraction stacker  7 , and a defective media stacker  8 . The blank media stacker  5  stores the blank media  10  that are supplied to the media drive  3 . The finished media stacker  6  stores the completed media after data writing and label printing are completed. The media retraction stacker  7  is used for removing media from the media transportation path. 
     More specifically, the CD/DVD publisher  1  has a case  11  and doors  12 ,  13  that can open to the right and left attached to the front of the case  11 . At the bottom of the left door  13  is an operating panel  14  that faces towards the front. A start switch  15  and a warning display unit  16  (warning indicator) are disposed on the operating panel  14 . The warning display unit  16  is composed of LEDs that blink when a problem occurs in the label printer  4 , for example, to inform the operator. 
     Stacked from top to bottom behind the right side door  12  inside the case  11  are the blank media stacker  5 , the finished media stacker  6 , and the media retraction stacker  7 . Each of the media stackers  5 ,  6 , and  7  stores the media in a vertical stack. The media stackers  5 ,  6 , and  7  can be pulled out forward by opening the door  12  so that blank media can be loaded into the blank media stacker  5  when pulled out, and the stored media can be removed from the finished media stacker  6  and the media retraction stacker  7  when pulled out. 
     The defective media stacker  8  is disposed at the bottom in the front center part of the case  11 . The defective media stacker  8  is a tray-type stacker with a round recess into which rejected media are discharged when a printing error or data write error occurs. 
     The media transportation mechanism  2  is located behind the media stackers  5 ,  6 , and  7 . The media transportation mechanism  2  has a vertical guide shaft  21  and a media carrier  22  that is attached to the vertical guide shaft  21 . The media carrier  22  can move up and down along the vertical guide shaft  21  and can pivot on the vertical guide shaft  21 . The media transportation mechanism  2  transports the media between the media drive  3 , the label printer  4 , and the media stackers  5 ,  6 ,  7  and  8  by combining the elevator and pivoting actions of the media carrier  22 . 
     The media drive  3  is disposed towards the top of the publisher  1  and the label printer  4  is disposed below the media drive  3  inside the case  11  at a position behind the front center part of the case  11 .  FIG. 1  shows the media tray  35  of the media drive  3  and the media tray  45  of the label printer  4  pulled out to the forward position. When the media trays  35  and  45  are pulled out to this forward position, they are in the media transfer position for transferring media between the media transportation mechanism  2  and the media drive  3  and label printer  4 . 
     A cartridge loading unit  47  in which a plurality of ink cartridges  46  that supply ink to the label printer  4  are loaded is disposed behind the left side door  13  inside the case  11 . The ink cartridge  46  can be replaced easily from the front with the left door  13  open. 
       FIG. 2  is a function block diagram showing the main parts of the CD/DVD publisher  1 . The main functions of the CD/DVD publisher  1  are described below with reference to this figure. 
     First, the media transportation mechanism  2  sequentially supplies blank media  10  from the blank media stacker  5  to the media drive  3  (ST 1 ), and the media drive  3  then writes prescribed data to the blank medium (ST 2 ). When data writing ends, the media transportation mechanism  2  carries the written medium to the label printer  4  (ST 3 ), and the label printer  4  prints a label (ST 4 ). When printing ends, the completed medium is stored in the finished media stacker  6  by the media transportation mechanism  2  (ST 5 ). This sequence of steps repeats for the specified number of media or until no blank media  10  are stored in the blank media stacker  5 . 
     The CD/DVD publisher  1  also has a data write error detection unit  31  for detecting data write errors that occur in the media drive  3 . When the data write error detection unit  31  detects a data write error, the media transportation mechanism  2  discharges the medium that was being written when the write error was detected (referred to as “write defect media”) to the defective media stacker  8  (ST 6 ) instead of carrying the medium from the media drive  3  to the label printer  4 . 
     The CD/DVD publisher  1  also has a printer error detection unit  40  for detecting errors that occur in the label printer  4 . The printer error detection unit  40  in this embodiment of the invention detects ink supply errors in the label printer  4 . The printer error detection unit  40  includes an ink end detection unit  41  and a ink near-end detection unit  42 . The ink end detection unit  41  detects the actual end of ink, that is, when the ink supply has been completely depleted. The ink near-end detection unit  42  detects the ink near-end state, that is, when the ink level has dropped below a prescribed level and is nearly depleted. If an ink near-end or ink end state is detected before the media transportation mechanism  2  carries a written medium from the media drive  3  to the label printer  4 , the written medium is stored in the media retraction stacker  7  instead of being supplied to the label printer  4  (ST 7 ). 
     If an ink near-end state is detected after the media transportation mechanism  2  carries the written medium to the label printer  4  and the label printer  4  starts printing the label, the label printer  4  displays a warning that the ink is near the end on the warning display unit  16  and continues printing. If an ink end is then detected before printing to the written medium that is being printed ends, the ink end state is displayed on the warning display unit  16  and printing is aborted. The media transportation mechanism  2  then discharges the partially printed written medium (referred to as “print defect media”) to the defective media stacker  8 . 
     When a problem occurs with the label printer  4 , written media are thus diverted to the media retraction stacker  7  so that written media are not left on the media transportation path inside the media drive  3  or the label printer  4 . As a result, a new blank medium  10  can be supplied to the media drive  3  and the time-consuming process of writing data to the blank media  10  can continue. Lost production time can therefore be minimized when a problem occurs with the label printer  4 . 
     Description of the Operating Process 
       FIG. 3  is a flow chart describing the operation of the media production process of the CD/DVD publisher  1 . The media production operation is described with reference to this flow chart. 
     First, in step ST 10 , the media transportation mechanism  2  checks if blank media  10  are stored in the blank media stacker  5 . Control goes to step ST 11  and the media production process stops if there are no blank media  10 . 
     If a blank medium  10  is in the blank media stacker  5 , control goes to step ST 12  and the media transportation mechanism  2  carries a blank medium  10  from the blank media stacker  5  to the media tray  35  that is discharged from the media drive  3  to the media transfer position. 
     When a medium is received, the media drive  3  stores the medium in the media tray  35  and starts writing data in step ST 13 . 
     Whether the data write error detection unit  31  detects a data writing error is monitored during the data writing process. If a data writing error is detected (step ST 14  returns No), that a write error occurred is displayed on the warning display unit  16  in step ST 15 , the media transportation mechanism  2  discharges the medium that was being written when the write error was detected to the defective media stacker  8  in step ST 16 , and control returns to step ST 10 . 
     If the data write error detection unit  31  did not detect a data write error (step ST 14  returns Yes), that is, if data is written normally, step ST 17  checks the ink supply error status of the printer error detection unit  40 . This step ST 17  considers both an ink end state detected by the ink end detection unit  41  and an ink near-end state detected by the ink near-end detection unit  42  to be an ink supply error. 
     If step ST 17  detects an ink supply error, the error is reported on the warning display unit  16  in step ST 18 , the media transportation mechanism  2  stores the written medium in the media retraction stacker  7  in step ST 19 , and control returns to step ST 10 . 
     The media stored in the media retraction stacker  7  in step ST 19  are unprinted written media, that is, media to which data has been successfully written but on which a label has not been printed. 
     If an ink supply error is not detected in step ST 17 , the media transportation mechanism  2  carries the written medium to the media tray  45  in the media transfer position of the label printer  4  in step ST 20 . When a written medium is received, the label printer  4  prints a label in step ST 21 . The printer error detection unit  40  checks for an ink end or ink near-end state while the label is being printed. 
     If the ink near-end detection unit  42  detects an ink near-end state in step ST 22  during label printing, an ink near-end warning is displayed on the warning display unit  16  in step ST 23 . In this case, the label printer  4  continues label printing without interruption. If the ink end detection unit  41  detects the ink end in step ST 24  during media printing, control goes to step ST 25 . If the remaining ink level in the printer when an ink near-end state is detected is greater than or equal to the amount of ink required to print a complete label on one medium, printing to the written medium that is being printed when an ink near-end state is detected during printing can be completed. This remaining ink level can be calculated from the print data. 
     The ink end state is then displayed on the warning display unit  16  in step ST 25 . Label printing by the label printer  4  is also unconditionally interrupted. The media transportation mechanism  2  then discharges the defectively printed medium to the defective media stacker  8  in step ST 26 , and control returns to step ST 10 . 
     If an ink end is not detected in step ST 24 , steps ST 21  to ST 24  repeat until step ST 27  determines that label printing ended. 
     When step ST 27  confirms that label printing ended, the media transportation mechanism  2  stores the printed finished medium to the finished media stacker  6  in step ST 28  and control then returns to step ST 10 . 
     If the printer error detection unit  40  detects an ink end state or an ink near-end state before a written medium is carried to the label printer  4  in this embodiment of the invention, the media transportation mechanism  2  stores the written medium to the media retraction stacker  7  in step ST 19 . Because the medium does not pass through the label printer  4 , the time required to divert the written medium can be shortened. 
     Furthermore, if an ink near-end state is detected during label printing, the media printing process can continue until the ink end is detected, and the number of finished media can therefore be increased using the remaining ink. 
     In addition, if the ink end is detected during label printing by the label printer  4 , the partially printed medium is discharged as “no good” to the defective media stacker  8 . Because such print defect media and write defect media that produced a write error cannot be used, both write defect media and print defect media can be destroyed in a single batch if they are stored in the defective media stacker  8 . 
     In addition, the media retraction stacker  7  stores media that have been written but are still unprinted. After the label printer  4  is restored to the normal printing condition, the written media that were diverted to the media retraction stacker  7  can be delivered by the media transportation mechanism  2  to the label printer  4  and the label printer  4  can print the label. 
     An ink near-end state and an ink end state are detected as the ink supply errors in this embodiment of the invention, but the absence of an ink cartridge  46  in the cartridge loading unit  47  can also be detected as an ink supply error. Problems detected by the printer error detection unit  40  are also not limited to ink supply problems, and the printer error detection unit  40  can also be configured to detect hardware problems. All such problems can be handled in the same way as when the ink end is detected. 
     This embodiment carries blank media  10  from the blank media stacker  5  for data writing, but the supplied media are not limited to blank media  10 . More particularly, write-once and rewritable media that already have data written to part of the data writing area can be stored in the blank media stacker  5  so that additional data can be written. 
     The defective media stacker  8  is also a tray-type discharge stacker with a round recess in this embodiment of the invention, but the defective media stacker  8  can be a storage stacker configured in the same way as the other stackers. 
     Furthermore, an inkjet printer is used as the label printer  4  in this embodiment, but the label printer can be a laser printer or other type of printer that prints labels using toner. 
     Embodiment 2 
     The media drive  3 , the label printer  4 , and the media transportation mechanism  2  in the CD/DVD publisher  1  described above are automatically identified and controlled by firmware in the CD/DVD publisher  1 , but a drive control device communicably connected to the CD/DVD publisher  1  can control driving the media drive  3 , the label printer  4 , and the media transportation mechanism  2  to publish media as described above. In this case an application program or driver software provided on the drive control device side issues commands to the media processing device and monitors status data received from the media processing device that denotes the operating state of the hardware to control driving the media processing device. 
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a media production system according to this aspect of the invention. This media production system  100  has a drive control device  70  and a CD/DVD publisher  1 A. The drive control device  70  is a computer that is connected so that it can communicate with the CD/DVD publisher  1 A, and runs an application program for controlling driving the CD/DVD publisher  1 A. The basic arrangement of the CD/DVD publisher  1 A is the same as the CD/DVD publisher  1  in the first embodiment, like parts are identified by like reference numerals and further description thereof is omitted. 
     The drive control device  70  has an interface  71 , a data receiving unit  72  for processing information received through the interface  71 , an ink supply state monitoring unit  73 , a data write state monitoring unit  74 , a stacker state monitoring unit  75 , command generating units  81  to  84 , a data transmission unit  78  for sending the generated control commands, and a drive control unit  79  for controlling these other parts. 
     The interface  71  is used for exchanging control commands and status data with the CD/DVD publisher  1 A. 
     The ink supply state monitoring unit  73  monitors the ink supply error status of the label printer  4  in the CD/DVD publisher  1 A. 
     The data write state monitoring unit  74  monitors data write errors in the media drive  3 . 
     The stacker state monitoring unit  75  monitors how many media remain in the blank media stacker  5 , for example. 
     The command generating units  81  to  84  generate the control commands for controlling driving the CD/DVD publisher  1 A. 
     The command generating units  81  to  84  are a transport command generating unit  81 , a write process command generating unit  82 , a print process command generating unit  83 , and a data acquisition command generating unit  84 . 
     The transport command generating unit  81  outputs control commands to drive the media transportation mechanism  2  and control transporting media from one specified position to another specified position. 
     The write process command generating unit  82  generates write commands for controlling driving the media drive  3  to write specific data to the blank media  10 . 
     The print process command generating unit  83  generates print commands for controlling driving the label printer  4  to print a specific label on the written media. 
     The data acquisition command generating unit  84  generates data acquisition commands for getting various information to monitor the operation of the CD/DVD publisher  1 A. 
     The CD/DVD publisher  1 A has an interface  91 , a data receiving unit  92 , status reporting units  94  to  96 , a data transmission unit  97  for sending generated status data, and a control unit  93  for controlling these other units as well as the media transportation mechanism  2 , the media drive  3 , and the label printer  4 . 
     The interface  91  is used for exchanging control commands and status data with the drive control device  70 . 
     The data receiving unit  92  processes information received through the interface  91 . 
     The status reporting units  94  to  96  produce and report information about the CD/DVD publisher  1 A to the drive control device  70 . 
     The status reporting units  94  to  96  include a write status reporting unit  94  for reporting data write errors detected by the data write error detection unit  31 , an ink status reporting unit  95  for reporting ink supply errors including ink end and ink near-end states detected by the printer error detection unit  40 , and a stacker status reporting unit  96  for reporting how many media remain in the blank media stacker  5 , for example. 
       FIG. 5  is a flow chart describing the operation of the drive control device  70 . The operation is described below according to this flow chart. The stacker state monitoring unit  75  first gets the number of blank media  10  stored in the blank media stacker  5  in step ST 101 . 
     If step ST 102  determines there are no blank media  10 , control goes to step ST 103  and the media production process ends. If a blank medium  10  is available, control goes to step ST 104  and the transport command generating unit  81  generates a transportation command for carrying a blank medium  10  from the blank media stacker  5  to the media drive  3 , and the command is sent by the data transmission unit  78 . 
     In step ST 105  the write process command generating unit  82  generates a write process command for writing data to the blank medium  10  and the command is sent by the data transmission unit  78 . In step ST 106  the data write state monitoring unit  74  gets data write error status data and control goes to step ST 107 . 
     If a data write error is detected in step ST 107 , the data write error is reported on the display, for example, of the drive control device  70  in step ST 108 . Then in step ST 109 , the transport command generating unit  81  generates a transportation command to move the write defect media to the defective media stacker  8 , the command is sent by the data transmission unit  78 , and control returns to step ST 101 . 
     If a data write error is not detected in step ST 107 , the ink supply state monitoring unit  73  receives the ink supply error status data in step ST 110  and control goes to step ST 111 . Both an ink end and an ink near-end state are considered to be an ink supply error in step ST 111 . 
     If an ink supply error is detected in step ST 111 , the ink supply error is reported on the display of the drive control device  70 , for example, in step ST 112 . Then in step ST 113  the transport command generating unit  81  generates a transportation command to store the written medium in the media retraction stacker  7 , the command is sent, and control then returns to step ST 101 . 
     If an ink supply error is not detected in step ST 111 , the transport command generating unit  81  generates a transportation command to carry the written medium from the media drive  3  to the label printer  4  and sends the command with the data transmission unit  78  in step ST 114 . The print process command generating unit  83  then generates a print process command for printing a label on the written medium and the data transmission unit  78  sends the command in step ST 115 . The printer error detection unit  40  detects ink end and ink near-end states during label printing. 
     The ink supply state monitoring unit  73  gets the ink supply error status data in step ST 116 , and control goes to step ST 117 . This embodiment of the invention handles both ink end and ink near-end states as an ink supply error. 
     If an ink supply error is detected in step ST 117 , control goes to step ST 118  and the printing error is reported on the display of the drive control device  70 , for example. The transport command generating unit  81  then generates a transportation command to carry the print defect media to the defective media stacker  8  and the command is sent by the data transmission unit  78  in step ST 119 , and control returns to step ST 101 . 
     If an ink supply error is not detected in step ST 117 , steps ST 115  to ST 117  repeat until step ST 120  determines that label printing ended. When step ST 120  confirms that label printing ended, control goes to step ST 121 , the transport command generating unit  81  generates a transportation command to transport the finished medium from the label printer  4  to the finished media stacker  6 , the data transmission unit  78  sends the command, and control returns to step ST 101 . 
       FIG. 6  is a flow chart describing the operation of the CD/DVD publisher. The operation is described below with reference to this flow chart. 
     In step ST 201  the CD/DVD publisher  1 A checks for a control command from the drive control device  70 . If a control command from the drive control device  70  was received, control goes to step ST 202 ; if a control command was not received, control goes to step ST 210 . 
     If a media transportation command was received (step ST 202  returns Yes), control goes to step ST 203 , the media transportation mechanism  2  operates, and control returns to step ST 201 . 
     If the received transportation command was generated by the drive control device  70  in step ST 104 , operation of the media transportation mechanism  2  transports a blank medium  10  from the blank media stacker  5  to the media drive  3 . 
     If the transportation command was generated in step ST 109 , the media transportation mechanism  2  transports the write defect media from the media drive  3  to the defective media stacker  8 . 
     If the transportation command was generated in step ST 113 , the media transportation mechanism  2  transports the written medium from the media drive  3  to the media retraction stacker  7 . 
     If the transportation command was generated in step ST 114 , the media transportation mechanism  2  transports the written medium from the media drive  3  to the label printer  4 . 
     If the transportation command was generated in step ST 119 , the media transportation mechanism  2  transports the print defect media from the label printer  4  to the defective media stacker  8 . 
     If the transportation command was generated in step ST 121 , the media transportation mechanism  2  transports the finished medium from the label printer  4  to the finished media stacker  6 . 
     If the received command was a write process command generated by the drive control device  70  in step ST 106  (step ST 204  returns Yes), control goes to step ST 205 , the media drive  3  is driven to write the prescribed data, and control returns to step ST 201 . 
     If the received command was a print process command generated by the drive control device  70  in step ST 115  (step ST 204  returns Yes), control goes to step ST 206 , the label printer  4  is driven to print a label, and control returns to step ST 201 . 
     If the received command was a data acquisition command generated by the data acquisition command generating unit  84  of the drive control device  70  (step ST 208  returns Yes), control goes to step ST 209 , the requested data is transmitted, and control returns to step ST 201 . 
     If the ink near-end detection unit  42  detects an ink near-end state in step ST 210 , the warning display unit  16  displays an ink near-end warning in step ST 211 . Control then goes to step ST 212  to check for an ink end state. 
     If the ink end detection unit  41  detects an ink end state in step ST 212 , the warning display unit  16  displays an ink end warning in step ST 213 . If the ink end state continues in step ST 214 , control returns to step ST 201 . However, if the operator has replenished the ink supply or replaced the ink cartridge  46  so that the ink end state has ended in step ST 214 , the warning displayed on the warning display unit  16  is cleared in step ST 215  and control returns to step ST 201 . 
     The media processing system according to this second embodiment of the invention affords the same effect as the first embodiment. 
     In addition, because the CD/DVD publisher  1 A operates in response to commands from the drive control device  70 , autonomic control of the CD/DVD publisher  1 A and the related configuration process are unnecessary, and the firmware provided in the CD/DVD publisher  1 A can be simplified. 
     Furthermore, because the destination of the media transportation mechanism  2  can be freely controlled by transportation commands from the drive control device  70 , which stackers are used as the blank media stacker  5 , the finished media stacker  6 , the defective media stacker  8 , and the defective media stacker  8  can be easily changed. 
     This embodiment of the invention unconditionally discharges to the defective media stacker  8  written media that were being printed when an ink near-end state is detected during label printing as print defect media, but printing can continue until an ink end state is detected as in the first embodiment of the invention. The process is changed in this case according to a control command from the drive control device  70 . 
     Specific previously prepared data is written to the blank media  10  by the CD/DVD publisher  1 A in this embodiment of the invention, but the write data can be prepared on the drive control device  70  side and transferred to the CD/DVD publisher  1 A before the write process command is sent and the media production process is started. Data for the labels printed by the label printer  4  can be processed in the same way. 
     Furthermore, by providing a stacker status reporting unit  96  that returns the number of blank media  10  in the blank media stacker  5 , the number of blank media  10  can be constantly displayed on the display of the drive control device  70  based on this information. The number of media in each of the stackers other than the blank media stacker  5  can also be detected and constantly displayed. 
     An ink near-end state and an ink end state are detected as the ink supply errors in this embodiment of the invention, but the absence of an ink cartridge  46  in the cartridge loading unit  47  can also be detected as an ink supply error. Problems detected by the printer error detection unit  40  are also not limited to ink supply problems, and the printer error detection unit  40  can also be configured to detect hardware problems. All such problems can be handled in the same way as when the ink end is detected. 
     In addition, if the ink end is detected during label printing by the label printer  4 , the partially printed medium is discharged as no good to the defective media stacker  8 . Because such partially printed print defect media and write defect media that produced a write error cannot be used, both write defect media and print defect media can be destroyed in a single batch if they are stored in the defective media stacker  8 . 
     This embodiment carries blank media  10  from the blank media stacker  5  for data writing, but the supplied media are not limited to blank media  10 . More particularly, write-once and rewritable media that already have data written to part of the data writing area can be stored in the blank media stacker  5  so that additional data can be written. 
     Furthermore, an inkjet printer is used as the label printer  4  in this embodiment, but the label printer can be a laser printer or other type of printer that prints labels using toner. 
     Although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, unless they depart therefrom.