JP2006188024A - Printer, printing method, and apparatus and method for printing support - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer, a printing method, and an apparatus and method for printing support, wherein character resources are managed in the same level as online printing, and not only ordinary printing but also recovery printing in a case of trouble are made accurately. <P>SOLUTION: An emulation component 30 stores character patterns with their associated character codes in a different area of a character resource storage 46 for each download when the patterns are downloaded from a host computer. Printing data including a character pattern specified by a character code is converted into common PDL data including the character pattern specified by an address in the storage area where the character pattern is stored, and outputs the converted data to a drawing component 44 by a controller 40. The drawing component 44 reads the character pattern from the character resources storage 46 according to the common PDL data, and develops the pattern into image data. The developed image data is printed by a printer engine 48. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and printing method for downloading and storing character resources (character patterns, fonts) from the outside, and printing using the character resources, a printing support apparatus for supporting printing of the printing apparatus, and the The present invention relates to a printing support method for supporting printing of a printing apparatus.

  In a printing system in which a host computer (host) and a printing apparatus (printer) are connected online, a function called dynamic loading is provided. Dynamic load is a function that allows the printer to acquire (download) the character resource from the host and continue printing when the character resource (character pattern, font) of the character specified in the print data is not built in the printer. It is.

  In character printing, a code (character code) is assigned to each character in order to handle the character. For standard characters, character codes and character resources are associated with each other in a one-to-one correspondence and are standardly built in the character resource storage unit of the printer. Resources are uniquely assigned to character codes other than the character codes of the above standard characters (that is, there is a one-to-many relationship between character codes and character resources, and there are many character resources for one character code. Therefore, it is not built in the printer. Therefore, it is necessary to acquire such a character resource from the host according to the print data by the dynamic load function. Hereinafter, such characters are referred to as dynamic load target characters.

  Also, an off-line printing system has been devised by providing a storage device (spool) for storing print data inside the printer, so that printing can be performed by sequentially reading the print data stored in the spool even when the host is not operating during printing. Yes. Such a printer is also provided with a character resource storage unit for storing character resources. In addition to the standard character resource, the character resource of the dynamically loaded character is preliminarily acquired before the print data is acquired. It can be downloaded from the host and stored. Therefore, after downloading necessary data from the host, it can be printed off-line. With this method, it is possible to provide excellent functions such as batch mass printing, host operating cost improvement, and operability improvement.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 17A, each of a plurality of printers (printers 11A and 11B) is connected to a plurality of hosts (hosts 50A to 50D), and each host received by each printer from the plurality of hosts. There has also been devised a printing system that converts print data in a unique format (for example, page description language (PDL)) into print data in a common PDL format (common PDL data) and prints it.

  Hereinafter, the hosts 50 </ b> A to 50 </ b> D will be referred to as the host 50 when they are not particularly distinguished. The printers 11A and 11B have the same configuration, and will be referred to as the printer 11 when the printers 11A and 11B are described without particular distinction.

  As shown in FIG. 17B, the conventional printer 11 receives print data from the host 50, and print data corresponding to each host 50 (in FIG. 17, PDL-A, PDL-B, PDL- C, PDL-D) is converted to common PDL data (emulation component) 12A to 12D, common PDL data output from the emulation components 12A to 12D is accumulated in the spool 16, or the common accumulated in the spool 16 The controller 14 that reads and outputs the PDL data, the drawing component 18 that outputs the image data by analyzing the command of the common PDL data output from the controller 14, and the print engine 22 that prints the image data output from the drawing component 18 Is provided. The drawing component 18 is provided with a character resource storage unit 20 for storing character resources. In the character resource storage unit 20, standard character resources are stored in advance corresponding to the character codes. Further, the character resource storage unit 20 temporarily stores character resources such as external characters transmitted from the host computer 50 as necessary. The drawing component 18 can read the character resource designated by the character code in the print data from the character resource storage unit 20 and output it to the print engine 22.

  Accordingly, printing can be performed off-line with the host, and a plurality of types of print data can be printed by simply adding an emulation component to the printer. As a result, the lineup of printers, high versatility, and reduction in development costs are realized. Hereinafter, such a printer equipped with a plurality of emulation components is referred to as a multi-emulation printer.

In addition, as a technology to suppress the occurrence of garbled characters by giving information on the interface that connects the host and printer, the server requester adds the printer interface information to the print data based on the print request from the application. The data is transferred to the terminal (client) of the corresponding printer via the network, and the client controls the printer based on the interface information received from the network and causes the printer to print the received print data. There is known a printer control system that performs normal printing without any problem (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-9-128173

  If there is a printing failure such as paper jam or out of paper during printing, in the printing system that is connected online with the host, not only the print data but also the dynamic load target character used in the print data is sent from the host computer to the printer again. And is automatically reprinted (recovery printing) to ensure correct printing. Normally, in recovery printing, reprinting is performed from several pages before the failed page, but in an online connection printing system, print data from several pages before and the character resource of the character code specified by the print data Are synchronously downloaded to the printer again, so that printing can be performed correctly.

  However, in printers that operate offline (including multi-emulation printers), the character resource of the dynamic load target character stored in the character resource storage unit is the latest character resource corresponding to the print data at the time of the failure. For this reason, even if recovery printing is performed offline several pages before a failure occurs, the character resource specified in the recovery print target print data does not correspond correctly to the character resource stored in the character resource storage unit. In some cases, normal printing may not be possible.

  Here, an example of a printer that prints continuous paper and reprints two pages before when a failure occurs will be described with reference to FIG.

  The dynamic load target characters printed on the printed matter in FIG. 5 are characters printed by the character resource associated with the same character code. Here, the printer downloads the character resource of the character code from the host together with the print data of each page (or immediately before the print data is downloaded), and prints it offline after downloading. Since the character resource downloaded and stored in the character resource storage unit is overwritten when a character resource having the same character code is newly downloaded, the printer always has the latest character resource for the character code. Only retained.

  As shown in FIG. 18, when a failure occurs in the printing of the fifth page, reprinting is performed from the third page, but the character resource stored in the character resource storage unit corresponds to the print data of the fifth page. Therefore, even if the print data for the third page is read from the spool and reprinted, the character resource for the fifth page is printed. In this way, there is a problem that correct characters are not printed on the printed matter of the third to fourth pages printed retroactively.

  In this case, if you try to synchronize the character resources, you must send the corresponding character resources from the host again, making it impossible to print without the host, which is an advantage of offline printing. Will be greatly reduced.

  Such a problem of character resources is not considered at all in the printer control system described in Patent Document 1.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. In offline printing, character resources can be managed in the same way as online printing, and not only normal printing but also recovery printing performed when a failure occurs can be printed correctly. An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, a printing support apparatus, a printing method, and a printing support method.

  In order to achieve the above object, a printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage means for storing character resources, a download means for downloading character resources associated with a character code from the outside, and downloaded by the download means. Storage means for storing the character resource in a different storage area for each download of the storage means, and print information in which the character resource is designated by the character code, the character information by the address of the storage area in which the character resource is stored. It comprises conversion means for converting resources into designated print information, and print means for reading character resources from the storage means and printing based on the print information converted by the conversion means.

  That is, when the character resource associated with the character code is downloaded from the outside, the printing apparatus stores the character resource in a different storage area for each download of the storage unit. Further, the print information in which the character resource is designated by the character code is converted into the print information in which the character resource is designated by the address of the storage area in which the character resource is stored, and from the storage means based on the converted print information Read and print character resources.

  Therefore, even when different character resources are associated with the same character code, each character resource is stored at a different address, and not only the latest character resource but also a character resource downloaded in the past is saved. At the same time, since the print information is converted so that the character resource to be printed is specified by the address, even in offline printing, the character resource can be managed in the same way as online printing, and not only normal printing but also recovery printing performed when a failure occurs But it can print correctly without being garbled.

  Note that characters include symbols such as kanji, katakana, and alphanumeric characters, symbols, symbols, figures, and the like. The character resource is a resource that represents the character, and refers to character data, a character pattern, a font, and the like.

  The printing apparatus corresponds to the character code, an address of a storage area storing the character resource associated with the character code, and identification information for identifying whether printing using the character resource is completed. A history table additionally stored is further provided, and the storage means can determine a storage area for storing the character resource based on the history table, and store the character resource in the determined storage area.

  For example, the storage means stores, based on the history table, a storage area excluding a storage area in which character resources have already been stored, or a storage area in which character resources that have already been printed and are not used for printing are stored. Character resources can be stored.

  This ensures that the downloaded character resource can be stored at a different address. In addition, when printing using the character resource stored in the storage unit is completed, the character resource becomes unnecessary, and the storage unit refers to the identification information to store the character resource in the storage area storing the character resource. New character resources can be stored, and the storage area of the storage means can be used effectively.

  The printing support apparatus of the present invention is a printing support apparatus that is provided with a storage unit for storing character resources and supports printing of a printing apparatus that reads and prints character resources from the storage unit based on print information. Download means for downloading a character resource associated with a character code from the outside; storage means for storing the character resource downloaded by the download means in a different storage area for each download of the storage means; Conversion means for converting print information in which a character resource is designated by a character code into print information in which the character resource is designated by an address of the storage area in which the character resource is stored.

  That is, when a character resource associated with a character code is downloaded from the outside, the printing support apparatus stores the character resource in a different storage area for each download of the storage unit of the printing apparatus. Further, the print information in which the character resource is designated by the character code is converted into the print information in which the character resource is designated by the address of the storage area in which the character resource is stored.

  The printing apparatus can read and print the character resource from the storage unit based on the converted print information. Note that the printing support apparatus may support one printing apparatus or a plurality of printing apparatuses. In the case of a plurality of units, the storage area for storing the downloaded character resource can be made different for each download for each storage unit of each printing apparatus.

  Therefore, even when different character resources are associated with the same character code, each character resource is stored at a different address, and not only the latest character resource but also a character resource downloaded in the past is saved. At the same time, since the print information is converted so that the character resource to be printed is specified by the address, even in offline printing, the character resource can be managed in the same way as online printing, and not only normal printing but also recovery printing performed when a failure occurs But it can print correctly without being garbled.

  In addition, the printing support apparatus includes the character code, an address of a storage area that stores the character resource associated with the character code, and an identification for identifying whether printing using the character resource is completed. A history table storing information in association with each other, wherein the storage means determines a storage area for storing the character resource based on the history table, and stores the character resource in the determined storage area; it can.

  For example, the storage means stores, based on the history table, a storage area excluding a storage area in which character resources have already been stored, or a storage area in which character resources that have already been printed and are not used for printing are stored. Character resources can be stored.

  This ensures that the downloaded character resource can be stored at a different address. In addition, when printing using the character resource stored in the storage unit is completed, the character resource becomes unnecessary, and the storage unit refers to the identification information to store the character resource in the storage area storing the character resource. New character resources can be stored, and the storage area of the storage means can be used effectively.

  In addition, the printing support apparatus includes a latest character resource storage unit that stores the latest character resource downloaded by the download unit for each character code, and a latest character resource stored in the latest character resource storage unit. Transfer means for transferring to the storage means of the printing apparatus at a predetermined timing.

  For example, when printing a series of printed materials by switching between a plurality of printing devices, it is ensured that the correct character resource is continuously printed by the switched printing device immediately after switching the printing device. Must-have. Accordingly, in order to store the character resource downloaded immediately before switching at the time of switching the printing device, the latest character resource storage means for storing the latest character resource for each character code is provided, and the character resource is stored. If the data is transferred to the storage means of the switched printing device at a predetermined timing (for example, when the printing device is switched), the correct character resource is used in each printing device even if the printing device is frequently switched. Can be printed normally.

  The printing support apparatus according to the present invention further includes a plurality of the latest character resource storage means, and the plurality of latest character resources downloaded by the download means are updated according to the download timing of the download means. It can also be stored in any of the resource storage means.

  As described above, by providing a plurality of latest character resource storage means, it is possible to store character resources having different download timings in different latest character resource storage means according to the timing, and it becomes easy to manage character resources. .

  In the printing method of the present invention, the character resource associated with the character code is downloaded from the outside, and the downloaded character resource is stored in a different storage area for each download of the storage means for storing the character resource. Based on the converted print information, the print information in which the character resource is specified by the character code is stored and converted to the print information in which the character resource is specified by the address of the storage area in which the character resource is stored. The character resource is read from the storage means and printed.

  Since the printing method of the present invention operates in the same manner as the printing apparatus of the present invention, even in offline printing, character resources can be managed in the same way as in online printing, and not only in normal printing but also in recovery printing performed when a failure occurs. Can be printed.

  The printing support method of the present invention is a printing support method that supports printing of a printing apparatus that is provided with storage means for storing character resources and that reads and prints character resources from the storage means based on print information. The character resource associated with the character code is downloaded from the outside, the downloaded character resource is stored in a different storage area for each download of the storage means, and the character resource is designated by the character code The print information is converted into print information designating the character resource by the address of the storage area in which the character resource is stored.

  Since the print support method of the present invention operates in the same manner as the print support apparatus of the present invention, even in offline printing, character resources can be managed in the same way as online printing, and not only normal printing but also recovery printing performed when a failure occurs But you can print correctly.

  As described above, according to the present invention, even in offline printing, character resources can be managed in the same way as in online printing, and not only normal printing but also recovery printing performed when a failure occurs can be printed correctly. Excellent effect.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
In this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 17A, a plurality of host computers (hosts) are connected to one printer, and print data in PDL format unique to each host downloaded from each host is shared. An example of a printing system that prints data converted into print data in the PDL format will be described. However, in this embodiment, the configuration of the printer is different from that in FIG. Hereinafter, the configuration of the printer according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram functionally showing the configuration of a printer 10 constituting the printing system of the present embodiment.

  The printer 10 includes a plurality of emulation components 30A to 30C, a controller 40, a spool 42, a drawing component 44, a character resource storage unit 46, and a print engine 48.

  The character resource storage unit 46 stores in advance a standard character pattern (character pattern built in the printer) in which a character code and a character pattern are associated one by one. In addition, when a character pattern of a character (hereinafter referred to as a dynamic load target character) that is not built in the printer and has a one-to-many correspondence between character codes and character patterns is downloaded, the downloaded character pattern is also a character It is stored in the resource storage unit 46 (in a storage area different from the character pattern storage area built in the printer).

  The plurality of emulation components 30A to 30C are provided corresponding to a plurality of print data formats. Since the emulation components 30A to 30C have the same configuration, hereinafter, the emulation components 30A to 30C are simply referred to as the emulation component 30 when they are described without distinction.

  The emulation component 30 includes a main conversion unit 32, an address conversion unit 34, and a character code-address management unit 36. Here, the main conversion unit 32, the address conversion unit 34, and the character code-address management unit 36 are realized by firmware pre-installed in a module for the emulation component 30.

  The main conversion unit 32 uses common PDL (page description language) format print data input from the host to use common PDL format data (hereinafter referred to as common PDL format data or common PDL data). Called).

  Further, when a load pattern command is input from the host, a “download command” for downloading the character pattern of the dynamic load target character from the host (dynamic load function) and storing the downloaded character pattern in the character resource storage unit 46. Are generated in the common PDL format and output to the controller 40.

  FIG. 2 shows the structure of this download command. As shown in the figure, the first 2 bytes are the control code, the next 4 bytes are the address of the storage area of the character resource storage unit 46 for storing the character resources (hereinafter referred to as the download address), and the 7th and subsequent bytes are Stores a character pattern data string. The download address is acquired from the address conversion unit 34.

  If the print data includes data for drawing (printing) the dynamic load target character specified by the character code in the conversion process to the common PDL data, the “dynamic load target character” is displayed. A drawing command ".

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a drawing command for a dynamic load target character. As shown in the figure, the first 2 bytes are the control code, the next 2 bytes are the X coordinate value that specifies the position in the X-axis direction for drawing the dynamic load target character, and the next 2 bytes are the dynamic load target A Y-coordinate value that designates a position in the Y-axis direction for drawing a character, and the download address is stored in the last 4 bytes. This download address is acquired from the character code-address management unit 36.

  When there is a request from the main conversion unit 32 (that is, when the main conversion unit 32 generates a download command), the address conversion unit 34 stores an appropriate download address for storing the character pattern of the dynamic load target character. Is obtained and passed to the main conversion unit 32. Specifically, when a character code specifying a dynamic load target character is received from the main conversion unit 32, an address acquisition request is sent to the character code-address management unit 36 together with the character code. The character code-address management unit 36 searches for an appropriate download address according to the address acquisition request and returns it to the address conversion unit 34. The main conversion unit 32 can generate the download command by acquiring the download address from the address conversion unit 34.

  The character code / address management unit 36 includes a character code / address storage table 80 as shown in FIG. In this character code-address storage table 80, the character code and the latest download address are stored in association with each other. In the present embodiment, there is no record in which the character code is duplicated in the character code-address storage table 80.

  Further, the character code-address management unit 36 includes an address use allocation table 82 as shown in FIG. In this address use allocation table, each record includes a download address, a character code designating the character pattern stored in the dynamic load address, and a preprint indicating whether or not all printing using the character pattern has been completed. It consists of flags. Since the address use allocation table 82 shows a so-called storage history of the downloaded character pattern in the character resource storage unit 46, there may be a plurality of records having the same character code.

  When the already-printed flag is “0”, it indicates that printing using the corresponding character pattern is not completed, and when it is “1”, it indicates that all the printing is completed. The initial value of the already printed flag is “0”. In addition, when a failure occurs, the printer 10 according to the present embodiment performs reprinting (recovery printing) from the print page where the failure occurred to two pages before, so that the character pattern is considered in consideration of the recovery printing. The printing flag is not set to “1” and the state of “0” is maintained until the printing of two pages following the page is completed after the printing of the page using is completed.

  When there is an address acquisition request from the address conversion unit 34, the character code-address management unit 36 searches the address use allocation table 82, determines a download address from the search result, and uses the determined download address as the address conversion unit. 34. At this time, the character code / address management unit 36 updates the character code / address storage table 80 and the address use allocation table 82.

  Further, the character code-address management unit 36 searches the character code-address storage table 80 for the latest download address for the corresponding character code when the main conversion unit 32 generates a drawing command for the dynamic load target character. Then, it is passed to the main conversion unit 32. Thereby, the main converter 32 can generate the drawing command.

  The controller 40 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The controller 40 performs a predetermined process by executing a program stored in the ROM. The controller 40 is connected to the emulation component 30, and stores the common PDL data in the spool 42 when the common PDL data is input from the emulation component 30. Further, the common PDL data stored in the spool 42 is sequentially read and output to the drawing component 44. When a failure occurs, the common PDL data is read from the spool 42 and output to the drawing component 44 so that recovery printing can be traced back two pages before the page where the failure occurred.

  The drawing component 44 sequentially interprets the common PDL data output from the controller 40, converts the data into bitmap format image data for each page, and outputs the image data to the print engine 48. At this time, if the common PDL data includes a drawing command for the character to be dynamically loaded, the character pattern stored in the corresponding download address is read from the character resource storage unit 46 based on the drawing command and the image is read out. The data is expanded and output to the print engine 48. The common PDL data includes a drawing command for a character pattern (character pattern built in the printer) designated by a standard character code. In the case of this drawing command, the character resource storage unit 46 stores the character. Read and output the character pattern associated with the code. If the input common PDL data is a download command in the common PDL format, the character pattern is stored at the download address specified by the download command in the character resource storage unit 46.

  The print engine 48 prints on paper such as continuous paper based on the image data output from the drawing component 44.

  Next, the flow of processing executed by the emulation component 30 when some data is input from the host will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Here, the data output from the host to the printer 10 is any one of a load pattern command (character pattern), print data, and a printer control code for controlling the printer 10 (print engine 48). When the printer 10 receives this data, no processing is performed on the data.

  In step 100, the main converter 32 determines whether or not the input data is a load pattern command. For example, since an identification code that can identify the data type is usually included in the header portion of the data, it can be determined from the identification code. If it is determined that the command is a load pattern command, in step 102, a character pattern is acquired (downloaded) from the host according to the command.

  In step 104, the address use allocation table 82 is referred to via the address conversion unit 34 to obtain a download address for storing the character pattern. Specifically, the address conversion unit 34 sends an address acquisition request to the character code-address management unit 36. The character code-address managing unit 36 reads from the address use allocation table 82 an address indicating an unstored storage area in which no character pattern is stored, or the already-printed flag is “ The download address of the record “1” is determined as the download address for storing the requested character pattern. The download address determined in this way is sent to the main conversion unit 32.

  In step 106, the main conversion unit 32 generates a download command in the common PDL format using the download address and outputs it to the controller 40.

  When the controller 40 receives the download command, the controller 40 stores the download command in the spool 42. Further, the controller 40 reads the download command from the spool 42 and outputs it to the drawing component 44. The drawing component 44 stores the character data included in the download command at the download address specified by the download command.

  In step 108, the character code / address management unit 36 updates the character code / address storage table 80. Specifically, the character code-address storage table 80 is searched to search whether a record having the same character code as the character code of the character pattern for which the download address is determined is stored. If a record having the same character code is stored, the download address of the record is changed to the determined download address. If no record of the same character code is stored, a new record in which the character code is associated with the determined download address is generated and added to the character code-address storage table 80. As a result, the latest download address is always stored in the character code-address storage table 80.

  In step 110, the character code / address management unit 36 updates the address use allocation table 82. Specifically, a new record in which the download address determined in response to the address acquisition request, the character code of the character pattern for which the download address is determined, and the already printed flag “0” is associated is generated. It adds to the address use allocation table 82. That is, the character code-address management unit 36 generates a new record each time a new character pattern is downloaded and adds it to the address use allocation table 82.

  On the other hand, if the main conversion unit 32 determines in step 100 that the data input from the host is not a load pattern command, the process proceeds to step 120 to determine whether the input data is print data. judge. If it is determined that the input data is print data, a conversion process for converting the input print data into common PDL data is started in step 122. In the conversion process, the input print data is interpreted in order from the top and converted into common PDL data. However, it is always determined whether or not the print data is data for drawing (printing) the dynamic load target character. The conversion process is continued (step 124). In the print data from the host, the character pattern to be printed is specified by the character code. Here, if the character code included in the print data is not the character code associated with the character pattern built in the printer, it is determined that the character (character pattern) designated by the character code is the character to be dynamically loaded. .

  If it is determined in step 124 that the data to be processed is data for drawing (printing) the dynamic load target character, the process proceeds to step 132 and the conversion process is continued as it is.

  If it is determined in step 124 that the data to be processed is data for drawing (printing) the dynamic load target character, in step 126, the character code-address storage unit 36 stores the character code-address. The latest download address associated with the character code is acquired from the table 80.

  In step 128, using the acquired download address, a dynamic loading target character drawing command is generated in a common PDL format. That is, data in which a character pattern to be printed is designated by a character code is converted into data in a common PDL format in which the character pattern is designated by a download address in which the character pattern is stored.

  In step 130, it is determined whether or not conversion of all input print data has been completed. Here, when a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step 132 and the conversion process is continued. Until the conversion of all the input print data is completed, the processing from step 124 to step 132 is continued.

  If it is determined in step 130 that conversion of all input print data has been completed, the converted common PDL data is output to the controller 40 in step 134. The common PDL data is stored in the spool 42 by the controller 40.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 120 that the input data is not print data, the process proceeds to step 140 to determine whether the input data is a printer control code. If it is determined that the printer control code is used, the printer control code is output to the controller 40 through without performing any processing. When the printer control code is input, the controller 40 sends a predetermined control signal to the print engine 48 to set the operation of the print engine 48. If it is determined in step 140 that the input data is not a printer control code, this processing routine is terminated without performing any processing.

  In this embodiment, after any of the load pattern command, print data, and printer control code is input from the host, the host is in an offline state until any data is input next time. . As described above, in the printer 10, the common PDL data obtained by converting the input print data is stored in the spool, and the necessary character pattern is also stored in the character resource storage unit 46. Therefore, after the necessary data is input, Printing processing is possible even in an offline state.

  Next, the flow of processing executed by the controller 40 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of normal processing for reading the common PDL data and outputting it to the drawing component 44.

  In step 200, the common PDL data is read from the spool. In step 202, the read common PDL data is output to the drawing component 44. In step 204, it is determined whether or not the output of all common PDL data has been completed. If it is determined that the output of all common PDL data has not been completed, the process returns to step 200 to perform the processing. continue.

  The common PDL data output to the drawing component 44 is sequentially interpreted by the drawing component 44, converted into bitmap format image data for each page, and output to the print engine 48. At this time, if the common PDL data is a drawing command for a character to be dynamically loaded, the character pattern stored in the corresponding download address is read from the character resource storage unit 46 based on the drawing command, expanded, and printed. Output to the engine 48. If the common PDL data is a download command, the character pattern is stored in the download address specified by the download command in the character resource storage unit 46. The print engine 48 prints on paper such as continuous paper based on the image data output from the drawing component 44.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 204 that the output of all common PDL data has been completed, a print completion notification is output to the emulation component 30 in step 206.

  The emulation component 30 that has received the print completion notification updates the address use allocation table 82. Specifically, “1” is set to the corresponding already-printed flag. As a result, the download address storing the printed character pattern is released, and when the character pattern is next downloaded, the released address can also be selected as the character pattern storage destination. As described above, in the printer 10 according to the present embodiment, when a failure occurs, the emulation component 30 performs the reprinting (recovery printing) from the print page where the failure occurs to the previous two pages. The corresponding already-printed flag is not set to “1” but remains in the “0” state until the printing of two pages following the page is completed after the printing of the page using the character pattern is completed.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the controller 40 when a failure such as a paper jam occurs.

  In step 300, the common PDL data is read from the spool 42 by going back to a predetermined page (here, two pages). In step 302, the read common PDL data is output to the drawing component 44. In step 304, it is determined whether or not output of all common PDL data has been completed. If it is determined that output of all common PDL data has not been completed, the process proceeds to step 306, and then The next common PDL data is read, and the process returns to step 302. If it is determined in step 304 that the output of all common PDL data has been completed, a print completion notification is output to the emulation component 30 in step 308.

  The drawing component 44 sequentially interprets the common PDL data output from the controller 40, develops it into image data, and outputs it to the print engine 48. The print engine 48 can perform recovery printing by going back a predetermined page from the page where the failure has occurred.

  Even when the command for drawing the dynamic load target character is included in the common PDL data, since the character pattern is specified by the download address instead of the character code in the command, the drawing command is The corresponding character pattern can be read and output correctly. Further, as described above, the character pattern stored in the download address is held in the character resource storage unit 46 until printing using the character pattern is completely completed (until a print completion notification is issued). Therefore, even if recovery printing is performed in an offline state, it can be printed normally without being garbled.

  Next, the operation of the printer 10 will be described with a more specific example.

  FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a data transfer state and a print state between the controller 40 and the drawing component 44 (print engine 48). Here, the character code 0x80A1 to be downloaded is associated with a different character pattern (here, “A”, “I”, “U”, “E”, “O”) for each print data, and each character pattern is immediately before each print data. A case where data is downloaded and stored in will be described as an example.

  FIG. 10 is a table showing the character pattern storage state of the character resource storage unit 46 at each time point (1) to (5) in the sequence diagram of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a character pattern (common PDL format download load command) and common PDL data to be printed using the character pattern are alternately sent from the controller 40 to the drawing component 44.

  When the drawing component 44 receives the download load command, the drawing component 44 stores the character pattern at the download address included in the download command. In the example shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the character patterns “A”, “I”, “U”, “E”, “O” associated with the character code 0x80A1 are stored in different storage areas (0x3000) of the character resource storage unit 46. , 0x3200, 0x3400, 0x3600, 0x3800).

  Each common PDL data sent from the controller 40 to the drawing component 44 is common PDL data in which a character pattern is designated by a download address. Upon receiving the common PDL data, the drawing component 44 reads out the corresponding character pattern from the download address and outputs it to the print engine 48. Thereby, the character pattern of each page can be printed correctly.

  When a failure such as a paper jam occurs during the printing of the fifth page after (5) in FIG. 9, recovery printing is performed retroactively to a predetermined page (in this case, two pages before). At this time, as shown in FIG. 10 (5), the character resource storage unit 46 prints not only the character pattern “O” used in the print data for the fifth page, but also the third page printed retroactively. The character pattern “U” used in the data and the character pattern “E” used in the print data for the fourth page are also held at different download addresses. Also, in each common PDL data, each character pattern “U” “E” “O” is specified by the download address (0x3400, 0x3600, 0x3800) instead of the character code 0x80A1, so the character pattern corresponding to each page Can be reliably read and output, and recovery printing can be normally performed without garbled characters.

  As described above, when a character pattern is downloaded, the character pattern is stored in a different storage area for each download, and the print data in which the character pattern is designated by the character code is stored in the character pattern. Since the character pattern is converted to the common PDL data specified by the area address (download address), even in offline printing, character resources can be managed in the same way as in online printing, and not only when normal printing but also when a failure occurs. Even recovery printing can be printed correctly.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the emulation component 30, the controller 40, the spool 42, the drawing component 44, the character resource storage unit 46, and the print engine 48 are provided in one printer 10 has been described as an example. For example, the emulation component 30 is provided in an external device different from the printer, and the common PDL data and character patterns are drawn from the external device, the character resource storage unit 46, the print engine 48, and the like. It can also be configured to send to another printer.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the example in which each of the emulation components 30A to 30C is configured by the main conversion unit 32, the address conversion unit 34, and the character code-address management unit 36 has been described. For example, each of the emulation components 30 </ b> A to 30 </ b> C is configured only by the main conversion unit 32, and one module including the address conversion unit 34 and the character code-address management unit 36 is provided outside the emulation component 30. Good. Thus, by providing a function for determining and managing the download address outside the emulation component 30, redundancy of the device configuration can be eliminated and the download address can be determined and managed centrally.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system according to the second embodiment. As shown in the figure, the printing system includes a host 50, a front end controller (FEC) 52, and two printers 54A and 54B. In this printing system, the printer to be printed is switched for the purpose of switching paper or exchanging consumables of one printer. Although not shown, a plurality of hosts 50 can be connected to the FEC 52, and print data of different formats from the plurality of hosts 50 can be processed.

  Hereinafter, since the printers 54A and 54B have the same configuration, when the printers 54A and 54B are described without being distinguished from each other, they are simply referred to as the printer 54 and described.

  FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram functionally showing the configurations of the FEC 52 and the printer 54. 12, parts that are the same as or equivalent to those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  The FEC 52 includes a plurality of emulation components 60 </ b> A to 60 </ b> C and a distribution unit 70.

  The plurality of emulation components 60A to 60C are provided corresponding to the format of print data output from a plurality of hosts. Since the emulation components 60A to 60C have the same configuration, the emulation components 60A to 60C will be simply referred to as the emulation component 60 in the following description without distinguishing them.

  The emulation component 60 includes a main conversion unit 32, an address conversion unit 34, a character code-address management unit 36, a resource image storage unit 62, and a resource image download unit 64. Since the main conversion unit 32, the address conversion unit 34, and the character code-address management unit 36 in the present embodiment have the same functions as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  However, in this embodiment, a character code-address storage table 80 and an address use allocation table 82 are provided for each printer 54A, 54B. When there is a request from the main conversion unit 32 or the address conversion unit 34, the character code-address management unit 36 searches the character code-address storage table 80 and the address use allocation table 82 corresponding to the designated printer 54. respond.

  The resource image storage unit 62 stores the latest character pattern associated with the character code for each character code. The resource image storage unit 62 includes a resource image storage table 84 as shown in FIG. 13, and the resource image storage table 84 includes a character code, a character pattern, and a character code of a dynamic load target character downloaded from the host by the emulation component 60. A download address for storing the character pattern is associated and stored. That is, in the resource image storage table 84, in addition to the information stored in the character code-address storage table 80, the downloaded character pattern itself is associated and stored.

  The resource image download unit 64 sends the character patterns stored in the resource image storage unit 62 to the target printer 54 via the distribution unit 70 at the same time for printer switching. At the time of transmission, a “download command” (similar to the first embodiment) for storing the character pattern stored in the resource image storage unit 62 in the character resource storage unit 46 of the switching destination printer 54 is used. Generated in the common PDL format and sent through the distribution unit 70. In this embodiment, a download command sent at a timing other than the time of printer switching is generated by the main conversion unit 32 as in the first embodiment, and the download command sent at the time of printer switching is a resource image download. Generated by the unit 64.

  The distribution unit 70 sends the common PDL data converted by the emulation component 60 to the designated printer 54. In this embodiment, the timing at which the printer to be printed is switched is set in advance in the FEC 52 (print destination setting). The distribution unit 70 switches the common PDL data transmission destination (printer) according to the setting.

  The printer 54 includes a controller 40, a spool 42, a drawing component 44, a character resource storage unit 46, and a print engine 48. Since the controller 40, the spool 42, the drawing component 44, the character resource storage unit 46, and the print engine 48 have the same functions as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted. However, in the present embodiment, the controller 40 acquires common PDL data from the distribution unit 70 of the FEC 52.

  Hereinafter, operations of the FEC 52 and the printer 54 in the present embodiment will be described.

  First, the flow of processing executed by the emulation component 60 of the FEC 52 when some data is input from the host 50 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6 used in the first embodiment.

  In steps 100 to 102, when a load pattern command is issued from the host 50, the main conversion unit 32 downloads a character pattern according to the load command. At this time, the downloaded character pattern is stored in the resource image storage unit 62 (resource image storage table 84). If a record having the same character code as the character code of the downloaded character pattern is stored in the resource image storage table 84, the downloaded character pattern is overwritten on the record. If no record of the same character code is stored in the resource image storage table 84, a new record is generated and added to the table.

  In step 104, the main conversion unit 32 refers to the address use allocation table 82 corresponding to the printer 54 that prints using the character pattern via the address conversion unit 34 according to the predetermined print destination setting. To obtain a download address for storing the character pattern. The download address acquired here is stored in the record storing the character pattern in the resource image storage table 84.

  In step 106, the main conversion unit 32 generates a download command for storing the character pattern in the acquired download address in the common PDL format and outputs it to the distribution unit 70. When the distribution unit 70 receives the download command, the distribution unit 70 selects a transmission destination of the download command according to the setting of the printing destination, and transmits the transmission command to the printer 54 of the selected transmission destination. When the controller 40 of the printer 54 receives the download command, the character data included in the download command is transferred to the download address specified by the download command via the drawing component 44, as in the first embodiment. To store.

  In step 108, the character code-address management unit 36 updates the character code-address storage table 80 corresponding to the printer 54 that has sent the character pattern.

  In step 110, the character code-address management unit 36 updates the address use allocation table 82 corresponding to the printer 54 that has transmitted the character pattern.

  On the other hand, when the main conversion unit 32 determines in step 100 that the data input from the host 50 is not a load pattern command, and in step 120 determines that the input data is print data, The processes 122 to 132 are repeated to convert the input print data into common PDL data. In the conversion process, when converting the data for drawing (printing) the dynamic load target character, the latest download address is acquired from the character code-address storage table 80 corresponding to the printer to be printed, Use the download address to generate a drawing command for dynamically loaded characters.

  When all the print data is converted into common PDL data, the converted common PDL data is output to the distribution unit 70 in step 134. The distribution unit 70 sends the common PDL data to the corresponding printer 54 according to the print destination setting. The controller 40 of the printer 54 that has received the common PDL data stores the common PDL data in the spool 42, reads out the common PDL data from the spool as appropriate, sends it to the drawing component 44, and causes the print engine 48 to print it. In this printer 54, since the character pattern of the dynamic load target character used in the common PDL data is already stored in the character resource storage unit 46, it can be correctly printed using the character pattern. .

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 120 that the input data is not print data, and it is determined in step 140 that the input data is a printer control code, no processing is performed on the printer control code. Without being applied to the distributor 70. The distribution unit 70 sends the printer control code to the corresponding printer 54.

  If it is determined in step 140 that the input data is not a printer control code, this processing routine is terminated without performing any processing.

  Next, switching processing when switching the printer to be printed will be described.

  When it is time to switch the printer 54, the resource image download unit 64 of the emulation component generates the latest character pattern stored in the resource image storage mechanism 62 and a download command to be sent to the printer 54 to be switched to. Then, the data is sent to the distribution unit 70. The distribution unit 70 sends the download command to either the printer 54A or 54B in accordance with the print destination setting.

  The printer 54 that has received the download command stores the character pattern at the specified download address in accordance with the download command. Note that the processing in the controller 40 of the printer 54 is the same as the processing described in the first embodiment with reference to FIGS.

  Next, the operation of the printing system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16 with more specific examples.

  FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 are sequence diagrams showing an example of a data transfer state and a print state between the host 50, the FEC 52, and the printers 54A and 54B. The printer 54A uses the character pattern “ Print using “A” and “I”, then switch to the printer 54B and print using the character patterns “I”, “U” and “E”, then switch back to the printer 54A and switch back to the character pattern “E” and “E”. The flow of processing for printing using “O” is shown. The same character code 0x80A1 is associated with the character patterns “a”, “i”, “u”, “e”, and “o”.

  FIG. 16A shows the storage state of the character pattern for the character code 0x80A1 in the resource image storage unit 62 of the FEC 52 at each time point (1) to (7) shown in the sequence diagrams of FIGS. FIG. FIG. 16B is a diagram showing a character pattern storage state in the character resource storage unit 46 of the printer 54A. FIG. 16C is a diagram showing a character pattern storage state of the character resource storage unit 46 of the printer 54B at each time point (1) to (7) shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. In FIG. 16B and FIG. 16C, the underlined character pattern indicates a character pattern synchronized with the latest character pattern stored in the resource image storage unit 62 of the FEC 52. .

  When the FEC 52 receives a character pattern from the host 50, the FEC 52 generates a download command and transmits it to either the printer 54A or the printer 54B according to the print destination setting. Upon receiving the download command, the printer 54A or the printer 54B stores the character pattern at the download address included in the download command.

  At the time of (1) and (2) in FIG. 14, a download command is sent to the printer 54A. According to the download command, the printer 54A stores the character patterns “A” and “I” in different download addresses (0x3000, 0x3200) as shown in (1) and (2) of FIG.

  Also, after downloading each character pattern, print data is transmitted from the host 50, and the emulation component 60 of the FEC 52 converts each print data into common PDL data in which the character pattern to be printed is designated by the download address. The data is sent to the printer 54 set as the printing destination. In FIG. 14, the common PDL data 1_1 in which the character pattern “A” is designated by the download address 0x3000 and the common PDL data 1_2 in which the character pattern “I” is designated by the download address 0x3200 are sent to the printer 54A.

  When the common PDL data 1_1 is input via the controller 40, the drawing component 44 of the printer 54A reads the character pattern “A” designated by the download address 0x3000 and outputs it to the print engine 48. The print engine 48 can correctly print the print page 1_1 based on the image data from the drawing component 44. When the common PDL data 1_2 is input, the character pattern “I” designated by the download address 0x3200 is read out and output to the print engine 48 as described above. The print engine 48 can correctly print the print page 1_2 based on the image data from the drawing component 44.

  When the printing destination is switched to the printer 54B, a download command for transferring the latest character pattern stored in the resource image storage unit 62 and storing it in the character resource storage unit 46 of the printer 54B is sent to the printer 54B.

  Here, the character pattern “I” already used for printing by the printer 54A is stored in the resource image storage unit 62 as the latest character pattern, and this character pattern is also used by the printer 54B. Therefore, the download command is generated by the resource image download unit 64 using the latest character pattern “I” stored in the resource image storage unit 62 and the download address of the printer 54B determined by the character code-address management unit 36. Is done.

  The emulation component 60 of the FEC 52 determines not only the download address of the printer 54A but also the download address of the printer 54B when the character pattern “I” is downloaded from the host 50 for the download address of the printer 54B. May be stored in the character code-address storage table 80 or the address use allocation table 82, or the download address of the printer 54B may be determined when the printer is switched.

  Upon receiving the download command, the printer 54B stores the character pattern “I” at the specified download address in the character resource storage unit 46 according to the download command (resource merge). At the time of (3) in FIG. 14, as shown in FIG. 16C, the character pattern “I” is stored in the download address 0x3000.

  Thereafter, the FEC 52 performs the same processing as described above, converts the print data from the host 50 into common PDL data in which a character pattern is designated by the download address, and sends it to the printer 54B to print the print page 2_3.

  As for the character pattern “U” and the character pattern “E”, a download command is generated and stored in the character resource storage unit 46 of the printer 54B in the same manner as described above, and the print data from the host 50 is converted into the character pattern by the download address. The data is converted into designated common PDL data and sent to the printer 54B to print the print pages 2_4 and 2_5.

  As shown in FIG. 14, when a paper jam occurs during the printing of the print page 2_5, a recovery operation is performed by the print engine 48 of the printer 54B. After the restoration, recovery printing is performed retroactively from a predetermined page as shown in FIG. Here, since recovery printing is performed retroactively from the previous two pages, reprinting is performed from the printed page 2_3. As shown in (5) of FIG. 16C, the character patterns “I”, “U”, and “E” necessary for printing each page are not erased but are stored in different addresses, and the above conversion is performed. In the common PDL data, each character pattern is designated by a download address. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, the character pattern can be appropriately read from the download address for each page, and recovery printing can be normally performed. it can.

  When printing by the printer 54B is completed, as shown in FIG. 15, the FEC 52 performs printer switching processing (resource merging) according to the setting of the printing destination as described above. Subsequently, the necessary character pattern and common PDL data are transmitted to cause the printer 54A to print the print page 1_6 including the character pattern “e” and the print page 1_7 including the character pattern “o”.

  As described above, the resource image storage unit 62 for storing the latest character pattern is provided, and when the printer 54 as the printing destination is switched, the character patterns stored in the resource image storage unit 62 are collectively transmitted. Therefore, printing can be reliably performed using a correct character pattern for each printer 54. Even when a failure occurs, a necessary character pattern is stored in the character resource storage unit 46 provided in each printer 54. Therefore, even in offline printing, normal printing is performed without garbled characters. be able to. Furthermore, since the character resource storage unit 46 of each printer 54 does not store unnecessary character patterns that are not used for printing by each printer 54, it can be printed normally with a minimum storage area, and all characters can be printed. It is possible to save waste compared to the case of sending and storing the pattern.

  Further, if the printing system is configured as in the present embodiment, printing can be performed by alternately using the printers 54, and therefore, one printer 54 does not have to be turned on until the common PDL data is sent out. There is also.

  In the present embodiment, each of the plurality of emulation components 60 includes the main conversion unit 32, the address conversion unit 34, the character code-address management unit 36, the resource image storage unit 62, and the resource image download unit 64. Although the example has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, each of the plurality of emulation components 60 is configured by only the main conversion unit 32, and the address conversion common to each emulation component 60 is provided outside the plurality of emulation components 60. A unit 34, a character code-address management unit 36, a resource image storage unit 62, and a resource image download unit 64 may be provided. In this way, by providing a function for determining and managing a download address, a storage unit for storing the latest character pattern, and a function for sending and storing the character pattern to each printer, outside the emulation component 60. , Device configuration redundancy can be eliminated and download addresses can be managed centrally.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, a character pattern has been described as an example of a character resource, but a font or character shape data may be used.

  In the above-described first and second embodiments, the example of downloading and storing the dynamic load target character in units of one character has been described. However, the character may be downloaded and stored in units of a plurality of characters. . For example, the unit of the number of characters to be downloaded and stored can be changed according to the download timing. That is, in the first and second embodiments described above, an example has been described in which a character pattern is downloaded in units of characters and the character pattern used for each download is switched. However, there are a plurality of character patterns having different switching timings. Even in this case, the same processing as described above can be performed.

  Specifically, for example, a character pattern (preloaded character) that is first transmitted in units of multiple characters prior to a series of print data, and a character pattern (downloaded character) that is transmitted in units of one character in the middle of a print page The case where it processes by mixing is mentioned.

  When handling character patterns with different download timings, a plurality of resource image storage units 62 are provided according to the switching timing in the second embodiment, and the resource image storage unit 62 used according to the timing is used. Is preferably switched. Thereby, it is possible to appropriately process at the time of printer switching.

1 is a configuration diagram functionally illustrating a configuration of a printer according to a first embodiment. FIG. It is the figure which showed the structure of the download command. It is the figure which showed the structure of the drawing command of the dynamic load object character. It is the figure which showed an example of the character code-address storage table. It is the figure which showed an example of the address use allocation table. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of the process performed with an emulation component when some data are input from a host. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of the process of the normal controller which reads common PDL data and outputs it to a drawing component. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of the process of the controller performed when troubles, such as paper jam, generate | occur | produce. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a state of data exchange between a controller and a drawing component (print engine) and a print state. 10 is a table showing a character pattern storage state of the character resource storage unit at each time point (1) to (5) in the sequence diagram of FIG. 9. It is the figure which showed the structure of the printing system of 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram functionally illustrating configurations of an FEC and a printer. It is the figure which showed an example of the resource image preservation | save table. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a state of data exchange between a host, an FEC, and each apparatus of each printer, and a print state. It is a sequence diagram following FIG. (A) shows the storage state of the character pattern for the character code 0x80A1 in the resource image storage unit 62 of the FEC 52 at each time point (1) to (7) shown in the sequence diagrams of FIGS. 14 and 15. (B) is a diagram showing a character pattern storage state of the character resource storage unit of the printer 54A, and (C) is a diagram of (1) to (7) shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. It is the figure which showed the memory | storage state of the character pattern of the character resource memory | storage part of the printer 54B at each time. (A) shows that each of a plurality of printers is connected to a plurality of hosts, and each printer receives print data in a format unique to each host received from the plurality of hosts as common PDL format print data (common PDL data). It is the figure which showed the printing system which converts and prints, (B) is the figure which showed the conventional structure of each printer of this printing system. It is an example which showed the printing result by the conventional printer which prints a continuous paper.

Explanation of symbols

10 Printer 30 (30A, 30B, 30C) Emulation component 32 Main conversion unit 34 Address conversion unit 36 Character code-address management unit 40 Controller 42 Spool 44 Drawing component 46 Character resource storage unit 48 Print engine 54 (54A, 54B) Printer 60 (60A, 60B, 60C) Emulation component 62 Resource image storage unit 64 Resource image download unit 70 Distribution unit 80 Character code-address storage table 82 Address use allocation table 84 Resource image storage table

Claims (8)

Storage means for storing character resources;
Download means for downloading a character resource associated with a character code from the outside;
Storage means for storing the character resource downloaded by the download means in a different storage area for each download of the storage means;
Conversion means for converting print information in which a character resource is designated by the character code into print information in which the character resource is designated by an address of the storage area in which the character resource is stored;
Printing means for reading and printing character resources from the storage means based on the print information converted by the conversion means;
Including printing device. History in which the character code, the address of the storage area storing the character resource associated with the character code, and the identification information for identifying whether printing using the character resource is completed are stored in association with each other A table,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit determines a storage area for storing the character resource based on the history table, and stores the character resource in the determined storage area. A printing support device provided with storage means for storing character resources and supporting printing of a printing apparatus that reads and prints character resources from the storage means based on print information,
Download means for downloading a character resource associated with a character code from the outside;
Storage means for storing the character resource downloaded by the download means in a different storage area for each download of the storage means;
Conversion means for converting print information in which a character resource is designated by the character code into print information in which the character resource is designated by an address of the storage area in which the character resource is stored;
A printing support apparatus including: History in which the character code, the address of the storage area storing the character resource associated with the character code, and the identification information for identifying whether printing using the character resource is completed are stored in association with each other A table,
The printing support apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the storage unit determines a storage area for storing the character resource based on the history table, and stores the character resource in the determined storage area. Latest character resource storage means for storing the latest character resource downloaded by the download means for each character code;
Transfer means for transferring the latest character resource stored in the latest character resource storage means to the storage means of the printing apparatus at a predetermined timing;
The printing support apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising: A plurality of the latest character resource storage means,
The printing support apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the latest character resource downloaded by the download unit is stored in any of the plurality of latest character resource storage units according to a download timing of the download unit. Download a character resource associated with the character code from the outside,
Storing the downloaded character resource in a different storage area for each download of the storage means for storing the character resource;
Converting print information in which a character resource is designated by the character code into print information in which the character resource is designated by an address of the storage area in which the character resource is stored;
A printing method in which character resources are read from the storage unit based on the converted print information and printed. A printing support method for supporting printing of a printing apparatus provided with storage means for storing character resources and reading out the character resources from the storage means based on the print information and printing the print data,
Download a character resource associated with the character code from the outside,
Storing the downloaded character resource in a different storage area for each download of the storage means;
A print support method for converting print information in which a character resource is designated by the character code into print information in which the character resource is designated by an address of the storage area in which the character resource is stored.

Images