JPH03173659A - Emphasized printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform emphatic printing conformable to the character size by specifying the shifting amount of dot pattern data according to the size of character type for each font file. CONSTITUTION:Font header section in a font file 5 stores shifting amounts in x and y directions for emphatic printing which are defined according to the size of small character. Image 0 is initially set for normal data. Shifting amount x in x-direction is then read out from the font file in order to create a data Image 1 in which the data Image 0 is shifted by 1 dot in the x-direction, and then it is superposed on the Image 0 to create a data Image. A data Image 2 which is shifted by 2 dots in x-direction is created in similar manner and superposed on the data Image, and operation for creating a solid character in x-direction is repeated by x times. Operation in y-direction takes place upon completion of operation in x-direction. By such operation, emphatic printing conformable to an original small character can be carried out.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an emphasizing printing method capable of printing characters with the thickness of lines constituting a character in a size that best suits the character font.

(Prior Art) FIG. 5 shows a functional block diagram of a printer controller 2 connected to a host computer 1.

The controller 1 to roller (image processing device) 2 receive print data and commands from the host 1 and computer 1, convert them into image data, and convert them into printer engine (image forming device) 3.
and print it out on transfer paper.

The microcomputer CCP U) 20 in the figure controls the entire controller 1-roller 2;
puzo operates according to a control program stored in the program ROM 21. The RAM 22 is a large-capacity random access memory that expands image data for one page. The font file is font ROM23. The font card 4 or is downloaded and exists in the RAM 22. Further, the operation for generating bold characters is performed by the program in the program ROM 23, and the RAM
It is configured to be expanded to 22.

It should be noted that the nonvolatile RAM 24.degree. magnification processing section 25. which does not appear in the above description. Host interface 26. Operation panel 27
．． Optional interface 28. Video control 1 2- control section 29. It has an engine interface 30, a CPU bus 31, etc., and performs operations necessary for printing.

When characters are generated using two printers, character patterns that are registered in advance in font files (such as phono 1 to ROM 23) in the printer memory are generally used. By the way, the fine print (
If you need character patterns for both Medium font and Bold font, use Fine and Bold fonts.
Specify the process of loading the phono 1~ file in the printer memory, or shifting the dot pattern of a thin font character by a predetermined amount (for example, a fixed amount of 1 dot) and superimposing it on the original dot pattern. The bold text is created by repeating the same number of times as
No. 4).

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, in the conventional technology, the bold font file is
There was a drawback that a large amount of memory was required to be installed in the printer memory separately from the fine print phono 1.

Also, when creating a bold font, the amount by which the fine phono j- is shifted to shift 1 is a fixed amount, so for example, in the process diagram of creating bold characters (Illol, d characters) from fine characters (Mcdjum characters) in Figure 4, As shown, the font size ((1
) > (2) > (3), Schiff 1
-Amount ΔX.

All eight y are the same (Δx, = Δx, = ΔX3. Δy, = Δ
y2-Δy3). In other words, even if the fonts are different, the bold fonts will be the same.For example, the smaller font F (Figure 4 (3)) will be too thick (bold: Bol,
d letter), and larger phono 1 to F' (Fig. 4 (
1) Bold phono 1 that best suits the character shape (design), such as those that are not thick enough (bold characters).
The disadvantage was that it was not possible to obtain

(Object of the Invention) The present invention provides that when bold fonts 1 to 1 are required and the bold fonts are not installed in the printer memory,
By shifting the dot pattern of the fine phono 1- by the amount of shift set for each font and superimposing it on the original dot pattern, the bold phono 1- most suitable for that font is created.
The purpose is to create.

- (Structure and operation) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention
In a method of emphasizing printing by overlapping the original dot pattern data with the dot pattern data obtained by shifting the dot pattern data by a predetermined amount in a specified direction, the amount of shift of the dot pattern data is adjusted according to the character font. The present invention is characterized in that characters are printed with a thickness that best matches the character font specified according to the size, and that the shift amount of the dot pattern data is set for each font file.

The structure of the font file of the present invention is composed of a part of the font header indicating the attributes of phono 1 to 1, and an image data part storing the respective image data, and part of the font header includes the ΔX when emphasizing printing, The amount of shift in each direction of Δy is stored, the amount of shift of the dot pattern data is specified in accordance with the size of the character font, and characters with a thickness that best suits the character font are printed in an emphasized manner.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a phono file 1 to a phono file for carrying out the method of the present invention, and a font file 5 is composed of a font header part 51 and an image data part 52. This phono 1 ~ header part is a data group 5 that represents the attributes of the typeface
10, and the data d contains the font name, cell height 1 width,
The symbol set, etc. also has shift amounts in the +x, +y directions, and -X+3' direction for emphasis printing in the data d, and the fine characters (Me
dium) Depending on the size of the character, the shift amount Δx' and Δ
y′4. ΔX'2 and Δy'2. Δx'3 and Δy'3 are respectively determined.

The image data section 52 also includes a table 52D representing the address of image data of each character, and image data (dot pattern) 52D2 of each character.

Next, to explain the operation of emphasized printing, the font file (
The character image data 52D2 is read out from the image data section 52 in FIG.
The shift amount (data d2) is read from 1 and 6. Printing is performed by the processing of the controller 2 shown in FIG.

This will be explained in detail in the flowchart for creating bold characters in Fig. 2 and the emphasizing process for the character D-) in Fig. 3.
Let's talk about the case of character data in which each character is made bold. Also, image (n) (denoted as Image(n))
indicates data shifted by n dots in the specified direction (10x or 10y direction) within the character frame, with Image (0) (denoted as Image (0)) as the initial value.

As an initial setting, normal data (in Figure 3 (1)) with no bold text processing in either the X direction or the
(0)) is created (S, in Figure 2). Bold
If it is not printing (No in FIG. 2 82), data creation of character data ends (FIG. 2 83).

Next, in the case of bold printing (YES in Figure 2 82), first
For the direction, transfer the amount ΔX to shift 1 in the font file (first
The data d,) in the figure is read out (84 in FIG. 2). Then, the initial data Image (0) in Fig. 3 (1) is moved by 1 in the X direction.
Data Image in Figure 3 (2) shifted by a dot
(1) is created (Fig. 2 86). Next, the above-mentioned figure 3 (1
)'mage (0) and Image in Figure 3 (2)
(1) (Fig. 2 s7) and create a new data image of Fig. 3 (3) (Fig. 2 Sr,
).

Similarly, ImaFCe (0) in FIG. 3 (1) is
Create the data made (2) in Figure 3 (4) with a shift of 1 by 2 dots in the direction, and create the data Im in Figure 3 (3).
Overlap age and Image (2) (S7 in Figure 2),
A new data Image shown in FIG. 3 (5) is created. This operation of creating bold characters in the X direction is repeated Δχ times (Fig. 2 85)
. When this movement in the X direction is completed (YES in S in Figure 2)
), then in the X direction.

First, the phono 1 to file (data d2 in Figure 1)
Then, the shift amount Δy in the X direction is read out (see Fig. 2, 8).
3). The initial value of the data is the data Image for which the bold processing in the X direction has been completed (Fig. 3 (5)).
tr Image (0) (Sg in Figure 2). Then, in the X direction, Image (0) is shifted by one dot to create data Image (1) (Fig. 3 (6)),
7 8 ]' and image(○) ((5) in FIG. 3), new data Image ((7) in FIG. 3) is created. This is repeated Δy times.

In this way, the final data image that is repeated ΔX and Ay times is formed as shown in Figure 3 (8), and bold characters with ΔX dots in the X direction and Δy dots in the X direction can be created. can.

FIG. 4 shows the present embodiments (4) to (6) using the bold character processing described above.
) in conventional examples (1) - (3)
is shown for comparison. As is clear from both figures, the bold characters according to the embodiment of the present invention are printed in an emphasized manner to have a shape that better matches the original thin characters.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the present invention can perform emphasized printing appropriate to the size of the characters, and can produce more beautiful and easy-to-read print output.

Furthermore, by providing a shift amount for each font file, it is possible to similarly obtain a bold font suitable for an optional font such as a card font that is removable from a printer from a thin font.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a font file for implementing the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart for creating bold characters, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of bold emphasis processing for the character (L). FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a comparison of character emphasis processing between the conventional method and the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of a printer controller to which the method of the present invention is applied. 1... host computer, 2... controller, 3... printer engine, 4... font card, etc., 5... font file, 51...
... Phono 1 - header part, 52 ... Image data section, 51D ... Data group representing typeface attributes, 52D
52D2... Image data (dot pattern) for each character. 110- ○ 'Ifu

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A method of emphasizing printing by superimposing dot pattern data obtained by shifting dot pattern data in an image memory by a predetermined amount in a specified direction and the original dot pattern data, comprising: The amount of data shift is specified in accordance with the size of the character font, and the characters are printed with a thickness that best suits the font, and the amount of shift of the dot pattern data is set for each font file for printing. Emphasized printing method featuring