JPH0858162A - Printer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain easily an effect equal to the sharing of image printout data by providing a dot pattern data recording medium, an auxiliary storage device and a user interface part by which an operator selects between image output and storage of data into a medium or both. CONSTITUTION: This printer device consists of a photomagnetic disc device 25 and a user interface part 26 which enables the selection of an action by the printer device 2, both added to a main device system. Thus, it is possible to store dot pattern data into a photomagnetic disc 5 in addition to the routine print-out of data to a sheet 4. One DTP software operating in a host device 1 transfers print-out data to the printer device 2, while the other DTP software reads dot pattern data stored in the photomagnetic disc 5 using a photomagnetic disc device 12 of the host device 1. Consequently, image output data in which characters and images are mixed under the particular data format of the one DTP software is converted to dot pattern data and is loaded as such.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer device, and in particular, it analyzes print output data transferred from a host device,
The present invention relates to a printer device that creates dot pattern data and prints and outputs the dot pattern data on paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Considering the above-mentioned device connected to a printer device, there are various kinds of application software operating on the host device. Insert texts and images such as technical documents and business documents in it,
There is application software (hereinafter referred to as DTP software) that prints out a sheet from a connectable printer device. The print output data to be printed on the sheet can be stored for each DTP software through some storage device (storage medium) of the host device. Regarding the data format, character data or image data can be stored. Since data and the like are mixed and each DTP software is unique, it is very difficult to share the stored print output data among the DTP software.

However, in recent years, various graphs and full-color images have been widely used in these DTP software.
There is a great need for mutually incorporating and sharing the print output data stored in the storage device (storage medium) on the host device in a unique data format for each DTP software.

Conventionally, in order to share the print output data with these DTP software, first, the print output data with the DTP software to be captured is transferred to a connectable printer device, the print output is performed on a sheet, and the capture side is used. DTP
The software is realized by using a scanner device or the like to capture the dot pattern printed and output on the sheet. Further, sharing of the print output data has been realized through the application software that converts the data from one data format to the print output data of the other data format among the DTP software.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned example, it is premised that the DTP software on the fetching side has a means for fetching the dot pattern on the paper by a scanner device or the like, and the DT having such means.
There is little P software, and the dot pattern data deterioration occurs when the dot pattern actually printed and printed on the paper is captured by the scanner device or the like. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain the same effect as sharing the print output data.

On the other hand, in the example described later, since there are few data formats that can be converted, there are many restrictions on the data format, and the print output data is shared between different upper devices using a storage medium. With regard to the above, when the specifications of the auxiliary storage device that processes the storage medium differ between the higher-level devices, the DTP software on the capturing side cannot process the storage medium in which the print output data is stored in the auxiliary storage device. Become. Therefore, even in the example described below, it is difficult to obtain the above effect.

An object of the present invention is to provide a printer device that can easily obtain the same effect as sharing print output data in a unique data format for each DTP software between the DTP softwares. It is in.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A printer device according to the present invention includes a storage medium for storing dot pattern data, an auxiliary storage device for storing dot pattern data in the storage medium, and an operator on a sheet of dot pattern data. It has a user interface unit for selecting whether to output a print image, store it in a storage medium, or perform both.

[0009]

First, the print output data is transferred from one DTP software on the upper device to the printer device, and the dot pattern data created in the printer device is stored in the storage medium. Next, the other DTP software on the host device reads the dot pattern data as image data from the storage medium, and prints in a data format unique to each DTP software in which character data, image data, etc. are mixed. The same effect as sharing the output data between the DTP softwares can be obtained.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the dot pattern data can be stored in the storage medium according to the specifications of the auxiliary storage device on the host device for reading the storage medium according to an instruction from the user interface unit. The above effect can be easily obtained regardless of the specifications of the auxiliary storage device.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a system including a printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a process in the system including a printer device according to the present embodiment.

First, a system using the printer device of this embodiment is a system using the magneto-optical disk devices 25 and 12 having the magneto-optical disk 5 as a recording medium, for example, as an auxiliary storage device. The device 2 is connected with the interface cable 3. The host device 1 is a display device (DSP) 1 that displays data.
1, a hard disk device (HDD) 14 for storing and processing print output data, a magneto-optical disk device 12 for processing the magneto-optical disk 5, a display device 11,
Magneto-optical disk device 12 and hard disk device 14
And a system device 13 for controlling the print output data and transferring the print output data to the printer device 2. Each DTP software exists and operates on the system device 13.

The printer device 2 analyzes the upper device interface unit 21 connected to the upper device 1 and the print output data transferred from the upper device interface unit 21, creates dot pattern data, and stores it in the page memory 23. The CPU 22 and the printing device 24 that prints out the dot pattern data in the page memory 23 on the paper 4 according to the instruction of the CPU 22, and the dot pattern data in the page memory 23 is stored in the magneto-optical disk 5 according to the instruction of the CPU 22. It is composed of a magneto-optical disk device 25 and a user interface unit 26 for transmitting to the CPU 22 an operator's instruction as to whether to print the dot pattern data in the page memory 23 on the paper 4 or to store it in the magneto-optical disk 5. Has been done. Therefore, compared with the conventional printer device, the magneto-optical disk device 25 and the user interface unit 26 are newly added.

The host device interface section 21 is connected to the system device 13 of the host device 1, and is connected to the D device of the host device 1.
Print output data transferred from TP software is CP
Transfer to U22. The page memory 23 stores the print output data transferred from the higher-level device interface unit 21 as C
The dot pattern data created by analysis by the PU 22 is temporarily stored. The printing device 24 prints the dot pattern data stored in the page memory 23 on the paper 4 according to an instruction from the CPU 22. The magneto-optical disk device 25 uses the page memory 23 according to an instruction from the CPU 22.
The dot pattern data stored therein is stored in the magneto-optical disk 5. User interface section 26
Consists of several switches and a display that can display simple characters. The switch unit, when pressed by the operator 6, informs the CPU 22 whether the dot pattern data in the page memory 23 is to be printed on the paper 4 or to be stored and taken out from the magneto-optical disk 5. At the same time, the operator 6 pushes a switch with respect to the specifications and the image file format when the dot pattern data is stored in the magneto-optical disk 5, and the CPU 2
Tell 2. The display section is instructed by the CPU 22
The operator 6 is informed of the current state of the printer device 2 and a simple message prompting the user to insert the paper 4 or the magneto-optical disk 5. The CPU 22 analyzes the print output data transferred from the host device interface unit 21, creates dot pattern data for print output, and temporarily stores it in the page memory 23. Then, in accordance with an instruction from the user interface unit 26, the dot pattern data stored in the page memory 23 is controlled by the printing device 24 to print out on the paper 4 or by controlling the magneto-optical disk device 25. The data is stored in the magneto-optical disk 5.
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

First, when the printer device 2 is powered on (step 101), the printer device 2 operates in the CPU 2
It is initialized by 2 (step 102) and enters a standby state (step 108). However, before entering the standby state,
The CPU 22 confirms various conditions such as whether the paper 4 and the magneto-optical disk 5 are set (step 103), and enters a standby state (step 108). If the conditions are not satisfied, the user is alerted to the display section of the user interface section 26 (step 104), and the operator 6 sets the paper 4 and the magneto-optical disk 5 (step 105).

The operator 6 is in a waiting state (step 108).
By operating the switch section of the user interface section 26, the CPU 22 is informed of the selection as to whether the printer apparatus 2 is to perform the print output operation on the paper 4 or the magneto-optical disk 5 storage operation. (Step 1
06). However, since the switch unit has a structure that holds the previous state, this operation selection (switch 106) is not necessary unless the operation of the printer device 2 is changed.

The host device 2 confirms that the printer device 2 is in the standby state (step 108), and starts transferring the print output data (step 107). Then, from the upper device interface unit 21 of the printer device 2 to the CP
It is notified to U22 that the transfer of the print output data has started. The CPU 22 further receives the print output data from the host device interface section 21, analyzes the print output data to create dot pattern data, and temporarily stores it in the page memory 23 (step 109).

Next, in the CPU 22, the instruction of the operator 6 transmitted from the user interface section 26 is "print".
If so, the dot pattern data stored in the page memory 23 is transferred to the printing device 24 (step 110,
111), and print out on paper 4 (step 11)
2). After the printing output is completed, the printer device 2 is initialized (step 102) and returns to the standby state (step 1).
08).

On the other hand, in the CPU 22, the instruction of the operator 6 transmitted from the user interface section 26 is “memorized”.
If so, the dot pattern data stored in the page memory 23 is transferred to the magneto-optical disk device 25 (steps 110 and 113) and stored in the magneto-optical disk 5 (step 114). After the storage is completed, the printer device 2
Is initialized (step 102), and returns to the standby state (step 108).

As described above, the printer device 2 of this embodiment
In the main body of the printer device 2, the operation selection of the magneto-optical disk device 25 and the printer device 2 (print output,
User interface part 2 that enables memory etc.
By adding 6 and 6, it is possible to store the dot pattern data in the magneto-optical disk 5 in addition to the normal print output of the dot pattern data on the paper 4.

Therefore, one D operating on the host device 1
The TP software transfers the print output data to the printer device 2, stores the dot pattern data in the magneto-optical disk 5, and the other DTP software operating on the host device 1 stores the dot pattern data in the magneto-optical disk 5 in the upper order. By reading from the magneto-optical disk device 12 of the device 1, it is possible to capture the print output data in which character data and image data, which are data formats unique to one of the DTP software, are mixed and converted into dot pattern data. It will be possible.

However, in consideration of the case where the magneto-optical disk 5 in which the dot pattern data is stored is read from a magneto-optical disk device having a different specification of the host device other than the magneto-optical disk device 12 of the host device 1, By making it possible to instruct some typical specifications from the interface unit 26, the dot pattern data is an image file format that can be read by DTP software in accordance with the specifications of the magneto-optical disk device in which the magneto-optical disk 5 is read. Is stored along with.

Regarding the image file format of the dot pattern data stored in the magneto-optical disk 5, some typical formats can be designated from the user interface section 26 so that the image file format can be stored. To be done.

Although the present invention has been specifically described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Nor.

For example, in the system including the printer device 2 of the present embodiment, the case where the magneto-optical disk devices 12 and 25 having the magneto-optical disk 5 as a storage medium are used as the auxiliary storage device has been described. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but can be applied to a storage medium such as a magnetic tape. In this case, a magnetic tape device is used as the auxiliary storage device, and any compatible storage medium and auxiliary storage device may be used.

Further, in the operation selection of the printer device 2 as well, the dot pattern data has been described as a choice between printing on the paper 4 and storing it in the magneto-optical disk 5, but both are selected. It is also possible to operate.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, the storage medium for storing the created dot pattern data, the auxiliary storage device for processing the storage medium, and the dot pattern data created by the operator. By providing a user interface unit that selects the operation such as whether to print out the image on paper or whether the operator stores it in the storage medium, and the specification and the image file format when storing the dot pattern data in the storage medium. It is possible to obtain the same effect as sharing print output data in a data format unique to each DTP software in which character data and image data are mixed, between the DTP software.

Further, it is possible to read the dot pattern data as image data from the storage medium also from the DTP software on the other upper device, and the same applies to the DTP software between the upper devices having different specifications of the auxiliary storage device. The effect of is obtained.

Further, since the image file format for storing the dot pattern data in the storage medium can be selected from some typical ones, it is natural that the DTP handling various graphs and full-color images. The effect is great in a full-color printer device that can be connected to software, and the same effect can be obtained with less restriction on the image file format when reading the dot pattern data of the storage medium from the auxiliary storage device of the host device.

As a result, it has been very difficult to share the print output data unique to each DTP software between the DTP softwares, which is a mixture of character data and image data. However, according to the present invention, the printer device can be used. By storing internally created dot pattern data in a storage medium and allowing each DTP software to read it as an image file, each DTP on various host devices can be read.
It is possible to provide a printer device that can easily achieve the same effect as sharing print output data unique to software.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a system including a printer device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing processing in a system including the printer device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Host device 2 Printer device 3 Interface cable 4 Paper 5 Magneto-optical disk 6 Operator 11 Display device (DSP) 12 Magneto-optical disk device 13 System device 14 Hard disk device 21 Host device interface section 22 CPU 23 Page memory 24 Printing device 25 Optical Magnetic disk unit 26 User interface section 101-114 steps

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A storage medium for storing the dot pattern data in a printer device for analyzing the print output data transferred from a higher-level device to create dot pattern data and outputting the dot pattern data on a paper. And an auxiliary storage device that stores dot pattern data in the storage medium, and an operator selects whether to print the dot pattern data on a sheet or store it in the storage medium, or both. A printer device having a user interface unit of. 2. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the user interface section is for a user to select specifications for storing dot pattern data in the storage medium and a format of an image file. 3. The storage medium is a magneto-optical disk,
3. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary storage device is a magneto-optical disk device.