JPH10315565A - Print processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a technique capable of performing high-speed print processing for reducing and combining a plurality of pages and printing them. SOLUTION: In a print processing system for performing print processing of combining and printing print data of a plurality of pages into one page, print data reduction for creating bitmap data by reducing the print data of a plurality of pages to be combined into one page Means for transmitting the reduced bitmap data to a printing apparatus; receiving means for receiving the reduced bitmap data from the high-order apparatus; and a bitmap of a plurality of pages received from the high-order apparatus. Expanding means for synthesizing data into one page of bitmap data;
A printing device for printing the bitmap data synthesized on the one page.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print processing system for printing print data transmitted from a host device,
In particular, the present invention relates to a technique that is effective when applied to a print processing system that performs printing by combining document data of a plurality of pages into one page.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various printing processes for transmitting print data from a higher-level device to a printing device and performing printing have been performed, and one of the printing processes combines document data of a plurality of pages into one page. There is a multi-column printing for printing.

When performing the above-described multi-column printing in a conventional print processing system, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-7688, data received from a host device is reduced by a printing device and bit-by-bit. Store map data in memory,
A plurality of pages are combined into one page and output.

[0004] As described above, in a system in which document data is rasterized into bitmap data by a higher-level device and bitmap data is transmitted to a printing device for printing, for example, two pages of document data are combined into one page and printed. When outputting, the bitmap data for two pages is transmitted to the printing apparatus, so that the data transmission time is doubled. Further, the bitmap data received by the printing apparatus must be stored in the memory while being reduced, and the processing time required for storing the received data in the memory increases.

[0005] In addition, page compositing for compositing a plurality of pages into one page is described in JP-A-7-125331 and JP-A-7-148990.
Similarly, the bitmap data is reduced by the printing apparatus. Further, in these printing apparatuses, in order to reduce the storage time of bitmap data in the printing apparatus,
The host device does not compress bitmap data or the like, and the printing device does not perform compression data decompression processing.

When bitmap data is created by reducing and rasterizing document data in a host device, a method of combining bitmap data of a plurality of pages in a host device may be considered. In this method, printing is performed on the same page. Reduction and rasterization of output multi-page document data;
Since the bitmap data cannot be transmitted to the printing device until the combining process of the bitmap data of a plurality of pages is completed, the transmission of the bitmap data to the printing device is delayed.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the prior art,
When performing multi-column printing in which print data of a plurality of pages is printed on one page, when printing data is rasterized into bitmap data by an upper device, bitmap data is transmitted to the printing device, and reduced by the printing device for printing. However, there is a problem that the printing time is long due to an increase in the data transmission time from the host device to the printing device and the reduction processing time on the printing device side.

Further, in the conventional technique, when bitmap data of a plurality of pages is combined and transmitted to a printing apparatus by a host apparatus, there is a problem that transmission of bitmap data to the printing apparatus is delayed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problem and to provide a technique capable of performing high-speed print processing for reducing and combining a plurality of pages and printing.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a print processing system for performing print processing in which a plurality of pages of print data are combined into one page and printing is performed. The reduced bitmap data is created, and the reduced bitmap data of a plurality of pages is combined with the bitmap data of one page by a printing apparatus and printed.

In the print processing system according to the present invention, print data of a plurality of pages is reduced by print data reduction means of a higher-level device to create bitmap data, and the reduced bitmap data is transmitted to a printing apparatus by a transmission means. .

The printing apparatus receives the reduced bitmap data from a higher-level device by a receiving unit, combines the received bitmap data of a plurality of pages into one-page bitmap data by a developing unit, and then combines the bitmap data with the one page. The combined bitmap data is printed by a printing unit.

As described above, according to the print processing system of the present invention, reduced data of a plurality of pages is created by the host device and transmitted to the printing device, and the data of the plurality of pages is combined into one page by the printing device. Therefore, the printing process of reducing and combining a plurality of pages and printing them can be performed at high speed.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(Embodiment 1) A print processing system according to Embodiment 1 for performing column printing in which document data of two pages of A4 size is combined with one page of A4 size and printed will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a print processing system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in the print processing system of the present embodiment, the print data 120
And a printing apparatus 110 that receives reduced data 122 of a plurality of pages, creates combined data 125, and prints the combined data.

The host device 100 includes a CPU 101 for controlling the operation of the host device 100 as a whole, a RAM 102 (random access memory) for loading print data 120 and a printer driver 121, and a keyboard for inputting a print processing instruction for the print data 120. 103 and print data 12
And a HDD 104 that stores print data 120 and a printer driver 121.
05 (hard disk drive) and reduced data 122
And an I / F 106 (interface) for transmitting the print data to the printing apparatus 110.

In the RAM 102 of the host device 100, print data 120 for a plurality of pages to be combined into one page, a printer driver 121 for reducing and rasterizing the print data 120, and reduced data 122 and 1 output by the printer driver 121 are stored. Page number data 123 indicating the number of pages to be combined with the page is stored.

The printing apparatus 110 has a CPU 111 for controlling the operation of the printing apparatus 110 as a whole, a RAM 112 for loading reduced data 122 and a developing unit 124, and a ROM 113 (read only memory) for storing control programs and the like.
And an HDD 114 for storing data necessary for processing and printing in the expansion unit 124, an operation panel 115 for operating the printing apparatus 110, and the reduced data 122 for the host apparatus 100.
(Channel adapter) received from the I / O adapter 1 that sends the synthesized data 125 to the printing unit 118
17, combined data 1 in which a plurality of pages are combined into one page
And a printing unit 118 that prints 25 on printing paper. Note that a storage device such as an EEPROM (rewritable ROM) may be used instead of the HDD 114.

In the RAM 112 of the printing apparatus 110, reduced data 122 of a plurality of pages reduced by the host apparatus 100 is stored.
, A rasterization unit 124 that combines the raster data of each page of the reduced data 122 to create composite data 125, and a composite data 125 output by the rasterization unit 124.

The printer driver 121 of the print processing system according to the present embodiment corresponds to a print data reduction unit that reduces the print data 120 of a plurality of pages to be combined into one page to create reduced data 122, and the I / F 106 It corresponds to a transmitting unit that transmits the reduced data 122 to the printing apparatus 110.

The CHA 116 corresponds to a receiving means for receiving the reduced data 122 from the higher-level device 100, and the expanding unit 124 converts the reduced data 122 of a plurality of pages received from the higher-level device 100 into one-page composite data. 125, the printing unit 118
This corresponds to a printing unit that prints the combined data 125 combined with the one page.

Printer driver 121 of host device 100
The developing unit 124 of the printing apparatus 110 is stored in a recording medium such as a floppy disk (FD), and the RAM 102 and the HDD 105 of the host apparatus 100, the RAM 112 and the HDD 114 of the printing apparatus 110, or the EEP
It shall be read into ROM or the like. Note that a medium other than the FD may be used as the recording medium.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of a column printing process according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, in the multi-column printing process according to the present embodiment, two A4 size sheets indicated by “A” and “B” are used.
This represents a process of reducing and rasterizing the document data 201 and 202 of the page, transmitting the document data 201 and 202 to the printing apparatus 110, and printing one page.

The printer driver 12 on the host device 100
1 is the page size of the document data 201 and 202,
For example, 70% is calculated as a reduction ratio from the paper size to be actually printed out and the page number data 123 indicating the number of pages to be combined into one page, and the document data 20 for two pages is calculated.
Bitmap data 211 and 212 are generated by reducing 1 and 202 to 70% and expanded into bitmaps, and reduced to the size at the time of synthesis.
12 is transmitted to the printing apparatus 110.

At this time, the page number data 123 is added to the head of the transmission data and transmitted to the printing apparatus 110 in the order of the page number data 123 and the bitmap data 211 and 212.

The printing apparatus 110 receives the bitmap data 211 and 212 transmitted from the higher-level apparatus 100, reads out the received bitmap data 211 and 212 one raster by one raster by
Will be stored as

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of the synthesizing process of the bitmap data 211 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the bitmap data 211 of the present embodiment is a process of storing the bitmap data 211 of the first page as the synthesized data 125, and stores the bitmap data 211 of the first page. At the time, the storage of the combined data 125 is started from the top of the memory area. 1
Each time the bitmap data 211 of the page is stored in one raster, the process of storing the next raster with a memory area for one raster of the bitmap data 212 of the second page is repeated for one page. Bitmap data 211 for one page is sequentially stored as composite data 125.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of a synthesizing process of the bitmap data 212 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, in the bitmap data 212 synthesizing process of the present embodiment, a process of storing the bitmap data 212 of the second page as the synthesized data 125 is shown, and the bitmap data 212 of the second page is stored. In this case, the bitmap data 211 for one page is stored for each raster in a memory area that is vacant when the bitmap data 211 is stored.

At this time, the data is not stored in the raster portion storing the bit map data 211 of the first page, and the bit data of the first page is stored in the same manner as when the bit map data 211 of the first page is stored. Map data 211
The bitmap data 212 is stored as the composite data 125 while leaving the memory area in which is stored.

In this manner, data obtained by concatenating one raster of the bitmap data 211 and 212 of the first page and the second page is used as one raster data of the composite data 125 actually printed. Is stored.

As described above, the bitmap data 211 and 212 are sequentially stored as combined data 125, and when all the bitmap data 211 and 212 have been stored, the contents of the combined data 125 are transmitted to the printing unit 118.

The printing unit 118 prints the contents of the composite data 125 transmitted from the developing unit 124 on one sheet of paper, thereby forming two pages of A4 size document data 2.
01 and 202 can be combined and printed on one page of A4 size paper, and column printing can be realized.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the reduction ratio of the page combination and the result of the combination according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the reduction ratio and the synthesis result of the page synthesis according to the present embodiment show an example of a process of synthesizing various print data 120 on one page, and FIG. FIG. 5B shows a reduction ratio and a synthesis result when the print data 120 of four pages are combined into one page. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the host device 100 of the print processing system according to the present embodiment, the page size of the print data 120 to be combined and printed on one page, the paper size to be actually printed out, and the print data 120 Page number data 12
By calculating the reduction ratio of the print data 120 on the basis of No. 3, the reduced data 122 can be created by reducing and rasterizing the print data 120 of a plurality of pages other than the two pages.

In the printing device 110, the print data 1 to be combined with the paper size to be actually printed out and printed on one page are printed.
By receiving the 20 page number data 123 from the host device 100, the size of one raster of the reduced data 122 of each page is obtained.

The developing unit 124 of the printing apparatus 110 converts one raster of the reduced data 122 of the first page into composite data 125.
After that, the process of storing the next raster with the memory area of the combined data 125 being equal to the raster size of another page is repeated for one page.

Next, the developing unit 124 stores one raster of the reduced data 122 of the second page in the memory area that has been vacated in the first page, and then stores the raster data of the other page in the memory area of the combined data 125 by the raster size of the other page. , And the process of storing the next raster is repeated for one page.

By repeating this process for the page number data 123 of the print data 120 to be combined and printed on one page, the print data 120 of a plurality of pages can be combined with one page of the paper to be actually printed. By printing the combined data 125, it is possible to print a plurality of pages on one page of a sheet on which printout is actually performed.

As described above, according to the print processing system of this embodiment, the host device creates reduced data of a plurality of pages and transmits the reduced data to the printing device, and the printing device converts the data of the plurality of pages into one page. Therefore, the printing process for reducing and combining a plurality of pages and printing is performed at high speed.

(Embodiment 2) The following describes a second embodiment in which two-page document data of A4 size is compressed and sent to a printing apparatus, and is combined with one page of A4 size and printed.
Will be described.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the print processing system of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, in the print processing system of the present embodiment, the print data 120
Device 100 for reducing, rasterizing, and compressing
And the composite data 12 from the compressed data 601
5 is connected to a printing device 110 that creates and prints the print data.

The host device 100 of the print processing system according to the present embodiment has a printer driver 121 for reducing, rasterizing, and compressing print data 120 of a plurality of pages.
Expansion circuit 6 for expanding the compressed data 601 compressed by
00.

In the RAM 102 of the host device 100, print data 120 for a plurality of pages to be printed in a multi-column format, a printer driver 121 for reducing and rasterizing and compressing the print data 120, and compressed data 601 output by the printer driver 121, Page number data 123 indicating the number of pages to be combined into one page is stored.

In the RAM 112 of the printing apparatus 110, the compressed data 601 of a plurality of pages, which has been reduced, rasterized, and compressed by the host apparatus 100, and the raster data of each page of the compressed data 601 are connected to create composite data 125. The expansion unit 124 and the composite data 125 output by the expansion unit 124 are stored. The other configuration of the print processing system according to the present embodiment is the same as the configuration shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an outline of a multi-column printing process involving compression according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, in the multi-column printing process with compression according to the present embodiment, two pages of A4 size document data 201 and 2 indicated by “A” and “B” are used.
02 is reduced and rasterized, compressed, transmitted to the printing apparatus 110, and printed on one page.

The printer driver 12 on the host device 100
1 is the page size of the document data 201 and 202,
For example, 70% is calculated as a reduction ratio from the paper size to be actually printed out and the page number data 123 indicating the number of pages to be combined into one page, and the document data 20 for two pages is calculated.
Data obtained by reducing 1 and 202 to 70% and developing them into a bitmap is created.

Next, the data that has been reduced and expanded into a bit map is subjected to, for example, MH (Modified Huffman) compression, MMR (M
compressed data 701 and 702 are created by using a compression method such as odified Modified Read (compression), and the page number data 123 is added to the head of the transmission data, and the page number data 123 and the compressed data 701 and 702 are arranged in this order. Send it to the printing device 110.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an outline of the synthesis of the compressed data 701 and 702 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, in the synthesis of the compressed data 701 and 702 of the present embodiment,
Two pages of compressed data 701 and 7 on the printing device 110
02 indicates the order in which the print device 110 is synthesized.
Then, the compressed data 701 transmitted from the host device 100
And 702, and receives the received compressed data 701 and 7
02 is stored as composite data 125 by the expansion unit 124.

At this time, one of the compressed data 701 and 702
The compression unit is stored as the composite data 125, the stored address is set in the compressed data storage address 711, and the stored compressed data length is stored in the compressed data length setting table 7.
Set to 12.

Thereafter, the compressed data 701 and 70 for the page number data 123 indicating the number of pages to be combined into one page.
2 is stored for each compressed data, the start address and the compressed data length for all the compressed data are set in the compressed data storage address 711 and the compressed data length setting table 712, and all the compressed data for the page number data 123 are set. 70
1 and 702 are stored in the decompression circuit 600 and the compressed data storage address 711 and the compressed data length setting table 71
Enter 2.

The decompression circuit 600 receives the input compressed data storage address 711 and the compressed data length setting table 71.
The compressed data 701 and 702 of the first page and the second page are read from 2, and are decompressed into bitmap data and transmitted to the printing unit 118.

At this time, the decompression circuit 600 sends the first page 1
Bitmap data obtained by expanding the compressed data 701 of the raster, and compressed data 702 of the first raster of the second page
Print unit 1 by concatenating the bitmap data obtained by expanding
18 to be sent.

Thereafter, the data of the bitmaps obtained by decompressing the compressed data 701 and 702 of the first page and the second page are connected to each other and transmitted to the printing unit 118.
As described above, the compressed bitmap data for two pages is synthesized and printed in one page on a sheet of paper to be actually printed out.

Similarly, the print data 120 of a plurality of pages other than the two pages can be combined with the compressed bitmap data and printed in one column.

As described above, according to the print processing system of this embodiment, the host device creates reduced data of a plurality of pages and transmits the data to the printing device, and the printing device converts the data of the plurality of pages into one page. Therefore, the printing process for reducing and combining a plurality of pages and printing is performed at high speed.

Although the present invention has been specifically described based on the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. It is.

[0057]

According to the present invention, the reduced data of a plurality of pages is created by the host device and transmitted to the printing device, and the printing device combines and prints the data of the plurality of pages into one page. It is possible to perform high-speed printing processing for printing by reducing and combining pages.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a print processing system according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a multi-column printing process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a synthesis process of bitmap data 211 according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a synthesis process of bitmap data 212 according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reduction ratio and a synthesis result of page synthesis according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a print processing system according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a multi-column printing process involving compression according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an outline of synthesis of compressed data 701 and 702 according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

100: Host device, 101: CPU, 102: RAM,
103 ... keyboard, 104 ... display, 105 ...
HDD, 106 I / F, 110 printing device, 111
CPU, 112 ... RAM, 113 ... ROM, 114 ... H
DD, 115 ... operation panel, 116 ... CHA, 117 ...
I / O adapter, 118: printing unit, 120: print data, 121: printer driver, 122: reduced data,
123 ... Page number data, 124 ... Development unit, 125 ... Synthesized data, 201 and 202 ... Document data, 211 and 212 ... Bitmap data, 600 ... Decompression circuit, 60
1 ... compressed data, 701 and 702 ... compressed data, 71
1: Compressed data storage address, 712: Compressed data length setting table

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Toshiyuki Yamada 1st Horiyamashita, Hadano-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Hitachi Photo Technology Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tadashi Okada 810 Shimoimaizumi, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Hitachi, Ltd. Office System Division

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A print processing system for performing print processing in which a plurality of pages of print data are combined into one page and printed, wherein print data in which bitmap data is created by reducing the plurality of pages of print data to be combined into one page Means for reducing;
A higher-level device having a transmitting unit that transmits the reduced bitmap data to a printing apparatus; a receiving unit that receives the reduced bitmap data from a higher-level device; A print processing system, comprising: a printing device that has a developing unit that combines the bitmap data of a page and a printing unit that prints the bitmap data combined with the one page.