JPH11119934A - Printer driver - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer driver capable of storing image data in a host device as necessary so as to easily obtain the same printing output as before, even if a printer system or the like is changed. SOLUTION: Based on a plotting instruction received from a host device 1, a printer language translation part 42 translates print data into data in a printer language. An image data preservation setting part 41 inputs the setting of whether or not the image data are to be preserved. When the image data preservation setting part 41 inputs the setting to preserve the image data, an image data generating part 43 generates the image data based on the print data. An image data preserving part 44 preserves the image data generated by the image data generating part 43 in a storage device 7 of the host device 1, so that printing can be made for the printing next time while using the image data in place of the printing data.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a printer driver, and more particularly to an improvement in ease of use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a printer driver, as shown in FIG. 5, document data and the like are converted into data in a printer language that can be interpreted by a target printer device 2 based on a drawing command from a system control unit 3 (step S22, step S22). S23),
The data in the printer language is sent to the printer device 2 to execute printing (steps S24 and S25).

[0003]

However, in the above-described printer driver, even if the same printing is attempted again using the previously printed document data, the setting of the application or the printer driver on the host device side is different from the previous printing. Has changed, printing has not been successful, and it has been necessary to change settings such as a printer driver in order to print the same document as before, which sometimes took a lot of trouble.

Further, when the printer or the printer driver is changed, the number of characters included in one line changes due to a difference in a printable area or the like, and the same document may be printed differently depending on the printer.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and it is necessary to convert image data as needed so that the same print output as before can be easily obtained even when a printer device or the like is changed. It is an object of the present invention to obtain a printer driver stored in a storage of a host device.

[0006]

A printer driver according to the present invention has a printer language conversion unit, an image data storage setting unit, an image data generation unit, and an image data storage unit. The print data is converted into data in a printer language (hereinafter, referred to as “printer language”) based on the command, and the image data storage setting unit generates image data (hereinafter, referred to as “image data”). The image data generation unit generates image data based on the print data when the image data generation setting unit inputs the setting to generate and save the image data, The image data storage unit stores the image data generated by the image data generation unit in the storage device of the host device, and uses the image data instead of the print data from the host device in the next printing. To allow words Send, to allow the are not many times the same printed impact on the model of the printer device.

Another printer driver has a printer language conversion section, an image data storage setting section, an image data generation section, and an image data storage section. The printer language conversion section is based on a drawing command received from a host device. Convert the print data into data in the printer language, the image data storage setting unit inputs the setting of whether to generate and save the image data and the specification of the data format when generating the image data,
When the image data storage setting unit inputs the setting to generate and save the image data by the image data storage setting unit, the image data generation unit generates image data in the data format specified by the image data storage setting unit based on the print data, The image data storage unit stores the image data generated by the image data generation unit in a storage device of the host device.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A printer driver according to the present invention
When printing a document or the like written by an application, the print data, which is data of the document or the like to be printed, is converted into a printer language that can be interpreted by the printer device based on a drawing command specific to the operating system and output to the printer device. is there.

The printer driver of the present invention has, for example, a printer language conversion unit, an image data storage setting unit, an image data generation unit, and an image data storage unit. The printer language conversion unit converts print data based on a drawing command of the host device, for example,
Convert to data in a printer language such as PostScript.
The image data storage setting unit inputs a setting as to whether or not to generate image data and a designation of a data format when generating the image data. When the image data storage setting unit inputs the setting for storing the image data, the image data generation unit generates the image data based on the print data in the data format in which the specification is input by the image data storage setting unit. The image data storage unit stores the image data generated by the image data generation unit in a storage device of the host device. Since the image data is stored in the storage device of the host device in this manner, substantially the same print result can be obtained regardless of which printer device is used for printing.

[0010]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a host device 1 having a built-in printer driver 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the host device 1 includes a system control unit 3, a printer driver 4, a spooler 5, an operation display unit 6, and a storage device 7. The print data such as the image data stored in the storage device 7 under the control of the system control unit 3 is transferred to the printer driver 4.
After the data is converted into data in a printer language such as PostScript, the data is sent to the printer device 2 via the spooler 5 and printed.

The printer driver 4 includes an image data storage setting section 41, a printer language conversion section 42, an image data generation section 43, an image data storage section 44, and a printer control section 45. The image data storage setting unit 41 is a part that controls setting of whether or not to generate image data and input of designation of a data format when generating image data. For example, a screen as shown in FIG. It is displayed on the unit 6 and the user's designation is input via the operation display unit 6. For example, to specify that image data is to be saved, check the check box 61 indicating that image data is to be saved, and to specify the data format of the image data, check the check box 62 that indicates that. A data format specification screen is displayed, and the data format of the image data is specified therefrom.

The printer language converter 42 converts print data into data in a printer language based on a drawing command received from the host device 1. When the image data storage setting unit 41 inputs the setting for storing the image data, the image data generation unit 43 generates image data of the data format in which the specification is input by the image data storage setting unit 41 based on the print data. The image data storage unit 44 includes the image data storage setting unit 41
When the user inputs a setting to save image data, the image data generated by the image data generation unit 43 is stored in the storage device 7 of the host device 1. The printer control unit 45 sends the data obtained by the conversion by the printer language conversion unit 42 to the printer device 2 via the spooler 5 and performs a printing process.

The operation of the printer driver having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

The printer driver 4 sends printer information indicating whether or not the printer device 2 can perform printing to the system controller 3.
(Step S11). The system control unit 3 receives a print instruction from the operation display unit, and sends a drawing command to the printer driver 4 when the printer device 2 can print (steps S1 and S12).

The printer language converter 42 of the printer driver 4 converts print data into data in a printer language based on the drawing command received from the system controller 3 of the host device 1 (step S2). When the printer language conversion unit 2 completes the data conversion, the printer control unit 45 sends the converted data to the printer via the spooler 5 (steps S3 and S13). Here, the spooler 5 sequentially stores the data from the printer driver 4 and sends the stored data to the printer 2 in order each time the printer 2 is ready for printing, and prints an image or a character from the printer 2. (Step S15).

If the printer driver 4 has received a designation from the system control unit 3 to save the image data together with the drawing command in the storage device 7 (step S4), the image data generation unit 43 receives the designation of the data format of the image data. It is checked whether or not it has been performed (step S5). If the data format of the image data has not been specified, the image data generation unit 43 sets a predetermined standard format, and sets the image data in the standard format based on the original print data converted by the printer language conversion unit 42. Is generated (steps S6 and S8). Here, as the standard format, for example, JPEG (Joint Picture Expert Group)
It is preferable to use a format or the like according to the method agreed in the above.
If the data format of the image data has been specified, the image data generation unit 43 sets the specified format, and specifies the format based on the original print data converted by the printer language conversion unit 42. Is generated (steps S7, S8).

When the image data generation unit 43 generates image data, the image data storage unit 44 sends the generated image data to the storage device 7 and stores it (steps S9 and S14).
In this manner, by storing the image data in the storage device 7, the host device 1 uses an application capable of outputting the image data, so that, for example, even if the printer device 2 is replaced with another model, fine adjustments can be made. Without printing, the same image can be printed again. Furthermore, since the data format of the image data can be selected, the data format of the image data to be converted can be selected according to the application that uses the data format, which further facilitates use.

In the above embodiment, the image data generation unit 4
Although the printer language conversion unit 3 generates image data based on the original print data converted by the printer language conversion unit 42, the printer language conversion unit 2 may generate image data based on the data obtained by conversion. .

In the above embodiment, the image data generation unit 4
Reference numeral 3 designates that the image data is generated when the instruction to save the image data in the storage device 7 is received. However, the image data is always generated, and the image data is replaced with the data converted by the printer language conversion unit 42. May be sent to the printer device 2 for printing.

In the above embodiment, the printer driver 4
Is provided inside the host device 1, but may be provided inside the printer device 2 or in a completely separate housing.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a setting as to whether or not to save image data is input, image data is generated based on the print data, and the generated image data is stored in the storage device of the host device. Since the image data is stored and can be sent from the host device to the pre-device, the same printing can be performed any number of times without being affected by the type of the printer device.

In addition, since the designation of the image data format at the time of generating the image data is input and the image data is generated in the specified image data format, the image data can be further easily used, and the type of the printer device is affected. The same printing can be done many times without being.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a host device.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a screen displayed on an operation display unit.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printer driver.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of information.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a conventional information flow.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 host device 2 printer device 4 printer driver 41 image data storage setting unit 42 printer language conversion unit 43 image data generation unit 44 image data storage unit 6 operation display unit 7 storage device

Claims (2)

[Claims] An image data storage setting unit, an image data generation unit, and an image data storage unit convert print data into data in a printer description language based on a drawing command of a host device and send the data to a printer device. Have
The image data storage setting section inputs the setting of whether to generate and save the image data, and the image data generation section sets the image data storage setting section to generate and save the image image data. Upon input, a printer driver generates image data based on print data, and the image data storage unit stores the image data generated by the image data generation unit in a storage device of the host device. 2. An image data storage setting unit, an image data generation unit, and an image data storage unit, which convert print data into data in a printer description language based on a drawing command of a host device and send the data to the printer device. Have
The image data storage / setting unit inputs a setting as to whether or not to generate and store image image data and a specification of a data format when generating the image image data. When the setting for generating and storing the image data is input, the image data storage unit generates the image data in the data format in which the specification is input based on the print data, and the image data storage unit generates the image data. A printer driver that stores image data generated by a generation unit in a storage device of a host device.