JP2002052695A - Print controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an edition of page unit for print data from a computer and a print controller without depending upon the computer. SOLUTION: A print controller 2 can conduct a page edition such as a page increase or decrease in the same files, a change of order and a movement or the like of a page unit by attaching page management data D to each page in the case of receiving print data from the print controller 1. The controller 2 is provided between the controller 1 and a printer 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a control apparatus for outputting print data to an image forming apparatus such as a printing machine and performing printing, and more particularly, to a control apparatus for controlling a plurality of pages received from a print data transmitting apparatus. The present invention relates to a print control device that enables editing of a print data file.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the spread of computers and the enhancement of the functions of DTP software, data for printing is almost always created by computers today. Originals that are not digital data are often taken into a computer by a reading device such as a scanner, digitized, subjected to image processing, output to a printing machine, and subjected to plate making printing.

As shown in FIG. 6, when print data is output from a computer 20, print conditions such as paper size and orientation are specified, and print data created by the computer 20 (including DTP software) is printed. Output to the interface device such as the controller 1. There are two types of print controllers, an independent external type and a built-in type built into a computer. The illustrated print controller 1 is an independent external type, and when a print request is received from the computer 20, the connected printing machine is 3 and a function of confirming whether image data can be output to the printing press 3 or not. If output is possible, the print controller 1 develops an image in accordance with the specifications of the printing machine 3 on a memory basis in units of one sheet so that the printing data from the computer 20 can be output to the printing machine 3. The image data is output to the printer 3 in accordance with the synchronization signal sent from the printer 3.

In recent years, with the rapid spread of networks, the number of cases where a plurality of computers share one printing machine via a LAN or the like has increased. Depending on the timing at which print data is output from each computer, a large amount of print data may be output to the printing press at the same time.If the processing capacity of the printing press does not allow processing, the computer and print controller remain open. Become.

[0005] To solve this problem, a print server or printer buffer is used. The print server and the print buffer temporarily store the image data from the print controller, and output the image data to the printing machine at a shifted timing.

[0006]

At a print shop or the like, a print data file composed of a plurality of pages once received from a computer is often edited in units of pages, such as increasing or decreasing the number of pages or changing the order of pages. .
In particular, when printing a manual, booklet, or the like, it is often necessary to adjust a page unit because a printed sample is viewed once and the page order is adjusted and the layout is corrected. Further, there is a case where a page is moved between different files.

However, when print data is output from a computer via a print controller to a printing machine, the print data is output as one file.
To perform the above-described page-by-page editing on the output print data file, open the editing software on the computer, edit the print data file on a page-by-page basis, and then print the print data. Must be reprinted.

Further, since a conventional print server or the like passes data from a computer and a print controller to a printing machine with a time lag, the print data file received from the computer is used even when the print server is used. Cannot be edited page by page. If it is desired to edit in page units, the computer must edit the desired page units and output the print data again, as described above.

In order to perform the above-mentioned page-by-page editing, not only re-work on the computer side, but also
Communication between the computer operator and the press operator,
Since it is necessary to create the image data by the print controller and read the print data again by the print server, the printing operation becomes inefficient.

Further, in some cases, the computer
In some cases, remote access via WAN (Wide Area Network), Modem, TA, etc., and print data output to a remote printing press. If the user is at a remote location away from the operator, communication errors between operators are likely to occur. As a result, printing operations may be confused.

In addition, the adjustment of the number of print copies of the print data received from the computer has to rely on the operation from the computer side in the same manner as the page adjustment.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a print control apparatus capable of editing print data once received from a computer in page units without relying on the computer. It is the purpose.

[0013]

According to the present invention, there is provided a print control apparatus comprising: a data input means for receiving a print data file from a print data transmitting apparatus; a file re-management means for re-managing the print data file in page units; A file editing unit that edits the print data file managed by the file re-management unit in page units; and a print data output unit that outputs the print data file edited by the file editing unit to a printing machine. Things.

Here, the "print data transmission device" is a device for outputting print data to the printing press,
Usually, it means a print controller, but when the print controller and the computer are integrated, a computer including the print controller may be used.

[0015] "Remanage the print data file in page units" means that the print data file is managed by attaching page management data to each page. "Page management data"
Any data may be used as long as the page position of each page in the print data file is known. For example, a page number such as “what page” may be used.

"Editing in page units" means that
There is a page unit deletion, a page order change, and the like for one of the print data files, but it also includes a page unit movement between a plurality of the print data files.

It is preferable that the file editing means can re-designate the number of copies of the print data file.

The printing control device according to the present invention may be provided independently of the printing press, or may be built in the printing press.

[0019]

The print control apparatus according to the present invention remanages a print data file from a print data transmitting apparatus by attaching page management data thereto, and edits the remanaged print data file in page units. Was made possible,
The number of pages in one file can be increased / decreased, and the page order can be adjusted without relying on the computer. When there are a plurality of print data files, the page unit between the plurality of files is used. The movement can also be performed by the present device.

Further, since the number of print copies can be specified for the print data file from the print data transmitting device, the number of print copies of the print data file after editing in page units can be specified by the present device. It becomes possible, and even when editing is not performed in units of pages, it is possible to change only the number of copies.

Once the print data file has been received from the print data transmitting apparatus in this way, editing of the print data file in units of pages, adjustment of the number of print copies, and the like are performed by computer operations. This is unnecessary, and errors caused by communication between operators are eliminated.

From the above, an efficient printing operation is achieved.

[0023]

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

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a connection form of a print control device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal structure of the print control device.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the print control device 2
Is located between the print controller 1 and the printing press 3 and controls printing. The computer 20 converts print data described in a page description language using DTP software or the like,
Direct or LAN (Local Area Network), WAN, Modem /
The data is transmitted to the print controller 1 via the TA.

The print controller 1 outputs print data specifying print conditions to the control device 2 via the input port 4 of the control device 2. The control device 2 saves and manages the print data in a memory (RAM 6b) according to a file management structure shown in FIG. 3, and performs an edit process according to a print condition editing instruction input from the operation panel 5 if necessary. The output is output to the printing press 3 through the output port 9 serving as an output unit. If necessary, the original print data stored in the RAM 6b may be stored in the storage device 8.

The control device 2 includes an input port 4 and an output port 9, an operation panel 5, a ROM and / or a flash memory 6a for storing control programs and initialization data necessary for processing, Various data,
RAM 6 of the memory that stores the loaded execution program
b and the control circuit 7 necessary for the processing. Control device 2
Are all controlled by the CPU 10.

The storage device 8 has a hard disk 8a.
And a storage medium such as a removable recording medium 8b that retains stored information even when power supply is interrupted.

The print data from the computer is developed into bitmap data by the print controller 1 and then transferred to the print control device 2. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a file structure when the print control device 2 according to the present invention stores and manages print data. FIG. 4 shows a process R in which the print control device 2 receives print data from the print controller 1.
It is a flowchart which shows.

As shown in FIG. 4, the print control apparatus 2 according to the present invention receives, from the print controller 1, property information A such as a file name, the number of pages N, and a print paper size, and print copy number data information B. After (S1, S2), the data C1 of the first page is received (S4). When the reception of the data C1 of the first page is completed, the data C1 of the page is obtained.
(S5), and receives the data C2 of the second page (S4). When the reception of the data C2 of the second page is completed, the page management data D2 is attached to C2 ( S
5) Receive data C3 of the third page (S4). . . Thus, steps S4 and S5 are repeated from the first page to the Nth page data. That is, the print data (C1,... CN) of the first to Nth pages of the file being received.
Are received, and when the reception of the print data of each page is completed, the corresponding page management data is attached to the print data of each page. When the data (C1 to CN) of all the pages of the file being received is received and the attachment of the page management data is completed (S3: n> N), a file end code E is added, and all these data are filed. According to the file structure shown in FIG.
And manage it (S6). The stored and managed print data may be temporarily stored in the storage device 8 (S7), and then the process may proceed to the print process P. However, the process may proceed to the print process P as it is.

When a plurality of print data files are to be received (S8: Yes), the above process is repeated.

Here, as an example, the print control apparatus of the present invention is shown to receive the property information A, the number-of-copies information data B, and the print data in this order. The order of reception may be changed.

In the file management structure shown in FIG. 3, the same applies to the order of data to be managed.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process P for editing the print data file managed by the reception process R in accordance with an instruction input from the panel 5 and outputting the edited data to the printing press.

When an edit or print instruction is input from the panel 5, the print control device 2 displays the print file received and managed by the receiving process R (if there are a plurality, the target print file selected by the panel 5). (S
9) If you need to edit the pages in the file (S10: Ye
s) The page in the file is edited for the file (S11), and the process proceeds to step S12. Here, the work contents of the “page editing work in the same file” in step S11 include changing the page order, deleting pages, adjusting the layout position in page units, and changing the number of print copies in the entire file and page unit. Including work. If there is no need to edit the pages in the file (S1
0: No), and proceed directly to step S12.

In step S12, if an instruction to edit a page with another file is given from the panel 5 (S12: Yes), another file of the target file is displayed (S13), and the page unit between the files is displayed. Is performed (S14), and the process proceeds to step S15. Here, the work content of “editing work in pages between files” in step S14 includes a work of inserting an arbitrary page of another file into an arbitrary position of the print file that is currently being edited. If there is no instruction or no instruction to perform page-by-page editing with another file (S12: No), the process directly proceeds to step S15.

The processing from S10 to S14 is repeated until a page editing end instruction is given from the panel 5 (S15: Yes).

When a page end instruction is given from the panel 5 (S15: Yes), if it is necessary to re-specify the number of copies (S16: Yes), the process sets the number of copies (S17). ), The process proceeds to step S18, but if there is no need to re-designate the number of copies (S16: No), the process proceeds to step S18 without setting the number of copies.

If it is necessary to save the edited file (S18: Yes), the modified file is stored in the storage device 8.
(S19), and if there is no need to save (S1
8: No), directly develop the image of the corrected file (S2
0), and output to the printing press 3 (S21).

In this embodiment, the operation panel 5 is used to issue a processing instruction. However, any form may be used as long as the operation instruction can be input to the control device 2.

In this embodiment, the print data receiving process R and the editing and printing output process P are performed separately for convenience of the functional description. Both processes may be performed as one process.

The editing in page units is performed in the order of editing in the same file, moving in page units between a plurality of files, and the like.

Since there is a case where the number of pages is shifted due to editing in page units, a numerical value representing the current number of pages may be printed as a footer area.
By doing so, it is possible to assign a page number to a printed matter without worrying about a shift in the number of pages due to movement, deletion, and insertion of pages.

In this way, once received from the print data transmitting device, the print data file
Editing in page units and / or movement in page units between a plurality of files can be performed by the print control apparatus 2 according to the present invention, and the operation by the computer is not required again, so that the efficiency of the printing operation is improved.

Further, in this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the printing control device 2 and the printing press 3 are described as being constituted by separate housings. 3, that is, built in the housing of the printing press 3. At that time, the operation panel provided as a standard feature in the printing press 3 may be used as a means for editing the printing conditions, so that the convenience of the operator may be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a connection form of a print control device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a printing process using a printing control device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a print file structure when a print control device according to the present invention manages print data.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a reception process R of the print control apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing print data output processing P of the print control apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Print controller 2 Print control apparatus by this invention 3 Printing machine 4 Print data input port 5 Operation panel 6a ROM / flash memory 6b RAM 7 Control circuit 8 Storage device 9 Print data output port 10 CPU 20 Computer A Print file name, Property information such as the number of pages B Number of copies information C Print data D Page management data E File end code

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Muneori Hidaka 2-20-15 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo R-Science Industry Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2C087 AB06 CA05 CB10 2C250 EA13 EA16 EA16 5B021 AA01 BB02 CC05 DD07 DD15

Claims (3)

[Claims] A data input unit for receiving a print data file from a print data transmission device; a file re-management unit for re-managing the print data file in page units;
A file editing unit that edits the print data file managed by the file re-management unit in page units; and a print data output unit that outputs the print data file edited by the file editing unit to a printing machine. Print control device. 2. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said file editing means is capable of redesignating the number of copies of said print data file. 3. The printing control device according to claim 1, wherein the printing control device is built in the printing press.