JP2002132473A - Network printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a network printer capable of printing a job file in the status that suits a user's taste. SOLUTION: In a network printer 3, being networked to a computer 1, that has control means (print output control part 32, processing part 33) for conducting the modification including scaling, editing and synthesis for the image data generated by the computer 1, the control means have the function that specifies, according to the instruction from the computer 1, for the job covering plural pages, modification contents for each arbitrary page.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a network printer connected to a computer as an input device via a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is widely known a network printer system in which a computer and a printer are connected to a network, and print data created by the computer is output by an arbitrary printer. In the early network printer system, when an arbitrary user in the network tried to change, edit, or combine print data of a job composed of a plurality of pages, the user could only specify each job.

[0003] As a result, in a job file in which text, tables, images, and the like are mixed, if the text is edited every two pages, the image data is also edited. At the same time, the text has been enlarged, and there has been a problem that the number of pages has increased, and the user has to make a device such as outputting the text and the image separately.

In order to improve such a problem, for example, as shown in Japanese Patent No. 2845380, a designated area of received image data is designated by character information, character color information, and a modification pattern based on external information. A system has been proposed in which image data is adapted to the contents described above and printing is performed based on the image data.

[0005]

However, in this system, only image information such as character information, character color, and modification pattern can be specified.
Instructions such as composition cannot be given. Although there is no problem in the instruction for each image data as long as the content to be modified is small, if a large number of parts (especially, the whole area of one page) are designated as an instruction target for each page, the instruction operation becomes a difficult operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a network printer capable of printing a job file according to a user's preference.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is connected to a computer through a network, and includes scaling, editing, and combining of image data created by the computer. A network printer having control means for applying decoration, wherein the control means has a function of designating decoration contents for each arbitrary page for a job covering a plurality of pages according to an instruction from a computer. It is about.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the network printer according to the first aspect, wherein the control means has a function of designating a paper size for each arbitrary image data.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network printer which is connected to a computer via a network and includes control means for applying modification including scaling, editing, and combining to image data created by the computer. The present invention relates to a network printer characterized in that the control means has a function of designating the decoration content for each page or all pages collectively for a job covering a plurality of pages according to an instruction from the printer.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the user can modify the preference of each page, so that the printing of a job file in which texts, tables, images, and the like are present on a plurality of pages is performed in a layout suitable for the user's preference. Will be

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the user can specify a desired paper size for each page, so that a job file of a plurality of pages is printed with an optimum image size.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the modification of the image data can be designated for each page or for one file.
Depending on the contents of the target file, the decoration contents can be set more efficiently by the user.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a network printer system. Four computers 1 (reference numerals 1-1 to 1-4 in the drawing) and two printers (network printers) 3 (reference numerals 3-1 and 3 in the drawing)
-2) are connected via the print server 2 which manages an interface, whereby a network printer system is constructed.

The user of each computer 1 (four users) can specify the printer 3-1 or the printer 3-2 and output the print data created by his or her computer 1.

FIG. 2 is an overall functional block diagram of the network printer system. A video and command I / F unit connected to the print server 2 is provided inside the computer 1.
/ F part is equipped. Image data, printing conditions, user information, and the like are transmitted from the computer 1 side between these units, and each data is transmitted to the printer 3 via the printer I / F section of the print server 2.

The function modules of the printer 3 to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail. The printer 3 includes a video and command I / F unit 31 connected to the print server 2.
And a print output control unit 32 including a CPU for controlling the entire printer 3, a ROM in which a control program is written, a RAM for storing control data, and the like, and processing and processing of data such as image data and control data. Arithmetic processing unit 33
And

Similarly, the printer 3 includes an I / O control unit 34 for controlling a driving system and a sensor system in the printer 3 and an image data storage unit (this is a page memory or the like capable of storing bitmap data for one page). 35).

Similarly, the printer 3 stores image characteristic data (modification data: scaling, editing, combining, etc.) for each page related to the image data.
6 and an image data control unit 37 for controlling information of each page of image data.

The printer 3 stores image data and information from a user in a RAM or the like of the print output control unit 32.
That is, each information from the computer 1 is linked and stored.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the association between the image data memory and the decoration data memory. In this case, a total of 6
All pages are assumed to be A4 job files. The right side is the decoration data for each page, pages 1 and 2 combine 2 pages into one page, the third page is tabular data, the fourth page is enlarged to A3 with image data, the fifth page is text data, the sixth page Is set to combine with an arbitrary number.

On the left side, there is shown a conceptual diagram in which image data for each page is bit-mapped into each page memory based on the information. For the first and second pages, one page of A4,
The fourth page has a memory capacity of A3 (two A4 sheets) as one page.

FIG. 4 is a control flowchart of the present invention. The user sets and transmits the paper size and the decoration data for each page at the time of output of the job file by using his / her computer 1 (S1), and upon receiving the information, the print server 2 determines whether the setting data is the batch setting or not. It is checked whether it is the setting for each (S2).

At this time, if it is a batch setting (N in S2)
o), the paper size, decoration data, and image data in the job file to be output to the printer 3 are sent collectively, and the printer 3 changes the image data of all the pages to the contents of the set decoration data, and The data is developed in the memory (S3).

Then, the image data is sequentially developed and printed (S4). If the setting is for each page (Ye in S2)
s), the print server 2 collects the paper size for each page, the decoration data, and the image data in order and sends the data to the printer 3 (S5). The printer 3 stores the received data in the image data storage unit 35 and the image feature data. It is stored in the storage unit 36 (S6).

The printer 3 sets the association of each data (S7), and secures the page memory amount of the related page from the paper size information of the related page (S8). Next, the bitmap data in the page memory is modified based on the related modification data, and the data is developed in the page memory (S9). Then, the data is printed, and the printing is repeated until the last page is completed (S10).

As described above, the modification data for each page, which is the object of the present invention, can be printed without lowering the operation efficiency.

[0027]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the user can modify his or her preference for each page, so that printing of a job file in which texts, tables, images, and the like are present on a plurality of pages conforms to the user's preference. Can be done with layout.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the user can specify a desired paper size for each page,
A job file of a plurality of pages can be printed with an optimum image size.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the modification of the image data can be designated for each page or collectively for the file, the user can efficiently set the modification contents according to the contents of the target file.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of a network printer system.

FIG. 2 is an overall functional block diagram of the network printer system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an association between a memory for image data and a memory for decoration data.

FIG. 4 is a control flowchart of the present invention.

[Description of Signs] 1 (1-1 to 1-4) Computer 2 Print Server 3 (3-1, 3-2) Printer 31 Video, Command I / F Unit 32 Print Output Control Unit (Control Means) 33 Arithmetic Processing Unit (Control Means) 34 I / O Control Unit 35 Image Data Storage Unit 36 Image Feature Data Storage Unit 37 Image Data Control Unit

Claims (3)

[Claims] A computer connected to a network,
For image data created by computer, scaling,
In a network printer provided with control means for performing modification including editing and combining, it is preferable that the control means has a function of designating modification contents for each arbitrary page for a job over a plurality of pages in accordance with an instruction from a computer. Characterized network printer. 2. The network printer according to claim 1, wherein said control means has a function of designating a paper size for each image data. 3. A network connection to a computer,
For image data created by computer, scaling,
In a network printer having control means for performing modification including editing and composition, the control means has a function of designating modification contents for each page or all pages collectively for a job covering a plurality of pages according to an instruction from a computer. A network printer, characterized in that: