JP2002219828A - Print data integral processing system and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To output various application data with high quality from all output devices regardless of the capacity of an application program. SOLUTION: When application data generated according to various application programs is thrown in (ST1) in the print data integral processing system, it is taken in (ST2) in the form of an intermediate file for edition having a specified format (e.g. EMF format) for operating specified print data, and added with print control information by layout edition to generate an edited intermediate file (first intermediate file) (ST3, ST4). A specified conversion processing is performed based on the analysis results of the edited intermediate file (ST5) to generate print (output) intermediate file (second intermediate file) having a format for handling respective data integrally and suitable for the output device (ST6, ST7) and an output device is driven based on the second intermediate file (ST8, ST9).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer driver system, and more particularly, to a method for converting data created in various formats into a high-performance printer output device irrespective of the type of print output device regardless of the capability of an application program. The present invention relates to a print data integrated processing system capable of outputting with high-quality drawing quality and a recording medium therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When data created by an application program is output to a printer or pen plotter, the performance of a printer driver provided in each application program is the most important problem. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, application programs have been developed separately, and printer drivers have been developed by respective printer manufacturers in respective systems. Therefore, the data structure varies depending on the application program, and the method of operation and output also differs. Since application programs cannot be unified in this way, there has been no other way but to attach a printer output to each application and print with each application. Also, the output to a pen plotter is not considered in a word processor or a spreadsheet program. In a normal system, different printer drivers are prepared for each application, and not only each performance but also each operation method is different. Therefore, if the printer drivers are different, the output products will naturally differ. It is inevitable to come.

FIG. 1 shows an example of such a conventional system. Various document files created by various application programs A, B,... Such as a word processor and a spreadsheet program are respectively provided with a printer driver and a printer driver in accordance with printing programs a, b,. Printing can be performed by a printer, a raster plotter, a pen plotter, or the like via a port driver.

However, each of the printing programs a, b,
Are created for each of the application programs A, B,... And can be printed only for each document file. As for the printer driver, only the one provided by the manufacturer can be used, and the restriction of the OS or the like must be accepted as it is, and it can be used only in the network environment provided by the OS. Therefore, it is impossible to print the layout of a plurality of files at once. Also explorer (explorer)
, Etc., cannot start printing unless the corresponding application programs A, B,.

For example, in the method using a Windows printer driver, since the operation differs for each printing device, it is necessary to learn the operation for each printing device. This is painful for those unfamiliar with computers,
The tendency is strong in small offices related to civil engineering and surveying.

Further, when printing a plurality of small drawings on one large sheet of paper, the programming and operation system for handling a plurality of files become complicated, and it becomes difficult to develop a program in such a case.

[0007] Even in the case of a company that has many subcontractors who create drawing data, data created by various software is brought in, so even if the company only prints, it is created by each subcontractor. We prepare all the software that matches the data, learn the operation of all the software, and print the drawings with different operations.

When a print program is created in Windows, it can be easily programmed using a standard program interface called "WIN32". If this interface is used, it should operate normally even if the OS version or printer is different. However, actually, Windows95 / 98 / ME / NT3.5 /
The operation is currently different due to differences in NT4.0 / 2000, etc., differences in OSR / service pack versions, differences in Internet Explorer versions, differences in Microsoft Office versions, etc., and such situations are not limited to printing. Further, a dedicated driver is supplied for each printer, and if compatibility is to be checked, an enormous amount of inspection is required.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to application data of various formats created based on various application programs (software) such as vector diagrams, raster diagrams, photographs, texts and spreadsheets. A print data integration process that can output high-quality printing or drawing quality from any output device (eg, a pen plotter, an automatic plotter, a printer, a color laser printer, etc.) without being affected by the capabilities of the application program. The purpose is to provide a system.

[0010]

According to the main features of the present invention, a data fetching means for fetching application data created based on an arbitrary application program in a predetermined format, and printing control information in the fetched application data. A print data editing unit for creating a first intermediate file by adding thereto; and a device-specific control suitable for an output device, having a format capable of analyzing the first intermediate file and integrally handling all application data. A print data integrated processing system comprising: a print data control unit for generating a second intermediate file for performing an operation; and a device driving unit for driving an output device based on the second intermediate file. Applications created based on the program One or more data capture computers having data capture means for capturing application data in a predetermined format; a print data editing means for adding print control information to the captured application data to create a first intermediate file; Print data control means for analyzing a file and generating a second intermediate file for performing device-specific control suitable for an output device and having a format capable of integrally handling all application data; A print data integrated processing system (Claim 2) comprising a print control computer having a device driving means for driving an output device based on the intermediate file, and application data created based on an arbitrary application program in a predetermined format Capture with A step of creating a first intermediate file by adding print control information to the captured application data, and a format capable of analyzing the first intermediate file and integrally handling all application data. Print data integration processing for recording a program comprising a step of generating a second intermediate file for performing device-specific control suitable for an output device, and a step of driving the output device based on the second intermediate file (Claim 8) is provided.

The print data integration processing system according to the present invention further comprises monitor means for visually recognizing data or paper printed by the output device (claim 3). In the print data integration processing system according to the present invention, the device driving unit has a plurality of device control drivers corresponding to the plurality of output devices, and the print data control unit manages the characteristics of each output device in a table, Control suitable for the output device is performed (claim 4).

In the print data integration processing system according to the present invention, the print data control means divides the second intermediate file for one sheet into a plurality of data according to the hardware capability and sequentially transfers the data to the device driving means. It has data transfer control means (claim 5). Further, the print data control means controls the device driving means so as to correct the overlapping part of the application data when the print data editing means instructs to print a plurality of application data in an overlapping manner. ).

[0013] In the print data integration processing system according to the present invention, the print data editing means classifies and saves the print conditions included in the print control information into three types of print conditions relating to printer functions, pen settings, and paper layout. It has a function (claim 7).

According to the main feature of the present invention, application data (AP1, AP2,...) Created based on various application programs is provided.
APs, FM), when the application data to be printed is designated as application data and a print instruction is input, the application data is recognized by the data fetching means (AM; PC1 to PC3), and On the other hand, the print data is fetched in a predetermined format (such as an EMF format) in which a predetermined print data operation is possible.

Next, print control information is added by the print data editing means (PM) to the loaded application data [intermediate file for editing (layout)] in a predetermined format, and the first intermediate file (intermediate file after editing) is added. Is created, and the created first intermediate file (edited intermediate file) is analyzed by the print data control means (PE).

Based on the result of the analysis, the integrated device has an integrated format that can handle all application data in an integrated manner.
A second intermediate file (intermediate file for printing (output)) for performing device-specific control suitable for 10) is generated, and device driving means ( The output devices (8 to 10) are driven via the DC). (Note that parentheses are exemplarily added for convenience of understanding, and represent corresponding terms or symbols in examples described later, and the same applies to the following.)

That is, in the print data integration processing according to the present invention, application data created by different application programs is imported in a specific format that can be recognized as an intermediate file capable of performing a predetermined print data operation (for example, Unrecognizable text or CAD-based print data is captured in EMF or TUF format, and other recognizable text, image, or C
The print data of the AD system or the like is captured in the same format), print control information is added to the captured application data of the predetermined format (intermediate file for editing), and a first intermediate file (intermediate file after editing) is created. Is done. Then, from the first intermediate file (intermediate file after editing), finally, the system has a common format unique to this system that can handle each application data in an integrated manner, and performs a control specific to the output device. Two intermediate files (intermediate files for printing) are generated. The output devices (8 to 10) are driven based on the second intermediate file, and a desired print output is obtained, for example, by combining documents of various data formats on one sheet.

Therefore, according to the print data integration processing of the present invention, the performance of the application program is affected by any output device (apparatus) such as the printer (8), the plotter (9), and the automatic drafting machine (10). Without the need to print beautifully from each output device. In other words, by printing all data to any output device regardless of the application, it eliminates differences in operation and output quality by different application programs, and without burdening the operator, always with a unified operation method, A uniform beautiful product can be obtained.

Since the print data integration processing system according to the present invention further has monitor means for visually recognizing data to be printed by the output devices (8 to 10) and paper to be printed, an arrangement monitor screen independent of an application. The output device (8 to 10) and the position on the paper to be printed (whether the paper is over the paper, the layout result is appropriate, etc.) (placement monitor function), the pen plotter In (10) and the like, the state of the sheet currently being drawn or the shape of the figure on the sheet is confirmed (drawing monitor function), and visual operability can be provided.

In the print data integrated processing system according to the present invention, the device driving means (DC) has a plurality of device control drivers (GC, DD1 to DD3) corresponding to the plurality of output devices (8 to 10). The print data control means (PE) manages the characteristics of each output device in a table so as to perform control suitable for the output device, so that accuracy and quality can be exhibited at the highest performance. Also, when drawing long line segments, the table management of restrictions for each printer or OS is performed, and if it is judged that the length exceeds the limit by comparing the table and the figure, the line segment is automatically divided, so that the long line You can print in minutes. Similarly, when drawing circles and arcs with a large diameter, the table also manages the restrictions for each printer and OS, and compares the table with the figure and prints the arc if it is determined that the radius exceeds the limit. The desired image can be formed by decomposing into minute straight lines by the data control means (PE).

In the print data integration processing system according to the present invention, the print data control means (PE) controls the second intermediate file (printing) for one sheet in accordance with the capability of the hardware (2, 3, 8 to 10, etc.). Data is divided into a plurality of pieces of data, and the data is sequentially transferred to the device driving means (DC) each time the data is generated. This system uses vector, paint,
Since the rasters are batch-processed and data is transferred from the processed portion to the printer, printing starts immediately, and large-sized drawings and the like can be output without being affected by the memory and disk capacity.

In the print data control means (PE),
Using a RIP (Raster Image Processor) engine, etc., processes vectors and paint data as rasters,
Although the upper limit of vector painting can be eliminated, such rasterization enables banding processing (control) so that pixels do not exceed the limit. In this banding process, the side effect of error diffusion and white spots of pixels are absorbed by setting a large bandwidth and a little overlapping, and the performance of the output device is affected by adjusting the degree of overlap between bands. Rather, it performs advanced raster processing, and enables printing of an infinite length (in theory) irrespective of the capability of the output device, and requires a small work area due to banding. Becomes possible.

The print data control means (PE), when instructed by the print data editing means (PM) to print a plurality of application data (AP1, AP2,..., APs, FM) in an overlapping manner, The device driving means is controlled so as to correct the overlapping portion of the two application data (for example, to blank, transmit, mix, or completely overwrite). Therefore, for example, when printing a raster that overlaps a paint graphic, the raster drawing is automatically drawn clearly through the overlapping paint graphic part, and when printing a vector graphic that overlaps the raster, In other words, it is possible to draw a vector graphic drawing clearly by drawing an outline without overlapping raster drawing parts.

Further, the print data editing means (PE)
The printing conditions included in the printing control information are classified and stored into three types of printing conditions relating to a printer function, pen settings, and paper layout. In other words, the print conditions set by the print data editing means are classified into three types, are stored in a storage destination and a storage name, and are stored so that they can be called, so that they can be reused later. The operability at the time can be improved.

[0025]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The following embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic hardware block diagram schematically showing an example of a hardware configuration of a print data integration processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a personal computer (PC) 1 is used for the print data integration processing. And a display device 5 including a display such as a display device.

The CPU 2, which controls the entire system, performs various controls according to a predetermined program, and supports processing for creating document data such as texts, tables, drawings, and photographs by various application programs installed in the system. In particular, the print data integration processing according to the present invention is mainly performed. The storage device 3 includes a hard disk drive (HD) in addition to a basic program, a ROM (read-only memory) storing a program relating to the print data integration processing and fixed data / parameters, a RAM (random access memory) for temporarily storing various data, and the like.
D) and an external storage device such as a CD-ROM drive / FDD (floppy disk drive), and these external storage devices can store programs relating to the print data integration processing and various data / parameters.

The input operation device 4 is provided with a display 5
The user can perform various user interface functions in the print data integration process by operating a predetermined key on the keyboard or instructing an operation button on the display 5 with a mouse while visually recognizing various screens displayed on the screen.

An interface 7 is connected to the bus 6 of the PC 1.
, A document output device such as a printer 8, a raster plotter 9, and a pen plotter 10 is connected. The interface 7 includes a communication interface for exchanging information with another PC via a LAN and for communicating with another system via a communication network (both are not shown).

[Format of Intermediate File] In the print processing system according to the embodiment of the present invention, a print output intermediate file [“ Also called “intermediate file for printing” or simply “intermediate file”, “PrintManageme”
ntProcess ”file (abbreviated as“ PMP file ”). ] To perform the print output process. FIG. 3 shows a schematic format structure of such an intermediate file for printing. This print intermediate file is
It is roughly divided into four sections: an initialization section NS, a paint section PS, an image section MS, and a draft section DS, as shown in FIG. Instructions that do not belong to the above-mentioned four sections include a print intermediate file format start instruction, a next page instruction, a job end, and a print intermediate file format end instruction.

The initialization section NS is located at the beginning of the intermediate file for printing. On the other hand, the paint section PS, the image section MS, and the draft section DS are composed of paint data, image data, and draft data, respectively. Even if the order of each data is different, each data appears several times. No problem. For one printing intermediate file, each data is examined in order from the beginning, paint data is collected in the paint section PS, image data is collected in the image section MS, and draft data is collected in the draft section DS. Constitutes a file. For example, an intermediate file can be examined in order from the beginning, and each section can be created with about three data sets.

[1] Initialization Section NS The initialization section NS is a section for preparing paper, and starts with an initialization section start instruction and ends with an initialization section end instruction. Between the start and end commands, initialization parameters consisting of a number of commands relating to paper and printing methods, and "GO_INITIALIZ"
E)) is inserted (initialization is performed using the parameters written up to that point) (repeated insertion is possible).

Examples of commands constituting the initialization parameters are as follows: machine ID number, number of copies (default = “1”), title of a printed document, portrait and landscape of paper Size (mm), vertical / horizontal magnification (default = "1.0"), double-sided printing flag [Yes = "1", no = "0" (default)], Drawing quality [rank "1" (= The highest quality that can be output by the drawing device = default) to “9”], • Vector line or paint overlap processing [overwrite =
"1" (default), transmission = "2" etc.]-Vector line end processing [circle = "1" (default), square = "2" etc.]-Vector line joining processing [oblique = "1""(Default), triangle =" 2 "etc.]-Paper cut processing (cut per page =" 1 "(default), no cut =" 2 ")-Code for specifying the output device- The heading inside the material file used for image conversion, the type of error diffusion used during image conversion [standard =
“0” (default), diffusion = “1”], error diffusion mode used during image conversion [standard =
“0” (default), dither (3 × 3) = “1”, random number = “2”] mirror inversion flag [with inversion = “0” (default),
No inversion = "1"],-designation of whether or not to send data in the printing intermediate file before data transfer-output port name-binding (book) printing status [first bit = "binding printing" , Second bit = “first sheet for bookbinding printing” and third bit
Bit = decimal notation by "the last sheet of bookbinding printing". For example, "1" = bookbinding printing, "7" = first and last sheet of bookbinding printing], a monochrome flag [not monochrome = "0" (default), monochrome = "1"], on-the-fly ( ON_THE_FLY) flag [none (launch after data is accumulated) = “0”, present (launch immediately after sending data) = “1” (default)), and so on.

[2] Paint section PS The paint section PS is a paint section PS.
Starts with a start command and ends with a paint section end command. Between the start and end commands, regarding the instruction of the paint (fill) portion, for example, the full path of the CMS (Color Management System) file of the input device, the color gamut compression specification [none = “0” (default), Yes = “1”], etc., followed by “GO Paint (GO
_PAINT) ”, fill graphic data (fill fill graphic data is described), and“ FI
A set consisting of an end command of a filled graphic data description called “NISH paint (FINISH_PAINT)” is described, and these descriptions can be inserted repeatedly. Note that the CMS file is a color matching file for matching colors of printing by a printer.

[3] Image section MS The image section MS is an image section MS.
Starts with a start instruction and ends with an image section end instruction. Between the start and end commands, a number of image pasting parameters and an image pasting command “GO image” are inserted in a repeatable manner with regard to image pasting, and the image pasting command uses these parameters to paste an image. wear.

The image pasting parameters include, for example,
There are the following:-File name specification (Image file includes BMP file corresponding to image input and meta file [EMF (Win32 Enhanced MetaFile) file] corresponding to document input), etc. Red, green, blue (RG
B) Pallet density ("0" to "255"),-Start and end points (X, Y) of image pasting place-Start and end points (X, Y) of image adoption range,-Image rotation angle , Color image compulsory binarization [compulsory binarization no = "0" (default), existence = "1"),-full path of the CMS file of the input device-color gamut compression specification [none = "0" ”(Default), yes =
"1"], the type of edge enhancement [none = "0" (default), weak = "1", middle = "2", etc.); the degree of application of edge enhancement [10 to 200% (100% = default) )], ・ Transparency [0% (default) to 100% (invisible)] ・ White spot flag [No white spot = “0” (default), Yes = “1”], ・ White spot degree “0” ~ "255"), and so on.

[4] Draft section DS The draft section DS is a draft section DS.
Starts with a start instruction and ends with a draft section end instruction. Between the start and end commands, regarding the instruction of the draft (graphic drawing) portion, for example, the specification of the clip range, the full path of the CMS file of the input device, the color gamut compression specification [none = “0” (default), Yes =
“1”] etc., followed by “GO draft (GO_DRAFT)”
A figure drawing start command, draft figure data inputted by CAD, and “FINISH draft (FINISH_DRA
FT) "is described, and these sets can be inserted repeatedly.

[Overview of Print Data Integration Processing Function] FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic functional block diagrams showing an overview of the functions of the print data integration processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This print data integrated processing system uses “Pri
ntingDeviceManager ”(abbreviation:“ P
DM ”) and“ ApplicationMan ”
application management unit AM called “ager”
It has a three-layer structure of a print file management unit PM called “PrintManager” and a device-compatible data management unit DM called “DeviceManager”. This system can support multiple CPUs. If there are a plurality of CPUs, the processing can be divided according to the number of CPUs, and the printing processing speed can be increased.

The application management unit AM stores data files (general-purpose applications AP1, AP2,
…, Dedicated application APs and general purpose file F
M) and prepares a program corresponding to each input type. These programs include print input drivers PD1, PD2,... Corresponding to the general-purpose application programs A, B,.
replication Programming Interface) [Exclusive SDK (So
ftware Development Kit)], and a dedicated slower (DedicatedThrower) DT corresponding to a file manager (such as Explorer), etc., and a file to be printed is converted into an intermediate file for print editing [“intermediate for layout editing” by these programs. File "or simply" intermediate file for editing ". ] Can be transferred to the print file management unit PM.
As a result, the application is immediately released, so that the operation of the foreground is not spoiled.

Printing drivers PD1, PD2,...
Are functional blocks for inputting the applications AP1, AP2,... Created by the application programs A, B,... To the print data integration processing system and linking them to the print file management unit PM. Here, the general-purpose application programs A, B,... Are application programs whose contents are not disclosed and cannot be recognized as intermediate files capable of operating print data in this system, and have print programs a, b,.

That is, each print input driver PD1, P
D2,... Are operations similar to those of a general Windows printer, such as setting print conditions in printer properties.
Each of the general-purpose applications AP1, AP2,... Is input to this system in the form of an intermediate file for editing such as an EMF file format (office (text) system), and various page configurations are performed by the functions of the print file management unit PM and below. And other functions that cannot be performed with general-purpose application printing.

The dedicated application input AP interface SD is a functional block that serves as a printing unit of the dedicated application program corresponding to the print data processing system and connects the dedicated application APs created by the dedicated application program to the print file management unit PM. is there. Here, the dedicated application APs is a general-purpose application program data that can be recognized as an intermediate file in which print data can be operated by this system, and can be directly handled by this system. Such application program data includes, for example, BMP, TIF in an image system.
F, JPEG,..., CAD, STEP, DXF,
DWG, TUF,…, TEXT for office (text)
There is.

When such a dedicated application program is used, when an application is developed, printing is left to this system, development power and maintenance are reduced, and the printing-related interface is unified by the input AP interface SD. can do. Therefore, when a new output device is introduced or the version of Windows changes the printing operation, the compatibility check is not required in the input AP interface SD as compared with the troublesome program maintenance. AP for exclusive application program
Application AP including interface SD
If it is bundled with s, it is possible to cope with this system with a simple API and a general-purpose file. For example, various page configurations can be realized by the functions of the print file management unit PM and below.

The dedicated slower DT is a functional block for linking a general-purpose file FM by a program such as a file manager (such as an explorer) to the print file management unit PM. Thus, the general-purpose file FM can be input to the system and printed by dragging and dropping [OLE (Object Linking and Embedding).
use〕. The files that can be handled by the dedicated slower DT are:
For example, in the image system, BMP, TIFF, JPEG
Such as TUF, STEP, DXF, DW
It is a general-purpose file generally used in the world, such as G, such as G, TEXT in a text system, and EMF, WMF in a Windows system. The OLE application data is converted into an EMF file.

The dedicated slower DT uses a standard Windows operation such as drag & drop or "send", and activates this system with a menu or shortcut to convert a general-purpose file into an intermediate file for editing. The print file management unit PM can input various pages, for example, by using the following functions.
Enables printing without application (processing not via an application program).

The print file management unit PM manages the editing intermediate file input to the system by the application management unit AM, and the editing file management means ES called “LayoutSpooler”, “(Mult)
i) Print layout editing means LY called "Layouter" and post-edit file management means SN called "PrintSpooler".

The editing file management means ES stores the editing intermediate file from the application management unit AM in the following 4
(A) Image system: BMP, TIFF, JPEG, ..., (b) CAD system: STEP, DXF, DWG, TUF,
..., (c) Office (text) system: TEXT, (d) Other general-purpose applications A that cannot directly operate data with this system, such as EMF (WMF: Windows MetaFile) file (Windows system)
P1, AP2,... Use an EMF file. )

The print layout editing means LY uses the user interface to edit the file management means E for editing.
The editing intermediate files (a) to (d) from S are operated with an image to be arranged on real paper, and layout editing and setting of printing conditions are performed. Further, it generates print control information (print control parameters) including the layout information and the print conditions obtained as a result, and passes the generated print control information to the file management unit SN after editing. There are three types of printing conditions set by the print layout editing means LY: a condition depending on the function of the printer, a condition relating to pen settings in the drawing, and a condition relating to paper arrangement.

The layout function of the print layout editing means LY has a wide variety of functions, and is called "multi-layout". For example, there are the following: To realize various page configurations, such as performing basic layout, (2) printing a plurality of pages of text in an N-page configuration,
(3) Store a plurality of files and print them on a single sheet of paper in a multi-sheet arrangement. (4) Automatically divide a large drawing into smaller papers for printing. (5) For CAD drawings,
(6) Store multiple files and print them on the same size paper, etc.

In the print data integrated processing system, the user interface is treated as an option so that the functions unique to the printer are treated as options so that the operation is not complicated. By simply expressing optional functions together, a common user interface independent of the type of printer can be provided. At the time of editing the print layout, the output device (device), paper, and where the file data is to be printed are represented by a picture pattern, the arrangement state is monitored on the display 5, and the print position of the file is visually observed. It is possible to confirm and judge, and it is particularly suitable when a plurality of files in which applications are mixed are arranged.

The post-edit file management means SN generates an post-edit intermediate file (first intermediate file) based on the edit intermediate files (a) to (d) and the print control information, and While spool management is performed as basic data, the data is handed over to the device corresponding file management unit DM. The print conditions once set by the print layout editing means LY are:
The post-edit file management means SN classifies the printer function, the pen setting of the drawing, and the paper arrangement into the three types described above, and saves the respective conditions so that it can be called later.

The device corresponding file management unit DM analyzes the intermediate file after editing, has a common format unique to this system that can handle each application data in an integrated manner, and has a printer 8, a raster plotter 9, a pen plotter. 10 is converted to a print (output) intermediate file (second intermediate file) (see FIG. 3) that is optimal for controlling a print output device such as the printer 10 and controls various device drivers.
e "or" DriverController ", a printing device control engine PE, a device controller DC, a port controller PP, and a general-purpose OS (W
general-purpose printer driver P provided by Windows
rD, a port driver PoD, and the like. Since the vector paint raster is collectively processed by the device corresponding file management unit DM, data is transferred from the processed portion to the output device side, and printing is started immediately, so that the printing speed can be increased.

The printing device control engine PE analyzes various edited intermediate files by a plurality of file analysis drivers, performs predetermined data conversion in accordance with print control information (parameters) in the file, and converts the data into the format described in FIG. A print (output) intermediate file (second intermediate file) is generated, and according to the print intermediate file, the print output device 8 is transmitted via the device controller DC, the general-purpose printer driver PrD, the port controller PP, or the general-purpose port driver PoD. Are driven.

For example, RIP (Raster Image Process)
r), you can control the printer's ink to make beautiful color photos, or process the color profile by performing faithful color matching on the original to reproduce the color read by the scanner faithfully. . You can also paint light colors smoothly,
Perform transparency and whitening of paint, vector, etc., adjust the end points of dashed lines and dashed lines, reliably represent large radius circles and arcs, adjust high resolution files according to the printing device, etc. A variety of graphic expressions can be obtained.

Further, a table is used to manage restrictions such as the length of a figure for each printer or OS, and the program is compared with the figure to determine whether division is necessary. If the length of the line exceeds the limit, it is automatically divided into lines of a length less than the limit,
When the radius of the circle / arc exceeds the limit, the circle / arc is decomposed into minute straight lines, so that it is possible to print correctly no matter how long the line is or how large the radius is.

In the method of decomposing an arc into minute straight lines, when the radius exceeds the radius limit of the output device, the arc is converted into a straight line having a length in which rattling is not noticeable (short) according to the resolution (resolution) of the output device. If too long, the processing time will be extremely deteriorated, so the balance is important). Also, when drawing a circle / arc, there is an upper limit to the number of corners of a polygon that is approximated. If the radius is large, it will only be seen as a polygon, so remember the radius that looks like a polygon. ,
If it exceeds that, it will be broken down into minute straight lines. The broken and chain lines can be finished in a beautiful drawing by adjusting the shape of both ends to be the same even if the broken lines are broken down into minute straight lines.

There is also a function of automatically determining the size of a drawing, whether it is a long drawing or a standard size, and printing it at an optimum size. In addition, when a long drawing is divided into a plurality of drawing parts (also simply referred to as “parts”) by the print file management unit PM, each drawing part is treated as one drawing. Infinite long drawing can be performed regardless of the buffer amount.

The general-purpose port driver PoD and port controller PP include, for example, LPT, DL
All ports supported by the OS, such as C, LPR, USB ports and ports unique to each manufacturer, can be used,
If necessary, this system can be provided with a dedicated port driver to support various ports.

[Device Corresponding File Management Unit] FIG.
1 shows a configuration example of a device-compatible file management unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. The print device control engine PE of the device corresponding file management unit DM has “PrintFile”
Print file control means F called “Manager”
C, a raster control means RS, and a general-purpose printer driver controller (for example, called “WindowsPrinterController”) GC for controlling the general-purpose printer driver PrD.

The print file control means FC includes an image file reader (ImageFileReader), a CAD file reader (CAD FileReader), and a text file reader (Te
xtFileReader) or EMF File Reader (EMF File
Reader), after editing, reads the intermediate file image file, CAD file, document TEXT file or EMF file to determine the type of file, analyzes each type of file, and in turn, based on print control information. Control and generate a print (output) intermediate file.

That is, the print file control means FC
Perform file merging (FileMarge) to unify files as necessary, or process files sequentially, mirror conversion, coordinate conversion, inquiry of device capability, figure attribute analysis and collation with printing conditions , Primitive expansion, software clip, etc., such as the following operations: Mirror conversion = If devices 8 to 10 do not have a mirror function, perform mirror conversion to generate back drawing data. Coordinate conversion = Coordinate conversion is performed based on the layout information to determine an intermediate file for printing.・ Offset conversion = device 8 to offset conversion
Correct the distance accuracy defect of No. 10.・ Inquiry of device capability = maximum allowable radius of circle / arc,
Inquire about device capabilities such as the presence or absence of device fonts for each figure. Analysis of graphic attributes and collation with printing conditions = Analyzes graphic attributes such as line thickness and color, paint color adjustment, raster color matching, saturation and lightness adjustment, and collates with device printing conditions. Primitive expansion = Primitive expansion of a figure according to the capabilities of the devices 8 to 10. For example, for a device that cannot interpret a contour line, a fine straight line is expanded, the tip is rounded and joined, and the interval between broken lines is adjusted. . Software clip = If the device does not have a hardware clip function, perform a software clip here so that the figure can be clipped with the expanded figure.

The raster control means RS performs a specific control when printing the raster data as required. For example, when handling data exceeding the allowable amount of the device by using a banding controller,
Banding control can be performed. In other words, for large raster data, the graphic engine or printer of the OS has an upper limit on the number of pixels, but by performing banding processing so that the number of pixels does not exceed the limit, printing can be performed correctly no matter how large. Can be. When the processing is divided by the banding control, the maximum memory consumption can be kept low, the occurrence of memory swap can be kept down, and the operability of applications running in the foreground can be prevented from deteriorating. Also,
By dividing the processing by banding control and keeping the work file size low, printing can be performed even on an HD (hard disk) with a small remaining capacity.

The raster control means RS also performs gray processing and black-and-white binary processing for color graphic printing on a monochrome apparatus, and makes it possible to express paint having a low density in accordance with the characteristics of the printing apparatus. Perform raster processing.
In addition, the raster data that overlaps the paint figure is automatically transmitted through the paint so that the overlapping part of the paint figure is transparent and the raster drawing is executed clearly. A process is performed in which overlapping raster drawing portions are blanked out without drawing, and the vector graphic drawing is clearly drawn.

By these whitening processes, when a raster of a similar color and a figure overlap, it is possible to prevent the figure from becoming unrecognizable. Also, in an output device of a specific model, it is possible to prevent the boundary from being blurred due to the hue of the raster and the graphic and the quality from deteriorating, by designating the outline width. Further, in an output device (device) which needs to transfer raster data after transferring all the graphics, the raster is output later, so that the graphics can be output in white.

In this print data integration processing system, vectors and paint rasters are collectively processed, and data is transferred from the processed part to the printer, so that print output is started immediately. Therefore, a large-sized drawing can be printed out without being affected by the memory or the disk capacity. RIP
When an engine is used, vectors and paint data are also processed as rasters, so that printing can be performed on a dumb output device that does not accept vector data. In this case, there is a limit to the amount of data that can be processed when the vector paint is processed on the output device side. However, in this system, the vector paint is rasterized on the computer (DM) side.
Since the upper limit of the paint is eliminated, it is possible to print even an enormous amount of vector data as in a survey drawing, and in the case of a raster, an output device having a sequential printing mode can print infinitely. In addition, banding can be performed by rasterizing.

The device controller DC of the device corresponding file management unit DM sends the print devices 8 to 10 based on the print (output) intermediate file (second file) from the print file control means FC or the raster control means RS.
And a general-purpose printer driver controller (WindowsPrinterDriverController) GC, a laser printer driver (LaserPrinterDriver) DD1, and a laser plotter (raster plotter) driver (LaserPlotterDr).
iver) DD2, pen plotter control means (pen plotter driver controller) PL, pen plotter driver (Pe
nPlotterDriver) DD3 and the like. The device controller DC can also display the data being printed / printed on the screen of the display 5 based on the intermediate file for printing, and always determine whether or not there is a print / print stop instruction to stop printing / printing. Can also be monitored.

Here, the pen plotter control means PL is a pen plotter driver controller for performing a specific image forming process via the pen plotter driver DD3 when printing with the pen plotter 10, and for example, a monitor controller (Monitor Controller) The MN monitors the graphic being drawn on the screen of the display 5 using the printing intermediate file which is also the screen display data, or operates this screen with the input operation device 4 to display a reverse controller RV. This allows the pen to be soft-reversed (redrawn).

The monitor controller MN causes the display 5 to function as an arrangement monitor or a drawing monitor, and displays the position of the paper or pen being drawn by the pen plotter 10 and the state of the drawn figure on the screen. Pen plotters must avoid wasting expensive paper and hours of drawing time as much as possible, so the position of the paper (where the paper is placed, and where on the paper the picture is drawn It is important to understand
On the other hand, the arrangement monitor function of the monitor controller MN makes it possible to recognize this at a glance. Further, in this system, printing is started after a pen for drawing a figure is determined. Therefore, the arrangement monitor function of the monitor controller MN is used to set a pen mounted on the pen plotter 10 with a realistically displayed pen pattern. By displaying the status on the monitor 5, it is possible to prevent a pen mounting error. For example, when the system is connected to an output device (ADRASAUTO) capable of notifying the mounting status, it can be configured so that a picture of a pen automatically appears.

When a drawing is drawn by the plotter 10 and the ink pen is blurred, the display 5 can be made to function as a drawing monitor, and the drawing can be redrawn only by clicking the figure on the monitor. When the pen plotter 10 starts drawing, figures drawn on paper based on the data transferred to the pen plotter 10 are also drawn on the monitor 5 one after another. If the pen starts to fade, picking the shape on the monitor will resume drawing from the shape in a single shot. This function is irrelevant to the presence or absence of the hard reverse function (a method of moving the pen head with the pen up with respect to the pen plotter to trace the shape stored in the reception buffer) and the capacity of the reception buffer.

The reverse controller RV takes measures against blurring when drawing with the pen plotter 10. With this program, the drawing pen is reversed while going back through the figures in the drawing file. You can go back to the beginning and redraw.

A general-purpose printer driver controller GC,
The laser printer driver DD1, laser plotter driver DD2, and pen plotter driver DD3 generate a device control file corresponding to each device. For example,
The edited intermediate file related to the raster data is adjusted by the print file control means FC and the raster control means RS and converted into a print (output) intermediate file. When the general-purpose printer driver PrD is used, the general-purpose printer driver controller ( The printer is converted into a code suitable for the general-purpose printer driver PrD by the Windows Printer Controller) GC, and is printed out by the general-purpose printer 8 or the raster (laser) plotter 9 via the general-purpose printer driver PrD and the general-purpose port driver PoD.

When the general-purpose printer driver PrD is not used, the general-purpose port driver is generated based on the device control file generated from the printing intermediate file by the laser printer driver DD1 of the device controller DC or the laser plotter (raster plotter) driver DD2. The data is printed out from the raster output devices 8 and 9 via the PoD. Further, a pen plotter driver DD driven via the print file control means FC and the pen plotter control means (pen plotter driver controller) PL
3, when a device control file (pen plotter control file) suitable for the pen plotter 10 is generated, for example, the pen plotter 10 is controlled via a port controller PP such as a COM port driver to obtain a desired drawing output. be able to.

The printer control drivers GC and DD1 to DD3 in the device controller DC adjust the program priority and can suppress a decrease in the operability of the foreground application. In addition, in order to be able to correspond to most standard output devices (devices), the characteristics of each output device are managed in a table, and a desired output device can be driven simply by switching drivers according to the table by a program. It has become. For external characters,
Even when printing at high speed with printer fonts, external characters are registered in the printer, and if there is no registration function, they are always replaced with stroke characters and printed. further,
If there is no external character data in the stroke font, vector data may be independently generated from the external character data (usually in the common area of the OS) so that the pen plotter 10 can perform external character printing.

[Banding Control] In general, there is a demand to perform another operation in the foreground even during printing, but a general-purpose printer driver (such as Windows)
In such a case, a large work file is generated with a large memory consumption, so that a machine with a small remaining memory capacity becomes heavy in the foreground operation, which is the worst case. In the print data integration processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the banding control function of the raster control unit divides the processing for print output, suppresses memory consumption,
Deterioration of foreground operation can be prevented, and printing can be performed even when the remaining memory capacity is small.

In this banding control, for example, the band width (the amount of raster data represented by the print width processed for printing at one time by the printer driver) is set to be larger than the width actually printed, and the seam is set. Process to overlap slightly. When performing raster processing by the error diffusion method for print output, calculation is performed so that the difference between the colors of adjacent pixels transitions smoothly, but when performing banding control, there is no adjacent pixel at the end of the band Therefore, the result slightly changes compared to when banding control is not performed, and the border may look like a striped pattern if there is no margin in the band size. It can absorb the side effects of error diffusion.

The control language of the output device (HP-GL / 2,
When specifying the start position of a raster by using HP-RTL, it is common to specify it with an accuracy of about 1/100 mm (millimeter unit) as a control language specification. Actually, the hardware resolution of the output device is less than this accuracy (for example, 1200 dpi, 2 / 100mm), or the hardware position unit is different (raster device is generally inch type). If the position specified by the language does not match the edge of the pixel, it is undefined whether ink is dropped or not, and if it is not dropped, one pixel may become white. Such an error can be absorbed by overlapping the band ends as described above.

In the banding control, processing is performed so that data is sent to an output device after being combined into one raster. When a plurality of rasters are overlapped, data is usually processed for each raster file and transferred to an output device. Therefore, raster data having a band area or more must be transferred. Since this transfer speed is much lower than the CPU processing speed, the total printing speed is reduced. In this banding control program, the degree of overlap of rasters is calculated in advance for each band, and the maximum resolution and the number of colors (1 bit / 1 color) of the raster group included in the band are calculated on the computer side.
(one byte / 3 bytes).
Therefore, only the transfer of the raster data up to the band area occurs at the maximum, so that the total printing speed does not decrease and the quality does not decrease.

Further, the degree of overlap between the rasters can be freely set by combining them into one raster on the computer side. Various applications such as mixing can be performed, and advanced raster processing can be performed without being affected by the performance of the output device.

The advantage of the banding process is that a raster having a length longer than the control language specification of the output device can be printed. In the control language of the output device, the upper limit of the printable length (or number of pixels) by one raster drawing command is determined (for example, about 3 in HP-RTL).
Usually, raster printing with a length exceeding this upper limit must be abandoned. However, in this banding process, even one raster file is divided and printed, so that the theoretical length is infinite. Can be printed.

Another advantage of this banding process is that printing can be performed beyond the capacity of the computer. If banding is not performed, rasters larger than the sum of the computer's memory capacity and the swap area cannot be printed. Can not do. Further, if the processing is performed at once, most of the processing is swapped, and the processing speed is extremely reduced. On the other hand, in the banding process, the work area becomes small, and the amount of the original data is twice as large as + α. In addition, since the amount of processing is small, the rate at which high-speed processing can be performed with on-memory increases.

In this banding control, the capacity of the computer (memory capacity, CPU speed, data transfer speed, etc.) and the processing capacity of the output device are taken into consideration. Since the optimum band size is automatically determined, print processing can be performed as fast as possible without deteriorating foreground operability.

[Print Server System] In one embodiment of the present invention, the functions of the print data integrated processing system described above can be realized by distributed processing of a plurality of computers. FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of a print server system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, only the layer of the application management unit AM in FIG.
1 to PC3 to configure a plurality of application management computers PC1 to PC3. on the other hand,
Heavy print processing of the print file management unit PM and the device corresponding data management unit DM is collectively processed by a dedicated print server computer PCs called “PrintServer”, and the printer 8, raster plotter 9, pen plotter 1
Print out to a device such as 0. In this case, the print file management unit PM of the server computer PCs has a network manager function.

In such a print server system, the client computers PC1 to PC3 send the server computer PC
You can easily connect just by specifying the name of s. Since the inexpensive clients PC1 to PC3 only instruct data file input, multimedia drawings of several hundred MB class can be printed. In addition, information that depends on each computer, such as the presence or absence of a font file, is processed by the client PC1 to PC3, thereby preventing data loss.

[Outline of Print Data Integration Processing Step] In the print data integration processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention, first and second intermediate files (after editing and Print output files) are sequentially created, and device-specific control suitable for an output device can be performed by a second intermediate file having a common format that integrates all application data. FIG. 8 shows the basic steps of the print data integration processing executed in the print data integration processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The print data integration processing will be described in a very simple manner with reference to the basic processing steps shown in FIG. 8.
In 1), when input to the system for printing is instructed, the instructed application data is imported in the form of an intermediate file for editing in a format (EMF format or the like) in which a predetermined print data operation is possible (eg, EMF format). ST2). Next, the print control information is added and an edited intermediate file (first intermediate file) is created (ST3, ST).
4). After the editing, the intermediate file is analyzed, a predetermined conversion process is performed based on the analysis result (ST5), and printing (outputting) having an integrated format capable of integrally handling each application data is suitable for the output device. ) Intermediate file (second intermediate file) is generated (ST6, ST7). The output device is driven based on the printing intermediate file (ST8, ST8).
9).

That is, in step ST1, an application file is created by various application programs, and is input to an application manager (ApplicationManager) AM of this system. In step ST2, the application manager AM converts the application file into a predetermined print data. It recognizes whether the format is operable, and if it is recognizable, it is taken into the system as it is; if it is not recognizable, it is converted to EMF format etc., an intermediate file for editing is created, and a print file management unit (PrintManager) ) Hand over to the print layout editing means (Layouter) LY via the PM editing file management means (LayoutSpooler) ES.

For example, in step ST2, it is determined whether or not the application file can be recognized as an intermediate file capable of performing predetermined print data operations such as print layout editing. The file is converted into a format and an intermediate file for editing is created.
In addition, Image-based BMP, TIFF, JPEG,
..., CAD STEP, DXF, DWG, TUF, ...
A file that can be recognized as an intermediate file, such as a text-based TEXT or the like, is taken into the system as it is.

In the next step ST3, the print layout editing means LY uses the user interface to
A layout (arrangement) edit such as how to arrange the print data based on the editing intermediate file on the paper is performed, and the edited intermediate file is edited together with the layout editing information and the edited file management means (Prin
tSpooler) handed over to the SN and managed as an intermediate file for printing.

Next, in step ST5, the intermediate file for printing is stored in the device corresponding data management unit (DeviceManage
r) Handed over to the print device control engine (PrintEngine or DriverController) PE of the DM, and the print file control means (PrintFileManager) FC (in some cases,
Further, predetermined control and processing are performed by the raster control means RS or the pen plotter control means PL). That is,
Intermediate files for printing are firstly image-based, CAD-based,
Document type TEXT, EMF file is determined to four types,
Subsequently, analysis is performed according to the layout editing information, and mirror conversion, coordinate conversion, offset conversion, color matching,
Necessary processing such as minute linear development is performed.

The edited file that has undergone these processes is organized into a printing (output) intermediate file having a common printing intermediate format for integrating various application data in the next step ST6. The created printing intermediate file is stored in a filing area dedicated to the printing intermediate file in the storage device 3 in the next step ST7.

Next, in step ST8, the stored printing intermediate file is transferred to a device controller (DeciceControlle).
r) Input to DC, and type of output printing device [for example,
General-purpose printer (Windows specification printer, etc.) 8G,
Laser printer 8L, raster (laser) plotter 9, and pen plotter 10].
(8G, 8L) to perform control unique to each device, and drive each device 8 to 10 via the general-purpose printer driver PrD and general-purpose port driver PoD or via the port controller PP to obtain a desired print output.

[Details of Print Data Integration Processing] FIGS. 9 to 1
FIG. 2 is a flowchart more specifically showing the print data integration processing executed in the print data integration processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. In step S1, various application programs AP1, AP2, ...;
When application data is created by the APs and input to this system, first, in step S2, the application management unit AM converts the application file into an intermediate file having a format that allows a predetermined print data operation such as print layout editing. Check if it can be recognized.

Here, if it can be recognized as an intermediate file, in step S3, the application file is taken into the system as it is as an intermediate file for editing via the dedicated printing input program SD or the dedicated slower DT. (APISD for input). For example,
Image BMP, TIFF, JPEG, ..., CA
D-type STEP, DXF, DWG, TUF,..., And document-type TEXT can be recognized as an intermediate file, and thus are directly taken as an intermediate file for editing. On the other hand, if it cannot be recognized, in step S4, the print input drivers PD1, PD2,.
Is input to the system via T, and in step S5, E
An intermediate file for editing is created by converting to an intermediate format such as MF format.

[0094] These editing intermediate files are input to the editing file management means ES of the print file management unit PM in step S6, and handed over from the print file management means PM to the print layout editing means LY in step S7. The print layout editing means LY uses the user interface to perform print layout editing (“multi-layout”) such as print / drawing arrangement (arrangement of data on print paper), and determines print conditions. .

As a result, in the next step S8 (FIG. 10), print control information comprising layout editing information and print condition information is added to the editing intermediate file to create an edited intermediate file. Is input to the post-edit file management means SN in the next step S9. The post-edit file management means SN stores the post-edit intermediate file in a predetermined storage area of the storage device 3 and manages the divided intermediate files into four types: an image type, a CAD type, a document type TEXT, and an EMF file. Management unit DM
To the print device control engine PE. After the editing, the intermediate file is read, the file type is determined, each type of file is analyzed, and control is performed in order based on the print control information to generate a print (output) intermediate file.

First, the print file control means FC, which is a main element of the print device control engine PE, first proceeds to step S1.
0, the image, CAD, TEXT, and EMF files are discriminated from the edited intermediate file by four types of file readers such as an image, CAD, TEXT document, or EMF file reader. And print control information, and then
In step S11, a file merge (FileMarge) is performed, and if necessary, the files are unified or various files are sequentially processed. Then, step S1
In steps S2 to S25, various processes according to the print control information are sequentially executed.

That is, the print file control means FC
For example, if there is a mirror conversion process in the print control information (step S12 = YES), a mirror conversion process is performed (step S13), and if there is a coordinate conversion process (step S14 =
YES) A coordinate conversion process is performed (step S15). If there is an offset conversion process [Step S16 (FIG. 11) = YES], an offset conversion process is performed (Step S17), and it is necessary to inquire about a device capability for each figure as to the limitation on the maximum drawing radius and the presence / absence of an external character font. If it is (step S18 = YES), the device capability is inquired for each figure, and the corresponding maximum drawing radius processing and external character font processing are performed (step S19).

Further, if it is necessary for the print file control means FC to analyze the graphic attributes with respect to the line thickness / color and color matching from the print control information, or to collate them with the printing conditions (step S20 = YES). The corresponding collation / adjustment is performed (step S21). Such matching / adjustment includes line thickness / color adjustment, paint (fill) color adjustment, raster color matching, saturation / brightness adjustment, raster transparency /% designation, raster whiteness There is the presence or absence of omission. Further, if processing for adjusting the figure according to the device capability, such as primitive adjustment or development on a minute straight line, is required (step S22 = YE
S), processing such as developing a curve such as a contour line with a plurality of minute straight lines according to the device capability, rounding the end points and joining, and adjusting the interval between broken lines (step S2)
3). If the print control information indicates a software clip [Step S24 (FIG. 12) = YE
S], the corresponding clip processing is performed (step S2
5).

Next, if the image (raster) data exceeds the device capacity and the banding processing is necessary (step S26 = YES), the raster control means RS
Performs banding processing to prevent device capacity over (step S2).
7).

After performing such processing, step S
28, printing (output) unique to this system that can handle various application data in an integrated manner
An intermediate file (PMP file) having an intermediate format is created and stored in the dedicated filing area of the storage device 3. In the next step S29, the printing intermediate file is stored in the printing intermediate file dedicated filing area of the storage device 3.

Next, in step S29, a print / drawing control command is issued by various output printing devices (for example, a general-purpose printer (eg, a Windows printer) 8G, a laser printer 8L, a raster (laser) plotter 9, and a pen plotter 10). , The print intermediate file is transferred from the storage device 3 to the device controller DC. Next, in step S30, the device controller DC interprets the printing intermediate file, divides it into output device types, and issues a device control file for instructing each of the printing devices 8 (8G, 8L) to 10 to perform unique control. Generate Each of the generated device control files is transferred to each of the output devices 8 to 10 for each device type by the general-purpose printer driver PrD, the general-purpose port driver PoD, or the port controller PP, and the output devices 8 to 10 are driven. Can be obtained.

FIG. 13 systematically shows an example of a device control mode for each type in step S30 of the print data integration processing flow. In the example of FIG. 13, as output devices, a general-purpose printer (such as a printer with Windows specifications) 8G, a laser printer 8L, a raster (laser)
Four types of output devices, plotter 9 and pen plotter 10, are used. For example, the print file control unit F
When the printing (output) intermediate file adjusted by the C to raster control means RS is data to the general-purpose printer 8G, the printing intermediate file is a code (general-purpose) suitable for the general-purpose printer driver PrD by the general-purpose printer driver controller GC. The printer is converted to a printer control file) and printed out from the general-purpose printer 8G via the general-purpose printer driver PrD and the general-purpose port driver PoD1 based on this code.

In the case of data to the laser printer 8L,
A raster plotter control file is generated from an intermediate file for printing by the laser printer driver DD1 or the laser plotter (raster plotter) driver DD2 of the device controller DC without using the general-purpose printer driver PrD. Is printed out from the laser printer 8L via the. Further, a laser plotter (raster plotter) 9
In the case of the data, the laser plotter control file is generated by the laser plotter driver DD2, and based on this device control file, the general-purpose port driver PoD
Is output from the laser plotter 9 through the printer.

Further, the print (output) intermediate file generated by the print file control means FC is transferred to a pen plotter control means (pen plotter driver controller having a monitor controller MN and a reverse controller RV) P
When the print intermediate file adjusted by the pen plotter control means PL is adjusted and adjusted by the pen plotter driver PL3, a pen plotter control file suitable for the pen plotter 10 is generated by the pen plotter driver DD3. Port controller P such as driver
A desired drawing output can be obtained from the pen plotter 10 via P.

[Pen Plotter Drawing Process = Pen Plotter Redrawing Control] The pen plotter often causes blurring of ink to be drawn for some reason, such as dust on the paper or clogging of ink. The phenomenon of ink scuffing is the most troublesome problem with pen plotter output. To solve such a problem, in one embodiment of the present invention, the pen plotter drawing processing program by the pen plotter control means (pen plotter driver controller) displays the drawing progress state of the pen plotter on the screen and performs a click operation. Since there is a reverse function for controlling redrawing of the pen plotter, redrawing can be easily performed by using this function regardless of the type of pen plotter. 14 and 15 are flowcharts showing pen plotter drawing processing according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the concept of pen plotter redrawing control by this pen plotter drawing processing. .

As shown in FIG. 16, in this print data integration processing system, all of the data being drawn from the beginning to the end is stored and stored in the storage device 3 as a print (output) intermediate file. The program by the pen plotter control means (pen plotter driver controller) PL of the device controller DC uses this printing intermediate file as screen display data, and displays the picture being drawn by the pen plotter 10 on the screen of the display 5. The input operation device 4 can display and control the operation of the pen plotter 10. Therefore, for example, when only a certain drawing portion is blurred during pen plotter drawing, the operation of the pen plotter 10 is stopped using the input operation device 4 to hit the blurred drawing portion. The reverse controller RV calls the hit portion from the printing intermediate file under drawing, transfers the hit portion to the plotter 10 via the drivers DD3 and PP, and instantly moves the drawing pen of the plotter 10 to the hit picture portion, Redrawing can be started only for the shaved portion.

With the pen plotter drawing processing based on the processing flow shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, it is possible to quickly redraw from a point to be redrawn by a simple visual operation. Note that this processing flow shows in detail the steps relating to the pen plotter drawing processing in steps S29 to S30 (FIG. 12) of the print data integration processing in FIGS. Steps S1 to SP11 correspond to step S30.

After a printing intermediate file in a common format is created for data to be drawn by the pen plotter 10 and stored in the dedicated filing area of the storage device 3 (FIG. 12: step S28), drawing on the pen plotter 10 is started. When the command is issued, in step S29p, the printing intermediate file is transferred to the pen plotter control means PL of the device controller DC in accordance with the drawing command. Next, in step SP1 of this processing flow, the stored intermediate file for printing is interpreted for pen plotter control to generate drawing data (pen plotter control file), and is generated via the pen plotter driver DD3 and the COM port driver PP. The drawing data is transferred to the pen plotter 10 together with the drawing command, and the pen plotter 10 starts the drawing operation.

Along with this, the pen plotter control means PL
As shown in step SP2, simultaneously with the drawing command to the pen plotter 10, the display progress of the drawing of the pen plotter 10 is displayed on the screen of the display 5 by the display function of the monitor controller MN at the same time as the step SP3. As shown in (1), whether or not there is a drawing stop instruction is constantly monitored by the print / drawing monitoring function of the device controller DC itself including the pen plotter control means PL. Therefore, if there is no drawing stop instruction during drawing of the pen plotter 10, the process proceeds from step SP3 to step S.
Proceeding to P4, the pen plotter 10 performs a drawing operation up to the final data to be drawn via the COM port driver PP, and ends the pen plotter drawing processing.

On the other hand, if there is a drawing stop instruction during drawing of the pen plotter 10, the process proceeds from step SP3 to step SP5, where the drawing operation of the pen plotter 10 is stopped, and in the next step SP6, is a restart instruction instructed? Determine whether or not. Here, if the user confirms the drawing state from the drawing progress display screen of the display 5 and instructs restart, and a restart command is given, step S
Proceeding to P7, the drawing data is retransmitted to the pen plotter 10, the pen plotter 10 is restarted from the stop position, and the process returns to step SP3. On the other hand, when the restart command is not instructed, the process proceeds from step SP6 to step SP8 (FIG. 15) to determine whether or not the redraw command is instructed.

Here, when the user clicks a position to be redrawn from the drawing progress display screen of the display 5 and instructs redrawing, the user proceeds from step SP8 to step SP8.
Proceeding to 9, the reverse controller RV generates a command to restart the pen plotter 10 from the position where redrawing was instructed, based on the printing intermediate file transferred to the pen plotter control means PL. Thus, when the redraw position is clicked on the screen, the drawing pen of the pen plotter 10 is returned to the drawing data position corresponding to the position where the redraw is instructed. Further, in the next step SP10, the reverse controller RV resends the drawing data from the redrawing instruction position to cause the pen plotter 10 to start redrawing, and then returns to step SP1, and returns to step SP1.
Execute the following process again.

[Print Position Confirmation Process = Visual Control of Print Position] In some general-purpose application programs such as Windows, the output state on paper is checked on a CRT screen by a print preview or the like. Even if the image is properly entered, the printed content may protrude if actually output to a printer. As described above, the most important problem in outputting print / image data is to optimize the print / image position with respect to the paper layout. In one embodiment of the present invention, when print / image data is output from an output device such as a printer / plotter, a print position for visually confirming the arrangement of print data on an output device or paper regardless of the model of the output device. The printing position can be optimized by the confirmation processing program.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the concept of proper placement control of a printed drawing based on a print position confirmation process according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a print position according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 shows a flowchart illustrating a confirmation process. Although FIG. 17 illustrates a pen plotter, the present invention is applicable to other plotters and printers, and the term “printing” is used in a concept encompassing printing by a printer or drawing by a plotter. .

At present, the plotter output control program is also prepared for each manufacturer of each output device similarly to the printer driver, and the layout state of the drawing displayed by each print preview function is checked. The large plotter does not even have a print preview function. For example, when printing a long drawing by connecting drawing data, how to rotate the drawing data and in which direction to pull the paper, etc., can be correctly determined as not being a very skilled person Can not do it. Also, even if the pen plotter has a coordinate reading function, it is extremely difficult to determine the arrangement position in conjunction with the reading function.

Therefore, in such a case, for example, as shown in FIG. 17A, a pen plotter (automatic drafting machine)
10, the position and angle of the long drawing output by the pen plotter 10 are not set correctly with respect to the printing origin position O (0, 0) and the reference angle (left-right direction on the paper) of the pen plotter 10,
In some cases, the printing position protrudes greatly from the paper, resulting in an improper arrangement.

On the other hand, when the sheet is set and the drawing data is printed by the above-described print position confirmation processing,
Based on the layout information instructed by the operator on the computer, the external shape of the output unit of the output device such as a printer or a drafting machine (plotter) and the layout of the drawing data are displayed on a display, and the drawing data to be printed is output from the output device. It can be visually confirmed how it is arranged on the club.

For example, for the state shown in FIG.
By the print position confirmation process, the pen plotter 10 and the paper are displayed at a predetermined scale, and the drawing data to be printed is reduced (or enlarged) to the scale of the pen plotter 10 and the paper, and has its origin and Based on the rotation angle information, they are arranged on the display 5 in an overlapping manner, and the origin (indicated by a circle) and the rotation angle of the drawing data are determined by the printing origin (mechanical origin) position O (0, 0) and the reference rotation angle. 17 is visually adjusted to match
As shown in (B), the printing position can be properly arranged and proper.

The printing position confirmation processing will be described in more detail with reference to the processing flow of FIG. Output device 8 to 10
Is stored in a predetermined storage area of the storage device 3 at step PP1.
In step (1), the external shape data of the output device is extracted based on the instruction of the output device (output device specifying code), and according to a predetermined scale instruction, the schematic external shape of the output unit is plotted on the reduced scale. It is displayed on the screen of the display 5.

In the next step PP2, the printing origin O (0,0) on the paper is determined for the outline of the output device, and the paper is superimposed on the outline of the output device on the display 5 screen. indicate. In this case, in conjunction with the coordinate reading function, not only the printing origin O (0, 0) (the point indicated by the mark x in the lower left of FIG. 17) on the paper, but also other arrangement reference positions and shapes on the paper are accurately determined. be able to. For example, equip a pen plotter such as an automatic drafting machine with a microscope,
A plurality of reference positions (upper right and lower right in FIG. 17 or positions of long joining marks) on the paper on which the drawing data is printed are accurately read, and correction of printing arrangement information [two-point alignment and calibration ( 3 point adjustment) and offset adjustment of a long figure].

Next, in step PP3, the size of the drawing data such as the drawing to be output is reduced (or enlarged) in accordance with the scale of the outline of the output device. Further, in step PP4, information on the layout of the drawing or the like is obtained, and this information is corrected as necessary. For example, the rotation angle and the origin position of the drawing are extracted from the print layout information on the drawing data, and the drawing is arranged on the outline of the output device.

In step PP4, a new drawing is further superimposed on the sheet on which the existing drawing is printed by "two-point alignment", or is accurately aligned with a distorted graph paper (section mylar) or the like. "Calibration" (3 points adjustment), "Affine conversion" of a new drawing on an existing drawing by reading the distorted 4 corners of a distorted existing drawing, and "4 points correction". It is possible to perform “multipoint correction” by reading the common points of the drawings and recognizing the deviation of the common points, and performing “Hell-Mart conversion” of the new drawings on the existing drawings and superimposing them. For example, the “calibration” will be described.
The printing origin O (0, 0,
0), the drawing data corresponding to the parallelogram distortion (vertical and horizontal grid lines are not at right angles) measured at a plurality of reference positions (lower left, upper right and lower right in FIG. 17). Correct vertical and horizontal scales, rotation and right angles of drawings,
The drawing can be placed well on the grid of paper. In addition, in the case of printing a long figure, the offset amount of the printing reference position with respect to the long bonding mark can be changed so that the long bonding mark and the picture do not overlap.

Subsequently, in step PP5, the drawing arranged in step PP4 is displayed on the screen of the display 5, together with the outline of the output device and the paper. In this case, it is preferable that the outline shape of the output device, the paper, and the drawing are displayed so as to be easily identifiable in different colors or line types, and the display of the drawing may be a rectangular shape of the drawing to be printed, Schematic specific contents of the drawings may be used. In the next step PP6, the user is asked whether or not the layout of the drawing with respect to the general outline of the output device and the paper displayed on the screen of the display 5 is good. Here, if it is determined that the user is not good, the placement reference for the paper is further changed in step PP7 [for example,
The user is asked whether or not the printing origin O (0, 0) has been changed.

Here, when changing the paper reference, the process returns from step PP7 to step PP2 to change the paper reference. For example, when drawing on a large sheet of paper, the printing origin O (0, 0,
0), or changing the scale of the drawing in step PP3, etc., so that the margins are balanced or reduced as much as possible to improve the printing layout balance and prevent waste of paper. it can. On the other hand, if the reference for the paper is not changed, the process proceeds from step PP7 to step P7.
Returning to P4, the drawing data is corrected, the arrangement information is changed, and the correction of the drawing data is changed.

If the user determines in step PP6 that the layout of the drawings is good, the program proceeds to step PP8
Then, after performing processing for printing out from the output device based on the drawing data determined by the user to be good arrangement, the print position confirmation processing ends.

According to the print position confirmation processing, the following specific effects can be obtained: (1) When a sheet to be printed is set, the outer shape of an output device such as a drafting machine (plotter) or a printer is displayed. Then, based on the print arrangement information instructed by the operator to the computer, it is possible to visually understand how the paper is arranged on the output device, anyone can easily arrange the paper and the print, and obtain the desired print output without any failure. Can be obtained. (2) In the case of printing on a long view, printing on the back side (it looks like a regular drawing when viewed from the back) or rotating it, the drawing placed on the output device is drawn in any form. Can be checked before output. (3) When printing on a large-sized sheet, the arrangement can be made such that the margin is reduced as much as possible, thereby preventing waste of the sheet. (4) The arrangement position can be determined in conjunction with a coordinate reading function such as a pen plotter. (5) By overlaying existing drawings with “two-point alignment” or by using “calibration” on distorted graph paper, etc., to exactly match the vertical section, etc., make sure that they are well placed on the paper before drawing. You can check. (6) When drawing with a pen plotter using different types of pen thicknesses and several colors of ink, the difference between physical pens used for drawing is expressed in colors displayed on the display screen and used. Pen mistakes can be prevented. (7) When drawing by joining several pieces in a long drawing or the like, when drawing a long joining mark, it is possible to confirm whether or not the pattern and the long joining mark overlap. (8) When performing “manual drawing”, in which straight lines and characters are directly written on the printed drawing, etc., it is necessary to determine the position and how to draw while looking at the picture of the drawing displayed on the display screen. After confirmation, printing of the manual drawing can be performed without error.

[Various print layout editing = multi-layout] In the print data integrated processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention, enlargement / reduction, rotation, writing position change, visual operation on a monitor, and pen setting on a pen plotter In addition to the basic functions such as this, various print layout editing can be performed from multiple types of applications.
Called. FIG. 19 shows various print layout examples that can be realized by the multi-layout function of the print layout editing unit of this system. In FIG. 19A, a plurality of drawings, photographs, and the like are laid out on a large sheet at an arbitrary position with overlapping being allowed (referred to as “batch layout” or “batch layout”). In this case, it is possible to insert a cut line or perform simple drawing. In the example of FIG. 19B, the layout is such that a large drawing is divided into small sheets and printed out. As shown in FIG. 19C, a document of a plurality of pages can be arranged on one sheet of paper (referred to as “n-page printing”). In this case, a page number, a header, a footer, and the like are further added. It can also be used for simple drawing. Further, in the example of FIG. 19D, a long figure is divided (shown by a broken line) and sequentially drawn by an output device (mainly a pen plotter) using a long figure division drawing process described later. Finish a long drawing. In this case, it is possible to create a dividing line (a rightmost broken line) avoiding the figure by a predetermined instruction operation, and to divide the long figure without cutting the figure. FIG.
In (e), a long drawing up to the hard limit of an output device such as a raster plotter or an automatic plotter can be printed by using the banding process described above.

In this print data integration processing system, double-sided printing, multiple-copy printing (per copy), mirror inversion printing (clear film, etc.) can be combined with the print layout shown in FIG. .

[Batch Layout Editing] In one embodiment of the present invention, the print layout function of the print file management unit allows data created by any application such as Word, Excel, CAD, etc. to be written on a large sheet of paper,
Arrange multiple drawings, photos, etc. at any position without application program (without cutting or pasting using a specific application), check the arranged data on the display screen and print out A “batch layout editing process” can be executed. 20 to 22 are flowcharts showing a batch layout editing process according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 23 shows an example of a batch layout arrangement by the batch layout editing process.

Here, document data in the "Word (Microsoft Word)" format ("word data") is used as the application data A, and calculation data ("Excel data") in the "Excel (Microsoft Excel)" format is used as the application data B. ") As" DXF (Drawing Interchang
e Format), CAD data (referred to as “CAD data”), and application data D, image data (referred to as “image data”) in a “BMP (BitMaP file)” format are created, respectively. The print layout editing process will be described with reference to the process flow of FIGS. Steps S1m to S9m in this processing flow are respectively described in FIG.
Steps S1 to S1 in the print data integration processing flow of FIG.
Step S10 corresponds to step S9 (steps S7am to S7km correspond to step S7), and step S10 corresponds to step S7.
10 to S30.

When the various application data A to D are created (step S1m), these data A to D
Is input to the application management unit AM of the print data integrated processing system, and it is determined whether or not it can be recognized as an intermediate file (step S2m). Since the application data C and D are in a predetermined CAD and image format, Are used as layout editing intermediate files (step S3m). On the other hand, the application data A and B are the print input drivers PD1 and PD2.
(Step S4m), respectively,
The file is converted to the F format (intermediate format) to create an intermediate file for editing (step S5m).

These editing intermediate files are input to the editing file management means ES of the print file management unit PM (step S6m), and subsequently, the print file management means P
M hands over to the print layout editing means LY. Here, first, the type of the output device (device) (for example, the pen plotter 10) is instructed (step S7am), and the "print sheet setting" button is hit to enter the "print sheet setting" mode (step S7bm). (Note that the order of step S7am and step S7bm may be changed.)
To D (FIG. 21: step S7cm), and set the printing conditions for the application data A to D (step S7dm).

The printing conditions set here are as follows: (1) Inputting the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the data = Input the numerical values of the vertical and horizontal dimensions, or select a desired one from various prepared standard sizes. Select a fixed form. (2) Selection of physical paper = selection of material paper, paper feeding method, and the like. (3) Selection of the type of pen in the pen holder (when using the pen plotter 10 as an output device). (4) Selection of pen thickness, color, stocker number, etc. (when the pen plotter 10 is used as an output device). (5) Instructions such as a font replacement table. (6) Instructions such as the presence / absence or percentage of raster transmission (when EMF data of Excel data or image data, image data, etc. is output as raster data and overlaps with other data. In the example of FIG. 23, image data (application data D) overlapping CAD data (application data C)
Instruct to. ]. (7) Instruction for the presence or absence of raster whitening or the like [in the same case as (6)]. And so on.

Next, a "batch layout" is instructed (step S7em), and the size of the sheet for which the batch layout is to be edited is set by inputting numerical values of the vertical and horizontal dimensions or selection input from the standard size (step S7fm). Of the application data A to D by placing a data graphic frame on the paper displayed on the data arrangement screen with the mouse of the input operation device 4 or by inputting the vertical and horizontal dimensions from the printing origin (lower left corner) using the keyboard. Are set (steps S7gm to S7jm).

That is, as for the application data A, word data converted into an EMF-formatted intermediate file for editing is arranged at the position "P" (see FIG. 23) on the paper displayed on the data arrangement screen (step S1). S7g
m), with respect to the application data B, the Excel data converted into an intermediate file for editing in the EMF format is arranged at the position “Q” on the sheet (FIG. 22: step S7h).
m), for the application data C, the DXF format CAD data (intermediate file for editing) is placed at the position “R”.
(Step S7im), and for the application data D, the BMP format image data (editing intermediate file) is arranged at the position "S" on the paper (step S7jm).

Then, an instruction (setting) of the printing condition and arrangement is made.
Is completed (step S7km), and if not completed, the printing conditions are set (FIG. 21: step S7).
7dm), and the printing conditions and data arrangement are set again (steps S7dm to S7jm). The order of the print condition instruction and the arrangement instruction may be reversed. When the print condition and layout instruction is completed and the “print sheet setting” mode is closed, the set print condition and data layout are determined, and are composed of print condition information indicating the contents of the print condition and layout information indicating the layout state. Print control information is generated, and this print control information is added to the editing intermediate file to create an edited intermediate file (step S8m).
Input to the file management means SN after editing (step S
9m).

The post-edit file management means SN sends data of one sheet of the post-edit intermediate file to the device corresponding file management section DM, and the device corresponding file management section DM is generated based on the sent data. A print intermediate file in a unique format is generated and print output processing is performed (step S10m). As a result, from the output device (for example, the pen plotter 10), FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, each of the application data A to D
Are printed at the positions P to S on the sheet. Then, after such print output processing, the batch layout editing processing ends.

[Elongated Drawing Divided Drawing] In one embodiment of the present invention, the print layout function of the print file management unit allows
The data created by an arbitrary application can be sequentially drawn by an output device (device) to finish the long chart. In particular, when a pen plotter (automatic drafting machine) is used as an output device to print CAD application data and a long drawing exceeding the range that can be drawn by a single pen plotter is drawn in a plurality of times, a predetermined drawing is required. By moving the dividing line that separates the drawing area in each time, bending it in several places to create a dividing line that avoids the figure part that you do not want to divide, and dividing the long drawing without cutting the figure "Long drawing division drawing processing" can be executed. FIG. 24 shows an overview when a long drawing composed of two parts is drawn in the long drawing division drawing processing according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a long figure division drawing process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 shows a state in which a long sheet of paper is pasted to the output section of a pen plotter (automatic drafting machine) 10 having two pen holders, and the output long drawing data is the first and second parts P1, P2. It is assumed that the first part P1 is being drawn, assuming that the drawing is divided into P2. Here, an alternate long and short dash line indicates an effective drawing range of the pen plotter 10. The long drawing data is stored in a “DXF” format CA by a predetermined application program.
The data created as D data will be described below with reference to FIGS.
Referring to FIG. 29, an example of the processing flow of the long figure division drawing will be described. Steps S1d, S1 in this processing flow
3d, S6d, S7ad to S7wd, S8d, S9ad
To S9gd are steps S1, S3, S6, S7, and S of the print data integration processing flow of FIGS. 9 to 12, respectively.
Steps S10ad to S10cd correspond to steps S10 to S30.

When the long drawing CAD application data of the “DXF” format is created (FIG. 25: Step S1)
d), the long-diagram CAD data is input to the application management unit AM of the print data integrated processing system, and it is determined whether the CAD data can be recognized as an intermediate file (step S2).
d) Since it is a predetermined CAD format, it is used as it is as an intermediate file for layout editing (step S)
3d).

The CAD data is stored in the print file management section P.
M is input to the editing file management means ES (step S6d), and subsequently passed from the editing file management means ES to the print layout editing means LY. Here, first, the type of the output device (device) is designated as a pen plotter (10) of a predetermined model (step S7ad).
Hit the "print sheet setting" button to enter the "print sheet setting" mode (step S7bd). After instructing the long-diagram CAD data as data to be printed out (step S7cd), set printing conditions (step S7cd). Step S7dd).

The printing conditions set here are as follows: (1) Inputting the paper vertical and horizontal sizes and the orientation of the drawing = inputting the numerical values of the vertical and horizontal dimensions or selecting the standard size from various standard sizes To set the horizontal or vertical orientation of the drawing. (2) Selection of physical paper = selection of material paper, paper feeding method (pasting), and the like. (3) Selection of the type of pen in the pen holder. (4) Selection of pen thickness, color, stocking number, etc. (5) Instructions such as a font replacement table. And so on.

Next, "Long drawing division drawing" is instructed (step S7ed), and the presence or absence of a graphic monitor is consulted (step S7fd). If there is a graphic monitor (normal), the graphic monitor is displayed on the display 5. Display (Step S7g)
d) Further, the size of each drawing (called "parts") to be divided is specified (steps S7hd to S7k).
d). That is, whether or not the drawing size is the standard division size is consulted (step S7hd). If the drawing size is the standard division size, a standard size such as "A2" (a drawing size created at one time) is selectively designated. (Step S7id) If not, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of each drawing to be divided are input (Step S7jd).

In this way, when the drawing size is specified, and further, the printing (drawing) origin, rotation angle, magnification, and the like of the paper are specified to set the entire layout of the CAD data on the paper, the dividing line is set. [Dashed line in FIG. 19D and dotted line in FIG. 24]
Is automatically set, and the number of drawing parts to be divided and drawn (the number of divided drawings) is automatically displayed on the printing condition setting screen of the display 5 (step S7k).
d). Here, the handling of the automatically set dividing line is set in more detail by using the dividing line setting screen of the display 5 so that the figure is not divided by the dividing line at an undesired portion of the drawing to be drawn. (Steps S7md to S7sd) (see the broken right broken line in FIG. 19D).

In the detailed setting of the dividing line, first, it is determined whether or not the dividing line is to be moved (in the horizontal direction in FIG. 24) (step S7md). When the dividing line is to be moved, the dividing line setting screen is displayed. The number of the dividing line to be moved and the moving amount (for example, in mm) are input (step S7n).
d). Next, whether or not the dividing line is bent is consulted (FIG. 27: step S7pd). To fold a dividing line, enter the number of the dividing line to be folded and the break point, and then, for the dividing line displayed on the dividing line setting screen, start from the first break point and set the required number of break points. Is hit (step S7qd), it is further consulted whether to change the break point (step S7rd). Therefore,
When changing a break point, enter the break point number to be changed (the break point number is determined when the first break point hits) and hit the change position of the break point on the dividing line setting screen. The break point is changed to the hit position (step S7sd).

Then, the user is asked whether or not the division of the drawing data by the setting of the division drawing size and the division line is good (step S7td). If the division of the drawing data is bad, the division size is set. Returning to (FIG. 26: step S7hd), until the drawing data division becomes good,
Setting work of division drawing size and division line setting (step S
7hd to S7td) are repeated. If the drawing data division is good and the “partition setting OK” button is pressed (step S7ud), for example,
A message “Division of long drawing” is displayed, and furthermore, after the division processing status (for example, “working 1/2 part”) is displayed (step S7vd), the printing conditions, arrangement, and division instruction ( It is determined whether the setting has been completed (FIG. 28: step S7wd).

If the setting of the printing condition or data division is not completed, the process returns to the setting of the printing condition (FIG. 25: step S7dd), and the setting of the printing condition or data division is performed again (step S7dd). ~ S7vd). On the other hand, when these settings are completed and the "print sheet setting" is closed, an edited intermediate file for each part is generated (step S8d), and the processing shifts to the post-edit file management means SN, and the print reservation list on the display 5 is displayed. The contents of the divided drawing data (called “print sheet”) are displayed on the screen (step S9ad).

Next, the "paper orientation" button on this screen is pressed, the paper set on the plotter (automatic drafting machine) 10 is pasted, and the plotter 10 is brought online to prepare for drawing the first part drawing P1. Enter (Step S9b)
d). When the plotting origin of the drawing data (first part drawing P1) is set to the printing (drawing) origin on the paper and the rotation angle and the magnification are set for the plotter 10 (step S9).
cd), the drawing data to be created is plotter 10
The screen arranged on the upper sheet is displayed on the display 5 together with the frame line indicating the effective drawing range of the plotter 10 (a situation as shown in FIG. 24 is displayed). It is confirmed that it is within the drawing range (step S9dd). In this case, the layout status is accurately grasped by displaying a white effective drawing range frame, a light blue paper frame and a yellow drawing frame on a black background, and applying different colors between and within each frame. It is preferable to display the information so that it can be displayed.

After confirming the arrangement of the part drawings, press the “Setting” button on the screen to confirm the setting input, press the “Special print” button to set the long drawing printing mode, and first press the “Joint mark drawing” button. Then, the drawing condition of the joining mark [the cutting direction of the drawing part (the direction of the next drawing part:
For example, in the case of FIG. 24, “right”), a separation amount, a mark stocker number (pen holder number), presence / absence of a dot, etc.) are input, and a joining mark is drawn (step S9e).
d).

After drawing the joining mark, the post-edit file management means SN sends one drawing part data of the post-edit intermediate file to the device corresponding file management section DM, and the device corresponding file management section DM sends the drawing part data. An intermediate file for printing in a unique format generated based on the data is generated and a print output process is performed (step S10ad). Thereby, the pen plotter 10 draws data of the corresponding drawing part (for example, the first part P1 in FIG. 24) at a predetermined position on the sheet (step S10bd).

Next, it is determined whether or not drawing of all drawing parts has been completed (step S10cd). If not completed, drawing of the next drawing part (for example, the second part P2) is completed.
Is prepared, the sheet is moved to a position advanced by one part (step S9fd), the joining mark on the moved sheet is read (step S9gd), and the joining mark drawing step (step S9ed) is started. Then, the drawing process (steps S9ed to S10cd) based on the next joining mark drawing and the next drawing part data is repeated until drawing of all drawing parts is completed. Then, when the drawing of all the drawing parts is completed, the long drawing division drawing processing is completed.

["Binding Print" Processing] In one embodiment of the present invention, the functions of the print data integration processing system are used to create files created by various application programs, by starting up each application program one by one, or by Without calling the print function
"Bookbinding printing" in which the size and magnification of the paper to be printed (magnification is automatically calculated from the original size and the print size) are specified all at once, and they are automatically aligned and printed in the correct order.
Processing can be performed.

FIGS. 30 to 33 are flowcharts showing the operation and the flow of the "bookbinding printing" process according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, data created by various application programs is input to the print data integrated processing system by the operation of step P1.

That is, data created by predetermined general-purpose application programs AP1, AP2,... (For example, MS Word / Excell, Ichitaro, Lotu)
s, Office, etc.) are registered from the printing program of the general-purpose application, and in step P2a, the printing input driver PD1, PD2,. (For example, E
MF) and input to the system as a first print file.

On the other hand, dedicated application program A
The dedicated application data created in Ps passes through the dedicated print input program SD, and the data of the general-purpose file FM passes through the dedicated slower DT by dragging and dropping using the file manager. Is input to the system as a first print file which is an intermediate file for editing corresponding to.

Here, the dedicated application data (for example, CAD drawings such as TUF, documents of a predetermined format, documents such as civil engineering calculations, etc.) via the dedicated printing input program SD can be interpreted by this system. It is treated as it is as an intermediate file for editing.

For general-purpose files via the special-purpose slower DT, data (for example, BMP, TIFF, JPEG, EM) that can be interpreted for print data operation by this system even for general-purpose application data.
Images of F, WMF, etc., drawings of DXF, DWG, etc., TEX
T document, etc.) is also treated as it is as an intermediate file for editing, but predetermined general-purpose application data that cannot be interpreted (for example, MSWord / Excell, Ichitaro, Lotus, Office, etc.) is stored in step P2.
Similarly to a, an intermediate file for editing in a predetermined format (for example,
EMF).

When a print file is input, layout selection is performed in the next step P3 (FIG. 31), and "direct printing" for directly printing in a predetermined format or "layout" for printing with a predetermined layout. When "print" is selected, a corresponding process is performed. For direct printing, select a fixed format. For layout printing, print multiple data on one sheet of paper, double-sided printing with multiple data, print the original multiple pages on one page, Select a layout that automatically sorts the number of copies and prints.

Next, in step P4, a layout buffer process is performed by the function of the editing file management means ES of the print file management unit PM, and the first and second print files (editing intermediate files) are laid out for the bookbinding print. In the next step P5 (P6), "print editing and output processing" shown in FIG. 32 is executed in accordance with the program of the print layout editing means LY.

In this print editing and output processing routine, first, a printing device (device) is selected in step P51, a file is selected in step P52, a paper size is selected in step P53, and a printing magnification is set in step P54. The page number, header, and footer are set in step P55, and other optional functions related to layout and format are set in step P56. (Note that the order of steps P53 to P56 may be changed.) Thereafter, in step P57, the user is asked whether there is a file whose format is to be changed. After the file is selected in step P58, the process returns to step P52, and the processes in steps P58 to P53 to P57 are repeated until there is no file whose format is to be changed.

In the print editing, for the file to be edited, the picture of each page is graphically displayed as a thumbnail, and the page information is displayed in a list next to the file name. You can check the size. Further, a plurality of pages can be arranged on a large sheet regardless of the functions of the program and the printer driver. With this arrangement, the number of pages can be reduced. As for the number of print copies, by specifying the number of books, the specified number of books are automatically created,
Sorting is also unnecessary. It should be noted that the state set in the print editing is saved and becomes the initial value after the next setting. To reprint in the same setting state, it is only necessary to press the “print” button.

When all the settings relating to the layout and format have been completed and there are no more files whose format is to be changed, the edited intermediate file of the layout buffer in which the layout or format has been set is managed by the post-edit file management means NS. The process proceeds to Step P6 from P57. In this step P6, the processing shifts to the device corresponding data management unit DM via the post-edit file management means NS, and executes a "print output process" schematically shown in FIG.

Step P6 of this print output processing routine
In a, analysis is performed on the edited intermediate file in which the layout and format have been set, and various information including file format information and layout / format information such as the file format, original paper size, and number of pages are acquired. In the next step P6b, based on the analyzed information, a page layout (a layout that spans pages) and a page sort are performed. For example, file data is divided into pages, and double-sided printing or multiple layout printing is performed. Of the page to be performed. The device correspondence file management unit DM uses the print order management function to cause the output device to print in the correct order so that the printed matter does not need to be rearranged later, and has a branch number printing function.

Next, in step P6c, page editing (editing within the page) is performed, for example, sequentially adding set page numbers, adding headers and footers, and performing set magnification conversion. Also, the magnification is automatically calculated from the original size and the print size, and the page number, header, and footer are printed in the same position, size, and font on all sheets (including CAD drawings and double-sided printing) according to these printing instructions.・ It is automatically printed with decoration, and if only the start page number of the file to be printed first is indicated, the entire page number is automatically printed. Then, in step P6d, a device control command such as a printer control command is generated, and a RIP
The output device is driven through a driver including a standard driver PrD, PoD, or the like using processing or the like.

FIGS. 34 and 35 are flowcharts showing the print output processing routine (step P6: P60 to P69) in more detail from another viewpoint. When the edited intermediate file is read from the layout buffer in the first step P60, the formatted intermediate file is analyzed in step P61 by a plurality of file analysis drivers in the print device control engine PE, for example. For example, a predetermined general-purpose application AP
1, AP2, ..., an intermediate file (for example,
(EMF format) is analyzed by the intermediate file analysis driver, the special application file APs is analyzed by the special file analysis driver, the data from the general-purpose file FM is analyzed by the general-purpose file analysis driver, and various information including layout and format information is analyzed. get.

Next, after the data of the edited intermediate file is decomposed in page units in step P62,
In step P64, the edited intermediate file is unified into the format of the printing intermediate file unique to this system, and in step P64, the printing intermediate file in the unified format is stored in the page data buffer. Next, step P65
Then, it is determined whether or not the specified page is stored in the layout buffer. If the specified page is not stored in the layout buffer, the process returns to step P60, and the specified page is stored in the layout buffer. The processes of steps P60 to P65 are repeated until the process is completed.

Steps P60 to P64 for all edited intermediate files stored in the layout buffer
Is completed, Steps P65 to P6
6 (FIG. 35), the page data is re-edited according to the set layout and format. Then
In step P67, the printer control drivers GC, PrD, DD1,... Corresponding to the output devices 8, 9,... Are activated, and in step P68, the port drivers PoD, PP,. 8,
,... To sequentially print each page.

In the next step P69, it is determined whether or not the page data buffer is empty. Until the page data buffer becomes empty, the printing process for each page in steps P66 to P68 is executed. When the print processing of all the sent data is completed, the print output processing ends.

FIGS. 36 to 40 show the above-described "bookbinding printing".
It is a flowchart showing the 1st-3rd example of operation A-C in a process. About these cases, below,
A brief description will be given. In these operation examples, A
1 and A0 size CAD drawing, B5 size form, A
It is assumed that a design calculation report and a photograph of four sizes have already been input to the system and registered as intermediate files for editing.

[1] First operation example A (FIG. 36 and FIG. 3)
7) The first operation example A is that “A1 and A0 size CAD drawings, B5 size forms, A4 size design calculation documents, and photographs are all unified by duplex printing on A4 size paper from a monochrome printer. This is an operation example for the case of "output". First, in step PA1, the display 5
"Printer driver list" installed in the computer 1 is displayed, and "Monochrome printer" is selected from this list as a printing device (device) to be used. In step PA2, a plurality of sheet types (types of data to be printed) are presented on the "extended selection" screen of the display 5 as shown in the figure, and ".ALL" is selected from these.

In step PA3, "paper size selection"
Since a plurality of sizes and orientations of paper to be printed are presented on the screen as shown in the figure, “A4” size and “portrait” are displayed.
Select an orientation. In step PA4 (FIG. 37), a plurality of options relating to the print magnification are presented on the "print magnification selection" screen as shown in the figure, so that "fit to paper size" (that is, reduce to paper size) is selected. select.

In step PA5, the display 5
Items such as those shown in the figure are presented for the page number, header, and footer to be printed on each page. Click the corresponding item to set the desired page number, header, and footer items in detail. In step PA6, "double-sided" printing of the "option" item guided to the display 5 is selected. Then, in step PA7, "print"
Is issued, a printed matter that has been double-sided printed on A4 size paper by a monochrome printer is obtained by the print output process described with reference to FIGS.

[2] Second Operation Example B (FIG. 38) The second operation example B is described as “CAD drawing of A1 and A0 size, form of B5 size, design calculation sheet of A4 size and photograph of CAD. Only the drawings are printed on A3 size paper, and the remaining sheets are printed on A4 size paper. " First, for A4 printing, in step PB1, a desired printing device (device) is selected from the "printer driver list", and in step PB2, ".All" is selected from the sheet types on the "extended selection" screen. Further, in step PB3, the paper size "A"
Select "4". For the print magnification in step PB4, "fit to paper size" (reduce to paper size) is selected, and in step PB5, the desired page number, header, and footer items are set in detail.

Next, in step PB6, ".CAD drawing" (drawing) is selected from the sheet types on the "extended selection" screen for A3 printing of the CAD drawing, and the sheet size "A3" is selected in step PB7. Select Thereby, CAD
In the A3 printing of the drawing, only the items (sheet type and paper size) newly changed in steps PB6 and PB7 are changed in setting, and the items not changed retain the previous setting state, and the remaining sheets are not changed. , Step PB
6, items that are newly changed in PB7 are excluded. Therefore, when "print" is instructed in step PB8, only the CAD drawing is converted to A3 by the print output process.
A sheet obtained by printing on paper and printing the remaining sheet in A4 size is obtained.

[3] Third operation example C (FIG. 39 and FIG. 4)
0) The third operation example C is that “Only the CAD drawings of the A1 and A0 size CAD drawings, A4 size design calculation sheets and photographs are printed on A0 size paper with a large format plotter, and the remaining sheets are small. This is an operation example for the case of "printing on A4 size paper with a printer". First, for A4 printing, in step PC1, a "printer driver list"
, "Small printer" is selected as the printing device, and "All" is selected from the sheet types on the "Extended selection" screen in step PC2, and the paper size "A4" is selected in step PC3. As for the print magnification of step PC4, "fit to paper size" (reduced to paper size) is selected, and the desired page number,
Set the header and footer items in detail.

Further, at step PC6, the "extended selection" screen is again displayed by operating the "extended selection" button.
After selecting “CAD drawing” from the sheet types and excluding it from the print target, when the “Print” button is operated in step PC 7, the printout processing is already performed and the data is already input to the system. The A4 size design calculation sheet and photograph excluding the form and CAD drawing data are printed on A4 paper by a small printer.

Next, for A0 printing of the CAD drawing, select "Large Format Plotter" from the "Printer Driver List" in step PC8, and select ".CAD Drawing" from the sheet type on the "Extended Selection" screen in step PC9. (Drawing), and the paper size “A0” is selected in step PC10. Then, when "print" is instructed in step PC11, only the CAD drawing is A0 by the print output process.
Printed on paper.

When a report in which B5, A4, and A3 paper sizes are mixed is sequentially output according to the designated order, various application data can be output by instructing printing to be performed using the paper size of the file. Printing can be performed on a specified size sheet from a specified output device (device), and it is not necessary to individually specify the sheet size.
In this case, in an output device having a multi-stage tray, if the paper size is determined for each file and printing is performed as it is, rearrangement is not necessary later. If you select a paper size file and print it, you can minimize the number of tray changes.

In the survey design industry, it is particularly necessary to prepare a report as a result of the survey result or the design result and submit it to the owner. These outputs are submitted in print, but the specifications and sizes of the outputs vary, and it takes a great deal of time and effort to produce a report that includes these various deliverables when submitting. Take it. On the other hand, in the “bookbinding printing” process, as described in the first and second operation examples A and B, the registered document is printed on the paper without starting the program for creating the drawing or the calculation. A report of a uniform size can be created simply by giving a print instruction after designating the size and magnification. Further, as described in the third operation example C, a product of a desired size can be obtained from a desired output device simply by selecting a file for each output device (device) to be output and instructing printing.

[0179]

As described above, in the print data integration processing system according to the present invention, when application data created based on an arbitrary application program is acquired in a predetermined format by the data acquisition means, the print data editing means Has a format in which print control information is added to this application data to create a first intermediate file, the print data control means analyzes the first intermediate file, and can handle all application data in an integrated manner. In addition, a second intermediate file for performing device-specific control suitable for the output device is generated, and the output device is driven by the device driving unit based on the second intermediate file.

Accordingly, when various print data such as vector diagrams, raster diagrams, photographs, texts, and spreadsheets are input to the system in an editable format and pasted and synthesized, the print data control means causes the second intermediate file The device driving means for generating and driving the output device automatically drives the output device by a device control driver corresponding to various output device drivers such as a pen plotter, an automatic plotter, a printer, and a color laser printer. In addition, since a desired print output is executed, if the operator learns one operation method of this system, the operator can print on all kinds of output devices, and the burden on the operator is greatly reduced. .

Further, if data created by each application program is input to this system by the data acquisition means, for example, vector diagrams, raster diagrams, photographs, texts, spreadsheets, etc. are synthesized on a large sheet of paper. do it,
Since printing can be performed with high quality image quality, there is no need to create a new application program and develop software for synthesizing data or developing output device drivers for all output devices. Therefore, the user
It is sufficient to leave the creation work of the print product to this system and focus on the development of the product material itself by each application program, and it is possible to spend time on the original application development.

That is, according to the present invention, print data can be displayed on a display screen without being influenced by an application program (software), and can be printed out from various types of output devices (devices). The virtual information print system [Virtual Informat
ion Print System: Virtual information printing system = "VIP
S ″] can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an example of a conventional print data processing system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of a print data integration processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a print output intermediate file used in a print data integration processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a part of a schematic functional block diagram showing an outline of functions of a print data integration processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is another part of a schematic functional block diagram showing an outline of functions of the print data integration processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a device corresponding file management unit in the print data integration processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a print server system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing basic steps of print data integration processing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a first part (1/4) of a flowchart showing print data integration processing according to an embodiment of the present invention;
It is.

FIG. 10 is a second part (2/1/1) of a flowchart showing print data integration processing according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4).

FIG. 11 is a third part (3/3) of a flowchart illustrating print data integration processing according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4).

FIG. 12 is a fourth part (4/4) of a flowchart showing print data integration processing according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4).

FIG. 13 is a diagram systematically showing an example of a mode of controlling an output device for each device type in the print data integration processing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a part of a flowchart showing a pen plotter drawing process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is another part of a flowchart showing pen plotter drawing processing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the concept of redrawing control of the pen plotter according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining proper arrangement control of a pen plotter print drawing based on a print position confirmation process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a print position confirmation process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a diagram for describing various print layout examples according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a first part (１ ／) of a flowchart showing a batch layout editing process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a second part (2/3) of a flowchart showing a batch layout editing process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a third part (3/3) of a flowchart showing a batch layout editing process according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 23 is a layout example of a batch layout in batch layout editing according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining a case of a long drawing composed of two parts in drawing a long drawing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a second part (1/5) of a flowchart representing a long drawing drawing process according to an embodiment of the present invention;
It is.

FIG. 26 is a second part (2/5) of a flowchart showing a long drawing drawing process according to an embodiment of the present invention;
It is.

FIG. 27 is a second part (3/5) of a flowchart showing a drawing process of a long drawing according to an embodiment of the present invention;
It is.

FIG. 28 is a second part (4/5) of a flowchart showing a long drawing processing according to an embodiment of the present invention;
It is.

FIG. 29 is a second part (5/5) of a flowchart showing a long drawing processing according to an embodiment of the present invention;
It is.

FIG. 30 is a part of a flowchart illustrating “bookbinding printing” processing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 is another part of a flowchart showing “bookbinding printing” processing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 32 is a flowchart illustrating a print editing and output processing routine in a “bookbinding print” process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 33 is a diagram schematically showing a print output processing step in a print editing and output processing routine of “bookbinding print” processing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 34 is a part of a flowchart showing a print output processing subroutine in a print editing and output processing routine of “bookbinding printing” processing according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 35 is another part of a flowchart showing a print output processing subroutine in a print editing and output processing routine of “bookbinding printing” processing according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 36 is a part of a flowchart showing a first operation procedure example A in “bookbinding printing” processing according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 37 is another part of a flowchart showing a first operation procedure example A in “bookbinding printing” processing according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 38 is a flowchart illustrating a second operation procedure example B in “bookbinding printing” processing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 39 is a part of a flowchart showing a third operation procedure example C in “bookbinding printing” processing according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 40 is another part of a flowchart showing a third operation procedure example C in “bookbinding printing” processing according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

ES editing file management means, LY print layout editing means, SN edited file management means, FC print file control means, RS raster control means, PL pen plotter control means (pen plotter driver controller).

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 1/387 H04N 1/387 5C073 5C076 F term (Reference) 2C087 AA02 AA09 AA11 AB05 AB08 AC08 BA03 BA06 BA07 BA14 BD06 BD07 BD24 BD36 BD37 CA03 CA04 CA05 CB20 2C187 AC07 AD01 AE11 CD17 5B009 RC01 5B021 AA01 AA02 BB02 CC05 DD03 DD07 DD15 EE01 KK01 KK03 5B057 AA11 CD05 CE08 CE09 CE10 CE20 CH11 5C073 AA06 A01 A04 A04 A04 A02 A04 A04 A04 A04

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A data fetching means for fetching application data created based on an arbitrary application program in a predetermined format, and print data for creating a first intermediate file by adding print control information to the fetched application data. Editing means for analyzing the first intermediate file and generating a second intermediate file for performing device-specific control suitable for the output device, having a format capable of handling all application data in an integrated manner; A print data integrated processing system comprising: a data control unit; and a device driving unit that drives an output device based on a second intermediate file. 2. A computer according to claim 1, further comprising at least one data acquisition unit for acquiring application data created based on an arbitrary application program in a predetermined format, and adding print control information to the acquired application data. Print data editing means for creating a first intermediate file; and a device-specific control suitable for an output device having a format capable of analyzing the first intermediate file and handling all application data in an integrated manner. A print data integration processing system, comprising: a print control computer having print data control means for generating a second intermediate file and device drive means for driving an output device based on the second intermediate file. 3. The print data integrated processing system according to claim 1, further comprising monitor means for visually recognizing data or paper printed by the output device. 4. The device driving means has a plurality of device control drivers corresponding to the plurality of output devices, and the print data control means manages the characteristics of each output device in a table so that control suitable for the output device is performed. The print data integration processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: 5. The print data control means includes a data transfer control means for dividing a second intermediate file for one sheet into a plurality of data according to hardware capability and sequentially transferring the divided data to a device driving means. The print data integration processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein 6. A print data control means for controlling a device drive means to correct an overlapped portion of application data when the print data editing means instructs to print a plurality of application data in an overlapping manner. The print data integration processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: 7. The print data editing means has a function of classifying and storing print conditions included in print control information into three types of print conditions relating to a printer function, pen settings, and paper layout. Item 7. A print data integration processing system according to any one of Items 1 to 6. 8. A step of importing application data created based on an arbitrary application program in a predetermined format; adding print control information to the acquired application data to create a first intermediate file; (1) analyzing the intermediate file and generating a second intermediate file for performing device-specific control suitable for an output device and having a format that can handle all application data in an integrated manner; A recording medium for print data integration processing, characterized by recording a program comprising a step of driving an output device based on a file.