JP2004246501A - Image processing device, image processing method, and program therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processing device that enables an image forming device, the storage part of which has less available capacity, to print even if a document file such as a PDF file and so on is transmitted to the image forming device without converting the document file to print data while restraining increase in a load on the transmitter's side, and also to provide an image processing method and a program therefor. <P>SOLUTION: A PC deletes an object including a gryph description stipulating the graphical shape of a prescribed font (S104 and S105) among the objects included in the PDF file to be printed, and transmits the PDF file, to which deletion processing has been made, to a printer (S106). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program, and particularly includes an object that can be arranged in a file in an order different from a page order, and reference information that indicates a position of the object in the file. The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program for transmitting a document file defining a page composed of objects to an image forming apparatus without converting the document file into print data.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art A personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as “PC”) can transmit a document file stored on a hard disk to a printer via a network such as a LAN and print the document file.
[0003]
In this case, the document file is usually written in print data described in PDL (Page Description Language) such as PS (PostScript (R)) which can be analyzed by a printer by a printer driver installed in the PC. It is transmitted after being converted.
[0004]
On the other hand, as a document file distributed on the Internet, a PDF (Portable Document Format) file capable of reproducing the same format as an original document regardless of the type of hardware or application has been widely spread. The PDF file includes an object that can be arranged in the file in an order different from the page order and reference information indicating a position of the object in the file, and defines a page including a predetermined object.
[0005]
By the way, a PDF file may have several hundred pages of data, for example. When such a PDF file having a particularly large data size is converted to print data by a PC, it takes a long time to perform the conversion, the processing becomes complicated, and the data size becomes larger due to the conversion. For this reason, the load on the PC increases. In order to reduce the load on the PC, a printer capable of directly printing a PDF file transmitted from the PC to the printer without converting it into print data (hereinafter referred to as “PDF direct print”) has been proposed. .
[0006]
However, in the PDF file, objects relating to data to be printed can be arranged in the file regardless of the page order, and reference information indicating the position of the object in the file is arranged at the end of the file. The printer can print only after receiving the entire PDF file. For this reason, the printer may not be able to receive the entire PDF file because of a lack of the capacity (available capacity or free space) of the mounted memory, and may not be able to execute printing.
[0007]
In connection with this problem, there is known an apparatus that changes the contents of a PDF file and reconstructs the data so that the received data can be sequentially displayed on a display without receiving the entire PDF file. (For example, see Patent Document 1).
[0008]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 11-502954
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the device described in Patent Document 1, as a result, a complicated process for reconstructing the PDF file is required on the transmission side such as a PC before the file transfer. Therefore, there is a problem that the technique of the above-described apparatus does not reduce the load on the PC as compared with converting a PDF file into print data described in PDL such as PS.
[0010]
In addition, since the above technique is merely a technique related to display on a display, sufficient consideration is not given to printing with a printer. Specifically, for example, when special printing conditions such as face-up, which indicates processing for printing in order from the last page to the first page, are applied, and it is necessary to print in a different order from the page order of the file, Technology cannot cope.
[0011]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a PDF processing apparatus for an image forming apparatus with a small available storage capacity while suppressing an increase in the load on the transmission side. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus capable of performing printing on an image forming apparatus even when a document file such as a file is transmitted without being converted into print data.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following means.
[0013]
(1) A document file that includes an object that can be arranged in a file in an order different from the page order and reference information that indicates the position of the object in the file, and defines a document file that defines a page composed of a predetermined object. An image processing apparatus for transmitting to an image forming apparatus without conversion into an image forming apparatus, wherein an object including a glyph description defining a graphic shape of a predetermined font is detected from objects included in a document file to be printed. Detecting an object including the glyph description of the predetermined font in the document file based on a detection result of the detection unit and deleting the object including the glyph description of the predetermined font Means for performing deletion processing for the Processing apparatus.
[0014]
(2) When it is determined that an object including the glyph description of the predetermined font exists in the document file based on the detection result by the detection unit, the glyph description of the predetermined font and the transmission destination of the document file A comparison unit that compares the glyph description of the font stored in the image forming apparatus with the glyph description of the predetermined font based on a result of the comparison by the comparison unit; The image processing apparatus according to (1), wherein when it is determined that the document file is stored in the image forming apparatus, the deletion processing is performed on the document file.
[0015]
(3) The image processing device according to (1) or (2), wherein the document file is a PDF (Portable Document Format) file.
[0016]
(4) A document file which includes an object that can be arranged in a file in an order different from the page order and reference information indicating the position of the object in the file, and defines a document file that defines a page composed of a predetermined object. A program used in an image processing apparatus for transmitting an image to an image forming apparatus without converting it into a document, including a glyph description defining a graphic shape of a predetermined font among objects included in a document file to be printed. A detection procedure for detecting the object, and, if it is determined that an object including the glyph description of the predetermined font is present in the document file based on a detection result in the detection procedure, including the glyph description of the predetermined font. Deletion processing for deleting objects is performed on the document file. Program for executing the delete procedure in the image processing apparatus.
[0017]
(5) A document file that includes an object that can be arranged in a file in an order different from the page order and reference information that indicates the position of the object in the file, and that defines a page composed of a predetermined object, and prints a document file An image processing method for transmitting to an image forming apparatus without conversion into an image forming apparatus, wherein an object including a glyph description defining a graphic shape of a predetermined font is detected from objects included in a document file to be printed. Detecting an object including the glyph description of the predetermined font in the document file based on a detection result of the detecting step, and deleting the object including the glyph description of the predetermined font. Step for deleting the document file An image processing method having and.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0019]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a print system to which a PC according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 1, the print system includes PCs 100A and 100B having a function as an image processing apparatus, and printers 200A, 200B and 200C as image forming apparatuses, which can communicate with each other via a network 300. It is connected to the. The network 300 includes a LAN conforming to standards such as Ethernet (R), token ring, and FDDI, and a WAN in which LANs are connected by a dedicated line.
[0021]
Note that the type and number of devices connected to the network are not limited to the example shown in FIG. Further, the printer may be directly connected (locally connected) between the PC and the device without passing through the network 300.
[0022]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of PCs 100A and 100B shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the PC includes a CPU 101 for controlling the entire apparatus and performing various arithmetic processes, a ROM 102 for storing programs and data, a RAM 103 for temporarily storing programs and data as a work area, A hard disk 104 as an external storage device for storing programs and data; a display unit 105 such as a liquid crystal display for displaying various information; an input unit 106 including a keyboard and a mouse for inputting various instructions; It includes a network interface 107 such as a LAN card for connecting to 300, and these are interconnected via a bus 108 for exchanging signals.
[0023]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printers 200A, 200B, 200C shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the printer includes a CPU 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 203, an operation panel unit 204, a printing unit 205, and a network interface 206, which are interconnected via a bus 207 for exchanging signals. I have. Note that, of the components of the printers 200A, 200B, and 200C, a duplicate description of a portion having the same function as the components of the PCs 100A and 100B will be omitted.
[0024]
The RAM 203 can temporarily store data received from the PC. The ROM 202 stores information about a font indicating a character typeface. Note that the printer 200 may include a hard disk as an external storage device for storing various programs and data. The operation panel unit 204 is used for displaying various information and inputting various instructions. The printing unit 205 prints various data on a recording material such as paper using a known image forming process such as an electrophotographic process.
[0025]
The PC and the printer may include components other than the components described above, or may not include some of the components described above. Hereinafter, a case where data is transmitted from PC 100A or 100B to printer 200A, 200B, or 200C and printing is performed will be described.
[0026]
In the print system shown in FIG. 1, two types of printing, normal printing and PDF direct printing, can be executed. When performing normal printing, a predetermined file is converted into print data described in PDL such as PS by a printer driver installed in a hard disk 104 of a PC, and then transmitted to a printer. On the other hand, when the PDF direct print is executed, the PDF file is transmitted from the PC to the printer without being converted into print data according to a program described later installed on the hard disk 104.
[0027]
Here, the structure and analysis method of a standard PDF file will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the structure of a standard PDF file, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a sample PDF file. 4 and 5 are created with reference to “PDF Reference third edition Adobe Portable Document Format Version 1.4” (Adobe Systems Inc.).
[0028]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a standard PDF file 500 includes a header 510, a body 520, a cross-reference table 530, and a trailer 540.
[0029]
In the header 510, a comment starting with “%” is described.
[0030]
The body 520 is composed of a plurality of objects (objects 1 to 6 in FIG. 5). Objects are the individual elements that make up a document.
[0031]
The object is represented by, for example, a document structure information, information indicating a page configuration, information on a font indicating a character typeface, character information including character data represented by a character code, and a group of figures such as lines. Various information such as graphic information including graphic data and image information including image data represented by a group of pixels is described. Information about the font includes a glyph description of the font. The glyph description specifies the graphic shape for the font. That is, the PDF file is described in a format in which the glyph description of the font can be embedded in the file (font embedded function). The fact that the glyph description of the font is embedded in the PDF file is hereinafter referred to as the font being embedded in the PDF file. A PDF file with embedded fonts guarantees the intended font and layout at the time of file creation, but has a larger data size than a PDF file without fonts embedded. The types of fonts that can be embedded in a PDF file include True Type, Open Type, and PS fonts in CID (Character Identifier) format.
[0032]
In the body 520 of FIG. 5, for example, the first number and the next number in “10 obj” represent the ID number and the generation number (generation) of the object, respectively.
[0033]
The cross-reference table 530 is reference information indicating the position of the object in the file. In the cross-reference table 530, the position of each object is represented by an offset. Here, the offset refers to the number of bytes from the beginning of the file to the beginning of the data of interest. This makes it possible to randomly access the objects arranged in the body 520.
[0034]
The trailer 540 is information to be accessed at the start of file analysis. Specifically, the trailer 540 describes information (offset) indicating the position of the cross-reference table 530 in the file, and the number of the object to be referenced first (the root object serving as the root of the hierarchical structure). This trailer 540 exists at the end of the file.
[0035]
When analyzing a standard PDF file, the apparatus for analyzing the PDF file first analyzes the trailer 540 at the end of the file, and then analyzes the cross-reference table 530. Then, the contents of the page described in the body 520 can be analyzed based on the information obtained by the analysis. The object contains the number of another object in which the next required data is described. Therefore, by following the number of the next required object, the entire analysis of the PDF file becomes possible. Therefore, the objects can be described in an arbitrary order on a per-object basis in the body of the PDF file, and as a result, can be arranged in the file in an order different from the page order.
[0036]
Next, processing performed by the PC will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 is stored as a program in a storage unit such as the hard disk 104 of the PC, and is executed by the CPU 101.
[0037]
Here, a case will be described in which, instead of normal printing using a printer driver, PDF direct printing is performed on a PDF file, and the printer prints the PDF file.
[0038]
First, before a user instructs execution of PDF direct print, initialization is performed (S101). The initial setting includes setting of printing conditions. The printing conditions are set based on a user operation through the input unit 106. The printing conditions include, for example, the number of copies, the designation of single-sided printing / double-sided printing, the presence or absence of booklet binding, the presence or absence of face-up, which indicates processing for printing from the last page to the first page, one sheet The table includes information indicating whether or not Nin1 is applied for reducing and printing a plurality of pages (N pages), specifying a collate for outputting a copy, and specifying a destination printer. However, other attributes may be included in the printing conditions, and some of the above-described attributes may be omitted. Note that the printing conditions may be set through the operation panel unit 204 in the printer.
[0039]
After the completion of the initial setting in step S101, the PC accepts an instruction from the user to execute PDF direct printing on the PDF file (S102). Here, an icon of an application program file for PDF direct printing is displayed on the desktop of the PC in advance. The user can instruct the execution of the PDF direct print by dragging and dropping the PDF file onto the icon and activating the application program. The instruction to execute the PDF direct print may be issued by another method.
[0040]
Subsequently, the structure of the PDF file to be printed is analyzed (S103). Specifically, an object including a glyph description of a font is detected.
[0041]
Then, it is determined whether or not the font is embedded in the PDF file based on the analysis result in step S103 (S104).
[0042]
FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing the first half and the second half, respectively, of an example of a PDF file in which fonts are embedded. The PDF file 501 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 includes objects 521 to 523 in which information on fonts is described. In the case of the PDF file 501 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the information of the font itself is stored in an object 521 (“40 obj”), and the attribute information of the font is stored in an object 522 (“90 obj”) called a font descriptor (“FonDescriptor”). )), And the glyph description is described in an object 523 (“10 obj”) called a font file.
[0043]
In the object 521, it is shown that the contents of the font descriptor are described in the object 522 ("90 obj"). In addition, in the object 522, it is shown that the contents of the font file are described in the object 523 (“10 obj”). In the object 523 of the font file, the glyph description is described between “stream” and “endstream”.
[0044]
When the font is embedded in the PDF file, information that the font is embedded, that is, “FontFile” and “FontFile2”, which are keys for specifying an object in which the glyph description of the font is embedded, is included in the object 522 of the font descriptor. Or "FontFile3"("FontFile2" in FIG. 7). That is, whether or not a font is embedded in the PDF file can be determined based on whether or not a key “FontFile”, “FontFile2”, or “FontFile3” exists in the font descriptor object 522.
[0045]
If the font is not embedded in the PDF file (NO in S104), the process proceeds to step S106.
[0046]
If the font is embedded in the PDF file (YES in S104), the glyph description is deleted (S105). FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PDF file after glyph description deletion processing has been performed. The PDF file 501a shown in FIG. 9 is obtained by subjecting the PDF file 501 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 to glyph description deletion processing.
[0047]
In the glyph description deletion processing, specifically, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the object 523 including the glyph description of the font is deleted (see (3) in FIG. 7). In addition, "FontFile", "FontFile2", or "FontFile3", which is the attribute key in the font descriptor object 522, and the value of the object reference are deleted (see (2) in FIG. 7). In addition, values such as “BaseFont” and “FontName” of the font attribute are changed to general values if they are unique to the file (see (1) and (4) in FIGS. 7 and 8). Further, the offset of each object described in the cross-reference table 530 and the offset of the cross-reference table 530 described in the trailer 540 are corrected (see (5) and (6) in FIG. 8). . This is because when the contents of the PDF file are deleted or changed, the offset of each object changes.
[0048]
Upon completion of the glyph description deletion processing, transmission processing of the PDF file subjected to the deletion processing is performed (S106). Here, the deleted PDF file is transmitted from the PC to the destination printer in accordance with a predetermined protocol supported by the printer. At this time, a designation for printing by replacing fonts used in the PDF file (hereinafter referred to as “used fonts”) with fonts installed (stored) in the printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer fonts”) Is also sent to the printer.
[0049]
FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a glyph description deletion process. In FIG. 10, printers 200A to 200C are, for example, printers (PS printers) that can analyze PS files. Further, as printer fonts, the printer 200A has Heisei Mincho and Heisei Kaku Gothic, the printer 200B has Ryumin L-KL and Nakagothic BBB, and the printer 200C has Ryumin L-KL and Nakagothic BBB.
[0050]
Specifically, it is assumed that the PDF file 502 created by the PC 100A is transmitted to any of the printers 200A to 200C. Here, the fonts used in the PDF file 502 are True Type, Open Type, and CID format PS fonts in the Heisei Mincho period. Such fonts are embedded in the PDF file 502. Therefore, all glyph descriptions in the PDF file 502 are subjected to deletion processing, and the PDF file subjected to glyph description deletion processing is transmitted from the PC 100A to any of the printers 200A to 200C. The fonts used in the PDF file are replaced with printer fonts in the printer based on a predetermined replacement table.
[0051]
It is also assumed that the PDF file 503 created by the PC 100B is transmitted to any of the printers 200A to 200C. Here, the fonts used in the PDF file 503 are True Type, Open Type, and CID type PS fonts in the Heisei Mincho era, and such fonts are not embedded in the PDF file 503. Therefore, the PDF file 503 is transmitted from the PC 100B to any of the printers 200A to 200C without performing the glyph description deletion processing. The fonts used in the PDF file are replaced with printer fonts in the printer based on a predetermined replacement table.
[0052]
Next, processing performed by the printer will be described with reference to FIGS. The algorithm shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 11 and 12 is stored as a program in a storage unit such as the ROM 202 of the printer, and is executed by the CPU 201.
[0053]
Here, a case will be described below in which the printer receives a PDF file to be printed transmitted from the PC and executes PDF direct printing on the received PDF file.
[0054]
First, the printer receives the PDF file transmitted from the PC (S201). The whole of the received PDF file is collectively stored in the memory. In the case of a printer equipped with a hard disk, the entire PDF file is stored in the memory if there is sufficient free space in the memory, and is stored in the hard disk if there is not enough free space in the memory. If there is not enough free space in the memory while the file is being saved to the memory, the data saved in the memory is swapped to the hard disk, and the storage location of the file is changed to the hard disk.
[0055]
Subsequently, RIP (Raster Image Processing) processing of the received PDF file is performed (S202). Here, by analyzing the PDF file in consideration of the printing conditions, data to be printed is acquired in page units, and raster data that is rasterized in a bitmap format is created from the acquired data. Details of the RIP process for the PDF file will be described later.
[0056]
The created raster data is output to the printing unit 205 (S203) and printed on paper (S204). The output of the raster data to the printing unit 205 and the printing process are continued until the printing of all pages of the PDF file is completed.
[0057]
Next, the RIP process in step S202 in FIG. 11 will be described with reference to FIG.
[0058]
In the RIP process, first, the received PDF file is analyzed (S301). Here, the printer analyzes the PDF file based on the analysis result of the trailer 540 and the cross-reference table 530 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) and the printing conditions, and acquires data to be printed in page units. At this time, when, for example, face-up is applied to printing of the PDF file, data is obtained in order from the last page of the file to the first page. When face-down is applied, data is acquired in the same order as the page order of the file. In other words, even when printing the same PDF file, the printing order of the pages differs depending on the printing conditions.
[0059]
Subsequently, a printer font corresponding to the font used in the PDF file is extracted from a storage unit such as the ROM 202 (S302).
[0060]
Next, using the extracted glyph description of the printer font, an intermediate language in a format that can be internally processed by the printer is created for the data to be printed acquired in step S301 (S303).
[0061]
Then, bitmap raster data is created from the created intermediate language (S304). The process shown in FIG. 12 is performed for all pages of the PDF file.
[0062]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, when transmitting a document file such as a PDF file to a printer without converting it into print data described in PDL such as a PS, the PC includes the document file in the document file to be printed. Among the objects to be deleted, an object including a glyph description that defines the graphic shape of the font is deleted to reduce the data size, and the document file after the deletion processing can be transmitted to the printer.
[0063]
Therefore, even if a document file such as a PDF file is transmitted to a printer having a small available memory capacity without being converted into print data, printing can be performed by the printer. Moreover, the PC on the transmitting side of the document file only performs a simple deletion process of deleting the object including the glyph description of the font, so that the load on the PC on the transmitting side is small.
[0064]
Also, regardless of the available capacity of the memory in the printer, the deletion processing is performed on the document file to reduce the data size of the transmitted document file, so that the transmission time is shortened and the usage in the printer memory is reduced. The area can be reduced.
[0065]
Furthermore, since the document files can be transmitted from the PC to the printer at a time, the printer analyzes the received document file, and applies special printing conditions such as booklet binding or face-up, so that the file order can be changed. Even when it is necessary to print in a different order, it is possible to cope with the trouble.
[0066]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, the points different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.
[0067]
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by the PC according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The algorithm shown by the flowchart in FIG. 13 is stored as a program in a storage unit such as the hard disk 104 of the PC, and is executed by the CPU 101.
[0068]
The PC according to the second embodiment deletes, from objects included in the PDF file to be printed, an object including a glyph description of the same font as one of the font glyph descriptions stored in the printer to which the PDF file is transmitted. This is different from the PC according to the first embodiment in which all the objects including the glyph description of the font are deleted.
[0069]
First, in step S401, initial settings are performed. The initial settings include setting of printing conditions and setting of printer-specific information.
[0070]
The printer-specific information includes information on the printer font. The PC obtains information about the printer font by making a request to the destination printer. However, the information on the printer font may be obtained any time before the processing of step S405 described later, and for example, the information on the printer font may be registered in the PC in advance.
[0071]
Steps S402 to S404, S406, and S407 in FIG. 13 are the same as steps S102 to S106 in FIG. 6, respectively. In the flowchart of FIG. 13, step S405 is added to the flowchart of FIG.
[0072]
If it is determined in step S404 that the font is embedded in the PDF file (YES in S404), the glyph description of the font embedded in the PDF file and the glyph description of the font installed in the destination printer are stored. Are compared, and it is determined whether or not the glyph description of the font embedded in the PDF file is installed in the printer of the transmission destination (S405).
[0073]
If it is determined that the glyph description of the font embedded in the PDF file is stored in the destination printer (YES in S405), the glyph description is deleted from the PDF file (S406). . On the other hand, if the glyph description of the font embedded in the PDF file is not stored in the destination printer (NO in S405), the process proceeds to step S407 without performing the glyph description deletion process.
[0074]
Next, a glyph description deletion process performed by the PC according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
[0075]
It is assumed that the PDF file 502 created by the PC 100A is transmitted to the printer 200A. Here, among the used fonts embedded in the PDF file 502, the same fonts as those in the glyph description of the Heisei Ming Dynasty are stored in the printer 200A. Therefore, the glyph description of the Heisei Ming Dynasty in the PDF file 502 is deleted, and the PDF file having the glyph description deleted is transmitted from the PC 100A to the printer 200A. Note that the glyph description of True Type and Open Type remains embedded.
[0076]
It is also assumed that the PDF file 502 created by the PC 100A is transmitted to the printer 200B or the printer 200C. Here, the glyph description of any used font embedded in the PDF file 502 is not stored in the printer 200B or the printer 200C. Therefore, the PDF file 502 is transmitted from the PC 100A to the printer 200B or the printer 200C without performing the glyph description deletion processing.
[0077]
Further, it is assumed that the PDF file 503 created by the PC 100B is transmitted to the printers 200A to 200C. Here, the fonts used in the PDF file 503 are not embedded in the PDF file 503. Therefore, the PDF file 503 is transmitted from the PC 100B to the printers 200A to 200C without performing the glyph description deletion processing.
[0078]
FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the RIP process among the processes performed by the printer according to the second embodiment. The algorithm shown by the flowchart in FIG. 14 is stored as a program in a storage unit such as the ROM 202 of the printer, and is executed by the CPU 201.
[0079]
Steps S501 and S503 to S505 in FIG. 14 are the same as steps S301 to S304 in FIG. 12, respectively. In the flowchart of FIG. 14, step S502 is added to the flowchart of FIG.
[0080]
In step S502, it is determined whether the glyph description of the font required for printing is embedded in the PDF file.
[0081]
If the required glyph description is embedded in the PDF file (YES in S502), an intermediate language is created using the embedded glyph description (S504). On the other hand, if the necessary glyph description is not embedded in the PDF file (NO in S502), the process advances to step S503 to extract a printer font corresponding to the font used in the PDF file from a storage unit such as the ROM 202, and extract the printer font. Using the glyph description of the printer font, an intermediate language is created (S504).
[0082]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the PC determines that the glyph description of the font embedded in the PDF file to be printed is stored in the printer to which the PDF file is transmitted, the PC performs Since the glyph description is deleted from the PDF file, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained while ensuring the font and layout intended at the time of file creation.
[0083]
The present invention is not limited to only the above-described embodiments, but can be variously modified within the scope of the claims.
[0084]
For example, as an apparatus having a function as an image processing apparatus, a computer such as a workstation or a server may be used instead of a PC. Further, instead of the printer, an image forming apparatus such as a facsimile machine, a copying machine, and a multi-function peripheral (MFP) having a combined function thereof may be used.
[0085]
In the present invention, a means and a method for performing various processes for transmitting a PDF file from an image processing apparatus to an image forming apparatus for printing without converting the PDF file into print data are provided by a dedicated hardware circuit or a programmed computer. It can be realized by any of them. The program may be provided by a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk or a CD-ROM, or may be provided online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is usually transferred to a storage device such as a hard disk and stored. Further, the program may be provided as independent application software, or may be incorporated in the software of the device as one function of the device.
[0086]
The above-described embodiments of the present invention include the following inventions other than the inventions described in claims 1 to 5 in the appended claims.
[0087]
[Supplementary Note 1] The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined font is a PS (PostScript (R)) font in a CID (Character Identifier) format.
[0088]
[Supplementary Note 2] The program according to claim 4, wherein the document file is a PDF (Portable Document Format) file.
[0089]
[Supplementary Note 3] A computer-readable recording medium that records the program according to claim 4 or supplementary note 2.
[0090]
[Supplementary Note 4] The image processing method according to claim 5, wherein the document file is a PDF (Portable Document Format) file.
[0091]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, even if a document file such as a PDF file is transmitted to an image forming apparatus having a small available capacity of the storage unit without being converted into print data, the image forming apparatus can execute the processing. Printing becomes possible. Moreover, the image processing apparatus that is the transmitting side of the document file only performs a simple deletion process of deleting the object including the glyph description of the font, so that the load on the transmitting side is small.
[0092]
Further, regardless of the available capacity of the storage unit in the image forming apparatus, the deletion processing is performed on the document file, and the data size of the transmitted document file is reduced. The use area in the storage unit of the device is reduced.
[0093]
In addition, since the document file can be transmitted from the image processing apparatus to the image forming apparatus at a time, the image forming apparatus analyzes the received document file and applies special printing conditions such as booklet binding or face-up. Even if it is necessary to print in a different order from the page order of the file, it is possible to cope with the problem without any trouble.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a print system to which a PC according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a PC shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the printer shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of a standard PDF file.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a sample of a PDF file.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by the PC.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a first half of an example of a PDF file in which fonts are embedded.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a latter half of an example of a PDF file in which fonts are embedded.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PDF file after glyph description deletion processing has been performed.
FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a glyph description deletion process.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by the printer.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining a RIP process shown in FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by a PC according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a RIP process among the processes performed by the printer.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 to 6 ... objects,
100A, 100B ... PC,
101, 201 ... CPU,
102, 202 ... ROM,
103, 203 ... RAM,
104 ... Hard disk,
105 display unit,
106 ... input unit,
107, 206 ... network interface,
108, 207 ... bus,
200A, 200B, 200C ... printer,
204: operation panel section,
205 printing section,
300 ... network,
500, 501, 501a, 502, 503 ... PDF file,
510 ... header,
520 ... body,
521, 521a, 522, 522a, 523 ... objects,
530 ... Cross reference table,
540 ... Trailer.

Claims (5)

A document file that includes an object that can be arranged in a file in an order different from the page order and reference information that indicates a position of the object in the file, and that converts a document file that defines a page composed of a predetermined object into print data. An image processing apparatus for transmitting to an image forming apparatus without
Detecting means for detecting an object including a glyph description defining a graphic shape of a predetermined font among objects included in a document file to be printed;
When it is determined that the object including the glyph description of the predetermined font is present in the document file based on the detection result by the detection unit, the deletion processing for deleting the object including the glyph description of the predetermined font is performed. An image processing apparatus comprising: a deletion unit that performs deletion on a document file. When it is determined that an object including the glyph description of the predetermined font exists in the document file based on the detection result by the detection unit, the glyph description of the predetermined font and the image forming apparatus to which the document file is transmitted Further comprising comparing means for comparing with the glyph description of the font stored in
The deletion unit, when it is determined that the glyph description of the predetermined font is stored in the image forming apparatus of the transmission destination of the document file based on a comparison result by the comparison unit, performs the deletion process on the document file. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing is performed on the image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document file is a PDF (Portable Document Format) file. A document file that includes an object that can be arranged in a file in an order different from the page order and reference information that indicates a position of the object in the file, and that converts a document file that defines a page composed of a predetermined object into print data. A program used in the image processing apparatus for transmitting to the image forming apparatus without
A detection procedure for detecting an object including a glyph description defining a graphic shape of a predetermined font among objects included in a document file to be printed;
When it is determined that an object including the glyph description of the predetermined font exists in the document file based on a detection result in the detection procedure, the deletion processing for deleting the object including the glyph description of the predetermined font is performed. A program for causing the image processing apparatus to execute a deletion procedure performed on a document file. A document file that includes an object that can be arranged in a file in an order different from the page order and reference information that indicates a position of the object in the file, and that converts a document file that defines a page composed of a predetermined object into print data. An image processing method for transmitting to an image forming apparatus without
A detecting step for detecting an object including a glyph description defining a graphic shape of a predetermined font among objects included in the document file to be printed;
When it is determined based on the detection result in the detection step that an object including the glyph description of the predetermined font exists in the document file, the deletion processing for deleting the object including the glyph description of the predetermined font is performed. An image processing method having a deletion step performed on a document file.

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