JP2006074675A - Direct printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a direct printing system which is capable of constructing optimal layout information according to the state in connection only by holding information required for a digital camera, and to provide a printer in a pack for holding paper sheets used in the printer. <P>SOLUTION: There is provided a system, wherein template information designating image arrangement, modification, overlapped image, attached data printing position, contents and the like is divided, particularly, arrangement information which changes in accordance with a paper sheet is held in a storage region inside the paper sheet or a paper sheet feed means (media pack), information that serves as the base of the template describing the number of arrangements, link to a frame image to be utilized or the like is recorded inside the printer, and the information is merged at utilization, to consolidate template data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to layout information determination processing in a digital camera and printer, and a paper supply system for supplying a specific paper to the printer.

  In recent years, small portable devices such as digital cameras, PDAs and mobile phones have been flooded in the market, and applications and performance that could not be realized without high processing power such as PCs (Personal Computers) have been practically limited. It is making it available anytime and anywhere.

  In such an environment, an application called direct photo print in mobile that prints out an image taken with a digital camera on the spot can be realized without a device having a high processing capability such as a PC. .

  However, these portable devices have limitations such as being unable to have a satisfactory display due to problems such as size and cost, or having a pointing device or an input device with a satisfactory number of keys. Therefore, in reality, there is a problem that it is impossible to select an image or edit a layout.

  In particular, there have been few operation methods for easily selecting and determining such problems for the purpose of printing, such as simply printing out the image displayed on the LCD of the digital camera as it is. There was only a simple GUI (see Patent Document 1).

On the other hand, a printer capable of direct printing has a layout capability sufficient to realize various layouts, and a single sheet, two sheets, three sheets, four sheets, etc. can be arranged in any order. From applications such as printing on the Internet, there are some applications that can be used, such as sticker printing in which a specific frame image is printed over a photographic image, and album layout in which a photo is printed out in an arbitrary layout.
JP 2004-58500 A

  Under such circumstances, the problem of how to be able to enjoy a variety of layouts while saving display devices and input means has long been demanded to make direct printing attractive. Yes.

  In addition, regarding product development and upgrades, the technology used to replace template data inside the product has been replaced with conventional technology, such as sticker paper and preprinted paper that will be released after the product is released. I couldn't cope without it. In reality, even high-function printers that operate without a PC will eventually have to use a PC for upgrades, and will use newly released paper for users who do not have a PC. There were problems such as not being able to do it.

  Furthermore, digital cameras that can publish captured images in the first place on the Internet are beginning to be configured to be connected to a network via a PC or a mobile phone, but printers have the necessity of direct network connection. Absent. In such a situation, in order to hold the image used in the template in the printer, the printer must implement network communication means, I / F and protocol processing for the communication means, and the implementation load and cost are problematic. Met.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above points, and the digital camera, the printer, and the pack for holding the paper used in the printer need only hold the necessary information for each, and the state at the time of connection can be obtained. An object of the present invention is to provide a direct print system that makes it possible to construct optimum layout information.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and in particular, by recording information on the arrangement of images on a sheet in a ROM equipped in the sheet or a pack that supplies the sheet, a template held in the printer main body is used. The advantage is that specific position information can be viewed.

  Furthermore, in order to upload a photograph image to a server on the network, a frame image or cut image having a large data capacity is recorded on a recording medium such as a digital camera having a network connection means or a communication means or a memory card attached to the camera. Is stored, and this is referred to during printing, thereby simplifying the template information held in the printer and reducing the mounting ROM size.

  In order to realize these things, in the present invention, means for designating the number and combination of images, character strings, and patterns to be printed on one sheet, and means for designating how many objects can be arranged on the actual sheet And means for designating each arrangement position and size, means for recording a clip image prepared in advance, means for recording an image such as a digital photograph, and information held by these means are integrated to provide layout information. And generating means.

  By recording information on the arrangement of the image on the paper in the ROM provided in the paper or a pack that supplies the paper, there is an effect that specific position information can be removed from the template held in the printer main body.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of the device of the present invention.

  Reference numeral 1 denotes a digital still camera that can capture, record, and output an image.

  A printer 2 is capable of printing an image by directly communicating with a digital camera.

  A media pack 3 supplies paper to the printer.

  Reference numeral 4 denotes a cable such as a USB connecting the printer and the camera.

  FIG. 2 shows a processing configuration of the present invention.

  Reference numeral 1 denotes a CPU that performs processing of the digital camera.

  Reference numeral 2 denotes a photographing processing unit of the digital camera.

  Reference numeral 3 denotes a ROM or rewritable nonvolatile storage means for storing processing codes and data of the digital camera.

  Reference numeral 4 denotes a RAM for temporarily storing processing data of the digital camera.

  Reference numeral 5 denotes a means for storing photographing data of the digital camera, a template image used in the layout, and the like.

  Reference numeral 6 denotes an external communication I / F of the digital camera.

  Reference numeral 7 denotes a processing device CPU that performs printer processing.

  Reference numeral 8 denotes a non-rewritable ROM or rewritable nonvolatile storage means for storing one or a plurality of printer processing codes and data and layout outline information.

  A RAM 9 temporarily stores processing data of the printer.

  Reference numeral 10 denotes an external communication I / F for reading information from the digital camera.

  A communication unit 11 connects the printer and the digital camera.

  A non-volatile storage unit 12 is provided in the media pack and stores arrangement information on the sheet supplied by the media pack.

  Reference numeral 13 denotes an I / F unit that electrically couples the printer and the storage unit in the media pack.

  FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram related to information distribution according to the present invention.

  Reference numeral 1 denotes content information having a large amount of data such as an image recorded in a relatively large capacity storage unit mounted on or attached to the digital camera. There are roughly two types of images stored here: image information taken by the digital camera shown in 1-A and downloaded from a network or PC to the digital camera or memory medium shown in 1-B. A template image is assumed.

  Furthermore, management information indicating the location of the image information as indicated by 1-C may exist. For example, there may be a management information file indicating the location of a photographic image, such as a DPOF file. Similarly, template image management information as indicated by 1-D may also exist.

  Of course, management information that controls all of these image contents may be prepared, and 1-C and 1-D may be integrated.

  Reference numeral 2 denotes layout outline information recorded in a relatively small-capacity storage unit mounted on or attached to the printer. What is held here is a layout description with no arrangement information regarding the page layout as shown in 2-A and the page information as shown in 2-B. Book management information for designating the layout of the template, image information for a template with a relatively small capacity, and mask image information as shown in 2-C.

  Reference numeral 3 denotes information relating to paper in the pack, which is recorded in a small-capacity storage unit mounted in the media pack. What is recorded here is information on the paper type as shown in 3-A, information on the arrangement information as shown in 3-B, information on the background and preprint as shown in 3-C, and the like.

  By collecting and processing these pieces of information, fixed template information is generated. 8 is the generated template information. Described here are 8-A layout management information that describes the number of objects in the page, image processing information for the entire page, and the like, a mask image for outputting a background image and a preprint image, and a background color. 8-B background arrangement information for recording information such as, and 8-C objects describing arrangement information of individual objects are position information.

  Reference numeral 4 denotes a process for calculating image processing and the number of objects for the entire page from the 3-A paper type information and the 2-A page layout information. The result of the calculation is 8-A layout management. Written to information. If there is unset information, writing may not be performed.

  Reference numeral 5 denotes a process for calculating an actual layout arrangement position from 2-A page layout information, 3-A paper type information, and 3-B arrangement information in consideration of units and scaling factors. The result of this processing is written in 8-C object arrangement information. If there is arrangement information that is not described in 3-B, the specified value described in the layout summary information may be written as it is.

  Reference numeral 6 denotes a process for generating position designation information of the referenced image from the 3-C image information and the 2-C small-capacity template image information. Information specifying the position obtained as a result of this processing is written in the link information to the image / template image in the 8-C object arrangement information.

  7 indicates that an image in the camera is referred to by the image link information described as the prescribed value in the process 6 or the 2 layout outline information. In the actual image drawing process, this link information is By tracing, the image data itself is accessed. Regarding access in this case, in addition to the method of directly specifying the file name and file path, the number of all the captured images, the number of the selected image set, or a certain feature A link specified by a relative specification method such as an image with a parameter may be used. In this case, 7 is not a simple link reference, and an image is retrieved and acquired according to specified information. You may implement to perform the process to do.

  FIG. 4 is an example of an information group constituting the layout outline information.

  Reference numeral 1 is information relating to the aspect ratio of the paper. For example, a ratio such as 210: 297 is described, or an outline shape such as portrait, landscape, square, etc. is described, such as Portrait, Landscape, Square, etc. Sometimes it is.

  2 describes information indicating the number of objects included in the layout summary information. In general, a numerical value corresponding to the number of photographic images to be arranged is described, but when one or several photographic images are used as a background image, objects that are fixedly arranged are excluded. May be described.

  Information 3 indicates the number of objects to be used interchangeably, such as photographic images.

  Reference numeral 4 describes information for designating image filters or correction processing. However, for example, when feeding paper other than white, it is necessary to perform color conversion according to the color of the paper. In this case, this information is set later according to the information specified from the media pack. Sometimes it is done. Unless otherwise specified, information indicating unset is described.

  5 specifies information about the color mode. In particular, when it is desired to designate a monochrome mode or a light color mode in advance as the layout summary information, information for setting the mode is described here in advance. However, if the paper supplied from the media pack is a special paper such as recycled paper or other paper whose color reproduction cannot be guaranteed, the color mode designated from the media pack may be written later. If the color mode is not specified as layout summary information in advance, information indicating unset is displayed.

  Reference numeral 6 denotes information for designating the type of photographic image used for printing. In particular, when it is desired to use thumbnail images preferentially, information recommending the use of thumbnails is written here.

  Reference numeral 7 denotes information related to the background image.

  7-1 is information for specifying the type of the background image. When a template image prepared together with layout outline information is designated in advance, type information indicating that it is a template image is written. If a photographed image is used, information specifying the relative order of photographed images or a photograph image having a specific attribute is written.

  If the background is printed on the paper stored in the media pack or the frame image is printed, an image for masking those frame parts may be specified. In this case The image type is designated here by processing later. In particular, when not specified as layout summary information, information indicating unset is displayed.

  In 7-2, arrangement information of the background image is designated. When it is desired to perform layout using the size of the image itself, information indicating unset is shown here.

  7-3 is information on the arrangement mode of the background image. Information for designating tiling is written when tiling is performed, and information for designating centering is written when centering is performed. When there is no need to specify an arrangement mode, such as when there is no background image, information indicating unset is displayed.

  In 7-4, the background color when the background image is not specified is specified. If no background color is particularly required, information indicating unset is displayed.

  8 is information on one object.

  8-1 is information regarding the type of object. This is information that specifies what elements the object is composed of, such as only a photographic image, a photographic image and a template image, only a template image, a photographic image and a character string, and only a character string.

  8-2 is information for designating a photographic image included in the object. Since a template cannot specify a path for uniquely specifying a photographic image, a description for specifying a relative number, a photograph attribute, or the like is generally performed.

  8-3 is information for designating a template image included in this object. There are templates that refer to a fixed template image in advance, and templates that specify a template image that can be replaced by the user by downloading, etc., so that the former is described so that the image reference destination can be uniquely determined. In the latter case, an ID indicating the relative position designation or the type of template image is described.

  In 8-4, when character string information is included in this object, information related to the character string data is described. There are roughly two types of character string information. One is simply a fixed character string. In this case, information such as a pointer to uniquely identify the location where the character string information is stored. Is described. The other is the case where metadata held for each placed image, such as image supplementary information, is displayed as a character string. In this case, the type of supplementary information, the number of displayable characters, the format of characters to be displayed, etc. Is described.

  8-5 is information for designating a process for a photographic image or the like, and is information for designating a filter processing sequence or the like. For example, processing such as specifying ON / OFF of image processing such as automatic correction processing is designated.

  8-6 is arrangement information regarding an object to be arranged at a fixed position regardless of the type of paper and arrangement information. In particular, there is a case where arrangement information regarding information to be included in all pages such as a company logo is determined in advance, in which case the arrangement position and size are described here. If the object is arranged according to information unique to the paper, such as a sticker paper, information indicating unset is shown here.

  Information 8-7 is information when it is desired to provide a maximum value and a minimum value particularly for the arrangement size of the object. In particular, when designating layout summary information for an index layout in which a very large number of objects are arranged, and when a thumbnail image is designated in 6 above, a printed product can be maintained if it is printed at a very large size. In some cases, it may be necessary to set the maximum value. If it is not necessary to specify the maximum value, information indicating unset is displayed.

  Of course, in order to save the storage area, the information itself may not be recorded when it is not set.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of information held in the media pack.

  Reference numeral 1 denotes information regarding the size of the paper. Information about the vertical and horizontal sizes of the paper is described. This information may be in pixel units or absolute units such as cm.

  Reference numeral 2 denotes information representing the number of objects to be laid out on this sheet. For example, in the case of a sheet on which a 2 × 4 frame sticker is arranged, a number of at least 8 needs to be described here. For plain paper, the object that needs to be laid out at the minimum is “no” or 1. If it is not necessary to specify the number of specially required objects, information indicating unset is displayed.

  3 describes information on the basic color, quality, and ability of the paper.

  In 3-1, standardized identification information of the paper is described. In particular, with regard to a printer manufacturer's genuine paper or the like, information converted into an ID is described here. However, when it is not genuine paper, information representing “others” is written here.

  3-2 is information relating to the basic color of the paper. In the case of paper that was originally yellowish, information indicating yellow is written. In particular, if it is not necessary to perform processing that reflects the color of the paper, this information indicates information indicating that it has not been set.

  In 3-3, for example, information on the amount of ink absorbed is written. When there is no need to perform processing regarding the ink absorption amount regardless of the printer, information indicating unset is displayed.

  In 3-4, for example, information on the ink bleeding rate is written. When it is not necessary to perform processing considering the bleeding rate regardless of the printer, information indicating unset is displayed.

  Reference numeral 4 denotes information on an object that must be arranged.

  4-1 is information indicating the position to be arranged.

  4-2 is information indicating the arrangement size.

  4-3 is information for designating a print of a specific image or information. In particular, when printing a paper manufacturer's logo, printing date and time, ID, and the like in a specific location, information that can uniquely determine the type, image / accompanying information, etc. is written. If there is no information to be specially specified, information indicating unset is displayed.

  Reference numeral 5 denotes information indicating the number of pieces of information related to the background image or the preprint image. If there is no information about the background or the preprint image, information indicating unset is displayed.

  Reference numeral 6 denotes information on the background image or the preprint image.

  Reference numeral 6-1 denotes designation information for the background image mask image. In the case of, for example, a member's card, which has already been printed and completed by printing a photographic image or the like in part, there is a case where the photographic image is not desired to overlap the background image in any case. In such a case, it is necessary to specify the position of the image to be masked. In that case, in the case of a specific shape, information indicating a fixed shape such as a rectangle, an ellipse, a circle, or a star shape is written. If no special designation is required, information indicating unset is displayed.

  6-2 is information regarding the location of the irregular mask image. Information that can uniquely identify the storage location of the mask image is written here.

  Reference numeral 7 denotes image information. For example, if a company logo, a specific frame image, and an irregular mask image are required, they are stored here. If it is not necessary to store such image information, this information is not recorded.

  There may be a plurality of these pieces of information.

  Further, it may be indicated that unset information is not recorded in the first place.

  FIG. 6 is a process flowchart of a process for generating template information from information held dispersedly in each device.

  When the processing is started in step 1, the information shown in FIG. 5 is first read from the media pack in step 2. In step 3, the paper size and the number of objects to be arranged are read out.

  In step 4, layout outline information matching the information read in step 3 is read from the layout outline data storage means inside the printer.

  In step 5, it is determined whether the layout outline information selected in step 4 is one or more, and if it is one, the process proceeds to step 8.

  Step 6 A plurality of layout summary information is presented to the user using a display or the like.

  In step 7, a selection operation by the user is accepted and one piece of layout outline information is selected.

  In step 8, the layout information read from the media pack is written in the layout summary information.

  In step 9, processing for writing information relating to the background image read from the media pack is performed in the layout summary information.

  In step 10, it is checked whether an image is held in the media pack.

  In step 11, a position where an image is stored in the media pack is detected, and processing for adding the information to the layout information as object information is performed.

  In step 12, information relating to the paper read from the media pack is processed, and processing for writing the layout summary information in an appropriate form is performed.

  FIG. 7 shows in detail the process of step 8 in FIG.

  When processing is started in step 1, the counter is reset in step 2.

  In step 3, it is determined whether or not the essential object information read from the media pack is zero. If it is zero, the process is terminated.

  In step 4, information on the paper size is read from the information read from the media pack.

  In step 5, the information regarding the sheet of the layout outline information is compared with the sheet size read in step 4, and a scaling factor and a coefficient for unit conversion are calculated.

  In step 6, object information for which arrangement information is not set is searched for in the layout outline information.

  In step 7, if there is no object for which arrangement information is not set, the process is terminated.

  In step 8, the arrangement information read from the media pack is read.

  In step 9, if there is no arrangement information read from the media pack, the process is terminated.

  In step 10, the arrangement information read from the media pack is converted by multiplying the scaling factor calculated in step 5 and the coefficient for unit conversion.

  In step 11, arrangement information is written in the current object information of the layout outline information.

  In step 12, the counter is incremented by 1, and then the process returns to step 6.

  FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of detailed processing in step 9 of FIG.

  When the process is started in step 1, in step 2, a process for checking whether information read from the media pack includes information related to the background is performed. If not, the process ends. .

  In step 3, the number of information related to the background is read out.

  In step 4, the counter is reset.

  In step 5, the background information in the order indicated by the counter value is read.

  In step 6, the background information is added to the layout summary information.

  In step 7, the counter is counted up.

  In step 8, the number of background information previously read in step 3 is compared with the counter value, and if it is determined that all the background information has already been processed, the process ends. Otherwise, return to Step 5.

[Other Examples]
FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of the present invention in a case where the media pack cannot have a mechanism for determining the paper and the user can replace the paper in the media pack.

  In this case, the media pack is not originally in a one-to-one relationship with the paper type, and the paper loaded in the media pack may be of a different type.

  Therefore, in such a case, there is no method other than holding the sheet type and layout information on each sheet. Therefore, in this case, the information regarding the paper type is provided by describing the information regarding the paper type and the layout with the barcode 4 and other patterns on the tabs 2 and 3 attached to the front and rear of the paper 1 and the back surface of the paper. Also good.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the configuration of the reading means of the printer when information is written for each sheet. Reference numeral 1 denotes a paper feed mechanism of the printer. Reference numeral 2 denotes image photographing means having sufficient resolution and capability for photographing the paper type information on the back surface of the paper.

[Other Example 2]
FIG. 11 shows a processing method in the case where information about paper is not obtained from the media pack. This flowchart is obtained by adding processing when information from the media pack cannot be read in step 2 of FIG.

  If the information of the media pack cannot be read, the arrangement information cannot be read, so the arrangement information must be supplied by some method. In the present embodiment, this is supplemented with alternative media pack information previously held in the printer body. In this case, some standard information is supplied for the paper size, the essential layout information on the paper, and the like.

  When the processing is started in step 1, the information shown in FIG. 5 is first read from the media pack in step 2.

  In step 3, it is determined whether the information from the media pack has been read correctly. If it can be read, go to Step 5.

  In step 4, information that replaces the basic media pack information recorded in advance in the printer body is read.

  In step 5, the paper size and the number of objects to be arranged are read out.

  In step 6, layout outline information matching the information read in step 3 is read from the layout outline data storage means in the printer.

  In step 7, it is determined whether the layout outline information selected in step 6 is one or more, and if it is one, the process proceeds to step 10.

  Step 8 A plurality of layout summary information is presented to the user using a display or the like.

  In step 9, a selection operation by the user is accepted, and one piece of layout outline information is selected.

  In step 10, the layout information read from the media pack is written in the layout summary information.

  In step 11, a process for writing information related to the background image read from the media pack to the layout outline information is performed.

  In step 12, it is checked whether or not an image is held in the media pack.

  In step 13, the position where the image is stored in the media pack is detected, and processing for adding the object information to the layout information is performed.

  In step 14, information relating to the paper read from the media pack is processed, and processing for writing the layout summary information in an appropriate form is performed.

[Other Example 3]
In this embodiment, the standard arrangement information is prepared in the other embodiment 2 and the layout template data is generated by the normal processing. Is set, and when the information in the media pack cannot be acquired, the specified value is used without being overwritten.

  In this case, a predetermined value may be previously entered in 8-6 of FIG. 4, and as a result, the predetermined value may be used unless overwritten by position information.

[Other Example 4]
In another embodiment of the present invention, the information is simply separated and the storage location is not separated from the camera or the media pack, and is stored in advance in the printer. May be.

  FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram regarding the storage location of information in such an embodiment.

  Of the information recorded in a distributed manner in FIG. 3, the printer stores all information other than the photographed image and its management information.

  Reference numeral 1 denotes content information having a large amount of data such as an image recorded in a relatively large capacity storage unit mounted on or attached to the digital camera. In the other embodiment 4, unlike the previous embodiment, the image held here is image information taken by the digital camera shown in 1-A.

  Further, management information indicating the location of the image information as indicated by 1-B may exist. For example, there may be a management information file indicating the location of a photographic image, such as a DPOF file.

  Reference numeral 2 denotes layout outline information recorded in a relatively small-capacity storage unit mounted on or attached to the printer. What is held here is a layout description with no arrangement information regarding the page layout as shown in 2-A and the page information as shown in 2-B. Book management information for designating the layout of the image, template image information as shown in 2-C, mask image information, and the like.

  Reference numeral 3 denotes information relating to the supplied paper, which is recorded in a storage unit mounted in the printer. What is recorded here is information on the paper type as shown in 3-A, information on the arrangement information as shown in 3-B, information on the background and preprint as shown in 3-C, and the like.

  By collecting and processing these pieces of information, fixed template information is generated. 8 is the generated template information. Described here are 8-A layout management information that describes the number of objects in the page, image processing information for the entire page, and the like, a mask image for outputting a background image and a preprint image, and a background color. 8-B background arrangement information for recording information such as, and 8-C objects describing arrangement information of individual objects are position information.

  Reference numeral 4 denotes a process for calculating image processing and the number of objects for the entire page from the 3-A paper type information and the 2-A page layout information. The result of the calculation is 8-A layout management. Written to information. If there is unset information, writing may not be performed.

  Reference numeral 5 denotes a process for calculating an actual layout arrangement position from 2-A page layout information, 3-A paper type information, and 3-B arrangement information in consideration of units and scaling factors. The result of this processing is written in 8-C object arrangement information. If there is arrangement information that is not described in 3-B, the specified value described in the layout summary information may be written as it is.

  Reference numeral 6 denotes a process for generating position designation information of the referenced image from the 3-C image information and the 2-C small-capacity template image information. Information specifying the position obtained as a result of this processing is written in the link information to the image / template image in the 8-C object arrangement information.

  7 indicates that an image in the camera is referred to by the image link information described as the prescribed value in the process 6 or the 2 layout outline information. In the actual image drawing process, this link information is By tracing, the image data itself is accessed. Regarding access in this case, in addition to the method of directly specifying the file name and file path, the number of all the captured images, the number of the selected image set, or a certain feature A link specified by a relative specification method such as an image with a parameter may be used. In this case, 7 is not a simple link reference, and an image is retrieved and acquired according to specified information. You may implement to perform the process to do.

[Other Example 5]
In the other embodiment 4, in particular, only the identification information indicating a certain paper type is stored in the media pack or the supplied paper, and the paper information of 3 in FIG. 12 is automatically selected by reading this. May be used.

  Even in that case, since only the information related to the paper is selected and used rather than selecting the template information itself, there are various variations with less storage capacity than the processing method of selecting the template information for each combination of the paper type and the layout. It becomes possible to correspond to the layout of.

[Other Example 6]
In the first place, a similar mechanism may be used in a system in which a digital camera and a printer are integrated. In this case, since the digital camera and the printer are the same device, for example, in the information distribution of FIG. 3 in the embodiment of the present invention, the information held separately in the printer and the camera is stored in one device. Except for this, the processing / concept of the present invention can be implemented without any change.

The figure which shows an example of the device structure which implements this invention The figure which shows an example of a structure of the system which implements this invention Conceptual diagram regarding distribution and integration of information according to the present invention The figure which shows the example of the content of the layout summary information in this invention The figure which shows the example of the information hold | maintained in the media pack in this invention Processing flow chart of template information generation processing in the present invention Process flow diagram of object placement position determination process in template according to the present invention Process flow chart of image designation processing related to background or preprint information in template in the present invention The figure which shows the example of recording of the paper information in this invention other Examples. The figure which shows the example of the read-out mechanism of the paper information in this invention other example. Process flow diagram in case of data loss in the second embodiment of the present invention Conceptual diagram of data retention and integration in the fourth embodiment of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 FIG. 1 Digital still camera 2 Printer 3 Media pack 4 Cable Description of FIG. 2 1 Camera CPU
2 Camera shooting processing unit 3 Camera ROM
4 Camera RAM
5 Image storage means 6 Camera external communication I / F
7 Printer CPU
8 Printer ROM
9 Printer RAM
10 Printer external communication I / F
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Arrangement information storage means 13 Combined I / F means Explanation of reference numerals in FIG. 3 1 Image content information 1-A Photographed image information 1-B Template image information 1-C Photographed image management information 1-D Template image management information 2 Outline of layout Information 2-A Page layout information 2-B Book management information 2-C Small-capacity template image information 3 Paper information in a pack 3-A Paper type information 3-B Arrangement information information 3-C Image information 4 Management information composition processing 5 Arrangement Information composition processing 6 Image link generation processing 7 Image link reference 8 Generated template information 8-A Layout management information 8-B Background arrangement information 8-C Object is position information Description of reference numerals in FIG. 9 1 Sheet 2, 3 Tab 4 Bar Code Explanation of Code FIG. 10 1 Paper Feed Mechanism of Printer 2 Image Shooting Means Explanation of Code of FIG. 12 1 Image Content Information 1-A Photographed image information 1-B Photographed image management information 2 Layout outline information 2-A Page layout information 2-B Book management information 2-C Template image information 3 Paper information 3-A Paper type information 3-B Arrangement information 3-C image information 4 management information composition processing 5 arrangement information composition processing 6 image link generation processing 7 image link information 8 generated template information 8-A layout management information 8-B background arrangement information 8-C object is position information

Claims (7)

  Means for storing one or more pieces of information specifying the number and combination of images, character strings, and patterns to be printed on one sheet of paper, means for designating how many objects can be placed on the actual paper, and each placement A means for specifying a position and size, a means for recording a clip image prepared in advance, and a template (layout template) information before pasting a photographic image by integrating information held by these means And a direct printing system characterized by comprising: While taking a digital image by optoelectronic conversion, recording and holding this and communicating image information to external devices, while communicating with the digital camera connected to the digital camera A system comprising a printer for printing, a media pack connected to the printer for supplying specific paper, and a wired or wireless communication means for connecting the digital camera and the printer,
Means for storing image data used in layout printing in a large-capacity storage means attached to or built in the digital camera;
Means for storing layout summary information having information specifying the number of objects to be laid out in the storage means inside the printer, information specifying the photographed image information, and specifying the template image;
Means for storing arrangement information unique to the paper to be supplied, built in the media pack;
Means for reading captured image information stored in the digital camera;
Means for reading template image data stored in the digital camera; means for reading layout summary information stored in the printer;
Means for reading arrangement information stored in the media pack;
A direct print system having a layout process including means for generating template layout information which is template information of a layout in consideration of such information.   3. The direct print system according to claim 2, wherein template image data used for layout printing is held on the printer side.   4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising image set description information describing a set of photographed image data recorded in the digital camera, and a process of performing layout processing only on the set described by reading the set. Direct print system characterized by   5. The direct printing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a sheet tab information reading unit that records print arrangement information on a sheet on a sheet tab and reads the information to use it as arrangement position information. Printing system.   6. The means for registering paper arrangement information in advance in the printer for each paper type, a means for holding only paper type information in a paper or media pack, and a printer according to claim 2, And a placement information selection means for selecting and using the placement information registered in advance according to the read paper type. Direct print system.   7. The direct according to claim 2, wherein XHTML is used as layout outline information held in the printer, and css is used as arrangement information to be recorded on a media pack or a paper tab. Printing system.