JP2006235855A - Image forming device, image processing device, program, and image processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device which efficiently performs gradation drawing and reduces time required for printing processing. <P>SOLUTION: Figure drawing commands, which constitute print data from an image output control device, are sequentially interpreted, and the results of the interpretations are analyzed. When a received drawing command is a drawing command constituting gradation in which a color changes in a direction in which addresses on a page memory continue (Y in S2), the drawing command is converted to a gradation drawing command with which each drawing command is combined (S3), and a printing drawing image is developed on the page memory. By this, when a figure to be drawn is gradation, a plurality of graphic drawing commands are combined to drop them in gradation drawing units, and accordingly the gradation can be drawn at high speed, as a variable drawing which does not change for each color but whose long sideways color is constant, by developing the printing drawing image on the page memory with the smaller number of times of access to the memory. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image processing apparatus, a program, and an image processing method.

  In recent years, various functions have been enhanced in color DTP, word processors, and the like that operate on computer devices such as personal computers, so that not only text but also complex figures can be easily created. Documents such as texts and images created in this way are printed out by a printer device connected to the computer device via a network.

  In such a computer apparatus, generally, when a document is printed out, a drawing command described in a page description language (PDL) is sent to the printer apparatus side. When a drawing command is sent, a graphic such as a font or graphics is drawn on the printer device side based on the drawing command.

  In addition, as documents become more sophisticated, expression techniques used in graphics drawing have become more advanced. In particular, a gradation function that gradually changes the color of a drawing area tends to be frequently used for purposes such as effective presentation and three-dimensional shape expression. As such a gradation function, various gradation patterns are prepared as shown in FIG. 10, the color of a predetermined end point is designated, and the region is gradually changed from the designated color 1 to the designated color 2. There are many things to paint.

  However, since there is no gradation-dedicated command in the normal page description language, the size of the page description language output from the computer device to the printer device increases and becomes complicated, the speed at which the page description language is transferred to the printer device, the printer There has been a problem that the gradation generation processing on the apparatus side is increased.

  Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus capable of performing high-speed processing by greatly reducing the load required for drawing a complex gradation. Patent Document 2 discloses an image processing apparatus that enables gradation drawing independent of the use of an application or an OS, and that can suppress the PDL size.

JP 2000-215320 A JP 2002-318680 A

  By the way, the cause of the processing load in gradation drawing is the drawing of a gradation pattern whose color changes in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. This is because, as shown in FIG. 12, the gradation is divided into elements for each color, and each divided element is replaced with a graphics drawing command. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, after drawing the figure of color A, the figure of color B is drawn. That is, in the drawing of the gradation pattern whose color changes in the horizontal direction, the drawing which is long in the vertical direction is repeated while the gradation is drawn. In this way, the vertically long drawing is often drawn with a bit width of less than 1 byte on the page memory as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, when the drawing of the range of the color A in one line is completed, the range of the color A in the next line is drawn, but the memory address of the next line is the previously drawn color. It is a position advanced from the memory address in the range of A by the page width. In existing hardware, it often takes time to perform such an address jump and a memory operation for a bit width of less than 1 byte on the page memory.

  Conversely, in the case of drawing a gradation pattern whose color changes in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 15, since the figure of color A is horizontally long, the memory addresses accessed at one time are often continuous and the entire Byte, High-speed drawing with hardware is possible.

  In this regard, according to the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the determination and combination at the level of the drawing command is not mentioned. Further, according to the image processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, all drawing commands that can be regarded as constituting a gradation are to be combined, and a color is displayed in the vertical direction so that the processing speed is not greatly reduced. The changing gradation pattern is also the target of combination.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides an image forming apparatus, an image processing apparatus, a program, and an image processing method capable of efficiently performing gradation drawing and reducing the print processing time. The purpose is to do.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a data input processing means for receiving an input of a graphic drawing command for PDL data constituting print data from an image output control apparatus. A PDL interpretation processing means for sequentially interpreting the graphic drawing commands received by the data input processing means and outputting an interpretation result obtained after the interpretation; and an interpretation result sent from the PDL interpretation processing means is analyzed. If the received drawing command is a drawing command that constitutes a gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous, the drawing command is converted into a combined gradation drawing command and the print drawing image is converted. Drawing processing means for developing on the page memory, and development on the page memory by the drawing processing means Comprising a printing means for printing drawing image formed on the recording medium, the.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the drawing processing means includes a storage means for storing gradation drawing commands in a work memory, and a drawing newly received from the PDL interpretation processing means. The command is compared with a drawing command determined to be a drawing command constituting the gradation stored in the work memory, and it is determined whether the newly received drawing command can become a drawing command constituting the gradation. And a gradation drawing stored in the work memory when the drawing command newly received from the PDL interpretation processing means is determined to be a drawing command constituting a gradation. The binding processing means that binds to the command and this connection And a re-accumulating means again stored in the work memory gradation drawing command drawing command is coupled to the newly received by the processing means.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, when determining whether or not a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting the gradation, the drawing constituting the gradation is performed. Assume that the commands are continuous.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the determination as to whether or not a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting a gradation is made according to the previously received drawing command. If the drawing position is adjacent in the horizontal direction, the size (width and height) is the same, and the colors are slightly different, it is considered that the drawing command can constitute a gradation.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the gradation drawing command includes a drawing range and color information.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect, when the drawing command received from the PDL interpretation processing unit is a continuous RUN drawing command, the gradation drawing command is used as a drawing range. Has start point coordinates and length.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect, when the drawing command received from the PDL interpretation processing means is a continuous rectangular drawing command, the gradation drawing command is set as a drawing range. It has start point coordinates, width and height.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the gradation drawing command includes a color change amount relative to a movement amount in a direction in which the start point color and the address in the page memory are continuous as color information. Have.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus for sequentially interpreting a PDL input processing unit for receiving an input of a graphic drawing command for PDL data constituting print data, and the graphic drawing command received by the PDL input processing unit. The PDL interpretation processing means for outputting the interpretation result obtained after the interpretation, and the interpretation result sent from the PDL interpretation processing means are analyzed, and the color of the received drawing command is changed in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous. In the case of a drawing command that constitutes a gradation that changes, a drawing processing unit that converts each drawing command into a combined gradation drawing command and develops a printed drawing image on a page memory, and the drawing processing unit A data output method for outputting a print / drawn image developed on the page memory to the image forming apparatus. And, equipped with a.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the drawing processing means includes a storage means for storing gradation drawing commands in a work memory, and a drawing newly received from the PDL interpretation processing means. The command is compared with a drawing command determined to be a drawing command constituting the gradation stored in the work memory, and it is determined whether the newly received drawing command can become a drawing command constituting the gradation. And a gradation drawing stored in the work memory when the drawing command newly received from the PDL interpretation processing means is determined to be a drawing command constituting a gradation. Join processing means to join the command and this Comprising a re-accumulating means again storing gradation drawing command drawing command newly received is coupled to said working memory by coupling the processing means.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the ninth or tenth aspect, when determining whether or not a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting the gradation, the drawing constituting the gradation is performed. Assume that the commands are continuous.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the ninth or tenth aspect, the determination as to whether or not a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting a gradation is the same as the previously received drawing command. If the drawing position is adjacent in the horizontal direction, the size (width and height) is the same, and the colors are slightly different, it is considered that the drawing command can constitute a gradation.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing device according to any one of the ninth to twelfth aspects, the gradation drawing command includes a drawing range and color information.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the thirteenth aspect, when the drawing command received from the PDL interpretation processing means is a continuous RUN drawing command, the gradation drawing command is used as a drawing range. Has start point coordinates and length.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the thirteenth aspect, when the drawing command received from the PDL interpretation processing means is a continuous rectangular drawing command, the gradation drawing command is set as a drawing range. It has start point coordinates, width and height.

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the thirteenth aspect, the gradation drawing command includes a color change amount relative to a movement amount in a direction in which the start point color and the address in the page memory are continuous as color information. Have.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for sequentially interpreting a PDL input processing function for receiving an input of a graphic drawing command for PDL data constituting print data, and the graphic drawing command received by the PDL input processing function, The PDL interpretation processing function for outputting the interpretation result obtained after the interpretation and the interpretation result sent from the PDL interpretation processing function are analyzed, and the color changes in the direction in which the received drawing command has consecutive addresses in the page memory. In the case of a drawing command that constitutes such a gradation, a drawing processing function that converts each drawing command into a gradation drawing command that combines the drawing commands and develops a printed drawing image on the page memory, and the page processing memory A data output device for outputting a printed drawing image developed above to an image forming apparatus When causes the computer to execute.

  According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the program according to the seventeenth aspect, the drawing processing function includes: a storage function for storing gradation drawing commands in a work memory; a drawing command newly received from the PDL interpretation processing function; Judgment to determine whether a newly received drawing command can become a drawing command constituting a gradation by comparing with a drawing command determined to be a drawing command constituting the gradation stored in the work memory Function, and when it is determined that the drawing command newly received from the PDL interpretation processing function is a drawing command constituting a gradation, each drawing command is stored in the gradation drawing command stored in the work memory. Join processing function to join and this Comprising a re-accumulating function again storing gradation drawing command drawing command newly received is coupled to said working memory by engagement processing function, a.

  According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the program according to the seventeenth or eighteenth aspect, when determining whether or not the newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting the gradation, the drawing command constituting the gradation is Assume that they are continuous.

  According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in the program according to the seventeenth or eighteenth aspect, whether or not a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting a gradation is determined by determining whether or not the drawing command and drawing position received previously are Are adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction, have the same size (width and height), and are slightly different in color, it is considered that the drawing command can constitute a gradation.

  The invention according to claim 21 is the program according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the gradation drawing command includes a drawing range and color information.

  The invention according to claim 22 is the program according to claim 21, wherein when the drawing command received from the PDL interpretation processing function is a continuous RUN drawing command, the gradation drawing command is set as a starting point coordinate. And has a length.

  In a twenty-third aspect of the invention, in the program according to the twenty-first aspect, when the drawing command received from the PDL interpretation processing function is a continuous rectangular drawing command, the gradation drawing command is set as a starting point coordinate. , Having a width and height.

  According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the invention, in the program according to the twenty-first aspect, the gradation drawing command has a color change amount with respect to a movement amount in a direction in which the start point color and the address in the page memory are continuous as color information. ing.

  An image processing method according to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention is a PDL input processing step for receiving an input of a graphic drawing command for PDL data constituting print data, and sequentially interpreting the graphic drawing command received in the PDL input processing step. The PDL interpretation processing step for outputting the interpretation result obtained after the interpretation and the interpretation result sent from the PDL interpretation processing step are analyzed, and the received drawing command displays the color in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous. In the case of a drawing command that constitutes a gradation that changes, a drawing processing step that converts each drawing command into a combined gradation drawing command and develops a printed drawing image on the page memory, and the drawing processing step Data output that outputs the printed drawing image developed on the page memory to the image forming device Including the extent, the.

  According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image processing method according to the twenty-fifth aspect, the drawing processing step includes a storage step of storing gradation drawing commands in a work memory and a drawing newly received from the PDL interpretation processing step. The command is compared with a drawing command determined to be a drawing command constituting the gradation stored in the work memory, and it is determined whether the newly received drawing command can become a drawing command constituting the gradation. And a gradation drawing in which each drawing command is stored in the work memory when it is determined that the drawing command newly received from the PDL interpretation processing step is a drawing command constituting a gradation. Join processing steps that join commands, and this Including a re-storing process of re-stored in the work memory gradation drawing command drawing command is coupled to the newly received by the coupling process.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the result of sequentially interpreting the graphic drawing commands constituting the print data from the image output control device is analyzed, and the color of the received drawing command changes in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous. In the case of a drawing command that constitutes such a gradation, each drawing command is converted into a combined gradation drawing command, and a print drawing image is developed on the page memory. As a result, when the figure to be drawn is a gradation, generally, a plurality of graphics drawing commands for drawing by dividing the same color area into drawing units such as RUN and rectangle are combined and dropped into the gradation drawing unit. As a result, it is possible to draw a gradation at high speed by developing it in the page memory with a smaller number of memory accesses as a drawing in which the horizontally long color does not change for each color, but to perform the gradation drawing efficiently. This is advantageous in that the print processing time can be reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the gradation drawing command is stored in the work memory, and it is determined that it can be a drawing command that constitutes the newly received drawing command and the gradation stored in the work memory. If the newly received drawing command is a drawing command that constitutes a gradation, it is determined whether or not the newly received drawing command can be a drawing command that constitutes a gradation. Each drawing command is combined with the gradation drawing command stored in the work memory, and the gradation drawing command combined with the newly received drawing command is stored again in the work memory. As a result, when the figure to be drawn is a gradation, a plurality of graphics drawing commands can be reliably combined and dropped into the gradation drawing unit.

  According to the invention of claim 3, when determining whether or not a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting a gradation, it is assumed that the drawing commands constituting the gradation are continuous. As a result, it is possible to simplify the processing and further increase the speed.

  According to the invention of claim 4, whether or not a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting a gradation is determined based on whether the previously received drawing command and the drawing position are adjacent in the horizontal direction. If the height (width, height) is the same and the colors are slightly different, it is possible to determine quickly and easily by assuming that the drawing command can constitute a gradation.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the gradation drawing command is composed of a drawing range and color information, thereby drawing a gradation whose color changes in a direction in which addresses in the page memory are continuous. There is an effect that can be.

  According to the invention of claim 6, when the drawing command to be received is a continuous RUN drawing command, the gradation drawing command has the start point coordinates and the length as the drawing range. There is an effect that it is possible to surely draw a gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in FIG.

  According to the invention of claim 7, when the drawing command received is a continuous rectangular drawing command, the gradation drawing command has the start point coordinates, the width and the height as the drawing range. There is an effect that the gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous can be reliably drawn.

  According to the invention of claim 8, the gradation drawing command has the color change amount with respect to the movement amount in the direction in which the start point color and the address in the page memory are continuous as the color information. There is an effect that the gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in FIG.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the result of sequentially interpreting the graphic drawing commands constituting the print data is analyzed, and the received drawing command has a gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous. Is converted into a gradation drawing command obtained by combining the drawing commands, and the print drawing image is developed on the page memory. As a result, when the figure to be drawn is a gradation, generally, a plurality of graphics drawing commands for drawing by dividing the same color area into drawing units such as RUN and rectangle are combined and dropped into the gradation drawing unit. As a result, it is possible to draw a gradation at high speed by developing it in the page memory with a smaller number of memory accesses as a drawing in which the horizontally long color does not change for each color, but to perform the gradation drawing efficiently. This is advantageous in that the print processing time can be reduced.

  According to the invention of claim 10, gradation drawing commands are stored in the work memory, and it is determined that the drawing command can be a drawing command that constitutes a newly received drawing command and gradation stored in the work memory. If the newly received drawing command is a drawing command that constitutes a gradation, it is determined whether or not the newly received drawing command can be a drawing command that constitutes a gradation. Each drawing command is combined with the gradation drawing command stored in the work memory, and the gradation drawing command combined with the newly received drawing command is stored again in the work memory. As a result, when the figure to be drawn is a gradation, a plurality of graphics drawing commands can be reliably combined and dropped into the gradation drawing unit.

  According to the invention of claim 11, when determining whether or not a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting a gradation, it is assumed that the drawing commands constituting the gradation are continuous. As a result, it is possible to simplify the processing and further increase the speed.

  According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, whether or not a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting a gradation is determined by determining that the previously received drawing command and the drawing position are adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction. If the height (width, height) is the same and the colors are slightly different, it is possible to determine quickly and easily by assuming that the drawing command can constitute a gradation.

  According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the gradation drawing command is composed of a drawing range and color information, thereby drawing a gradation whose color changes in a direction in which addresses in the page memory are continuous. There is an effect that can be.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, when the drawing command received is a continuous RUN drawing command, the gradation drawing command has the start point coordinates and the length as the drawing range, so that the page memory There is an effect that it is possible to surely draw a gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in FIG.

  According to the invention of claim 15, when the drawing command to be received is a continuous rectangular drawing command, the gradation drawing command has the start point coordinates, the width and the height as the drawing range. There is an effect that the gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous can be reliably drawn.

  According to the sixteenth aspect of the invention, the gradation drawing command has the color change amount with respect to the movement amount in the direction in which the start point color and the address in the page memory are continuous as the color information. There is an effect that the gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in FIG.

  According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the result of sequentially interpreting the graphic drawing commands constituting the print data is analyzed, and the received drawing command has such gradation that the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous. Is converted into a gradation drawing command obtained by combining the drawing commands, and the print drawing image is developed on the page memory. As a result, when the figure to be drawn is a gradation, generally, a plurality of graphics drawing commands for drawing by dividing the same color area into drawing units such as RUN and rectangle are combined and dropped into the gradation drawing unit. As a result, it is possible to draw a gradation at high speed by developing it in the page memory with a smaller number of memory accesses as a drawing in which the horizontally long color does not change for each color, but to perform the gradation drawing efficiently. This is advantageous in that the print processing time can be reduced.

  According to the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, gradation drawing commands are stored in the work memory, and it is determined that the drawing command can be a newly received drawing command and a drawing command constituting the gradation stored in the work memory. If the newly received drawing command is a drawing command that constitutes a gradation, it is determined whether or not the newly received drawing command can be a drawing command that constitutes a gradation. Each drawing command is combined with the gradation drawing command stored in the work memory, and the gradation drawing command combined with the newly received drawing command is stored again in the work memory. As a result, when the figure to be drawn is a gradation, a plurality of graphics drawing commands can be reliably combined and dropped into the gradation drawing unit.

  According to the invention of claim 19, when determining whether or not a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting a gradation, it is assumed that the drawing commands constituting the gradation are continuous. As a result, it is possible to simplify the processing and further increase the speed.

  According to the twentieth aspect of the present invention, whether or not a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting a gradation is determined by determining that the previously received drawing command and the drawing position are adjacent in the horizontal direction and are large. If the height (width, height) is the same and the colors are slightly different, it is possible to determine quickly and easily by assuming that the drawing command can constitute a gradation.

  According to the invention of claim 21, the gradation drawing command is constituted by a drawing range and color information, thereby drawing a gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous. There is an effect that can be.

  According to the invention of claim 22, when the drawing command to be received is a continuous RUN drawing command, the gradation drawing command has the start point coordinates and the length as the drawing range. There is an effect that it is possible to surely draw a gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in FIG.

  According to the invention of claim 23, when the drawing command to be received is a continuous rectangular drawing command, the gradation drawing command has the start point coordinates, the width and the height as the drawing range. There is an effect that the gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous can be reliably drawn.

  According to the twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, the gradation drawing command has the color change amount with respect to the movement amount in the direction in which the start point color and the address in the page memory are continuous as the color information. There is an effect that the gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in FIG.

  According to the invention of claim 25, the gradation is such that the result of sequentially interpreting the graphic drawing commands constituting the print data is analyzed, and the received drawing command changes the color in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous. Is converted into a gradation drawing command obtained by combining the drawing commands, and the print drawing image is developed on the page memory. As a result, when the figure to be drawn is a gradation, generally, a plurality of graphics drawing commands for drawing by dividing the same color area into drawing units such as RUN and rectangle are combined and dropped into the gradation drawing unit. As a result, it is possible to draw a gradation at high speed by developing it in the page memory with a smaller number of memory accesses as a drawing in which the horizontally long color does not change for each color, but to perform the gradation drawing efficiently. This is advantageous in that the print processing time can be reduced.

  According to the twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, the gradation drawing command is stored in the work memory, and it is determined that it can be a drawing command that constitutes the newly received drawing command and the gradation stored in the work memory. If the newly received drawing command is a drawing command that constitutes a gradation, it is determined whether or not the newly received drawing command can be a drawing command that constitutes a gradation. Each drawing command is combined with the gradation drawing command stored in the work memory, and the gradation drawing command combined with the newly received drawing command is stored again in the work memory. As a result, when the figure to be drawn is a gradation, a plurality of graphics drawing commands can be reliably combined and dropped into the gradation drawing unit.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system including an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that gradation drawing processing is performed on the printer device 102 side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system 100 includes a personal computer 101 that is an image output control device that creates and processes a print document, and a printer device 102 that is a laser printer that prints the print document. The device 102 is directly connected to the personal computer 101 via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable 103. Such a personal computer 101 is connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) 104, and data communication using e-mail or the like is possible via the LAN 104.

  First, the personal computer 101 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the personal computer 101. As shown in FIG. 2, the personal computer 101 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1 that controls the operation of the personal computer 101. The CPU 1 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 2 for storing a program executed when the CPU 1 is started up and necessary data, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 3 for configuring a work area of the CPU 1. They are connected via an internal bus 17.

  Further, the CPU 1 includes a character generator 4, a clock circuit 5, a LAN transmission control unit 7, a magnetic disk device 8, a CD-ROM device 9, a display control unit 12, an input control unit 15, and a printer interface circuit 16. The exchange of data between these elements is performed mainly via the internal bus 17.

  The character generator 4 is for generating graphic character display data. The clock circuit 5 is for outputting current date information.

  The LAN interface circuit 6 is for connecting the personal computer 101 to the LAN 104, and the LAN transmission control unit 7 is for exchanging various data with other data terminal devices via the LAN 104. This is for executing communication control processing of various predetermined protocol suites.

  The magnetic disk device 8 is for storing various data such as various application programs, work data, file data, and image information data. The CD-ROM device 9 is for reading data from a CD-ROM 10 which is an exchangeable recording medium.

  A display device 11 such as a CRT is for displaying a screen for operating the personal computer 101, and a display control unit 12 is for controlling display contents of the display device 11.

  The keyboard device 13 is for causing various instructions to the personal computer 101 to be performed by various key operations, and the screen instruction device 14 is for performing an operation such as indicating an arbitrary point on the display device 11. (For example, a pointing device such as a mouse), and the input control unit 15 is for capturing input information of the keyboard device 13 and the screen pointing device 14.

  The printer interface circuit 16 is connected to the printer device 102 via the USB cable 103 to transmit print job data and the like to the printer device 102 and to receive print result information and the like from the printer device 102. Is.

  The print document information is created by the personal computer 101 by an appropriate application program, and is created by the application program and stored in the magnetic disk device 8 or stored in the CD-ROM 10 as the CD-ROM device. 9 and read into the personal computer 101 or reconstructed from information received by e-mail or the like via the LAN 104 and stored in the personal computer 101 to be stored in the personal computer 101.

  Next, the printer apparatus 102 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the printer apparatus 102. As shown in FIG. 3, the printer apparatus 102 includes a system control unit 21 that performs various control processes such as a control process of each part of the printer apparatus 102 and an image forming process. The system control unit 21 includes a system memory 22, a parameter memory 23, a clock circuit 24, an operation display unit 25, a page memory 26, a printer engine 27, a transport system unit 28, an external device interface circuit 29, and a magnetic disk device 30. They are connected via a bus 31, and data exchange between these elements is mainly performed via the internal bus 31.

  The system memory 22 stores a control processing program executed by the system control unit 21 and various data necessary for executing the processing program, and constitutes a work area of the system control unit 21. The parameter memory 23 Is for storing various types of information unique to the printer apparatus 102.

  The clock circuit 24 outputs current time information. The operation display unit 25 is for operating the printer device 102 and includes various operation keys and various display devices.

  The page memory 26 holds image data to be printed (print drawing image), and the printer engine 27 is for recording and outputting an image of the image data held in the page memory 26 on a recording sheet. . The paper feeding / conveying system unit 28 separates the recording paper from a paper cassette or the like (not shown) holding the recording paper (recording medium), feeds the recording paper to the image recording position of the printer engine 27, and finally. This is for discharging to a discharge tray (not shown). Since the printer apparatus 102 of the present embodiment is a laser printer, the printer engine 27 forms an image by an electrophotographic process method and records and outputs it on a recording sheet.

  The external device interface circuit 29 is connected to the personal computer 101 via the USB cable 103, and receives print job data or the like, or transmits data representing a print result or the like to the personal computer 101. is there.

  The magnetic disk device 30 is for accumulating various types of print document information and storing other appropriate information files.

  Here, a characteristic function exhibited by the system control unit 21 of the printer apparatus 102 according to the present embodiment will be described. In a page printer such as a laser printer, image data to be printed can be described using a page description language (PDL). Moreover, in a page printer having a high-performance processing function such as a laser printer, image data described using a page description language is directly input, and a graphic drawing command of the page description language constituting the image data is interpreted. A print drawing image composed of drawing objects recognized by the interpretation is generated and developed in the page memory 26. A characteristic function exhibited by the system control unit 21 of the printer apparatus 102 regarding this point will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram relating to characteristic functions exhibited by the system control unit 21. As shown in FIG. 4, the system control unit 21 includes a data input processing unit 41 that is a data input processing unit, a PDL interpretation processing unit 42 that is a PDL interpretation processing unit, and a drawing processing unit 43 that is a drawing processing unit. I have.

  The data input processing unit 41 receives input of print information described in a page description language (PDL) input via the external device interface circuit 29, and the received print information is sent to the PDL interpretation processing unit 42. Sent.

  The PDL interpretation processing unit 42 analyzes a page description language (PDL) constituting the print information, and outputs a drawing command CM1 corresponding to each type (character, graphic, image) of the drawing object and a print command CM2 for instructing printing. And output to the drawing processing unit 43. Here, the drawing command CM1 and the print command CM2 are common drawing commands that can be interpreted by the drawing processing unit 43, respectively. Examples of the drawing command CM1 include a drawing range designation command and a drawing color designation command.

  When the drawing processing unit 43 receives the drawing command CM1 sent from the PDL interpretation processing unit 42, as shown in FIG. 5, when each received drawing command CM1 is a drawing command constituting a gradation, gradation combining is performed. In the processing unit 43a, the drawing commands CM1 are combined and converted into gradation drawing commands for performing all the drawing. Here, the gradation drawing is a drawing in which an area of an arbitrary shape is filled with a color obtained with a certain change. More specifically, the gradation combination processing unit 43a uses the gradation combination work memory 43b, which is an area formed in the system memory 22 by the operation of the drawing processing unit 43, and sequentially compares the received drawing commands CM1 to generate gradation. When the drawing commands are determined to be included, the drawing commands CM1 are combined and converted into gradation drawing commands for performing all the drawing. The gradation drawing command in the present embodiment, which will be described in detail later, is a gradation drawing unit obtained by combining graphics drawing for drawing by dividing the same color area into drawing units such as RUN and rectangle. The gradation drawing command generated in this way is stored in the intermediate data memory 43c (storage means). Here, the intermediate data memory 43 c is an area formed in the system memory 22 by the operation of the drawing processing unit 43. On the other hand, drawing commands CM1 other than the drawing commands that can be gradation drawing commands sent from the PDL interpretation processing unit 42 are also stored in the intermediate data memory 43c. Thereafter, the gradation drawing command and the drawing command CM1 stored in the intermediate data memory 43c are distributed to drawing objects for each figure drawing type (gradation, graphic, image) in the figure drawing distribution processing unit 43d, and then each drawing process is performed. (Gradation drawing processing unit 43e, graphic drawing processing unit 43f, image drawing processing unit 43g). Each drawing processing unit (gradation drawing processing unit 43e, graphic drawing processing unit 43f, image drawing processing unit 43g) performs image processing according to various device information data DD such as a printing function of the printer engine 27, a paper size, and a paper direction. Is executed to form a print drawing image, and the print drawing image is stored in the page memory 26.

  Further, the drawing processing unit 43 outputs a print request PP to the printer engine 27 at an appropriate timing, and causes the printer engine 27 to form and output a print drawing image of the page memory 26 on a recording sheet (recording medium). . Here, the function of the print processing means is realized.

  Here, the gradation combination processing in the gradation combination processing unit 43a will be described in detail. FIG. 6 is a flowchart schematically showing the flow of gradation combination processing. As shown in FIG. 6, in order to determine whether or not a group of drawing commands CM1 is a drawing command constituting a gradation, first, the drawing commands CM1 are sequentially received (step S1), and the accepted drawing command CM1 constitutes a gradation. It is determined whether it can be a drawing command (step S2: determination means). The determination as to whether or not the drawing command can constitute a gradation is made by determining whether or not the drawing command CM1 (or gradation) determined to be a drawing command constituting the gradation stored in the accepted drawing command CM1 and the gradation combining work memory 43b. This is done by comparing the command type, drawing position, width, height, and drawing color. For example, the received drawing command CM1 is a continuous RUN drawing command (single color, having start point coordinates and length), the previous RUN drawing command and the drawing position are adjacent in the horizontal direction, and the size ( If the width and height are the same and the colors are slightly different, it is considered that the drawing command can be used to compose a gradation.

  When it is determined that the accepted drawing command CM1 can be a drawing command that constitutes a gradation (Y in step S2), the accepted drawing command CM1 is drawn that constitutes the gradation stored in the gradation combining work memory 43b. After combining the drawing command CM1 (or gradation drawing command) determined to be a command and converting it into a gradation drawing command for performing all drawing (step S3: combining processing means), the gradation drawing command is Accumulated in the gradation combining work memory 43b (step S4: re-accumulating means). That is, the gradation drawing command combined with the received drawing command CM1 is returned to the gradation combining work memory 43b after being combined, and a determination is made as to whether or not it can be combined with the next drawing command CM1.

  Here, the gradation drawing command will be described. The gradation drawing command includes a drawing range (start point coordinates and length) and color information (color change amount with respect to a start point color and an amount of movement in the X direction (a direction in which addresses in the page memory 26 are continuous)). The color change amount of the gradation drawing command is the length of the same color portion for each Y coordinate of interest of the original RUN drawing command in order to obtain the change rate in the X direction (direction in which addresses in the page memory 26 are continuous). Calculated from When the received drawing command CM1 is a rectangular drawing command, only a case where the drawing command CM1 is adjacent in the horizontal direction is set as a combination target. When the rectangle is shifted vertically, only the overlapping part in the Y coordinate is set as the object of combination, and the other part is separated as another command. Further, if the accepted drawing command CM1 is a polygon drawing command, scan line conversion is performed, and the same processing is performed after conversion to a set of RUN and rectangles.

  If there is a next drawing command CM1 (Y in step S5), the process returns to step S1 to accept the next drawing command CM1.

  When all the drawing commands CM1 have been determined (N in step S5), the gradation drawing commands stored in the gradation combining work memory 43b are stored in the intermediate data memory 43c (step S6).

  If it is determined that the accepted drawing command CM1 is not a drawing command constituting a gradation (N in step S1), the drawing command CM1 is stored in the intermediate data memory 43c as it is (step S7), and the next drawing is performed. If there is a command CM1 (Y in step S8), the process returns to step S1 to accept the next drawing command CM1. If there is no next drawing command CM1 (N in step S8), the process is terminated.

  Next, the gradation drawing process in the gradation drawing processing unit 43e will be described in detail. The gradation drawing command fetched from the intermediate data memory 43c is drawn while changing the dither for each fixed distance in the X direction. That is, the gradation drawing command is drawn while changing the color in the designated range, unlike the case where graphics drawing is usually drawn with the same color as one unit. This process is similar to the image drawing process, except that the color change falls within a certain range. For this reason, in the case of a printing system using dither, speeding up by dither cache can be expected. Further, unlike normal graphics drawing that is drawn in color units, the amount of access to the page memory 26 is reduced, so that gradation drawing can be speeded up.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the result of sequentially interpreting the graphic drawing commands constituting the print data from the personal computer 101 as the image output control device is analyzed, and the received drawing command has the address in the page memory 26. If the drawing command constitutes a gradation in which the color changes in a continuous direction, the drawing command is converted into a combined gradation drawing command, and the print drawing image is developed on the page memory 26. As a result, when the figure to be drawn is gradation, a plurality of graphics drawing commands which are generally drawn by dividing the same color area into drawing units such as RUN and rectangle are combined and dropped into the gradation drawing unit. As a result, the gradation can be drawn at high speed by developing the page memory 26 with a smaller number of memory accesses as a drawing in which the horizontally long color does not change for each color but with a smaller number of memory accesses. Printing processing time can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the printer apparatus 102 directly connected to the personal computer 101 via the USB cable 103 is applied. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. The present invention can also be applied to a network type printer device connected to the personal computer 101.

  Further, the present invention can be applied not only to the printer device 102 or the network type printer device having only the document printing function but also to a so-called multifunction device.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is also omitted. In the first embodiment, the case where the gradation drawing process is performed on the printer apparatus 102 side has been described. In the present embodiment, in the first embodiment, print information described using a page description language (PDL) is directly input to the printer apparatus 102, and the page description language ( A method of interpreting a PDL) graphic drawing command, generating a print drawing image composed of drawing objects recognized by the interpretation, and developing the image on a page memory has been described. The present embodiment assumes that a page printer that does not have a high-performance processing function, such as an ink jet printer, is applied to the printer apparatus 102, and is a printer mounted on a personal computer that uses the ink jet printer. A method for causing a driver to execute a page description language (PDL) interpretation function and transferring a print / drawn image generated by the interpretation function and developed in a page memory from a personal computer to an inkjet printer will be described.

  When the ink jet printer is applied to the printer apparatus 102 as described above, the printer engine 27 of the printer apparatus 102 naturally prints out data using a known ink jet printing technique.

  Since the personal computer 101 of this embodiment is basically the same as the personal computer 101 described in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. However, the magnetic disk device 8 is different in that a printer driver for an ink jet printer which is an application program is stored. As such a printer driver, what is stored in the CD-ROM 10 is read out by the CD-ROM device 9 and taken into the personal computer 101 or stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet. The data is downloaded to the personal computer 101 by downloading via the network.

  Here, characteristic functions that the printer driver stored in the magnetic disk device 8 causes the CPU 1 to execute will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram relating to characteristic functions that the printer driver causes the CPU 1 to execute. As shown in FIG. 8, the personal computer 101 functions as a PDL input processing unit 51 that functions as a PDL input processing unit, and as a PDL interpretation processing unit when the CPU 1 follows a printer driver stored in the magnetic disk device 8. A PDL interpretation processing unit 52, a drawing processing unit 53 that functions as a drawing processing unit, and a data output unit 54 that functions as a data output unit are realized.

  The PDL input processing unit 51 accepts input of print information described in a page description language (PDL) created by an application program (word processor software or page layout software). The received print information is interpreted as PDL interpretation. It is sent to the processing unit 52.

  The PDL interpretation processing unit 52 analyzes the page description language (PDL) constituting the print information, forms a drawing command CM corresponding to each type (character, graphic, image) of the drawing object, and draws the drawing processing unit 53. Output to. Here, the drawing command CM is a common drawing command that can be interpreted by the drawing processing unit 53. Examples of the drawing command CM include a drawing range designation command and a drawing color designation command.

  When the drawing processing unit 53 receives the drawing command CM sent from the PDL interpretation processing unit 52, as shown in FIG. 9, if each received drawing command CM is a drawing command constituting a gradation, gradation combining is performed. In the processing unit 53a, the drawing commands CM are combined and converted into a gradation drawing command for performing all drawing. More specifically, the gradation combination processing unit 53a uses the gradation combination work memory 53b, which is an area formed in the RAM 3 by the operation of the drawing processing unit 53, and sequentially compares the received drawing commands CM to form a gradation. When it is determined that the drawing command is to be drawn, the drawing commands CM are combined and converted to a gradation drawing command for drawing all of the drawing commands. The gradation drawing command generated in this way is accumulated in the intermediate data memory 53c. Here, the intermediate data memory 53 c is an area formed in the RAM 3 by the operation of the drawing processing unit 53. On the other hand, drawing commands CM other than drawing commands that can be gradation drawing commands sent from the PDL interpretation processing unit 52 are also stored in the intermediate data memory 53c. Thereafter, the gradation drawing commands and other drawing commands stored in the intermediate data memory 53c are distributed to drawing objects for each figure drawing type (gradation, graphic, image) in the figure drawing distribution processing unit 53d, and then each drawing is performed. It is sent to the processing units (gradation drawing processing unit 53e, graphic drawing processing unit 53f, image drawing processing unit 53g). Each drawing processing unit (gradation drawing processing unit 53e, graphic drawing processing unit 53f, image drawing processing unit 53g) includes various devices such as a printing function of the printer engine 27 of the ink jet printer (printer apparatus 102), paper size, and paper orientation. Image processing according to the information data is executed to form a print drawing image, and the print drawing image is developed on a page memory (not shown).

  Note that the gradation combination processing in the gradation combination processing unit 53a is not different from the gradation combination processing in the gradation combination processing unit 43a described in FIG. 6 of the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  Then, the data output unit 54 transmits the print drawing image of the page memory to the printer apparatus 102 at an appropriate timing.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the result of sequentially interpreting the graphic drawing commands constituting the print data is analyzed, and the received drawing command produces a gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous. If the drawing command is a constituent drawing command, each drawing command is converted into a combined gradation drawing command, and the print drawing image is developed on the page memory. As a result, when the figure to be drawn is gradation, a plurality of graphics drawing commands which are generally drawn by dividing the same color area into drawing units such as RUN and rectangle are combined and dropped into the gradation drawing unit. As a result, it is possible to draw a gradation at high speed by developing it in the page memory with a smaller number of memory accesses as a drawing in which the horizontally long color does not change for each color, but to perform the gradation drawing efficiently. Print processing time can be reduced.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system including an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of a personal computer. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a printer apparatus. FIG. It is a functional block diagram concerning the characteristic function which the system control part with which a printer device is provided demonstrates. It is a functional block diagram concerning the characteristic function which a drawing process part exhibits. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a gradation joint process roughly. It is a block diagram which shows the modification of a structure of a printing system. It is a functional block diagram concerning the characteristic function which a printer driver concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention makes a CPU perform. It is a functional block diagram concerning the characteristic function which a drawing process part exhibits. It is explanatory drawing which shows a various gradation pattern. It is explanatory drawing which shows the gradation pattern from which a color changes to a horizontal direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the drawing method of the gradation pattern from which a color changes a horizontal direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the drawing method of the gradation pattern from which a color changes a horizontal direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the drawing method of the gradation pattern from which a color changes a horizontal direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the gradation pattern from which a color changes to a vertical direction.

Explanation of symbols

41 Data Input Processing Unit 42 PDL Interpretation Processing Unit 43 Drawing Processing Unit 43b Work Memory 51 PDL Input Processing Unit 52 PDL Interpretation Processing Unit 53 Drawing Processing Unit 53b Work Memory 54 Data Output Unit 101 Image Output Control Unit, Image Processing Unit 102 Image Formation apparatus

Claims (26)

Data input processing means for receiving input of a graphic drawing command of PDL data constituting print data from the image output control device;
PDL interpretation processing means for sequentially interpreting the graphic drawing commands received by the data input processing means and outputting an interpretation result obtained after the interpretation;
When the interpretation result sent from the PDL interpretation processing means is analyzed and the received drawing command is a drawing command that forms a gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous, each drawing command Is converted into a gradation drawing command combined with the drawing processing means for expanding the print drawing image on the page memory,
Print processing means for forming a print drawing image developed on the page memory by the drawing processing means on a recording medium;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The drawing processing means includes:
Storage means for storing gradation drawing commands in the work memory;
The drawing command newly received from the PDL interpretation processing means is compared with the drawing command determined to be a drawing command constituting the gradation stored in the work memory, and the newly received drawing command is a gradation. Determining means for determining whether or not the drawing command can constitute
When this determination means determines that a drawing command newly received from the PDL interpretation processing means is a drawing command that constitutes a gradation, a combination that combines each drawing command with the gradation drawing command stored in the work memory Processing means;
Re-accumulating means for accumulating again in the work memory the gradation drawing command to which the drawing command newly received by the combination processing means is combined;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: When determining whether a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting a gradation, it is assumed that the drawing commands constituting the gradation are continuous.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. Whether or not a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command that constitutes a gradation is determined by determining whether the drawing command received earlier and the drawing position are adjacent in the horizontal direction, the size (width and height) is the same, and the color Is slightly different, it is considered to be a drawing command that composes the gradation.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. The gradation drawing command includes a drawing range and color information.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. When the drawing command received from the PDL interpretation processing means is a continuous RUN drawing command, the gradation drawing command has a start point coordinate and a length as a drawing range.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5. When the drawing command received from the PDL interpretation processing means is a continuous rectangular drawing command, the gradation drawing command has a start point coordinate, a width, and a height as a drawing range.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5. The gradation drawing command has, as color information, a color change amount with respect to a movement amount in a direction in which the start color and the address in the page memory are continuous.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5. PDL input processing means for receiving input of a graphic drawing command of PDL data constituting print data;
PDL interpretation processing means for sequentially interpreting the graphic drawing commands received by the PDL input processing means and outputting an interpretation result obtained after the interpretation;
When the interpretation result sent from the PDL interpretation processing means is analyzed and the received drawing command is a drawing command that forms a gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous, each drawing command Is converted into a gradation drawing command combined with the drawing processing means for expanding the print drawing image on the page memory,
Data output means for outputting a print drawing image developed on the page memory to the image forming apparatus by the drawing processing means;
An image processing apparatus comprising: The drawing processing means includes:
Storage means for storing gradation drawing commands in the work memory;
The newly received drawing command is compared with the drawing command newly received from the PDL interpretation processing means and the drawing command determined to be a drawing command constituting the gradation stored in the work memory. Determining means for determining whether or not the drawing command can constitute
When this determination means determines that a drawing command newly received from the PDL interpretation processing means is a drawing command that constitutes a gradation, a combination that combines each drawing command with the gradation drawing command stored in the work memory Processing means;
Re-accumulating means for accumulating again in the work memory the gradation drawing command to which the drawing command newly received by the combination processing means is combined;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: When determining whether a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting a gradation, it is assumed that the drawing commands constituting the gradation are continuous.
The image processing apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: Whether or not a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command that constitutes a gradation is determined by determining whether the drawing command received earlier and the drawing position are adjacent in the horizontal direction, the size (width and height) is the same, and the color Is slightly different, it is considered to be a drawing command that composes the gradation.
The image processing apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The gradation drawing command includes a drawing range and color information.
The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image processing apparatus is an image processing apparatus. When the drawing command received from the PDL interpretation processing means is a continuous RUN drawing command, the gradation drawing command has a start point coordinate and a length as a drawing range.
The image processing apparatus according to claim 13. When the drawing command received from the PDL interpretation processing means is a continuous rectangular drawing command, the gradation drawing command has a start point coordinate, a width, and a height as a drawing range.
The image processing apparatus according to claim 13. The gradation drawing command has, as color information, a color change amount with respect to a movement amount in a direction in which the start color and the address in the page memory are continuous.
The image processing apparatus according to claim 13. A PDL input processing function for receiving an input of a graphic drawing command of PDL data constituting print data;
A PDL interpretation processing function that sequentially interprets the graphic drawing commands received by the PDL input processing function and outputs an interpretation result obtained after the interpretation;
When the interpretation result sent from the PDL interpretation processing function is analyzed and the received drawing command is a drawing command that forms a gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous, each drawing command A drawing processing function that converts the image into a gradation drawing command that combines
A data output function for outputting a print drawing image developed on the page memory to the image forming apparatus by the drawing processing function;
A computer-readable program for causing a computer to execute. The drawing processing function
Accumulation function for accumulating gradation drawing commands in work memory;
A drawing command newly received from the PDL interpretation processing function is compared with a drawing command determined to be a drawing command constituting the gradation stored in the work memory. A determination function that determines whether or not the drawing command can be configured, and
When this determination function determines that a drawing command newly received from the PDL interpretation processing function is a drawing command constituting a gradation, a combination that combines each drawing command with the gradation drawing command stored in the work memory Processing functions,
A re-accumulation function for accumulating again in the work memory a gradation drawing command in which a drawing command newly received by the combination processing function is combined;
The program according to claim 17, further comprising: When determining whether a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command constituting a gradation, it is assumed that the drawing commands constituting the gradation are continuous.
The program according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that: Whether or not a newly received drawing command can be a drawing command that constitutes a gradation is determined by determining whether the drawing command received earlier and the drawing position are adjacent in the horizontal direction, the size (width and height) is the same, and the color Is slightly different, it is considered to be a drawing command that composes the gradation.
The program according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that: The gradation drawing command includes a drawing range and color information.
21. The program according to any one of claims 17 to 20, characterized in that: When the drawing command received from the PDL interpretation processing function is a continuous RUN drawing command, the gradation drawing command has a start point coordinate and a length as a drawing range.
The program according to claim 21, wherein: When the drawing command received from the PDL interpretation processing function is a continuous rectangular drawing command, the gradation drawing command has a start point coordinate, a width, and a height as a drawing range.
The program according to claim 21, wherein: The gradation drawing command has, as color information, a color change amount with respect to a movement amount in a direction in which the start color and the address in the page memory are continuous.
The program according to claim 21, wherein: A PDL input processing step for receiving an input of a graphic drawing command of PDL data constituting print data;
A PDL interpretation processing step of sequentially interpreting the graphic drawing commands received in the PDL input processing step and outputting an interpretation result obtained after the interpretation;
When the interpretation result sent from the PDL interpretation processing step is analyzed and the received drawing command is a drawing command that forms a gradation in which the color changes in the direction in which the addresses in the page memory are continuous, each drawing command A drawing processing step for converting a drawing drawing image into a page memory,
A data output step of outputting a print drawing image developed on the page memory to the image forming apparatus by the drawing processing step;
An image processing method comprising: The drawing processing step includes
An accumulation process for accumulating gradation drawing commands in the work memory;
The newly received drawing command is compared with the drawing command newly received from the PDL interpretation processing step and the drawing command determined to be a drawing command constituting the gradation stored in the work memory. A determination step of determining whether or not the drawing command can constitute a drawing command;
A combination that combines each drawing command with the gradation drawing command stored in the work memory when it is determined that the drawing command newly received from the PDL interpretation processing step is a drawing command constituting a gradation. Processing steps;
A re-accumulation step of accumulating again in the work memory a gradation drawing command in which the drawing command newly received by the combination processing step is combined;
The image processing method according to claim 25, further comprising:

Images