JP2012014336A - Image processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce consumption of consumables and improve readability of a printed document.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus printing print data of a document comprises: a detecting part for detecting a print object arranged on a boundary of a page by searching for the print data; a moving part for moving the print object detected by the detecting part to a predetermined printable position in the print data; and an output part for outputting, to a printer, image data generated from the print data in which the moving part has moved the print object.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that prints print data of a document.

  When a conventional image processing apparatus performs print processing for generating image data that can be printed by a printing apparatus such as a printer from print data including a figure and a table (hereinafter referred to as a “table”), the chart is a page boundary. In order to ensure the readability of the chart, image data in which the chart is rearranged at the head portion of the next page is generated.

  In addition, the page break position can be moved by the operator's operation, the chart across the page boundary is moved to the top of the newly added page, the arranged image data is generated, or the next page is set to the top Some image data are generated by shifting and arranging the subsequent images and the like and shifting them backward (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-59125 A (paragraph “0041” to paragraph “0050”, FIG. 12)

  However, in the above-described conventional technique, when image data is generated by rearranging a chart that straddles a page boundary at the head of the next page, the chart is printed twice by the printing device, and toner The amount of consumables consumed increases, and when image data is generated by moving a diagram that straddles the page boundary, the placement of other images etc. is shifted backward by moving the diagram. There is a problem that a document having a different page layout from the originally intended page layout is printed by the printing apparatus after the page on which the chart is moved, and the readability of the document is lowered.

  An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and even when a print object such as a chart straddles the boundary of a page, the consumption of consumables is reduced and the readability of a printed document is improved. The purpose is to improve.

  Therefore, the present invention is an image processing apparatus that performs print processing on print data of a document, and detects the print data and detects a print object arranged at a page boundary, and the detection unit detects the print data. A moving unit that moves a print object to a predetermined printable position in the print data, and an output unit that outputs image data generated from the print data obtained by moving the print object to the printing apparatus. And

  The present invention as described above has the effect of reducing the consumption of consumables and improving the readability of a printed document even when a print object such as a chart straddles a page boundary. can get.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. Flowchart showing print processing in the first embodiment Explanatory drawing of the page layout in the first embodiment The block diagram which shows the structure of the image processing apparatus in 2nd Example. Flowchart showing print processing in the second embodiment Explanatory drawing of the page layout in 2nd Example

  Embodiments of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image processing apparatus in the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an image processing apparatus that prints document print data. The image processing apparatus includes a computer device such as a personal computer that includes a printer driver 10, an application 20, a printer 30, and the like, and a printing device. .

  The application 20 is application software such as document creation software or spreadsheet software, and outputs print data to the printer driver 10 when an operation instructing printing is accepted by an operation of the operator.

  The printer driver 10 is software that generates image data described in the printer language of the printer 30 from print data instructing printing input from the application 20.

  The printer 30 is a printing device that prints image data output from the printer driver 10 on a recording medium.

  The image processing apparatus 1 configured as described above converts print data of a document including characters, charts, and the like created by the application 20 into image data that can be printed by the printer driver 10 and outputs the image data to the printer 30. Then, a printing process for printing on a recording medium is performed according to the image data input by the printer 30.

  In the present embodiment, the image processing apparatus 1 is described as including the printer 30, but the image processing apparatus 1 is not limited thereto, and the image processing apparatus 1 is a personal computer or the like in which the printer 30 is connected as an external device via a communication line. You may comprise as a computer apparatus.

  The image processing apparatus 1 may have a print preview function for displaying the image data converted by the printer driver 10 on a display unit such as a display (not shown).

  Next, the printer driver 10 of the image processing apparatus 1 will be described.

  The printer driver 10 includes a control unit 11, a print data input unit 12, a chart position determination unit 13, a chart position movement unit 14, a page layout creation unit 15, and an image data output unit 16.

  The print data input unit 12 acquires print data input from the application 20.

  The page layout creation unit 15 arranges characters, charts, and the like from the print data acquired by the print data input unit 12 in accordance with the paper on which the print is actually performed.

  The chart position determination unit 13 searches the page layout creation unit 15 for print data arranged according to the paper on which characters, charts, and the like are printed, and the chart as a print object at the boundary between pages in the print data. That functions as a detection unit that detects a chart as a print object arranged at a page boundary.

  Here, the print object is one or more characters, symbols, lines, charts, images such as photographs and backgrounds, designs, etc., or combinations thereof, and is a target object to be printed that occupies a predetermined area. is there.

  In addition, the print object arranged at the page boundary is a print object in which a part or all of the print object is arranged beyond the print range at the rear end of the page on the page where the print object is arranged. Say.

  In this embodiment, the print object arranged at the page boundary is described as a chart arranged at the page boundary.

  The chart position moving unit 14 moves the chart determined by the chart position determining unit 13 to exist at the page boundary to a predetermined printable position that does not straddle the page boundary, that is, the chart position determining unit 13 (detection). In this embodiment, the information of the chart determined to exist at the page boundary is displayed on the last page in the print data. It shall move to the back (the last part).

  The image data output unit 16 as an output unit is processed by the page layout creation unit 15 or the chart position movement unit 14 (after the print object is moved to a predetermined printable position by the chart position movement unit 14). The image data generated by converting the print data into the printer language is output to the printer 30.

  The control unit 11 controls the overall processing of the image processing apparatus 1 including the printer driver 10 and the like based on a control program (software) such as the printer driver 10 and the application 20 stored in a storage unit such as a memory (not shown). A processing device or the like. It is assumed that a work area necessary for the software to perform processing is secured in the storage unit.

  The operation of the above configuration will be described.

  A printing process performed by the image processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 1 according to a step represented by S in the flowchart showing the printing process in the first embodiment of FIG.

  First, when a print instruction is issued from the application 20, print data is passed to the printer driver 10. The print data input unit 12 of the printer driver 10 acquires the print data and notifies the control unit 11 of the print data. Hereinafter, processing performed by the printer driver 10 will be described.

S <b> 1 a: The control unit 11 receives print data from the print data input unit 12 and passes the print data to the page layout creation unit 15. (Print data input)
S2a: The page layout creation unit 15 analyzes the received print data, and arranges characters and charts in the print data according to the size of the paper to be actually printed. (Create page layout)
S3a: Print data in which characters and charts are arranged in accordance with the size of the paper is passed to the chart position determining section 13 via the control section 11, and the chart position determining section 13 starts the determination. (Chart position determination unit determination start)
S4a: The chart position determination unit 13 analyzes the print data in which characters and charts are arranged for each page, and determines whether a chart exists at the boundary with the next page. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that there is a chart at the boundary with the next page, the process proceeds to S5a. If it is determined that there is no chart, the process proceeds to S6a.

S5a: When it is determined that the chart exists at the boundary with the next page, the chart position determination unit 13 adds page boundary information indicating that the chart is arranged at the page boundary in correspondence with the chart in the print data. To be stored in the storage means. (Add page boundary information)
S6a: The processes of S4a and S5a are repeated for all pages. When the processes of S4a and S5a are performed up to the final page, the process proceeds to S7a.

  S7a: When the confirmation of all the charts in the print data is completed, the print data is transferred to the chart position moving unit 14 to determine whether or not page boundary information is added to each chart. Is initialized to “1”.

  S8a: The chart position moving unit 14 determines whether page boundary information indicating that the image exists at the page boundary is added to the Nth chart in the received print data. If it is determined that it has been added, the process proceeds to S9a, and if it is determined that it has not been added, the process proceeds to S12a.

S9a: The chart position moving unit 14 that has determined that the page boundary information has been added deletes the Nth chart from the print data without changing the layout of the page in the print data. Therefore, an image straddling between pages is deleted from the print data. The chart position moving unit 14 temporarily stores the deleted chart information in the storage means. (Deleted Chart N)
S10a: Subsequently, the chart position moving unit 14 inserts a character string indicating the Nth (before movement) chart at the position of the print data where the deleted Nth (before movement) chart exists. For example, if a figure exists, the character string such as “FIG. 1” is inserted into the print data corresponding to the position where the figure exists, and the character string “Table 1” is inserted and arranged. To do. (Insert character string indicating Chart N)
S11a: The chart position moving unit 14 inserts the chart information deleted from the print data in S9a into the next page of the last page as the last part of the print data together with the character string inserted in S10a. For example, when a figure is inserted into the next page after the last page, the image information of the deleted figure is inserted into the next page after the last page after the character string “FIG. 1”. When the table is inserted into the page following the last page, the image information of the deleted table is inserted into the page following the last page after the character string “Table 1”.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a page layout in the first embodiment. FIG. 3A shows a case where a chart is present at the page boundary, and FIG. 3B is a final chart present at the page boundary. It shows the state of moving to the next page of the page.

  When the chart 40 exists at the boundary between the first page and the second page as shown in FIG. 3A, the rear end portion of the first page where the chart 40 existed as shown in FIG. The character string “FIG. 1” is inserted at the leading end of the second page, and the character string “FIG. 1” is inserted together with the image 40 on the next page (last page + 1 page) after the last page.

  In this way, the chart position moving unit 14 retrieves the print data, extracts the chart existing at the page boundary, and sequentially moves the image to the next page after the last page as the last part of the print data. Generate data.

  S12a: If the processing for all the charts in the print data has not been completed, 1 is added to the variable N (S13a), and the processes of S8a to S11a are repeated until the final chart determination is completed. When the process for the chart is completed, the process proceeds to S14a.

S <b> 14 a: When the processes for all the charts are completed, the chart position moving unit 14 passes the generated print data to the control unit 11, and the control unit 11 passes the print data to the image data output unit 16. The image data output unit 16 translates the received print data into a printer language, generates image data for printing, and transmits the image data to the printer 30. (Translate print data into image data)
S15a: The printer 30 prints the received image data on a recording medium, and ends the process.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the page layout is changed by moving the chart as the print object existing at the page boundary to the page added after the last page as the last part of the print data. It is possible to print a document with good readability without change, to prevent the same diagram from being printed a plurality of times, and to reduce the consumption of consumables.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image processing apparatus in the second embodiment. In the configuration of the second embodiment, a margin search unit and a margin table are added to the printer driver of the configuration of the first embodiment. Note that parts similar to those of the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 4, a margin search unit 17 searches print data, extracts a margin (margin area) in the print medium when the print data is printed on the print medium, and extracts the position and size of the margin. It is.

  Here, the margin is an area in which one or a plurality of characters, symbols, lines, charts, images such as photographs and backgrounds, designs, etc., or a combination of these are not arranged. Note that this margin does not include an area where a print object such as an image overlaps another print object, for example, an area where a background image or the like is arranged.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6A, the margin is a rectangular area 61 in which no print object is arranged, and the margin search unit 17 uses the reference coordinates on the print medium (third page) of the rectangular area, For example, the upper left coordinate 61a is extracted as the margin position, and the size in the X-axis direction and the size in the Y-axis direction are extracted as the margin size.

  The margin table 18 is an area in the storage unit that stores the position and size of the margin extracted by the margin search unit 17. The margin table 18 includes, for each extracted margin, the position of the margin, for example, the page number when print data is printed on the print medium, the upper left coordinates as the reference coordinates, and the size of the margin, for example, the page. The size in the X-axis direction and the size in the Y-axis direction are stored.

  The chart position moving unit 14 moves the chart determined by the chart position determining unit 13 to exist at the page boundary to a predetermined printable position that does not straddle the page boundary. It has a function as a comparison unit that compares the size of the margin stored in the table 18 with a chart as a print object determined to exist at the page boundary, and the page boundary from the margin stored in the margin table 18 It is assumed that a margin having a size larger than that of the chart determined to exist is extracted, and the chart is moved to the margin.

  Here, to extract a margin having a size larger than the chart determined to exist at the page boundary, first, a rectangular area including all of the chart is cut out, and the size of the rectangular area in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis are extracted. Calculate the size of the direction. Subsequently, the size in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction of the rectangular area including the calculated chart is compared with the size in the X-axis direction and the size in the Y-axis direction of the margin stored in the margin table 18. The size of the margin in the X-axis direction is greater than or equal to the size of the rectangular region including the chart in the X-axis direction, and the size of the margin in the Y-axis direction includes the size of the rectangular region including the chart in the Y-axis direction. It is assumed that a margin that is greater than or equal to this is extracted.

  The operation of the above configuration will be described.

  The printing process performed by the image processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 4 according to the step indicated by S in the flowchart showing the printing process in the second embodiment of FIG.

  First, when a print instruction is issued from the application 20, print data is passed to the printer driver 10. The print data input unit 12 of the printer driver 10 acquires the print data and notifies the control unit 11 of the print data. Hereinafter, processing performed by the printer driver 10 will be described.

  S1b to S3b: Processing similar to S1a to S3a in FIG.

  S4b: The chart position determination unit 13 analyzes the print data in which characters and charts are arranged for each page, and determines whether a chart exists at the boundary with the next page. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that a chart exists at the boundary with the next page, the process proceeds to S5b, and if it is determined that there is no chart, the process proceeds to S6b.

S5b: When there is a chart at the boundary with the next page, the chart position determination unit 13 adds and stores page boundary information indicating that the chart is located at the page boundary in correspondence with the chart in the print data. Memorize in the means. (Add page boundary information)
S6b: Subsequently, the margin search unit 17 analyzes the print data for each page, searches for the margin in the print medium when the print data is printed on the print medium, and determines whether or not the page has a margin. judge. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that there is a margin in the page, the process proceeds to S7b. If it is determined that there is no margin, the process proceeds to S8b.

  Here, in this embodiment, the margin is an area in which a print object as one or a plurality of characters, symbols, lines, charts, images such as photographs and backgrounds, designs, or a combination thereof is not arranged. Whether or not to treat the background image as a margin can be input in advance using a selection button or the like of the operation unit, and when the background image is set to be treated as a margin, the margin search unit 17 determines the background image as a margin, If the setting is made so that the background image is not treated as a margin, the margin search unit 17 may not determine that the background image is a margin. Whether or not the image is a background image is determined by luminance information included in the print data, and setting information for determining whether or not the background image input from the operation unit is treated as a margin is stored in the storage unit. And

  S7b: The margin search unit 17 that has determined that there is a margin in the page stores the page number where the margin exists, the margin position information on the page, and information indicating the size of the margin in the margin table 18.

  S8b: The processes of S4b to S7b are repeated for all pages. When the processes of S4b to S7b are performed up to the final page, the process proceeds to S9b.

  S9b: When the confirmation of all charts and margins in the print data is completed, the print data is transferred to the chart position moving unit 14 to determine whether page boundary information is added to each chart. The variable N is initialized to “1”.

  S10b: The chart position moving unit 14 determines whether page boundary information indicating that the image exists at the page boundary is added to the Nth chart in the received print data. If it is determined that it has been added, the process proceeds to S11b, and if it is determined that it has not been added, the process proceeds to S17b.

S11b: The chart position moving unit 14 that has determined that the page boundary information is added deletes the Nth chart from the print data without changing the layout of the page in the print data. Therefore, an image straddling between pages is deleted from the print data. It is assumed that the chart position moving unit 14 temporarily stores the deleted chart information in the storage unit. (Deleted Chart N)
S12b: Subsequently, the chart position moving unit 14 inserts a character string indicating the Nth chart (before movement) at the position where the deleted Nth chart (before movement) was present. For example, if a figure exists, the character string “FIG. 1” is inserted into the print data corresponding to the position where the figure exists, and the character string “Table 1” is inserted and arranged. . (Insert character string indicating Chart N)
S13b: The chart position moving unit 14 calculates the size of the deleted Nth chart, sequentially compares the size of the image with the size of the margin stored in the margin table 18, and exceeds the size of the image. It is determined whether or not there is a margin having a size of. If it is determined that there is a margin having a size equal to or larger than the size of the deleted Nth chart, the process proceeds to S14b. If it is determined that there is no blank, the process proceeds to S15b.

  S14b: The chart position moving unit 14 that has determined that there is a margin having a size greater than or equal to the size of the deleted Nth chart, includes the chart deleted from the print data in S11b and the character string inserted in S12b. The print data based on the page number of the margin and the information on the position of the page stored in the margin table 18 together with the character string indicating the Nth diagram and inserted into the margin portion, that is, deleted. And the process proceeds to S16b.

For example, when a figure is inserted into a page with a margin, an image of the deleted figure is inserted into a page with a margin after the character string “FIG. 1”. When a table is inserted into a page with a margin, the deleted table image is inserted into the page with a margin after the character string “Table 1”. (Chart N is inserted in the margin)
If the background image is set to be treated as a margin, the chart position moving unit 14 prints the background image that has been determined to be blank with the deleted Nth chart information together with the character string indicating the Nth chart. When the data is overwritten and the background image is set not to be treated as a margin, the chart position moving unit 14 uses the deleted Nth chart information as the print data of the background image as a character string indicating the Nth chart. There is no overwriting.

  6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams of the page layout in the second embodiment. FIG. 6A shows a case where a chart exists on the page boundary, and FIG. 6B shows a chart existing on the page boundary. It shows the state moved to.

  When the chart 60 is present at the boundary between the first page and the second page as shown in FIG. 6A, the rear end portion of the first page where the chart 60 was present as shown in FIG. 6B The character string “FIG. 1” is inserted at the leading end of the second page, and the character string “FIG. 1” is inserted into the margin of the third page together with the image 60.

  S15b: On the other hand, the chart position moving unit 14 that has determined that there is no margin larger than the size of the deleted Nth chart prints the chart deleted from the print data in S11b together with the character string inserted in S12b. Insert the page after the last page as the last part of the data. For example, when a figure is inserted into the next page of the last page, an image of the deleted figure is inserted into the next page of the last page following the character string “FIG. 1”. When the table is inserted on the next page of the last page, the deleted table image is inserted on the next page of the last page after the character string “Table 1”.

  S16b: If processing for all the charts in the print data has not been completed, 1 is added to the variable N (S17b), and the processes of S10b to S15b are repeated until the final chart determination is completed. When the process for the chart is completed, the process proceeds to S18b.

  In this way, the chart position moving unit 14 retrieves the print data, extracts the chart existing at the page boundary, and sequentially transfers the print data to the next page of the margin of the print data or the last page of the print data. Generate.

  S18b, S19b: Since they are the same processing as S14a, S15a in FIG.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, since the charts existing on the page boundary are moved to the margin of the document, in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, the margin of the document is efficiently Therefore, it is possible to reduce the consumption of paper.

  In the first and second embodiments, the present invention has been described as being applied to printing by a printer. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a preview function by a personal computer, a facsimile machine or a multifunction peripheral (MFP). It can also be applied to printing according to.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, only the chart existing at the page boundary is moved to the next page or margin of the last page, but all charts in the document are targeted. It is possible to select whether or not to move the chart, and to move the chart when movement is selected.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image processing apparatus 10 Printer driver 11 Control part 12 Print data input part 13 Chart position determination part 14 Chart position movement part 15 Page layout creation part 16 Image data output part 17 Margin search part 18 Margin table 20 Application 30 Printer

Claims (5)

An image processing apparatus for printing print data of a document,
A detection unit for searching the print data and detecting a print object arranged at a page boundary;
A moving unit that moves the print object detected by the detecting unit to a predetermined printable position in the print data;
An image processing apparatus comprising: an output unit configured to output image data generated from print data obtained by moving the print object by the moving unit to a printing apparatus. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1.
The image processing apparatus, wherein the predetermined position is a last part of the print data. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1.
A margin search unit that searches the print data and extracts a margin area in which no print object is arranged;
A comparison unit that compares the size of the margin area extracted by the margin search unit and the size of the print object detected by the detection unit;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined position is the blank area having a size equal to or larger than a size of the print object detected by the detection unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3.
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the margin area includes an area where a background image is arranged. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The moving unit inserts a character string indicating the moving print object into a position of the print data where the print object is arranged before the movement and a position of the print data where the print object is arranged after the movement. A featured image processing apparatus.

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