JP2012198741A - Print control device and print control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently store a reusable object in a cache memory and promptly execute variable print processing.SOLUTION: A print control device which generates print output image data from variable print data comprises: a variable print data analysis part for interpreting variable print data, extracting a reusable object and a temporarily usable object and rasterizing them; a cache memory and an external storage device; a storage form determination part for determining, according to a cache memory usage state, that each piece of reusable object image data is to be stored in compressed format or uncompressed format, and in the cache memory or the external storage device, and for storing each piece of reusable object image data according to the determination result; an image composition processing part for acquiring image data of the reusable object and the temporarily usable object to compose an image based on the data, and generating print output image data; and print output image data transfer part for transferring the print output image data to the print device.

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control apparatus and a print control program, and more particularly to a print control apparatus that generates print output image data from variable print data and a print control program that operates on the print control apparatus.

  In recent years, a method of printing and mailing transaction information and promotional advertisements combined with monthly invoices and usage statement documents (Transaction Mail Promotion: so-called transpromo) has become widespread, and variable printing is used for transpromo. It is done. In this variable printing, objects such as characters, graphics, and photographs to be reused are rasterized, the image of the rasterized object is cached, and the cached image is reconstructed to generate print output image data. We are trying to shorten it.

  As described above, in variable printing, an object to be reused (hereinafter referred to as a reuse object) is held in the cache memory. However, since the capacity of the cache memory is generally limited, it depends on the variable printing configuration. In some cases, not all reuse objects can be stored in the cache memory.

  To deal with this problem, for example, in Patent Document 1 below, all the reusable objects are compressed and stored in the cache memory in order to reduce the memory usage. In Patent Document 2 below, it is determined whether or not a file is unlikely to be reused, and a file that is unlikely to be reused is prevented from using a cache buffer.

US Pat. No. 6,134,018 JP 2007-334687 A

  If the reuse object cannot be saved in the cache memory due to the limitation of the capacity of the cache memory, it is saved in an external storage device (for example, HDD: Hard Disk Drive) connected to the CPU via the interface. However, if the reusable object is saved in the HDD, when the print output image data is generated, the reusable object must be read from the HDD into the memory, so that the reusable object is saved in the cache memory. There arises a problem that the variable printing process takes time.

  With respect to this problem, in Patent Document 1, the reuse object can be stored in the cache memory by compressing it. However, if the number of reuse objects is large, all the reuse objects are stored in the cache memory. In some cases, the problem cannot be solved. In particular, the problem appears remarkably when the reuse object saved in the HDD is used frequently. In addition, even if there is room in the cache memory, all the reuse objects are compressed and saved, so it is necessary to expand the compressed reuse objects. If there are frequently used items, the variable printing process will take time by performing the unfolding process many times.

  In Patent Document 2, a file that is unlikely to be reused is not used in the cache buffer. However, if the file can be stored in the cache memory if it is compressed or the cache memory has room, it is reused. Since objects with a low possibility of being stored are stored in the HDD, the variable printing process cannot be executed efficiently.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a main object of the present invention is to perform print control capable of quickly executing variable print processing by efficiently storing a reuse object in a cache memory. An apparatus and a print control program are provided.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a print control apparatus that generates print output image data that can be processed by a printing apparatus, based on variable print data including a reuse object and a temporary use object. A variable print data analyzing unit that interprets variable print data, extracts the reuse object and the temporary use object, rasterizes the extracted reuse object and the temporary use object, and generates image data; and primary storage Depending on the cache memory configured by the device and the external storage device as the secondary storage device, and the usage status of the cache memory, the image data of each reusable object is stored in a compressed format or in an uncompressed format Save and save to the cache memory or the external A storage type determination unit that stores image data of each of the reuse objects according to the determination result, and stores the reuse object and the temporary use object. An image composition processing unit that obtains image data, decompresses image data in a compressed format, synthesizes images based on the image data, and generates image data for print output; and print image data for print output And at least a print output image data transfer unit to be transferred to the apparatus.

  Further, the present invention includes a cache memory constituted by a primary storage device and an external storage device as a secondary storage device, and can be processed by the printing device based on variable print data including a reuse object and a temporary use object. A print control program that operates on a device that generates image data for print output, the device interprets the variable print data, extracts the reuse object and the temporary use object, and extracts the reuse A variable print data analysis unit that generates image data by rasterizing the use object and the temporary use object, and saves the image data of each reuse object in a compressed format according to the use state of the cache memory. Save it in a compressed format and store it in the cache memory. Whether to store the image data of each of the reusable objects according to the determination result, the reusable object, and the temporary object An image composition processing unit that obtains image data of a use object, decompresses image data in a compressed format, synthesizes images based on the image data, and generates image data for print output. It functions as an image data transfer unit for print output to be transferred to the printing apparatus.

  According to the print control apparatus and the print control program of the present invention, depending on the usage state of the cache memory, the reuse object is stored in the cache memory without being compressed, is compressed and stored in the cache memory, or is compressed. Since it is determined whether to store in the HDD, the cache memory can be used effectively, and the variable printing process can be executed quickly.

  In addition, since the image data of the reuse object is stored in the cache memory as much as possible in the order of frequency of use, the cache memory can be used more effectively and the variable printing process can be executed quickly. it can.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a print control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a program configuration of the print control apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the image on the cache memory when not compressing, when compressing an object. It is a figure which shows the difference in the process by the object format on a cache memory. It is a figure which shows the example which synthesize | combines the object cached in the compression state. It is a figure which shows the example which synthesize | combines the object cached in the uncompressed state. It is a figure which shows the example which synthesize | combines the object cached in HDD. It is a figure which shows the example (memory transition) which changes the preservation | save form of an object within memory. It is a figure which shows the example (HDD transition) which changes the preservation | save form of an object between a memory and HDD. It is a figure which shows the example which manages and utilizes a reuse object. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating processing (overall processing) of the printing control apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing (cache processing according to memory usage) of the print control apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing (reuse object extraction processing) of the print control apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the program structure of the printing control apparatus which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of variable print data, and the cache holding state of a reuse object. It is a figure which shows the example in which a cache memory is used inefficiently. It is a figure which shows the example of the weighting by the utilization rate of a reuse object. It is a figure which shows the example reused by another method, without caching. It is a figure which shows the pre-process of the reuse object utilization rate calculation of PPML data. It is a figure which shows the process outline | summary of the utilization rate calculation of a reuse object. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing (overall processing) of the printing control apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing (reuse object weighting processing) of the print control apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing (cache processing according to usage frequency) of a print control apparatus according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing (reuse object extraction processing) of the print control apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing (overall processing) of a printing control apparatus according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing (cache processing according to usage frequency and memory usage status) of a print control apparatus according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in the background art, in variable printing, a reusable object is stored in a cache memory configured by a primary storage device (main storage device) to improve processing efficiency. If the data cannot be stored in the cache memory due to limitations, the data must be stored in an external storage device (for example, HDD) as a secondary storage device. However, if the reusable object is saved in the HDD, when the print output image data is generated, the reusable object must be read from the HDD into the memory, and therefore, the variable printing process takes time.

  Here, the storage formats of reusable objects are listed in descending order of processing performance: (1) non-compressed storage in cache memory, (2) compressed storage in cache memory, (3) compressed in HDD If they are listed in ascending order of occupancy capacity, they are (1) compressed on the cache memory and saved / compressed on the HDD, and (2) uncompressed on the cache memory. Therefore, in order to effectively use the cache memory and reduce the processing time of variable printing, it is preferable to set the storage form of each reusable object according to the usage state of the cache memory.

  In variable printing, even if a component is used only once, if it is designated as a reuse object, the reuse object is stored in the cache memory until the job is completed. Therefore, in order to effectively use the cache memory, it is preferable to preferentially save the reuse object that is used many times in the cache memory.

  Therefore, in one embodiment of the present invention, depending on the current usage state (free space) of the cache memory, the reuse object is stored in the cache memory without being compressed, or is compressed and stored in the cache memory. It is determined whether to compress and save in the HDD. Furthermore, the usage frequency (utilization rate, usage frequency) of reusable objects is calculated based on variable print data, and each reusable object is weighted according to the usage frequency, and the reusable objects can be created in descending order of usage frequency. A reusable object that is stored in the cache memory as much as possible and cannot be stored in the cache memory is stored in the HDD or is subjected to RIP (Raster Image Processing) processing each time it is used. Thereby, the cache memory can be used effectively, and the variable printing process can be executed quickly.

  Hereinafter, in the first embodiment, a method for storing a reuse object according to the usage state (free space) of the cache memory will be described. In the second embodiment, a reuse object is stored according to the use frequency. The method will be described, and in the third embodiment, a method combining them will be described.

  First, a print control apparatus and print control program in variable printing according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In variable printing, parts that are common between pages (reuse objects) and parts that change between pages (hereinafter referred to as temporary use objects) are used, and the reuse objects are compressed and stored. The reusable object is expanded (expanded), and the expanded (expanded) reusable object and the temporary use object are combined to generate print output image data for each page. Therefore, the reuse (expansion) processing of reusable objects occupies a large percentage. The reason for this is that, in color variable printing processing, the size of the reuse object becomes large, so if all the reuse objects are compressed and saved in the cache memory, the number of times the compressed reuse object is expanded is reused. This is because it is necessary to repeat the minute.

  Here, depending on the configuration of the variable print data, it is not necessary to compress and save all the reusable objects. For example, when the number of reusable objects is small (the amount of used cache memory is small), the reusable objects are reused. There is no need to compress the object. In addition, when all the reusable objects cannot be stored in the cache memory without compression, the reusable objects overflowing from the cache memory are stored in an external storage device (in the embodiment of the present specification, connected to the CPU via the interface). However, according to the experiment of the present inventor, a part of the cache memory is compressed rather than partly stored in the cache memory and the rest is stored in the HDD. The efficiency of processing is better when saved in Also, when saving to the HDD, the effect on performance is minimized by saving the compressed time and accessing the HDD (I / O time) as much as possible, rather than saving to the HDD without compression. To the limit.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, based on the above knowledge, the storage format of the reuse object is dynamically changed as appropriate according to the usage state of the cache memory, so that the processing efficiency of variable printing is increased. Hereinafter, it will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the print control system 10 of this embodiment includes a variable print data generation device 20 that generates variable print data, and a print that analyzes the variable print data and generates print output image data for each page. The control device 30 includes an output device 40 that executes printing based on print output image data for each page and outputs a printed matter 50. The variable print data generation device 20 and the print control device 30 are connected by a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the print control device 30 and the output device 40 are connected by a dedicated interface. Has been.

  The variable print data generation apparatus 20 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 21, a read only memory (ROM) 22, a random access memory (RAM) 23, a network interface card (NIC) 24, an HDD 25, and the like. The stored program is expanded in the RAM 23 and executed by the CPU 21. The HDD 25 includes an arrangement file that defines the layout of objects in variable printing, and image data of reusable objects and temporarily used objects. The NIC 24 performs communication processing with the print control apparatus 30.

  The print control device (controller) 30 includes a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, a NIC 34, an HDD 35, and the like. The program (print control program in FIG. 2) stored in the ROM 32 and the HDD 35 is expanded on the RAM 33 and executed by the CPU 31. The RAM 33 includes a cache memory that stores a reuse object, a work memory that expands a compressed reuse object, and a page composition memory that performs image composition. The RAM 33 or the HDD 35 stores a page configuration list that defines objects to be arranged on each page, a reuse object list, a temporary use object list, a cache management table for managing cached objects, and the like.

  The output device 40 is an image forming apparatus such as a network printer or a multi-function peripheral (MFP).

  In FIG. 1, the print control device 30 and the output device 40 are separate devices, but they may be a single device. In FIG. 1, the print control system 10 includes the variable print data generation device 20. However, when variable print is executed using variable print data stored in advance in the HDD 35 or the like of the print control device 30, The variable print data generation device 20 can be omitted.

  Next, a print control program that operates on the print control apparatus 30 will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a program configuration diagram of the print control apparatus 30. The print control program includes the print control apparatus 30, a variable print data analysis unit 30a, a storage form determination unit 30b, a reuse object management unit 30c, and an image composition processing unit. 30d and function as a print output image data transfer unit 30e.

  The variable print data analyzing unit 30a analyzes the variable print data sent from the client computer device, extracts the reuse object and the temporary use object, rasterizes the extracted reuse object and the temporary use object, and outputs the image data. Is generated and the image composition instruction is interpreted.

  The storage form determination unit 30b acquires the usage state (free capacity) of the cache memory, acquires the size of the reuse object when it is not compressed and the size when it is compressed, and compares them to determine the reuse object. , Whether to store in the cache memory without compression, to be compressed and stored in the cache memory, or to be compressed and stored in the HDD, and determines the reusable object after rasterization (image data of the reusable object) according to the determination result ) (Compressed and saved if necessary). Further, in order to cache the reuse object, it is determined which of the reuse objects already stored in the cache memory is to be changed (for example, saved in the HDD), and the reuse object is determined according to the determination result. Change the storage format.

  The reuse object management unit 30c manages the storage location of the image data of the reuse object and the method of extracting the image data at the time of use, extracts the image data of the reuse object from the cache memory or HDD, and sends it to the image composition processing unit 30d. hand over.

  In accordance with the image composition instruction interpreted by the variable print data analysis unit 30a, the image composition processing unit 30d appropriately receives the image data of the reuse object from the reuse object management unit 30c, and the image data of the reuse object and the temporary use object The image based on the above is synthesized (or synthesized after decompression if compressed) to generate print output image data.

  The print output image data transfer unit 30e transfers the print output image data generated by the image composition processing unit 30d to the engine (output device 40).

  Hereinafter, after describing the problems of the conventional variable printing, the operation of the print control apparatus 30 of the present embodiment will be described. Note that what is saved in the cache memory or HDD is the reuse object after rasterization (image data of the reuse object), but in this embodiment, it is simply referred to as a reuse object.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing images on the cache memory when the reuse object is compressed and not compressed. Even if the same object is stored in the cache memory in a compressed state, the memory usage capacity is reduced, and if the memory capacity is the same, more reuse objects can be stored in the cache memory. Therefore, from the viewpoint of the capacity of the cache memory, it is better to store the reuse object in a compressed format.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the difference in the number of steps of the image composition process depending on the storage format of the reuse object on the cache memory. When the reusable object is stored in the cache memory in a compressed format, the reusable object expanded in step 1 is synthesized by decompressing in step 1 (decoded to an uncompressed state). On the other hand, when the reusable object is stored in the cache memory in an uncompressed format, the compositing step can be performed without the expansion step, and the processing time is shortened. Therefore, from the viewpoint of processing time, it is better to save the reuse object in an uncompressed format.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of compositing a reuse object cached in a compressed format. The reusable object stored in the cache memory in a compressed format is once expanded in a non-compressed state in the work memory, and the expanded image is combined on the page combining memory. In this example, the compressed Obj1 is stored in the cache memory in a compressed state, and in order to synthesize this Obj1 in a page, it is expanded from the compressed state to the uncompressed state in the work memory, and the expanded Obj1 is arranged in the page synthesis memory. . In order to complete the print output image data of the page, the same processing is performed on the other objects Obj2 and Obj3 constituting the page. In this way, it is possible to reduce the use capacity of the cache memory by storing the object in the compressed format, but it is necessary to perform the step of expanding the reusable object stored in the compressed format by the number of objects. Processing time becomes longer.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of composing reusable objects cached in an uncompressed format. Unlike FIG. 5, since the reuse object is not compressed, the reuse object on the cache memory can be directly pasted on the page composition memory. In this example, the uncompressed Obj1 is stored in the cache memory in an uncompressed state and is placed in the page synthesis memory as it is. In order to complete the print output image data of the page, the same processing is performed for the other objects Obj2 and Obj3 constituting the page. As described above, the processing can be simplified by storing the object in the uncompressed format, but the capacity of the cache memory is increased as compared with storing in the compressed format.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a reuse object cached in a compressed format in the HDD is combined. An object stored in a compressed format in the HDD is loaded into the work memory, and the object loaded on the work memory is decompressed uncompressed. After development, paste the object on the page composition memory. In this example, the compressed Obj1 cannot be stored in the cache memory and is cached in the HDD. When combining the compressed Obj1 stored in the HDD, the compressed Obj1 is read from the HDD into the work memory, and the compressed Obj1 is expanded into an uncompressed state and then placed in the page combining memory. The compressed Obj2 and Obj3 stored in the cache memory are expanded from the compressed state to the uncompressed state in the work memory, and then placed in the page synthesis memory. As described above, when some reusable objects are cached in the HDD, data communication between the HDD and the memory is required, and the processing time is increased accordingly.

  Thus, from the viewpoint of the capacity of the cache memory, it is preferable to store the reuse object in the cache memory in a compressed format. From the viewpoint of shortening the processing time, the reuse object is stored in the cache memory in an uncompressed format. Preferably, when all the reuse objects cannot be stored in the cache memory, it is preferable to store the overflow reuse objects in the compressed format in the HDD. Therefore, in order to use the cache memory effectively, depending on the use state (free space) of the cache memory, the cache memory can be stored in a compressed format, stored in a non-compressed format in the cache memory, or in a compressed format. It is necessary to perform control for determining whether to save in the HDD.

  FIG. 8 shows an example in which the object storage mode is changed in the memory based on the above control. In this example, the uncompressed Obj4 is to be stored in the cache memory, but there are already Obj1, Obj2 and Obj3 on the cache memory, and there is no capacity for storing Obj4. Therefore, in this embodiment, Obj1 (preferably an object with low usage frequency) is compressed to increase the free capacity of the cache memory, and Obj4 can be stored in the cache memory. In this way, by changing some objects to the compression format, all the reusable objects can be saved in the cache memory. Therefore, when the objects overflowing from the cache memory are saved in the HDD, Compared to the case where the reusable object is compressed and stored in the cache memory, the cache memory can be used effectively and the processing time for variable printing can be shortened.

  FIG. 9 shows an example in which the object storage mode is changed between the memory and the HDD based on the above control. In this example, the compressed Obj4 is to be stored in the cache memory, but there are already Obj1, Obj2 and Obj3 on the cache memory, and there is no capacity for storing Obj4. Also, all objects are in a compression format, and it is not possible to increase the free space in the cache memory by compressing existing objects. Therefore, in this embodiment, Obj1 (preferably an object with low usage frequency or an object with a small size) is cached in the HDD, and the capacity of the cache memory is made free so that the compressed Obj4 can be stored on the cache memory. Thus, by caching an object with a relatively low use frequency or an object with a relatively small size in the HDD in a compressed format, an object with a relatively high use frequency can be stored in the cache memory. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the load of data communication between the HDD and the memory and shorten the processing time for variable printing.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of managing and using a reuse object. The reuse object to be cached is managed by the cache management table. This cache management table describes the number of cached objects and the object ID. The object ID includes attributes such as the size of the object, the distinction between compression / non-compression, the object size at the time of compression, and the storage location. Information is associated. When using a cached reuse object, the attribute information of the target reuse object is acquired with reference to the cache management table, and the operation is changed based on the attribute information.

  For example, when the reusable object is in the compressed format and the storage location is the memory, the reusable object is converted from the compressed format to the non-compressed format and placed in the image synthesis memory. If the object is in the compressed format and the storage location is the HDD, the object is read from the HDD to the work memory, and the read object is converted from the compressed format to the uncompressed format and then placed in the image composition memory. If the object is in an uncompressed format, the object is placed as it is in the image composition memory.

  Hereinafter, processing of the print control apparatus 30 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the overall processing of the print control apparatus 30.

  When the variable print data is input, the process starts, and the variable print data analysis unit 30a sequentially interprets the variable print data from the top and rasterizes each object (S110).

  Next, the variable print data analysis unit 30a determines whether the rasterized object is a reuse object (S120), and if it is a reuse object, calls a cache process according to the memory usage status (S130). Details of this cache processing will be described later. Next, the variable print data analysis unit 30a determines whether it is the end of the page (S140). If it is not the end of the page, it analyzes and rasterizes the next variable print data.

  If it is the end of the page, the reusable object management unit 30c performs reusable object extraction processing to perform page composition processing (S150). Details of this extraction process will be described later. When the image composition processing unit 30d performs image composition for one page, the print output image data is transferred to the engine (S160). If there is still variable print data (No in S170), the process returns to S110, where the variable print data is analyzed and rasterized, and this process is repeated until the end of the job.

[Cache processing according to memory usage]
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the cache processing according to the memory usage executed by the storage form determination unit 30b, and shows details of S130 of FIG.

  First, the usage status of the cache memory is confirmed (S131). If there is a free space equal to or larger than the size of the non-compressed reusable object in the cache memory (Yes in S132), it is determined that it should be stored in the cache memory without compression, and the reusable object is cached without compression. Save in the memory (S135).

  If there is no free area equal to or larger than the size of the reuse object, the size of the reuse object after compression is calculated (S133). When there is a free space of the size of the reuse object after compression in the cache memory (Yes in S134), it is determined that it should be compressed and saved in the cache memory, and the reuse object is compressed and saved in the cache memory (S136). ). On the other hand, if the size of the reuse object after compression is not available in the cache memory (No in S134), it is determined that the object should be compressed and stored in the HDD, and the object is compressed and stored in the HDD (S137).

[Reuse object retrieval processing]
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a reuse object extraction process executed by the reuse object management unit 30c, and shows details of S150 in FIG.

  It is determined whether or not the reuse object requested to be fetched (referred to as a request object) is cached (S151). If the request object is not cached, NULL is determined to be absent from the image composition processing unit 30d. Notification is made (S152).

  If the request object is cached, it is determined whether the object is an uncompressed format or a compressed format (S153). In the case of the uncompressed format, the request object fetched from the cache memory is directly passed to the image composition processing unit 30d (S154). On the other hand, in the case of the compression format, it is determined whether the storage location of the request object is the HDD (S155). If the storage location is the HDD, the request object is read into the work memory (S156), and the compressed request object is expanded. After the request object is converted into a reusable format (S157), the converted request object is passed to the image composition processing unit 30d (S158).

  As described above, it is determined whether to save the compressed memory in the cache memory, the uncompressed cache memory, or the compressed HDD to the HDD depending on the usage status (free space) of the cache memory. Therefore, the reuse object can be efficiently saved in the cache memory, and the variable printing process can be executed quickly.

  Next, a print control apparatus and print control program in variable printing according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As described above, in variable printing, parts common between pages (reuse objects) and parts that change between pages (hereinafter referred to as temporary use objects) are used. Some are high, while others are less frequently used.

  Here, when a reusable object with low usage frequency is first registered in the cache memory, and a reusable object with high frequency of use is registered in the second half of the job, there is enough free space in the cache memory to store both reusable objects. Otherwise, a frequently used reuse object overflows from the cache memory and is stored in the HDD. When a reusable object with a high usage frequency is stored in the HDD, data transfer from the HDD to the memory is repeated for the number of times of reuse, thereby causing a problem that it takes time for variable printing processing.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the usage frequency (utilization rate, usage frequency) of the reuse object is calculated based on the variable print data, and the reuse object is weighted according to the usage frequency. Then, in order of frequency of use, reusable objects are stored in the cache memory as much as possible (until they cannot be stored in the cache memory), and reusable objects that cannot be stored in the cache memory are stored in the HDD or used without being cached. RIP processing is performed every time.

  In this case, the basic configuration of the print control system 10 is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, but the print control program operating in the print control apparatus 30 is as shown in FIG. 30 is made to function as a reuse object usage frequency calculation unit 30f, a variable print data analysis unit 30a, a storage form determination unit 30b, a reuse object management unit 30c, an image composition processing unit 30d, an image data transfer unit 30e for print output, and the like. .

  The reuse object usage frequency calculation unit 30f uses a variable print data arrangement file, calculates a usage frequency based on the number of times each reuse object appears, and adds the calculated usage frequency (usage rate) to the arrangement file. To do.

  The variable print data analyzing unit 30a analyzes the variable print data sent from the client computer device, extracts the reuse object and the temporary use object, rasterizes the extracted reuse object and the temporary use object, and outputs the image data. Is generated and the image composition instruction is interpreted. Further, the usage frequency added to the arrangement file and the attribute information (name, ID, size, compression / non-compression distinction, storage location, etc.) of the reuse object are extracted, and the information is passed to the storage form determination unit 30b. .

  The storage form determination unit 30b determines whether to store the reuse object in the cache memory based on the reuse frequency and attribute information of the reuse object extracted by the variable print data analysis unit 30a, and according to the determination result, The rasterized reuse object (image data of the reuse object) is saved (compressed and saved if necessary). Further, in order to cache the reuse object, it is determined which of the reuse objects already stored in the cache memory is to be changed (for example, saved in the HDD), and the reuse object is determined according to the determination result. Change the storage format.

  The reuse object management unit 30c manages the storage location of the image data of the reuse object and the method of extracting the image data at the time of use, extracts the image data of the reuse object from the cache memory or HDD, and sends it to the image composition processing unit 30d. hand over.

  In accordance with the image composition instruction interpreted by the variable print data analysis unit 30a, the image composition processing unit 30d appropriately receives the image data of the reuse object from the reuse object management unit 30c, and the image data of the reuse object and the temporary use object The image based on the above is synthesized (or synthesized after decompression if compressed) to generate print output image data.

  The print output image data transfer unit 30e transfers the print output image data generated by the image composition processing unit 30d to the engine (output device 40).

  Hereinafter, after describing the problems of the conventional variable printing, the operation of the print control apparatus 30 of the present embodiment will be described. Note that what is stored in the cache memory or HDD is the reuse object after rasterization (image data of the reuse object), but in the following description, it is simply referred to as a reuse object.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of variable print data and a cache holding state of a reuse object. Here, variable print data composed of 100 pages is assumed. The variable print data includes a component that is reused, and the component is a reuse object A (shaded portion in the figure). The reuse object A is used for the first and second pages, and is not reused for the third and subsequent pages.

  When print output image data for the first page is generated, the reuse object A is stored in the cache memory, and the print output image data is generated using the cached data. Similarly to the first page, the second page generates print output image data using the reuse object A stored in the cache memory. From the third page onward, the reuse object A is not used, but is stored in the cache memory until the end of the job. As described above, since the reuse object A is reused at the beginning of the page, it is stored first in the cache memory, and occupies the cache memory until the end of the job regardless of whether or not it is reused thereafter. Will end up.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the cache memory is used inefficiently. When generating image data for print output, the reusable objects that make up the page must be in the cache memory, and the cache memory may become inefficient during the sequential processing of jobs.

  More specifically, it is assumed that there is variable print data composed of 100 pages, and the variable print data includes a plurality of reuse objects. The reuse object A is used for the first and second pages, and is not reused for the third and subsequent pages. The reuse object B is used on the fourth page and is not used after that. If the capacity of the cache memory becomes full when the reuse object B is saved in the cache memory, the subsequent reuse objects are saved in the HDD.

  Here, it is assumed that the reuse object C is used from the 51st page onward, and the reuse object C is used on all pages after the 51st page. In this case, the reuse object C is reused 50 times from the 51st page to the 100th page, but since it is stored in the HDD, 50 times of HDD access (data communication between the HDD and the memory) is required. Performance is significantly degraded. On the other hand, the reuse object A is reused only twice and the reuse object B is saved in the cache memory even though it is reused only once. Originally, it is more efficient that the reuse object C having the highest usage frequency is stored in the cache memory and the reuse object B having the lowest usage frequency is stored in the HDD.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of weighting based on the usage frequency (utilization rate) of the reuse object. When the cache memory is used inefficiently as shown in FIG. 16, a reusable object is used to determine whether it should be saved in the cache memory, saved in the HDD, or reused in another way. Are weighted according to utilization.

  Specifically, on the premise of the configuration of FIG. 16, first, reuse objects A, B, and C are extracted from the variable print data, and the utilization rate is calculated from the number of times of use. Since the reuse object A is used on two of the 100 pages, the utilization rate is 2%. Since the reuse object B is used only in one page out of 100 pages, the utilization rate is 1%. Since the reuse object C is used for 50 pages out of 100 pages, the utilization rate is 50%.

  In addition, the reuse object is stored in the cache memory in the descending order of the utilization rate, and the reuse object B having the lowest utilization rate is saved in the HDD, thereby avoiding a state where the cache memory is used inefficiently. it can. The reuse object A has a utilization rate of 2% and is a low utilization rate as a reuse object. Therefore, when a reuse object having a high utilization rate in a job is cached, the reuse object A is stored in the HDD, and a reuse object having a higher utilization rate than the reuse object A is stored in the cache memory. To do. That is, the overall efficiency can be improved by changing the cache form of the reuse object according to the use frequency (use rate) or by reusing it by another method without caching.

  In FIG. 17, the reusable object with the lowest utilization rate is stored in the HDD, but a method other than storing in the HDD can also be used. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of reusing by another method without caching.

  Assume that there is variable print data composed of 100 pages, and the variable print data includes a plurality of reusable objects. Among them, the reuse object D is used on the first page and the 100th page, and is not reused elsewhere. The reuse object D has a large area (occupied capacity) and a low use frequency. In such a case, the reuse object D can be rasterized each time it is used, as in the case of the temporary use object, without using the cache mechanism.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating preprocessing for calculating the utilization rate of a reuse object. Assume that variable print data is described in PPML (Personalized Print Markup Language). There are two types of PPML data: external image data and arrangement file (PPML file) separately, and those with image data and arrangement file in the same file. These files may be archived in ZIP format. Furthermore, in a format having separate image data and arrangement files, a format (EXTERNAL_DATA) that holds each image data as a file and a format that holds multiple image data in an external file such as PDF (Portable Document Format) ( EXTERNAL_DATA_ARRAY). The format (INTERNAL_DATA) having the image data and the arrangement file in the same file is the image data saved in the arrangement file as UUENCODE characters.

  In order to calculate the utilization rate of the reuse object, the respective formats are unified as preprocessing. First, if it is a ZIP archive, unzip it. In the decompressed state, the EXTERNAL_DATA format and the EXTERNAL_DATA_ARRAY format are states in which the reuse object utilization rate can be calculated. The INTRNAL_DATA format can also calculate the usage rate, but since the image data is included in the file, a huge amount of data must be processed. Therefore, in the case of the INTRNAL__DATA format, the image data is extracted, the extracted image data is converted into an external file format, and rewritten to the EXTERNAL_DATA format. After the input variable print data is unified into the EXTERNAL_DATA format and the EXTERNAL_DATA_ARRAY format, the reuse object usage rate is calculated.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an outline of processing for calculating the utilization rate of a reuse object. XML (Extensible Markup Language) schema check (data structure check) is performed on data unified into EXTERNAL_DATA format and EXTERNAL_DATA_ARRAY format. When the schema check is completed, the reuse object name is extracted from the reuse object definition and a reuse object list is created. When a reusable object specified by the arrangement file appears, 1 is added to the counter of the reusable object. This process is repeated until the end of the variable print data. Note that the reuse object may be counted simultaneously with the schema check.

  Hereinafter, processing of the print control apparatus 30 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the overall processing of the print control apparatus 30.

  When the variable print data is input, the process starts, and the reuse object usage frequency calculation unit 30f performs the reuse object weighting process (S210). Details of this weighting process will be described later. When the reusable object weighting process is completed, variable print data in which the usage frequency is added to the arrangement file is generated. Therefore, the variable print data analysis unit 30a sequentially interprets the variable print data from the top, Rasterize (S220).

  Then, the variable print data analysis unit 30a determines whether the rasterized object is a reuse object (S230), and if it is a reuse object, calls a cache process according to the usage frequency (S240). Details of this cache processing will be described later. Next, the variable print data analysis unit 30a determines whether it is the end of the page (S250). If it is not the end of the page, it analyzes and rasterizes the next variable print data.

  If it is the end of the page, the reusable object management unit 30c performs a reusable object extraction process in order to perform a page composition process (S260). Details of this extraction process will be described later. When the image composition processing unit 30d performs image composition for one page, the print output image data is transferred to the engine (S270). If there is still variable print data (No in S280), the process returns to S220, where the variable print data is analyzed and rasterized, and this process is repeated until the end of the job.

[Reuse object weighting]
FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the reuse object weighting process executed by the reuse object usage frequency calculation unit 30f, and shows details of S210 in FIG.

  First, it is confirmed whether the variable print data is ZIP archived (S211). If the variable print data is ZIP archived, the variable print data archived by UNZIP is decompressed (S212). Next, it is determined whether or not the INTERNAL_DATA element is included in the decompressed variable print data arrangement file (PPML file) (S213). If the INTERNAL_DATA element is included, UUDECODE the image data specified in the INTERNAL_DATA element and convert the image data to an external file format. Then, the INTERNAL_DATA element of the PPML file is removed and replaced with the EXTERNAL_DATA element, and an image file created as an external file is designated (S214).

  Next, a schema check is performed on the PPML file converted into the EXTERNAL_DATA element and the EXTERNAL_DATA_ARRAY element, a reuse object name is extracted, and a reuse object list is created (S215). Next, the variable print data is searched from the top, and it is determined whether or not the reuse object is referenced (S216). If the reuse object is referenced, the number of reuses of the corresponding reuse object is counted up (S217), and this process is repeated until the end of the job (S218). When the end of the job is reached, the placement file weighted by the reuse object list is output (S219).

[Cache processing according to usage frequency]
FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the cache processing according to the usage frequency, which is executed by the storage form determination unit 30b, and shows details of S240 in FIG. The reusable object is stored in the cache memory without being compressed and stored in the HDD after being compressed, but the compression / non-compression can be changed.

  First, it is confirmed whether or not there is a free capacity corresponding to the capacity of the reuse object in the cache memory (S241). If there is free space in the cache memory, the reusable object to be cached is stored in the cache memory (S246).

  If there is no free space in the cache memory, it is checked whether there is a comparison target (stored reuse object) in the cache memory (S242). If there is a reuse object stored, the use frequency of the reuse object is extracted, and the reuse object stored in the cache memory is compared with the use frequency of the reuse object that is currently being cached (S243). ). If the reuse frequency of the reuse object that is about to be cached is higher than the reuse frequency of the reuse object stored in the cache memory (Yes in S244), the reuse object stored in the cache memory is transferred to the HDD. (S245). At that time, if the reusable object stored in the cache memory is compressed, it is moved to the HDD as it is, and if it is not compressed, it is compressed and stored in the HDD. Thereafter, the process returns to S241 to determine again whether the cache memory has a free space.

  On the other hand, when there is no comparison target (saved reuse object) in the cache memory (No in S242), or the reuse frequency of the reuse object to be cached is saved in the cache memory. If the usage frequency is less than (No in S244), the reusable object to be cached is compressed and stored in the HDD, or RIP processing is performed each time it is used without being cached (S247). .

[Reuse object retrieval processing]
FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a reusable object extraction process executed by the reusable object management unit 30c, and shows details of S260 in FIG.

  It is determined whether or not a reuse object requested to be fetched (referred to as a request object here) is cached (S261). If the request object is not cached, the request object is rasterized to generate image data. (S262). Then, the generated image data is transferred to the image composition processing unit 30d (S268).

  If the request object is cached, it is determined whether the request object is in the cache memory (S263). If the request object is in the cache memory, the request object is retrieved from the cache memory (S264). Here, since the request object is stored in the cache memory without being compressed, the request object taken out from the cache memory is directly passed to the image composition processing unit 30d (S268).

  On the other hand, if the request object is not stored in the cache memory, it is determined whether the request object is stored in the HDD (S265). If the request object is stored in the HDD, the request object is read from the HDD into the work memory (S266) and compressed. After converting the request object into a reusable format such as expanding the request object (S267), the converted request object is passed to the image composition processing unit 30d (S268).

  As described above, it is possible to effectively use the cache memory by calculating the usage frequency (utilization rate) of the reuse object and storing the reuse object in the cache memory as much as possible in the descending order of usage frequency. In addition, the number of accesses to the HDD can be reduced and the variable printing process can be executed quickly.

  Next, a print control apparatus and print control program in variable printing according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26. FIG.

  In the first embodiment described above, the image data of the reuse object is stored in the cache memory without compression, compressed and stored in the cache memory, or compressed and stored in the HDD according to the usage state of the cache memory. In the second embodiment, the image data of the reuse object is stored in the cache memory according to the usage frequency. However, in this embodiment, the usage status and the usage frequency of the cache memory are combined with each other. In accordance with the control, how to store the image data of the reuse object is controlled.

  Hereinafter, processing of the print control apparatus 30 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the overall processing of the print control apparatus 30. Note that what is saved in the cache memory or HDD is the reuse object after rasterization (image data of the reuse object), but in this embodiment, it is also simply referred to as a reuse object.

  When the variable print data is input, the process starts, and the reuse object usage frequency calculation unit 30f performs the reuse object weighting process (S310). This weighting process is the same as in the first embodiment. When the reusable object weighting process is completed, variable print data in which the usage frequency is added to the arrangement file is generated. Therefore, the variable print data analysis unit 30a sequentially interprets the variable print data from the top, Rasterize (S320).

  Then, the variable print data analysis unit 30a determines whether the rasterized object is a reuse object (S330), and if it is a reuse object, calls a cache process according to the usage frequency and the cache memory usage status (S340). ). Details of this cache processing will be described later. Next, the variable print data analysis unit 30a determines whether it is the end of the page (S360). If it is not the end of the page, it analyzes and rasterizes the next variable print data.

  If it is the end of the page, the reusable object management unit 30c performs a reusable object extraction process to perform the page composition process (S370). This extraction process is the same as in the first and second embodiments described above. When the image composition processing unit 30d performs image composition for one page, the print output image data is transferred to the engine (S380). If there is still variable print data (No in S390), the process returns to S320, where the variable print data is analyzed and rasterized, and this process is repeated until the end of the job.

[Cache processing according to usage frequency and cache memory usage]
FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing the cache processing according to the usage frequency and the cache memory usage state, which is executed by the storage form determination unit 30b, and shows details of S340 in FIG.

  First, it is confirmed whether or not the cache memory has a free capacity corresponding to the capacity of the non-compressed reusable object (S341). If there is a free space equivalent to the capacity of the non-compressed reusable object in the cache memory, the reusable object to be cached is stored in the cache memory in the uncompressed form (S349).

  If there is not enough free space in the cache memory for the uncompressed reusable object, it is checked whether there is a comparison target (a stored reusable object) in the cache memory (S342). If there is a reuse object stored, the use frequency of the reuse object is extracted, and the reuse object stored in the cache memory is compared with the use frequency of the reuse object that is currently being cached (S343). ). When the usage frequency of the reuse object that is about to be cached is higher than the usage frequency of the reuse object stored in the cache memory (Yes in S344), the reuse object stored in the cache memory is compressed. Then, it is moved to the HDD or compressed and returned to the cache memory (S345). Thereafter, the process returns to S341, and it is determined again whether the cache memory has a free space equivalent to the capacity of the non-compressed reusable object.

  On the other hand, when there is no comparison target (saved reuse object) in the cache memory (No in S342), or the reuse frequency of the reuse object to be cached is saved in the cache memory. When the usage frequency is lower (No in S344), the usage status of the cache memory is confirmed (S346), and the size of the reuse object after compression is calculated (S347). If there is an empty size of the reuse object after compression in the cache memory (Yes in S348), it is determined that the reuse object should be compressed and saved in the cache memory, and the reuse object is compressed and saved in the cache memory (S350). ). On the other hand, if the size of the reuse object after compression is not available in the cache memory (No in S348), it is determined that the object should be compressed and stored in the HDD, and the object is compressed and stored in the HDD (S351).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the usage frequency (utilization rate) of the reuse object is calculated, the reuse object with the high usage frequency is stored in the cache memory in an uncompressed format, and the cache memory in the uncompressed format is stored. If the data cannot be saved in the cache memory, it can be saved in the cache memory in the compressed format. If the data cannot be saved in the cache memory in the compressed format, the cache memory can be used effectively by saving it in the HDD in the compressed format. Can be executed quickly.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, The structure and control can be changed suitably, unless it deviates from the meaning of this invention. For example, in each of the above embodiments, the reusable object is stored in the HDD when it cannot be stored in the cache memory. However, the storage destination is not limited to the HDD, and any external storage device connected to the CPU via the interface Can be applied to.

  The present invention is applicable to a system including a print control apparatus that analyzes variable print data and generates print output image data for each page, and a print control program that operates on the print control apparatus.

10 Print Control System 20 Variable Print Data Generation Device 21 CPU
22 ROM
23 RAM
24 NIC
25 HDD
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 Print control apparatus 30a Reuse object utilization frequency calculation part 30b Variable print data analysis part 30c Storage form determination part 30d Reuse object management part 30e Image composition process part 30f Image data transfer part for print output 31 CPU
32 ROM
33 RAM
34 NIC
35 HDD
40 Output device 50 Printed matter

Claims (8)

A print control apparatus that generates print output image data that can be processed by a printing apparatus based on variable print data including a reuse object and a temporary use object,
A variable print data analyzing unit that interprets the variable print data, extracts the reuse object and the temporary use object, rasterizes the extracted reuse object and the temporary use object, and generates image data;
A cache memory constituted by a primary storage device and an external storage device as a secondary storage device;
Depending on the usage state of the cache memory, the image data of each reusable object is stored in a compressed format or an uncompressed format, and is stored in the cache memory or stored in the external storage device A storage form determination unit that stores the image data of each of the reusable objects for reuse according to the determination result;
An image composition processing unit that obtains image data of the reusable object and the temporary use object, decompresses the compressed image data, composes an image based on the image data, and generates image data for print output; ,
A print output image data transfer unit for transferring the print output image data to the printing device;
A printing control apparatus comprising:   The storage form determination unit stores the image data of all the reusable objects in the cache memory in an uncompressed format when the image data of all the reusable objects can be stored in the cache memory, and stores the images of all the reusable objects. When data cannot be stored in the cache memory in an uncompressed format, at least a part of the image data of the reuse object is compressed and stored in the cache memory, and at least a part of the image data of the reuse object is compressed. 2. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the image data cannot be stored in the cache memory, the image data of at least a part of the reusable object is compressed and stored in the external storage device. A reusable object usage frequency calculation unit that calculates the usage frequency of each of the reusable objects based on the variable print data,
The storage form determination unit weights each reuse object based on the use frequency, and stores the image data of the reuse object in the cache memory in descending order of use frequency until it cannot be stored in the cache memory. The image data of the reusable object that is stored in the cache memory and cannot be stored in the cache memory is stored in the external storage device or is not stored for reuse. Print control device.   When there is a reuse object having a higher usage frequency than a reuse object already stored in the cache memory, the storage form determination unit stores the image data of the reuse object already stored in the external storage device The printing control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the printing control apparatus is saved. Print output image data that can be processed by a printing apparatus based on variable print data including a reusable object and a temporary use object, which includes a cache memory constituted by a primary storage device and an external storage device as a secondary storage device A print control program that operates on a device that generates
Said device,
A variable print data analyzing unit that interprets the variable print data, extracts the reuse object and the temporary use object, and rasterizes the extracted reuse object and the temporary use object to generate image data;
Depending on the usage state of the cache memory, the image data of each reusable object is stored in a compressed format or an uncompressed format, and is stored in the cache memory or stored in the external storage device A storage form determination unit that stores the image data of each of the reusable objects for reuse according to the determination result;
An image composition processing unit that obtains image data of the reusable object and the temporary use object, decompresses image data in a compressed format, and then composes an image based on the image data to generate print output image data.
A print output image data transfer unit for transferring the print output image data to the printing apparatus;
A print control program characterized by being made to function as   The storage form determination unit stores the image data of all the reusable objects in the cache memory in an uncompressed format when the image data of all the reusable objects can be stored in the cache memory, and stores the images of all the reusable objects. When data cannot be stored in the cache memory in an uncompressed format, at least a part of the image data of the reuse object is compressed and stored in the cache memory, and at least a part of the image data of the reuse object is compressed. 6. The print control program according to claim 5, wherein if the image cannot be stored in the cache memory, at least a part of the image data of the reusable object is compressed and stored in the external storage device. Said device further
Based on the variable print data, function as a reuse object usage frequency calculation unit that calculates the usage frequency of each of the reuse objects,
The storage form determination unit weights each reuse object based on the use frequency, and stores the image data of the reuse object in the cache memory in descending order of use frequency until it cannot be stored in the cache memory. 7. The image data of the reusable object that is stored in the cache memory and cannot be stored in the cache memory is stored in the external storage device or is not stored for reuse. Print control program.   When there is a reuse object having a higher usage frequency than a reuse object already stored in the cache memory, the storage form determination unit stores the image data of the reuse object already stored in the external storage device The printing control program according to claim 7, wherein the printing control program is saved.

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