JP2018058297A - Image formation output control device and image formation output control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently perform printing output containing image data common to plural pages.SOLUTION: An image formation output control device receives from a processing execution control device for controlling execution of image formation output processing command information of image formation output containing image information, compares a plurality of image information objects being unit images contained in the image information each other, detects the overlapping image information objects having the same contents, rewrites the contents of the objects referring to the image information object having the same contents but a different identification ID so that these objects refer to the image information object having the same identification ID, performs object caching processing to the image information object having the same contents but a different identification ID, and reduces the number of times of drawing with respect to the image object having the same contents but a different identification ID.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 22

Description

  The present invention relates to an image formation output control apparatus and an image formation output control program.

  A printer for the production market used for on-demand printing or the like is generally configured by combining a printer engine main body and a DFE (Digital Front End). The DFE includes a RIP (Raster Image Processor) process for generating print output data (hereinafter referred to as raster data), which is data that is finally referred to during print output on the printer engine side, based on the submitted data ( Alternatively, dedicated software for performing “rendering processing”) is installed.

  The input data that is referred to at the time of RIP processing is generally used in a PDF (Portable Document Format) file format. The raster data is transferred from the DFE to the print engine and printed out. The PDF file stores image data, drawing commands, text data, and font data in units of image information called objects.

  Among such objects, “Image XObject” that is an image information object for storing image data and “Form XObject” that is a drawing information object in which a drawing command is stored include a plurality of pages in the PDF file. It is allowed to refer to the same object from In a certain PDF file, an image information object or a drawing information object that is referenced from a plurality of pages is called a reuse object.

  Also, in such a printer, so-called variable printing is performed, in which a variable information portion in which the content such as personal information is changed for each sheet and a fixed information portion in which the content such as a company logo is not changed are printed. is there. When performing variable printing, image data common to each page can be stored as an Image XObject, and a PDF file can be created in a format that refers to the Image XObject from an object for defining the contents of each page to be printed. . In this way, it is possible to obtain the effect of reducing the file size of the PDF file and the effect of increasing the efficiency of RIP processing in DFE.

  Also, a so-called object caching technique is known in which raster data obtained from image data common to a plurality of pages is saved (cached) in a storage medium inside the DFE, thereby speeding up RIP processing of another page. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for performing object caching in RIP processing. For example, when creating and editing a document using an office application program such as Microsoft Office on a PC (Personal Computer) and converting a Word document into a PDF file, a PDF generation program such as Adobe Acrobat or CubePDF is used. Is done.

  In a PDF file generated using a so-called printer driver type PDF generation program that can generate a PDF file by simply printing a document to be converted to a PDF file on the application program as described above, Even with the same image data, PDF files tend to be generated in which objects having different identification information for identifying objects exist.

  Even if the same image data is used, if the object identification information is different, object caching cannot be applied to the object of the image data, so the RIP process cannot be performed efficiently.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that print output including image data common to a plurality of pages is efficiently performed.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, command information for outputting an image to be imaged and output is received from a process execution control device that controls execution of an image formation output process, and the command information is configured A duplicate image information detection unit that compares image information included in a plurality of objects that are unit images, and detects a duplicate image information object in which the image information overlaps in a plurality of the objects having different identification information for identifying the objects. A drawing information generation control unit that causes the drawing information generation unit to generate drawing information to be referred to when the image forming apparatus performs image formation output based on the command information; and drawing result information that is a result of drawing the image information And the drawing information generation control unit is included in the detected duplicate image information object. Using the drawing result information of the image information, characterized in that to generate the drawing data to the drawing data generating section.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently perform print output including image data common to a plurality of pages.

The figure which shows the operation | use form of the system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the information processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the function structure of DFE which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the function structure of the RIP engine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the function structure of the preflight process part which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and a rendering process part. The block diagram which shows the function structure of the object memory | storage part which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the PDF file information structure which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the information structure of the main-body part of the PDF file which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the information structure of the Image XObject management table which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the information structure of the Form XObject management table which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The sequence diagram which shows the whole operation | movement of the system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the flow of the RIP process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for detecting duplicate image data according to the embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for detecting duplicate image data according to the embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for detecting duplicate image data according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for deleting duplicate image data according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for detecting an overlapping drawing command according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for detecting an overlapping drawing command according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for detecting an overlapping drawing command according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for deleting a duplicate drawing command according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which illustrated the file of the PDF format which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the other structure of the preflight process part which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which illustrated the document file created using the office application program. The sequence diagram which shows the flow of the process which converts a document file into a PDF file.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an image processing system 3 including a client terminal 2 that generates a print job and an image forming apparatus 1 that executes image formation output based on the received print job will be described as an example.

  In such a configuration, for example, when a document created using an office application program is printed out on a PC, a PDF file may be generated from the created document. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a Word document in which objects having the same content but different object identification information exist. In FIGS. 23A and 23B, the company logo P, which is the same image data, is included.

  A Word document as shown in FIG. 23 is converted into a PDF file according to the process shown in FIG. FIG. 24 is a sequence diagram showing processing for converting a document created using the office application program into a PDF file using a printer driver type PDF generation program. In FIG. 24, conversion from a Word document to a PDF file is defined as “printing”.

  As shown in FIG. 24, when the office application program receives a print instruction operation performed by the user of the PC (S2401), the office application program starts printing the document (S2402) and starts printing from the first page (S2403). Pass information to PDF generation program.

  The command information includes an instruction to print an image of the company logo P (S2405) and an instruction to print the text A1 (S2407). The PDF generation program sequentially generates a Page object (S2404), an image XObject (S2406) from the image of the company logo P, and a Form XObject (S2408) from the text A1 based on the command information.

  When the printing of the first page is completed (S2409), the office application program starts the printing of the first page (S2410) and transfers the command information to the PDF generation program.

  This instruction information includes an instruction to print an image of the company logo P (S2412) and an instruction to print the body text B1 (S2414). The PDF generation program sequentially generates a Page object (S2411), an image XObject (S2413) from the image of the company logo P, and a Form XObject (S2415) from the text A1 based on the command information.

  When printing of the second page ends (S2416), the office application program ends printing (S2417) and notifies the end of printing (S2418). As described with reference to FIG. 24, in the printer driver type PDF generation program, whether the image data to be printed received from the office application program is the same in order to generate the Image XObject in the processes of S2406 and S2411. Generally, the process of determining whether or not is not performed.

  Therefore, when such processing is performed, if there are objects having the same contents and different object identification information, such as the image data of the company logo P, each image data is independent. It will be embedded in the PDF file as an object. As described above, the gist of the present invention is to efficiently print out even PDF files having the same contents and different object identification information.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an operation mode of an image processing system 3 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image processing system 3 is configured by connecting an image forming apparatus 1 and a client terminal 2 via a network.

  The image forming apparatus 1 is a printer that performs a print output operation by an electrophotographic method, an inkjet method, or the like, and includes a DFE 100 and a print engine 150. The DFE 100 functions as an image formation output control device that is a control unit for causing the print engine 150 to execute digital image formation output. The print engine 150 includes an image forming unit such as a photoreceptor, a developing unit, and a transport mechanism, and functions as an image forming output device. Therefore, the DFE 100 executes RIP (Raster Image Processor) processing to generate raster data that is image data that is referred to when the print engine 150 executes print output. Raster data is drawing information.

  When print output is performed by the image forming apparatus 1, data is transmitted from the client terminal 2 to the DFE 100. The DFE 100 performs RIP processing as described above, and transmits raster data generated by the RIP processing to the print engine 150. The print engine 150 executes print output based on the received raster data. Therefore, it is possible to cause the image forming apparatus 1 to execute print output by transmitting print data before RIP processing to the DFE 100.

  The client terminal 2 is an information processing terminal operated by an operator who uses the system, and is realized by a general PC (Personal Computer) or the like. The operator operates the client terminal 2 to transmit data to the DFE 100.

  Next, a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus such as the DFE 100 and the client terminal 2 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the DFE 100 and the client terminal 2 include configurations similar to a general server, a PC (Personal Computer), and the like. That is, in the DFE 100, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 20, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 30, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 40, and an I / F 50 are connected via a bus 80. . Further, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 60 and an operation unit 70 are connected to the I / F 50.

  The CPU 10 is a calculation means and controls the operation of the entire information processing apparatus. The RAM 20 is a volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information at high speed, and is used as a work area when the CPU 10 processes information. The ROM 30 is a read-only nonvolatile storage medium, and stores programs such as a boot loader and BIOS. The HDD 40 is a non-volatile storage medium that can read and write information, and stores an OS (Operating System), various control programs, application programs, and the like.

  The I / F 50 connects and controls the bus 80 and various hardware and networks. The LCD 60 is a visual user interface for the user to check the state of the information processing apparatus. The operation unit 70 is a user interface such as a keyboard and a mouse for a user to input information to the information processing apparatus. In the DFE 100, user interfaces such as the LCD 60 and the operation unit 70 can be omitted.

  In such a hardware configuration, the software control unit is configured by the CPU 10 performing calculations according to a program stored in the ROM 30 or a program loaded into the RAM 20 from a storage medium such as the HDD 40 or an optical disk (not shown). A functional block for realizing the functions of the DFE 100 and the client terminal 2 according to the present embodiment is configured by a combination of the software control unit configured in this way and hardware.

  Next, a functional configuration of the DFE 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the DFE 100 includes a DFE controller 110, a network I / F 101, and a display 102. The network I / F 101 is an interface for the DFE 100 to exchange information with other devices via the network. Further, the DFE controller 110 executes acquisition of data to be digitally printed and execution of a print job. The DFE controller 110 is configured by installing dedicated software in the information processing apparatus.

  The DFE 100 receives job data that is print output command information from the client terminal 2, and performs control of the received job, execution control of RIP processing, and control of the print engine 150. The client terminal 2 causes the print engine 150 to execute print output by transmitting job data to the DFE 100. That is, the DFE 100 functions as a server for providing a digital print function to the client terminal 2.

  The job control function provided by the DFE 100 is a control function for a series of operations such as job data reception, job data analysis, raster data creation, and print output by the print engine 150. The RIP process execution control is control for causing the RIP engine 120 to execute the RIP process based on information generated by analyzing job data.

  Information generated by analyzing job data is information obtained by converting information used for RIP processing into a format that can be read by the DFE 100. The RIP engine 120 is a drawing information generation unit that creates intermediate data and raster data by referring to information converted into a format readable by the DFE 100 and executing RIP processing.

  The control function of the print engine 150 is a function that causes the print engine 150 to transmit raster data and execute print output. These functions are realized by the blocks shown in FIG. Each block shown in FIG. 3 is realized by the CPU 10 performing arithmetic processing according to a program loaded in the RAM 20 or a program stored in the ROM 30 and operating other hardware as described in FIG.

  Further, the DFE 100 may be configured to have a plurality of RIP engines 120 mounted therein. This is to reduce the difference in print output from these other devices when the RIP engine is installed in other devices that may transmit jobs to the DFE 100.

  Note that job data can be input to the DFE 100 from the client terminal 2 via a network, or via a portable storage medium such as a USB memory. An information processing apparatus that inputs job data to the DFE 100 functions as a process execution control apparatus that controls execution of image formation output processing.

  The main control unit 113 functions as a drawing information generation control unit that transfers job data received by the input / output control unit 111 to the image processing unit 114. If the DFE 100 is set to store job data, the main control unit 113 may store the job data in a storage area realized by the RAM 20 or the HDD 40. This storage area may be a storage device connected to the DFE 100 via a USB interface or the like, or a storage device connected via a network.

  In addition, when the job data describes whether or not to store the job data in the storage area for the purpose of previewing the print contents in the DFE 100, for example, the main control unit 113 follows the description. In this case, the main control unit 113 acquires print target data included in the job data from the storage area, causes the image processing unit 114 to generate preview data, and passes the preview data to the UI control unit 112. As a result, the UI control unit 112 causes the display 102 to display a preview of the print content.

  Also, when the operator changes print settings in the DFE 100, job data is stored in the storage area. In this case, the main control unit 113 acquires job data from the storage area and passes it to the UI control unit 112. As a result, a UI for changing the print setting designated in the job data is displayed on the display 102, and the operator can change it by an operation.

  When the operator changes the print setting by operating the DFE 100, the UI control unit 112 receives the change content and notifies the main control unit 113 of the change. The main control unit 113 updates the received change contents to reflect the target job data, and stores the updated job data in the storage area.

  When the main control unit 113 receives a job execution instruction, the main control unit 113 transfers the job data stored in the storage area to the image processing unit 114 or the printer control unit 115. The job execution instruction is input from the client terminal 2 via the network or by an operator operation on the DFE 100. For example, when the job execution time is set in the job data, the main control unit 113 delivers the job data stored in the storage area to the image processing unit 114 or the printer control unit 115 when the set time comes.

  The UI control unit 112 receives information on the display 102 and an operator's operation on the DFE 100 as described above. In the print setting editing operation described above, the UI control unit 112 interprets print setting information such as JDF (Job Description Format) information included in the job data, and displays the contents of the print job on the display 102.

  The main control unit 113 performs control related to job execution based on a job execution instruction. Specifically, the main control unit 113 performs print setting information analysis processing, RIP processing by the image processing unit 114, and control processing of the print engine 150 by the printer control unit 115. Upon receiving a job execution instruction, the main control unit 113 converts the print setting information included in the job data into a format that can be recognized by the image processing unit 114.

  The main control unit 113 passes the print setting information converted into a format recognizable by the image processing unit 114 to the image processing unit 114, and executes RIP processing. The image processing unit 114 causes the plurality of RIP engines 120 to execute RIP internal processing to generate raster data.

  The image storage unit 116 is a storage unit that stores raster data generated by the RIP engine 120. The image storage unit 116 is realized by the HDD 40 described with reference to FIG. In addition, a storage device connected to the DFE 100 via a USB interface or the like, or a storage device connected via a network may be used.

  The printer control unit 115 is connected to the print engine 150, and reads out raster data stored in the image storage unit 116 and transmits the raster data to the print engine 150 to execute print output. Further, by obtaining finishing information included in the job data from the main control unit 113, control for finishing processing is performed. When the image forming apparatus 1 is configured to perform the coating process, the printer control unit 115 controls the execution of the coating process.

  The printer control unit 115 can acquire information of the print engine 150 itself by exchanging information with the print engine 150. For example, in the case of the CIP4 standard, a standard called DevCaps for transmitting / receiving device specification information to / from a printer is defined as a standard for print setting information. Also known is a method for collecting printer information using a communication protocol called SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) and a database called MIB (Management Information Base).

  The input / output control unit 111 exchanges device-related information with the client terminal 2 via the network I / F 101 in a form that conforms to specifications such as MIB and JMF (Job Messaging Format). As a result, in the GUI displayed on the client terminal 2, information on the RIP engine 120 included in the DFE 100 and information on the input / output control unit 111 are reflected.

  When the print engine 150 is controlled by the printer control unit 115 and the print output is completed, the main control unit 113 notifies the client terminal 2 of a print job completion notification via the network I / F 101.

  Next, a functional configuration of the RIP engine 120 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the RIP engine 120 according to the present embodiment. As described above, the RIP engine 120 is a software module that generates raster data by executing RIP internal processing based on job data. The RIP engine 120 can be based on, for example, APPE (Adobe PDF Print Engine), which is a PDF printing engine provided by Adobe Systems.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the RIP engine 120 includes a control unit 201 and other parts. Portions other than the control unit 201 are expansion units that can be expanded by vendors. The control unit 201 executes RIP processing by using various functions included as an extension unit.

  The input unit 202 receives an initialization request or an RIP processing execution request, and notifies the control unit 201 of the request. The control unit 201 determines the order in which each extension unit included in the RIP engine 120 is operated in the RIP process. Further, the control unit 201 determines the format of data generated as a result of these processes (for example, a raster image, preview image, PDF, intermediate data, etc.).

  In addition, when the control unit 201 receives an RIP process execution request from the input unit 202, the control unit 201 operates each unit of the extension unit according to the processing order determined when the initialization request is received. The preflight processing unit 204 checks the validity of the contents of the input job data. When the preflight processing unit 204 finds an invalid job attribute in the content of the input job data, the preflight processing unit 204 notifies the control unit 201 to that effect. Upon receiving this notification, the control unit 201 notifies the external module such as the image processing unit 114 and the main control unit 113 of information relating to the discovery of an illegal job attribute, etc.

  Drawing command for generating raster data based on image data, for example, whether non-corresponding fonts are specified by preflight processing, whether there are duplicates in image data included in job data, etc. A process for determining whether or not there are overlapping items is performed. As a result of this processing, RIP processing is executed based on the confirmed sex information. In addition, as preflight processing, it is determined whether there is information that may cause a situation in which processing by other modules included in the RIP engine 120 becomes impossible.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating functional configurations of the preflight processing unit 204 and the rendering processing unit 218 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the preflight processing unit 204 according to the present embodiment includes a duplicate image data detection unit 219, a duplicate image data deletion unit 220, a duplicate drawing command detection unit 221, a duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222, and a PDF structure analysis. Part 223.

  The duplicate image data detection unit 219 compares the contents of Image XObject, which is an image information object existing in the PDF file 301, and detects whether or not there is an Image XObject having the same contents in other Image XObjects. Functions as an information detection unit. Another Image XObject having the same content detected by the duplicate image data detection unit 219 corresponds to a duplicate image information object.

  The duplicate image data deletion unit 220 functions as a duplicate image information processing control unit that deletes other detected Image XObjects having the same content. The detection result by the duplicate image data detection unit 219 and the processing result by the duplicate image data deletion unit 220 are reflected in the Image XObject management table.

  The duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 compares the contents of Form XObject, which is an object of drawing instruction information existing in the PDF file 301, and detects whether or not there is a Form XObject having the same contents in other Form XObjects. It functions as a duplicate drawing information detector. Another Form XObject having the same content detected by the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 corresponds to the duplicate drawing instruction information object.

  The duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 functions as a duplicate drawing information processing control unit that deletes other Form XObjects having the same detected content. The detection result by the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 and the processing result by the duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 are reflected in the Form XObject management table.

  An Image XObject is an object that contains a full-color image such as a natural image or a monochrome image such as a barcode in a PDF file. Also, in the PDF format file, encoded data obtained using an image compression algorithm such as JPEG can be stored as stream data possessed by Image XObject. Form XObject is an object containing a drawing command describing a procedure for drawing a vector graphic, font, image, or the like.

  The PDF structure analysis unit 223 analyzes a PDF file included in the job data, and acquires information on the start position and the number of bytes of each object.

  Returning to FIG. 4 again, the description of the function of each expansion unit of the RIP engine 120 is continued. The normalization processing unit 205 converts the input job data to PDF when it is PostScript instead of PDF. The mark processing unit 206 develops the graphic information of the designated mark and superimposes it on the designated position in the image to be printed.

  The font processing unit 207 extracts font data and performs font embedding processing and outline processing. A CMM (Color Management Module) processing unit 209 converts the color space of an input image into CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blackK) based on a color conversion table described in an ICC (International Color Consortium) profile. The ICC profile is color ICC information and device ICC information.

  The trapping processing unit 210 performs a trapping process. Trapping is a process of expanding each color area to fill the gap in order to prevent gaps from occurring in the boundary when there are misalignments between adjacent color areas that touch the boundary. It is processing to do.

  The calibration processing unit 211 adjusts the variation in the color balance due to the temporal variation of the output device and individual differences in order to increase the accuracy of color conversion by the CMM processing unit 209. Note that the processing by the calibration processing unit 211 may be executed outside the RIP engine 120.

  The screening processing unit 212 performs a halftone dot generation process in consideration of the final output. Note that the processing by the screening processing unit 212 may be executed outside the RIP engine 120 in the same manner as the processing by the calibration processing unit 211. The output unit 213 transmits the RIP result to the outside. The RIP result is data in any format of raster image, preview image, PDF, and intermediate data determined at initialization.

  The rendering processing unit 218 performs rendering processing for generating raster data based on input data, and includes an object drawing unit 224 and an object storage unit 225 as shown in FIG. Further, the rendering processing unit 218 refers to the cached Image XObject and Form XObject based on the information on the start position and the number of bytes of each object, and executes the rendering process.

  In the object storage unit 225, raster data obtained by performing RIP processing on a certain Image XObject or Form XObject for the first time in the process of performing RIP processing on a PDF file to be printed is stored as object identification information ( For example, it is stored as cache data together with an object ID or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the object storage unit 225 includes an Image XObject storage unit 226 and a Form XObject storage unit 227. The Image XObject storage unit 226 and the Form XObject storage unit 227 each function as a drawing result storage unit.

  By referring to the cache data stored in the object storage unit 225, the object drawing unit 224 copies the cache data without performing the RIP process for the object reused in the same PDF file, and the raster Only the process of generating data is executed.

  The Image XObject storage unit 226 stores the drawing result of the Image XObject by associating an object ID, which is identification information for identifying a certain Image XObject, with an image generated as a result of rendering the object. The Form XObject storage unit 227 stores the drawing result of the Form XObject by associating the object ID, which is identification information for identifying a certain Form XObject, with the image image generated as a result of rendering the object.

  Of the processing units shown in FIG. 4, the processing by the mark processing unit 206 and the font processing unit 207 may be executed simultaneously with the processing in the rendering processing unit 218.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the PDF file includes a header, a main body, a cross-reference table, and a trailer. The header is information defined to be a PDF file. The main body is a main body portion of a PDF file including, for example, the Image XObject shown in FIG. 8A and the Form XObject shown in FIG.

  The cross-reference table is information for randomly accessing the main part of a PDF file, and includes object position information. The trailer is information including the file size of the PDF format file, catalog information, encryption dictionary, and the like.

  Note that the duplicate image data detection unit 219 according to the present embodiment has an Image XObject management table that manages Image XObjects with an information configuration as shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an information configuration of the Image XObject management table according to the present embodiment.

  The Image XObject management table includes “RecordNo”, “Object-ID”, “Height”, “Width”, “Length”, “ColorSpace”, “Filter”, “StreamHash”, “SameObjectList”.

  “RecordNo” is information indicating a record number in the Image XObject management table. “Object-ID” is identification information such as an object ID for identifying an object which is a unit image included in a PDF file.

  “Height” is a value indicating the length of the object in the vertical direction, “Width” is a value indicating the length of the object in the horizontal direction, and “Length” is a byte of the stream data of the compressed object. A value indicating the length of the column. “ColorSpace” is a value indicating the color space, and “Filter” is a value indicating the type of filter applied to the byte string.

  Further, “StreamHash” is a fixed-length value having no regularity calculated by a predetermined calculation procedure from the stream data of the image included in the object. “SameObjList” is information indicating the Object-ID of an object that is the same image data.

  In addition, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 according to the present embodiment has a Form XObject management table that manages Form XObjects with an information configuration as shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an information configuration of the Form XObject management table according to the present embodiment.

  The Form XObject management table includes “RecordNo”, “Object-ID”, “Form Type”, “BBox”, “Matrix”, “ResourceHash”, “StreamHash”, and “SameObjectList”.

  “RecordNo” is information indicating a record number in the Form XObject management table. “Object-ID” is identification information such as an object ID for identifying an object included in a PDF file.

  “FormType” is information that defines the format format of the object, and “BBox” is information that indicates the drawing area of the object. “Matrix” is a value indicating a determinant for converting the form.

  “ResourcesHash” is a fixed-length value having no regularity calculated by a predetermined calculation procedure from stream data of resource data included in an object for rendering. “StreamHash” is a fixed-length value without regularity calculated by a predetermined calculation procedure from the stream data of the drawing command included in the object. “SameObjList” is information indicating the Object-ID of an object that is the same image data.

  In this way, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 compares the contents of the Image XObject based on the Image XObject management table when caching the object data. Based on the comparison result, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 detects whether the content is common to other Image XObjects, that is, whether there is an Image XObject of the same image data.

  Further, the rendering processing unit 218 manages the Image XObject stored in the Image XObject storage unit 226 based on the detection result of the Image XObject having the same content.

  The duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 compares the contents of the Form XObject based on the Form XObject management table when caching the object data. Then, based on the comparison result, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 detects whether the content is common to other Form XObjects, that is, whether there is a Form XObject of the same drawing command.

  Further, the rendering processing unit 218 manages the Form XObject stored in the Form XObject storage unit 227 based on the detection result of the Form XObject having the same content.

  Next, the operation of the system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the workflow system according to the present embodiment. The client terminal 2 transmits job data, which is a print output execution request, to the DFE 100 by an operator's operation on the system GUI (S1101).

  Upon receiving the job data, the DFE 100 executes RIP processing (S1102) as DFE internal processing, and transmits the generated raster data to the print engine 150 (S1103). Then, the print engine 150 prints out the raster data (S1104).

  Next, the RIP process executed in the DFE process in S1102 of FIG. 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, first, the control unit 201 executes an initialization process based on an initialization request to the input unit 202 (S1201). In S <b> 1201, an extension unit that executes processing among the extension units included in the RIP engine 120 and the order thereof are determined. In addition, the format of data generated as a result of processing is determined.

  As described above, the preflight processing unit 204 overlaps the image data included in the job data with respect to the PDF file 301 included in the job data, for example, whether or not a non-compatible font is designated. Preflight processing is executed to determine whether or not there is an overlapping drawing command for generating raster data based on image data (S1202). A mode of the processing of S1202 will be described later.

  After the preflight processing is completed (S1203 / YES), processing is requested according to the processing order determined in S1201, and finally the object rendering processing is executed in the rendering processing unit 218 (S1204). Note that the rendering processing unit 218 generates raster data for an Image XObject having the same object ID or a Form XObject having the same object ID by referring to a rasterized result obtained by object caching in a process described later.

  At this time, Image XObject for which raster data is generated with reference to the rasterized result of object caching is a duplicate image information reference object, and Form XObject for which raster data is generated with reference to the rasterized result of object caching is duplicated. A drawing instruction information reference object. Further, the rasterization result used for object caching by the rendering processing unit 218 is rendering result information.

  When the processing is executed by the extension unit in this way and raster data is generated, the output unit 213 outputs the processing result (S1205). By such processing, the RIP processing in the RIP engine 120 is completed.

  In S1202, a so-called object caching process is executed in which image data referenced from a plurality of pages in the PDF file and rasterization results of drawing commands are stored. Hereinafter, processing for optimizing the PDF file according to the present embodiment will be described.

  First, processing for detecting duplicate image data will be described. 13 to 15 are flowcharts showing the flow of processing for detecting duplicate image data according to the present embodiment. As described above, the PDF file 301 includes a cross-reference table indicating the positions of objects included in the PDF file 301 in order to cope with random access. The duplicate image data detection unit 219 acquires a cross-reference table from the PDF file 301 (S1301).

  The duplicate image data detection unit 219 obtains the Object-ID of the object from the cross-reference table (S1302), and sets it in the currentObjectId indicating the Object-ID of the comparison source object (S1303). In the first duplicate image detection process, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 assigns a dummy or invalidated Object-ID set to RecordNo of 0, that is, currentObjectId.

  Next, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 acquires, from the cross-reference table, a byte offset that is the position information of the Object-ID object set in currentObjId in the processing of S1303 (S1304). Then, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 extracts the object at the position of the Object-ID object from the PDF file 301 (S1305), and sets the extracted object as newObj as information indicating the comparison target object (S1306). .

  Next, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 confirms information of newObj. Specifically, it is checked whether or not newObject type = “XObject” (S1307), and whether Subtype = “Image” (S1308). Through these processes, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 determines whether or not the object extracted in S1305 is “Image XObject”.

  In the case of NO in either S1307 or S1307, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 executes again from the processing in S1302. Therefore, at the time of the first duplicate image detection process, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 extracts a dummy or invalidated object from the byte offset of the dummy or invalidated Object-ID object. Therefore, in the first duplicate image detection process, the process is executed again from the process of S1302.

  If YES in S1307 and YES in S1308, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 determines that newObj is Image XObject. The duplicate image data detection unit 219 executes the same image search process on the object of newObj and the object of Object-ID set in currentObjId (B, FIG. 14).

  In performing the same image search process, currentRecordId can take a value other than 1 as an initial value. Here, the initial value of currentRecordId is set to 1 (S1401), and the subsequent processing will be described. Note that the same processing is executed even if the initial value of currentRecordId is a natural number other than 1. The duplicate image data detection unit 219 acquires the RecordNo record content corresponding to currentRecordId from the Image XObject management table (S1402), and sets it in currentObject (S1403).

  Next, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 compares the contents of newObj and currentObj (S1404). The duplicate image data detection unit 219 determines whether the value of Height matches in newObj and currentObj (S1405). When S1405 is YES, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 determines whether the Width value matches in newObj and currentObj (S1406).

  If S1406 is YES, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 determines whether the Length values match in newObj and currentObj (S1407). When S1407 is YES, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 determines whether or not the value of BitsPerComponent matches in newObj and currentObj (S1408).

  When S1408 is YES, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 determines whether the value of ColorSpace is the same in newObj and currentObj (S1409). When S1409 is YES, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 determines whether the value of Filter matches in newObj and currentObj (S1410). When S1410 is YES, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 determines whether or not the StreamHash matches (S1411).

  Note that the hash value is a fixed length regardless of the length of the original data, and the same hash value is always obtained from the same data, but a completely different hash value is obtained from even slightly different data. There is a characteristic. Further, since the hash value is calculated by obtaining an irreversible calculation process including a loss of information amount, the original data cannot be obtained from the hash value.

  If S1411 is YES, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 determines whether the stream data matches (S1412). Note that since it is very rare to obtain the same hash value from different Stream data, the processing of S1412 can be omitted in order to speed up the same image search processing.

  If YES in S1412 (or S1411), the duplicate image data detection unit 219 returns the value of currentRecordId (S1413). On the other hand, if NO in any of the processes from S1405 to S1412, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 increments currentRecordId by 1 (S1414), and if there is a next object (S1415 / YES), the process again from S1402 I do. If there is no next object, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 returns “0” indicating that there is no identical image data as a result of the identical image search process (S1416).

  In the case of YES in S1412 (or S1411), the value of currentRecordId is returned as the result of the same image search process (S1413). This indicates that the same image data as the Object-ID corresponding to RecordNo of currentRecordId exists (S1501 / YES).

  At this time, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 sets the object-ID of currentRecordId to the foundObjectId (S1503), and in the record of Object-ID = currentObjectId in the Image XObject management table, SameObjectList indicating the object containing the same image data [ ] Is added to the value of foundObjId (S1504).

  If there is a next object (S1505 / YES), the duplicate image data detection unit 219 executes the same process again from S1302. If there is no next object (S1505 / NO), the duplicate image data detection unit 219 ends the process.

  In the case of NO in S1501, it indicates that there is an object including image data different from the object indicated by the Object-ID corresponding to RecordNo of currentRecordId. At this time, the duplicate image data detection unit 219 adds a new object to the Image XObject management table (S1502).

  If there is a next object (S1505 / YES), the duplicate image data detection unit 219 executes the same process again from S1302. On the other hand, if there is no next object (S1505 / NO), the duplicate image data detection unit 219 ends this processing.

  Next, processing for deleting duplicate image data will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for deleting duplicate image data according to this embodiment. In deleting duplicate image data, currentRecordId can take a value other than 1 as an initial value. Here, assuming that the initial value of currentRecordId is 1 (S1601), the subsequent processing will be described. Note that the same processing is executed even if the initial value of currentRecordId is a natural number other than 1.

  The duplicate image data deletion unit 220 acquires the content of RecordNo = currentRecordId record from the Image XObject management table and sets it in currentObject (S1602). The duplicate image data deletion unit 220 increments the currentRecordId by 1 when the SameObjList [] is empty in the currentObj information list (S1603 / YES) (S1612).

  If the next object exists (S1613 / YES), the duplicate image data deletion unit 220 executes the same process again from S1602, and if the next object does not exist (S1613 / NO), End the process.

  When SameObjList [] is not empty in the information list of currentObj (S1603 / NO), the duplicate image data deletion unit 220 copies the value of ObjectObject-ID of currentObj to rewriteObjId that is information for rewriting the object reference destination. (S1604). Next, the duplicate image data deletion unit 220 copies the contents of SameObjList [] of currentObj to the field of deleteObjList [] that is information for deleting the object (S1605).

  Next, the duplicate image data deletion unit 220 copies the first value of deleteObjList [] to deleteObjId (S1606). Then, the duplicate image data deletion unit 220 deletes an object whose Object-ID value is the same as the value of deleteObjId from the PDF file 301 (S1607), further scans the entire PDF file, and refers to the object ObjId. Is searched (S1608). Therefore, the duplicate image data deletion unit 220 functions as a duplicate image information search unit.

  The duplicate image data deletion unit 220 rewrites the reference destination of the object found by the search to rewriteObjId (S1609), and deletes the first value of deleteObjList [] (S1610). Therefore, the duplicate image data deletion unit 220 also functions as an identification information rewriting unit.

  When the deleteObjList [] is not empty, that is, when some value is described in the deleteObjList [] (S1611 / NO), the duplicate image data deletion unit 220 executes the same process again from S1607.

  If the deleteObjectList [] is empty (S1611 / YES), the duplicate image data deletion unit 220 increments currentRecordId by 1 (S1612). By rewriting the reference destination of the object found by the search to rewriteObjId, the Object-ID of currentObj, that is, one image data can be used. Thereafter, the same processing as S1613 is performed.

  As described above, the preflight processing unit 204 according to the present embodiment can detect the same image data overlapping in the PDF file even when the information for identifying the object is different. For this reason, the image data determined by the preflight processing unit 204 as overlapping image data is handled as a target for object caching by the rendering processing unit 218. By doing so, rendering processing can be efficiently executed on the reuse object of the image data.

  Next, processing for detecting a duplicate drawing command will be described. 17 to 19 are flowcharts showing a flow of processing for detecting duplicate image data according to the present embodiment. As described above, the PDF file 301 includes a cross-reference table indicating the positions of objects included in the PDF file 301 in order to cope with random access. The duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 functioning as a duplicate drawing instruction information detection unit acquires a cross-reference table from the PDF file 301 (S1701).

  The duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 acquires the Object-ID of the object from the cross-reference table (S1702) and sets it in the currentObjectId (S1703). Note that, during the first duplicate drawing command detection process, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 assigns a dummy or invalidated Object-ID set to Record No. 0, that is, currentObjectId.

  Next, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 acquires, from the cross reference table, a byte offset that is the position information of the Object-ID object set in currentObjId in the processing of S1703 (S1704). Then, an object at the position of the Object-ID object is extracted from the PDF file 301 (S1705), and the extracted object is set in newObj as information indicating a comparison target object (S1706).

  The duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 confirms the information of newObj. More specifically, it is confirmed whether or not newObject type = “XObject” (S1707) and Subtype = “Form” (S1708). Through these processes, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 determines whether or not the object extracted in S1705 is “Form XObject”.

  If NO in either of the processes in S1707 or S1708, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 executes again from the process in S1702. Therefore, during the first duplicate drawing command detection process, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 extracts a dummy or invalidated object from the byte offset of the dummy or invalidated Object-ID object. For this reason, in the first duplicate drawing command detection process, the process is executed again from the process of S1702.

  If YES in S1707 and YES in S1708, newObj is Image XObject. The duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 executes the same drawing command search process on the object of newObj and the object of Object-ID set in currentObjId (D, FIG. 18).

  In performing the same drawing command search process, it is assumed that currentRecordId is 1 (S1801), and the subsequent process will be described. The duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 acquires the RecordNo record content corresponding to currentRecordId from the Image XObject management table (S1802), and sets it in currentObject (S1803).

  Next, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 compares the contents of newObj and currentObj (S1804). The duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 determines whether or not Form Type matches in newObj and currentObj (S1805). When S1805 is YES, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 determines whether or not the value of BBox matches in newObj and currentObj (S1806).

  If S1806 is YES, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 determines whether the value of Matrix matches in newObj and currentObj (S1807). When S1807 is YES, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 determines whether the value of ResourcesHash is the same in newObj and currentObj (S1808). When S1808 is YES, the overlapping drawing command detection unit 221 determines whether or not the StreamHash matches (S1809).

  “Resource dictionary data” is information indicating a character shape and characteristics for drawing a font included in the form. If S1809 is YES, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 determines whether the entire Resource dictionary data matches in newObj and currentObj (S1810). Since it is very rare that the same hash value is obtained from different Stream data, when S1808 is YES, the process of S1810 can be omitted in order to speed up the same drawing command search process. It is.

  “Stream data” is stream data of a drawing command included in the object. If S1810 is YES, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 determines whether the stream data matches (S1811). Since it is very rare that the same hash value is obtained from different Stream data, when S1809 is YES, the process of S1811 can be omitted in order to speed up the same drawing command search process. It is.

  If YES in S1811 (or S1809), the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 returns the value of currentRecordId (S1812). On the other hand, if any of the processes from S1805 to S1811 is NO, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 increments currentRecordId by 1 (S1813), and if there is a next object (S1814 / YES), the process from S1802 is performed again. I do. If there is no next object, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 returns “0” indicating that there is no same drawing command as a result of the same drawing command search process (S1815).

  If YES in S1811 (or S1809), the value of currentRecordId is returned as the result of the same drawing command search process (S1812). This indicates that the same drawing command as the Object-ID corresponding to RecordNo of currentRecordId exists (S1901 / YES).

  At this time, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 sets the object-ID of currentRecordId to the foundObjectId (S1903), and in the record of Object-ID = currentObjectId in the Form XObject management table, SameObjectList indicating the object including the same drawing command [ ] Is added to the value of foundObjId (S1904).

  When there is a next object (S1905 / YES), the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 executes the same process again from S1702. If there is no next object (S1905 / NO), the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 ends this processing.

  If NO in S1901, it indicates that there is an object that includes a drawing command different from the object indicated by the Object-ID corresponding to RecordNo of currentRecordId. At this time, the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 adds a new object to the Form XObject management table (S1902).

  If there is a next object (S1905 / YES), the duplicate drawing command detection unit 221 executes the same process again from S1702. On the other hand, when there is no next object (S1905 / NO), the overlapping drawing command detection unit 221 ends this processing.

  Next, processing for deleting a duplicate drawing command will be described. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for deleting a duplicate drawing command according to this embodiment. In deleting the duplicate drawing command, it is assumed that currentRecordId is 1 (S2001), and the subsequent processing will be described.

  The duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 acquires the content of RecordNo = currentRecordId record from the Form XObject management table and sets it in currentObject (S2002). The duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 increments the currentRecordId by 1 when the SameObjList [] is empty in the currentObj information list (S2003 / YES) (S2012).

  If the next object exists (S2013 / YES), the duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 executes the same process again from S2002, and if the next object does not exist (S2013 / NO), End the process.

  When SameObjList [] is not empty in the information list of currentObj (S2003 / NO), the duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 copies the value of Object-ID of currentObj to rewriteObjId that is information for rewriting the reference destination of the object. (S2004). Next, the duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 copies the contents of SameObjList [] of currentObj to the field of deleteObjList [] that is information for deleting the object (S2005).

  Next, the duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 copies the first value of deleteObjList [] to deleteObjId (S2006). Then, the duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 deletes the object whose Object-ID value is the same as the value of deleteObjId from the PDF file 301 (S2007), further scans the entire PDF file, and refers to the object ObjId. Is searched (S2008). Therefore, the duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 functions as a duplicate drawing instruction information search unit.

  The duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 rewrites the reference destination of the object found by the search to rewriteObjId (S2009), and deletes the first value of deleteObjList [] (S2010). Therefore, the duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 functions as an identification information rewriting unit.

  If the deleteObjList [] is not empty, that is, if some value is described in the deleteObjList [] (S2011 / NO), the duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 executes the same process again from S2007.

  If deleteObjectList [] is empty (S2011 / YES), the duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 increments currentRecordId by 1 (S2012). By rewriting the reference destination of the object found by the search to “rewriteObjId”, the Object-ID of the currentObj, that is, one drawing command can be used. Thereafter, the same processing as S2013 is performed.

  As described above, the preflight processing unit 204 according to the present embodiment can detect the same drawing command overlapping in the PDF file even when the information for identifying the object is different. Therefore, a drawing command that is determined to be an overlapping drawing command in the preflight processing unit 204 is handled in the rendering processing unit 218 as an object caching target. By doing so, rendering processing can be efficiently executed on the reuse object of the drawing command.

  FIG. 21 shows an example of the structure of a PDF file 301 including Image XObject and Form XObject having the same contents and different Object-IDs. Although p1 and p2 have different Object-IDs, as shown in (a) and (b), they are configured to include the same Form XObject.

  At this time, the duplicate drawing command deletion unit 222 deletes the Form XObject of (b), and the Object-ID of the Form XObject of (b) in the SameObjectList [] field in the Form XObject management table of the Form XObject of (a). Add In this way, p2 can be efficiently rendered.

  Furthermore, although p1 and p2 have different Object-IDs, as shown in (c) and (d), they are configured to include the same Image XObject. At this time, the duplicate image data deletion unit 220 deletes the Image XObject of (d), and the Object-ID of the Image XObject of (d) in the ImageObjectList [] field of the Image XObject management table of (C) of Image XObject. Add In this way, p2 can be rendered more efficiently.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the same image data or drawing command is detected in a PDF file, an object selected from the image data or drawing command is left. In this way, by increasing the number of reusable objects in the PDF file, the effect of object caching can be further enhanced, and as a result, rendering processing by DFE can be executed efficiently.

  Also, in the PDF format file, even if the same image data or drawing command is used, if the object identification information is different, the conventional DFE cannot perform object caching. However, in this embodiment, object caching can be performed even for objects having different identification information. Therefore, more efficient rendering processing can be executed.

  The configuration of the preflight processing unit 204 is expanded as shown in FIG. 22 to delete the redundant image data included in the submitted PDF file 301 and output the PDF file 302 with a reduced data size. There may be. In such a configuration, it is possible to output a PDF file 302 in which the data size of the PDF file 301 is reduced without affecting the rendering result.

  Further, by incorporating the preflight processing unit 204 configured as shown in FIG. 22 into an existing DFE, as in the present invention, when the same image data or drawing command and the object identification information are different, the object Caching can be performed. Therefore, the DFE 100 including the preflight processing unit 204 according to the present embodiment also functions as an image information editing device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Client terminal 10 CPU
20 RAM
30 ROM
40 HDD
50 I / F
60 LCD
70 Operation unit 80 Bus 100 DFE
101 Network I / F
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 102 Display 110 DFE controller 111 Input / output control part 112 UI control part 113 Main control part 114 Image processing part 115 Printer control part 116 Image storage part 120 RIP engine 150 Print engine 201 Control part 202 Input part 204 Preflight processing part 205 Normalization process Unit 206 Mark processing unit 207 Font processing unit 209 CMM processing unit 210 Trapping processing unit 211 Calibration processing unit 212 Screening processing unit 213 Output unit 218 Rendering processing unit 219 Duplicate image data detection unit 220 Duplicate image data deletion unit 221 Duplicate drawing command detection unit 222 Duplicate drawing command deletion unit 223 PDF structure analysis unit 224 Object drawing unit 225 Object storage unit

JP 2013-205886 A

Claims (10)

Command information for outputting an image to be image-formed output is received from a process execution control device that controls execution of image formation output processing, and image information included in a plurality of objects that are unit images constituting the command information is compared. A duplicate image information detection unit for detecting a duplicate image information object in which the image information is duplicated in a plurality of the objects having different identification information for identifying the objects;
A drawing information generation control unit that causes the drawing information generation unit to generate drawing information to be referred to by the image forming apparatus at the time of image formation output;
A drawing result storage unit for storing drawing result information which is a result of drawing the image information;
Including
The drawing information generation control unit
An image forming output control apparatus, wherein the drawing information generating unit generates the drawing information using drawing result information of image information included in the detected duplicate image information object.   The image according to claim 1, further comprising an identification information rewriting unit that rewrites the identification information of the plurality of duplicate image information objects to a common one when the identification information of the plurality of duplicate image information objects is different. Formation output control device. A duplicate image information search unit that searches for a duplicate image information reference object that is an object referring to the detected duplicate image information object;
The identification information rewriting unit
3. The image forming output according to claim 2, wherein the identification information of the duplicate image information reference object is rewritten to the common identification information of the duplicate image information object referred to by the duplicate image information reference object. Control device. The drawing information generation control unit
4. The drawing information generation unit is configured to generate the drawing information based on image information included in one of the plurality of overlapping image information objects. The image forming output control apparatus according to any one of the above. Included in a plurality of objects that receive command information for outputting an image for image formation output from a process execution control device that controls execution of image formation output processing, and cause the drawing information generation unit to draw unit images constituting the command information An overlapping drawing instruction information detecting unit for detecting an overlapping drawing instruction information object in which the drawing instruction information is duplicated in a plurality of the objects having different identification information for identifying the objects,
A drawing information generation control unit that causes the drawing information generation unit to generate drawing information to be referred to by the image forming apparatus at the time of image formation output;
A drawing result storage unit for storing drawing result information which is a result of drawing the drawing instruction information;
Including
The drawing information generation control unit
An image forming output control apparatus, wherein the drawing information generating unit generates the drawing information using drawing result information of drawing instruction information included in the detected overlapping drawing instruction information object.   6. The identification information rewriting unit for rewriting the identification information of the plurality of overlapping drawing instruction information objects to a common one when the identification information of the plurality of overlapping drawing instruction information objects is different from each other. Image forming output control device. A duplicate drawing instruction information search unit for searching for a duplicate drawing instruction information reference object that is an object referring to the detected duplicate drawing instruction information object;
The identification information rewriting unit
The identification information of the duplicate drawing instruction information reference object is rewritten to the same identification information as the duplicate drawing instruction information object referred to by the duplicate drawing instruction information reference object. Image forming output control device. The drawing information generation control unit
6. The drawing information generation unit is configured to generate the drawing information based on image information included in one overlapping drawing instruction information object among the plurality of overlapping drawing instruction information objects. Item 8. The image formation output control device according to any one of Items 7 to 9. Command information for outputting an image to be image-formed output is received from a process execution control device that controls execution of image formation output processing, and image information included in a plurality of objects that are unit images constituting the command information is compared. Detecting a duplicate image information object in which the image information is duplicated in a plurality of the objects having different identification information for identifying the object;
A step of causing a drawing information generation unit that generates drawing information to be referred to when the image forming apparatus outputs an image to generate the drawing information based on the command information;
Storing drawing result information which is a result of drawing the image information;
And execute
In the step of causing the drawing information generation unit to generate the drawing information, the drawing information generation unit generates the drawing information using drawing result information of the image information included in the detected duplicate image information object. An image formation output control program. Included in a plurality of objects that receive command information for outputting an image for image formation output from a process execution control device that controls execution of image formation output processing, and cause the drawing information generation unit to draw unit images constituting the command information A plurality of objects having different identification information for identifying the objects, and detecting a duplicate drawing instruction information object in which the drawing instruction information is duplicated,
Causing the drawing information generation unit to generate drawing information to be referred to when the image forming apparatus outputs an image based on the command information;
Storing drawing result information which is a result of drawing the drawing instruction information;
Including
In the step of causing the drawing information generation unit to generate the drawing information, the drawing information generation unit generates the drawing information using drawing result information of the drawing instruction information included in the detected overlapping drawing instruction information object. An image forming output control program.