JP2918552B2 - Printing control device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print control device that outputs print information to a printing device capable of printing at least two colors. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a print control apparatus of this type, a control mechanism of a print control apparatus of a printing apparatus capable of printing only one color is provided for each printable color and performs parallel processing for each color. . Hereinafter, this conventional print control apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. FIG. 6 shows the conventional case of only one color, and FIG.
The figure shows an example of a conventional print control device capable of printing and outputting two colors. In the case of one color, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit CPU1 for controlling the entire apparatus executes the following control in accordance with a program stored in the ROM2. That is, the print code data sent from the host computer 100 is received via the host interface 20a which controls the interface with the host computer 100, and is temporarily stored in the character memory 3. Then, it instructs the pattern generation section 5 to convert this code data into a dot image by referring to the font memory 4 and develops it on the bit map memory 6 as a dot image. This is read out by the printer interface 21a, and the
As video data. On the other hand, in a two-color printing control device capable of two-color printing,
As shown in FIG. 7, the control CPU 1, the ROM 2, and the font memory 5
A configuration similar to that of the one color shown in FIG.
A total of two sets are provided, one for each of the colors and the second color, and the respective video data is transmitted from the bit map memory for each color via the printer interface. [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above-described conventional example, the contents of the bit map memories are the same, and although the data of the same page is stored, it is necessary to prepare for each color. No. This bitmap memory requires a particularly large memory capacity, and the above configuration requires a large memory capacity as a whole. In addition, since a dot area at the same position can be printed with each color, there is a drawback that a printed image may be disturbed such as color bleeding due to erroneous overlapping printing depending on the usage. [Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been made for the purpose of solving the above problems, and one embodiment of the present invention as one means for solving the above problems is as follows. It has a configuration. That is, a bit map memory for storing a print pattern to be printed out, a color information memory for storing information on a storage position at which a print color on the bit map memory changes, and the color information memory according to the stored information. A control unit for controlling transmission of pattern information stored in the bit map memory to the printing apparatus. [Operation] In the above configuration, only one bit map memory is required for each color, and by providing another memory area having position information of a printing color on the bit map memory, the overall memory capacity is reduced. And to prevent overprinting on dots at the same position. Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment according to the present invention, and FIG.
The same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, this embodiment is different from the configuration of FIG.
The first color pattern generator and the second color pattern generator constitute one pattern generator 55, and are replaced with a first color bit map memory and a second color bit map memory, and one bit map memory 56 common to both colors is used. It is provided with a configuration. The bit map memory 56 stores print data developed in a dot pattern. The printer interface 58 of this embodiment includes a non-print data generator 58a. In the following description, the host interface, character memory (page buffer memory), pattern generator 55,
The font memory is referred to as a “pre-processing unit”. The color information memory 57 stores the address value of the bit map memory 56 where the print color of the print pattern stored in the bit map memory 56 changes. Under the control of the control CPU 1, the preprocessing unit develops all the code data received from the host computer 100 as dot patterns on the bit map memory 56 regardless of the print colors of the dots. The control CPU 1 monitors whether the data has changed from the first color to the second color or from the second color to the first color during the preprocessing, for each storage address of the dot data in the bit map memory, If there is a change, the address on the bit map memory 56 with the change is sequentially stored in the color information memory 57. The dot data developed on the bit map memory 56 is sent to the printer unit 20 via the printer interface 58 in accordance with the information stored in the color information memory 57.
Output to 0. The print output processing of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the control CPU 1 executes the host computer 10 in step S1.
When the print information is sent from step 0, the process proceeds from step S1 to step S2. If the print information is the first color print information according to the designated color, it is stored in the first color character memory. If it is the second color print information, it is stored in the second color character memory. When all the print information is stored in the character memory, the process proceeds from step S2 to step S3, and among the print characters stored in both character memories, the first character to be printed (in the upper left column position of the recording paper). (Characters to be printed). And the pattern generator accesses the font memory,
Convert to a dot pattern corresponding to the character. At this time, the control CPU 1 determines that the character data is 1 in step S4.
It is checked whether the color is different from the print designation color of the previous character. If not, the process proceeds to step S5, and the write address to the bit map memory 56 is written to the color information memory 57, and step S6 is performed.
Proceed to. On the other hand, if there is no change in the color designation in step S5, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, a dot pattern corresponding to the character data converted by the pattern generator is written in the bit map memory. Then, in the next step S7, it is checked whether or not the conversion of the one-page data in the character memory or the data enough to start printing into the dot pattern has been completed.
Returning to S3, the next data is converted into a dot pattern. If the printing has been completed, the storage of the printing information in the bit map memory 56 and the color information memory 57 has been completed.
Then, the control CPU 1 determines whether or not the printer can start printing in the ready state, and waits until printing can be started. FIG. 3 shows the storage state of the print information in the bit map memory 56 and the color information memory 57 stored in this manner. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 201 denotes a dot data storage address of the bit map memory 56, F denotes a data to be printed in the first color, and S denotes a memory area in which data to be printed in the second color are stored. . The control CPU 1 stores the dot data generated by the pre-processing unit in the bit map memory 56 in order from the address A in the order of A + 1, A +
Stored as 2, ... However, FIG. 3 shows that the first dot data is data to be printed in the first color. When the first color continues to address A + m + 1 and changes from address A + m + 2 to data to be printed in the second color, the color information memory 57 stores the print color change address A + m + 2.
Is stored. Similarly, assuming that data of the second color continues thereafter, ends at address A + n + 1, and data of the first color starts again at address A + n + 2, the address A + n + 2 is stored in the next storage location of the color information memory 57 so far. I do. Thereafter, similarly, each time the print color changes, the print color change address is stored in the color information memory storage 57. The color of the first data in the dot data is the first data.
Either the color or the second color may be fixed, or the first color designation may be stored at a predetermined position in the color information memory 57. The above description has been made with respect to an example in which characters stored in both character memories are converted into corresponding dot patterns at a time. However, the above processing is performed twice for each character memory of each color. Control may be performed. If the control CPU 1 determines here that the printing can be started, the process proceeds from step S8 to step S9 to activate the printer unit 200 and prepare for receiving the dot pattern to be printed. In step S10, the control CPU 1 refers to the color information memory 57 when transferring the dot pattern from the bit map memory 56 to the printer unit 200 via the printer interface 58, and determines which color of the dot pattern data to be transferred. Or to distinguish. As a specific method, when the first color and the second color are separately transferred (in the printer section,
In the case of separately scanning two colors, for example), if the dot data to be transferred is within the address range of the color, the process proceeds to step S11, the non-print data generator 58a is turned off, and the dot pattern is stored in the bit map memory 56. The data is read out, the read dot data is directly converted into, for example, video data and transferred, and it is checked in step S12 whether all the data in the bit map memory 56 has been output.If there is data to be output, the process proceeds to step S10. Then, the next data is read. On the other hand, if the address is out of the address range of the color in step S10, the non-print data generator 58a is turned on to cancel the dot data and transfer (data that does not print anything), and then the dot map memory 56 Reads the pattern data, but does not transfer the read dot data.
The non-print data is generated and transferred from the non-print data generator 58a, and the process proceeds to step S12. FIG. 4 shows the flow and control of data at the time of output to the printer 200 described above. [Other embodiments]. In the above embodiment, the address at which the print color changes is stored in the color information memory 57. However, the same effect as described above can be obtained by using this address immediately before the print color changes.
In this case, it can be realized by the same configuration as that of the above embodiment except that the color of the head address of the bit map memory 56 needs to be designated separately. . In the above embodiment, when the dot data is transferred from the bit map memory 56 to the printer interface 58, if the dot data is in the address range of the color, the dot data is transferred as it is, and if the dot data is out of the range, the dot data is canceled. Transfer (transfer non-printing data)
If the dot data is out of the color address range as shown in FIG. 5, the reading of the dot data is stopped and the non-print data generator 58a generates non-print data for the number of data outside the color address range. If the method of sending to 200 is adopted, the load on the control CPU 1 can be reduced. Here, the non-print data generator refers to a device that generates a non-print data when the color data to be printed passes through, and when the color data is non-printed. . By storing in the color information memory 57 of the above embodiment together with the printing color change address and the bit position at which the color of the dot data at that address changes, the bit map memory 56 together with the effect of the above embodiment is stored. The printing color can be changed from any of the bits. The method is the same as that of the above-described embodiment. However, when the print color changes, the corresponding address data is changed by the control CPU 1 according to the print change bit position information and transferred to the printer interface 58, or the method of the other embodiment is used. The non-print data generator 58a may be controlled according to the print color change bit position information. . In the above embodiment or the other embodiments, in addition to the print color change address information or the print color change address information and the print color change bit position information, the color information of the address area is simultaneously stored in the color information memory 57. By doing so, multicolor printing of three or more colors can be realized together with the above effects. The method is the same as in the above embodiment or the other embodiment 3 except that the number of printing colors is increased. [Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the bit map memory is provided in common for each color, and the memory for storing the address at which the print color changes on the bit map memory is provided. And the image quality such as color fringing can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a control flowchart of the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a bit map memory and color information memory of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data storage in a printer, FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram in the case where data output control to a printer is performed by the non-print data generator of this embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a data output control to a printer by controlling the reading of the map memory, FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a conventional one-color print control device, and FIG. 7 is a conventional two-color print control device. FIG. In the figure, 1 ... control CPU, 2 ... ROM, 3 ... character memory, 4 ... font memory, 5,55 ... pattern generator, 6,56 ... bit map memory, 20a ... host interface Ace, 21a, 58 ... Printer interface, 57 ...
… Color information memory, 58a …… No-print data generator, 100 ……
Host computer, 200... Printer, 201... Bit map address, 202...

   ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page    (72) Inventor Jun Ikeda               3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo               Within Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Yukio Isaka               3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo               Within Canon Inc.                (56) References JP-A-62-204949 (JP, A)                 JP-A-62-157937 (JP, A)                 JP-A-61-150571 (JP, A)                 JP-A-62-56076 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] What is claimed is: 1. A print control apparatus for outputting print information to a printing apparatus capable of printing at least two colors, comprising: a bit map memory for storing a print pattern to be printed out; and a printing color on the bit map memory. A color information memory that stores storage position information that changes, and a control unit that controls transmission of pattern information stored in the bit map memory to a printing device in accordance with the storage information of the color information memory. Print control device. 2. 2. The color information memory according to claim 1, wherein an address at which a print color of the bit map memory changes changes, and the control unit recognizes a change in color information when reading a print pattern at the address position. The printing control device according to the above.