JP2969695B2 - Document processing system with print format file split transmission device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] A large-scale print format file written in an intermediate format page description language (PDL) for printing is divided into a size that can be printed by a target printer. The present invention relates to a document processing system provided with a print format file division transmitting apparatus for transmitting a print format file.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, with the advance of network technology, in order to share expensive network resources from distributed workstations, development and improvement of file devices and printing devices suitable for these systems have been active.

In particular, in a printing apparatus, a page description language (PDL) of a printing intermediate format is set as an international standard in order to satisfy all kinds of printing requests. Interpress, PostScript, etc. are languages that fit this.

Documents, images, and the like created by the workstation are converted into a print format file described in a page description language of the intermediate format for printing and transferred to a printing device. Therefore, a general-purpose printing device connected to a network decodes an intermediate format for printing to develop an image.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, a print format file written in a page description language such as Interpress or PostScript does not limit the file size of the print format file according to the language specifications, and thus printing is sometimes impossible with the capacity of a small printing device. The resulting print format file is as large as possible. As a result, there is a problem that the printing apparatus hangs up. In order to avoid such a problem, it is necessary to take measures such as dividing the file from the beginning in consideration of the processable size of the printing apparatus at the stage of creating a document or an image, which is inconvenient to use. There is a problem.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem, and a print format file split transmission apparatus that divides a print format file that cannot be printed in capacity with a small printer into a printable size and transmits the print format file to a printer. An object of the present invention is to provide a document processing system including

[Means for solving the problem]

For this purpose, the present invention connects a plurality of workstations for creating a document file or an image file on a network, or a printing device or a file device for receiving and printing a print format file, and sharing resources from distributed workstations by connecting a document device. A document processing system that prints a document or image by converting a file or image file into a print format file described in a page description language and sending it to a printing device. Compared with the size of the print format file to be transmitted to the printer, if it is within the processable size, it is transmitted as it is, but the print format file is divided into the processable size range, the header is transcribed, and the print format is transmitted. It is characterized in that it comprises a divided transmission apparatus of the mat file.

[Action]

In the document processing system provided with the print format file division transmitting device of the present invention, the print format file is divided and transmitted according to the print device processable size by the print format file division transmitting device. What is necessary is just to create a document file or an image file without being conscious of the processable size, convert them to a print format file described in a page description language, and send the print device.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a document processing system provided with a print format file dividing device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of dividing a print format file, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a flow of processing by the divided transmission device of FIG.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a workstation, 2 is a print format file dividing device, 3 is a printer,
4 is a file device, 5 is a receiving unit, 6 is a file division processing unit, 7 is a control register, and 8 is a transmitting unit.

The workstation 1 performs a process of creating a document or an image using a keyboard or a mouse, for example, and converts a document file or an image file into a print format file described in a page description language. A plurality of workstations 1 are connected to a network, and a printer 3 and a file device 4
It is a system configuration that shares resources such as The print format file division transmitting device 2 is connected to the workstation 1 and, when transmitting the print format file to the printer, determines whether or not the file can be printed by the target printer 3. When printing is not possible, the data is divided into printable sizes and transmitted one by one to the printer 3, and an example of the configuration is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 2B, the receiving unit 5 performs a receiving process of a print format file to be transmitted from the workstation 1 to the printer 3, and the file division processing unit 6 adjusts the print format file to a processable size of the printer 3. The transmission unit 8 transmits the file to the printer 3. The control register 7 holds control information such as a processable size (maxsize) of the printer 3 and a print format file (totalsize) on the receiving side, which are necessary for the division processing in the file division processing unit 6.

FIG. 2 shows an example of division of the print format file by the division transmission device 2.

The print format file shown in FIG. 2A is a large-scale print format file, and the structure of this file includes a header 11 and pages A to G print format. Page description languages such as Interpress and PostScript are internally independent on a page-by-page basis, and have a structure that is relatively easy to divide if a page is separated. Therefore, if the file can be printed by the target printer 3, the file is divided into pages so that the file can be printed by the printer 3 as shown in FIG. . That is, FIG. 2 shows an example in which the large print format file shown in FIG. 2A is divided into four small print format files as shown in FIG. The print format file division transmission device 2 transmits the files thus divided to the printer 3 one by one. In this way, a printed matter equivalent to the case where the file shown in FIG. 9A is transferred and printed to a large printer can be obtained with a small printer.

Next, the flow of processing in the print format file division transmitting apparatus 2 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1B, a control register 7 is used to perform this processing.

First, maxsize is set to the maximum size that can be printed by the printer, and a print format file is received (steps to).

Next, the totalsize is set to the size of the received print format file, and maxsize and totalsize are compared (steps to).

As a result, if maxsize> totalsize (if YES)
Determines that printing on the target printer is possible,
The received print format file is transmitted to the printer as it is (step).

However, if maxsize> totalsize is not satisfied (NO)
It is determined that printing on the target printer is impossible, headersize is set to the size of the header portion of the received print format file, and nextpagesize is set to the size of the first page of the received print format file (steps to ).

Then, totalsize is set to headersize, a new empty print format file is created, and the header portion of the received print format file is transcribed (steps 1 to 4).

Subsequently, the next page is transcribed to a new print format file, and it is checked whether or not the next page exists (steps 1 to 4).

If there is no next page (in the case of NO), a process is performed to make the new print format file a transmittable file, and the new print format file is transmitted to the printer (steps 1 to 4).

However, if there is a next page (in the case of YES), nextp
agesize is the next page size, totalsize is totalsize + n
extpagesize. Then, maxsize and totalsize are compared (step ~).

As a result, if maxsize> totalsize (if YES)
Returns to the process (step) of transferring the next page to a new print format file, and repeats the same process.

However, if maxsize> totalsize is not satisfied (NO)
In the step (2), a process for converting the new print format file into a transmittable file is performed, and the new print format file is transmitted to the printer (steps to). Then, the process returns to the process (step) for setting the totalsize to the headersize, and the same process is repeated.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the print format file split transmission device was connected between the workstation and the network.
This function may be provided in the workstation.

〔The invention's effect〕

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, even if a small printer is connected to a network, the print format file is divided and transmitted within the maximum size printable by the printer, so that a large-size print can be performed. Printing is possible even in a format file. Therefore, the workstation can create a document file, an image file, and a print format file without being aware of the maximum size range that can be printed by the printer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a document processing system provided with a print format file dividing device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of dividing a print format file, and FIG. It is a figure for explaining the flow of. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Work station, 2 ... Print format file dividing device, 3 ... Printer, 4 ... File device, 5 ... Receiving unit, 6 ... File dividing processing unit, 7
... Control register, 8 ... Transmission unit.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A network for connecting a workstation for creating a document file or an image file or a printing apparatus for receiving and printing a print format file and converting the document file or the image file into a print format file described in a page description language. In a document processing system for printing a document or an image by sending the print format file to a printing device, the processable size of the printing device is stored and compared with the size of a print format file to be sent to the printing device. A document processing system, comprising: a print format file division transmitting device that divides a print format file into a range of a processable size, transcribes a header, and transmits the file.