JP3766292B2 - Controller for digital printing machine and printing layout confirmation method using the same - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a digital printing system, and more particularly to a controller for a digital printing machine used in the digital printing system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the plate making process, first, a computer called a front end is used to create data for multiple types of parts, such as letters, logos, images, designs, illustrations, etc. Editing layout data is obtained by editing the data and laying out the data at a predetermined position. Next, the edited layout data is developed by RIP (Raster Image Processing) and converted into bitmap format image data representing an image to be printed. Thereafter, accessories such as a control strip necessary for printing and discarded are added to the image represented by the image data in the bitmap format, and the image data with the accessory is transferred to the plate making apparatus as plate making image data. In the plate making apparatus, a printing plate is created based on the plate making image data. Thereafter, printing is performed using the printing plate in the printing process.
[0003]
By the way, an image to be printed including an accessory (hereinafter referred to as “print image with accessory”) is used to check whether or not there has been a mistake in the plate making instruction in the plate making process before printing using the printing plate. In other words, it is necessary to check the arrangement of the image corresponding to the final finished part to be printed (hereinafter referred to as “print image main body”) and the accessory, and the positional relationship between the print image with the accessory and the printing paper. is there. On the other hand, conventionally, since plate making is performed as a pre-printing step, it has been possible to confirm the arrangement of the accessory-attached print image using an image formed on the printing plate.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in a digital printing machine that performs plate making and printing with the same apparatus, when a printing plate is produced on the outer peripheral surface of a drum as a plate cylinder, printing is performed as it is using the printing plate. For this reason, it is difficult to remove the printing plate from the printing press in order to confirm the arrangement of the accessory-attached printing image, or to examine the image formed on the printing plate from the outside without removing the printing plate from the printing press. . Further, even in conventional printing that does not use a digital printing machine, in order to examine the positional relationship between a printing image with accessories and printing paper, a complicated manual operation using a measure is required.
[0005]
Therefore, in the present invention, when printing is performed using a digital printing machine, the arrangement in the print image with accessories, the positional relationship between the print image with accessories and the print paper, and the like can be easily confirmed before execution of printing. The purpose is to provide a method and the like.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention]
  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bitmap format image obtained by receiving edit layout data in which a print target is described in a page description language, performing RIP processing on the edit layout data, and adding accessories necessary for printing. A controller for a digital printing machine that transfers data to a digital printing machine,
  An output condition setting means for setting an output condition including designation of a type and a position of an accessory necessary for printing in a digital printing machine to which the image data in the bitmap format is to be transferred, based on a user operation;
  Before transferring the image data in the bitmap format to the digital printer, according to the output condition set by the output condition setting means, the image represented by the image data to be transferred is output as a print image with accessories Output means,
  The output condition setting means sets the output condition based on an operation for designating a model of a digital printing machine to which the bitmap image data is to be transferred.It is characterized by that.
[0007]
  According to the first aspect of the invention, the controller for the digital printing machine outputs the print image with the accessory, so that the layout (print layout) in the image printed by the digital printing machine can be confirmed in advance. . Thereby, it is possible to reduce the plate making cost and the printing cost in the digital printing machine. Here, although the accessory to be added depends on the digital printing machine, the accessory for the digital printing machine can be efficiently added, and it is not necessary to consider the model of the digital printing machine to be used in the front end. In addition, the controller for the digital printing machine can also obtain information indicating the paper size and effective printing size of the digital printing machine used for printing, so whether the print image with accessories does not protrude from the printing paper or effective printing size. Can be easily examined.In addition, because the output conditions are set based on the model designation of the digital printing machine used for printing, the operations required by the user for printing become easy, and multiple digital printing machines can be connected to one controller. This is particularly effective when used.
[0010]
  SecondThe invention ofFirstIn the invention of
  When the accessory necessary for printing includes discard, the output condition setting means sets the discarded color based on bitmap format data obtained by performing RIP processing on the edit layout data. It includes color determining means for determining.
[0011]
  like thisSecondAccording to this invention, it is not necessary for the user to determine the abandoned color, so the output condition can be easily set. Moreover, because the discarded colors are determined based on the bitmap format data representing the image to be printed, the discarded colors are averaged so that the amount of ink used for printing on the digital printing machine is averaged. The appropriate decision can be made.
[0012]
  ThirdIn the first invention,
  The output means includes display means for displaying the printed image with accessories.
[0013]
  4thIn the first invention,
  The output means includes print means for printing out the print image with accessories for proofreading.
[0014]
  5thIn the first invention,
  A registration unit that pre-registers a printing paper size and / or a printing effective size of a digital printing machine to which the bitmap format image data can be transferred;
  The output means indicates a print paper size and / or print effective size of a digital printing machine to which the bitmap format image data is to be transferred based on the registered print paper size and / or print effective size. And a means for outputting an image together with the printed image with accessories.
[0015]
  like this5thAccording to the invention, since the print image with accessories to be printed on the digital printing machine is output in advance together with the image indicating the print paper size and / or print effective size of the printing machine, the print image with accessories is printed on the print paper. It can be easily confirmed whether or not it protrudes from the print effective size.
[0016]
  6thThe invention is an editing printing system,
  A front-end computer for creating edit layout data in which the print target is described in a page description language by editing and laying out the components constituting the print target;
  A plurality of controllers for digital printing machines according to the first invention;
  A digital printing machine that is connected to each of the plurality of digital printing machine controllers and that executes printing based on the bitmap format image data transferred from the connected digital printing machine controller;
  A communication network connecting the plurality of controllers for digital printing presses and the front-end computer so as to communicate with each other.
[0017]
  like this6thAccording to the invention, an output condition is set in the controller for the digital printing press, and the print layout can be confirmed in advance by the accessory-attached print image output by the confirmation output unit in accordance with the output condition. For this reason, the print layout can be confirmed efficiently and accurately, and the front end need not consider the model of the digital printing machine to be used. Therefore, since the editing layout data can be transferred to an empty digital printing machine when the editing layout data creation work at the front end is completed, there is an effect that the operating rate of the digital printing machine in the editing printing system is improved. .
[0018]
  7thThe present invention is a print layout confirmation method for confirming a layout in an image printed by a digital printing machine,
  In a controller for transferring bitmap format image data obtained by adding accessories necessary for printing on the digital printing machine to an image to be printed, to the digital printing machine,Based on the user's operation, output conditions including specification of accessory types and positions required for printing with the digital printing machineOutput condition setting step to be set;
  A confirmation output step for outputting an image represented by the image data to be transferred as a print image with an accessory in accordance with the set output condition before transferring the bitmap format image data to the digital printer;
With
  In the output condition setting step, the output condition is set based on an operation for designating a model of a digital printing machine to which the image data in the bitmap format is to be transferred.
  The layout is confirmed in advance by a print image with accessories output in the confirmation output step.
[0019]
  8thThe invention is a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for confirming a layout in an image printed by a digital printing machine is recorded,
  In a controller for transferring bitmap format image data obtained by adding accessories necessary for printing on the digital printing machine to an image to be printed, to the digital printing machine,Based on the user's operation, output conditions including specification of accessory types and positions required for printing with the digital printing machineOutput condition setting step to be set;
  A confirmation output step for outputting an image represented by the image data to be transferred as a print image with an accessory in accordance with the set output condition before transferring the bitmap format image data to the digital printer;
To the computer,
  In the output condition setting step, the output condition is set based on an operation for designating a model of a digital printing machine to which the bitmap format image data is to be transferred.The program is recorded.
[0020]
  9thThe present invention is a program for confirming a layout in an image printed by a digital printing machine,
  In a controller for transferring bitmap format image data obtained by adding accessories necessary for printing on the digital printing machine to an image to be printed, to the digital printing machine,Based on the user's operation, output conditions including specification of accessory types and positions required for printing with the digital printing machineOutput condition setting step to be set;
  A confirmation output step for outputting an image represented by the image data to be transferred as a print image with an accessory in accordance with the set output condition before transferring the bitmap format image data to the digital printer;
To the computer,
  In the output condition setting step, the output condition is set based on an operation for designating a model of a digital printing machine to which the image data in the bitmap format is to be transferred.It is characterized by that.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<1. Configuration of edit printing system>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an editing printing system that uses a digital printing press controller (hereinafter abbreviated as “printing controller”) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The editing and printing system includes a front-end computer 301 to 304 for editing and laying out a plurality of types of parts such as characters, logos, images, pictures, and illustrations constituting a printed matter, a first digital printing machine 210, and therefore Print controller 110, second digital printing machine 220 and print controller 120 therefor, front-end computers 301 to 304 (hereinafter collectively referred to simply as “front-end”), and print controllers 110 and 120. And a LAN (Local Area Network) 500 that is a communication network that connects to each other in a communicable manner. In this configuration, in the front end, edit layout data in which a print target is described in a page description language is created by the above-described component edit layout. This edit layout data is stored in the print controllers 110 and 120 connected to the LAN 500. Sent to either. The print controller 110 or 120 that has received this edit layout data creates bitmap data by RIP-expanding the edit layout data. Then, based on the output condition specified by the user, an appropriate accessory is added to the bitmap data and transferred to a digital printing machine connected to the print controller 110 or 120, where printing is executed. In the system configuration shown in FIG. 1, two digital printers 210 and 220 are connected to the LAN 500 via the print controllers 110 and 120, respectively, but three or more digital printers are connected. Also good. Two or more digital printing machines may be connected to one printing controller.
[0022]
<2. Configuration of controller for digital printing machine>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the print controller 110 or 120 according to the present embodiment (in the following description, the print controller is indicated by reference numeral “100” and the digital printer connected thereto is referred to). It shall be indicated by the symbol “200”). The print controller 100 according to the present embodiment is realized by using a personal computer (personal computer). In terms of hardware, the print controller 100 includes an auxiliary device including a personal computer body, an input device 22 such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a hard disk device. A storage device 24, a display device 26 such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT, and a calibration printer 28 such as an ink jet printer are provided. The personal computer main body is connected to a CPU 10 as a central processing unit, a memory 12 composed of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. and used for program storage and work, and an input device 22. The input interface unit 14, the LAN / IF unit 15 for connecting the print controller 100 to the LAN 500, the display control unit 16 to which the display device 26 is connected, and the disk I / O to which the auxiliary storage device 24 is connected The interface unit 17 includes a device interface unit 18 to which the digital printing machine 200 and the calibration printer 28 are connected.
[0023]
In the print controller 100 configured as described above, the CPU 10 executes various programs installed in advance in the memory 12 in response to an operation from the input device 22 by the user, thereby receiving edit layout data from the front end. Processing, setting of conditions for RIP processing for editing layout data (RIP condition setting), RIP processing for editing layout data, setting of output conditions for printing on the digital printing machine 100, bitmap data representing a print target, etc. Is output to the digital printer 100. Based on such various programs, the print controller 100 functionally includes a data reception unit 50, a user IF unit 52, a control unit 54, a RIP processing unit 56, and a storage unit 58, as shown in FIG. And an output unit 60. Each unit shown in FIG. 3 is realized by using the hardware components shown in FIG. 2 in addition to the various programs. For example, the data receiving unit 50 is the LAN / IF unit 15, the user IF unit 52 is the input device 22, the display device 26, the calibration printer 28, the storage unit 58 is the auxiliary storage device 24, and the output unit 60 is the device interface. Each of the parts 18 is realized using each.
[0024]
In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the data receiving unit 50 receives edit layout data De in which a print target is described in a page description language from any of the front-end computers 301 to 304 via the LAN 500 and uses this as print data De. Store in the storage unit 58. The user IF unit 52 performs processing for realizing a graphical user interface (GUI) and print output for calibration described later, and responds to a user operation (operation with a mouse or the like on an operation screen described later) using the GUI. Then, the operation data indicating the instruction content of the user is passed to the control unit 54. The RIP processing unit 56 performs RIP processing on the print data De stored in the storage unit 58 to generate bitmap data (hereinafter referred to as “print image body data”) Dbm representing the print target, and stores the bitmap data in the storage unit 58. To do. The output unit 60 adds the accessory bitmap data Da to the print image main body data Dbm stored in the storage unit 58 according to the output condition set based on the operation to the user IF unit 52, and the print image with the accessory added thereto. Is transferred to the digital printing machine 200 together with information relating to the printing paper. The control unit 54 creates management data based on the edit layout data De and operation data, and performs processing such as job management, and controls operations of the units 50, 52, 56, and 60.
[0025]
<3. Processing procedure in controller for digital printing machine>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the controller (printing controller) 100 configured as described above together with the main data flow (dotted lines in this figure indicate the data flow). .
[0026]
In this print controller 100, before receiving the edit layout data De from the front end, registration of paper information indicating the size of the print paper used in the digital printing machine 200 connected to the print controller 100, and the digital A system setting for registering accessories such as a control strip used in the printing machine 200 and a discarded one is performed in advance. That is, when an operation for designating paper information used in the digital printing machine 200 is performed on the user IF unit 52 (step S40), the paper information designated by the operation is stored in the storage unit 58. Thus, the paper information for the digital printing machine 200 is registered (this paper information is referred to as “registered paper information”, which is indicated by the symbol “D14”). The paper information D14 registered at this time includes the print effective size of the digital printing machine 200. When a plurality of digital printing machines are connected to the print controller 100, an operation for designating paper information for each of the plurality of digital printing machines is performed (step S40). The paper information for each digital printing machine connected to the printer is registered in association with the identification information for identifying the model of each digital printing machine (in this case, the paper information registered in this way is collected and registered. This is referred to as “paper information”, which is also indicated by the symbol “D14”.
[0027]
Further, when an operation for designating an accessory suitable for the digital printing machine 200 is performed on the user IF unit 52 (step S30), accessory information composed of accessory bitmap data and arrangement information designated by the operation. Is stored in the storage unit 58, the accessory information for the digital printing machine 200 is registered (this accessory information is referred to as “registered accessory information”, and is indicated by the symbol “D12”). If a plurality of digital printers are connected to the print controller 100, an operation for designating accessories for each of the plurality of digital printers is performed (step S30), and the print controller 100 is instructed. Accessory information for each connected digital printing machine is registered in association with identification information for specifying the model of each digital printing machine (in this case, the accessory information registered in this way is collected as a “registered accessory”. This is referred to as “information”, which is also indicated by the symbol “D12”).
[0028]
After the above system setting, when edit layout data De is transmitted from the front end to the print controller 100, processing is performed in the following procedure. First, the data receiving unit 50 receives the edit layout data De and stores it in the storage unit 58 as print data De (step S10). Then, the control unit 54 is notified of the reception. Upon receiving this notification, the control unit 54 stores information for managing the operation of performing printing based on the print data De in the storage unit 58, thereby registering the operation as one job (step S12). ).
[0029]
When job registration is performed as described above, an image represented by print data that is a target of the job is displayed as a thumbnail. FIG. 5 shows an example of an operation screen displayed on the user IF unit 52 of the print controller 100 at this time. In this example, print data corresponding to each of three jobs is displayed as thumbnails as images 601, 602, and 603. The operation screen is provided with a toolbar 610 on which buttons for starting a command for executing processing for print data corresponding to a registered job are arranged. Then, by selecting one of the thumbnails 601 to 603 displayed in this way with a mouse or the like and clicking a button on the toolbar 610, various processes can be performed on the print data corresponding to the selected thumbnail. it can.
[0030]
When a job for the print data De is registered in step S12, the user selects a thumbnail corresponding to the print data De among the thumbnails displayed on the operation screen, and sets RIP conditions on the operation screen. Operation is performed (step S14), and the start of RIP processing is instructed. The control unit 54 receives this instruction from the user IF unit 52, and causes the RIP processing unit 56 to execute the RIP processing for the print data De (step S16). By this RIP processing, the print data De is RIP expanded to generate print image main body data that is bitmap format print data, which is stored in the storage unit 58 as print target bitmap data Dbm. In this way, the print data (data described in the page description language) corresponding to each registered job is RIP processed to generate a plurality of print target bitmap data (hereinafter generated in this way). The collection of bitmap data to be printed is referred to as “registered job data”, which is indicated by the symbol “D10”). Images represented by the bitmap data to be printed included in the registered job data D10 are also displayed as thumbnails 601 to 603 on the operation screen as shown in FIG. 5, and the user selects one of these thumbnails 601 to 603 with a mouse or the like. By clicking a button on the toolbar 610, various processes can be performed on the print target bitmap data corresponding to the selected thumbnail.
[0031]
When the print target bitmap data Dbm is obtained by performing the RIP process on the print data De in step S16, the user selects the print target bitmap data (print image main body data) Dbm among the thumbnails displayed on the operation screen. The one corresponding to is selected, and an operation for instructing the setting of the output condition is performed. As a result, processing for setting the output condition of the job corresponding to the print target bitmap data Dbm is started. The details of this processing will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
[0032]
When the setting of the output condition of the job corresponding to the print target bitmap data Dbm is instructed as described above, the user IF unit 52 displays an operation screen as shown in FIG. 7, for example. The operation for setting the output condition is performed. The operation data indicating the operation content is input to the user IF unit 52 (step S100). This operation data includes data indicating the printing style, the arrangement of the print image body that is the image represented by the print target bitmap data Dbm, the type and arrangement of accessories such as control strips and discarded (print paper size as required) And the like are also passed to the control unit 54 from the user IF 52. By the way, many of the output conditions are determined by the model of the digital printing machine connected to the print controller 100. Therefore, when only one digital printing machine is connected to the printing controller 100, as shown in FIG. For each setting item on the operation screen, a value corresponding to the output condition suitable for the digital printing machine is preset as a default value so that the user can change or add the setting on the operation screen as necessary. It may be. Further, instead of individually specifying the layout of the print image main body represented by the print target bitmap data Dbm, the type and layout of the accessories, and the like as set on the operation screen shown in FIG. 7, the print target bitmap data Dbm You may designate the model of the digital printing machine which performs printing. Here, when a plurality of digital printing machines are connected to the print controller 100, the model of one digital printing machine selected as a printing machine to execute the job from among the plurality of digital printing machines is designated. Will be.
[0033]
As described above, the individual designation (hereinafter simply referred to as “individual designation”) regarding the layout of the print image main body and accessories represented by the bitmap data Dbm to be printed (hereinafter simply referred to as “individual designation”), or the designation of the model of the digital printing machine (hereinafter simply referred to as “individual designation”). When the operation data for setting the output condition is input by “model designation” (step S100), the control unit 54 determines whether individual designation or model designation has been performed based on the operation data. (Step S102).
[0034]
As a result of the determination in step S102, if individual designation is performed, the following steps S104 to S108 are skipped and the process proceeds to step S110. On the other hand, when the model designation is performed, the control unit 54 determines the size of the printing paper to be used in the designated model, the type and arrangement of the accessories to be used in the designated model, and the print effective size in the designated model. Is obtained from the paper information D14 and the accessory information D12 registered in the system setting (step S104). Then, it is determined whether or not an accessory (hereinafter referred to as “corresponding accessory”) to be used in the designated type digital printing machine includes abandoned items (step S106). Here, when the offset printing is performed, when emulsification caused by mixing of dampening water into the ink becomes excessive, appropriate printing cannot be performed. In order to consume ink, this means a region that is provided in a blank on the printing plate other than the main body of the print image and consumes ink. Therefore, if the designated model is a digital printing machine that uses a printing plate, it can be discarded as an accessory, but it is used as an accessory, but a plateless digital printing machine that does not use a printing plate, for example, an electrophotographic printing system or an inkjet printing machine. In some cases, thrown away is not used.
[0035]
If the result of determination in step S106 is that the corresponding accessory does not contain any discarded items, step S108 below is skipped and processing proceeds to step S110. On the other hand, when the corresponding accessory includes abandoned, the control unit 54 uses the print image main body data that is the print target bitmap data Dbm, and the ink amount of each color that is used when printing the print target bitmap data Dbm. Are discarded so as to be averaged as much as possible (step S108), and then the process proceeds to step S110.
[0036]
In step S110, the control unit 54 outputs the output condition data D100 having a structure suitable for display and output of a print image with accessories, which will be described later, from the information indicating the layout of the print image main body, the type of accessory, and the layout obtained in the above step. Is created (step S110). For example, when the image to be printed with respect to the print target bitmap data Dbm, that is, the print image with accessories is as shown in FIG. 8A, the output condition data D100 as shown in FIG. Created. Here, IMG indicates an image represented by the print target bitmap data Dbm, that is, a print image main body, A indicates a disposal to be used when printing the print target bitmap data Dbm, and B, C, and D indicate 4A and 4B show color patches constituting a control strip to be used when printing the print target bitmap data Dbm. The coordinates of the lower left points Pi, Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd of the print image main body IMG, the discarded A, and the color patches B to D are set in the output condition data D100 as information indicating their arrangement. Yes. That is, in the output condition data D100, the arrangement of the components in the print image with accessories such as the print image main body, the discarded items, and the color patches, that is, the print layout is shown as an offset with respect to the predetermined point O. When such output condition data D100 is created, the process for setting the output condition (step S18) is terminated.
[0037]
In the above process, the user can specify either individual designation or model designation in the operation for setting the output condition (steps S100 and S102), but only one of the designations may be configured.
[0038]
When the process for setting the output condition is completed, the user IF unit 52 displays an operation screen as shown in FIG. 5 again. Of the buttons constituting the toolbar 610 on the operation screen, the button 611 is an exposure button for instructing exposure, the button 612 is a display button for instructing screen display, and the button 614 is for instructing printing. This is a print button. Now, when the user operates the mouse or the like, a thumbnail for the print target bitmap data Dbm corresponding to the job for which the output condition is set is selected from the thumbnails 601 to 603 displayed on the operation screen and displayed. When the user clicks 612, the control unit 54 receives operation data indicating the operation from the user IF unit 52, and the user IF unit 52 receives the print image with accessories for the print target bitmap data Dbm on the confirmation screen shown in FIG. It is displayed (step S22). That is, on the basis of the output condition setting data D100 created for the job targeted for the print target bitmap data Dbm, the print target bitmap data Dbm, which is the print image main body data, is extracted from the registered job data D10 and the corresponding accessory. Bitmap data Da is extracted from the registered accessory information D12, and the print target bitmap data Dbm and accessory bitmap data are displayed so that a print image with accessories is displayed according to the arrangement information specified by the output condition setting data D100. Da is transferred to the user IF unit 52. In this way, by referring to the output condition data D100 as shown in FIG. 8B, the accessory-attached print image data is stored in the user IF without going through the process of creating and storing the accessory-attached print image data. The print image with the accessory is displayed in the confirmation screen shown in FIG.
[0039]
The user can confirm in advance whether there is no problem in the print layout by using the accessory-attached print image displayed in the confirmation screen shown in FIG. 9 (step S24). In this confirmation screen, the entire accessory-attached print image 701 is displayed on the right side, and an enlarged image 703 of an area surrounded by a rectangle 702 that is a partial area is displayed on the left side. In this enlarged image 703, the image indicated by reference numeral 710 is the image represented by the print target bitmap data Dbm, that is, the print image main body, the image indicated by reference numeral 711 is discarded, and the images indicated by reference numerals 721 to 727 are the control strips. It is a color patch that composes. In addition, a menu bar 750 is provided on the confirmation screen, and a pull-down menu 752 is further provided for the menu bar 750. Then, by operating the pull-down menu 752, ON / OFF of display of a paper size frame, a print effective size frame, and the like can be controlled. Here, the paper information acquired in step S104 in the output condition setting process (FIG. 6) is used to display the paper size frame and the print effective size frame. Then, by displaying the print paper size frame 704, the positional relationship between the paper and the print image main body 710, the control strip (color patches 721 to 727), and the like can be confirmed to check whether or not the overprinting is performed. Also, by displaying the print effective size frame, it is possible to confirm whether there is a trouble that the image to be printed fits within the paper but protrudes from the print effective size. That is, by displaying the paper size frame and the print effective size frame, it is also possible to check whether or not the accessory-attached print image has no problem in arrangement with respect to the paper size or the print effective size.
[0040]
As a result of checking the print layout in advance as described above, if it is determined that there is a problem, the user returns to step S18 and performs the operation for setting the output condition again on the operation screen shown in FIG. To correct the output condition. Thereafter, steps S18 → S22 → S24 are repeatedly executed until it is confirmed that there is no problem in the print layout.
[0041]
In the above description, the print layout is confirmed by displaying the print image with accessories on the confirmation screen (display device 26). In this embodiment, instead, the print image with accessories is displayed on the calibration printer 28. The print layout can be confirmed by outputting (step S20). In this case, on the operation screen shown in FIG. 5, the user selects the thumbnail of the bitmap data Dbm to be printed corresponding to the job for which the output condition is set, and clicks the print button 614. Thus, by referring to the output condition data D100 as shown in FIG. 8B, the accessory-attached print image data is converted into the calibration printer 28 without going through the process of creating and storing the accessory-attached print image data. The print image with accessories is printed out. FIG. 10 shows a print image with accessories printed out in this way. As shown in this figure, the calibration printer 28 outputs a paper size frame 804 and an effective print size frame 805 in addition to the print image main body 801, the discarded 802, and the control strip 803 constituting the print image with accessories. This makes it possible to check whether or not the accessory-attached print image has any problem in arrangement in relation to the paper size or the print effective size.
[0042]
If it is confirmed by the display confirmation (step S22) or the print confirmation (step S20) as described above that there is no problem with the print layout, the user has no problem with the print layout on the operation screen shown in FIG. The thumbnail of the print target bitmap data Dbm corresponding to the confirmed job is selected, and the exposure button 611 is clicked. Thereby, an output instruction to the digital printing machine 200 is notified from the control unit 54 to the output unit 60. In response to this, the output unit 60 refers to the output condition data D100 as shown in FIG. 8B, so that the print image with accessories is not passed through the process of creating and storing print image data with accessories. The data DAbm is transferred to the digital printer 200 (step S26). That is, as in the case of the above-described display confirmation and print confirmation, based on the output condition data D100, the corresponding print target bitmap data Dbm and the corresponding print target bitmap data Dbm are registered from the registered job data D10 and the registered accessory information D12 stored in the storage unit 58. The accessory bitmap data Da is extracted, and the accessory-attached print image data DAbm is transferred to the digital printing machine 200 in accordance with the arrangement information shown in the output condition setting data D100. At this time, the corresponding sheet information Dp is also extracted from the registered sheet information D14 and transferred to the digital printing machine 200.
[0043]
As described above, when the print layout display confirmation (step S22) is performed, the print image main body 710, the discarded 711, and the control strips (color patches 721 to 727) are displayed on the confirmation screen as shown in FIG. It is preferable to provide input means such as a pull-down menu and a pop-up menu for inputting numerical values of these positions (step S22). In this way, the print layout can be adjusted while viewing the print image with accessories on the confirmation screen. For example, if the control strip that is to be printed at the bottom of the printing paper protrudes from the paper size frame, move the protruding part to the margin of the print image body, which is the final finished part. The entire attached print image can be stored on the printing paper. Then, in the movement process of the protruding portion, it can be confirmed whether or not the change of the position of the control strip or the like does not affect the print image main body.
[0044]
<4. Program provision form>
As described above, the main functions of the print controller 100 are realized based on various programs executed by the CPU 10. For example, the output condition setting process (step S18, FIG. 6), the display confirmation (step S22), and the print confirmation (step S20) function also indicate the presence of predetermined hardware such as the display device 26 and the calibration printer 28. As a premise, it is realized based on a predetermined program. Part or all of such a program is provided by a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM in which the program is recorded. That is, the user purchases a CD-ROM as a recording medium for the program, attaches it to a CD-ROM drive (not shown), reads the program from the CD-ROM, and installs it in the auxiliary storage device 24. Alternatively, a program sent via a communication network such as LAN 500 or WAN (Wide Area Network) may be received and installed in the auxiliary storage device 24. Furthermore, a part or all of the program may be installed in the auxiliary storage 24 before the manufacturer ships the print controller 100 (or the digital printing system including the print controller 100 and the digital printing machine 200).
[0045]
<5. Effect>
According to the above-described embodiment, the print controller displays the print image with accessories or prints out to check whether there is a problem in the print layout or the contents of the accessory, and corrects the output condition if there is a problem. Can do. In this way, after confirming that the print instruction (the position of the print image main body, which is the final finished part, and the contents and arrangement of accessories such as discarded and control strips) is correct, the digital printing machine is allowed to execute printing. Can do. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the plate making cost and the printing cost in the digital printing machine.
[0046]
Conventionally, on the front end, a means for confirming the print layout in advance by adding an accessory such as a control strip or abandoned accessories to the print image main body, which is the final finished part, and displaying the print image with the accessory attached, etc. Was provided. However, although the accessory pattern is typical, the contents and arrangement of accessories to be used depend on the digital printing machine, so when adding accessories at the front end, the printing machine to be used is determined at that time. There must be. On the other hand, according to the above embodiment, the accessory is added based on the setting of the output condition in the print controller. Therefore, the accessory can be added efficiently, and the model of the digital printing machine to be used for printing in the front end is selected. There is no need to consider.
[0047]
In addition, since the paper size and effective print size used for printing are also determined by the print controller, according to the above-described embodiment, it is determined whether there is a problem in arrangement of the print image with accessories in relation to the paper size or effective print size. Can also be confirmed. In addition, since the print image with accessories based on the bitmap data after the RIP process is displayed or printed out, it can be accurately confirmed in a form close to the image actually printed by the digital printing machine.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an editing printing system that uses a controller for a digital printing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a controller for a digital printing machine according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a controller for a digital printing machine according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the controller for the digital printing machine according to the embodiment together with a main data flow.
FIG. 5 is a view showing an operation screen for displaying print data of a registered job as a thumbnail in the controller for the digital printing machine according to the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for setting an output condition in the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an operation screen for setting output conditions in the embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining output condition data obtained by setting an output condition in the embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a view showing a confirmation screen for confirming a print layout in the embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a print image with accessories printed out to confirm a print layout in the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
100, 110, 120 ... controller for digital printing machine
200, 210, 220 ... Digital printing machine
500 ... LAN
50: Data receiver
52 ... User IF section
54. Control unit
56 ... RIP part
58 ... Memory part
60 ... Output section
710, 801 ... Print image body
711, 802 ... I could throw it away
721-727 ... Color patch (control strip)
803 ... Control strip
704, 804 ... Paper size frame
805 ... Effective print size frame
De ... Editing layout data
Dbm: Bitmap data to be printed (print image data)
Da ... Accessory bitmap data
DAbm… Print image data with accessories
D100 ... Output condition data

Claims (9)

Bitmap format image data obtained by receiving edit layout data in which a print target is described in a page description language, applying RIP processing to the edit layout data, and adding accessories necessary for printing A controller for a digital printing machine to transfer to
An output condition setting means for setting an output condition including designation of a type and a position of an accessory necessary for printing in a digital printing machine to which the image data in the bitmap format is to be transferred, based on a user operation;
Before transferring the image data in the bitmap format to the digital printer, according to the output condition set by the output condition setting means, the image represented by the image data to be transferred is output as a print image with accessories Output means ,
The controller for a digital printing machine, wherein the output condition setting unit sets the output condition based on an operation for designating a model of a digital printing machine to which the bitmap format image data is to be transferred . When the accessory necessary for printing includes discard, the output condition setting means sets the discarded color based on bitmap format data obtained by performing RIP processing on the edit layout data. 2. The controller for a digital printing machine according to claim 1, further comprising a color determining unit for determining.   The controller for a digital printing machine according to claim 1, wherein the output means includes display means for displaying the print image with accessories.   The controller for a digital printing machine according to claim 1, wherein the output unit includes a print unit that prints out the printed image with accessories for calibration. A registration unit that pre-registers the size and / or print effective size of the printing paper of the digital printing machine to which the bitmap format image data can be transferred;
The output means indicates a print paper size and / or print effective size of a digital printing machine to which the bitmap format image data is to be transferred based on the registered print paper size and / or print effective size. 2. The controller for a digital printing machine according to claim 1, further comprising means for outputting an image together with the accessory-attached print image. A front-end computer for creating edit layout data in which the print target is described in a page description language by editing and laying out the components constituting the print target;
A plurality of controllers for a digital printing press according to claim 1;
A digital printing machine that is connected to each of the plurality of digital printing machine controllers and that executes printing based on the bitmap format image data transferred from the connected digital printing machine controller;
An editing printing system comprising: a communication network that connects the plurality of controllers for digital printing presses and the front-end computer in a communicable manner. A print layout confirmation method for confirming a layout in an image printed by a digital printing machine,
In a controller for transferring bitmap format image data obtained by adding accessories necessary for printing on the digital printing machine to an image to be printed, it is necessary for printing on the digital printing machine. An output condition setting step for setting an output condition including specification of the type and position of the accessory based on a user operation ;
A confirmation output step of outputting an image represented by the image data to be transferred as a print image with an accessory in accordance with the set output condition before transferring the bitmap format image data to the digital printer. ,
In the output condition setting step, the output condition is set based on an operation for designating a model of a digital printing machine to which the image data in the bitmap format is to be transferred.
A print layout confirmation method, wherein the layout is confirmed in advance based on a print image with an accessory output in the confirmation output step. A computer-readable recording medium recording a program for confirming a layout in an image printed by a digital printing machine,
In a controller for transferring bitmap format image data obtained by adding accessories necessary for printing on the digital printing machine to an image to be printed, it is necessary for printing on the digital printing machine. An output condition setting step for setting an output condition including specification of the type and position of the accessory based on a user operation ;
A confirmation output step of outputting an image represented by the image data to be transferred as a print image with an accessory in accordance with the set output condition before transferring the bitmap format image data to the digital printing machine; to run in,
In the output condition setting step, the output condition is set based on an operation for designating a model of a digital printing machine to which the bitmap format image data is to be transferred. . A program for confirming a layout in an image printed by a digital printing machine,
In a controller for transferring bitmap format image data obtained by adding accessories necessary for printing on the digital printing machine to an image to be printed, it is necessary for printing on the digital printing machine. An output condition setting step for setting an output condition including specification of the type and position of the accessory based on a user operation ;
A confirmation output step of outputting an image represented by the image data to be transferred as a print image with an accessory in accordance with the set output condition before transferring the bitmap format image data to the digital printing machine; to run in,
In the output condition setting step, the output condition is set based on an operation for designating a model of a digital printing machine to which the bitmap format image data is to be transferred .

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