JP4379299B2 - Printing apparatus, print data generation system, printing method, and print data generation method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for converting image data in a format that can be handled by a computer into print data in a format that can be printed by a printing apparatus using predetermined reference data.

  Color image data (hereinafter referred to as image data) handled by a computer is usually expressed by gradation values of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) colors. On the other hand, data used for color printing in a printer (hereinafter referred to as print data) is basically expressed by dot distribution of each color of C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow). Yes. As described above, since the color image representation methods are greatly different from each other, in order to print a color image displayed on the screen of a terminal such as a personal computer, first, the image data is converted into print data. There is a need.

  Such conversion processing of image data into print data (hereinafter referred to as data conversion processing) is usually performed on the terminal side connected to the printing apparatus, and the converted print data is transferred from the terminal to the printing apparatus for printing. Had been transferred to. Conventionally, in order to shorten the printing time of a color image by minimizing the amount of print data transferred from the terminal to the printing apparatus, a data conversion process required when printing one image is performed between the host computer and the printing apparatus. Has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-3187

However, in the above-described conventional method, both the host computer and the printing apparatus perform data conversion processing on image data representing one image. Therefore, when an image is to be printed, the data conversion processing and conversion by the host computer are performed. The continuous three processes of transferring the processed data to the host computer and the data conversion process by the printing apparatus must always be performed, and there is room for improvement in the printing efficiency of the entire system.

  Further, in the above conventional method, a program describing the contents of the data conversion process and reference data referred to when the program is executed must be stored not only in the host computer but also in the printing apparatus. In other words, software resources are wasted and the cost of the printing apparatus is increased. In particular, in data conversion processing accompanying recent image printing, different programs and reference data are available depending on printing conditions such as printing resolution and type of printing paper specified on the terminal side in order to support printing with various image quality. For example, the contents of a look-up table (hereinafter referred to as LUT) referred to in the color conversion process differ between when the print resolution is high and when the print resolution is low. Therefore, in order to realize printing with various image quality in the above conventional method, the above-mentioned program and reference data are prepared with various contents corresponding to each requested image quality, and such various types of programs and references are prepared. The data must be stored redundantly in the host computer and the printing apparatus, and the above-described difficulty may be more noticeable.

  In view of the above-described problems, the present invention aims to efficiently realize printing with various image quality corresponding to various printing conditions specified on the terminal side. In order to effectively utilize software resources necessary for data conversion processing, the following configuration was adopted.

The printing apparatus of the present invention includes:
When converting image data in a format that can be handled by a computer into print data in a format that can be printed using predetermined reference data, any one of a plurality of types of reference data for one image data When multiple types of print data can be generated by using different types of reference data, the image represented by the one image data is printed with two or more types of image quality based on the generated print data. A possible printing device,
Reference data holding means for holding at least some types of reference data among the plurality of types of reference data when converting the image data into print data;
An input means for inputting print request data representing a print request for an image to be printed, which is an image for which the print instruction has been made, when a print instruction is made for the image represented by the image data at a predetermined terminal;
Print condition determining means for determining the type of print condition designated on the terminal side for the print target image, which is an image for which the print instruction has been made, based on the input print request data;
In accordance with the determined type of printing condition, the execution body for converting the image data into print data is determined as either the terminal or the printing apparatus, and the print generated by the determined execution body And a printing unit that prints the image to be printed based on the data.

In addition, the printing method of the present invention, which is performed using the same technology as the above printing apparatus,
When converting image data in a format that can be handled by a computer into print data in a format that can be printed using predetermined reference data, any one of a plurality of types of reference data for one image data When a plurality of types of print data can be generated by using types of reference data, at least when converting the image data into print data, some types of reference data among the plurality of types of reference data A printing method that enables an image represented by the one image data to be printed with two or more types of image quality based on each of the generated print data,
When a print instruction for an image represented by the image data is given at a predetermined terminal, the printing apparatus that has input print request data representing a print request for a print target image that is an image for which the print instruction has been made,
Based on the input print request data, determine the type of print condition designated on the terminal side for the print target image that is the image for which the print instruction has been made,
In accordance with the determined type of printing condition, the execution body for converting the image data into print data is determined as either the terminal or the printing apparatus, and the print generated by the determined execution body The gist is to print the image to be printed based on the data.

  Here, the printing condition is a condition considered when converting image data into print data. As individual elements constituting this printing condition, for example, the printing resolution, the type of printing object such as paper, the type of terminal for which a printing instruction is given, and the like can be considered.

  In the printing apparatus or the printing method of the present invention, the printing apparatus that has received the image printing instruction from the terminal sets the type of printing condition specified on the terminal side for the print target image based on the print request data input from the terminal. According to the type of the determined printing condition, the execution subject of the process for converting the image data into the print data is determined as either a terminal or a printing apparatus, and the print generated by the determined execution subject The print target image is printed based on the data. As a result, the data conversion process is executed by a single subject (terminal or printing apparatus) suitable for the type of printing conditions, and print data is generated, so that print data is generated from image data representing one image. In addition, it is not necessary for both the terminal and the printing apparatus to execute the data conversion process. Therefore, the printing apparatus can efficiently realize printing with various image quality corresponding to various printing conditions.

  Various developments can be considered for the above printing apparatus and printing method. Hereinafter, a printing apparatus will be described as an example, but almost the same development is possible as a printing method.

  When the printing unit determines that the type of the printing condition is the first condition, the data is input as a part of the print request data, and the terminal displays the image data representing the print target image. Input printing means for printing an image to be printed based on first print data generated by conversion using reference data of a type other than the one of the types held on the side, and types of printing conditions Is determined to be a condition other than the first condition, the image data representing the print target image input as a part of the print request data is used by using the held part of the reference data. It is good also as a structure provided with the conversion printing means which converts into printing data and prints a printing object image based on the printing data after this conversion. In such a configuration, the printing apparatus shares and holds a plurality of types of reference data used for data conversion processing with the terminal. When an instruction for printing an image is issued from the terminal to such a printing apparatus, the printing apparatus holds it when the type of printing condition specified on the terminal side is a condition other than the first condition. Data conversion processing using reference data is executed to generate print data. When the type of printing condition is the first condition, the data conversion processing is not executed, and the terminal uses reference data held by itself. The result (first print data) of the data conversion process executed in this step is input. This eliminates the need to store the same reference data in both the terminal and the printing apparatus. Therefore, between the terminal and the printing apparatus, it is possible to efficiently realize printing with various image quality using different types of reference data while effectively using software resources (reference data) necessary for data conversion processing. Can do.

  It is also preferable that the first print data used as a printing standard by the input printing unit is converted using high resolution reference data held on the terminal side. In this way, it is possible to avoid the conversion processing to print data with a large amount of information being performed on the printing apparatus side.

  The printing condition determination means may be a means for determining the type of data included in the input print request data and determining the type of printing condition based on the determination result. It is desirable in that the type of condition can be easily and reliably determined.

  Further, the printing condition determining means specifies the setting contents for the predetermined printing conditions designated on the terminal side based on the input print request data, and determines the type of the printing conditions based on the specified setting contents There is no problem as a means to do. In this configuration, there is provided a defining unit that defines the correspondence between the type of printing condition and the reference data used for conversion to the printing data in accordance with the setting content for the printing resolution, and the printing condition determining unit is provided on the terminal side. As the setting contents for the specified predetermined printing condition, at least the setting contents for the print resolution are specified, and the type of the printing condition is determined by referring to the association by the defining means for the specified setting contents Also good. In this way, reference data suitable for the number of dots required for the print data can be determined on the printing apparatus side.

  The above reference data holding means is means for holding two or more types of reference data among three or more types of reference data, wherein a specific type of reference data is previously held among the two or more types of reference data In addition, reference data of the remaining types other than the specific type may be input from the terminal and temporarily held when converting the image data into print data. In this case, when the conversion printing unit determines that the type of printing condition is the second condition, the image data input from the terminal is converted to the specific type of reference data held in advance. Using the preliminary conversion means for converting to the second print data, and when it is determined that the type of printing condition is a condition other than the first condition and the second condition, the terminal adds the remaining data in addition to the image data. It is desirable to include input conversion means for inputting reference data of a type and converting image data into third print data using the input reference data. In this way, only a specific type of reference data among the three or more types of reference data needs to be held in advance on the printing apparatus side. Therefore, when realizing data conversion processing using three or more types of reference data, the burden on the printing apparatus can be reduced.

  The above-described input conversion means may be a means for inputting the remaining types of reference data prior to the input of the image data, and the data conversion processing on the printing apparatus side can be performed more smoothly. It is suitable.

  The content of the second condition determined by the printing condition determination unit may be set to a frequency that is frequently used by the user. This increases the chances that data conversion processing is performed in the printing apparatus, and reduces the frequency with which print data having a larger amount of data than image data is transferred from the terminal to the printing apparatus. Therefore, when realizing data conversion processing using three or more types of reference data, the time required for transferring data from the terminal to the printing apparatus can be reduced as a whole.

  The printing condition determination means may be a means for determining the type of data included in the input print request data and determining the type of printing condition based on the determination result. It is desirable in that the type of condition can be easily and reliably determined.

  The print condition determining means specifies the setting contents for the print resolution and the type of the print object based on the input print request data, and determines the type of the print condition based on the combination of the two specified setting contents It is also desirable to use a means to do this. In this way, the reference data used for the data conversion process can be determined on the printing apparatus side in consideration of the degree to which the fineness of the dots required for the print data is realized on the print object. . For example, the first print data input by the input printing unit is converted using high-resolution reference data held on the terminal side, and a specific type of reference data used by the preliminary conversion unit is printed. When the content is configured with a content corresponding to a suitable combination of the resolution setting and the type of print object, the print condition determination means determines whether the print condition type is the first when the print resolution setting exceeds a predetermined value. If the print resolution setting is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the print condition type is the second when combined with a print object of a type suitable for printing with the setting. What is necessary is just to be a means to judge that it is conditions. In this way, it is possible to avoid the conversion process to print data with a large amount of information from being performed on the printing apparatus side, and the printing apparatus side can perform printing out of the conversion process to print data with a small amount of information. Conversion processing in the case where the resolution and the type of the print object are compatible can be quickly performed using reference data held in advance.

  If the printing condition determining means is a means for determining the type of printing condition in consideration of the type of the terminal for which the printing instruction has been given, the definition of the data conversion process can be increased according to the nature of the terminal for which the printing instruction has been given. It can be changed. In this case, the printing condition determining means determines that the type of printing condition is the second condition when the type of terminal for which the printing instruction has been issued does not have a function for converting image data into printing data. It is good also as a means to do. In this way, instead of the terminal that has received the print instruction, the data conversion process can be quickly performed using the reference data stored in advance in the printing apparatus.

  Each of the plurality of types of reference data may include at least color conversion data for converting color information represented by image data into color information that can be expressed by the printing apparatus. In this way, the color conversion data of a different type from the terminal side is held on the printing apparatus side. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively use the area in which the color conversion data is held between the printing apparatus and the terminal.

  There may be a configuration in which data constituting at least part of any kind of reference data is supplied to the terminal or the printing apparatus via a communication line. In this way, it is possible to flexibly cope with the addition or change of reference data accompanying the future improvement in print image quality.

The data conversion apparatus of the present invention
A data conversion device that converts image data in a format that can be handled by a computer into print data in a printable format,
Data holding means for holding reference data referred to when the image data is converted into print data;
Condition determining means for determining the type of printing condition designated for the image data;
Determining means for determining whether to convert the image data into print data using the held reference data based on the determination result of the type of the print condition;
If the determination unit determines to perform conversion using the held reference data, print data generation unit that executes the conversion and generates print data;
If the decision means decides not to perform conversion using the held reference data, the conversion of the image data into print data is connected to the data conversion device, and the data conversion device holds The gist of the present invention is that it is performed in another data conversion apparatus that holds reference data different from the reference data being processed.

In addition, the data conversion method of the present invention made using the same technology as the above data conversion device,
A data conversion method for converting image data in a format that can be handled by a computer into print data in a printable format,
A first data conversion apparatus that holds reference data referred to when converting the image data into print data determines the type of print condition designated for the image data, and the determination result of the type of print condition And determining whether to convert the image data into print data using the held reference data,
If it is determined to perform conversion using the stored reference data, the first data conversion device performs conversion of the image data into print data to generate print data,
If it is determined that the conversion using the held reference data is not performed, the reference data connected to the first data converter and different from the reference data held by the first data converter is obtained. The gist of the invention is that the second data conversion apparatus that holds the image data generates print data by converting the image data into print data.

  In the data conversion apparatus or data conversion method of the present invention, different reference data is shared and held in each of the plurality of data conversion apparatuses, and which reference data should be used is determined according to the type of printing conditions. The data conversion device that holds the reference data related to the determination performs the data conversion process. This eliminates the need for the plurality of data conversion devices to store the same reference data in the plurality of data conversion devices and to execute the data conversion processing on the image data representing one image. Therefore, among various data conversion apparatuses, printing with various image quality can be efficiently realized by using different types of reference data while effectively utilizing software resources (reference data) necessary for data conversion processing. be able to.

  With regard to such a data conversion apparatus and data conversion method, various developments similar to the above-described printing apparatus and printing method are possible. It is also possible to grasp the invention as a printing apparatus equipped with the above data conversion apparatus or a terminal equipped with the above data conversion apparatus.

The print data generation system of the present invention includes:
When a printing instruction for an image represented by image data in a format that can be handled by a computer is given from a predetermined terminal to the printing apparatus, the image data according to the printing instruction is converted into a format that can be printed by the printing apparatus. A print data generation system that generates converted print data in a plurality of ways according to the type of print conditions specified for the image data on the terminal side,
Among the plurality of types of reference data referred to when the image data is converted into print data, some types of reference data are stored in the printing apparatus in advance, and types other than the some types are included. Holding means for holding reference data in the terminal;
Determining means for determining at least one of the printing apparatus or the terminal a type of printing condition designated on the terminal side for an image to be printed that is an image for which the printing instruction has been made;
In accordance with the determined type of printing conditions, the execution body for converting the image data into print data is determined as either the terminal or the printing apparatus, and the print data is generated by the determined execution body. And a print data generating means.

In addition, the print data generation method of the present invention made using the same technology as the print data generation system,
When a printing instruction for an image represented by image data in a format that can be handled by a computer is given from a predetermined terminal to the printing apparatus, the image data according to the printing instruction is converted into a format that can be printed by the printing apparatus. A print data generation method for generating converted print data in a plurality of ways according to the type of print conditions specified for the image data on the terminal side,
Among the plurality of types of reference data referred to when the image data is converted into print data, some types of reference data are stored in the printing apparatus in advance, and types other than the some types are included. Holding reference data in the terminal,
At least one of the printing apparatus or the terminal determines the type of printing condition designated on the terminal side for the print target image that is the image for which the printing instruction has been made,
In accordance with the determined type of printing conditions, the execution body for converting the image data into print data is determined as either the terminal or the printing apparatus, and the print data is generated by the determined execution body. The gist is to do.

  In the print data generation device or the print data generation method of the present invention, some types of reference data among a plurality of types of reference data referred to when converting image data into print data are held in the printing device in advance. In addition, reference data of a type other than some types is held in the terminal, and at least one of the printing apparatus or the terminal satisfies the print condition specified on the terminal side for the print target image that is an image for which a print instruction has been issued. Determine the type. In accordance with the type of printing conditions determined in this way, the execution subject of the process for converting the image data into the print data is determined as either a terminal or a printing apparatus, and the determined execution subject generates print data. As a result, the data conversion process is executed by a single subject (terminal or printing device) suitable for the type of printing conditions, and print data is generated. Therefore, the same reference data is stored in both the terminal and the printing device. It is not necessary for both the terminal and the printing apparatus to execute data conversion processing for image data representing one image. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently realize printing with various image quality corresponding to various printing conditions while effectively utilizing software resources (reference data) necessary for data conversion processing.

  With regard to such a print data generation system and print data generation method, various developments similar to the above-described printing apparatus and printing method are possible. For example, when the print data generation unit determines that the type of the print condition is the first condition, the print data generation unit determines the execution subject as the terminal, and the terminal uses the reference data held in the terminal. The image data representing the image to be printed is converted into print data, and the terminal-side generating means for generating the first print data, and the type of the print condition is determined to be a condition other than the first condition The execution body is determined to be the printing apparatus, and the printing apparatus inputs image data representing the image to be printed from the terminal, and the image data is at least reference data previously held in the printing apparatus. It is good also as a structure provided with the printing apparatus side production | generation means which converts into print data using and produces | generates print data. In this way, the data conversion process is performed by the device that holds the necessary type of reference data. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently generate print data using a plurality of types of reference data.

  In the above print data generation system, when the printing apparatus has a storage area for temporarily storing a specific type of reference data among the reference data held by the terminal, the printing apparatus side generation means is provided. The main conversion means for converting the image data into the second print data using the reference data stored in advance in the printing apparatus when the type of the print condition is determined to be the second condition, and the type of the print condition Is determined to be a condition other than the first condition and the second condition, the specific type of reference data is input from the terminal in addition to the image data, and the input reference data is stored in the storage area. A configuration may be adopted that includes a sub-conversion unit that temporarily holds and converts the image data into third print data using the held reference data. By doing this, it is possible to load the reference data held by the terminal into the printing apparatus and perform data conversion processing on the printing apparatus side. Therefore, in order to realize printing with various image quality in the printing apparatus, it is not necessary to hold various types of reference data on the printing apparatus side in advance. In addition to the above, the print data generation system may further include a data supply unit that supplies at least part of the data constituting the reference data to the terminal or the printing apparatus via the communication line. It is desirable in that it can flexibly cope with the addition or change of reference data that accompanies conversion.

In order to further clarify the configuration and operation of the present invention described above, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
A. Example A-1. Configuration of printing system GH1 A-2. Contents of data conversion processing A-3. Contents of shared printing process based on instructions from printing instruction terminal A-4. Effect B. Modified example

A. Example:
A-1. Configuration of the printing system GH1:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printing system GH1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system GH1 includes a printer 20 as a printing apparatus, and a print instruction terminal 1 that is connected to the input side of the printer 20 by wire or wirelessly and instructs the printer 20 to print an image. It is configured.

  The printer 20 is a color printer that prints color images on a printing object P such as various types of paper. In this embodiment, the printer 20 has six color dots C (cyan), LC (light cyan), M (magenta), LM (light magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black) on the print target P. Inkjet printers are used to print color images by forming

  The print instruction terminal 1 sets various printing conditions when instructing the printer 20 to print an image. The printing conditions set in this way are automatically set according to the printing instruction set by the user of the printing instruction terminal 1 (for example, the printing resolution and the type of the printing object P). (For example, the type of the print instruction terminal 1 for which a print instruction has been given). The printer 20 is configured to be able to print an image to be printed (hereinafter referred to as a print target image) with various types of image quality in accordance with the print condition setting on the print instruction terminal 1 side.

  The print instruction terminal 1 handles a color image as image data (hereinafter referred to as RGB data) expressed by gradation values of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) colors for each pixel. Therefore, in order to print an image handled as RGB data in the print instruction terminal 1 by the printer 20, the RGB data representing the image to be printed is printed in a format that can be printed by the printer 20 using predetermined reference data. It is necessary to convert it into data (data representing dot distribution of each color of C, LC, M, LM, and Y, hereinafter referred to as CMY data). The reference data includes data representing the instruction content in resolution conversion (hereinafter referred to as resolution instruction data), a look-up table for color conversion (hereinafter referred to as LUT), and data representing the instruction content in halftoning (hereinafter referred to as gradation). Conversion instruction data). The reference data used for the conversion process of RGB data to CMY data (hereinafter referred to as data conversion process) needs to be finer as the image quality required for the printer 20 becomes higher. For this reason, the printing system GH1 of this embodiment prepares a large number of reference data corresponding to various image quality. In this embodiment, such a large number of reference data is classified into three types (first reference data S1, second reference data S2, and third reference data S3) in consideration of the image quality to be realized and the frequency of use. is doing.

  The reference data is generally incorporated into a printer driver together with a program representing the data conversion procedure and contents. This printer driver is usually stored in the control circuit 40 of the printer 20 or the PC control device 11 of the personal computer 10 so that the printer 20 or the personal computer 10 can execute data conversion processing. On the other hand, unlike the personal computer 10, the print instruction terminal 1 connected to the printer 20 does not have a processing capability for executing a printer driver, and thus a simple terminal 90 that cannot perform data conversion processing (for example, FIG. Mobile phone 91, portable information terminal 92, game device 93, digital still camera 94) shown in FIG.

  In the printing system GH1 of the present embodiment, the above three types of reference data are shared and stored in the personal computer 10 and the printer 20 of the printing instruction terminal 1 as part of the printer driver. Specifically, the printer 20 stores the second reference data S2, and the personal computer 10 stores the first reference data S1 and the third reference data S3. In such a printing system GH1, when a printing instruction is given from the printing instruction terminal 1 to the printer 20, the personal computer 10 to the printer 20 analyze the contents of the printing instruction and set the type of printing condition to the first condition, Whether the second condition or the third condition is determined, and based on the determination result, the reference data to be used for the data conversion process is the first reference data S1, the second reference data S2, and the third reference data S3. At the same time, the execution subject of the data conversion process is determined as either the personal computer 10 or the printer 20. Data conversion processing is performed in accordance with the content of the determination based on the type of printing condition, and CMY data is generated.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the PC control device 11 provided in the personal computer 10. The PC control device 11 is built in the personal computer 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the PC control device 11 includes a CPU 11a, a ROM 11b, a RAM 11c, a disk drive controller 11d, an input controller 11f, a display controller 11g, a parallel input / output interface 11h, and a serial interface. Each unit includes an input / output interface 11i and the like. The ROM 11b stores in advance programs and data necessary for the CPU 11a to execute various arithmetic processes. The RAM 11c is a memory for temporarily storing various programs and data necessary for executing various arithmetic processes by the CPU 11a.

  A hard disk 11e as an external storage device is connected to the disk drive controller 11d. The hard disk 11e stores various programs that are loaded into the RAM 11c and executed, a printer driver that is a device driver for the printer 20, and the like. In the printer driver, a program representing the contents and procedure of processing related to image printing such as a sharing process A1 (FIG. 8) and a data conversion process (FIG. 5), which will be described later, and data used in executing this program are described. . The data includes the correspondence map TM (FIG. 6) referred to in the sharing process A1 (FIG. 8), the first reference data S1 and the third reference data S3 used in the data conversion process (FIGS. 5 and 8). include. The first reference data S1 is a generic name of reference data suitable for high-resolution printing among a large number of reference data (combination of resolution instruction data, LUT, and gradation conversion instruction data) corresponding to various image quality. Actually, it includes a plurality of reference data corresponding to each set value representing a high resolution. The third reference data S3 is a generic name for reference data belonging to a type other than the first reference data S1 and second reference data S2 described later. In the present embodiment, for the combination of the type of the print object P and the setting of the print resolution, the reference data of the type used for printing in the combination for the combination having low suitability and frequency of use is referred to the third reference. It belongs to the data S3.

  A display 14 capable of displaying a color image is connected to the display controller 11g, and an input device 15 such as a mouse or a keyboard is connected to the input controller 11f. The parallel input / output interface 11 h is connected to the I / F dedicated circuit 50 of the printer 20 via the connector 56. The serial input / output interface 11i is connected to the Internet IN, which is an external network, via a modem 87 and a public telephone line PNT.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the printer 20. As shown in the figure, the printer 20 includes a mechanism for transporting a print object P by a paper feed motor 22, a mechanism for reciprocating the carriage 30 in the axial direction of the platen 26 by a carriage motor 24, and a print mounted on the carriage 30. A mechanism for driving the head unit 28 to eject ink and forming dots and a control circuit 40 to which these mechanisms are connected are provided.

  The mechanism for conveying the printing object P includes a platen 26, a paper feed motor 22 that rotates the platen 26, a paper feed auxiliary roller (not shown), and a gear that transmits the rotation of the paper feed motor 22 to the platen 26 and the paper feed auxiliary roller. Train (not shown). The print object P supplied to the printer 20 is set so as to be sandwiched between the platen 26 and the paper feed auxiliary roller, and is fed by a predetermined amount according to the rotation angle of the platen 26. In the mechanism for reciprocating the carriage 30, an endless driving belt 36 is stretched between the carriage motor 24 and a sliding shaft 34 that slidably holds the carriage 30 that is installed in parallel with the axis of the platen 26. The pulley 38 and a position detection sensor 39 for detecting the origin position of the carriage 30 are configured.

  The print head unit 28 mounted on the carriage 30 includes a total of six ink ejection heads 61 to 66 for each of black, cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, and yellow. In addition, six introduction pipes communicating with the respective ink ejection heads 61 to 66 are erected on the bottom of the carriage 30. When the black ink cartridge 70a and the color ink cartridge 70b are mounted on the carriage 30 from above, the introduction pipes are inserted into connection holes provided in the cartridges. As a result, the ink in the ink cartridge is sucked out through the introduction tube using the capillary phenomenon, and is guided to the ink ejection heads 61 to 66. Each of the ink ejection heads 61 to 66 is provided with 32 nozzles Nz for each color, and each nozzle is provided with an ink passage and a piezo element PE on the passage. As is well known, the piezo element PE is an element that transforms electro-mechanical energy at a very high speed because the crystal structure is distorted by application of a voltage. In the present embodiment, by applying a voltage having a predetermined time width between the electrodes provided at both ends of the piezo element PE, the piezo element PE expands for the voltage application time and deforms one side wall of the ink passage. As a result, the volume of the ink passage contracts according to the expansion of the piezo element PE, and the ink corresponding to this contraction becomes particles Ip and is ejected from the nozzle Nz at a high speed. The ink particles Ip soak into the printing object P mounted on the platen 26, whereby dots are formed on the printing object P and printing is performed.

  The control circuit 40 controls the printing operation by the paper feed motor 22, the carriage motor 24, and the print head unit 28 while exchanging signals with the operation panel 32 of the printer 20. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the control circuit 40. As shown in the figure, the control circuit 40 includes a CPU 41 and various programs necessary for executing various arithmetic processes in the CPU 41 and a P-ROM 43 preliminarily storing data required for executing various arithmetic processes in the CPU 41. RAM 44, a memory for temporarily storing data, character generator 45 storing character dot matrix, memory card controller (MCC) 47, wireless I / F circuit 48, interface with external motor, etc. It is configured as an arithmetic logic circuit in which an I / F dedicated circuit 50 or the like, which is a circuit to be connected, is connected by a bus. A head drive circuit 52 that controls the drive of the print head unit 28 and a motor drive circuit 54 that controls the drive of the paper feed motor 22 and the carriage motor 24 are connected to the I / F dedicated circuit 50.

  The P-ROM 43 stores various programs that are loaded into the RAM 44 and executed, printer drivers, and the like. The printer driver describes a program representing the contents and procedure of processing related to image printing, such as sharing processing B1 (FIG. 9) and data conversion processing (FIG. 5), which will be described later, and data used when executing this program. . This data includes the correspondence map TM (FIG. 6) referred to in the sharing process B1 (FIG. 9) and the second reference data S2 used in the data conversion process (FIGS. 5 and 9). The second reference data S2 is a generic name for reference data used under frequently used printing conditions among a large number of reference data corresponding to various image quality. The second reference data S2 includes reference data for plain paper suitable for printing when the combination of the type of print object P and the print resolution setting is “print object P: plain paper / print resolution: low”. S2a and photographic reference data S2b suitable for printing when the combination of the type of print object P and the print resolution setting is “print object P: photographic paper / print resolution: medium” are included. .

  The wireless I / F circuit 48 is connected to a Bluetooth (trademark) adapter 57 provided on the housing surface of the printer 20. When the Bluetooth adapter 57 receives a Bluetooth signal (2.4 GHz band radio wave) from the mobile phone 91 or the mobile information terminal 92 as the simple terminal 90, the RGB held in the mobile phone 91 or the mobile information terminal 92 is received. Data can be entered. The I / F dedicated circuit 50 incorporates a universal serial bus interface circuit, and this universal serial bus interface circuit is connected to a USB port 56 provided on the housing surface of the printer 20. When the game device 93 or the digital still camera 94 as the simple terminal 90 is connected to the USB port 56 via the USB cable 59, RGB data held in the game device 93 or the digital still camera 94 is input. Can do. In addition, by connecting a USB memory stick to the USB port 56 or inserting the memory card 81 into the memory card slot 58 connected to the memory card controller 47, the USB memory stick or the memory card 81 holds the memory card 81. RGB data can be input. Note that the form of the interface described above can be changed as appropriate in consideration of the ease of connection with peripheral devices.

  In the printer 20 having the hardware configuration described above, printing is performed by rotating the platen 26 and other rollers by the paper feed motor 22 based on the CMY data generated by the data conversion processing in the personal computer 10 or the printer 20. While the object P is being conveyed, the carriage 30 is reciprocated by the carriage motor 24, and at the same time, the piezo elements PE of the ink ejection heads 61 to 66 of the print head unit 28 are driven to eject the respective color inks. A multicolor image is formed on the object P.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the printer 20 that ejects ink using the piezo element PE is used. However, a printer that ejects ink using another method may be used. For example, printing is performed by a printer that discharges ink by bubbles generated in the ink passage, a thermal transfer printer, a laser printer, a printer that performs only monochrome printing, and the like. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to any printer that requires image data conversion.

  In the present embodiment, in the print instruction terminal 1, the personal computer 10 having a printer driver has the user set the contents of the type of print object P and the print resolution when printing an image. Can be selected. The personal computer 10 that has input the print instruction designates the selected setting content for the type of print object P and the print resolution. If no selection is made by the user, the default setting “type of printing object P: plain paper / printing resolution: low” is automatically specified in accordance with the print instruction. . On the other hand, the simple terminal 90 that does not store the printer driver cannot specify the type or print resolution of the print object P when attempting to print an image. The setting content “Type: not specified / printing resolution: not specified” is automatically specified.

A-2. Contents of Data Conversion Process Next, the contents of the data conversion process executed by the personal computer 10 or the printer 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of the data conversion process. This process is executed on the personal computer 10 side by the CPU 11a of the PC control device 11 using a printer driver stored in the hard disk 11e. On the printer 20 side, the CPU 41 of the control circuit 40 is stored in the P-ROM 43. This process is executed using the printer driver.

  When printing the RGB data with the printer 20, first, resolution conversion processing (rasterizer) is performed (step S100). In the resolution conversion process, the resolution of the original image (the number of pixels per unit length) is changed from the resolution of the original image (the unit length of the printer) according to the size of printing the original image represented by the RGB data on the print object P. The number of dots formed per hit). In order to change the resolution of the original image, reference is made to resolution instruction data that is one of reference data provided in the printer driver, and the number of pixels of the original image is reduced by thinning out the pixels, or the number of pixels of the original image is reduced by interpolation. It is done by increasing.

  When the resolution conversion process is finished, the color conversion process is subsequently performed (step S102). The color conversion process is a process of replacing the color expression method using the gradation values of the R, G, and B colors with the color expression method using the gradation values of the C, M, and Y colors. Such replacement is performed using an LUT which is one of reference data provided in the printer driver. The LUT defines a correspondence relationship between a combination of R, G, and B gradation values and a combination of C, M, and Y gradation values in the form of a map or a conversion formula. In this color conversion process, undercolor removal is also performed. Under-color removal means that a K (black) component is extracted from a combination of C, M, and Y gradation values, and data represented by C, M, and Y gradation values is converted into C, M, Y, and This is a process of converting into data represented by a K gradation value.

  When the color conversion process is completed, a halftoning process is subsequently performed (step S104). The halftoning process is a process for converting data represented by 256 gradation values for each color of C, M, Y, and K into data represented by fewer gradation values. In the printer, the gradation of each color of C, M, Y, and K is basically expressed in two ways of forming / not forming dots on the printing paper, so there are few gradation values that can be expressed. is there. Such gradation conversion is performed with reference to gradation conversion instruction data which is one of reference data provided in the printer driver.

  When the halftoning process is completed, a pixel rearrangement process is subsequently performed (step S106). This process is a process of rearranging the image data converted into the format representing the presence or absence of dot formation by the halftoning process in the order to be transferred to the printer 20. That is, as described above, the printer 20 drives the print head unit 28 while repeating the main scanning and the sub scanning of the carriage 30 to form dots on the print target P. In the pixel rearrangement process, the data indicating the presence / absence of dots is rearranged so that the print head unit 28 forms the dots in consideration of the movement of the carriage 30. By such rearrangement, CMY data in a format printable by the printer 20 is generated.

A-3. Contents of shared printing processing based on instructions from the printing instruction terminal 1:
Next, in the printing system GH1 described above, referring to FIG. 6 to FIG. 9 for the contents of shared printing processing, which is characteristic processing executed by the personal computer 10 and the printer 20 based on the printing instruction from the printing instruction terminal 1. I will explain.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the correspondence map TM referred to in the shared printing process. The correspondence map TM pays attention to the three conditions of the print object P type, the print resolution setting, and the print instruction device type among the various print conditions that can be specified on the print instruction terminal 1 side. The type of printing conditions is defined according to the contents of the conditions, and the main body that executes the data conversion processing and the reference data used for the data conversion processing are defined according to the type of printing conditions.

  As shown in the figure, in the correspondence map TM, when the print resolution is set to “high” and printing with high image quality is requested, the type of print condition is set regardless of the type of the print object P. The combination of the type of the print object P and the print resolution setting is “print object P: plain paper / print resolution: low” or “print object P: photo paper / printing”. When the frequency of use is high, such as “resolution: medium”, the type of printing condition is defined as “second condition”, and the type of printing object P other than these is a combination of the setting of the printing resolution. Defines the type of printing condition as “third condition”. Whether the print resolution setting is “high”, “medium”, or “low” is determined by the personal computer 10 or the printer 20 based on a specific setting value of the print resolution. For example, “low” is determined when the set value is less than 300 dpi, “medium” when the set value is 300 to 600 dpi, and “high” when the set value exceeds 600 dpi.

  Also, in the correspondence map TM, when the type of printing condition is the “first condition” for which printing with high image quality is required, considering that the content of the data conversion process becomes fine, The execution subject of the data conversion process is defined as “personal computer 10” having higher processing capability than the printer 20, and the reference data used for the data conversion process is stored in the “first reference data” stored in the hard disk 11e of the personal computer 10 itself. S1 ". On the other hand, when the type of the printing condition is “second condition” or “third condition”, the execution subject of the data conversion processing is defined as “printer 20” in both cases, In the case of “condition”, considering that the setting is frequently used, the reference data used for the data conversion process is stored in the “second reference data S2 (in detail, stored in the P-ROM 43 of the printer 20 itself). Reference data S2a for plain paper suitable for the combination “printing object P: plain paper / printing resolution: low”, or photo reference suitable for the combination “printing object P: photographic paper / printing resolution: medium” Data S2b) ”. On the other hand, when the type of the printing condition is the “third condition”, it is considered that the combination of the type of the printing object P and the setting of the printing resolution is low and the setting is less frequently used. The reference data used for the data conversion process is defined as “third reference data S3” stored in the hard disk 11e of the personal computer 10.

  Further, in the correspondence map TM, when the type of the print object P and the print resolution setting are “no designation”, the print instruction terminal 1 in which the print instruction is given is the simple terminal 90 that does not include the printer driver. Therefore, the type of printing condition is defined as “second condition”, and the printer 20 uses the second reference data S2 stored in its own P-ROM 43 instead of the simple terminal 90 with low processing capability (details). Defines that the data conversion processing is performed using the above-described plain paper reference data S2a).

  An outline of the shared printing process executed with reference to such a correspondence map TM is shown as a block diagram in FIG. As shown in the figure, when the type of printing condition is “first condition”, the personal computer 10 that has issued the printing instruction performs hard disk 11e for the RGB data representing the printing target image developed in the RAM 11c. Data conversion processing using the first reference data S 1 is performed, and the CMY data generated by the data conversion processing is transferred to the printer 20. On the other hand, when the type of printing condition is “second condition”, the personal computer 10 or 90 simple terminal 90 that has given the printing instruction transfers RGB data representing the image to be printed to the printer 20, and this RGB Upon receiving the data, the printer 20 performs data conversion processing using the second reference data S2 in the P-ROM 43 on the RGB data expanded in the RAM 44, and generates CMY data. Further, when the type of printing condition is “third condition”, the personal computer 10 that has issued the printing instruction reads out the third reference data S3 used in the data conversion process in this case from the hard disk 11e and reads it out. The third reference data S3 is transferred to the printer 20 together with the RGB data representing the print target image. The printer 20 that has received the third reference data S3 and the RGB data expands the two data in the RAM 44, performs a data conversion process using the third reference data S3 on the RGB data, and generates CMY data. The CMY data transferred from the personal computer 10 and the CMY data generated by the printer 20 are expanded in the RAM 44, and a multicolor image is formed on the print target P based on the expanded CMY data.

  The contents and procedure of the shared printing process are shown in FIGS. 8 to 9 as a shared printing process routine. In FIG. 8, the content of processing executed by the CPU 11a of the PC control device 11 on the personal computer 10 side in the shared printing processing is shown as a routine A1, and in FIG. 9, the CPU 41 of the PC control circuit 40 executes on the printer 20 side. The contents of the processing are represented as routine B1.

  Routine A1 on the personal computer 10 side shown in FIG. 8 is data (hereinafter referred to as a print instruction) that the personal computer 10 serving as the print instruction terminal 1 displays a print instruction for a certain image based on the operation of the input device 15 by the user. It is activated when data L) is input. The print instruction data L includes data representing a print process execution start command for the printer 20 (hereinafter referred to as start command data L1), and data representing various print conditions set for the print target image (hereinafter referred to as print). And condition data L2) and data representing the path of the image file representing the image to be printed (hereinafter referred to as path data L3).

  When the routine A1 is activated, the CPU 11a first activates the printer driver (step S300), and based on the path data L3 included in the input print instruction data L, RGB data representing the print target image is stored in the RAM 11c. (Step S310). Next, based on the printing condition data L2 included in the input printing instruction data L, the CPU 11a specifies the contents of two printing conditions, that is, the type of the printing object P and the setting of the printing resolution (Step S11). In step S320, the correspondence map TM is referred to for the contents of the two specified printing conditions, and the type of printing condition is determined as one of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition (step S320). Step S330).

  After the type of printing condition is determined in this way, the CPU 11a executes data conversion processing according to the contents of the correspondence map TM defined for each type of printing condition (steps S340 to S375). Specifically, when it is determined in step S340 that the type of printing condition is the first condition, the CPU 11a stores the RGB data expanded in step S310 in the hard disk 11e. With reference to the first reference data S1, a process of converting to CMY data is performed (step S350), and the CMY data generated by this conversion process (hereinafter referred to as first CMY data) is expanded in the RAM 11c. Subsequently, the CPU 11a performs a process of outputting the set of the start command data L1, the print condition data L2, and the first CMY data to the printer 20 as data representing a print request to the printer 20 (hereinafter referred to as print request data LP). This is performed (step S355).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S340 that the type of printing condition is the second condition, the CPU 11a starts the start command data L1, the printing condition data L2, and the RGB data developed in step S310. A process of outputting the set as print request data LP to the printer 20 is performed (step S360). If the CPU 11a determines in step S340 that the type of printing condition is the third condition, the CPU 11a first defines third reference data defined as reference data used for data conversion processing in the correspondence map TM. A process of expanding S3 from the hard disk 11e to the RAM 11c is performed (step S370). Next, the CPU 11a uses, as print request data LP, a set of start command data L1, print condition data L2, third reference data S3 expanded in the process of step S370, and RGB data expanded in the process of step S310. Processing to output to the printer 20 is performed (step S355). In this case, the third reference data S3 is output before the RGB data.

  After the output processing in step S355, step S360, and step S375 is performed in this way, the CPU 11a stops the printer driver (step S390) and ends this routine.

  Next, processing on the printer 20 side will be described. The routine B1 on the printer 20 side shown in FIG. 9 is output when the print request data LP output from the personal computer 10 as the print instruction terminal 1 is input or from the simplified terminal 90 as the print instruction terminal 1. This is activated when data representing a print request for an image (hereinafter referred to as print request data MP) is input. The print request data MP is data generated by the simple terminal 90 based on the print instruction when a print instruction for an image on the simple terminal 90 is made by a user's operation. The print request data MP includes RGB data representing an image to be printed in addition to data representing a print processing execution start command for the printer 20 (hereinafter referred to as start command data M1).

  When the routine B1 is activated, the CPU 41 first activates the printer driver (step S500), and performs a process of sequentially inputting the print request data LP and MP output from the print instruction terminal 1 (step S510).

  Subsequently, based on the input print request data LP and MP, a process for determining the type of print condition is performed (step S520). The contents and procedure of this processing are shown in FIG. 10 as a printing condition type determination processing routine. In this embodiment, as a method for determining the type of printing condition on the printer 20 side, the above-described determination method by the personal computer 10 (steps S320 to S330 in FIG. 8: the printing object P specified based on the printing condition data L2). A method different from the method (referring to the correspondence map TM) is used for the content of the type and the print resolution. Specifically, in the printing condition type determination process shown in FIG. 10, the type of printing condition is determined by determining the type of data included in the input print request data LP and MP. That is, first, when the input print request data LP and MP includes reference data (third reference data S3 in the case of the present embodiment), the CPU 41 sets the type of print condition to the third. If it is determined that the condition is satisfied (steps S600 and S610), and the input print request data LP and MP include CMY data (first CMY data in this embodiment), the type of print condition Is the first condition (steps S620 and S630). If the input print request data LP and MP contain neither reference data nor CMY data, the CPU 41 determines that the type of print condition is the second condition (step S640). Therefore, when the print request data MP is input from the simple terminal 90, since the reference data and CMY data are not included in the print request data MP, it is determined that the type of print condition is the second condition. .

  Subsequently, the CPU 41 refers to the correspondence map for the determined type of printing condition, and executes data conversion processing according to the content of the correspondence map TM (steps S530 to S570). Specifically, when it is determined in step S520 that the type of printing condition is the third condition, the CPU 41 first performs processing for expanding the previously input third reference data S3 in the RAM 44. This is performed (step S530). Thereafter, when RGB data is input subsequent to the third reference data S 3, the CPU 41 expands the RGB data in the RAM 44 (steps S 535 and S 540), and this RGB data is expanded in the RAM 44 into the third reference. The data S3 is converted into CMY data with reference to the data S3 (step S545), and the CMY data generated by the data conversion processing (hereinafter referred to as third CMY data) is expanded in the RAM 44 (step S580).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S520 that the type of printing condition is the second condition, the CPU 41 first performs processing for developing the input RGB data in the RAM 44 (step S550). Next, the CPU 41 specifies the type of the printing object P and the setting contents of the printing resolution based on the input printing condition data L2 (step S560), and then creates a correspondence map TM for the contents of the two specified printing conditions. The process of referring to and determining the data used as the second reference data S2 is either the plain paper reference data S2a or the photo reference data S2b (step S565). In this case, as in the case of the print request data MP input from the simple terminal 90, if the print request data MP does not include print condition data, the CPU 41 refers to the correspondence map TM and print target P The setting type and print resolution are determined as “no specification”. Therefore, when the print request data MP is input from the simple terminal 90, the data used as the second reference data S2 is determined as the plain paper reference data S2a.

  Next, the CPU 41 reads the determined reference data from the P-ROM 43, and converts the RGB data developed in the process of step S550 into CMY data while referring to the read reference data (step S570). The CMY data generated by the conversion process (hereinafter referred to as second CMY data) is processed in the RAM 44 (step S580). If it is determined in step S520 that the type of printing condition is the first condition, the CPU 41 performs a process of developing the input first CMY data as it is in the RAM 44 without performing a data conversion process. This is performed (step S580).

  Subsequently, the CPU 41 registers a set of the CMY data expanded in the RAM 44 and the print condition data L2 as a print job, and performs a process for executing this print job (step S585). As a result, the print target image for which the print instruction has been issued in the print instruction terminal 1 is printed on the print target P in accordance with the print settings. After the execution of such a print job is completed, the CPU 41 stops the printer driver (step S590) and ends this routine.

  In the shared printing processing routine B1 in the above embodiment, the type of printing conditions is determined after the third reference data S3 and the first CMY data included in the print request data LP and MP are input (steps S510 to S510). S520) It is also possible to determine the type of printing condition prior to input of reference data, CMY data, and RGB data. Specifically, the print instruction terminal 1 describes information indicating whether or not the third reference data S3 or the first CMY data is attached to the header portion of the print request data LP and MP, and this print request The printer 20 to which the data LP and MP are input may be configured to read the information described in the header part. In this way, the printer 20 can immediately determine the type of printing condition without waiting for input of reference data, CMY data, and RGB data.

A-4. Effect:
In the printing system GH1 of the present embodiment described above, the printer 20 holds the three types of reference data S1 to S3 used for data conversion processing in a shared manner with the personal computer 10 as the print instruction terminal 1. When an image print instruction is issued from the print instruction terminal 1 to the printer 20, the printer 20 determines that the type of print condition designated on the print instruction terminal 1 side is a condition other than the first condition. The RGB data is input from the print instruction terminal 1, and the data conversion process using the reference data (second reference data S2 and third reference data S3) held by itself is executed and the CMY data (second CMY data, second reference data S3) is executed. 3CMY data) and the type of printing condition is the first condition, the data conversion process is not executed, and the personal computer 10 as the printing instruction terminal 1 stores the reference data (first reference data) held by itself. The result (first CMY data) of the data conversion process executed using S1) is input. This eliminates the need for both the print instruction terminal 1 and the printer 20 to store the same reference data in both the print instruction terminal 1 and the printer 20 and to perform data conversion processing on image data representing one image. Therefore, the printing instruction terminal 1 and the printer 20 can efficiently print with various image quality using different types of reference data while effectively using software resources (reference data) necessary for data conversion processing. Can be realized.

  In the printing system GH1 of this embodiment, the printer 20 determines the type of printing condition by determining the type of data included in the input print request data LP and MP (FIG. 10). Accordingly, it is possible to easily and reliably determine the type of printing condition on the printer 20 side.

  In the printing system GH1 of this embodiment, when the printing resolution of an image to be printed is high, the personal computer 10 performs data conversion processing using the first reference data S1, and the printer 20 is generated by this processing. The first CMY data is input from the personal computer 10. As a result, it is possible to avoid the conversion process to print data with a large amount of information being performed on the printer 20 side.

  In the printing system GH1 of the present embodiment, the printer 20 preliminarily stores the second reference data S2 among the two types of reference data (second reference data S2 and third reference data S3) used for the data conversion process performed by the printer 20 in advance. The third reference data S3 stored in the ROM 43 is input from the personal computer 10 when the data conversion process is executed, and is temporarily held in the RAM 44. Therefore, the capacity of the reference data stored in the P-ROM 43 can be reduced, and the burden on the printer 20 side can be reduced when realizing data conversion processing using three or more types of reference data. . In this embodiment, the reference data stored in the P-ROM 43 in advance is “print object P: plain paper / print resolution: low”, “print object P: photo paper / print resolution: medium”. The second reference data S2 is used under printing conditions with a high frequency of use. Accordingly, the opportunity for the printer 20 to perform data conversion processing increases, and the frequency with which CMY data having a larger amount of data than RGB data is transferred from the print instruction terminal 1 to the printer 20 decreases. Therefore, the time required for transferring data from the print instruction terminal 1 to the printer 20 can be reduced as a whole system.

  In the printing system GH1 of the present embodiment, the printer 20 determines the type of printing condition in consideration of the type of the printing instruction terminal 1 for which the printing instruction has been given. Thus, the definition of the data conversion process can be changed. Specifically, since the printer 20 does not include the reference data or CMY data in the print request data MP from the simple terminal 90 that cannot perform the data conversion process, such print request data MP is used for the simple terminal. In such a case, it is determined that the type of printing condition is the second condition, and data is stored using the second reference data S2 stored in the P-ROM 43 in advance. Perform conversion processing. Accordingly, the printer 20 can quickly perform the data conversion process using the second reference data S2 held in advance, instead of the simple terminal 90 that has received the print instruction.

  In this embodiment, the three types of reference data S1 to S3 used in the data conversion process include at least color information represented by R, G, B as C, M, Y color information that can be expressed by the printer 20. An LUT that is color conversion data to be converted is included. Therefore, a different type of LUT from the personal computer 10 is held on the printer 20 side. Therefore, it is possible to effectively use the area where the LUT is held between the printer 20 and the personal computer 10.

  In the printing system GH1 of this embodiment, the personal computer 10 determines that the type of printing condition is the third condition, and outputs the third reference data S3 and RGB data used for data conversion processing to the printer 20. In this case, the printer 20 inputs the third reference data S3 prior to inputting the RGB data. Therefore, the printer 20 can first prepare the third reference data S3 in the RAM 44 and prepare for conversion of RGB data, and the data conversion process on the printer 20 side can be performed more smoothly.

B. Variations:
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described based on the examples, the present invention is not limited to these examples, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course.

  For example, in the shared printing process (FIGS. 8 and 9) in the above embodiment, if the personal computer 10 determines that the type of printing condition is the third condition, the personal computer 10 uses the third reference data S3. , RGB data are output in this order, so that the printer 20 inputs the third reference data S3 prior to the input of the RGB data. However, such a configuration is not limited to the RGB data prior to the input of the third reference data S3. It is also possible to change to a configuration for inputting.

  In the print condition type determination process (FIG. 10) in the above embodiment, the type of print condition is determined based on whether or not the input print request data LP and MP include reference data and CMY data. The type may be determined based on whether reference data or RGB data is included in the print request data LP and MP.

  In the print condition type determination process in the above embodiment, the type of print condition is determined by determining the type of data included in the input print request data LP and MP. The type of printing conditions may be determined by other methods, and the type of printing conditions may be determined by combining the method based on the determination of the type of data included in the print request data LP and MP with another method. It is also safe to judge. As such another method, for example, the printer 20 performs the same processing as steps S320 to S330 shown in FIG. 8 in place of the printing condition type determination processing shown in FIG. Based on L2, the type of the printing object P and the setting contents of the printing resolution are specified, and by referring to the correspondence map TM for the contents, the types of printing conditions are changed to the first condition, the second condition, and the second condition. A method for determining one of the three conditions can be considered. In this way, reference data suitable for the number of dots required for the CMY data can be determined on the printer 20 side in consideration of the degree to which the fineness of dots is realized on the print object.

  Further, in the correspondence map TM referred to by the printer 20, when the print resolution setting is “high”, the type of the print condition is “first condition”, and the execution subject of the data conversion process is “personal computer 10”. For other types of printing conditions in which the printer 20 executes the data conversion process, the combination of the type of print object P and the print resolution setting is “print object P: plain paper”. / Printing resolution: Low ”or“ Printing object P: Photo paper / Printing resolution: Medium ”, the type of printing condition is defined as“ second condition ”. In the case of a combination of the type of print object P and the print resolution setting, the type of print condition is defined as “third condition”. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the conversion process to CMY data having a large amount of information on the printer 20 side, and among the conversion processes to CMY data having a small amount of information on the printer 20 side, the print resolution and The conversion process in the case where the type of the print object is compatible can be quickly performed using the reference data (second reference data S2) held in advance.

  In the printing system GH1 of the above-described embodiment, among the printing conditions set on the printing instruction terminal 1 side, based on the three conditions of the printing resolution, the type of the printing object P, and the type of the printing instruction terminal 1 on which the printing instruction is given. Although the type of printing condition is determined, the type of printing condition may be determined based on printing conditions other than the above three conditions. The following can be considered as such other printing conditions. For example, as the printing conditions related to the printer 20, in addition to the above printing resolution and the type of the printing object P, the model of the printer 20, the type of ink used for printing, and the like can be considered. In addition to the type of the print instruction terminal 1 described above, the image data format (for example, RGB, YCbCr, etc.) can be considered as the print condition for the print instruction terminal 1.

  In the shared printing process in the above embodiment, the printer 20 can simplify the print instruction terminal 1 to which a print instruction has been given when the print request data MP does not include any of the reference data, CMY data, and print condition data. Although it is determined that the terminal 90 is used, it is also possible to determine whether or not the terminal 90 is a simple method. For example, consider a configuration in which data representing a print instruction from the print instruction terminal 1 includes an ID unique to the terminal, and the printer 20 decodes this ID to identify whether or not the terminal 90 is a simple terminal. Can do.

  Further, without providing means for the printer 20 to recognize such a print instruction from the simple terminal 90, the above-described printing system GH1 can be converted into a data converter such as the personal computer 10 and the printer 20 in the above-described embodiment. It is also possible to limit the processing to be performed between devices having processing capabilities. In the case of such a limitation, both the PC control device 11 of the personal computer 10 and the control circuit 40 of the printer 20 can be grasped as data conversion devices that perform conversion processing from RGB data to CMY data.

  In the above-described embodiment, the reference data used for the data conversion process is divided into three types, and two types of reference data (first reference data S1 and third reference data S3) are provided to the personal computer 10 side. Reference data (second reference data S2) was stored in advance on the printer 20 side. The number of reference data divisions can be changed as appropriate in consideration of the types of image quality that can be realized in the printer 20. For example, reference data divided into four or more types can be used as the personal computer 10 and the printer. The reference data divided into two types may be stored in the personal computer 10 and the printer 20 and stored.

  In the above embodiment, the reference data (first reference data S1, second reference data S2, third reference data S3) used for the data conversion process is stored in the personal computer 10 or the printer 20 in advance. It can also be provided to the personal computer 10 or the printer 20 by loading from a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a memory card, or by downloading from a server placed on the network. It can also be provided to the printer 20. Such a configuration example is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 as a first modification and a second modification, respectively.

  FIG. 11 is a configuration example of the printing system GH2 when the personal computer 10 is connected to a network. As shown in the figure, the first reference data S1, the second reference data S2, and the third reference data S3 are stored in advance in a server SV on the Internet IN. The personal computer 10 downloads at least one of the first reference data S1, the second reference data S2, and the third reference data S3 via the modem 87 as necessary for data conversion processing, and stores it in the RAM 11c and the hard disk 11e. At the same time, the second reference data S 2 and the third reference data S 3 are transferred to the printer 20. In such a configuration, when the printer 20 is connected to the network, the printer 20 can download the second reference data S2 and the third reference data S3. According to such a first modification, even if the type of reference data used for the data conversion process is added or changed, the reference data corresponding to the addition or change is stored in the server SV. The reference data corresponding to the addition or change can be supplied to the personal computer 10 or the printer 20 via the network. Therefore, in the future, when an improvement that further improves the printing image quality is made for the printer 20, it is possible to flexibly cope with the addition or change of the reference data accompanying the improvement.

  FIG. 12 is a configuration example of the printing system GH3 when the simple terminal 90 and the printer 20 are connected to the network. As shown in the figure, the second reference data S2 is stored in advance in a server SV on the Internet IN. The printer 20 downloads the second reference data S2 as necessary for data conversion processing, and stores it in a storage device such as the RAM 44. Also according to the second modification, it is possible to flexibly cope with the addition or change of reference data accompanying the future improvement in print image quality. In the case of the second modification, various timings can be considered for the timing of downloading the second reference data S2 to the printer 20. For example, the download may be started when the printer 20 inputs the print request data MP from the simple terminal 90. Further, the server SV that receives the print request from the simple terminal 90 via the Internet IN interprets the print request as a request from the printer 20 and transmits the second reference data S2 to the printer 20 via the Internet IN. It is good to do.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of printing system GH1 which is an Example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of PC control apparatus 11 with which the personal computer 10 is provided. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit 40. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the outline | summary of a data conversion process. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the correspondence map TM. It is a block diagram which shows the outline | summary of shared printing processing. It is a flowchart which shows the sharing process routine A1 performed by the personal computer 10 side. 4 is a flowchart showing a sharing process routine B1 executed on the printer 20 side. It is a flowchart which shows a printing condition kind judgment processing routine. It is explanatory drawing which shows a 1st modification. It is explanatory drawing which shows a 2nd modification.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Printing instruction terminal 10 ... Personal computer 11 ... PC control device 11a ... CPU
11b ... ROM
11c ... RAM
11d ... disk drive controller 11e ... hard disk 11f ... input controller 11g ... display controller 11h ... parallel input / output interface 11i ... serial input / output interface 14 ... display 15 ... input Device 20 ... Printer 22 ... Motor 24 ... Carriage motor 26 ... Platen 28 ... Print head unit 30 ... Carriage 32 ... Operation panel 34 ... Slide shaft 36 .. .Drive belt 38 ... pulley 39 ... position detection sensor 40 ... control circuit 41 ... CPU
43 ... P-ROM
44 ... RAM
45 ... Character generator 47 ... Memory card controller 50 ... I / F dedicated circuit 52 ... Head drive circuit 54 ... Motor drive circuit 56 ... Connector 58 ... Memory card slot 61- 66 ... Ink ejection head 70a ... Black ink cartridge 70b ... Color ink cartridge 81 ... Memory card 87 ... Modem 90 ... Simple terminal 91 ... Mobile phone 92 .. . Portable information terminal 93 ... Game device 94 ... Digital still camera GH1-3 ... Printing system GH2 ... Printing system IN ... Internet Ip ... Particle LP, MP ... Print request data Nz ... Nozzle P ... Print object PE ... Piezo element S1 ... First reference data S2 ... Second reference data S2a ... Reference data for plain paper S2b ... Photo reference Data S3 ... Third reference data SV ... Server TM ... Up

Claims (14)

Printing based on print data generated by converting image data in a format that can be handled by a computer based on at least one of first reference data, second reference data, and third reference data A printing device for performing
Reference data holding means for holding the second reference data ;
An input means for inputting print request data representing a print request for an image to be printed, which is an image for which the print instruction has been made, when a print instruction is made for the image represented by the image data at a predetermined terminal;
Print condition determining means for determining the type of print condition designated on the terminal side for the print target image, which is an image for which the print instruction has been made, based on the input print request data;
In accordance with the determined type of printing condition, the execution body for converting the image data into print data is determined as either the terminal or the printing apparatus, and the print generated by the determined execution body Printing means for printing the image to be printed based on the data ,
The printing means includes
When it is determined that the type of the print condition is the first condition, the execution subject is determined as the terminal, and is print data input as a part of the print request data from the terminal, Input printing that prints the print target image based on print data generated by the terminal converting image data representing the print target image using the first reference data held on the terminal side Means,
When it is determined that the type of the printing condition is the second condition, the execution subject is determined as the printing apparatus, and image data representing the print target image input as part of the print request data is obtained. Converting to print data using the second reference data and printing the image to be printed based on the converted print data;
When it is determined that the type of the printing condition is the third condition, the execution subject is determined to be the printing apparatus, and image data representing the print target image input as part of the print request data is obtained. A second conversion printing unit that converts the print data using the third reference data input from the terminal and prints the print target image based on the converted print data. .   The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
  The print condition determining means determines that the type of the print condition is the third condition when the print request data input from the terminal includes the third reference data. apparatus.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
  The printing condition determining unit determines that the type of the printing condition is the first condition when the print request data input from the terminal includes image data in the CMY format. .   The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
  The printing condition determining unit determines that the type of the printing condition is the second condition when the RGB image data is included in the print request data input from the terminal. .   The printing apparatus according to claim 4,
  The print request data includes settings for the print resolution and the type of print object,
  The reference data holding unit holds, as the second reference data, a plurality of types of reference data corresponding to the print resolution and the type of the print object,
  When the print condition determining unit determines that the type of the print condition is the second condition, the first conversion printing unit further determines the print condition according to the setting content included in the print request data. A printing apparatus that selects the second reference data to be used from among the plurality of types of reference data held in the reference data holding unit.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
  The print request data includes settings for the print resolution and the type of print object,
  And a map that holds a correspondence relationship between the print resolution and the type of the print object and the type of the print condition,
  The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing condition determination unit identifies the type of the printing condition according to the setting content by referring to the map based on the setting content included in the input print request data. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
The print request data includes identification information for identifying the type of the terminal,
The printing condition determining means identifies the type of the terminal that has given the printing instruction based on the identification information included in the print request data, and determines the type of the printing condition according to the identified terminal type. A printing device. The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein
When the print condition determination unit identifies that the type of the terminal that has issued the print instruction does not have a function of converting the image data into print data, the type of the print condition is the second condition. it determined that printing device. A printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The first reference data, the second reference data, and the third reference data include at least color conversion data for converting color information represented by the image data into color information that can be expressed by the printing apparatus. that has been included in the printing device. A printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Data constituting at least a part of said any kind of reference data, Ru is supplied to the terminal or the printing apparatus via a communication line, the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The printing apparatus , wherein the first reference data is reference data for high resolution. When a print instruction for an image represented by image data in a format that can be handled by a computer is given from a predetermined terminal to the printing apparatus, the image data according to the print instruction is at least first reference data, A print data generation system that generates print data by converting based on one of the reference data of 2 and the third reference data ,
Holding means for holding the first reference data in the terminal in advance and holding the second reference data in the printing apparatus in advance ;
Determining means for determining at least one of the printing apparatus or the terminal a type of printing condition designated on the terminal side for an image to be printed that is an image for which the printing instruction has been made;
In accordance with the determined type of printing conditions, the execution body for converting the image data into print data is determined as either the terminal or the printing apparatus, and the print data is generated by the determined execution body. and a print data generation means for,
The print data generation means includes
When it is determined that the type of the printing condition is the first condition, the execution subject is determined to be the terminal, and the terminal holds the image data representing the print target image on the terminal side. Using the first reference data to convert to the print data,
When it is determined that the type of the printing condition is the second condition, the execution subject is determined to be the printing device, and the printing device holds image data representing the print target image in the printing device. Converted to the print data using the second reference data,
When it is determined that the type of the printing condition is the third condition, the execution subject is determined to be the printing apparatus, and the printing apparatus inputs the image data representing the print target image from the terminal. A print data generation system that converts print data into print data using the third reference data . When a print instruction for an image represented by image data in a format that can be handled by a computer is given from a predetermined terminal to the printing apparatus, the image data related to the print instruction includes at least first reference data, A printing method in which the printing apparatus performs printing based on print data generated by conversion based on either one of the second reference data and the third reference data ,
Holding the first reference data in the terminal in advance and holding the second reference data in the printing apparatus in advance;
A determination step in which at least one of the printing apparatus or the terminal determines a type of printing condition designated on the terminal side for an image to be printed that is an image for which the printing instruction has been made;
In accordance with the determined type of printing condition, the execution body for converting the image data into print data is determined as either the terminal or the printing apparatus, and the print generated by the determined execution body A printing process in which the printing apparatus prints the image to be printed based on the data;
With
In the printing process,
When it is determined that the type of the printing condition is the first condition, the execution subject is determined to be the terminal, and the terminal holds image data representing the print target image on the terminal side. Converting to the print data using the first reference data, and the printing device performs the printing by inputting the converted print data from the terminal,
When it is determined that the type of the printing condition is the second condition, the execution subject is determined as the printing apparatus, and the printing apparatus converts the image data representing the print target image into the second printing apparatus. Convert to print data using reference data, perform the printing based on the converted print data,
When it is determined that the type of the printing condition is the third condition, the execution subject is determined as the printing apparatus, and the printing apparatus inputs image data representing the print target image from the terminal. A printing method in which the third reference data is converted into print data and the printing is performed based on the converted print data . When a print instruction for an image represented by image data in a format that can be handled by a computer is given from a predetermined terminal to the printing apparatus, the image data according to the print instruction is at least first reference data, A print data generation method for generating print data by converting based on either one of the reference data and the third reference data ,
Holding the first reference data in the terminal in advance and holding the second reference data in the printing apparatus in advance;
A determination step in which at least one of the printing apparatus or the terminal determines a type of printing condition designated on the terminal side for an image to be printed that is an image for which the printing instruction has been made ;
In accordance with the determined type of printing conditions, the execution body for converting the image data into print data is determined as either the terminal or the printing apparatus, and the print data is generated by the determined execution body. Print data generation process to
With
In the print data generation step,
When it is determined that the type of the printing condition is the first condition, the execution subject is determined to be the terminal, and the terminal holds image data representing the print target image on the terminal side. Converting to the print data using the first reference data;
If it is determined that the type of printing condition is the second condition, the execution subject is determined to be the printing device, and the printing device sends image data representing the print target image to the printing device. Using the stored second reference data to convert to the print data,
If it is determined that the type of printing condition is the third condition, the execution subject is determined to be the printing device, and the printing device receives the image data representing the print target image from the terminal. A print data generation method for converting into print data using the input third reference data .

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