JP4501595B2 - Print management system and print management method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a print management system, an information creation terminal, a printer, a printer server, a program for an information creation terminal, and a printer that execute print data creation processing in advance prior to an explicit print instruction from a user The present invention relates to a printing program, a printer server program, and a print management method.

  In general, information data created by an information creation terminal such as a personal computer (PC) includes point and line connecting the points, parameters of the surface equation, and vector graphics in which an image is represented by drawing information such as painting. Since the printing process cannot be performed by the printer as it is, the printing process is performed after the color information for each dot is converted into raster image data (also referred to as a raster image).

  Such conversion processing from information data to raster image data is generally called rasterization or rendering. For example, in a general inkjet printer, information is created by a printer driver incorporated in the information creation terminal. Once converted into intermediate (language) data of a small size such as PDL (Page Description Language) at the terminal side, or in the case of a general laser printer, at the information creation terminal side, the printer or print server The process is executed on the side.

However, since such rasterization involves a lot of information processing, the time required for the first print, that is, the time from the start of reception of the first sheet of data to the end of printing and the completion of discharge of the paper outside the apparatus. Has the disadvantage of taking a lot of time.
In addition, when this information creation terminal and a printer or print server are connected by a shared network such as a LAN, the data transfer time to the printer becomes long and the first print becomes slow in a time zone where traffic is concentrated. Sometimes. In particular, in the case of data having a large data capacity such as an image, or when the information processing capability of the terminal or the printer itself is low, these inconveniences appear remarkably.

  Therefore, conventionally, as shown in, for example, Patent Document 1 below, if the information creation terminal and the printer hold print data that is somewhat common to each other in advance, and the creation of the print data is finished at the information creation terminal By comparing the print data of both, and sending only the difference data of the changed part to the printer side, the amount of data transferred from the information creation terminal to the printer is reduced, and the time until the print result is obtained is shortened. A method has been proposed.

Further, the same document describes that the creation and transmission of the difference data can be further speeded up by using idle time or the like before the printing process is started by the user. (Paragraph [0022]).
JP-A-8-267867

By the way, in such a conventional method, when the difference data is created and transmitted in advance during information editing, if there is a change in the editing content during information editing, a new one is created each time the change is made. It is necessary to create and transmit differential data, and inefficient data transfer may occur frequently.
For example, in the “Microsoft Word” (registered trademark) of Microsoft, which is famous among general-purpose information editing applications, the editing state of information such as “Undo (return input)”, “Redo (redo input)”, etc. There is an edit command that moves the data back and forth instantaneously. However, in the method of creating and sending difference data during information editing as in the conventional method, it is necessary to create new difference data each time such an edit command is executed. There is an inconvenience that similar difference data is repeatedly transmitted.

  Therefore, the present invention has been devised to effectively solve such a problem, and its purpose is a novel print management system capable of shortening (accelerating) the first print (time), An information creation terminal, a printer, a printer server, an information creation terminal program, a printer program, a printer server program, and a print management method are provided.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel print management system, information creation terminal, printer, printer server, information creation terminal program, printer program, printer server program, and print management capable of efficient data transfer. A method is provided.

[Invention 1] In order to solve the above problems, a print management system according to Invention 1 comprises:
A print management system comprising an information creation terminal and a printer connected so as to be capable of information communication, wherein the information creation terminal and the printer hold common information constituent material data,
The information creation terminal includes an editing information acquisition unit that acquires editing information that is being edited, and an editing information notification unit that notifies the printer of the editing information acquired by the editing information acquisition unit,
The printer is based on the editing information notified from the editing information notifying unit, and generates link data using information component material data held by the printer, and based on the print data generated by the link unit. And a printing execution means for executing printing.

  That is, the editing information acquisition means and the editing information notification means provided on the information creation terminal side edit information that is being edited by the user at the information creation terminal, for example, what information component material data Detailed editing information, such as how it is used and what editing command is being executed, is acquired one by one, and the editing information is notified to the printer side via the network or the like.

Then, the link means provided on the printer side uniquely and independently uses the information component material data previously owned on the printer side based on the edit information notified from the edit information notification means one by one. Print data is created, and the print execution means finally executes printing using the uniquely created print data.
In other words, during information editing at the information creation terminal, linked to this (linked), the printer side executes information editing of the same content almost in parallel to create print data in advance.

As a result, the data sent from the information creation terminal during editing to the printer is in principle only the editing information, and as described above, editing commands such as “undo input” and “redo input” are repeatedly executed. However, it is not necessary to resend the difference data each time, and the amount of data transferred to the printer can be greatly reduced.
As a result, first data can be shortened as well as efficient data transfer.

  The “information” in the claims and the present specification includes text only, text only, table only, image only, or a combination thereof (the following print management system, information The same applies to the creation terminal, printer, printer server, information creation terminal program, printer program, printer server program, and print management method).

  The “information creation terminal” is not particularly limited as long as it has a function that at least edits data to be printed and has a function capable of instructing a printer to print. In addition to a PC (personal computer), Targets PDA (Personal Digital Assistance), mobile phones, digital still cameras, digital video cameras, POS terminals, etc. (the following print management system, information creation terminal, printer, printer server, information creation terminal program, printer program) The same applies to the printer server program and the print management method).

[Invention 2] The print management system of Invention 2 comprises:
A print management system comprising an information creation terminal, a printer, and a printer server connected so as to be capable of information communication, wherein the information creation terminal and the printer server hold common information constituent material data,
The information creation terminal includes editing information acquisition means for acquiring editing information during information editing, and editing information notification means for notifying the editing information acquired by the editing information acquisition means to the printer server ,
The printer server generates link data using information component material data held by the printer server based on the edit information notified from the edit information notification unit, and print data generated by the link unit. Print data transmission means for transmitting to the printer,
The printer includes print data receiving means for receiving print data transmitted from the print data transmitting means of the printer server, and print execution means for executing printing based on the print data received by the print data receiving means. It is characterized by being.

That is, the present invention has a configuration in which a printer server is further provided in addition to the information creation terminal and the printer of the first aspect, and the printer server further includes link means similar to the printer of the first aspect. Instead, the print data is created on the printer server side.
As a result, as in the first aspect, the data transmitted from the information creation terminal during editing to the printer is in principle only the editing information. Therefore, as described above, editing such as “undo input”, “redo input”, etc. Even if the command is repeatedly executed, there is no need to retransmit the difference data each time, and the amount of data transferred to the printer can be greatly reduced.

As a result, the first print can be shortened, and an efficient data transfer can be performed.
Further, the load required for the print data creation process on the printer side can be reduced, and the print data can generally be created by a printer server having an information processing capability, so that a significantly higher speed can be achieved.

[Invention 3] A print management system according to Invention 3 comprises:
A print management system comprising an information creation terminal, a printer, and a printer server connected so as to be capable of information communication, wherein the information creation terminal, the printer, and the printer server hold common information constituent material data. ,
The information creation terminal includes editing information acquisition means for acquiring editing information during information editing, and editing information notification means for notifying the editing information acquired by the editing information acquisition means to the printer and the printer server,
The printer server generates link data using information component material data held by the printer server based on the edit information notified from the edit information notification unit, and print data generated by the link unit. Print data transmission means for transmitting to the printer
The printer transmits from the print data transmission unit of the printer server, a link unit that creates print data using information constituent material data held by the printer based on the editing information notified from the editing information notification unit. A print data receiving means for receiving the print data, and a print execution means for executing printing using the print data created by the print data receiving means and the print data created by the linking means. A print management system.

That is, the present invention has a configuration in which a printer server is provided in addition to the information creation terminal and printer of the invention 1 as in the invention 2, and both the printer server and the printer are similar to the printer of the invention 1. A link unit is provided, and document editing processing is executed (print data creation) in a distributed manner in both the printer server and the printer.
As a result, as in the first aspect, the data transmitted from the information creation terminal during editing to the printer is basically only the editing information, and the amount of data transferred to the printer can be greatly reduced. As a matter of course, efficient data transfer can be performed.

  Furthermore, since so-called distributed processing such as creation of print data by both the printer server and the printer is possible, a more remarkable speed increase can be achieved.

[Invention 4] The print management system of Invention 4 comprises:
In the print management system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the information creation terminal matches the information constituent material data held by the information creation terminal with the information constituent material data held by the printer or the printer server. Therefore, the image forming apparatus further includes material data management means for managing information constituent material data held by the printer or the printer server.

  As a result, even when new information component material data that is not stored in the printer or the printer server or both is generated in the information creation terminal, the material data management means precedes the printer or printer server or the server during the information editing. Since the data is transmitted to both sides, the data transfer amount to be transferred after an explicit print instruction from the user is not increased, and high-speed first printing can be realized.

  In addition, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the information component material data that has become unnecessary and has already been deleted remains in the printer or the printer server or both, and the storage capacity on the printer side becomes tight.

[Invention 5] The print management system of Invention 5 comprises:
In the print management system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the information creation terminal compares the information constituent material data held by the information creation terminal with the information constituent material data held by the printer or the printer server. Material data management means for managing to create, update, and delete information component material data of the printer or printer server in accordance with operations of creation, update, and deletion of information component material data held by the information creation terminal A print management system further comprising:

  As a result, as in the case of Invention 4, even when new information component material data that is not stored in the printer or the printer server or both is generated in the information creation terminal, the material data management means precedes the information editing in advance. Since the data is transmitted to the printer and / or the printer server, the amount of data transfer to be transferred after an explicit print instruction from the user is not increased, and high-speed first printing can be realized.

  In addition, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the information component material data that has become unnecessary and has already been deleted remains in the printer or the printer server or both, and the storage capacity on the printer side becomes tight.

[Invention 6] The print management system of Invention 6 comprises:
In the print management system according to the first or third aspect, the printer further includes information conversion means for rasterizing and storing information constituent material data held by the printer.

As a result, the time required for rasterization after an explicit print instruction from the user can be greatly reduced on the printer side, so that a faster first print can be realized.
Note that “rasterize” in the present invention refers to conversion from vector data such as “straight line” to raster data such as a bitmap (the following print management system, information creation terminal, printer, printer server). And the same for the information creation terminal program, printer program, printer server program, and print management method).

  More specifically, the characters and images handled by the computer are represented by small colored dots so that they can be printed by a printer. In other words, inside the computer, fonts and images for printing are stored by the coordinates of the points and the parameters of the lines and planes connecting them, and drawing information (vector format) such as painting, but the printer Since colored points are handled as a set of vertical and horizontal lines, vector format information cannot be printed or displayed as it is. For this reason, it is necessary to expand vector format information and convert it into a collection of points, which is called “rasterization”. In general, in order to rasterize vector data, it is necessary to perform a large amount of numerical calculations. Therefore, a high-performance computer is required to handle data created by high-performance graphic software. In addition, it can be said that higher-speed processing can be realized when executed by a printer server having generally high information processing capability, as in inventions 2 and 3, than when rasterizing a single printer.

[Invention 7] The print management system of Invention 7 comprises:
In the print management system according to the first or third aspect, the printer and the printer server further include information conversion means for rasterizing and storing a part of the information constituent material data held by the printer and the printer server. It is characterized by this.
As a result, in the printer and the printer server, the time required for rasterization after an explicit print instruction is given from the user can be greatly reduced, so that a faster first print can be realized.

[Invention 8] The print management system of Invention 8 comprises:
In the print management system according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the printer includes color conversion and binarization means for storing the rasterized data after color conversion and binarization.
As a result, the time required for color conversion and binarization after an explicit print instruction from the user in the printer can be greatly reduced, so that a faster first print can be realized.

[Invention 9] The print management system of Invention 9 comprises:
The print management system according to the invention 6 or 7 is characterized in that the printer and the printer server have a color conversion and binarization function for storing rasterized data after color conversion and binarization. To do.
As a result, the time required for color conversion and binarization processing after an explicit print instruction from the user in the printer and the printer server can be greatly reduced, and higher-speed first printing can be realized.

[Invention 10] A print management system of Invention 10 comprises:
In the print management system according to the second or third aspect of the invention, the printer server further includes information conversion means for rasterizing and storing information constituent material data held by the printer server. is there.
As a result, the time required for rasterization after an explicit print instruction from the user can be significantly reduced on the printer server side, so that a faster first print can be realized.

[Invention 11] A print management system according to Invention 11 comprises:
The print management system according to the ninth or tenth aspect of the invention is characterized in that the printer server includes color conversion and binarization means for storing rasterized data after color conversion and binarization. It is.
As a result, the time required for color conversion and binarization after an explicit print instruction from the user in the printer server can be greatly reduced, so that a faster first print can be realized.

[Invention 12] The information creation terminal of Invention 12 is
An information creation terminal connected to a printer or a printer server so as to be capable of information communication and holding information constituent material data common to the printer or the printer server,
An editing information acquisition unit that acquires editing information during information editing, and an editing information notification unit that notifies the editing information acquired by the editing information acquisition unit to the printer or the printer server. .

  As a result, before the print instruction is transmitted to the printer, the information creating terminal can create the print data in advance by the printer or the printer server. The amount of data transmitted to the printer can be minimized.

[Invention 13] The printer of Invention 13 is
A printer that is connected to an information creation terminal so as to be capable of information communication, and that holds information constituent material data common to the information creation terminal,
Based on the editing information being edited from the information creation terminal, based on the editing information being edited, using the information component material data held by the printer, link means for creating print data, based on the print data created by the link means And a printing execution means for executing printing.

  As a result, the printer can create print data in advance before an actual print instruction is issued from the information creation terminal, so that the first print can be accelerated and data received after the print instruction is received. The amount can be minimized.

[Invention 14] A printer server of Invention 14 comprises:
A printer server connected to an information creation terminal and a printer so as to be capable of information communication, and holding information constituent material data common to the information creation terminal;
Link means for creating print data using information constituent material data held by the printer server based on editing information during information editing notified from the information creation terminal, and print data created by the link means And a print data transmitting means for transmitting to the printer.

  As a result, the printer server can create print data in advance and send it to the printer side before an actual print instruction is sent from the information creation terminal to the printer. In addition, the amount of data received by the printer after a print instruction from the information creation terminal to the printer can be minimized.

[Invention 15] The information creation terminal of Invention 15 is
In the information creation terminal according to the twelfth aspect, the information structure held by the printer or the printer server in order to match the information composition material data held by the information creation terminal with the information composition material data held by the printer or printer server It further comprises material data management means for managing material data.

  As a result, as in the case of the invention 4, even when new information component material data that is not stored in the printer or the printer server or both is generated in the information creation terminal, the material data management means takes precedence during the information editing. Since the data is transmitted to the printer and / or the printer server, the amount of data transferred after an explicit print instruction from the user is not increased, and high-speed first printing can be realized.

  In addition, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the information component material data that has become unnecessary and has already been deleted remains in the printer or the printer server or both, and the storage capacity on the printer side becomes tight.

[Invention 16] The printer of Invention 16 is
The printer according to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention is further characterized by further comprising information conversion means for rasterizing and storing information constituent material data held by the printer.
As a result, the time required for rasterization after an explicit print instruction is issued from the user can be greatly reduced, so that a faster first print can be realized.

[Invention 17] A printer server of Invention 17 comprises:
The printer server according to the fourteenth aspect is characterized by further comprising information conversion means for rasterizing and storing information constituent material data held by the printer server.
As a result, the time required for rasterization in the printer after an explicit print instruction is given from the user can be greatly reduced, so that a faster first print can be realized.

[Invention 18] The printer of Invention 18 comprises:
The printer according to the sixteenth aspect is characterized by further comprising color conversion and binarization means for storing rasterized data after color conversion and binarization.
As a result, the time required for color conversion and binarization after an explicit print instruction from the user in the printer can be greatly reduced, so that a faster first print can be realized.

[Invention 19] A printer server of Invention 19 comprises:
The printer server according to the seventeenth aspect is characterized by further comprising color conversion and binarization means for storing the rasterized data after color conversion and binarization.
As a result, the time required for color conversion and binarization after an explicit print instruction from the user in the printer server can be greatly reduced, so that a faster first print can be realized.

[Invention 20] An information creation terminal program according to Invention 20 comprises:
A program used in an information creation terminal that is connected to a printer or a printer server so as to be able to communicate information and holds information constituent material data common to the printer or the printer server,
An editing information acquisition step for acquiring editing information that is being edited and an editing information notification step for notifying the printer or printer server of the editing information acquired in the editing information acquisition step Is.

  As a result, the same effects as those of the twelfth aspect can be obtained, and the functions can be realized by using a computer system that is originally provided in the information creation terminal. This can be realized easily and economically as compared with the case of manufacturing wear.

[Invention 21] An information creation terminal program according to Invention 21 comprises:
In the information creation terminal program according to the twentieth aspect, the printer or printer server holds the information constituent material data held by the information creation terminal and the information constituent material data held by the printer or printer server so as to match. The computer is further caused to function as a material data management step for managing information component material data.
As a result, the same effect as that of the invention 14 can be obtained, and the function can be realized by using a computer system that is originally provided in the information creation terminal, as in the invention 20, so that it can be realized easily and economically. be able to.

[Invention 22] A printer program according to Invention 22 comprises:
A program used in a printer that is connected to an information creation terminal so as to be capable of information communication and holds information constituent material data that is common to the information creation terminal. A link step of creating print data using information constituent material data held by the printer based on editing information and a print execution step of executing printing based on the print data created in the link step It is characterized by making it.

  As a result, the same effects as those of the thirteenth aspect can be obtained, and the functions can be realized by using a computer system currently installed in almost all printers. This can be realized easily and economically as compared with the case of manufacturing.

[Invention 23] A printer server program according to Invention 23 comprises:
A program used in a printer server that is connected to an information creation terminal and a printer so as to be capable of information communication and holds information constituent material data common to the information creation terminal, the information notified from the information creation terminal A link step of creating print data using information constituent material data held by the printer server based on editing information being edited, and a print data transmission step of sending the print data created by the link means to the printer As a result, the same effect as that of the invention 14 can be obtained, and the function can be realized by using the computer system provided in the printer server. Or compared to the case of producing dedicated hardware It can be realized easily and economically.

[Invention 24] The print management method of the invention 24 comprises:
An information composition material data storage step for storing information composition material data common to each of the information creation terminal and the printer connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other, and editing information during information editing at the information creation terminal The editing information acquisition step for acquiring the editing information, the editing information notification step for notifying the editing information acquired in the editing information acquisition step to the printer, and the printer storing based on the editing information notified in the editing information notification step A print data creation step for creating print data with the printer using the information constituent material data to be printed, and a print execution step for executing printing based on the print data created in the print data creation step. It is what.

As a result, as in the first aspect, the data transmitted from the information creation terminal during editing to the printer is basically only the editing information. Therefore, even if the editing command is repeatedly executed, the difference data is resent each time. This is unnecessary, and the amount of data transferred to the printer can be greatly reduced.
As a result, the first print can be shortened, and an efficient data transfer can be performed.

[Invention 25] A print management method according to Invention 25 comprises:
An information composition material data storage step for storing information composition material data common to the information creation terminal and the printer server connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other, and editing during information editing at the information creation terminal An editing information acquisition step for acquiring information, an editing information notification step for notifying the editing information acquired in the editing information acquisition step to the printer server, and the printer based on the editing information notified in the editing information notification step A print data creation step for creating print data in the printer server using information constituent material data stored in the server, and a print data transmission step for sending the print data created in the print data creation step from the printer server to the printer And sent by the print data sending step A print execution step of executing the printing by the printer based on the printing data, and characterized in that it comprises a.

  As a result, as in the first aspect, the data transmitted from the information creation terminal during editing to the printer is basically only the editing information. Therefore, even if the editing command is repeatedly executed, the difference data is resent each time. This is unnecessary, and the amount of data transferred to the printer can be greatly reduced. As a result, the first print can be shortened, and an efficient data transfer can be performed.

  Further, as in the second aspect, the load required for the print data creation process on the printer side can be reduced, and generally the print data can be created by a printer server having information processing capability, so that a more remarkable speed increase can be achieved. .

[Invention 26] The print management method of Invention 26 comprises:
An information composition material data storage step for storing information composition material data common to the information creation terminal, the printer, and the printer server, which are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other, and during information editing at the information creation terminal An editing information acquisition step for acquiring the editing information, an editing information notification step for notifying the editing information acquired in the editing information acquisition step to the printer and the printer server, and the editing information notified in the editing information notification step Information stored in the printer server based on the editing information notified in the editing information notifying step, and the print data generating step for generating print data in the printer using the information constituent material data stored in the printer based on Print data is created by the printer server using component material data. A print data creating step, a print data sending step for sending the print data created in the print data creating step in the printer server to the printer, a print data sent in the print data sending step, and the printer And a print execution step of executing printing by the printer based on the print data created in the print data creation step.

As a result, as in the first aspect, the data transmitted from the information creation terminal during editing to the printer is basically only the editing information, and the amount of data transferred to the printer can be greatly reduced. As a matter of course, efficient data transfer can be performed.
Further, similarly to the third aspect, since so-called distributed processing such as creating print data by both the printer server and the printer is possible, a more remarkable speedup can be achieved.

[Invention 27] The print management method of Invention 27 comprises:
In the printing management method according to any one of the inventions 24-26,
A link table creation step for creating a link table in which information editing contents are described while the information creation terminal and the printer are editing information, and the link tables created in the link table creation step are printed by the printer. A link table collating step that is collated before performing the print table, and the printing execution step includes a print created by the printer when the contents of the link table completely match as a result of the collation in the link table collating step. When printing is performed using data, and they do not match, printing is performed using print data created by re-editing information according to the link table on the information creation terminal side. It is characterized by this.

  In this way, if the information creation terminal and the printer independently create a link table in which the information editing contents are described, and collate the contents of the link tables before executing the printing process, the printer will temporarily Even if the content of the information originally edited on the side is different from the content of the information created on the information creation terminal, the inconvenience that the print processing is executed with the different content is surely avoided, and the information creation terminal is always It is possible to obtain a printed matter with the exact content that matches the information created in step (b).

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 to 14 show a print management system 100 according to the present invention, an information creation terminal T, a printer P, a program for realizing them with a computer, and a print management method using them according to a first embodiment. It is shown.
First, as shown in FIG. 1, the print management system 100 includes an information creation terminal T having a function of editing / creating various information (hereinafter, the same) such as documents, tables, graphics, images, and the like, and the information creation terminal. And a printer P that prints the information created in T.

  This information creation terminal T comprises hardware consisting of a dedicated document creation machine or a general-purpose personal computer (PC), and editing software that operates on these hardware, and information editing means that is the basic function of the hardware. 10, an editing information acquisition unit 15, an editing information notification unit 20, a material data storage unit 30, a material data management unit 40, and a communication unit 50 are provided.

  The information editing means 10 includes, for example, commercially available word processing software such as “Microsoft Word” (registered trademark) of Microsoft Corporation that operates on an OS (Operating System) and application software for information editing such as an editor. A function of editing / creating arbitrary information by a user operation on an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse is provided.

  The editing information acquisition means 15 "calls" information editing information edited / created by the information editing means 10, for example, information editing material data such as text data, graphic data (raster data, vector data), and image data. Editing commands such as “Cut”, “Paste”, “Copy”, “Move”, “Undo” (Undo), “Redo” (Redo), and information editing material data to be edited The editing information notifying unit 20 provides the editing function obtained by the editing information acquiring unit 15 with the communication function of the communication unit 50 and the like. A function of notifying the printer P side by side is provided.

  In this way, the material data storage unit 30 stores a plurality of pieces of information editing material data such as text data, graphic data, and image data to be edited / created by the information editing unit 10 such as ID (identification) numbers and ID codes. It provides a function of adding an identification code and storing it so that it can be read at any time. Specifically, various storage devices and CDs that can be electrically and magnetically rewritten, such as hard disk drives (HDD) and semiconductor memories. -R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW and other storage media.

This information editing material data is stored as it is, and in the case of image data such as a photograph, it is appropriately compressed in a JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) formation or the like and stored after being rasterized. There is also a case.
The material data management means 40 grasps the information constituent material data stored in the material data storage means 30, the new information constituent material data generated during editing, and the information constituent material data stored on the printer P side. In addition, a function for managing data is provided so that consistency is maintained between the information component material data of both.

  That is, the material data management means 40 manages the information constituent material data stored on the information creation terminal T side and the information constituent material data stored on the printer P side by the identification code, and does not exist on the printer P side. When the information component material data exists on the information creation terminal T side, the information component material data is sent to the printer P side, or the information component material data that has already been deleted on the information creation terminal T side is deleted If the information component material data remains on the P side or the like, the data consistency management is performed so that the same information component material data is always stored in both by deleting the information component material data.

  The communication unit 50 provides an interface function that enables mutual information communication with the communication unit 50 on the printer P side via the network N or the like. The network N is connected in a one-to-one or one-to-many, many-to-one manner using a dedicated communication cable in addition to a wired LAN such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or a wireless communication method such as wireless LAN, Bluetooth, or IrDA. It may be in the form.

On the other hand, the printer P is configured to include at least a communication unit 50, a link unit 60, and an information conversion unit 70 in addition to the print execution unit 80 which is a basic function thereof.
The link means 60 includes an information editing means 10 and a material data storage means 30 as in the information creation terminal T, and is based on the editing information notified from the editing information notification means 20 of the information creation terminal T. A function for creating print data independently in advance using information constituent material data owned by the user is provided.

  That is, the link means 60 creates a link table L as shown in FIG. 4, for example, from the edit information notified from the edit information notifying means 20, and the information editing means 10 itself has the description contents of the link table L. Accordingly, the same print data as the print data created by the information creation terminal T is independently created simultaneously and in parallel using the information constituent material data stored in its own material data storage means 30.

Returning to FIG. 1, the information conversion means 70 has raster image data in a format in which the print data obtained in this way and material data such as images stored in the material data storage means 30 are arranged in color information for each dot. And a function of performing color conversion processing from RGB to CMYK, or color conversion and binarization processing.
The print execution unit 80 provides a function of actually printing the raster image data rasterized by the information conversion unit 70 in this way on a predetermined print sheet. Conventionally known ones such as a feed mechanism are applied as they are.

The link means 60 and the information conversion means 70 of the printer P are realized by a computer system and a dedicated program that are provided in advance in the printer P, such as a central processing unit (CPU) and a storage device (RAM, ROM). It has become so.
That is, the computer system for realizing the link means 60 and the information converting means 70 of the printer P and the document editing means 10 of the information creating terminal T has a central processing function for performing control and arithmetic processing as shown in FIG. A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 90 that is a processing device, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 91 that is used for a main storage device (Main Storage), a ROM (Read Only Memory) 92 that is a read-only storage device, and a hard disk drive An auxiliary storage device 93 such as a device (HDD), an output device 94 including a printing mechanism and a display panel, an input device 95 including an operation panel, and the input / output interfaces (I / ) 96 and the like are connected by various internal and external buses 97 such as a processor bus, a memory bus, a system bus, and an input / output bus such as a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus and an ISA (Industrial Standard Architecture) bus. Various control programs and data supplied via a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, flexible disk, or communication network (LAN, WAN, Internet, etc.) N are stored in the auxiliary storage device 93, etc. The program and data are loaded into the main storage device 91 as necessary, and the CPU 90 makes use of various resources according to the program loaded into the main storage device 91 to obtain a predetermined And processing results (processing data) are displayed on the output device 94 via the bus 97, and the data is appropriately stored and saved in a database formed by the auxiliary storage device 93 as required ( Update) processing.

Next, the flow of a print management method using the print management system 100 of the present invention having such a configuration will be described with reference mainly to the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 shows the flow of processing on the information creation terminal T side, and FIG. 3 shows the flow of processing on the printer P side.
First, as shown in FIG. 2, in the information creation terminal T, as shown in the first step S101, the editing information acquisition means 15 monitors and acquires the editing information, and the user edits the information editing means 10 by the user. When a predetermined information editing operation is started, the editing information is acquired one by one. Here, as the editing information actually acquired by the editing information acquisition means 15, for example, the type and arrangement of material data used in the information, as well as the type of information to be created, “cut”, “paste”, All editing information necessary for creating the information, such as editing commands such as “copy”, “move”, “undo input (Undo)”, “redo input (Redo)”, and the like are targeted.

  Also, the editing information acquisition method is not particularly limited. For example, the editing information from the application to the OS, the editing information related to the input operation on the hardware executed by the user, and the editing information related to the file operation executed by the user. Etc. For example, general-purpose information operation application software (word processing software) such as “Microsoft Word” (registered trademark) of Microsoft Corporation operates on the OS called “Windows (registered trademark)” of the company, and when the OS executes drawing, the OS operates. Drawing is performed on a monitor or the like using a drawing API such as GDI (Graphic Device Interface) or DDI (Device Drive Interface), which is a standard, and an interface for application software that this OS has If the operation status is monitored, the editing information can be easily acquired.

  Next, if the editing information is acquired one by one in this way, the process proceeds to the next step S103, where the acquired editing information is analyzed, and in the next step S105, new information constituent material data, that is, a printer is obtained. It is determined whether or not information component material data that has not been saved on the P side has occurred. If it is determined that the information component material data is not new (No), the process jumps to step S111. When it is determined that it has occurred (Yes), the process proceeds to step S107, where the material data management means 40 assigns an individual ID (identification code) to the new information component material data, and then the editing information notification means 20 New information constituent material data is sent to the printer P side.

For example, when image data is generated during editing of the information, the material data management unit 40 determines whether the same data as the image data is stored on the printer P side. If it is not stored, it is determined that the data is new, and an identification code is assigned, which is sent to the material data storage means 30 side of the printer P.
As a result, the same data can always be shared between the material data storage means 30 of the same information creation terminal T and the material data storage means 30 of the printer P side.

Then, the editing information notifying means 20 immediately notifies the editing information acquired in step S111 to the printer P side, and then proceeds to the next step S113 to create a link table from the editing information, and appropriately change the contents. Update.
FIG. 4 shows an example of the link table L created in this way. FIG. 5 shows print data that is linked with the link table L and is actually edited and created by the information editing means 10 on the information editing terminal T side. An example is shown.

  The link table L in FIG. 4 is provided with a column 300 indicating material data constituting information and a column 400 indicating print data thereof. The column 300 indicating information constituent material data has an “ID” unique to the information. A column 301 indicating (bbb-d), a column 302 indicating the type of “image” (Sample.jpg) which is one of the information component material data, and “character” (also one of the information component material data) ( A column 303 indicating "This is a sample character."), And a column 304 indicating "graphics" (line segment) such as a graphic which is also one of the information constituent material data. In 303 and 304, information for specifying the size and position of each information component material data is recorded in detail.

For example, an “image” called “Samplephoto.jpg” has a size of 100 × 20 [Pixel], and is arranged starting from a position of 20 [Pixel] from the left end of the paper and 50 [Pixel] from the upper end. Is shown.
Also, ““ This is a sample character. The “character” “” is composed of a font “Times Roman” with a size of “10 points”, and is arranged starting from the position of 20 [Pixel] from the left end of the paper and 150 [Pixel] from the upper end. “Character color” indicates “255.255.255 (black)”.

A “graphic” composed of “line segments” is a straight line starting at (30, 200) [Pixel] and ending at (100, 250) [Pixel], and its thickness is “1 point”. “Line color” indicates “255.255.255 (black)”.
Also, another unique “ID” 305 is given to the print data of information composed of such information component material data, and in addition to the “data type” 306 and “data size” 307, other print data and The “previous item print data ID” 308 and the “rear item print data ID” 309 indicating the positional relationship are recorded.

For example, the “ID” of this print data is “bbb-r”, the “data type” is “raster image”, and the “data size” is “600 × 400 [Pixel]”. As shown in FIG. It is positioned between “aaa-r” which is the “previous item print data ID” and “ccc-r” which is the “rear item print data ID”.
Next, if the notification and the reflection of the edit information are reflected in the link table L in accordance with the monitoring / acquisition of the edit information in this way, the process proceeds to the next step S115, and the user explicitly prints. Determine whether there is an instruction.

  Here, when it is determined that there is still no explicit print instruction from the user (No), the process returns to the first step S101 again and the same processing is repeated, but when it is determined that there is an explicit print instruction ( Yes) exits from this loop and proceeds to the next step S117 to execute a print command to the printer P, and transmits the link table L created in step S113 together with the print command.

That is, the information creation terminal T does not transmit the print data itself that constitutes the created information, but sends only the print command and the link table L indicating the configuration of the print data to the printer P in principle. become.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the printer P notifies the editing information from the information editing terminal T to be processed in the first step S201 when the predetermined initial operation is completed after the power is turned on. When it is determined that there is no notification in the next determination step S203 (No), the presence or absence of the editing information notification is continuously monitored as it is, but when it is determined that there is a notification (Yes) ) Goes to the next step S205, where the contents of the editing information are immediately acquired and analyzed.

  Here, when it is determined that new information component material data has not been sent simultaneously with the notification of the editing information (No), it jumps to step S213, but it is determined that new information component material data has been sent. When (Yes), the process proceeds to the next steps S209 and S211 in order to take in the information component material data and immediately execute the rasterizing process, and copy the information component material data to the link means 60 on the printer P side. It is stored in the material data storage means 30.

The information editing means 10 of the linking means 60 links to the information editing terminal T using the information constituent material data held by itself based on the editing information notified in this manner, and at the same time, independently. The same information is created / edited.
When creating / editing this information, the link table L is independently created / updated according to the contents of the information as shown in step S215.

  In other words, the information editing operation performed by the user on the information editing terminal T is taken into the information editing terminal T as well as the information editing terminal T as the editing information, and the same information as the information editing terminal T is displayed on the printer P side. Creation / editing will be performed. For example, if print data as shown in FIG. 5 is created on the information editing terminal T side, the same print data is created and edited almost simultaneously on the printer P side.

  When such a link table L is created, the process proceeds to the next determination step S217 to determine whether there is an explicit print command from the user, and when it is determined that there is no explicit print command. In (No), the process proceeds to the first step S201 again to monitor the presence or absence of notification of new editing information. When it is determined that there is an explicit print command (Yes), the process exits the loop. In the next step S219, the link table L sent from the information editing terminal T together with the print command is collated with the link table L created by itself in the previous step S215.

  As a result of this collation, when it is determined in the next determination step S221 that the two are completely coincident (Yes), the process jumps to step S227 to immediately print the print data composed of the information component material data used on the printer P side. The printing process is executed by the printing execution unit 80 using the data as it is, but when it is determined that the contents do not match even partly (No), the process proceeds to step S223 and the information editing terminal together with the printing command. Information editing is performed again in accordance with the link table L sent from T, new print data with appropriate correction is created in the next step S225, and printing is executed using the new print data. Will end.

  As described above, the present invention not only owns the same information component material data in the information editing terminal T and the printer P but also acquires the contents of the information editing work performed in the information editing terminal T in real time, Since the information editing operation is executed almost simultaneously with the printer P by linking with the editing terminal T, it is possible to execute printing on the printer P side almost simultaneously with a print command from the information editing terminal T. The time until the first print can be greatly shortened, that is, it can be shortened until almost none.

  Further, since the material data having a large amount of data such as “image” is not sent from the information editing terminal T to the printer P in principle only by the editing information and the link table, it is possible to avoid an increase in network traffic. Even if editing commands such as “Undo input (Undo)” and “Redo input (Redo)” are repeatedly executed, the difference data is not retransmitted each time as in the past, and inefficient data transfer is avoided. Thus, high-speed information editing processing with excellent responsiveness can be executed.

  Further, since the information component material data used in the present invention is handled as independent data at the time of editing by the link table L, information editing such as insertion or deletion into existing information can be easily performed. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, between “ID = aaa-r” and “ID = ccc-r”, ““ This is a sample character 2. When it is desired to insert “(ID = bbb-d)”, print data consisting of the characters “ID = bbb-r” as shown in FIG. 6, “aaa-r” as “previous data ID” By specifying “ccc-r” as “subsequent data ID” and by specifying numerical values “0, 100” indicating the insertion position, material data “ID = bbb-d” can be easily inserted. can do.

8 to 13 show an example of such a material data reconstruction method.
First, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are obtained by dividing each piece of information configuration data into strips in the horizontal direction. FIG. 8 shows the division method at equal intervals, and FIG. 9 shows division at random intervals.
In the case of information that combines “image data” of the same size in the upper and lower directions, it is preferable to adopt the form as shown in FIG. 8, and the amount of characters is appropriately set as in the “character string” of news. In the case of data that fluctuates, it is preferable to adopt the form shown in FIG.

Further, in the case of Japanese vertical writing, etc., a method of dividing into strips in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 10 is preferable.
Furthermore, if it is divided into blocks in the vertical and horizontal directions as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, or divided into random shapes as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, photographs, graphic objects, etc. This makes it possible to create print data according to the shape and size of the material data, making it possible to create complex layout designs and eliminating the need for rasterization of unnecessary parts, enabling efficient print data creation. It becomes.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a determination flow of such a material data reconstruction method.
As shown in the figure, first, in the first step S401, it is determined whether or not there is a graphic object having a unique shape in the information constituent material data to be used. If it is determined that there is (Yes), the process proceeds to step S403. If the “method of dividing into random shapes” as shown in FIG. 12 is selected, but there is no (No), the process proceeds to the next step S405.

In step S405, it is determined whether or not the information component material data is vertically written. If the information component material data is vertically written (Yes), the process proceeds to step S407 and “divided into strips in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. Is selected, but if it is not vertical writing (No), the process proceeds to the next step S409.
In step S409, it is determined whether or not the information component material data has a column setting. If yes (Yes), the process proceeds to step S411 to select a “method of dividing into rectangles” as shown in FIG. If not (No), the process proceeds to the next step S413.

  In step S413, it is determined whether or not the information constituent material data is different from the prescribed size. If the data is different (Yes), the process proceeds to step S415 and the strips at random intervals in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. If the method is the same (No), the process proceeds to the next step S417 and the “method of dividing into strips at equal intervals in the horizontal direction” as shown in FIG. After selection, a raster image is formed by each method in step S419.

  In the present embodiment, the print management system 100 is described as an example configured with a pair of information creation terminals T and a printer P. However, the information creation terminal T and the printer P are provided on one network N such as a LAN. A plurality of printer servers may be arranged. In this case, in addition to determining the printer P in charge in advance, a method in which the user arbitrarily designates the printer P or the printer server when editing information at the information creation terminal T can be considered. Needless to say, it can be easily identified by adding a MAC address or the like specifying the transmission source information creation terminal T to the editing information notification data or the link table notification data.

Next, FIGS. 15 to 17 show a print management system 100, an information creation terminal T, a printer P, a program for realizing them with a computer, and a print management method using them according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The form of is shown.
As shown in FIG. 15, the print management system 100 according to the present embodiment is the same as the information creation terminal T having the same configuration as the first embodiment, and the same as the first embodiment. A printer P having a simple configuration and a printer server S having link means 60 that exhibits the same configuration and function as the printer P are connected to each other via the same network N so that they can communicate with each other. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, a printer server S is further added to the configuration of the first embodiment via the same network N, and a part of processing performed by the link means 60 of the printer P is performed. Can be executed simultaneously and in parallel on the printer server S.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing on the printer P side according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing on the printer server S side according to the present embodiment. It is.
First, as shown in FIG. 16, in the printer P according to this embodiment, in the first step S501, the link means 60 always indicates whether or not the editing information addressed to itself is notified from the information editing terminal T to be processed. When it is determined that there is no notification in the next determination step S503 (No), the edit information notification is continuously monitored as it is. However, when it is determined that there is a notification (Yes), the next step In step S505, the contents of the editing information are immediately acquired and analyzed.

  Here, in this embodiment, the editing information notified from the information editing terminal T to the printer P is all the information related to the document editing work performed in the information creating terminal T as in the first embodiment. Not the editing information but a part thereof, and the rest is notified to the printer server S side. And, the distribution of the notification of the editing information is to be performed by the information editing terminal T. As a distribution method of the notification, for example, when editing of a document spans several pages, Alternatively, there is a method of sorting for each component of the document (for each text data or image data) or sorting for each area of the document, and the sorting method is fine according to the type of the document being edited or specified by the user. It is possible to set.

  Next, in the determination step S507, as in the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not new information component material data has been sent simultaneously with the notification of the editing information, and the new information component material data is determined. When it is determined that it has not been sent (No), the process jumps to step S513. However, when it is determined that new information component material data has been sent (Yes), the process proceeds to the next steps S509 and S511. The information component material data is taken in and immediately rasterized, and a copy is stored in the material data storage unit 30 of the link unit 60 on the printer P side.

Then, the printer P (document editing means 10) links to the information editing terminal T using the information constituent material data held by itself based on the editing information notified in this manner, and independently at this time. The same information is created and edited.
When creating / editing this information, the link table L is independently created / updated according to the contents of the information as shown in step S515.

  If the predetermined link table L is created in this way, the process proceeds to the next determination step S517, where it is determined whether there is an explicit print command from the user, and it is determined that there is no explicit print command. When (No), the process returns to the first step S501 again to monitor whether or not new editing information addressed to itself (printer P) is notified, but when it is determined that there is an explicit print command (Yes). Exits the loop and proceeds to the next determination step S519.

  In the determination step S519, it is determined whether or not print data relating to document editing created in a distributed manner from the printer server S is transmitted together with the link table, and when both are received (Yes) ) Will jump to step S523, but if it is determined that either one has not been received (No), the process proceeds to the next step S521 and the print data or link is transferred to the printer server S. Make a table acquisition request. As a result, when it is determined that the print data or link table requested for acquisition in the next determination step S523 has not been received (No), the process jumps to step S529. When it is determined that it has been received (Yes), the process proceeds to the next step S525.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 17, first, the printer server S constantly monitors whether or not the link information 60 is notified of edit information addressed to itself from the information editing terminal T to be processed in the first step S601. In the next determination step S603, when it is determined that there is no notification (No), the editing information notification is continuously monitored as it is, but when it is determined that there is a notification (Yes), the process proceeds to the next step S605. The contents of the editing information are immediately acquired and analyzed.

  Next, the process proceeds to determination step S607, and in the same manner as the printer P, it is determined whether new information component material data has been sent simultaneously with the notification of the editing information, and the new information component material data has been sent. When it is determined that there is no information (No), the process jumps to step S613. However, when it is determined that new information component material data has been sent (Yes), the process proceeds to the next steps S609 and S611, and the information structure is changed. The material data is taken in and immediately rasterized, and a copy is stored in the material data storage unit 30 of the link unit 60 on the printer server S side.

Then, the printer server S (document editing means 10) links to the information editing terminal T using the information constituent material data held by itself based on the editing information notified in this manner, and at the same time, independently. The same information is created / edited.
In creating / editing this information, a link table is independently created / updated according to the contents of the information as shown in step S615.

  When the predetermined link table is created in this way, the process proceeds to the next determination step S617 to determine whether there is an explicit print command from the user, and to determine that there is no explicit print command. When it is (No), the process returns to the first step S601 again to monitor the presence of notification of new editing information addressed to itself (printer server S), but when it is determined that there is an explicit print command ( Yes) exits the loop and proceeds to the next determination step S619 to transmit the print data (edit information) and link table created so far to the predetermined printer P and terminate the process as it is, or Monitor the presence of a print data acquisition request from the printer P for a predetermined time after sending the print data. If there is an acquisition request, send the print data again as requested. It will end Luo processing.

On the other hand, in the next step S525, the printer P combines the link table created by itself in the previous step S215 and the link table sent from the printer server S, and edits the information together with the combined link table and the print command. The link table sent from the terminal T is collated.
As a result of this collation, when it is determined in the next determination step S527 that they are completely matched (Yes), the process jumps to step S533 to immediately print the print data composed of the information component material data used on the printer P side. The printing process is executed as it is, but when it is determined that the contents do not match even partially (No), the process proceeds to step S529 and is sent from the information editing terminal T together with the print command. The information editing is performed again according to the link table L, and new print data with appropriate corrections is created in the next step S531, and the printing is executed using the new print data, thereby completing the process. .

  As described above, in this embodiment, a printer server S is further added to the information creation terminal T and the printer P, and both the printer server S and the printer P are provided with the linking means 60. Since the document editing process is executed in a distributed manner on both sides (print data creation), the amount of data transmitted from the information creation terminal T to the printer P can be greatly reduced as in the first aspect. In addition to shortening the first print, efficient data transfer can be performed.

Furthermore, since so-called distributed processing such as creation of print data by both the printer server S and the printer P becomes possible, a significantly higher speed can be achieved.
In this embodiment, a part of the print data creation process is executed by the printer server S. However, as shown in the third embodiment in FIG. In this case, since the link means 60 on the printer S side is not necessary, the existing printer can be used as it is. In general, the printer server S is more excellent in information processing capability than the printer P. Therefore, if print data is created by the printer server S rather than the printer P, the first print can be accelerated.

  In the second embodiment, part or all of the print data creation processing is executed by the printer server S. However, as shown in the fourth embodiment in FIG. When there are a plurality of printers P and information creation terminals T provided with the link means 60 similar to the printer P and the printer server S and they can communicate with each other, a number of links are further utilized by using these. The distributed processing may be executed by the means 60.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a print management system according to the present invention. FIG. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of a process of the information creation terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process flow of the printer according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a link table. It is a figure which shows the data structure represented by the link table of FIG. It is a figure which shows the other example of a link table. It is a figure which shows the data structure represented by the link table of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the reconstruction method of information (it divides | segments into the horizontal direction at equal intervals). It is a figure which shows an example of the reconstruction method of information (it divides | segments into a random space | interval in the horizontal direction). It is a figure which shows an example of the reconstruction method (division | segmentation to the vertical direction) of information. It is a figure which shows an example of the reconstruction method (divided into a rectangle) of information. It is a figure which shows an example of the reconstruction method of information (it divides | segments into a random form). It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of a reconstruction method judgment process. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions which implement | achieve the system of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows 2nd Embodiment of the printing management system which concerns on this invention. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process flow of a printer according to a second embodiment. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of a process of the printer server which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows 3rd Embodiment of the printing management system which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows 4th Embodiment of the printing management system which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Information editing means, 15 ... Editing information acquisition means, 20 ... Editing information notification means, 30 ... Material data storage means, 40 ... Material data management means, 50 ... Communication means (print data receiving means), 60 ... Link means, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 70 ... Information conversion means, 80 ... Print execution means, 85 ... Communication means (print data transmission means), 90 ... CPU, 91 ... RAM, 92 ... ROM, 93 ... Auxiliary storage device (HDD), 94 ... Output device, 95 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Input device, 96 ... Input / output interface, 97 ... Bus, 100 ... Print management system, T ... Information creation terminal, P ... Printer, L ... Link table, N ... Network, S ... Printer server.

Claims (9)

A print management system comprising an information creation terminal, a printer, and a printer server connected so as to be capable of information communication, wherein the information creation terminal, the printer, and the printer server hold common information constituent material data. ,
The information creation terminal includes editing information acquisition means for acquiring editing information during information editing, and editing information notification means for notifying the editing information acquired by the editing information acquisition means to the printer and the printer server,
The printer server generates link data using information component material data held by the printer server based on the edit information notified from the edit information notification unit, and print data generated by the link unit. Print data transmission means for transmitting to the printer
The printer transmits from the print data transmission unit of the printer server, a link unit that creates print data using information constituent material data held by the printer based on the editing information notified from the editing information notification unit. A print data receiving means for receiving the print data, and a print execution means for executing printing using the print data created by the print data receiving means and the print data created by the linking means. A print management system. The print management system according to claim 1 ,
The information creation terminal manages the information constituent material data held by the printer or the printer server so as to match the information constituent material data held by the information creation terminal with the information constituent material data held by the printer or printer server. A printing management system, further comprising: a material data management means for performing The print management system according to claim 1 ,
The information creation terminal compares the information constituent material data held by the information creation terminal with the information constituent material data held by the printer or the printer server, and creates the information constituent material data held by the information creation terminal, A print management system, further comprising: material data management means for managing to create, update, and delete information constituent material data of the printer or printer server in accordance with update and deletion operations. The print management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The print management system, wherein the printer further comprises information conversion means for rasterizing and storing information constituent material data held by the printer. The print management system according to claim 4 .
The printer includes a color conversion and binarization unit that stores rasterized data after color conversion and binarization. The print management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The print server further comprises information conversion means for rasterizing and storing information constituent material data held by the printer server. The print management system according to claim 6 ,
A print management system, wherein the printer server has a color conversion and binarization function for storing rasterized data after color conversion and binarization. An information composition material data storage step for storing information composition material data common to an information creation terminal, a printer, and a printer server, which are connected so as to be capable of information communication with each other;
An editing information acquisition step of acquiring the editing information during information editing at the information creation terminal;
An edit information notifying step for notifying the printer and the printer server of the edit information acquired in the edit information acquiring step;
A print data creation step for creating print data in the printer using the information constituent material data stored in the printer based on the edit information notified in the edit information notification step;
A print data creating step for creating print data in the printer server using information constituent material data stored in the printer server based on the edit information notified in the edit information notifying step;
A print data transmission step of transmitting the print data created in the print data creation step in the printer server to a printer;
The print data transmitted in the print data transmission step;
And a print execution step of executing printing by the printer based on the print data created by the print data creation step by the printer. The print management method according to claim 8 .
A link table creation step for creating a link table in which information editing contents are described while the information creation terminal and the printer are editing information, and the link tables created in the link table creation step are printed by the printer. And a link table collating step to check before
In the print execution step, when the contents of the link table completely match as a result of the collation in the link table collation step, printing is performed using the print data created by the printer, and the print table matches. When there is not, a print management method characterized in that printing is performed using print data created by re-editing information according to the link table on the information creation terminal side.

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