JP4586539B2 - Preview device, preview program, and preview method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a preview apparatus, a preview program, and a preview method for dynamically displaying a print result or the like in advance on a personal computer monitor or the like when a printed matter or the like is created by a printer.

With recent high-performance and high-performance printers, complicated printing such as bookbinding printing can be easily performed even with relatively inexpensive printers intended for general users.
The print settings for performing such complicated printing are generally performed using the print driver user interface of the printer driver displayed on the monitor of the print request terminal such as a personal computer. In many cases, a user who is unfamiliar with the setting and operation often makes a mistake in the setting and repeats unnecessary printing.

For this reason, many conventional printer drivers and the like have a so-called preview function that electronically displays a print result obtained by the print settings on a monitor of a personal computer before printing.
For example, in Patent Document 1 below, a schematic diagram is displayed on the display screen in a state where the relationship between the printing state of the front and back surfaces of the gist and the binding mode can be identified based on the designated value of the binding mode in double-sided printing. I have to.

Further, in Patent Document 2 below, an open page image in a state in which a book is opened is created from document information and print information, and the open page image is displayed in the direction commanded by the page turning direction operation. A closed page image with the book closed by the closing operation is displayed.
Moreover, in the following patent document 3, the layout state of front and back both surfaces is represented by a schematic diagram, and a schematic diagram representing the front surface is switched and displayed at regular intervals, or a plurality of schematic diagrams showing an intermediate state are displayed during the switching. Like to do.

Furthermore, in the following Patent Document 4, when bookbinding printing is designated, print data is preview-displayed so that pages in a spread state in a bookbinding state are arranged in a spread direction and are in a spread state. I have to.
Also, in Patent Document 5 below, when the option to flip the page is not selected, a curved arrow indicating rotation about the vertical axis is displayed, and when the option to flip the page is selected, the horizontal axis A curved arrow indicating the rotation around is displayed.

Further, in Patent Document 6 below, a preview display control unit that displays a print processing result in advance based on print data and processing conditions is provided, layout information is acquired from intermediate code format data by the preview display control unit, and The print processing result is previewed based on the layout information.
JP-A-8-324063 JP-A-9-185606 JP-A-10-222328 JP 2001-134561 A JP 2001-243041 A JP 2002-63000 A

  However, since all of these conventional techniques display a preview statically, for example, when double-sided printing is set, the printing direction is set to be opposite to the direction desired by the user, or binding is performed. The user's setting mistakes such as the margin on the side becoming narrow have not been reliably prevented. Further, in complicated print settings such as bookbinding printing, there are many cases where the print settings cannot be determined unless the actual printed matter is viewed.

  Therefore, the present invention has been devised to effectively solve such problems, and the main purpose of the present invention is a novel that can easily and accurately grasp the actual print result simply by looking at the preview. A preview apparatus, a preview program, and a preview method are provided.

[Embodiment 1] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the preview apparatus of Embodiment 1
Based on the print data acquisition means for acquiring the print data, the print setting information acquisition means for acquiring the print setting information of the print data acquired by the print data acquisition means, the print data and the print setting information. An image image generating means for generating an image image composed of an image of a print medium corresponding to the printed material and an image relating to print contents formed on the print medium, and an image image created by the image image generating means And a preview display means for dynamically displaying a moving image pattern.

In this way, the print result preview is dynamically displayed in a predetermined moving image pattern, so that the contents of the print settings can be easily and accurately grasped even if the print setting information described in the print job ticket is not grasped. If there is an error in the print setting information, it can be easily found.
Further, when a user makes a setting mistake when the print setting is performed by the user himself / herself, it can be easily and accurately grasped.

As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent unnecessary printing due to an error in the print setting information described in the print job ticket, a user setting error, and the like, and an economical and efficient printing operation can be realized.
Here, “print data” refers to text data created by application software such as word processing software, digital image data captured by a scanner, font information, editing information, etc., and “print setting information”. Is a printing method (“double-sided printing”, “assignment printing”, etc.) that needs to be specifically set when actually printing this “print data” on a printing medium such as printing paper using a printing apparatus. This refers to various settings related to print quality (“clean”, “fast”), print paper type, etc. For example, various types of information related to print settings transmitted by a print job ticket as described later. (Referred to below as "preview device", "preview program", Form about-menu method ", and is the same in the description such as a column of the best mode for carrying out the invention).

  The “printing medium” includes sheet-like printing paper made of paper, plastic, or the like, and the “image relating to printing contents” refers to an image that visually represents the “printing data”. “Image image” refers to an image obtained by displaying a combined image composed of an image of a print medium corresponding to an actual printed matter and an image relating to print contents formed on the print medium on an electronic display monitor. "Means a continuous display of the movement of the image (forms relating to the following" preview device ", forms relating to" preview program ", forms relating to" preview method ", and implementation of the invention) This is the same in the description of the best mode column for doing so).

The “moving image pattern” refers to a so-called animation, and refers to an image in which a plurality of still images are continuously displayed within a predetermined time in a predetermined order (hereinafter referred to as “preview device”, “preview”). This is the same in the description relating to the “program for use”, the form relating to the “preview method”, and the column of the best mode for carrying out the invention.
The term “printing (data, setting information, object, medium)” as used herein is generally defined as forming characters, predetermined figures, and images by attaching ink or toner to the printing medium. In addition to such a concept, it is a concept that includes “output” in general, for example, a so-called paper-like display that electromagnetically forms characters, figures, and images on a paper-like electronic display medium, and the like. (It is the same in the following description regarding the “preview device”, the “preview program”, the “preview method”, the best mode for carrying out the invention, etc.) .

[Mode 2] The preview apparatus of mode 2
In the preview apparatus according to mode 1, when the print setting information is to be printed on both sides of the print medium, the preview display unit turns the image image for each page as the moving image pattern. A pattern to be displayed dynamically is selected.

  As a result, the preview can be displayed as if the user actually turned the page with the printed material in hand, causing a print setting error such as the printing direction being reversed on the front and back of the printing paper. This can be easily grasped simply by looking at the preview.

[Mode 3] The preview device of mode 3
In the preview device according to aspect 2, when the entire moving image pattern cannot display the entire image image of a new page displayed after the image image is turned, the entire image image is displayed. The display position is corrected.
As a result, the entire image of the new page that is displayed after the image has been turned is always displayed. Therefore, a print setting error such as the printing direction being reversed on the front and back of the printing paper. Of course, it is possible to accurately grasp the print contents.

[Mode 4] The preview device of mode 4
In the preview apparatus according to aspect 2 or 3, the moving image pattern is dynamically displayed so as to be turned for each page around an arbitrary axis of the image. is there.
As a result, an accurate display according to the binding position of the print medium can be performed as in the following embodiment.

[Mode 5] The preview device of mode 5
In the preview device according to aspect 2 or 3, when the print setting information includes a setting related to binding of the print medium, the moving image pattern is turned over for each page about the binding side as an axis. It is characterized by being dynamically displayed.

  This allows the user to display the preview as if the user actually turned the printed material and turned the page around the binding side, so that the printing direction was reversed on the front and back of the printing paper. It is possible to easily grasp that a print setting error such as this has occurred simply by looking at the preview.

[Mode 6] The preview device of mode 6 is:
In the preview apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 5, the print setting information acquisition unit acquires the print setting information via a print job ticket.

  In addition to acquiring the print settings directly by the user using the user interface of the printer driver, the print settings may be acquired via a print job ticket. In such a case, the user In many cases, the contents of the print settings are not grasped. Therefore, by displaying the print settings input via the print job ticket as a moving image pattern as in this embodiment, even a user who does not know the print settings in detail can easily grasp the print results.

  Here, the “print job ticket” refers to a file (digital instruction) in which print job setting information is described, and is described in an XML file as shown in FIG. As an open specification, there is JDF (Job Definition Format for the following preview device), which is formulated by CIP4 (The International Co-operation for the Integration of Processes in Press, Press and Postpress). This is the same in the description of the form relating to "Preview method" and the best mode for carrying out the invention.

[Mode 7] The preview program of mode 7 is
Based on the print data acquisition step of acquiring print data, the print setting information acquisition step of acquiring print setting information of the print data acquired in the print data acquisition step, the print data and the print setting information An image generation step for generating an image image composed of a form of a print medium corresponding to an actual printed matter and a print content formed on the print medium, and an image generated in the image generation step And a preview display step that dynamically displays the moving image pattern.

As a result, when a user setting error or the like occurs as in the case of the first aspect, it can be easily grasped, so that unnecessary printing due to a user setting error or the like can be reliably prevented.
In addition, since each means can be realized in software using a general-purpose computer system such as a personal computer, it can be realized more economically and easily than when dedicated hardware is created for each means. can do.
Furthermore, it is possible to easily upgrade the version by modifying or improving the function by rewriting a part of the program.

[Embodiment 8] The preview program of Embodiment 8 is
In the preview program according to the seventh aspect, in the preview display step, when the print setting information is to be printed on both sides of the print medium, the image image is turned over for each page as the moving image pattern. A pattern to be dynamically displayed is selected.

  As a result, the same effects as those of the second aspect can be obtained, and the respective means can be realized on software using a general-purpose computer system such as a personal computer as in the seventh aspect. This can be realized more economically and easily than in the case where it is created and realized. Furthermore, it is possible to easily upgrade the version by modifying or improving the function by rewriting a part of the program.

[Mode 9] The preview program of mode 9 is
In the preview program according to aspect 8, when the moving image pattern cannot display the entire image image of a new page displayed after the image image is turned, the entire image image is displayed. The display position is corrected.

  As a result, the entire image of the new page that is displayed after the image has been turned is always displayed as in the third aspect, so that the printing direction is reversed on the front and back of the printing paper. It is possible to accurately grasp the print contents as well as the print setting mistakes. Further, since each means can be realized on software using a general-purpose computer system such as a personal computer as in the seventh aspect, it is more economical than the case where dedicated hardware is created and realized for each means. Can be realized easily and easily.

[Mode 10] The preview program of mode 10 is
The preview program according to aspect 8 or 9, wherein the moving image pattern is dynamically displayed so as to be turned for each page about an arbitrary axis of the image image. It is.

  As a result, an accurate display according to the binding position of the print medium can be performed as in the fourth mode. Further, since each means can be realized on software using a general-purpose computer system such as a personal computer as in the seventh aspect, it is more economical than the case where dedicated hardware is created and realized for each means. Can be realized easily and easily.

[Mode 11] The preview program of mode 11 is
In the preview program according to aspect 8 or 9, when the print setting information includes a setting related to binding of the print medium, the moving image pattern is turned over for each page about the binding side as an axis. It is characterized by being dynamically displayed.

  As a result, the same effects as in the fifth aspect can be obtained, and the respective means can be realized on software using a general-purpose computer system such as a personal computer as in the seventh aspect. This can be realized more economically and easily than when creating and implementing the wear.

[Embodiment 12] The preview program of Embodiment 12 is
In the preview program according to any one of Embodiments 8 to 11, the print setting information acquisition step is characterized in that the print setting information is acquired via a print job ticket.

  As a result, similar to the sixth aspect, even a user who does not know the print settings in detail can easily grasp the print result. Further, since each means can be realized on software using a general-purpose computer system such as a personal computer as in the seventh aspect, it is more economical than the case where dedicated hardware is created and realized for each means. Can be realized easily and easily.

[Mode 13] The preview method of mode 13 is:
Based on the print data acquisition step for acquiring print data, the print setting information acquisition step for acquiring print setting information of the print data acquired in the print data acquisition step, and the print data and the print setting information. An image image generation step for generating an image image composed of a form of a print medium corresponding to the printed material and print contents formed on the print medium, and an image image created in the image image generation step as a predetermined moving image pattern And a preview display step for displaying dynamically.
As a result, when a user setting error or the like occurs as in the case of the first aspect, it can be easily grasped, so that unnecessary printing due to a user setting error or the like can be reliably prevented.

[Form 14] The preview method of form 14 is:
In the preview method according to the thirteenth aspect, in the preview display step, when the print setting information is to be printed on both sides of the print medium, the image image is turned over for each page as the moving image pattern. A pattern to be dynamically displayed is selected.

  As a result, the preview can be displayed as if the user actually turned the printed material in the same way as in form 2, so that the printing direction is reversed on the front and back of the printing paper. It is possible to easily grasp that a print setting error has occurred simply by looking at the preview.

[Mode 15] The preview method of mode 15 is
In the preview method according to the thirteenth aspect, when the moving image pattern cannot display the entire image image of a new page displayed after the image image is turned, the entire image image is displayed. The display position is corrected.

  As a result, the entire image of the new page that is displayed after the image has been turned is always displayed as in the third aspect, so that the printing direction is reversed on the front and back of the printing paper. It is possible to accurately grasp the print contents as well as the print setting mistakes.

[Mode 16] The preview method of mode 16 is
In the preview method according to the twelfth or thirteenth aspect, the moving image pattern is dynamically displayed so as to be turned for each page around an arbitrary axis of the image image. is there.
As a result, an accurate display according to the binding position of the print medium can be performed as in the fourth mode.

[Mode 17] The preview method of mode 17 is
In the preview method according to aspect 12 or 13, when the print setting information includes a setting related to binding of the print medium, the moving image pattern is turned over for each page about the binding side as an axis. It is characterized by being dynamically displayed.

  As a result, the user can actually display the preview as if he / she turned the page around the binding side as an axis, as in the case of the form 5, so that the printing direction is reversed on both sides of the printing paper. It is possible to easily grasp that a print setting error such as has occurred by simply looking at the preview.

[Form 18] The preview method of form 18 is as follows.
The preview method according to any one of Forms 12 to 17, wherein the print setting information acquisition step acquires the print setting information via a print job ticket.
As a result, similar to the sixth aspect, even a user who does not know the print settings in detail can easily grasp the print result.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 to 12 show a first embodiment relating to a preview apparatus 100, a preview program, and a preview method according to the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of a preview apparatus 100 according to the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, the preview apparatus 100 includes a print data acquisition unit 10 that acquires print data, a print setting information acquisition unit 20 that acquires print setting information of the print data acquired by the print data acquisition unit 10, An image generation unit 30 that generates an image based on the print data and the print setting information; a preview display unit 40 that dynamically displays an image generated by the image generation unit in a predetermined moving image pattern; The preview instruction means 50 receives an instruction from a user or the like and controls a preview display pattern and the like.

  First, the print data acquisition unit 10 acquires print data sent from a print data generation terminal of a personal computer (not shown) via a network or a dedicated line, and sends the acquired print data to the image image generation unit 30. In addition, for example, it is checked whether or not the data is sent correctly during the acquisition, and if a part of the data is lost, a retransmission request is made. For example, the function of providing complete print data to the image generation means 30 is also exhibited. Here, as described above, the print data is text data created by application software such as word processing software, digital image data captured by a scanner, font information, editing information, and the like.

  The print setting information acquisition unit 20 further includes a job ticket input unit 20a for inputting a print job ticket 300 as shown in FIG. 3 and a job ticket interpretation unit 20b for interpreting the contents of the print job ticket 300. The job ticket interpretation unit 20b interprets the print setting information related to the print data described in the print job ticket 200 input by the job ticket input unit 20a, and inputs the print setting information to the image image generation unit 30. It is supposed to be.

Here, the print job ticket 300 for providing the print setting information is described in, for example, a JDF specification XML file formulated by CIP4 as shown in FIG.
In the example of the figure, the contents of double-sided printing setting and layout printing setting are set by the first tag 220 of <LayoutPreparationParams Sides = “TwoSideFlipX” NumberUp = “1 1” /> in a set of tags 210 and 210 called <Resource Pool>. In addition, the content of the print quality is described by a second tag 230 of <InterpretingParams PrintQuality = “High” />. Also, the size of the medium (printing paper) is described by the third tag 240 <Media Dimension = "595 842"/>, and the contents of the color setting by the fourth tag 250 of <ColorantControl ProcessColorModel = "DeviceCMYK"/> Is to be described.

  FIG. 4 shows a description example of the double-sided print setting described in the first tag 220. The description “OneSideFront” 310 in the upper part of the figure means that single-sided printing is performed only on the surface of the printing paper. The middle description “TwoSideFlipX” 320 means that double-sided printing is performed so that pages are turned on the X axis of the printing paper, and the lower description “TwoSideFlipY” 330 is page turning on the Y axis of the printing paper. This means that double-sided printing is performed.

  Next, based on the print data acquired by the print data acquisition unit 10 and the print setting information acquired by the print setting information acquisition unit 20, the image image generation unit 30, for example, as shown in FIG. An image 400 imitating an actual printed matter is generated by synthesizing an image 400 of a printing medium such as a printing paper corresponding to the actual printed matter and an image 500 of the printing content formed on the image 400 of the printing medium. It is like that.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the display screen M (of the moving image display unit 40c) of the preview display means 40 for displaying the image 600. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the image 400 on the rectangular print medium is displayed. FIG. 6 shows a state in which an image 500 of the print content in a rectangular area similar to the print medium is displayed in an overlapping manner.
Then, text, graphs, tables, figures, color images, etc., which are the contents of the print data, are visually displayed in the area of the image 500 of the print contents in a layout almost the same as the actual printed matter. .

In addition to such an image 600, the monitor screen M shown in FIG. 5 simultaneously displays a guidance display, an interface, and the like for supporting a specific instruction regarding the preview from the user by the preview instruction means 50 described later. An example is shown.
The preview display means 40 further includes a moving image pattern selection unit 40a, a moving image synthesis unit 40b, and a moving image display unit 40c.

  Among these, the moving image pattern selection unit 40a, which will be described in detail later, is a double-sided printing setting or binding (turning) setting described in the print job ticket 200 from several moving image patterns (animations) prepared in advance. Alternatively, a moving image pattern directly designated by the user is selected via a preview instruction means 50 to be described later, and the selected moving image pattern data is read from a nonvolatile storage device such as a ROM or HDD and loaded into a main memory or the like. It is supposed to be available.

  In addition, the moving image synthesizing unit 40b synthesizes the image image 600 generated by the image image generating unit 30 for each frame (still image) constituting the moving image pattern selected by the moving image pattern selecting unit 40a. In order to synthesize the image, a matrix operation is appropriately performed on the data of the image image 600, and the image image 600 is deformed according to the size, inclination, distortion, etc. of the fitting area. Processing is also performed at the same time.

The moving image display unit 40c creates a display screen M for displaying the preview display pattern synthesized by the moving image synthesizing unit 40b, and dynamically displays it on a monitor such as a CRT or LCD within a predetermined time. Is supposed to provide.
The preview instruction means 50 controls the preview display means 40 by receiving specific instructions regarding the preview from the user, for example, instructions such as display of preview, selection of the preview method, presence / absence of page turning, end of preview, and the like. Specifically, various input devices for inputting instructions from the user such as a keyboard and a mouse, an input / output interface for receiving signals from the input device, and the input / output interface The control unit controls the preview display means 40 according to the received signal, and the display unit displays the instruction result.

  The preview apparatus 100 includes a computer system for realizing the print data acquisition unit 10, the print setting information acquisition unit 20, the image image generation unit 30, the preview display unit 40, and the like on software. As shown in FIG. 2, the hardware configuration includes a central processing unit (CPU) 60 that is a central processing unit that performs various controls and arithmetic processing, and a random access memory (RAM) 62 that constitutes a main storage device (main storage). And a ROM (Read Only Memory) 64, which is a read-only storage device, between a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus and an ISA (Industrial Standard). An external storage device 70 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 70 is connected to the bus 68 via an input / output interface (I / F) 66, while being connected by various internal / external buses 68 such as an architecture bus. An output device 72 such as a printing device, CRT, or LCD monitor, an input device 74 such as an operation panel, a mouse, a keyboard, or a scanner, and a network L for communicating with a printing device (not shown) or the like are connected.

  When the power is turned on, a system program such as BIOS stored in the ROM 64 or the like is stored in various dedicated computer programs stored in the ROM 64 in advance, or in a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), or the like. Various dedicated computer programs installed in the storage device 70 via the medium or the communication network L such as the Internet are similarly loaded into the RAM 62, and the CPU 60 performs various operations according to instructions described in the program loaded in the RAM 62. Each function of each means as described above can be realized on software by performing predetermined control and arithmetic processing by making full use of resources.

Next, an example of the flow of print processing using the preview apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described with reference mainly to the flowchart of FIG.
As shown in the figure, the preview apparatus 100 inputs the print job ticket 200 as described above in the first step S100, and if the print data corresponding to the print job ticket 200 is subsequently input in the next step S102. Then, the process proceeds to the next determination step S104 to determine whether or not there is a preview instruction regarding the print job from the user.

  If it is determined that there is no preview instruction (No), the process is terminated. If it is determined that there is a preview instruction (Yes), the process proceeds to the next step S106 and the previously input print is performed. After interpreting the contents of the job ticket and generating an image 600 for each page, the process proceeds to the next step S108, and the image 600 corresponding to any one of the pages is previewed in a still image state. To do. The page displayed here is not particularly limited. However, when there are a plurality of pages, the page is set to the first page (one page) in the default state, and then displayed according to the user's specification. The page may be changed.

  Next, if the image 600 of a predetermined page is preview-displayed in the state of a still image in this way, the process proceeds to the next determination step S110 to determine whether there is a turning instruction for the displayed page from the user. When it is determined that there is no page turning instruction for a predetermined time (No), the process proceeds to step S126, but when it is determined that a page turning instruction is present (Yes), the process proceeds to the next step S112. It is determined whether or not duplex printing is set.

  As a result of this determination processing, when it is determined that duplex printing is not set (No), the process proceeds to step S126. When it is determined that duplex printing is set (Yes), the next step is performed. The process proceeds to S114 to determine whether or not there is further binding setting. When it is determined that there is no binding setting (No), the process proceeds to Step S116, and when it is determined that there is binding setting (Yes), Step S120 is performed. To each side.

  In step S116, a moving image pattern 1 that turns the print medium around the X axis (horizontal axis) is selected from among a plurality of moving image patterns, and the process proceeds to the next step S118 to move the page that has been turned to the center of the screen. The moving operation is selected and the process proceeds to step S108. In step S108, the turning operation of the image 600 created by the moving image pattern 1 is displayed as a preview.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the moving image pattern 1 in which the rectangular image 600 is turned upward with the upper end as an axis (X axis).
As shown in the figure, only the front side (first page) of the image 600 in the display screen M in the initial display is displayed, but the lower end of the image 600 rises with time. Then, the back side (second page) starts to appear from beyond the upper end serving as the rotation axis, and eventually the entire back side is eventually displayed in the display screen M.

  In such a moving image pattern 1, when the entire image 600 is initially displayed on the display screen M full or half or larger, the next page after turning the image 600 is removed from the display screen M. It disappears. Therefore, as shown in step S118 and FIG. 8, by moving the page after turning to the center of the display screen M, the page after turning can be accurately displayed.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S114 that there is a binding setting and the process proceeds to step S120, the binding setting in step S120 is a left binding setting for binding the left end of the print medium or a right binding setting for binding the right end. Determine whether.
As a result of the determination process, when it is determined that the right binding is performed, the process proceeds to step S122 and the moving image pattern 2 that is the moving image pattern for right binding is selected, and the page turning moving image is displayed in step S108 according to the moving image pattern 2. On the other hand, when it is determined that the left-binding is performed as a result of the determination process, the process moves to step S124, and the moving-image pattern 3 that is the moving-image pattern for left-binding is selected and the step according to the moving-image pattern 3 is performed. In step S108, a page turning moving image is previewed.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of the moving image pattern 2 in which the rectangular image 600 is turned from the left side to the right side with the binding side (right binding) as the rotation axis (Y axis). As shown in the figure, the image 600 in the display screen M in the initial display is displayed only on the front side (first page), but the left end of the image 600 is shifted to the right as time passes. The back side (second page) begins to appear from the point where it moves and exceeds the right end that becomes the rotation axis, and eventually the whole back side is eventually displayed in the display screen M.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the moving image pattern 3 in which the rectangular image 600 is turned from the right side to the left side with the binding side (left binding) as the rotation axis (Y axis). . As shown in the figure, only the front side (first page) of the image image 600 in the display screen M in the initial display is displayed, but the right end of the image image 600 is on the left side as time passes. The back side (second page) starts to appear from the point where the left end that becomes the rotation axis is moved, and eventually the whole back side is finally displayed in the display screen M.

  In the case of the moving image pattern as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 as well, if the entire image 600 is displayed at the full size of the display screen M or more than half from the beginning, the next page after turning the image 600 is displayed. Will not be visible from the inside of the display screen M, and if the page after turning is appropriately moved to the center of the display screen M as described in step S118 and FIG. It becomes possible to display the page accurately.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to dynamically display a preview of a print result with a predetermined moving image pattern. Therefore, even if the print setting information described in the print job ticket is not grasped, the print setting can be changed. The contents can be easily and accurately grasped, and even if there is an error in the print setting information, it can be easily found.
Further, when a user makes a setting mistake when the print setting is performed by the user himself / herself, it can be easily and accurately grasped.

As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent unnecessary printing due to an error in the print setting information described in the print job ticket, a user setting error, and the like, and an economical and efficient printing operation can be realized.
By the way, as described above, when the image image 600 is preview-displayed with a predetermined moving image pattern, the image 400 of the print medium is distorted or tilted during the display, and the aspect ratio (aspect ratio) of the image 400 of the print medium is displayed. Will change continuously. Therefore, it is preferable to display the print content image synthesized on the print medium image 400 in accordance with the distortion and the change in the inclination aspect ratio. Since computation is required and the amount of information processing (image processing) becomes enormous, it is necessary to prepare a high-performance information processing apparatus (such as a CPU) that satisfies the requirements.

  Therefore, for example, when the image image 600 is distorted as shown in FIG. 11, only the image 400 of the print medium is changed in such a manner, and the image 500 of the print contents is distorted only by changing its aspect ratio. If not, the realism is somewhat impaired, but the amount of information processing (image processing) is greatly reduced, so that a high-speed preview display can be realized even by a weak computer (CPU).

  The print content image 500 may be changed in accordance with the inclination of the print medium image 400 when turning pages. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, when the distortion of the print medium image 400 is small, it is conceivable that the image 500 of the print content can be visually recognized even at that angle. However, since it becomes difficult to visually recognize the print content image 500 when the distortion of the print medium image 400 becomes large, the print content image 500 is not distorted. You can paste the figure.

  In general, since the number of moving image patterns (animations) is realized by continuously displaying a plurality of still images, it is necessary to create more image images 600 as the number of still images increases. In addition, there are many matrix operations associated therewith. Therefore, for example, if the number of images created in seven images 600 to realize one moving image pattern is reduced to five, the information processing load required for creating two images can be reduced. Can do.

Further, if these three methods are appropriately combined, it is possible to reduce the information processing load with almost no loss of realism.
In addition, the “detailed moving image pattern” mode in which the image 500 of the print content is distorted in accordance with the distortion amount of the image 400 of the printing medium with emphasis on the realism, and the “simple” that greatly reduces the information processing amount although the realism is impaired. Two types of preview display modes such as a “movie pattern” mode may be prepared and selected according to the user's request each time.

In this embodiment, the print setting information corresponding to the print data is input and interpreted in the form of the print job ticket 200, but other forms such as a user interface of the printer driver are also used. The user may input directly.
In the flow of FIG. 6, the preview display is performed immediately after selecting the moving image pattern. However, the preview display pattern can be stored in a storage device such as a memory or an HDD, and can be reproduced later as necessary. You may do it.

In this case, if the two-dimensional bar code describing the location of the print data and the preview display pattern (such as a URI) is also printed at the time of printing, the two-dimensional bar code is read later by a bar code reader or the like. It is possible to easily find and play a preview display pattern related to it.
In the present embodiment, the print data acquisition unit 10 of the preview apparatus 100 corresponds to the print data acquisition unit of the preview apparatus of the first mode, and the print setting information acquisition unit 20 is the same as that of the preview apparatus of the first mode. Corresponding to the print setting information acquiring means, the image image generating means 30 corresponds to the image image generating means in the preview apparatus of the form 1 or the like, and the preview display means 40 is used as the preview display means in the preview apparatus of the form 1 or the like. Correspond. The print job ticket 200 corresponds to a print job ticket of form 10 or the like.

It is a functional block diagram which shows embodiment of the preview apparatus based on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the computer system which implement | achieves the preview apparatus based on this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print job ticket. It is a figure which shows the example of the relationship between the kind of double-sided printing setting, and its content. It is a figure which shows the display screen which performs a preview display. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of the preview process which concerns on this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the moving image pattern which turns an image image centering on an X-axis. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state which displays the page after turning in the center of a display screen. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the moving image pattern which turns an image image to the right side centering on a Y-axis. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the moving image pattern which turns the image image to the left centering on a Y-axis. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between image distortion of a print medium and an image of print content. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between image distortion of a print medium and an image of print content. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Printing apparatus, 200 ... Print job ticket, 400 ... Print medium image, 500 ... Print content image, 600 ... Image image, 10 ... Print data acquisition means, 20 ... Print setting information acquisition means, 20a ... Job ticket input , 20b ... job ticket interpretation unit, 30 ... image image generation means, 40 ... preview display means, 40a ... moving image pattern selection section, 40b ... moving image synthesis section, 40c ... moving image display section, 50 ... preview instruction means, 60 ... CPU 62 ... RAM, 64 ... ROM, 66 ... interface, 70 ... storage device, 72 ... output device, 74 ... input device, M ... display screen.

Claims (3)

Print data acquisition means for acquiring print data;
Print setting information acquisition means for acquiring print setting information of the print data acquired by the print data acquisition means;
Based on the print data and the print setting information, an image image generation means for generating an image image composed of an image of a print medium corresponding to an actual printed matter and an image of a print content formed on the print medium;
Preview display means for dynamically displaying the image image created by the image image generation means in a predetermined moving image pattern;
Distortion determining means for determining whether or not distortion of the image of the print medium displayed by the preview display means is greater than a predetermined value,
The preview display means includes
Are those wherein the print setting information to print on both sides of the print medium, and, if the distortion of the image of the print medium in the distortion determination means determines that less than the predetermined value, and distortion of the image of the print medium display while distorting equally the printed image, whereas,
Are those wherein the print setting information to print on both sides of the print medium, and, if the distortion of the image of the print medium in the distortion determination means determines that greater than a predetermined value, the distortion of the image of the print medium in response, the display while changing the aspect ratio before Symbol printing image,
The animation pattern is
A preview apparatus, wherein when the whole image image of a new page displayed after the image image is turned cannot be displayed, the display position is corrected so that the whole image image is displayed. A print data acquisition step of acquiring print data,
A print setting information acquisition step of acquiring print setting information of the print data acquired by the print data acquisition means;
Based on the print data and the print setting information, an image image generation step of generating an image image composed of an image of a print medium corresponding to an actual printed material and an image of print contents formed on the print medium;
A preview display step for dynamically displaying the image image created by the image image generation means in a predetermined moving image pattern;
Functioning as a distortion determination step for determining whether or not distortion of the image of the print medium displayed by the preview display means is greater than a predetermined value;
The preview display step includes:
It is those wherein the print setting information to print on both sides of the print medium, and, if the distortion of the image of the print medium by the distortion determination step has determined to be smaller than the predetermined value, and distortion of the image of the print medium display while distorting equally the printed image, whereas,
Are those wherein the print setting information to print on both sides of the print medium, and, if the distortion of the image of the distortion determination step by the printing medium is determined to be larger than the predetermined value, the distortion of the image of the print medium in response, the display while changing the aspect ratio before Symbol printing image,
The animation pattern is
When the entire image image of a new page displayed after the image image is turned cannot be displayed , the computer corrects the display position so that the entire image image is displayed. Preview program to be executed . A print data acquisition step for acquiring print data;
A print setting information acquisition step of acquiring print setting information of the print data acquired by the print data acquisition means;
Based on the print data and the print setting information, an image image generation step of generating an image image composed of an image of a print medium corresponding to an actual printed material and an image of print contents formed on the print medium;
A preview display step for dynamically displaying the image image created by the image image generation means in a predetermined moving image pattern;
A distortion determination step of determining whether or not distortion of the image of the print medium displayed by the preview display means is larger than a predetermined value,
The preview display step includes:
It is those wherein the print setting information to print on both sides of the print medium, and, if the distortion of the image of the print medium by the distortion determination step has determined to be smaller than the predetermined value, and distortion of the image of the print medium display while distorting equally the printed image, whereas,
Are those wherein the print setting information to print on both sides of the print medium, and, if the distortion of the image of the distortion determination step by the printing medium is determined to be larger than the predetermined value, the distortion of the image of the print medium in response, the display while changing the aspect ratio before Symbol printing image,
The animation pattern is
A preview method characterized by correcting a display position so that an entire image image of a new page displayed after the image image is turned cannot be displayed.

Images