JP4877613B2 - Variable data output control method, variable data output control device, and variable data output control program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a variable data output control method, a variable data output control apparatus, and a variable data output control program, and more particularly to a variable data output control method and a variable data output by converting variable data into page data suitable for a plurality of output methods. The present invention relates to a data output control device and a variable data output control program.

  When distributing information such as direct mail, delivery methods include sending printed materials such as postcards and sealed letters, providing a user site on FAX, e-mail, and homepage. Therefore, in recent years, it has become important not to simply distribute certain distribution information by a certain distribution method, but to distribute information suitable for the recipient in a form suitable for the recipient's environment. In order to satisfy these demands, variable prints are currently used to create printed materials for sending.

  Since this variable printing can be performed by replacing the printing information for each page, it is possible to control all elements (images, text, etc.) on the printing surface to be configured with contents suitable for the recipient.

  Although different from the variable print technology, for example, in the following Patent Document 1, when transmitting using an e-mail type communication control unit, regarding the page data creation control technology, Discloses a facsimile apparatus that transmits an original image to be transmitted at the same magnification or reduced by a reduction processing unit.

  Further, in Patent Document 2 below, when it is determined that the storage means for storing the first data and the destination is the portable terminal device, the first data is displayed as the display capability of the data display device of the portable terminal device. A data processing apparatus having conversion means for converting to second data based on the above and means for transmitting the second data to the destination is disclosed.

JP 2004-15672 A JP 2003-273594 A

  However, the current variable print is used exclusively for printing, and no means for controlling the output method has been established so that it can be distributed in a form suitable for the recipient's environment.

  Also, when applied to output methods other than printing (FAX, E-mail, disk storage, uploading to homepage, etc.), the format defined in the output method, the specifications and environment of the output destination terminal, and the request from the receiver A means for creating page data suitable for the output method is required, but the current apparatus and system do not have this means.

  Note that, by applying the above-described conventional technique to data for each page (hereinafter referred to as page data) created from data for instructing variable printing (hereinafter referred to as variable data), output is temporarily performed. It is possible to create page data suitable for the method. However, in an environment where variable printing is used, it is important to process a large amount of page data quickly, and a technology capable of processing at higher speed is required.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a main object thereof is a variable data output control method and a variable data output control apparatus capable of efficiently creating page data suitable for each output method. Another object is to provide a variable data output control program.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a variable data output control method for creating a plurality of types of page data corresponding to a plurality of types of output methods using variable data used in variable printing. A first step of creating a first table associating the output method, an output setting including one or a plurality of destinations, and a drawing setting including a page size; and after creating a drawing object from the variable data, A second step of referring to the first table to convert the drawing object into a plurality of drawing objects corresponding to the drawing settings, and rasterizing the converted drawing objects based on the drawing settings corresponding to the drawing settings. Then, referring to the third step of creating the plurality of types of page data and the first table A fourth step of outputting each of the page data and the output setting corresponding to the drawing setting of the drawing object that is the basis of the page data to a module of an output method corresponding to the output setting. Is.

  Further, the present invention is a variable data output control method for creating a plurality of types of page data corresponding to a plurality of types of output methods using variable data used in variable printing, each of the output methods, A first step of creating a first table associating an output setting including one or a plurality of destinations and a rendering setting including a page size; and creating a rendering object from the variable data; A second step of creating a second table for associating the drawing settings of the table with reference to the second table, and converting the drawing object into a plurality of drawing objects corresponding to the drawing settings. Then, the plurality of converted drawing objects are rasterized based on the corresponding drawing settings, A third step of creating several types of page data, and referring to the first table, each of the page data and the output setting corresponding to the drawing setting of the drawing object that is the source of the page data, And a fourth step of outputting to a module of an output method corresponding to the output setting.

  Further, the present invention is a variable data output control method for creating a plurality of types of page data corresponding to a plurality of types of output methods using variable data used in variable printing, each of the output methods, A first step of creating a first table for associating an output setting including one or a plurality of destinations and a drawing setting including a page size; and analyzing the variable data and including the data included in the variable data as image data In the case of image data, after creating a drawing object from the variable data, referring to the first table, the drawing object is a plurality of drawing objects corresponding to the drawing settings. In the case of data other than image data, refer to the first table and A second step of creating a plurality of drawing objects corresponding to each of the drawing settings from the abble data, and rasterizing the created and / or converted plurality of drawing objects based on the drawing settings corresponding to the plurality of types. A third step of generating the page data, and referring to the first table, each of the page data and the output setting corresponding to the drawing setting of the drawing object that is the source of the page data, And a fourth step of outputting to a module of an output method corresponding to the output setting.

  According to the variable data output control method, variable data output control apparatus, and variable data output control program of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently create page data suitable for each output method.

  The reason for this is that the variable data processing device does not convert the page data created from the variable data into a form suitable for each output method, but outputs the drawing objects constituting the variable data in a form suitable for each output method. This is because control is performed to integrate them and create page data suitable for each output method.

It is a figure which shows an example of variable data. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the system using variable data. It is a figure which shows the structure and schematic operation | movement of the conventional controller. It is a figure which shows an example of the output designation | designated table utilized with the variable data output control method of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the variable data which described output designation | designated information. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen for producing an output designation | designated table. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen for producing an output designation | designated table. It is a figure which shows an example of the variable data which described the link destination of output designation. It is a figure which shows an example of the output designation file which described the output designation information. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen for designating an output designation file. It is a flowchart figure which shows the procedure which produces an output designation | designated table based on variable data. It is a flowchart figure which shows the procedure which produces an output designation | designated table based on screen input. It is a figure which shows the structure and schematic operation | movement of a controller of 1st Example of this invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus that functions as a controller according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the group table of 1st Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process of the interpreter part of 1st Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process of the rasterize part of 1st Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process of the output system control part of 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other structure and schematic operation | movement of the controller of 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the group table of 1st Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the other process of the interpreter part of 1st Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the other process of the rasterize part of 1st Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the other process of the output system control part of 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the layout of a direct mail. It is a figure which shows an example of the page data suitable for each output system. It is a figure which shows typically the creation process of the page data of 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the creation processing of the conventional page data. It is a figure which shows the conversion object data in a prior art. It is a figure which shows the conversion object data in 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure and schematic operation | movement of a controller of the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the image forming apparatus which functions as a controller of the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the group table of 2nd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process of the interpreter part of 2nd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process of the rasterize part of 2nd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process of the output system control part of 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the creation process of the page data of 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of an output of the text data of 2nd Example of this invention.

  In order to clarify the problems of the prior art, first, a general processing method from creating variable data to page data will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a description example of variable data. The drawing / layout information 1 in the “REUSABLE_OBJECT” tag is handled as fixed portion data (fixed object), and the drawing / layout information 2 in the “PAGE” tag is handled as variable portion data (variable object). When printing variable data, data obtained by rasterizing a fixed object and a variable object once each is stored in a printer, a controller, etc., and printed out while being reused. In this way, since the entire page is not rasterized each time replacement is performed, the RIP (Raster Image Processor) processing is not burdened, and the printing speed can be increased.

  When such variable data is applied to an output method other than printing, the system configuration is as shown in FIG. 2, and variable data transmitted from the host is converted into page data suitable for each output method by the controller. Become.

  Specifically, referring to FIG. 3 showing the configuration of a conventional controller, when the controller receives variable data, first, the interpreter unit 31 analyzes the variable data to generate a drawing object (variable object, fixed object). create. Next, the rasterize unit 32 integrates these drawing objects and creates page data used for printing. Thereafter, the page data conversion unit 33 converts the created page data into page data suitable for each output method.

  Here, since the page data has a data size larger than that of the drawing object, it takes time to convert the page data, and a large amount of page data cannot be created quickly. Therefore, in this embodiment, instead of converting the page data created from the variable data into a form suitable for each output method, the drawing objects constituting the variable data are output in a form suitable for each output method, and these are integrated. Thus, a method of creating page data suitable for each output method is adopted so that page data suitable for each output method can be efficiently created.

  In this method, in order to output a drawing object in a form suitable for each output method, in addition to variable data, an output method (print, e-mail, FAX, FILE output, etc.), destination (e-mail) as shown in FIG. Information (hereinafter referred to as output setting) including information such as address, FAX number, storage location) and output format (hereinafter referred to as output setting), information including resolution and page size (hereinafter referred to as drawing setting), etc. Hereinafter, this is referred to as an output designation table.

  The information stored in the output designation table may be designated directly by variable data as shown in FIG. 5 (see the inside of the broken line frame in FIG. 5), or as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 on the display unit of the controller. A simple screen may be displayed and designated on the screen. Further, a file (referred to as an output designation file) describing output designation information (refer to the inside of the broken line frame in FIG. 9) as shown in FIG. 9 is prepared separately, and a link to the output designation file is as shown in FIG. May be designated with variable data (see the inside of a broken line frame in FIG. 8), or a screen as shown in FIG. 10 may be displayed on the display unit of the controller and designated on the screen to obtain an output designation file. .

  Then, an output designation table is created by the controller based on the information designated by the variable data or the information designated on the screen.

  For example, when creating an output specification table from information specified by variable data, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, variable data is read (S101), and it is determined whether output specification information is included in the variable data. (S102). If output designation information is included, it is determined whether the designation method is direct designation or link designation (S103). If link designation is specified, an output designation file at the link destination is acquired (S104), and the output designation file is obtained. And the output designation information is read (S105). Thereafter, an output designation table is created based on the directly designated information or the information read from the output designation file (S106), and the processing of S102 to S106 is executed for all variable data (S107).

  Also, when creating an output designation table from information designated on the screen, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12, input designation information or a link destination is input on the screen (S201), and the designation method is designated directly. Or link designation is determined (S202). In the case of link designation, an output designation file at the link destination is acquired (S203), the output designation file is analyzed, and output designation information is read (S204). Thereafter, an output designation table is created based on information directly designated on the screen or information read from the output designation file (S205).

  In the following embodiments, variable data output control using the output designation table will be described in detail.

  First, a variable data output control method, variable data output control apparatus, and variable data output control program according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in the background art, the current variable print is used exclusively for printing, so when applied to an output method other than printing, a means for creating page data suitable for the output method is required. . When the prior art is applied as this means, page data once created is converted to create page data suitable for each output method, so a large amount of page data can be created quickly. There was a problem that I could not.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, instead of converting the page data created from the variable data into a form suitable for each output method, a drawing object (variable object, fixed object) is output in a form suitable for each output method, and these are output. Combine and create page data suitable for each output method.

  FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the controller of this embodiment, and FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 20 that functions as the controller of this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the controller creates a drawing object (variable object, fixed object) from variable data, refers to the output designation table, and converts it into a drawing object suitable for each output method. A rasterizing unit 12 that rasterizes an object to generate page data suitable for each output method, an output method control unit 13 that outputs the page data to an output module corresponding to each output method, and the like are provided.

  The controller having the above configuration may be configured as a single device, but can also be incorporated in a variable data output control device such as an image forming device.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the image forming apparatus 20 includes a control unit 21, a display unit 22, an operation unit 23, an image printing unit 24, and the like.

  The control unit 21 is a part that controls each component, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21a, a memory 21b such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 21c, and a communication I. / F section 21d and the like are connected via a bus. The CPU 21a performs control of each unit and image processing. The memory 21b stores data necessary for the control of the CPU 21a, variable data, page data, font data, and the like. The HDD 21c stores additional fonts, variable data, page data, and the like. The communication I / F unit 21d establishes a connection with a device connected via a communication network, and executes data transmission / reception.

  The display unit 22 includes a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display device, and the like, and displays various screens for operating the image forming apparatus 20. The operation unit 23 includes buttons and switches, and performs various settings and instructions. The display unit 22 and the operation unit 23 may be separate devices, or may be an integrated device provided with a pressure-sensitive operation unit (touch panel) 23 in which transparent electrodes are arranged in a grid pattern on the display unit 22. Good.

  The image printing unit 24 includes components necessary for image formation using an image forming process such as an electrophotographic method or an electrostatic recording method, such as a photoconductor, a transfer belt, a fixing device, and various conveyance belts. An image is formed on a designated sheet based on the data.

  In this embodiment, the interpreter unit 11, the rasterizing unit 12, and the output method control unit 13 constituting the controller are stored in the RAM as program modules. An output designation table and a group table described later are stored in the RAM or HDD 21c.

  Hereinafter, the operation of each part of the controller will be described in detail. FIGS. 16 to 18 are flowcharts showing processing of the interpreter unit 11, the rasterize unit 12, and the output method control unit 13, respectively.

[Interpreter section]
The interpreter unit 11 first reads and analyzes the variable data transmitted from the host (S301), and creates a drawing object (variable object, fixed object) (S302). And the process of S302 is performed with respect to all the variable data (S303). Next, it is confirmed in advance whether an output designation table is stored in the RAM or HDD 21c (S304). If an output designation table exists, the drawing settings (resolution, page size, etc.) are read from the output designation table (S305), and the created drawing object is converted based on the drawing settings to match the drawing settings. The drawn object is created (S307). Then, the drawing setting and the converted drawing object are registered in the group table, and the processes of S306 and S307 are executed for all the drawing settings (S308).

  As shown in FIG. 15, the group table indicates how many page data need to be created for each page by what output method, and is created based on the output designation table. Specifically, in this group table, for each page, the number for each output method, the output format, resolution, and page size, as well as the address of the converted drawing object required to create page data, etc. Is described.

[Rasterize section]
The rasterizing unit 12 first acquires a group table (S401), and acquires drawing settings from the group table (S402). Next, the drawing object specified by the address of the group table is rasterized based on the drawing setting to create page data (S403). Then, the created page data is registered in the output designation table (S404). Here, the drawing object converted to the drawing setting by the interpreter unit 11 is registered in the group table, and the drawing setting is acquired from the group table by the rasterizing unit 12. However, when the drawing setting is embedded in the drawing object, the group It is not necessary to use a table.

[Output method controller]
The output method control unit 13 first obtains an output designation table (S501), reads output settings (output method, destination information, etc.) from the output designation table, and reads page data registered by the rasterizing unit 12 (S502). Next, destination information, page data, etc. are passed to the module corresponding to each output method (S503), and the processing of S503 is executed for all output settings (S504).

  By performing such processing, information suitable for the recipient can be distributed in a form suitable for the recipient's environment.

  The above description is for the case where the interpreter unit 11 creates a drawing object suitable for each output method. However, as shown in FIG. 19, the interpreter unit 11 creates only a drawing object suitable for one output method and rasterizes it. The unit 12 can also convert the drawing object suitable for each output method. The operation of each part of the controller in that case will be described in detail. FIG. 21 to FIG. 23 are flowcharts showing processes of the interpreter unit 11, the rasterize unit 12, and the output method control unit 13, respectively.

[Interpreter section]
The interpreter unit 11 first reads and analyzes variable data transmitted from the host (S601), and creates a drawing object (variable object, fixed object) (S602). Then, the process of S602 is executed for all variable data (S603). Next, it is confirmed in advance whether an output designation table is stored in the RAM or HDD 21c (S604). If an output designation table exists, drawing settings (resolution, page size, etc.) are read from the output designation table (S605), and the drawing settings and drawing objects are registered in the group table (S606, S607).

  In the group table, as shown in FIG. 20, the number of each output method, the output format, the resolution, the page size, the address of a drawing object necessary for creating page data, and the like are shown. be written. The difference from FIG. 15 is that the drawing object is not converted for each drawing setting in the flow of FIG. 21, so that one fixed object and one variable object are registered for each page.

[Rasterize section]
The rasterizing unit 12 first acquires a group table (S701), and acquires drawing settings and drawing objects from the group table (S702). Next, the acquired drawing object is converted into a drawing object for each drawing setting based on the drawing setting (S703), the converted drawing object is rasterized, and page data is created (S704). Then, the created page data is registered in the output designation table (S705).

[Output method controller]
The output method control unit 13 first acquires an output designation table (S801), reads output settings (output method, destination information, etc.) from the output designation table, and reads page data registered by the rasterize unit 12 (S802). Next, destination information, page data, etc. are passed to the module corresponding to each output method (S803), and the process of S803 is executed for all output settings (S804).

  Even with such processing, information suitable for the recipient can be distributed in a form suitable for the recipient's environment.

  Hereinafter, the effect of the present embodiment (in the case of the configuration of FIG. 13) will be described with a specific example.

  Assume that a direct mail layout including a product information part and a person-in-charge part as shown in FIG. 24 is created in a company in order to distribute a direct mail for advertising a new product. The product information part in the layout is composed of image data and is handled as a fixed object. The person in charge is composed of text data describing the names of two persons in charge. Treat as a mutable object. There are three delivery methods: printing, E-mail, and FAX.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 25, the page data suitable for the output method includes (a) the page data for the person in charge A, (b) the page data for the person in charge B, and (c) the page data for the person in charge A. E-mail page data, (d) Person B's E-mail page data, (e) Person A's FAX page data, and (f) Person B's FAX page data are required. Become.

  When the six types of page data suitable for each of the output methods described above are created using the method of this embodiment, first, the product data portion has the same configuration as the variable data shown in FIG. The variable data in which the information is described in the drawing / layout information 1 as a fixed object and the drawing / layout information of the person in charge is described in the drawing / layout information 2 as a variable object is created and transmitted to the controller. As for the distribution method, the output method, destination information, drawing settings, and the like are collected and stored in advance in the RAM or HDD as the output designation table in FIG.

  The controller that has received the variable data analyzes the variable data in the interpreter unit 11 and creates a drawing object for printing at the upper left of FIG. Next, drawing settings are read from the output specification table, and drawing objects suitable for E-mail and FAX (e-mail drawing objects, FAX drawing objects) are read from printing objects (product information, persons in charge A and B). Each of them is converted to create a file. Then, the converted drawing object (upper right in FIG. 26: drawing object for E-mail, upper center: drawing object for FAX) and drawing settings are registered as a group table as shown in FIG. 15 (FIG. 16).

  The rasterizing unit 12 obtains a group table, and from the drawing settings and drawing objects, page data suitable for each output (lower left in FIG. 26: page data for printing, lower right: page data for E-mail, lower center: for FAX) Page data) is created (FIG. 17).

  Finally, the output method control unit 13 registers the addresses of the created print, E-mail and FAX page data in the output designation table, and information on the E-mail in the output designation table is stored in the E-mail module. , Fax information can be delivered to the fax module and distributed by the specified output method.

  On the other hand, when creating using the conventional technology, as shown in FIG. 27, the page data for printing of each person in charge is each subjected to twice (E-mail, FAX) conversion processing, and as a whole Needs to convert data corresponding to the size of four page data.

  That is, when the conventional technique is used, the conversion target is page data as shown in FIG. 28, whereas when the method of this embodiment is used, the conversion target is a drawing object as shown in FIG. Therefore, the data size to be converted becomes smaller than when the conventional technique is used, the time required for conversion can be shortened, and page data suitable for each output method can be efficiently created.

  Next, a variable data output control method, variable data output control apparatus, and variable data output control program according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in the background art, the current variable print is used exclusively for printing, so when applied to an output method other than printing, a means for creating page data suitable for the output method is required. . When the prior art is applied as this means, page data once created is converted to create page data suitable for each output method, so a large amount of page data can be created quickly. There was a problem that I could not. Furthermore, in the prior art, since conversion processing is performed on all drawing objects, there is a problem that the image quality is significantly deteriorated due to character crushing in some cases.

  In view of this, this embodiment proposes a method that not only efficiently creates page data suitable for each output method, but also suppresses deterioration in image quality of the page data.

  FIG. 30 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the controller, and FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 20 that functions as the controller of this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 30, the controller creates a drawing object (variable object, fixed object) from variable data, and refers to the output designation table to convert it into a drawing object (variable object only) suitable for each output method. A rasterizing unit 12 that rasterizes a drawing object to create page data suitable for each output method, an output method control unit 13 that outputs the page data to an output module corresponding to each output method, and the like.

  The controller having the above-described configuration may be a single device, but can also be incorporated in a variable data output control device such as the image forming apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 31 (the description of each component is omitted). When incorporated in the image forming apparatus 20, the interpreter unit 11, the rasterizing unit 12, and the output method control unit 13 constituting the controller are stored in the RAM as program modules. The output designation table and group table are stored in the RAM or HDD 21c.

  Hereinafter, the operation of each part of the controller will be described in detail. FIG. 33 to FIG. 35 are flowcharts showing processing of the interpreter unit 11, the rasterize unit 12, and the output method control unit 13, respectively.

[Interpreter section]
The interpreter unit 11 first reads and analyzes the variable data transmitted from the host (S901). Next, it is confirmed in advance whether an output designation table is stored in the RAM or HDD 21c (S902). If the output designation table exists, the contents of the variable data are checked, and it is determined whether or not the contents are an image (data included in the variable data is image data) (S904). If the content is an image, a drawing object is created from variable data (S907), drawing settings (resolution, page size, etc.) are read from the output designation table (S908), and the drawing object is read based on each drawing setting. Conversion processing is performed, and a drawing object (variable object, fixed object) suitable for the drawing setting is created (S909). On the other hand, when the content is other than the image (data included in the variable data is data other than the image data), the drawing setting (resolution, page size, etc.) is read from the output designation table (S905), and the drawing setting is made from the variable data. The drawing object (variable object, fixed object) suitable for is directly created (S906). Then, the drawing object created directly or converted into the drawing setting is registered in the group data (S910), and the drawing object creation process is executed for all the drawing settings (S911). If the output designation table does not exist, a drawing object (variable object, fixed object) is directly created from the variable data (S903). Then, the processing of S902 to S911 is executed for all the variable data (all data of all the variable data when the variable data includes a plurality of data) (S912).

  As shown in FIG. 32, the group table indicates how many page data need to be created for each page by what output method, and is created based on the output designation table. Specifically, in this group table, for each page, the number of each output method, the output format, resolution, and page size, as well as the address of the drawing object required to create page data, are described. The The difference from FIG. 15 of the first embodiment is that, in the flow of FIG. 33, conversion processing is not performed when the content of variable data is other than an image, so data other than an image (here, a fixed object) This is registered for each output method.

  As for the processing of the interpreter unit 11, when this embodiment is compared with the first embodiment described above, in the first embodiment, all conversion processing is performed regardless of the contents of variable data. In the example, processing is divided between an image and a non-image, and for other than the image, a drawing object is created directly from the variable data, thereby realizing high image quality.

  In the present embodiment, the drawing object conversion process is performed by the interpreter unit 11. However, the rasterization unit 12 may perform the conversion process as in the first embodiment.

[Rasterize section]
The rasterizing unit 12 first acquires a group table (S1001), and acquires drawing settings from the group table (S1002). Next, the drawing object specified by the address of the group table is rasterized based on the drawing setting to create page data (S1003). Then, the created page data is registered in the output designation table (S1004). In this case, the drawing object directly created or converted by the interpreter unit 11 is registered in the group table, and the drawing setting is acquired from the group table by the rasterizing unit 12, but the drawing setting is embedded in the drawing object. Does not have to use the group table.

[Output method controller]
The output method control unit 13 first acquires an output designation table (S1101), reads output settings (output method, destination information, etc.) from the output designation table, and reads page data registered by the rasterizing unit 12 (S1102). Next, destination information, page data, etc. are passed to the module corresponding to each output method (S1103), and the processing of S1103 is executed for all output settings (S1104).

  By performing such processing, information suitable for the recipient can be distributed in a form suitable for the recipient's environment. Further, for images other than images, it is possible to realize high image quality by creating a drawing object directly from variable data.

  Hereinafter, the effect of the present embodiment will be described with specific examples.

  As in the first embodiment, in order to distribute a direct mail for advertising a new product at a certain company, a direct mail composed of a product information part and a person in charge as shown in FIG. Suppose you have created a layout. The product information part in the layout is composed of image data and is handled as a fixed object. The person in charge is composed of text data describing the names of two persons in charge. Treat as a mutable object. There are three delivery methods: printing, E-mail, and FAX.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 25, the page data suitable for the output method includes (a) the page data for the person in charge A, (b) the page data for the person in charge B, and (c) the page data for the person in charge A. E-mail page data, (d) Person B's E-mail page data, (e) Person A's FAX page data, and (f) Person B's FAX page data are required. Become.

  When six types of page data suitable for the above output method are created by using the method of this embodiment, first, the drawing / layout information of the product information portion has the same configuration as the variable data shown in FIG. Is created in the drawing / layout information 1 as a fixed object, and variable data in which the drawing / layout information of the person in charge is described in the drawing / layout information 2 as a variable object is created and transmitted to the controller. As for the distribution method, the output method, destination information, drawing settings, and the like are collected and stored in advance in the RAM or HDD as the output designation table in FIG.

  The controller that has received the variable data analyzes the variable data in the interpreter unit 11, and then checks whether the variable data is an image. In the case of the above direct mail, the product information part composed of image data is suitable for FAX and E-mail by first creating a drawing object and converting the drawing object based on the drawing settings. A drawing object (for E-mail, FAX) is created (upper center in FIG. 36). The person in charge composed of text data directly creates a drawing object (for E-mail, FAX) based on the output designation from the variable data (lower center in FIG. 36). Then, the directly created or converted drawing objects and drawing settings are registered as a group table as shown in FIG. 32 (FIG. 33).

  The rasterize unit 12 acquires a group table, and from the drawing settings and drawing objects, page data suitable for each output (upper right in FIG. 36: page data for printing, right center: page data for E-mail, lower right: for FAX) Page data) is created (FIG. 34).

  Finally, the output method control unit 13 registers the addresses of the created print, E-mail and FAX page data in the output designation table, and information on the E-mail in the output designation table is stored in the E-mail module. , Fax information can be delivered to the fax module and distributed by the specified output method.

  On the other hand, when it is created using the prior art, the page data for printing of each person in charge is subjected twice (E-mail, FAX) conversion processing, and as a whole, it is equivalent to 4 page data. It is necessary to convert the data corresponding to the size.

  That is, the conversion target is page data in the prior art, but in this embodiment, the conversion target is a drawing object. Therefore, the data size of the conversion target is smaller than in the case of using the conventional technique, and the time required for the conversion Can be shortened.

  Further, for example, when the text data shown in FIG. 37 is output in two sizes (reduced by 50% in each of the vertical and horizontal directions), in the conventional technique, the character conversion as shown in the lower left of FIG. By using the technique of the embodiment, it is possible to perform drawing without character crushing as shown in the lower right of FIG. 37, and high-quality output can be maintained regardless of the output method.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the output method has been described by taking three examples of printing, FAX, and E-mail as examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and any output data using variable data can be used. The present invention can be similarly applied to two or more output methods selected from a plurality of output methods.

  The present invention can be used for a method, an apparatus, and a program for outputting variable data by a plurality of output methods.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Interpreter part 12 Rasterization part 13 Output system control part 20 Image forming apparatus 21 Control part 21a CPU
21b Memory 21c HDD
21d Communication I / F unit 22 Display unit 23 Operation unit 24 Image printing unit 31 Interpreter unit 32 Rasterization unit 33 Output method control unit

Claims (9)

A variable data output control method for creating a plurality of types of page data corresponding to a plurality of types of output methods using variable data used in variable printing,
A first step of creating a first table associating each of the output methods, an output setting including one or more destinations, and a drawing setting including a page size;
A second step of creating a drawing object from the variable data and then converting the drawing object into a plurality of drawing objects corresponding to the respective drawing settings by referring to the first table;
A third step of creating the plurality of types of page data by rasterizing the plurality of converted drawing objects based on the corresponding drawing settings;
Referring to the first table, each page data and the output setting corresponding to the drawing setting of the drawing object that is the basis of the page data are output to the module of the output method corresponding to the output setting. A variable data output control method comprising at least a fourth step. A variable data output control method for creating a plurality of types of page data corresponding to a plurality of types of output methods using variable data used in variable printing,
A first step of creating a first table associating each of the output methods, an output setting including one or more destinations, and a drawing setting including a page size;
A second step of creating a drawing object from the variable data and creating a second table associating the drawing object with the drawing settings of the first table;
With reference to the second table, the drawing object is converted into a plurality of drawing objects corresponding to the drawing settings, and the converted drawing objects are rasterized based on the corresponding drawing settings. A third step of creating the plurality of types of page data;
Referring to the first table, each page data and the output setting corresponding to the drawing setting of the drawing object that is the basis of the page data are output to the module of the output method corresponding to the output setting. A variable data output control method comprising at least a fourth step. A variable data output control method for creating a plurality of types of page data corresponding to a plurality of types of output methods using variable data used in variable printing,
A first step of creating a first table associating each of the output methods, an output setting including one or more destinations, and a drawing setting including a page size;
The variable data is analyzed to determine whether the data included in the variable data is image data. In the case of image data, after creating a drawing object from the variable data, refer to the first table. The drawing object is converted into a plurality of drawing objects corresponding to each drawing setting, and in the case of data other than image data, the variable data is changed to each drawing setting by referring to the first table. A second step of creating a plurality of corresponding drawing objects;
A third step of creating the plurality of types of page data by rasterizing the created and / or converted drawing objects based on the corresponding drawing settings;
Referring to the first table, each page data and the output setting corresponding to the drawing setting of the drawing object that is the basis of the page data are output to the module of the output method corresponding to the output setting. A variable data output control method comprising at least a fourth step.   4. The variable data output control method according to claim 3, wherein the data other than the image data is text data. A variable data output control device that creates a plurality of types of page data corresponding to a plurality of types of output methods using variable data used in variable printing,
A storage unit that stores a first table that associates each output method, an output setting including one or more destinations, and a drawing setting including a page size;
An interpreter for converting a drawing object into a plurality of drawing objects corresponding to each of the drawing settings after creating the drawing object from the variable data, referring to the first table;
Rasterizing the plurality of converted drawing objects based on the corresponding drawing settings to create the plurality of types of page data; and
Referring to the first table, each page data and the output setting corresponding to the drawing setting of the drawing object that is the basis of the page data are output to the module of the output method corresponding to the output setting. A variable data output control device comprising at least an output method control unit. A variable data output control device that creates a plurality of types of page data corresponding to a plurality of types of output methods using variable data used in variable printing,
A storage unit that stores a first table that associates each output method, an output setting including one or more destinations, and a drawing setting including a page size;
An interpreter that creates a drawing object from the variable data and creates a second table that associates the drawing object with the drawing settings of the first table;
With reference to the second table, the drawing object is converted into a plurality of drawing objects corresponding to the drawing settings, and the converted drawing objects are rasterized based on the corresponding drawing settings. A rasterizing section for creating the plurality of types of page data;
Referring to the first table, each page data and the output setting corresponding to the drawing setting of the drawing object that is the basis of the page data are output to the module of the output method corresponding to the output setting. A variable data output control device comprising at least an output method control unit. A variable data output control device that creates a plurality of types of page data corresponding to a plurality of types of output methods using variable data used in variable printing,
A storage unit that stores a first table that associates each output method, an output setting including one or more destinations, and a drawing setting including a page size;
The variable data is analyzed to determine whether the data included in the variable data is image data. In the case of image data, after creating a drawing object from the variable data, refer to the first table. The drawing object is converted into a plurality of drawing objects corresponding to each drawing setting, and in the case of data other than image data, the variable data is changed to each drawing setting by referring to the first table. An interpreter for creating a plurality of corresponding drawing objects;
Rasterizing the created and / or converted drawing objects based on the corresponding drawing settings to create the plurality of types of page data; and
Referring to the first table, each page data and the output setting corresponding to the drawing setting of the drawing object that is the basis of the page data are output to the module of the output method corresponding to the output setting. A variable data output control device comprising at least an output method control unit.   8. The variable data output control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the data other than the image data is text data. A variable data output control program that operates in a system that creates multiple types of page data corresponding to multiple types of output methods using variable data used in variable printing,
Computer
9. A variable data output control program that functions as an interpreter unit, a rasterize unit, and an output method control unit according to claim 5.

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