JP5312618B2 - Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To output images as simply and appropriately as possible even if a drawing area size defined in print data and a sheet size are different. <P>SOLUTION: Print setting is associated in advance with a drawing mode. When printing in the print setting is specified, the printing is performed in the drawing mode (an OFFICE mode, a POD_1 mode, and a POD_2 mode) associated with the print setting. The printing is performed in the drawing mode determined based on result of comparison of sheet size and drawing area size specified in PDL data, with preset standard sheet size. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a computer program, and is particularly suitable for use in forming an image based on print data such as PDL data.

Conventionally, when printing an image on paper, a technique for preventing a print result unintended by the user has been proposed.
In Patent Document 1, a selection screen for the same image fitted in a plurality of size frames is displayed, and an image appropriately fitted in the frame is selected by the user from among the images displayed on the selection screen. Then, it is disclosed that the image is cut out and printed in accordance with a frame. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151620 discloses that when an invalid paper size is specified, the user selects whether to perform printing forcibly or to perform printing by performing a reduction process. Further, Patent Document 3 discloses that when there are a plurality of sheets having a minimum margin, printing is performed by selecting a sheet having an aspect ratio closest to the aspect ratio of the drawing area.

  By the way, as an electronic document format for performing such printing, there is PDF (Portable Document Format). PDF is one of widely used electronic document formats such as display on a display, printing on a printer, and submission data for publication. In PDF, it is possible to define several boundary boxes for each page of a document. Among the boundary boxes, there are a paper boundary box (media box) for instructing a paper size, a drawing boundary box (crop box) for instructing a drawing area, and the like.

There are roughly two types of methods for printing data generated using such PDF (hereinafter referred to as PDF data).
The first printing method is direct printing in which image formation is performed based on PDF data without using a printer driver. When performing this direct printing, it is desirable that the printer can automatically select the paper to be used for printing based on the value (size) of the paper boundary box defined in the PDF data.
The second printing method is driver printing. In this driver printing, first, PDF data is displayed using an application on the host computer side. Then, the PDF data is converted into data described in PDL (Page Description Language) (hereinafter referred to as PDL data) using a printer driver and transmitted to the printer. When performing this driver printing, since the printer displayed PDF data based on the value of the drawing boundary box, it is desirable that the paper to be used for printing can be automatically selected based on the value (size) of the drawing boundary box.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-4339 JP 2003-112466 A JP 2007-79819 A

  These two printing methods differ in the reference boundary box. For this reason, if the paper boundary box and the drawing boundary box do not match, there is a problem that the output results of these two printing methods are also different. However, the technique described in the above-mentioned patent document does not consider this problem.

As described above, there are cases where the data creator intends and cases where the boundary boxes do not coincide with each other.
As a case where the data creator intentionally makes the boundary boxes inconsistent, for example, different output sizes and output ranges may be designated for screen display and printing. For example, when PDF data is used as input data for POD (Print On Demand), auxiliary information such as a color bar and a printer mark may be drawn outside the drawing boundary box. In such a case, the data creator intentionally does not match the boundary box, so that the color bar and the printer mark are not displayed at the time of display, and the color bar and the printer mark are printed at the time of printing. It becomes possible.

On the other hand, when the boundary boxes do not match although the data creator does not intend, for example, it may be caused by a mistake during work. For example, when PDF data originally created for printing on a printing machine used in POD is diverted for distribution on the network, if only the drawing boundary box is changed, the boundary box will not match. Become.
As described above, if the drawing boundary box and the paper boundary box do not match, the output result for the same data is different between direct printing and driver printing, so it is clear that this is inconvenient for the printer. is there.

  Particularly in commercial printing such as POD, there are many cases where the data creator and the data printer are different. In such a case, since the boundary box used for paper selection differs depending on the printing method, it may be output in a paper size not intended by the data creator. Therefore, conventionally, the data printer has to check with the data creator and make corrections as necessary. Therefore, the production capacity and efficiency of printing have been reduced.

  In addition, due to device-side factors, there are cases in which drawing cannot be performed from edge to edge of the sheet, and a portion that cannot be slightly drawn is generated. In such a case, it can be dealt with by cutting the paper after drawing it so as to protrude on a slightly larger paper. This protrusion is called “painting”. However, if clipping is performed in the drawing boundary box, the added portion is not drawn.

  In addition, in Patent Document 1 described above, it is necessary for the user to manually specify a range in order to cut out a desired part. For this reason, when the paper boundary box and the drawing boundary box do not match, applying the technique described in Patent Document 1 increases the burden on the user. Therefore, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is inappropriate for processing a large amount of data. Patent Document 2 is a technique applied when a physical paper size that cannot be processed is selected. Therefore, although the physical paper size that can be processed is selected, if the paper boundary box and the drawing boundary box do not match, it is difficult to apply the technique described in Patent Document 2. Patent Document 3 is only for paper selection. Therefore, for example, when image data includes drawing content that is not intended by the data creator, and the paper boundary box and the drawing boundary box do not match, the drawing content is also determined as a criterion for paper selection. Will be considered. Therefore, the image data cannot be output properly on the paper.

As described above, in the conventional technique, it is difficult to appropriately output an image when the drawing boundary box, which is information indicating the drawing area, does not match the paper boundary box, which is information indicating the paper size. There was a problem that there was.
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and even when the size of the drawing area defined in the print data and the size of the paper do not match, an image is output as easily and appropriately as possible. The purpose is to be able to.

The image processing apparatus of the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires the drawing area size information about the size of the drawing and the paper size information about the size of set paper to be used for printing region from the print data, the paper size information When the paper size based on the drawing area does not match the drawing area size based on the drawing area size information, the paper size information is used as the drawing area of the print data or the drawing area size information is used. Determining means based on both the size indicated by the drawing area size information and the size indicated by the paper size information, and the determining means determines to use the paper size information as the drawing area of the print data. An image in which data within a size based on the paper size information in the print data is printed Data is generated, and data within a size based on the drawing area size information in the print data is printed when the determining unit determines to use the drawing area size information as the drawing area of the print data. And generating means for generating such image data.

The image processing method of the present invention, the steps of acquiring and drawing area size information about the size of the drawing and the paper size information about the size of set paper to be used for printing region from the print data, the paper size information When the paper size based on the drawing area does not match the drawing area size based on the drawing area size information, the paper size information is used as the drawing area of the print data or the drawing area size information is used. A determination step for determining whether the drawing area size information is based on both the size indicated by the drawing area size information and the size indicated by the paper size information, and the determination step determines that the paper size information is used as the drawing area for the print data. Data within the size based on the paper size information in the print data is printed. When the determination step determines that the drawing area size information is used as the drawing area of the print data, data within a size based on the drawing area size information in the print data is printed. A generation step of generating image data as described above .

Computer program of the present invention, the steps of acquiring and drawing area size information about the size of the drawing and the paper size information about the size of set paper to be used for printing region from the print data, based on the sheet size information Whether the paper size information is used as the drawing area of the print data or the drawing area size information is used when the paper size does not match the drawing area size based on the drawing area size information Is determined based on both the size indicated by the drawing area size information and the size indicated by the paper size information, and the determination step determines that the paper size information is used as the drawing area of the print data. Data in a size based on the paper size information in the print data When image data to be printed is generated, and it is determined by the determining step that the drawing area size information is used as a drawing area of the print data, a size within the size based on the drawing area size information in the print data A generation step of generating image data on which data is printed is executed by a computer.

According to the present invention, even if the size of the size and paper of the drawing area that is defined in the print data do not match, based on the characteristics of each page in the print data can only easily and appropriately output an image can do.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to a first embodiment of this invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image forming system according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printing result in each drawing mode according to the first embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of image forming processing in the multi-function peripheral when the paper boundary box and the drawing boundary box do not match according to the first embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a graphic user interface for selecting a drawing mode according to print settings according to the first embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention and shows an example of the graphic interface which performs the setting regarding paper feed. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for determining a drawing mode based on PDL data according to the first embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table that stores the setting values of a paper boundary counter and a drawing boundary counter according to the first embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a graphic user interface for allowing a data printer to select a drawing mode when the drawing mode cannot be estimated based on PDL data according to the first embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen that displays the first embodiment of the present invention and displays print results according to a drawing mode side by side. It is a figure which shows the 1st Example of this invention and shows the 1st example of the method of determining drawing mode based on PDL data. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention and shows the 2nd example of the method of determining drawing mode based on PDL data. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for determining a drawing mode according to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<System configuration of MFP>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of the multifunction device 4010.
The CPU 5010 is a device for performing, for example, calculation, determination, and input / output of information according to a program stored in the memory 5030.
The frame buffer 5020 is a memory for temporarily holding image data formed using a program stored in the memory 5030.
The memory 5030 includes, for example, a ROM and a RAM, and stores programs and the like. Each unit in the memory 5030 (image forming unit 5031 to range area resetting unit 5039) means a program held in the memory 5030. Hereinafter, each unit in the memory 5030 will be described.

  The image forming unit 5031 is a program for forming image data to be printed based on PDL data described in PDL which is a printing language. As described above, the image data formed by the image forming unit 5031 is held in the frame buffer 5020. The image forming unit 5031 includes an interpreter 5032 and a rasterizer 5033. In FIG. 1, the rasterizer 5033 is realized by software, but the rasterizer may be realized by using hardware.

An image conversion unit 5037 performs processing such as compression and color conversion on image data formed using a program stored in the memory 5030.
A paper feed selection unit 5038 is a program for selecting a paper (physical paper) that is actually used for printing with respect to a logical paper size. The paper size specified by the input PDL data A suitable sheet is selected and notified to the sheet feeding device 5064.
The range area resetting unit 5039 is a program for setting a range area suitable for drawing or printing based on various conditions and PDL data for image formation and printing. The range area resetting unit 5039 includes a range area coincidence determining unit 5034, a print setting reference range area resetting unit 5035, and a print data reference range area resetting unit 5036.

  A range area coincidence determination unit 5034 determines whether or not the paper designation range area and the drawing designation range area of each page match. Here, the paper designation range area indicates, for example, the size of the area (paper size) indicated by the paper boundary box (information for designating the paper size) included in the PDL data. The drawing designation range area indicates the size of an area (drawing area) indicated by a drawing boundary box (information for designating the drawing area) included in the PDL data, for example.

The print setting reference range area resetting unit 5035 is for setting a range area based on settings at the time of printing.
The print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 is for setting a range area based on the print data.
A system bus 5040 is a device for exchanging information between the CPU 5010, the frame buffer 5020, the interface (IF) 5050, and the memory 5030.
The interface 5050 is for exchanging data in the multi-function device 4010.
An operation panel 5061, a network port (Network Port) 5062, and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port (USB Port) 5063 are devices mainly for exchanging information with the outside.
The operation panel 5061 is for the user to make various settings for the multifunction device 4010. The operation panel 5061 includes, for example, an image display device and an operation device.
The network port 5062 is for connecting to a network. The multifunction device 4010 can transmit and receive PDL data and the like via the network port 5062. Also, by using the network port 5062, information on the management status of the device is exchanged with an external device, and a user interface for performing various settings of the multifunction device 4010 is provided instead of the operation panel. It is possible.

  The USB port 5063 is for connecting the multifunction device 4010 and other peripheral devices to each other, or for connecting the multifunction device 4010 as a peripheral device to a computer such as a personal computer. In recent years, the USB port 5063 is also used for USB memory as a storage device using a large-capacity nonvolatile memory, connection with a mobile phone, and the like.

A paper feeding device 5064, a printing device 5065, and a finisher 5066 are devices for the multifunction device 4010 to function as a printing machine.
The paper feeding device 5064 is for holding a paper medium and sending it to the printing device 5065 as necessary. The sheet feeding device 5064 is mounted as a tray below the multifunction device 4010 or is mounted as a deck on the side of the multifunction device 4010. Note that a paper feeding device 5064 may be mounted on the upper part of the multifunction device 4010 as a device for feeding paper in a free size called manual feeding.

  The printing device 5065 is a device for reproducing the image data held in the frame buffer 5020 on the paper fed by the paper feeding device 5064 using a colorant or the like. Examples of a method for realizing the printing device 5065 include an electrophotographic method, an inkjet method, a method using thermal paper, and the like. However, the method for realizing the printing device 5065 is not particularly limited.

The finisher 5066 is a device for applying a finishing process such as bookbinding or folding to the paper printed by the printing device 5065. The finisher 5066 is not an essential component for the multifunction device 4010 (printing machine) and may be omitted.
The hard disk 5067 can hold various information such as the result of receiving data sent from the network port 5062 and the image data created by the image forming unit 5031.

<Configuration of image forming system>
Next, an image forming system having the multi-function device 4010 having the above configuration will be described.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the image forming system. Here we focus on the data flow.
As described above, the multi-function device 4010 includes the USB ports 5063a and 5063b, the network port (network card (NIC)) 5062, and the hard disk (HD) 5067.

  The USB port 5063a is connected to the USB port 4021 of the host computer 4020 via the USB cable 4060. In this case, when the multifunction device 4010 receives data such as image data in the hard disk (HD) 4022 from the host computer 4020 via the USB cable 4060, the multifunction device 4010 can print an image based on the data. Further, the multifunction device 4010 can notify the host computer 4020 of its own device information via the USB cable 4060.

  A network port 5062 of the multifunction device 4010 is mutually connected to a network port 4031 of the host computer 4030 via the network 4050. When the multifunction device 4010 receives data such as image data in the hard disk (HD) 4032 of the host computer 4030 from the host computer 4030 via the network 4050, the multifunction device 4010 can print an image based on the data. The host computer 4030 can also acquire device information of the multifunction device 4010 via the network 4050 by using a web browser program or the like that runs on the host computer 4030.

The USB port 5063b of the multifunction device 4010 is connected to the USB memory 4040. The multifunction device 4010 copies data such as image data stored in the nonvolatile memory (Mem) 4041 included in the USB memory 4040 based on an operation of the operation panel 5061 and prints an image based on the data. Is possible.
Note that the multifunction device 4010 may store data such as image data used for printing in the memory 5030 or the hard disk 5067.

<Basic printing flow>
Next, a basic printing process flow in the multifunction device 4010 will be described.
The processes for performing the printing process include, for example, a print setting process, a data receiving process, an image forming process, a paper feeding process, a printing process, and a paper discharging process.
The print setting step is a step of setting processing conditions such as image formation before submitting a job based on operation of the operation panel 5061, reception of information from the network 4050, or the like.
The data receiving step is a step of receiving information used for printing from another device. There are various types of information. In the present embodiment, the data handled will be described by taking a PDF format, which is a kind of PDL, as an example. As a method of receiving data, there are a method of receiving data from another device via the network port 5062 and the USB port 5063, a method of reading information from a recording medium connected to the USB port 5063, and the like.

  The image forming process is realized by the image forming unit 5031 shown in FIG. The image forming process is a process of forming an image based on the information received in the data receiving process. The received information may be image data itself. In some cases, the received information is PDL data described in PDL, which is a language for printing. In this case, an image forming process is realized by an interpret process for interpreting the PDL data by the interpreter 5032 and a rasterize process for rendering an image by the rasterizer 5033. A plurality of interpreters 5032 may be installed depending on the language for printing. The same applies to the rasterizer 5033.

  The interpret process is a process for interpreting a drawing command sequence included in the PDL data, and is divided into a setting process for drawing and an actual drawing process. Furthermore, the drawing process can be divided into a drawing process for image data, a drawing process for characters, and a drawing process for graphics. The rasterizing process is a process of drawing a line or an image in the frame buffer 5020 based on the drawing command interpreted by the interpret process.

The paper feeding process is a process for feeding the paper set in the paper feeding device 5064 to the printing device 5065. The paper used at this time is selected by the paper supply paper selection unit 5038 based on paper selection included in the PDL data and paper selection included in the print settings.
The printing process is a process for printing on the paper fed in the paper feeding process.
The paper discharge process is a process of discharging the paper printed in the printing process to the outside of the multifunction peripheral. Further, finishing may be performed by the finisher 5066. The finishing process includes stapling, punching, shifting, and the like.

<Drawing mode>
In the present embodiment, the following three types of drawing modes are assumed as combinations of the boundary boxes actually used for the paper boundary box (media box) and the drawing boundary box (crop box) specified by the PDL data. Yes. Here, these three types of drawing modes are referred to as OFFICE mode, POD_1 mode, and POD_2 mode.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printing result in each drawing mode. FIG. 3A shows the original PDL data 40.
In the PDL data 40, a drawing boundary box 41 and a paper boundary box 42 are designated. Further, the PDL data 40 includes a color bar 43, a drawing content 44 including a part to be added, and a registration mark 45.
Here, based on the concept of PDF data, the paper boundary box is described as a media box, and the drawing boundary box is described as a crop box. However, a trim box meaning finish paper size and an art box meaning content size can also be taken into account. Furthermore, it is also possible to expand to select a clipping range used for determining a suitable paper size and drawing from three or more boundary boxes.

The OFFICE mode (paper saving mode) is a mode in which the drawing boundary box 41 is used as a boundary box serving as a reference for selecting paper and specifying a drawing range. FIG. 3B shows the result printed in the OFFICE mode. As shown in FIG. 3B, in the OFFICE mode, since the paper selection and the drawing range are designated using the drawing boundary box 41, the margin can be saved.
The POD_1 mode (full-print margin mode) is a mode in which the paper boundary box 42 is used as a boundary box serving as a reference for selecting a paper, and the drawing boundary box 41 is used as a boundary box serving as a reference for specifying a drawing range. FIG. 3C shows a result printed in the POD_1 mode. As shown in FIG. 3A, when printing PDL data in which the paper boundary box 42 and the drawing boundary box 41 do not match, the multifunction peripheral selects the paper using the paper boundary box 42. On the other hand, the multi-function peripheral selects the drawing boundary box 41 as the drawing size. Therefore, in the POD_1 mode, even when the color bar 43, the additional portion of the drawing content 44, the registration mark 45, and the like are outside the drawing boundary box 41, they are clipped and are not output (printed).

  The POD_2 mode (full-print marginless mode) is a mode in which the paper boundary box 42 is used as a boundary box serving as a reference for selecting a paper and specifying a drawing range. FIG. 3D shows the result printed in the POD_2 mode. As shown in FIG. 3D, when the POD_2 mode is selected, the multi-function peripheral uses the paper boundary box 42 to select a paper and a drawing area at the time of printing, so that an object outside the drawing boundary box 41 is selected. It is possible to draw the entire surface of the sheet including it. This is different from the POD_1 mode in that data outside the drawing area can be printed.

<Flow of printing by selecting a drawing mode>
Here, an example of image forming processing in the MFP 4010 when the paper boundary box 42 and the drawing boundary box 41 do not match in the input PDL data will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The basic printing flow is as described above.

  First, the range area resetting unit 5039 initializes the mismatch flag to OFF (step S1001). This mismatch flag is a flag indicating whether or not the paper boundary box 42 and the drawing boundary box 41 match in all pages included in the PDL data which is an example of the print data. If they match, the mismatch flag is OFF, and if they do not match, it is ON. The status of the mismatch flag is stored in the memory 5030, for example.

Next, the interpreter 5032 acquires the PDL data and stores it in the memory 5030 (step S1002). Specifically, the image forming unit 5031 holds, for example, PDL data sent from the host computer 4030 via the network port 5062 and the network 4050 in the memory 5030.
Next, the interpreter 5032 acquires the information of the paper boundary box 42 and the information of the drawing boundary box 41 included in the acquired PDL data for each logical page (step S1003). Note that the paper boundary box 42 cannot be omitted based on the PDF format specification. On the other hand, the drawing boundary box 41 can be omitted. When the drawing boundary box 41 is omitted, only the paper boundary box 42 is acquired. As described above, in the present embodiment, an acquisition unit is realized by performing the process of step S1003. Further, the paper boundary box 42 may be described as paper size information related to the paper size, and the drawing boundary box 41 may be described as drawing area size information related to the size of the drawing area (see FIG. 3). ).

Next, the interpreter 5032 determines for each logical page whether or not the acquired paper boundary box 42 and the drawing boundary box 41 match (step S1004). As described above, in the present embodiment, the determination unit is realized by performing the process of step S1004.
As a result of the determination, if the acquired paper boundary box 42 and the drawing boundary box 41 do not match, the process proceeds to step S1005. Then, the interpreter 5032 turns on the mismatch flag (step S1005). Then, the process proceeds to step S1006. On the other hand, if the acquired paper boundary box 42 matches the drawing boundary box 41, step S1005 is omitted and the process proceeds to step S1006.

  In step S1006, the interpreter 5032 determines whether or not the paper boundary box 42 and the drawing boundary box 41 match for all logical pages of the acquired PDL data. As a result of the determination, if all logical pages of PDL data have not been determined, the process returns to step S1003, and steps S1003 to S1006 are repeated until determination is made for all logical pages of PDL data. As a result, the determination result as to whether or not the paper boundary box 42 and the drawing boundary box 41 match in all pages is held in the mismatch flag.

Next, the range area resetting unit 5039 selects one of the drawing modes (OFFICE mode, POD_1 mode, POD_2 mode) shown above based on the state of the mismatch flag (steps S1007 to S1009).
That is, the range area resetting unit 5039 determines whether or not the state of the mismatch flag is ON (step S1007). As a result of this determination, if the state of the mismatch flag is OFF (S1007-No), the paper boundary box 42 and the drawing boundary box 41 are the same over all pages. For this reason, the print result is the result no matter which drawing mode is selected for drawing. Therefore, here, the range area resetting unit 5039 sets the POD_1 mode as the drawing mode (step S1008). And it progresses to step S1010 mentioned later.

  On the other hand, when the state of the mismatch flag is ON (S1007-Yes), processing by the print setting reference range area resetting unit 5035 and the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 is performed. That is, a drawing mode selection process for selecting a more suitable drawing mode is performed based on PDL data or print setting information such as image forming conditions and printing conditions (step S1009). In the present embodiment, a determination unit is realized by performing the process of step S1009. Details of the drawing mode selection processing will be described later.

In steps S1008 and S1009 described above, the image forming process is performed on each page including the PDL data based on the drawing mode determined by the range area resetting unit 5039.
First, the interpreter 5032 obtains the paper boundary box 42 and the drawing boundary box 41 again for all pages of the PDL data (step S1010). Next, the interpreter 5032 determines the drawing mode determined in steps S1008 and S1009 (step S1011).

As a result of this determination, when the drawing mode is the OFFICE mode, the drawing boundary box 41 of each page becomes a boundary box serving as a reference for selecting a paper and specifying a drawing range. Therefore, the interpreter 5032 replaces the paper boundary box 42 with the drawing boundary box 41 for all logical pages (step S1012). And it progresses to step S1014 mentioned later. Of course, the processing in step S1012 may be executed for pages in which the drawing boundary box and the paper boundary box are different.
In addition, when the drawing mode is the POD_1 mode, a boundary box serving as a reference for selecting a sheet and specifying a drawing range is not specified. Therefore, the interpreter 5032 continues processing according to the boundary box specified by the PDL data. That is, the interpreter 5032 selects a sheet using the sheet boundary box and designates a drawing range using the drawing boundary box. Therefore, the process directly proceeds from step S1011 to step S1014 described later.
When the drawing mode is the POD_2 mode, the paper boundary box 42 of each page is a boundary box that serves as a reference for selecting a paper and specifying a drawing range. Therefore, the interpreter 5032 replaces the drawing boundary box 41 with the paper boundary box 42 for each logical page (step S1013). And it progresses to step S1014 mentioned later. Of course, the process of step S1013 may be executed for pages in which the drawing boundary box and the paper boundary box are different.

  By the boundary box replacement process, when the interpreter 5032 is interpreting, a paper boundary box and a drawing boundary box corresponding to the drawing mode are designated for each logical page. Based on this designation, the interpreter 5032 performs interpreter processing, and the rasterizer 5033 performs rasterization processing (step S1014). By the processing in step S1014, image data is generated for each logical page, and the generated image data is held in the frame buffer 5020. As described above, in the present exemplary embodiment, the generation unit is realized by performing the process of step S1014.

  Next, the interpreter 5032 determines whether or not the interpreter process and the rasterize process corresponding to the drawing mode have been performed on all the logical pages of the acquired PDL data (step S1015). If the result of this determination is that processing has not been performed for all logical pages of PDL data, processing returns to step S1010, and steps S1010 to S1015 are repeated until processing has been performed for all logical pages of PDL data. Then, when the processing is performed for all logical pages of the PDL data, the processing according to the flowchart of FIG. 4 ends.

  Using the processing result of FIG. 4 described above, the image forming unit 5031 performs image forming processing on each page. In parallel with this image forming process, the paper feed sheet selection unit 5038 selects a sheet associated with the formed image data. The paper feeding device 5064 feeds the paper selected by the paper feeding paper selection unit 5038, and the printing device 5065 displays an image based on the image data held in the frame buffer 5020 on the fed paper. Formed (printed). Furthermore, the finisher 5066 performs a finishing process on the paper on which the image is printed as necessary.

<Drawing mode selection process>
Details of the drawing mode selection process in step S1009 in FIG. 4 will be described here. The drawing mode selection process is preferably composed of two parts. One is a method of determining a suitable drawing mode by the print setting reference range area resetting unit 5035 based on the contents of the print setting information set by the data printer. The other is a method in which the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 estimates an output result intended by the data creator based on the PDL data, and determines a suitable drawing mode from the estimated result.

[Drawing mode determination method based on print settings]
A preferred example of determining the drawing mode based on the contents of the print settings is a case where N-up printing is performed using an imposition function on the multifunction device 4010 side, for example. Information such as the registration marks 45 and the color bars 43 shown in FIG. 3A is additional information used for finishing processing for physical paper. If the multifunction device 4010 imposes a plurality of logical pages to which such additional information is added to one physical page, the meaning of the additional information is lost.
The same applies to a printing method called Fit To Page printing in which image data is scaled according to the paper size. That is, when N-up designation and Fit To Page are selected, only the content of the drawing content 44 is necessary, and there is often no need to output the margin portion.

  In the above-described print setting process, the print setting reference range area resetting unit 5035 associates in advance print settings that can be performed by the data printer and a drawing mode suitable for the print settings. In this way, it is possible to obtain an output result that can be predicted (as desired) for the data printer (user).

As a desirable example in this case, first, the CPU 5010 displays the graphic user interface 50 as shown in FIG. 5 on the image display device of the operation panel 5061. A data printer operates an operation panel (also referred to as an operation screen) 5061 to set a drawing mode for print settings. For example, in FIG. 5, in an area 51, content indicating that drawing in the OFFICE mode is set when N-up printing is designated is displayed. In the area 52, when Fit To Page printing is designated, content indicating that drawing in the POD_1 mode is set is displayed. In addition, it is illustrated that the drawing mode to be used when device binding is designated is undecided. The contents displayed in the areas 51 to 53 are selected from those displayed in the pull-down menu 55 by the data printer.
After the drawing mode is set for each print setting (N-up printing, Fit To Page printing, device bookbinding printing) as described above, the setting becomes effective when the button 54 is operated. . Then, the print setting reference range area resetting unit 5035 registers the setting contents in the memory 5030, for example. In subsequent image forming processes, the multifunction peripheral selects a drawing mode based on the contents of the print settings designated by the data printer via the operation panel. As an example of direct printing without using a printer driver, there is a technique for printing PDL data in the medium by mounting the removable medium on a multifunction peripheral. In this case, the data printer can print the PDL data in the removable medium and set the print setting information of the PDL data using the operation panel of the multifunction peripheral. The multi-function peripheral can select a drawing mode using the print setting information set at this time and the information registered through FIG.
As described above, in this embodiment, the print setting reference range area resetting unit 5035 associates N-up printing, Fit To Page printing, device bookbinding printing, which are examples of settings relating to images, and the drawing mode in advance. By registering, a registration means is realized.

  It is also possible for the data printer to associate the drawing mode to be used with the print setting by default. In this case, for example, the CPU 5010 displays a graphic interface 60 for performing settings relating to paper feeding as shown in FIG. 6 on the image display device of the operation panel 5061. The data printer operates the operation device of the operation panel 5061 to select one corresponding to a desired drawing mode from those displayed in the pull-down menu 64. As a result, it is possible to select the drawing mode when setting the paper feed. At this time, it is desirable to validate the selection of such a drawing mode only when the paper selection 62 is automatic.

[Drawing mode determination method based on PDL data]
Next, an example of a method in which the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 estimates an output result intended by the data creator based on PDL data (print data) and determines a drawing mode from the estimated result will be described. In short, the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 determines the drawing mode by estimating whether the mismatch between the paper boundary box 42 and the drawing boundary box 41 is intended by the data creator. To do.

  In general, a standard size is often used for printing paper in consideration of convenience and the like. In Japan, A versions such as A4 and A3, B versions such as B5 and B4, postcards and envelopes are widely used. Furthermore, it is rare that a plurality of types of standard paper are mixed in one printed matter. The print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 performs processing based on these features.

Here, an example of a method for determining the drawing mode based on the PDL data will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the present embodiment, when the print setting registered using the graphic user interface 50 shown in FIG. 5 is not specified at the time of printing by the data printer, it is based on the PDL data as follows. Determine the drawing mode.
In FIG. 7, first, the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 initializes the values of the paper boundary counter and the drawing boundary counter to 0 (steps S2001 and S2002). FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table 80 that stores setting values of the paper boundary counter and the drawing boundary counter. As shown in FIG. 8, the values of the paper boundary counter and the drawing boundary counter are set for the same type of standard paper.
In FIG. 8, the values of the paper boundary counter and the drawing boundary counter are set for each of a plurality of types of standard paper, but this is not always necessary. That is, the values of the paper boundary counter and the drawing boundary counter may be set for one type of standard paper. The table 80 is stored in the memory 5030, for example.

Next, the interpreter 5032 acquires information on the paper boundary box and the drawing boundary box for each page (step S2003).
Next, the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 determines whether or not the paper size specified in the paper boundary box acquired in step S2003 matches any one of the standard paper sizes registered in the table 80. Is determined (step S2004). Thus, in the present embodiment, the first comparison unit is realized by performing the process of step S2004.

  If they match as a result of this determination, the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 adds 1 to the value of the corresponding field in the paper boundary counter in the table 80 (step S2005). Then, the process proceeds to step S2006. On the other hand, if they do not match, the process skips step S2005 and proceeds to step S2006. As described above, in the present exemplary embodiment, the first counting unit that counts the number of pages in which the standard size is set in the paper boundary box is realized by performing the processing in step S2005.

In step S2006, the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 selects one of the standard papers whose size of the drawing area specified in the drawing boundary box acquired in step S2003 is registered in the table 80. Determine whether it matches the size. As described above, in the present exemplary embodiment, the second comparison unit that counts the number of pages in which the standard size is set in the drawing boundary box is realized by performing the process of step S2006.
If they match as a result of the determination, the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 adds 1 to the value of the corresponding column in the drawing boundary counter in the table 80 (step S2007). Then, the process proceeds to step S2008. On the other hand, if they do not match, step S2007 is omitted and the process proceeds to step S2008. As described above, in the present embodiment, the second counting unit is realized by performing the process of step S2007.

  In step S2008, the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 determines whether the size indicated in the boundary box matches the standard paper size for all pages of the acquired PLF data. It is determined whether or not. As a result of the determination, if all the pages of PLL data have not been determined, the process returns to step S2003, and steps S2003 to S2008 are repeated until determination is made for all pages of PDL data.

  At this time, the value of the boundary counter may not be increased for a paper type that should not be selected. For example, standard paper of 8K and 16K is used in China, but not so much used in Japan. Therefore, the multifunction device 4010 used in Japan should be selected in order to avoid accidental coincidence between the size of the standard paper that is not used in Japan and the size specified in the boundary box. The paper type may be restricted. That is, these standard papers that are rarely used in Japan are set as paper types that should not be selected, and even if the size of the paper type matches the size specified in the boundary box, the value of the boundary counter May not be increased.

Next, the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 acquires the maximum values of the paper boundary counter and the drawing boundary counter from the table 80 (steps S2009 and S2010).
Next, the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 determines whether or not the maximum value of the paper boundary counter matches the maximum value of the drawing boundary counter (step S2011). As a result of this determination, if they match, it is difficult to estimate the drawing mode. Therefore, the CPU 5010 displays a graphic user interface 70 as shown in FIG. 9 on the image display device of the operation panel 5061, and allows the data printer to select a drawing mode (step S2012).

In the area 71 of the graphic user interface 70 shown in FIG. 9, contents corresponding to the drawing mode are displayed. The content displayed in the area 71 is selected by the data printer from those displayed in the pull-down menu 72.
The graphic user interface 70 shown in FIG. 9 can not only set the paper and drawing size, but can also instruct trial printing. When the test print button 73 is pressed, an image imitating a print result corresponding to the drawing mode selected from those displayed in the pull-down menu 72 is displayed, or printing corresponding to each drawing mode is displayed. Images simulating the results can be displayed side by side.

  In order to support the selection process using FIG. 9, the multifunction peripheral of the present application displays the screen shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen 1001 in which print results corresponding to respective drawing modes are displayed side by side. In FIG. 10, images 1001a to 1001c simulating printing results corresponding to the OFFICE mode, the POD_1 mode, and the POD_2 mode are displayed on the upper right, lower left, and lower right, respectively. Further, in FIG. 10, an image 1001d based on the original PDL data including the paper boundary box and the drawing boundary box is displayed on the upper left. The user may make a selection in FIG. 9 based on the display result of FIG.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 7, if the maximum value of the paper boundary counter does not match the maximum value of the drawing boundary counter in step S2011, the process proceeds to step S2013. The print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 uses the larger one of the maximum value of the paper boundary counter and the maximum value of the drawing boundary counter as a boundary box that serves as a reference for paper selection and drawing range specification. That is, when the maximum value of the drawing boundary counter is larger than the maximum value of the paper boundary counter, the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 selects the OFFICE mode for specifying the paper selection and the drawing range based on the drawing boundary box. (S2014). On the other hand, when the maximum value of the paper boundary counter is larger than the maximum value of the drawing boundary counter, the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 selects the POD_2 mode that specifies the paper selection and the drawing range with reference to the paper boundary box. (S2015).

[Specific Example of Drawing Mode Determination Method Based on PDL Data]
Next, a specific example of a drawing mode determination method based on PDL data performed as shown in FIG. 7 will be described.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a method for determining a drawing mode based on PDL data. Specifically, FIG. 11A is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of PDL data. FIG. 11B is a diagram illustrating an example of the standard paper size. FIG.11 (c) is a figure which shows the initial value of the table 80 shown in FIG. FIG. 11D is a diagram showing the final set values of the table 80 shown in FIG.

  In the first example, the drawing mode is determined based on PDL data including pages having a paper boundary box and a drawing boundary box as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11A, this PDL data is data in which A4 is designated for the first to fourth pages and A3 is designated for the fifth page as physical paper data. Further, the standard paper size is as shown in FIG.

First, the values of the paper boundary counter and the drawing boundary counter are initialized to 0 as shown in FIG. 11C (steps S2001 and S2002).
Next, a process of adding 1 to the value of the boundary counter corresponding to the paper type having the same size as the size designated in the paper boundary box is performed for each page (steps S2004 to S2008). As a result, the values in the table 80 are as shown in FIG.

  Then, the maximum values of the paper boundary counter and the drawing boundary counter are obtained (steps S2009 and S2010). In the example shown in FIG. 11, since the maximum value of the paper boundary counter is larger than the maximum value of the drawing boundary counter, the OFFICE mode to be output based on the paper boundary box is selected as the drawing mode (step S2014).

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a method for determining a drawing mode based on PDL data. Specifically, FIG. 12A is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of PDL data. FIG. 12B is a diagram illustrating the final set values of the table 80 illustrated in FIG. It is assumed that the standard paper size and the initial value of the table 80 are the same as those shown in FIGS. 11B and 11C, respectively.

In the second example, the drawing mode is determined based on PDL data including pages having a paper boundary box and a drawing boundary box as shown in FIG. In FIG. 12A, it is assumed that data for viewing distribution is created by the user resetting the drawing boundary box based on the impositioned data. FIG. 12B shows the values of the boundary boxes set in the table 80 by performing the processing of steps S2001 to S2008 of FIG. 7 for the PDL data shown in FIG. is there.
In the example shown in FIG. 12B, since the maximum value of the drawing boundary counter is larger than the maximum value of the paper boundary counter, the POD_2 mode that outputs based on the drawing boundary box is selected as the drawing mode ( Step S2015).
That is, by using the processing of FIG. 7, it is possible to print in consideration of the intention of the data creator. For example, if the data creator selects a standard size for more paper boundary boxes than the drawing boundary box, the multifunction device considers the data creator's intention to print using the standard size as paper. To select POD_2. As described above, the multifunction peripheral of the present application selects the drawing mode using the point that the data creator intentionally selects the standard size.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when print settings and drawing modes are associated in advance and printing is designated by the print settings, printing is performed in the drawing modes associated with the print settings. I did it. In addition, printing is performed in a drawing mode determined based on a comparison result between the paper size and drawing area size specified in the PDL data and a preset standard paper size. Therefore, even if the paper size specified in the PDL data and the drawing area size do not match, the data printer or the data creator can select the paper and the drawing range with any intention. Can be estimated. Therefore, even when the size of the drawing area defined in the PDL data does not match the paper size, it is possible to select the most suitable paper and drawing range as much as possible based on the print settings and the PDL data.

  In this embodiment, when the drawing mode is determined based on the PDL data, the paper size (drawing area size) specified in the boundary box matches the standard paper size registered in the table 80. Whether or not (steps S2004, S2006). However, it is not always necessary to determine whether or not they completely match. That is, the difference between the paper size specified in the boundary box (drawing area size) and the standard paper size registered in the table 80 (also referred to as a reference paper size) is equal to or less than a value that can be regarded as the same (threshold value). Or less).

  Further, in the present embodiment, “the maximum value of the paper boundary counter and the maximum value of the drawing boundary counter” that match the standard paper size registered in the table 80 is acquired, and the drawing mode is determined according to the magnitude relationship between them. (Steps S2009 to S2015). However, if the drawing mode is determined based on “the number of sheet boundary counters and the number of drawing boundary counters” that matches the standard sheet size registered in the table 80, it is not always necessary to do so. For example, the ratio of the number of paper / drawing boundary counters that match the standard paper size with respect to all pages of the PDL data may be obtained, and the drawing mode may be determined according to the magnitude relationship of the obtained ratios.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when the drawing mode is determined based on the print setting, the print setting associated with the drawing mode is not limited to the one shown in FIG. That is, in FIG. 5, N-up printing and Fit To Page printing are registered as examples of print settings related to image data formation, and device bookbinding is registered as an example of print settings related to finishing processing. did. However, the registered print settings are not limited to these.

  In this embodiment, the case where the drawing mode is determined based on the PDL data when the drawing mode cannot be determined based on the print setting has been described as an example. Absent. For example, only one of these may be performed. Further, for example, both the determination of the drawing mode based on the print setting and the determination of the drawing mode based on the PDL data may be performed. In this case, when the determined drawing modes are different from each other, the drawing mode determined by a predetermined method is prioritized, or the drawing mode determined by the method selected by the user Can be prioritized.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the case where PDL data is used for printing has been described as an example. In recent years, PDL data has been used in a wide range of fields other than printing, such as storage in a storage medium and data communication by FAX. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a case where PDL data is used for purposes other than printing will be described. As described above, the present embodiment and the first embodiment described above mainly differ in the use of PDL data. Therefore, in the description of the present embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. In the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the case where the data to be handled is in the PDF format will be described as an example.

<Basic flow for storing PDL data in a storage medium>
First, an example of a flow in which PDL data is converted into image data and then saved in a storage medium will be described.
The storage process to the storage medium includes a storage setting process, a data receiving process, an image forming process, a data compression process, and a recording process. Since the data receiving process and the image forming process are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, description thereof will be omitted. The save setting step is a print setting step in the first embodiment, omits setting items relating to printing, and uses setting items used when saving an image instead of the setting items.

The data compression step is a step of reducing the file capacity required for storage by compressing the image data stored in the frame buffer 5020 by the image conversion unit 5037. For a monochrome image, the MH / MR method or the like is used as a compression format. For color images, the JPEG format based on the DCT method is used as the compression format.
The recording step is a step of saving the image data compressed by the image conversion unit 5037 in a designated storage medium. By holding the image data in the hard disk 5067 of the multifunction device 4010, it is possible to omit image forming processing when performing repeated printing. As described above, in the present embodiment, the first storage unit is realized by causing the hard disk 5067, which is an example of a storage medium, to hold image data based on an instruction from the CPU 5010.

<Application method of stored image data>
The image data stored in the hard disk 5067 or the like as described above may be diverted to other devices. Further, there is a possibility that further conversion processing is performed on the stored image data. The stored image data may be printed as it is, or may be printed with imposition on the device side. Therefore, for the image data stored as described above, it is desirable to form an image in the POD_2 mode using the paper boundary box as a reference boundary box, and to have the drawing boundary box information separately.

  That is, the CPU 5010 causes the hard disk 5067 or the like to hold the information of the drawing boundary box in the PDL data that is the source of the image data held as described above in association with the image data. As described above, in the present embodiment, the second storage unit is realized by causing the hard disk 5067, which is an example of a storage medium, to hold the drawing boundary box information based on an instruction from the CPU 5010.

  When the image data held as described above is printed, the range area resetting unit 5039 specifies the POD_2 mode. Thereby, a paper boundary box and a drawing boundary box corresponding to the drawing mode are designated for each logical page. As described above, in the present embodiment, the second determination unit is realized by the range region resetting unit 5039 specifying the POD_2 mode.

Then, according to the POD_2 mode specified by the range area resetting unit 5039 in this way, the interpreter 5032 performs the interpreter process and the rasterizer 5033 performs the rasterize process. Thereby, image data is formed. As described above, in the present embodiment, according to the POD_2 mode, the interpreter 5032 performs the interpreter process, and the rasterizer 5033 performs the rasterize process, thereby realizing the second generation unit.
By doing as described above, manual setting can be omitted as in the technique described in Patent Document 1, and the same image data can be easily used for other purposes.
When image data is copied or moved, information indicating that the image data is printed in accordance with the POD_2 mode and drawing boundary box information associated with the image data are also copied or copied. It is preferable to move. This is because the drawing boundary box can be used as a boundary box that serves as a reference for selecting the paper and specifying the drawing range even at the copy destination or the movement destination.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, when it is determined Yes in S2011 in FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is displayed and the drawing mode is selected by the user. However, in this embodiment, the paper boundary box, the drawing boundary box, When a page that does not match is detected, the screen of FIG. 9 is displayed.
In the third embodiment, the differences from the first and second embodiments will be described in a limited manner, and the other points will be described in detail using the processing of the first and second embodiments. Omitted.

In the first embodiment described above, when it is determined Yes in step S1007 in FIG. 4, the process in step S1009 is performed. However, in this embodiment, the process in step S2012 in FIG. 7 is performed. Different.
That is, when the paper boundary box and the drawing boundary box do not match, the screen of FIG. 9 is displayed.
As a result, the data printer can select the desired drawing mode, thereby realizing printing that reflects the data printer's intention. In the present embodiment, it has been described that the screen of FIG. 9 is displayed. However, when it is determined Yes in step S1007, the multifunction peripheral displays the screen of FIG. 10 and draws using the screen of FIG. The mode may be selectable.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the data printer selects the drawing mode corresponding to the set print setting information by registering information in which the print setting information is associated with the drawing mode. In contrast, in the present embodiment, a method for determining the drawing mode from the print setting information without giving a load to the data printer will be described.
In the fourth embodiment, the differences from the first to third embodiments will be described in a limited manner, and for the other points, the processing of the first to third embodiments will be used and detailed description will be given. Omitted.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the processing of this embodiment. The process of FIG. 13 is executed when the processes of steps S1001 to S1007 of FIG. 4 are executed and it is determined Yes in step S1007.
The CPU 5010 determines whether or not the print setting information selected via the operation panel includes at least one of a cutting setting for applying a cutting process to the printed material and color printing (step S1301).
If it is determined in step S1301 that it is included (S1301-Yes), the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 selects POD_2 as the drawing mode (step S1302). When performing trimming setting or color printing, it is necessary to print a color bar, a registration mark, or the like that is printed outside the drawing area. POD_2 is selected so that is printed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1301 that it is not included (S1301-No), since it is not necessary to print color bars, registration marks, etc., the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 selects POD_1 in step S1303. select.

Further, as another determination process in step S1301, for example, the following process can be cited. That is, it is determined whether the print setting information selected via the operation panel includes at least one of cutting setting and color printing, and whether there is data to be drawn outside the drawing area of the PDL data to be printed There is a process for determining whether or not.
Here, if it is determined that at least one of cutting setting and color printing is included, and it is determined that there is data to be drawn outside the drawing area, the print data reference range area resetting unit 5036 sets POD_2. select.

  According to this embodiment, even when the paper boundary box and the drawing boundary box are different, it is possible to select an appropriate drawing mode in consideration of the set print settings without increasing the load on the data printer. It becomes possible.

(Other embodiments of the present invention)
Each means constituting the image processing apparatus and each step of the image processing method in the embodiment of the present invention described above can be realized by operating a program stored in a RAM or ROM of a computer. This program and a computer-readable recording medium recording the program are included in the present invention.

  In addition, the present invention can be implemented as, for example, a system, apparatus, method, program, storage medium, or the like. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system including a plurality of devices. The present invention may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device.

  In the present invention, a software program (in the embodiment, a program corresponding to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 and 7) for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is directly or remotely supplied to the system or apparatus. In addition, this includes a case where the system or the computer of the apparatus is also achieved by reading and executing the supplied program code.

  Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes a computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

  In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, it may be in the form of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, and the like.

  Examples of the recording medium for supplying the program include a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, MO, CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW. In addition, there are magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD-R), and the like.

  As another program supply method, a browser on a client computer is used to connect to an Internet home page. The computer program itself of the present invention or a compressed file including an automatic installation function can be downloaded from the homepage by downloading it to a recording medium such as a hard disk.

  It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the present invention.

  In addition, the program of the present invention is encrypted, stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, distributed to users, and key information for decryption is downloaded from a homepage via the Internet to users who have cleared predetermined conditions. Let me. It is also possible to execute the encrypted program by using the downloaded key information and install the program on a computer.

  Further, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the computer executing the read program. In addition, based on the instructions of the program, an OS or the like running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments can also be realized by the processing.

  Further, the program read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Thereafter, the CPU of the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  It should be noted that each of the above-described embodiments is merely a specific example for carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner. . That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the technical idea or the main features thereof.

4010 MFP 5010 CPU
5020 Frame buffer 5030 Memory

Claims (13)

Obtaining means for obtaining a drawing area size information about the size of the paper size information about the size of set paper to be used for printing drawing region from the print data,
When the paper size based on the paper size information and the drawing area size based on the drawing area size information do not match, the paper size information is used as the drawing area of the print data, or the drawing Determining means for determining whether to use area size information based on both the size indicated by the drawing area size information and the size indicated by the paper size information ;
If it is determined by the determining means to use the paper size information as the drawing area of the print data, image data is generated so that data within a size based on the paper size information in the print data is printed, When it is determined by the determining means that the drawing area size information is used as a drawing area of the print data, image data is generated so that data within a size based on the drawing area size information in the print data is printed. And an image processing apparatus. The determining means includes a first comparing means for comparing a paper size based on the paper size information and a reference paper size for each page;
A first counting unit that counts the number of pages in which the paper size is set such that a difference from the reference paper size is a threshold value or less in the print data;
A second comparison unit that compares the size of the drawing area based on the drawing area size information and the reference paper size for each page;
A second counting unit configured to count the number of pages in which the drawing area size is set such that a difference from the reference paper size is equal to or less than the threshold in the print data;
The determining means uses the paper size information as a drawing area of the print data based on the number of pages counted by the first counting means and the second counting means , or the drawing area size information The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein whether to use is determined. First storage means for storing the image data generated by the generation means in a storage medium;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has a second storage means for storing the drawing area size information corresponding to the stored image data by said first storage means. Second determination means for determining a sheet on which an image based on the image data stored in the first storage means is formed and a drawing area of the image based on the drawing area size information corresponding to the image data When,
And a second generation unit configured to generate an image based on the image data stored in the first storage unit based on the paper and the drawing area determined by the second determination unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 . The determining means uses the paper size information as a drawing area of the print data based on the number of pages counted by the first counting means and the second counting means, or the drawing area size information 3. A screen for selecting whether to use the paper size information as the drawing area of the print data or to use the drawing area size information is displayed when it is not possible to determine whether to use the drawing area. An image processing apparatus according to 1. The determining means determines whether to use the paper size information as the drawing area of the print data or the drawing area size information, and the size indicated by the drawing area size information of each page and the size indicated by the paper size information. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus is determined based on: An acquisition step of acquiring the drawing area size information about the size of the paper size information about the size of set paper to be used for printing drawing region from the print data,
When the paper size based on the paper size information and the drawing area size based on the drawing area size information do not match, the paper size information is used as the drawing area of the print data, or the drawing A determination step for determining whether to use area size information based on both the size indicated by the drawing area size information and the size indicated by the paper size information ;
If it is determined in the determining step that the paper size information is used as a drawing area of the print data, image data is generated so that data within a size based on the paper size information in the print data is printed; When it is determined in the determining step that the drawing area size information is used as the drawing area of the print data, image data is generated such that data within a size based on the drawing area size information in the print data is printed. An image processing method. An acquisition step of acquiring the drawing area size information about the size of the paper size information about the size of set paper to be used for printing drawing region from the print data,
When the paper size based on the paper size information and the drawing area size based on the drawing area size information do not match, the paper size information is used as the drawing area of the print data, or the drawing A determination step for determining whether to use area size information based on both the size indicated by the drawing area size information and the size indicated by the paper size information ;
If it is determined in the determining step that the paper size information is used as a drawing area of the print data, image data is generated so that data within a size based on the paper size information in the print data is printed; When it is determined in the determining step that the drawing area size information is used as the drawing area of the print data, image data is generated such that data within a size based on the drawing area size information in the print data is printed. A computer program for causing a computer to execute the generating step. The determining step includes a first comparing step of comparing a paper size based on the paper size information with a reference paper size for each page;
A first counting step of counting the number of pages in which the paper size is set such that a difference from the reference paper size is not more than a threshold in the print data;
A second comparison step of comparing the drawing area size based on the drawing area size information and the reference paper size for each page;
A second counting step of counting the number of pages in which the drawing area size is set in which the difference from the reference paper size is equal to or less than the threshold in the print data;
The determining step uses the paper size information as a drawing area of the print data based on the number of pages counted in the first counting step and the second counting step, or the drawing area size information The computer program according to claim 8, wherein it is determined whether or not to use. A first storage step of storing the image data generated by the generation step in a storage medium;
10. The computer according to claim 8, further causing the computer to execute a second storage step of storing the drawing area size information corresponding to the image data stored in the first storage step. 11. program. A second determination step of determining a sheet on which an image based on the image data stored in the first storage step is formed and a drawing area of the image based on the drawing area size information corresponding to the image data When,
Causing the computer to further execute a second generation step of generating an image based on the image data stored in the first storage step based on the paper and the drawing area determined in the second determination step. The computer program according to claim 10. The determining step uses the paper size information as a drawing area of the print data based on the number of pages counted in the first counting step and the second counting step, or the drawing area size information If it is not possible to determine whether to use the paper size information as the drawing area of the print data or to perform a process for displaying on the display device a selection screen capable of selecting whether to use the drawing area size information The computer program according to claim 9. In the determining step, the size indicated by the drawing area size information of each page and the size indicated by the paper size information indicate whether the paper size information is used as the drawing area of the print data or the drawing area size information. The computer program according to claim 8, wherein the computer program is determined on the basis of the above.

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