JP5810614B2 - Image forming apparatus, image forming apparatus control method, and image forming apparatus control program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a print instruction program, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus that prints a sheet in which a pattern that can be recognized by an electronic pen is combined with an original image and a print instruction program that instructs printing of the sheet.

  In recent years, electronic pens having a data transmission function have become widespread. For example, when an electronic pen is moved on a sheet on which a pattern such as an Anoto (registered trademark) pattern is printed, the electronic pen uses a built-in camera to form a pattern. The position on the paper is detected by reading, and data indicating the movement path of the electronic pen (electronic pen data) is transmitted. And the apparatus which received electronic pen data analyzes electronic pen data using an application, specifies handwritten information, and displays or prints handwritten information.

  As a system using such an electronic pen, for example, in Patent Document 1 below, written content written on a dedicated paper having a predetermined pattern is used as handwritten information in which the writing position is associated based on the pattern. The digital pen capable of acquiring and transmitting the handwritten information to the outside, the handwritten information transmitted by the digital pen are received, and the writing content and the writing position are based on the writing information in the handwritten information. A printing system comprising a computer that recognizes and reflects the written content in a predetermined file, and prints the print data based on the predetermined file and the pattern on the paper, thereby making the paper the special paper A configuration provided with a print output means for printing out is disclosed.

JP 2006-268758 A

  When a memo is handwritten on an original with an electronic pen, the above pattern is combined and printed on the original image using an image forming apparatus. Since the periphery is a blank area, no pattern is printed in the blank area. Therefore, there arises a problem that even if the handwritten information is handwritten with the electronic pen in the blank area, the handwritten information cannot be converted into electronic data.

  In addition, when layout printing (2 in 1/4 in 1/6 in 1/9 in 1/16 in 1) or poster printing is performed with the bordered print setting, not only the edge of the paper but also the area between page images and the area between divided images Since a blank area is generated, similarly to the above, there is a problem that even if the blank area is handwritten with an electronic pen, handwritten information cannot be converted into electronic data.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a main object of the present invention is to control an image forming apparatus and an image forming apparatus for printing paper that can be handwritten with an electronic pen in a blank area where a document image is not printed. A method and a control program for an image forming apparatus are provided.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of receiving an instruction for layout printing for collecting and printing N pages of original images on a single sheet , based on the instruction for layout printing. An image generation unit that generates the original image having a size in which a margin area is formed at the periphery of an N-divided area of the paper, and an electronic pen can detect the position on the paper , and the specific pattern of the size of the entire paper surface A specific pattern generation unit that generates the image, and the original image and the specific pattern are combined , and the specific pattern is also formed in the margin area of the peripheral edge of the paper and the margin area between the adjacent original images. at least Bei example and an image synthesizing unit for generating a print image to be printed on, receive electronic pen data regarding the locus of the electronic pen on a paper on which the print image by the image synthesizing unit has generated is printed A receiving unit that performs a trajectory of the electronic pen data across a boundary between at least two of the N pages on a document image corresponding to any one of the at least two pages. It is a thing which is shifted and synthesized . According to another aspect of the present invention , there is provided a method for controlling an image forming apparatus capable of accepting an instruction for layout printing for collecting and printing N pages of original images on a single sheet. A step of generating the original image having a size in which a margin area is formed at the periphery of an N-divided region of the paper, and a step of generating a specific pattern of the size of the entire surface of the paper so that the electronic pen can detect a position on the paper. And the original image and the specific pattern, and printing for printing the specific pattern on the paper in a margin area on the periphery of the paper and a margin area between the adjacent original images. A step of generating an image, a step of receiving electronic pen data relating to a locus of the electronic pen on a sheet on which the generated print image is printed, and a boundary between at least two of the N pages And a step of shifting and synthesizing the trajectory of the electronic pen data across the field onto the document image corresponding to any one of the at least two pages.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus capable of receiving an instruction for layout printing for collecting and printing N pages of original images on one sheet is divided into N based on the instruction for layout printing. Generating the original image having a size in which a margin area is formed at the periphery of the area; generating a specific pattern having a size on the entire surface of the paper in which the electronic pen can detect a position on the paper; and the original image And the specific pattern are combined to generate a print image for printing the specific pattern on the paper in a margin area on the periphery of the paper and in a margin area between the adjacent original images. Receiving electronic pen data relating to the locus of the electronic pen on the paper on which the generated print image is printed, and the electronic straddling the boundary of at least two pages of the N pages And a step of shifting and synthesizing the locus of the pen data onto the original image corresponding to any one of the at least two pages .

According to the image forming apparatus, the control method for the image forming apparatus, and the control program for the image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to print a paper that can be handwritten with the electronic pen in a blank area where a document image is not printed.

  The reason is that even when the original image is printed in a frame with a border, the pattern for the electronic pen to detect the position on the paper is printed beyond the frame.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electronic pen which concerns on the 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of an Anoto (trademark) pattern. It is a figure explaining handwriting operation using an electronic pen. It is a figure which shows the example of conventional printing. It is a figure which shows the example of the handwritten description of the conventional paper. It is a figure which shows the handwritten description example of the paper of 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the reduction example of the electronic pen data which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the computer apparatus which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process of the computer apparatus which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print setting screen of the printer driver according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating processing of the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating language analysis processing of the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating rasterization processing of the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a document image generation. It is a figure which shows the example of an image composition (at the time of normal printing) which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the image composition example (at the time of 2 in 1) which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of 2 in 1 printing based on the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the coordinate of a specific pattern. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating rasterization processing of the image forming apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a composite print process of an image forming apparatus according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between Nin1 setting and a magnification. It is a figure which shows an example of the printed matter with an auxiliary line which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention.

  The LBP (Laser Beam Printer) generally used in a company or the like does not support so-called borderless printing that prints on the entire surface of paper. This is because toner accumulates on the transfer portion and a high-voltage current leaks or the back side of the paper becomes dirty, which necessitates a cleaning mechanism and increases costs. Further, in borderless printing, there is a problem that a peripheral image is lost.

  Therefore, when a pattern that can be recognized by the electronic pen is combined with the original image using the LBP and printed, a blank area is generated at the periphery of the paper. There arises a problem that data cannot be converted. In addition, when performing layout printing or poster printing, a blank area is generated not only in the periphery of the paper but also in the area between the page images and the area between the divided images, and the same problem occurs.

  Therefore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the print density of the pattern is lower than that of the original image, and the border of the bordered printing is determined in consideration of the fact that it does not easily cause a problem even when printed on the entire surface of the paper. Even when the original image is printed in the frame, the pattern that can be recognized by the electronic pen is printed beyond the frame. As a result, the user can perform handwriting with an electronic pen at an arbitrary place in the paper (particularly, a blank area suitable for handwriting on which no document image is printed), and the handwritten information can be reliably converted into electronic data. .

  In order to describe the above-described embodiment of the present invention in more detail, an image forming apparatus and a print instruction program according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a printing system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic pen of the present embodiment, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an Anoto (registered trademark) pattern, and FIG. 4 explains a handwriting operation using the electronic pen. It is a figure to do. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing a conventional print example and a handwritten description example, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a handwritten description example using the paper of this embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a diagram of electronic pen data. It is a figure which shows the example of reduction. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the computer apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment. 11 is a flowchart showing processing of the computer apparatus, FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the computer apparatus, and FIGS. 13 to 15 show processing of the image forming apparatus of this embodiment. FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a conventional image generation example, and FIGS. 17 and 18 are diagrams illustrating an image synthesis example according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system 10 of this embodiment prints a composite image obtained by combining a document image and a position detection code represented by an Anoto (registered trademark) pattern (hereinafter referred to as a specific pattern). A computer device 20 for instructing; an image forming apparatus 30 such as a color printer or a color multifunction peripheral for printing a composite image on paper according to an instruction from the computer device 20; and a paper on which the composite image is printed (hereinafter referred to as handwritten paper 50) .) The electronic pen 40 transmits data (hereinafter referred to as electronic pen data) including a plurality of pieces of position information indicating the movement locus of the upper pen tip. The image forming apparatus 30 further processes the electronic pen data transmitted from the electronic pen 40 to identify handwritten characters, graphics, images, and other information (hereinafter referred to as handwritten information), and the document image. And a process of creating a printed matter by combining handwritten information.

  First, the electronic pen 40 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the electronic pen 40. The electronic pen 40 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 41, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 42, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 43, a communication module 44, a battery. 45, an image sensor 46, a pen pressure detection sensor 47, a writing module 48, a clock module 49, and the like.

  The CPU 41 is a data processing device that operates according to a program. The ROM 42 is an information storage unit that stores programs. The RAM 43 is an information storage unit that stores data. The CPU 41 and a memory such as the ROM 42 and the RAM 43 constitute a control unit.

  The communication module 44 communicates with the electronic pen communication unit 35b of the image forming apparatus 30 by short-range wireless communication represented by Bluetooth (registered trademark) or wired communication. The battery 45 is a primary battery or a secondary battery that is a power source of the electronic pen 40. The image sensor 46 is a small CCD (Charge Coupled Devices) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) video camera for reading a pattern. The pen pressure detection sensor 47 is a piezoelectric element that detects the writing pressure of the electronic pen 40. The writing module 48 specifies the position of the electronic pen 40 on the handwritten paper 50 based on the specific pattern read by the image sensor 46, and generates electronic pen data including a plurality of position information indicating the movement locus of the pen tip. The clock module 49 is a device that holds time information.

  The electronic pen 40 only needs to have a function of specifying a position on the handwritten paper 50 on which the specific pattern is printed and transmitting electronic pen data including position information (coordinates). A method etc. are not specifically limited. For example, the electronic pen 40 may be configured to identify the position by identifying the pattern configuration, density, density, etc., or in conjunction with a device installed near the handwritten paper 50 (for example, an angle or The position may be specified based on the distance. In this embodiment, an Anoto (registered trademark) pattern is used.

  FIG. 3 is an example of an Anoto (registered trademark) pattern. This Anoto (registered trademark) pattern is a dot pattern arranged in a grid pattern, and each dot is slightly shifted from the grid perpendicular to each other at an interval of 0.3 mm in either the upper, lower, left, or right direction. The data is read in a matrix unit of 6 dots vertically and 6 dots horizontally, for a total of 36 dots. Since this Anoto (registered trademark) pattern is a unique value at any point, if the arrangement of the Anoto (registered trademark) pattern to be combined with the handwritten paper 50 and the handwritten paper 50 is determined (that is, which one in the pattern space If it is determined whether the Anoto (registered trademark) pattern cut out from the position is to be combined with the handwritten paper 50), the electronic pen 40 can recognize an arbitrary position on the handwritten paper 50. The Anoto (registered trademark) pattern data is stored in the ROM 42 in advance, but can be stored in a server on the network and acquired and used via the network each time.

  FIG. 4 is an example of handwriting on the handwritten paper 50 on which an image obtained by combining the original image and the specific pattern is printed using the electronic pen 40 having the above configuration. When the electronic pen 40 is moved on the handwritten paper 50, position information on the handwritten paper 50 is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 30 as electronic pen data. Handwritten information such as graphics can be recognized, and a printed matter in which handwritten information is combined with an original image can be output.

  As described above, by printing the handwritten paper 50 in which the original image and the specific pattern are combined, the user can write a memo or the like using the electronic pen 40. However, in a general office LBP, the user can write up to the periphery of the paper. Since printing causes problems due to toner accumulation on the transfer portion and defects that cause image loss, the document image is printed with a size smaller than the paper size.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, in normal printing, a margin area is formed at the periphery of the paper, in 2-in-1 printing, a margin area is formed in the area around the paper and between the page images. A margin area is formed at the periphery of the paper on which the divided image is printed, and neither a document image nor a specific pattern is printed in the margin area. When the user performs handwriting on the margin area with the electronic pen 40, the electronic pen 40 is used. Cannot detect the position on the paper.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the characters “ABCDEFGHIJKLMN” are handwritten with the electronic pen 40, the characters “HIJKLMN” are written in the area where the specific pattern is printed. However, since “ABCDEFG” is written in a blank area where no specific pattern is printed, the electronic pen 40 cannot detect the position on the paper. In particular, when handwriting is performed on a sheet on which a document image is printed, the user often performs handwriting in a margin area between lines or in the surrounding area, so it is very inconvenient if a specific pattern is not printed in the margin area of the document.

  On the other hand, since characters, figures, images, and the like constituting the original image have areas where black dots are densely packed, if the original image is printed to the periphery of the paper, a problem caused by toner accumulation occurs, but the electronic pen 40 However, even if the specific pattern is printed up to the periphery of the paper, the accumulation of toner can be suppressed to a level that does not cause a problem. Further, even if a part of the document image is lost, the appearance is remarkably deteriorated. However, even if a part of the specific pattern is lost, the appearance is not deteriorated.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, when the original image and the specific pattern are combined and printed, as shown in FIG. 7, the original image (shaded hatched portion in the figure) has a blank area at the periphery of the paper as in the past. Is printed (so-called bordered printing), but for a specific pattern (dot hatching in the figure), printing is performed so that no marginal area is formed on the periphery of the paper (so-called borderless printing). . As a result, the blank area generated in normal printing, Nin1, and poster printing is eliminated, and information handwritten with the electronic pen 40 can be converted into electronic data without omission.

  In the configuration of FIG. 7, since the original image is reduced so that a blank area is formed at the periphery of the paper, the handwritten information “ABCDEFG” handwritten in the blank area of FIG. 7 is a corresponding area on the original image. There is no (coordinate). Therefore, in order to allow the handwritten information in the margin area to be combined with the document image, as shown in FIG. 8, based on the relationship between the size of the print area of the specific pattern (paper size) and the size of the print area of the document image. Then, the electronic pen data is reduced (coordinate conversion).

  Note that FIG. 8 is performed in order to prevent the handwritten information from being printed on the periphery of the paper when the original image and the handwritten information are combined and printed. When the synthesized image is displayed on the display unit or when the synthesized image is printed using another image forming apparatus 30 that supports borderless printing, the electronic pen data may not be reduced (coordinate conversion). .

  Further, when the electronic pen 40 can recognize colors other than black, it is possible to further suppress problems caused by toner accumulation by changing the color of the specific pattern printed on the edge of the paper. For example, when the electronic pen 40 can recognize a specific gray pattern, the toner accumulation amount can be suppressed by reducing the toner density of the specific pattern on the periphery of the paper. Further, when the electronic pen 40 can recognize a specific pattern of a color (for example, yellow) that is difficult to be recognized by human eyes, the specific pattern on the periphery of the paper is set to that color, thereby making the stain on the back side of the paper inconspicuous. be able to.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the devices (computer device 20 and image forming device 30) used for printing the handwritten paper 50 having the above configuration will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Computer device]
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the computer device 20 according to the present embodiment. The computer device 20 includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, an HDD 24, a LAN I / F 25, a display unit 26, an operation unit 27, and the like. These are connected via a bus.

  The CPU 21 is a data processing device that operates according to a program. The ROM 22 is an information storage unit that stores programs. The RAM 23 is an information storage unit that stores data. A control unit is configured by the CPU 21 and a memory such as the ROM 22 or the RAM 23. This control unit functions as an application for creating a document and a printer driver that instructs printing of the document. Document data created by the application is print data (PJL (PJL ( Printer Job Language) command, page description language data such as PS and PCLXL, or PDF (Portable Document Format) data).

  The HDD 24 stores various programs and data.

  The LAN I / F unit 25 is an expansion card for connecting to the image forming apparatus 30 or the like via a LAN (Local Area Network), and transmits print data to the image forming apparatus 30.

  The display unit 26 is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (electroluminescence) display, or the like, and displays a print setting screen of a printer driver described later.

  The operation unit 27 includes a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and enables setting operations related to document creation and printing.

[Image forming apparatus]
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the image forming apparatus 30 according to the present exemplary embodiment. The image forming apparatus 30 includes a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, an HDD 34, a LAN I / F 35a, a printing unit 36, a display unit 37, and a language analysis. The unit 38, the image processing unit 39, the electronic pen communication unit 35b, etc. are connected via a bus.

  The CPU 31 is a data processing device that operates according to a program. The ROM 32 is an information storage unit that stores programs. The RAM 33 is an information storage unit that stores data. The CPU 31 and a memory such as the ROM 32 or the RAM 33 constitute a control unit.

  The HDD 34 includes print data received via the LAN I / F unit 35a, electronic pen data received via the electronic pen communication unit 35b, intermediate data generated from the print data and electronic pen data, and bits generated from the intermediate data. Stores map data and the like.

  The LAN I / F unit 35a is an expansion card for connecting to the computer apparatus 20 or the like via a LAN, and inputs print data transmitted from the computer apparatus 20.

  The printing unit 36 includes constituent elements necessary for image formation using an image forming process such as an electrophotographic method or an electrostatic recording method, and is designated based on bitmap data created by the image processing unit 39. An image is formed on a sheet.

  The display unit 37 includes a pressure-sensitive touch panel in which transparent electrodes are arranged in a lattice pattern on an LCD or an organic EL display, a hard key, and the like.

  The language analysis unit 38 includes a PJL processing unit 38a, a Post Script processing unit 38b, and a PCLXL processing unit 38c. The PJL processing unit 38a, the Post Script processing unit 38b, and the PCLXL processing unit 38c are functions that are generally provided in the language analysis unit of the image forming apparatus, and are printed from the computer device 20 or the like via the LAN I / F 35a. Analyze data and create intermediate data.

  The image processing unit 39 includes a specific pattern generation unit 39a, an image generation unit 39b, and an image composition unit 39c. The specific pattern generation unit 39 a generates a specific pattern that can be recognized by the electronic pen 40. The image generation unit 39b rasterizes the intermediate data created by the language analysis unit 38 and converts it into bitmap data that can be printed by the printing unit 36. If necessary, scaling, image rotation, density adjustment, edge processing Image processing such as enhancement, smoothing and binarization is performed. The image synthesis unit 39c synthesizes an image (original image) based on the bitmap data generated by the language analysis unit 38 and the specific pattern generated by the specific pattern generation unit 39a. At that time, the image generation unit 39b generates a document image of a size with margin printing, and the specific pattern generation unit 39a generates a specific pattern of the size of the entire sheet.

  The electronic pen communication unit 35b communicates with the communication module 44 of the electronic pen 40 by short-range wireless communication or wired communication represented by the Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication method, and receives electronic pen data from the electronic pen 40. And stored in the RAM 33.

  The language analysis unit 38 and the image processing unit 39 may be configured as hardware, or may be configured as a program that causes the image forming apparatus 30 to function as the language analysis unit 38 and the image processing unit 39. It is good also as a structure operated by.

  In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 30 includes the printing unit 36. However, the engine that executes the printing process is separated, and the image forming apparatus 30 generates the print image and executes the printing process on the engine. You may comprise as an apparatus to make.

  In the present embodiment, the image processing unit 39 of the image forming apparatus 30 is configured to generate a document image having a size with margin printing and a specific pattern of the entire paper size. When the print data is generated by the copy unit (printer driver), the original image is placed in the bordered print frame, and the specific pattern is described in the print data so as to be placed on the entire paper beyond the border. The image forming apparatus 30 may create the handwritten paper 50 in accordance with print data instructions.

  Next, the operation of the printing system 10 having the above configuration will be described.

  First, the operation of the computer device 20 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 11 and the screen example of FIG.

  When the user creates document data using an application and instructs printing on the application screen, the printer driver is activated, and the printer driver displays a print setting screen as shown in FIG. 12 on the display unit 26 (S110). ). This print setting screen includes a column for setting printing of a specific pattern in addition to columns for setting paper, output, bookbinding, opening direction / binding direction, and the like.

  When the user sets print conditions on the print setting screen (here, page allocation and specific pattern printing are selected) and instructs printing (Yes in S120), the printer driver prints based on the original data and print settings. Data is created (S130), and the created print data is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 30 (S140). At this time, as described above, the print data may be described with information instructing to place the document image within the bordered printing frame and to place the specific pattern beyond the frame.

  Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 30 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 13, when the control unit of the image forming apparatus 30 receives print data from the computer device 20 via the LAN I / F unit 35a, the received print data is accumulated in the RAM 33 or the HDD 34. When all the data has been received, the communication is terminated (S210).

  Next, the language analysis unit 38 performs language analysis processing of the print data (S220). FIG. 14 shows details of language analysis processing. First, the PJL processing unit 38a performs PJL analysis of print data, analyzes various print settings specified by PJL, and stores them in a setting table (S221). ). Next, it is determined whether the print data is described in Post Script or PCL PDL (S222), and the Post Script processing unit 38b performs Post Script analysis processing (S223) or PCLXL processing unit according to the determination result. The PCL analysis process (S224) is performed at 38c to create intermediate data.

  Returning to FIG. 13, the image processing unit 39 performs rasterization processing (S230). FIG. 15 shows details of the rasterizing process. First, the image generating unit 39b rasterizes the intermediate data (S231). This image generation is the same as the conventional rasterization process, and in order to provide a margin area, the document data is slightly reduced to generate a document image of a size that fits within the bordered printing frame. That is, as shown in FIG. 16, an image having a margin area (in the case of normal printing or poster printing, an image having a margin area at the periphery of each sheet, and in the case of Nin1, there is a margin area between the margin of the sheet and the page image. Image). Note that the image generation unit 39b may always generate a document image having a size that fits within the bordered printing frame, or a document image having a size that fits within the bordered printing frame in accordance with an instruction of the print data. May be generated.

  Next, with reference to the setting table, it is confirmed whether or not the specific pattern printing setting has been made (S232). If the specific pattern printing is selected, the specific pattern generation processing unit 39a creates a specific pattern for the entire sheet (no border) (S233). Note that the specific pattern generation processing unit 39a may always generate a specific pattern of the entire paper size, or may generate a specific pattern of the entire paper size in accordance with an instruction of print data.

  Then, the image composition unit 39c synthesizes and outputs the specific pattern image having the entire sheet size and the document image having a size that fits within the bordered printing frame (S234). In this way, by synthesizing the specific pattern of the entire sheet size, it is possible to eliminate an area where the specific pattern is not printed.

  Returning to FIG. 13, the printing unit 36 prints a combined image obtained by combining the specific pattern and the original image on a sheet and outputs the handwritten sheet 50 (S <b> 240).

  FIG. 17 shows an example of a case where normal printing is performed according to the above procedure. Since the original image obtained by rasterizing the original data is an image smaller than the paper, the specific pattern is an image having the same size as the paper. The specific pattern is also printed on the edge of the paper. FIG. 18 shows an example in which 2in1 layout printing is performed. Similarly, a specific pattern is printed on the periphery of the paper and in the area between the original image of the first page and the original image of the second page. Is done.

  In FIGS. 17 and 18, the specific pattern is the same size as the paper, but the specific pattern image may be provided with a slight margin so that it can be realized by a hardware system similar to the conventional one. In other words, since the bitmap image has a margin (margin area) that is larger than the hardware limit, the specific pattern can be set to a size that is almost the limit of the hardware limit. It is also possible to output handwritten paper 50 that can be expected to be effective.

  In the above flow, the specific pattern is generated inside the image forming apparatus 30, but the specific pattern is stored in advance in the HDD 34 of the image forming apparatus 30, and only a necessary area is cut out from the specific pattern. Alternatively, the specific pattern may be stored in advance in the HDD 24 of the computer device 20 and the specific pattern may be added to the print data when the print data is generated by the printer driver.

  As described above, in the printing system 10 of this embodiment, when printing an original image with a border, by printing the specific pattern on the entire surface of the paper, it is possible to eliminate an area where the specific pattern is not printed, Information handwritten with the electronic pen 40 at any place on the handwritten paper 50 can be converted into electronic data.

  Next, an image forming apparatus and a print instruction program according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of 2-in-1 printing according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating coordinates of a specific pattern. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing rasterization processing of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing composite printing processing. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the Nin1 setting and the magnification, and FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printed matter with an auxiliary line.

  In the first embodiment described above, the procedure for printing the handwritten paper 50 in which the original image and the specific pattern are combined has been described. However, in this embodiment, after the user has handwritten on the handwritten paper 50, the handwritten information is converted into the original image. A procedure for creating a composite printed matter will be described. At this time, when handwriting is performed on the page boundary portion of the handwritten paper 50 on which the specific pattern is printed on the entire surface in the layout printing, it may be unclear to which page the handwritten information should be combined. In such a case, it is determined which side of the center line the handwritten information is based on the center line of the layout printing, and the handwritten information is combined with the document image according to the result.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 19, when the character “ABCDEFG” is handwritten at the page boundary, this character is written on the left side of the 2 in 1 center line (the broken line in the figure). Is synthesized with the original image of the first page (left side of the figure). Further, when combining the handwritten information and the document image, as described in FIG. 8 of the first embodiment, the document image is reduced, so that the handwritten information described in the margin area is converted to the document image of the corresponding page. In order to synthesize, the electronic pen data is reduced (coordinate conversion).

  Hereinafter, a procedure for creating the handwritten paper 50 in which the original image and the specific pattern are synthesized will be described. In the case of the present embodiment, the configuration of the printing system 10 is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the language analysis unit 38 of the image forming apparatus 30 acquires the electronic data acquired from the electronic pen 40 via the electronic pen communication unit 35b. The pen data is analyzed to generate intermediate data, and the image generation unit 39b of the image processing unit 39 rasterizes the intermediate data of the electronic pen data and reduces (coordinates conversion) it according to the size of the original image, thereby writing the handwritten information. Are generated, and the image composition unit 39c of the image processing unit 39 synthesizes the handwritten information and the document image. The operation of the computer apparatus 20 is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the rasterizing process of the image forming apparatus 30 is as shown in FIG.

  First, the image generation unit 39b rasterizes intermediate data (S301). In this image generation, a document image having a size that fits within the bordered printing frame is generated by slightly reducing the document data in order to provide a margin area. Next, with reference to the setting table, it is confirmed whether or not the specific pattern print setting has been made (S302). When the specific pattern printing is selected, the specific pattern generation processing unit 39a creates a specific pattern for the entire sheet (no border) (S303). As in the first embodiment, the image generation unit 39b and the specific pattern generation processing unit 39a may always generate an image of the size described above, or when instructed by print data, You may make it produce | generate.

  Here, in this embodiment, when creating a printed matter in which handwritten information is combined with an original image, it is necessary to determine which page the information handwritten on the page boundary portion is combined. A table for defining the coordinate position of the specific pattern is created and stored in the HDD 34 or the like (S304).

  Then, the image composition unit 39c synthesizes the specific pattern image having the entire sheet size and the document image having a size that fits within the bordered print frame, and outputs the handwritten paper 50 (S305). From Table 1, the coordinates of the corners and the center line of the handwritten paper 50 are as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the user writes handwritten information such as characters, figures, and images at an arbitrary position on the handwritten paper 50.

  Next, a procedure for outputting a printed matter in which handwritten information is combined with a document image will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

  First, the image forming apparatus 30 receives electronic pen data from the electronic pen 40 using the electronic pen communication unit 35b (S401).

  When reception of the electronic pen data is completed (Yes in S402), the coordinates of the electronic pen data and the coordinate range of the table held in the HDD 34 or the like are compared to calculate which page is handwritten information to be combined (S403). . The calculation method can be calculated from the Nin1 setting and the coordinates of the specific pattern. Specifically, the coordinate range of each page is calculated by dividing the coordinate range into n. Since Table 1 has a 2-in-1 setting, when the coordinate of the electronic pen data is Equation 1, it is combined with the original image of the first page, and when it is Equation 2, it is combined with the original image of the second page.

  After that, referring to a table as shown in FIG. 23, the magnification corresponding to the Nin1 setting is acquired, and coordinate conversion (enlargement or reduction (during poster printing)) of the electronic pen data is performed (S404), and the user performs handwriting. Handwritten information based on the electronic pen data is synthesized at a predetermined position of the page (S405).

  In the above description, the boundary of the page is determined only by the coordinates of the specific pattern. In this case, handwritten information straddling the central portion may become meaningless data. As a method for preventing this, as shown in FIG. 24, when creating handwritten paper 50, an auxiliary line is printed at the center, and the user is aware of the boundary, thereby suppressing handwriting on the boundary. You may do it. Also, based on the coordinates of the electronic pen data and the time of handwriting, the handwritten information is collected as one data group. If the data group is on the boundary line, the coordinates of the data group are shifted to one of the pages. It can also be synthesized.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the configuration and control of each device can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the present embodiment, the margin image is created by reducing the document image. However, if the margin is already set by the document creation application, the document image is printed as it is, and the margin document image is deleted. It is also possible to create a margin area. In this case, the handwritten information in the margin area is the coordinates corresponding to the document image, so coordinate conversion is unnecessary. However, when Nin1 is set, coordinate conversion is required.

  In the present embodiment, normal printing, Nin1, and poster printing have been described as examples. However, in the setting of a booklet, a binding position (binding margin), an image shift, etc., all of the blank areas until now have been set. By printing a specific pattern on the portion, handwritten information written in the margin area can be converted into electronic data.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the print setting of the specific pattern is performed by the printer driver. However, the image forming apparatus 30 may be configured to perform the print setting of the specific pattern.

  The present invention can be used for an image forming apparatus that prints handwritten paper combining a document image and a specific pattern, and a print instruction program such as a printer driver that instructs the image forming apparatus to print.

10 Printing System 20 Computer Device 21 CPU
22 ROM
23 RAM
24 HDD
25 LAN I / F
26 display unit 27 operation unit 30 image forming apparatus 31 CPU
32 ROM
33 RAM
34 HDD
35a LAN I / F
35b Electronic pen communication unit 36 Printing unit 37 Display unit 38 Language analysis unit 38a PJL processing unit 38b Post Script processing unit 38c PCLXL processing unit 39 Image processing unit 39a Specific pattern generating unit 39b Image generating unit 39c Image synthesizing unit 40 Electronic pen 41 CPU
42 ROM
43 RAM
44 Communication Module 45 Battery 46 Image Sensor 47 Pen Pressure Detection Sensor 48 Writing Module 49 Clock Module 50 Handwritten Paper

Claims (9)

An image forming apparatus capable of receiving an instruction for layout printing for collecting and printing N pages of original images on one sheet of paper,
An image generation unit configured to generate the document image having a size in which a margin area is formed at a periphery of an N-divided area of the paper based on an instruction for the layout printing ;
A specific pattern generation unit that can detect the position of the electronic pen on the paper and generates a specific pattern of the size of the entire surface of the paper ;
The original image and the specific pattern are combined , and a print image for printing the specific pattern on the paper is also formed in a margin area on the periphery of the paper and a margin area between the adjacent original images. At least Bei example an image combining section that generates, a,
A receiving unit that receives electronic pen data relating to a locus of the electronic pen on a paper on which a print image generated by the image combining unit is printed;
The image synthesizing unit shifts and synthesizes the trajectory of the electronic pen data across the boundary of at least two of the N pages onto a document image corresponding to any one of the at least two pages ;
An image forming apparatus. The image synthesis unit synthesizes an auxiliary line printed as the boundary at a central portion of a blank area between the adjacent document images, the document image, and the specific pattern to generate a print image;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The image composition unit reduces the handwritten information defined by the electronic pen data based on a ratio calculated using the size of the document image and the size of the specific pattern, and the reduced handwritten information and the Create a print image by combining the original image ,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus capable of receiving an instruction for layout printing for collecting and printing N pages of original images on one sheet of paper,
  Generating the original image having a size in which a blank area is formed at the periphery of an area obtained by dividing the paper into N based on an instruction for the layout printing;
  The electronic pen can detect the position on the paper and generate a specific pattern of the size of the entire paper;
  The original image and the specific pattern are combined, and a print image for printing the specific pattern on the paper is also formed in a margin area on the periphery of the paper and a margin area between the adjacent original images. Generating step;
  Receiving electronic pen data relating to the locus of the electronic pen on the paper on which the generated print image is printed;
  A step of shifting and synthesizing a trajectory of the electronic pen data straddling a boundary of at least two pages of the N pages onto a document image corresponding to any one of the at least two pages.
  A control method for an image forming apparatus. Including a step of generating a print image by combining the auxiliary line printed as the boundary at the center of a margin area between the adjacent document images, the document image, and the specific pattern.
  The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 4. The handwritten information defined by the electronic pen data is reduced based on a ratio calculated using the size of the original image and the size of the specific pattern, and the reduced handwritten information and the original image are combined. Generating a printed image by
  6. The method of controlling an image forming apparatus according to claim 4, An image forming apparatus capable of accepting an instruction for layout printing for collecting and printing N pages of original images on a single sheet of paper,
  Generating the original image having a size in which a blank area is formed at the periphery of an area obtained by dividing the paper into N based on an instruction for the layout printing;
  The electronic pen can detect the position on the paper and generate a specific pattern of the size of the entire paper;
  The original image and the specific pattern are combined, and a print image for printing the specific pattern on the paper is also formed in a margin area on the periphery of the paper and a margin area between the adjacent original images. Generating step;
  Receiving electronic pen data relating to the locus of the electronic pen on the paper on which the generated print image is printed;
  Shifting the locus of the electronic pen data across the boundary of at least two pages of the N pages onto a document image corresponding to any one of the at least two pages;
  A control program for an image forming apparatus. In the image forming apparatus,
  A step of generating a print image by combining the auxiliary line printed as the boundary at the center of a blank area between the adjacent document images, the document image, and the specific pattern;
  The control program for an image forming apparatus according to claim 7. In the image forming apparatus,
  The handwritten information defined by the electronic pen data is reduced based on a ratio calculated using the size of the original image and the size of the specific pattern, and the reduced handwritten information and the original image are combined. To generate the print image,
  9. The control program for an image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control program is an image forming apparatus.

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