JP7137135B2 - computer program and controller - Google Patents

Description

The present specification relates to control technology for causing a print execution unit to print an image.

Conventionally, a print command is output to a print execution unit such as a printer in order to cause the print execution unit to print an image. Examples of print commands include commands using image data in a data format called PWG raster proposed by the Printer Working Group (PWG) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - Industry Standards and Technology Organization (IEEE-ISTO). used. PWG raster image data is compressed by a compression method called Packbits compression, which is a type of run-length compression. Here, Patent Document 1 proposes a method of converting 8-bit data, which appears frequently, into a 4-bit command in order to improve compression efficiency in PackBits compression.

JP-A-2003-124817 JP 2015-020281 A JP 2015-058652 A

By the way, there is a demand for a technique for improving the processing speed for causing the print execution unit to print an image.

This specification discloses a new technique for improving the print processing speed of the print execution unit when outputting a print command to the print execution unit.

The technology disclosed in this specification can be implemented as the following application examples.

[Application Example 1] A computer program for causing a print execution unit to print an image, including a first acquisition function for acquiring target image data of a target image, a first type print command, and a second type print command A command generation function for generating at least one print command among a plurality of types of print commands, the at least one print command including a target print command selected as a print command to be output to the print execution unit. and an output function for outputting the target print command to the print execution unit, and a first generation function for generating the first type print command realized by the command generation function, the target a function of generating the first type print command including the first type image data by executing a first size change process including image interpolation using the image data; A second generation function for generating a second type print command generates resized image data representing the target image by performing a second resizing process that does not include image interpolation using the target image data. and a compression function for generating the second type print command including second type image data by run-length compressing the resized image data.

According to this configuration, since the first-type image data included in the first-type print command is generated by executing the first size change process including image interpolation, the first-type print command is used as the target print command. If selected, high quality printing can be achieved. Also, since the second-type image data included in the second-type print command is generated by executing the second size change processing that does not include image interpolation and run-length compression, the second-type image data is generated as the target print command. When the seed print command is selected, the data compression efficiency can be improved and the data size of the print command output to the print execution unit can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to output a print command that leads to an improvement in print processing speed to the print execution unit.
[Application example 2]
The computer program according to Application Example 1,
a second acquisition function for acquiring capability information, which is information about the capabilities of the print execution unit, from the print execution unit;
a selection function for selecting the target print command from the plurality of types of print commands using the capability information;
A computer program that makes a computer realize
[Application Example 3]
The computer program according to Application Example 2,
The capability information includes information on input resolution, which is the resolution of image data accepted by the print execution unit,
When the target image data is bitmap data and a size correlated with the number of pixels of the target image data is smaller than an input size based on the input resolution, the selecting the second type print command as the target print command;
The image resizing function generates the resized image data by executing an enlarging process of changing the size of the target image data to the input size as the second resizing process.
computer program.
[Application example 4]
The computer program according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 3,
When the target image data is document data, the second generation function converts the target image data into target bitmap data that is either uncompressed bitmap data or reversibly compressed bitmap data. Contains a conversion function that converts,
The compression function performs run-length compression of either the target bitmap data or image data obtained by performing the second size change processing on the target bitmap data, thereby performing the second-type printing. generating the second type image data included in the command;
computer program.
[Application example 5]
The computer program according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 4,
The image size changing function reduces the size of the target image data to the reference size or less when the target image data is bitmap data and the size correlated with the number of pixels of the target image data is larger than the reference size. and an enlargement process of changing the size of the image data obtained by the reduction process to an input size based on the input resolution, which is the resolution of the image data accepted by the print execution unit. generating the resized image data by executing as a modification process;
computer program.
[Application example 6]
The computer program according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 5,
a reception function that receives an instruction to print the target image to the print execution unit;
a display function for displaying the target image on a display unit before the instruction is accepted;
is implemented on a computer,
The command generation function starts generating the second type print command before the instruction is accepted.
computer program.
[Application example 7]
The computer program according to Application Example 6,
Output for causing the output function to output the first type print command when a data size of a specific portion including a portion already generated before the instruction is accepted out of the second type print command exceeds a reference data size. A computer program that causes a computer to implement a setting function.
[Application example 8]
The computer program according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 7,
When the computer includes a plurality of calculation units, the second generation function is parallel processing that causes the plurality of calculation units to execute in parallel a plurality of processes included in the process of generating the type 2 print command. including features,
computer program.
[Application example 9]
The computer program according to Application Example 8,
The parallel processing function is a plurality of bands of at least a part of the plurality of band data included in the second type image data and corresponding to the plurality of band images included in the target image. causing the plurality of calculation units to execute processing for generating data in parallel;
the size of the leading edge band image including the leading edge to be printed first of the target image among the plurality of band images is smaller than the maximum size among the sizes of each of the other one or more band images;
The output function generates the band data of at least one band image out of the other one or more band images when the process of generating leading edge band data, which is the band data of the leading edge band image, is completed. outputting the leading edge band data to the print execution unit even if the processing for printing is not completed;
computer program.
[Application example 10]
A control device for causing a print execution unit to print an image,
a first acquisition unit that acquires target image data of a target image;
a target print command that is at least one of a plurality of types of print commands including a first type print command and a second type print command and is selected as a print command to be output to the print execution unit; a command generator for generating the at least one print command including
an output unit that outputs the target print command to the print execution unit;
provided with
The first generation process for generating the first type print command realized by the command generation unit uses the target image data to perform a first size change process including image interpolation to generate a first type image. including a process of generating the type 1 print command containing data;
A second generation process for generating the second type print command realized by the command generation unit includes:
an image resizing process that uses the target image data to generate resized image data representing the target image by performing a second resizing process that does not involve image interpolation;
a compression process for generating the second type print command including second type image data by run-length compressing the resized image data;
a controller, including

The technology disclosed in this specification can be implemented in various forms, for example, a control method and a control device, a printing method and a printing device, a computer for realizing the functions of those methods or devices. It can be implemented in the form of a program, a recording medium recording the computer program (for example, a non-temporary recording medium), or the like.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing an image processing system 1000 of an embodiment; FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of print processing; (A) to (D) are schematic diagrams showing examples of setting screens. (E) is a schematic diagram showing an example of a preview screen. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of command generation processing; 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing for selecting a command type; 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for generating a first type print command; FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for generating a second type print command; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a resizing process; FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of encoding processing for a second type print command; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a band image; FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of output processing; FIG. 11 is a flow chart of a second embodiment of output processing; FIG.

A. First example:
A-1. Configuration of Terminal Device 100 and MFP 200:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an image processing system 1000 of the embodiment. The image processing system 1000 includes a terminal device 100 and a multi-function peripheral 200 connected to the terminal device 100 . As will be described later, the multifunction machine 200 has a scanner section 280 that reads an object such as a document, a printer section 400 that prints an image, and a control section 299 that controls the entire multifunction machine 200 . The MFP 200 is an example of a print execution unit that executes printing.

The terminal device 100 is a personal computer (for example, desktop computer, tablet computer, etc.). The terminal device 100 has a processor 110 , a storage device 115 , a display section 140 that displays images, an operation section 150 that receives user operations, and a communication interface 170 . These elements are connected to each other via buses. Storage device 115 includes volatile storage device 120 and non-volatile storage device 130 .

The processor 110 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU. The volatile memory device 120 is, for example, a DRAM, and the non-volatile memory device 130 is, for example, a flash memory.

Nonvolatile storage device 130 stores a plurality of programs including program 132 . By executing the program 132 , the processor 110 realizes various functions of controlling the image processing apparatus such as the multi-function peripheral 200 and the printing apparatus connected via the communication interface 170 . Details of the functions realized by the program 132 will be described later. The processor 110 temporarily stores various intermediate data used for executing the program 132 in the storage device 115 (eg, either the volatile storage device 120 or the nonvolatile storage device 130). In this embodiment, the program 132 is an application program for implementing functions of an application, which will be described later.

The display unit 140 is a device that displays an image, such as a liquid crystal display. Alternatively, other types of devices for displaying images may be employed, such as LED displays, organic EL displays, and the like. The operation unit 150 is a device that receives an operation by a user, and is, for example, a touch panel that is superimposed on the display unit 140 . Alternatively, other types of user operated devices such as buttons, levers, etc. may be employed. A user can input various instructions to the terminal device 100 by operating the operation unit 150 .

The communication interface 170 is an interface for communicating with other devices (eg, USB interface, wired LAN interface, IEEE802.11 wireless interface). A multi-function device 200 is connected to the communication interface 170 .

The MFP 200 has a control section 299 , a scanner section 280 and a printer section 400 . The control unit 299 has a processor 210 , a storage device 215 , a display unit 240 that displays images, an operation unit 250 that accepts user operations, and a communication interface 270 . These elements are connected to each other via buses. Storage 215 includes volatile storage 220 and nonvolatile storage 230 .

The processor 210 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU. The volatile memory device 220 is, for example, a DRAM, and the non-volatile memory device 230 is, for example, a flash memory.

The nonvolatile storage device 230 stores programs 232 . The processor 210 implements various functions by executing the program 232 (details will be described later). The processor 210 temporarily stores various intermediate data used for executing the program 232 in a storage device (eg, either the volatile storage device 220 or the nonvolatile storage device 230). In this embodiment, the program 232 is pre-stored in the non-volatile storage device 230 as firmware by the manufacturer of the MFP 200 .

The display unit 240 is a device that displays an image, such as a liquid crystal display. Alternatively, other types of devices for displaying images may be employed, such as LED displays, organic EL displays, and the like. The operation unit 250 is a device that receives an operation by a user, and is, for example, a touch panel overlaid on the display unit 240 . Alternatively, other types of user operated devices such as buttons, levers, etc. may be employed. The user can input various instructions to the MFP 200 by operating the operation unit 250 .

Communication interface 270 is an interface for communicating with other devices. In this embodiment, the communication interface 270 is connected to the communication interface 170 of the terminal device 100 .

The scanner unit 280 optically reads an object such as a document using a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD or CMOS, thereby generating scan data representing a read image (referred to as a “scan image”). The scan data is, for example, RGB bitmap data representing a color scan image.

The printer unit 400 is a device that prints an image on paper (an example of a print medium) using a predetermined method (for example, a laser method or an inkjet method). In this embodiment, the printer unit 400 is an inkjet printing apparatus capable of printing color images using four types of ink, cyan C, magenta M, yellow Y, and black K.

A-2. Print processing:
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of print processing. In this embodiment, the MFP 200 can cause the printer unit 400 to print an image using a print command supplied by another device (eg, the terminal device 100). The processor 110 of the terminal device 100 executes print processing for generating and outputting print commands according to the program 132 . Processor 110 activates an application for print processing according to a user's instruction (for example, an instruction input by operating operation unit 150).

In S110, processor 110 causes display unit 140 to display a setting screen for selecting a printing device. FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a setting screen. This setting screen D1 displays a list of available printing devices. In the example of FIG. 3A, a first candidate image B1 representing the first printing device and a second candidate image B2 representing the second printing device are shown. Assume that the first candidate image B<b>1 shows the MFP 200 . Processor 110 detects available printing devices and causes display unit 140 to display a setting screen including a list of the detected printing devices.

The processor 110 detects printers on the network according to protocols for using network printers, such as SMB (Server Message Block) protocol and LPR (Line PRinter daemon) protocol. Also, the processor 110 detects a printing device connected to the terminal device 100 according to a protocol for using an external device such as the USB protocol.

A user selects a printing apparatus to be used for printing by operating the operation unit 150 . For example, the user can select a printing device by tapping a portion of the operation unit 150 that overlaps the image of the desired printing device. In the following, it is assumed that the MFP 200 has been selected. The selected printing device is also called a "target printing device". Further, tapping a portion of the operation unit 150 that overlaps a specific image displayed on the display unit 140 is also referred to as tapping the specific image.

At S120 (FIG. 2), the processor 110 acquires capability information of the target printing device. The capability information is information about the capabilities of the printing device. In this embodiment, the capability information includes information indicating whether or not commands including image data in the PWG raster format are supported, and information about input resolution, which is the resolution of image data accepted by the target printing apparatus. there is The input resolution indicates pixel density, and is expressed in units of ppi (pixel per inch) or dpi (dot per inch), for example. In this embodiment, the processor 110 requests capability information from the target printing device according to a predetermined procedure. The target printing device supplies capability information to the terminal device 100 in response to the request.

Note that, as described above, the MFP 200 can perform printing and scanning. The capability information from the MFP 200 includes information indicating that the MFP 200 is capable of printing and scanning. Therefore, processor 110 causes display unit 140 to display a setting screen for selecting either printing or scanning. FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing an example of a setting screen. The setting screen D2 displays a first image B11 indicating printing and a second image B12 indicating scanning. The user selects the desired process by tapping the image of the desired process. In the following, it is assumed that printing has been selected.

At S130 (FIG. 2), the processor 110 selects the target image, which is the image to be printed. In this embodiment, the processor 110 allows the user to select target image data for the target image from data already stored in the nonvolatile storage device 130 of the terminal device 100 . First, processor 110 causes display unit 140 to display a setting screen for selecting a data format. FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram showing an example of a setting screen. The setting screen D3 displays a first button B21 indicating a photograph and a second button B22 indicating a document.

The picture shows the bitmap format. Various uncompressed or compressed bitmap formats, such as JPEG format, PNG format, GIF format, TIFF format, etc., are used to represent the color values of each of a plurality of pixels. In this embodiment, one or more predetermined formats are used as bitmap formats. In this embodiment, the bitmap format image data indicates the color values of each of a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix along the horizontal and vertical directions. A plurality of pixels represent a rectangular image.

A document format is a data format other than the bitmap format. In this embodiment, the PDF format and the data formats of predetermined specific application software (for example, the respective data formats of word processor software, spreadsheet software, and presentation software) are used as document formats. Hereinafter, the data format of specific application software will also be referred to as the office format.

The user selects the data format by tapping the image of the desired data format. The selected data format is hereinafter also referred to as a target data format. When the data format is selected, processor 110 causes display unit 140 to display a setting screen and allows the user to select target image data. FIG. 3D is a schematic diagram showing an example of a setting screen. A plurality of candidate images CF of the target image are displayed on this setting screen D4. The candidate image CF is an image of data in the target data format already stored in the nonvolatile storage device 130 . The user selects the target image by tapping the desired candidate image CF. A selection image SF in the setting screen D4 indicates the selected image. The setting screen D4 also displays a progress button B31. The processor 110 advances the process in response to tapping the advance button B31.

At S135 (FIG. 2), the processor 110 obtains target image data, which is the data of the selected target image. For example, target image data is acquired from the non-volatile storage device 130 .

At S140, processor 110 begins the command generation process using the current print settings. In this embodiment, the print settings include paper type (glossy paper, plain paper, etc.), paper size (L size, A4, etc.), whether to apply borderless printing, color mode (either color printing or monochrome printing). ). When S140 is executed for the first time, predetermined initial settings are used as print settings. In addition, the target image is printed using the maximum printable area on the paper of the paper size (i.e., the target image is printed in the maximum size on the printable area on the paper). ). Generation of the print command proceeds in parallel with the processing of FIG. Details of the command generation process will be described later.

At S150, the processor 110 causes the display unit 140 to display a preview of the target image. FIG. 3E is a schematic diagram showing an example of a preview screen. This preview screen D5 displays a target image PV, setting buttons B41 to B44, and a print button B45. The user can change the paper type, paper size, borderless printing setting, and color mode by tapping the setting buttons B41 to B44. The processor 110 changes the print settings according to the user's operation when any one of the setting buttons B41 to B44 is operated. Thus, in this embodiment, the preview screen D5 is a setting screen for allowing the user to select print settings. Further, the user can input an instruction to print the target image on the target printing device by tapping the print button B45.

At S160 (FIG. 2), the processor 110 determines whether or not the print button B45 has been operated. If the print button B45 has not been operated (S160: No), in S170 the processor 110 determines whether the print settings have been changed. If the print settings have not been changed (S170: No), the processor 110 proceeds to S160. If the print settings have been changed (S170: Yes), in S180 processor 110 discards the print command being generated. The processor 110 then moves to S140 and starts the command generation process using the current print settings (that is, the changed print settings). When the user operates the print button B45 (FIG. 3E) (FIG. 2: S160: Yes), in S190, the processor 110 executes the output process. Through the output process, the target print command is output to the target printing device (details will be described later).

When the output of the target print command (FIG. 2: S190) is completed, the processor 110 ends the processing of FIG. The MFP 200 (FIG. 1) as the target printing device prints the target image according to the received print command. In this embodiment, processor 210 identifies that the received command is a particular type of print command and print settings by parsing the header data. Processor 210 then causes printer unit 400 to print the target image using the image data included in the received body data.

The print execution process for causing the printer unit 400 to print an image using image data may be various processes. For example, if the image data included in the print command is compressed, processor 210 decompresses the compressed data. Then, the processor 210 generates print data by executing resolution conversion processing of the image data, color conversion processing of the resolution-converted image data, and halftone processing using the color-converted image data. do. Resolution conversion processing is processing for converting the resolution of image data into a predetermined print resolution for printing. If the input resolution is the same as the print resolution, the resolution conversion process is omitted. The color conversion process is a process of converting the color value of each pixel from the color value of the input color space (for example, RGB color space) before conversion to the color value of the print color space, which is the color space for printing. The print color space is a color space represented by color components corresponding to the colorants used by the printer unit 400 (the CMYK color space in this embodiment). Halftone processing may be processing of various methods such as, for example, an error diffusion method and a method using a dither matrix. Processor 210 uses the data representing the results of the halftone process to generate print data. The data format of the print data is a data format that can be interpreted by the printer unit 400 . Processor 210 supplies print data to printer section 400 . Printer unit 400 prints an image according to the print data.

A-3. Command generation process:
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of command generation processing. At S210, processor 110 selects a command type. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of processing for selecting a command type. In this embodiment, the print command is selected from commands containing image data in PWG raster format and commands containing image data in other formats. Hereinafter, a command including image data in another format will be referred to as a first type print command, and a command including image data in the PWG raster format will be referred to as a second type print command. Image data included in the first type print command is called first type image data. The image data included in the second type print command is also called second type image data.

At S310, processor 110 determines whether the target printing device supports type 2 print commands (ie, PWG raster). If the target printing device does not support the second type print command (S310: No), the processor 110 selects the first type print command in S370, and ends the processing of FIG.

If the target printing device supports the second type print command (S310: Yes), in S320 the processor 110 determines whether the interface for communication with the target printing device is USB. If the interface is different from USB (S320: No), the processor 110 selects the first type print command in S370, and ends the processing of FIG.

If the interface is USB (S320: Yes), in S330 processor 110 determines whether the target data format is a bitmap format. If the target data format is different from the bitmap format (S330: No), processor 110 selects the second type print command in S360, and ends the processing of FIG.

If the target data format is a bitmap format (S330: Yes), in S340 processor 110 determines whether the size of the target image is smaller than the first reference size. Here, as the image size, a value that is correlated with the resolution (that is, the number of pixels) is used. In this embodiment, the number of pixels in the horizontal direction and the number of pixels in the vertical direction are used as the image size. The first reference size is represented by the first horizontal reference pixel number and the first vertical reference pixel number. As a method for comparing image sizes regardless of the aspect ratio (the ratio of the number of pixels in the vertical direction to the number of pixels in the horizontal direction), the following method corresponding to the comparison of resolutions is adopted. A horizontal minor condition that "the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the target image is smaller than the first horizontal reference pixel number" and a vertical minor condition that "the number of pixels in the vertical direction of the target image is smaller than the first vertical reference pixel number". is satisfied, the size of the target image is smaller than the first reference size. If at least one of the small horizontal condition and the small vertical condition is not satisfied, the size of the target image is equal to or larger than the first standard size. Moreover, both the horizontal small condition and the vertical small condition are not satisfied, and at least one of the number of pixels in the horizontal direction and the number of pixels in the vertical direction of the target image is less than the number of pixels in the corresponding direction of the first reference size. If so, the size of the target image is the same as the first reference size.

The first reference size is a size equal to or smaller than the input size, which is the size corresponding to the input resolution. The input size is the size of the reference shape (e.g., the shape of the printable area on a sheet of paper of the size of the paper), which is a shape pre-associated with the paper size, if the resolution of the image is the same as the input resolution. is. In this embodiment, the paper has a rectangular shape, the reference shape has a rectangular shape, and the target image has a rectangular shape. Here, the input resolution may be 600 dpi, for example. Also, in this embodiment, the first reference size is assumed to be the same as the input size. That is, the resolution corresponding to the first reference size is the same as the input resolution.

In the present embodiment, the size relationship of image size and the size relationship of resolution are associated as follows. Here, as the resolution of the target image, the resolution in the case of printing in the maximum size on the paper of the paper size is adopted. If the resolution of the target image is higher than the resolution corresponding to the first reference size, it is determined that the size of the target image is greater than the first reference size. If the resolution of the target image is the same as the resolution corresponding to the first reference size, the size of the target image is determined to be the same as the first reference size. If the resolution of the target image is lower than the resolution corresponding to the first reference size, the size of the target image is determined to be smaller than the first reference size. Other image size comparisons, which will be described later, are performed in a similar manner.

If the size of the target image is equal to or larger than the first standard size (S340: No), processor 110 selects the first type print command in S370, and ends the processing of FIG.

If the size of the target image is smaller than the first reference size (S340: Yes), in S350 the processor 110 determines whether the parameter Cp is equal to or less than the threshold Cth. The parameter Cp is the number of times the color value changes when tracing the pixels of the bitmap data, which is the target image data, in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the parameter Cp is the sum of the number of times the color value changes in each of the plurality of pixel rows and the number of times the color value changes in each of the plurality of pixel columns. If multiple pixels with the same color value are consecutive, the parameter Cp becomes smaller. The parameter Cp is large when the target image represents a complex object. Thus, the parameter Cp is an index value indicating the complexity of the image. When the parameter Cp is small, the efficiency of compression by run-length compression is good.

The processor 110 calculates the parameter Cp by analyzing the target image data. Then, if the parameter Cp exceeds the threshold Cth (S350: No), the processor 110 selects the first type print command in S370, and ends the processing of FIG. If the parameter Cp is equal to or less than the threshold Cth (S350: Yes), the processor 110 selects the second type print command in S360, and ends the processing of FIG.

With the above, the process of FIG. 5, that is, S210 of FIG. 4 ends. The type of print command selected in the process of FIG. 5 is hereinafter referred to as a target print command.

At S220 of FIG. 4, the processor 110 identifies the type of print command selected at S210. If the command type is the first type print command, the processor 110 executes a first type print command generation process in S230, and ends the process of FIG. If the command type is the second type print command, the processor 110 executes a second type print command generation process in S240, and ends the process of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the first type print command generation processing (FIG. 4: S230). In S410, the processor 110 refers to the target image data and identifies the data format of the target image data. If the specified data format is bitmap, at S440 processor 110 performs a resizing process to resize the target image to the input size corresponding to the input resolution. Such processing is also called resolution conversion processing. The resolution of the target image is converted to the input resolution. In this embodiment, the resizing process maintains the aspect ratio of the target image. Further, size change processing is performed so that the entire target image of the input resolution fits within the above-described reference shape associated with the paper size. That is, after the resizing process, at least one of the number of pixels in the horizontal direction and the number of pixels in the vertical direction of the target image is the same as the number of pixels in the corresponding direction of the input size. Both the number of pixels in the horizontal direction and the number of pixels in the vertical direction of the target image are equal to or less than the number of pixels in the direction corresponding to the input size. Note that at S440, the color values are interpolated (also called image interpolation). That is, the color value of the target pixel after resizing is calculated using the respective color values of a plurality of pixels close to the target pixel among the plurality of pixels before resizing (for example, a bilinear method or a bicubic method). ). Also, in this embodiment, processor 110 generates JPEG format image data using the resized image data. The processor 110 then proceeds to S490.

If the data format specified at S410 is the office format, at S450 processor 110 converts the target image data into bitmap data. In this example, processor 110 generates data in JPEG format. It should be noted that anti-aliasing is performed in S450. However, anti-aliasing may be omitted. Also, the data format conversion may be performed using an application program (not shown) corresponding to the data format of the target image data.

At S460, if the size of the bitmap data image generated at S450 is different from the input size, the processor 110 performs resizing processing to change the size of the bitmap data image to the input size. The size change processing of S460 is performed in the same manner as the size change processing of S440. For example, color values are interpolated. The processor 110 then proceeds to S490. If the size of the bitmap data image is the same as the input size, the resizing process is omitted.

If the data format identified at S410 is the PDF format, at S470 processor 110 converts the target image data into bitmap data. S470 is performed in the same manner as S450. In this embodiment, JPEG format data is generated. Data format conversion may be performed using an application program (not shown) compatible with the PDF format.

At S480, if the size of the bitmap data image generated at S470 is different from the input size, the processor 110 performs resizing processing to change the size of the bitmap data image to the input size. The processing of S480 is the same as the processing of S460. After S480, the processor 110 moves to S490.

In S490, processor 110 issues a first-class print command using first-class image data, which is bitmap data (here, JPEG data) generated in any of S440, S450-S460, and S470-S480. Generate. The first type print command is data in a format that can be interpreted by the target printing device. In this embodiment, the first type print command includes header data and body data. The header data includes information indicating that this command is a first type print command and information indicating print settings. The body data includes first type image data. The processor 110 temporarily stores the data of the generated type 1 print command in the storage device 115 (for example, either one of the volatile storage device 120 and the nonvolatile storage device 130). Upon completion of the generation of the first type print command, the processor 110 terminates the processing of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an example of the second type print command generation process (FIG. 4: S240). In S510, the processor 110 refers to the target image data and identifies the data format of the target image data. If the data format is bitmap, at S520 processor 110 determines whether the size of the target image is larger than the second reference size. This determination is made in the same manner as the determination in S340 of FIG. 5 (the second standard size is used instead of the first standard size). The second reference size is a size smaller than the input size. Also, in this embodiment, the second standard size is smaller than the first standard size (FIG. 5: S340). The second standard size may be, for example, the size of the image of the reference shape corresponding to the paper size when the resolution of the image is 300 dpi.

If the size of the target image is larger than the second reference size (S520: Yes), at S530 processor 110 performs resizing processing to change the size of the target image to the second reference size. The size change process is performed in the same manner as S440 in FIG. However, a second reference size is used instead of the input size. Also, the size is changed without interpolating the color values. That is, the color value of the target pixel after resizing is set to the same color value as the color value of the pixel closest to the target pixel among the plurality of pixels before resizing. This resizing makes the resolution of the target image the same as the resolution corresponding to the second reference size. At S530, the size of the target image is reduced. The processor 110 then proceeds to S540. If the size of the target image is equal to or less than the second reference size (S520: No), processor 110 skips S530 and proceeds to S540.

At S540, the processor 110 performs resize processing to resize the target image to the input size corresponding to the input resolution. The size change process is performed in the same manner as S440 in FIG. However, no interpolation of color values is performed. Also, the resolution of the target image is converted to the input resolution. Note that in this embodiment, if the size of the target image is larger than the input size, the size of the target image is reduced in S530, so the size of the target image is smaller than the input size in S540. Therefore, in S540, the size of the target image is increased.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the resizing process in S540. The first partial image PI1 on the left shows the partial image before resizing, and the second partial image PI2 on the right shows the same partial image after resizing. Solid-line rectangles PX1 and PX2 of the partial images PI1 and PI2 indicate one pixel. The number Rn of each partial image PI1, PI2 indicates the row number, and the number Cn indicates the column number. The first partial image PI1 is composed of 6 pixels PX1 of 2 rows and 3 columns, and the second partial image PI2 is composed of 24 pixels PX2 of 4 rows and 6 columns. Thus, in the example of FIG. 8, the number of pixels in the horizontal direction Dx and the number of pixels in the vertical direction Dy are doubled by the resizing process.

The color values V1 to V6 shown in the first partial image PI1 are the color values of each of the six pixels PX1. The color values V1 to V6 shown in the second partial image PI2 are the color values of each of the 24 pixels PX1. As described above, the resizing process of S540 does not interpolate color values. Therefore, the color value of the target pixel after resizing is set to the same color value as the color value of the pixel closest to the target pixel among the plurality of pixels before resizing. For example, the color value of the pixel PX21 of the second partial image PI2 is set to the same color value as the color value of the pixel PX11 of the first partial image PI1. As a result, as shown in the second partial image PI2, in the resized image, a plurality of pixels with the same color value are arranged continuously along the horizontal direction Dx and the vertical direction Dy.

In this embodiment, the processor 110 also uses the resized image data to generate PNG format image data, which is losslessly compressed bitmap data, at S540. The processor 110 then proceeds to S590.

If the data format specified at S510 is the office format, at S550 processor 110 converts the target image data into bitmap data. In this embodiment, processor 110 generates losslessly compressed PNG format data. Note that anti-aliasing is not performed in S550. Also, the data format conversion may be performed using an application program (not shown) corresponding to the data format of the target image data.

At S560, if the size of the bitmap data image generated at S550 is different from the input size, the processor 110 performs resizing processing to change the size of the bitmap data image to the input size. The size change processing of S560 is performed in the same manner as the size change processing of S540. Color values are not interpolated. The resolution of the target image is converted to the input resolution. The processor 110 then proceeds to S590. If the size of the bitmap data image is the same as the input size, the resizing process is omitted.

If the data format identified at S510 is the PDF format, at S570 processor 110 converts the target image data into bitmap data. S570 is performed in the same manner as S550. In this embodiment, lossless compressed PNG format data is generated. No anti-aliasing is done. Data format conversion may be performed using an application program (not shown) compatible with the PDF format.

At S580, if the size of the bitmap data image generated at S570 is different from the input size, the processor 110 performs resizing processing to change the size of the bitmap data image to the input size. The processing of S580 is the same as the processing of S560. After S580, the processor 110 moves to S590.

In S590, the processor 110 executes encoding processing for the second type print command. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of encoding processing for the second type print command. At S610, the processor 110 uses the number of logical processors (also called logical cores) of the processor 110 to determine the number of parallel processes (also called threads). In this embodiment, the processor 110 has a plurality of logical processors, and has a function of improving the overall processing speed by assigning a logical processor to each of two or more threads and simultaneously processing them (also called a multithread processing function). ). A plurality of logical processors is an example of a computing unit capable of executing different processes in parallel. A plurality of logical processors may be realized by a plurality of physical cores, may be realized by one physical core providing a plurality of logical cores, or may be realized by a combination of these. . For example, Intel (registered trademark) hyper-threading technology is known as a technology in which one physical core provides a plurality of logical cores.

When the number of logical processors is L (L is an integer equal to or greater than 1), the number M of parallel processes may be any number equal to or greater than 1 and equal to or less than L. The higher the number M, the faster the encoding process. For example, the number of parallel processes M may be determined to be equal to L or smaller than L (eg, L−1).

At S620, the processor 110 prepares multiple data for multiple parallel processing. In this embodiment, the second type print command includes header data and body data. Generation of header data and generation of body data are performed in parallel. The header data includes information indicating that this command is a second type print command and information indicating print settings. The body data includes second type image data representing an image to be printed. The data format of the second type image data is the so-called PWG raster format. Image data in the PWG raster format is compressed by a compression method called PackBits compression. In this embodiment, PackBits compression of each of a plurality of band images included in a target image is performed by a plurality of parallel processes.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a band image. A target image OI is shown in the figure. The leading edge e1 is the edge to be printed first of the target image OI. The rear end e2 is the end opposite to the front end e1. A longitudinal direction Dy is a direction from the leading end e1 to the trailing end e2. The target image OI includes a plurality of band images BI1-BI5. Each of these band images BI1 to BI5 is a rectangular partial image extending in the horizontal direction Dx. A plurality of band images BI1 to BI5 are arranged in the vertical direction Dy.

Widths W1 and W2 in the figure are widths in the vertical direction Dy of each of the band images BI1 to BI5. As shown, the width W1 of the leading edge band image BI1 including the leading edge e1 is smaller than the width W2 of the other band images BI2 to BI5. Moreover, the length of the horizontal direction Dx is the same among the band images BI1 to BI5. Therefore, the leading edge band image BI1 is smaller than the other band images BI2 to BI5. In this embodiment, the width W1 of the leading edge band image BI1 and the width W2 of the other band images are determined in advance.

In S620 of FIG. 9, processor 110 uses the bitmap data (here, PNG data) generated by any of S520-S540, S550-S560, and S570-S580 of FIG. A plurality of band data, which are uncompressed bitmap data of BI5 to BI5, are generated. Processor 110 also generates data required for generating header data (for example, data indicating print settings).

In S630, the processor 110 uses the multiple data prepared in S620 to concurrently execute multiple processes for encoding the second type print command. In this embodiment, the processor 110 gives top priority to the process of generating header data. Also, the processor 110 performs PackBits compression of each band data of the plurality of band images BI1 to BI5 (FIG. 10) in a higher priority order (that is, the order to be printed) closer to the leading edge e1. Processor 110 temporarily stores the generated data in storage device 115 (eg, either one of volatile storage device 120 and nonvolatile storage device 130).

9 (that is, the process of FIG. 7) and the command generation process of FIG. 4 are started at S140 of FIG. Then, the command generation process proceeds in parallel with the process of FIG. Therefore, the generation of the header data can be completed within the time from the selection of the target image (FIG. 2: S130) to the operation of the print button B45 (FIG. 3(E)). Data generation can be completed.

A-4. Output processing:
Details of the output processing executed in S190 of FIG. 2 will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of output processing. The output process of FIG. 11 shows the process when the target print command is the second type print command. At S710, processor 110 outputs the header data to the target printing device. If generation of header data is incomplete, processor 110 waits for completion of generation of header data.

At S720, processor 110 determines whether compressed band data has been generated. If the compressed band data is stored in the storage device 115 (S720: Yes), the processor 110 outputs the compressed band data to the target printing device in S730.

Processor 110 outputs the compressed band data in the order to be printed. As described in S630 of FIG. 9, the priority order of band data compression is the order in which they should be printed. Further, the leading edge band image BI1 including the leading edge e1 (FIG. 10) to be printed first is smaller than the other band images BI2 to BI5. Accordingly, the compressed band data of the leading edge band image BI1 is generated earlier than the compressed band data of the other band images BI2 to BI5. As a result, in S730 of FIG. 11, the processor 110 can quickly output the compressed band data of the leading edge band image BI1 to the target printing device.

In this embodiment, the multiple band data of the multiple band images are independent of each other. That is, the color value of each of the plurality of pixels of the target band image can be specified without using the band data of the band image on the trailing edge e2 side of the target band image. For example, for the color values of the plurality of pixels of the leading edge band image BI1, the band data of the leading edge band image BI1 is used instead of the band data of the band images BI2 to BI5 on the trailing edge e2 side of the leading edge band image BI1. is identifiable. In this way, the target printing device uses the received compressed band data to print the band images of the received compressed band data before completing the reception of the compressed band data of all band images. can be printed.

If the target printing device is connected to a network, processor 110 outputs various data (eg, header data, compressed band data, etc.) to the target printing device via the network. When the target printing device is directly connected to the terminal device 100, the processor 110 outputs various data directly to the target printing device.

In S740 of FIG. 11, the processor 110 determines whether or not the compressed band data of all band images have been output to the target printing device. If unprocessed band images remain (S740: No), the processor 110 proceeds to S720. The processor 110 then outputs the compressed band data to the target printing device in the order in which they should be printed. When output of compressed band data of all band images is completed (S740: Yes), processor 110 terminates the processing of FIG. 11 (and thus S190 of FIG. 2).

If the target print command is the first type print command, the processor 110 outputs the header data and the image data to the target printing device, as in the process of FIG. Processor 110 first outputs the header data to the target printing device. Processor 110 then outputs the bitmap data to the target printing device. If the bitmap data of the first type print command is composed of a plurality of mutually independent band data, similar to the bitmap data of the second type print command, the processor 110 outputs the plurality of band data as follows: Do them in the order they should be printed.

A-5. Action effect:
As described above, the processor 110 of the terminal device 100 acquires target image data in S135 of FIG. The processor 110 starts command generation processing (FIG. 4) in S140, and selects two types of print commands, including the first type print command and the second type print command, from the print execution unit (for example, the MFP 200). Generate a target print command to be output. The processor 110 executes the output process of FIG. 11 in S190, and outputs the target print command to the target printing device. Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the generation processing of the first type print command realized by the command generation processing (FIG. 4) uses the target image data to perform the first size change processing including image interpolation (S440, By executing S460, S480), a first type print command including first type image data is generated (S490).

In this embodiment, the second type print command generation processing (FIG. 7) realized by the command generation processing (FIG. 4) includes the second size change processing (S530, S540, S560, S580). . The second resizing process is a process of generating resized image data representing the target image by performing resizing processing that does not include image interpolation using the target image data. Also, the process of generating the second type print command includes the process of S590, that is, the process of FIG. The process of FIG. 9 generates a second-type print command including second-type image data by performing PackBits compression, which is an example of run-length compression, on the resized image data.

In this way, since the first-type image data included in the first-type print command is generated by executing the size change process including image interpolation, when the first-type print command is selected as the target print command can achieve high-quality printing. The second-type image data included in the second-type print command is generated by executing a second resizing process that does not include image interpolation and packbits compression, which is an example of run-length compression. Therefore, when the second type print command is selected as the target print command, the data compression efficiency can be improved and the data size of the print command output to the target printer can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to output a print command to the multi-function device 200 to improve the print processing speed. For example, when the data size of the second type print command is small, the time required for the target printing device to receive the second type print command is reduced compared to when the data size of the second type print command is large. Therefore, the time required for the printing process from when the terminal device 100 outputs the type 2 print command to when the printing by the target printing device is completed is shortened.

Also, in S120 of FIG. 2, the processor 110 acquires the capability information of the target printing device. Then, in the process of S210 of FIG. 4 (that is, the process of FIG. 5) executed in S140 of FIG. 2, the processor 110 selects a target print command from a plurality of types of print commands using the capability information. Therefore, printing suitable for the capabilities of the target printing apparatus can be realized.

Also, as described in S120 of FIG. 2, the capability information includes information on input resolution. In this embodiment, the first reference size in S340 of FIG. 5 is the same as the input size based on the input resolution. Therefore, in the processing of FIG. 5, the processor 110 determines that the target image data is bitmap data (S330: Yes) and the size correlated with the number of pixels of the target image data is smaller than the input size based on the input resolution (S340 : Yes), the second type print command is selected as the target print command (S360). Then, in S540 of the second type print command generation processing (FIG. 7), the processor 110 generates size-changed image data by executing enlargement processing for converting the size of the target image to the input size. In this way, when the size of the target image is smaller than the input size (Fig. 5: S340: Yes), enlargement processing is performed to convert the size of the target image to the input size based on the input resolution (Fig. 7: S540), the efficiency of compression by PackBits compression can be improved.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the conditions for selecting the second type print command (PWG raster) include the following conditions.
(Condition 1) The target printing device supports type 2 print commands (S310: Yes)
Condition 1 prevents the erroneous output of the second type print command to a printing device that does not support the second type print command.

(Condition 2) The interface for communication with the target printing device is USB (S320: Yes)
Run-length compression, such as Packbits compression, tends to result in larger compressed data sizes than other types of compression (eg, lossy compression such as JPEG compression). That is, the data size of the second type print command tends to be larger than the data size of the first type print command. If the interface for communication with the target printing device is not USB, the target printing device is usually connected to a network shared by a plurality of devices (for example, LAN (Local Area Network), Internet, etc.). Therefore, the time required to complete the output of the type 2 print command can be lengthened. Also, an increase in communication load due to the output of the second type print command may affect communication of other communication devices. When the interface for communication with the target printing device is USB, the target printing device is normally connected only to the terminal device 100 . Therefore, the output of the second type print command can be completed in a short time. In addition, it is possible to prevent the output of the type 2 print command from affecting the communication of other communication devices.

(Condition 3) The target image data is bitmap data (S330: Yes), and the size of the target image is smaller than the first standard size (S340: Yes)
As described in S520 to S540 of FIG. 7, if the size of the target image is smaller than the first reference size (the same as the input size in this embodiment), then in S540 the size of the target image is reduced to the size that cannot be interpolated. is enlarged without As a result, the efficiency of compression by PackBits compression can be improved. Thus, condition 3 can suppress the data size of the second type print command.

(Condition 4) The target image data is bitmap data (S330: Yes), and the index value (parameter Cp) indicating the complexity of the image is equal to or less than the threshold (S350: Yes)
As mentioned above, when the parameter Cp is small, the efficiency of compression by PackBits compression is good. Condition 4 makes it possible to suppress the data size of the second type print command.

In the process of generating the second type print command (FIG. 7), if the target image data is document data (office or PDF in this embodiment), the processor 110, in S550 and S570, is converted into PNG data, which is reversibly compressed target bitmap data. Then, in S590 (specifically, S630 in FIG. 9), the processor 110 performs the second size change processing (FIG. 7: S560, S580) on the target bitmap data and the target bitmap data. 2nd type image data included in the 2nd type print command is generated by packbits-compressing the image data. Lossy compression of image data can introduce noise in the image of the decompressed image data. In this embodiment, the target image data is converted into PNG data, which is losslessly compressed target bitmap data. Therefore, since the noise contained in the target bitmap data is small, the efficiency of compression by PackBits compression can be improved.

Also, in the second size change process (FIG. 7: S560, S580), the size of the image is changed without interpolating the color values. Therefore, noise due to resizing is suppressed. As a result, the noise contained in the target bitmap data is small, so the efficiency of compression by PackBits compression can be improved.

Also, as described in S520 and S530 of FIG. 7, the processor 110 outputs ( S520: Yes), in S530, the size of the target image is reduced to the second standard size. Then, in S540, the processor 110 enlarges the size of the image obtained by the reduction process to the input size based on the input resolution, which is the resolution of the image data accepted by the print executing unit. In this way, if the size of the target image is larger than the second reference size, the processor 110 reduces the target image once and then enlarges the reduced target image without interpolating the color values. Contiguous pixels of the same color value are encouraged in the resized target image. As a result, the efficiency of compression by PackBits compression can be improved.

Further, as described with reference to FIG. 9, when the processor 110 includes a plurality of logical processors, the processor 110 parallelizes a plurality of processes included in the process of generating the second type print command to the plurality of logical processors. to run. Therefore, the time required to generate the second type print command can be shortened.

In addition, as described in S630 of FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the processor 110 corresponds to a plurality of band images BI1 to BI5 included in the target image OI, which are a plurality of band data included in the second type image data. A plurality of logical processors are caused to execute in parallel a process of generating at least a part of a plurality of band data out of a plurality of band data. For example, when the number of parallel processes determined in S610 is 3, 3 band data out of 5 band data corresponding to 5 band images BI1 to BI5 are processed in parallel. Then, as described with reference to FIG. 10, the leading edge band image BI1 including the leading edge e1 to be printed first of the target image OI among the plurality of band images BI1 to BI5 has a size equal to or larger than that of the other one or more band images. It is smaller than the maximum size of each size of BI2 to BI5. Therefore, the processor 110 can quickly generate the compressed band data of the leading edge band image BI1.

Furthermore, as described with reference to FIG. 11, when the process of generating leading edge band data, which is the band data of the leading edge band image BI1 (FIG. 10), has been completed (S720: Yes), the processor 110 sets one or more other Even if the process of generating the band data of at least one of the band images BI2 to BI5 has not been completed, the leading edge band data is output to the target printing device (S730). Therefore, the target printing device can start printing immediately.

B. Second embodiment:
The second embodiment differs from the printing process of FIG. 2 in the first embodiment in the command generation process started at S140 and the output process at S190. Processing different from that of the first embodiment will be described below.

In the first embodiment, a command type is selected in S210 of FIG. 4, and a print command is generated according to the selected command type. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, a plurality of print commands (that is, a first type print command and a second type print command) are generated respectively. That is, the processor 110 executes the processing of S230 in FIG. 4 and the processing of S240 in FIG. 4 in parallel. When the processor 110 includes a plurality of logical processors, the processor 110 may allocate logical processors to each of S230 and S240 and execute S230 and S240 simultaneously. In addition, when the processor 110 includes one logical processor, the processor 110 may alternately progress between S230 and S240. As described above, after the target image is selected (FIG. 2: S130), within the time before the print button B45 (FIG. 3(E)) is operated, the first type print command is generated and the second type print command is executed. Each with generation proceeds.

When the print button B45 (FIG. 3E) is operated (FIG. 2: S160: Yes), the output process of FIG. 12 is executed in S190 of FIG. S805 is the same as S310 in FIG. If the target printing device does not support the second type print command (S805: No), the processor 110 outputs the first type print command to the target printing device in S830. S830 may be the same as the output process when the target print command is the first type print command in the first embodiment. That is, processor 110 outputs the header data to the target printing device and then outputs the bitmap data to the target printing device. Processor 110 then terminates the processing of FIG.

If the target printing device supports the second type print command (S805: Yes), in S810 the processor 110 determines that the data size of the generated part of the data of the second type print command is equal to or less than the reference data size. Determine whether or not In this embodiment, the reference data size is predetermined.

If the data size of the generated portion is equal to or smaller than the reference data size (S810: Yes), the processor 110 outputs the data of the second type print command to the target printing device in S820, and ends the processing of FIG. The processing of S820 may be the same as the processing of FIG. That is, the processor 110 may output the compressed band data to the target printing device in the order to be printed.

If the data size of the generated portion exceeds the reference data size (S810: No), the processor 110 outputs the data of the first type print command to the target printing device in S830, and ends the processing of FIG.

The printing process in FIG. 2 ends when the output process in FIG. 12, that is, S190 in FIG. 2 ends.

As described above, in S160 of FIG. 2, the processor 110 receives an instruction to print the target image on the target printing device. Before the instruction is accepted (S160: No), processor 110 causes display unit 140 to display the target image in S150. Then, the processor 110 starts the process of generating the second type print command before the instruction is accepted (S160: No). Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time from when the instruction is received until the second type print command, which is the target print command, is output to the target printer.

Also, as described in S810 of FIG. 12, the processor 110 outputs the data size of the portion of the type 2 print command that has already been generated before the instruction is received exceeds the reference data size (S810: No). , the first type print command is output to the target printing device (S830). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the second type print command of an excessively large size from being output.

Note that in the command generation process described in the second embodiment, the processor 110 first determines whether the printing apparatus supports the second type print command, as in S310 of FIG. , only the first type print command may be generated without generating the second type print command.

C. Variant:
(1) The process of generating the second type print command may be various other processes instead of the process described with reference to FIG. 7 and the like. For example, in S530, the size of the target image may be changed to a size smaller than the second reference size (eg, a size corresponding to half the resolution (eg, 300 dpi) of the second reference size (150 dpi)). . Also, in the resizing process of S530, color values may be interpolated. Also in this case, in S540, the size is expanded without interpolating the color values, so the efficiency of compression by PackBits compression can be improved. Also, instead of S520, S530, and S540, resizing processing for changing the size of the image to the input size may be performed in the same manner as in S560 and S580. In this case, if the resolution of the target image is higher than the input resolution, the image is reduced without interpolating the color values. If the target image before resizing contains multiple consecutive pixels with the same color value, the target image after resizing may also contain multiple consecutive pixels with the same color value. can be improved. At S550, S570, the target image data may be converted to uncompressed bitmap data. In S550 and S570, the target image data may be converted into lossy-compressed bitmap data.

Also, S520 and S530 in FIG. 7 may be omitted. If the condition for outputting the second type print command includes the condition of S340 in FIG. 5 (the size of the target image is smaller than the first standard size, that is, the size of the target image is smaller than the input size) In S540, resizing processing is performed to enlarge the size of the target image without interpolating the color values. Therefore, the efficiency of compression by PackBits compression can be improved. Instead of omitting S520 and S530 of FIG. 7, S340 of FIG. 5 may be omitted. In this case, if the size of the target image is larger than the second reference size, that is, if the size of the target image is equal to or larger than the input size (S520: Yes), the size of the target image is smaller than the input size in S530. reduced in size. As a result, the size of the target image can be appropriately enlarged in S540.

(2) The data format of the second type image data included in the second type print command is a bitmap format compressed by various other run-length compression instead of a bitmap format compressed by packbits compression. It's okay. Processor 110 may compress the image data according to a predetermined compression method at S590 of FIG. 7 (eg, S630 of FIG. 9).

(3) The configuration of the plurality of band images included in the target image may be various other configurations instead of the configuration of the band images BI1 to BI5 in FIG. For example, the widths may differ among a plurality of band images other than the leading edge band image BI1. Also, the total number of band images included in one target image may be any number equal to or greater than two. Also, the width of each band image may be determined according to the paper size. For example, the larger the paper size, the larger the width of the band image may be determined. In either case, the shape of the band image may be a rectangular image extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the target image to be printed first. For example, in the example of FIG. 10, each of the band images BI1 to BI5 is a rectangular image extending in the horizontal direction Dx perpendicular to the vertical direction Dy from the leading edge e1 to the trailing edge e2. The size of the leading edge band image including the leading edge of the target image (specifically, the total number of pixels) is smaller than the maximum size among the sizes of one or more other band images other than the leading edge band image. is preferred. Furthermore, it is preferable that the leading edge band image is the smallest size band image among the plurality of band images included in the target image. However, the size may be the same among a plurality of band images.

(4) In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the process of generating the header data of the type 2 print command and the process of packbits compressing a plurality of band data are performed in parallel. Here, the processing performed in parallel may be other various processing. For example, processor 110 may perform header data generation and PackBits compression of image data in parallel without segmenting the target image into multiple band images. Also, when the target image data represents multiple pages of images, Packbits compression of the multiple pages of image data may be performed in parallel. In general, a plurality of arbitrary processes included in the process of generating the second type print command may be performed in parallel. However, the second type print command may be generated without using parallel processing. For example, the processor 110 may generate data included in the second type print command in order of header data and body data.

(5) The data format of the type 1 image data included in the type 1 print command may be any format other than the run-length compressed data format instead of the JPEG format. For example, HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) may be adopted.

(6) Various methods may be used to select the type of print command to be output to the target printing device. For example, the processor 110 may use capability information input by the user operating the operation unit 150 as capability information used to select the type of print command. In this case, in S120 of FIG. 2, processor 110 acquires ability information by referring to information input by operating operation unit 150 . Alternatively, the processor 110 may select the type of print command without using the capability information.

The condition for selecting the second type print command may be any other condition instead of the condition described with reference to FIG. The first reference size in S340 of FIG. 5 may be a size smaller than the input size. For example, the first reference size may be a size corresponding to a coarser resolution (eg, 450 dpi) than the input resolution. The parameter Cp of S350 may be any index value indicative of image complexity. For example, the parameter Cp may be the total number of edge pixels included in the target image. Edge pixels can be detected using a known edge extraction filter (eg, Sobel filter). Also, any of the conditions (S320, S330, S340, S350) other than S310 in FIG. 5 may be omitted.

Also, the processor 110 may select the type of print command according to the user's instruction. For example, print settings may include a print mode selected from a plurality of modes including "priority to image quality" and "priority to speed". Here, the processor 110 may select the first type print command when "prioritize image quality" is selected, and select the second type print command when "prioritize speed" is selected.

(7) The command generation process may be various other processes instead of the processes in the above embodiments. For example, in the second embodiment, if the target printing device supports type 2 print commands, the processor 110 does not execute the type 1 print command generation processing, and executes the type 2 print command generation processing. may be executed. Then, in the output process of FIG. 12, if the data size exceeds the reference data size (S810: No), the processor 110 may start the process of generating the first type print command. In S810, the data size to be compared with the reference data size is the data size of various parts of the second type print command instead of the data size of the generated part of the data of the second type print command. can be For example, when the overall size of the data of the completed type 2 print command is equal to or smaller than the reference data size, the determination result of S810 may be Yes. In general, the data size of a specific portion including the generated portion before receiving an instruction to print the target image on the target printing device in the second type print command may be compared with the reference data size.

(8) The number K of available print command types may be 3 or more. Generally, in print processing, the processor 110 may generate at least one type of print command including the target print command among K types of print commands (K is an integer equal to or greater than 2).

(9) The printing process may be various other processes instead of the process described with reference to FIG. For example, S140 may be executed when the determination result of S160 is Yes. In this manner, processor 110 may start the command generation process after receiving an instruction to cause the target printing device to print the target image. Also, the preview of the target image (S150) may be omitted. Also, the print settings that can be changed by the user are not limited to the items described with reference to FIG. For example, the print settings may include a scale factor that adjusts the print size of the target image on paper. In this case, the size (and thus the resolution) of the target image to be compared with the size (input size, reference size, etc.) indicating the judgment criteria may be specified using the adjusted print size of the target image on paper. preferable. For example, when the print size of the target image on paper is adjusted to a smaller size, the print size of the target image on paper becomes smaller with respect to the number of pixels of the target image data, so the resolution of the target image increases. The processor 110 adjusts at least one of the size of the target image and the size indicating the criterion for determination using the magnification (and thus the print size) in order to determine the size relationship of the image based on this high resolution. is preferred. In general, various values having a correlation with the number of pixels of the target image data can be used as the size of the target image to be compared with the size indicating the judgment criteria.

(10) The print execution unit, which is a device that prints images, may be a device of a different type from the multifunction device 200 . For example, it may be a single-function printing device. Also, the control device that causes the print execution unit to print an image may be a device (for example, a digital camera, a scanner, or a smart phone) of a type different from a personal computer such as the terminal device 100 in FIG. Also, the control device may be part of the printing device. For example, the control unit 299 of the multi-function device 200 may execute print processing instead of the terminal device 100 . Further, a plurality of devices (for example, computers) that can communicate with each other via a network may share the function of the control processing by the control device, and provide the function of the control processing as a whole. corresponds to the controller).

In each of the above embodiments, part of the configuration implemented by hardware may be replaced with software, or conversely, part or all of the configuration implemented by software may be replaced with hardware. good too.

In addition, when part or all of the functions of the present invention are realized by a computer program, the program is provided in a form stored in a computer-readable recording medium (for example, a non-temporary recording medium). be able to. The program can be used while being stored in the same or different recording medium (computer-readable recording medium) as when it was provided. "Computer-readable recording medium" is not limited to portable recording media such as memory cards and CD-ROMs, but also internal storage devices such as various ROMs in computers, and hard disk drives that are connected to computers. An external storage device may also be included.

Although the present invention has been described above based on examples and modifications, the above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100... Terminal device, 110... Processor, 115... Storage device, 120... Volatile storage device, 130... Non-volatile storage device, 132... Program, 140... Display part, 150... Operation part, 170... Communication interface, 200... Composite Machine 210 Processor 215 Storage device 220 Volatile storage device 230 Non-volatile storage device 232 Program 240 Display unit 250 Operation unit 270 Communication interface 280 Scanner unit 299 ... control section 400 ... printer section 1000 ... image processing system

Claims (17)

A computer program for causing a print execution unit to print an image,
a first acquisition function for acquiring target image data of a target image;
a target print command that is at least one of a plurality of types of print commands including a first type print command and a second type print command and is selected as a print command to be output to the print execution unit; a command generation function for generating the at least one print command comprising;
an output function for outputting the target print command to the print execution unit;
is implemented on a computer,
A first generation function that generates the first type print command realized by the command generation function executes a first size change process including image interpolation using the target image data to generate a first type image. including a function to generate the first type print command including data;
A second generation function that generates the second type print command realized by the command generation function includes:
an image resizing function that uses the target image data to generate resized image data representing the target image by performing a second resizing process that does not involve image interpolation;
a compression function that generates the second type print command including second type image data by run-length compressing the resized image data;
including
Said computer program comprises:
a second acquisition function for acquiring capability information, which is information about the capabilities of the print execution unit, from the print execution unit;
a selection function for selecting the target print command from the plurality of types of print commands using the capability information;
A computer program that makes a computer realize A computer program according to claim 1 , comprising:
The capability information includes information on input resolution, which is the resolution of image data accepted by the print execution unit,
When the target image data is bitmap data and a size correlated with the number of pixels of the target image data is smaller than an input size based on the input resolution, the selecting the second type print command as the target print command;
The image resizing function generates the resized image data by executing an enlarging process of changing the size of the target image data to the input size as the second resizing process.
computer program. 3. A computer program according to claim 1 or 2 ,
When the target image data is document data, the second generation function converts the target image data into target bitmap data that is either uncompressed bitmap data or reversibly compressed bitmap data. Contains a conversion function that converts,
The compression function performs run-length compression of either the target bitmap data or image data obtained by performing the second size change processing on the target bitmap data, thereby performing the second-type printing. generating the second type image data included in the command;
computer program. A computer program for causing a print execution unit to print an image,
a first acquisition function for acquiring target image data of a target image;
a target print command that is at least one of a plurality of types of print commands including a first type print command and a second type print command and is selected as a print command to be output to the print execution unit; a command generation function for generating the at least one print command comprising;
an output function for outputting the target print command to the print execution unit;
is implemented on a computer,
A first generation function that generates the first type print command realized by the command generation function executes a first size change process including image interpolation using the target image data to generate a first type image. including a function to generate the first type print command including data;
A second generation function that generates the second type print command realized by the command generation function includes:
an image resizing function that uses the target image data to generate resized image data representing the target image by performing a second resizing process that does not involve image interpolation;
a compression function that generates the second type print command including second type image data by run-length compressing the resized image data;
including
When the target image data is document data, the second generation function converts the target image data into target bitmap data that is either uncompressed bitmap data or reversibly compressed bitmap data. Contains a conversion function that converts,
The compression function performs run-length compression of either the target bitmap data or image data obtained by performing the second size change processing on the target bitmap data, thereby performing the second-type printing. generating the second type image data included in the command;
computer program. A computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The image size changing function reduces the size of the target image data to the reference size or less when the target image data is bitmap data and the size correlated with the number of pixels of the target image data is larger than the reference size. and an enlargement process of changing the size of the image data obtained by the reduction process to an input size based on the input resolution, which is the resolution of the image data accepted by the print execution unit. generating the resized image data by executing as a modification process;
computer program. A computer program for causing a print execution unit to print an image,
a first acquisition function for acquiring target image data of a target image;
a target print command that is at least one of a plurality of types of print commands including a first type print command and a second type print command and is selected as a print command to be output to the print execution unit; a command generation function for generating the at least one print command comprising;
an output function for outputting the target print command to the print execution unit;
is implemented on a computer,
A first generation function that generates the first type print command realized by the command generation function executes a first size change process including image interpolation using the target image data to generate a first type image. including a function to generate the first type print command including data;
A second generation function that generates the second type print command realized by the command generation function includes:
an image resizing function that uses the target image data to generate resized image data representing the target image by performing a second resizing process that does not involve image interpolation;
a compression function that generates the second type print command including second type image data by run-length compressing the resized image data;
including
The image size changing function reduces the size of the target image data to the reference size or less when the target image data is bitmap data and the size correlated with the number of pixels of the target image data is larger than the reference size. and an enlargement process of changing the size of the image data obtained by the reduction process to an input size based on the input resolution, which is the resolution of the image data accepted by the print execution unit. generating the resized image data by executing as a modification process;
computer program. A computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
a reception function that receives an instruction to print the target image to the print execution unit;
a display function for displaying the target image on a display unit before the instruction is accepted;
is implemented on a computer,
The command generation function starts generating the second type print command before the instruction is accepted.
computer program. A computer program for causing a print execution unit to print an image,
a first acquisition function for acquiring target image data of a target image;
a target print command that is at least one of a plurality of types of print commands including a first type print command and a second type print command and is selected as a print command to be output to the print execution unit; a command generation function for generating the at least one print command comprising;
an output function for outputting the target print command to the print execution unit;
is implemented on a computer,
A first generation function that generates the first type print command realized by the command generation function executes a first size change process including image interpolation using the target image data to generate a first type image. including a function to generate the first type print command including data;
A second generation function that generates the second type print command realized by the command generation function includes:
an image resizing function that uses the target image data to generate resized image data representing the target image by performing a second resizing process that does not involve image interpolation;
a compression function that generates the second type print command including second type image data by run-length compressing the resized image data;
including
Said computer program comprises:
a reception function that receives an instruction to print the target image to the print execution unit;
a display function for displaying the target image on a display unit before the instruction is accepted;
is implemented on a computer,
The command generation function starts generating the second type print command before the instruction is accepted.
computer program. 9. A computer program according to claim 7 or 8 ,
Output for causing the output function to output the first type print command when a data size of a specific portion including a portion already generated before the instruction is accepted out of the second type print command exceeds a reference data size. A computer program that causes a computer to implement a setting function. A computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 9 ,
When the computer includes a plurality of calculation units, the second generation function is parallel processing that causes the plurality of calculation units to execute in parallel a plurality of processes included in the process of generating the type 2 print command. including features,
computer program. A computer program for causing a print execution unit to print an image,
a first acquisition function for acquiring target image data of a target image;
a target print command that is at least one of a plurality of types of print commands including a first type print command and a second type print command and is selected as a print command to be output to the print execution unit; a command generation function for generating the at least one print command comprising;
an output function for outputting the target print command to the print execution unit;
is implemented on a computer,
A first generation function that generates the first type print command realized by the command generation function executes a first size change process including image interpolation using the target image data to generate a first type image. including a function to generate the first type print command including data;
A second generation function that generates the second type print command realized by the command generation function includes:
an image resizing function that uses the target image data to generate resized image data representing the target image by performing a second resizing process that does not involve image interpolation;
a compression function that generates the second type print command including second type image data by run-length compressing the resized image data;
including
When the computer includes a plurality of calculation units, the second generation function is parallel processing that causes the plurality of calculation units to execute in parallel a plurality of processes included in the process of generating the type 2 print command. including features,
computer program. 12. A computer program according to claim 10 or 11 ,
The parallel processing function is a plurality of bands of at least a part of the plurality of band data included in the second type image data and corresponding to the plurality of band images included in the target image. causing the plurality of calculation units to execute processing for generating data in parallel;
the size of the leading edge band image including the leading edge to be printed first of the target image among the plurality of band images is smaller than the maximum size among the sizes of each of the other one or more band images;
The output function generates the band data of at least one band image out of the other one or more band images when the process of generating leading edge band data, which is the band data of the leading edge band image, is completed. outputting the leading edge band data to the print execution unit even if the processing for printing is not completed;
computer program. A control device for causing a print execution unit to print an image,
a first acquisition unit that acquires target image data of a target image;
a target print command that is at least one of a plurality of types of print commands including a first type print command and a second type print command and is selected as a print command to be output to the print execution unit; a command generator for generating the at least one print command including
an output unit that outputs the target print command to the print execution unit;
provided with
The first generation process for generating the first type print command realized by the command generation unit uses the target image data to perform a first size change process including image interpolation to generate a first type image. including a process of generating the type 1 print command containing data;
A second generation process for generating the second type print command realized by the command generation unit includes:
an image resizing process that uses the target image data to generate resized image data representing the target image by performing a second resizing process that does not involve image interpolation;
a compression process for generating the second type print command including second type image data by run-length compressing the resized image data;
including
The control device is
a second acquisition unit that acquires capability information, which is information about the capability of the print execution unit, from the print execution unit;
a selection unit that selects the target print command from the plurality of types of print commands using the capability information;
A controller. A control device for causing a print execution unit to print an image,
a first acquisition unit that acquires target image data of a target image;
a target print command that is at least one of a plurality of types of print commands including a first type print command and a second type print command and is selected as a print command to be output to the print execution unit; a command generator for generating the at least one print command including
an output unit that outputs the target print command to the print execution unit;
provided with
The first generation process for generating the first type print command realized by the command generation unit uses the target image data to perform a first size change process including image interpolation to generate a first type image. including a process of generating the type 1 print command containing data;
A second generation process for generating the second type print command realized by the command generation unit includes:
an image resizing process that uses the target image data to generate resized image data representing the target image by performing a second resizing process that does not involve image interpolation;
a compression process for generating the second type print command including second type image data by run-length compressing the resized image data;
including
When the target image data is document data, the second generating process converts the target image data into target bitmap data that is either uncompressed bitmap data or reversibly compressed bitmap data. Including conversion processing to convert,
The compression process performs run-length compression of either the target bitmap data or image data obtained by performing the second size change process on the target bitmap data, thereby performing the second-type printing. generating the second type image data included in the command;
Control device. A control device for causing a print execution unit to print an image,
a first acquisition unit that acquires target image data of a target image;
a target print command that is at least one of a plurality of types of print commands including a first type print command and a second type print command and is selected as a print command to be output to the print execution unit; a command generator for generating the at least one print command including
an output unit that outputs the target print command to the print execution unit;
provided with
The first generation process for generating the first type print command realized by the command generation unit uses the target image data to perform a first size change process including image interpolation to generate a first type image. including a process of generating the type 1 print command containing data;
A second generation process for generating the second type print command realized by the command generation unit includes:
an image resizing process that uses the target image data to generate resized image data representing the target image by performing a second resizing process that does not involve image interpolation;
a compression process for generating the second type print command including second type image data by run-length compressing the resized image data;
including
In the image size changing process, when the target image data is bitmap data and a size correlated with the number of pixels of the target image data is larger than a reference size, the size of the target image data is reduced to the reference size or less. and an enlargement process of changing the size of the image data obtained by the reduction process to an input size based on the input resolution, which is the resolution of the image data accepted by the print execution unit. generating the resized image data by executing as a modification process;
Control device. A control device for causing a print execution unit to print an image,
a first acquisition unit that acquires target image data of a target image;
a target print command that is at least one of a plurality of types of print commands including a first type print command and a second type print command and is selected as a print command to be output to the print execution unit; a command generator for generating the at least one print command including
an output unit that outputs the target print command to the print execution unit;
provided with
The first generation process for generating the first type print command realized by the command generation unit uses the target image data to perform a first size change process including image interpolation to generate a first type image. including a process of generating the type 1 print command containing data;
A second generation process for generating the second type print command realized by the command generation unit includes:
an image resizing process that uses the target image data to generate resized image data representing the target image by performing a second resizing process that does not involve image interpolation;
a compression process for generating the second type print command including second type image data by run-length compressing the resized image data;
including
The control device is
a reception unit that receives an instruction to cause the print execution unit to print the target image;
a display processing unit that causes a display unit to display the target image before the instruction is accepted;
with
The command generation unit starts generating the second type print command before the instruction is accepted.
Control device. A control device for causing a print execution unit to print an image,
a first acquisition unit that acquires target image data of a target image;
a target print command that is at least one of a plurality of types of print commands including a first type print command and a second type print command and is selected as a print command to be output to the print execution unit; a command generator for generating the at least one print command including
an output unit that outputs the target print command to the print execution unit;
provided with
The first generation process for generating the first type print command realized by the command generation unit uses the target image data to perform a first size change process including image interpolation to generate a first type image. including a process of generating the type 1 print command containing data;
A second generation process for generating the second type print command realized by the command generation unit includes:
an image resizing process that uses the target image data to generate resized image data representing the target image by performing a second resizing process that does not involve image interpolation;
a compression process for generating the second type print command including second type image data by run-length compressing the resized image data;
including
In the case where the control device includes a plurality of calculation units, the second generation process causes the plurality of calculation units to execute in parallel a plurality of processes included in the process of generating the type 2 print command. including processing,
Control device.

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