JPH01208153A - Printing control apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the load of a higher rank apparatus by making it possible to perform the copy modification of image data in the same way as character data, by using a full dot memory separate from the full dot memory of the character data as an image exclusive full dot memory in developing image data on a dot pattern image and performing the copy modification of the image data on the image exclusive full dot memory. CONSTITUTION:A higher rank apparatus designates the copy modification of image data on a command and sends the number of copy sheets as data. A printing control apparatus 200 stores said number of copy sheets in an image copy number-of-sheet counter 111. Next, the higher rank apparatus 200 sends the original data being printing data to be modified to the printing control apparatus 200 and the processor 212 of the printing control apparatus 200 uses a full dot memory 116 as an image exclusive full dot memory in the copy modification of the image data to perform the dot development of the image data in the original data with respect to the full dot memory 116 and performs the dot development of character data to a full dot memory 115.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a print control device, and particularly to a print control device suitable for performing copy modification of image data.

[Conventional technology]

In conventional print control devices, when performing character copy modification, the character modification code is received from the host device, held in an intermediate buffer, and then one page of original data to be copy modified is received from the host device. , copy modification was performed when the original data was developed into a dot pattern image. Note that related devices of this type include, for example, rH-62 published by Hitachi, Ltd.
75-CIO/PIO Kanji Printer” manual.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

If the copy modification data received from the host device is a character code, the amount of data is not as large as in the case shown above, so there is almost no problem in holding the character modification code in the intermediate buffer in the print control device. However, one image data has a large amount of data, and in order to hold image copy modification data for multiple pages, a large-capacity intermediate buffer is required. For this reason,
Conventionally, when performing copy modification of image data, the host device modifies the original data for each copy page and sends the print data for the number of copies to the print control device, reducing the burden on the host device. There was a problem of increasing

An object of the present invention is to enable copy modification of image data in the same way as character data in a printing control device without requiring a large-capacity intermediate buffer, thereby reducing the burden on a host device.

[Means to solve the problem]

The above purpose is to use a full dot memory separate from the full dot memory for character data to develop image data into a dot pattern image in a print control device that has multiple pages of full dot memory that stores print data in the form of dot pattern images. This is achieved by using the image data as a full dot memory exclusively for images, and copying and modifying the image data on the full dot memory exclusively for images.

[Operation] When performing copy modification of image data, the image data of the original data is developed into a dot pattern image in the full dot memory dedicated to images, and the character data is developed into a dot pattern image in the full dot memory for characters, and then Receive the image data for decoration from the host device, receive the image data for decoration from the host device, rewrite some or all of the original data on the image-only full dot memory with the image data for decoration, and then write the full image data for text. The contents of the dot memory and the contents of the image-only full dot memory are ORed together and sent as a dot pattern image to a printing device for printing. When printing for one page is finished, the image data for primary modification is received from the host device, and the contents of the image-dedicated full dot memory are rewritten in the same way as above.

The contents of the full dot memory for characters and the contents of the full dot memory for images are again OR'ed and the dot pattern image is sent to the printing device. The above operation is performed for the number of copies to be made to realize copy modification of image data.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a printing control device to which the present invention is applied. This print control device 200 includes an intermediate buffer 211, a processor 212, and a character pattern memory 21.
3. Consists of a printer adapter 214 and two full dot memories 115 and 116.

Print data sent from a higher-level device (host) enters the intermediate buffer 211. Regarding the character data (character code) among the print data in the intermediate buffer 211, the processor 212 reads out the dot pattern corresponding to the character data from the character pattern memory 213 and writes it into the full dot memory 115 or 116. intermediate buffer 21
Among the print data in 1, regarding image data, MH
Since the code etc. are compressed, the processor 212
After decompressing the compressed data, the dot pattern is written into the full dot memory 115 or 116. 1
Print data for pages is stored in full dot memory 115 or 1
16, the contents of the full dot memory 115 or 116 are sent as a dot pattern image to the printing device via the printer adapter 214 and printed.

The full dot memories 115 and 116 can each store one page's worth of dot pattern images, and in normal printing operations, one page's worth of print data is stored in one full dot memory (
115) and its full dot memory 115
While the contents of the page are being sent to the printing device via the printer adapter 214, the processor 212 develops print data for the next page to be printed in the other full dot memory 116.

When the contents of the full dot memory 115 have been sent to the printing device and the expansion operation to the full dot memory 116 has been completed, the contents of the full dot memory 116 are sent to the printing device via the printer adapter 214. While the contents of the full dot memory 116 are being sent to the printing device, the print data for the next page is being sent to the full dot memory 11.
We will expand on 5.

As described above, in normal printing operations, the print control device 200 sends the contents of one full dot memory to the printing device, while developing the print data of the next page into a dot pattern image in the other full dot memory. and alternately use full dot memory.

Next, copy modification of image data according to the present invention will be explained.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention, particularly showing the full dot memories 115 and 116 of FIG. 2 and their peripheral mechanisms. FIG. 3 shows an instruction from the host device to the print control device 200 when performing copy modification of image data.

The host device first instructs copy modification of image data using a command, and then sends the number of copies as data to the device (step 311). In the print control device 200, this number of copies is stored in the image copy number counter 111. Next, the host device sends the original data, which is the print data to be modified, to the print control bag [1200 (step 312).
. In the copy modification of image data, the processor 212 of the print control bag [200] dedicates the full dot memory 116 to images, and performs dot expansion of the image data in the original data to the full dot memory 116, and converts one character data into dots. Expansion is performed on the full dot memory 115.

When the dot expansion of the original data is completed.

The print control device 200 notifies the higher-level device, and in response, the higher-level device sends an instruction to print the original data (
step 313). The processor 212 sets the logic tt 1 n in the full dot memory (FDM) selection bit 114, and the printer adapter 214 reads the contents of the full dot memories 115 and 116. At this time, the contents of the full dot memory 115 are processed by the AND circuit. At step 118, it is ANDed with the value of the FDM selection bit 114 and entered into the OR circuit 121.

- On the other hand, full dot memory 1 used exclusively for images.
16 enters the AND circuit 119. Here, the value of the image copy counter 111 is compared with O in the comparison circuit 113, and if they do not match (the value of the image copy number counter 111 is not O), the output of the comparison circuit 113 becomes a logical value 1. .

This passes through the OR circuit 120 and enters the AND circuit 119.

In this case, it is assumed that the number of copies instructed by the host device is not 0. As a result, the contents of the full dot memory 116 pass through the AND circuit 119 and enter the OR circuit 121. O
The R circuit 121 ORs the contents of the full dot memories 115 and 116 and sends the result to the dot pattern register 122. The printer adapter 214 sends the contents of the dot pattern register 122 to the printing device, and prints the result obtained by ORing the contents of the full dot memory 115 and the contents of the full dot memory 116. Further, the processor 212 uses the -1 circuit 112 to increment the contents of the image copy number counter 111 by -1, and notifies the host device of the end of printing.

In this way, when printing of the original data is completed, the host device transfers one page of image modification data to the print control device 200.
(step 314), and instructs to print a copy of one page using the clear print command (step 315).
. The processor 212 of the print control device 200 rewrites part or all of the original image data in the full dot memory 116 with the image modification data, and then prints the original data via the printer adapter 214 with the contents of the full dot memory 115. The content of the full dot memory 116 is OR'ed and sent to the printing device, and one page of copy-modified print data is printed.

When the processor 212 finishes printing one page, it decrements the value of the image copy number counter 111 by -1 and notifies the host device of the end of printing.

Thereafter, in accordance with instructions from the host device, the print control device 200 rewrites part or all of the full dot memory 116 with the image modification data and prints one page of copy-modified print data to the value of the image copy number counter 111. Repeat this until the value becomes O to complete the copy modification of the image data.

According to this embodiment, two full dot memories 115.1
Circuits 118 to 12 that OR the contents of 16 and send it to the printing device.
2 and use one of the full dot memories used for normal printing exclusively for images.
00, copy modification of image data can be easily realized. Note that in normal printing, the full dot memory 115
, 116 alternately for each page, the FDM selection bit 114 is alternately set to '1' or '1' accordingly.
You can set it to 0".

In this embodiment, a print control device with a full dot memory configuration for two pages is shown, but if a full dot memory capable of storing even more pages is provided, the full dot memory for multiple pages can be used exclusively for images. As a result, image modification data for a plurality of pages can be developed into a dot pattern image before printing for one page is finished, and the processing speed regarding copy modification of image data of the printing control device can be improved.

In addition, in this embodiment, the copy modification of one character data is performed in the intermediate buffer 211 and the full dot memory 11 as before.
It is possible using 5. In addition, when copying only image data without character data, use the full dot memory 115.
Either set all to O, or set FDM selection bit 11.
This is achieved by setting the value of 4 to logic 0.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, copy modification of image data, which has been executed within the host device, can now be realized within the print control device, which reduces the burden on the host device, and allows the host device to print 2 pages. After that, only the modification data needs to be sent, which has the effect of reducing the amount of print data sent from the host device to the print control device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the main parts of a print control device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the print control device targeted by the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the print control device of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an instruction from a higher-level device when executing copy modification of image data in a print control device. 115.116...Full dot memory. 211... Intermediate buffer, 212... Processor, 213... Character pattern memory, 214... Printer adapter. Figure 1 Atsushi Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In a print control device that has multiple full dot memories and, in response to instructions from a host device, develops print data in the full dot memory as a dot pattern image and sends it to the printing device, the copy modification of the image data is performed from the host device. When instructed, at least one of the full dot memories is used as a full dot memory dedicated to the image, copy modification of image data is performed on the full dot memory dedicated to the image, and the contents of the other full dot memories and the full dot memory dedicated to the image are copied. A printing control device characterized by comprising means for combining the contents of a full dot memory and sending the composite to a printing device.