JPH04138268A - Printing method of dot printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable decrease of printing quality to be prevented by a method wherein a dot data incapable of printing in an original dot pattern is moved onto one upper line of a same column. CONSTITUTION:An original dot pattern(DP) read out from an original dot pattern storage circuit 2 is developed in a RAM 3. That is, a DP of a first column is stored in the RAM 3 without being converted. Then, a DP of a second column is converted in pattern based on the DP of the first column. This pattern conversion, when a dot data(DD) exists on a same line of a before column of the DD of the second column, transfers said DD of the second column to one more upper line of the same column. Herein, when the DD exists on the same line of a column prior to the transferred position, the DD of the second column is discarded. Thus, pattern conversion is successively performed for each column. When DP conversion of one line content is completed, printing is performed at a speed of two times ordinary speed by a printing means 5 based on said converted DP. That is, since continuous printing is not performed with one printing element, scan speed of the printing element can be made two times the ordinary speed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a printing method for a dot printer.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-73852, in a wire dot printer, consecutive dots are thinned out every other dot on a dot line in the row direction of an original dot pattern such as a font. There is a printing method in which dot pattern conversion is performed by converting the dot pattern, and printing is performed at twice the normal speed based on the converted dot pattern.

[Problem to be solved] In the conventional printing method described above, the printing speed is doubled or all the thinned out dots are deleted, so the printed dot pattern has a lower printing quality than the original dot pattern. There is a drawback that it becomes significantly worse.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printing method for a dot printer that achieves high printing speed without substantially impairing printing quality.

[Means for Solving Notification 3] The present invention receives an original dot pattern representing a font or graphic, and when there is a dot in the same column one row before the dot to be printed, the dot to be printed is Convert the above original dot pattern by moving it to the upper and/or lower rows and deleting the moved dot if there is a dot in the row before this moved dot, and The above problem is solved by printing based on a dot pattern.

[Example] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a printing character designation means such as a personal computer;
Reference numeral 2 denotes an original dot pattern storage circuit consisting of a ROM in which dot data of original dot patterns such as a plurality of types of characters, numbers, symbols, etc. are stored; 3, an original dot pattern storage circuit 2;
A RAM 4 temporarily stores dot data of the original dot pattern read out from the original dot pattern and dot data of a dot pattern obtained by converting the original dot pattern according to a predetermined algorithm; A control circuit performs pattern conversion of the original dot pattern and printing control, etc. 5 is a printing means that prints based on the dot data stored in the RAM 3, and for example, prints by moving printing elements such as a plurality of printing wires in the scanning direction Those provided in orthogonal directions are used.

Next, an overview of high-speed (twice the normal speed) printing operation will be explained. First, a mode switch (not shown).

) to switch to the high-speed printing mode, and specify the printing characters using the printing character specifying means 1. When a printing character is specified, the dot data of the corresponding original dot pattern is read out from the original dot pattern storage circuit 2, and this original dot pattern is converted into a pattern by the control circuit 4 based on a predetermined algorithm. It is stored in RAM3. Then, printing is performed by the printing means 5 based on the dot pattern stored in the RAM 3.

Next, the control circuit 4
An outline of the pattern conversion method of the original dot pattern using the method will be explained below.

First, the original dot pattern read out from the original dot pattern storage circuit 2 is developed in the RAM 3 (step ■).
.

The dot pattern in the first row is stored in RAM as is without being converted.
3 is stored. Next, the second row of dot patterns is pattern converted based on the first row of dot patterns.

In this pattern conversion, if there is dot data in the same column as the second column, the dot data in the second column is moved to the same column and one row above. If there is dot data in the front row of the destination position, the dot data in the second row is deleted.

In this way, the patterns are sequentially converted column by column (step 2).

When the dot pattern conversion for one line is completed, printing is performed by the printing means 5 at twice the normal speed based on the converted dot pattern (step 2). That is, as can be seen from FIG. 3(C), since continuous printing is not performed with one printing element, the scanning speed of the printing element can be made twice the normal speed.

Next, an example of the algorithm of the pattern conversion method in step (2) above will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3<a> to (C).

The pattern conversion algorithm in this example is N-[5
FTl(A and N)xor N1and A]o
r(A and N). N is the Nth column of dot data, and now the pattern conversion of the Nth column of dot data of the original dot pattern in FIG. 3(a) will be explained in accordance with the above algorithm. In the figure, it is assumed that the dot data in the N-1th column has been subjected to pattern conversion.

First, (A and N), but ^ is N0T(N-
1) That is, the dot data of the N-1 column is inverted, and "and" is the logical product of A and N. Now, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the dot data N-1 in the N-1th column is sequentially N-1 from the first row.
-(10110111), so A-(0100100
0). Here, when the data is "1", a dot is printed. Also, as shown in the figure, the dot data N in the Nth column is N-(00101001).

Therefore, (A and N) = (0000100
0). This represents dot data that can be printed at the same position without moving in the Nth column.

Next, perform l(A and N)xor Nl.

xor is exclusive OR. (A and N) and N are as above, so I(A and N)xor
Nl −(00100001). This is the Nth
It represents dot data that cannot be printed out of the original dot data in the row.

Next, [5FT((A and N)+tor N1
and Al.

SFT represents moving all dot data in one column up one row. l(A and N)xor
Since the dot data of Nl is as above, 5FTI(A
and N)xorNl-(01000010). This represents dot data when the unprintable dot data of the original dot data in the Nth column is moved up one line. As above, A is [5FTl
(A and N)xor N1and^]-(010
00000). This represents printable dot data in the dot data obtained by moving the unprintable dot data in the original dot data in the Nth column up one line.

Next, [5FTl(A and N)xor N1a
nd Alor (A and N). [5PTI
(A and N)xor N1and Al and (
A and N) is as above, so [SFT+(^
andN)xor Nl and Akoor(^
and N) - (01001000). This is [5FTl(^and N)xor N1and
The dot data of A], that is, the original dot data of the Nth column, the dot data that became printable due to movement, and the dot data of (A and N), that is, the original dot data of the Nth column. By calculating the logical sum with printable dot data, the dot data after pattern conversion of the Nth column is expressed. That is, the dot pattern in the Nth column of FIG. 3(a) is converted into a pattern as shown in FIG. 3(b).

The dot pattern in the Nth column is converted as described above,
In the same manner, each column of NiI, N+2, . . . is successively subjected to pattern conversion. By the way, N in Figure 3 (C)
The dot pattern when pattern conversion is performed up to column i1 is shown.

FIG. 4 shows a printed example of the original dot pattern, and FIG. 5 shows a printed example of the dot pattern obtained by converting the original dot pattern by the pattern conversion method of the above embodiment. FIG. 6 shows a printed example of a dot pattern converted by the pattern conversion method. As shown in these figures, in the conventional example, the spacing between the dots is noticeable and the printing quality deteriorates, whereas in the printing example according to the present invention, the spacing between the dots is interpolated, and the printing quality improves. are doing. In particular, when the printing results were copied, the difference between the two became noticeable, and it was confirmed that the printing results according to the present invention showed almost no difference from normal printing.

Note that in the above embodiment, dot data that cannot be printed in the original dot pattern is moved up one row in the same column, or is not limited to this, but may be moved downward, diagonally, or in multiple directions. The destination may be set arbitrarily, such as movement of . Also, for example, one row above and below in the same column,
You may move to multiple destinations. Further, the conversion pattern may be different depending on the dot position, for example, downward pattern conversion is performed for the first to nth rows, and upward pattern conversion is performed for the other rows.

[Effects] According to the present invention, printing quality can be substantially reduced without deterioration.
It is possible to achieve faster printing speed. Furthermore, since the number of dots deleted during dot pattern conversion is reduced compared to the conventional method, the copyability of characters printed by the method of the present invention is not impaired.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a printer using the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3(a) to (c) are An explanatory diagram for explaining one embodiment, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of printing using the original dot pattern, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of printing the dot pattern by pattern conversion of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of printing a dot pattern by conventional pattern conversion. Applicant Seikosha Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] When receiving an original dot pattern representing a font or graphic, etc., and there are dots in the same column one row before the dot to be printed, the dot to be printed is placed above and/or
Or, move it to the lower row, and if there is a dot in the row before this moved dot, delete the moved dot, convert the above original dot pattern, and convert it into the converted dot pattern. A dot printer printing method characterized by printing based on