JPH0516484A - Printing control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To set a paper length without an operator's intervention relative to a printer for which the paper length cannot be set in a form overlay information. CONSTITUTION:A form overlay-generating means 1 generates a form overlay information and form overlay additional information. An additional information input means 2 inputs the form overlay additional information from the form overlay-generating means 1. An additional information check means 3 judges a printer to be capable of outputting the form overlay information by the form overlay additional information inputted by the check means. A paper length setting information output means 4 outputs a control code for setting a paper length to the printer on the basis of paper length information contained in the form overlay additional information. A form overlay information input- output means 5 inputs the form overlay information from the form overlay- generating means 1 and outputs the information to the printer. The printer 7 receives the control code for setting the paper length and the form overlay information and sets a form by the specified paper length.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print control system, and more particularly to a print control system for a printer in an information processing system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, the print output of an information processing system is
The print format designation from the host device and the print data are output separately to the printer. The print control method uses the format overlay function to specify the print format, and sets the print format for the form. When a form is used when outputting to a printer using the form overlay function, the form overlay information includes information for setting the paper length for one form. For this reason, the format overlay information and the paper length of the printer always match. However, for printers that cannot set the paper length in the format overlay information,
Since the paper length on the printer side and the paper length in the format overlay information are inconsistent, it is necessary to set the paper length on the printer side in advance. FIG. 6 shows an example of a paper length setting method when the format overlay function is used in the conventional print control method.

In the conventional print control system shown in FIG. 6, additional information reading means 2 for reading the format overlay additional information from the format overlay generating means 1 and additional information checking means for determining that the printer is capable of outputting the format overlay information. 3 and the format overlay information reading and outputting means 5 for reading the format overlay information from the format overlay generating means 1 and outputting it to the printer, and the printer 7 for receiving the format overlay information via the printer output means 6 and setting the paper length and the format. Was configured.

[0004]

According to the conventional method,
When using the format overlay function for a printer that cannot set the paper length in the format overlay information, the operator sets the paper length of the printer in advance so that the paper length of the format overlay information and the paper length of the printer do not conflict. It was necessary to set the paper length of the format overlay information. Therefore, even if the format overlay is used, the intervention of the operator is required every time the printing is started, which is very inefficient. In addition, if the operator mistakenly sets the paper length, the printing of the format overlay information does not match and there is a drawback that the printing is incorrect. An object of the present invention is to solve the above drawbacks and provide a print control method which requires no operator intervention when using the format overlay function for a printer in which the paper length cannot be set in the format overlay information. Especially.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a print control method for a printer in an information processing system, whether the printer is capable of outputting format overlay information having format information for the printer and the format overlay information. Format overlay generating information for generating format overlay additional information, additional information reading means for reading the format overlay additional information from the format overlay generating means, and output of the format overlay information from the read format overlay additional information. Additional information checking means for determining that the printer is capable, a paper length setting information output means for outputting a paper length setting control code to the printer based on the paper length information included in the format overlay additional information, The format overlay is generated from the format overlay generating means. B. Format overlay information reading and outputting means for reading information and outputting to the printer, and the printer for receiving the control code for setting the paper length and the format overlay information and performing the format setting with the paper length designated by the control code. Composed.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a print control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the present invention, a format overlay generating means 1 having format overlay information and format overlay additional information, an additional information reading means 2 for reading the format overlay additional information, and a format overlay information output. Additional information checking means 3 for determining that the printer is possible, paper length setting information output means 4 for outputting a paper length setting control code to the printer based on the paper information from the format overlay additional information, and format overlay generating means 1 Format overlay information reading and outputting means 5 for reading the format overlay information from the printer and outputting the format overlay information to the printer.
And a printer output means 6 and a printer 7.

In FIG. 1, a format overlay generating means 1
Generates format overlay information based on the format definition information,
As the additional information, the line pitch, the number of lines, which is the paper length information of the format overlay information, the attributes of the format overlay information, and the like are generated as the format overlay additional information. As shown in FIG. 2, the additional information reading means 2 reads the format overlay additional information from the format overlay generating means 1 (step 201) and edits the format overlay additional information for use by the additional information checking means 3 (step). 20
2).

As shown in FIG. 3, the additional information checking means 3 checks the attributes of the format overlay information based on the format overlay additional information edited by the additional information reading means 2 (step 301) and the printer device information. Then, it is determined (step 302) whether or not the format overlay information can be output.

As shown in FIG. 4, the paper length setting information output means 4 generates a paper length setting control code based on the line pitch and the number of lines which are the paper information in the format overlay additional information (step 401). (Step 402), the paper length setting control code is output to the printer output means 6 (Step 40).
3) Analyze the end notification (step 404).

As shown in FIG. 5, the format overlay information reading and outputting means 5 reads the format overlay information from the format overlay generating means 1 (step 501) and edits it in a format that can be output to a printer (step 502). (Step 503) and analyzes the end notification (step 504). This process is repeated until the format overlay information ends.

The printer output means 6 outputs the paper length setting control code and format overlay information to the printer 7 to set the paper length and printer format of the printer.

All the format overlay information is output to the printer, and the format setting is completed and printing can be performed with the designated paper length.

In this way, the paper length is set in the printer 7 and the format overlay information is registered at the same time. Even for a printer in which the paper length cannot be set in the format overlay information, correct printing can be performed without intervention of the operator. Like

In the above description, the paper length setting information output means 4 sets the paper length in the printer 7, and the format overlay information read / output means 5 outputs the format overlay information. Even if the format output information is output by the read output means 5 and the paper length is set by the paper length setting information output means 4, the same effect can be obtained and the object of the present invention can be achieved.

[0015]

As described above, according to the print control method of the present invention, the paper length setting information and the format overlay information are output in order, so that the printer cannot set the paper length in the format overlay information. , The paper length and the format overlay information are registered at the same time, and the result is that the paper length cannot be set in the format overlay information. The effect is that it can be used in the same way as a printer that can be set.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a print control system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an additional information reading unit of this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an additional information check unit of this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a paper length setting information output unit of this embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a format overlay information read / output unit of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a conventional print control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Format Overlay Generation Means 2 Additional Information Reading Means 3 Additional Information Checking Means 4 Paper Length Setting Information Output Means 5 Format Overlay Information Reading Means Output Means 6 Printer Output Means 7 Printers

Claims (1)

Claim: What is claimed is: 1. A print control method for a printer in an information processing system, comprising format overlay information having format information for the printer, and information indicating whether the format overlay information can be output by the printer. A format overlay generating means for generating format overlay additional information, a load information reading means for reading the format overlay additional information from the format overlay generating means, and a printer capable of outputting the format overlay information from the read format overlay additional information. Additional information check means for determining that there is, paper length setting information output means for outputting a paper length setting control code to the printer based on the paper length information included in the format overlay additional information, and the format overlay generating means. From the above format overlay information A format overlay information read / output unit for outputting to the printer, and a printer for receiving the control code for setting the paper length and the format overlay information and performing the format setting with the paper length designated by the control code. A printing control method characterized in that