JPH05185699A - Method and device for controlling printing - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To select a paper supply tray and a paper discharge tray independently of the setting of an application program even in an engine having a paper supply/discharge tray construction of every type and to select the tray on a text-format control command. CONSTITUTION:A CPU 2-2 as a controller is provided with a non-text-format command analysis processing part 2-2A and a text-format command analysis processing part 2-2B. When the analysis processing part 2-2A receives a text- format control command through an input buffer 2-6B, a control is transferred from the analysis processing part 2-2B to the analysis processing part 2-2A, a paper supply tray or a paper discharge tray is selected, and printing processing is conducted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing control method and a printing control device for a printing device which forms image data in accordance with character data and a control command from a host and transfers it to a printer engine to obtain a printed image. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a printing apparatus has an instruction (control instruction ... Command) from an operation panel equipped with a keyboard for setting a printing pitch and various printing modes, and various control instructions from a host such as a computer. And print data is transferred.

Conventionally, when a print mode or the like is input and set from the operation panel, when data is output from the host side, software is configured to transfer the print data after outputting the initial command. There was an inconvenience that the print mode etc. from the operation panel set to was cleared.

In order to solve this inconvenience, the setting of the print mode or the like from the operation panel is registered in the non-volatile memory (RAM), and the print mode or the like stored in the non-volatile memory is set by the host from the initial command. It was designed to read and print. That is, the settings such as the print mode from the operation panel are not cleared by the initial command from the host side.

[0005]

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a laser printer system as an example, which is a host computer 1 and a controller 2.
And a laser printer body 4 including a printer engine (hereinafter, simply referred to as an engine) 3, and an optional unit (not shown) is added to the laser printer body 4 as necessary. In addition, 5 is an operation panel.

FIG. 8 shows an example of an actual machine (standard product) (1) of the laser printer and an emulation machine (2) thereof. A manual feed tray A ₁ and a tray are provided on the paper feed side A of the actual machine (1). A
_The emulation machine (2) has a plurality of trays, a manual feed tray A ₃ , an upper tray A ₄ and a lower tray A ₅ on the paper feed side, and a paper ejection tray B on the paper ejection side B. _The case where one 1 and one B ₂ are provided is shown.

In the case of the emulation machine (FIG. 8 (2)) equipped with the emulation mode having the above-mentioned configuration, in the example shown in FIG. A ₅ ).

That is, in the case of a printer that is generally equipped with an emulation mode and has a plurality of paper feed trays and paper ejection trays, in order to switch between the paper feed and paper ejection trays with a control command in the emulation mode. ,
The control command for selecting the paper feed tray or the paper discharge tray is not supported, or even if it exists, it is supported only within a specific range of the actual machine (the original actual machine to be emulated).

[0009] For example, the paper feed tray of the emulation device with emulation mode A _3, A _4, at least three as A _5, actual paper feed tray to be emulated for A _1, A ₂ Since there are only two, there is a disadvantage that only two can be switched by the control command from the host side, and the third and subsequent paper feed trays cannot be selected by the control command.

In order to solve this, the third and subsequent paper feed trays are set from the operation panel 5, or a special control command is provided on the host side to select the paper feed tray.
The same applies to a plurality of discharge trays provided.

However, when printing is performed using an application program on the host side, the application program side executes the instruction of one of the two paper feed trays of the emulation machine after issuing the initial instruction. There was an inconvenience that the paper feed tray designations after the second changed.

Further, the special control instruction is usually in a non-text format such as an escape sequence and is not supported by the application program.
There was an inconvenience that it could not be sent from the host side.

The present invention solves such a conventional inconvenience, and can select a paper feed tray or a paper discharge tray for an engine of any structure without being influenced by the setting of an application program. Is intended to be able to be performed by a test type control command.

[0014]

A printing control method according to the present invention is a printing apparatus which forms image image data according to character data and a control command from a host and transfers the image data to a printer engine to obtain a printed image output. It is possible to switch a plurality of paper feed / discharge trays equipped in the printing device by a control command from the host, or it can be switched by a command other than the control command, and the control command from the host can be set to valid or invalid. And when disabled, regardless of the control command from the host,
It is characterized in that switching is performed by a command other than the control command, and when enabled, switching is performed by both a command from the host and a command other than the control command.

The print control apparatus of the present invention is a host.
Text data, image data according to control command
And transfer it to the printer engine to output the printed image.
In the obtained printing device, according to the control command from the host,
Switch between multiple paper feed / discharge trays equipped in the printer
The first switching means and commands other than the control command from the host
Second switching means for switching the supply / discharge tray according to an order
And whether to enable or disable the first switching means, respectively.
Setting means, and the first switching by the setting means
The control command from the host when the means is disabled.
2nd changeover is made invalid by changing the supply / discharge tray
Only the means is valid, and the setting means is set to be valid.
When it is turned on, the first and second switching means are made effective.
It is characterized by

[0016]

According to the present invention, by setting a control command in a text format for a printer having a plurality of paper feed / ejection trays, the paper feed / ejection can be easily performed regardless of the setting of the application program. You can select the tray.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a block diagram mainly showing the controller 2 of FIG. 7 for carrying out the print control method of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 2-1 is an interface (I / F) with the host computer 1, 2-2 is a control unit composed of a CPU that controls the overall operation of the controller, 2-
3 is the RO that stores the operation program of this controller
M, 2-4 are non-volatile RAMs for storing control commands from the operation panel 5, which will be described later, 2-5 is an operation panel interface (I / F), and 2-6 is storage of control data, the state of the engine 3 and the like. RAM, 2-7 is engine interface (I / F), 2-
Reference numeral 8 denotes a CPU bus that connects these units to the CPU.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described for the case where the paper feed tray is the target and can be set by the operation panel 5, but the same applies to the paper discharge tray.

Here, FIG. 2 is a flow chart when the paper feed tray switching command is received from the host computer, FIG. 3 is a flow chart when the 3 & text control command illustrated in FIG. 6 is received, and FIG. 6 is a flow chart when the END text control command is received, and FIG. 5 shows a data flow in which the CPU 2-2 executes the control processing shown in the flow charts shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 according to the program of the ROM 2-3 shown in FIG. It is a figure.

From the operation panel 5 of FIG. 1, various print modes are set (stored) in the nonvolatile RAM 2-4 via the operation panel (I / F) 2-5, and also illustrated in FIG. 8 (2). All of the paper feed trays A ₃ , A ₄ , and A _{5 that} the emulation machine has can be set in the nonvolatile RAM 2-4.

Further, setting of whether the paper feed tray selection command is valid or invalid (hereinafter referred to as protect setting) is performed by a nonvolatile R
Can be set to AM.

Now, when the lower tray A ₅ of the emulation machine and the protect setting are disabled by the non-text format command on the operation panel 5 and the laser printer body 4 is started, as shown in the data flow chart of FIG.
The paper feed position switching command from the host computer 1
The CPU 2-2 is a ROM via the input buffer 2-6B of the RAM 2-6 via the host interface (I / F) 2-1.
According to the program of 2-3, the non-text format command analysis processing unit 2-2A performs the analysis processing according to the flowchart of FIG.

That is, when the paper feed tray switching command is received from the host computer 1 (S ₁ ), the protect setting has already been set to invalid by the operation panel 5.
(Yes in S ₂ ), the lower tray A ₅ is not set to the engine 3 (without switching), and the image processing unit 2-2C is processed by feeding the manual feed tray A ₃ or the upper tray A _4. The image is printed by the engine 3. If no protection setting is set to invalid (NO in S _2), the switching command is sent with respect to the lower tray A ₅ to the engine 3 (S _3), in this case is fed from the lower tray A ₅ Printing is performed.

Next, when a text format command is received from the host computer 1, the CPU 2-2 follows the program of the ROM 2-3 and the text format command analysis processing section 2-2.
Analysis processing is performed in B.

This text format command is relatively
It is represented by a character string that is not normally used, and FIG. 6 shows three &&& as an example.

That is, the non-text command analysis processing unit
In 2-2A, as shown in the flowchart of FIG.
& Receives the string &"(for S ₁ Yes), the input buffer 2-6 to text command analysis processing unit 2-2B
Transfer the control right by passing the pointer of B (from 2-2A to 2-2B
To) (S ₂ ).

At this time, for example, the paper feed switching command is "IN.
PUT #; ”, the text format command analysis processing unit 2-2B sends the paper feed switching command to the print control unit 2-2D, and the engine interface (I / F) 2
It is possible to switch the paper feed tray (lower tray A _{5 in} this case) by instructing the engine 3 to switch the paper feed via -7.

Further, the protect setting command is set to "PRO
If you decide to enable or disable like TECT "and" NOPROTECT ", these settings will be stored in the non-volatile RAM2-4.
The result similar to that of the operation of the operation panel 5 can be obtained by storing in the memory.

If the text shown in FIG. 6 is entered at the beginning of the text created on the application program, the page is image processed on the paper fed from the lower tray A ₅ without the protection setting. The image processed by the section 2-2C is printed by the engine 3.

However, since the print result is different from the text viewed on the host computer 1 side (&, &, & and END or the tesquite control command is not printed), an operator who refuses to do so can set the protect setting in advance by a command. It can be resolved by sending it.

[0031] In this manner, the instruction to end the command textual, as in the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, "END;" receives the (Yes in S _1), textual command analysis processing unit 2-2B Passes the pointer of the input buffer 2-6B to the non-text format command analysis processing unit 2-2A and transfers the control right (from 2-2B to 2-2A).
(S ₂ ).

As a result, the non-text format command analysis processing unit 2-2A analyzes the next print data from the host computer 1, and the image processed by the image processing unit 2-2C is printed by the engine 3. It

The case of the paper feed tray has been described above, but it goes without saying that the same can be applied to the paper discharge tray.

[0034]

As described above, the print control method and the print control apparatus according to the present invention are not affected by the setting of the application program regardless of the structure of the feed and discharge trays of the engine. You can select the paper feed and output trays.

Further, since the command is in the text format, it is possible to easily select the paper feed tray or the paper discharge tray regardless of which application program is used to create the text.

Furthermore, if the text illustrated in FIG. 6 is entered at the beginning of the text created on the application program, the same paper feed and paper ejection trays can be selected without the protection setting.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram centering on a controller for carrying out the method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart when a paper feed tray switching command is received from a host computer.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart when a text control command of 3 & is received.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart when an END text control command is received.

5 is a diagram showing a data flow by a CPU in the controller of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a text control command used in the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a laser printer system in which the present invention is implemented.

8 is a diagram showing an example of an actual machine (1) of the laser printer of FIG. 7 and its emulation machine (2).

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Host computer, 2 ... Controller, 3 ...
Printer engine, 4 ... Laser printer body, 5
… Operation panel, 2-1… Host interface (I / F),
2-2 ... control unit (CPU), 2-2A ... non-text format command analysis unit, 2-2B ... text format command analysis unit,
2-2C ... Image processing unit, 2-2D ... Print control unit,
2-3 ... ROM, 2-4 ... nonvolatile RAM, 2-5 ... operation panel interface (I / F), 2-6 ... RAM, 2-6
B ... Input buffer, 2-7 ... Engine interface (I / F).

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A printer, which forms image image data according to character data and control commands from a host and transfers the image data to a printer engine to obtain a print image output, wherein a plurality of feeding and discharging devices are provided in the printer. The tray can be switched by a control command from the host, or can be switched by a command other than the control command, and the control command from the host can be set to be valid or invalid. The printing by the printing device is characterized in that the switching is performed by an instruction other than the control instruction, and when the setting is enabled, the switching is performed by both the control instruction from the host and the instruction other than the control instruction. Control method. 2. A printing apparatus for forming image data according to character data and a control command from a host and transferring the image data to a printer engine to obtain a print image output. The printing apparatus is provided with the control command from the host. The first switching means for switching the plurality of supply / discharge trays, the second switching means for switching the supply / discharge trays by a command other than the control command from the host, and the first switching means are effective. Or a setting means for invalidating, and when the first switching means is invalidated by the setting means, the control command from the host invalidates the switching between the feeding and discharging trays. Only the switching means is effective,
When it is set to be valid by the setting means, the first
And a printing control device characterized by enabling the second switching means. 3. The setting of the second switching means for the feed / discharge tray, the setting means for activating or deactivating the second switching means and the first switching means for the feed / discharge tray, respectively. 3. The print control device according to claim 2, wherein the test is performed by a test format command.