JPH05298037A - Form overlay type print method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To efficiently transfer printing data by storing them while being divided into printing data to be changed for each page of a slip and printing data to be repeated over plural pages. CONSTITUTION:The data in the plural kinds of formats are stored in a format memory 2 beforehand. The printing data to be changed for each page of the slip are stored in a variable data buffer 4. The printing data to be repeated over plural pages are stored in a repeated data memory 3 provided separately from the variable data buffer 4. Concerning the designation of the format and the contents of the data memory 3, the contents are maintained until any new form designation or repeated data are transmitted from a host computer so that the amount of data transferred from the host computer can be reduced and the processing of the host computer can be simplified. In this case, the respective areas of the format memory 2, repeated data memory 3 and variable data buffer 4 can be set in one memory as well.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a so-called form overlay printing method in which a form is printed together with characters by dot printing or the like using a white paper on which the form is not printed in advance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A form overlay system for printing a form together with print data has been disclosed in the prior art.
It is known from 10143 and JP-A-57-71081. All of these have a print data buffer and a form buffer in the printing device. If you want to print the same form data repeatedly, send the form data from the host computer once and store it in the form buffer. Only the print data needs to be sent until the form changes, that is, there is no need to send a combination of print data and form data each time from the computer, and printing is performed in the printing device by simply transmitting a simple code. Since the pattern and the form pattern are generated, there is an advantage that the processing on the host computer side is simplified and the transfer data amount can be reduced. However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, when a large number of documents having the same form and different entry data for each leaf are created, and if the entry data has a common part for each leaf, the host computer repeats each time. There is a problem that the data is combined with the data that changes every time and is transferred for each leaf, which lengthens the transfer time and reduces the utilization efficiency of the transfer line. For example,

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a form overlay printing method capable of efficiently transferring print data repeated on a plurality of sheets.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention stores data of a plurality of formats in a format memory in advance, and print data that changes for each page of a form is variable data buffer. The print data that is stored repeatedly in multiple pages is stored in the repeat data memory that is provided separately from the variable data buffer, and the format specification and the contents of the repeat data memory are stored in the new form designation or repeat data from the host computer. The content is maintained until it is sent, so that the amount of data transferred from the host computer is reduced and the processing in the host computer is simplified. The format memory, repeat data memory, and variable data buffer are functionally distinct and may be structurally independent parts, but each memory can be set in one memory. It goes without saying that it is good.

[0005]

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a printing apparatus of the present invention. Transfer signals input from the host computer to the printing apparatus are format designation data F1, F2 ..., Repeat data R1, R2 ... Which do not change over a plurality of pages, and print data x1, x2 that change page by page as shown in FIG. , ... In FIG. 1, the input control unit 1 identifies format designation data, repetitive data and normal print data, that is, variable data from an input signal sent from a host computer,
The repeated data is stored in the repeated data memory 3, and the variable data is stored in the variable data buffer 4. Memory 3
The buffer 4 and the buffer 4 each have a storage capacity of one form, and data corresponding to the same line on the form can be sequentially read from the memories 2, 3, and 4. The format memory 2 has a plurality of formats F1,
The data of F2, ... Is stored, and the data of the designated format read from the memory 2 is converted into a format pattern by the form pattern generator 5 and temporarily stored in the form pattern buffer 6. The character code read from the repeated data memory 3 is converted into a print pattern by the print pattern generator 7 and is logically combined with the form pattern in the form pattern buffer 6. Further, the character code read from the variable data buffer 4 is converted into a print pattern by the print pattern generator 7 and temporarily stored in the print pattern buffer 8. The outputs of both pattern buffers 6 and 8 are logically combined in the output buffer 9 to form a head drive signal, which is sent to the head driver 10 to drive the printer head 11 by the head driver.

As for the signal inputted from the host computer to the above-mentioned printing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 2, after the format designation data F1 and the repeated data R1 are inputted, only the variable data is inputted as x1, x2 ... These variable data are combined with the form data F1 and the repetitive data R1 held in the format memory and the repetitive data memory to form and form (F1, R1, X1) of the form as shown in the right column of the figure.
(F1, R, X2) ... (F1, R1, Xn) are constructed and printed. After the printing of the predetermined number n has been completed, the repetitive data memory 3 is cleared, and when the repetitive data R2 is input next, the new repetitive data R2 is stored in the repetitive data memory 3. In this example, the format designation data is Since it has not been updated until F1, the form (F1, R2, Y1) (F1, R2, Y) is input every time one page of variable data Y1, Y2 ... Is input.
2) ... will be printed. In this embodiment, the thermal head type line dot printer is used as the printer head, but the recording method is other than electrostatic method, ink jet method, electrophotographic method, discharge, electrolysis, magnetic method, and the like.
Further, the head structure can be implemented by various methods such as a line dot method and a matrix method.

[0007]

As described above, the present invention provides the form overlay type form printing apparatus in which the print data buffer and the form data buffer are separately provided and only the print data is transferred from the host computer unless the form data is updated. In (1), the print data for one page of the form is divided into a part that repeats without changing over a plurality of pages and a part that changes for each page, and only variable data is transferred from the host computer unless the data is repeatedly updated. The data corresponding to each line of the form is read from the format memory, the repeat data memory, and the variable data buffer, converted into patterns, and then combined and output to the printer. All except format data Character data is considerably reduced transfer data amount as compared with the conventional overlay method has been transferred to the data processing of the host computer on which the transfer time is shortened can be advantageously simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation explanatory diagram of the above.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Input Control Section 2 Format Memory 3 Repeated Data Memory 4 Variable Data Buffer 5 Form Pattern Generator 6 Form Pattern Buffer 7 Print Pattern Generator 8 Print Pattern Buffer 9 Output Buffer 10 Head Driver 11 Printer Head

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] May 18, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Full text

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Document name] Statement

Title: Form overlay printing method

Claims: A printer having a form pattern generator and a print pattern generator is used, form specification data is sent from the host computer once for each format change, and print data that does not change over a plurality of pages is repeated as data. Send once before variable data that changes for each page, then send variable data that changes for each page,
A form overlay printing method characterized in that the repeated data is temporarily stored in a printer, and a form pattern obtained by combining the stored data and a format is superimposed and printed on the variable data sent for each page.

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a so-called form overlay printing method in which a form is printed together with characters by dot printing or the like using a white paper on which the form is not printed in advance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A form overlay system for printing a form together with print data has been disclosed in the prior art.
It is known from 10143 and JP-A-57-71081. All of these have a print data buffer and a form buffer in the printing device. If you want to print the same form data repeatedly, send the form data from the host computer once and store it in the form buffer. Only the print data needs to be sent until the form changes, that is, there is no need to send a combination of print data and form data each time from the computer, and printing is performed in the printing device by simply transmitting a simple code. Since the pattern and the form pattern are generated, there is an advantage that the processing on the host computer side is simplified and the transfer data amount can be reduced. However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, when a large number of documents having the same form with different entry data for each leaf are created and the entry data has a common part for each leaf, the host computer repeats each time. There is a problem that the data is combined with the data that changes every time and is transferred for each leaf, which lengthens the transfer time and reduces the utilization efficiency of the transfer line.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a form overlay printing method capable of efficiently transferring print data repeated on a plurality of sheets.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention uses data sent from a host computer as format designation data and print data, the print data being further common to a plurality of pages, and page by page. Reduces the amount of data transferred from the host computer by dividing it into data that changes and sending common data over multiple pages only once at the beginning and storing it in the printer side and then sending only the data that changes for each page In addition, the processing in the host computer is simplified. The format memory, repeat data memory, and variable data buffer are functionally distinct and may be structurally independent parts, but each memory can be set in one memory. It goes without saying that it is good.

[0005]

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a printing apparatus for executing the method of the present invention. Transfer signals input from the host computer to the printing apparatus are format designation data F1, F2 ..., Repeated data R1, R2 ..., Which do not change over a plurality of pages, as shown in FIG.
And print data x1, x2, ... Which change page by page. In FIG. 1, the input control unit 1 identifies format designation data, repetitive data and normal print data, that is, variable data from an input signal sent from a host computer, stores the repetitive data in the repetitive data memory 3, and stores the variable data. It is sent every time one page is printed and held in the variable data buffer 4. Each of the memory 3 and the buffer 4 has a storage capacity for one form, and the data corresponding to the same line on the form is sequentially read from the memories 2, 3, and 4. The format memory 2 has a plurality of formats F1,
The data of F2, ... Is stored, and the data of the designated format read from the memory 2 is converted into a format pattern by the form pattern generator 5 and temporarily stored in the form pattern buffer 6. The character code read from the repeated data memory 3 is converted into a print pattern by the print pattern generator 7 and is logically combined with the form pattern in the form pattern buffer 6. Further, the character code read from the variable data buffer 4 is converted into a print pattern by the print pattern generator 7 and temporarily stored in the print pattern buffer 8. The outputs of both pattern buffers 6 and 8 are logically combined in the output buffer 9 to form a head drive signal, which is sent to the head driver 10 to drive the printer head 11 by the head driver.

As for the signal sent from the host computer to the above-mentioned printing apparatus, after the format designation data F1 and the repeated data R1 are sent as shown in FIG. 2, only the variable data is sent as x1, x2 ... A signal indicating the end of the repeated data, that is, a command for clearing the repeated data memory in this embodiment, is sent. Therefore, the next signal to be sent will be new repetitive data. Form data F in which these variable data are held in the format memory and the repeated data memory
1 and repetitive data R1, as shown in the right column of the figure, the form and contents of the form (F1, R1, X
1) (F1, R, X2) ... (F1, R1, Xn) are constructed and printed. When the predetermined number n of prints are completed, the repeat data memory 3 is cleared, and when the repeat data R2 is input next, the repeat data memory 3 is cleared.
This new repeating data R2 is stored in the table, and in this example, the format designation data has not been updated until F1. Therefore, every time the variable data Y1, Y2 ... , Y1) (F1, R2, Y
2) ... will be printed.

[0007]

As described above, the present invention not only divides the data sent from the host computer into the format designation data and the print data, but also divides the print data into a common portion over several pages and data that changes for each page. Since the common data for several pages is sent only once at the beginning, the amount of transfer data is significantly reduced compared to the conventional overlay method in which all print data other than format data is transferred for each page. Thus, there is an advantage that the transfer time is shortened and the data processing in the host computer can be simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation explanatory diagram of the above.

[Description of symbols] 1 Input control unit 2 Format memory 3 Repeated data memory 4 Variable data buffer 5 Form pattern generator 6 Form pattern buffer 7 Print pattern generator 8 Print pattern buffer 9 Output buffer 10 Head driver 11 Printer head

Claims (1)

[Claims] A form overlay printing method for converting print data read from a print data memory and format data read from a format memory into a print pattern and a form pattern, respectively, and outputting the combined pattern to a printer. The print data sent from the printer is divided into print data that changes for each page of the form and print data that is repeated over multiple pages, and the contents are stored until the new repeat data is input. A form overlay printing method, which is characterized in that the data is sequentially retained from the above two types of storage, converted into respective patterns, and the respective patterns are combined and output to a printer.