JPH11157145A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer which can rise fast by shortening a time for developing to a font cache when a power source is turned on. SOLUTION: A fresh item of 'to form/not to form a font cache for a hard disk font at the supply of power' is formed at an area in a nonvolatile memory. The 'to form a font cache' is set when an address content is 00(H), and 'not to form a font cache' is set when the address content is 01(H). Updating of contents in the nonvolatile memory is changeable by a change command from a panel device 110 and an external I/F. An initial set value is the 'not to form a font cache'. When a user sets the 'not to form a font cache', a time for developing to the font cache is shortened when a power source of an apparatus is turned on and therefore the apparatus can be started faster.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a printer device having a nonvolatile memory device such as a hard disk for storing outline fonts therein.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a printer device having a hard disk for storing outline fonts therein, an operation of expanding outline fonts into a high-speed volatile RAM (random access memory) or the like when power is turned on always occurs. However, it took a considerable time from when the power was turned on to when the printing operation was actually enabled. The fact is that fonts stored on this hard disk are often not used at the time of printing, rather than being used every time. In general, the user often wants to print immediately when the power is turned on, and often cannot print the first sheet until the font cache development of the unused hard disk font is completed.

[0005] The font used when printing a document is finally determined when a printing instruction is issued from the host computer. It usually takes several seconds to several tens of seconds from when an operator of the host computer issues a print instruction to the host computer to start sending data to the printer. This is because an operation of converting data into a format matching the language of the printer occurs on the host computer side. The font to be used is usually specified in the data of the third page in the case of the document of the third page. When the printer that receives the data starts the font expansion operation for the first time upon receiving the instruction of the font type, for example, if there is a new font in the document on the third page, the printer first receives the data on the third page. The deployment will begin.

Conventionally, as a timing for updating the contents of the font cache, for example, as described in JP-A-9-50431, a method of updating the contents of the font cache at the end of printing, 238
There is a method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 813 that updates the contents of the font cache only when the power is turned on / off. However, the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-50431 has a disadvantage that when the next data comes immediately after the printing is completed, the next printing is delayed due to a font cache update operation. Also, JP-A-8-2388
In the method of updating the contents of the font cache only when the power is turned on / off in No. 13, the font cache is not updated unless the power is turned on again, and the font cache is created when the power is turned on. .

[0005]

Therefore, the first aspect of the present invention
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer device which can be started up early by shortening the time required for the font cache to be developed when the power is turned on. A second object of the present invention is to provide a printer device capable of developing a font cache while a host creates data for print output by first sending a command for instructing the printer of a font list to be used to the printer. It is to be. A third object of the present invention is to always count the frequency of use of fonts, and replace a font with low frequency of use in the contents of the font cache with a font with high frequency of use when a standby state is detected. It is to provide a printer device.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in a printer having a storage device for storing an outline font therein, the outline font is stored in a volatile RAM at a high speed when the printer is powered on.
The first object is achieved by providing a font cache creating means for performing a font cache creating operation and a font cache creating selecting means for switching whether or not the font cache creating operation is performed by the font cache creating means. I do.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to the first aspect, when the font cache creation operation is selected by the font cache creation selecting means,
Before creating data for normal print output from the host device connected to this printer device, pick up a list of all fonts used in the printing and receive the result as a command, and then create normal print data. To achieve the second object. According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the printer device according to the first aspect, when the font cache creation operation is selected by the font cache creation selection means, the font use frequency information of the storage device for storing the outline font is always stored. Counting means for counting; detecting means for detecting a standby state in which the printer device has not received print data for a predetermined time and performing no other operation; and counting means for detecting the standby state by the detecting means. The third object is achieved by providing a font replacing means for replacing a font with a low frequency of use with a font with a high frequency of use in the contents of the font cache based on the counting result of.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a controller 100 according to the present embodiment. In the figure, 101 is a program of a program ROM (Read Only Memory) 104, a panel device 110
A CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the entire controller according to a mode instruction from the host and a command from the host device 112. An IC card 102 supplies font data and a program from the outside. Reference numeral 103 denotes a nonvolatile storage device that stores the contents of a mode instruction from the panel device 110 and the like, and is an NVRAM. This NVRA
M103 has a calendar function. A program ROM 104 stores a control program of the controller 100. A font ROM 105 stores font pattern data and the like.

Reference numeral 106 denotes a work memory of the CPU 101,
A RAM (random access memory) used as an input buffer for input data, a page buffer for print data, a memory for download fonts, and the like. An engine interface 107 communicates commands, statuses, and print data with the engine 108. Reference numeral 108 denotes an engine that actually performs printing. A panel interface 109 communicates commands and status with the panel device 110.
Reference numeral 110 denotes a panel device for notifying a user of a current printer state and giving a mode instruction.
Reference numeral 111 denotes a host interface for communicating with the host device 112, which is usually a Centro I / F or RS23.
2C. A host device 112 is a host device of the printer. Reference numeral 113 denotes a disk interface for communicating with the disk device 114. 11
Reference numeral 4 denotes a disk device that stores various data such as font data, programs, and print data, such as a floppy disk device or a hard disk device.
200 is a laser printer.

First, in the first embodiment, a new item "create / do not create a font cache for hard disk fonts at power-on" is newly created in an area in the nonvolatile memory. If the content of the address is 00 (H), the setting is “create font cache”,
If it is 01 (H), the setting is “do not create font cache”. The update of the contents of the nonvolatile memory can be changed by a change command from the panel device 110 and the external I / F. The default setting is "No". If the user sets the setting to "not create", the device can be started up as soon as the time required for developing the font cache when the device is turned on can be reduced. In many cases, the fonts on the hard disk 114 are not used rather than used every time. In general, it is often desired to print immediately when the power is turned on, so that it is not necessary to wait until the development of the hard disk font that is not used every time is completed.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, a used font notification command is newly created. The format created here is shown in Fig. 2.
As shown in FIG. And the printer is 00,01,0
When 2,03 is received, the character string after 03 is recognized as the font name to be used until 00 is received. A dedicated driver is installed in the host device 112. Thereafter, when the printing operation is started by the operator of the host device 112, first, a list of fonts used in the application is created.

When a list of fonts is created, all the fonts to be used are sent to the printer in accordance with the newly-used font notification command. The printer that has received the command checks whether or not the same font exists in the font ROM 105 or the hard disk 114, and if the font is the 114 font on the hard disk, starts developing the font cache. The host device 112 that has sent the used font notification command continues to prepare the print data, and thereafter sends the same data as in the normal print operation to the printer. In this embodiment, the printer can develop the data in the font cache while the host device 112 is preparing the data for print output, and the total output time can be reduced.

In the third embodiment, the font cache is updated without affecting the normal printing operation. First,
The usage frequency information of the font on the hard disk 114 is always counted up for each print operation and is always written in the nonvolatile memory. When a standby state in which no data is received and no other operation is performed is detected, the font list of the font cache of the font on the hard disk 114 is compared with the font list of the usage frequency information. Then, the fonts up to the specified order in the order of the use frequency information are expanded and stored in the font cache.

If the data has already been expanded on the font cache, no new expansion is performed, and only the shortage is expanded.
Fonts not placed in the specified order are erased and made free areas. The detection of a standby state in which no operation is performed enables a time to be set. Normally, the setting is set to about "5 minutes", and if it often interrupts the printing operation, wait a little longer before updating the font cache appropriately. According to this embodiment, the font cache is more likely to hit because the update frequency is higher than when the power is updated only when the power is turned ON / OFF. Also, the printing operation is not interrupted during continuous printing, so that the printing operation is not hindered.

[0015]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the power is turned on, the operation of expanding the outline font into the high-speed volatile RAM (font cache creation operation) is performed by the font cache creation selection means. By setting "not to be developed", the time required for developing in the font cache when the power of the printer device is turned on can be reduced, and the device itself can be started up quickly. Most fonts are not used rather than used every time, and in general, users often want to print immediately when the power is turned on, so they do not have to wait until the fonts that are not used each time have been developed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the font cache creation operation is selected, the printer device first receives a command for instructing the printer of a font list to be used before creating print output data from the host device. Thus, while the host device is preparing the data for print output, the printer device can develop the data in the font cache, and the total output time can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the detecting means detects a standby state in which no data is processed, and updates the font cache. Is higher, so the font cache is easier to hit. Also, the printing operation is not interrupted during continuous printing, so that the printing operation is not hindered.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a format used in a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 controller 101 CPU 102 IC card 103 NV-RAM 104 program ROM 105 font ROM 106 RAM 107 engine interface 108 engine 109 panel interface 110 panel device 111 host interface 112 host device 113 disk interface 114 disk (hard disk) 200 laser printer

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A printer device having a storage device for storing an outline font therein, and a font cache creation means for performing a font cache creation operation of expanding the outline font into a high-speed volatile RAM when the printer device is turned on. And a font cache creation selecting means for switching whether or not the font cache creation operation is performed by the font cache creation means. 2. When a font cache creation operation is selected by the font cache creation selection means, a list of fonts to be used in the printing before creating data for normal print output from a host device connected to the printer device. 2. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the printer device picks up all the data, receives the result as a command, and then starts creating normal print data. 3. A counting means for constantly counting font use frequency information of a storage device for storing outline fonts when a font cache creation operation is selected by the font cache creation selecting means; Detecting means for detecting a standby state in which time printing data is not received and other operations are not performed; and when the detecting means detects the standby state, the content of the font cache is determined based on the result of counting by the counting means. 2. The printer device according to claim 1, further comprising: a font replacement unit that replaces a font with a low frequency of use with a font with a high frequency of use.