JPH11249841A - Digital printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a printing system where work efficiency is high and a printing preparation time is short by permitting a management server to select a free RIP device and transmit post script(PS) data to the RIP device and converting the data into bit map data so as to transmit it to the management server. SOLUTION: An operator registers article information on an input writing processing screen from an input writing processing terminal 7. Then, PS data corresponding to the article name is transferred from a DTP device 9-1, for example, to a management server 3. When PS data is received, the management server 3 refers to a state which indicates the work situation of the RIP device 13 in a RIP device management table, selects a free RIP device, for example, the RIP device 13-1 and transfers received PS data to the selected device 13-1. Then, the RIP device 13-1 converts PS data into bit map data and transmits it to the management server 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital printing system for printing or printing using digital data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a printing machine which is provided with a manuscript of a publication or a printed matter as digital data, directly receives the digital data, and performs printing or printing.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing such a digital printing system 100. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 10, 101 is a desktop publishing device (DTP), and 103 is R
An IP device 105 is a digital printing machine. The RIP device 103 converts PostScript data output from the DTP device 101 into bitmap data.

[0004]

However, in the digital printing system 100 as shown in FIG. 10, the RIP device 103 corresponds one-to-one with the digital printer 105, and the digital printer 105 is paired. RIP device 10
If the process of 3 is not completed, the printing process cannot be performed. Therefore, if the conversion process of the RIP device 103 takes a long time, the digital printing machine 105 waits, and the operation rate of the digital printing machine 105 does not increase. In addition, when there are a plurality of digital printers 105 of the same model, data transfer is performed by searching for a vacant RIP device 103, and the workability is extremely poor. Further, if there is no RIP device 103, the user has to wait until the RIP device 103 becomes available.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing system in which the operation efficiency of the entire system is high and the time until printing is short.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a plurality of desktop publishing apparatuses for outputting postscript data, a management server connected to the plurality of desktop publishing apparatuses, A plurality of RIP devices connected to the management server for converting data into bitmap data, wherein each of the desktop publishing devices includes:
Sends the postscript data to the management server, and the management server sends an empty R from among the plurality of RIP devices.
The printing system is characterized in that an IP device is selected, PostScript data is sent to the RIP device, and the RIP device converts the Postscript data into bitmap data and sends it to the management server.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a digital printing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The digital printing system 1 includes a management server 3, a management server disk 5, an input processing terminal 7, DTP devices 9-1,..., 9-t, RIP devices 13-1,.
-N, digital printing machines 19-1,..., 19-m, print instruction mail terminals 21-1,.

[0008] The management server 3 has a management server disk 5 and performs distribution and management of data between devices. The management server disk 5 has an item management table 30, a RIP device management table 40, a printing press management table 50, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the item management table 30. The item management table 30 includes an item name 31, a data file name 32, a RIP start time 33, and a RIP end time 3.
4, a print start time 35, a print end time 36, and the like.

The item name 31 is the name of a print item. The item refers to a printed material that is printed together as one job, and examples of the item name include a “furniture catalog” and a “car catalog” as shown in FIG. Data file name 3
2 is the name of the data file on the management server disk 5 that stores the print data, and the RIP start time 33 is the RIP device 1
3 and the RIP end time 34 is the RIP end time.
The time at which the processing is completed by the device 13, the printing start time 35 indicates the time at which printing was started by the digital printing machine 19, and the printing ending time 36 indicates the time at which printing was completed by the digital printing machine 19.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the RIP device management table 40. The RIP device management table 40 is in state 4
1, RIP device name 42, data location 43, version number 4
4, an original file name 45, a file name conversion pattern 46, and the like. The status 41 indicates whether the RIP device 13 is empty or in operation, the RIP device name 42 indicates the name of the RIP device 13, and the data location 43 indicates the storage location of data created by the RIP device 13. The version number 44 indicates the number of versions.

The original file name 45 indicates the name of the data file created by the DTP device 9, and the file name conversion pattern 46 appends characters to the file name of the original file name 45 to add a new data file name. The rules to be created are indicated by numbers.

FIG. 4 shows a file name conversion table 47. For example, the original file name 45 in FIG.
, The file name conversion pattern 46 is “1”. Therefore, the file name conversion pattern 48 in FIG. 4 follows the conversion rule of “1” and “test1.cyn” “t1”.
est1. mag ”,“ test1.yel ”,“ test ”
1. "blk" is assigned to the file name in the file name conversion table 47. When data is sent from the management server 3 to the digital printer 19-1, the digital printer 19-2,..., Etc., this file name, for example, “test1.
"cyn" is required.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the printing press management table 50. The printing press management table 50 has a status 51, a printing press name 52, a data location 53, and the like. State 51 is
Indicates whether the digital printing press 19 is empty or in operation. Printing machine name 5
2 is the name of the digital printer 19 and the data location 53
Indicates a storage location of data to be printed.

The submission processing terminal 7 performs registration of item information and the like. The print instruction mail terminal 23 receives the print instruction sent from the management server 3. Printed matter confirmation printer 27
Outputs a sample of the print data.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the processing of the digital printing system 1. The operator operates the submission processing terminal 7
From the submission processing screen, register the item information (Step 5
01). FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an input processing terminal screen displayed on the input processing terminal 7. At the submission processing terminal 7,
The top menu 61 is displayed.

When "item registration" is selected from the top menu 61, an item information input screen 63 is displayed. Here, "item name" and "data file name" are designated.
When "registration" is selected, an item name of a new printed matter can be registered.

Next, for example, the PostScript data corresponding to the item name is transferred from the DTP device 9-1 to the management server 3 (step 502).

When the management server 3 receives the postscript data, the management server 3 refers to the status 41 indicating the operating status of the RIP device 13 in the RIP device management table 40 and selects a vacant RIP device, for example, the RIP device 13-1. Then, the received PostScript data is transferred to the selected RIP device 13-1 (Step 503).
04). Then, the management server 3 sets the status 41 of the RIP device 13-1 in the RIP device management table 40 to RIP, and sets the status 41
Record the RIP start time.

Thereafter, the RIP device 13-1 performs a RIP process (step 505). The management server 3 checks whether the size of the RIP-completed file has been increased in the directory of the corresponding RIP device on the management server disk 5 or not.
Is monitored regularly, and when the size increase has stopped, RIP
It is determined that the processing is completed.

When the RIP process is completed, the DTP device 9-
1 transfers the RIP-completed data to the management server 3 (step 506). Then, the management server 3 sets the status 41 of the RIP device 13-1 in the RIP device management table 40 to “empty” and records the RIP end time of the corresponding item name in the item management table 30.

Next, the management server 3 refers to the state 51 indicating the operating status of the printing press in the printing press management table 50, and
A vacant printing machine, for example, the digital printing machine 19-1 is selected (step 507), and the selected digital printing machine 19 is selected.
The received RIP-completed data is transferred to -1 (step 508). Then, the management server 3 sets the state 51 of the digital printing machine 19-1 in the printing machine management table 50 to “printing”, and records the printing at the printing start time 35 of the corresponding item name in the item management table 30.

Subsequently, the management server 3 sends the print instruction mail terminal 2 attached to the selected digital printing machine 19-1.
The print instruction 70 is sent to 3-1 (step 50).
9) The printer 27 for confirming the printed material is a
Is output.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the print instruction 70. The print instruction 70 describes an item name, a print output device name, and the like. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the print sample confirmation document 80. On the printed sample confirmation 80, an item name, an output sample of a printed material, and the like are printed. The operator of the printing press confirms the print instruction sheet 70 and the print sample confirmation sheet 80 output to the printed matter confirmation printer 27, and starts printing (step 510).

When the printing is completed, the operator notifies the management server 3 of the end of the printing from the print instruction mail terminal 23 (step 511). When printing is completed, the management server 3 stores the digital printing machine 1 in the printing machine management table 50.
The state 51 of 9-1 is set to “empty” and the corresponding item name in the item management table 30 is recorded at the printing end time 36, and all the printing processes are completed.

As shown in FIG. 7, when "work status" is selected from the top menu 61 of the submission processing terminal 7,
The work status screen 67 is displayed. The work status screen 67
"Item name", "RIP", and "print" are displayed, and the progress of the printing work process is displayed for each item name registered on the item information input screen 63. The displayed “RIP” column is RIP
Indicates the status of processing, and in the case of a print item undergoing RIP processing,
The RIP device name is displayed, and when the RIP process is completed, "Done"
Becomes The displayed “print column” indicates the status of the printing process. During the RIP process, “not yet” is displayed. When the printing process starts, the name of the printing machine is displayed. Is displayed.

Further, the top menu 6 of the submission processing terminal 7
When "Aggregation" is selected from 1, the processing time aggregation screen 65
Is displayed. The processing time totaling screen 65 includes “item name”,
"Data file name", "RIP time", "Print time"
Is displayed, and the data file name and the time required for each printing process are displayed for the printing item for which the printing process has been completed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the empty R
Since the data is sent to the IP device 13 or the empty digital printer 19 for processing, the time required for printing can be reduced.

[0029]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing system in which the operation efficiency of the entire system is high and the time until printing is short.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a digital printing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an item management table 30;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a RIP device management table 40;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a file name conversion table 47;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a printing press management table 50;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of processing of the digital printing system 1.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a screen of the submission processing terminal 7;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a print instruction 70.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a print sample confirmation note 80;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a conventional digital printing system 100.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Digital printing system 3 Management server 5 Management server disk 7 Submit processing terminal 9 DTP device 13 RIP device 19 Digital printing machine 23 … Print instruction mail terminal 27 ……… Printed matter confirmation printer

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of desktop publishing devices that output postscript data, a management server connected to the plurality of desktop publishing devices, and a device that converts postscript data into bitmap data and is connected to the management server. A plurality of RIP devices, each of the desktop publishing devices sends PostScript data to the management server, and the management server selects an empty RIP device from the plurality of RIP devices, Wherein the RIP device converts the PostScript data into bitmap data and sends it to the management server. 2. A plurality of digital printing presses are connected to the management server, wherein the management server selects an empty digital printing press,
The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the bitmap data is transmitted. 3. Each of the printing presses has a mail terminal.
2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein a mail terminal is connected to the management server, and the start and end of a printing operation are notified between the mail terminal and the management server.