Printing control method and apparatus

• US 20050052662A1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Satoshi, Mori, Yasuo, Kujirai, Yasuhiro, Nakagiri, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 7,218,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/393 Enlarging or reducing

Abstract

When an original image is to be printed as a poster composed of an array of 4×4 output images, an image is generated by enlarging the original image fourfold in the vertical and horizontal directions and dividing the enlarged image into 16 parts. These 16 partial images are output successively starting from the upper left or lower right of the 4×4 array, depending upon the designation. If there is a blank page, the blank page is output as is even if the printer possesses a blank-paper economizing function. Thus, when a poster printing function is used, the user designates the manner in which the enlarged image is divided up and the order in which the divided images are printed. Even if the printer is equipped with the blank-paper economizing function, normal printed results can be obtained merely by joining the output sheets together in the order that conforms to the manner in which the enlarged image was divided.

Claims

1-19. -19. (Cancelled)

20. A printing control apparatus, operating as a host computer, for generating print data including printer control commands to be printed by a printer, comprising:

an input unit for inputting an enlargement-division method indicating how to enlarge and divide an image, which is set through an interface screen image provided by a printer driver;

a page division unit for acquiring an enlargement ratio for enlarging an image represented by original data to be printed on a page output by an application in accordance with the inputted enlargement-division method and dividing the original data to be printed on a page into data to be printed in plural pages; and

a print data generation unit for generating print data so that the print data is transmitted to the printer and printed by the printer in a predetermined order in accordance with the data processed by said page division unit.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the designated size is designated by rate of enlargement of the image represented by the original data output from the application.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the designated size is designated by size of each divided image and number of divided images.

23. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the predetermined order is an order in which the enlarged image can be reconstructed by arranging divided images that have been divided and printed in said order.

24. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising a display control unit for displaying progress of output of the print data for the plural pages resulting from division.

25. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising a spool unit for converting the data output from the application into intermediate code and storing the intermediate code in a spool file,

wherein said page division unit processes the data stored in the spool file so as to enlarge an image represented by the intermediate code to the designated size and divide the enlarged image into plural pages.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said spool unit receives the original data output from the application through a graphic engine and said page division unit outputs the print data divided into the plural pages to the graphic engine.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, further comprising a warning display control unit for detecting a state in which said print data divided into the plural page cannot be printed normally and displaying warning for giving notification of this fact.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the state in which said print data divided into the plural page cannot be printed normally is one in which a size that cannot be handled by the operating system because of a limitation of the graphic engine has been designated as the designated size.

29. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the printer has a function which ignores printing of a blank page, and when said print data generation unit generates print data in accordance with the data processed by said page division unit, said print data generation unit issues an instruction not to use the function which ignores printing of a blank page to the printer.

30. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein it can be instructed through a displayed instruction screen whether a poster print processing, in which the original data for a page output from an application is processed so as to enlarge an image represented by the original data and divide the enlarged image into plural pages, is performed or not.

31. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising a determination unit for determining whether an order of output is a normal order or a reverse order,

wherein the print data is output to the printer in upper-left to right order when it is determined that the order of output is the normal order, whereas the print data is output to the printer in lower-right to left order when it is determined that the order of output is the reverse order.

32. A printing control method performed in a host computer, for generating print data including printer control commands to be printed by a printer, comprising:

an input step of inputting an enlargement-division method indicating how to enlarge and divide an image, which is set through an interface screen image provided by a printer driver;

a page division step of acquiring an enlargement ratio for enlarging an image represented by an original data to be printed on a page output by an application in accordance with the inputted enlargement-division method and dividing the original data to be printed on a page into data to be printed in plural pages; and

a print data generation step of generating print data so that the print data is transmitted to the printer and printed by the printer in a predetermined order in accordance with the data processed in said page division step.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the designated size is designated by rate of enlargement of the image represented by the original data output from the application.

34. The method according to claim 32, wherein the designated size is designated by size of each divided image and number of divided images.

35. The method according to claim 32, wherein the predetermined order is an order in which the enlarged image can be reconstructed by arranging divide images that have been divided and printed in said order.

36. The method according to claim 32, further comprising a display step of displaying progress of output of the print data for the plural pages resulting from division.

37. The method according to claim 32, further comprising a spool step of converting the data output from the application into intermediate code and storing the intermediate code in a spool file,

wherein the data stored in the spool file is processed in said page division step so as to enlarge an image represented by the intermediate code to the designated size and divide the enlarged image into plural pages.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein the original data output from the application is received in said spool step through a graphic engine and the print data divided into the plural pages is output to the graphic engine in said page division step.

39. The method according to claim 38, further comprising a warning display control step of detecting a state in which said print data divided into the plural page cannot be printed normally and displaying warning for giving notification of this fact.

40. The method according to claim 39, wherein the state in which said print data divided into the plural page cannot be printed normally is one in which a size that cannot be handled by the operating system because of a limitation of the graphic engine has been designated as the designated size.

41. The method according to claim 39, wherein the printer has a function which ignores printing of a blank page, and when said print data generation unit generates print data in accordance with the data processed in said page division step, an instruction not to use the function which ignores printing of a blank page is issued in said print data generation step to the printer.

42. The method according to claim 32, wherein it can be instructed through a displayed instruction screen whether a poster print processing, in which the original data for a page output from an application is processed so as to enlarge an image represented by the original data and divide the enlarged image into plural pages, is performed or not.

43. The apparatus according to claim 32, further comprising a determination step of determining whether an order of output is a normal order or a reverse order,

wherein the print data is output to the printer in upper-left to right order when it is determined that the order of output is the normal order, whereas the print data is output to the printer in lower-right to left order when it is determined that the order of output is the reverse order.

44. A computer program by which a computer is made to implement the following means to generate print data including printer control command to be printed by a printer, comprising:

input means for inputting an enlargement-division method indicating how to enlarge and divide an image, which is set through an interface screen image provided by a printer driver;

page division means for acquiring an enlargement ratio for enlarging an image represented by an original data to be printed on a page output by an application in accordance with the inputted enlargement-division method and dividing the original data to be printed on a page into data to be printed in plural pages; and

print data generation means for generating print data so that the print data is transmitted to the printer and printed by the printer in a predetermined order in accordance with the data processed by said page division means.

45. The program according to claim 44, wherein the designated size is designated by rate of enlargement of the image represented by the original data output from the application.

46. The program according to claim 44, wherein the designated size is designated by size of each divided image and number of divided image.

47. The program according to claim 44, wherein the predetermined order is an order in which the enlarged image can be reconstructed by arranging divide images that have been divided and printed in said order.

48. The program according to claim 44, further comprising display control means for displaying progress of output of the print data for the plural pages resulting from division.

49. The program according to claim 44, further comprising spool means for converting the data output from the application into intermediate code and storing the intermediate code in a spool file,

wherein said page division means processes the data stored in the spool file so as to enlarge an image represented by the intermediate code to the designated size and divide the enlarged image into plural pages.

50. The program according to claim 49, wherein said spool means receives the original data output from the application through a graphic engine and said page division means outputs the print data divided into the plural pages to the graphic engine.

51. The apparatus according to claim 50, further comprising warning display control means for detecting a state in which said print data divided into the plural page cannot be printed normally and displaying warning for giving notification of this fact.

52. The apparatus according to claim 51, wherein the state in which said print data divided into the plural page cannot be printed normally is one in which a size that cannot be handled by the operating system because of a limitation of the graphic engine has been designated as the designated size.

53. The program according to claim 44, wherein the printer has a function which ignores printing of a blank page, and when said print data generation means generates print data in accordance with the data processed by said page division means, said print data generation means issues an instruction not to use the function which ignores printing of a blank page to the printer.

54. The program according to claim 44, wherein it can be instructed through a displayed instruction screen whether a poster print processing, in which the original data for a page output from an application is processed so as to enlarge an image represented by the original data and divide the enlarged image into plural pages, is performed or not.

55. The program according to claim 44, further comprising determination means for determining whether an order of output is a normal order or a reverse order,

wherein the print data is output to the printer in upper-left to right order when it is determined that the order of output is the normal order, whereas the print data is output to the printer in lower-right to left order when it is determined that order of output is the reverse order.