Print controller for reducing document data to be printed on sheet

• US 20050058486A1
• Filed: 08/27/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Yamanaka, Tsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,040,821 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 400/76
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/008 Controlling printhead for accurately positioning print image on printing material, e.g. with the intention to control the width of margins
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33321 Image or page size, e.g. A3, A4

Abstract

A print controller is capable of printing document data within a printable area without generating unnecessary spaces on the sheet, even when the printable area of the sheet has been modified. The print controller includes a function for acquiring the sheet size from the printer driver based on the size set by a sheet size setting function. Specifically, the sheet data acquiring function transmits the sheet size set by the sheet size setting function to the printer driver via a graphics engine. The printer driver calculates the printable area of the sheet based on the sheet size set by the application. The printer driver returns the calculated area to the application. The area returned to the application is then used as a virtual print area used only in processes performed by the application. The print controller has another function for creating a layout based on the virtual print area. That is, the application recognizes the dimensions of the virtual print area received from the printer driver as the printable area and creates the layout based on this area.

Claims

1. A print controller comprising:

a first area calculating unit that subtracts an unprintable area from a sheet to calculate a first area having a prescribed aspect ratio;

a margin setting unit that sets a margin in the sheet;

a second area calculating unit that subtracts an overlapped area between the margin and the first area from the first area to calculate a second area;

a reduction ratio calculating unit that calculates a reduction ratio of the first area so that the first area can be reduced while maintaining the prescribed aspect ratio to achieve a maximum occupation within the second area;

a third area calculating unit that divides the second area by the reduction ratio to calculate a third area which is broader than the second area;

a laying out unit that sets the third area as a printable area to lay out document data within the third area; and

a first print commanding unit that reduces the document data laid out in the third area by the reduction ratio to issue a command for printing the reduced document data on the second area.

2. The print controller according to claim 1, wherein the margin includes a binding area.

3. The print controller according to claim 1, wherein the laying out unit comprises:

an object size calculating unit that determines a size of an object in the document data;

a determining unit that compares the size of the object determined by the object size calculating unit to a size of the third area to determine whether the third area accommodates the object; and

an arranging unit that arranges the object in the third area on a subsequent sheet to the sheet when the determining units determines that the third area on the sheet does not accommodate the object.

4. The print controller according to claim 3, further comprising a coordinate calculating unit that calculates a coordinate at which the object is to be arranged in the third area;

wherein the determining unit determines whether the third area accommodates the object when the object is arranged at the coordinates calculated by the coordinate calculating unit.

5. The print controller according to claim 3, wherein the object includes text, a photograph, or a graphics.

6. The print controller according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second print commanding unit that reduces the document data by the reduction ratio before the document data is laid out by the first laying out unit, and then issues a command to print the reduced document data in the second area; and

a selecting unit that selects one of a printing mode for printing according to a command from the first print commanding unit, and a printing mode for printing according to a command from the second print commanding unit.

7. A print controller comprising:

a first area calculating unit that subtracts an unprintable area from a sheet to calculate a first area having a prescribed aspect ratio;

a divided print setting unit that selects a divided print to print on an area of the sheet divided by a number of N;

a second area calculating unit that multiplies the first area by a ratio of 1/N to calculate a second area;

a reduction ratio calculating unit that calculates a reduction ratio for the first area so that the first area can be reduced while maintaining the aspect ratio to achieve a maximum occupation in the second area;

a third area calculating unit that divides the second area by the reduction ratio to calculate a third area which is broader than the second area;

a laying out unit that lays out document data in the third area as a printable area; and

a first print commanding unit that reduces the document data in the third area laid out by the laying out means by the reduction ratio to issue a command to print the reduced document data in the second area.

8. The print controller according to claim 7, wherein the laying out unit comprises:

an object size calculating unit that determines a size of an object in the document data;

a determining unit that compares the size of the object determined by the object size calculating unit to a size of the third area to determine whether the third area accommodates the object; and

an arranging unit that arranges the object in the third area on a subsequent sheet to the sheet when the determining units determines that the third area on the sheet does not accommodate the object.

9. The print controller according to claim 8, further comprising a coordinate calculating unit that calculates a coordinate at which the object is to be arranged in the third area;

wherein the determining unit determines whether the third area accommodates the object when the object is arranged at the coordinates calculated by the coordinate calculating unit.

10. The print controller according to claim 8, wherein the object includes text, a photograph, or a graphics.

11. The print controller according to claim 7, further comprising:

a second print commanding unit that reduces the document data by the reduction ratio before the document data is laid out by the first laying out unit, and then issues a command to print the reduced document data in the second area; and

a selecting unit that selects one of a printing mode for printing according to a command from the first print commanding unit, and a printing mode for printing according to a command from the second print commanding unit.

12. A print controller comprising:

means for subtracting an unprintable area from a sheet to obtain a printable area having an aspect ratio, the unprintable area having a width;

means for setting a desired printing area within the printable area;

means for calculating a reduction ratio for the printable area so that the printable area can be reduced while maintaining the aspect ratio to achieve a maximum occupation within the desired printing area;

means for dividing the desired printing area by the reduction ratio to obtain a virtual area;

means for laying out document data with the virtual area; and

means for reducing the virtual area including the laid out document data by the reduction ratio to issue a command to print the reduced document data on the desired printing area.

13. The print controller according to claim 12, wherein the means for setting the desired printing area includes:

means for selecting one of a margin setting and an N-in-1 setting, the margin setting being for setting a margin in the sheet, the margin having a broader width than the width of the unprintable area, the N-in-1 setting being for printing N pages worth of document in the sheet;

means for subtracting an overlapped area between the margin and the printable area from the printable area to obtain the desired printing area when the margin setting is selected; and

means for multiplying the printable area by a ratio of 1/N to obtain the desired printing area when the N-in-1 setting is selected.

14. The print controller according to claim 12, wherein the means for setting the desired printing area within the printable area includes:

means for selecting one of a margin setting, an N-in-1 setting, and a scaling setting, the margin setting being for setting a margin in the sheet, the margin having a broader width than the width of the unprintable area, the N-in-1 setting being for printing N pages worth of document in the sheet, the scaling setting being for reducing one page of document data while maintaining an aspect ratio thereof to achieve a maximum occupation within the desired printing area; and

means for issuing a command for printing the reduced page of document data on the desired printing area when the scaling setting is selected.

15. The print controller according to claim 12, wherein the document data includes a plurality of objects, each of the plurality of objects having a size, the means for laying out the document data includes:

means for determining the size of one of the plurality of objects;

means for comparing the determined size of the one of the plurality of objects to the printable area to determine whether the printable area accommodates the one of the plurality of objects; and

means for arranging the one of the plurality of objects in the printable area on a subsequent sheet to the sheet when the printable area does not accommodate the one of the plurality of objects.

16. The print controller according to claim 15, further comprising;

means for calculating a coordinate at which the one of the plurality of objects is to be arranged in the printable area; and

means for determining whether the printable area accommodates the one of the plurality of objects when the one of the plurality of objects is arranged at the calculated coordinate.

17. The print controller according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of objects include text, a photograph, or a graphics.