Print control apparatus and print control method with printing plural image portions generated by dividing an image

• US 9,298,399 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2015
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sawada, Hideharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas D
• Application Number:
  US14/600,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20150213339A1
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/12 Digital output to print unit , e.g. line printer, chain printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1208 resulting in improved quality of the output result, e.g. print layout, colours, workflows, print preview
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1251 for continuous media, e.g. web media, rolls

Abstract

There is provided a print control apparatus in which, when poster printing is performed using a printer for printing on continuous paper, a user only needs to specify a finish size (or a scaling factor) so as to perform printing processing with appropriate orientation and a minimum number of segments. To achieve this, based on a length of a short side of a finish size specified by the user and a length in a width direction of continuous paper, the number of segments is calculated to divide an enlarged image obtained by enlarging an original. Then, based on the number of segments, the enlarged image is divided in a short-side direction, and a plurality of image portions generated by the division are laid out in a size of an output sheet, whereby print data is generated.

Claims

1. A print control apparatus for causing a printing apparatus to print on a print sheet each of a plurality of image portions generated by dividing an image to be printed, the print control apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store a program;

a processor configured to execute the program stored in the memory,

wherein the processor obtains a finish size corresponding to a size resulting from bonding together a plurality of print sheets having the plurality of image portions respectively printed thereon,

wherein the processor selects from among (a) having a whole of the image to be printed in the finish size and (b) having the image to be printed extend out from the finish size in a case where an aspect ratio of the image is different from an aspect ratio of the finish size, and

wherein the processor generates each of the plurality of image portions by enlarging the image by varying a scaling factor depending on both of a result of the selection and the finish size, and by dividing the image such that the image is divided in a short-side direction of the image with a number of segments which is based on a length of a short side of the finish size and a length of a short side of each of the print sheets, and

wherein the processor causes the printing apparatus to print the plurality of image portions respectively on the print sheets such that a short side of each of the plurality of image portions coincides with a short side of each of the print sheets.

2. A print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print sheet is continuous paper, and the short side of the print sheet is equal to a width of the continuous paper.

3. A print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the finish size is specified by a user.

4. A print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program is a printer driver.

5. A print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor enlarges the image and then divides the enlarged image.

6. A print control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processor obtains a length of a short side of each of the print sheets, and performs the division based on the obtained length.

7. A print control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processor calculates the number of segments by which the image is divided in a short side direction of the image based on a length of a short side of the finish size and the length of the short side of each of the print sheets.

8. A print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor causes an external printing apparatus connected to the print control apparatus to print each of the plurality of image portions.

9. A print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor causes a printing apparatus included in the print control apparatus to print each of the plurality of image portions.

10. A print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor performs the selection from among (a) having the whole of the image to be printed in the finish size and (b) having the image to be printed extend out from the finish size, in accordance with an instruction by a user.

11. A print control method, performed by a printing system including a print control apparatus and a printing apparatus, for causing the printing apparatus to print on a print sheet each of a plurality of image portions generated by dividing an image to be printed, the print control method comprising:

an obtaining step of obtaining a finish size corresponding to a size resulting from bonding together a plurality of print sheets having the plurality of image portions respectively printed thereon;

a selection step of selecting from among (a) having a whole of the image to be printed in the finish size obtained in the obtaining step and (b) having the image to be printed extend out from the finish size in a case where an aspect ratio of the image is different from an aspect ratio of the finish size;

a generation step of generating each of the plurality of image portions by enlarging the image by varying a scaling factor depending on both of a result of the selection in the selection step and the finish size, and by dividing the image such that the image is divided in a short-side direction of the image with a number of segments which is based on a length of a short side of finish size and a length of a short side of each of the print sheets; and

a print control step of causing the printing apparatus to print the plurality of image portions generated in the generation step respectively on the print sheets such that a short side of each of the plurality of image portions obtained by the division coincides with a short side of each of the print sheets.

12. A print control method according to claim 11, wherein the print sheet is continuous paper, and the short side of the print sheet is equal to a width of the continuous paper.

13. A print control method according to claim 11, wherein the finish size is specified by a user.

14. A print control method according to claim 11, wherein a program used to perform the print control method is a printer driver.

15. A print control method according to claim 11, wherein in the generation step, the image is enlarged and then the enlarged image is divided.

16. A print control method according to claim 15, further comprising an obtaining step, performed by the printing system, of obtaining a length of a short side of each of the print sheets,

wherein in the dividing step, the division is performed based on the obtained length.

17. A print control method according to claim 16, further comprising a calculation step, performed by the printing system, of calculating the number of segments by which the image is divided in a short side direction of the image based on a length of a short side of the finish size and the length of the short side of each of the print sheets.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform the print control method according to claim 11.

19. A print control method according to claim 11, wherein the selection in the selection step is performed in accordance with an instruction by a user.