JP2012221427A - Image formation processing system, image formation apparatus, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image formation processing system, an image formation apparatus, and a computer program, which allows accurate reproduction of a formation image in an image processor which outputs an instruction to form the formation image to the image formation apparatus.SOLUTION: The image formation processing system is formed by communicably connecting an image formation apparatus 8 and an image processor 1. The image processor 1 includes an instruction generation part 11, a transmission part 60, and an image generation part 12. The image formation apparatus 8 includes a reception part 81 for receiving transmitted image data and formation instruction, a formation image generation part 83 for generating raster data on a reception side by rasterization processing corresponding to rasterization processing executed by the image generation part from the image data received by the reception part 81 and generating the formation image from the generated raster data on the reception side, and an image formation part 88 for forming the formation image generated by the formation image generation part on a medium on the basis of the formation instruction received by the reception part 81.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming processing system, an image forming apparatus, and a computer program that display a preview of an image formed on a medium.

  Conventionally, when an image is formed on a medium from an image forming apparatus, an operator who instructs the image formation displays a preview image of the image to be formed in order to check whether a desired image is output. Sometimes. For example, when an operator operates an operation unit included in the image forming apparatus to check a preview image, the preview image is displayed on a display unit included in the image forming apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  By the way, when an image formation is instructed from a communication terminal device connected to the image forming apparatus, a printer description installed in the communication terminal apparatus is executed to execute a PDL (Page Description Language) format including image data. Print control information is generated and transmitted to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus that has received the print control information rasterizes the image data from the print data in the PDL format to generate raster data, and generates a formed image to be formed on the medium based on the generated raster data.

  The preview image is displayed on the communication terminal device before the print control information is transmitted to the image forming device. Therefore, for example, a preview image is displayed from an application that generates print control information. For example, when GDI (Graphic Device Interface) is installed in the communication terminal device, the printer driver outputs print data to GDI, so that a preview image can be displayed.

JP 2010-35030 A

  However, the display of the preview image by the application does not completely correspond to the specifications of the image forming apparatus, and therefore image processing or post-processing different for each image forming apparatus cannot be reflected in the preview image. Also, since GDI has functions added or changed depending on the OS, when these functions are used by the printer driver, a preview image displayed on the communication terminal apparatus or image formation by the OS installed in the communication terminal apparatus is used. The image that the device forms may be different.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and in an image processing apparatus that outputs an instruction to form a formed image to the image forming apparatus, an image forming processing system capable of faithfully reproducing the formed image, An object is to provide an image forming apparatus and a computer program.

  An image forming processing system according to the present invention includes an image forming apparatus and an image processing apparatus that are communicably connected to each other. The image processing apparatus generates a formed image to be formed on a medium from image data and forms the image on the medium. An instruction generation unit that generates a formation instruction to be transmitted, a transmission unit that transmits the image data and the formation instruction generated by the instruction generation unit to the image forming apparatus, and image data transmitted by the transmission unit, transmitted by rasterization processing An image generating unit that generates raster data on the side, and the image forming apparatus receives the image data and the forming instruction transmitted from the transmitting unit, and the image data received by the receiving unit from the image data Raster data corresponding to the rasterization processing executed by the image generation unit is generated to generate raster data on the receiving side, and a generated image is generated from the generated raster data on the receiving side. And forming an image generation section that, on the basis of the receiving unit received formation instruction, and having an image forming unit for forming a form image in which the forming image generating unit has generated on the medium.

  In the present invention, the image generating unit included in the image processing apparatus generates an image by the rasterizing process corresponding to the rasterizing process executed when the formed image generating unit included in the image forming apparatus forms a formed image from the image data. To do. Thereby, the formed image can be faithfully reproduced in the image processing apparatus.

  In the image forming processing system according to the present invention, the instruction generating unit generates PDL data including the image data and a forming instruction, and the transmitting unit transmits the PDL data generated by the instruction generating unit to the image forming apparatus. And the receiving unit receives the PDL data transmitted from the transmitting unit, and the image generating unit generates an image similar to the formed image from the image data included in the PDL data transmitted by the transmitting unit. It is comprised so that it may produce | generate.

  In the present invention, the image generation unit included in the image processing apparatus generates an image similar to the formed image from the image data included in the PDL data. Thereby, the image forming apparatus and the image processing apparatus respectively generate a formed image and an image similar to the formed image from the same PDL data, and the formed image can be faithfully reproduced in the image processing apparatus. .

  In the image forming processing system according to the present invention, the instruction generating unit includes an image processing instruction for instructing image processing to be performed on the raster data in the PDL data, and the formed image generating unit generates The received raster data is subjected to image processing according to an image processing instruction included in the PDL data to generate a formed image, and the image generating unit applies the PDL to the generated transmitting raster data. The image processing apparatus is configured to generate an image by performing image processing according to an image processing instruction included in the data.

  In the present invention, the image forming apparatus and the image processing apparatus each execute an image processing instruction included in the PDL data. Thereby, the image processing apparatus can faithfully reproduce the formed image generated by the image processing.

  In the image forming processing system according to the present invention, the image processing apparatus further includes a reception unit that receives a setting of the processing content of the image processing, and the instruction generation unit receives a different setting when the reception unit receives a different setting. An image processing instruction is generated, and the image generation unit is configured to generate an image each time the instruction generation unit generates a different image processing instruction.

  According to the present invention, an image processing instruction is generated every time settings with different image processing contents are received, and an image is generated every time an image processing instruction is generated. As a result, each time a setting with a different processing content for image processing is received, an image subjected to the received image processing is generated in the image processing apparatus.

  In the image forming processing system according to the present invention, the image processing apparatus further includes a preview image generating unit that generates a preview image of the formed image to be output to a display device from an image generated by the image generating unit. Features.

  In the present invention, the image processing apparatus generates a preview image from the same image as the formed image. As a result, a preview image with high reproducibility for the formed image can be generated.

  In the image formation processing system according to the present invention, the instruction generation unit includes, in the PDL data, a post-processing instruction for instructing post-processing to be performed on a medium on which the formation image is formed. The image processing unit performs image processing based on a post-processing instruction included in the PDL data on the generated reception-side raster data to generate a formed image, and the image generation unit generates the generated transmission-side raster data. The image processing apparatus is configured to generate an image by performing image processing based on a post-processing instruction included in the PDL data.

  In the present invention, the image forming apparatus and the image processing apparatus each execute image processing based on a post-processing instruction included in the PDL data. Thereby, the image processing apparatus can faithfully reproduce the formed image generated by performing the image processing based on the post-processing.

  In the image forming processing system according to the present invention, the image processing apparatus further includes a reception unit that receives a setting of processing content of the post-processing, and the instruction generation unit receives a setting that is different from the reception unit, A post-processing instruction is generated, and the image generation unit is configured to generate an image each time the instruction generation unit generates a different post-processing instruction.

  In the present invention, a post-processing instruction is generated each time a setting with a different post-processing content is received, and an image is generated each time a post-processing instruction is generated. As a result, each time a setting with a different post-processing content is accepted, an image subjected to image processing based on the accepted post-processing content is generated in the image processing apparatus.

  In the image forming processing system according to the present invention, the image processing apparatus further includes a preview image generating unit that generates a preview image of the formed image to be output to a display device from an image generated by the image generating unit. Features.

  In the present invention, the image processing apparatus generates a preview image from the same image as the formed image. As a result, a preview image with high reproducibility for the formed image can be generated.

  In the image forming processing system according to the present invention, the image processing apparatus further includes a post-processing information holding unit that holds information related to post-processing of the image forming apparatus, and the preview image generating unit includes the formed image. A preview image imitating the medium on which the formation image generated by the generation unit is formed and the post-processing instruction generated by the instruction generation unit is executed is displayed in the post-processing instruction and the post-processing information holding unit. It is configured to generate the image from the image based on the stored information related to post-processing.

  In the present invention, the image processing apparatus generates a preview image based on information related to post-processing of the image forming apparatus. As a result, a preview image that faithfully reproduces the post-processing executed by the image forming apparatus can be generated.

  In the image forming processing system according to the present invention, when the forming instruction is an instruction to form an image on a medium of a plurality of pages, and the post-processing instruction is an instruction according to an output order of the medium of a plurality of pages, the image generation unit Generates an image for each page, and the preview image generation unit is configured to generate a preview image for each image generated by the image generation unit, and the image processing apparatus further includes the preview A display screen generation unit that generates a screen image that displays a plurality of preview images generated by the image generation unit in an output order instructed by the post-processing instruction.

  In the present invention, when the image forming apparatus executes post-processing related to the output order of a plurality of pages of media, the image processing apparatus generates a screen on which preview images are displayed in the order in which the image forming apparatus outputs the media. can do.

  In the image formation processing system according to the present invention, when the formation instruction is an instruction to form an image on a medium of a plurality of pages, and the post-processing is a process related to the output order of the medium of a plurality of pages, the image generation unit The image is generated for each page, and the preview image generation unit is configured to generate a preview image for each image, and the image processing apparatus further includes a plurality of images generated by the preview image generation unit. A display screen generation unit that generates a screen image including a moving image for displaying a preview image in an output order instructed by the post-processing instruction.

  In the present invention, when the image forming apparatus executes post-processing related to the output order of a plurality of pages of media, the image processing apparatus displays the preview image as a moving image in the order in which the image forming apparatus outputs the media. The image processing apparatus can generate a screen.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention generates a formation image to be formed on a medium from image data and generates a formation instruction to form on the medium, and generates raster data from the image data by rasterization processing. An image generation unit that generates an image from the generated raster data; and a preview image generation unit that generates a preview image of the formed image from the image generated by the image generation unit. A receiving unit that receives an instruction, and from the image data received by the receiving unit, raster data is generated by rasterizing processing corresponding to the rasterizing processing executed by the image generating unit, and a formation image is generated from the generated raster data Based on the image generation unit and the formation instruction, the formation image generated by the formation image generation unit is formed on a medium. And having a image forming unit.

  In the present invention, the formed image generating unit included in the image forming apparatus generates a formed image by rasterization processing corresponding to the image generating unit included in the image processing apparatus. As a result, the image forming apparatus can generate a formed image having high consistency with the preview image generated in the image processing apparatus.

  The computer program according to the present invention generates raster data from image data by rasterization processing, generates a formed image formed on the medium from the generated raster data, and outputs the image data to an image forming apparatus formed on the medium. A raster generation process corresponding to a rasterization process corresponding to a rasterization process executed by the image forming apparatus from the image data; and an instruction generation unit that generates a formation instruction for generating a formation image from the image data and forming the image on a medium. A computer program for realizing a function as an image generation unit that generates and generates an image from generated raster data.

  In the present invention, the image generation unit included in the image processing apparatus generates an image similar to the formed image generated by the image forming apparatus. As a result, an image having high consistency with the formed image can be generated in the image processing apparatus.

  According to the present invention, an image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and a computer program that can faithfully reproduce a formed image in an image processing apparatus that outputs an instruction to form a formed image to the image forming apparatus. Can be provided.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional block (part 1) of an image forming processing system including a computer in which a printer driver is installed and an image forming apparatus connected to the computer. It is a figure which shows the example of printing control information. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a detailed example of print control information including an image processing instruction. 6 is a diagram illustrating a detailed example of print control information including a post-processing instruction. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen produced | generated by the display screen production | generation part. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen produced | generated by the display screen production | generation part. It is a figure which shows the example which displays the preview image in the case of "sort OFF". It is a figure which shows the example which displays the preview image in the case of "sort ON". FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional block (part 2) of an image forming processing system including a computer in which a printer driver is installed and an image forming apparatus connected to the computer. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of a computer.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the printer driver of the following embodiment is a computer program. The print control information output from the printer driver to the image forming apparatus is described in the PDL format, but may be in other formats.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks of an image forming processing system including a computer in which a printer driver according to the present embodiment is installed and an image forming apparatus connected to the computer. In the image forming processing system of FIG. 1, a computer 1 and an image forming apparatus 8 are connected. The computer 1 and the image forming apparatus 8 may be connected via a network or may be directly connected.

  The image forming apparatus 8 includes a receiving unit 81, a formed image generating unit 83, an image forming unit 88, and a post-processing unit 89. The receiving unit 81 receives print control information output from the computer 1.

  The print control information according to the present embodiment includes a formation instruction, image data, and an image processing instruction. The print control information also includes a formation instruction, image data, and a post-processing instruction. The formation instruction is an instruction to form and output an image related to image data on a medium.

  The image processing instruction is an instruction to perform image processing on the image represented by the image data. The image processing instruction includes, for example, instructions for aggregation, watermark addition, and toner save, and setting information for these processes. Aggregation is a composition process for outputting a plurality of images to a single medium. The setting information for aggregation includes, for example, information on the number of images to be included in one medium, or information on the orientation when an image is formed on the medium. The addition of a watermark is a process of combining a predetermined character string or mark with an image. The setting information related to the addition of the watermark includes, for example, information on a character string or a mark to be synthesized.

  Toner save controls the halftone pattern generated when printing on the media to save toner used. Thereby, a light-colored image with high brightness is formed on the medium. The setting information related to toner save is information on the brightness to be selected when one brightness can be selected from a plurality of brightnesses, for example.

  The post-processing instruction is an instruction to perform post-processing on a medium on which an image related to image data is formed. The post-processing instruction is, for example, an instruction in the output order (hereinafter referred to as “sort order”) of the medium on which the staple, punch, and image are formed. Staple performs staple processing when images are output to a plurality of media. The instruction relating to the staple includes information on the staple position and the number of staple portions. The punch is provided with punch holes for binding and closing a plurality of media. The instruction related to the punch includes information on the punch position and the number of punch locations.

  As for the sort order, when a plurality of images over a plurality of media are output, the media on which corresponding images are formed for each part are continuously output (hereinafter referred to as “sort ON”) or the same image. Is information indicating whether to continuously output the medium on which the image is formed (hereinafter referred to as “sort OFF”).

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of print control information. In the print control information of FIG. 2, the control information described in the PCL (Printer Command Language) format follows the control information described in the PJL (Printer Job Language) format. The control information in the PJL format includes setting information for the entire print control information, setting information unique to each image forming apparatus, and control information format information described following the PDL format.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a detailed example of print control information including an image processing instruction. The control information in FIG. 3 includes instructions for 10 settings. In the control information of FIG. 3, each line corresponds to one instruction. Each line has “@PJL” indicating the control information of PJL at the beginning of the line, and the following “SET” indicates that it is an instruction related to setting. The subsequent character string is the setting item, and the character string on the right side of the setting item with an equal sign is the setting value for the setting item.

  “PAP = A4” is the paper size is A4, “RES = 600” is the resolution is 600 dpi, “INT = AUTO” automatically selects the paper tray, “COP = 1” is the number of output copies, “DUP = OFF” does not print on both sides, “BIN = OFF” does not perform binding processing, “ECO = 0FF” does not save toner, “OUT = UPPER” indicates that the output tray is in the upper row, “MED “= PLAIN” indicates that the medium to be printed is plain paper, and “SHI = OFF” indicates that shift discharge is not performed.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a detailed example of print control information including a post-processing instruction. The print control information in FIG. 4 includes instructions for 14 settings. The format of each line of the print control information in FIG. 4 is the same as that in FIG.

  “PAP = A4” is the paper size is A4, “RES = 600” is the resolution is 600 dpi, “INT = AUTO” automatically selects the paper tray, “COP = 1” is the number of output copies, “DUP = OFF” does not print on both sides, “BIN = LONGEDGE” performs binding processing in the long side direction, “FRO = 0” indicates left side binding or top side binding, and “FIN = BOTH” indicates stapling processing. Punch hole processing is performed. “STA = 2” performs stapling processing at two locations. “PUN = 2” performs punching processing at two locations. “ECO = 0FF” does not save toner. “OUT = UPPER” indicates that the output tray is in the upper stage, “MED = PLAIN” indicates that the medium to be printed is plain paper, and “SHI = OFF” indicates that shift discharge is not performed.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the formed image generation unit 83 rasterizes the received image data to generate raster data. The raster data is image data of an image in which pixels constituting the image are arranged in raster order. The formed image generation unit 83 further performs image processing on the generated raster data based on an image processing instruction included in the print control information.

  More specifically, when the image processing instruction includes aggregation or double-sided printing, the formed image generation unit 83 performs image processing for reducing or rotating the generated raster data. A formed image is generated.

  If the image processing instruction includes adding a watermark, the formed image generation unit 83 combines the watermark character or mark with the raster data. The watermark characters are, for example, character strings such as “confidential”, “urgent”, and “circulation”. The watermark mark is, for example, a circled “secret” character.

  If the image processing instruction includes toner save, the formed image generation unit 83 increases the brightness of the image. This can reduce the amount of toner used. The toner saving process may be executed when a halftone to be described later is generated.

  The formed image generation unit 83 also performs image processing on the raster data generated by rasterization based on a post-processing instruction included in the print control information.

  More specifically, when the print control information includes an instruction related to a binding process such as stapling or punching, the position of the image formed on the medium is translated in correspondence with the binding position. Processing or processing for reducing an image is performed.

  A formed image generated by image processing by the formed image generation unit 83 is displayed in halftones after correction processing such as image correction, color correction, and color space conversion is performed by a printing image correction unit (not shown). The image is converted to an image and output to the image forming unit 88.

  The image forming unit 88 forms and outputs a formed image expressed in halftone on a medium. The image forming unit 88 includes, for example, a conveyance path for conveying a medium, a forming unit that forms a formed image on the medium, and a fixing unit that fixes the image by heating or pressurizing the medium on which the formed image is formed. And have. The post-processing unit 89 executes processing based on the post-processing instruction on the medium output by the image forming unit 88 when the print control information includes the post-processing instruction. The post-processing unit 89 includes, for example, at least one of a stapling device, a punching device, and a sort output device.

  An input unit 71 and a display unit 72 are connected to the computer 1. The input unit 71 receives an instruction for the computer 1. The input unit 71 is, for example, a mouse or a keyboard. The display unit 72 displays a screen generated by the computer 1. The screen generated by the computer 1 includes a screen that displays a preview image of a formed image that is printed according to a forming instruction that is output from the computer 1 to the image forming apparatus 8.

  Note that the input unit 71 and the display unit 72 may not be directly connected to the computer 1 but may be connected to other devices connected to the computer 1 via a network.

  The computer 1 includes a control unit 10, a reception unit 20, a storage unit 30, and a transmission unit 60.

  The accepting unit 20 accepts various instructions input from the input unit 71. The receiving unit 20 receives an instruction for the image forming apparatus 8 to form and output an image represented by image data stored in a recording apparatus (not shown) connected to the computer 1 on a medium. The accepting unit 20 also accepts an image processing instruction to be executed on the image represented by the image data. The receiving unit 20 also receives a post-processing instruction to be executed on the medium on which the image is formed.

  The transmission unit 60 outputs the print control information generated by the control unit 10 to the image forming apparatus 8. The transmission unit 60 has a network interface function, for example.

  The control unit 10 has various functions that are realized by the computer 1 executing a printer driver. The control unit 10 includes an instruction generation unit 11, a processed image generation unit 12, a preview image generation unit 13, a display screen generation unit 14, and an information holding unit 15.

  The instruction generation unit 11 acquires image data from a recording device (not shown) based on the instruction received by the reception unit 20, and generates print control information including a formation instruction and an image processing instruction.

  The processed image generation unit 12 generates an image by rasterizing the image data, and further performs image processing corresponding to the image processing instruction included in the print control information generated by the instruction generation unit 11 to generate a processed image. More specifically, the processed image generation unit 12 performs image processing such as aggregation, watermark addition, and toner saving. The generated processed image is output to the preview image generation unit 13.

  The processed image generation unit 12 also generates raster data from the image data by rasterization, and further performs image processing corresponding to the post-processing instruction included in the print control information generated by the instruction generation unit 11. More specifically, the processed image generation unit 12 performs parallel movement or reduction processing of an image corresponding to the spelling process on the raster data. The processed image generated by the image processing is output to the preview image generating unit 13.

  The processed image generation unit 12 performs a rasterization process corresponding to the rasterization process executed by the formed image generation unit 83 included in the image forming apparatus 8. The processed image generation unit 12 further has an image processing function corresponding to the formed image generation unit 83. Accordingly, the processed image generation unit 12 outputs an image similar to the formation image generated by the formation image generation unit 83. Therefore, a preview image generation unit 13 to be described later generates a preview image from the processed image given from the processed image generation unit 12, thereby generating a preview image corresponding to the formed image output to the medium by the image forming apparatus 8. be able to.

  The rasterization process corresponding to the rasterization process executed by the formed image generation unit 83 is, for example, when the processed image generation unit 12 and the formed image generation unit 83 rasterize image data to generate raster data, and This means that the processing at the time of image processing is based on the same method or the same mathematical formula, and the processing including the arithmetic processing is the same.

  Note that the processed image output from the processed image generation unit 12 and the formed image output from the formed image generation unit 83 do not have to be completely the same. May have an error of.

  The preview image generation unit 13 reduces the processed image given from the processed image generation unit 12 and generates a preview image to be displayed on the display unit 72.

  When the post-processing instruction is included in the print control information, the preview image generating unit 13 reduces the processed image given from the processed image generating unit 12 and adds an effect image corresponding to the post-processing instruction. A preview image to be displayed on the display unit 72 is generated. For example, a symbol image indicating the shape of the corresponding staple or punch hole is added to the position on the preview image corresponding to the position where the medium is stapled or the position where the punch hole is provided. The preview image generation unit 13 may also add an effect of displaying a plurality of preview images by turning pages according to the spelling position. This effect may be a moving image including a plurality of preview images.

  The addition of the symbol image and the effect may be performed on the preview image after reducing the processed image, or the preview image may be generated by reducing the processed image and then reducing the processed image.

  The preview image generation unit 13 also displays a display screen in which preview images are arranged in the order of output in response to instructions of “sort ON” and “sort OFF” when outputting a plurality of copies of a plurality of images. Generate.

  The information holding unit 15 holds information related to the specifications of the image forming apparatus 8. The information holding unit 15 holds, for example, information related to post-processing executed by the post-processing unit 89 of the image forming apparatus 8. The post-processing information includes, for example, information on the position of the staple needle when stapling on the medium, information on the position of the punch hole when punching a hole in the medium, and an image reduction rate when performing the spelling process. This information is related to the sorting function when sorting and outputting a plurality of pages of media. When the preview image generation unit 13 generates a preview image corresponding to the post-processing instruction, the information related to the post-processing is acquired from the information holding unit 15.

  The display screen generation unit 14 generates a screen for displaying the preview image generated by the preview image generation unit 13 on the display unit 72. The screen to be displayed includes a preview image and image processing instruction information. The screen that displays the preview images over a plurality of media is, for example, a screen that includes preview images for each page arranged in the order of output, or a screen that includes a moving image in which preview images of a plurality of pages are displayed in the order of output.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen generated by the display screen generation unit 14. The screen in FIG. 5 includes an area R1 for displaying image processing instruction information and an area R2 for displaying a preview image. The area R1 is provided with check boxes that prompt the user to input whether to perform “margin display”, “resolution display”, and “toner save display”, but none of the check boxes are selected. In the region R2, an image in which the watermark character “draft” is combined with the image “1” is displayed.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen generated by the display screen generation unit 14. The screen in FIG. 6 includes an area R3 for displaying image processing instruction information and post-processing instruction information, and an area R4 for displaying a preview image.

  In the region R3, check boxes for prompting whether to perform “margin display”, “resolution display”, and “toner save display” are provided, and the “margin display” check box is selected. . In the region R3, “paper size”, “magnification”, “single side / both sides”, “binding position”, “presence / absence of staple processing”, “presence / absence of punch hole processing”, “resolution”, and “ Setting values for each setting item of “Toner Save” are displayed.

  In the area R3, it is further displayed that the image to be printed covers 9 pages, and that the image displayed in the area R4 is the first page, and a preview image of the previous and subsequent pages is displayed. An arrow button is provided.

  In the region R4, an image in which the watermark character “draft” is combined with the image “1” is displayed. In the region R4, a line indicating a margin on the left side and a margin width are indicated by numerical values. Further, a symbol indicating a staple is added at a staple position, and a symbol indicating a punch hole is added at a punch hole position.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a preview image is displayed when “sort OFF” or “sort ON” is included in the post-processing instruction. In FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, when the operator presses the “arrow button” provided in the region R3, the preview image displayed in the region R4 is displayed in the order in which the next page is output. Updated to preview image.

  FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating an example of displaying a preview image in the case of “sort OFF”. In FIG. 7A, by operating the arrow button, the same image “1” is displayed three consecutive pages, and then the image “2” is displayed. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating an example of displaying a preview image in the case of “sort ON”. In FIG. 7B, every time the arrow button is operated, the image “1”, the image “2”, and the image “3” are sequentially updated, and then the image “1” is displayed again.

  In FIGS. 7A and 7B, instead of the operator pressing the “arrow button”, preview images may be displayed in the order of output of the media by moving images. Also, a plurality of preview images may be displayed side by side in the output order of the medium in one screen.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the instruction generation unit 11 generates new print control information every time a new image processing or post-processing setting is given from the reception unit 20. However, when the setting to be given is the same as the setting given immediately before, new print control information need not be generated. Further, when the setting to be given is the same as any one of a plurality of settings given before, and the print control information corresponding to the setting is already stored in the storage unit 30, the stored printing is performed. The control information may be read from the storage unit 30.

  The processed image generation unit 12 generates a new processed image every time the instruction generation unit 11 generates new print control information. However, if the new print control information is the same as any one of the print control information generated in the past, and the processed image corresponding to the print control information is stored in the storage unit 30, it is stored. The processed image may be read from the storage unit 30.

  The preview image generation unit 13 generates a new preview image every time the processed image generation unit 12 generates a new processed image. However, when the new processed image is the same as any one of the previously generated processed images and the preview image corresponding to the processed image is stored in the storage unit 30, the stored preview is stored. The image may be read from the storage unit 30.

  The storage unit 30 stores various information processed by the control unit 10. For example, the storage unit 30 stores the print control information received by the receiving unit 20. For example, the storage unit 30 may store information held by the printer driver after the printer driver is installed in the computer 1. More specifically, for example, information related to post-processing of the image forming apparatus 8 held by the information holding unit 15 may be held.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks of an image forming processing system including a computer in which the printer driver according to the present embodiment is installed and an image forming apparatus connected to the computer. In the image forming processing system of FIG. 8, a computer 4 and an image forming apparatus 9 are connected. The computer 4 and the image forming apparatus 9 may be connected via a network or may be directly connected.

  The image forming apparatus 9 includes an image input unit 92, an image forming unit 88, and a post-processing unit 89. The image input unit 92 receives a formed image output from the computer 4 and a post-processing instruction. The post-processing instruction is the same as the post-processing instruction in the first embodiment.

  The image data received by the image input unit 92 is subjected to correction processing such as image correction, color correction, and color space conversion by a printing image correction unit (not shown), and then converted into halftone image data. This is given to the image forming unit 88.

  The image forming unit 88 forms and outputs a formed image expressed in halftone on a medium. The post-processing unit 89 executes processing based on a post-processing instruction on the medium output from the image forming unit 88.

  An input unit 71 and a display unit 72 are connected to the computer 4. The input unit 71 receives an instruction for the computer 4. The input unit 71 is, for example, a mouse or a keyboard. The display unit 72 displays a screen generated by the computer 4. The screen generated by the computer 4 includes a preview image of an image to be printed according to a forming instruction output from the computer 4 to the image forming apparatus 9.

  The computer 4 includes a control unit 40, a reception unit 20, and an image output unit 61.

  The accepting unit 20 accepts various instructions input from the input unit 71. The accepting unit 20 accepts an instruction to print out an image represented by image data stored in a recording device (not shown) connected to the computer 4 from the image forming device 9. The receiving unit 20 also receives a post-processing instruction input from the input unit 71. The post-processing instruction is an instruction for post-processing executed on the medium on which the image is formed.

  The control unit 40 has various functions that are realized by the computer 4 executing the printer driver. The printer driver also has programs for realizing these various functions. The control unit 40 includes an instruction generation unit 11, a formed image generation unit 42, a preview image generation unit 13, a display screen generation unit 14, and an information holding unit 15. Among these, each part which has the same function and structure as each part which the control part 10 has is attached | subjected the same code | symbol, and abbreviate | omits description here.

  The formed image generation unit 42 generates image data by rasterizing it from the print control information generated by the instruction generation unit 11, and further performs image processing corresponding to the post-processing instruction. More specifically, the formed image generation unit 42 performs parallel movement or reduction processing of an image corresponding to the spelling process. The formed image subjected to the image processing is output to the preview image generation unit 13 and the image output unit 61.

  The image output unit 61 outputs the image generated by the formed image generation unit 42 and the post-processing instruction to the image forming apparatus 9 (image input unit 92). The image output unit 61 is, for example, a spooler.

  The preview image generation unit 13 generates a preview image from the formed image, so that the preview image completely corresponds to the image formed by the image forming apparatus 9.

(Computer configuration)
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the computer according to the embodiment. The computer in FIG. 9 includes a CPU 901, a memory 902, a hard disk device (hereinafter referred to as “HDD”) 903, and a network interface (hereinafter referred to as “NIF”) 904. A display 905 and a keyboard / mouse 906 are further connected to the computer.

  The CPU 901 realizes the functions of the respective units in the first and second embodiments by executing the printer driver according to the embodiment. In the memory 902, a computer program executed by the CPU 901 including a printer driver is read from the HDD 903 and stored.

  The HDD 903 is a large-capacity storage device. The NIF 904 is an interface that communicates with other devices connected via a network.

  A display 905 is a display unit and displays a preview image generated by a printer driver executed by the CPU 901. The display 905 also displays a screen that prompts input of instructions for functions implemented by the computer program executed by the CPU 901.

  A keyboard / mouse 906 is an input unit, and is used when an operator inputs an instruction to the computer.

  The computer according to the embodiment implements functions by installing a printer driver and causing the CPU to execute the printer driver. The computer according to the embodiment realizes the functions of the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment by executing another computer program.

  As mentioned above, although the form for inventing was demonstrated, this invention is not limited to embodiment described in the form for implementing this invention. Modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1, 4 Computer (image processing device)
10, 40 Control unit 11 Instruction generation unit 12 Processed image generation unit (image generation unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 Preview image generation part 14 Display screen generation part 15 Information holding part 20 Reception part 30 Storage part 42 Formation image generation part 60 Transmission part 61 Image output part 71 Input part 72 Display part 8, 9 Image formation apparatus 81 Reception part 83 Formation image Generation unit 88 Image forming unit 89 Post-processing unit 92 Image input unit 901 CPU
902 Memory 903 HDD
904 NIF
905 Display 906 Keyboard / Mouse

Claims (13)

An image forming apparatus and an image processing apparatus are communicably connected,
The image processing apparatus includes:
An instruction generation unit that generates a formation image to be formed on a medium from image data and generates a formation instruction to be formed on the medium;
A transmission unit that transmits the image data and the formation instruction generated by the instruction generation unit to the image forming apparatus;
An image generation unit that generates raster data on the transmission side by rasterization processing from image data transmitted by the transmission unit, and
The image forming apparatus includes:
A receiving unit that receives the image data and the formation instruction transmitted from the transmitting unit;
A forming image generating unit that generates raster data on the receiving side from the image data received by the receiving unit by rasterizing processing corresponding to the rasterizing processing executed by the image generating unit, and generates a formed image from the generated raster data on the receiving side When,
An image forming processing system comprising: an image forming unit that forms a formed image generated by the formed image generating unit on a medium based on a forming instruction received by the receiving unit. The instruction generation unit generates PDL data including the image data and a formation instruction,
The transmission unit transmits the PDL data generated by the instruction generation unit to the image forming apparatus,
The receiving unit receives the PDL data transmitted from the transmitting unit,
The image forming process according to claim 1, wherein the image generating unit is configured to generate an image similar to the formed image from image data included in the PDL data transmitted by the transmitting unit. system. The instruction generation unit includes an image processing instruction for instructing image processing to be performed on the raster data in the PDL data,
The formed image generation unit performs image processing according to an image processing instruction included in the PDL data on the generated reception-side raster data to generate a formed image,
The image generation unit is configured to perform image processing according to an image processing instruction included in the PDL data on the generated transmission-side raster data to generate an image. 3. The image forming processing system according to 2. The image processing apparatus further includes:
A reception unit that receives setting of the processing content of the image processing;
The instruction generation unit generates an image processing instruction every time the reception unit receives a different setting,
The image forming processing system according to claim 3, wherein the image generation unit is configured to generate an image every time the instruction generation unit generates a different image processing instruction. The image processing apparatus further includes:
5. The image formation according to claim 1, further comprising: a preview image generation unit configured to generate a preview image of the formed image to be output to a display device from an image generated by the image generation unit. Processing system. The instruction generation unit includes, in the PDL data, a post-processing instruction that instructs post-processing to be performed on a medium on which the formed image is formed,
The formed image generation unit performs image processing based on a post-processing instruction included in the PDL data on the generated reception-side raster data to generate a formed image,
The image generation unit is configured to generate an image by performing image processing based on a post-processing instruction included in the PDL data on the generated transmission-side raster data. Item 4. The image forming processing system according to Item 3. The image processing apparatus further includes:
A reception unit for receiving setting of the processing content of the post-processing;
The instruction generation unit generates a post-processing instruction each time the reception unit receives a different setting,
The image forming processing system according to claim 6, wherein the image generation unit is configured to generate an image every time the instruction generation unit generates a different post-processing instruction. The image processing apparatus further includes:
The image forming processing system according to claim 6, further comprising a preview image generating unit that generates a preview image of the formed image to be output to a display device from an image generated by the image generating unit. The image processing apparatus further includes:
A post-processing information holding unit for holding information related to post-processing of the image forming apparatus;
The preview image generation unit is configured to display a preview image imitating a medium on which a formation image generated by the formation image generation unit is formed and post-processing according to a post-processing instruction generated by the instruction generation unit. 9. The image forming processing system according to claim 8, wherein the image forming processing system is configured to generate from the image based on information related to post-processing held in the post-processing information holding unit. In the case where the formation instruction is an instruction to form an image on a multi-page medium, and the post-processing instruction is an instruction related to the output order of the multi-page medium,
The image generation unit generates an image for each page,
The preview image generation unit is configured to generate a preview image for each image generated by the image generation unit,
The image processing apparatus further includes:
The image forming process according to claim 9, further comprising: a display screen generating unit configured to generate a screen image for displaying a plurality of preview images generated by the preview image generating unit in an output order instructed by the post-processing instruction. system. In the case where the formation instruction is an instruction to form an image on a plurality of pages of media, and the post-processing is processing related to the output order of the plurality of pages of media,
The image generation unit generates an image for each page,
The preview image generation unit is configured to generate a preview image for each image,
The image processing apparatus further includes:
10. The display screen generating unit that generates a screen image including a moving image that displays a plurality of preview images generated by the preview image generating unit in an output order instructed by the post-processing instruction. Image forming processing system. Generates a formation image to be formed on the medium from the image data and generates a formation instruction to form on the medium, and generates raster data from the image data by rasterization processing, and generates an image from the generated raster data A receiving unit that receives the image data and a forming instruction from an image processing apparatus that includes an image generating unit that performs a preview image generating unit that generates a preview image of the formed image from an image generated by the image generating unit;
A formation image generation unit that generates raster data from the image data received by the reception unit by rasterization processing corresponding to the rasterization processing executed by the image generation unit, and generates a formation image from the generated raster data;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms a formed image generated by the formed image generating unit on a medium based on the forming instruction. Raster data is generated from image data by rasterization processing, a formed image to be formed on the medium is generated from the generated raster data, and the image is formed on the medium.
An instruction generation unit that generates a formation instruction to generate a formation image from image data and form it on a medium;
A computer program for realizing a function as an image generation unit that generates raster data from the image data by rasterization processing corresponding to the rasterization processing executed by the image forming apparatus, and generates an image from the generated raster data.

Images