JP6540346B2 - IMAGE PROCESSING SYSTEM, PROCESSING EXECUTION CONTROL DEVICE, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND CONTROL PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing system, a processing execution control device, an image processing method, and a control program.

  According to an information format called JDF (Job Definition Format), a method of defining and controlling all processes related to the generation of a printed matter is used. According to this method, it is possible to collectively control different types of printers such as offset printers and digital printers. Such a system is called an HWF (Hybrid Work Flow) system, and a server that controls such a system is called an HWF server.

  In such an HWF system, when the offset printer and the digital printer execute output based on the same print data, the same result can be obtained with no difference in font, color tone, layout, etc. Desired. However, font data installed in the offset printer and the digital printer may be different. In such a case, when output is performed based on the same print data, a difference occurs in the print result, and a printed matter different from the intention of the creator of the document or the operator who instructed the printing may be produced.

  As a technology for performing print output with the same font, when there is an unusable font in the print data, print output with the same font is executed by making the device that can use the font execute the print job A method has been proposed to avoid differences in printing results (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the case of output by the offset printer, CTP (Computer To) creates a version for the offset printer after the raster data generation process (hereinafter referred to as “RIP process”) is performed on the HWF server by the RIP engine. Data is transferred to Plate). On the other hand, in the case of a digital printer, a configuration called DFE (Digital Front End) generally receives print data, performs RIP processing, and causes a printer engine to execute print output.

  In such a method, the font mounted on the HWF server that generates data to be transferred to the CTP may differ from the font mounted on the DFE. In such a case, a difference occurs between the font processing result by the RIP engine installed in the HWF server and the font processing result by the RIP engine installed in the DFE, and it is difficult to obtain the intended image formation output result . In the technology of Patent Document 2, since RIP processing of print data is executed only by a digital printer, in the case of offset printing in this case, the HWF server needs to perform RIP processing, and the technology of Patent Document 1 can not be applied.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and in an image processing system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses of different types are collectively managed in a management apparatus, a font data management process for print data Even when the above can not be executed, it is an object of the present invention to execute the RIP process on the management apparatus using the font included in the print data.

One aspect of the present invention is an image processing system that executes a plurality of predetermined processes in order in order to solve the above problems, and a processing execution control device that controls the execution of the plurality of processes; And an image forming output control device for controlling execution of output, wherein the processing execution control device includes a process execution control unit for controlling execution of the plurality of processes, and an image forming apparatus as one of the plurality of processes. A control-side drawing information generation unit that generates drawing information, which is information to be referred to at the time of image formation output, based on output target image information that is information of an image formation output target image, and an image forming apparatus that executes image formation output On the other hand, information of the form of the character designated by the drawing information transmission unit for transmitting the generated drawing information and the character form designation information for specifying the form of the character included in the output target image information A character information processing request unit that requests the image formation output control device to process character information included in the output target image information when the control side drawing information generation unit is not usable, and the image formation output control The apparatus controls execution of an image formation output based on the instruction information received by the image formation output control device, and an output side drawing information generation unit which is a drawing information generation unit corresponding to the control side drawing information generation unit. an execution controller, in response to the request, on the basis of the character form information in the form of a character specified by the specifying information included in the output pair Zoga image information, text information contained in the output pair Zoga image information a character form processing unit for performing processing relating to the form of the control-side rendering information generation unit, the drawing on the basis of the output pair Zoga image information subjected to the process relating to the form of the character information And generating a multi-address.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and in an image processing system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses of different types are collectively managed in a management apparatus, a font data management process for print data Even when the above can not be executed, it is an object of the present invention to execute the RIP process on the management apparatus using the font included in the print data.

It is a figure which shows the operation | use form of the system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the information processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the JDF information which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram showing the functional composition of the HWF server concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the workflow information which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram showing functional composition of DFE concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the conversion table which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the RIP parameter which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a RIP engine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a RIP engine according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the whole operation | movement of the system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the information of the division | segmentation request | requirement based on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process in DFE which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flow chart which shows RIP processing concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the response | compatibility process to the unusable font which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which illustrated composition of font data concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which illustrated the composition of the job data concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a flow chart which shows judgment of font processing concerning an embodiment of the present invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of execution which allocates a font process to DFE which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of execution which allocates a font process to DFE which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an image processing system capable of controlling both printers via the same server in a system in which offset printers and digital printers are mixed will be described. Such a system is called an HWF (Hybrid Work Flow) system. When operating a digital printer in such a system, the feature according to the present embodiment is that a RIP (Raster Image Processor) engine common to a DFE (Digital Front End) for controlling the digital printer and the server is installed. It is one of the

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an operation mode of the HWF system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the system according to this embodiment includes a digital printer 1, an offset printer 2, a post-processing apparatus 3, HWF servers 4a and 4b (hereinafter collectively referred to as "HWF server 4"), client terminals 5a, 5b (hereinafter generally referred to as "client terminal 5") are connected via a network.

  The digital printer 1 is a printer that performs image formation output without using a plate, such as an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method, and includes a DFE 100 and a digital engine 150. The DFE 100 functions as an image formation output control device that is a control unit for causing the digital engine 150 to execute print output. Also, the digital engine 150 functions as an image forming apparatus. Therefore, the DFE 100 includes a RIP (Raster Image Processor) engine for generating raster data, which is image data to be referred to when the digital engine 150 executes print output. Raster data is drawing information.

  The offset printer 2 is a printer that performs image formation output using a plate, and includes a CTP (Computer To Plate) 200 and an offset engine 250. The CTP 200 is a device that generates a plate based on raster data. Generation of a plate by the CTP 200 enables offset printing by the offset engine 250.

  The post-processing device 3 is a device that performs post-processing such as punching, stapling, and bookbinding on a sheet printed and output by the digital printer 1 and the offset printer 2. The HWF server 4 is a server on which HWF software is installed to manage everything from input of job data including image data to be printed out, print output, and post processing. The HWF server 4 manages the various processes described above according to information generated in an information format called JDF (Job Definition Format) (hereinafter referred to as “JDF information”). That is, the HWF server 4 functions as a process execution control device.

  When performing print output by offset printing using the offset printer 2, the HWF server 4 generates raster data by the RIP engine mounted inside, and transmits the raster data to the CTP 200. Therefore, the HWF server 4 is equipped with a RIP engine.

  On the other hand, when print output is performed by the digital printer 1, data is transmitted to the DFE 100. As described above, since the RIP engine is installed in the DFE 100, the HWF server 4 can cause the digital printer 1 to execute print output by transmitting the print data before RIP processing to the DFE 100.

  Here, print output based on the same print data may be executed in each of the digital printer 1 and the offset printer 2. In such a case, if the results of the two print outputs are different, the user who receives the output will feel uncomfortable. Therefore, it is preferable that the print output results of the digital printer 1 and the offset printer 2 are the same.

  Differences in print output by different devices are mainly caused by RIP processing. Therefore, by using the RIP engine in which the processing is shared between the digital printer 1 and the offset printer 2, it is possible to minimize the difference between the output results of the two.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the RIP engine installed in the HWF server 4 corresponds to both the digital printer 1 and the offset printer 2, and is a RIP engine in which common processing is possible. Also, the DFE 100 is equipped with a RIP engine common to the RIP engine installed in the HWF server 4. Such a configuration is one of the gist of the present embodiment.

  With such a configuration, the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100 are equipped with a common RIP engine. Therefore, when print output is performed by the digital printer 1, it is possible to combine the RIP process by the HWF server 4 and the RIP process by the DFE 100.

  The client terminal 5 is an information processing terminal for an operator using the system to operate the HWF server 4, and is realized by a general PC (Personal Computer) or the like. The operator displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for operating the HWF server 4 by operating the client terminal 5, and performs data input, setting of the above-described JDF information, and the like. JDF information is processing setting information.

  In such a system configuration, when the HWF server 4 performs RIP processing and causes the offset printer 2 to perform print output, a process in the case where a font that can not be used by the HWF server 4 is specified in print data is This is one of the gist of the present embodiment. In such a case, the HWF server 4 according to this embodiment requests font processing to the DFE 100, and performs RIP processing using the result.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus such as the DFE 100, the HWF server 4 and the client terminal 5 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes the same configuration as a general server, a PC (Personal Computer), and the like. That is, the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a central processing unit (CPU) 10, a random access memory (RAM) 20, a read only memory (ROM) 30, a hard disk drive (HDD) 40 and an I / F 50 as a bus 80. Connected through. Further, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 60 and an operation unit 70 are connected to the I / F 50.

  The CPU 10 is an arithmetic unit and controls the operation of the entire information processing apparatus. The RAM 20 is a volatile storage medium capable of high-speed reading and writing of information, and is used as a work area when the CPU 10 processes information. The ROM 30 is a read only non-volatile storage medium, and stores programs such as firmware. The HDD 40 is a non-volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information, and stores an operating system (OS), various control programs, application programs, and the like.

  The I / F 50 connects and controls the bus 80 with various hardware, networks, and the like. The LCD 60 is a visual user interface for the user to confirm the status of the information processing apparatus. The operation unit 70 is a user interface, such as a keyboard or a mouse, for the user to input information to the information processing apparatus. In addition, since the HWF server 4 is operated as a server, user interfaces such as the LCD 60 and the operation unit 70 can be omitted.

  In such a hardware configuration, the software control unit is configured by the CPU 10 performing an operation according to a program stored in the ROM 30 or a program loaded into the RAM 20 from a storage medium such as the HDD 40 or an optical disk (not shown). The combination of the software control unit configured as described above and hardware configures a functional block that implements the functions of the DFE 100, the HWF server 4, and the client terminal 5 according to the present embodiment.

  Next, the above-described JDF information will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of JDF information. As shown in FIG. 3, the JDF information includes "job information" on job execution, "edit information" on raster data, and "finishing information" on post processing. Also, it includes information of “RIP status”, “RIP device designation” and “device designation”.

  The “job information” includes information such as “number of copies”, “number of pages”, and “RIP control mode” as shown in FIG. The “number of copies” is information for specifying the number of copies of the printed matter to be output. The “number of pages” is information for specifying the number of pages of the printed matter. “RIP control mode” indicates a control mode of RIP processing, and “page mode”, “sheet mode” and the like are designated.

  "Edit information" includes "direction information", "print surface information", "rotation", "enlargement / reduction", "image position", "layout information", "margin information", and "crop mark information" . The “direction information” is information for specifying the printing direction, such as “vertical” or “horizontal”. "Printing surface information" is information for specifying a printing surface such as "both sides" and "one side".

  "Rotation" is information specifying the rotation angle of the image to be output. “Zooming in / out” is information for specifying the scaling factor of the image to be output. The “offset” of “image position” is information for specifying the offset of the image to be output. “Position adjustment information” is information for specifying a value of position adjustment of an image to be output.

  The “custom in-position arrangement” of “layout information” is information for specifying the arrangement of the custom surface. The “number of pages” is information for specifying the number of pages of one sheet of paper, and, for example, “2 in 1” or the like is designated when two pages are consolidated on one sheet of paper. “Page order information” is information specifying information on the order of pages to be printed. “Creep position adjustment” is information specifying a value related to the adjustment of the creep position.

  “Margin information” is information that specifies a value related to a margin such as a fit box or a gutter. The "center crop mark information" of the "crop mark information" is information specifying a value related to the center crop mark. “Corner crop mark information” is information specifying a value related to a corner crop mark.

  “Finishing information” includes “Collate information”, “staple / bind information”, “punch information”, “folding information”, “trim”, “output tray information”, “input tray information”, and “cover / sheet information” including. “Collate information” is information that specifies whether to print in page units or in document units when a document is printed in multiple copies.

  “Staple / bind information” is information specifying processing related to staple / bind. “Punch information” is information that designates a process related to a punch. "Folding information" is information for specifying a process related to folding. “Trim” is information that specifies processing related to trimming.

  “Output tray information” is information for specifying an output tray. “Input tray” is information for specifying an input tray. "Cover sheet information" is information for specifying a process related to a cover sheet.

  The “RIP status” is execution state information indicating whether or not each of the RIP internal processes that are processes included in the RIP process has been executed. In FIG. 3, processing items such as “preflight”, “normalize”, “font”, “layout”, “mark”, “CMM”, “Trapping”, “Calibration”, and “Screening” as RIP internal processing items Is described. Then, the status of the processing state for each item is described. In FIG. 3, "NotYet" indicating that the processing is not performed is set, and is updated to "Done" when each processing is executed.

  The “RIP device designation” is information for specifying whether each of the RIP internal processes is to be executed on the HWF server 4 side or the DFE 100 side. For each item of RIP internal processing similar to "RIP status", either "HWF server" or "DFE" is set. In addition, when “DFE” is set, information specifying one of a plurality of RIP engines installed in the DFE 100 is included, as in “DFE (Engine A)”.

  “Device designation” is information for designating a device for executing a print job, and in the example of FIG. 3, “digital printer” is designated. The JDF information includes various information in addition to the information shown in FIG. Such information will be described in detail in the following description.

  The JDF information shown in FIG. 3 is generated by the operator displaying the GUI of the HWF server 4 via the client terminal 5 and setting various items in the GUI. Then, the RIP engine mounted on the HWF server 4 or the DFE 100 performs RIP processing based on such JDF information. The post-processing device 3 also executes post-processing based on such JDF information. When a job is submitted to the HWF server 4 from an external software or system, it may be submitted with JDF information attached.

  Next, the functional configuration of the HWF server 4 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the HWF server 4 includes an HWF controller 400 and a network I / F 401. A network I / F 401 is an interface for the HWF server 4 to exchange information with other devices via the network.

  The HWF controller 400 manages acquisition of print target data, creation of a print job, management of a workflow, distribution of jobs to the digital printer 1 and the offset printer 2, and the like. The process in which job data to be printed is input to the HWF server 4 and acquired by the HWF controller 400 is submission processing in the present system. The HWF controller 400 is configured by installing dedicated software in the information processing apparatus. This software is HWF software.

  In the HWF controller 400, a system control unit 410 controls the entire HWF controller 400. Therefore, when realizing each function of the HWF controller 400 described above, the system control unit 410 gives an instruction to each part of the HWF controller 400 to execute processing. The data reception unit 411 receives print job data from another system or receives job data submitted by an operator's operation.

  A UI (User Interface) control unit 412 controls an operation by the operator via the client terminal 5. A GUI for operating the HWF server 4 is displayed on the client terminal 5, and the UI control unit 412 acquires information of an operation on the GUI displayed on the client terminal 5 via the network.

  The UI control unit 412 notifies the system control unit 410 of the information of the operation thus acquired via the network. The display of the GUI in the client terminal 5 is realized by software installed in advance in the client terminal 5 or information provided from the UI control unit 412 to the client terminal 5 via the network.

  The operator operates the GUI displayed on the client terminal 5 to select job data to be submitted. Thereby, the client terminal 5 transmits job data to the HWF server 4, and the data reception unit 411 acquires the job data. The system control unit 410 registers the job data acquired by the data reception unit 411 in the job data storage unit 414.

  When transmitting job data from the client terminal 5 to the HWF server 4, job data is generated in the client terminal 5 based on the document data and image data selected in the client terminal 5, and then transmitted to the HWF server 4. . The job data is, for example, data in a PDL (Page Description Language) format such as PDF (Portable Document Format) or PostScript.

  In addition, data to be printed may be transmitted from the client terminal 5 to the HWF server 4 in the data format dedicated to the application or the general image data format. In that case, the system control unit 410 causes the job control unit 413 to generate job data based on the acquired data. The job control unit 413 causes the RIP engine 420 to generate job data based on print target data.

  Although the print target data registered in the job data storage unit 414 is PDL information as described above, this PDL information is not only primary data generated based on the print target data, but is halfway through There may also be intermediate data for which processing has been performed. These pieces of information are used as output target image information. In the case where intermediate data is stored in the job data storage unit 414, the job data is registered in the HWF server 4 in the state of intermediate data other than the state in the middle of the process in which the process has already been started in the HWF server 4 There is a possibility. In the following, “PDL information” indicates primary data not subjected to RIP processing, and “intermediate data” indicates data in the middle of processing in which RIP processing has been performed halfway. Show.

  Further, as described above, the information of JDF described in FIG. 3 is set and generated by the operation of the operator on the GUI displayed on the client terminal 5. Alternatively, when a job is submitted to the HWF server 4 from an external software or system, it is assigned in advance. The JDF information acquired in such a manner is received by the data receiving unit 411 together with PDL information as job data. The system control unit 410 associates the JDF information thus acquired and the PDL information and registers them in the job data storage unit 414.

  In the present embodiment, the case where JDF information is used as attribute information indicating the content of a job has been described as an example. However, this is only an example, and other formats, for example, PPF (Print Production Format) information may be used.

  In addition, the system control unit 410 can divide the received job data into each print portion such as page unit based on the operation of the operator displayed on the client terminal 5. The respective job data thus divided are registered in the job data storage unit 414 as the divided individual job data.

  In addition, when a device at the output destination is selected by the operation of the GUI displayed on the client terminal 5 for each job for which division has been specified, the selection result is associated with job data and stored in the job data storage unit 414. Is saved. As the selection mode of the output destination, for example, there can be a selection mode such as the digital printer 1 for the cover part and the offset printer 2 for the text.

  The device information management unit 416 manages information by acquiring information of other devices included in the system, such as the digital printer 1, the offset printer 2, and the post-processing apparatus 3, and storing the information in the device information storage unit 417. The information of other devices is the address of the network assigned when the device is connected to the network, and the information of the function of the device. The information on the function of the device is, for example, the printing speed, the usable post-processing function, the operation state, and the like.

  The device information communication unit 415 periodically acquires information of other devices included in the system via the network I / F 401. As a result, the device information management unit 416 periodically updates the information of the other devices stored in the device information storage unit 417, even if the information of the other devices changes dynamically. The information stored in 417 is kept accurate.

  The workflow control unit 418 determines the execution order of each process when processing job data registered in the job data storage unit 414 on the system, and stores the information in the workflow information storage unit 419. The execution order of each process defined in the workflow is determined in advance, and in order to maintain the order, control is made to proceed to the next process when the previous process is completed.

  That is, what is stored in the workflow information storage unit 419 is workflow information in which respective processes that can be executed in the HWF system are combined in the specified order. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of workflow information. On the other hand, parameters at the time when each process is executed are specified in the JDF information as described above. In the workflow information storage unit 419, workflow information set based on an operation of the operator displayed on the client terminal 5 is registered in advance.

  An execution instruction for job data registered in the HWF server 4 is notified to the system control unit 410 via the UI control unit 412 based on the operation of the operator on the GUI displayed on the client terminal 5. Thus, the system control unit 410 selects the output destination device described above.

  As described above, in the case of selecting the output destination device on the GUI displayed on the client terminal 5, the system control unit 410 selects the output destination device according to the content of the specification. Besides this, it is also possible to automatically select based on the comparison between the contents of the job and the characteristics of the device.

  When the output destination device is automatically selected based on the comparison between the contents of the job and the characteristics of the device, the system control unit 410 acquires information of available devices from the device information management unit 416. Thus, when the output destination device is determined, the system control unit 410 adds information indicating the determined output destination device to the JDF information.

  After determining the output destination device, the system control unit 410 instructs the workflow control unit 418 to execute a job. At this time, workflow information registered in advance in the workflow information storage unit 419 may be used based on the operator's operation, or new workflow information may be generated based on the content set according to the operator's operation. .

  When the workflow control unit 418 receives an execution instruction from the system control unit 410, the workflow control unit 418 instructs the job control unit 413 to execute each process according to the designated execution order in accordance with the designated workflow information or newly generated workflow information. That is, the workflow control unit 418 functions as a process execution control unit.

  In response to the execution instruction, the job control unit 413 inputs the above-described PDL information and JDF information to the RIP engine 420 to execute the RIP process. The JDF information includes information indicating which of the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100 the multiple RIP internal processes performed by the RIP engine are to be executed.

  The job control unit 413 refers to the information on the distribution of the RIP process among the information included in the JDF information, and if the process instructed by the workflow control unit 418 is to be executed by the HWF server 4, the RIP engine 420 Run the specified process on. The RIP engine 420 executes the RIP process based on the parameters specified in the JDF information in accordance with the instruction from the job control unit 413.

  The RIP engine 420 that has performed the RIP process in this way updates the RIP status of the RIP process that has performed the process. As a result, the status of the RIP internal processing executed in the HWF server 4 among the plurality of RIP internal processing is changed to "Done". The RIP engine 420 functions as a control-side drawing information generation unit.

  Here, the present embodiment is characterized in the processing in the case where the font data designated as the form of the character information included in the job data can not be used in the HWF server 4. In such a case, the job control unit 413 receives, from the RIP engine 420, a notification indicating that rendering of character information using designated font data is not possible, and requests the DFE 100 to perform font processing accordingly. Such processing is one of the gist of the present embodiment. Details will be described later.

  RIP execution result data generated by executing the RIP process is any of PDL information, intermediate data, and raster data. Although these differ in the contents of RIP internal processing, intermediate data is generated based on data which was originally PDL information as the processing proceeds, and raster data is finally generated. The RIP execution result data is stored in the job data storage unit 414 in association with the job being executed.

  When one RIP internal process is completed, the RIP engine 420 notifies the job control unit 413 of the completion, and the job control unit 413 notifies the workflow control unit 418. Thereby, the workflow control unit 418 starts control of the next process according to the workflow information.

  If the content of the job received from the workflow control unit 418 is a request to another system, the job control unit 413 inputs job data to the job transmission / reception unit 421 in a form according to the other system, and transmits the job data Send it. In the case of transmission of job data to the offset printer 2, data to be printed is converted into raster data and transmitted as job data. Therefore, the job transmission / reception unit 421 functions as a drawing information transmission unit.

  On the other hand, in the case of transmission of job data to the digital printer 1, the job control unit 413 designates the same RIP engine corresponding to the RIP engine 420 among the plurality of RIP engines included in the DFE 100 to the job transmission / reception unit 421. Enter job data. Thus, the job transmitting / receiving unit 421 transmits the job data to the DFE 100 by designating the same RIP engine corresponding to the RIP engine 420.

  The job transmission / reception unit 421 transmits, to the DFE 100, job data in which PDL information or intermediate data and JDF information are packaged. As a transmission mode of job data, PDL information or intermediate data may be used as external resource data, and a URL indicating a storage destination of PDL information or intermediate data may be described in JDF information. In this case, the side receiving the JDF information accesses the URL to acquire PDL information or intermediate data.

  Next, the functional configuration of the DFE 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The DFE 100 receives job data from the HWF server 4 and performs control of the received job, execution control of RIP processing, and control of the digital engine 150. The HWF server 4 causes the digital engine 150 to execute print output by transmitting job data to the DFE 100. That is, the DFE 100 functions as a server for providing the HWF server 4 with the digital print function.

  The job control function provided by the DFE 100 is a control function of a series of operations such as acceptance of job data, analysis of JDF information, creation of raster data, and print output by the digital engine 150. The execution control of the RIP processing is control for causing the RIP engine to execute the RIP processing based on the information generated by the analysis of the JDF information and the PDL information.

  Information generated by analysis of JDF information is information obtained by extracting information used for RIP processing from the JDF information described in FIG. 3 and converting it into a format that can be deciphered by the DFE 100. It is called an attribute. Intermediate data and raster data are created by executing the RIP process with reference to the in-DFE job attribute and the PDL information.

  The control function of the digital engine 150 is a function that causes the digital engine 150 to transmit raster data and part of the above-described DFE job attributes to execute print output. These functions are realized by the blocks shown in FIG. Each block shown in FIG. 6 is realized by the CPU 10 performing arithmetic processing according to the program loaded into the RAM 20 or the program stored in the ROM 30 as described in FIG. 2 and operating other hardware.

  The DFE 100 incorporates a plurality of RIP engines inside. This is installed corresponding to RIP engines of other devices which may transmit a job to the DFE 100 in the HWF system. In the present embodiment, since the plurality of HWF servers 4a and 4b include different RIP engines, the DFE 100 is equipped with a plurality of RIP engines corresponding to the respective RIP engines.

  The job receiving unit 111 internally includes a plurality of individual job receiving units 112. The individual job receiving unit 112 receives job data from the HWF server 4 via the network I / F 101. The plurality of individual job reception units 112 correspond to the plurality of RIP engines installed in the DFE 100, respectively. The individual job receiving unit 112 functions as an individual receiving unit.

  As described above, upon transmission of job data from the HWF server 4 to the DFE 100, the corresponding RIP engine is designated and transmitted. Therefore, in the job receiving unit 111, the individual job receiving unit 112 corresponding to the designated RIP engine receives the job data.

  In addition to the input via the network from the HWF server 4, the input of the job data to the DFE 100 can also be performed via a portable storage medium such as a USB memory. In the present embodiment, a case where JDF information is included in job data will be described as an example, but if JDF is not included, the job receiving unit 111 creates a dummy JDF and adds JDF information to job data. .

  The individual job reception unit 112 also functions as a virtual printer in which the contents of the job are set in advance, in addition to the case where the individual job reception unit 112 is provided corresponding to each of the RIP engines described above. That is, the RIP engine installed in the DFE 100 and the individual job reception unit 112 in which the contents of the job are set are provided, and the job is executed with the contents set in advance by designating one of the plural individual job reception units 112. It becomes possible.

  One possible setting in the individual job receiving unit 112 according to the present embodiment is a “pass-through mode”. In this "pass-through mode", analysis processing of JDF information is not performed by the JDF analysis unit 117 which is an analysis function of JDF information provided separately from the RIP engine in the DFE 100, and analysis of JDF information is performed in the RIP engine. It is a mode.

  With such a function, it is possible to use in the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100 a RIP engine in which it is difficult to use a format of JDF information that the JDF analysis unit 117 does not support or to provide a JDF analysis function outside the RIP engine. It becomes. In the present embodiment, when the processing is shared by the RIP engine 420 installed in the HWF server 4 and the RIP engine 120 installed in the DFE 100, the “pass-through mode” described above is used. The same RIP engine 120 corresponding to the RIP engine 420 is used as an output-side drawing information generation unit.

  When distributing the RIP processing to the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100, it is preferable that the division between the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100 is performed as a series of processing without being conscious of the division between the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100 as much as possible. Therefore, when data processed halfway up in the HWF server 4 is input to the DFE 100, the same JDF analysis processing as in the case where unprocessed job data is input is omitted, and the processing is performed as a continuation of the processing in the HWF server 4. It is preferred to be implemented.

  In the present embodiment, since the same RIP engine corresponding to the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100 is mounted, it is possible to preferably realize control of such RIP processing. Also, in such a case, it is preferable that the data processed by one RIP engine is passed as it is to the other RIP engine, so that such control is preferably realized by the above-mentioned "pass-through mode". Can do.

  The system control unit 113 stores the job data received by the individual job receiving unit 112 in the job data storage unit 114 or delivers the job data to the job control unit 116. When the DFE 100 is set to store job data, the system control unit 113 stores job data in the job data storage unit 114. In addition, when it is described in the JDF information whether or not the job data storage unit 114 stores the information, the system control unit 113 follows the description.

  When job data is stored in the job data storage unit 114, for example, the print content is previewed in the DFE 100. In this case, the system control unit 113 acquires print target data included in job data, that is, PDL information and intermediate data from the job data storage unit 114, generates preview data, and passes it to the UI control unit 115. Thereby, the UI control unit 115 causes the display 102 to display a preview of the print content.

  When generating preview data, the system control unit 113 transfers data to be printed to the job control unit 116 to request generation of preview data. The job control unit 116 passes data to be printed to the RIP unit 118 to generate preview data, and passes the generated preview data to the system control unit 113.

  Also, when the operator changes the JDF information in the DFE 100, job data is stored in the job data storage unit 114. In this case, the system control unit 113 acquires JDF information from the job data storage unit 114 and passes it to the UI control unit 115. As a result, the JDF information of the job data is displayed on the display 102, and the operator can change it by the operation.

  When the operator operates the DFE 100 to change the JDF information, the UI control unit 115 receives the change content and notifies the system control unit 113 of the change content. The system control unit 113 reflects and updates the received change content in the target JDF information, and causes the job data storage unit 114 to store the updated JDF information.

  Then, upon receiving a job execution instruction, the system control unit 113 delivers the job data stored in the job data storage unit 114 to the job control unit 116. The job execution instruction is input from the HWF server 4 via the network, or by the operation of the operator on the DFE 100. Also, for example, when the job execution time is set in the JDF information, the system control unit 113 passes the job data stored in the job data storage unit 114 to the job control unit 116 when the set time is reached.

  The job data storage unit 114 is a storage area for storing job data as described above, and is realized by the HDD 40 or the like described in FIG. Other than this, a storage device connected to the DFE 100 via a USB interface or the like, or a storage device connected to the DFE 100 via a network may be used.

  The UI control unit 115 receives the display of information on the display 102 and the operator's operation on the DFE 100 as described above. In the editing operation of the JDF information described above, the UI control unit 115 interprets the JDF information and displays the content of the print job on the display 102.

  The job control unit 116 performs control relating to job execution based on a job execution instruction from the system control unit 113. Specifically, the control performed by the job control unit 116 is JDF analysis processing by the JDF analysis unit 117, RIP processing by the RIP unit 118, control processing of the digital engine 150 by the printer control unit 122, font processing by the character information editing processing unit 125 It is.

  When receiving an instruction to execute a job from the system control unit 113, the job control unit 116 inputs JDF information contained in job data to the JDF analysis unit 117 and makes a JDF conversion request. The JDF conversion request is a request for processing of converting JDF information described in a format of a generation source of JDF information into a format that can be recognized by the RIP unit 118. That is, the JDF analysis unit 117 functions as a process setting information conversion unit.

  On the other hand, when the “pass-through mode” is specified as described above, the job control unit 116 inputs the JDF information included in the job data acquired from the system control unit 113 to the RIP unit 118 as it is. The designation of the “pass-through mode” is described in the JDF information by the individual job receiving unit 112, for example. Further, when the “pass-through mode” is designated by the individual job receiving unit 112, the designation of “page mode” and “sheet mode” is also described according to the designated RIP engine 120.

  The JDF analysis unit 117 converts the JDF information described in the format of the generation source as described above into a format that can be recognized by the RIP unit 118. The JDF analysis unit 117 internally holds a conversion table, extracts necessary information in the RIP unit 118 out of the information contained in the JDF information according to the conversion table, and converts the description format. Thus, the in-DFE job attribute described above is generated.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the conversion table held by the JDF analysis unit 117 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the conversion table according to the present embodiment is information in which a description form in JDF information and a description form in a job attribute in DFE are associated. For example, the “number of copies” information described in FIG. 3 is described as “A · Amount” in the actual JDF information, and is converted to “number of copies” when generating the job attribute in DFE.

  By the processing of the JDF analysis unit 117 using the conversion table as shown in FIG. 7, a job attribute in DFE is generated. The information described in the job attribute in the DFE is, for example, “job information”, “edit information”, “finishing information” or the like shown in FIG.

  Further, the JDF analysis unit 117 sets “RIP control mode” in the job attribute in DFE when generating the job attribute in DFE. In the "RIP control mode", a "page mode", a "sheet mode" and the like are set. The JDF analysis unit 117 assigns the “RIP control mode” according to the type of the individual job reception unit 112 that has received the job data, the contents of the job, the HWF software that configures the HWF server 4 that is the transmission source of the job data, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, the setting of consolidated printing in a print job is handled in the “page mode”. Details of the “RIP control mode” will be described later.

  The job control unit 116 generates a “RIP parameter” based on the job attribute in DFE generated by the JDF analysis unit 117, and passes the RIP parameter to the RIP control unit 119 of the RIP unit 118 to perform RIP processing. Run it. Thus, the RIP unit 118 executes the RIP process based on the RIP parameters.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the contents of RIP parameters according to the present embodiment. The RIP parameters according to the present embodiment include “input / output data type”, “data read information”, and “RIP control mode” as the information at the beginning. “Input / output data type” designates the type of input / output data such as “JDF” or “PDL”. The designation format is, in addition to “JDF”, “PDL”, etc., text format, extension of image data, intermediate data, etc.

  The “data read information” is information on the input / output data read position, the method of specifying the write position, and the specified position. The “RIP control mode” is information of “page mode” and “sheet mode”. In addition, the information at the beginning includes information of a unit used in RIP parameters and information of a data compression method.

  The “input / output image information” includes “information on output image”, “information on input image”, and “information on image handling”. The "information on output image" includes information such as the format, resolution, size, color separation, color shift, page orientation, etc. of output image data. Also, “information on input image” includes information such as the format, resolution, page range, and color setting of input image data. The "information regarding image handling" includes information such as an offset of the scaling algorithm, an object area, and an offset of halftone.

  The “PDL related information” is information related to PDL information targeted by the RIP parameter, and includes information of “data area”, “size information”, and “data arrangement method”. The PDL information referred to here is data to be printed in a job, and includes the case of intermediate data. “Data area” designates area information in which PDL information is stored. “Size information” specifies the data size of PDL information. “Data arrangement method” designates a data arrangement method in the memory of PDL information, such as “little endian” and “big endian”.

  On the other hand, in the case of the “pass-through mode”, the job control unit 116 generates RIP parameters based on the JDF information and the PDL information or the intermediate data. In this case, in each item constituting the RIP parameter, information for referring to the item of the corresponding JDF information is set.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the RIP parameters include "RIP control mode". The RIP control unit 119 controls the RIP engine 120 according to the “RIP control mode”. Therefore, the sequence is determined according to the "RIP control mode". As described above, the "page mode" and the "sheet mode" are set in the "RIP control mode".

  The “page mode” is a process of executing RIP processing for each of a plurality of pre-aggregated pages collected on one sheet of paper to generate raster data. The “sheet mode” is a process of executing RIP processing for each of a plurality of pages collected on one sheet of paper to generate raster data collected on one sheet.

  Further, in the case of the "pass-through mode", the "pass-through mode" is designated as the "RIP control mode". However, this is an example, and the "pass-through mode" may be described in items other than the "RIP control mode".

  Also, the job control unit 116 sets “RIP engine identification information” in the RIP parameter. “RIP engine identification information” is information for identifying a plurality of RIP engines 120 included in the RIP unit 118. In the present embodiment, the same RIP engine corresponding to the RIP engine 420 installed in the HWF server 4 is used in the DFE 100.

  Therefore, as described above, the JDF information includes the information for specifying the individual job receiving unit 112, and the job data is received by the individual job receiving unit 112 specified as such. The individual job receiving unit 112 corresponds to one of the RIP engines 120, and adds identification information of the corresponding RIP engine 120 to the received JDF information. The job control unit 116 adds the “RIP engine identification information” described above to the RIP parameter based on the identification information of the RIP engine 120 added to the JDF information as described above.

  In the RIP unit 118, the RIP control unit 119 controls the plurality of RIP engines 120, and executes RIP internal processing based on the input RIP parameters to generate raster data. Here, the RIP control unit 119 according to the present embodiment has a function to cope with the possibility that the system according to the present embodiment receives a print job from a plurality of different HWF servers 4.

  In the HWF server 4 of different types, the method of handling data in the print job may be different. For example, the difference is the "RIP control mode" such as the "page mode" or the "sheet mode" described above. In the case of the RIP engine 120 corresponding to the “page mode”, data of the original page corresponding to the number of consolidations are designated in order at the time of consolidation printing.

  On the other hand, in the case of the RIP engine 120 corresponding to the “sheet mode”, all data of the original page before aggregation is designated and the RIP process is executed. That is, the method of specifying parameters for the RIP engine 120 is different. Such a difference is not limited to the "RIP control mode". For example, it occurs due to the difference in the format and the handling method of the original data, such as the handling of the margin of the original data.

  In order to cope with such a difference, the RIP control unit 119 according to the present embodiment performs conversion processing of parameters designated to the RIP engine 120 according to the RIP engine 120 that executes the RIP processing. For example, when data corresponding to the "page mode" is input to the RIP engine 120 corresponding to the "sheet mode", a process of converting a parameter described in the "page mode" into the "sheet mode" is performed. The functions of the RIP engine 120 will be described in detail later.

  The image storage unit 121 is a storage unit that stores raster data generated by the RIP engine 120. The image storage unit 121 is realized by the HDD 40 or the like described in FIG. Other than this, a storage device connected to the DFE 100 via a USB interface or the like, or a storage device connected to the DFE 100 via a network may be used.

  The printer control unit 122 is connected to the digital engine 150, reads out raster data stored in the image storage unit 121, and transmits the raster data to the digital engine 150 to execute print output. Further, control for finishing processing is performed by acquiring from the job control unit 116 the finishing information included in the in-DFE job attribute.

  The printer control unit 122 can obtain information of the digital engine 150 itself by exchanging information with the digital engine 150. For example, in the case of the CIP4 standard, a standard called DevCaps for transmitting and receiving device specification information to and from a printer is defined as a JDF information standard. Also known is a method of collecting printer information using a communication protocol called Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and a database called Management Information Base (MIB).

  The device information management unit 123 manages device information which is information of the DFE 100 itself or the digital engine 150. The device information includes information of the RIP engine 120 included in the RIP unit 118 and information of the individual job reception unit 112 configured in the job reception unit 111. Then, the information of the “pass-through mode” described above is also included as the information of the individual job receiving unit 112.

  The device information communication unit 124 exchanges device information with the HWF server 4 via the network I / F 101 in accordance with specifications such as MIB and JMF (Job Messaging Format). Thus, the device information communication unit 415 of the HWF server 4 acquires device information from the DFE 100. As a result, in the GUI displayed on the client terminal 5, the information of the RIP engine 120 included in the DFE 100 and the information of the individual job reception unit 112 are reflected.

  The character information editing processing unit 125 analyzes and edits font data in the job data input to the DFE 100, and performs embedding processing of the font in PDL and outlining. The intermediate data on which font embedding processing and outlining processing have been performed by the character information editing processing unit 125 is transmitted to the HWF server 4 by the system control unit 113 according to the job data at the time of input.

  In font processing, font data including data in the form of all characters that can be displayed in the font (hereinafter referred to as glyph data) is referenced. Therefore, font data corresponds to character form designation information. The font embedding process performed by the character information editing unit 125 is a process in which an identifier for identifying information related to the size and shape of the font included in the font data is embedded in the PDF information. When font embedding processing is performed as described above, font data embedded in PDF information is referred to when drawing characters. Therefore, since it is not necessary to refer to font data on the computer that performs drawing processing, generation of differences in print output is eliminated.

  In the font outlining process performed by the character information editing unit 125, first, glyph data of a font to be visualized when drawing characters is extracted. Then, based on the extracted glyph data, the outline of the character is divided into a large number of line segments, and each line segment is Bezierized and arranged on the page of the image. Therefore, the outlined font data is image data of the outline of a character consisting of a set of end points of a large number of line segments and control points, and is treated as image data arranged at a specific position on the page.

  When the digital engine 150 is controlled by the printer control unit 122 in the DFE 100 and print output is completed, the system control unit 113 recognizes this via the job control unit 116. Then, the system control unit 113 notifies the HWF server 4 of the completion notification of the print job via the job reception unit 111. As a result, the job transmission / reception unit 421 of the HWF server 4 receives a job completion notification.

  In the HWF server 4, the job transmission / reception unit 421 transfers a job completion notice to the job control unit 413, and the job control unit 413 notifies the workflow control unit 418 of the job completion. The transmission of job data from the HWF server 4 to the DFE 100 is originally performed by the workflow control unit 418 according to the workflow information.

  When recognizing the completion of the job by the DFE 100, the workflow control unit 418 controls the execution of the next process according to the workflow information. The processing to be set next to the print output by the DFE 100 includes, for example, post-processing by the post-processing device 3 and the like.

  Next, the functional configuration of the RIP engine according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the RIP engine 120 in the case where the JDF analysis processing by the JDF analysis unit 117 is accompanied. As described above, the RIP engine 120 is a software module that executes RIP internal processing based on the RIP parameters described in FIG. 8 to generate raster data. As a RIP engine, for example, APPE which is a PDF printing engine provided by Adobe Systems is used as a base.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the RIP engine 120 is configured by the control unit 201 and other parts. Parts other than the control unit 201 are extensions which can be expanded by the vendor. The control unit 201 executes the RIP process by using various functions included as an extension unit.

  The input unit 202 receives an initialization request and an execution request for RIP processing, and notifies the control unit 201 of the request. At the time of initialization request, the above-described RIP parameters are also input to the control unit 201. The control unit 201 having received the initialization request inputs the RIP parameters received at the same time to the RIP parameter analysis unit 203. Then, the analysis result of the RIP parameter is acquired by the function of the RIP parameter analysis unit 203, and the order of operating the respective expansion units included in the RIP engine 120 is determined in the RIP process. Also, the format of data generated as a result of those processes determines any one of raster image, preview image, PDF, intermediate data, etc.

  When the control unit 201 receives an execution request for RIP processing from the input unit 202, the control unit 201 causes the respective units of the extension unit to operate according to the processing order determined when the initialization request is received. The preflight processing unit 204 confirms the validity of the content of the input PDL data. When an invalid PDL attribute is found, the control unit 201 is notified. The control unit 201 having received this notification notifies the external modules such as the RIP control unit 119 and the job control unit 116 via the output unit 213.

  As information on attributes confirmed by the preflight processing, for example, information that may cause processing by other modules included in the RIP engine 120 to be impossible, such as whether or not a non-compliant font is specified. It is.

  Here, as described above, the present embodiment is characterized in the processing in the case where the font data designated as the form of the character information included in the job data is an incompatible font in the HWF server 4. In the present embodiment, the preflight processing unit of the RIP engine 420 executes, to the RIP engine 420, a notification that processing with the designated font is not possible when the font data is not compatible with the HWF server 4. Do. Such processing is one of the gist of the present embodiment. Details will be described later.

  The normalization processing unit 205 converts the input PDL data into PDF when the input PDL data is not PDF but PostScript. The mark processing unit 206 develops graphic information of the designated mark, and superimposes the graphic information of the image to be printed on the designated position.

  The font processing unit 207 takes out font data, performs font embedding processing into PDL, and performs outline processing. A CMM (Color Management Module) processing unit 209 converts the color space of the input image into CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blacK) based on a color conversion table or the like described in an ICC (International Color Consortium) profile. The ICC profile is color ICC information and device ICC information.

  The Trapping processing unit 210 performs trapping processing. In the trapping process, each color area is expanded to fill the space to prevent gaps from being generated at the boundary when misregistration occurs for areas of different colors adjacent to each other at the border. Processing.

  The calibration processing unit 211 performs adjustment work of the variation of the color development balance due to the temporal change of the output device and the individual difference in order to enhance the accuracy of the color conversion by the CMM processing unit 209. The processing by the calibration processing unit 211 may be executed outside the RIP engine 120.

  The screening processing unit 212 executes halftone dot generation processing in consideration of the final output. The processing by the screening processing unit 212 may be executed outside the RIP engine 120 as in the processing by the calibration processing unit 211. The output unit 213 transmits the RIP result to the outside. The RIP result is either a raster image, a preview image, a PDF, or intermediate data determined at initialization.

  The rendering processing unit 218 performs rendering processing to generate raster data based on input data. Among the processing units shown in FIG. 9, the processing by the mark processing unit 206 and the font processing unit 207 may be simultaneously executed by the rendering processing unit 218.

  Next, the functional configuration of the RIP engine 120 when the JDF analysis processing by the JDF analysis unit 117 is not performed will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the case where the JDF analysis processing by the JDF analysis unit 117 is not accompanied is the case where the RIP internal processing is distributed between the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100. Therefore, it also includes the RIP engine 420 installed in the HWF server 4 in the same configuration as the RIP engine 120 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the functional configuration of the RIP engine 120 without JDF analysis processing by the JDF analysis unit 117 is mostly the same as the configuration described in FIG. Hereinafter, only differences from FIG. 9 will be described. It is also the same as FIG. 9 that parts other than the control part 201 are expansion parts.

  When the control unit 201 in the example of FIG. 10 receives an initialization request from the input unit 202, the control unit 201 acquires JDF information together with the initialization request. Then, the control unit 201 analyzes the JDF information and the PDL information using the function of the job attribute analysis unit 214, and as in the case of FIG. 9, the processing order of each extension unit and the format of data generated as a result of processing Decide.

  In particular, in the case of the RIP engine 120 mounted on the DFE 100, the data format of the processing result is often raster data to be input to the printer control unit 122. On the other hand, in the case of the RIP engine 420 mounted on the HWF server 4, the data format of the processing result differs depending on the distribution mode of the processing of the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100. Therefore, the control unit 201 in the RIP engine 420 determines the data format of the processing result such as PDL information and intermediate data based on the analysis result by the job attribute analysis unit 214.

  Further, the control unit 201 analyzes the information of the RIP status contained in the JDF information using the function of the RIP status analysis unit 215, and confirms the presence or absence of the RIP internal processing already executed. If there is an already executed RIP internal processing unit, the corresponding extension unit is excluded from the processing target.

  The RIP status analysis unit 215 can analyze PDL information and execute the same processing as well as when analyzing the RIP status included in the JDF information. In the case of PDL information, since the attribute information such as the parameter has disappeared for the RIP internal processing that has already been executed, it is possible to determine the RIP internal processing that has not been executed based on the remaining attribute information.

  The layout processing unit 217 executes imposition processing. Under control of the control unit 201, the RIP status management unit 216 rewrites the RIP status corresponding to the RIP internal processing executed by each of the extension units into "Done". The output unit 213 transmits the RIP result to the outside of the engine. The RIP result is data of a data format determined at initialization.

  The rendering processing unit 218 illustrated in FIG. 10 also performs rendering processing for generating raster data based on input data as in FIG. 9. In addition to the processing by the mark processing unit 206 and the font processing unit 207 among the processing units shown in FIG. 10, the processing by the layout processing unit 217 may be simultaneously executed by the rendering processing unit 218.

  Also, as described above, depending on the information of "RIP device specification" included in the JDF information, a plurality of RIPs installed inside the DFE 100, such as "DFE (Engine A)" and "DFE (Engine B)". The engine 120 may be used separately. The control unit 201 can not delegate the process to the extension unit of another RIP engine, and therefore, is processed by the job control unit 116.

  As described above, the job control unit 116 adds “RIP engine identification information” to the RIP parameter. At this time, different RIP parameters are generated for each of the specified RIP internal processes by different RIP engines. In the case of the example of FIG. 3, RIP parameters for "engine A" for which execution of "font" and "layout" is specified, and RIP parameters for "engine B" for which execution of "mark" is specified, and Generate RIP parameters for “engine A” for which execution of the subsequent processing is specified.

  Then, the job control unit 116 sequentially requests the RIP unit 118 for RIP processing for each of the generated RIP parameters in accordance with the order of processing in the RIP. As a result, "Engine A" and "Engine B" are properly used to execute RIP internal processing.

  At this time, it is possible to refer to the information of "RIP status" as a method of executing only the designated process in each engine. That is, by setting the status to "NotYet" only for the item of the processing to be executed and "Done" for the other processing, it is possible to execute only the designated processing.

  As described above, in the system according to the present embodiment, the RIP engine 120 common to the RIP engine 420 mounted on the HWF server 4 is mounted on the DFE 100. Here, the common RIP engine is at least a part related to generation of raster data.

  Therefore, in the RIP engine 420 and the RIP engine 120, all of the processing units shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are not common. At least the processing units related to the generation of raster data, such as the mark processing unit 206, the font processing unit 207, the layout processing unit 217, and the rendering processing unit 218, may be shared. It is a minimum configuration that the processing units related to the generation of raster data are common, and other processing units may be common.

  Next, the operation of the system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the HWF system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 shows an example where print output is executed by the digital printer 1. As shown in FIG. 11, in the HWF server 4, the device information communication unit 415 acquires device information from the DFE 100 or CTP 200 via the network, and the device information management unit 416 registers the information in the device information storage unit 417 ( S1101). The process of S1101 is performed periodically.

  On the other hand, the client terminal 5 transmits a job registration request to the HWF server 4 when the registration operation of the job data is performed by the operation of the operator on the GUI of the system (S1102). In the HWF server 4, the UI control unit 412 acquires a job registration request. Accordingly, the data reception unit 411 acquires job data according to the control of the system control unit 410 (S1103).

  When job data is acquired by the data reception unit 411, the system control unit 410 controls the job control unit 413, and converts the format of the acquired job data into a PDL format (S1104). The job data converted in this manner is registered in the job data storage unit 414. In GUI in which job registration operation is performed in S1102, an input unit for specifying items of information included in the JDF described in FIG. 3 as well as an interface for specifying data to be registered by a file path or the like. Is displayed.

  Further, in the HWF server 4, information on the type of RIP engine installed in the DFE 100 is acquired by the process of S1101. Therefore, in the input field for specifying the information of "RIP device designation" shown in FIG. 3 in the GUI of the client terminal 5, it is possible to select which RIP engine is to be executed when the DFE is to be executed. It becomes possible.

  In addition, when the job data division operation is performed by the operation of the operator on the GUI of the system, the client terminal 5 transmits a job division request to the HWF server 4 (S1105). FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of information included in the job division request transmitted in S1105. As shown in FIG. 12, in addition to the information indicating the job to be divided, information in which the contents of division are designated is transmitted in the job division request. The information indicating the contents of division is information in which a device that executes print output is designated in page units.

  In the HWF server 4 that has received the job division request, the system control unit 410 divides the job in page units according to the division contents for the division target job specified in the information shown in FIG. 12 and generates separate jobs. (S1106). At this time, a device designated for each divided range is used as information of “device designation” shown in FIG. 3 in the JDF information. The jobs generated by being divided in this manner are stored in the job data storage unit 414 as individual jobs.

  In addition, when an operation for generating a workflow is performed by an operation of the operator on the GUI of the system, the client terminal 5 transmits a workflow generation request to the HWF server 4 (S1107). In the workflow generation request, information specifying the content of the workflow as shown in FIG. 5 and information specifying the job to be processed according to the workflow are transmitted.

  In the HWF server 4 that has received the workflow generation request, the system control unit 410 inputs the information received together with the request to the workflow control unit 418. Accordingly, the workflow control unit 418 generates new workflow information based on the received information and stores the new workflow information in the workflow information storage unit 419, and associates the workflow with the job specified in the request (S1108). The association of a workflow with a job is performed, for example, by adding an identifier for identifying the workflow to the JDF information.

  After such processing, when the job execution operation is performed in the client terminal 5 by the operation of the operator on the GUI of the system, the client terminal 5 transmits a job execution request to the HWF server 4. The operations of S1102 to S1109 may be executed according to different operations, or a job registration request, a job division request, a workflow generation request, or a job execution request may be performed by one operation.

  In the HWF server 4 that has received the job execution request, the system control unit 410 acquires the designated job data from the job data storage unit 414 based on the information for specifying the job data received along with the request (S1110) . Also, the system control unit acquires the latest information of the device specified in the acquired job data from the device information management unit 416, and sets the device information for the job (S1111).

  After that, the system control unit 410 delivers job data to the workflow control unit 418, and starts execution of the workflow (S1112). The workflow control unit 418 acquires workflow information associated with the acquired job data from the workflow information storage unit 419, and executes processing in accordance with the workflow information.

  In the workflow processing, first, the in-server processing to be executed is executed by the RIP engine 420 mounted on the HWF server 4 (S1113). In step S1113, the job control unit 413 causes the RIP engine 420 to execute processing as described above according to the control of the workflow control unit 418.

  Thereafter, when the process of the workflow reaches the process in the DFE 100, the job control unit 413 controls the job transmission / reception unit 421 to transmit job data to the DFE 100 according to the control of the workflow control unit 418 (S1114). In step S1114, the job control unit 413 designates the individual job reception unit 112 according to the information specified in the JDF information from the plurality of individual job reception units 112.

  By specifying one of the plurality of individual job receiving units 112 when transmitting job data to the DFE 100, an appropriate individual job receiving unit 112 in the DFE 100 receives job data. By inputting job data to the DFE 100, as described above, the DFE 100 executes RIP processing and output processing by the digital engine 150 (S1115).

  In the DFE 100, when the designated processing is completed, the job reception unit 111 sends a completion notification to the HWF server 4 (S1116). When the job control unit 413 receives the completion notification from the DFE 100 via the job transmission / reception unit 421, the job control unit 413 notifies the workflow control unit 418 of the completion. Thus, the workflow control unit 418 sends a post-processing request to the post-processing apparatus 3 to execute post-processing specified in the workflow next to the control in the DFE 100 (S1117).

  In step S1117, the job control unit 413 controls the job transmission / reception unit 421 according to the control of the workflow control unit 418, and issues a post-processing request to the post-processing apparatus 3. By such processing, the operation of the system according to the present embodiment is completed.

  Next, the process in DFE in S1115 of FIG. 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, first, the individual job receiving unit 112 designated upon transmission of job data from the HWF server 4 receives job data (S1301). When receiving the job data, the individual job receiving unit 112 updates the JDF information so as to reflect the individual setting set for itself in the job data (S1302).

  The setting of the "pass-through mode" described above is also reflected in S1302. The job data to which the individual setting is reflected is input to the system control unit 113. The system control unit 113 stores the input job data in the job data storage unit 114 according to the setting, and performs preview processing and the like via the UI control unit 115 according to the operation of the operator.

  The system control unit 113 inputs job data to the job control unit 116 when an execution timing of a job in the DFE 100 is reached, such as an operator's operation or arrival at a set execution time. The job control unit 116 refers to the input job data and confirms whether or not it is in the pass-through mode (S1303). As a result, if it is not in the pass-through mode (S1303 / NO), the job control unit 116 inputs job data to the JDF analysis unit 117 to generate an in-DFE job attribute (S1304).

  As a result of confirmation in S1303, if the pass-through mode is selected (S1303 / YES), or if JDF conversion is completed and a job attribute in DFE is generated, the job control unit 116 generates RIP parameters (S1305). If it is not the pass-through mode, in S1305, RIP parameters as described in FIG. 8 are generated. On the other hand, in the case of the pass-through mode, of the information shown in FIG. 8, RIP parameters including information other than "input / output image information" are generated, and JDF information is referred to in other parts.

  After generating the RIP parameters, the job control unit 116 inputs necessary information to the RIP unit 118 to execute the RIP process. Thus, first, the RIP control unit 119 performs the above-described parameter conversion (S1306). Then, the RIP control unit 119 designates the converted parameter and causes the RIP engine 120 to execute the RIP process (S1307). Thus, raster data is created by the RIP engine 120.

  In S1305, as described above, RIP parameters are generated for each RIP engine based on the information of “RIP device designation” shown in FIG. Then, in step S1307, RIP processing is sequentially performed for each of the generated RIP parameters to generate raster data.

  When raster data is generated and raster data is acquired from the RIP unit 118, the job control unit 116 inputs raster data to the printer control unit 122 and causes the digital engine 150 to execute print output (S1308). Such processing completes the processing in DFE.

  Next, the RIP processing in step S1307 of FIG. 13 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, first, the control unit 201 executes an initialization process based on an initialization request for the input unit 202 (S1401). In S1401, in the case of the example of FIG. 9, the RIP parameter analysis unit 203 receives and analyzes the RIP parameter, and as described above, the expansion unit that executes the processing among the respective expansion units included in the RIP engine 120, Determine the order. Also, the type of data generated as a result of processing is determined.

  Further, in the case of the example of FIG. 10, the job attribute analysis unit 214 receives and analyzes the JDF information and the PDL information, and determines the extension unit that executes the process and the order thereof. Also, the type of data generated as a result of processing is determined. Subsequently, in the case of the example of FIG. 10, the control unit 201 causes the RIP status analysis unit 215 to execute status analysis.

  In status analysis, the RIP status analysis unit 215 selects one item of RIP internal processing with reference to “RIP status” shown in FIG. 3 (S1402). Then, if the status is "Done" (S1403 / YES), the corresponding extension is excluded from the extension to be executed determined in the process of S1401 (S1404). On the other hand, if "NotYet" (S1403 / NO), no particular processing is performed.

  The RIP status analysis unit 215 repeats the process until the process from S1402 is completed for all items of the RIP internal process (S1405 / NO). After the RIP status analysis unit 215 completes the processing from S1402 for all items of RIP internal processing (S1405 / YES), if the input unit 202 acquires a request to execute RIP processing (S1406 / YES), the control unit 201 Makes the respective extensions execute the processing in order (S1407).

  In S1407, the process is requested only for the expansion units determined in the process of S1401 and not excluded by the process of S1404. Further, processing is requested in accordance with the processing order determined in S1401. Thus, when the processing is executed by the extension unit and raster data is generated, the output unit 213 outputs the processing result (S1408). The processing by the RIP unit 118 is completed by such processing.

  In the present embodiment, the processing of S1402 to S1405, that is, the status analysis processing is executed only in the case of the example of FIG. 10, that is, in the case of the RIP engine 120 corresponding to the pass-through mode. There is. This is based on the fact that the status analysis process is required when the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100 share the RIP process as described above.

  In such a case, utilizing the fact that the same RIP engine is installed in the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100, RIP processing is executed as a series of processing without being aware of the boundary between the two. Therefore, it is preferable to input the data processed by the RIP engine 420 in the HWF server 4 as it is to the RIP engine 120 in the DFE 100, and a pass-through mode which does not pass through the JDF analysis unit 117 provided outside the RIP engine is suitable.

  However, this is only an example, and even in the case where the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100 share the RIP processing even when the pass-through mode is not used, it is necessary to perform the status analysis. That is, when the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100 share the RIP processing, it is necessary to exclude the RIP processing already executed in the HWF server 4 on the DFE 100 side.

  Therefore, even if the RIP engine 120 does not support the pass-through mode, the RIP status analysis unit 215 may be provided in order to share the RIP processing between the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100. In other words, even when the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100 share the RIP processing, the DFE 100 side performs JDF analysis by the JDF analysis unit 117, and then performs status analysis by the RIP status analysis unit 215 and is necessary. RIP internal processing may be determined.

  As described above, in the HWF system according to the present embodiment, the RIP engine 120 corresponding to the RIP engine 420 installed in the HWF server 4 is installed in the DFE 100. Therefore, the devices executing each of the RIP internal processes are managed by the information of “RIP device designation” as shown in FIG. Then, when the RIP process is executed in the DFE 100, the RIP internal process already executed by the information of "RIP status" is excluded. With such a system configuration, RIP processing that has not been executed by the HWF server 4 can be continuously executed by the DFE 100.

  In the present embodiment, the RIP engine 420 and the RIP engine 120 are shared. Therefore, in the font processing in the RIP processing of each of the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100, only the executability of the font processing differs depending on the difference of the font data installed in each device.

  Depending on the difference between the font data installed in each of the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100, the DFE 100 can perform RIP processing of the font used for the data to be printed, but the HWF server 4 can not perform the RIP processing. is there. Therefore, there is a possibility that a printed matter different from the intention of the creator of the document or the operator who instructed the printing can be made by the offset printout.

  In the HWF system according to the present embodiment, when font data used for print data is loaded in the DFE 100, the DFE 100 is made to execute font processing of print data not loaded in the HWF server 4. Then, the print data subjected to font processing from the DFE 100 is returned to the HWF server 4, and the HWF server 4 causes the CTP 200 to execute offset print output based on the acquired print data. In other words, the HWF server 4 substitutes the DFE 100 for font processing that can not be processed. Therefore, even if the print data used for the offset print output includes a font that can not be processed by the HWF server 4, the DFE 100 is made to execute the font processing as a proxy. Therefore, it is possible to express the font used for the input print data in the printed matter.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 15, an operation of the process of dealing with an unusable font in the DFE 100 will be described. FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram showing an operation when the HWF server 4 causes the DFE 100 to execute font processing as a proxy. In the HWF server 4, the job control unit 413 causes the RIP engine 420 to execute RIP processing in order to generate data of offset print output to be transmitted to the CTP 200. At this time, if the print data contains a font that can not be processed by the HWF server 4, the preflight processing unit of the RIP engine 420 detects a font error (S1501). At this time, the RIP engine 420 does not update the RIP status of “font”. That is, the RIP status of “font” is controlled to the “Not Yet” state, and font processing is not executed by the RIP engine 420. The preflight processing unit of the RIP engine 420 that performs a process of detecting a font error in this embodiment functions as an editability determination unit that determines whether the font data can be edited and notifies the result by updating the RIP status. Therefore, when the RIP status of the “font” is not updated in the RIP engine 420 and the status is “Not Yet”, the job control unit 413 adds an execution command of the processing for the unusable font to the job data and updates it. .

  The RIP execution result data generated by the RIP process by the RIP engine 420 is at least intermediate data for which the RIP process of the font has not been completed. The job control unit 413 handles the intermediate data and the JDF information of which the preflight processing unit has determined that the font can not be edited in the process of S1501 as job data. The job control unit 413 updates the “RIP device designation” of the JDF information by designating the DFE 100 in which the designated font is loaded, and inputs job data to the job transmission / reception unit 421. Job data input by the job control unit 413 is transmitted by the job transmission / reception unit 421 to the DFE 100 designated by “RIP device designation”. Therefore, the job control unit 413 functions as a character information processing request unit.

  Here, in this embodiment, when designating the DFE 100 of the job data transmission destination, it is necessary to designate the DFE 100 in which the font used in the print data is loaded as the transmission destination. Therefore, the device information communication unit 415 exchanges device information with the device information communication unit 124 of the DFE 100, and acquires information on a font mounted on the DFE 100. The exchange of device information between the device information communication unit 415 and the DFE 100 is performed periodically. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating device information of the DFE 100.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the device information of the DFE 100 includes a description indicating that each font of “AAA, BBB, CCC, DDD, EEE...” Is loaded. The job control unit 413 controls the RIP engine 420 to refer to the device information of the DFE 100 acquired by the device information communication unit 415. In the present embodiment, the following description will be made on the assumption that the device information of the DFE 100 includes a description indicating that the HWF server 4 has an uneditable font.

  When the workflow control unit 418 receives job data including an instruction to execute the process for handling the unusable font, the workflow control unit 418 adds the process for handling the unusable font to generate new workflow information, and the workflow information storage unit Store in 419. The workflow information stored at this time is associated with the job for performing the process of responding to the unusable font, and is sent to the DFE 100 designated as the destination of the job data by the job control unit 413 (S1502).

  When the job reception unit 111 receives job data for performing processing for handling unavailable fonts (S1503), the system control unit 113 starts a workflow in accordance with workflow information included in the received job data. The job control unit 116 causes the character information editing processing unit 125 to execute the process for dealing with the unusable font according to the workflow (S1504). The outlining process is executed by the character information editing process unit 125 corresponding to the unusable font. Details of the process for dealing with these unusable fonts will be described later.

  The system control unit 113 transmits the job data including the intermediate data on which the character information editing processing unit 125 has performed the process of responding to the unusable font to the HWF server 4 (S1505).

  When receiving job data including intermediate data for which processing for handling unavailable fonts has been performed (S1506), the system control unit 410 instructs the workflow control unit 418 to execute the job according to the workflow information included in the received job data. Do. The workflow control unit 418 instructs the job control unit 413 to execute each process. Each process at this time includes at least a process in which the HWF server 4 generates raster data to be offset-printed to the CTP 200. Therefore, the job control unit 413 inputs job data to the RIP engine 420, and executes the RIP process whose RIP status is "Not Yet" (S1507).

  The intermediate data processed in S1507 is data in which all character codes are outlined. Therefore, it becomes possible to avoid the font error mentioned above and to generate raster data in the form of designated font data. When the RIP process by the RIP engine 420 is completed, raster data is generated, and the RIP status of job data is updated to "Done" in all categories.

  The raster data thus generated is transmitted to the CTP 200 by the job transmission / reception unit 421 (S1508), and is offset printed and output by the offset engine 250. This is the end of the process for dealing with unusable fonts in the DFE 100.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when a font error occurs during RIP processing of job data in the HWF server 4, the job data is stored in the DFE 100 in which the font used for the job data is loaded. Send. The DFE 100 that receives the job data executes font processing on behalf of the job data. According to such a configuration, even if a font that can not be processed by the HWF server 4 is used for print data, it is possible to offset output the print data if the DFE 100 can process the font. .

  In the above-described embodiment, the case of performing the outlining on the DFE 100 side has been described as an example of the process for dealing with an unusable font. In this case, even when offset printing is performed, part of the RIP processing can be outsourced to the DFE 100, and the processing load on the HWF server 4 can be reduced.

  On the other hand, if font data can be received from the DFE 100, the HWF server 4 can also perform outlining. In such a case, in S1504 of FIG. 15, not the outlining process but the embedding process of font data in job data is performed.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram exemplifying job data transmitted to the HWF server 4 after the font data embedding processing by the DFE 100 is performed. Font data is originally installed in an apparatus that performs print output, and is external information of job data that is referred to when generating raster data and used to visualize character information. In the present embodiment, the DFE 100 performs processing for dealing with unavailable fonts, and the processed job data is transmitted to the HWF server 4. Therefore, font data is embedded in the job data transmitted to the HWF server 4 as shown in FIG. With such a configuration, job data is delivered. Accordingly, since it is not necessary to refer to font data mounted on the HWF server 4 when generating raster data used for offset print output in the HWF server 4, it is possible to prevent a difference in print output.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to dynamically control whether font data is to be embedded or outlined in the process of dealing with unavailable fonts. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 18, the control of the process content in the process for dealing with an unusable font will be described.

  In the processing for dealing with unavailable fonts according to the present embodiment, it is determined whether to perform embedding processing or outlining processing according to the processing load state of the HWF server 4 or the DFE 100 (S1801). If there is a lot of processing in the DFE 100, the character information editing unit 125 executes embedding processing of font data of PDF information included in the job data received in S1503 (S1802). On the other hand, when the processing in the DFE 100 is small (S1801 / No), the character information editing processing unit 125 outlines font data of PDF information included in the job data received in S1503 (S1803).

  In FIG. 18, when another print job is executed in the DFE 100, it may be determined that the processing load in the DFE 100 is large. When the network traffic of the HWF system is heavy, font embedding processing is performed to reduce the amount of communication with the DFE 100. In these processes, based on the device information acquired by the device information management unit 416, the job control unit 413 determines whether the character information editing processing unit 125 should execute either font data embedding processing or outlining processing. In addition, the DFE 100 refers to information on the number of pages to be processed from the job data to be processed corresponding to the unusable font and to process the predetermined number of pages (for example, 15 pages) or more to the unusable font. It may be determined that there are many processes in

  Furthermore, in the job data, when embedding of font data is prohibited in the font data, the outlining process may be executed when the aforementioned font data such as Thai or Arabic is used. Since Thai and Arabic combine several letters to represent one letter, the amount of layout data used to lay out the letters contained in the font data and represent them as letters is different compared to other languages. large. Therefore, when the amount of layout data included in the font data is larger than a predetermined amount (for example, 70 MB), it can be controlled to execute the outlining processing. In the present embodiment, the font data subjected to the outlining process is image data of a set of end points of a large number of line segments and control points, and is treated as image data disposed at a specific position on the page. As described above, the outlining process is performed, and the process for dealing with the unusable font in the character information editing unit 125 is completed.

  Also, the font data subjected to the embedding process is added to the PDF information (S1804), and the process for dealing with the unusable font by the character information editing unit 125 is completed.

  Although FIG. 15 describes the mode in which the character information editing processing unit 125 executes processing for dealing with an unusable font, the font processing unit 207 also performs processing similar to that of the character information editing processing unit 125. It is possible to execute a process for dealing with unusable fonts.

  As described above, in the HWF system according to the present embodiment, a common RIP engine is mounted on the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100. Therefore, when a font error is confirmed in the middle of the RIP process in the HWF server 4, it is possible to cause the DFE 100 in which the font for which the error is confirmed is loaded to continue executing the subsequent RIP process. Further, as described above, at least the processing unit related to the generation of raster data is mounted in common to the HWF server 4 and the DFE 100, so the RIP processing of the font interrupted by the HWF server 4 is performed by the DFE 100. Can be executed on behalf of the Therefore, offset printing can be performed using the same font as the font in the print data input from the client terminal 5 as raster data.

  As described above, since the font processing unit 207 and the character information editing processing unit 125 have the function of executing the same processing for correspondence to unavailable fonts, the processing for correspondence to unavailable fonts shown in FIG. The same can be performed in the processing unit 207 as well. In addition, when the font processing unit 207 executes processing for dealing with an unusable font, JDF information whose RIP parameter of “font” is “Not Yet” is transmitted to the DFE 100 as part of job data. Therefore, it is also possible to simultaneously execute the processing for dealing with unavailable fonts and the other RIP processing included in the same job data in the font processing unit 207 and transmit the data after the RIP processing to the HWF server 4. Therefore, the font processing unit 207 and the character information editing processing unit 125 function as a character form processing unit.

  On the other hand, the job receiving unit 111 is provided with the function of a receiving unit dedicated to the process for dealing with unavailable fonts as one of the individual job receiving units 112, and the unavailable font is determined by the character information editing processing unit 125 based on the received job. It is also possible to execute a response process. In such a case, a job for processing for the unavailable font is executed outside the RIP engine 120. Therefore, RIP processing for digital printing and processing for dealing with unusable fonts can be performed in parallel.

  The present invention is also applicable to the case where there are a plurality of digital printers 1 in which fonts that can not be processed by the HWF server 4 are installed. In such a case, the DFE 100 as the output destination of the process for dealing with unavailable fonts may be designated according to the job execution status in each digital printer 1. FIGS. 18 and 19 show an example of execution when outputting a process for dealing with unavailable fonts according to the job execution status of a plurality of digital printers 1. In FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, the time required to execute each job processing is visually shown by the width of each frame.

  In the HWF system configured to include a plurality of digital printers 1, processing performed by each unit configuring the RIP engine 120 is performed. For example, in the outlining process executed by the character information editing unit 125 or the font processing unit 207, the data size of outlining becomes larger as the size of print data becomes larger. Therefore, transmission of PDF data after outlining processing or outlining processing may affect the print completion time of another job in the DFE. In the present embodiment, among the plurality of DFEs 100 in which the font included in the print data is loaded, it is possible to secure the time required for processing the job of the process of handling the unavailable font. Send job data of corresponding process.

  In the execution example shown in FIG. 19, the device information management unit 416 is made to acquire information on job execution status of the digital printers 1a, 1b, and 1c in a time zone after the reference time. Then, based on the acquired information, the job control unit 413 requests the DFE 100 of the digital printer 1 c that can complete the execution of the process for responding to the unusable font as soon as possible after the reference time. At the reference time, the digital printer 1a is processing job A, and the digital printer 1b starts processing of the job B for which reservation input has been made although there is no job being processed. Therefore, when the job data of the process for dealing with the unusable font is transmitted to the DFE 100 of the digital printers 1a and 1b, there is a possibility that the delay of the other print job may be caused. Therefore, the job control unit 413 transmits, to the digital printer 1c, job data of the process for handling the unusable font. As described above, by controlling the transmission destination of the job of the process of handling the unusable font, it is possible to execute the process of handling the unusable font while preventing the delay of the print job in the HWF system.

  In the execution example shown in FIG. 20, the job control unit 413 distributes the job corresponding to the unavailable font to the digital printer 1a with the slowest processing speed, and the DFE 100 of the digital printers 1b and 1c with a relatively high processing speed. In contrast, regular print jobs are distributed. As described above, the job control unit 413 controls the transmission destination of the job of the process of handling the unavailable font, so that the process of handling the unavailable font is performed so that the delay with respect to the normal print job executed in the HWF system does not occur. Can be performed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the DFE 100 that is the transmission destination of the job of the process for handling unavailable fonts is specified according to the required time and processing speed of another job executed by the digital printer 1. Therefore, the process of dealing with unavailable fonts and the ordinary print job are scheduled without the transmission of PDF data after the outlining process or the outlining process affecting the print completion time of other jobs in the DFE. It is possible to carry out. In this way, if the transmission destination of the correspondence processing to the unusable font is determined, for example, it is possible to cause the DFE 100 in a state in which printing can not be performed during toner replacement or the like to execute only the correspondence processing to the unusable font. Can increase the efficiency of print output.

1 digital printer 2 offset printer 3 post-processing device 4, 4a, 4b HWF server 5, 5a, 5b client terminal 10 CPU
20 RAM
30 ROM
40 HDD
50 I / F
60 LCD
70 Operation Unit 80 Bus 100 DFE
101 Network I / F
102 Display 111 Job Reception Unit 112 Individual Job Reception Unit 113 System Control Unit 114 Job Data Storage Unit 115 UI Control Unit 116 Job Control Unit 117 JDF Analysis Unit 118 RIP Unit 119 RIP Control Unit 120 RIP Engine 121 Image Storage Unit 122 Printer Control Unit 123 Device Information Management Unit 124 Device Information Communication Unit 125 Character Information Editing Processing Unit 150 Digital Engine 200 CTP
201 control unit 202 input unit 203 RIP parameter analysis unit 204 preflight processing unit 205 normalization processing unit 206 mark processing unit 207 font processing unit 209 CMM processing unit 210 trapping processing unit 211 calibration processing unit 212 screening processing unit 213 output unit 214 job attribute Analysis unit 215 RIP status analysis unit 216 RIP status management unit 217 Layout processing unit 218 Rendering processing unit 400 HWF controller 401 Network I / F
410 system control unit 411 data reception unit 412 UI control unit 413 job control unit 414 job data storage unit 415 device information communication unit 416 device information management unit 417 device information storage unit 418 workflow control unit 419 workflow information storage unit 420 RIP engine 421 job Transmitter and receiver

JP, 2011-16344, A

Claims (11)

An image processing system that executes a plurality of predetermined processes in order.
A processing execution control device that controls execution of the plurality of processes; and an image formation output control device that controls execution of an image formation output based on instruction information of the image formation output received from the process execution control device;
The process execution control device
A process execution control unit that controls execution of the plurality of processes;
As one of the plurality of processes, control-side drawing information generation that generates drawing information, which is information referred to by the image forming apparatus at the time of image formation output, based on output target image information which is information of an image formation output target image. Department,
A drawing information transmission unit that transmits the generated drawing information to an image forming apparatus that executes image formation output;
In the case where the information on the form of the character designated by the character form designation information for designating the form of the character included in the output target image information is not usable in the control-side drawing information generation unit, the output target image information And a character information processing request unit that requests the image formation output control device to process the contained character information,
The image formation output control device
An output-side drawing information generation unit which is a drawing information generation unit corresponding to the control-side drawing information generation unit;
An execution control unit that controls execution of an image formation output based on the instruction information received by the image formation output control device;
In response to the request, based on the information in the form of a character specified by said character form specifying information included in the output pair Zoga image information, the processing relating to the form of character information contained in the output pair Zoga image information A character form processing unit to perform
Image processing system and generates said drawing information based on the control side rendering information generation unit, the output pair Zoga image information subjected to the process relating to the form of the character information. The character form processing unit, a process related to the form of the character information, the information identifier identifying the a character information characters included in the output pair Zoga image information, converting the information in the form of the letter The image processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that Claim the character form processing unit, which as a process related to the form of the character information, the information in the form of characters contained in the output pair Zoga image information, characterized in that it added to the output pair Zoga image information The image processing system according to 1. Function the character form processing unit, a process related to the form of the character information, for converting the information of the identifier identifying the a character information characters included in the output pair Zoga image information, the information in the form of the letter , as well as information in the form of characters contained in the output pair Zoga image information, a function to be added to the output pair Zoga image information, you select one depending on the state of the image processing system The image processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that The character form processing unit, added when the load state of the image forming output control apparatus is a predetermined or more, the information in the form of characters contained in the output pair Zoga image information, to the output pair Zoga image information The image processing system according to claim 4, wherein the function to be selected is selected. The character form processing unit, added when the load state of the network in the image processing system is a predetermined or more, the information in the form of characters contained in the output pair Zoga image information, to the output pair Zoga image information The image processing system according to claim 4, wherein the function to be selected is selected.   The character information processing request unit determines where to request processing of the character information based on the load state of a plurality of the image formation output control devices according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Image processing system.   The character information processing request unit determines where to request the processing of the character information based on the speed of the image formation output in the image forming apparatus controlled respectively by the plurality of image formation output control devices. The image processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. In an image processing system that executes a plurality of predetermined processes in order, the function of causing an image formation output control device that controls the execution of the plurality of processes to control the execution of an image formation output and an image formation output, and an image formation A processing execution control apparatus having a function of transmitting drawing information referred to when executing output to an image forming apparatus,
A process execution control unit that controls execution of the plurality of processes;
As one of the plurality of processes, control-side drawing information generation that generates drawing information, which is information referred to by the image forming apparatus at the time of image formation output, based on output target image information which is information of an image formation output target image. Department,
A drawing information transmission unit that transmits the generated drawing information to an image forming apparatus that executes image formation output;
In the case where the information on the form of the character designated by the character form designation information for designating the form of the character included in the output target image information is not usable in the control-side drawing information generation unit, the output target image information And a character information processing request unit that requests the image formation output control device to process the contained character information,
The control-side drawing information generation unit
The image formation output control device corresponds to an output-side drawing information generation unit that generates the drawing information based on output target image information acquired from the processing execution control device,
Generating said rendering information based on the image forming output control device the character the output pair Zoga image information acquired in the image forming output control apparatus by the process for the form is executed for the information in accordance with the request A processing execution control device characterized by Image processing that executes the plurality of processes in order and performs image formation output by a process execution control device that controls the execution of a plurality of predetermined processes and a plurality of image formation output control devices that controls the execution of image formation output Method,
The process execution control device and the image formation output control device are, as one of the plurality of processes, drawing information, which is information referred to by the image forming apparatus at the time of image formation output, as information of an image formation target image. Each has a drawing information generation unit that generates based on output target image information;
The drawing information generation unit on the process execution control device side corresponds to the drawing information generation unit on the image formation output control device side,
The process execution control device
Control the execution of the plurality of processes;
When the information on the form of the character designated by the character form designation information for designating the form of the character included in the output target image information is not usable in the control side drawing information generation unit on the image formation output control device side Requesting the image forming output control apparatus to process character information included in the output target image information;
The imaging output control device determined as the destination of the request is:
In response to the request, based on the information in the form of a character specified by said character form specifying information included in the output pair Zoga image information, the processing relating to the form of character information contained in the output pair Zoga image information Do,
The control side rendering information generation unit, an image processing method characterized by generating the drawing information based on the output pair Zoga image information subjected to the process relating to the form of the character information. In an image processing system that executes a plurality of predetermined processes in order, the function of causing an image formation output control device that controls the execution of the plurality of processes to control the execution of an image formation output and an image formation output, and an image formation A control program for realizing a function of transmitting drawing information referred to when executing output to an image forming apparatus,
A process execution control unit that controls execution of the plurality of processes;
As one of the plurality of processes, control-side drawing information generation that generates drawing information, which is information referred to by the image forming apparatus at the time of image formation output, based on output target image information which is information of an image formation output target image. Department,
A drawing information transmission unit that transmits the generated drawing information to an image forming apparatus that executes image formation output;
When the information on the form of the character designated by the character form designation information for designating the form of the character included in the output target image information is not usable in the control side drawing information generation unit on the image formation output control device side A character information processing request unit that requests the image formation output control device to process character information included in the output target image information in the information processing device;
The control-side drawing information generation unit
The corresponds to the output side drawing information generating unit that generates the drawing information based on the image forming output controller output target image information acquired Te smell,
Generating said rendering information based on the image forming output control device the character the output pair Zoga image information acquired in the image forming output control apparatus by the process for the form is executed for the information in accordance with the request A control program characterized by