JP2004094719A - Printing system, print previewing method, program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing system wherein a user can select whether speed is prioritized at the sacrifice of the quality of preview display or whether the quality of preview is prioritized at the sacrifice of the speed, a user desiring a high-speed preview is provided with a high-speed preview, and a user wanting a high-quality preview is provided with a high-quality preview. <P>SOLUTION: In this printing system, when displayed resolution for previews is changed by an instruction of a user, conversion into image data for preview takes place corresponding to the changed resolution for preview, the data being held in a preview file 109. A preview image obtained from the held image data for preview is displayed on a display 112. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a print system, a print preview method, a program, and a storage medium having a print preview function of displaying a preview image for an image printed on paper based on print data created by application software.
[0002]
[Prior art]
There is a known print preview function that displays the image to be printed on the screen of the host computer and presents it to the user before actually printing the data such as characters and graphics created by application software on paper. ing. By checking an image to be printed using the print preview function, the user can perform re-editing until an ideal layout is realized.
[0003]
Although the print preview function is provided in many applications, the printer driver can also perform a layout change function and the like with the advancement of its functions, and the data after the layout change by the printer driver can be previewed. There is a need for a function to do this. When a preview is performed by a printer driver, a method is used in which data such as characters and graphics is developed (rasterized) into a bitmap and displayed on a screen before transmission to a printer.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, if the printer has a higher resolution, the data is expanded into a high-resolution bitmap. Therefore, when performing a preview in which the high-resolution bitmap is displayed as a print image, the preview process takes time. Will be.
[0005]
On the other hand, a low-resolution bitmap can be created and previewed. However, when previewing a low-resolution bitmap, if enlarged display is performed, jaggies become noticeable on the screen. In addition, coordinate conversion is required to rasterize at a resolution different from that after spooling, but depending on the relationship between the spooled resolution and the drawing resolution, depending on the position even though a line with the same thickness is drawn. Causes a problem that the line thickness is different.
[0006]
For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when ruled lines and numbers having the same thickness are rasterized and previewed at different resolutions after spooling, the thickness differs between the ruled lines depending on the position, and jaggies are conspicuous in each number. I understand.
[0007]
An object of the present invention is to allow a user to select whether to give priority to speed and sacrifice the quality of the preview display at the time of preview, or to sacrifice speed and give priority to quality, for users who want to preview at high speed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing system, a printing preview method, a program, and a storage medium that provide a high-speed preview and provide a high-quality preview to a user who wants to preview with high quality.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is a printing system, comprising: a conversion unit that converts print data created by application software into preview image data corresponding to a preview resolution; a storage unit that holds the preview image data; and the storage unit. Display means for displaying a preview image obtained from the preview image data held in the means; changing means for changing the preview resolution in accordance with a user's instruction; and the preview resolution in response to the user's instruction Is changed, control means for controlling the conversion means, the storage means and the display means, so as to display a preview image obtained from conversion to preview image data according to the changed preview resolution. It is characterized by having.
[0009]
The present invention also relates to a print preview method, which includes a conversion step of converting print data created by application software into preview image data corresponding to a preview resolution, and holding the preview image data in a storage unit. A holding step, a display step of displaying a preview image obtained from the preview image data held in the storage means on a display means, a changing step of changing the preview resolution in accordance with a user's instruction, When the preview resolution is changed in response to the instruction, the conversion step, the holding step, and the display section display a preview image obtained from conversion to preview image data according to the changed preview resolution. A control step of controlling execution of the display step.
[0010]
Also, the present invention is a program, wherein a conversion step of converting print data created by application software into preview image data corresponding to a preview resolution, and a holding step of holding the preview image data in storage means A display step of displaying a preview image obtained from the preview image data held in the storage means on a display means, a changing step of changing the preview resolution in response to a user instruction, and an instruction of the user When the resolution for preview is changed in accordance with the conversion step, the conversion step, the holding step, and the display so as to display a preview image obtained from conversion to preview image data according to the changed preview resolution. And a control step for controlling execution of the step. That.
[0011]
Further, the present invention is a storage medium, wherein the program according to claim 3 is stored in a computer-readable manner.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0013]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0014]
In the present embodiment, for example, an application program (hereinafter, referred to as an application) capable of performing arbitrary printing is installed by using Windows (registered trademark) of Microsoft Corporation as an OS (Operating System) in a general personal computer. And a printing system in which a monitor and a printer are connected to a personal computer.
[0015]
In this printing system, as shown in FIG. 1, data to be printed by an application 101 is sent to a graphics device interface (Graphics Device Interface: hereinafter, “GDI”) 102. The GDI 102 normally spools the data from the application 101 as EMF (Enhanced Meta File) data to the EMF spool file 104, and when the spooling ends, notifies the user interface driver (UI function of the printer driver) 103 of the end of printing. At the same time, a print request is issued to the print processor 105.
[0016]
Upon receiving the print end notification, the user interface driver 103 activates the previewer 108, which is an application for performing a preview.
[0017]
The print processor 105 acquires the resolution of the preview file 109, which is a preview bitmap, from the previewer 108, and specifies this resolution to the printer graphic driver (printer driver drawing function) 106 via the GDI 102. The printer graphic driver 106 develops (rasterizes) the EMF spool file into a preview bitmap, that is, a bitmap having a designated resolution, and stores this in the preview file 109.
[0018]
The print processor 105, upon receiving the drawing end from the printer graphic driver 106, requests the preview 108 to start the preview. The previewer 108 reads the preview file 109 and displays it on the display 112 as a print image 111.
[0019]
Thereafter, upon receiving a print command from the user via the previewer 108, the print processor 105 instructs the printer graphic driver 106 to print the EMF spool file 104 via the GDI 102. The printer graphic driver 106 converts the EMF spool file 104 into a command interpretable by the printer 107 and outputs the command to the printer 107. The printer 107 prints an image on the paper 110 based on the command.
[0020]
The application 101 is provided by an application program such as a word processor, and the function of the GDI 102 spooling to the EMF spool file 104 is provided by an operating system. The user interface driver 103, print processor 105, printer graphic driver 106, previewer 108 is provided by a printer driver program by a printer maker.
[0021]
Next, processing in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure for spooling when the application requests printing, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure for activating the previewer 108 by the user interface driver, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for previewing spooled data, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure for printing spooled data, FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure for setting printer information by a printer driver, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a part of a data structure of GDIINFO, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a view showing a part of a data structure, and FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of a resolution selection screen of a preview file.
[0022]
First, a description will be given of a spool process when the application 101 requests printing. To print data, the application 101 needs to create data in accordance with the resolution of the target printer and the print area (the number of pixels according to the resolution). Therefore, when printing the data created by the application 101, as shown in FIG. 2, the application 101 requests the initialization of the printer graphics driver 106 via the GDI 102, and prints the print area and resolution of the printer 107. Request information (step S201).
[0023]
Then, the printer graphic driver 106 initializes in response to the request, sets printer information called GDIINFO, returns it to the GDI 102, and the GDI 102 returns printer information to the application 101 based on the data (step S202). Here, the printer information returned by the printer graphic driver 106 to the application 101 is described as GDIINFO as shown in FIG. 7, and the GDIINFO describes data for setting a paper size, a print area in the paper, and the like. I have. For example, ulLogPixelsX and ulLogPixelsY are rasterization resolutions, and ulhorzRes / ulVertRes (print area in paper), ptlPhysOffset. x / ptlPhysOffset. A value such as y (paper size) is set.
[0024]
When the printer graphic driver 106 initializes in response to the request, as shown in FIG. 6, the printer graphic driver 106 performs the preview initialization according to whether or not the preview flag is set. It is determined whether or not this is the case (step S601). Here, since the initialization request is a request from the application 101, the preview flag is not set. Therefore, the printer graphic driver 106 calculates the printer information corresponding to the high resolution for printing, sets it in GDIINFO, and returns the printer information to the GDI 102 (step S602).
[0025]
The printer information returned to the GDI 102 is returned to the application 101 via the GDI 102, and the application 101 creates print data based on the resolution and the print area obtained from the returned printer information, and outputs the print data to the GDI 102 (step S203).
[0026]
Next, the GDI 102 spools the data requested to be printed from the application 101 by the spooler as the EMF spool file 104 which is a standard spool file format of Windows (registered trademark) (step S204). When the spool is finished, the GDI 102 notifies the user interface driver 103 of the end of the spool and simultaneously requests the print processor 105 to start printing (step S205).
[0027]
Next, a process of previewing spooled data will be described.
[0028]
First, the operation of the user interface driver 103 will be described. The user interface driver 103 is a program that is included in the printer driver, presents a setting screen to the user, and manages settings of the printer driver. Further, the user interface driver 103 can also prompt the user to set the information again before printing upon receiving the notification of the end of the spool from the GDI 102 in step S205.
[0029]
In the present embodiment, using this function, the user interface driver 103 activates the previewer 108 which is an application for performing the preview at the time of the preview.
[0030]
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, when the user interface driver 103 receives a notification of spool end from the GDI 102, the user interface driver 103 determines whether the print data notified from the GDI 102 is for previewing. Is determined (step S301). Here, whether or not the print data is to be previewed is determined based on data called DEVMODE in which UI settings attached to the print data are stored. This DEVMODE has, for example, a data structure as shown in FIG. When the application 101 sets the printer driver of the user, the DEVMODE data is passed to the user interface driver 103 to request display of a setting screen, and the user interface driver 103 sets the setting when the setting from the user is completed. The contents are stored in the DEVMODE and returned to the application 101. When printing, the application 101 sends print data including the DEVMODE and issues a print request.
[0031]
In the DEVMODE data structure, specifications other than dmDriverData are common to the OS. The dmDriverData is an area that can be used freely for each driver, and information on whether to perform preview is stored in the dmDriverData.
[0032]
If it is determined in step S301 that a preview is necessary, the user interface driver 103 activates the preview 108 (step S302). On the other hand, if it is determined that the preview is not necessary, the user interface driver 103 ends the processing.
[0033]
Next, the operation of the print processor 105 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, when print start is requested in step S206, the print processor 105 performs the same determination as that performed by the user interface driver 103 in step S301. That is, it is determined whether or not the print data notified from the GDI 102 is for previewing (step S401). Here, if it is determined that the preview is unnecessary, the present process is terminated and the next print process is performed.
[0034]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S401 that the preview is necessary, the print processor 105 first obtains the resolution of the preview file 109 from the preview 108 (step S402). The resolution of the preview file 109 is stored in the previewer 108. As will be described later, this resolution can be changed by the user, and when the user changes the setting, the resolution is returned.
[0035]
Next, the print processor 105 specifies the preview initialization, specifies the resolution of the preview file 109, initializes the printer graphic driver 106 via the GDI 102, and requests printer information such as the print area and resolution of the printer 107. (Step S403). Here, the initialization for preview and the designation of the resolution of the preview file 109 are set in DEVMODE. The resolution of the preview file 109 is set to dmDriverData as in the case of the preview flag indicating whether or not the preview file is to be initialized. It is also possible to set the resolution of the preview file 109 to dmPrintQuality (resolution of the printer) which is a common specification with the OS.
[0036]
The printer graphic driver 106 sets a corresponding GDIINFO according to whether or not the initialization is a preview initialization, and returns the GDIINFO to the GDI 102. The GDI 102 returns printer information to the print processor 105 based on the data ( Step S404). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the printer graphic driver 106 determines whether or not the initialization is a preview initialization according to whether or not a preview flag is set (step S601). ). Here, since the print processor 105 has set the preview flag, the printer information at low resolution for preview is calculated, set to GDIINFO, and returned to the GDI 102 (step S603).
[0037]
Next, the print processor 105 requests the GDI 102 to print in an area set in the printer information obtained via the GDI 102. As a result, even when the printer graphic driver 106 is in a mode with a different resolution than when spooled, the EMF spool file 104 is subjected to coordinate conversion in the GDI 102, and the data after the coordinate conversion is output to the printer graphic driver 106. Since it is required, printing can be performed with the same layout even if the resolution is different. The GDI 102 outputs the requested EMF spool file 104 to the printer graphic driver 106 page by page (step S405).
[0038]
The printer graphic driver 106 rasterizes the print data from the GDI 102 into a bitmap and stores it as a preview file 109 as an image file (step S406). When the rasterization of the print data for one page is completed, the printer graphic driver 106 ends the processing once, and returns the processing to the print processor 105. The data format of the preview file 109 may be any format, and may be multi-value data before halftone or binary data after halftone.
[0039]
When the preview file 109 is created, the print processor 105 notifies the previewer 108 that the creation of the preview file 109 has been completed, and requests the preview 108 to perform drawing (step S407). Then, the previewer 108 displays the preview file 109 created in step S406 on the display 112 (step S408).
[0040]
If the resolution of the preview file 109 is low and the magnification at the time of previewing is too large, jaggies and the like become noticeable (see FIG. 10). Conversely, if the resolution of the preview file 109 is too high, it takes too much time to create the preview file 109.
[0041]
Some users only need to check the entire layout in the preview, and some users do not need to preview the detailed part, while others want to check the detailed part. Thus, in the present embodiment, the user is able to select whether to give priority to speed and sacrifice the quality of the preview display or to sacrifice speed and give priority to quality.
[0042]
FIG. 9 shows an example of a resolution selection screen of the preview file 109. Here, it is conceivable that the actual resolution is set by a number, but it is difficult to understand the actual resolution. Therefore, in this example, the resolution of the preview file 109 (resolution for preview) can be selected by selecting the keyword of quality. In the case of this example, the resolution of the preview file 109 can be selected in four stages. When the rasterization resolution at the time of printing is 600 dpi, the resolution is determined for each quality as follows.
[0043]
High quality: 300 dpi
Medium grade: 200 dpi
Low quality: 100 dpi
Print quality: 600 dpi
Instead of selecting the resolution of the preview file 109 by selecting the keyword “quality”, the actual resolution may be set as described above, or the resolution of the preview file 109 may be set with more quality. It may be. It goes without saying that a similar effect can be obtained in any case.
[0044]
After the preview display, the previewer 108 determines whether or not the resolution of the preview file 109 has been changed by the user (step S409). Here, when the resolution of the preview file 109 is changed by the user, the processing from step S402 is executed again. If it is determined in step S409 that there is no change in the resolution of the preview file 109, that is, in this case, a print start request has been made by the user, the preview 108 is executed by the print processor 105 in response to the user's print start request. Is requested to start printing (step S410).
[0045]
In the above processing, the previewer 108 is activated by the user interface driver 103, but can also be activated by the printer graphic driver 106 or the print processor 105.
[0046]
A process of printing spooled data will be described.
[0047]
When printing the spooled data, as shown in FIG. 5, first, the print processor 105 initializes the printer graphic driver 106 (step S501). Here, when the printer graphic driver 106 is initialized, it is necessary to notify the printer graphic driver 106 that the initialization is not the preview initialization but the printing initialization. That is, the print processor 105 clears the preview initialization flag in the DEVMODE set in step S403, requests the print graphic driver 106 to be initialized via the GDI 102, and requests printer information such as a print area and resolution of the printer. .
[0048]
Next, the printer graphic driver 106 sets a corresponding GDIINFO according to whether or not the initialization is a preview initialization, and returns this to the GDI 102. The GDI 102 returns printer information to the print processor 105 based on the data (Step S502). Whether or not the initialization in the printer graphic driver 106 is for preview is determined according to whether or not the preview flag is set, as shown in FIG. 6 (step S601). In this case, since the print processor 105 has cleared the preview flag in step S501, the printer processor 105 calculates printer information at high resolution for printing, sets it to GDIINFO, and returns it to the GDI 102 (step S602).
[0049]
Next, as in step S405, the print processor 105 requests the GDI 102 to print in the area set in the printer information obtained via the GDI 102 (step S503). As a result, since the resolution is the same as when the printer graphic driver 106 is spooled, printing can be performed at the original resolution without coordinate conversion in the GDI 102.
[0050]
In response to the request, the GDI 102 outputs the EMF spool file 104 to the printer graphic driver 106 (step S504), and the printer graphic driver 106 rasterizes the EMF spool file 104 into a bitmap (step S505). Then, the printer graphic driver 106 converts the rasterized bitmap into a printer command and outputs it to the printer 107 (step S506), and ends this processing.
[0051]
As described above, in the present embodiment, it is desired that the user can select whether to give priority to speed during preview and sacrifice the quality of the preview display, or to sacrifice speed and give priority to quality, to perform high-speed preview. A high-speed preview can be provided to a user, and a high-quality preview can be provided to a user who wants to preview with high quality.
[0052]
In the present embodiment, the user interface driver 103 activates the preview 108 and the print processor 105 requests the start of the preview. However, the print processor 105 may activate the preview 105, or the printer graphic driver 106 may request activation of the previewer 108 and initiation of the preview.
[0053]
A storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions (including the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 2 to 6) of the above-described embodiment is supplied to a system or an apparatus, and the computer (or CPU) of the system or apparatus is And MPU) by reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium.
[0054]
In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the function of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.
[0055]
As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, or the like is used. be able to.
[0056]
When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a part or all of the actual processing is performed, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.
[0057]
Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a CPU or the like provided in the board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.
[0058]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, print data created by application software is converted into preview image data corresponding to the preview resolution, the preview image data is stored in the storage unit, and the preview image data is stored in the storage unit. The preview image obtained from the preview image data being displayed is displayed on the display means, and when the displayed preview resolution is changed by a user instruction, the preview image data is changed to the preview image data corresponding to the changed preview resolution. The data is converted and held in the storage means, and the preview image obtained from the held preview image data is displayed on the display means.In the preview, the speed is given priority and the quality of the preview display is sacrificed or the speed is reduced. The user can select whether to sacrifice quality and give priority to quality. Providing, for users who want to preview with high quality can be provided preview of high quality.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a spooling procedure when an application requests printing.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for activating a preview by a user interface driver.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for previewing spooled data.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for printing spooled data.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which a printer driver sets printer information.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a part of a data structure of GDIINFO.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a part of the data structure of DEVMODE.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating selection of a resolution of a preview file.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case where ruled lines and numbers having the same thickness are rasterized at a resolution different from that after spooling and previewed.
[Explanation of symbols]
101 Application
102 GDI
103 User interface driver
104 EMF spool file
105 Print Processor
106 Printer Graphic Driver
107 Printer
108 Previewer
109 Preview File
112 display

Claims (4)

Conversion means for converting print data created by application software into preview image data corresponding to the preview resolution;
Storage means for holding the preview image data,
Display means for displaying a preview image obtained from the preview image data held in the storage means,
Changing means for changing the preview resolution according to a user's instruction;
When the preview resolution is changed in response to the user's instruction, the conversion unit and the storage unit display a preview image obtained from conversion to preview image data corresponding to the changed preview resolution. And a control means for controlling the display means. A conversion step of converting print data created by application software into preview image data corresponding to the preview resolution;
A holding step of holding the preview image data in storage means,
A display step of displaying a preview image obtained from the preview image data held in the storage unit on a display unit,
A changing step of changing the preview resolution according to a user's instruction;
When the resolution for preview is changed in accordance with the user's instruction, the conversion step includes displaying the preview image obtained from conversion to preview image data corresponding to the changed resolution for preview. And a control step of controlling execution of the display step. A conversion step of converting print data created by the application software into preview image data corresponding to the preview resolution;
A holding step of holding the preview image data in storage means,
A display step of displaying a preview image obtained from the preview image data held in the storage means on a display means,
A changing step of changing the preview resolution according to a user's instruction;
When the preview resolution is changed in accordance with the user's instruction, the conversion step includes displaying the preview image obtained by converting the preview image data into a preview image data corresponding to the changed preview resolution. And a control step for controlling execution of the display step. A storage medium storing the program according to claim 3 in a computer-readable manner.

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