JP6747246B2 - Image forming apparatus, print control program, and print control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a print control program, and a print control method, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus that prints document data described in a markup language, a print control program that controls printing of the document data, and a print control method. Regarding

Office suite applications capable of processing documents and spreadsheets are commonly used in office work, education, and home. Representative office suite applications include Microsoft (registered trademark, abbreviated below) Office (registered trademark, abbreviated below) and the like. In addition, multiple applications with similar functions such as Apache OpenOffice are distributed. These applications have been standardized by a standardization organization, the specifications of OOXML (Office Open XML) and ODF (OpenDocument Format) have been published, and many compatible applications that support those file formats are also provided.

In addition, due to the recent spread of cloud computing, the support for the display/edit function of files created by office suite applications in online storage services and the display/edit function of smartphones/tablets is also rapidly expanding. ing.

For MFPs (Multi-Functional Peripherals) and printers, PDF (Portable Document Format) files created by Adobe (registered trademark, omitted below) of Acrobat (registered trademark, omitted below) and Microsoft XPS Document Writer Devices that support direct printing of XPS (XML Paper Specification) files, OOXML files and ODF files created by office suite applications have also been released.

Generally, an application capable of viewing/editing a structured document represented by Microsoft Office or Adobe Acrobat has a function of adding a comment to a predetermined part of the body of the document. This comment is often a review comment, proofreading, correction/correction information, etc., and there is a need to print it together with the text.

Regarding the printing of a structured document including annotations, for example, in Patent Document 1 below, an information processing apparatus connected to an image forming apparatus via a network includes a display unit and a document data body including description contents. A storage unit for storing document data including annotation paper data including annotation information related to the described content, a paper information determination unit for determining the presence or absence of the annotation paper data, and the paper information determination unit for the annotation paper data If it is determined that the annotation paper is the drawing data for display from the annotation paper data and the document paper that is the drawing data for display from the document data body, the document is included in the annotation paper. Disclosed is a configuration that includes a display processing unit that arranges paper and displays the annotation paper and the document paper on the display unit.

JP, 2009-223738, A

When printing a document to which an annotation (hereinafter referred to as a comment) is added using an application capable of viewing and editing the structured document,
(1) The same page is divided into a body area and a comment area and output,
(2) Overlay the comment on the text and output it,
(3) All comments are aggregated and output on another page,
It will be printed by either method.

However, the method (1) has a problem in that the comment area is provided in the same page, so that the text area is narrowed and the visibility of both the text and the comment is reduced. Further, the method (2) has a problem that the text or other data is hidden depending on the position of the comment, and the visibility or readability of the text is impaired. Further, in the method (3), it is necessary to compare both the text and the comment aggregation result in order to understand the intention of the comment, which is troublesome.

In order to solve such a problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-242242 discloses a technique in which the comment boxes added to an electronic document and the text can be printed at the same time while maintaining the visibility, so that the layout of comment boxes can be freely set by a user operation. However, in order to print a comment without impairing the visibility of the text, it is usually necessary to place the comment outside the original print area.In this case, when printing, the whole comment is printed. Therefore, the problem of (1) cannot be solved.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its main purpose is to print a structured document including comments, which is described in a markup language such as OOXML, PDF, or XPS, with a text. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus, a print control program, and a print control method that can obtain a print output that does not impair the visibility of both comments, readability, and the intention of comment insertion.

One aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus that includes an image processing unit that performs rasterization processing and a print engine that performs printing processing, and that prints document data described in a markup language, which is created using an application. Therefore, the document data is analyzed, the comment inserted into a predetermined character string of the text is extracted using the function of the application, and the document data is separated into text data for each page and comment data. Based on the analysis unit, the text data and the comment data for each page, the image processing unit is caused to generate a text print image and a comment print image, and the text print image and the comment print image are separated from each other. An overlay processing unit arranged on a page and instructing the print engine to perform printing in a print form in which both the text and the comment are visibly overlapped with each other.

One aspect of the present invention is a print control program that operates in a device that can control an image processing unit that performs rasterization processing and a print engine that performs printing processing, and is described in a markup language created using an application. When printing the written document data, the device analyzes the document data and extracts a comment inserted for a predetermined character string in the text using the function of the application, Analysis processing for separating the text data for each page into comment data, and an image generation processing for causing the image processing unit to generate a text print image and a comment print image based on the text data for each page and the comment data , Arranging the text print image and the comment print image on separate pages, and executing a print instruction process for instructing the print engine to print in a print form in which both the text and the comment are visually overlapped. It is characterized in that

One aspect of the present invention is a print control method of document data written in a markup language, which is created using an application, in a printing system including an image processing unit that performs rasterization processing and a print engine that performs printing processing. Then, the device for controlling the image processing unit and the print engine analyzes the document data and extracts a comment inserted into a predetermined character string of the text using the function of the application, An analysis process for separating the document data into text data and comment data for each page, and a text print image and a comment print image are generated in the image processing unit based on the text data and comment data for each page. Image generation processing to be performed, the text print image and the comment print image are arranged on different pages, and a print instruction is given to the print engine in a print form in which both the text and the comment are visually overlapped. The instruction processing is executed.

According to the image forming apparatus, the print control program, and the print control method of the present invention, in the case of printing a structured document including a comment, which is written in a markup language such as OOXML, PDF, or XPS, both the text and the comment are printed. It is possible to obtain a printed output that does not impair the visibility, readability, and intention of inserting a comment.

The reason for this is that an image forming apparatus (image processing unit) that includes an image processing unit that performs rasterization processing and a print engine that performs printing processing, and that prints document data written in a markup language created using an application. The print control program that operates on a device that can control the print engine and the print engine analyzes the document data and extracts a comment inserted into a predetermined character string in the text using the function of the application. Is separated into body data and comment data for each page, and the image processing unit is caused to generate a body print image and a comment print image based on the body data and comment data for each page, and the body print image and the comment print image are generated. This is because, and are arranged on different pages, the print engine is instructed to print in a print form in which both the text and the comment are visibly overlapped.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the client apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 6 is an example of a comment overlay print setting screen displayed on the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is an example of comment overlay print setting information set on a comment overlay print setting screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation (print processing) of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation (a comment overlay image forming process in a printing process) of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the OOXML document (application display example) which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the folder structure of OOXML document data. It is a figure showing OOXML document data (markup description example of a text) concerning one example of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the OOXML document data (markup description example of a comment) concerning one Example of this invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an OOXML document (one-sided print output example) according to one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the OOXML document (double-sided printing output example) which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the variation of the OOXML document (print output example) which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the variation of the OOXML document (print output example) which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the variation of the OOXML document (print output example) which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the variation of the OOXML document (print output example) which concerns on one Example of this invention.

As shown in the background art, applications such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat have a function to add a comment at a predetermined position in a document. When printing a comment at the same time as the text, (1) Either by dividing and outputting to the body area and the comment area, (2) outputting the comment overlaid on the body, or (3) collecting all the comments on another page and outputting. It will be printed.

However, in the method (1), the print area of the text is narrowed, so that the visibility of both the text and the comment is reduced. Further, in the method (2), the text is hidden depending on the position of the comment, so that the visibility and readability of the text are impaired. Further, in the method (3), it is necessary to compare both the text and the result of aggregation of comments to browse, which is troublesome. Further, even if the arrangement of the comment box can be freely set by a user operation by using the technique of Patent Document 1, in order to print the comment without impairing the visibility of the text, the comment box is placed outside the original print area. Comments must be placed, and the problem of (1) cannot be solved.

Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, when printing document data described in a markup language such as OOXML, PDF, XPS, etc., the content that should be analyzed as document data and output as a comment in the document is If there is a comment, it is judged whether the comment exists and the text and the comment are separated and processed, and a print image is generated so as to be output to different pages. Specifically, an image forming apparatus that includes an image processing unit that performs rasterization processing and a print engine that performs printing processing, and that prints document data written in a markup language that is created using an application (image processing (A print control program that operates on a device that can control a copy unit and a print engine) analyzes document data, extracts a comment inserted for a predetermined character string in the body using the function of the application, and prints the document. The data is separated into text data and comment data for each page, and the image processing unit is caused to generate a text print image and comment print image based on the text data and comment data for each page, and the text print image and comment print The image and the image are arranged on different pages, and the print engine is instructed to print in a print form in which both the text and the comment are visually overlapped. For example, the body text is printed on normal paper, the comment corresponding to the body text is printed on transparent paper stored in another paper tray, and the transparent paper on which the comment is printed is printed on the printing surface of the paper on which the text is printed. Output so that they are sorted so that they overlap, so that you can check the text through transparent paper on which comments are printed. Alternatively, the text is printed on the front surface of the paper, and the comment corresponding to the text is printed on the back surface of the paper by reversing the printed image so that the comment printed on the back surface can be seen through the paper.

By performing such control, it is possible to obtain a printout that does not impair the visibility and readability of both the text and the comment and the intention of inserting the comment.

In order to describe the above-described embodiment of the present invention in more detail, an image forming apparatus, a print control program, and a print control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 17. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the printing system of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a client device, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus. Further, FIG. 4 is an example of a comment overlay print setting screen displayed on the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, FIG. 5 is an example of comment overlay print setting information, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are of the present embodiment. It is a flowchart figure which shows operation|movement of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an OOXML document (application display example) of the present embodiment, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a folder structure of OOXML document data, and FIGS. 10 and 11 are OOXML document data (markups). It is a figure which shows a description example). 12 and 13 are diagrams showing an OOXML document (print output example) of this embodiment, and FIGS. 14 to 17 are diagrams showing variations thereof.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system according to the present exemplary embodiment includes one or a plurality of client devices 10 that create a document and one or a plurality of image forming devices 20 that print a document. Connected by communication network. This communication network is not limited to a LAN (Local Area Network) defined by the Ethernet (registered trademark) standard, and may be an FDDI (Fiber-Distributed Data Interface), a token ring, a wireless LAN, an Internet line, or a public FAX line. .. Also, it is possible to access a LAN or an Internet line from a mobile terminal through a mobile communication line such as LTE (Long Term Evolution)/3G or a wireless communication line such as WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, registered trademark). It may be configured to. Hereinafter, each device will be described in detail.

[Client device]
The client device 10 is a computer device such as a personal computer, a mobile terminal such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone, and creates document data to be printed and gives an instruction for direct printing using the document data. As shown in FIG. 2A, the client device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a network I/F unit 13, a display unit 14, an operation unit 15, and the like.

The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11a including a microprocessor and a memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11b and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 11c. The CPU 11a includes the ROM 11b and a storage unit. The control program stored in 12 is expanded in the RAM 11c and executed to control the operation of the client device 10 as a whole. Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, the control unit 11 (CPU 11a) executes an OS (Operating System) 16, an application 17, a direct print utility 18, and the like.

The OS 16 is Windows (registered trademark), Mac OS (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark), or the like, and enables the client device 10 to operate the application 17 and the direct print utility 18.

The application 17 is an application (for example, Microsoft Office or Adobe Acrobat) that creates a document described in a markup language such as OOXML, PDF, or XPS, and has a function of adding a comment to the document. Note that the markup language is a document structure (headings, hyperlinks, etc.) and decoration information (character size, typesetting status, etc.) that is enclosed in a special character string called a "tag". ) Is a description language for describing in a document.

The direct print utility 18 monitors a predetermined folder (for example, a folder in the storage unit 12), and when the document data created by the application 17 is stored in the predetermined folder, transmits the document data to the image forming apparatus 20. To direct print. Further, the direct print utility 18 is a print for setting the number of copies, a paper feed tray used for printing, double-sided/single-sided printing, color/monochrome printing, an aggregate function such as 2in1, a finishing function such as folding, punching, and stapling. A setting screen is displayed on the display unit 14, and print setting information is generated according to a user operation on the print setting screen.

The storage unit 12 is configured by an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like, and is necessary for executing various programs such as the OS 16, the application 17, the direct print utility 18, and the like executed by the control unit 11. It stores data, document data created by the application 17, and the like.

The network I/F unit 13 is composed of a NIC (Network Interface Card), a modem, or the like, connects the client device 10 to a communication network, and transmits document data and print setting information to the image forming device 20. The network I/F unit 13 also performs communication processing when the direct print utility 18 searches for the image forming apparatus 20 on the network.

The display unit 14 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic EL (electroluminescence) display device, and displays a document creation screen of the application 17, a print setting screen of the direct print utility 18, and the like.

The operation unit 15 is composed of a mouse, a keyboard, and the like, and enables operations such as creation of a document by the application 17, setting of printing conditions by the direct print utility 18, and instruction of direct printing.

[Image forming device]
The image forming apparatus 20 is an MFP (Multi-Functional Peripherals), a printer, or the like, and executes print processing based on the document data and print setting information received from the client apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 3A, the image forming apparatus 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a network I/F unit 23, a display operation unit 24, an image processing unit 25, a print processing unit 26, and the like. It

The control unit 21 includes a CPU 21a configured by a microprocessor and the like, and memories such as the ROM 21b and the RAM 21c. The CPU 21a expands the control program stored in the ROM 21b and the storage unit 22 into the RAM 21c and executes the control program to display an image. The operation of the entire forming apparatus 20 is controlled. Further, the control unit 21 functions as a setting unit 27, an analysis unit 28, an overlay processing unit 29, etc., as shown in FIG.

The setting unit 27 causes the display operation unit 24 to display a comment overlay printing setting screen, and allows the printing form of comment overlay printing to be set. FIG. 4 is an example of the comment overlay print setting screen 30. In the comment overlay print setting screen 30, whether or not to perform comment overlay printing or to specify the paper to which the comment is printed (text print image and comment print image). And 1) are printed on separate sheets, or on the back side (whether to use a second printing mode in which the body text image and the comment print image are printed on the front and back sides of the sheet), comment print Setting items such as setting the position to up/down/left/right are provided. Then, the information set on the comment overlay print setting screen 30 is stored in the storage unit 22 or the like as readable comment overlay print setting information as shown in FIG. 5, for example. Although FIG. 4 shows the settings on the comment overlay print setting screen 30 through the display operation unit 24 (panel UI (User Interface)) of the image forming apparatus 20, for example, similar setting items are The comment overlay print setting information set by the client terminal 10 is provided to the client terminal 10 holding the document data by transferring the comment overlay print setting information together with the document data to the image forming apparatus 20. It is also possible to adopt a form that enables print settings.

The analysis unit 28 analyzes the document data, and based on the setting of the comment overlay print setting screen 30, uses the function of the application 17 to extract the comment inserted for a predetermined character string in the text. For example, when the comment overlay printing is set to "ON", the comment is extracted by searching the xml description of the document data for the character string corresponding to the comment. In addition, the analysis unit 28 determines whether or not the insertion position is set in the extracted comment, if necessary, and if the insertion position is not set, based on the setting of the comment overlay print setting screen 30, Set the comment insertion position near the text string corresponding to the comment. Then, the analysis unit 28 separates the document data for each page into comment data to be output as a comment and text data to be output as a text other than the comment. Note that the comment data includes a character string of the comment, graphics such as a frame or a lead line surrounding the character string as necessary, and comment insertion position information.

The overlay processing unit 29 generates a text print image and a comment print image in the image processing unit 25 based on the text data and comment data for each page generated by the analysis unit 28 according to the setting of the comment overlay print setting screen 30. Let At that time, the image processing unit 25 is caused to generate the comment print image so that the comment is arranged at the insertion position set in advance or set by the analysis unit 28. Further, the comment print image may be generated according to the form (typeface, size, color, line thickness, density, etc.) displayed on the screen of the application 17, or the typeface, size, and color may be used for the text and the comment. The printed image may be generated so that at least one of the line thickness and the density is different. Then, the overlay processing unit 29 arranges the text print image and the comment print image on different pages according to the setting of the comment overlay print setting screen 30, and prints them in a print form in which both the text and the comment are visibly overlapped. The processing unit 26 is instructed to print. For example, when the first print mode is selected, the print processing unit 26 causes the text print image to be printed on normal paper (first paper) and the comment print image on transparent paper (second paper). Printing is performed, and the second paper is output on the printing surface of the first paper. When the second print mode is selected, the print processing unit 26 is caused to print the text print image on the front surface of the paper and the reverse print image obtained by reversing the comment print image on the back surface of the paper. The transparent paper is an OHP (Overhead projector) sheet or the like, and does not need to be completely colorless and transparent as long as the opposite side of the sheet can be seen through to some extent. Further, the normal paper is high-quality paper, coated paper, etc., and the basis weight, the weight, etc. are not particularly limited.

The setting unit 27, the analysis unit 28, and the overlay processing unit 29 may be configured as hardware, or the control unit 21 is configured as a print control program that causes the setting unit 27, the analysis unit 28, and the overlay processing unit 29 to function. However, the print control program may be executed by the CPU 21a.

The storage unit 22 includes an HDD, an SSD, and the like, various programs used by the control unit 21, data necessary for executing the programs, document data and print setting information received from the client device 10, and body data generated from the document data. Further, it stores the comment data, the text data and the data of the text print image and the comment print image generated from the comment data.

The network I/F unit 23 is configured by a NIC, a modem, or the like, connects the image forming apparatus 20 to a communication network, and receives document data and print setting information from the client apparatus 10. Further, the network I/F unit 23 responds to an inquiry from the client device 10 when the client device 10 searches for the image forming device 20 on the network.

The display operation unit 24 is a touch panel (the display unit and the operation unit may be separate bodies) provided with a pressure-sensitive operation unit (touch sensor) in which transparent electrodes are arranged in a grid on the display unit. , Various screens related to the image forming process are displayed according to the instruction of the control unit 21, and various operations related to the image forming process are enabled. In the present embodiment, in particular, the comment overlay print setting screen 30 is displayed according to the instruction of the setting unit 27, and whether or not the comment overlay printing is performed on the comment overlay print setting screen 30 and the comment print destination, the comment print position, and the like are displayed. Accept the setting operation.

The image processing unit 25 includes a RIP (Raster Image Processor), and in accordance with an instruction from the overlay processing unit 29, intermediate data (display list (DL: Display List) which is an intermediate language) from the document data, in the present embodiment, a page for text. Intermediate data and the intermediate data of the comment page) are generated, and each page is rasterized to generate bitmap image data (image data of the text print image and the comment print image in this embodiment). Further, the image processing unit 25 performs screen processing, gradation correction, density balance adjustment, thinning, halftone dot processing, etc. on the generated image data as necessary. Then, the image processing unit 25 outputs the generated image data to the print processing unit 26.

The print processing unit 26 (print engine) executes print processing based on the image data according to the instruction from the overlay processing unit 29. The print processing unit 26 includes a paper feed tray for storing various types of paper, an exposure unit for irradiating and exposing a laser beam based on image data, a photoconductor drum, a developing unit, a charging unit, and a photoconductor cleaning unit. An image forming unit that includes a secondary transfer roller and forms a toner image of each color of CMYK; an intermediate belt that is rotated by the roller and that functions as an intermediate transfer member that conveys the toner image formed by the image forming unit to a sheet; A secondary transfer roller that transfers the toner image formed on the intermediate belt onto the sheet, a fixing unit that fixes the toner image transferred onto the sheet, a sheet feeding roller, a registration roller, a loop roller, and a reversing roller that conveys the sheet. A transport unit such as a discharge roller and a discharge tray that sorts and outputs the image-formed sheets in a designated order.

1 to 3 are examples of the printing system according to the present embodiment, and if the structured document described in the markup language such as OOXML, PDF, and XPS can be printed, the configuration of each device is It can be changed as appropriate. For example, when a control device such as a printer controller or a RIP controller including the image processing unit 25 is connected to the communication network and the control device controls the image forming apparatus 20 including the print processing unit 26, the control of the control device is performed. It is also possible to have a configuration in which a unit (CPU) executes the print control program (the control unit functions as a setting unit, an analysis unit, and an overlay processing unit). When the client device 10 can control the image forming apparatus 20 including the image processing unit 25 and the print processing unit 26, or the image forming apparatus 20 including the device including the image processing unit 25 and the print processing unit 26, The configuration may be such that the control unit 11 (CPU 11a) of the client device 10 executes the print control program (the control unit 11 functions as a setting unit, an analysis unit, and an overlay processing unit).

The printing process (direct printing in this embodiment) of the image forming apparatus 20 having the above configuration will be described below. The CPU 21a expands the print control program stored in the ROM 21b or the storage unit 22 into the RAM 21c and executes the print control program to perform the processing of each step illustrated in the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 7. In the following description, the client device 10 creates document data using the application 17, the direct print utility 18 sends the document data and print setting information to the image forming device 20, and the image forming device 20 It is assumed that the received document data and print setting information are stored in the storage unit 22 or the like.

First, the control unit 21 (setting unit 27) of the image forming apparatus 20 causes the display operation unit 24 to display the comment overlay print setting screen 30 as shown in FIG. 4 (S101), and allows the user to perform the setting related to overlay printing. The comment overlay print setting information is saved in the storage unit 22 or the like. It should be noted that this step may be performed each time the print processing is performed, or may be performed in advance before the print processing.

Next, the control unit 21 (analyzing unit 28) reads document data and print setting information from the storage unit 22 or the like (S102), and reads comment overlay print setting information from the storage unit 22 or the like (S103). Then, the control unit 21 (analyzing unit 28) refers to the comment overlay print setting information and determines whether or not overlay printing is set to "Yes" (S104).

When the overlay printing is set to “No” (No in S104), the control unit 21 (analyzing unit 28) performs the document data analyzing process (S105), and the image processing unit 25 performs the analyzing process. An image forming process is performed according to the result to generate a print image from the document data (S106), and the print processing unit 26 performs a normal print process using the generated print image (S109).

On the other hand, when the overlay printing is set to “Yes” (Yes in S104), the control unit 21 (analyzing unit 28) performs the document data analyzing process (S107) and the comment overlay image forming process. (S108).

FIG. 7 shows the details of the comment overlay image forming process. First, the control unit 21 (analyzing unit 28) reads document data for one page (S201) and checks whether there is comment data on the page. It is determined (S202). If there is no comment data on the page (No in S202), the image processing unit 25 generates intermediate data of the page (normal page) (S203), and transitions to S209.

On the other hand, when there is comment data on the page (Yes in S202), the control unit 21 (analyzing unit 28) reads the comment data (S204) and determines whether the insertion position is set in the comment data (( S205) If the insertion position is not set in the comment data (No in S205), the insertion position of the comment is set near the character string of the body corresponding to the comment based on the comment overlay print setting information (S206). .. Next, the image processing unit 25 generates the intermediate data of the comment page (S207) and the intermediate data of the body page (S208). After that, the control unit 21 (analyzing unit 28) determines whether it is the end (final page) of the document data (S209), and if it is not the end of the document data (No in S209), returns to S201 and returns to the next step. Repeat the same process for the page.

When the processing is completed up to the end (final page) of the document data (Yes in S209), the image processing unit 25 generates the print image of the body page and the comment page or the normal page (S210). Then, the control unit 21 (overlay processing unit 29) confirms the comment print destination setting based on the comment overlay print setting information (S211), and if the comment print destination setting is "paper designation", the comment page Of the comment page is inserted in front of the print image of the corresponding body page (S212), and the print settings for each page are stored in the specified paper tray (for example, a paper tray storing transparent paper) for the print image of the comment page. It sets (S213).

On the other hand, when the comment print destination is set to "back side", the control unit 21 (overlay processing unit 29) inserts the print image of the comment page after the print image of the corresponding body page (S214), and The print image is turned upside down (S215), and the print setting for each page is set so that the print image of the comment page is arranged on the back side of the corresponding body page and double-sided printing is performed (S216).

Then, returning to FIG. 6, the print processing unit 26 uses the print image of the body page and the print image of the comment page to perform the comment overlay print processing according to the print settings for each page (S109).

Hereinafter, the comment overlay printing process will be described with a specific example.

FIG. 8 is an example of an OOXML document on the application screen displayed on the display unit 14 of the client terminal 10. In the application, a comment can be inserted in the text, and here, for a "spherical" character in the character string of the text displayed in the text display field 40a, "unnecessary" is written in the comment display field 40b. A comment has been inserted, and a comment “add” has been inserted in the comment display field 40b for the character “(see figure)”.

FIG. 9 shows a folder structure of OOXML document data created by Microsoft Word or the like. The OOXML document data is composed of parts and files that define reference relationships to each part, and these packages are in a ZIP compressed state. Specifically, the document data includes a "[Content_Types].xml" file, a "_rels" folder, a "docProps" folder, a "word" folder, and the like. The "word" folder that describes the contents of the document is "document.xml" file, "fontTable.xml" file, "comment.xml" file, "setting.xml" file, "styles.xml" file, "webSetting.xml". It consists of "xml" file, "_rels" folder, "theme" folder, etc. The details of the OOXML specifications are described in "http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-376.htm" and the like.

The "document.xml" file and "comment.xml" file in the above "word" folder in the OOXML document data created by the application are described in markup language, and in the markup language, a code called a tag (token) is used. Then, the structure, appearance and meaning of the data are defined. FIG. 10 is an example of markup description of the part corresponding to the body in the “document.xml” file of the OOXML document data, and the body is between “<w:r>” and “</w:r>”. The character string described in is described, especially between "<w:commentRangeStart w:id="">" and "</w:commentRangeStart w:id=""/>" enclosed by a broken line. The text string corresponding to the comment is described. Further, FIG. 11 is an example of markup description of a portion corresponding to a comment in the “comment.xml” file of OOXML document data, which includes “<w:comment w:id="”>” and “</w: The character string of the comment is described between "comment>". Therefore, the control unit 21 (analyzing unit 28) analyzes the document data and extracts a specific character string from the “document.xml” file or the “comment.xml” file to extract the character of the comment in the OOXML document data. It is possible to extract a character string of the body corresponding to the column and its comment, separate the body data and the comment data, and generate the print image of the body page and the print image of the comment page. Text and comments can be printed on separate pages according to the print settings.

In FIG. 12, in the comment overlay print setting screen 30, the comment print destination is set to “specify paper” (the print paper of the text is set to normal paper and the comment print paper is set to transparent paper), and the comment print position is set to “ It is a print output example (print output example of the first print form) when it is set to “up”, and a comment page 42b in which a comment (a character string of a comment and a frame surrounding the character string) is printed on transparent paper is In this example, the text is placed in front of the text page 42a printed on normal paper and output. Here, the normal paper of the text page 42a and the transparent paper of the comment page 42b are shifted from each other so that the overlapping of the papers can be seen. In this way, by printing the comment page 42b on a transparent sheet different from the body page 42a and inserting the comment page 42b in front of the body page 42a, the body of the comment can be seen without reducing the print area of the body. It will not disappear, and the correspondence between the text and comments will not be lost. Although the comment is printed on the transparent paper in the above description, the comment can be printed on the normal paper (excluding thick paper). In that case, the text can be viewed by shining light from the back side and seeing through.

FIG. 13 shows a print output example (a print output example of the second print mode) when the comment print destination is set to “back side” and the comment print position is set to “top” on the comment overlay print setting screen 30. Yes, (a) is a printed image of a body page printed on the front side of the paper, (b) is a printed image of a comment page printed on the back side of the paper with its front and back reversed, and (c) is the front side of the double-sided print 42c. It is the figure seen from. In this case, if the paper is not thick paper or the like, as shown in FIG. 13C, the comment (the character string of the comment and the frame surrounding the character string) printed on the back side is show-through and overlaps the text on the front side. Therefore, as in the above case, the text does not become invisible due to the comment without reducing the print area of the text page, and the correspondence between the text and the comment is not lost.

It should be noted that FIG. 12 showing the first print mode and FIG. 13 showing the second print mode are examples, and it suffices that the text and the comment are printed on different pages so as to be visually overlapped. 14 to 17 are examples of the OOXML document 42 for explaining the variations. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, a comment character string and/or a frame surrounding the character string is thick (or thin). Then, the visibility of the comment (or the text) may be improved. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, a comment and a character string of the text corresponding to the comment may be connected by a leader line to clarify the correspondence between the comment and the text. Further, as shown in FIG. 16, the font of the comment or the text is changed (here, the text is set to Gothic and the comment is set to the marker) so that the text of the text and the text of the comment can be easily distinguished. Good. Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the size of the character string of the comment and/or the frame surrounding the character string may be increased (or decreased) to improve the visibility of the comment (or the text).

As described above, in the present exemplary embodiment, the control unit 21 (print control program) analyzes document data (for example, using the data structure of a document, and stores a “document.xml” file or a “comment.xml” file). The description content is analyzed) to extract a comment, and for each page, the comment data to be output as a comment and the text data to be output as a text other than the comment are separated, and the text printing image and the comment printing are performed in the image processing unit 25. An image is generated, the text print image and the comment print image are arranged on different pages, and the print form in which both the text and the comment are visibly overlapped (for example, a comment page printed on transparent paper before the text page In the first print form in which the print image of the comment page is arranged on the back side of the text page, and the second print form in which the print image of the comment page is reversed on the back side of the text page). It is possible to obtain a printed output that does not impair the visibility, readability, and comment insertion intention of both parties.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the configuration and the printing control method can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the OOXML document is illustrated as the document of the markup language, but the print control method of the present invention can be similarly applied to a PDF document, an XPS document, and the like.

Further, in the above embodiment, the characters “unnecessary” and “added” are illustrated as comments, but the present invention is applied to arbitrary characters, figures, and images that can be displayed in the comment display field 40b using the application 17. The print control method can be similarly applied.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is applicable to an image forming apparatus that prints document data described in a markup language, a print control program that controls printing of the document data, a recording medium that records the print control program, and a print control method. is there.

10 client device 11 control unit 11a CPU
11b ROM
11c RAM
12 storage unit 13 network I/F unit 14 display unit 15 operation unit 16 OS
17 application 18 direct print utility 20 image forming apparatus 21 control unit 21a CPU
21b ROM
21c RAM
22 storage unit 23 network I/F unit 24 display operation unit 25 image processing unit 26 print processing unit 27 setting unit 28 analysis unit 29 overlay processing unit 30 comment overlay print setting screen 40 OOXML document (application display example)
40a Body display column 40b Comment display column 41a OOXML document data (text markup description example)
41b OOXML document data (comment markup description example)
42 OOXML document (print output example)
42a Body page 42b Comment page 42c Double-sided printed matter

Claims (23)

An image forming apparatus that includes an image processing unit that performs rasterization processing and a print engine that performs printing processing, and that prints document data written in a markup language, which is created using an application,
An analysis unit that analyzes the document data, extracts a comment inserted into a predetermined character string in the body using the function of the application, and separates the document data into body data and comment data for each page. When,
Based on the text data and the comment data for each page, the image processing unit is caused to generate a text print image and a comment print image, and the text print image and the comment print image are arranged on different pages. An overlay processing unit for instructing the print engine to perform printing in a print form in which both the text and the comment are visibly overlapped with each other.
An image forming apparatus characterized by the above. Further comprising a setting unit for displaying a screen for setting the print mode on a display unit,
The overlay processing unit instructs the print engine to perform printing in accordance with the print mode set on the screen.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The setting unit prints, on the screen, a first print mode in which the text print image and the comment print image are printed on different sheets, and the text print image and the comment print image are printed on the front and back sides of the sheet. A second print form and a selectable display form,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein When the first print mode is selected, the overlay processing unit causes the print engine to print the text print image on a first sheet and prints the comment print image on a transparent second sheet. And causing the second sheet to be output on the printing surface of the first sheet,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: When the second print mode is selected, the overlay processing unit causes the print engine to print the text print image on the front surface of the sheet, and the reverse print image obtained by reversing the comment print image from the front side to the paper side. Print on the back of the
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The setting unit displays, on the screen, whether or not to perform specific printing in which the text print image and the comment print image are arranged on different pages,
In case of the setting not to execute the specific printing,
The image processing unit generates a print image of each page of the document data,
The print engine prints according to the print image of each page,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. The setting unit displays a print position of the comment on the screen so that the comment can be set,
The analysis unit determines whether an insertion position is set for the extracted comment, and if the insertion position is not set, according to the setting of the screen, the predetermined character string corresponding to the comment Set the insertion position of the comment in the vicinity,
The overlay processing unit causes the image processing unit to generate the comment print image so that the comment is arranged at the set insertion position.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that. The overlay processing unit provides the image processing unit with the text print image and the comment print image so that the text and the comment are different in at least one of a typeface, size, color, line thickness, and density. Generate,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. A print control program that operates in a device that can control an image processing unit that performs rasterization processing and a print engine that performs print processing,
When printing document data written in markup language created using an application,
In the device,
An analysis process of analyzing the document data, extracting a comment inserted into a predetermined character string of the text using the function of the application, and separating the document data into text data for each page and comment data ,
An image generation process that causes the image processing unit to generate a text print image and a comment print image based on the text data and the comment data for each page.
The text print image and the comment print image are arranged on different pages, and a print instruction process for instructing the print engine to perform printing is executed in a print form in which both the text and the comment are visually overlapped. ,
A print control program characterized by the above. In addition to the above device,
The setting process for displaying the screen for setting the print mode on the display unit is executed,
In the print instruction process, a print instruction is given to the print engine according to the print form set on the screen,
The print control program according to claim 9, wherein the print control program is a print control program. In the setting process, a first print mode in which the text print image and the comment print image are printed on different sheets, and the text print image and the comment print image are printed on the front and back sides of the sheet on the screen. A second print form and a selectable display form,
The print control program according to claim 10, wherein the print control program is a print control program. In the print instruction process, when the first print mode is selected, the print engine is caused to print the text print image on the first sheet, and the comment print image is printed on the transparent second sheet. And causing the second sheet to be output on the printing surface of the first sheet,
The print control program according to claim 11, wherein: In the print instruction process, when the second print form is selected, the print engine is caused to print the text print image on the front surface of the paper, and the reverse print image obtained by reversing the comment print image from the front to the back is printed on the paper. Print on the back of the
The print control program according to claim 11, wherein: In the setting process, the print position of the comment is displayed on the screen so that the comment can be set,
In the analysis process, it is determined whether an insertion position is set for the extracted comment, and if the insertion position is not set, the predetermined character string corresponding to the comment is set according to the setting of the screen. Set the insertion position of the comment in the vicinity,
In the image generation processing, the image processing unit is caused to generate the comment print image so that the comment is arranged at the set insertion position.
The print control program according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the print control program is a print control program. In the image generation process, the text print image and the comment print image are provided to the image processing unit so that the text and the comment are different in at least one of the typeface, size, color, line thickness, and density. Generate,
15. The print control program according to claim 9, wherein the print control program is a print control program. A print control method for document data written in a markup language, created using an application, in a printing system including an image processing unit that performs rasterization processing and a print engine that performs printing processing, comprising:
An apparatus for controlling the image processing unit and the print engine,
An analysis process of analyzing the document data, extracting a comment inserted into a predetermined character string of the text using the function of the application, and separating the document data into text data for each page and comment data When,
An image generation process that causes the image processing unit to generate a body print image and a comment print image based on the body data and the comment data for each page,
The text print image and the comment print image are arranged on different pages, and a print instruction process for instructing the print engine to perform printing in a print mode in which both the text and the comment are visibly overlapped To do
A printing control method characterized by the above. The device further comprises
Execute a setting process to display a screen for setting the print mode on the display unit,
In the print instruction process, a print instruction is given to the print engine according to the print form set on the screen,
The printing control method according to claim 16, wherein In the setting process, a first print mode in which the text print image and the comment print image are printed on different sheets, and the text print image and the comment print image are printed on the front and back sides of the sheet on the screen. A second print form and a selectable display form,
The printing control method according to claim 17, wherein In the print instruction process, when the first print mode is selected, the print engine is caused to print the text print image on the first sheet, and the comment print image is printed on the transparent second sheet. And causing the second sheet to be output on the printing surface of the first sheet,
The printing control method according to claim 18, wherein In the print instruction process, when the second print form is selected, the print engine is caused to print the text print image on the front surface of the paper, and the reverse print image obtained by reversing the comment print image from the front to the back is printed on the paper. Print on the back of the
The printing control method according to claim 18, wherein In the setting process, on the screen, it is possible to display whether or not to perform specific printing in which the text print image and the comment print image are arranged on different pages,
In case of the setting not to execute the specific printing,
The image processing unit generates a print image of each page of the document data,
The print engine prints according to the print image of each page,
21. The print control method according to claim 17, further comprising: In the setting process, the print position of the comment is displayed on the screen so that the comment can be set,
In the analysis process, it is determined whether an insertion position is set for the extracted comment, and if the insertion position is not set, the predetermined character string corresponding to the comment is set according to the setting of the screen. Set the insertion position of the comment in the vicinity,
In the image generation processing, the image processing unit is caused to generate the comment print image so that the comment is arranged at the set insertion position.
22. The print control method according to claim 17, further comprising: In the image generation process, the text print image and the comment print image are provided to the image processing unit so that the text and the comment are different in at least one of the typeface, size, color, line thickness, and density. Generate,
23. The print control method according to claim 16, wherein the print control method is a print control method.

Images