JP4227294B2 - Image processing apparatus and method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method for laying out document data described in a structured description language on a physical page, and an image processing system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
With the rapid spread of personal computers and the Internet, digitization of documents is being promoted regardless of the type of business. Generally, since the data format of an electronic document depends on an application that edits the document, it is necessary to prepare an application that supports the data format of the corresponding document in order to view the electronic document.
[0003]
Therefore, documents described in a structured description language independent of a specific application such as HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) and XML (eXtensible Markup Language) are becoming widespread. In general, structured description languages are designed on the assumption that they are displayed on a display by a browser, and it is possible to arbitrarily change the width and height of the screen to be displayed, and to scroll the screen. The concept of “page” is not necessary.
[0004]
However, when a structured description language is used as a page description language, it is necessary to assign pages. Therefore, a structured description language capable of page layout is being developed in recent years, and a structured description language without a page concept can be converted into a structured description language capable of page layout by using a typographic rule for publishing. It has become possible. Thus, the process of converting a structured description language without a page concept into a structured description language capable of page layout is called “formatting”.
[0005]
FIG. 9 shows a display example by a browser of a document described in a structured description language having no page concept. According to a general browser, as shown in the figure, the size of the display screen can be changed, and the screen can be scrolled vertically and horizontally using a scroll bar.
[0006]
In contrast, FIG. 10 shows a display example of a document described in a structured description language after formatting. According to the figure, the formatted document can be displayed or printed in page units.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above conventional formatting, the allocation of document data described in a structured description language to physical pages is based on a fixed magnification. Accordingly, there are problems that it becomes difficult to see depending on the contents of the page or that a user-preferred layout is not always obtained.
[0008]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and an image processing apparatus that realizes a layout having a high degree of freedom when laying out document data described in a structured description language on a physical page and its It is an object to provide a method and an image processing system.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a means for achieving the above object, an image processing apparatus of the present invention comprises the following arrangement.
[0010]
An image processing apparatus for laying out document data described in a structured description language on a physical page,
Page not defined Written in a structured description language Character data and graphic data are included as specific data Document data , An image processing apparatus that lays out a physical page,
Among a plurality of specific data included in the document data, By analyzing a tag indicating the width of the graphic data, With maximum width Extract graphic data and extract the extracted graphic data The scaling factor when the data is laid out to fit within the width of the printable area of the physical page, the information indicating the width of the printable area in the physical page, the information indicating the resolution when printing, and the maximum width Determining means for determining using the information indicating the width of the graphic data having
The document data Among the plurality of specific data included in the character data, for the character data, a tag indicating the character size is sequentially extracted, The scaling factor determined by the determining means The character size is changed and image processing for print processing is executed. For the graphic data, tags indicating the width and height are sequentially extracted, and the determining means determines After changing the width and height by multiplying the magnification And image processing means for executing image processing for print processing.
[0011]
In the image processing apparatus, for example, the structured description language is HTML. It is characterized by that.
[0012]
In the image processing apparatus, for example, the structured description language is XML. It is characterized by that.
[0013]
The image processing apparatus further includes drawing means for drawing the document data image-processed by the image processing means. It is characterized by that.
[0014]
The image processing apparatus further includes an image forming unit that visualizes the data drawn by the drawing unit on a recording medium. It is characterized by that.
[0015]
As a means for achieving the above object, an image processing method of the present invention comprises the following arrangement. That is,
Page not defined Written in a structured description language Character data and graphic data are included as specific data Document data , An image processing method for laying out a physical page,
Among a plurality of specific data included in the document data, By analyzing a tag indicating the width of the graphic data, With maximum width Extract graphic data and extract the extracted graphic data The scaling factor when the data is laid out to fit within the width of the printable area of the physical page, the information indicating the width of the printable area in the physical page, the information indicating the resolution when printing, and the maximum width Determining step using information indicating the width of the graphic data having
The document data Among the plurality of specific data included in the character data, for the character data, a tag indicating the character size is sequentially extracted, The scaling factor determined in the determination step The character size is changed and image processing for print processing is executed. For the graphic data, tags indicating the width and height are sequentially extracted, and the determining means determines After changing the width and height by multiplying the magnification And an image processing step for performing image processing for printing processing.
[0016]
In the image processing method, for example, the structured description language is HTML. It is characterized by that.
[0017]
In the image processing method, for example, the structured description language is XML. It is characterized by that.
[0018]
The image processing method further includes a drawing step of drawing the document data image-processed by the image processing step. It is characterized by that.
[0019]
The image processing method further includes an image forming step of visualizing the data drawn in the drawing step on a recording medium. It is characterized by that.
[0020]
As one means for achieving the above object, the storage medium of the present invention stores a control program for realizing the above image processing method by a computer. It is characterized by that.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0022]
<First Embodiment>
First, a configuration of a laser beam printer (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer”) suitable for application of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Needless to say, the printer to which the present embodiment is applied is not limited to the laser beam type, and may be a printer of another printing type.
[0023]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a printer to which the present embodiment is applied. Registration of a character pattern from a data source (not shown) and registration of a fixed form (form data) can be performed. In the figure, reference numeral 1000 denotes a printer main body which inputs and stores character information (character code), form information, macro commands, etc. supplied from an externally connected host computer, and responds in accordance with the information. A character pattern, a form pattern, and the like are created, and an image is formed on a recording sheet that is a recording medium. Reference numeral 1012 denotes an operation panel on which switches for operation and an LED display are arranged. Reference numeral 1001 denotes a printer control unit that controls the entire printer 1000 and analyzes character information supplied from a host computer. The control unit 1001 mainly converts character information into a video signal having a corresponding character pattern and outputs the video signal to the laser driver 1002. The laser driver 1002 is a circuit for driving the semiconductor laser 1003, and switches on and off the laser light 1004 emitted from the semiconductor laser 1003 in accordance with the input video signal.
[0024]
A laser 1004 is swung left and right by a rotary polygon mirror 1005 and scans on the electrostatic drum 1006. As a result, an electrostatic latent image of a character pattern is formed on the electrostatic drum 1006. This latent image is developed by the developing unit 1007 around the electrostatic drum 1006 and then transferred to the recording paper. A cut sheet is used as the recording paper, and the cut sheet recording paper is stored in a paper cassette 1008 mounted on the printer 1000 and is taken into the apparatus by a paper feed roller 1009 and transport rollers 1010 and 1011, and an electrostatic drum 1006. To be supplied.
[0025]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the printer control system according to this embodiment. Here, an example of controlling the printer 1000 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. As long as the functions of the present invention are executed, a single device, a system composed of a plurality of devices, a system that performs processing via a network such as a LAN, Needless to say, the present invention can be applied.
[0026]
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 3000 denotes a host computer, which includes a CPU 1 that extracts document data and performs data conversion based on a document processing program stored in a program ROM in the ROM 3 and is connected to the system bus 4. The CPU 1 comprehensively controls each device.
[0027]
The program ROM in the ROM 3 stores the control program of the CPU 1, the font ROM also stores font data used for the data conversion process, and the data ROM also stores the above data. Various data used when performing conversion processing and the like are stored.
[0028]
Reference numeral 2 denotes a RAM, which functions as a main memory or work area of the CPU 1. A keyboard controller (KBC) 5 controls key input from a keyboard 9 or a pointing device (not shown). Reference numeral 6 denotes a CRT controller (CRTC), which controls display on a CRT display (CRT) 10. In the present embodiment, the keyboard 9 and the CRT display 10 are not necessarily required, but are usually equipped for maintenance of the host computer and confirmation of the operation status.
[0029]
A memory controller (MC) 7 controls access to the external memory 11 such as a hard disk (HD) or floppy disk (FD) that stores a boot program, various applications, font data, user files, edit files, and the like. . A network controller (NTC) 8 is connected to the printer 1000 via a predetermined bidirectional interface (interface) 21 and executes communication control processing with the printer 1000.
[0030]
For example, the CPU 1 can take out document data stored in the external memory 11 by controlling the memory controller 7, and transfer the document data to the outside by controlling the network controller 8.
[0031]
In the printer 1000, reference numeral 12 denotes a printer CPU, which is connected to various devices connected to the system bus 15 based on a control program stored in a program ROM in the ROM 13 or a control program stored in the external memory 14. Access is comprehensively controlled, and an image signal as output information is output to a printing unit (printer engine) 17 connected via the printing unit interface 16.
[0032]
The program ROM in the ROM 13 may store a control program for the CPU 12 as shown in a flowchart described later. Similarly, the font ROM stores font data used for generating the output information. Similarly, the data ROM is used when the printer 1000 does not include the external memory 14 such as a hard disk. -The information etc. used on the data 3000 are stored.
[0033]
The CPU 12 can notify the host computer 3000 of information in the printer 1000 by performing communication processing with the host computer 3000 via the input unit 18. Reference numeral 19 denotes a RAM that functions as a main memory, a work area, and the like of the CPU 12, and the memory capacity can be expanded by an optional RAM connected to an expansion port (not shown). The RAM 19 is used as an output information expansion area, environment data storage area, NVRAM, and the like.
[0034]
Access to the external memory 14 such as the hard disk (HD) and IC card described above is controlled by a memory controller (MC) 20. The external memory 14 is connected as an option and stores document data, font data, form data, and the like. Reference numeral 18 denotes an operation panel on which switches for various operations on the printer 1000, an LED display, and the like are arranged.
[0035]
In this embodiment, the number of external memories 14 is not limited to one, and at least one external memory 14 is provided, and in addition to the built-in font, an optional font card and a plurality of external memories storing programs for interpreting printer control languages with different language systems are connected. You may do it. Further, an NVRAM (not shown) may be provided, and printer mode setting information from the operation panel 1012 may be stored.
[0036]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the printer 1000 according to the present embodiment. According to the figure, the printer 1000 is roughly composed of a formatter control unit 1100, a printer interface 1200, an output control unit 1300, and a printer engine unit 1400.
[0037]
The printer interface 1200 is a means for controlling data input / output between the formatter control unit 1100 and the outside.
[0038]
The formatter control unit 1100 includes a protocol control unit 1101, a document data analysis unit 1102, a data drawing unit 1103, a page memory 1104, and a physical layout processing unit 1105. Generally, these functional configurations in the formatter control unit 1100 are realized by a computer system including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like.
[0039]
The protocol control unit 1101 is means for performing communication with the outside by analyzing and transmitting a network protocol. For example, when HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) is used as a protocol, the protocol control unit 1101 is instructed by a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) Acquire documents and send information to a Web server.
[0040]
A document data analysis unit 1102 analyzes document data described in a structured description language and converts the document data into an intermediate code in a format that is easier to process. The intermediate code generated in the document data analysis unit 1102 is transferred to the data drawing unit 1103 and expanded into bitmap data, and then sequentially drawn in the page memory 1104.
[0041]
The physical layout processing unit 1105 performs allocation, that is, formatting processing, of document data described in a structured description language to physical pages. Specifically, when the document data analyzed by the document data analysis unit 1102 is document data having no page concept such as HTML, the data assigned to the physical page is created.
[0042]
The output control unit 1300 converts the contents of the page memory 1104 into a video signal, and performs image transfer to the printer engine unit 1400. The printer engine unit 1400 is a printing mechanism unit that forms a received video signal on a recording sheet as a permanent visible image.
[0043]
Next, a printing control procedure in the printing system of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.
[0044]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating main processing from the start to the end of the operation of the printer 1000. First, in step S401, data from the network is received via the printer interface 1200. Next, after analyzing the protocol in step S402, formatting processing, that is, allocation to the physical page is performed in step S403, and the flow proceeds to step S404 to perform drawing processing. Thereafter, in step S405, it is determined whether or not the document data has been completed. If the document data has been completed, the printing operation is terminated. On the other hand, if the document data is not finished, the process returns to step S401 and the above process is repeated.
[0045]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of the formatting process shown in step S403 of FIG. 4, that is, the layout process to the physical page in the physical layout processing unit 1105.
[0046]
First, document data is searched from the top in step S501, and when the character data is detected, the character size is calculated. In step S502, the calculated character size is stored. Then, in step S503, it is determined whether or not all the document data has been searched, and the processing of steps S501 to S502 is repeated until the search is completed, thereby completing a list of character sizes used in the document.
[0047]
If all the document data has been searched in step S503, the process proceeds to step S504, and the minimum character size min is detected from the stored character size list. In step S505, an enlargement ratio when the detected minimum character size min is regarded as 8 points is calculated. Since this enlargement ratio becomes a reference for the physical layout, in step S506, the enlargement ratio is used to perform allocation to physical pages sequentially from the top of the document.
[0048]
In step S507, it is determined whether or not allocation to physical pages has been completed for all document data, and the allocation processing in step S506 is repeated until the allocation is completed.
[0049]
Here, a specific example of the formatting process shown in FIG. 5 will be shown. If, for example, 6, 8, and 10 points are listed as character sizes used in the document in steps S501 to S503, 6 points are detected as the minimum character size min in step S504. Then, in step S505, the enlargement ratio for setting this to 8 points is calculated as 8/6 times. Therefore, the other 8,10 point character sizes listed are allocated to physical pages at 8 × (8/6) and 10 × (8/6) points, respectively. Note that not only characters but also other figures (objects) such as tables and border lines are allocated to physical pages by multiplying by this enlargement ratio (8/6 in the above example).
[0050]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing details of the drawing process shown in step S404 of FIG. This drawing process is a drawing process in the data drawing unit 1103 and is a process for actually printing.
[0051]
First, in step S601, the document data analysis unit 1102 determines whether a page end tag is detected. If the page end tag is not detected, the process proceeds to step S602, and it is determined whether or not the analyzed tag is a tag that requires development processing to the page memory 1104 such as character printing or graphic drawing. If NO, the process proceeds to step S605, and processing according to the analyzed tag, such as attribute setting and print position control, is immediately executed.
[0052]
On the other hand, if it is a tag such as printing / drawing, the process advances to step S603 to generate an intermediate code in a format that can be easily expanded into a bitmap. In step S604, the data rendering unit 1103 receives the intermediate code and performs a bitmap expansion process on the page memory 1104. After completion of the expansion process, the process returns to step S402 in FIG. 4 to repeat the document data protocol analysis process.
[0053]
On the other hand, if a page end tag is detected in step S601, the process proceeds to step S606, where the output control unit 1300 converts the contents of the page memory 1104 into a video signal for the printer engine unit 1400, and performs image transfer output. In step S607, the printer engine unit 1400 forms a permanent visible image on the recording paper based on the received video signal, and performs printing. When the recording paper on which printing has been performed in step S608 is discharged, the printing control process for one page ends.
[0054]
Here, a specific example of the formatting process result in the present embodiment will be shown. FIG. 11 is an example of input document data described in HTML, and this document data is converted into a configuration capable of page layout as shown in FIG. 12 by performing the formatting process of this embodiment. FIG. 15 shows the result of actually printing the document data shown in FIG.
[0055]
According to this example, since the size of the minimum character (“table 1”) shown in FIG. 11 is 4 points, the enlargement ratio is calculated as 8/4 = 2 times. Therefore, the size of the title character (“Sample”) indicated by the tag “<H1>” in FIG. 11 is 14 points, and the size of the other characters (“This document ... web browser.”) Is the default value. If it is 6 points, it can be seen from FIG. 12 that the character size of the title is converted to 28 points, the other character sizes are 12 points, and the minimum character size is 8 points. In addition, since this enlargement ratio (twice) is applied to the table object, it can be seen that the table is allocated in the page in two.
[0056]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when a structured description language is formatted, it is possible to perform appropriate allocation within a page by setting a reference value of the physical layout based on the minimum character size. Become.
[0057]
The calculation of the enlargement ratio in the present embodiment has been described for the case where the minimum character size min detected in the structured description language is enlarged to 8 points. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and other sizes are available. The same applies to the case where the enlargement ratio is calculated so as to be enlarged.
[0058]
Also, when determining the character size based on the calculated enlargement ratio, not only multiplying the enlargement ratio, but also optimization processing such as rounding up to an appropriate number of points (number of points normally used in the system) You may give it.
[0059]
Second Embodiment
Hereinafter, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described.
[0060]
In the above-described first embodiment, the example in which the minimum sentence size is referred to as the physical layout reference value has been described. The second embodiment is characterized in that the reference value is set based on the maximum width of the object. Here, an object refers to a drawing figure other than characters, and in an HTML document, this is a table, an image, or the like.
[0061]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the formatting process in the second embodiment. Note that the system configuration, the main process of the printing operation, and the drawing process in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.
[0062]
First, in step S701, document data is searched from the top, and objects other than characters are searched. For example, in the case of HTML, a tag such as “<TABLE>” or “<IMG>” may be searched.
[0063]
In step S702, the width of the detected object is calculated. For example, if the object is a table, the width can be calculated based on the width information specified in the table or the character size described in the table. In the case of an image, the width can be calculated based on image information described in the header of the data format.
[0064]
In step S703, it is determined whether or not all the document data has been searched, and the processing in steps S701 to S702 is repeated until the search is completed, thereby completing the list of the widths of the objects used in the document. .
[0065]
If the search of all document data is completed in step S703, the process proceeds to step S704, and the maximum object width max is detected from the list of stored object widths. In step S705, the detected maximum object width max is compared with the page width. Here, the page width refers to the length in the main search direction in which printing is physically possible within the recording paper.
[0066]
If the maximum object width max is equal to or smaller than the page width, the process advances to step S707 to set the reduction ratio to 1. On the other hand, if the maximum object width max is larger than the page width, the process advances to step S706 to calculate a reduction ratio when the maximum object width max is regarded as the page width. Since the reduction ratio obtained in this way becomes the reference for the physical layout, in step S708, allocation to physical pages is performed sequentially from the top of the document using this reduction ratio.
[0067]
In step S709, it is determined whether or not allocation to physical pages has been completed for all document data, and the allocation processing in step S708 is repeated until the allocation is completed.
[0068]
For document data that does not include objects other than characters, that is, all document characters are included, no object is detected in step S701. In such a case, although not particularly shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, the reduction ratio is set to 1 and the allocation process to the physical page is performed. Therefore, for example, when an object is not detected in step S701, a step of setting the object maximum width max to a minimum value (for example, 0) may be provided.
[0069]
Here, a specific example of the formatting process shown in FIG. 7 will be shown. If, for example, 2000,5000 dots are listed as the object width used in the document in steps S701 to S703, 5000 dots are detected as the maximum object size max in step S704. On the other hand, if the recording paper is A4 size and the printer resolution is 600 dpi, the page width when the recording paper is conveyed vertically is 4720 dots. Then, since the maximum object size max (5000) is larger than the page width (4720) in step S705, the reduction ratio is calculated as 4720/5000 in step S706. Note that not only objects but also characters are assigned to physical pages by multiplying the reduction ratio.
[0070]
Here, a specific example of the formatting process result in the second embodiment is shown. By applying the formatting process of the second embodiment to the HTML input document data shown in FIG. 11 in the first embodiment described above, a conversion result as shown in FIG. 13 is obtained. The result of actually printing the document data shown in FIG. 13 is as shown in FIG. 13 and 16, it can be seen that the table which is the object having the maximum width is appropriately allocated in the page, and the character size is smaller than that in FIG. 15 shown in the first embodiment.
[0071]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, when a structured description language is formatted, it is possible to appropriately allocate the page within the page by setting the reference value of the physical layout based on the maximum object width. It becomes.
[0072]
<Third Embodiment>
The third embodiment according to the present invention will be described below.
[0073]
The third embodiment is characterized in that the physical layout reference value is set based on the most frequently used character size.
[0074]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the formatting process in the third embodiment. Note that the system configuration, the main process of the printing operation, and the drawing process in the third embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.
[0075]
First, in step S801, document data is searched from the top, and when character data is detected, the character size is calculated. In step S802, the number of characters for each character size is counted and stored. In step 803, it is determined whether or not all the document data has been searched, and the processing in steps S801 to S802 is repeated until the search is completed, so that a list of character sizes and the number of characters used in the document can be obtained. Complete.
[0076]
If the search of all document data is completed in step S803, the process proceeds to step S804, and the most frequently used character size freq is detected from the stored character size list. In step S805, the enlargement ratio when the detected most frequent character size freq is assumed to be 10 points is calculated. Since this enlargement ratio becomes a reference for the physical layout, in step S806, allocation to physical pages is performed sequentially from the top of the document using this enlargement ratio.
[0077]
In step S807, it is determined whether or not allocation to physical pages has been completed for all document data, and the allocation processing in step S806 is repeated until the allocation is completed.
[0078]
Here, a specific example of the formatting process shown in FIG. 8 will be shown. If the character size used in the document is listed as 10 characters for 10 points, 10 points for 400 characters, and 20 points for 8 characters in steps S801 to S803, for example, in step S804, the most frequently used character size freq is 10 points. Is detected. Then, in step S805, the enlargement ratio for setting this to 10 points is calculated as 10/10 times (= 1 times). Therefore, the other 8,20 point character sizes listed are also allocated to physical pages at 8,20 points, respectively. It should be noted that not only characters but also other figures (objects) such as tables and border lines are allocated to physical pages by multiplying by this enlargement ratio (1 time in the above example).
[0079]
Here, a specific example of the formatting process result in the third embodiment is shown. The conversion result as shown in FIG. 14 is obtained by performing the formatting process of the third embodiment on the HTML input document data shown in FIG. 11 in the first embodiment. The result of actually printing the document data shown in FIG. 14 is as shown in FIG.
[0080]
According to this example, since the most frequently used character size (“This document ... web browser.”) Shown in FIG. 11 is 6 points, the enlargement ratio is calculated as 10/6 times. Accordingly, since the size of the title character (“Sample”) in FIG. 11 is 14 points and the size of the minimum character (“table 1”) is 4 points, according to FIG. It can be seen that the character size is converted to 14 × 10/6 = 23.33 (23) points and the minimum character size is 4 × 10/6 = 6.66 (7) points. It can also be seen that this enlargement ratio (10/6 times) is applied to the table object having the maximum width, and it is barely allocated in the page.
[0081]
As described above, according to the third embodiment, when formatting a structured description language, an appropriate allocation within a page can be achieved by setting a reference value of the physical layout based on the most frequently used character size. It becomes possible.
[0082]
The calculation of the enlargement ratio in the present embodiment is not limited to the example in which the detected most frequent character size freq is enlarged to 10 points, as in the first embodiment, and even if enlargement to other sizes is assumed. The same applies. Also, when converting the character size, not only multiplication by the enlargement ratio but also optimization processing such as rounding up to an appropriate number of points may be performed.
[0083]
<Fourth embodiment>
The fourth embodiment according to the present invention will be described below.
[0084]
The fourth embodiment is characterized in that any one of the formatting processes shown in the first to third embodiments described above can be arbitrarily selected. That is, the system configuration and the main processing and drawing processing of the printing operation in the fourth embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, but the physical layout reference values in the formatting processing are set to the minimum character size and the maximum object. It is set based on either the width or the most frequent character size.
[0085]
Specifically, on the operation panel 1012 of the printer 1000, the user can select any one of the above three types as the formatting reference value, that is, can select any layout method corresponding to the first to third embodiments. What is necessary is just to comprise.
[0086]
Further, if the formatting result based on the selected reference value can be previewed page by page in the CRT 10 connected to the host computer, the operability is further improved.
[0087]
As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, formatting as desired by the user can be performed. For example, one of the output forms shown in FIGS. 15 to 17 can be selected for the document data described in HTML shown in FIG.
[0088]
<Other embodiments>
In the first and third embodiments described above, the example in which the character size is calculated as the point value has been described. For example, the document is a document in which the character size is specified by other expressions (for example, large / medium / small). However, it is possible to apply the present invention by maintaining the ratio of each size (large / medium / small) in advance.
[0089]
Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, a document described in HTML as document data to be formatted has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and may be a structured description language. Of course, other languages such as XML and SGML may be used.
[0090]
Note that the present invention can be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, and a printer), and a device (for example, a copying machine and a facsimile device) including a single device. You may apply to.
[0091]
Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (or recording medium) in which a program code of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded to a system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or CPU) of the system or apparatus. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by the MPU) reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating system (OS) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the actual processing and the processing is included.
[0092]
Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function is determined based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU or the like provided in the expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.
[0093]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, a layout with a high degree of freedom can be realized when document data described in a structured description language is laid out on a physical page.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a printer according to the present exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating print processing according to the present exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing formatting processing in the present embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a drawing process in the present embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing formatting processing in the second embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing formatting processing in the third embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a display example of document data in a structured description language without a page concept.
10 is a diagram showing a display example of the document data shown in FIG. 9 after page layout.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of document data described in HTML.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of document data after formatting in the present embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of document data after formatting in the second embodiment.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of document data after formatting in the third embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of printing after formatting in the present embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a print example after formatting in the second embodiment.
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of printing after formatting in the third embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1000 printer
1012 Operation panel
1100 Formatter controller
1101 Protocol control unit
1102 Document data analysis unit
1103 Data drawing unit
1104 page memory
1105 Physical layout processing unit
1200 Printer interface
1300 Output controller
1400 Printer engine

Claims (11)

An image processing apparatus that lays out document data including character data and graphic data as specific data on a physical page, described in a structured description language with no page defined ,
Among the plurality of specific data included in the document data, the graphic data having the maximum width is extracted by analyzing the tag indicating the width of the graphic data. The scaling factor when laying out to fit within the printable area width of the page, information indicating the width of the printable area in the physical page, information indicating the resolution at the time of printing, and graphic data having the maximum width Determining means for determining using information indicating the width of
Among the plurality of specific data included in the document data , for the character data, the character size is changed by sequentially extracting a tag indicating the character size and multiplying by the scaling factor determined by the determining means . Then, image processing for print processing is executed, and for the graphic data, a tag indicating the width and height is sequentially extracted, and the width and height are multiplied by the scaling factor determined by the determination means. Image processing means for executing image processing for print processing after changing the size ,
An image processing apparatus comprising:   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the structured description language is HTML.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the structured description language is XML.   2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising drawing means for drawing the document data image-processed by the image processing means.   5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising image forming means for visualizing the data drawn by the drawing means on a recording medium. An image processing method for laying out document data that is described in a structured description language in which a page is not defined and includes character data and graphic data as specific data on a physical page,
Among the plurality of specific data included in the document data, the graphic data having the maximum width is extracted by analyzing the tag indicating the width of the graphic data. The scaling factor when laying out to fit within the printable area width of the page, information indicating the width of the printable area in the physical page, information indicating the resolution at the time of printing, and graphic data having the maximum width Determining step using information indicating the width of
Of the plurality of specific data included in the document data , for the character data, the character size is changed by sequentially extracting a tag indicating the character size and multiplying by the scaling factor determined by the determination step . Then, image processing for print processing is executed, and for the graphic data, a tag indicating the width and height is sequentially extracted, and the width and height are multiplied by the scaling factor determined by the determination means. An image processing step for executing image processing for print processing after changing the size ,
An image processing method comprising:   The image processing method according to claim 6, wherein the structured description language is HTML.   The image processing method according to claim 6, wherein the structured description language is XML.   The image processing method according to claim 6, further comprising a drawing step of drawing the document data image-processed by the image processing step.   The image processing method according to claim 9, further comprising an image forming step of visualizing the data drawn in the drawing step on a recording medium.   A storage medium storing a control program for realizing the image processing method according to claim 6 by a computer.

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