File integrating apparatus and method, recording medium storing file integrating program, printer control system and printer control method

A printer control system comprising:

• a reading unit for reading content of an integrated order file from an integrating recording medium on which have been recorded image files, in which image data has been stored, order files, in which order data for specifying image files in which image data to be printed has been stored, and said integrated order file, in which data relating to order data that has been stored in the order files has been stored;
• an image-file retrieval unit for retrieving, on the basis of the content of the integrated order file read by said reading unit, an image file in which image data representing an image to be printed has been stored;
• and
• a printer control unit for controlling a printer so as to print an image represented by image data that has been stored in an image file found as the result of retrieval by said image-file retrieval unit.

A file integrating method comprising the steps of:

• reading image files and an order file from each of a plurality of recording media that are for copying, wherein the image files, in which image data has been stored, and the order file, in which order data for specifying image files in which image data to be printed has been stored, have been recorded on each of the recording media in accordance with a predetermined directory structure;
• generating a directory associated with each of the plurality of recording media that are for copying and recording these directories on an integrating recording medium;
• and
• copying the read image files and the read order file under a corresponding directory from among the generated directories while maintaining the directory structure of the recording medium that is for copying in which these read files were stored.

A computer-readable recording medium on which has been stored a program for integrating, on an integrating recording medium, image files, in which image data has been stored, and order files, in which order data for specifying image files in which image data to be printed has been stored, said program controlling a computer so as to:

• read the image files and the order files from each of a plurality of recording media that are for copying, the image files and an order file being recorded on each of these recording media in accordance with a predetermined directory structure;
• generate a directory associated with each of the plurality of recording media that are for copying and recording these directories on the integrating recording medium;
• and
• copy the read image files and the read order file under a corresponding directory from among the generated directories while maintaining the directory structure of the recording medium that is for copying in which these read files were stored.

A printer control method comprising the steps of:

• reading content of an integrated order file from an integrating recording medium on which have been recorded image files, in which image data has been stored, order files, in which order data for specifying image files in which image data to be printed has been stored, and said integrated order file, in which data relating to order data that has been stored in the order files has been stored;
• retrieving, on the basis of the content of the read integrated order file, an image file in which image data representing an image to be printed has been stored;
• and
• controlling a printer so as to print an image represented by image data that has been stored in an image file found as the result of retrieval.

A computer-readable recording medium on which has been stored a program for controlling a printer, said program controlling a computer so as to:

• read content of an integrated order file from an integrating recording medium on which have been recorded image files, in which image data has been stored, order files, in which order data for specifying image files in which image data to be printed has been stored, and said integrated order file, in which data relating to order data that has been stored in the order files has been stored;
• retrieve, on the basis of the content of the read integrated order file read, an image file in which image data representing an image to be printed has been stored;
• and
• control the printer so as to print an image represented by image data that has been stored in an image file found as the result of retrieval.