Image forming apparatus and image forming method
AssigneeSharp Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorTakashi Kubo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention, in the context of trial printing operation(s) for image formation, is an image forming apparatus and image forming method causing only the minimum required image forming operation(s) to be executed. In the event that image data acquired is such that text data and graphic data are mixed therein, text data and graphic data may be separately extracted from image data and are stored. Trial printing on recording paper is such that selection among (a) text image extraction format, (b) graphic-type image extraction format, (c) image-outline-only region frame format, (d) draft format, and so forth is permitted.
Claims19
In the context of an image forming apparatus which forms one or more images on a recording medium or media based on acquired image data, an image forming apparatus characterized in that is equipped with:
- one or more data classifying means that classifies the image data according to data type;
- and
- one or more trial printing means that receives output from at least one of the data classifying means and that, when one or more image forming modes is set to “trial printing mode,” executes one or more image forming operations with respect to one or more data type subsets arbitrarily selected from among the plurality of classified data types at only one or more prescribed regions on at least one of the recording medium or media at which image formation is to be carried out using the selected data.
In the context of an image forming apparatus which acquires image data wherein text data and graphic data are mixed and which forms one or more images on a recording medium or media based on this image data, an image forming apparatus characterized in that is equipped with:
- one or more text extracting means that extracts only text data from the image data;
- one or more graphic extracting means that extracts only graphic data from the image data;
- and
- one or more trial printing means that, when one or more image forming modes is set to “trial printing mode,” receives only one variety of the foregoing two varieties of data, this being a variety of data for which trial printing is requested, and that executes one or more image forming operations based on only that variety of data.
In the context of an image forming apparatus which acquires image data wherein text data and graphic data are mixed and which forms one or more images on a recording medium or media based on this image data, an image forming apparatus characterized in that is equipped with:
- one or more text extracting means that extracts only text data from the image data;
- one or more graphic extracting means that extracts only graphic data from the image data;
- one or more region identifying means that respectively receives text data from the text extracting means and graphic data from the graphic extracting means, and that separately identifies one or more respective regions on at least one of the recording medium or media at which image formation is to be carried out using these respective varieties of data;
- and
- one or more trial printing means that, when one or more image forming modes is set to “trial printing mode,” receives output from at least one of the region identifying means and that draws in line drawing fashion on at least one of the recording medium or media at least one requested region perimeter, being one or more region perimeters on at least one of the recording medium or media at which image formation is to be carried out using text data and/or one more region perimeters on at least one of the recording medium or media at which image formation is to be carried out using graphic data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.