US 7,031,019 B1 · Printer control apparatus, printer and printing system

Abstract

To provide high-speed printing with an inexpensive arrangement, a dedicated printer control hardware circuit 5 is provided between a printer driver 1 of a host computer and a printer 9. The printer driver 1 divides an image to be printed into an illustration (a natural image), such as a photograph or a drawing, and characters/graphics. The printer driver outputs full-color RGB raster data for the illustration, while performing color conversion/halftoning for the character/graphic data and outputting binary CMYK raster data. The control circuit 5 performs color conversion/halftoning for the full-color illustration RGB raster data to convert them into binary CMYK raster data. Then, the control circuit 5 superimposes the obtained binary CMYK raster data and the binary CMYK raster data for characters/graphics to form binary CMYK raster data for a complete print image, and transmits the final binary CMYK raster data to the printer 9. The control circuit 5 also rearranges or thins pixel data for interlace printing or overlap printing.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A printer control circuit, which is a dedicated printer control hardware circuit disposed between an upper apparatus, which outputs high-resolution raster data for a first image element included in a print image and second low-resolution raster data for a second image element included in the print image, and a printer, the printer control circuit comprising:

a receiver for receiving the high-resolution raster data for the first image element and the low-resolution raster data for the second image element from the upper apparatus via an interface connected to the upper apparatus;
a halftoning circuit for performing a halftone process to convert the high-resolution raster data for the first image element received by the receiver into low-resolution raster data for the first image element;
and
an image completion circuit for obtaining low-resolution raster data for a complete print image based on the low-resolution raster data for the second image element received by the receiver and the low-resolution raster data for the first image element transmitted from said halftoning circuit.

1 more element

A printer for printing an image including a first image element and a second image element comprising:

a hardware circuit for processing image data including first high-resolution raster data for the first image element and low-resolution raster data for the second image element that are received from an upper apparatus, said hardware circuit including
a distributor which receives the image data from the upper apparatus and distributes the high-resolution raster data to a halftoning circuit and distributes the low-resolution raster data to an image completion circuit;
wherein the halftoning circuit performs halftoning for the high-resolution raster data for the first image element received from the distributor, obtains low-resolution raster data for the first image element, and transmits the obtained low-resolution raster data for the first image element to the image completion circuit;
and
wherein the image completion circuit obtains low-resolution raster data for a complete print image based on the low-resolution raster data for the first image element received from the halftoning circuit and the low-resolution raster data for the second image element received from the distributor,
wherein printing is performed using said low-resolution raster data that are obtained by said hardware circuit for said complete print image.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Printer control apparatus, printer and printing system

Life of this patent

Printer control apparatus, printer and printing system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims27