Data processing method, digital printing method and system

Abstract

The invention provides a data processing method, and the method comprises the steps: determining to-be-printed source data, the source data comprises a plurality of groups of variable data, and the change attributes of different groups of variable data are different; extracting each group of variable data from the source data; performing data type conversion processing on each group of variable data to obtain target variable data corresponding to each group of variable data, and enabling different target variable data to correspond to different identification information; identifying target variable data based on the identification information, performing matching processing on the target variable data corresponding to different groups of variable data, and performing fusion processing on the target variable data meeting a matching condition to obtain multiple pieces of fusion data; and performing segmentation processing on the fused data to obtain multiple pieces of target printing data for printing. In this way, fusion and printing of multiple sets of variable data with different change attributes can be achieved, and therefore the printing requirement of a user can be better met. The invention further provides a digital printing method and system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of data processing technology, and in particular to a data processing method, a digital printing method and a system. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of digital printing technology, variable data printing (VDP) is more and more widely used. Variable data printing is a kind of on-demand printing, usually called variable information printing (VIP), personalized printing, customized printing, database publishing, etc. It refers to printing different content on each printed matter or publication, including text, numbers, pictures, barcodes, etc.

[0003] As users increasingly emphasize their own individuality and have increasing requirements for printed materials and publications, how to better implement variable data printing to better meet users' printing needs is a problem that is currently being explored in the field. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a data processing method, a digital printing method and a system, which can realize the fusion and printing of variable data with multiple different changing attributes, improve the richness of variable data printing, and thus better realize variable data printing, thereby better meeting the printing needs of users.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, in the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data processing method, which includes: determining source data to be printed, the source data includes multiple groups of variable data, and different groups of variable data have different change attributes; extracting each group of variable data from the source data; performing data type conversion processing on each group of variable data to obtain target variable data corresponding to each group of variable data, and making different target variable data correspond to different identification information; identifying the target variable data based on the identification information, and matching the target variable data corresponding to different groups of variable data, and fusing the target variable data that meet the matching conditions to obtain multiple fused data; segmenting the fused data to obtain multiple target printing data for printing.

[0006] Based on this, the fusion and printing of multiple sets of variable data with different changing attributes can be realized. Therefore, the richness of variable data printing can be improved, variable data printing can be better realized, and the printing needs of users can be better met.

[0007] Furthermore, the data processing method may be executed by a data processing device such as a computer or a server for performing data processing.

[0008] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the change attribute includes data content and data change type, and the data content and data change type of different groups of variable data are different.

[0009] Thus, the fusion and printing of multiple sets of variable data with different data contents and different data change types can be realized, which can enhance the richness of variable data printing, thereby better realizing variable data printing and better meeting the printing needs of users. Of course, the change attribute can also include only data content or data change type, and can also include other information, which can be set as needed.

[0010] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the plurality of groups of variable data include a first group of variable data and a second group of variable data, the data included in the first group of variable data has a limited cycle characteristic, and the data included in the second group of variable data has an infinite cycle characteristic. Therefore, the data change type of the first group of variable data is a limited cycle change type, and the data change type of the second group of variable data is an infinite cycle change type.

[0011] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the first set of variable data includes multiple first data, each first data is different data for merging with printing background data, and the second set of variable data includes multiple second data, each second data is different printing background data.

[0012] Thus, the data included in the first set of variable data has a limited cycle characteristic, for example, it can include multiple different data for merging with the printing background data corresponding to a certain printing background file, and the data included in the second set of variable data has an infinite cycle characteristic, for example, it can include the printing background data corresponding to multiple different printing background files. By merging these two types of variable data with varying attributes to obtain the final printing data, the richness of variable data printing can be improved, so that variable data printing can be better realized, thereby better meeting the printing needs of users.

[0013] Of course, in a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the data change types of the first set of variable data and the second set of variable data may also be other types, which can be set as needed.

[0014] In addition, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the multiple groups of variable data may also include more variable data other than the first group of variable data and the second group of variable data, such as a third group of variable data, a fourth group of variable data, a fifth group of variable data, etc. The change attributes of each group of variable data are different, and the change attributes can be set as needed.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, data type conversion is performed on each group of variable data to obtain target variable data corresponding to each group of variable data, including: synchronously performing data type conversion on the first group of variable data and the second group of variable data, respectively, until the data type conversion of the first group of variable data and the second group of variable data is completed, and storing the obtained corresponding target variable data in the target cache pool.

[0016] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, target variable data is identified based on identification information, and target variable data corresponding to different groups of variable data are matched, and target variable data that meet the matching conditions are fused to obtain multiple fused data, including: when it is detected that there is stored data in the target cache pool, the target variable data corresponding to the first group of variable data and the target variable data corresponding to the second group of variable data are matched one by one based on the identification information of the stored data, and the target variable data that meet the matching conditions are fused to obtain multiple fused data.

[0017] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, different target variable data are made to correspond to different identification information, including: adding different annotations to each target variable data so that different target variable data correspond to different identification information; or storing each target variable data in different storage locations respectively so that different target variable data correspond to different identification information.

[0018] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the fused data is segmented and processed to obtain multiple target printing data, including: according to the number of printing modules included in the printing device, the fused data is segmented and processed to obtain multiple target printing data, the data size of the target printing data is the same as the data size of the printing module, and each target printing data has corresponding identification information for indicating the printing module corresponding to different target printing data.

[0019] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, data type conversion is performed on each set of variable data, including: performing data type conversion on each set of variable data by a raster image processor to obtain target variable data of binary data type.

[0020] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a digital printing method, the method comprising: performing printing processing according to target printing data, the target printing data being obtained by the aforementioned data processing method.

[0021] Furthermore, the digital printing method may be executed by, for example, a printing device, and may also be executed in cooperation with the aforementioned data processing device, printing device, and other devices.

[0022] On the third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a digital printing system, including a data processing device, a network communication device and a printing device, the printing device including multiple printing modules, wherein the data processing device is used to obtain multiple target printing data and send the multiple target printing data to the corresponding printing modules through the network communication device, and the multiple target printing data are obtained by the data processing device according to the aforementioned data processing method; the printing module is used to perform printing processing according to the received target printing data.

[0023] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, comprising: a memory for storing a computer program, the computer program comprising program instructions; a controller for executing the program instructions so that the electronic device performs a data processing method as provided in the above-mentioned first aspect and / or any possible embodiment of the first aspect, or so that the electronic device performs a digital printing method as provided in any possible embodiment of the above-mentioned second aspect.

[0024] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. The computer program includes program instructions, and the program instructions are executed by an electronic device to enable the electronic device to execute a data processing method as provided in the first aspect and / or any possible embodiment of the first aspect, or to enable the electronic device to execute a digital printing method as provided in any possible embodiment of the second aspect.

[0025] The relevant beneficial effects of the second to fifth aspects mentioned above can be found in the relevant description of the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present application, the drawings used in the description of the implementation scheme of the present application are briefly introduced below.

[0027] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a digital printing system provided by an embodiment of the present application according to some embodiments of the present application; Figure 2 is a flowchart of a data processing method provided by an embodiment of the present application according to some embodiments of the present application; Figure 3 According to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic diagram of a fusion process of two sets of variable data in a data processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown; Figure 4 According to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic diagram of a process of a digital printing method provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown; Figure 5 According to some embodiments of the present application, a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] First, traditional printing technology and variable data printing technology in the field of digital printing technology are introduced.

[0029] Taking the case where the file to be printed is a Portable Document Format (PDF) document, a PDF document usually contains multiple page files, and the file content of each page file is usually different, thus forming a complete document for easy reading on a computer or other electronic media.

[0030] In traditional printing technology, for multi-page documents such as PDF documents, in order to meet the printing method requirements or the requirements of post-processing, it is necessary to split and combine such multi-page documents so that they can be arranged according to certain rules for post-processing. The rules of page arrangement are often related to the post-processing method, so they are somewhat complex. Moreover, if double-sided printing is involved, the page arrangement rules will be even more complicated.

[0031] Since the layout of pages varies, professional typesetting software is needed to realize the distribution of pages to match the subsequent forming process. After the pages are arranged, a new file will be generated and then transferred to the traditional printing process.

[0032] However, this workflow cannot achieve variable data printing. In traditional printing processes, the most common mode for printing variable data is to automatically change the number through a mechanical number group. However, this method is only suitable for changing the number combination, and the change rule is single. If the character size or font form changes, the mechanical number group needs to be remade, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. It is more suitable for simple scene applications with little change, so it cannot meet the current diverse personalized printing needs.

[0033] Another variable data printing technology based on traditional printing technology is to print variable data by adding one or more sets of inkjet coding groups to traditional printing equipment. Compared with mechanical number groups, the adaptability or flexibility of this method has changed greatly. At the same time, it has also broadened the scope of traditional printing and broken the history that traditional printing cannot print variable information. However, this method, on the one hand, requires an additional set of inkjet coding groups, which requires additional use costs; on the other hand, the printing size of this type of inkjet coding group is generally small, and usually cannot achieve full coverage. In order to solve this problem, multiple inkjet coding groups are usually used to increase the amount of coding within the width, but it is still impossible to achieve variable data printing of larger sizes.

[0034] With the rapid development of digital printing technology, a new type of digital printing technology based on variable data printing is also being promoted and applied. Variable data has many forms, such as pictures, text, barcodes and other forms. Each variable form corresponds to a different database, such as EXCEL, TXT, folders, databases and other databases. How to achieve variable data printing based on variable data is the direction of current attention in the field.

[0035] This variable data printing technology has many forms, such as using a variable data software to load files and add variable data information, such as barcodes, serial numbers, etc., in the files. Some can even support linking databases to achieve variable information with larger data volumes. Another similar technology is implemented through hardware. Such hardware generally has a random access memory (RAM), which is used with the host computer software to upload the processed files to the RAM through a data link, and transmit another variable data in the RAM to achieve variable data printing. The variable data here needs to be prepared in the front-end software with the original file as a template (such as position, size, etc.) so that other variable data can be continuously generated according to the template and uploaded to the RAM after processing. Therefore, the biggest disadvantage of this form is that if the background file is large or the amount of variable data on the background file increases, the requirements for data processing and RAM space are very high. Therefore, this technology is only suitable for some common data processing with small data volumes, and is also only suitable for data processing of fixed background files.

[0036] The recent rise of multi-page continuous printing applications (such as books, textbooks, etc.), especially the promotion of digital printing in this industry, has further driven the wave of digital transformation in this industry. With the popularization of digital technology, various demands emerge in an endless stream. In order to better play the advantages of digital printing, variable printing is one of the special technologies in digital printing.

[0037] With the update and iteration of digital printing technology, more and more industries are using it. Most of the industries print multiple pages of documents simultaneously. In this case, it is proposed that variable data printing should be added to the situation of multiple pages of simultaneous printing.

[0038] The current variable printing technology, whether mechanical or inkjet, has a common feature, that is, the "background" is the same, and variable data printing is to add multiple or countless variable data on the same "background".

[0039] However, the current industry demand can be understood as multiple "backgrounds" plus variable data, that is, multiple backgrounds are added with variable data while being output continuously. Therefore, the continuous and sequential output of multiple backgrounds is itself a variable data. When multiple backgrounds are output continuously, adding another variable data to the background includes two variable data. Therefore, this situation can be called secondary variable printing, and the data content and data change type of secondary variable printing are different. The data change type can also be called data form or data change rule. Moreover, if the secondary variable is integrated into the double-sided synchronous printing scenario, things will be more complicated.

[0040] For ease of understanding, books are used as a common example to illustrate secondary variable printing. The thickness of different books is not the same. Different thicknesses mean different numbers of pages, and the contents on the front and back are also different. In addition to the text content, the inner pages of the book also have a page number. In this case, the conventional understanding is that the text content and page number of each page have been added when the book was designed. Therefore, the two data of the text content and page number of each page of the book exist in themselves, so why is it called secondary variable? Imagine that in some cases, the book design does not add page numbers, or wants to express page numbers in another personalized form (such as the number of line segments, etc.), in which case the page numbers need to be added additionally. Based on this, some current design software can support the addition of standard page numbers (including form, position, font, and color, etc.). This type of page number is a continuous number, and the logic is to add in an incremental manner, so it conforms to the definition of variable data. Similarly, the main body of a book contains a lot of content. If there is an extra-large piece of paper, all the content can be recorded. However, in order to facilitate carrying and reading, small-sized paper is used to record the content. However, these contents require multiple small-sized papers to record. The more content there is, the more small-sized papers are needed. Therefore, the original content itself is also a variable content relative to the small-sized paper (that is, different on each page).

[0041] Furthermore, if the whole book is taken as a unit, it is immutable. Some existing printing systems treat the whole book as a unit, which leads to a series of problems. For example, the RAM space of the printhead printing plate in the printing equipment is insufficient to upload enough data, that is, the RAM space cannot accommodate the data content of the whole book. Generally speaking, after the content of the book is converted into data form, the file size will increase geometrically. A common PDF document of several Mb may be as large as 20Gb after conversion. This data will increase with the number of pages, the page width after imposition, and the processing accuracy during processing. Therefore, it is obviously not suitable for this type of application to treat the whole book as a file (background), let alone to add a variable data again in this type of application to form a secondary variable, which will be very difficult.

[0042] Furthermore, if all pages are treated as one file, it is impossible to record the actual page positions during the printing process. If subsequent orders are required, it is also impossible to sort them by pages, resulting in a lot of waste.

[0043] Of course, the above examples are used to describe the implementation more clearly through application scenarios, in order to better understand the practical significance of secondary variableness. However, in the actual operation process, the variable data involved in secondary variable printing is not a simple relationship between book content and page numbers.

[0044] Therefore, how to deal with this secondary variable situation is a very difficult project. Once the underlying architecture is formed, it is difficult to implement this function again. Therefore, in order to implement such functions, it is necessary to start from the underlying architecture.

[0045] Based on this, the embodiments of the present application provide a data processing method, a digital printing method and a digital printing system. Based on the data processing method, in the variable data printing scenario, the printing of multiple groups of variable data with different change attributes can be realized. Among them, the change attribute may include data content and data change type, and the data content and data change type of different groups of variable data are different. For example, one type of variable data may be the background data corresponding to the above-mentioned "background", and another type of variable data may be the data used to merge into the "background". In this way, the secondary variable printing of the background and the data in the background, two types of variable data with different change attributes, and even multiple variable printing of variable data with more than two types of three, four or other different change attributes can be realized.

[0046] Furthermore, the digital printing method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented based on streaming data printing technology.

[0047] The technical solution provided by the implementation mode of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] The implementation of the digital printing technology provided in the embodiments of the present application depends on the digital printing system, for example, Figure 1 As shown, a digital printing system generally includes a data processing device, a network communication device and a printing device.

[0049] The data processing device may be, for example, a personal computer (PC), which may be called a local PC, or a server such as a cloud server, which is used to process data related to digital printing. For example, it includes original design processing, variable data source processing, data fusion processing, data transmission processing, and other process implementations, so that the processed data can be transmitted through a streaming data architecture.

[0050] Furthermore, the local PC may include a processor for implementing data processing such as data splitting, fusion, and segmentation, for example, including a raster image processor (RIP) for RIP processing. The local PC may also include a local disk or a local computer memory, which is used as a data buffer pool to store data files that are continuously processed by the front-end high-speed RIP. Of course, the local PC may also include other components related to the data processing method and digital printing method provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0051] The network communication device is a device used to realize communication between two electronic devices, such as a switch such as a Gigabit or 10 Gigabit switch, which is used to distribute large amounts of data sent from a local PC during the digital printing process and send it to the printing device for printing.

[0052] The printing device is a specific component used to realize printing, including multiple printing modules, for example, multiple nozzle printing plates, some of which are used to realize front printing, and the rest of which are used to realize back printing.

[0053] Furthermore, the printhead printing board also includes a memory (such as a random access memory (RAM)) as a data buffer pool for storing data sent from the local PC. The printhead printing board is used to perform front-end data reception and print signal conversion processing to convert the data sent from the front end into a print signal.

[0054] In addition, the printing module also includes a plurality of print heads or nozzles, which are used to cooperate with the nozzle printing plate, receive the printing signal sent by the nozzle driving plate, and perform printing processing. Among them, the print head or nozzle can print different colors. Of course, the printing module can also include other printing units related to the realization of printing, which can be set as needed.

[0055] Of course, the printing equipment also includes other components related to printing, which will not be described here.

[0056] The above-mentioned local PC, switch and printing device, as the corresponding infrastructure of streaming printing technology, can realize streaming printing data. The so-called streaming printing data means that the data source is stored in the local PC, and the printing data is transmitted through at least a 10 Gigabit switch via a network. The hardware of the printing device adopts a first-in-first-out queue mechanism to realize the storage and printing of printing data, thereby realizing the transmission and printing of streaming data.

[0057] Specifically, in the process of digital printing, relevant personnel first pre-design the original design draft to be printed, and then store the original design draft to the local PC. The local PC uses the original design draft as the source data to be printed for relevant data processing to obtain multiple data files for printing. The data files are sent to the corresponding printing module including the nozzle printing plate through the switch. The nozzle printing plate in the printing module performs printing processing according to the received data file.

[0058] based on Figure 1 The digital printing system described above, the embodiment of the present application further provides a digital printing method, the method comprising a data processing process. For example, in one embodiment of the present application, Figure 2 As shown, the data processing process included in the digital printing method includes the following steps: S100, determining source data to be printed, the source data including multiple groups of variable data, and different groups of variable data have different change attributes.

[0059] The original design draft is saved on the local PC. The original design draft, for example, includes two types of variable contents with different change attributes, that is, two groups of variable data with different change attributes. One type of variable content is once variable, so it can be considered that the original design draft includes secondary variable content. The secondary variable content in the original design draft can be preliminarily designed on the local PC manually or automatically by the local PC, for example, preliminary design of the template related to the variable data source, position, size, color, shape / font, change logic, etc. included in the secondary variable content. The original design draft after preliminary design is used as the source data to be printed. It should be understood that the original design draft is only a sample draft. Since variable data is mixed in the middle, the final output content (that is, the actual output draft) is not equivalent to the original design draft. The actual output draft is output based on the rules defined in the original design draft.

[0060] In one implementation of the present application, the change attribute includes data content and data change type, and different groups of variable data corresponding to different change attributes have different data content and data change types.

[0061] Further, the plurality of groups of variable data include, for example, a first group of variable data and a second group of variable data, the data included in the first group of variable data has a limited cycle characteristic, and the data included in the second group of variable data has an infinite cycle characteristic. Therefore, the data change type of the first group of variable data is a limited cycle change type, and the data change type of the second group of variable data is an infinite cycle change type.

[0062] Furthermore, the first set of variable data includes multiple first data, each first data is different data used to merge with printing background data corresponding to a certain printing background file, and the second set of variable data includes multiple second data, each second data is printing background data corresponding to a different printing background file.

[0063] For example, Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 The A and B shown in the figure represent the secondary variable data area in the original design draft. The secondary variable logic has one more variable content than the original single variable. You can refer to the logic of the book mentioned above for understanding. Therefore, the logic of the secondary variable is that there are two kinds of variable information at the same time. These two kinds of variable information are the aforementioned two kinds of variable information with different change attributes, and one kind of variable information of these two kinds of variable information, for example, refers to the aforementioned different backgrounds, not two different kinds of variable information corresponding to the same background. In addition, the two kinds of variable information have their own change attributes, and the change attributes include data change types, which can also be understood as change rules.

[0064] Exemplarily, the changing rules of the two types of variable information may be described as follows.

[0065] Variable A, corresponding to the first set of variable data, is a variable type with the characteristic of "limited cycle", such as changing from 1 to 100, using increasing or decreasing cycles, and has a fixed cycle W and number of cycles N. The limited cycle refers to the cycle equivalent, which is a relatively fixed value; the number of cycles refers to the number of cycle cycles, which is a non-fixed parameter.

[0066] Variable B, corresponding to the second set of variable data, is a variable type with the characteristic of "infinite cycle", for example, from 1 to N, it is variable according to the set rules, and has an infinite cycle with only a cutoff point M, and the cutoff point is determined according to the number of cycles.

[0067] The combination formula of variable A and variable B is: M=WxN.

[0068] After the data source is determined, the source data is processed accordingly. The data processing includes, for example, data splitting processing, data type conversion processing, data fusion processing, data segmentation processing, etc. Exemplarily, the data processing includes the following steps S200-S600.

[0069] S200, extracting each group of variable data from the source data.

[0070] Extracting each set of variable data from the source data can be understood as variable data splitting processing. Exemplarily, the variable data splitting processing can be that the local PC splits variable A and variable B into two independent design draft files according to the original design draft after the aforementioned design, thereby obtaining two sets of variable data files. The two sets of variable data files are set according to the variable data source, and each has its own independent change mode and change rule. In addition, the variable data file corresponding to variable A can be called the first set of variable data sources A1, and the variable data file corresponding to variable B can be called the second set of variable data sources B1.

[0071] S300, performing data type conversion processing on each group of variable data to obtain a corresponding plurality of target variable data, and making different target variable data correspond to different identification information.

[0072] Data type conversion processing, for example, can be a local PC processing two sets of variable data files through a special RIP. The same RIP parameters need to be used for processing during RIP processing, because the file after RIP processing is a binary file stored, which is completely different from the format and content of the original variable data file. In addition, the RIP at this time can be a multi-core high-speed RIP to ensure high-speed binary file output. High-speed binary file output, on the one hand, is to meet the printing speed, and on the other hand, is to cooperate with the working logic of streaming data. Therefore, it can realize the feature of streaming data transmission at the same time as RIP, without waiting for all cycle data to be output before transmitting the output binary file. Otherwise, it will take up a lot of disk space on the local computer, and it is impossible to achieve working conditions with ultra-large cycle volumes.

[0073] Furthermore, data type conversion is performed on each group of variable data to obtain target variable data corresponding to each group of variable data, including: synchronously performing data type conversion on multiple groups of variable data until the data type conversion of each group of variable data is completed, and storing the obtained corresponding target variable data into the target cache pool.

[0074] Taking secondary variable printing as an example, data type conversion is performed on the first set of variable data and the second set of variable data respectively until the data type conversion of the first set of variable data and the second set of variable data is completed, and the corresponding target variable data is stored in the target cache pool.

[0075] Specifically, after the two sets of variable data are respectively converted into data types, the two sets of data obtained can be called target variable data, for example, including Figure 3 Shown are a first set of variable data A1 and a second set of variable data B1.

[0076] In addition, the local disk of the local PC can be used as a data buffer pool (also known as the target buffer pool) to receive data files that are continuously processed by the front-end high-speed RIP, and the memory of the local PC can also be used as a data buffer pool to receive data files that are continuously processed by the front-end high-speed RIP.

[0077] Furthermore, no matter which method is used to store data, the two sets of data files output by RIP need to set independent identification information. There are many ways and methods to set independent identification information, such as adding different annotations to each target variable data so that different target variable data correspond to different identification information, such as adding XML information annotations, or adding corresponding annotations to the data file header. In addition, each target variable data can be stored in different storage locations, such as storing them in different folders, so that different target variable data correspond to different identification information. Different identification methods are suitable for different data buffering forms. The main function of independent identification is to distinguish different data types (variable A and variable B). The matching rules of variable A and variable B include finite loop equivalents, finite number of loops, infinite loop cutoff points, etc.

[0078] In order to meet the characteristics of streaming data transmission, variable A and variable B have certain matching rules during data processing, so the two sets of variable data files need to be processed synchronously. Since the content of each set of variable data is inconsistent, the RIP speed will also be different. Therefore, the RIP software automatically sends the processed ones. For the unfinished ones and the ones that are not processed synchronously, it is necessary to use waiting logic according to the matching rules until both sets of data are processed and sent to the buffer pool together.

[0079] Of course, the data type conversion process may also be other processes other than RIP, or may include other processes other than RIP, which can be set as needed.

[0080] S400, identifying target variable data based on identification information, performing matching processing on target variable data corresponding to different groups of variable data, and performing fusion processing on target variable data satisfying matching conditions to obtain multiple fused data.

[0081] Taking secondary variable printing as an example, target variable data is identified based on identification information, and target variable data corresponding to different groups of variable data are matched, and target variable data that meet the matching conditions are fused to obtain multiple fused data, including: when it is detected that there is stored data in the target cache pool, the target variable data corresponding to the first group of variable data and the target variable data corresponding to the second group of variable data are matched one by one based on the identification information of the stored data, and the target variable data that meet the matching conditions are fused to obtain multiple fused data.

[0082] Data fusion processing is a key link in secondary variable printing technology. The local PC refreshes the buffer pool (such as local disk or memory) in real time based on the printing software. When data is detected, it automatically identifies two sets of variable data (variable A and variable B) according to the identification information, and automatically matches the two sets of data. After matching, binary data that meets the matching conditions are fused. Fusion computing can be processed by computer hardware, and its data fusion processing capability is much higher than conventional onboard chips such as Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).

[0083] Before data fusion, the local PC first distinguishes "variable A" and "variable B" according to the identification information, then matches the data of variable A and variable B according to the identification information, and performs binary data fusion according to the algorithm until the first cycle is reached. After completing the first cycle, the first cycle is matched again with the subsequent content of variable B until the cutoff point is reached.

[0084] Furthermore, variable B can be understood as the aforementioned variable printing background data, and variable A can be understood as the aforementioned variable data used to merge with the printing background data.

[0085] Similarly, variable A and variable B can also be in another form, that is, variable A and variable B are both in an infinite loop state, and a cutoff point needs to be set manually. When data fusion is performed, data fusion is still performed according to the matching rules of variable A and variable B, but without the concept of loop period and loop number, the loop needs to be stopped according to the set cutoff point.

[0086] Furthermore, when both variable A and variable B are in a finite loop state, their loop periods must be consistent and the number of loops must be the same, otherwise the data will not match when merging. Similarly, after the buffer pool receives the data, it automatically merges variable A and variable B according to the matching rules of the identification information. At this time, the cutoff point is the number of loops as the loop end point.

[0087] In summary, the variable type of variable A and variable B can be any one of the two variable types of limited cycle period and infinite cycle period. Of course, variable A and variable B can also be other variable types, which can be set as needed.

[0088] Exemplarily, a fusion data obtained can be as follows Figure 3 As shown, including A1 and B1.

[0089] Furthermore, the matching condition can be set as needed, which will not be described here. In addition, data fusion can be performed in the cache of the FPGA or in the computer hardware memory of the computer, which can be set as needed.

[0090] At present, the amount of data after fusion will be larger than before fusion, so a solution combining multi-core RIP and streaming data can be used. In this case, the process is only completed once from data processing to sending. When the data is printed, it is cleared including local data, so it will not occupy computing space for a long time. It is very suitable for secondary variable printing of large-scale files.

[0091] S500, segmenting the fused data to obtain a plurality of target printing data for printing.

[0092] Exemplarily, the fused data is segmented and processed to obtain multiple target printing data, including: according to the number of printing modules included in the printing device, the fused data is segmented and processed to obtain multiple target printing data, the data size of the target printing data is the same as the data size of the printing module, and each target printing data has corresponding identification information for indicating different target printing data, or for indicating the printing modules corresponding to different target printing data.

[0093] Specifically, data segmentation processing may refer to the fused data being segmented again. At this time, the data segmentation is performed by the local PC dividing the entire piece of data into pieces with the same width as the data of a single nozzle printing board (also called a board, nozzle printing board, nozzle driver board). The sheet data is changed into strips so that the data size of the obtained data is the same as the data size of the printing module.

[0094] Furthermore, each data strip may have its own independent label, which corresponds one-to-one with the printhead printing plate ID. The label of the printhead printing plate ID and the data strip is unique and non-repetitive in one device.

[0095] The nozzle printing plate ID is an example of identification information of the target printing data obtained by segmentation processing, and is used to indicate the printing modules corresponding to different target printing data. Of course, the identification information of the target printing data may also include other information, which can be set as needed.

[0096] Further, after obtaining the target printing data for printing based on the above data processing steps, as follows Figure 4 As shown, the digital printing method provided in the embodiment of the present application also includes the following steps: S600, data sending and printing.

[0097] Once the target printing data is obtained, printing processing can be performed according to the target printing data.

[0098] Specifically, the target printing data is the aforementioned data strip with an ID, which is sent by a local PC to a corresponding nozzle printing plate through a 10G network corresponding to a 10G network provided by a 10G switch, such as the Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP).

[0099] The data strip sent this time may have a serial number in addition to an independent ID. The serial number is the only credential for first-in-first-out, and is also a reference mark to ensure that variable A and variable B are output in sequence.

[0100] Furthermore, the serial number can be used as another example of identification information of the target printing data obtained by the segmentation process, so as to indicate the printing order of the target printing data. Of course, the identification information of the target printing data can also include other information, which can be set as needed.

[0101] The data strip is transmitted through the 10G network provided by the 10G switch, and the 10G switch can use the ID number to find the specified printhead printing plate. During the data transmission process, after the printhead printing plate verifies the data correctly, the buffer pool in the printhead printing plate receives the corresponding data. After the data enters the buffer pool of the printhead printing plate, the buffer pool stores it in priority order according to the ID number. When starting printing, the data is converted into digital-to-analog according to the first-in-first-out principle, and finally the print head or nozzle executes the droplet ejection, thereby forming the final output.

[0102] In summary, the data processing method provided in the embodiment of the present application includes the above steps S100-S500, and the digital printing method provided in the embodiment of the present application includes the above steps S100-S600.

[0103] Furthermore, in this implementation, the 10 Gigabit switch is used to enable a local PC to send streaming data to multiple nozzle printing plates. The purpose of using a 10 Gigabit switch is to meet the characteristics of data transmission of streaming data. When printing, the substrate is transported by the conveying mechanism, so there are many situations such as acceleration, uniform speed, and deceleration. As the printing speed changes, the transmission bandwidth of the streaming data will also change. The highest bandwidth of the 10 Gigabit switch can meet the streaming data transmission at the highest printing speed. The data transmission process is also different from other variable data printing methods. Other variable data is either one-to-one or one-to-many. For the one-to-one situation, there are multiple links on the one-to-one computer, and the data can only be sent to the nozzle printing plate through the specified link. For the one-to-many situation, there is generally no data transmission that changes with the change of printing speed. In the one-to-many form, most of them can only upload the background data to the nozzle printing plate, and then continuously send variable data. Data fusion and output are realized in RAM. This design is designed to reduce the transmission bandwidth. The data volume is small, so the maximum bandwidth requirement is not high, so it is generally a gigabit network.

[0104] In the digital printing method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the data network is transmitted based on a 10 Gigabit bandwidth, and the data volume per second ranges from 2Gb to 20Gb. The data is addressed through IP, and the data can be correctly sent to the designated nozzle driver board. The nozzle printing board is provided with a data receiving buffer, and the data is stored in the buffer in priority order, and the first-in-first-out principle is maintained. The data is converted into the analog signal required by the print head or nozzle in sequence to realize data output, and the secondary variable data printing of one side can be realized. Similarly, in this mode, the distribution of variable data on the front and back sides can be realized. When the variable data is printed on the front and back sides at the same time, the buffer mechanism is used to control it to ensure the synchronization of the data on the front and back sides. Since the variable data is printed on the front and back sides, it is generally not printed at the same time, and the two printing groups have a certain physical distance, so the variable data on the front and back sides are synchronized when they are sent, but after the nozzle printing board receives it, it is saved in the cache according to the priority order. A mark will be output while the front output is output, and the back side monitors the position after the front output is completed in real time, and the starting point of the output of the variable data on the back side is synchronously calculated by detecting the front mark, so as to realize the double-sided secondary variable printing. Based on this logic, for double-sided secondary variable printing, no matter the positions of the two printing groups are 0 or greater than or equal to 0, double-sided secondary variable data printing can be achieved.

[0105] In summary, the digital printing method provided in the embodiment of the present application provides a secondary variable printing technology compared to the single variable printing technology. The so-called single variable, as mentioned earlier, can be understood as variable data based on the background. No matter how many variable data there are on the same background, it can only be called a single variable. The situation of using multiple groups of inkjet codes to work simultaneously was also mentioned above. In principle, it can only be called a single variable. Compared with the situation based on background variable, it lacks background layer data and only has variable data. One type of secondary variable is the aforementioned background variable, and the other type is the variable content in the background.

[0106] Based on the technical solution provided in the implementation mode of the present application, the original single variable based on the background image is improved into a secondary variable that can be completely changed. Therefore, combined with the logic of the single variable, adding a background image on the basis of the variable A to B is also within the scope of the technical solution provided in the implementation mode of the present application. Only one more background image needs to be introduced to achieve secondary variable based on the background image. In addition, the important technical points of the secondary variable are: streaming data transmission, fusion of variable data, more types of variable data (graphics, pictures, text, date, barcode, database, etc.), combined with high-speed RIP and 10 Gigabit network, a variable mode with larger size and larger data volume can be achieved.

[0107] Furthermore, in some other embodiments of the present application, the first variable data group and the second variable data group may also be other variable data other than the above-mentioned background data and the data integrated into the background, which may be set as needed.

[0108] Furthermore, in some other embodiments of the present application, the variable data group may also include other variable data groups such as a third variable data group and a fourth variable data group, and the data types thereof may be set as required. The aforementioned data fusion processing may be to fuse target variable data corresponding to multiple groups of variable data to obtain corresponding fused data, and the fusion logic thereof is similar to the aforementioned one, and will not be described in detail here. In this way, multiple printings of variable data may be realized.

[0109] Therefore, based on the technical solution provided in the implementation mode of the present application, on the basis of the secondary variable printing technology, it is also possible to realize the printing of more types of variable data other than two types of variable data, and therefore it is also possible to realize multiple variable printing technology, thereby improving the richness of variable data printing, and thus better realizing variable data printing, thereby better meeting the printing needs of users.

[0110] Furthermore, when the amount of data is small, the digital printing system may include a local PC as a data processing device, and a Gigabit or 10 Gigabit switch as a network communication device to provide Gigabit or 10 Gigabit Ethernet. When the amount of data is large, the digital printing system may include a server as a data processing device, and a 10 Gigabit switch as a network communication device to provide 10 Gigabit Ethernet. Of course, the devices included in the digital printing system may also be specifically configured according to printing requirements. And, as mentioned above, the basic component software included in the digital printing system includes RIP-related software, printing system-related software related to network interface communication, FPGA cache-related software related to board cache, etc., which may be specifically configured according to needs.

[0111] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a structure of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device may be a data processing device such as a PC or a server as mentioned above. Figure 5 As shown, the electronic device may include: a transceiver 121 , a processor 122 , and a memory 123 .

[0112] The processor 122 executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor 122 executes part of the technical solutions of the data processing method or digital printing method in the above-mentioned embodiment. The processor 122 can be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit CPU, a network processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a digital data processor DSP, an application-specific integrated circuit ASIC, a field programmable gate array FPGA or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, and discrete hardware components.

[0113] The memory 123 is connected to the processor 122 via a system bus and completes communication between them. The memory 123 is used to store computer program instructions.

[0114] The transceiver 121 may be used to obtain tasks to be executed and configuration information of the tasks to be executed.

[0115] The system bus can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The system bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in the figure, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus. The transceiver is used to realize the communication between the database access device and other computers (such as clients, read-write libraries, and read-only libraries). The memory may include random access memory (RAM) and may also include non-volatile memory.

[0116] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip for executing instructions, which is used to execute the technical solution of the data processing method or the technical solution of the digital printing method in the above embodiments.

[0117] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions / programs. When the computer instructions / programs are executed on a processor of an electronic device, the processor of the electronic device executes the technical solution of the data processing method or the technical solution of the digital printing method of the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0118] In some possible implementations, various aspects of the method provided in the present application may also be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes program code. When the program product runs on a processor of an electronic device, the program code is used to enable the processor of the electronic device to execute the steps of the method according to various exemplary embodiments of the present application described above in this specification. For example, the electronic device may execute the data processing method or digital printing method described in the embodiments of the present application.

[0119] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program / instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. At least one processor can read the computer program / instructions from the computer-readable storage medium. When at least one processor executes the computer program / instructions, the technical solution of the data processing method or the technical solution of the digital printing method in the above-mentioned embodiment can be implemented.

[0120] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor or other programmable information processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable information processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0121] It should be noted that, in addition to the implementation methods of the present application described in the above-mentioned specific embodiments, those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present application from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present application is introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to the embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the implementation method is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present application. In order to provide an in-depth understanding of the present application, the above description contains many specific details, and the present application may also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present application, some specific details will be omitted in the description. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0122] It should be noted that in this specification, similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in the subsequent drawings.

[0123] Although the present application has been illustrated and described by referring to certain embodiments of the present application, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above contents are further detailed descriptions of the present application in combination with specific embodiments, and it cannot be determined that the specific implementation of the present application is limited to these descriptions. Those skilled in the art may make various changes in form and details, including making several simple deductions or substitutions, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A data processing method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Determining source data to be printed, the source data comprising a plurality of groups of variable data, and different groups of the variable data have different change attributes; extracting each group of the variable data from the source data; Performing data type conversion processing on each group of the variable data respectively to obtain target variable data corresponding to each group of the variable data, and making different target variable data correspond to different identification information; Identify the target variable data based on the identification information, perform matching processing on the target variable data corresponding to different groups of the variable data, and perform fusion processing on the target variable data that meets the matching conditions to obtain a plurality of fused data; The fused data is segmented to obtain a plurality of target printing data for printing.

2. The data processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The change attributes include data content and data change type, and the data content and the data change type of different groups of the variable data are different.

3. The data processing method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The multiple groups of variable data include a first group of variable data and a second group of variable data. The data change type of the first group of variable data is a limited cycle period change type, and the data change type of the second group of variable data is an infinite cycle period change type.

4. The data processing method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first set of variable data includes a plurality of first data, each of which is different data for merging with printing background data; the second set of variable data includes a plurality of second data, each of which is different printing background data.

5. The data processing method according to claim 4, characterized in that: Performing data type conversion processing on each group of the variable data to obtain target variable data corresponding to each group of the variable data includes: The first set of variable data and the second set of variable data are synchronously converted into data types respectively until the data type conversion of the first set of variable data and the second set of variable data is completed, and the obtained corresponding target variable data is stored in the target cache pool.

6. The data processing method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The target variable data is identified based on the identification information, and matching processing is performed on the target variable data corresponding to different groups of the variable data, and fusion processing is performed on the target variable data that meets the matching conditions to obtain multiple fusion data, including: When it is detected that there is stored data in the target cache pool, the target variable data corresponding to the first group of variable data and the target variable data corresponding to the second group of variable data are matched one by one based on the identification information of the stored data, and the target variable data that meets the matching conditions are fused to obtain multiple fused data.

7. The data processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Making different target variable data correspond to different identification information, including: adding different annotations to each of the target variable data so that different target variable data correspond to different identification information; or Each of the target variable data is stored in a different storage location, so that different target variable data corresponds to different identification information.

8. The data processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The fused data is segmented to obtain a plurality of target printing data, including: According to the number of printing modules included in the printing device, the fused data is segmented and processed to obtain a plurality of target printing data, the data size of the target printing data is the same as the data size of the printing module, and each target printing data has corresponding identification information for indicating the printing module corresponding to different target printing data.

9. A digital printing method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Printing processing is performed according to target printing data, wherein the target printing data is obtained by the data processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A digital printing system, characterized in that: It includes data processing equipment, network communication equipment and printing equipment, and the printing equipment includes multiple printing modules, wherein: The data processing device is used to obtain a plurality of target printing data, and send the plurality of target printing data to the corresponding printing module through the network communication device, wherein the plurality of target printing data is obtained by the data processing device according to the data processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 8; The printing module is used to perform printing processing according to the received target printing data.

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