Information processing device and program, information processing method

Abstract

This system provides a margin removal function that determines whether or not margins should be removed before performing the margin removal. [Solution] The information processing device arranges the pages of a print job to be printed by the image output device. For the page of interest included in the data to be processed, a determination is made as to whether or not to remove the margins based on the types of objects contained in that page. Furthermore, if it is determined that the page of interest should be removed, the drawing area obtained by removing the margins from the object area of ​​the page of interest is set as a new page.

Description

Technical Field

[0004] , , , , , , , , ,

[0005] , , , ,<​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Patent Document 1 uniformly identified margins in image data and deleted those identified margins. Therefore, the invention in Patent Document 1 had the problem of inverting and deleting necessary blank spaces within the drawing data, even if they were considered margins.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a technique for saving paper by removing unnecessary margins from printed materials while leaving necessary margins. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, according to one aspect of the present invention, an information processing device for arranging pages of a print job to be printed by an image output device, A determination means for determining whether or not to remove margins from a page of interest included in the data to be processed, based on the type of object included in that page of interest, The system includes a setting means that, if it is determined that the margins should be removed, sets the drawing area obtained by removing the margins from the object area of ​​the page of interest as a new page. An information processing device characterized by the above is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to save paper by removing unnecessary margins from printed materials, while also retaining necessary margins. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] An example of the hardware configuration of PC100 and image output device 101 [Figure 2] An example of the display screen of an application that performs printing. [Figure 3] An example of print settings information included in a print job. [Figure 4] An example of a workflow where a printing application creates a print job that saves paper by removing margins. [Figure 5]This diagram shows an example of saving paper by removing margins. [Figure 6] An example of a diagram schematically showing the colored rectangular region S2006. [Figure 7] An example of a hardware configuration including a generative AI system. [Figure 8] An example of using generation AI to classify image data. [Figure 9] An example showing the result of determining a colored rectangular area, taking into account the type of drawing command. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any way. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, identical or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0011] <Embodiment 1> ● System Configuration First, the system configuration according to this embodiment will be described. The system according to this embodiment consists of a PC 100 on which the printing application shown in Figure 1 is installed, and one or more image output devices 101. These are connected via a network 102 such as USB or other bus communication or network communication. The printing application program is sometimes referred to as job submission software or printing application.

[0012] Figure 1 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a personal computer (PC) 100 and an image output device 101 that constitute an image output system. The PC 100 is sometimes called an information processing device, and the image output device 101 is sometimes called an image forming device, printer, or printer device.

[0013] First, the image output device 101 will be described. The image output device 101 is controlled by the CPU 130. The CPU 130 is sometimes called the processing unit or control unit. The CPU 130 operates based on programs stored in the program ROM of ROM 131, or programs stored in the external memory 138. These programs include printing applications. The CPU 130 outputs an image signal as output information to the printing unit 137, which is connected to the printing unit interface (I / F) 135 via the system bus 133. The CPU 130 is capable of communication processing with the PC 100 via the input unit 134 and can notify the group of PCs of information within the image output device 101. The CPU 130 can also receive output data to be output to the printing unit 137 via the input unit 134. The input unit 134 may be a communication I / F (i.e., a communication unit) such as a LAN, and is connected to the communication network 102 to which the PC 100 is also connected. The input unit 134 may also output signals to communication partners such as the PC 100. RAM 132 is a memory that functions as the main memory and work area of ​​the CPU 130, and its memory capacity can be expanded by optional RAM connected to an expansion port (not shown). RAM 132 is used for output information expansion area, environment data storage area, non-volatile memory, etc. External memory 138 such as hard disk (HDD) and IC card is accessed by the memory controller 136. External memory 138 can be connected as an option and stores font data, emulation programs, form data, information about paper registered in the image output device, and the aforementioned paper attribute information. The operation unit 139 is equipped with an operation panel that can display various information such as the user interface screen shown in Figure 2 and accepts user input.

[0014] Next, PC100 will be described. The interior of the computer 117 has a CPU 110, a ROM 111, a RAM 112, a keyboard controller 114, a display controller 115, a disk controller 116, and a communication I / F 121. The CPU 110 may read a control program or the like from the ROM 111. The CPU 110 may be a dedicated circuit such as an ASIC. The CPU 110 and the dedicated circuit are examples of a hardware circuit or a hardware processor. Similar to the CPU 100, the CPU 110 may also be called a processing unit or a control unit. The disk controller 116 controls access to an external memory 120 such as an HD, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a USB. The RAM 112 is configured to be able to expand its capacity by an optional RAM or the like (not shown), and is mainly a memory used as a work area for the CPU 110. The keyboard controller 114 controls key inputs from a keyboard 118 or a pointing device (not shown). The display controller 115 controls the display of the display 119. The communication I / F 121 controls communication with an external device that can communicate by connecting to the communication network 102. In the embodiment of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the CPU 110 controls each part connected to the main bus 113 via the main bus 113.

[0015] FIG. 2 shows an example of a display screen displayed when a printing application installed in the PC 100 is executed. On the main screen 200 of the printing application, in the file display section 201, the name of the output data file to be printed (referred to as the print target file) and the page configuration are displayed. The print target file may be selected as a parameter when the printing application is executed, or may be selected by the user specifying the file name in the file display section 201. The selection of the print target file may, for example, display the file names of the files stored in a predetermined folder as candidates in a pop-up or the like, and the selection can be made therefrom. The preview display unit 202 displays the content of each page that shows the print preview for each page of the selected print target file displayed in the file display unit 201, and refers to this content as an image or an original document, and refers to the data as image data or original document data. A page included in the original document data is called an original document page, and the corresponding data is called original document page data. Also, in the image output device designation unit 203, the image output device to which the print job is to be sent can be selected, and the name of the selected image output device is displayed. In the print settings unit 204, each item of print settings can be selected, for example, from a list of options, and the selected various print setting items are displayed. The print settings designation unit 204 includes an output size designation unit 207 for setting the output size, a rotation designation unit 208 for designating the rotation of the original document, a margin deletion designation unit 209 for designating the deletion of unnecessary margins of the printed matter, and the like. Examples of the setting values set for each setting item are as shown in FIG. 3 described later. When the user operates and changes the print settings unit 204, the preview display unit 202 displays a preview in which the changed print settings are applied to the print target file. One page or a plurality of pages are simultaneously displayed on the preview display unit 202, and for the preview of pages that cannot be fully displayed, they can be displayed using page forward buttons or page back buttons (not shown). Thus, the user can confirm as a preview the output on the paper surface of the image output device 203 according to the print settings, and printing failures can be suppressed.

[0016] The print button 205 is a button for instructing the start of printing. In response to the pressing of the print button 205, the CPU 110 creates a print job including print setting information from the print target file according to the print settings specified in the print settings unit 204, and transmits the created print job to the image output device indicated by the image output device 203. Note that the pressing of the button corresponds to, for example, a click operation or a tap operation on the button displayed on the display panel. The print settings 204 displayed in the user interface of FIG. 2 are temporarily saved and referred to in the procedure of FIG. 4 and the like. Also, in response to the pressing of the print button 205, those print settings are saved as the print setting information illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0017] Figure 3 shows an example of print setting information 300 included in a print job created by the CPU 110, which is executed by the CPU 110 when the user presses the print button 205. Although Figure 3 shows print setting information for multiple jobs, the print setting information created in response to a single print command may be for only one job, and this may be additionally recorded in the print setting information 300. The print setting information 300 includes the ID 301, which is the identification information of the print job, the printer name 302, which indicates the output device to which the image will be output, the paper feed slot 303, the paper width 304 set for the paper feed slot 303, the output size 305, the rotation setting 306, the margin removal setting 307, etc. In addition to the print setting information shown in Figure 3, other print setting information may be added to the print setting information 300, and some of the print settings shown here may be omitted. When a file to be printed is selected and a print command is issued, the print setting information 300 shown in Figure 3 is created, so although not shown, the name of the file to be printed and the identification information of the print job may be linked.

[0018] In Figure 3, the printer name 302 records and retains the value set in the image output device specification unit 203 included in the main screen 200 of Figure 2. The paper feed slot 303 and paper width 304 may be set in an unshown input field included in the print settings unit 204 of the main screen 200 of Figure 2. The output size setting 305, rotation setting 306, and margin removal setting 307 each record and retain the values ​​set in the output size specification unit 207, rotation specification unit 208, and margin removal specification unit 209 shown in the print settings unit 204. The rotation setting 306 can be set to, for example, "Automatic," which allows the printing application to rotate the image as appropriate, or to a specified rotation angle. The allowed rotation angle may be only 0 degrees or 90 degrees, or it may be a multiple of 90 degrees. The margin removal setting 307 can be set to either "On," which performs margin removal processing, or "Off," which does not perform margin removal processing.

[0019] In this way, the print settings information 300 contains settings such as paper width, output size, image rotation, and margin removal for each print job.

[0020] ● Margin removal and rotation processing by the printing application Figure 4 is an example of a flow showing part of the process performed by the printing application, particularly part of the process in which the CPU 110 executes the printing application and creates a paper-saving print job in ROM 111 or RAM 112 by removing margins. This procedure specifically reduces the size of the original page by removing the margins. This flow starts when the user presses the print button 205, causing the CPU 110 to start creating the print job, or when the CPU 110 redraws the preview display unit 202. The timing of redrawing the preview display unit 202 includes when any of the print settings 204 that affect the preview are changed. The procedure in Figure 4 is realized when the CPU 110 loads a program, such as a printing application, from external memory 120 to RAM 112 and executes it.

[0021] First, in S400, CPU110 determines whether the margin removal setting 303 is enabled for the file to be printed, that is, whether the margin removal setting is enabled or not. If it is determined that the margin removal setting is enabled, it proceeds to S401; otherwise, it terminates the process.

[0022] In this flowchart, steps S401 to S407 are performed on a file-by-file or page-by-page basis. In this example, a print job is associated with a single print data file by its identification number, and it is assumed that the print data file contains one or more pages. Note that one page of data may be in one file, and one or more files may constitute one job. The process in Figure 4 is repeated by the CPU 110 for the print data file selected by the file display unit 201 until the selected pages within that file have been processed. When a file to be printed is selected and execution is instructed, the print settings 204 in Figure 2, such as output size settings 207, rotation settings 208, and margin removal settings 209, are referenced.

[0023] In S401, CPU110 checks if there are any unprocessed pages in the file to be printed. If there are, it focuses on those pages; otherwise, it terminates the process.

[0024] In S402, CPU110 determines whether the file or page of interest is suitable for margin removal. The margins to be removed are the blank areas around the drawing area where text or image graphics are drawn. For example, if S402 determines that the page (file) of interest is a drawing file (drawing data), it can be determined that blank spaces are not necessary in a drawing, and therefore it can be determined that the margins should be removed. On the other hand, if the page of interest is an image data file, since the printed object is often a photograph or graphic art, it is not necessarily appropriate to remove the margins even if they exist. Therefore, image data files can be determined to be exempt from margin removal. This is because photographs and graphic art designs are sometimes composed of margins as well.

[0025] A drawing file can be determined based on whether it is a file format commonly used for drawing output. For example, it can be determined that the page in question is a drawing file based on whether it is a PDF file, HPGL / 2 file, or any other format used as a save file for drawing output applications. Alternatively, if the setting for margin removal 307 is "automatic," the determination can be made by performing the determination, and if margin removal 307 is on, the margins can always be removed. On the other hand, image data can be determined based on whether it is a file format used for saving image data such as JPEG or TIFF, or for saving output data from other graphic design applications. In both cases, the format can be identified by the file name (especially the extension), so the determination in S401 can be made based on the file name of the file in question. Furthermore, it is also possible to determine whether the file in question is a drawing file or an image file, and if it is neither, it is determined to be the other type of file. In addition, other criteria besides those mentioned above may be used as the criteria for determination in S402. If the result of the determination in S402 is Yes, that is, if it is subject to margin removal, proceed to S403; if it is No, the margin removal process is not performed, and proceed to S406.

[0026] Note that S402 assumes that each page printed in a print job is a separate file, but in the case of PDFs, multiple pages may be included in a single file. In such file structures, S402 may determine the type of file containing the page of interest. For example, in Figure 2, the file to be printed is a PDF file called Drawing1.pdf, which contains pages 1 through 10. In such a case, S402 may determine whether each page in the file to be printed is subject to margin removal based on the file name of the file to be printed.

[0027] In S403, the CPU 110 identifies the margins in at least one direction (top, bottom, left, or right) from the manuscript data of the page of interest, and calculates and obtains the colored rectangular area within the page, which is the smallest rectangular area remaining after removing those margins. As explained in detail in Figure 6, the colored rectangular area is the smallest bounding rectangle that encloses all drawing objects present on the page in question.

[0028] In S404, CPU110 sets the acquired colored rectangular area as the drawing area (or print area) on that page.

[0029] In S405, the CPU 110 places the drawing area set in S404 as a new page on the output sheet. In the example in Figure 5, the position where the drawing area is placed is such that it does not overlap with the print margin where the image is not formed by the image forming apparatus 101. However, depending on the settings of the output sheet, for example, the drawing area may be placed without including the print margin, based on the intersection of the top edge in the transport direction of the output sheet and the left edge of the left side of the top edge (called the paper origin). In Figure 5, the layout 501 after margin removal schematically shows the result of processing from S402 to S405 on one page of the original data, which is original page 500. It can be seen that the margins have been removed and the area of ​​paper used has been saved.

[0030] In S406, the CPU 110 determines whether rotating the drawing area reduces the amount of paper used. When printing on roll paper, the paper is cut to match the printed size, so the shorter the length in the transport direction, the less paper is consumed. Therefore, the determination is made by comparing the amount of paper used (sheet area) when the drawing area is not rotated and when it is rotated 90 degrees. Here, an example of paper area is given, but other methods such as comparing the margin area outside the drawing area are also conceivable. Alternatively, the length of the page of interest can be compared vertically (in the transport direction) and horizontally (in the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction), and if the vertical length is longer and the page fits within the output width after rotation, it can be determined that paper can be saved by rotating the page of interest 90 degrees. In this embodiment, the rotation determination is performed as an example when "Automatic" is selected in the rotation setting 307 in Figure 3, but it is not necessary to perform the rotation determination itself. This applies when the rotation direction is explicitly specified in the rotation setting 306 in Figure 3, that is, from 0 degrees to 270 degrees. If it is determined that no paper is saved by rotating the document, i.e., if not rotating the document results in less paper usage, the process returns to S401. In S401, if there are any unprocessed files or pages to be processed, the process is repeated from S402. On the other hand, if it is determined that paper is saved by rotating the document 90 degrees, i.e., if rotating the document 90 degrees results in less paper usage, the process proceeds to S407.

[0031] In S407, CPU 110 rotates the drawing area, which is the original page with margins removed, by 90 degrees and places it. After S407, the process returns to S401. Figure 5 shows layout 502, which is the layout rotated after margin removal, schematically illustrating the processes of S406 and S407. The rotated drawing area is also positioned so that print margins are provided around it. The direction of rotation may be determined according to post-processing methods such as binding and packaging, or according to other criteria. Furthermore, the rotated original data is positioned so that the origin of the new original data coincides with the origin of the print area.

[0032] If, in S401, the page of interest is not determined to be subject to margin removal, the process branches to S406. If rotating the original page would save paper, the original page is rotated in S407.

[0033] As described above, in the procedure shown in Figure 4, if margin removal is enabled, it is determined whether the page of interest is a page that will be subject to margin removal. For pages that are subject to margin removal, the drawing area (colored rectangular area) remaining after removing the margins from the page of interest is reconstructed as a new page. This allows for saving paper, especially when placing pages on roll paper, by eliminating the margins. Furthermore, it prevents the removal of margins that are actually part of the image by blindly deleting them.

[0034] In this way, the print settings for the page of interest are configured according to the procedure shown in Figure 4, and once the page layout is determined according to those print settings, a preview image corresponding to those settings is displayed in the preview unit 202. Information such as the margins removed and rotated original pages and their layout is also saved and, along with the print setting information 300 shown in Figure 3, is sent to the image forming apparatus 101 as part of the print job in response to a print command.

[0035] In the procedure shown in Figure 4, a preview of the page of interest, which is the result of the processing, may be displayed for each page of interest. If the user gives an instruction, for example, to proceed to the next page, the processing for the next page may then be initiated.

[0036] ●Colored rectangular area Figure 6 illustrates the details of the colored rectangular area in S403. The colored rectangular area 602 indicates the rectangular area in the original page data 600 where a drawing object 601 exists. The drawing object 601 can be text, graphics, image data, etc. The colored rectangular area 602 is defined as the area enclosed by scanning from the edge of each side of the original page data 600, at least one side, and finding the area where the object to be drawn (the part that is not white or blank) first appears. If the original page data is, for example, a dot image, then it may be scanned line by line. Alternatively, if the original page data is data that defines the position of an object, then the point closest to each side may be determined from the position and spread of the object. The area outside the colored rectangular area can be considered a margin area because there is no object to be drawn there, and paper can be saved by removing this margin area. This method is formed using a technique similar to that shown in Figure 6 of Patent Document 1, which illustrates an example of the starting position for image formation by a conventional image forming apparatus, but other methods may be used.

[0037] In this way, a preview is displayed showing the layout of the original data for each page of the file to be printed, and corresponding print data is created. A print job is then generated to execute this print data on the image output device. This print job is sent from the PC 100 to the image output device 101, executed, and printed materials are output by the image output device 101 according to the created print data.

[0038] As explained above, in this embodiment, when margin removal is enabled, each original page to be printed is examined, and it is determined from the file type (specifically the file extension) whether it is subject to margin removal. If it is subject to margin removal, the original page with the margins removed is positioned so that the origin of the original page becomes the image formation start position. In this series of processes, S400-S402 is a determination process that determines whether or not the page of interest included in the data to be processed is subject to margin removal. S403-S405 can be described as a positioning process that positions the drawing area of ​​the page of interest, with the margins removed, relative to the first reference position, for the page of interest that has been determined to be subject to margin removal.

[0039] This process ensures that even if margin removal is enabled, unnecessary margins are not removed. Furthermore, for margins that should not be removed, waste on the printed material is reduced, improving utilization efficiency. Additionally, the system determines whether rotating each page by 90 degrees would improve print efficiency; if so, the page is rotated and positioned accordingly. These measures further reduce waste on the printed material and improve utilization efficiency.

[0040] In the embodiments described above, a margin removal function is provided that resolves the problem of not removing margins from data that should not have margins removed. The result of margin removal is displayed in the preview display unit 202. Therefore, the user can check the preview display unit 202 and, if they think it is better not to remove the margins, change the margin removal setting 209 to off and check the result in the preview display unit 202. This ensures that the output result will be as intended before printing is performed.

[0041] <Embodiment 2> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in Embodiment 1, artificial intelligence called a generation AI is used to determine whether the contents of the manuscript page data correspond to image data by determining whether the margins to be removed in S2002.

[0042] Figure 7 shows the system configuration of Embodiment 1 described in Figure 1 and its relationship to the generation AI system. The PC 100 and the image output device 101 are connected to the Internet 700 via the network 102. The generation AI server 701 and the generation AI plugin server 702 are servers managed by the provider of the generation AI service and are connected to the Internet 700. In this embodiment, a configuration using the generation AI plugin server 702 is shown, but configurations without it are also possible.

[0043] Figure 8 shows an example of determining whether margins should be removed using the generation AI in S402. Prompt 801 is an example of a natural language instruction given by the CPU 110 to the generation AI server 701 via the generation AI plug-in server 702. This instruction instructs the CPU 10 to determine whether the input images 802 or 803 that it will subsequently send to the generation AI server 701 are image data that will not be subject to margin removal. In response to this instruction, the generation AI server 701 responds to the CPU 110 based on its trained model whether or not the images are image data. In S402, the CPU 110 determines that the images will be subject to margin removal if the response includes a result indicating that the images are not image data. For example, in the case of image data that includes a spreadsheet and a graph, such as input image 802, it is determined that the images are not image data and therefore subject to margin removal. In that case, the process proceeds to S403.

[0044] Conversely, if the data is not subject to margin removal, the process proceeds to S406. For example, in the case of art image data like input image 803, CPU 110 receives a determination that it is image data and determines that it is not subject to margin removal.

[0045] While the above example uses a pre-trained generative AI, it is also possible to create a new pre-trained model and use it to determine whether or not the page being processed should be subject to margin removal. An example using a neural network for this purpose will be explained below.

[0046] (An overview of neural networks) One way to implement AI is through machine learning using neural networks. A neural network consists of, for example, an input layer, one or more hidden layers, and an output layer. In a typical configuration, each layer has multiple nodes, and each node is connected to one or more other nodes. Each node has a threshold and weights as parameters, and when the output of a node in a certain layer exceeds the threshold, the weighted data is sent to the node in the next layer. This data propagation occurs from the input layer where the data is input, through the hidden layers, and then to the output layer to obtain the output. In a neural network, parameters such as the threshold and weights of the signals output from the nodes are adjusted through learning, and the configuration and weights of each layer are obtained as a trained model. Once a trained model is created, the processing result can be obtained from the output layer by inputting data into its input layer as described above.

[0047] When applying the determination of whether or not a page can be subject to margin removal in this example to such a neural network, one can use, for example, page data that will be printed and data indicating whether or not each page data is subject to margin removal as training data. By training a learning model using such training data, it is possible to create a trained model that outputs whether or not a page is subject to margin removal when given page data as input. Then, this trained model can be used to determine whether or not each page is subject to margin removal. In the example using generative AI, an existing trained model called generative AI was used to determine whether the data contained in the page was either a photograph or graphic art, and if it was either, it was not subject to margin removal. In contrast, when using the trained model created in the manner described above, it is possible to perform a more detailed determination, not limited to the determination of whether it is a photograph, graphic art, or something else.

[0048] In the embodiments described above, an image processing device can be provided that determines with high accuracy whether or not to perform margin removal by having the generation AI server 601 determine the contents of the drawing object.

[0049] <Embodiment 3> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in Embodiment 1, a determination of whether or not to remove margins was made in S402, and if so, in S403, a process was performed to calculate a colored drawing rectangle for all drawing objects on the page that were subject to margin removal. However, there may be cases where some of the drawing objects on the page are image data and should be excluded from drawing.

[0050] Figure 9 schematically shows how, in S403, the determination of the drawing rectangle area is switched depending on the type of drawing command when acquiring a colored drawing rectangle. In the colored rectangle area 602 in Figure 6, the outermost area of ​​the colored coordinates on the top, bottom, left, and right was determined to be the colored rectangle area, but in this embodiment, the processing is changed according to the type of drawing command.

[0051] As shown in Figure 9(a) with its objects on page 900 and their respective command areas, text drawing command 901 (text object) and graphic drawing command 903 (graphic object) are not image data. Therefore, the CPU 110, similar to Embodiment 1, determines that the colored areas (when the drawing color is not white or a newline) included in those object areas are the drawing areas of that object. Here, the object area is the area drawn by the drawing command of that object, and includes the blank space (margin) drawn around the periphery. The object area is also called the command area. For example, the object area of ​​a text drawing command may include the blank area around the text that is drawn along with the text. This applies not only to text drawing commands but also to other commands such as graphic drawing commands. In Figure 9, for example, the text drawing command 901 corresponding to the text object is the Exttextout command, and the graphic drawing command 903 corresponding to the graphic object is the Strokepath command.

[0052] More specifically, the object areas of the text drawing command 901 and the graphic drawing command 903 are such that the dotted line area on their outer perimeter is the outer rectangle of the command, and this area also includes the margins around the drawing object. Of these, the area 901' (see Figure 9(c)) excluding the margins becomes the outline of the drawing area to which the drawing color is assigned. The drawing area may be a rectangle composed of sides parallel to the edges of the page in which it is contained. Therefore, for example, even if a text drawing command draws text that is inclined relative to the edges of the page, the drawing area may be a rectangular area that is circumscribing the text itself and composed of sides parallel to the edges of the page.

[0053] On the other hand, for the image drawing command 902, the CPU 110 determines that the entire area within the dotted line region on the outer edge is the drawing area, and does not perform any color determination within the area. In Figure 9, for example, the image drawing command 902 is the StretchBlt command.

[0054] An example of a drawing area applied to the entire page is shown in Figure 9(b). The CPU 110 obtains the maximum and minimum values ​​of the colored vertical and horizontal coordinates of each command drawing area as a colored rectangular area within the page. In a specific example in Figure 9(b), the vertical and horizontal coordinates of the starting point and the vertical and horizontal coordinates of the ending point of each drawing area 901', 902, and 903' within the command area are calculated. The rectangular area of ​​the drawing area 904 after margin removal is the rectangle formed by the minimum values ​​of the vertical and horizontal coordinates of the starting point of each command drawing area and the maximum values ​​of the vertical and horizontal coordinates of the ending point, which in Figure 9 would be the top-left and bottom-right corners. In other words, the smallest rectangular area that includes all the drawing areas within the command area on the page, composed of edges parallel to the edges of the original page, is the drawing area after margin removal.

[0055] Applying the above process to Figure 4, in S402 the CPU 110 determines whether the page of interest contains objects other than the image objects to be removed. If it determines that such objects are present, it proceeds to S403. In S403, the CPU 110 identifies a colored rectangular area obtained by removing the margins from the objects to be removed from the page of interest, and identifies the smallest rectangular area that includes all the object areas contained in the page of interest. In S404, the CPU 110 sets the objects within the identified rectangular area as the drawing area. In S405, the CPU 110 sets that drawing area as the new page after the margins have been removed.

[0056] The types of drawing commands can include page description languages ​​such as PDF, PS, HPGL / 2, and Windows GDI / DDI commands, but other command systems are also acceptable. For example, with Windows GDI commands, examples of text drawing commands include ExtTextOut, examples of graphic drawing commands include StrokePath and FillPath, and examples of image drawing commands include StretchBlt and StretchDIBits, but other commands may also be included, or only some may be used.

[0057] In the embodiments described above, by determining whether or not margins should be removed according to the drawing command, even if image data is included in part of the page, the image data can be excluded from the margin removal, thereby providing an image processing device that suppresses inappropriate margin removal.

[0058] [Other examples] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0059] ●Summary of Embodiments The above embodiments can be summarized as follows: (Item 1) An information processing device for arranging pages for a print job to be printed by an image output device, A determination means for determining whether or not to remove margins from a page of interest included in the data to be processed, based on the type of object included in that page of interest, If it is determined that the margins are to be removed, the device has a placement means that places the drawing area obtained by removing the margins from the object area of ​​the page of interest as a new page. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 2) The information processing device described in item 1, The determination means determines that if the type of the object is not an image, the object area of ​​the object should be subject to margin removal. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 3) The information processing device described in item 2, The determination means identifies the type of object based on the name of the data file containing the page of interest. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 4) The information processing device described in item 2, The determination means determines that the type of object is an image if the object area contains an image drawing command. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 5) The information processing device described in item 2, The determination means determines that the type of object is not an image if the object area contains a text drawing command or a graphics drawing command. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 6) The information processing device described in item 2, The determination means determines, for each object area included in the page of interest, whether or not it is subject to margin removal based on the type of object, The setting means sets the drawing area obtained by removing the margins from the object area determined to be subject to margin removal as a new object area, and sets the rectangular area that circumscribes all object areas within the page of interest as a new page. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 7) An information processing device described in any one of items 1 to 6, If rotating the drawing area of ​​the page arranged by the aforementioned arrangement means by 90 degrees would reduce the area of ​​the sheet, the system further includes a rotation means for rotating the drawing area of ​​the page of interest by 90 degrees and arranging it. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 8) An information processing device described in any one of items 1 to 7, The determination means determines whether or not the data to be processed has the setting to remove margins, and if it does, determines whether or not to remove margins based on the type of object included in the page of interest. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 9) An information processing device described in any one of items 1 to 8, The system further includes a display means for displaying the page of interest arranged by the arrangement means. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 10) An information processing device described in any one of items 1 to 9, The system further includes a transmission means that generates a print job, including the placement of the page of interest by the placement means, in response to user instructions, and transmits it to an image forming apparatus. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 11) A program for causing a computer to function as an information processing device as described in any one of items 1 through 10.

[0060] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 100 Personal computers, 101 Image output devices, 110 CPUs, 112 RAM

Claims

1. An information processing device for arranging pages for a print job to be printed by an image output device, A determination means for determining whether or not to remove margins from a page of interest included in the data to be processed, based on the type of object included in that page of interest, If it is determined that the margins are to be removed, the system includes a placement means that places the drawing area obtained by removing the margins from the object area of ​​the page of interest as a new page on the output sheet. An information processing device characterized by the following:

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The determination means determines that if the type of object is not an image, the object area should be subject to margin removal. An information processing device characterized by the following:

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, The determination means identifies the type of object based on the name of the data file containing the page of interest. An information processing device characterized by the following:

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, The determination means identifies that the type of object is an image when the object area contains an image drawing command. An information processing device characterized by the following:

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, The determination means determines that the type of object is not an image if the object area contains a text drawing command or a graphics drawing command. An information processing device characterized by the following:

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, The determination means determines, for each object area included in the page of interest, whether or not it is subject to margin removal based on the type of object, The arrangement means sets the drawing area obtained by removing the margins from the object area determined to be subject to margin removal as a new object area, and arranges a rectangular area that circumsects all object areas on the page of interest as a new page. An information processing device characterized by the following:

7. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, If rotating the drawing area of ​​the page arranged by the arrangement means by 90 degrees would reduce the area of ​​the sheet, the system further includes a rotation means for rotating the drawing area of ​​the page of interest by 90 degrees and arranging it. An information processing device characterized by the following:

8. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The determination means determines whether or not the data to be processed has the setting to remove margins, and if it does, determines whether or not to remove margins based on the type of object included in the page of interest. An information processing device characterized by the following:

9. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The system further includes a display means for displaying the page of interest arranged by the arrangement means. An information processing device characterized by the following:

10. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The system further includes a transmission means that generates a print job, including the placement of the page of interest by the placement means, in response to user instructions, and transmits it to an image forming apparatus. An information processing device characterized by the following:

11. A program for causing a computer to function as an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. An information processing method for arranging pages for a print job to be printed by an image output device, using an information processing device having determination means and setting means, The determination means includes a determination step of determining whether or not to remove margins from a page of interest included in the data to be processed, based on the type of object included in that page of interest. The setting means includes a setting step of setting the drawing area obtained by removing the margins from the object area of ​​the page of interest as a new page if it is determined that the setting means is subject to margin removal. An information processing method characterized by the following:

Images