Information processing device, image forming device, printing system and program

Abstract

To prevent outflow of data with the high confidentiality included in printing data while increasing the printing productivity in comparison to a case where rasterization processing is performed only in an on-premise environment.SOLUTION: An information processing device 40 includes a processor. The processor recognizes a level of confidentiality for acquired printing data based on a predetermined condition, requests rasterization processing to a first device being the device installed in an internal environment (on-premise environment) where the own device is installed or the device installed in an environment (security approval environment) requiring authentication processing for an access for printing data (character data) recognized that the level of confidentiality is high, and requests rasterization processing to a second device 30 being another device different from the first device for printing data (form data) recognized that the level of confidentiality is not high.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus, a printing system, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which an information processing system in an ordering system includes a customer database that stores multiple customer records including confidential information, performs a filtering process to remove at least the confidential information from the customer records, stores the customer records in an analysis database, receives designation information for specifying multiple customer records included in the customer records, and identifies the customer record to be ordered from the customer records including the confidential information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-139538 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, if an image forming apparatus is configured to print an image rasterized by another information processing apparatus, printing productivity can be improved compared to when the image forming apparatus rasterizes the print data. However, if the print data is highly confidential, it may be difficult to ensure the confidentiality of the print data depending on the environment in which the other information processing apparatus that performs the rasterization is installed. An object of the present invention is to prevent the leakage of highly confidential data contained in print data while increasing printing productivity compared to when rasterization processing is performed only within an on-premise environment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention described in claim 1 includes a processor, wherein the processor recognizes the level of confidentiality of acquired print data based on predetermined conditions, and requests a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform rasterization processing for print data recognized as having a high level of confidentiality, and requests a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform rasterization processing for print data recognized as having a low level of confidentiality. The predetermined condition is that the image obtained by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media, and if the image obtained by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media, the degree of confidentiality is recognized as high, and if the image obtained by the rasterization process is formed on a plurality of recording media, the degree of confidentiality is recognized as not high. The information processing device is characterized by: The invention described in claim 2 is a processor, the processor recognizes the level of confidentiality of the acquired print data based on predetermined conditions, and requests a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform a rasterization process for the print data recognized as having a high level of confidentiality, and requests a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform a rasterization process for the print data recognized as having a low level of confidentiality; The predetermined condition for recognizing the degree of confidentiality R The condition is the print data of devices for holding The information processing device is characterized in that: The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that R The condition is the print data The device that holds the information is installed in an environment that requires authentication processing for access. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein The invention described in claim 4 is a processor that recognizes a level of confidentiality for acquired print data based on predetermined conditions, requests a first device that is installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or an environment requiring authentication processing for access to perform rasterization processing for print data that is recognized as having a high level of confidentiality, and requests a second device that is different from the first device to perform rasterization processing for print data that is recognized as having a low level of confidentiality, and if there is an overlapping portion when a first rasterized image that is an image obtained by the rasterization processing of the first device and a second rasterized image that is an image obtained by the rasterization processing of the second device are combined, the periphery of the overlapping portion in either the first rasterized image or the second rasterized image is converted into an image of the same color as the color of the recording medium. The information processing device is characterized by: The invention described in claim 5 is The apparatus includes a recognition means for recognizing the level of confidentiality of acquired print data based on predetermined conditions, a first request means for requesting a rasterization process from a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the apparatus is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, for print data recognized by the recognition means as having a high level of confidentiality, and a second request means for requesting a rasterization process from a second device, which is a device different from the first device, for print data recognized by the recognition means as having a low level of confidentiality, The predetermined R The condition is that the image obtained by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media, and if the image obtained by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media, the degree of confidentiality is recognized as high, and if the image obtained by the rasterization process is formed on a plurality of recording media, the degree of confidentiality is recognized as not high. Image formation It is a device. The invention described in claim 6 is The apparatus comprises a recognition means for recognizing a level of confidentiality of acquired print data according to a predetermined condition, a first request means for requesting a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the apparatus itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform a rasterization process for print data recognized by the recognition means as having a high level of confidentiality, and a second request means for requesting a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform a rasterization process for print data recognized by the recognition means as having a low level of confidentiality, The predetermined condition for recognizing the degree of confidentiality R The condition is about a device that stores the print data. Image formation It is a device. The invention described in claim 7 is a recognition means for recognizing a level of confidentiality of acquired print data according to a predetermined condition; a first request means for requesting a rasterization process from a first device which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access for print data which the recognition means recognizes as having a high level of confidentiality; and a second request means for requesting a rasterization process from a second device which is a device different from the first device for print data which the recognition means recognizes as having a low level of confidentiality, wherein when a first rasterized image which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the first device is combined with a second rasterized image which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the second device, if there is an overlapping portion when the first rasterized image or the second rasterized image is combined, the periphery of the overlapping portion in either the first rasterized image or the second rasterized image is made into an image of the same color as the color of the recording medium. It is characterized by Image formation It is a device. The invention described in claim 8 is The system comprises a recognition means for recognizing the level of confidentiality of acquired print data according to a predetermined condition, a processing means for performing a rasterization process on print data recognized by the recognition means as having a high level of confidentiality, and a request means for requesting rasterization of print data recognized by the recognition means as having a low level of confidentiality from another device, wherein the predetermined condition is that an image obtained by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media, and when the image obtained by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media, the level of confidentiality is recognized as high, and when the image obtained by the rasterization process is formed on a plurality of recording media, the level of confidentiality is recognized as low. characterized by Image formation It is a device. The invention described in claim 9 includes a recognition unit that recognizes the level of confidentiality of acquired print data based on a predetermined condition, and a method for recognizing print data that is recognized by the recognition unit as having a high level of confidentiality. Rasterization process means, and for print data that is recognized by the recognition means as not having a high level of confidentiality, other Requests rasterization from the device Essential and a means for requesting the same. The predetermined condition for recognizing the degree of confidentiality is a condition for a device that stores the print data. R and forming an image, It is a device. The invention described in claim 10 includes a recognition means for recognizing the level of confidentiality of acquired print data according to a predetermined condition, a processing means for performing a rasterization process on print data recognized by the recognition means as having a high level of confidentiality, and a request means for requesting another device to perform a rasterization process on print data recognized by the recognition means as having a low level of confidentiality. When a first rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the processing means, is combined with a second rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the other device requested by the request means, and there is an overlapping portion when the first rasterized image or the second rasterized image is combined, the periphery of the overlapping portion in either the first rasterized image or the second rasterized image is made into an image of the same color as the color of the recording medium. R and forming an image, It is a device. The invention described in claim 11 recognizes the level of confidentiality of acquired print data according to a predetermined condition, and requests a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform rasterization processing for print data recognized as having a high level of confidentiality, and requests a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform rasterization processing for print data recognized as having a low level of confidentiality. death , The predetermined condition is that the image obtained by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media, and if the image obtained by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media, the degree of confidentiality is recognized as high, and if the image obtained by the rasterization process is formed on a plurality of recording media, the degree of confidentiality is recognized as not high. The printing system is characterized by: The invention described in claim 12 recognizes the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data according to a predetermined condition. And before For the print data recognized to have a high level of confidentiality, a rasterization process is requested to a first device which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device which is installed in an environment requiring authentication process for access. And beforeFor print data that is recognized as not having a high level of confidentiality, a request is made to a second device that is a device different from the first device to perform rasterization processing. The predetermined condition for recognizing the degree of confidentiality is a condition for a device that stores the print data. Ru, It is characterized by It is a printing system. The invention described in claim 13 is a printing system characterized in that the degree of confidentiality of acquired printing data is recognized based on predetermined conditions, and for printing data recognized as having a high degree of confidentiality, a rasterization process is requested from a first device which is a device installed in the internal environment in which the device is installed or a device installed in an environment that requires authentication processing for access, and for printing data recognized as having a low degree of confidentiality, a rasterization process is requested from a second device which is a device different from the first device, and if there is an overlapping portion when a first rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the first device, is combined with a second rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the second device, the periphery of the overlapping portion in either the first rasterized image or the second rasterized image is made into an image of the same color as the color of the recording medium. The invention described in claim 14 is a program that makes an information processing device realize the following functions: a function of recognizing the degree of confidentiality of acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; a function of requesting rasterization processing from a first device, which is a device installed in the internal environment in which the information processing device is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, for print data that is recognized by the recognition function as having a high degree of confidentiality; and a function of requesting rasterization processing from a second device, which is a device different from the first device, for print data that is recognized by the recognition function as having a low degree of confidentiality, wherein the predetermined condition is that the image obtained by the rasterization processing is not formed on multiple recording media, and if the image obtained by the rasterization processing is not formed on multiple recording media, the degree of confidentiality is recognized as high, and if the image obtained by the rasterization processing is formed on multiple recording media, the degree of confidentiality is recognized as not high. The invention described in claim 15 is a program that enables an information processing device to realize the following functions: a function of recognizing the degree of confidentiality of acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; a function of requesting rasterization processing from a first device, which is a device installed in the internal environment in which the information processing device is installed or a device installed in an environment that requires authentication processing for access, for print data that is recognized by the recognition function as having a high level of confidentiality; and a function of requesting rasterization processing from a second device, which is a device different from the first device, for print data that is recognized by the recognition function as having a low level of confidentiality, wherein the predetermined conditions, which are conditions for recognizing the degree of confidentiality, relate to the device that stores the print data. The invention described in claim 16 is a program that makes an information processing device realize the following functions: a function of recognizing the degree of confidentiality of acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; a function of requesting rasterization processing from a first device, which is a device installed in the internal environment in which the information processing device is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, for print data that is recognized by the recognition function as having a high level of confidentiality; and a function of requesting rasterization processing from a second device, which is a device different from the first device, for print data that is recognized by the recognition function as having a low ... if there is an overlapping portion when a first rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization processing of the first device, is combined with a second rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization processing of the second device, the periphery of the overlapping portion in either the first rasterized image or the second rasterized image is made into an image of the same color as the color of the recording medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to claim 1, The fact that an image is not formed on multiple recording media through rasterization processing is not used to determine the level of confidentiality Compared to the case Recognize the degree of confidentiality more reliably It is possible. According to claim 2, the conditions for the part of the print data to be rasterized are set in the print data. A device for holding Compared to conditions other than those specified for quickly The degree of confidentiality can be recognized. According to claim 3, Environments that require authentication for access Compared to not recognizing the degree of confidentiality based on whether or not Recognize the degree of confidentiality more reliably It is possible. According to claim 4, The area around the overlapping area is processed to have the same color as the recording medium. Compared to when there is no Suppresses deterioration of print quality in overlapping areas during compositing It is possible. According to claim 5, the degree of confidentiality can be recognized more reliably than when the fact that an image created by rasterization processing is not formed on a plurality of recording media is not used to recognize the degree of confidentiality. According to claim 6, the degree of confidentiality can be recognized more quickly than when the conditions set for the rasterized portion of the print data are other than the conditions set for the device that stores the print data. According to claim 7, The area around the overlapping area is processed to have the same color as the recording medium. Compared to when there is no Reduces print quality degradation in overlapping areas when compositing It is possible. According to claim 8, The degree of confidentiality is recognized by not forming an image by rasterization processing on multiple recording media. Compared to when there is no Recognize the degree of confidentiality more reliably It is possible. According to claim 9, The conditions defined for the rasterized portion of the print data are different from the conditions defined for the device that stores the print data. Compared to the case Recognize the level of confidentiality more quickly It is possible. According to claim 10, The area around the overlapping area is not processed to have the same color as the recording medium. Compared to the case Suppresses deterioration of print quality in overlapping areas during compositing It is possible. According to claim 11, The fact that an image is not formed on multiple recording media through rasterization processing is not used to determine the level of confidentiality Compared to the case Recognize the degree of confidentiality more reliably It is possible. According to claim 12, The conditions defined for the rasterized portion of the print data are different from the conditions defined for the device that stores the print data. Compared to the case Recognize the level of confidentiality more quickly It is possible. According to claim 13, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of print quality in the overlapping parts when combining, compared to when the process of making the surrounding area of the overlapping parts an image of the same color as the color of the recording medium is not performed. According to claim 14, the degree of confidentiality can be recognized more reliably than when the fact that the image produced by the rasterization process is not formed on multiple recording media is not used to recognize the degree of confidentiality. According to claim 15, the degree of confidentiality can be recognized more quickly than when the conditions set for the rasterized portion of the print data are other than the conditions set for the device that stores the print data. According to claim 16, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of print quality in the overlapping parts when combining, compared to when the process of making the surrounding area of the overlapping parts an image of the same color as the color of the recording medium is not performed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a printing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the printing device. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a process performed when a print instruction is issued by a print job. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a process performed when a print instruction is issued by a print job. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a UI screen for rasterization settings in the second example. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a UI screen for setting secret data in the second example. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating character data in a second example, where (a) shows the character data, and (b) shows a recording medium printed with the character data in (a). [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating character data in a second example. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the composition of rasterized images in a second example. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the composition of rasterized images in a second example. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in the second example. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a modified example in which a rasterized image is stored in a storage device within an on-premise environment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a printing system 100. As shown in FIG. The printing system 100 shown in the figure includes a printing device 10 that prints on paper. The printing device 10 is connected to server devices 20 and 30 so that they can communicate with each other.

[0009] The printing device 10 prints an image on paper, which is an example of a recording medium, based on the acquired print job. The print job here refers to a processing unit of a printing operation instructed by a single print instruction. The printing device 10 is, for example, a so-called production printer used for commercial printing, and has the function of executing high-quality, high-speed printing. The printing device 10 also has the function of executing post-processing on paper sheets on which images have been printed in accordance with print instructions. Examples of post-processing include binding a stack of paper sheets, folding paper sheets, cutting paper sheets, and bookbinding. The printing device 10 is not limited to a production printer, but may also be applied to a general printer (such as a printer for business use or a printer for home use).

[0010] The printing device 10 includes a paper feed unit 11 that feeds paper to be printed, a printing unit 12 that prints on the paper from the paper feed unit 11, multiple output destinations 13 to which printed paper is output, and an operation display unit 14 for the user. The paper feed unit 11 is configured to include a plurality of paper feed trays 11A, 11B, and 11C for feeding paper sheets. Each of the paper feed trays 11A to 11C can feed paper sheets of the same size or different sizes.

[0011] The printing unit 12 may use an electrophotographic method in which toner attached to a charged and exposed photosensitive member is transferred to a recording material to fix and form an image, or it may use an inkjet method in which ink is ejected onto a recording material to form an image. The printing unit 12 is configured to be able to perform double-sided printing, which prints on both sides of a sheet of paper. The printing unit 12 may also be configured to perform rasterization processing.

[0012] In this embodiment, the multiple discharge destinations 13 include a stacker tray 13A, a finisher tray 13B, a finisher discharge tray 13C, and a discharge tray 13D. In response to a print command, the transport path of printed paper is changed by a drive source, so that the paper is switched to one of these trays 13A to 13D (hereinafter sometimes referred to as discharge destination 13 or discharge destinations 13A to 13D), and continuous printing is performed. The paper transport path is formed by transport rolls, guide plates, and the like (not shown). Each of the trays 13A to 13D is provided with a detection unit (not shown) that detects that the discharged recording medium has been removed, and the detection unit enables the printing unit 12 to detect changes in the state of the trays 13A to 13D.

[0013] The stacker tray 13A is equipped with a stacker cart with wheels and a handle for pushing by hand, and by discharging paper directly onto the loading platform of the stacker cart, a large amount of paper, for example 10,000 sheets, can be transported directly on the stacker cart without having to transfer the paper. Finisher tray 13B is equipped with a mechanism for performing a binding process and can bind discharged sheets. Finisher output tray 13C is equipped with a mechanism for performing a binding process and a folding process and can center-fold / saddle-stitch discharged sheets. Output tray 13D is a discharge destination for small print runs.

[0014] The operation display unit 14 includes a display unit that displays various images for operation and various information to notify the user, and an input unit on which various buttons are arranged for input according to the operation images on the display unit. Note that the operation display unit 14 may be configured to have a display screen made of, for example, a touch panel that functions as both a display unit and an input unit.

[0015] In addition to the function of printing an image on paper, the printing device 10 according to the present embodiment also has the function of optically reading an image of a document or the like, and the function of feeding documents one by one into a reading area. The functions listed for the printing device 10 are merely examples, and other functions may be included.

[0016] Each of the server devices 20 and 30 is connected to the printing device 10 via a network, and upon receiving a print instruction via the network, performs an imposition process on the image data included in the print instruction in accordance with the print instruction, and then performs a rasterization process. The rasterized image, which is an image that has been rasterized, is transferred to the printing device 10 and output by printing. When the print instruction is for color printing, the server devices 20 and 30 may perform rasterization after imposition processing and color processing in accordance with the print instruction.

[0017] The network connecting the printing device 10 and the server device 20 is, for example, a local area network (LAN), and the network connecting the printing device 10 and the server device 30 is, for example, the Internet. The server device 20 is located in an on-premise environment where the information system is owned within the company and operated by the company's own facilities. That is, the server device 20 is a device installed in the internal environment where the server device itself is installed, and is an example of a first device. The server device 30 is configured as a shared server that provides so-called cloud services, and is located in a cloud environment operated by facilities owned by an external business operator. That is, the server device 30 is a device different from the server device 20, and is an example of a second device and an example of another device. The server devices 20 and 30 may be physically one computer, or may be realized by distributed processing using a plurality of computers.

[0018] 1, the server device 20 that performs the rasterization process is located in an on-premise environment, although it is external to the printing device 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the printing device 10 may be configured to perform the rasterization process. In such a case, since the rasterization process is performed in the on-premise environment, the printing device 10 is an example of a first device.

[0019] With the growth of internet infrastructure, decentralization of systems in the cloud has become mainstream, and decentralization can increase the productivity of digital printing. However, the digital printing market includes highly confidential data that requires high security, making it difficult to utilize cloud environment services for such data.

[0020] Therefore, in this embodiment, a printing device 10 that performs digital printing is connected to a server device 20 in an on-premise environment and a server device 30 in a cloud environment, and the server devices 20 and 30 are selectively used as servers that perform digital processing while focusing on the confidentiality of the print data. That is, in this embodiment, the rasterization process of print data that is recognized as having a high level of confidentiality is performed by the server device 20 in the on-premise environment, and the rasterization process of print data that is recognized as not having a high level of confidentiality is performed by the server device 30 in the cloud environment.

[0021] Print data refers to data that includes the target of rasterization processing, and may be included in a print job or may be stored in advance in a device. The recognition of whether the level of confidentiality is high or low may be determined in the portion of the print data that is rasterized, or may be determined in the device that stores the print data.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the printing device 10. As shown in the figure, the printing device 10 has a controller 40 including a print job receiving unit 41, a processing request destination determination unit 42, a print data transmitting unit 43, a rasterized image data receiving unit 44, a synthesis unit 45, and a display unit 46. The controller 40 is an example of an information processing device.

[0023] The print job receiving unit 41 of the controller 40 receives a print job sent from a user. The print job receiving unit 41 transmits to the processing request destination determining unit 42 data necessary for the processing request destination determining unit 42 to determine a request destination. Therefore, the print job receiving unit 41 may, for example, transmit the received print job to the processing request destination determination unit 42. Furthermore, if the processing request destination determination unit 42 makes a determination based on the portion of the print data that is to be rasterized, it may transmit only the print data that is to be rasterized of the print job. Furthermore, when the processing request destination determination unit 42 determines the print job based on information about the device that holds the print data, it may transmit information indicating the device that held the print data. If information indicating such a device is included in the print job, the information is transmitted; if not, the information is obtained separately and transmitted.

[0024] The process request destination determination unit 42 of the controller 40 recognizes the degree of confidentiality of the print data based on the data or information from the print job reception unit 41 according to predetermined conditions, and determines the destination to which the rasterization process is to be requested. The degree of confidentiality may be recognized in the rasterized portion of the print data, or in the device that stores the print data. The former is an example of a condition defined for the rasterized portion of the print data, and the latter is an example of a condition for the device that stores the print data. The predetermined condition is an example of a predetermined condition that is a condition for recognizing the level of confidentiality of print data.

[0025] To explain further, the processing request destination determination unit 42 determines the destination of the request to be either the server device 20 in the on-premise environment (see FIG. 1) or the server device 30 in the cloud environment (see FIG. 1) for all or part of the print data to be rasterized. That is, all of the print data to be rasterized may be determined to be either the server device 20 in the on-premise environment or the server device 30 in the cloud environment, or the print data may be divided into a portion to be rasterized by the server device 20 and a portion to be rasterized by the server device 30, and a server may be determined for each portion. The part where rasterization is performed here is an example of a part where print data is rasterized.

[0026] The print data transmitting unit 43 of the controller 40 transmits the print data to the request destination determined by the processing request destination determining unit 42, and requests rasterization processing. That is, the print data transmitting unit 43 transmits the print data to either the server device 20 or the server device 30, or transmits part of the print data to the server device 20 and the rest to the server device 30.

[0027] Here, the printing device 10 (see FIG. 1) is an example of an image forming device. When the printing device 10 is equipped with a controller 40, the processing request destination determination unit 42 is an example of a recognition means, and the print data transmission unit 43 is an example of a first request means that requests rasterization processing from, for example, the server device 20, and is an example of a second request means that requests rasterization processing from, for example, the server device 30. Also, when the printing device 10 is equipped with a controller 40 and the printing unit 12 (see Figure 1) of the printing device 10 performs rasterization processing, the printing unit 12 is an example of a processing means, and the print data transmission unit 43 of the controller 40 is an example of a request means.

[0028] The rasterized image data receiving unit 44 of the controller 40 receives the image data that has been rasterized by the server devices 20 and 30 . When the print data is rasterized by only one of the server devices 20 and 30, the image data received by the rasterized image data receiving unit 44 is printed by the printing unit 12 (see FIG. 1). When the print data is divided and rasterized by the server devices 20 and 30, the combining unit 45 combines the rasterized images.

[0029] When the rasterization process of the print data is distributed among the server devices 20 and 30, for example, the combining unit 45 of the controller 40 combines the image data from the server device 20 and the image data from the server device 30 to create image data corresponding to the print data. Printing by the printing unit 12 is performed using the image data created by the combining unit 45. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a configuration is adopted in which the controller 40 is equipped with the synthesis unit 45, but this is not limited to this, and a configuration may also be adopted in which the printing device 10 is equipped with the synthesis unit 45 instead of the controller 40.

[0030] The display unit 46 of the controller 40 displays various information for the user on a display device such as a display, and receives user operations from an input device such as a keyboard, allowing the user to set conditions for recognizing the level of confidentiality and to confirm the settings. When the printing device 10 includes the controller 40, the display unit 46 may be configured as the operation display unit 14.

[0031] It should be noted that some of the functional units of the controller 40 may be configured to be provided by other devices. For example, the creation of image data corresponding to print data is executed by the synthesis unit 45 of the controller 40, but this is not limiting, and if the processing load can be reduced by executing the process in another device, for example, by omitting the process of sending and receiving a rasterized image, some of the functions of the controller 40 may be performed by another device.

[0032] Here, each function of the controller 40 is realized by a CPU 40A, which is an example of a processor. The CPU 40A reads a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 40B and executes the program using a random access memory (RAM) 40C as a work area. The program executed by the CPU 40A may be provided to the printing device 10 in a state where it is stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium (such as a magnetic tape or a magnetic disk), an optical recording medium (such as an optical disk), a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. The program executed by the CPU 40A may also be downloaded to the printing device 10 using a communication means such as the Internet.

[0033] The printing system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a printing device 10 with a built-in controller 40, but is not limited to this. For example, the printing system 100 may be configured to include the printing device 10 and the controller 40, with the controller 40 being an external device connected to the printing device 10. Alternatively, the printing system 100 may be configured to include the controller 40 of an external device connected to the printing device 10, but not include the printing device 10.

[0034] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the controller 40 of the printing device 10 is equipped with the print job receiving unit 41, processing request destination determination unit 42, print data transmission unit 43, rasterized image data receiving unit 44, synthesis unit 45, and display unit 46, but this is not limited to this, and a configuration in which the controller 40 is equipped in another device connected to the printing device 10, or a configuration in which the controller 40 is a stand-alone device, may also be adopted. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the functions of the controller 40 are realized by software, but this is not limiting and they may be realized by, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific IC).

[0035] Next, an example of processing when a print instruction is given by a print job will be described with reference to FIGS. Figures 3 to 12 are diagrams illustrating examples of processing when a print instruction is given by a print job, with Figure 3 being a first example, Figures 4 to 11 being a second example, and Figure 12 being a modified example of the first and second examples.

[0036] [Example 1] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a process performed when a print instruction is issued by a print job. In the first example shown in Fig. 3, a mainframe 50 has the functions of the controller 40 described above (see Fig. 2), and the printing unit 12 of the printing device 10 performs the rasterization process in the on-premise environment. Note that a server device 20 may be placed in the on-premise environment, and the server device 20 may perform the rasterization process in the on-premise environment. Also, the controller 40 may be placed outside the mainframe 50, rather than inside it. Furthermore, the server device 30 performs rasterization processing in a cloud environment.

[0037] When the print job receiving unit 41 (see Figure 2) in the mainframe 50 receives a print job from a user, the processing request destination determining unit 42 (see Figure 2) recognizes the degree of confidentiality of the character data and form data and determines the request destination to perform rasterization processing.

[0038] In the first example, the print data included in the print job includes character data and form data, and it is assumed that it is predetermined that the character data has a relatively high level of security and the form data has a relatively low level of security. More specifically, the processing request destination determination unit 42 recognizes that the portion of the print data that is rasterized and is character data has a high level of confidentiality, while recognizing that the portion that is not character data, such as form data, has a low level of confidentiality. In other words, of the portion of the print data that is rasterized and is image data, such as form data, has a low level of confidentiality, while recognizing that the portion that is not image data, such as character data, has a high level of confidentiality. As a first example, we have explained a case where the print data contains both character data and form data, but the level of confidentiality will also be judged in the same way if the print data contains only character data and no form data, or if the print data contains only form data and no character data. Character data of the print data is an example of print data that is recognized as having a high level of confidentiality, and form data is an example of print data that is recognized as not having a high level of confidentiality.

[0039] The processing request destination determination unit 42 determines that the destination of the request for rasterizing the character data will be the on-premise environment, i.e., the printing device 10, and that the destination of the request for rasterizing the form data will be the cloud environment, i.e., the server device 30. Then, the print data transmission unit 43 (see FIG. 2) transmits the character data to the printing device 10 (step 11) and transmits the form data to the server device 30 (step 12).

[0040] As a result, the printer 10 rasterizes the received character data to generate a character image G11 as a rasterized image. The server 30 rasterizes the received form data to generate a form image G12 as a rasterized image, and transfers the data to the mainframe 50 (step 13).

[0041] In the mainframe 50, the rasterized image data receiving unit 44 (see FIG. 2) of the controller 40 receives the form image G12 as a rasterized image from the server device 30. In the first example, the character image G11 as a rasterized image is not sent to the mainframe 50, and therefore the received form image G12 is transferred to the printing device 10.

[0042] In the printing device 10, the character image G11 created by rasterizing processing in the device itself and the form image G12 transferred from the mainframe 50 are combined (step 14) to create image data corresponding to the print data. Thereafter, the printing device 10 prints the image data onto a recording medium by the printing unit 12, and the printed recording medium P is ejected (step 15).

[0043] The first example shown in Fig. 3 is an example of a case where merge printing is performed using character data, which is highly confidential personal data such as an individual's address or name, and form data, which is less confidential data including an image into which the personal data will be inserted. In this first example, the character data is rasterized in a highly secure on-premise environment, while the form data is rasterized in a cloud environment where security is not an issue, and these images are combined to create image data.

[0044] [Example 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a process when a print instruction is issued by a print job. The second example shown in Figure 4 differs from the first example shown in Figure 3, which has an on-premises environment and a cloud environment, in that it has a security-approved environment and a security-unapproved environment. Furthermore, the second example differs from the first example in which mainframe 50 stores both character data and form data in that the storage location differs depending on the type of data, with mainframe 51 storing highly secure character data and mainframe 52 storing less secure form data. Furthermore, the controller 40 is arranged outside the main frames 51 and 52, which differs from the first example configuration in that the controller 40 is arranged inside the main frame 50.

[0045] The second example shown in Fig. 4 has some parts in common with the first example in Fig. 3, and the parts with the same first digit of the step have the same explanation, so their explanation may be omitted. Also, images G21 and G22 in the second example correspond to images G11 and G12 in the first example.

[0046] The second example shown in FIG. 4 will now be described in further detail. The security authentication environment in the second example is an environment that requires authentication processing for access, and is an on-premise environment or a private cloud environment. A private cloud environment is a cloud environment built exclusively for a company, and may be an on-premise environment type (owned type) or a hosted type (used type).

[0047] In this security approved environment, a server device 20 is located. That is, the server device 20 is a device installed in an environment that requires authentication processing for access, and is an example of a first device. Also, mainframes 51 and 52 are located in the security approved environment. The fact that the mainframes 51 and 52 are installed in an environment that requires authentication processing for access is an example of a predetermined condition.

[0048] The security-unapproved environment in the second example is any environment that does not require security, such as an on-premise environment or a public cloud environment. A public cloud environment is an open cloud computing environment. In such a security-unapproved environment, a server device 30 is placed. That is, the server device 30 is an example of a second device, which is a device different from the first device.

[0049] In the second example, highly confidential data and low confidentiality data are rasterized in separate environments. More specifically, highly confidential data is rasterized only in a security-approved environment, and low confidentiality data is rasterized in a security-unapproved environment, which is an arbitrary environment where security is not an issue. This allows for a wider range of options for requesting rasterization of low confidentiality data. The security approved environment and the security unapproved environment may be registered in advance, and the processing request destination determining unit 42 of the controller 40 may acquire the pre-registered information.

[0050] Unlike Example 1, the print job in Example 2 does not include character data or form data. That is, in Example 2, the print job includes character data identification information that identifies the character data to be printed and form data identification information that identifies the form data to be printed. Then, when the print job receiving unit 41 in the controller 40 receives a print job, the processing request destination determination unit 42 obtains character data from the main frame 51 using character data identification information included in the received print job, and also obtains form data from the main frame 52 using form data identification information included in the print job.

[0051] The processing request destination determination unit 42 determines that the request destination for rasterizing the character data is to be the server device 20, and the request destination for rasterizing the form data is to be the server device 30. Thereafter, steps 21 to 25, which correspond to steps 11 to 15 in the first example, are executed.

[0052] Here, in the second example, the rasterization setting and the secret data setting will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a UI screen 61 for rasterization settings in the second example. The UI screen 61 for setting rasterization shown in Fig. 5 is a screen of the display unit 46 (see Fig. 2) for pre-registering a security approved environment and a security unapproved environment. That is, the UI screen 61 is for setting the request destination of the rasterization process to be determined by the processing request destination determination unit 42, and includes an item 61a and a check box 61b for "distribute and rasterize security data." Checking the check box 61b sets the setting to perform distributed processing, while leaving it unchecked sets the setting to not perform distributed processing. On the UI screen 61 in FIG. 5, the check box 61b is checked, and detailed settings for distributed processing can be made.

[0053] The UI screen 61 includes an area 61c for setting a list of security authentication servers and an area 61d for setting a list of security non-authentication servers. Each of the areas 61c and 61d has buttons for "Add," "Edit," and "Delete."

[0054] More specifically, the areas 61c and 61d of the UI screen 61 display a table including a name field for inputting the name of the server or the like and an address field for inputting the IP address of the server or the like. In the name field of area 61c, raster-service1 to 3 are entered, and in the address field, the corresponding IP addresses are entered. The servers and the like set here are in a security-approved environment. For example, raster-service1 is mainframe 51 (see FIG. 4), and raster-service2 is mainframe 52 (see FIG. 4). In the name field of the area 61d, raster-public1 to 3 are entered, and in the address field, the corresponding IP addresses are entered. The servers etc. set here are in a security-unapproved environment.

[0055] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a UI screen 62 for setting secret data in the second example. The UI screen 62 for setting confidential data shown in Fig. 6 is a screen of the display unit 46 (see Fig. 2) for presetting conditions for recognizing the level of confidentiality. That is, the UI screen 62 has an item 62a titled "Determine by print type" and a corresponding check box 62b, and an item 62d titled "Determine by data storage server" and a corresponding check box 62e. Checking the check box 62b sets the setting to recognize the level of confidentiality by the print type, and checking the check box 62e sets the setting to recognize the level of confidentiality by the data storage server. In this way, by checking either the check box 62b or 62e, it is possible to set whether the level of confidentiality is recognized by the character type or by the data storage server. On the UI screen 62 in FIG. 6, a check box 62b is checked, and detailed settings for recognizing the degree of confidentiality by print type can be made.

[0056] For item 62a, "Add," "Edit," and "Delete" buttons are provided, and for item 62d, "Add," "Edit," and "Delete" buttons are provided.

[0057] More specifically, an area 62c corresponding to the item 62a is provided with a table including a type field for inputting the print type and a confidentiality field for specifying confidentiality. In the type field of area 62c, three objects are input: text, image, and tab. In the confidentiality field, "valid (high)" is specified for text, "invalid (low)" is specified for image, and "invalid (low)" is specified for tab. Note that, in addition to the case where two of text and tab are input in the type field of area 62c, two of image and tab may also be input.

[0058] Moreover, an area 62f corresponding to the item 62d is provided with a table including a storage server field for inputting a data storage server and a confidentiality field for specifying confidentiality. Server-001 to 003 are entered in the storage server column of area 62f, and in the confidentiality column, "enabled (high)" is specified for Server-001, "disabled (low)" is specified for Server-002, and "disabled (low)" is specified for Server-003.

[0059] Checking the checkbox 62e allows you to make detailed settings that recognize the level of confidentiality for each of Server-001 to 003. For example, you can set the level of confidentiality of the print data held in Server-001 and the print data held in Server-002 to be different from each other. By varying the level of confidentiality among the data storage servers such as Server-001 to 003, rather than by the type of print such as whether it is character data or not, the level of confidentiality can be easily recognized. Any one of Server-001 to Server-003 here is a mainframe 51, which is an example of a device that stores print data.

[0060] Of Server-001 to Server-003, Server-001 is placed in a security-approved environment. Data stored in Server-001 and used as print data may be recognized as having a high level of confidentiality.

[0061] In Figure 6, the confidential data setting is configured so that the level of confidentiality can be set by the print type or the data storage server, but this is not limited to this and the level of confidentiality can also be set by the printing color. For example, the part printed in black can be set as highly confidential data, and the part printed in color can be set as less confidential data. Also, if there are parts of character data that have different levels of confidentiality, for example, the part of character data printed in black can be set as highly confidential data, and the part of character data printed in a color other than black, such as C (cyan), can be set as less confidential data.

[0062] The setting information or user-specified values set on the UI screens 61 and 62 may be held by the controller 40, and may be transmitted to a user terminal device from which the user transmits a print job, so that the setting information as security attributes may be included in the print job. Naturally, such setting information may be changed on the user terminal device. Furthermore, if the printing system 100 includes multiple printing devices, the setting information for each printing device may be acquired in advance. This allows the user to select the printing device 10 that will perform printing from among printing devices with different setting information, allowing the user to make a selection based on the printing target.

[0063] 7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating character data in Example 2. Fig. 7 shows an example of variable data, where (a) shows character data and (b) shows an image G31 based on the character data of (a). 7(a) includes variable data 71 and fixed data 72. The variable data 71 includes customer information (customer data) such as the name, address, telephone number, and amount of each customer, and the fixed data 72 includes company information (company data) such as the company name, address, and telephone number. To explain further, the variable data 71 is highly confidential data and is stored in the mainframe 51 (see FIG. 4). On the other hand, the fixed data 72 is less confidential data and is stored in the mainframe 52 (see FIG. 4) or the like. Note that the fixed data 72 may also be stored in a security-unapproved environment. The variable data 71 is rasterized in a security-approved environment (see FIG. 4), and the fixed data 72 is rasterized in a security-unapproved environment (see FIG. 4).

[0064] 7(b) is formed using the character data of this kind. In the image G31, a customer information area G31a is set in which the variable data 71 is printed for each customer, and a company information area G31b is set in which the fixed data 72 is printed. The customer information area G31a contains customer information that differs for each image G31, and the company information area G31b is set in which the same company information is printed for each image G31.

[0065] 8 is variable data 73. Such variable data 73 is obtained by combining the above-mentioned variable data 71 and fixed data 72 into one piece of data, and includes a variable data portion 73a corresponding to the variable data 71 and a fixed data portion 73b corresponding to the fixed data 72. The variable data portion 73a is highly confidential data, and the fixed data portion 73b is low-confidentiality data, so that the variable data 73 includes highly confidential data. In this embodiment, the variable data 73 is stored in the main frame 51 (see FIG. 4) rather than the main frame 52 (see FIG. 4). The variable data 73 is then rasterized in a security-approved environment (see FIG. 4). The rasterized image thus formed is used to create the same image as image G31.

[0066] Here, in the first and second examples, an image obtained by rasterization processing or a rasterized image is formed on a plurality of recording media. The rasterized images of each customer information included in variable data 71 in the first example and variable data portion 73a in the second example are printed by merge printing and are not formed on multiple recording media, but on a single recording medium. On the other hand, the rasterized images of company information included in fixed data 72 and fixed data portion 73b in the second example are formed on each of multiple recording media. In this way, print data related to rasterized images that are not formed on multiple recording media may be recognized as having a high level of confidentiality, and print data related to rasterized images that are formed on multiple recording media may be recognized as having a low level of confidentiality. An example of a predetermined condition is that the image produced by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media. The image G32 in the first and second examples (see FIG. 9) is an example of an image obtained by rasterization processing.

[0067] 9 and 10 are diagrams for explaining the synthesis of rasterized images in Example 2. Fig. 9 is one example of a synthesis mode, and Fig. 10 is another example of a synthesis mode. The synthesis mode shown in Figure 9 is an example in which a synthesis unit 45 of the controller 40 synthesizes an image G31 of character data rasterized on a server device 20 in an on-premises environment (see Figure 4) and an image G32 of image data rasterized on a server device 30 in a cloud environment (see Figure 4) to create a synthetic image G33. By printing the composite image G33, a recording medium P (see FIG. 4) is formed.

[0068] A customer information area G31a of the image G31 partially overlaps with the decorative portion of the image G32, and therefore an overlapping portion G33a exists in the composite image G33. The overlapping portion G33a simply overlaps the customer information area G31a and the image G32. More specifically, the overlapping portion G33a is formed by overwriting the customer information area G31a, which is an image based on secure print data, onto the image G32. In addition, in the composite image G33, the company information area G31b does not overlap with the image G32.

[0069] In another example of a synthesis mode shown in Figure 10, as in one example of a synthesis mode (see Figure 9), an image G31 of character data and an image G32 of image data are synthesized, but a synthesis image G34 different from synthesis image G33 (see Figure 9) is created. That is, the composite image G34 has an overlapping portion G34a that is different from the overlapping portion G33a of the composite image G33. More specifically, the overlapping portion G34a is formed by providing margins above, below, left, and right of the customer information area G31a and filling the margins with the same white color as the recording medium during compositing. Therefore, the overlapping portion G34a of the composite image G34 reduces degradation in print quality more than the overlapping portion G33a of the composite image G33 (see FIG. 9). In FIG. 10, the white background processing is performed on the image G31, but this is not limiting, and the white background processing may be performed on the image G32.

[0070] In this way, when an image G31 obtained by the rasterization process of the server device 20 is combined with an image G32 obtained by the rasterization process of the server device 30 to obtain a composite image G33, and the composite image G33 has an overlapping portion G34a, the area around the overlapping portion G34a is made of an image of the same color as the color of the recording medium. The image G31 here is an example of a first rasterized image, the image G32 is an example of a second rasterized image, and the overlapping portion G34a is an example of an overlapping portion.

[0071] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in the second example. In the processing procedure example shown in FIG. 11, when the print job receiving unit 41 (see FIG. 2) of the controller 40 receives a print job, the processing request destination determining unit 42 (see FIG. 2) determines whether security rasterization is enabled (step 101). The validity of security rasterization is determined based on whether a check box 61b (see FIG. 5) on the UI screen 61 for rasterization settings is checked. If the check box is checked, security rasterization is determined to be valid, and if the check box is not checked, security rasterization is determined to be invalid. As described above, the UI screen 61 is displayed by the display unit 46 (see FIG. 2).

[0072] If security rasterization is not enabled (No in step 101), the processing request destination determination unit 42 determines that all of the print data of the print job will be rasterized in the on-premises environment. That is, it determines that the rasterization of non-security print data will be performed in the on-premises environment, and that the rasterization of security print data will also be performed in the on-premises environment (step 102), and proceeds to step 108, which will be described later.

[0073] If security rasterization is enabled (Yes in step 101), it is determined whether there is a vacant security non-authentication server (step 103). The security non-authentication server here is a server displayed in area 61d of UI screen 61 (see FIG. 5).

[0074] If there is no available security non-authentication server (No in step 103), the process proceeds to step 102; if there is available security non-authentication server (Yes in step 103), the processing request destination determination unit 42 determines that the rasterization process for the non-security print data will be performed in a cloud environment, and that the rasterization process for the security print data will be performed in an on-premise environment (step 104).

[0075] Whether print data is secure or non-secure is determined by either the print type or the data storage server on the UI screen 62 for setting confidential data (see FIG. 6). That is, if the corresponding confidentiality field is "enabled (high)," the print data is secure, and if it is "disabled (low)," the print data is non-secure.

[0076] Next, the print data transmission unit 43 transmits the print data to be processed to each determined server and instructs the server to perform rasterization (step 105). As a result, the server that instructed the server to perform rasterization performs the rasterization.

[0077] The rasterized image data receiving unit 44 (see FIG. 2) waits for the transmission of a rasterized image created by the rasterization process in each server. When the rasterized image data receiving unit 44 divides the print data into multiple parts and rasterizes them (for example, the character image G11 and form image G12 in FIG. 4), the combining unit 45 (see FIG. 2) combines the rasterized images to create a print image corresponding to the print data.

[0078] The rasterized image data receiving unit 44 determines whether all print images of the print job are ready (step 106), and if they are not ready (No in step 106), waits (step 107).

[0079] When all print images are complete (Yes in step 106), if the print data has been divided into multiple parts and rasterized (for example, the character image G11 and form image G12 in Figure 4), the synthesis unit 45 (see Figure 2) synthesizes the print images to create an image corresponding to the print data. Then, the rasterized image data receiving unit 44 issues a print instruction to the printing device 10 for the print image (step 108), and the process ends.

[0080] Here, a modification of the first and second examples described above will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a modified example in which rasterized images are stored in storage devices 81 and 82 within an on-premise environment. As shown in Figure 12, within the on-premises environment, there is arranged a storage device 81 that stores rasterized images G31a, etc. that have been rasterized in the on-premises environment, and a storage device 82 that stores rasterized images G32a, etc. that have been rasterized in the cloud environment.

[0081] Rasterized image G31a stored in storage device 81 and rasterized image G32a stored in storage device 82 are from print job JBa and are composited together and printed. Rasterized image G31b in storage device 81 and rasterized image G32b in storage device 82 are both from print job JBb and are composited together and printed. Rasterized image G31c in storage device 81 and rasterized image G32c in storage device 82 are both from print job JBc and are composited together and printed.

[0082] In storage device 81, a job number and a sheet number (page number) are managed for each rasterized image G31a to G31c, and in storage device 82, a job number and a sheet number (page number) are managed for each rasterized image G32a to G32c. Therefore, it is possible to check which sheet number for which job number is stored in each of storage devices 81 and 82.

[0083] In this way, the rasterized images rasterized in the on-premise environment or the cloud environment are separated into those from the on-premise environment and those from the cloud environment and stored in storage devices 81 and 82. Then, the images are printed by the printing device 10 in the order of the print jobs that satisfy the printing conditions. Due to the distribution of rasterization processes, etc., it is possible that the order in which rasterization processes are completed may differ from the order in which print jobs are received. By temporarily storing the jobs in storage devices 81 and 82 and then printing them in the order in which the printing conditions are met, it is possible to increase printing productivity. The printing conditions mentioned here can also be set by the user on the UI screen.

[0084] A printing condition may be, for example, that all images with the same job number are stored in both storage devices 81 and 82. In such a case, job-unit printing is performed in which the same job number is printed in the order of sheet numbers, and the sheets are discharged in the order of sheet numbers.

[0085] Alternatively, a printing condition may be that images with the same job number and the same sheet number are stored in both storage devices 81 and 82. For example, when an image with the same job number and the same sheet number, e.g., sheet number 2, is stored in both storage devices 81 and 82, it is printed and ejected before sheet number 1.

[0086] In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.). Furthermore, the operations of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be performed not only by a single processor but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments and may be changed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 10...printing device, 20, 30...server device, 40...controller, 40A...CPU, 41...print job receiving unit, 42...processing request destination determining unit, 43...print data transmitting unit, 44...rasterized image data receiving unit, 45...compositing unit, 46...display unit, 50, 51, 52...mainframe, 100...printing system

Claims

1. a processor; The processor: Recognizing the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; requesting a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform a rasterization process on the print data recognized to have a high level of confidentiality; requesting a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized as not having a high level of confidentiality; the predetermined condition is that the image produced by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media; If the image produced by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media, the degree of confidentiality is recognized as high, If the image produced by the rasterization process is formed on a plurality of recording media, the level of confidentiality is not recognized as being high.

1. An information processing device comprising:

2. A processor is provided, The processor: Recognizing the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; requesting a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform a rasterization process on the print data recognized to have a high level of confidentiality; requesting a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized as not having a high level of confidentiality; the predetermined condition for recognizing the degree of confidentiality is a condition for a device that stores the print data; 1. An information processing device comprising:

3. The predetermined condition is that the device that stores the print data is installed in an environment that requires authentication processing for access.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

4. A processor is provided, The processor: Recognizing the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; requesting a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform a rasterization process on the print data recognized to have a high level of confidentiality; requesting a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized as not having a high level of confidentiality; When a first rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the first device, is combined with a second rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the second device, and there is an overlapping portion when the first rasterized image and the second rasterized image are combined, the periphery of the overlapping portion in either the first rasterized image or the second rasterized image is made into an image of the same color as the color of the recording medium.

1. An information processing device comprising:

5. A recognition means for recognizing the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; a first request means for requesting a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform a rasterization process on the print data recognized by the recognition means as having a high level of confidentiality; a second requesting means for requesting a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized by the recognizing means as not having a high level of confidentiality; Equipped with the predetermined condition for recognizing the degree of confidentiality is that the image obtained by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media; If the image produced by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media, the degree of confidentiality is recognized as high, If the image produced by the rasterization process is formed on a plurality of recording media, the level of confidentiality is not recognized as being high. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

6. A recognition means for recognizing the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; a first request means for requesting a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform a rasterization process on the print data recognized by the recognition means as having a high level of confidentiality; a second requesting means for requesting a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized by the recognizing means as not having a high level of confidentiality; Equipped with the predetermined condition for recognizing the degree of confidentiality is a condition for a device that stores the print data; An image forming apparatus characterized by:

7. A recognition means for recognizing the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; a first request means for requesting a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform a rasterization process on the print data recognized by the recognition means as having a high level of confidentiality; a second requesting means for requesting a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized by the recognizing means as not having a high level of confidentiality; Equipped with When a first rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the first device, is combined with a second rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the second device, and there is an overlapping portion when the first rasterized image and the second rasterized image are combined, the periphery of the overlapping portion in either the first rasterized image or the second rasterized image is made into an image of the same color as the color of the recording medium. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

8. A recognition means for recognizing the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; a processing unit that performs a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized by the recognition unit as having a high level of confidentiality; a requesting means for requesting another device to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized by the recognition means as not having a high level of confidentiality; Equipped with the predetermined condition is that the image produced by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media; If the image produced by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media, the degree of confidentiality is recognized as high, If the image produced by the rasterization process is formed on a plurality of recording media, the level of confidentiality is not recognized as being high. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

9. recognition means for recognizing the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data according to a predetermined condition; a processing unit that performs a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized by the recognition unit as having a high level of confidentiality; a requesting means for requesting another device to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized by the recognition means as not having a high level of confidentiality; Equipped with the predetermined condition for recognizing the degree of confidentiality is a condition for a device that stores the print data; An image forming apparatus characterized by:

10. recognition means for recognizing the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data according to a predetermined condition; a processing unit that performs a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized by the recognition unit as having a high level of confidentiality; a requesting means for requesting another device to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized by the recognition means as not having a high level of confidentiality; Equipped with When a first rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the processing means, is combined with a second rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the other device requested by the request means, and there is an overlapping portion when the first rasterized image or the second rasterized image is combined, the periphery of the overlapping portion in either the first rasterized image or the second rasterized image is made into an image of the same color as the color of the recording medium. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

11. Recognizing the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; requesting a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform a rasterization process on the print data recognized to have a high level of confidentiality; requesting a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized as not having a high level of confidentiality; the predetermined condition is that the image produced by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media; If the image produced by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media, the degree of confidentiality is recognized as high, If the image produced by the rasterization process is formed on a plurality of recording media, the level of confidentiality is not recognized as being high. A printing system characterized by:

12. Recognizing the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; requesting a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform a rasterization process on the print data recognized to have a high level of confidentiality; requesting a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized as not having a high level of confidentiality; the predetermined condition for recognizing the degree of confidentiality is a condition for a device that stores the print data; A printing system characterized by:

13. The degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data is recognized based on predetermined conditions, requesting a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform a rasterization process on the print data recognized to have a high level of confidentiality; requesting a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized as not having a high level of confidentiality; When a first rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the first device, is combined with a second rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the second device, and there is an overlapping portion when the first rasterized image and the second rasterized image are combined, the periphery of the overlapping portion in either the first rasterized image or the second rasterized image is made into an image of the same color as the color of the recording medium. A printing system characterized by:

14. An information processing device, a function of recognizing the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; a function of requesting a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized as having a high level of confidentiality by the recognition function; a function of requesting a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform rasterization processing on print data that is recognized by the recognition function as not having a high level of confidentiality; Realize this, the predetermined condition is that the image produced by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media; If the image produced by the rasterization process is not formed on a plurality of recording media, the degree of confidentiality is recognized as high, If the image produced by the rasterization process is formed on a plurality of recording media, the level of confidentiality is not recognized as being high. program.

15. An information processing device, a function of recognizing the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; a function of requesting a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized as having a high level of confidentiality by the recognition function; a function of requesting a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform rasterization processing on print data that is recognized by the recognition function as not having a high level of confidentiality; Realize this, the predetermined condition for recognizing the degree of confidentiality is a condition for a device that stores the print data; program.

16. An information processing device, a function of recognizing the degree of confidentiality of the acquired print data based on predetermined conditions; a function of requesting a first device, which is a device installed in an internal environment in which the device itself is installed or a device installed in an environment requiring authentication processing for access, to perform a rasterization process on the print data that is recognized as having a high level of confidentiality by the recognition function; a function of requesting a second device, which is a device different from the first device, to perform rasterization processing on print data that is recognized by the recognition function as not having a high level of confidentiality; Realize this, When a first rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the first device, is combined with a second rasterized image, which is an image obtained by the rasterization process of the second device, and there is an overlapping portion when the first rasterized image and the second rasterized image are combined, the periphery of the overlapping portion in either the first rasterized image or the second rasterized image is made into an image of the same color as the color of the recording medium. program.

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