Image forming apparatus and method that adjusts an XPS file to the outputted paper size

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a communication interface unit to receives an xml paper specification (xps) file, an xps file processing unit which converts the xps file into an output data corresponding to printing paper to print the xps file using information regarding the height and width of a fixedpage in the xps file, and a control unit which controls the image forming apparatus to print the output data. Accordingly, even when an xps file does not include information regarding printing paper, a user can select and print printing paper suitable for the user's demand.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application

In Equation 3, f(w) denotes an error value of the width obtained by Equation 1, and f(h) denotes an error value of the height obtained by Equation 2. Such calculations are performed for each printing paper supported by the image forming apparatus, so printing paper having the lowest error rate can be selected. The above equations are merely an example; Equations 1 to 3 can be applied with appropriate modification as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.

The search unit 132 may search for printing paper having the lowest error rate within a designated error rate range. The search unit 132 searches for printing paper having the lowest error rate of the height and width within a designated error rate range from among paper supported by the image forming apparatus 100.

The search unit 132 may search for printing paper by preferentially comparing the height and width of the FixedPage with printing paper laid on a tray of the image forming apparatus 100 from among paper supported by the image forming apparatus 100. The search unit 132 may also control the UI unit 140 to display a list of printing paper supported by the image forming apparatus 100 to the user, and searches for printing paper selected by the user as printing paper for the XPS file. Detailed description of this case will be given below.

The data generation unit 133 converts the XPS file into an output data format corresponding to the printing paper searched by the search unit 132. If the size of the searched printing paper is smaller than the height and width of the FixedPage, the data generation unit 133 may reduce the XPS file to fit to the searched printing paper, or clip an area of the XPS file. The operation of the data generation unit 133 in the case that the size of the searched printing paper is smaller than the height and width of the FixedPage, is described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate examples of adjusting printing data to be suitable for printing paper using the image forming apparatus 100. Referring to FIG. 6, if the width (expressed using the dotted line) of an output area of the XPS is larger than the width (expressed using the solid line) of paper searched by the search unit 132 as in the window 610, printing data is converted to be suitable for the searched paper by reducing the height and width of the output area of the XPS as in the window 620.

Referring to FIG. 7, if the width (expressed using the dotted line) of an output area of the XPS is larger than the width (expressed using the solid line) of paper searched by the search unit 132 as in the window 710, printing data is converted to be suitable for the searched paper by clipping a certain area of the XPS as in the window 720. The clipped area of the XPS may be a right or left part of the output area, or a right and left parts of the XPS may be clipped in the same ratio. In addition, the user can select an area of the XPS to clip. Similarly, if the height of the output area of the XPS is larger than the height of the paper, the top or bottom of the XPS may be clipped.

If a printing paper option is not set for the XPS file, the UI unit 140 displays a message that printing paper is not set for the XPS file, and thus the user sets paper to print the XPS file. The UI unit 140 includes a plurality of function keys in order for the user to set or select diverse functions supported by the image forming apparatus 100, and displays diverse information provided by the image forming apparatus 100. The UI unit 140 may be implemented as a device capable of performing input and output, such as a touch pad, or as combination of a mouse and a monitor.

The UI unit 140 may generate a UI window including a first area to display information regarding the height and width of a FixedPage, and a second area to display printing paper searched by the search unit 132 or printing paper which can be selected by the user. In addition, the UI unit 140 may display a message (such as a tooltip or dialog box) reporting that printing paper is not set for an XPS file. Detailed description of the UI window provided to the user will be given later.

The control unit 150 controls converted output data to be printed. The control unit 150 controls an engine unit (not shown) to perform diverse printing operations so as to print output data into which an XPS file is converted by the XPS file processing unit 140.

If a printing paper option is not set for an XPS file, the control unit 150 controls the UI unit 140 to notify the user that the printing paper option is not set for the XPS file. If the user selects at least one of diverse kinds of available paper, the control unit 150 controls the UI unit 140 to provide a user with a preview on printing data to be printed on the selected paper. If the user selects one of diverse kinds of paper, the UI unit 140 may provide a preview on how the printing data will be printed on the selected paper, on one portion of the UI window.

The control unit 150 adds the searched printing paper as the printing paper option for the XPS file, and stores the XPS file in which the printing paper option is added. Since an XPS file may be repeatedly printed, the control unit 150 sets the printing paper searched by the search unit 132 as a printing paper option for the XPS file, and stores the XPS file, in which the printing paper option is set, in the storage unit 150. In this case, the control unit 150 may rename the modified XPS file, or overwrite the existing XPS file. Such operations may be performed according to a user command, or automatically performed without a user command.

As described above, although a printing paper option is not set for an XPS file, the image forming apparatus 100 can select and print printing paper suitable for the user's demand based on information regarding the width and height in FixedPage data in the XPS file.

FIG. 4 illustrates a UI window 400 to be displayed on an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The UI window 400 includes an area to display a message reporting that printing paper is not set for an XPS file. If a printing paper option is not set for an XPS file, the image forming apparatus may automatically perform the aforementioned operations, or display a UI window as illustrated in FIG. 4 so that the user can directly select printing paper to print the XPS file.

In the UI window 400, the user can select “Set paper” 410 or “Cancel printing” 420. “Set paper” 410 is a control command to display a UI window in order for the user to directly select printing paper for the XPS file, and “Cancel printing” 420 is a control command to cancel printing the XPS file.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a UI window 500 to be displayed when the user selects “Set paper” in FIG. 4. The UI window 500 includes a first area to display information regarding the height and width of a FixedPage, and a second area 511, 512, and 513 to display printing paper searched by the search unit 132 or printing paper which can be selected by the user. The printing paper that can be selected by the user may include paper supported by the image forming apparatus, and paper searched by the search unit 132.

As described above, the user can easily identify that a printing paper option is not set for an XPS file, and can directly select printing paper to print the XPS file through a UI window, so user convenience can be enhanced.

FIGS. 2 to 7 have been described based on a case that an XPS file is received through the communication interface unit 110 and printed. Aspects of the present invention are applicable even when an XPS file is pre-stored in the storage unit 120, by determining whether a printing paper option is set, and searching for printing paper to print the XPS file using information regarding the height and width of a FixedPage as described above.

In addition, aspects of the present invention are applicable to an image forming apparatus, such as a laser printer, copier, facsimile machine, and/or a multifunction peripheral. A terminal device, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, and a portable media player (PMP), can perform the operations as described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7, prior to transmitting an XPS file to an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for forming an image using an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. If an XPS file is received in operation S810, then whether printing paper option is set for the XPS file is determined in operation S820. This determination can be performed by analyzing a structure of a PrintTicket of the XPS file, and determining if the PrintTicket of the XPS file includes the tag “PageMediaSize.” The XPS file may be received from a terminal device or external storage media in a direct printing method.

In operation S830, if a printing paper option is not set for the XPS file, information regarding the height and width of a FixedPage in the XPS file is extracted. If the printing paper option is not set for the XPS file, the height and width of a certain page can be determined by reading out information regarding the height and width of a corresponding FixedPage in the XPS file. The operation of extracting information regarding the height and width of the FixedPage has been described above with reference to FIG. 3.

In operation S840, printing paper to print the XPS file is searched for based on the extracted information regarding the height and width of the FixedPage. The printing paper can be searched using several different metrics. Printing paper having the height and width greater than the FixedPage may be searched for from among printing paper supported by the image forming apparatus based on the information regarding the height and width of the FixedPage. Printing paper having a low error rate compared with the height and width of the FixedPage may be searched for from among printing paper supported by the image forming apparatus. Printing paper having the lowest error rate compared with the height and width of the FixedPage within a designated error rate range may be searched for. Printing paper may be searched for by preferentially comparing the height and width of the FixedPage with printing paper laid on a tray of the image forming apparatus from among paper supported by the image forming apparatus. A list of printing paper supported by the image forming apparatus may be displayed to the user, and printing paper selected by the user may be searched for as printing paper for the XPS file, as described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. The operation of selecting printing paper to print the XPS file has been described above with regard to the search unit 132 of FIG. 2, so a detailed description is not repeated here.

In operation S850, the XPS file is converted into an output data format corresponding to the searched printing paper. The XPS file is converted into output data corresponding to the searched printing paper. If the size of the searched printing paper is smaller than the height and width of the FixedPage, the XPS file may be reduced to fit to the searched printing paper, or an area of the XPS file may be clipped. When the size of the searched printing paper is smaller than the height and width of the FixedPage, the operation of the image forming apparatus has been described above with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

In operation S860, the XPS file converted into the output data is printed. The engine unit (not shown) is controlled to perform diverse printing operations so as to print the XPS file converted into the output data. In this case, the searched printing paper is set as the printing paper option for the XPS file, and the XPS file in which the printing paper option is set is stored. Such operation may be performed according to a user command to store the XPS file, or automatically performed.

As described above, in a method for forming an image according to an example embodiment of the present invention, if a printing paper option is not set for an XPS file, information regarding available printing paper is provided to the user using information regarding the height and width of a FixedPage. Therefore, the user can easily obtain printed data as desired. A method for forming an image as in FIG. 8 can be performed by an image forming apparatus having a configuration as in FIG. 2, and other image forming apparatus having different configurations.

Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a communication interface unit to receive an xml paper specification (xps) file;

an xps file processing unit to convert the xps file into an output data corresponding to printing paper to print the xps file based on information regarding the height and width of a fixedpage in the xps file; and

a control unit to control the image forming apparatus to print the output data,

wherein the xps file processing processing unit comprises a determination unit to determine if a printing paper option is set for the xps file.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the xps file processing unit comprises:

a search unit to search for the printing paper to print the xps file based on the information regarding the height and width of the fixedpage in the xps file when the printing paper option is not set for the xps file; and

a data generation unit to convert the xps file into the output data corresponding to the searched printing paper.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit identifies the presence of a tag “PageMediaSize” in a PrintTicket of the xps file so as to determine if the printing paper option is set for the xps file.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface (UI) unit to display a message that a printing paper option is not set for the xps file if a printing paper option is not set for the xps file.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the search unit searches for printing paper having the lowest error rate compared with the height and width of the fixedpage, or printing paper having the lowest error rate within a designated error rate range compared with the height and width of the fixedpage among printing paper supported by the image forming apparatus.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the search unit searches for printing paper having the lowest error rate compared with the height and width of the fixedpage, or printing paper having the lowest error rate within a designated error rate range compared with the height and width of the fixedpage by comparing the height and width of the fixedpage with the size of printing paper laid on a tray of the image forming apparatus.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the data generation unit converts the xps file into the output data so as to fit to the searched printing paper when the size of the searched printing paper is smaller than the height and width of the fixedpage,

the data generation unit converts the xps file into the output data by clipping an area of the xps file when the height or width of the fixedpage is greater than the size of the searched printing paper, and

the data generation unit converts all pages of the xps file into the output data corresponding to the searched printing paper.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the UI unit displays the printing paper supported by the image forming apparatus, and receives setting of the printing paper to print the xps file.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit to set the searched printing paper as an additional printing paper option for the xps file, and to store the xps file in which the printing paper option is set.

10. An image forming method of an image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving an xml paper specification (xps) file;

determining if a printing paper option is set for the xps file;

when the printing paper option is not set for the xps file, searching for printing paper to print the xps file based on the information regarding the height and width of a fixedpage in the xps file; and

adjusting the xps file for printing and printing the xps file to correspond to the searched printing paper.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the determining operation comprises identifying the presence of a tag “PageMediaSize” in a PrintTicket of the xps file, and determining if the printing paper option is set based on the presence of the tag “PageMediaSize”.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

displaying a message that the printing paper option is not set for the xps file when the printing paper option is not set for the xps file.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the searching operation comprises searching for printing paper having the lowest error rate compared with the height and width of the fixedpage, or printing paper having the lowest error rate within a designated error rate range compared with the height and width of the fixedpage among printing paper supported by the image forming apparatus.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the searching operation comprises:

comparing the height and width of the fixedpage with the size of printing paper laid on a tray of the image forming apparatus; and

searching for printing paper having the lowest error rate compared with the height and width of the fixedpage, or printing paper having the lowest error rate within a designated error rate range compared with the height and width of the fixedpage.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the printing operation comprises:

converting the xps file into the output data so as to fit to the searched printing paper if the size of the searched printing paper is smaller than the height and width of the fixedpage, converting the xps file into the output data by clipping an area of the xps file if the height or width of the fixedpage is greater than the size of the searched printing paper; and

converting all pages of the xps file into the output data corresponding to the searched printing paper.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

displaying the printing paper supported by the image forming apparatus; and

receiving a setting of the printing paper to print the xps file.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the receiving operation comprises providing a preview on how the xps file will be printed on a selected kind of paper after a user selects at least one kind of printing paper from which the user can select.

18. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

setting the searched printing paper as an additional printing paper option for the xps file, and storing the xps file in which the printing paper option is set.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a processing unit to convert an xml paper specification (xps) file into output data corresponding to printing paper based on information regarding a height and width of a fixedpage in the xps file; and

a communication unit to transmit the output data to an image forming apparatus for printing,

wherein the processing unit further comprises:

a determination unit to determine whether a printing paper option is set in the xps file;

a search unit to select the printing paper based on height and width information included in the fixedpage when no printing paper option is set in the xps file; and

a data conversion unit to adjust the xps file into the output data using the fixedpage information based on the printing paper.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the data conversion unit crops the xps file when the height and width information included in the fixedpage is greater than a height and width of the printing paper.

21. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a communicator to receive an xml paper specification (xps) file; and

at least one processor to:

determine whether a printing paper option is set for the received xps file,

based on the printing paper option being determined to not be set, select printing paper on which to print the received xps file based on information regarding a height and a width of a fixedpage element in the received xps file,

change the received xps file based on the selected printing paper, and

control the image forming apparatus to print the changed xps file on the selected printing paper.

22. The image forming apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is to change the received xps file by performing at least one of a clip operation or a fit operation on a printing area associated with a page of the received xps file based on at least one of the height and the width of the fixedpage element corresponding to the page being greater than a size of the selected printing paper.

23. The image forming apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is to change the received xps file by fitting a printing area associated with a page of the received xps file to the selected printing paper based on a size of the selected printing paper being smaller than the height and the width of the fixedpage element corresponding to the page.

24. The image forming apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is to determine whether the printing paper option is set for the received xps file by identifying a presence of a PageMediaSize tag in a PrintTicket element of the fixedpage element of the received xps file.

25. The image forming apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is to select the printer paper by selecting printing paper having a lowest error rate, compared with the height and the width of the fixedpage element among printing paper supported by the image forming apparatus.

26. The image forming apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the at least one processor is to select the printing paper having the lowest error rate by comparing the height and the width of the fixedpage element with a size of printing paper on a tray of the image forming apparatus.

27. The image forming apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising:

a display to display a message indicating whether the printing paper option is set for the received xps file.

28. The image forming apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the display is further to display printing paper supported by the image forming apparatus.

29. The image forming apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising:

a storage to store the received xps file,

wherein the at least one processor is further to set the selected printing paper as the printing paper option for the received xps file.

30. An image forming method of an image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving, by the image forming apparatus, an xml paper specification (xps) file;

determining, by the image forming apparatus, whether a printing paper option is set for the received xps file;

based on the printing paper option being determined to not be set for the received xps file, selecting, by the image forming apparatus, printing paper on which to print the received xps file based on the information regarding a height and a width of a fixedpage element in the received xps file;

changing the received xps file based on the selected printing paper; and

printing, by the image forming apparatus, the changed xps file on the selected printing paper.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the determining whether the printing paper option is set for the received xps file includes identifying a presence of a PageMediaSize tag in a PrintTicket element of the fixedpage element of the received xps file.

32. The method according to claim 30, further comprising:

displaying a message indicating whether the printing paper option is set for the received xps file.

33. The method according to claim 30, wherein the selecting the printing paper includes selecting printing paper having a lowest error rate, compared with the height and the width of the fixedpage element among printing paper supported by the image forming apparatus.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the selecting the printing paper having the lowest error rate includes:

comparing the height and the width of the fixedpage element with a size of printing paper on a tray of the image forming apparatus.

35. The method according to claim 30, wherein the changing the received xps file based on the selected printing paper includes:

performing at least one of a clipping operation or a fitting operation on a printing area associated with a page of the received xps file based on at least one of the height and the width of the fixedpage element corresponding to the page being greater than a size of the selected printing paper.

36. The method according to claim 30, wherein the changing the received xps file based on the selected printing paper includes:

fitting a printing area associated with a page of the received xps file to the selected printing paper based on a size of the selected printing paper being smaller than the height and the width of the fixedpage element corresponding to the page.

37. The method according to claim 30, further comprising:

displaying printing paper supported by the image forming apparatus.

38. The method according to claim 37, further comprising displaying a preview of the xps file printed on the selected printed paper.

39. The method according to claim 30, further comprising:

setting the selected printing paper as the printing paper option for the received xps file, and storing the received xps file in which the printing paper option is set.