Seiko Epson Corporation

Hiroki Okabe

Nobuhisa Takabayashi

Mikiya Shimada

Fumio Tokutomi

Yuto Togawa

Shuichi Yamanaka

An information processing device includes a processing unit configured to divide original image data for a larger number of channels Nb than the number of channels Na into a plurality of groups so that a number of channels of each of the groups becomes no larger than the number of channels Na, generate compressed image data for the Na channels according to the processing unit from the original image data included in each of the groups, and generate the print command including the compressed image data for the Na channels corresponding to each of the groups, and a communication unit configured to transmit the print command to the printer.

Printing system having printer with chip for generating image data and information processing device for dividing original image data for a larger number of channels into groups

Each print job received from a client computeris divided into minimum printing units as divisional jobs, which are stored in a job folder. When either of an upper spoolerand a lower spoolerhas any vacancy for next allocation, one divisional job is allocated to a printer corresponding to the spooler having the vacancy. The name of the printer that has received allocation of the divisional job is written into the job folder. When any allocated divisional job having an identical image file name and an identical customer ID with those of a current object divisional job is present in the job folder, the current object divisional job is allocated to the printer, to which the allocated divisional job has been allocated. This arrangement allocates multiple divisional jobs for printing an identical image demanded from an identical customer to the same printer, thus ensuring substantially equal quality of resulting printed images.

Print management system and print management method

The technique of the invention retrieves any print job of redundant image data having identical image identification data with the image identification data of an object job, which is specified among print jobs stored in a print server, deletes image data present on a reference path of the retrieved print job, and overwrites the reference path of the retrieved print job with a reference path of the object job. The print job in which the image data was deleted is executed by utilizing the common reference path to read remaining image data and converting the image data into print data printable with a printer. This arrangement desirably prevents identical image data from being stored redundantly and thereby effectively saves the storage capacity of print jobs.

Growing community of inventors

Nagano-ken, Japan

Hiroki Okabe