Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Computer Engineering Co., Ltd.

Nobumitsu Kembo

Toshiyuki Yamada

Takashi Wakabayashi

Tuneo Imai

A printing control method and apparatus for combining forms data and printing data to produce and output printing images. Forms data are handled as a group of forms data including a plurality of component data groups forming partial form elements and component placement information groups specifying intra-page positions of components. For form selection, component placement selection information is selected in the printing data. Component placement information selected and indicated by this component placement selection information is used for form generation. If a plurality of components are the same in partial form elements, therefore, a plurality of kinds of forms data can use components in common and are administered by only component placement information specifying intra-page positions of respective components. As for forms data needed at the time of printing, therefore, components of form elements are placed and combined in accordance with the component placement information. Combined forms data thus generated and printing data are converted into printing images and outputted. As a result, there are obtained a printing control method and apparatus in which forms data are administered efficiently and used effectively.

Printing control method and apparatus

In an information output device, character data is read from a font memory and temporarily stored in a data buffer circuit and then dot-expanded to a full-dot memory. A data character is read from the font memory in units of a word and is written into a stage of the data buffer circuit while being laterally shifted so as to selectively position the character. The character is expanded or reduced by duplicating or eliminating the write operation for selected words at the time of reading the data from the data buffer circuit into the full-dot memory. Thus, the data buffer circuit operates to perform both the functions of character positioning and character expansion/compression.

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Hadano, Japan

Nobumitsu Kembo