Multiple overlay printing and outputting device and multiple overlay

Abstract

An overlay printing technique for use with a printing device is disclosed which enables multiple overlays to be defined for each the print page. Overlay data, overlay position information and overlay scale information for each of the overlays set up by an overlay set-up unit are transferred to an overlay storage unit by overlay transferring unit. Print processing unit expands overlay data stored in the overlay storage unit according to corresponding overlay position information and overlay scale information and prints the expanded data and print data obtained by expanding general print data for each print page. One or more overlays are placed in any positions within one print page which are determined by overlay position information and overlay scale information. For multiple-frame printing, a multiple-frame processing unit translates overlay position information and overlay scale information so that each overlay fits in a corresponding frame.