Abstract:
A printing control method includes both scaling and composition functions for arranging several printing pages on a specified paper and printing. If operates with “fit to paper” scaling and “N-up” layout calculations. The user can setup a composite printing of several printing pages on a specified paper of a different size, so that the user has no need to do complicated adjustments or settings while papers are saved.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The invention generally relates to a programmed-control-method, and particularly relates to a method for controlling printing format of a printer.  
           [0003]    2. Related Art  
           [0004]    “Fit to paper” and “N-up” formats are two common control methods applied to conventional printers. The “fit to paper” is to scale and fit a printing page into a specified paper of printing. For example, for a printing page of letter size (21.59*27.94 cm) to be printed on a specified paper of A4 size (21*29.7 cm), the “fit to paper” automatically scales (reduces or enlarges) the printing page to the specified page, so the user has no need to consider and adjust the scaling settings before printing. The “N-up” is to combine and reduce several printing pages of a same size into a single page of the same size for printing. For example, the user can have the contents of four A4 printing pages printed on a single A4 page through the “N-up” setting so as to save papers.  
           [0005]    However, though “fit to paper” and “N-up” are practical in printing, they have drawbacks that cause inconvenience to the users. For example, though “fit to paper” can help user scaling a printing page of a size into a specified paper of another size, it cannot help user scaling and printing several printing pages onto a single paper of a different size. The “N-up” is now limited to “a same size only” for all the printing pages and the specified paper. Therefore, they can do nothing when several printing pages are to be printed on a single paper of a different size.  
           [0006]    Through software program design, it is a demand to have a printing control method that can include both functions of “fit to paper” and “N-up” and scale and compose several printing pages into any a specified paper so as to meet the needs of users.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The object of the invention is to solve the aforesaid printing control problems and to provide a programmed-control-method for printing with both “fit to paper’ and “N-up” functions.  
           [0008]    A method for controlling printing format of a printer according to the invention includes the following steps. First, calculating a page scaling ratio and a layout scaling ratio according to the printing page. Using the two ratios to get a logic scaling ratio, a logic resolution, a logic printing page size and a logic paper size. Finally, calculating positions of the logic printing pages on the logic paper, and finishing the printing to a specified paper according to the user&#39;s settings.  
           [0009]    The printing control method of the invention has the following advantage that goes beyond prior arts: the user can setup a composite printing of several printing pages on a specified paper of a different size, so that the user has no need to make complicated adjustments or settings while papers are saved.  
           [0010]    A method for controlling printing format of a printer according to the invention includes steps of getting printing settings; calculating logic printing parameters; then, getting output layout settings; and finally, finishing the printing according to the logic printing parameters and the output layout settings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    The invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow. However, this description is for purposes of illustration only, and thus is not limitative of the invention, wherein:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a main flowchart of a method of printing control according to the invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a partial flowchart of calculating logic printing parameters in a method of the invention; and  
         [0014]    [0014]FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory views of components in a method of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]    The invention provides a method for controlling printing format of a printer. The method is a programmed-control-method utilizing a driver incorporating “fit to paper” and “N-up” functions so that the user can easily have several printing pages printed on a specified paper.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is a main flowchart of a printing control method capable of scaling and composing a plurality of printing pages on a single paper. The steps are as follows.  
         [0017]    First, receiving printing settings (step  100 ). The printing settings include: printing page size, output paper size, margins of the paper, number of pages to be composed, output resolution, and so on. The settings come from the user operations of printing process in the application software. Then, calculating logic printing parameters (step  200 ). This is the major process of the invention and will be described later with FIG. 2. After finishing the parameters calculation, getting output layout settings (step  300 ). The output layout settings also come from the user operations of printing process in the application software. The output layout settings are position or sequence of the printing pages in the output page. For example, a layout  500 , as shown in FIG. 3- a,  includes four pages (1, 2, 3, 4) arranged in a first downward, then rightward sequence (1-3-2-4). Finally, finishing the printing according to the logic printing parameters and the output layout settings (step  400 ).  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is a detailed flowchart of the step  200  of calculating logic printing parameters. First, calculating a layout scaling ratio, Scaling(A), (step  210 ) according to the number of pages to be composed and the paper size. Then, calculating a printing scaling ratio, Scaling(B), (step  211 ) according to the printing page size and the paper size. The calculations of the scaling ratios, Scaling(A) and Scaling(B), are of prior arts and will not be described in detail herein. And then, a logic scaling ratio, Scaling(C) is calculated (step  212 ) by multiplying Scaling(A) with Scaling(B). Further, calculating a logic resolution (step  213 ) by multiplying an original output resolution with the Scaling(C). Then, calculating a logic printing page size (step  220 ) and a logic paper size (step  221 ). The logic printing page size (including page width and page length) is calculated by multiplying the original printing page size (width and length respectively) with the Scaling(C). The logic paper size is calculated by multiplying a printable paper size (width and length respectively) with the Scaling(A). The so-called printable paper is calculated by subtracting margins of width and length from the original paper size. Finally, calculating position values of each logic printing page in the logic paper (step  230 ). The position values are expressed by vertical shifts and horizontal shifts calculated as follow:  
         Horizontal (left and right) shifts=(width of the printable paper−width of the logic printing page)/2;  
         Vertical (top and bottom) shifts=(length of the printable paper−length of the logic printing page)/2  
         [0019]    Then, all the logic printing parameters are stored (step  240 ) and the step of calculation is finished. An embodiment of the invention with a calculation example is described as follows.  
         [0020]    (1) printing page size: letter size (21.59*27.94 cm)  
         [0021]    (2) paper size: A4 (21*29.7 cm)  
         [0022]    (3) margins of width and length on the paper: all 0.5 cm  
         [0023]    (4) number of pages to be composed: 4  
         [0024]    (5) output resolution: 600 dpi (dot per inch)  
         [0025]    Then, first calculating by prior arts the layout scaling ratio Scaling(A)=50%; and the printing scaling ratio Scaling(B)=97.27%;  
         [0026]    And, calculating the logic scaling ratio Scaling(C)=50%*97.27%=43.64%;  
         [0027]    Calculating the logic resolution with Scaling(C), 600*43.64%=261 dpi;  
         [0028]    Calculating the logic printing page size: logic printing page width=21.59*43.64%=9.42 cm; logic printing page length=27.94*43.64%=12.19 cm;  
         [0029]    Calculating the logic paper size: logic paper width=20.5*50%=10.25 cm, in which 20.5 cm is the printable paper width (21−0.5); logic paper length=29.2*50%=14.6 cm, in which 29.2 cm is the printable paper length (29.7−0.5);  
         [0030]    Finally, calculating position values of each logic printing page in the logic paper, e.g., horizontal (left and right) shifts=(14.6−12.19)/2=1.2; vertical (top and bottom) shifts=(10.25−9.42)/ 2 =0.415 cm.  
         [0031]    After finishing calculation of all the logic printing parameters, the logic printing parameters, as well as the output layout settings (as  500  shown in FIG. 3- a ) set by the user, are used to precisely compose the multiple printing pages on the specified paper. The printing sequence, as shown in FIG. 3- b,  is first with the first portion printing  600 , then the second portion printing  700  and finally finishes.  
         [0032]    The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.