Patent ID: 7800770

Claim:
A text/image data-transfer method used between a text/image-supply apparatus and text/image-formation apparatus that are connected by a communication means and that performs transfer based on layered printing-description data having a highest-level data and an image data file, the highest-level data including link information, text data, and information presenting a layout of a print object, the image data file being linked with the link information in the highest-level data, the method comprising: a step of transferring data, which specifies the highest-level printing-description data, from said text/image-supply apparatus to said image-formation apparatus; a step of sending a transfer request from said text/image formation apparatus to said text/image-supply apparatus based on data that specifies said highest-level printing-description data to transfer said highest-level printing-description data; a step of transferring said highest-level printing-description data from said text/image-supply apparatus to said text/image-formation apparatus based on a said transfer request from said text/image-formation apparatus; a step of the text/image formation apparatus requesting, from the text/image supply apparatus, a first portion of the image data file corresponding to link information, when said link information was detected by the text/image formation apparatus in said highest-level printing-description data, for a first rasterization process of said text/image-formation apparatus; a step of rasterizing the first portion of the image data file corresponding to link information, for the first rasterization process; a step of the text/image formation apparatus requesting, from the text/image supply apparatus, subsequent to the step of rasterizing the first portion of the image data file corresponding to the link information, a second portion of the image data file corresponding to the link information, for a second rasterization process of said text/image-formation apparatus; and a step of judging when all of a printing job corresponding to the highest-level printing-description data is finished or not, returning to the step of the acquiring a first portion of the image data file corresponding to the link information when all of the printing job is not finished, and sending a printing-complete notification to said text/image-supply apparatus when all of the printing job is finished.