Printing Apparatus and Method, Computer-Readable Medium, and Computer Data Signal

Abstract

A printing apparatus includes a print request reception section that receives a print request including PDL data; a data conversion section that converts the received PDL data into an electronic document file; and an electronic document storage section that stores the converted electronic document file into a memory device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall structure of a printing system including a printing apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure performed at the time of PDL data printing by the printing apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the overall structure of a printing system including a printing apparatus according to a second exemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure performed at the time of PDL data printing by the printing apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus comprising: a print request reception section that receives a print request including PDL data;a data conversion section that converts the received PDL data into an electronic document file; andan electronic document storage section that stores the converted electronic document file into a memory device.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, with respect to a character represented by a character code in the PDL data, the data conversion section puts the character into the electronic document file in character code format.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data conversion section directly converts the PDL data into the electronic document file.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data conversion section converts the PDL data into intermediate language data, and converts the intermediate language data into the electronic document file.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic document storage section adds an electronic signature to the electronic document file and stores it.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a PDL data print section that prints the received PDL data.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an electronic document print section that prints the stored electronic document file.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the electronic document print section prints the electronic document file in accordance with an instruction inputted to an operation section of the printing apparatus.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic document file is a file in PDF format.

10. A method for storing a document whose printing is requested, comprising: receiving a print request including PDL data;converting the received PDL data into an electronic document file; andstoring the converted electronic document file into a memory device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein a character represented by a character code in the PDL data is put into the electronic document file in character code format.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the PDL data are directly converted into the electronic document file.

13. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for storing a document whose printing is requested, the process comprising: receiving a print request including PDL data;converting the received PDL data into an electronic document file; andstoring the converted electronic document file into a memory device.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein a character represented by a character code in the PDL data is put into the electronic document file in character code format.

15. The computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the PDL data are directly converted into the electronic document file.

16. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave for enabling a computer to perform a process for storing a document whose printing is requested, the process comprising: receiving a print request including PDL data; converting the received PDL data into an electronic document file; andstoring the converted electronic document file into a memory device.

17. The computer data signal according to claim 16, wherein a character represented by a character code in the PDL data is put into the electronic document file in character code format.

18. The computer data signal according to claim 16, wherein the PDL data are directly converted into the electronic document file.