JP7192516B2 - Program and Information Processing Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a program and an information processing apparatus for setting settings used for printing on a printer.

2. Description of the Related Art A technique is known in which a user-defined paper size is stored in an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, and paper used for printing by a printer is set based on the paper size. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200001 discloses a technique for selecting an appropriate printer paper by a management server when a user-defined paper size is specified in print data output from an information processing apparatus.

JP 2014-63386 A

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200001 does not disclose a technique for dealing with the input of settings that are not subject to quality assurance. There is room for improvement, as printing with settings that are not guaranteed for quality can lead to malfunctions such as paper getting caught in the option unit.

The present specification discloses a program for an information processing apparatus capable of making settings related to printing, and discloses a technology for reducing printing with settings outside quality assurance.

A program designed to solve this problem is executable by a computer of an information processing device, and is a program for executing processing for setting a paper size used for printing by a printer, wherein the printer includes: , there are a plurality of types of optional units that can be installed, each type of optional unit has an allowable size for the size of the paper in the first direction, and the computer is provided with a paper via the user interface of the information processing device. a first receiving process for receiving an input of the size in the first direction of the first receiving process, wherein the size in the first direction received in the first receiving process is the allowable size of at least one of the plurality of optional units a warning process for issuing a warning indicating that the allowable size is not satisfied if the Data including the size in the first direction received in the first reception process when the registration instruction is received in the second reception process, and is used for setting the paper size used for printing in the printer. and storing paper data, which is data to be used, in a memory of the information processing apparatus.

According to the program disclosed in the present specification, when the information processing apparatus receives the setting of the paper size used for printing by the printer, the size in the first direction out of the received paper sizes is the size allowed by the option unit. Warn if the size is not met. This can be expected to prevent the user from changing the size or printing, and as a result, it is possible to reduce printing in a state where a paper size outside the quality assurance is set.

The information processing apparatus that implements the functions of the program, the control method that implements the functions of the program, and the computer-readable storage medium that stores the program are also novel and useful.

According to the technology disclosed in the present specification, a program for an information processing apparatus capable of making settings related to printing, and a technology for reducing printing with settings outside quality assurance is realized.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printing system according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an internal configuration of a printer; FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of print setting processing; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print setting screen; 4 is a flow chart showing a procedure of paper setting processing; FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a paper registration screen; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a warning message; 4 is a flow chart showing the procedure of print processing. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a warning message;

An embodiment embodying a printing system including a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") and a printer will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment discloses a printing system including a printer that prints on a continuous strip of print medium.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system of this embodiment has a PC 1 and a printer 2, which are communicably connected to each other. The PC 1 is a device that executes various processes for causing the printer 2 to print. The PC 1 is an example of an information processing device. Specifically, the PC 1 creates and edits image data for printing, accepts various print settings including paper size settings, and transmits print commands to the printer 2 . For example, a smart phone or a tablet computer can be used instead of the PC 1 .

The PC 1 includes a control board 10 including a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, and a nonvolatile memory 14, as shown in FIG. Furthermore, the PC 1 includes a network interface (hereinafter referred to as "network IF") 16, a USB interface (hereinafter referred to as "USB-IF") 17, and a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 18. , and a display 19 , which are electrically connected to the control board 10 . Note that the control board 10 in FIG. 1 is a collective term for hardware and software used to control the PC 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the PC 1. FIG.

The CPU 11 executes various processes according to programs read from the ROM 12 and the nonvolatile memory 14 and based on user's operations. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The ROM 12 stores a boot program and the like for booting the PC 1 . The RAM 13 is used as a work area when various processes are executed, or as a storage area for temporarily storing data. The nonvolatile memory 14 is, for example, an HDD or a flash memory, and is used as an area for storing programs such as various application programs (hereinafter referred to as “applications”), data such as image data and document data, and various settings. be. The ROM 12, RAM 13 and non-volatile memory 14 are all examples of memory. Further, if the CPU 11 has a CPU buffer, the CPU buffer is also an example of memory.

Any of the examples of memory may be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. In addition to the above examples, non-transitory media include recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. A non-transitory medium is also a tangible medium. On the other hand, an electrical signal that carries a program downloaded from a server on the Internet is a computer-readable signal medium, which is a kind of computer-readable medium, but is a non-transitory computer-readable storage. Not included in media.

The network IF 16 includes hardware for communicating with external devices via a network such as LAN and the Internet. The communication method of the network IF 16 may be wireless or wired, and may be of any standard. The USB-IF 17 includes hardware for performing communication based on the USB standard. Communication between the PC 1 and the printer 2 may be performed using the network IF 16 or the USB-IF 17 . Network IF 16 or USB-IF 17 is an example of a communication interface.

The user IF 18 includes hardware such as a keyboard, mouse, etc. that accepts user input operations. Display 19 includes hardware for displaying information on a screen. The display 19 is an example of a display device. Note that the PC 1 may have a touch panel or the like having the functions of both the user IF 18 and the display 19 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the PC 1 of the present embodiment includes a nonvolatile memory 14, a label creation application 40, and an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 41. As shown in FIG. The label creation application 40 includes a paper setting application 401 and a paper registration database (hereinafter referred to as “paper registration DB”) 402 . The label creation application 40 is a program that accepts editing of images for printing, print settings, print execution instructions, and the like. The OS 41 includes a printer driver 411 that controls the printer 2 . The label creation application 40 and the printer driver 411 are examples of programs. Processing of each program will be described later.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the printer 2 of this embodiment incorporates a print head 21 and a print medium 22 wound into a roll, and performs printing on the print medium 22 and transportation of the print medium 22. This is a so-called label printer that performs The print head 21 of the printer 2 is, for example, of a thermal transfer type, and has a row of a plurality of print pins that are heating elements. The printer 2 performs printing on the print medium 22 by selectively heating each print pin of the print head 21 .

The print medium 22 used in the printer 2 includes a continuous strip-shaped base material 221 and a print target paper 222 attached to one side of the base material 221 . The printer 2 prints on the paper 222 with the print head 21 while unwinding the print medium 22 . As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the printed portion of the print medium 22 is protruded out of the machine through the discharge port 23 . The printer 2 includes, for example, a manual cutter 24 near the outlet 23 . When the cutter 24 is operated by the user, the portion protruding outside the machine is cut off from the remaining print medium 22 and discharged.

The print medium 22 used in the printer 2 includes a plurality of paper types depending on the shape of the paper 222 to be printed. Paper types are, for example, long tapes, die-cut labels, and media with marks. The long tape is formed by sticking a continuous strip of paper 222 similar to the base material 221 to the base material 221 . For example, by cutting off the printed portion with a cutter 24 or the like, a label of a predetermined length is created from the long tape. A die-cut label is a label in which cut sheets of paper 222 that have been cut in advance into a predetermined shape are attached to a substrate 221 at predetermined intervals. Marked media are media on which marks are provided at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the print medium 22, and each sheet 222 is set to a range including one mark.

The label creation application 40 of the present embodiment accepts settings for paper sizes of individual labels created by printing with the printer 2 . Hereinafter, of the paper sizes, the size of the print medium 22 in the transport direction is referred to as "paper length", and the size in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction is referred to as "paper width". The transport direction of the print medium 22 is an example of the first direction. The paper width is determined by the set print medium 22 . For example, if the width of the paper 222 is smaller than the width of the substrate 221 , the width of the paper is the width of the paper 222 .

The paper length varies depending on the paper type and print data. When the paper type is a long tape, the paper length is the range to be printed for each piece of print data, and is the length that protrudes from the discharge port 23 after printing. If the paper type is a die-cut label, the paper length is one length of the cut paper 222 attached on the base material 221 . If the paper type is medium with marks, the paper length is the distance between marks in the transport direction.

Note that the printer 2 of this embodiment has a size measurement function of measuring the paper size of the set print medium 22 and outputting the measurement result. The printer 2 has an optical sensor in the transport path, and detects the presence or absence of the paper 222 on the substrate 221 and the presence or absence of the mark while transporting the printing medium 22 by the optical sensor. By executing the size measurement function, the printer 2 acquires the paper type, paper length, and paper width of the print medium 22 . In addition, when the print medium 22 is stored in a cassette and the printer 2 can acquire information about the print medium 22 from the cassette by mounting the cassette in the printer 2, the printer 2 prints the paper based on the acquired information. Information such as the type may be acquired.

The paper registration DB 403 stored in the non-volatile memory 14 of the PC 1 stores paper data including information such as the type and size of the printing medium 22 used in the printer 2 in association with the paper name, which is the name of the printing medium 22. It is a database that The paper data is used as information about the print medium 22 set in the print job when causing the printer 2 to print. A paper setting application 401 of the PC 1 is an application for registering information of the print medium 22 in the paper registration DB 403 . The paper setting application 401 accepts both registration based on the measurement results of the size measurement function and manual input by the user.

In the printer 2 of this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. The option unit 25 is a unit that processes the print medium 22 after printing. For example, the option unit 25 is a cutter option or a peeler option, and only one option can be installed. The cutter option is for automatically cutting the print medium 22 that has been printed and discharged from the discharge port 23. For example, it is possible to set cutting for each label or cutting at the trailing edge of all labels. The peeler option is for peeling the paper 222 from the base material 221. For example, the paper 222 is discharged after being partially peeled from the base material 221. FIG.

When the cutter option is installed, the paper is cut inside the optional unit 25, so if the paper length is too short, the cut sheet may stick to the cutting blade, causing malfunction of the optional unit 25. There is Also, when the peeler option is attached, if the portion peeled off from the base material is too short, there is a possibility that the option unit 25 cannot be properly ejected. Therefore, each option unit 25 is set with a minimum length, which is the minimum allowable paper length for proper use.

That is, when using the option unit 25, the paper length is preferably equal to or greater than the minimum length defined for the option unit 25 to be used. Printing with a print setting that includes a paper length shorter than the minimum length of the option unit 25 to be used is printing outside the quality assurance of the printer 2 . A minimum length is an example of an acceptable size. The minimum length may be a size obtained from the design value of each option unit 25, or may be a quality assurance size obtained from test results or the like. Also, even if the option unit 25 is not used, the minimum length that is out of quality assurance may be set.

For example, the minimum length set for each option unit 25 is as follows.
With cutter option installed: 25.4mm
With peeler option installed: 12.7mm
Without option installed: 6.0mm

Next, each process performed by the label creation application 40 will be described. It should be noted that the following processing and each processing step in the flow chart basically indicate the processing of the CPU 11 in accordance with the instructions described in each program. That is, the processes such as "judgment", "extraction", "selection", "calculation", "determination", "specification", "acquisition", "acceptance", "control", etc. in the following description are performed by the CPU 11. represent. Processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the API of the OS 41 of the PC 1 . In this specification, the description of the OS 41 will be omitted and the operation of each program will be described. That is, in the following description, the description to the effect that "the program B controls the hardware C" may refer to "the program B controls the hardware C using the API of the OS 41". Also, the processing of the CPU 11 according to the instructions written in the program may be described with abbreviated words. For example, it may be described as "performed by the CPU 11" or "performed by the program".

Note that "acquisition" is used as a concept that does not require a request. That is, the process of receiving data without the CPU 11 requesting it is also included in the concept of "the CPU 11 acquires data." Also, "data" in this specification is represented by a computer-readable bit string. Data having substantially the same meaning and content but different formats are treated as the same data. The same applies to "information" in this specification. Further, "request" and "instruct" are concepts indicating outputting information indicating requesting or instructing to the other party. Also, information indicating a request or information indicating an instruction is simply referred to as a "request" or an "instruction."

Also, the process of judging by the CPU 11 whether or not the information A indicates that the matter B is conceptually described as "judging whether or not the information A is the matter B". There is The processing by the CPU 11 to determine whether information A indicates matter B or matter C is referred to as "judging whether information A is matter B or matter C". It may be described conceptually as

Upon receiving the print setting instruction, the label creation application 40 activates the printer driver 411 and causes the printer driver 411 to execute print setting processing. A procedure for print setting processing by the printer driver 411 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. The print setting process is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1 when the label creation application 40 receives a print setting instruction.

In the print setting process, for example, the CPU 11 causes the display 19 to display a print setting screen 51 as shown in FIG. 4 (S101), and accepts various print settings on this screen. The print setting screen 51 is a screen including, for example, a paper selection field 511, a paper size field 512, a number of copies field 513, and an option field 514, as shown in FIG. The print setting screen 51 further includes a paper size setting button 52 , an OK button 53 and a cancel button 54 . The paper size field 512 also includes a paper length field 55 .

A paper selection field 511 is a field for receiving selection of a paper size name. In the paper selection field 511, the names of a plurality of common paper sizes and the names of the print media 22 registered in the paper registration DB 402 are displayed as options. For example, when the name of the print medium 22 registered in the paper registration DB 402 is selected, the CPU 11 displays the size of the print medium 22 stored in association with the selected paper name in the paper size column 512 . A paper size setting button 52 is a button for accepting an instruction to start an operation of registering a new paper in the paper registration DB 402 .

A paper size field 512 is a field for receiving an input of paper size. The paper size field 512 also accepts information about the orientation of printing. The number of copies to be printed field 513 is a field for receiving input of the number of copies to be printed for the same label. The option column 514 is a column for receiving input of information indicating whether or not the option unit 25 is used when creating a label.

The CPU 11 receives an input to each column on the print setting screen 51 being displayed, and causes the print setting screen 51 to display the received information. Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the paper size setting button 52 has been pressed (S102). When determining that the paper size setting button 52 has been pressed (S102: YES), the CPU 11 activates the paper setting application 401 (see FIG. 1) (S103) and executes paper setting processing (S104). The paper setting process is a process of receiving information on the print medium 22, assigning a paper name to the received information, and registering it in the paper registration DB 402. FIG.

Next, the paper setting process procedure will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the paper setting process, the CPU 11 first causes the display 19 to display a paper registration screen 61 as shown in FIG. 6 (S201). The paper registration screen 61 is, for example, a screen including a paper name column 611, a paper size column 612, and a margin size column 613, as shown in FIG. The paper registration screen 61 further includes a paper automatic detection button 62 , an add button 63 and a cancel button 64 . The paper size field 612 also includes a paper length field 65 . Then, the CPU 11 accepts input to each column on the paper registration screen 61 . S201 is an example of a first reception process.

A paper name field 611 is a field for receiving the input of the paper name to be registered in the paper registration DB 402 and the selection of the paper type. As described above, paper types include, for example, long tapes, die-cut labels, and media with marks. The paper size field 612 includes a field for receiving input of the size of an individual label and a field for receiving input of information indicating the arrangement of marks when the paper type is media with marks. The paper length can be freely set for long tapes. In the case of die-cut labels or marked media, each piece of information in the paper size column 612 is determined by the size of the individual label. A margin size column 613 is a column for receiving input of information for setting a margin around the print area.

The automatic paper detection button 62 is a button for accepting an instruction to cause the printer 2 to measure the size of the paper loaded in the printer 2 using the size measurement function of the printer 2 . When the automatic paper detection button 62 is pressed, the PC 1 transmits to the printer 2 a size detection command instructing measurement by the size measurement function. Then, the PC 1 receives the measurement result from the printer 2 and updates the information on the paper registration screen 61 based on the received information. The add button 63 is a button for accepting a registration instruction to register the information input on the paper registration screen 61 in the paper registration DB 402 . The cancel button 64 is a button for accepting an instruction to end the paper setting process without registration.

The CPU 11 determines whether or not the add button 63 has been pressed on the paper registration screen 61 being displayed (S202). S202 is an example of a second acceptance process. When determining that the add button 63 has not been pressed (S202: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the cancel button 64 has been pressed (S203). When determining that the cancel button 64 has not been pressed (S203: NO), the CPU 11 returns to S202 and accepts input to the paper registration screen 61 until the add button 63 or the cancel button 64 is pressed.

If it is determined that the add button 63 has been pressed (S202: YES), the CPU 11 acquires each information entered in the paper registration screen 61, and determines whether the paper length is set in the paper length field 65. (S204). When determining that the paper length has been set (S204: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether or not display of a warning message is permitted (S205). The warning message is a message calling attention to the accepted paper length, as will be described later. When the warning message is displayed, the user's setting is accepted to the effect that the display of subsequent warning messages is not permitted. If this setting has been accepted, the CPU 11 determines NO in S205.

If it is determined that the display of the warning message is permitted (S205: YES), the CPU 11 inputs the minimum length set in each option unit 25 that can be attached to the printer 2 and the paper length column 65. and information on the length of the paper, and it is determined whether or not the length of the paper is shorter than at least one of the minimum lengths (S206). For example, in this embodiment, it is determined whether the length is shorter than at least one of the minimum length when the cutter option is attached and the minimum length when the peeler option is attached. Then, if it is determined that it is short (S206: YES), the CPU 11 issues a warning by displaying a warning message on the display 19 (S207). S207 is an example of warning processing.

The CPU 11 determines whether or not the long tape is selected in the paper type field included in the paper name field 611 of the paper registration screen 61 (S208). If it is determined that the long tape is selected (S208: YES), the CPU 11 causes the display 19 to further display a reset message asking whether or not to accept the reset (S209). Long tapes are an example of the first type, and die-cut labels or marked media are examples of the second type.

A specific example of the message is shown in FIG. The recommended minimum length differs for each type of option unit 25 . The CPU 11 specifically displays the type of the option unit 25 whose paper length is shorter than the minimum length in the warning message to draw attention. For example, if the option units 25 that can be attached to the printer 2 are option A and option B, and the minimum length of option A is x mm and the minimum length of option B is y mm (x<y), the paper length is less than x mm, display both the minimum length of option A and the minimum length of option B to attract attention. On the other hand, if the paper length is longer than x mm and shorter than y mm, only the minimum length of option B is displayed to call attention.

FIG. 7A shows a message 71 when the paper length is shorter than the minimum length of the peeler option and the paper type is long tape. Message 71 includes warning message 711 and reset message 712 . FIG. 7B shows a message 72 when the paper length is equal to or longer than the minimum length of the peeler option and shorter than the minimum length of the cutter option, and the paper type is long tape. Message 72 includes warning message 721 and reset message 722 . The reset message 712 and the reset message 722 include a button for accepting resetting and a button for accepting an instruction to register with the settings as they are.

In the case of die-cut labels or marked media, only messages that do not contain reset message 712 or reset message 722, namely warning message 711 or warning message 721, are displayed. For die-cut labels or media with marks, the size of the paper 222 is predetermined for each printing medium 22, and there is a high possibility that the user will be confused even if resetting is accepted. User confusion can be avoided by only issuing a warning.

Returning to the description of FIG. After displaying the reset messages 712 and 722, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a reset instruction has been received (S210). S210 is an example of a third acceptance process. If the CPU 11 determines that the reset instruction has not been received (S210: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the registration instruction has been received (S211). If the CPU 11 determines that no registration instruction has been received as it is (S211: NO), the CPU 11 waits until it receives a reset instruction or an instruction as it is.

If it is determined that a reset instruction has been received (S210: YES), the CPU 11 returns to S201 and receives re-input to the paper registration screen 61. FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined that the paper length is not set (S204: NO), or if it is determined that display is not permitted (S205: NO), or if the paper length is the minimum length of the option unit 25 (S206: NO), or if it is determined that it is not a long tape (S208: NO), or if it is determined that an instruction to register as it is (S211: YES), The CPU 11 associates the paper name field 611 with the information in the paper size field 612 that has already been input, and registers it in the paper registration DB 402 (S212). S212 is an example of a storage process.

After S212, or when determining that the cancel button 64 has been pressed (S203: YES), the CPU 11 closes the paper registration screen 61 (S213), finishes the paper setting process, and returns to the print setting process. Note that the paper setting process is not limited to an instruction by operating the paper size setting button 52 on the print setting screen 51, and the paper setting application 401 may be directly executed by a user's instruction. When it is executed based on the user's instruction, the paper registration screen 61 is closed upon completion of the paper setting process, and the previous display state is restored.

Returning to the description of FIG. When paper information is registered in the paper registration DB 402 in the paper setting process of S104, the registered information is also reflected in the print setting screen 51 shown in FIG. Is displayed. After the paper setting process, or when determining that the paper size setting button 52 of the print setting screen 51 has not been pressed (S102: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether the OK button 53 has been pressed (S105). ).

When determining that the OK button 53 has not been pressed (S105: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether the cancel button 54 has been pressed (S106). When determining that the cancel button 54 has not been pressed (S106: NO), the CPU 11 returns to S102 and waits until any one of the paper size setting button 52, the OK button 53, and the cancel button 54 is pressed.

When determining that the OK button 53 has been pressed (S105: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the cutter option or peeler option is selected in the option column 514 (S107). When determining that the option is selected (S107: YES), the CPU 11 determines that the paper length entered in the paper length field 55 is shorter than the minimum length of the option set in the option field 514. (S108).

As described above, the printer 2 can be equipped with a cutter option or a peeler option as the option unit 25 (see FIG. 2). In order to use these functions during printing with these installed, it is necessary to set the options to be used in the option column 514 of the print setting screen 51 . If the cutter option or peeler option is selected in option field 514, it is recommended that the paper length be equal to or greater than the minimum length of the option being selected.

Further, the option column 514 includes an item of "trimming". Trimming is an option that shortens the paper length by cutting the margins according to the size of the image to be printed. When trimming is set, for example, even if the length of 5 characters is set in the paper length field 55, the label creation application 40 sets the print data to an image of 3 characters. is shortened by 2 characters to create a label with a length of 3 characters. If trimming is set, the length of the label produced may be shorter than the paper length entered in the paper length field 55 . Cropping is an example of a variable size option.

When the CPU 11 determines that the paper length is shorter than the minimum length of the selected option (S108: YES), the CPU 11 displays a warning message on the display 19 (S109). If the cutter option or peeler option is selected in the option field 514 and trimming is also selected, the CPU 11 determines YES in S108 even if the paper length is equal to or greater than the minimum length of the selected option. and notify you that trimming may cause it to fall below the minimum length. S109 is an example of warning processing, and S109 when trimming is selected in the option column 514 is an example of notification processing. If the paper length is shorter than the minimum length even if trimming is not performed, the trimming information does not have to be included in the warning message.

The CPU 11 determines whether the selected sheet is the long tape (S110). Then, when it is determined that the tape is a long tape (S110: YES), the CPU 11 causes the display 19 to display a reset message asking whether or not to accept the reset (S111). The reset message is a message that inquires of the user whether or not to reset, like the reset message displayed in S209.

FIG. 7C shows an example of the message when the trimming and cutter options are set and the long tape is selected. A message 73 shown in FIG. 7C includes a warning message 731 and a reset message 732 . The reset message 732 is similar to the reset message 712 shown in FIG. 7(A). When a die-cut label or marked media is selected, the CPU 11 causes only the warning message 731 to be displayed without displaying the reset message 732 .

After displaying the reset message, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a reset instruction has been received (S112). When determining that the reset instruction has not been received (S112: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the instruction to continue setting has been received (S113). If the CPU 11 determines that no instruction to continue setting has been received (S113: NO), the CPU 11 waits until receiving a reset instruction or an instruction to continue.

If the CPU 11 determines that the reset instruction has been accepted (S112: YES), the CPU 11 returns to S101 and accepts the reset to the print setting screen 51. FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined that no option is selected (S107: NO), or if it is determined that the paper length is equal to or greater than the minimum length of the option (S108: NO), or if it is not a long tape If so (S110: NO), or if it is determined that the setting instruction has been received (S113: YES), the CPU 11 stores the set information as print settings (S114). After S114, or if it is determined that the cancel button 54 has been pressed (S106: YES), the CPU 11 closes the print setting screen 51 (S115) and ends the print setting process.

In this print setting process, the CPU 11 issues a warning message based on whether or not use of the option is selected on the print setting screen 51, regardless of whether the option unit 25 is actually attached to the printer 2. indicate. Therefore, it is possible to display the warning message in the print setting process even when communication with the printer 2 is disabled.

Next, the procedure of print processing by the printer driver 411 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the label creation application 40 receives a selection of image data to be printed and an instruction to execute printing, the label creation application 40 generates a print job using the set print settings, and activates the printer driver 411 via the OS 41 . This print processing is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1 according to the printer driver 411 .

In the printing process, the CPU 11 acquires information on the option unit 25 attached to the printer 2 (S302). S302 is an example of an acquisition process. The CPU 11 acquires information on the option unit 25 by communicating with the printer 2, for example.

Based on the acquired information of the option unit 25, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the paper length set in the print job is appropriate (S303). For example, if the option unit 25 is not installed in the printer 2, or if the option unit 25 is installed but the use of the option unit 25 is not specified in the print settings, the CPU 11 determines YES in S303.

If the option unit 25 is installed in the printer 2 and the use of the option unit 25 is specified in the print settings, the CPU 11 determines whether the paper length of the print job is equal to or greater than the minimum length of the option unit 25. If there is, it is determined as YES in S303. On the other hand, if the paper length of the print job is shorter than the minimum length of the installed and specified option unit 25, the CPU 11 determines NO in S303. Note that when trimming is set in the print settings, the paper length of the print job is the paper length after trimming.

When determining that the paper length is not appropriate (S303: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not to add a margin to the print data (S304). Then, in S<b>304 , the CPU 11 may determine whether or not to add a margin based on user settings set by operating the print setting screen 51 , for example. The CPU 11 may also determine whether to add a margin based on the model information of the printer 2 and the type of the option unit 25 installed. For example, for each printer model, the minimum length is determined as a design value for each of the case where the option unit is not installed and the case where the option unit is installed. The CPU 11 may specify the minimum length according to the model information of the printer 2 and the type of the attached option unit 25, and determine to add the margin when the paper length is shorter than the minimum length. Note that the user setting and minimum length may be stored in the registry within the nonvolatile memory 14 .

When determining to add a margin (S304: YES), the CPU 11 adds a margin so that the paper length of the print job is greater than or equal to the minimum length of the option unit 25 (S305). For example, the CPU 11 adds blanks of a required length before, after, or both before and after the print data. S305 is an example of margin addition processing. Further, the CPU 11 causes the display 19 to display a message notifying the user that the margin has been added (S306). S306 is an example of notification processing. By notifying the addition of the margin, the user can recognize the addition of the margin, and the user's confusion caused by the output of the paper 222 having a length different from the print setting can be avoided.

As for the amount of margin to be added, a variable amount of margin may be added so that the paper length is equal to or greater than the minimum length, or a predetermined fixed amount of margin may be added. Also, for example, if the paper length becomes shorter than the print setting due to the trimming option, and the paper length becomes shorter than the minimum length, the margins removed by trimming are restored to the original length of the paper. The length may be equal to or greater than the minimum length of the option unit 25 . Further, for example, when the printed range is reduced by the printing base point correction and the length of the label is shortened, the margin may be added.

When determining not to add the margin (S304: NO), the CPU 11 displays a warning message on the display 19 (S307). S307 is an example of warning processing during printing. In S307, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 11 outputs a warning message 741 containing information on the type of the installed option unit 25 and its minimum length, and an inquiry message 742 asking whether to continue printing. to display a message 74 including . The inquiry message 742 includes a button for accepting an instruction to continue printing and a button for accepting an instruction to cancel printing and reset print settings.

Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a reset instruction has been received (S308). When determining that the reset instruction has not been received (S308: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the continuation instruction has been received (S309). If it is determined that no instruction to continue is received (S309: NO), the CPU 11 waits until it receives a reset instruction or a continuation instruction. S308 and S309 are an example of reception processing at the time of printing.

If the CPU 11 determines that the reset instruction has been received (S308: YES), the CPU 11 cancels the print job (S310), starts executing the above-described print setting process (S311), and ends the print process. S310 is an example of a cancel process. By forcibly canceling a print job, you can avoid printing with paper settings that are out of quality assurance.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the paper size is appropriate (S303: YES), or after S306 or if it is determined that an instruction to continue is accepted (S309: YES), the CPU 11 sends the print data to the printer 2. The data is transmitted (S312), and the printing process ends. Specifically, the CPU 11 transmits a print execution command to the printer 2 . By enabling the continuation of printing, it is possible to deal with users who wish to print even though they are aware of the risk.

When the print data is sent to the printer 2, the printer 2 that has received the print data starts printing. In this case, the CPU 11 may cause the display 19 to display a window indicating that printing is in progress. Even if the PC 1 of the present embodiment determines that the setting of the paper size is not appropriate, if the user's instruction to continue printing is received, the PC 1 executes printing with the setting as it is. In this case, displaying the printing progress is highly convenient for the user who wants to print while being aware of the possibility of adverse effects on the option unit 25 .

As described in detail above, according to the printing system described in this specification, if the paper length set in the print settings is less than the minimum length of the option unit 25, the paper size is not appropriate. be warned. Therefore, it can be expected that the user will avoid changing the size and printing, and as a result, it is possible to reduce printing in a state where a paper size outside the quality assurance is set. Moreover, even if printing is performed, there is a high possibility that the user will perform printing while being aware of the risk of failure, and the possibility of unexpected failure occurring for the user can be reduced.

Furthermore, in the printing system described in this specification, different warning messages are displayed when paper information is registered, when print settings are accepted, and when print execution instructions are accepted. When registering the paper information, it is compared with all the minimum lengths of the optional units 25 that can be installed, and if the paper length is shorter than any one of the minimum lengths, that effect is displayed. When the print settings are received, it is compared with the minimum length of the option unit 25 selected in the print settings, and if the paper length is shorter than the minimum length, that effect is displayed. On the other hand, when receiving a print execution instruction, the paper length is compared with the minimum length of the option unit 25 attached to the printer 2, and if the paper length is shorter than the minimum length, that effect is displayed. For example, even if the information of the option unit 25 that is not attached is displayed, it is unnecessary for the user and may cause confusion. Convenience is improved by limiting the warning to the information of the option unit 25 that is assumed to be used. Also, in any case, since a warning message specifying the type of the target option unit 25 is displayed, the user can easily grasp the cause of the warning and easily correct the paper length.

Also, in the paper setting process described in this specification, when a warning is issued that the paper length does not meet the minimum length, the paper size can be reset before registering the paper data in the paper registration DB 403. Therefore, convenience is increased. The message for accepting the resetting instruction may be displayed at the same time as the warning message, or may be displayed continuously after the warning in a window separate from the warning message.

Also, when trimming is set, the paper length is variable, and as a result, there is a possibility that the allowable size of the option unit 25 will not be satisfied. In the present embodiment, when trimming is set in the print settings, the fact is notified, so that the possibility of unexpected failure for the user can be reduced.

It should be noted that the present embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the number of PC 1 and printer 2 is not limited to one, and a printing system in which a plurality of units are connected may be used.

Moreover, the printing method of the printer 2 is not limited to the thermal transfer method, and may be, for example, an inkjet method, an electrophotographic method, or a thermal method. Further, the printing medium used in the printer 2 may be continuous paper, not limited to labels, and may be roll paper, for example.

Further, in the embodiment, resetting of the paper length is not accepted when the paper type is die-cut label or marked media, but it may be accepted.

Also, although the paper setting application 401 is included in the label creation application 40, it may be part of the printer driver 411 or may be an independent program. Also, although the print setting process is performed by the printer driver 411 , it may be performed by the label creation application 40 . Also, part of the print processing may be the processing of the printer driver 411 . For example, S302 to S312 may be executed by the printer driver 411. FIG. When canceling printing, the printer driver 411 deletes the received print data and returns information indicating that printing has been canceled to the label creation application 40 .

Further, the determination of whether the paper length is appropriate and the display of the warning message are not limited to the timing when the OK button 53 or the add button 63 is pressed. You can go at the right time. On the other hand, when the OK button 53 or the add button 63 is pressed, the troublesomeness is reduced compared to the case where the warning is issued every time the paper length is input. Moreover, each warning is not limited to displaying a warning message, and may be, for example, a voice message.

In addition, in the paper setting process of the embodiment, a warning is given when the paper length is shorter than the minimum length, but the warning may always be given regardless of the paper length. Specifically, S206 of the paper setting process may be deleted, and if YES is determined in S205, the process may proceed to S207.

In addition, in the printing process of the embodiment, when it is determined that the paper length is not appropriate (NO in S303), it is determined whether or not to add a margin, but it is also possible to always add a margin. . Specifically, the determination in S304 may be deleted, and if NO in S303, S305 and S306 may be executed.

Information on the option unit 25 attached to the printer 2 is obtained by directly inquiring of the printer 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. good too. Also, in the print setting process, the information of the attached option unit 25 may be acquired by communicating with the printer 2, and the determination in S206 may be made based on the acquired information.

Also, in the embodiment, the warning message is displayed when it is determined that the margin should not be added, but the warning message may be displayed first. For example, a check box may be provided in the warning message to ask the user whether or not to add the margin, and the user's instruction as to whether or not to add the margin may be accepted. Also, even if it is determined that the paper length is not appropriate, printing can be continued according to the user's instruction, but the continuation may not be accepted. That is, instead of displaying a screen asking whether to continue printing or reset the paper size, the print job may be forcibly canceled, or the user may inquire whether to cancel or reset.

Further, in the embodiment, the printing process is described as the process executed by the printer driver 411, but it may be the process executed by an application such as the label creation application 40 or the like. In that case, the application may start the printer driver 411 and acquire printer information via the printer driver 411 .

Further, in any flowchart disclosed in the embodiments, multiple processes in any multiple steps can be arbitrarily changed in execution order or executed in parallel as long as there is no contradiction in the processing contents.

Also, the processing disclosed in the embodiments may be performed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Further, the processes disclosed in the embodiments can be realized in various forms such as a recording medium recording a program for executing the processes, a method, and the like.

1 PC
2 Printer 11 CPU
14 non-volatile memory 16 network IF
17 USB-IF
18 User interface
19 Display 40 Label making app

Claims (18)

A program that can be executed by a computer of an information processing device and that executes processing for setting a paper size used for printing in a printer, wherein the printer has a plurality of types of optional units that can be installed, Each option unit type has an allowable size for the size of the paper in the first direction,
to the computer;
a first reception process for receiving an input of the size of the paper in the first direction via the user interface of the information processing apparatus;
When the size in the first direction received in the first reception process does not satisfy the allowable size of at least one of the plurality of option units, a warning indicating that the allowable size is not met. Warning processing that performs
a second reception process for receiving input of a registration instruction indicating registration of a paper size via the user interface;
Data including the size in the first direction received in the first reception process when the registration instruction is received in the second reception process, setting a paper size used for printing by the printer. a storage process of storing paper data, which is data used for
to run
A program characterized by In the program according to claim 1,
the first direction is a paper transport direction in the printer;
The option unit is a unit that receives the paper that has been printed and then conveyed in the first direction while being attached to the printer, and processes the received paper, and the type of the option unit: Each different processing is applied to the received paper,
A program characterized by In the program according to claim 1 or claim 2,
The allowable size is the minimum allowable size in the first direction when the option unit is attached to the printer, and is the minimum allowable size in the first direction for each type of option unit. has a value,
When the size in the first direction received in the first reception process is smaller than the allowable size, the warning process indicates that the allowable size is not satisfied.
A program characterized by In the program according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the warning process,
warning by associating information indicating the type of optional unit that does not satisfy the allowable size with the allowable size of the option unit;
A program characterized by In the program according to claim 4,
In the warning process,
As a mode of warning, for each type of option unit that does not satisfy the allowable size, the name of the option unit and the allowable size of the option unit are displayed on the display device of the information processing device.
A program characterized by In the program according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
to the computer;
executing acquisition processing for acquiring the type of option unit currently installed in the printer;
In the warning process,
If the size in the first direction accepted in the first acceptance process does not meet the allowable size of the type of option unit acquired in the acquisition process, a warning is issued that the allowable size is not met. do,
A program characterized by In the program according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
to the computer;
Even if the input of the size in the first direction is received in the first receiving process, the warning process may not be executed. It may cause warning processing to be executed,
A program characterized by In the program according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
to the computer;
executing a third reception process for receiving an instruction to re-input the size in the first direction via the user interface when issuing a warning by the warning process;
Furthermore, in said computer,
When a re-input instruction is received in the third reception process, the first reception process is executed again without executing the storage process.
A program characterized by In the program according to claim 8,
to the computer;
If the currently set paper type is the first type, the third receiving process is executed; if it is the second type, the third receiving process is not executed;
A program characterized by In the program according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
to the computer;
When a variable size option for changing the size of the paper in the first direction according to the size of the print data is set, a notification process is executed for notifying that the allowable size may not be satisfied. ,
A program characterized by A program that can be executed by a computer of an information processing device and that is executed when a print instruction is given to a printer, wherein the printer has a plurality of types of optional units that can be installed, and for each type of optional unit, there is an allowable size for the size of the paper in the first direction;
to said computer;
an acquisition process for acquiring the type of an option unit currently attached to the printer when the print instruction to the printer is input via the user interface of the information processing apparatus;
If the size in the first direction of the paper data set in the print job corresponding to the print instruction does not satisfy the allowable size of the type of option unit acquired in the acquisition process, the allowable A print-time warning process that warns that the size is not satisfied;
to run
A program characterized by In the program according to claim 11,
to the computer;
executing a cancel process for canceling the print job when issuing a warning by the warning process at the time of printing;
A program characterized by In the program according to claim 11,
to the computer;
print-time reception processing for receiving an input as to whether to continue or cancel printing based on the print job via the user interface when issuing a warning by the print-time warning processing;
a cancellation process of canceling the print job when the cancellation is accepted in the acceptance process at the time of printing;
to run
A program characterized by A program that can be executed by a computer of an information processing device and that is executed when a print instruction is given to a printer, wherein the printer has a plurality of types of optional units that can be installed, and each type of optional unit has: there is an allowable size for the size of the paper in the first direction;
to the computer;
an acquisition process of acquiring the type of an option unit currently attached to the printer when the print instruction to the printer is input via the user interface of the information processing apparatus;
printing the print job when the size in the first direction of the paper set in the print job corresponding to the print instruction does not satisfy the allowable size of the type of optional unit acquired in the acquisition process; margin addition processing for increasing the margin of the data in the first direction;
to run
A program characterized by In the program according to claim 14,
to the computer;
executing notification processing for notifying that a margin has been added when the margin is added in the margin addition processing;
A program characterized by memory;
a user interface;
a computer;
with
The computer is
executing a first reception process for receiving an input of a paper size in a first direction among paper size settings used for printing by the printer via the user interface; There are multiple types of options, each type of option unit has an allowable size for the size of the paper in the first direction,
Further, the computer
When the size in the first direction received in the first reception process does not satisfy the allowable size of at least one of the plurality of option units, a warning indicating that the allowable size is not met. Warning processing that performs
a second reception process for receiving an input of a registration instruction indicating registration of a paper size via the user interface;
Data including the size in the first direction received in the first reception process when the registration instruction is received in the second reception process, setting a paper size used for printing by the printer. a storage process of storing paper data, which is data used in the memory, in the memory;
run the
An information processing device characterized by: a user interface;
a computer;
with
The computer is
When a print execution instruction is input to the printer via the user interface, an acquisition process is executed to acquire the type of option unit currently installed in the printer, and the option unit that can be installed in the printer is executed There are multiple types of units, each type of optional unit has an allowable size for the size of the paper in the first direction,
Further, the computer
If the size in the first direction of the paper data set in the print job corresponding to the print execution instruction does not satisfy the allowable size of the type of option unit acquired in the acquisition process, perform a print-time warning process that warns that the allowed size is not met;
An information processing device characterized by: a user interface;
a computer;
with
The computer is
When a print execution instruction is input to the printer via the user interface, an acquisition process is executed to acquire the type of option unit currently installed in the printer, and the option unit that can be installed in the printer is executed There are multiple types of units, each type of optional unit has an allowable size for the size of the paper in the first direction,
Further, the computer
when the size of the paper in the first direction set in the print job corresponding to the print execution instruction does not satisfy the allowable size of the type of optional unit acquired in the acquisition process, executing margin addition processing for increasing the margin in the first direction of the print data;
An information processing device characterized by:

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