JP2004358714A - Multifunction printer, label printing method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multifunction printer capable of printing an image for material within a range desired by a user onto a label surface without using a tray, and to provide a label printing method and a program therefor. <P>SOLUTION: A CPU (central processing unit) 22, a scanner ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) 32 and a printer ASIC 42 mounted on a multifunction printer 10 recognize the position of an image for material, and the like, and selects a range corresponding to the label surface from an image for processing. Furthermore, the CPU 22, the scanner ASIC 32 and the printer ASIC 42 mounted on a multifunction printer 10 perform a series of operations when a user designates automatic label printing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a multifunction printer, a label printing method, and a program therefor.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a multi-function printer having a scanner mechanism for reading an image and a printer mechanism for printing an image, a scanner head for reading a label surface of a compact disk-recordable (CD-R) as a first recording medium, and There has been proposed an apparatus having an ink head section for printing a read image on a label surface of a second CD-R, and sharing a tray on which the first and second CD-Rs are placed (for example, Patent Reference 1). In this system, a first CD-R having a label surface printed thereon is placed on a tray and an image on the label surface is read, and then the read image is placed on a recording medium of a second CD-R and read. Is printed on the label side.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2003-1873
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in this system, it is necessary to position the image to be read using a tray. Further, after the first CD-R is placed on the tray and the label surface is read, it is necessary to take out the first CD-R from the tray and replace it on the second CD-R, which makes the operation complicated. there were.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and a multifunction printer, a label printing method, and a multifunction printer capable of printing an image in a range desired by a user among material images without using a tray on a label surface. One of the purposes is to provide the program. Another object of the present invention is to provide a multifunction printer, a label printing method, and a program thereof, which can perform from reading an image to printing on a label surface by a simple operation.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Their Functions and Effects]
The multifunction printer, label printing method, and program thereof according to the present invention employ the following means in order to achieve at least one of the above objects.
[0007]
The present invention is a multifunction printer including a scanner mechanism for reading an image and a printer mechanism for printing an image,
Image input means for inputting an image after the material image has been read by the scanner mechanism as a processing image,
Range selection means for selecting a label surface equivalent range corresponding to a predetermined donut-shaped label surface from the processing image input by the image input means,
Printing image data creating means for creating printing image data by trimming a part of the processing image other than the label surface equivalent range selected by the range selecting means,
Print control means for printing the print image data on the label surface by controlling the printer mechanism.
[0008]
In this multifunction printer, an image read by a scanner mechanism is input as a processing image, a label surface equivalent range corresponding to a predetermined donut-shaped label surface is selected from the processing image, and the selected label surface is selected. After the print image data is created by trimming the area other than the considerable range, printing is performed on the label surface. Here, since the label surface equivalent range is a predetermined range, it is possible to select the label surface equivalent range from the processing image regardless of how the material image is placed on the scanner mechanism. is there. Therefore, an image in a range desired by the user among the material images can be printed on the label surface without using a tray. Here, the "material image" means an image to be read by the scanner mechanism, and the "processing image" is the entire image when the material image is read by the scanner mechanism, that is, the material image. In addition to this, it refers to the entire image including shadows and blank portions included when the material image is read by the scanner mechanism.
[0009]
The multifunction printer of the present invention includes an instruction input unit for inputting a label surface batch printing instruction by a user, and the print control unit is configured to, after the label surface batch printing instruction is input by the instruction input unit, perform the The image input means inputs the processing image, the range selecting means selects the label surface equivalent range, the print image data creating means creates the print image data, and then controls the printer mechanism. Thus, a series of operations of printing the print image data on the label surface may be executed. By doing so, the multifunction printer executes a series of operations for printing on the label surface by giving the instruction for label surface batch printing by the user, so that printing on the label surface can be performed with a simple operation.
[0010]
In the multifunction printer according to the aspect of the invention, the material image may be an image formed in the predetermined donut shape range. In this case, since the image to be read and the image to be printed have the same shape, copy printing of the label surface can be easily performed.
[0011]
In the multifunction printer according to the aspect of the invention, the material image may have an arbitrary size. This allows printing on the label surface regardless of the size of the material image.
[0012]
The multifunction printer according to the present invention further includes a reference position determination unit that determines a reference position of the processing image input by the image input unit, and the range selection unit includes the reference position determined by the reference position determination unit. The label surface equivalent range may be selected based on the position. With this configuration, since the label surface equivalent range is selected based on the reference position, the label surface equivalent range can be easily selected. Here, the “reference position determining unit” is not particularly limited as long as it is a method of determining a reference position in a range of the processing image. For example, a part of the processing image may be set as a reference position, or the material may be used. The edge of the image for use may be recognized and a part thereof may be determined as the reference position.
[0013]
In the configuration including the reference position determination unit, the reference position determination unit may set a predetermined position on the scanner mechanism as the reference position. In this way, it is possible to grasp whether the user is selected, the label surface equivalent range which range in advance, freely user omissions predetermined position on the scanner mechanism by performing the operation of mounting the image material for the tray It is possible to print an image in the range desired by the user on the label surface without using the image for the material. Further, the multifunction printer according to the present invention may include an operation unit that allows a user to select the reference position. By doing so, the label surface equivalent range is selected based on the reference position selected by the user, so that the image desired by the user can be more reliably printed on the label surface with a simple operation. Here, the “operation means” is not particularly limited as long as the user can select a reference position. For example, the “operation means” may be configured so that the reference position can be moved by a cursor, or a plurality of points may be set in advance. The determined reference position may be selected with a button or the like corresponding to the position. Further, the reference position determining means may calculate a center point of the material image and set the center point as the reference position. By doing so, the center point of the image can be determined relatively easily, so that the label plane equivalent range can be easily selected by using it as the reference position.
[0014]
In the multifunction printer according to the aspect of the invention, the range selection unit may be configured to select the label surface equivalent range from the processing image such that a range of the material image substantially matches the label surface equivalent range. The label plane equivalent range may be selected by enlarging or reducing an image. In this way, printing can be performed in accordance with the label surface even if the image to be read has an arbitrary size.
[0015]
The present invention is a label printing method executed by a computer mounted on a multifunction printer having a scanner mechanism for reading an image and a printer mechanism for printing an image,
(A) inputting an image after the material image is read by the scanner mechanism as a processing image;
(B) selecting a label surface equivalent range corresponding to a label surface of a predetermined shape from the processing image input in step (a);
(C) trimming portions other than the label surface equivalent range selected in the step (b) to create print image data;
(D) printing the print image data created in step (c) on the label surface.
[0016]
In this label printing method, it is possible to select the label surface equivalent range from the processing image regardless of how the material image is placed on the scanner mechanism. An image in a range desired by the user can be printed on the label surface. In the label printing method, various aspects of the above-described multi-function printer may be adopted, or steps for realizing the functions of the above-described multi-function printer may be added.
[0017]
The present invention may be a program for causing a computer mounted on a multifunction printer to execute each step of the above-described label printing method. This program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium (for example, a hard disk, a ROM, an FD, a CD, a DVD, or the like), or may be stored in a multi-function via a transmission medium (a communication network such as the Internet or a LAN). It may be distributed from a printer or a computer to another multifunction printer, or may be transmitted and received in any other form. If this program is executed by a computer mounted on the multifunction printer, the multifunction printer executes each step of the above-described label printing method, so that the same operation and effect as the above-described label printing method can be obtained. In the multifunction printer according to the present invention, one computer may execute all of the steps, or a plurality of computers may share and execute the steps.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a multifunction printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multifunction printer 10 according to the present embodiment includes a controller 20 that controls the entire apparatus, a scanner unit 30 that includes a scanner mechanism 31 that executes a scanner function, and a scanner ASIC 32 that controls the scanner mechanism 31. The printer includes a printer mechanism 41 for realizing functions, a printer unit 40 including a printer ASIC 42 for controlling the printer mechanism 41, and an operation panel 50 for a user to input various commands. Note that “ASIC” is an abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit.
[0019]
The controller 20 is configured as a microprocessor mainly including a CPU 22, and includes a ROM 24 storing a processing program, and a RAM 26 temporarily storing data. The controller 20 is connected to a scanner ASIC 32, a printer ASIC 42, and an operation panel 50 via a bus 28.
[0020]
The scanner section 30 includes a scanner mechanism 31 and a scanner ASIC 32. The scanner mechanism 31 is of a so-called flatbed type, and has a glass surface 33 on which a medium M on which a material image is applied, and a line image sensor that optically reads contents displayed on the medium M via the glass surface 33. And a moving unit 36 for scanning the line image sensor 34 to read the medium M. The scanner ASIC 32 is an IC chip having a function of controlling the scanner mechanism 31, and stores scan data read by the line image sensor 34 of the scanner mechanism 31 in a scanner buffer 26 a provided in the RAM 26 of the controller 20. . The line image sensor 34 of the present embodiment separates the reflected light emitted toward the medium M into red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors to form a known color image as scan data. It is a sensor. As the material image, in addition to the image applied to the label surface of a donut-shaped disc (CD, DVD, etc., the same applies hereinafter) defined by the standard, the image is applied to a medium having an arbitrary shape other than the predetermined shape. Image (hereinafter referred to as an image of an arbitrary medium) can be used. Although FIG. 1 illustrates a method of moving the line image sensor 34 while fixing the medium M, a method of fixing the line image sensor 34 and moving the medium M with a roller or the like may be employed.
[0021]
The printer unit 40 includes a printer mechanism 41 and a printer ASIC 42. The printer mechanism 41 includes an ink cartridge 45 mounted on a carriage 44 that moves in the horizontal direction, an ink head unit 46 provided below the ink cartridge 45 for discharging ink onto the medium N, and rotating the medium N by rotating. And a roller 48 for feeding the ink head 46 to a printing position. The ink cartridge 45 of this embodiment is a cartridge for color printing in which cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (B) are stored for each color. Further, the printer ASIC 42 is an IC chip having a function of controlling the printer mechanism 41, and expands print data in the print buffer 26 b provided in the RAM 26 into a bitmap image for each page on the medium N. The printer mechanism 41 is controlled so as to be printed. In the printer unit 40, the label surface of a donut-shaped disk defined by the standard can be used as the medium N. These donut-shaped disks are placed on a predetermined tray 49 and set at a predetermined position of the printer unit 40 to perform printing.
[0022]
The operation panel 50 is a device for a user to input various commands to the multi-function printer 10, and as shown in FIG. 2, a display 52 on which characters, graphics, or symbols corresponding to the various commands are displayed. Also, button switches 54 are provided. The button switches 54 include an automatic label print button 54a that is turned on when automatically printing an image on a label surface such as a CD and performing printing in accordance with the label surface. There is a position designation label print button 54b that is turned on when printing is performed on the label surface, a cursor movement button 54c that moves a cursor or the like by which the user selects a process or the like, and a decision button 54d that determines the process selection or the like.
[0023]
Next, the operation of the multifunction printer thus configured according to the present embodiment, particularly, the operation of the automatic label printing routine will be described. Here, the automatic label printing is to print an image of a label surface such as a CD on a label surface of a CD or the like. In the present embodiment, the image is printed using an image of a CD label surface as a material image to be read. The case where the label surface of a CD-R is used as the label surface will be described. Before printing, the user places a CD on which a material image has been applied at an arbitrary position on the glass surface 33 of the scanner mechanism 31, places a CD-R for printing on the printer unit on a predetermined tray 49, and places the printer unit 40 Set to.
[0024]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an automatic label printing routine executed by the CPU 22 of the controller 20. This routine is stored in the ROM 24 and is executed when the user presses the automatic label print button 54a. When the automatic label print button 54a is pressed, the CPU 22 instructs the scanner ASIC 32 to execute a scan (step S100). Then, the scanner ASIC 32 controls the scanner mechanism 31 to optically read the image on the glass surface 33 with the line image sensor 34 and stores the image in the scanner buffer 26 a provided in the RAM 26 of the controller 20 every time one line is read. . Then, each time the scan data for each line is stored in the scanner buffer 26a, the CPU 22 determines from the scan data whether or not the leading end of the edge portion of the CD is included (step S110). If not, the determination in step S110 is performed for the next one line of scan data.
[0025]
Here, the edge of the CD refers to a transparent portion having a width of several mm defined by the standard along the outer periphery. Since the automatic label printing routine uses the image on the label surface of the CD as the material image, the CD placed on the glass surface 33 of the scanner mechanism 31 is the CD. For this reason, the glass surface 33 on which the CD is placed can be divided into two regions, a region where the CD is placed and a region where the CD is not placed. The scan data when the area where no CD is placed is read by the line image sensor 34 is reflected on the back surface (white) of the holding lid (not shown) after the light output from the light emitting element passes through the glass surface 33. Since the light passes through the glass surface 33 again and is input to the light receiving element, it can be empirically obtained in advance. The scan data when the edge of the CD is read by the line image sensor 34 in the area where the CD is placed is such that the light output from the light emitting element passes through the glass surface 33 and the edge of the CD, that is, the transparent plastic portion. After that, the light is reflected by the back surface of the holding lid, passes again through the edge of the CD and the glass surface 33, and is input to the light receiving element. This can also be obtained empirically in advance.
[0026]
Therefore, the empirical values of these scan data are stored in the ROM 24 of the controller 20 in advance, and the data contained in the lines actually scanned by the scanning mechanism 31 and the data stored in the ROM 24 are sequentially transferred to the CPU 22 for each line. By performing the comparison, it is possible to recognize that the area where the CD is mounted is approaching the area where the CD is mounted, that is, the tip of the edge portion of the CD. Note that the same determination can be made for other media such as a DVD. In addition, since the position and size of an image are automatically recognized by one scan by such a recognition method, printing on the label surface can be performed by one scan without performing a preliminary scan.
[0027]
If it is determined in step S110 that the end of the edge of the CD is included, the CPU 22 determines the end of the edge of the CD as a reference position (step S120). Since the label surface of the CD defined by the standard can be specified by the XY coordinates based on the reference position, the XY coordinates can be set as the label surface equivalent range. Thereafter, the CPU 22 determines whether or not the scan has been completed based on whether or not a scan end signal has been input from the scanner ASIC 32 (step S130). If the scan has not been completed, the CPU 22 stands by.
On the other hand, when the scanning is completed in step S130, the label surface of the CD specified by the standard based on the reference position is specified by the XY coordinates, and the XY coordinates are set as the label surface equivalent range, which is stored in the scanner buffer 26a. From the scan data of all the lines, that is, the portion of the image for processing that falls within the range corresponding to the label surface is selected (step S140), the portion other than the range corresponding to the label surface is trimmed to create print image data, and stored in the print buffer 26b. (Step S150). Thereafter, the CPU 22 issues a command to the printer ASIC 42 to print the print image data stored in the print buffer 26b (step S160). Then, the printer ASIC 42 controls the printer mechanism 41 to perform printing on the label surface of the CD-R placed on the tray 49. Thereafter, the CPU 22 determines whether or not printing has been completed based on whether or not a print end signal has been input from the printer ASIC 42 (step S170). If the printing has not been completed, the CPU 22 stands by as it is. On the other hand, when the printing is completed in step S170, this routine ends.
[0028]
Next, the operation of the position designation label printing routine will be described. In the position designation label printing, the reference position is set to a predetermined position on the glass surface 33 of the scanner mechanism 31, and the user uses the reference position as a guide so that an image of the desired label surface can be obtained. This is a method of freely placing an image for use on the glass surface 33 of the scanner mechanism 31 and printing it on the label surface of a CD or the like. As shown in FIG. 4, the predetermined position of the glass surface 33 is specified using an X-axis marker 33a and a Y-axis marker 33b provided on the outer frame of the glass surface 33. That is, the predetermined position of the glass surface 33 is specified as the intersection of the virtual extension line L1 extending from the X-axis marker 33a parallel to the Y axis and the virtual extension line L2 extending from the Y-axis marker 33b parallel to the X-axis. Here, the predetermined position may be specified by irradiating one point of light from the lower side of the glass surface 33, and may be specified at a position below the glass surface 33 and where the reading of the line image sensor 34 is not hindered. It may be specified by indicating a marker. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which an image of an arbitrary medium is used as a material image to be read, and a label surface of a CD-R is used as a label surface to be printed. The predetermined position on the glass surface 33 corresponds to the center position of the CD-R placed on the tray 49. For this reason, before printing, the user places the material image on the glass surface 33 and places the CD-R to be printed on the predetermined tray 49 in consideration of the fact that the label surface is created around the predetermined position. And set it in the printer unit 40.
[0029]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a position designation label printing routine executed by the CPU 22 of the controller 20. This routine is stored in the ROM 24, and is executed when the user presses the position designation label print button 54b. When the position designation label printing routine is started, the CPU 22 determines a predetermined position on the glass surface 33 as a reference position (step S300), and instructs the scanner ASIC 32 to execute a scan (step S310). Then, the scanner ASIC 32 controls the scanner mechanism 31 to optically read the image on the CD label surface by the line image sensor 34 and stores the read image in the scanner buffer 26 a provided in the RAM 26 of the controller 20 every time one line is read. Thereafter, the CPU 22 determines whether or not the scan has been completed based on whether or not a scan end signal has been input from the scanner ASIC 32 (step S320). If the scan has not been completed, the CPU 22 stands by. On the other hand, when the scanning is completed in step S320, the edge portion of the material image is detected from the scan data of all lines stored in the scanner buffer 26a, that is, the processing image, and the range of the material image is recognized (step S330). . Since the processing image includes an area of the material image and an area such as a margin, the empirical value of the scan data of the area such as the margin is stored in the ROM 24 of the controller 20 in advance. By comparing the data with the data stored in the ROM 24, the edge portion of the material image, that is, the region of the material image can be recognized. As in the case of the automatic label printing routine, the CPU 22 may sequentially compare the scan data and the data stored in the ROM 24 each time one line is read, thereby detecting the edge portion of the material image.
[0030]
Next, whether or not to enlarge or reduce the processing image based on the reference position is displayed on the display 52 (step S340), and the user is allowed to select whether or not to enlarge or reduce. (Step S350). In this processing, there are cases where the user wants to print the size of the material image as it is on the label surface and prints it in accordance with the range equivalent to the label surface. It is. Since the label surface of the CD is defined as a standard, it can be compared with the range of the material image. Then, when the user selects the process of performing the enlargement / reduction by the determination button 54d, the CPU 22 associates the reference position with the center position of the CD label surface, and associates the recognized material image range with the CD label surface range. Compare the size with. When the range of the label surface is larger than the range of the material image, the range of the material image is larger than the range of the label surface, and a part of the contour of the material image is in contact with the contour of the label surface. That is, the processing image is enlarged around the reference position so as not to be excessive (step S360).
On the other hand, if the range of the label surface is smaller than the range of the material image, similarly, the processing image is reduced around the reference position so as not to be excessive (step S360), and the process proceeds to the next step. On the other hand, when the process not performing the enlargement / reduction is selected, the CPU 22 proceeds to the next label surface equivalent range selection step (step S370).
[0031]
In the label surface equivalent range selecting step (step S370), the reference position is made to correspond to the center position of the label surface, the label surface of the CD defined by the standard is specified by the XY coordinates from the processing image, and the XY coordinates are specified. A range corresponding to the label surface is set (step S370). Next, the CPU 22 trims the image outside the range corresponding to the label surface, creates print image data, and stores it in the print buffer 26b (step S380). Here, in the case where the process not performing the enlargement / reduction is selected in step S350, since the label surface equivalent range may include a blank portion in addition to the material image, the CPU 22 determines whether the recognized material image These margins are trimmed at the same time based on the edge portions. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of the trimming. Here, the margin portion refers to a range other than the material image 38 in the processing image 37. In the processing image 37, a label surface equivalent range 39 is selected centering on the reference position, and is indicated by oblique lines in FIG. The drawn area is trimmed to become print image data. Next, the CPU 22 instructs the printer ASIC 42 to print the print image data stored in the print buffer 26b (step S390). Then, the printer ASIC 42 controls the printer mechanism 41 to perform printing on the label surface of the CD-R. Thereafter, the CPU 22 determines whether or not printing has been completed based on whether or not a print end signal has been input from the printer ASIC 42 (step S400). If printing has not been completed, the CPU 22 stands by as it is. On the other hand, when printing is completed in step S400, this routine ends.
[0032]
Here, the correspondence between the components of the present embodiment and the components of the present invention will be clarified. The scanner unit 30 of the present embodiment corresponds to the image input unit of the present invention, the CPU 22 corresponds to the reference position determination unit, the range selection unit, and the print image data creating unit, and the CPU 22 and the printer ASIC correspond to the print control unit. , Button switches 54 correspond to instruction input means, and the operation panel 50 corresponds to operation means. In the present embodiment, an example of the label printing method of the present invention will be clarified by describing the operation of the multifunction printer.
[0033]
According to the multifunction printer 10 of the present embodiment described above, no matter how the material image is placed on the glass surface 33 of the scanner mechanism 31, if the material image is a CD, the edge is Recognize the label surface equivalent range from the tip of the part, and if the material image is an image of an arbitrary medium, recognize the label surface equivalent range from a predetermined position and select the label surface equivalent range from the processing image. Therefore, an image in a range desired by the user among the material images can be printed on the label surface without using a tray. Further, when the user operates the automatic label print button 54a or the position designation label print button 54b, which is an instruction for label plane batch printing, the CPU 22, the scanner ASIC 32, and the printer ASIC 42 mounted on the multifunction printer are connected to the label side. Since a series of printing operations is performed, printing on the label surface can be performed with a simple operation. Further, since the label surface equivalent range is selected from the processing image based on the reference position, the label surface equivalent range can be easily selected. In particular, in the present embodiment, the reference position can be automatically determined by the CPU 22 from the recognized image range, or can be a predetermined position on the glass surface 33. An image desired by the user can be printed on the label surface by an operation.
[0034]
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment at all, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modes as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.
[0035]
For example, in the automatic label printing routine of the above-described embodiment, the position of the CD or the like placed on the glass surface 33 is identified by the tip of the edge of the CD or the like. Alternatively, it may be performed by the inner edge portion, or may be performed by the entire edge of the CD or the like including the outer and inner circumferences of the CD or the like. Then, the whole edge portion of the CD or the like including the tip of the edge portion of the CD or the like, the outer periphery of the CD or the like, the inner periphery of the CD or the like, or the outer periphery and the inner periphery of the CD or the like is any one of the means for identifying the position of the CD May be used or may be used in combination.
[0036]
In the position designation label printing routine of the above-described embodiment, the enlargement / reduction of the processing image can be selected based on the reference position. However, steps S350 and S360 which are the enlargement / reduction selection steps are omitted. You may. In this case, the user can perform printing on the label surface by a simple operation of pressing the position designation label print button 54b.
[0037]
Furthermore, in the position designation label printing routine of the above-described embodiment, the reference position is set to a predetermined position on the glass surface 33, but may be a designated position designated by the user. As a method of designating the reference position, the range of the glass surface 33 may be displayed on the display 52, and may be designated by a cursor or the like. FIG. 7 shows an example of the designated position selection screen. On the display 52, a readable range 55 of the glass surface 33 of the scanner mechanism 31 and a message "Please specify a position" are displayed, and the user operates the cursor movement button 54c by moving the cursor 56 corresponding to the reference position. Then, the cursor is moved up, down, left and right to a desired position, and the reference position is designated by the determination button 54d. Here, the reference position specified by the cursor 56 may correspond to the center position of the CD-R to be printed. By doing so, the reference position can be finely moved and specified after the material image is placed on the glass surface 33 of the scanner mechanism 31, so that the desired label surface image can be easily selected. Alternatively, the range of the material image may be read by a preliminary scan or the like, displayed on the display 52 reflecting the range of the material image, and the reference position may be designated using a cursor or the like. This makes it easy to recognize the position of the reference position in the material image, so that the desired label surface image can be selected more accurately.
[0038]
Here, as a method of using the designated position, a plurality of designated positions may be predetermined in the range of the glass surface 33, and the reference position may be designated by a button or the like corresponding to the designated position. FIG. 8 shows an example of the designated position selection screen. On the display 52, a readable range 55 of the glass surface 33 of the scanner mechanism 31 is displayed, and position designation cursors 57a to 57c corresponding to predetermined reference positions are displayed therein. The button switches 54 are provided with position designation buttons 58a to 58c corresponding to the position designation cursor, and the reference position designated by the position designation cursor may correspond to the center position of the CD-R to be printed. This is convenient because the predetermined position can be selected from a plurality of positions.
[0039]
Furthermore, in the automatic label printing routine of the above-described embodiment, the tip of the edge portion of the CD is determined as the reference position. However, the center position of a CD or the like may be set as the reference position, or any position may be set as the reference position. . Regardless of which position is used as the reference position, the position is not particularly limited as long as the label surface equivalent range can be selected. In the position designation label printing routine of the above-described embodiment, the predetermined position on the glass surface 33 or the designated position designated by the user corresponds to the center position of the label surface to be printed. May correspond to any position on the label surface such as the uppermost end of the label. The position is not particularly limited as long as the user can recognize in advance which position is used as a reference to select the label surface equivalent range.
[0040]
In the position designation label printing routine according to the above-described embodiment, the processing image is enlarged or reduced to be adjusted to a label surface equivalent range, and then trimming or the like is performed to create printing image data. The range may be scaled up and down to match the range of the material image, and then trimmed, and the print may be scaled up and down to fit the range corresponding to the label surface to be printed. The same label surface can be obtained by either method.
[0041]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the printing on the label surface is started after the scanning of the processing image is completed. However, the printing may be performed almost simultaneously with or in parallel with the scanning. When reading is performed in a predetermined shape such as a CD, data corresponding to a label surface equivalent range is selected for each line read by the line image sensor 34, trimming is performed, and print image data is generated for each line. Therefore, printing can be performed almost simultaneously with or in parallel with scanning. In this way, the time from the start of scanning to the completion of the printing process on the label surface is reduced.
[0042]
Further, the print image data created for label printing is stored in a storage medium such as a memory card of a reader / writer unit provided in the housing of the multifunction printer or a storage medium of a personal computer connected to the multifunction printer. It may be stored. In this case, when the same image is printed again on the label surface, it is not necessary to read the image again by the scanner. In addition, printing on the label surface is performed using material images stored in a storage medium such as a memory card of a reader / writer unit provided in the housing of the multifunction printer or a recording medium of a personal computer connected to the multifunction printer. May be performed. By doing so, the images stored on these recording media can be printed on a medium such as paper once, or printed on a label surface without the need to perform image processing on a personal computer. Can be simplified.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a multifunction printer.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an operation panel 50.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an automatic label printing processing routine.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a predetermined position.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a position designation label printing process routine.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of trimming.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an operation panel 50.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an operation panel 50.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 multifunction printer, 20 controller, 22 CPU, 24 ROM, 26 RAM, 26a scanner buffer, 26b print buffer, 30 scanner unit, 31 scanner mechanism, 32 scanner ASIC, 33 glass surface, 34 line image sensor, 36 moving unit, 37 processing image, 38 material image, 39 label surface equivalent range, 40 printer section, 41 printer mechanism, 42 printer ASIC, 44 carriage, 45 ink cartridge, 46 ink head section, 48 rollers, 49 tray, 50 operation panel, 52 display, 54 button switches, 54a automatic label print button, 54b position designation label print button, 54c cursor movement button, 54d enter button, 55 readable range, 56 cursor, 57a-5 c position designation cursor, 58a~58c position designation button.

Claims (11)

A multifunction printer having a scanner mechanism for reading an image and a printer mechanism for printing an image,
Image input means for inputting an image after the material image has been read by the scanner mechanism as a processing image,
Range selection means for selecting a label surface equivalent range corresponding to a predetermined donut-shaped label surface from the processing image input by the image input means,
Printing image data creating means for creating printing image data by trimming a part of the processing image other than the label surface equivalent range selected by the range selecting means,
A print control means for printing the print image data on the label surface by controlling the printer mechanism. The multifunction printer according to claim 1, wherein:
An instruction input unit for inputting an instruction for label surface batch printing by a user,
The print control unit, after the label surface batch printing instruction is input by the instruction input unit, causes the image input unit to input the processing image, and causes the range selection unit to select the label surface equivalent range. A multi-function printer for executing a series of operations of causing the printing image data creating means to create the printing image data, and thereafter printing the printing image data on the label surface by controlling the printer mechanism. . The multifunction printer according to claim 1, wherein the material image is an image formed in the predetermined donut shape range. The multifunction printer according to claim 1, wherein the material image has an arbitrary size. The multifunction printer according to claim 1, wherein:
A reference position determination unit that determines a reference position of the processing image input by the image input unit,
The multifunction printer, wherein the range selection means selects the label surface equivalent range based on the reference position determined by the reference position determination means. 6. The multifunction printer according to claim 5, wherein said reference position determination means sets a predetermined position on said scanner mechanism as said reference position. The multifunction printer according to claim 5, wherein:
A multi-function printer comprising an operation unit that allows a user to select the reference position. 6. The multifunction printer according to claim 5, wherein the reference position determination unit calculates a center point of the material image and sets the center point as the reference position. The range selecting means enlarges or reduces the processing image so that the range of the material image substantially matches the label surface equivalent range when selecting the label surface equivalent range from the processing image. 9. The multifunction printer according to claim 1, wherein a range corresponding to a label surface is selected. A label printing method executed by a computer mounted on a multifunction printer having a scanner mechanism for reading an image and a printer mechanism for printing an image,
(A) inputting an image after the material image is read by the scanner mechanism as a processing image;
(B) selecting a label surface equivalent range corresponding to a label surface of a predetermined shape from the processing image input in step (a);
(C) trimming portions other than the label surface equivalent range selected in the step (b) to create print image data;
(D) printing the print image data created in the step (c) on the label surface. A program for realizing each step of the label printing method according to claim 10 on one or a plurality of computers mounted on a multifunction printer.

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