JP2016146604A - Image controller, printer and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To arrange an eye mark image and a label image in a proper direction so that appropriate post-processing can be performed with a post-processing machine.SOLUTION: A label image and an eye mark image provided correspondingly to the label image are detected from image data to be printed on long-sized label paper, and an arrangement direction of an image of an image data to a conveyance direction of label paper is determined from a relative position relationship between the detected eyemark image and label image, and repeated arrangement in a conveyance direction is performed in such an arrangement direction that an image of image data is determined.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to an image control device that determines an arrangement direction of an image to be printed on a label sheet, a printing device, and a program executed by the image control device.

  Printing apparatuses have been developed that can handle various types of paper, such as long roll paper wound in a roll shape or long label roll paper that can be attached as a so-called sticker.

  For example, the roll paper has a width of several tens of millimeters and a length in the transport direction of several hundreds of meters. Since roll paper has a large paper surface, it is possible to print multiple images in succession, but on the other hand, if the image is not efficiently placed on the paper surface and printing is not performed, the margin area becomes large and the paper is wasted. Arise.

  For such a problem, the printing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 compares the image size of image data to be printed with the width of the roll paper in order to reduce the margin area, and the vertical length is the roll. When printing a vertically long image shorter than the paper width, the image is printed after being rotated by 90 degrees.

  In addition, label roll paper using label paper is not completed as a delivery product simply by printing on the paper surface. In the subsequent process, the final product is delivered by semi-cutting the printed label roll paper along the label image with a post-processing machine, or by removing the waste other than the label image. Is completed.

  In order to link with such a post-processing machine in the post-process, in general, a mark (eye mark image) indicating the position of the label image is printed on the printed matter. Then, by detecting the position of the printed eye mark image with the sensor of the post-processing machine, it is possible to perform post-processing such as accurate punching processing corresponding to the position of the label image (see Patent Document 2).

JP-A-2005-231154 JP 2014-83778 A

  For this reason, in printing measures, when printing on label roll paper, it is necessary to arrange and print an image in an appropriate orientation so that it can be post-processed by a post-processing machine.

  However, when print data having an incorrect image orientation is input in response to a print instruction from the user, or when the image is unintentionally rotated by a technique such as Patent Document 1, the eye mark image and The label image is not printed. In this case, since accurate punching cannot be performed by the post-processing machine, the quality of the final delivery may be deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an image control apparatus, a printing apparatus, and a program executed by the image control apparatus for appropriately arranging images so that proper post-processing can be performed by a post-processing machine. The purpose is to provide.

  The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following means.

(1) An image control apparatus for determining an arrangement direction of an image to be printed on a long label sheet,
A label image and an eye mark image provided corresponding to the label image are detected from image data to be printed, and the image with respect to the transport direction of the label paper is determined based on the relative positional relationship between the detected eye mark image and the label image. An image control apparatus that determines an arrangement direction of an image of data and arranges the image of the image data repeatedly in the conveyance direction in the determined arrangement direction.

  (2) The arrangement direction of the image of the image data with respect to the transport direction is determined from the relative positional relationship between the eye mark image and the label image in the X direction and the Y direction of the XY coordinate system. Image control device.

(3) determining whether a part or all of the eye mark image overlaps the label image in the X or Y direction of the XY coordinate system;
When overlapping in only one of the X direction and the Y direction, the arrangement direction of the image of the image data is determined so that the non-overlapping direction is parallel to the transport direction. The image control apparatus according to 2).

(4) When a plurality of the eye mark images are detected from the image data,
In the XY coordinate system, it is determined whether or not the alignment direction of the plurality of eye mark images coincides with the X direction or the Y direction,
When the image data coincides with either the X direction or the Y direction, the arrangement direction of the image of the image data is determined so that the coincident direction is parallel to the transport direction. The image control apparatus according to any one of the above.

(5) When a plurality of the eye mark images are detected from the image data,
In the XY coordinate system, it is determined whether or not the alignment direction of the plurality of eye mark images coincides with the X direction or the Y direction,
When the arrangement is a plurality of columns and matches both the X direction and the Y direction, whether or not a part or all of each of the eye mark images overlaps the label image in the X direction or the Y direction of the XY coordinate system. When the eye mark image overlaps only in either the X direction or the Y direction, the image arrangement direction of the image data is determined so that the non-overlapping direction is parallel to the transport direction. The image control apparatus according to (1) or (2).

(6) The image control apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5) above,
A transport unit for transporting a long label sheet;
A printing apparatus comprising: a printing unit configured to print an image of image data arranged by the image control device on the label paper conveyed from the conveyance unit.

(7) A program executed by an image control apparatus for determining an arrangement direction of an image to be printed on a long label sheet,
Detecting a label image and an eye mark image provided corresponding to the label image from image data to be printed;
Determining an arrangement direction of an image of the image data with respect to a conveyance direction of label paper from a relative positional relationship between the detected eye mark image and the label image;
Repeatedly arranging and arranging the images of the image data in the conveying direction in the determined arrangement direction;
Including the program.

(8) In the step of determining the arrangement direction,
The program according to (7), wherein an image arrangement direction of the image data with respect to the transport direction is determined from a relative positional relationship between the eye mark image and the label image in the X direction and the Y direction of an XY coordinate system.

(9) In the step of determining the arrangement direction,
Determining whether a part or all of the eye mark image overlaps the label image in the X or Y direction of the XY coordinate system;
When overlapping in only one of the X direction and the Y direction, the image arrangement direction of the image data is determined so that the non-overlapping direction is parallel to the transport direction. The program described in 8).

(10) When a plurality of the eye mark images are detected from the image data in the detecting step,
In the step of determining the arrangement direction, in the XY coordinate system, it is determined whether or not the arrangement direction of the plurality of eye mark images matches the X direction or the Y direction, and matches either the X direction or the Y direction. When it does, the program as described in any one of said (7)-(9) which determines the arrangement direction of the image of the said image data so that the matched direction may become parallel to the said conveyance direction.

(11) When detecting the plurality of eye mark images from the image data in the detecting step,
In the step of determining the arrangement direction, in the XY coordinate system, it is determined whether or not the arrangement direction of the plurality of eye mark images coincides with the X direction or the Y direction, and the arrangement is a plurality of columns in the X direction or the Y direction. If both coincide with each other, it is further determined whether or not part or all of the eye mark image overlaps the label image in the X direction or Y direction of the XY coordinate system, and either the X direction or the Y direction is determined. The program according to (7) or (8), wherein the image arrangement direction of the image data is determined so that the non-overlapping direction is parallel to the transport direction when only overlapping.

The arrangement direction of the image data image relative to the conveyance direction of the label paper is determined from the relative positional relationship between the eyemark image detected from the image data to be printed and the label image, and the conveyance direction is determined by the arrangement direction in which the image data image is determined. Repeatedly arrange them. This makes it possible to arrange the image data image in the correct orientation. As a result, processing using the eye mark image can be performed without any problem in the subsequent post-process.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment. 2 is a block diagram mainly showing a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus main body 100. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer controller. FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining the flow of each data at the time of performing printing. It is an example of the image data containing an eye mark image and a label image. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the image data of FIG. 5C is repeatedly arranged in the image area of the label paper S. FIG. It is a figure which shows the label paper S which printed the image data arrange | positioned like FIG. It is a figure which shows the label paper S which printed the image data of FIG.5 (d). 6 is a flowchart illustrating image arrangement processing executed by the printer controller 150 and the control unit 110. 6 is a flowchart illustrating image arrangement processing executed by the printer controller 150 and the control unit 110. (A) is an image before rearrangement, (b) is a diagram showing an image after rearrangement. (A) is an image before rearrangement, (b) is a diagram showing an image after rearrangement. 4 is a flowchart illustrating image arrangement processing executed by the printer controller 150. (A) is an image before rearrangement, (b) is a diagram showing an image after rearrangement. (A) is an image before rearrangement, (b) is a diagram showing an image after rearrangement. 4 is a flowchart illustrating image arrangement processing executed by the printer controller 150. (A) is an image before rearrangement, (b) is a diagram showing an image after rearrangement.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. In addition, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation, and may be different from the actual ratios.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied. The printing apparatus 10 includes an image forming apparatus main body 100, a paper feed device 200, a paper feed adjustment device 300, a paper discharge adjustment device 400, and a winding device 500.

  The paper feeding device 200 stores and holds a pre-print label roll paper RO, which is the original winding of a long label paper, and sends the label paper S downstream in the paper transport direction. The label paper S is obtained by attaching a label obtained by applying an adhesive to paper to the release paper.

  The paper feed adjusting device 300 has a buffer function for absorbing a minute paper transport speed difference between the paper feed device 200 and the image forming apparatus main body 100 and a paper shift.

  The image forming apparatus main body 100 includes a printing unit 120 that performs image formation by a known electrophotographic process using toner. The printing unit 120 includes a photosensitive drum, a developing device, a writing unit, an intermediate transfer belt, a fixing unit 121, and the like. In the printing unit 120, the toner image is transferred onto the surface of the label paper S sent out from the paper feeding device 200, and this toner image is fixed on the surface of the label paper S by heating and pressurizing processing in the fixing unit 121. .

  An operation display unit 130 is provided on the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body 100. The operation display unit 130 receives user operations and displays information. For this reason, the operation display unit 130 has any configuration such as a configuration in which an operation portion and a display portion are integrally formed, such as a touch panel, a configuration such as a hard key such as a button or a key, and a liquid crystal display device. It may be. Further, the operation display unit 130 may be separated from the housing of the image forming apparatus main body 100 as well as being installed in the housing of the image forming apparatus main body 100 as shown in the figure.

  Similarly to the paper feed adjustment device 300, the paper discharge adjustment device 400 also has a buffer function for absorbing a minute paper conveyance speed difference between the image forming apparatus main body 100 and the winding device 500 and a paper shift. . The paper discharge adjusting device 400 includes a cutter 401 that cuts the label paper S, and can cut the label paper S along a width direction orthogonal to the transport direction at a desired position.

  The label paper S that has passed through the paper discharge adjusting device 400 reaches the winding device 500, and is wound and held on a roll to generate a label roll paper R1.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram mainly showing a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus main body 100. The image forming apparatus main body 100 includes a control unit 110, a printing unit 120, the above-described operation display unit 130, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 140 that is a large-capacity storage device, and a printer controller 150.

  The control unit 110 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like. The CPU of the control unit 110 controls the overall operations of the image forming apparatus main body 100 and the printing apparatus 10 by executing various programs stored in the ROM or the HDD 140.

  The other devices 200, 300, 400, and 500 include control units 210, 310, 410, and 510 similar to the control unit 110, respectively. These apparatuses control conveyance of the label paper S of the entire printing apparatus 10 by exchanging data with each other.

  A print job is sent from a client PC (personal computer) 600. The print job includes a job ticket describing print settings and print data (PDL format). The print data is converted into image data by being rasterized by the printer controller 150. The converted image data is stored in the RAM or HDD 140 as an image memory. Similarly, image data of a document obtained by reading with a scanner (not shown) is also stored in the RAM or HDD 140. At the time of printing, image data to be printed is read from the RAM or the like, and an image signal is sent to a writing unit (not shown) of the printing unit 120.

(Configuration of printer controller 150)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the printer controller 150 shown in FIG. The printer controller 150 includes a CPU 151, a RAM 152, a communication interface 153, an HDD 154, an engine interface 155, and a transfer buffer 156, which are connected to each other via a bus 157 for exchanging signals.

  The CPU 151 executes various programs stored in the HDD 154 to perform image layout control and other various processes described later.

  The communication interface 153 is an interface for the printing apparatus 10 to communicate with an external device. Various network interfaces such as Ethernet (registered trademark) FDDI, serial interfaces such as USB and IEEE1394, parallel interfaces such as SCSI and IEEE1284, wireless communication interfaces such as Bluetooth (registered trademark, IEEE802.11, HomeRF, IrDA) A local connection interface, a telephone line interface for connecting to a telephone line, or the like is used.

  The engine interface 155 functions as an interface with the printing unit 120. A transfer buffer 156 is connected to the engine interface 155. The transfer buffer 156 is a buffer for temporarily storing image data in order to transfer an image to the printing unit 120.

The CPU 151 executes the control program, and controls each part of the printer controller 150 and performs various arithmetic processes. As will be described later, in the present embodiment, the printer controller 150 and the control unit 110 cooperate to function as an image control apparatus. The printer controller 150 determines an image arrangement direction of image data, which will be described later, and rotates the image data image as necessary so that the determined arrangement direction is obtained. Then, the image of the arranged image data is sent to the control unit 110.

  In the present embodiment, the printer controller 150 and the control unit 110 are configured to have independent CPUs. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the CPU of the control unit 110 may be configured to control each unit of the printer controller 150 and perform various arithmetic processes.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of each data when printing is performed. In the client PC 600, various applications such as word processing software, spreadsheet and graphic software, and a printer driver corresponding to the printing apparatus 10 are installed. Document data can be created by an application. The created document data is converted by the printer driver, and print data in a PDL (page description language) format that can be interpreted by the printing apparatus 10 is generated.

  The client PC 600 sends the print data (PDL format) and the job ticket (print setting) together as a print job to the printing apparatus 10. The print settings include settings such as the number of print data to be repeated, the amount of margin in the paper width direction, and the amount of margin in the paper conveyance direction (image interval Wgy). If the printer controller 150 has a file format that can be directly processed, such as a PDF file, the conversion processing to the PDL format is not necessary. In this case, the printer driver performs a transmission process using a dedicated application for transmitting a file format that can be directly processed or a shared folder (Hot Folder) of the printer driver.

  The printer controller 150 performs rasterization processing on the received print data, and generates raster format (bitmap format) image data. If the print job to be executed is printing on label paper, the eye mark image and other images are detected as label images from the generated image data. The eye mark image will be described later. Then, it is determined from the positional relationship between the detected eye mark image and the label image whether or not the layout direction of the label image is appropriate, and all images (label image and eye mark) of the image data are directed in an appropriate direction according to the determination result. Rotate the image (including the image).

  Then, the image data whose arrangement is appropriate is sent to the control unit 110. The control unit 110 expands the image data in the RAM and reads it out to a memory reading module (not shown). In accordance with the print setting, the start position (see FIG. 6) and width in the main scanning direction, the start position in the sub-scanning direction, the image interval (margin), and the number of repetitions are set. By such processing, an image of the image data read to the memory reading module is arranged at an arbitrary position in the main scanning direction of the long label paper, and is repeatedly output in the sub scanning direction.

(Example of label image and eye mark image)
FIGS. 5A to 5D are examples of image data including an eye mark image and a label image. The image data shown in the figure is image data after rasterization processing developed in the image memory area in the RAM 152 by the printer controller 150. Each image data is stored in an XY coordinate system with the upper left end point as the origin, and each pixel is described by, for example, C, M, Y, and K image signals having an 8-bit density gradation.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, each image data includes one label image 72a and one eye mark image 71 indicating the arrangement position of the label image 72a. The image data shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D includes a plurality of label images 72b and a plurality of eye mark images 71 corresponding thereto.

  The eye mark image is a mark used by the post-processing machine for alignment. In this post-processing machine, the loaded label roll paper R1 is subjected to a half-cutting process for punching, a scraping process for removing unnecessary portions other than the label image, or a pasting process. In general, the eye mark image is a square (one side of several mm) of black (image signal of K density 255). The arrangement (imposition) of the label image may be set by a user using a commercially available application or automatically set by a dedicated application. At that time, the layout of the label image and the layout of the eye mark image are set according to the specifications of the printing apparatus 10 and the post-processing machine used by the user.

  Since the eye mark image is used for alignment, in order to prevent erroneous detection, generally, the label image is arranged so as not to overlap the eye mark image in the transport direction (sub-scanning direction) of the label paper S. On the other hand, the label image is arranged so as to overlap the eye mark image in the width direction (main scanning direction) of the label paper S. In general, in order to effectively use the paper surface, label images are packed and arranged in the transport direction. Therefore, the label image and the eye mark image are arranged so as to overlap in the width direction.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the image data of FIG. 5C is arranged as it is and repeatedly arranged in the image area of the label paper S. In the image area, each image data is arranged in an XY coordinate system with the upper left point as the origin.

  In the figure, the X direction is the main scanning direction and corresponds to the width direction on the surface of the label paper S. The Y direction is the sub-scanning direction and corresponds to the transport direction on the surface of the label sheet S. Generation of the image data based on the print data and determination of the arrangement direction are performed by the printer controller 150. The image data rearranged in the determined arrangement direction is sent from the printer controller 150 to the control unit 110.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 110 performs a process of repeatedly arranging the received image data in an image area having the width Ws of the label paper S. Specifically, the control unit 110 sets the start position in the X direction and Y direction of the first writing of the image data sent from the printer controller 150 according to the setting of the margin amount described in the job ticket. . In accordance with the timing signal, the image signal is sequentially output to the writing unit of the printing unit 120 for each data of one scanning line.

  For the second and subsequent sheets, the position shifted in the Y direction by the image length Wy + the image interval Wgy is set as the start position for writing, and the same image data as the first sheet is output to the printing unit 120. This is repeated for the number of repetitions described in the job ticket.

  7 and 8 show the label sheet S after being printed by the printing apparatus 10. The conveyance direction of the label sheet S shown in each drawing is parallel to the Y direction (sub-scanning direction) shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram in which the image data arranged as shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a print of the image data shown in FIG. 5D. FIG. 8A is a comparative example, and FIG. 8B is a label sheet S printed by the printing apparatus according to the embodiment. Show. In FIG. 8A, the long side of the image data image is used in order to effectively utilize the surface of the label sheet S by the user's intention or automatic rotation processing by the printing apparatus (see, for example, JP-A-2005-231154). The image is rotated 90 degrees clockwise and arranged so as to be in the paper width direction. In FIG. 8A, the alignment direction of the eye mark images is not parallel to the transport direction of the label paper S, and the label image and the eye mark image are overlapped in the transport direction. As a result, in the label roll paper R1 (see FIG. 1) printed with the image layout as shown in FIG. 8A, the position of the label image cannot be detected even if the label roll paper R1 is loaded in the post-processing machine. There is a risk that accurate post-processing according to the above cannot be performed.

  On the other hand, with the label roll paper R1 on which an image having an arrangement as shown in FIG. 8B is printed, an eye mark image can be detected by a post-processing machine, and accurate post-processing according to the position of the label image is possible. Can be done. In the present embodiment, as described below, the image data image is appropriately arranged so that the image is not printed with the arrangement as shown in FIG.

(Image placement processing when there is one eyemark image)
With reference to FIGS. 9 to 17, an image arrangement process executed by the printing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. 9, 10, 13, and 16 are flowcharts illustrating image arrangement processing executed by the printer controller 150 and the control unit 110.

  First, in step S101 in FIG. 9, a print job is accepted. In step S102, image data is generated by executing rasterization processing on the PDL format print data included in the print job, and the generated image data is analyzed. The shape and density value of the eye mark image are within predetermined conditions. For example, the density value is the 255 value of the K signal, and the shape is a square of 5 mm × 5 mm. The eye mark image can be detected by a known image recognition process such as pattern matching. Information such as the density, shape, and size of the eye mark image may be stored in the HDD 154 in advance, or may be designated by the user as appropriate.

  If an eye mark image is detected (step S103: YES) and the number of detected eye mark images is one (step S104: YES), in the next step S105, the eye mark is only displayed in either the X direction or the Y direction. It is determined whether the image and a label image that is an image other than the eye mark image overlap.

  If only one of the X direction and the Y direction overlaps (S105: YES), the non-overlapping direction is determined as the transport direction of the label paper S (step S106). Hereinafter, a specific description will be given with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

  FIG. 11 (a) is a reproduction of FIG. 5 (a). When the eye mark image 71 is detected from the image data as shown in FIG. 11A, it is determined whether or not the label images overlap in the X direction or the Y direction of the eye mark image 71. In the drawing, a11 and a12 indicate determination areas obtained by extending the eye mark image 71 in the X direction and the Y direction, respectively. As shown in the figure, the determination area a11 and the label image 72a overlap, but the determination area a12 and the label image 72a do not overlap. Therefore, in FIG. 11A, part or all of the eye mark image 71 overlaps with the label image 72a only in the X direction, and the non-overlapping direction is the Y direction. Therefore, the Y direction is determined as the transport direction (S106).

  FIG. 12 (a) is a reproduction of FIG. 5 (b). When the eye mark image 71 is detected from the image data as shown in FIG. 12A, it is determined whether or not the label images overlap in the X direction or the Y direction of the eye mark image 71. The determination area a13 and the label image 72a do not overlap, but the determination area a14 and the label image 72a overlap. Therefore, in FIG. 12A, part or all of the eye mark image 71 overlaps with the label image 72a only in the Y direction, and the non-overlapping direction is the X direction. Therefore, the X direction is determined as the transport direction (S106).

  In step S107 in FIG. 9, the image data is rearranged based on the determined arrangement direction. FIGS. 11B and 12B are diagrams illustrating images obtained by rearranging FIGS. 11A and 12B based on the determined arrangement direction. In FIG. 11B, since the Y direction is determined as the transport direction, no rotation is necessary, and the direction is the same as in FIG. On the other hand, since the X direction is determined as the transport direction in FIG. 12B, the image direction of the image data is rotated 90 degrees so that the original X direction becomes the Y direction after the arrangement change.

  The printer controller 150 rearranges the arrangement of the image data generated from the print data received in step S101 by performing the processing in steps S103 to S107, and sends the rearranged image data to the control unit 110. In step S108, the control unit 110 develops the sent image data in the RAM, and prints the developed image data by repeatedly arranging and arranging the developed image data in the transport direction for the set number of sheets (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

  The above is one process. On the other hand, when the process proceeds to “10” in FIG. 9 as the branching process, that is, when the eye mark image cannot be detected (step S103: NO), the eye mark image and the label image are both in the X direction and the Y direction. If they overlap each other or do not overlap in both directions (step S105: NO), the processing of FIG. 10 is executed.

  In step S201 in FIG. 10, automatic rotation is performed so that the label sheet is not wasted. Specifically, if the length in the long side direction of the image (image area) of the image data is shorter than the width Ws of the label paper, the arrangement direction of the image data is determined so that the long side direction becomes the width direction of the label paper. I do. Thereafter, the processing after step S107 in FIG. 9 is executed.

  In step S201, the image of the image data is automatically rotated by the printer controller 150, but instead, before proceeding to the processing of S201, an operation screen is displayed on the operation display unit 130 and the user's arrangement direction is displayed. May be accepted. Alternatively, instead of the control in step S201, the type of processing to be executed in advance (automatic rotation valid / invalid, selection acceptance) may be selected by the user.

(Image placement processing when there are multiple eyemark images)
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing image placement processing when there are a plurality of detected eye mark images, and is executed when NO is determined in step S104 of FIG. 9 (reference numeral “20”).

  In step S301 of FIG. 13, it is determined whether or not the arrangement direction of the plurality of eye mark images matches one of the X direction and the Y direction. If the arrangement is a plurality of rows and the direction is not both the X direction and the Y direction, or is not the direction other than the XY direction (oblique direction), but coincides with one of the X direction or the Y direction (S301: YES), Next, it is determined whether or not the number of columns is one (S302).

  If the number of columns is one (S302: YES) and the eye mark image and the label image do not overlap in the alignment direction (S303: YES), the alignment direction is determined as the transport direction (S304). The process after step S107 is executed. Hereinafter, a specific description will be given with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 14 (a) is a reproduction of FIG. 5 (d). When it is detected from the image data as shown in FIG. 14A that a plurality of eye mark images 71 and these are arranged in the Y direction, the eye mark images 71 are arranged in the Y direction, which is the arrangement direction of the eye mark images 71. And whether the label image 72c overlaps. Since the determination area a21 and the label image 72c shown in FIG. 14A do not overlap (S303: YES), the Y direction of the arrangement is determined as the transport direction (S304).

  The direction of FIG. 14 (b) and FIG. 14 (a) showing the images rearranged based on the determined arrangement direction are the same. This is because the Y direction is determined as the transport direction.

  Next, an image arrangement process when there are a plurality of rows of label images will be described. When there are a plurality of rows of eye mark images (S302: NO), if the eye mark image and the label image do not overlap in the row direction of each row (S305: YES), the row direction is determined as the transport direction. (S304). Hereinafter, a specific description will be given with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 15 shows an example in which a plurality of eye mark images are included in one image data, and the eye mark images are arranged in two rows. The alignment direction of the two columns is the X direction, and the determination region a31 of the first column, the determination region a32 of the second column, and the label images 72d and 72e do not overlap (S305: YES). The conveyance direction is determined (S304).

  In FIG. 15B, in response to the determination in step S304, the image direction of the image data is rotated 90 degrees so that the original X direction shown in FIG. (S107). Note that the label roll paper R1 printed with an image having an arrangement as shown in FIG. 15B is cut into two rolls at the center in a subsequent step, and then divided into two rolls. Post-processing using the eye mark image is performed by the post-processing machine.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart executed when NO is determined in step S301 of FIG. 13 (reference numeral “40”). In the image data shown in FIG. 17A, the four eye mark images are arranged so as to correspond to the four corners of the rectangle, so that there are two columns in the X and Y directions. In the case of such image data, since there are a plurality of detected eye mark images and the arrangement direction is not one of the X direction and the Y direction, NO is determined in step S301 in FIG.

  In step 401 of FIG. 16, it is determined whether or not each eye mark image and label image overlap only in one of the X direction and the Y direction. Specifically, in the image data shown in FIG. 17A, it is determined whether each of the eye mark images 71a to 71d overlaps the label image in the X direction and the Y direction. For example, in the eye mark image 71a, it is determined whether it overlaps with the label image in the determination areas a41, a43, and in the eye mark image 71b, it is determined whether it overlaps with the label image in the determination areas a41, a44. The determination areas a41 and a42 overlap with the label images 72f and 72g, but the determination areas a43 and a44 do not overlap with the label images 72f and 72g. Accordingly, each of the eye mark images 71a to 71d is overlapped with the label image only in one of the X and Y directions in common and does not overlap in the Y direction (step S401: YES).

  Accordingly, the Y direction that does not overlap is determined as the transport direction (S402), and thereafter, the processing after step S107 in FIG. 8 is executed. The direction of FIG. 17B and FIG. 17A showing the images rearranged based on the determined arrangement direction are the same. This is because the Y direction is determined as the transport direction.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the printer controller and the control unit 110 that operate as the image control apparatus yesterday detect the eye mark image and the label image from the image data to be printed, and the eye marks in the X direction and the Y direction in the XY coordinate system. The arrangement direction of the image data image relative to the conveyance direction is determined from the relative positional relationship between the image and the label image, and the determined arrangement is repeatedly arranged in the conveyance direction. By doing in this way, it is possible to perform post-processing without problems with a post-processing machine that performs punching processing using an eye mark image, and the printing apparatus 10 manufactures a high-quality product in cooperation with the post-processing machine. It becomes possible.

(Modification 1)
In the flowchart shown in FIG. 13, when the alignment direction of the eye mark images is the X direction or the Y direction, it is determined whether or not the eye mark image and the label image overlap in the alignment direction. S302 to S305) may be omitted. In this case, by detecting that the eye mark images are arranged in a row in the X direction or the Y direction, the direction is determined as the transport direction. This is because the eye mark images are usually arranged in a line along the transport direction, except in the case where the label roll paper R1 is divided into a plurality of pieces in a subsequent process such as the image data shown in FIG.

(Modification 2)
The image control apparatus of the present invention may be realized by a single apparatus in which the functions of the printer controller 150 and the control unit 110 are integrated. Further, the program executed by the computer of the image control apparatus configured by the printer controller 150 and the control unit 110 according to the present invention may be provided by a computer-readable recording medium such as a USB memory or a CD-ROM, or the Internet. May be provided online via a network such as In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is usually transferred and stored in a ROM, a hard disk drive, or the like. Further, this program may be provided as, for example, a single application software, or may be incorporated in the software of the apparatus as one function of the printing apparatus 10.

  In addition, the present invention is defined by the contents described in the claims, and various modifications are possible.

10 printing device,
100 image forming apparatus main body,
110 control unit,
120 printing section,
121 fixing unit,
130 operation display section,
140 HDD,
150 printer controller,
151 CPU,
152 RAM,
153 communication interface,
154 HDD,
155 engine interface,
156 transfer buffer,
157 bus,
200 paper feeder,
300 paper feed adjustment device,
400 discharge adjustment device,
401 cutting device,
500 winding device,
210, 310, 410, 510 control unit,
R0, R1 Label roll paper.

Claims (11)

An image control apparatus that determines an arrangement direction of an image to be printed on a long label sheet,
A label image and an eye mark image provided corresponding to the label image are detected from image data to be printed, and the image with respect to the transport direction of the label paper is determined based on the relative positional relationship between the detected eye mark image and the label image. An image control apparatus that determines an arrangement direction of an image of data and arranges the image of the image data repeatedly in the conveyance direction in the determined arrangement direction.   The image control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an image arrangement direction of the image data with respect to the transport direction is determined from a relative positional relationship between the eye mark image and the label image in an X direction and a Y direction of an XY coordinate system. . Determining whether a part or all of the eye mark image overlaps the label image in the X or Y direction of the XY coordinate system;
The arrangement direction of the image of the image data is determined so that a direction in which the image does not overlap is parallel to the transport direction when the image data overlaps only in either the X direction or the Y direction. The image control apparatus described in 1. When a plurality of the eye mark images are detected from image data,
In the XY coordinate system, it is determined whether or not the alignment direction of the plurality of eye mark images coincides with the X direction or the Y direction,
4. The image arrangement direction according to claim 1, wherein when the image data coincides with either the X direction or the Y direction, an image arrangement direction of the image data is determined so that the coincident direction is parallel to the transport direction. The image control apparatus according to one. When a plurality of the eye mark images are detected from image data,
In the XY coordinate system, it is determined whether or not the alignment direction of the plurality of eye mark images coincides with the X direction or the Y direction,
When the arrangement is a plurality of columns and matches both the X direction and the Y direction, whether or not a part or all of each of the eye mark images overlaps the label image in the X direction or the Y direction of the XY coordinate system. When the eye mark image overlaps only in either the X direction or the Y direction, the image arrangement direction of the image data is determined so that the non-overlapping direction is parallel to the transport direction. The image control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. An image control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A transport unit for transporting a long label sheet;
A printing apparatus comprising: a printing unit configured to print an image of image data arranged by the image control device on the label paper conveyed from the conveyance unit. There is a program executed by an image control device that determines an arrangement direction of an image to be printed on a long label sheet,
Detecting a label image and an eye mark image provided corresponding to the label image from image data to be printed;
Determining an arrangement direction of an image of the image data with respect to a conveyance direction of label paper from a relative positional relationship between the detected eye mark image and the label image;
Repeatedly arranging and arranging the images of the image data in the conveying direction in the determined arrangement direction;
Including the program. In the step of determining the arrangement direction,
The program according to claim 7, wherein an arrangement direction of the image data image with respect to the transport direction is determined from a relative positional relationship between the eye mark image and the label image in the X direction and the Y direction of an XY coordinate system. In the step of determining the arrangement direction,
Determining whether a part or all of the eye mark image overlaps the label image in the X or Y direction of the XY coordinate system;
The arrangement direction of the image of the image data is determined so that a non-overlapping direction is parallel to the transport direction when overlapping in only one of the X direction and the Y direction. The program described in. When detecting the plurality of eyemark images from image data in the detecting step,
In the step of determining the arrangement direction, in the XY coordinate system, it is determined whether or not the arrangement direction of the plurality of eye mark images matches the X direction or the Y direction, and matches either the X direction or the Y direction. The program according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein when the image data is arranged, the arrangement direction of the image data is determined so that the coincident direction is parallel to the transport direction. When detecting the plurality of eyemark images from image data in the detecting step,
In the step of determining the arrangement direction, in the XY coordinate system, it is determined whether or not the arrangement direction of the plurality of eye mark images coincides with the X direction or the Y direction, and the arrangement is a plurality of columns in the X direction or the Y direction. If both coincide with each other, it is further determined whether or not part or all of the eye mark image overlaps the label image in the X direction or Y direction of the XY coordinate system, and either the X direction or the Y direction is determined. The program according to claim 7 or 8, wherein an image arrangement direction of the image data is determined so that a non-overlapping direction is parallel to the transport direction when only overlapping.