JP2005169890A - Recorder and method of recording - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recorder capable of realizing a user interface increasing an amount of information to be provided to a user without wasting a paper in the case where recording is performed by directly connecting the recorder to a digital camera without interposing a host computer therebetween. <P>SOLUTION: The presence or absence of a tab and a kind of a recording medium are discriminated with respect to the recording medium having a tab which can be cut away from a recording region. By recording user interface data on the tab based on the discriminated result, the necessary information is provided to a user. The information in relation to the recorder and image data to be recorded and a recording mode are recorded on the tab so that the user can carry out the selection so as to determine how to perform the recording of the information hereafter. As a result, it is possible to eliminate waste recording such as test printing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a recording method, and more particularly to a recording apparatus and a recording method that can use a sheet-like paper having a tab portion that can be separated after printing as a recording medium.

  Conventionally, a recording apparatus is generally connected to a host computer such as a personal computer, and recording data formed by a printer driver provided in the host computer is transmitted from the host computer and recording is performed according to the recording data. It was. Therefore, in a relatively inexpensive recording device that is widely used in general households, the recording device itself has only a few switches and LEDs, so in order to notify the user of the recording status in detail, It is common to communicate with a printer driver on the host computer and display the recording status on the monitor screen of the host computer. Also, detailed settings for recording are made on the printer driver.

  Some relatively expensive recording devices have an LCD that can display characters and can display the status of the device, especially the types of errors, but there are strong restrictions on the types and number of characters, which are still on the host computer. It is common to display details on a host computer by communicating with a printer driver.

  However, with the recent spread of digital cameras, instead of printing using a recording device by operating a host computer that captures the captured image, the digital camera and the recording device can be directly used so that the captured digital image can be simplified. Therefore, there is an increasing demand to send captured image data directly to a recording device for recording.

  However, as described above, the conventional recording apparatus alone has an insufficient user interface, and it is very difficult for the user to grasp the state of the printing apparatus. In other words, even if a recording device having a printer driver is used, the conventional recording device has no LCD that can display characters or is very small, if any, so the amount of information that can be displayed is limited. Yes.

  In order to solve the insufficiency of the user interface, it is immediately conceivable to add a user interface part, particularly an information display part on the recording apparatus, but this increases the manufacturing cost of the recording apparatus as it is, which is not preferable. .

  On the other hand, a method has been proposed in which error information at the time of recording is newly recorded on one sheet of paper and notified to the user (see Patent Document 1).

JP 05-270111 A

  However, with this method, a single sheet is used only for notification to the user such as a recording error, and the sheet becomes unnecessary after the user sees the recording result. If you are using expensive paper to record images from a digital camera that requires photo quality, you will end up using one sheet of paper only for this user notification. There is a problem that the cost is further increased.

  On the other hand, in a recording apparatus having a mechanism in which a recording head performs recording with a predetermined width and then feeds paper by a predetermined amount by a transport roller, recording at the end of the recording medium in the paper feeding direction is a printed product due to a limitation on the mechanism. There are things that can not guarantee the place. In such a recording apparatus, it is possible to limit the recording area on the paper or to separate the standard area after recording with a paper that is slightly larger than the standard paper in order to guarantee the print quality of the entire surface of the standard paper. It is common to use what perforated. Especially in the latter case, the portion that is cut off after recording (hereinafter referred to as “tab portion”) cannot be guaranteed only in recording quality, and it is possible to perform recording, but it is not possible to actively use this portion. It was not done.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and the object thereof is to avoid wasteful use of paper when recording is performed by directly connecting a digital camera or the like to a recording device without using a host computer. Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus that realizes a user interface with a larger amount of information presented to the user.

  The recording apparatus of the present invention is a recording apparatus that records image data in a recording area of a recording medium, a recording area determination unit that determines whether there is a part other than the recording area at an end of the recording medium, And recording means for recording image data in the recording area and recording user interface data different from the image data in a part other than the recording area when a part other than the recording area exists. To do.

  The part other than the recording area in the recording medium is preferably a tab that can be separated from the recording area.

  The recording method of the present invention is a recording method using a recording apparatus for recording image data in a recording area of a recording medium, and recording for determining whether or not a portion other than the recording area exists at an end of the recording medium An area determination step and a user interface data generation step for generating user interface data to be recorded in a portion other than the recording area based on a condition set in advance by a user when there is a portion other than the recording area in the recording medium And a recording step of recording the user interface data generated in the user interface data generation step in a portion other than the recording area.

  According to the above configuration, the recording apparatus of the present invention records an expensive display mechanism on the recording apparatus main body by recording user interface data using a portion other than the recording area, which is not used for recording image data. Without providing, it is possible to display necessary information regarding the recording device, image data, and the like at a low cost to the user.

  In addition, since the user interface data is recorded in a tab that can be separated from the recording area, the user can obtain various information without affecting the recording result.

  Thereby, the user's usability of the recording apparatus can be improved, and the user can reduce the number of trial printings and the number of recording failures by using the displayed interface data. Further, even when a failure occurs in the recording apparatus, the details of the failure can be grasped in detail.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a recording apparatus which is an implementation liquid of the present invention.
The recording device 220 includes a memory card slot 221, a communication cable connector 222 with a digital camera, and a communication cable connector 223 with a host computer such as a personal computer. It connects with external devices, such as a digital camera and a personal computer, via this connector, and various information, such as recording data, is transmitted / received from here. On the other hand, recording data is input not only from an external device but also from a memory card inserted into the memory card slot 221 described above.

  An operation panel 224 is provided with operation buttons for the user to perform operations such as various settings and recording start.

  Reference numeral 225 denotes a recording medium discharge port. A recording medium feeding port (not shown) is provided on the surface of the apparatus facing the recording medium discharge port 225, and the recording medium fed from there is conveyed to a predetermined position by a feeding roller provided in the apparatus. After the recording is performed, the recording medium is transported in the direction of the recording medium discharge port 225 by the transport roller, and is discharged from the discharge port 225.

  In the apparatus, a carriage that scans in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium is provided between the conveyance roller and the paper feed roller, and the carriage includes a recording head in which a plurality of nozzles that eject ink are arranged. An ink cartridge integrated with an ink tank is mounted for each ink color. Here, the nozzles of the recording head are arranged in the conveyance direction of the recording medium so as to face the recording medium. The carriage moves in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the nozzles are arranged, and during this movement, ink is ejected from each nozzle to the recording medium, and an image is formed. When the carriage moves from one end of the recording medium to the other end, the conveyance roller conveys the recording medium by a predetermined amount. When conveyance of the recording medium is completed, the recording head scans the recording medium and performs recording. Recording is performed on the entire recording medium by alternately repeating such recording operation and paper feeding operation. As described above, the serial type recording method is employed in the present embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a full line type may be used.

  Ink is ejected from each nozzle as follows. Each nozzle of the recording head is provided with a heater. The heater generates heat to cause the ink in the nozzle to boil, and a predetermined amount of ink is ejected as droplets onto the recording medium by the generated pressure of the generated bubbles. As described above, in the present embodiment, ink is ejected by the bubble jet (R) method. However, the present invention is not limited to this and may take any form.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a recording medium (hereinafter also referred to as “paper”) used in the present embodiment.
FIG. 2A shows a sheet before recording, and the sheet is provided with tabs at both ends so that the longitudinal direction in the drawing corresponds to the conveyance direction of the recording apparatus. Reference numeral 200 denotes a tab on the front end side in the transport direction (hereinafter referred to as “front end tab”), and reference numeral 202 denotes a tab on the rear end side in the transport direction (hereinafter also referred to as “rear end tab”). Reference numeral 204 denotes a recording area where an image is recorded. The recording area 204 and the tabs 200 and 204 at both ends are connected by perforations 201 and 203.

  Here, this sheet is for “edgeless recording” in which recording is performed on the front surface of the sheet. However, due to the mechanism of the recording apparatus, the same image quality as the central portion cannot be guaranteed at the end in the paper feeding direction. Therefore, in the paper of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, recording is performed to the extent that the recording area 204 protrudes slightly, that is, to the perforations 201 and 203, and after recording, the user inserts a tab at the perforation. By detaching, full edgeless recording is realized.

  Further, the paper front end tab 200 is provided with holes 205 and 206 for identifying information necessary for the recording apparatus to create recording data, such as the paper size and the paper type. Depending on the number, position, and size of the holes, the size and type of the paper can be discriminated. The tab 202 is also provided with a hole 207, which is used to detect erroneous insertion of paper and skew.

  In the present embodiment, tabs are provided only in the transport direction, and no tabs are provided in the scanning direction of the recording head. This realizes borderless recording in the scanning direction of the recording head by ejecting ink to a portion of the recording head that is not slightly outside the paper from both ends of the paper. However, the present invention is not limited to this form of paper, and a tab may be provided also in the scanning direction of the recording head, and the tab may be cut off at the perforation after recording. Further, not only one having both the front end tab 200 and the rear end tab 202 but only one of them may be used.

  In the present embodiment, device error information and the like are recorded in tabs 200 and 202 that are not used for image recording, and various information for the user is performed using the tabs.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
A recording control unit 1 controls the entire recording apparatus. Generally, it is composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM and the like.

  Reference numeral 2 denotes a paper discriminating unit that discriminates the size and type of paper that is a recording medium. The size and type of the paper are determined by the holes provided in the above-described paper tab. Based on the determination result, the presence / absence of the tab, the position and size of the tab are sent from the sheet determination unit 2 to the recording control unit 1, and the recording control unit 1 controls recording on the tab based on this information.

  A recording data receiving unit 3 receives recording data from an external device such as a personal computer or a digital camera. A recording data generating unit 4 processes the recording data input by the recording data receiving unit 3 into a form corresponding to the driving of the recording head. The processed recording data is temporarily stored in the recording data storage unit 7.

  On the other hand, reference numeral 5 denotes a tab recording information collection unit which receives information for user interface to be recorded on a tab portion of a sheet from an external device. Further, information generated in the recording apparatus such as error information is transmitted from the recording control unit 1 here. The user interface information collected by these methods is sent to the tab recording data generation unit 6 and processed into a form corresponding to the drive of the recording head by recording on the tab portion. The processed tab recording data is temporarily stored in the recording data storage unit 7.

  The recording data and the tab recording data stored in the recording data storage unit 7 are aligned on a sheet basis and sent to the recording unit 8. The recording unit 8 actually records on the paper by driving a recording mechanism such as a recording head and a conveyance roller.

  A user interface (UI) control unit 9 inputs an operation signal from the operation panel of the apparatus and sends it to the recording control unit 1, and displays a recording state signal, an error signal, and the like on the operation panel side. Therefore, when the user changes various settings on the operation panel or inputs a recording start command, various operation signals are transmitted to the recording control unit via the user interface control unit.

Next, the flow of processing from when recording data is received until recording is completed will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the recording process.
First, when the recording control unit receives a recording start command in response to a command from the host computer, a user's operation button input, or the like, the paper discriminating unit discriminates the paper (step 100). The paper discriminating unit discriminates whether or not there is a tab on the paper. If there is a tab, the paper discriminating unit further discriminates the size and type of the paper by using the holes shown in FIG. 2 (step 100). If there is a leading tab (step 102), the tab print information collecting unit 5 determines whether there is data to be recorded on the leading tab (step 102). Then, recording data to be recorded on the leading tab is generated by the tab recording data generating unit (step 103) and recorded on the leading tab (step 104).

  Here, it is assumed that the information to be recorded on the front end tab has been selected in advance by the user from several types, or is switched and set according to the recording data. The details of data recorded on the leading tab will be described later. Further, the recording data generation unit determines the recording position in consideration of the tab hole so that the recording position and the hole position overlap and the recorded image is not lost due to the hole.

  When the recording of the leading tab is completed, the recording data of the recording area is generated (step 105), and recording is performed according to the recording data (step 106).

  Then, it is further determined whether or not there is a rear end tab (step 107). If there is a rear end tab, the tab recording information collecting unit determines whether or not there is recording data on the rear end tab (step 108). If there is recording data, recording data for the rear end tab is generated (step 109) and recording is performed (step 110).

  On the other hand, when there is no front end tab and rear end tab, if there is no recording data corresponding to the tab even if there is a tab, only the recording area is recorded and the recording operation is terminated.

  Note that what is recorded on the leading and trailing tabs is for the purpose of a user interface and does not require high image quality, and may be recorded by a method different from the method for recording an image in a recording area. Specifically, even if the recording area is recorded by multi-scan in order to place importance on the image quality, the tab portion may be recorded by one scan. In addition, the ink used for recording may be appropriately selected with the ink remaining most at the start of recording.

  Furthermore, if the leading end tab is positioned at a position facing the recording head, the transport roller may not be able to grip the leading end of the sheet due to the structure of the recording apparatus. In this case, recording is performed by scanning the recording head in a state where the leading end of the sheet is not gripped by the transport roller. Similarly, when the rear end tab cannot be gripped by the paper feed roller at the rear end of the sheet, the recording head is scanned without performing the rear end of the sheet.

In the description, the subsequent steps are performed after completion of step 104 and the subsequent steps are performed after completion of step 106. However, it is possible to proceed to a place where the next processing can be performed during printing. .
Next, information to be recorded on the tab will be described below with a specific example.

  FIG. 5 is an example in which the ink remaining amount 230 and the battery remaining amount 240 are displayed on the rear end tab 202. The user can determine the replacement time of the ink and the battery by looking at this information, and therefore it is possible to prevent the recording from failing due to the absence of the ink or the battery during the recording.

  The ink remaining amount is a value detected by a liquid level sensor or the like provided in the ink tank, or a value calculated from an estimated amount of ink consumed based on dot count.

  As an example, the ink capacity and the battery capacity are presented here, but other internal information of the recording apparatus such as the remaining amount of paper loaded in the cassette and the cumulative number of sheets recorded so far can be recorded. The information to be recorded may be selectable by the user, or may be specified in advance by application software corresponding to the image data to be recorded. In addition, when an error has occurred although it is recordable, the detailed contents and a method for canceling the error can be printed on the tab portion. In addition, since information can be recorded not only as characters but also with illustrations and photographs, it is easier to understand, and information can be presented without requiring an expensive display device. By recording the information of the recording device in the tab portion in this way, usability can be improved without adding an information display device.

  FIG. 6 shows an example in which the recording progress is recorded on the leading end tab 200 and the trailing end tab 202. The leading tab 200 has a reduced image 300 of an image to be printed, information 301 indicating the number of the recording work instructed by the user together with the total number, and the time required to complete all the work. 302 etc. are recorded.

  On the other hand, in the rear end tab 202, the remaining number information 303 of the instructed recording work and the scheduled end time information 304 of all work are recorded. Here, in consideration of the discharge direction (see FIG. 1), the front end tab 200 is adjusted to be easily seen from the discharge side. The user can use the recording time information 302 that appears first at the start of recording as a guideline for completing other tasks. In addition, by printing the reduced image 300 and the recording order information 301 on the leading end tab, the order of the recorded matter is aligned by comparing the leading end tab 200 and the recorded matter 208 even after the tab is separated, or all the recorded matter is aligned. It is possible to check whether

  FIG. 7 shows an example in which information attached to data to be recorded in the recording area is recorded on the leading end tab 200 and the trailing end tab 202. The leading tab 200 records a reduced image 400 of the image to be recorded, file name information 401, file size information, image size information 403, and the trailing tab 202 records shooting date / time information 404, shooting location information 405, and the like. Usually, this information is not known without a digital camera or personal computer, but it is useful to specify under what conditions the recorded image was formed by recording it together with the image. . Also, copyright information and comment information in the image file may be recorded. By recording copyright information or the like, it is possible to make the image identification more reliable for a third party.

  Further, the leading tab 200 in which the reduced image 400 and the file name information 401 are recorded can be used as an index card even after being cut off. Usability can also be improved without adding an information display device by recording information associated with the recording data in the tab portion.

  FIG. 8 shows an example in which information on the external device used for recording is recorded on the leading end tab 200 and the trailing end tab 203. The front tab 200 records the connected digital camera name information 500, the owner name information 501 stored in the digital camera, and the rear end tab 203 records the record acceptance number information 502. These pieces of information can be used to specify a recording person when the recording apparatus is shared by a plurality of external devices or when the recording apparatus is used in a public printing station. That is, the user can look up the recorded information on this tab from among a large number of recorded materials accumulated in the paper discharge tray or the like to find out what he / she has recorded. Also, authentication can be received as a valid recipient (billing target). By recording the information of the external device that has output the recording data to the tab portion, usability can be improved without adding a display device that displays the information.

  FIG. 9 is an example in which information for selecting a process at the time of recording is recorded on the leading tab 200. In the example, the recording result when the image processing (automatic correction) is performed on the leading tab 200 and the recording result when it is not performed are recorded as a reduced image 600. Then, the recording operation is temporarily stopped at a position where this portion is visible to the user. The user views the reduced image recorded on the tab and confirms the recording result by the automatic correction, and then selects one of the desirable ones on the operation panel 204. The recording apparatus continues recording according to the recording mode (automatic correction is performed or not performed) selected by the user. That is, the recording apparatus performs automatic correction processing on the recording data according to the user's selection result (or without performing any automatic correction processing) to generate recording data. Then, recording is performed according to the recording data.

  In the example, the selection result 601 is recorded in the rear end tab 202. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the extra printing for comparing the printing results. Also, since the aspect ratio of the image of the digital camera and the printing paper is usually different, a part of the image is cut out and trimmed and printed, but it is very difficult to automatically determine where to cut out. Even in such a case, recording failure can be reduced by recording the reduced image after cutting the left and right (or up and down) on the front end tab 200 and allowing the user to select it.

  FIG. 10 shows an example in which information for selecting recording data is recorded on the leading tab 200. In the example, an image 700 recorded in the recording area of the sheet, an image 701 of the file number + 1 of the recorded image, an image 702 of the file number + 2, an image 703 of the file number + 3, and a file number are recorded on the leading tab 200 and the trailing tab 203. The +4 image 704 and the file number +5 image 705 are recorded in a reduced state. That is, a reduced image of the recorded image to the fifth file is recorded. Then, the recording operation is temporarily stopped when the recording of the rear end tab is completed.

  The user looks at the reduced image recorded on the tab, selects an image to be recorded on the recording area of the next sheet using the operation panel 204, and restarts the recording operation. The recording device records the image selected by the user. As a result, the user can easily re-record the same image at the request of another user who is present, or can easily skip recording an image that is determined to be unnecessary.

  FIG. 11 shows an example in which the state of the sheet is recorded on the rear end tab 203. In the example, the paper passing history is recorded. Specifically, although the recording is started and the paper is fed, when the paper discharge operation is performed due to some trouble such as an image file breakage or the recording stop by the user's instruction before the actual recording is started, A mark 800 is printed on the tab 203. The paper passed through the recording device may have a user's fingerprint on the printed surface, or may be noticeable if printed as it is difficult to see as it is. However, if you do not notice this and use it for the final output, you will get unexpected results. Therefore, such a failure can be prevented by attaching a paper passing mark 800 to the paper that has been passed, and not using the paper on which the mark 800 is printed at the time of final output. Since the mark 800 is overwritten, the mark 801 of the paper that has passed twice, the mark 803 of the paper that has passed twice, and the mark gradually become darker so that the number of times the paper has passed is relatively determined. It is also possible to do. Therefore, when only the sheet that has passed through remains, the probability of preventing failure is increased by using the thinnest mark.

  FIG. 12 shows an example in which information that has nothing to do with the recording device, the work associated with the recording, or the environment is recorded on the leading end tab 200 and the trailing end tab 203. In the example, today's fortune is recorded on the leading tab 200 and the weather forecast is recorded on the trailing tab 203. Such information specified by the user is automatically created by application software or a printer driver on a personal computer, or the recording device automatically downloads and records it from a server on the network. The user does not need to start application software specially on the personal computer for obtaining the specified information. Further, when creating the recording information by the printer driver itself in the recording apparatus, the personal computer need not be activated. Also, by recording a news article or the like desired on the tip tab 200 and reading it during the recording waiting time, the time can be effectively used. It is also possible to provide various kinds of advertisements to be recorded on the tab, and to provide the user with the sheet fee etc. at a low price by the advertisement fee.

  In all of the above embodiments, the cut paper with perforations is described as an example. However, the paper is not limited to cut paper, and may be other paper such as roll paper. For example, even when roll paper is used, various information as described in the first to eighth embodiments can be recorded between the recording data and the recording data, and this is automatically performed with an appropriate length. Can be cut off.

  In this embodiment, the ink jet recording apparatus has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a recording apparatus of another recording method.

1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the recording paper which has a tab, (a) shows the state before recording to a recording area, (b) shows the state after recording to a recording area. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the recording apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of recording operation | movement. It is a figure explaining the example which recorded the information of the recording device on the tab. It is a figure explaining the example which recorded the progress of recording on the tab. It is a figure explaining the example which recorded the information attached to the data currently recorded on the tab. It is a figure explaining the example which recorded the information of the external apparatus used for recording on the tab. It is a figure explaining the example which recorded the information which selects the process at the time of recording on the tab. It is a figure explaining the example which recorded the information which selects recording data on the tab. It is a figure explaining the example which recorded the state of the paper on the tab. It is a figure explaining the example which recorded the information unrelated to recording operation to the tab.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording control part 2 Paper discrimination | determination part 3 Recording data receiving part 4 Recording data generation part 5 Tab recording information collection part 6 Tab recording data generation part 7 Recording data storage part 8 Recording part 9 User interface control part 200 Tip tab 201 Sewing machine Eye 202 Rear end tab 203 Perforation 204 Recording area 205 Hole

Claims (19)

In a recording apparatus for recording image data in a recording area of a recording medium,
Recording area determining means for determining whether or not there is a portion other than the recording area at the end of the recording medium;
And recording means for recording image data in the recording area and recording user interface data different from the image data in a part other than the recording area when there is a part other than the recording area. Recording device. The recording apparatus includes a recording head for recording on a recording medium, scans the recording head in a predetermined direction, and performs a recording operation for recording on the recording medium during the scanning, and the recording head in a direction different from the scanning direction of the recording head. By alternately repeating the paper feeding operation of relatively moving the recording medium and the recording head, an image is formed on the entire recording area,
The portion other than the recording area of the recording medium is a tab provided to be detachable from the recording area at the end of the recording medium in the paper feeding direction.
The recording means scans the recording head to the full extent in the scanning direction of the recording head in the recording area to record image data, and then cuts the tab to complete borderless recording. The recording apparatus according to claim 1.   The recording area determining means detects a hole provided in a portion other than the recording area at an end of the recording medium, and based on a condition predetermined for the position, size, or number of the holes, The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the type of the recording medium, the presence / absence of a part other than the recording area, and the size of the part other than the recording area are determined.   4. The recording unit according to claim 3, wherein when recording the user interface data in a portion other than the recording area, the recording unit determines the recording position of the user interface data in consideration of the position and size of the hole. The recording device described.   5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user interface data recorded in a portion other than the recording area is information relating to the recording apparatus.   5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user interface data recorded in a portion other than the recording area is information indicating a progress of recording of the image data.   5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user interface data recorded in a portion other than the recording area is information for identifying the image data.   5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user interface data recorded in a portion other than the recording area is information relating to an external device that has formed the image data. User interface data recorded in a portion other than the recording area is information regarding a plurality of recording modes that can be selected in recording the image data,
A recording mode input means for inputting a recording mode selected by a user based on information on a plurality of recording modes recorded in a portion other than the recording area;
Correction means for correcting the image data according to the recording mode input by the recording mode input means,
5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit performs recording in a recording area based on the image data corrected by the correction unit. The user interface data recorded in a portion other than the recording area is information indicating image data candidates to be recorded on the next recording medium,
The recording unit records a candidate selected by a user from a plurality of candidates for image data to be recorded on a next recording medium recorded in a portion other than the recording area at the time of recording on the next recording medium. Item 5. A recording apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 4.   5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user interface data recorded in a portion other than the recording area is information indicating a state of the recording medium.   The user interface data recorded in a portion other than the recording area is information irrelevant to the image data, the recording apparatus, and the recording medium, which is selected based on conditions set in advance by a user. Item 5. A recording apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 4.   13. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head performs recording on a recording medium by arranging a plurality of nozzles and discharging a predetermined amount of ink from the nozzles onto the recording medium. .   The recording apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of nozzles generate bubbles in the ink in the nozzles by thermal energy, and eject the ink as droplets by the generation pressure of the bubbles. In a recording method using a recording apparatus for recording image data in a recording area of a recording medium,
A recording area determination step for determining whether or not a portion other than the recording area exists at an end of the recording medium;
A user interface data generating step for generating user interface data to be recorded in a portion other than the recording area based on conditions set in advance by the user when there is a portion other than the recording area on the recording medium;
And a recording step of recording the user interface data generated in the user interface data generation step in a portion other than the recording area.   16. The recording method according to claim 15, wherein the user interface data generation step generates user interface data by inputting predetermined information from an external device connected to the recording device.   The recording method according to claim 16, wherein the external device is an image data generation device.   16. The recording method according to claim 15, wherein the user interface data generation step generates user interface data based on information attached to image data to be recorded in the recording area. 16. The recording method according to claim 15, wherein the user interface data generating step generates user interface data based on status information of a recording device included in the recording device.

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