JP2005301345A - Method for controlling printing device, method for creating data for printing receipt, program, printer driver, printing device, merchandize sales data processing device, and pos system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for controlling a printing device that can effectively arrange a logo, a decoration, and an image for an advertisement and sales promotion of a store on a receipt, and to provide a method for creating data for printing a receipt, a program, a printer driver, a printing device, a merchandize sales data processing device, and a POS system. <P>SOLUTION: The invention relates to a method for controlling a printing device that adds an image to a receipt in merchandize sales and prints it, by which a predetermined character string showing a printing position of an image data is searched from settlement printing data, and the predetermined character string is extracted. Instruction information is obtained on whether the image should be a background image or an inset image. A line number specified by the predetermined character string extracted is obtained, and an image addition setting command is created based on the line number. The settlement printing data and the image addition setting command are transmitted to the printing device (50). The image data can be printed quickly even when a low speed interface is used for an interface between a PC (40) and the printing device (50). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus control method, receipt print data generation method, program, and printer driver for printing image data that has been stored in addition to payment processing print data generated based on input information related to merchandise sales. , A printing apparatus, a merchandise sales data processing apparatus, and a POS system.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a POS system (sales point information management system) used in a retail business such as a supermarket or a convenience store, a host computer that acquires input information related to product sales and a printing device for printing receipts are used. A POS terminal is configured. As this type of POS terminal, a printing apparatus receives payment processing print data generated by a host computer, and prints on a receipt based on the payment processing print data (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In recent years, in addition to the payment processing print data, there is also known one capable of printing image data such as a store logo, for example.

  By the way, in such a POS terminal that prints payment processing print data and image data on the same receipt, image data is stored in the host computer, and the image data and the payment generated in the host computer are stored. After combining the processed print data, the data is transmitted to the printing apparatus. However, when the host computer and the printing apparatus are connected using a low-speed interface, there is a problem in that data transmission takes time, and receipt issuance is delayed. For this reason, processing efficiency deteriorates as a whole, causing troubles in operations such as waiting for customers.

JP 2001-273560 A (FIG. 8 etc.)

  In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a printing apparatus control method, a receipt print data generation method, a program, and a printing apparatus capable of printing image data quickly even when a low-speed interface is used as an interface between the host computer and the printing apparatus. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer driver, a printing apparatus, a merchandise sales data processing apparatus, and a POS system.

  A printing apparatus control method according to the present invention is a printing apparatus control method for printing by adding predetermined image data to payment processing print data generated on the basis of input information relating to merchandise sales. A payment processing print data acquisition step of acquiring a character string, a predetermined character string indicating a print position of image data from the payment processing print data, a character string extraction step of extracting the predetermined character string, and the extracted predetermined character string A location information acquisition step for acquiring specified location information, a step for acquiring information for specifying whether the print format of the image data is an insertion format or a background format, and an image addition based on the acquired location information An image addition setting command generation step for generating a setting command, and a transmission step for transmitting the settlement processing print data and the image addition setting command to the printing apparatus. Apparatus, based on the analysis result of the image addition setting command, characterized by adding the image data to the payment transaction print data.

  This printing apparatus control method extracts a predetermined character string indicating the print position of image data from the generated settlement processing print data, and issues an image addition setting command based on the position information specified by the predetermined character string. Generate. And it transmits to a printing apparatus with payment processing print data. The printing apparatus adds image data to the settlement processing print data based on the analysis result of the image addition setting command, and generates data for printing on the receipt. Therefore, even when a low-speed interface is used as an interface between the host computer and the printing apparatus, image data can be printed quickly. In addition, since an addition setting command for adding image data is generated on the host computer side, the image data addition setting can be performed by the host computer without directly operating the printing apparatus. Furthermore, since the print position of the image data is specified by the position information that is one of the parameters included in the image addition setting command, the printing apparatus can easily determine the print position and perform image data addition processing. Can do. In particular, a receipt in which image data is printed at an appropriate position according to the receipt length by making the predetermined character string a character string that is always printed on the receipt (for example, “receipt”, “total amount”, etc.) Can be issued.

  In this case, the predetermined character string is a start character string indicating a position where image addition is started, and in the position information acquisition step, it is preferable to acquire position information specified by the start character string. According to this configuration, an image can be added to an area within a predetermined range from the position specified by the start character string. In this case, the end position to which the image is added can be until the end of the payment processing data. For this reason, a receipt in which image data is printed in an appropriate area can be issued according to the receipt length.

  In addition to the start character string, an end character string indicating the position at which image data addition ends is used as a predetermined character string, thereby adding an image between the start line and the end line specified in the position information acquisition process. can do. In this case as well, a receipt in which image data is printed in an appropriate area can be issued according to the receipt length, and a plurality of images are overprinted with payment processing information by further dividing the receipt. can do.

  The printing apparatus stores a plurality of image data files, which are image data files. An image designation for designating a start character string, an end character string, and one image data file from the plurality of image data files. A definition table storage step for storing a definition table associated with data, and an image designation data acquisition step for obtaining image designation data related to the start character string and the end character string extracted by the character string extraction step from the definition table; In the image addition setting command generation step, it is preferable to generate an image addition setting command based on the acquired position information and image designation data.

  According to this configuration, the printing apparatus stores a plurality of image data files, and the image addition setting command relates to image designation data for designating one image data file from among the plurality of image data files. Since the parameters are included, various image data can be added by changing the parameters relating to the image designation data. Therefore, various receipts can be created.

  In this case, it is preferable to further include a character string setting step for setting a start character string and / or an end character string. According to this configuration, since the start character string and / or end character string for specifying the print area can be set, the print area can be arbitrarily set according to the user's preference. In this case, it is preferable to further include an image designation data setting step for setting image designation data in association with the start character string and / or the end character string set by the character string setting step.

  According to this configuration, the image designation data can be set in association with the start character string and / or the end character string, so that various receipts can be created according to the user's preference. In this case, in the position information acquisition step, the position information of the start character string or the position information one line below the start character string is acquired, and the position information of the end character string or the position one line above the end character string It is preferable to further include a position information setting step for setting which information is to be acquired. According to this configuration, it is possible to set how to acquire position information for specifying a print area (that is, whether to specify at a position including the target character string or not). The variation of the image data addition process can be expanded.

  When color printing is possible in the above-described printing apparatus, it is preferable to further include a print color setting step for setting a print color of image data, and the image addition setting command preferably includes a parameter indicating the print color.

  According to this configuration, since color printing is possible, the visibility of the receipt can be improved. Further, since the image addition setting command includes a parameter indicating the print color, various receipts can be created by changing the parameter indicating the print color.

  The receipt print data generation method of the present invention adds receipt image data to the payment processing print data generated by the host computer based on input information related to product sales, and generates receipt print data. A data generation method for image data storage step for storing image data, payment processing print data acquisition step for acquiring payment processing print data from a host computer, and printing by adding image data from a host computer An image addition setting command acquisition step of acquiring the image addition setting command, a command analysis step of analyzing the image addition setting command and acquiring position information indicating the print position of the image data, and payment processing print data based on the position information Receipt stamp that generates receipt print data by adding image data to Characterized by comprising a data generating step.

  The program of the present invention causes a computer to execute each step in the control method of the printing apparatus described above or each step in the receipt print data generation method.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a program that can quickly print image data even when a low-speed interface is used as an interface between the host computer and the printing apparatus.

  A printer driver according to the present invention causes a computer to execute each step in the control method for a printing apparatus described above.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a printer driver capable of printing image data quickly even when a low-speed interface is used as an interface between the host computer and the printing apparatus. In addition, by implementing the above-described printing apparatus control method using a printer driver, even if the host computer is a monochrome / text-based application, for example, a color / graphics-based receipt can be printed by the printing apparatus without changing the application. Can be issued.

  The printing apparatus of the present invention is a printing apparatus that generates receipt print data by adding already stored image data to payment processing print data generated by a host computer based on input information relating to merchandise sales. Image data storage means for storing image data, payment processing print data acquisition means for acquiring payment processing print data from the host computer, and an image addition setting command for adding image data and printing from the host computer An image addition setting command acquisition unit to acquire, a command analysis unit to analyze the image addition setting command and acquire position information indicating a print position of the image data, and add image data to the settlement processing print data based on the position information Receipt print data generation means for generating receipt print data And it features.

  These receipt print data generation method and printing apparatus store image data in the printing apparatus, and acquire settlement processing print data and an image addition setting command for adding the image data from the host computer. Then, by analyzing the image addition setting command, position information indicating the printing position is acquired, and based on this position information, image data is added to the settlement processing print data. Therefore, even when a low-speed interface is used as an interface between the host computer and the printing apparatus, image data can be printed quickly. In addition, since an addition setting command for adding image data is generated on the host computer side, the image data addition setting can be performed by the host computer without directly operating the printing apparatus. Further, since the print position of the image data is specified by the position information which is one of the parameters included in the image addition setting command, the printing apparatus can easily determine the print area and perform the image data addition process. Can do.

  In this case, the image processing apparatus further includes color printing means for performing color printing using the primary color and at least one sub color other than the primary color, and the color printing means prints the settlement processing print data in the primary color, The data is preferably printed with at least one sub-color.

  According to these configurations, since the settlement process print data is printed in the primary color and the image data is printed in the secondary color, the image data can be added without impairing the visibility of the settlement process print data. Moreover, since color printing is possible, the visibility of a receipt can be improved.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a merchandise sales data processing apparatus, a host computer that controls a printing apparatus by transmitting settlement processing print data and an image addition setting command to the printing apparatus described above. In the merchandise sales data processing apparatus, the host computer searches the payment processing print data generation means for generating payment processing print data and a predetermined character string indicating the print position of the image data from the payment processing print data, Character string extraction means for extracting the predetermined character string, position information acquisition means for acquiring position information specified by the extracted predetermined character string, and image addition setting for generating an image addition setting command based on the acquired position information A command generation unit; and a transmission unit that transmits the settlement processing print data and the image addition setting command to the printing apparatus. And wherein the door.

  The merchandise sales data processing apparatus extracts a predetermined character string indicating the print position of the image data from the generated payment processing print data, and issues an image addition setting command based on the position information specified by the predetermined character string. Generate. And it transmits to a printing apparatus with payment processing print data. The printing apparatus adds image data to the settlement processing print data based on the analysis result of the image addition setting command, and generates data for printing on the receipt. Therefore, even when a low-speed interface is used as an interface between the host computer and the printing apparatus, image data can be printed quickly. In addition, since an addition setting command for adding image data is generated on the host computer side, the image data addition setting can be performed by the host computer without directly operating the printing apparatus. Furthermore, since the print position of the image data is specified by the position information that is one of the parameters included in the image addition setting command, the printing apparatus can easily determine the print position and perform image data addition processing. Can do.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a POS system that can quickly print image data even when a low-speed interface is used as an interface between a host computer and a printing apparatus.

  When the printing apparatus of the present invention is used in a POS system, store logos or decorations, and further information such as advertisements and sales promotions are stored as image data. Can be issued easily. That is, a printing device used as a receipt printer is provided with a memory for storing image data such as a logo, and a program for realizing the printing method of the present invention can be added to create a highly visible receipt and In contrast, the store image can be strongly impressed and the advertising effect can be enhanced.

  Hereinafter, a printing apparatus control method, receipt print data generation method, program, printer driver, printing apparatus, merchandise sales data processing apparatus, and POS system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. . According to the present invention, a host computer extracts a predetermined character string indicating a print position of image data from payment processing print data, and an image is displayed on the payment processing print data based on position information specified by the predetermined character string. An image addition setting command for adding data is generated. Then, the printing apparatus adds image data to the settlement processing print data based on the position information acquired from the image addition setting command, and generates receipt print data for printing on the receipt. As the position information, in the case of receipt printing based on text, it is optimal to use a print line number. In the following embodiment, description will be made using line numbers.

  That is, with this configuration, even when a low-speed interface is used as an interface between the host computer and the printing apparatus, image data can be printed quickly by the printing apparatus. In addition, by generating an image addition setting command using a printer driver incorporated in the host computer, even if the host computer is a monochrome / text-based application, for example, the color / graphic base can be changed by the printing device without changing the application. A receipt can be issued. In addition, the printing apparatus can obtain the position and information from the image addition setting command, so that the printing position can be easily specified, and thus a good-looking receipt can be created. is there.

  In view of this, a POS system that is used in stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores and issues receipts based on input information related to product sales input by an operator will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the POS system 10 of the present invention is a POS system that is a plurality of merchandise sales data processing devices that acquire input information by an operator (user) reading a bar code attached to a merchandise. A terminal 20 (only one is shown) and a POS server 30 that are connected to the POS terminal 20 via a network and manage input information input to the POS terminal 20 are configured.

  The POS server 30 has a memory such as a ROM 32 and a RAM 33 in addition to a control device (CPU 31), and processes information stored in the buffer 39 and the like in the RAM 33 according to a control program stored in the ROM 32. In particular, the RAM 33 has a product master composed of a product code block 35, a product name block 36, a price block 37, an inventory block 38, etc., and the CPU 31 is based on the input information transmitted from the POS terminal 20. Information on a product code, a product name, and a price is extracted from the product master, and product data used for printing on the receipt 61 and displaying on the display 42 of the POS terminal 20 is generated. The “product data” is data that is the basis of payment processing print data generated by the PC 40, and includes product information such as a product name printed on the receipt 61 and its amount.

  The POS terminal 20 refers to the product data of the POS server 30 based on the input information, and prints the settlement processing print data to be printed on the receipt 61 (in addition to product information, store name, phone number, date, message to the customer, etc. A personal computer (PC) 40 having a POS application execution unit 41a for generating data and commands for printing; see FIG. 18), or performing a cash registration process such as registering input data in the POS server 30; A printing apparatus 50 (receipt printer) that prints on the receipt 61 based on the print data is provided, and is connected to each other via connectors 46 and 53. The PC 40 acquires input information such as information related to a product (product information) and information related to a customer 60 (customer information) by inputting using the keyboard 43 or reading a barcode using the barcode reader 44. In addition, the credit card or member card of the customer 60 is read by the card reader 45, and information relating to membership such as information relating to credit clearing or a membership number is acquired. Furthermore, it has a display 42 for displaying product information generated based on product data transmitted from the POS server 30, and presents the amount of purchased product to the customer 60.

  The PC 40 is controlled by a printer driver OLE for Retail POS (hereinafter referred to as OPOS) that runs on an OS such as Windows (registered trademark). The OPOS provides a POS application 41a running on the OS with a model-independent interface with peripheral devices such as the printing apparatus 50 and the barcode reader 44, and corresponds to each device category. A control object (CO) 41b and a service object (SO) 41c corresponding to each device model are configured.

  The POS application 41a generates payment processing print data for printing on the receipt 61 based on the product data and input information transmitted from the POS server 30, and this payment processing print data is transmitted to the printing device via the OS 41d. Is delivered to the CO 41b for use, and further delivered to the SO 41c corresponding to the model of the printing apparatus 50 from the CO 41b. The SO 41 c processes this print data, generates a print command according to the command specification of the printing apparatus 50, and transmits it to the printing apparatus 50. The OPOS described above is provided to the user as the printer driver 109 in a form in which SO41c and CO41b are combined.

  In SO41c, an image data setting program 108 for generating various image data settings as well as generating an image addition setting command for adding image data to payment processing print data is installed. Although specific description will be given later, the image data setting program 108 provides a user with an interface for setting image data by displaying a predetermined setting screen 300 (see FIG. 6) on the display 42. is there. As described above, since the printer driver 109 provides the image data setting program (utility execution program) 108, image data can be set from the PC 40 without changing the POS application 41a of the PC 40.

  On the other hand, the printing apparatus 50 is an ink jet printer that performs printing by an ink jet method, and includes a printing unit 120 having six ink jet heads, that is, a first print head 55a to a sixth print head 55f. Each of these inkjet heads 55 ejects ink of M (magenta), C (cyan), Y (yellow), LM (light magenta), LC (light cyan), and K (black), thereby printing in full color. It is configured to be able to. The configuration of the print head 55 is not limited to this, and the print head 55 may be configured to increase the number of heads so that multicolor printing can be performed. Alternatively, the number of heads can be reduced to print only one or two colors. It is good also as a structure to perform.

  In addition, the printing apparatus 50 sets either a monochrome print mode in which printing is performed only by the sixth print head 55f or a color print mode in which printing is performed by all the print heads by a dip switch or a soft dip switch (not shown) It is possible. Then, the PC 40 can acquire information related to the mode setting and determine whether or not to include color information in the generated print data. Accordingly, when the color print mode is set and color information is included in the print data, it is possible to perform two-color or multicolor printing on the receipt 61 based on this. In the following description, the printing apparatus 50 is set to the color printing mode, the settlement processing print data is printed in the primary color “K (black)”, and the image data is the primary color (K (black)). It shall be printed with the specified sub color other than.

  Next, the device configuration of the POS terminal 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of the POS terminal 20 as viewed from the operation side by the operator, and FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the POS terminal 20 as viewed from the customer side. As shown in both figures, the POS terminal 20 includes a PC 40 that forms a main part of a box-shaped main body case 48 and a printing device 50 that is arranged on the left side of the rear portion of the main body case 48. Since the printing apparatus 50 is connected to the main body case 48 by a cable, the printing apparatus 50 is not limited to this arrangement, and can be arranged at an arbitrary place as long as the cable length allows.

  The PC 40 has a keyboard 43 on which the operator inputs information such as product information and customer information on the upper surface of the front part of the main body case 48, and an operator display 42a on which the operator confirms the input information on the right side of the rear part. A cash drawer 49 is accommodated in 48. Further, a bar code reader 44 for reading a bar code affixed or printed on a product is provided on the right side surface of the main body case 48, and an interface 47 for connecting to the printing device 50 is provided on the left side surface. Are formed with a card reader slot 45 for reading a credit card presented by the customer 60. Further, a customer display 42 b for the customer 60 to confirm product information and the like is disposed on the back side of the main body case 48. Note that a setting screen for setting image data (see FIG. 6) is displayed on the operator-side display 42a, and the operator performs a setting operation while confirming this.

  On the other hand, the operation display lamp 65 and the interface 51 are arranged on the front side of the printing apparatus 50. The interface 51 and the printing apparatus side interface 47 provided in the PC 40 include a cable 63 and connectors 46 and 53. Connected through. In addition, a receipt discharge port 64 through which a printed receipt 61 is discharged is formed on the upper surface of the printing apparatus 50.

  Next, the control configuration of the PC 40 will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG. The PC 40 includes a definition table setting unit 201 that sets a definition table (see FIG. 9 and the like) that is a reference table for generating an image addition setting command, a payment processing print data generation unit 202 that generates payment processing print data, An image addition setting command generation unit 203 that generates an image addition setting command, a definition table storage unit 221, a settlement processing print data storage unit 222, and an image addition setting command storage unit 223, and a data storage unit 204 that stores various data. A payment processing print data transmission unit 225 and an image addition setting command transmission unit 226, and a data transmission unit 205 that transmits payment processing print data and an image addition setting command via the interface 47. The definition table setting unit 201 and the image addition setting command generation unit 203 are mainly realized by the printer driver 109.

  The definition table setting unit 201 is executed by the image data setting program 108 provided by the printer driver 109, and is a predetermined character string (start character string and / or end character string (see FIG. 14, etc.)) indicating the print position of the image data. A character string setting unit 211 for setting image data, an image designation data setting unit 212 for setting image designation data (file name, etc.) for designating image data to be added, and a line number for specifying the print position of the image data A line number setting unit 213 (which will be described in detail later) and a color information setting unit 214 for setting the print color of the image data. The setting items in the definition table setting unit 201 are set when the user inputs necessary items on the setting screen 300 (see FIG. 6) or 400 (FIG. 17), and the input information is RAM or the like. Is stored in the memory and can be rewritten as necessary.

  The image addition setting command generation unit 203 searches the payment processing print data and extracts a predetermined character string, a line number acquisition unit 217 that acquires a line number specified by the predetermined character string, a definition And an image designation data acquisition unit 218 that acquires image designation data associated with a predetermined character string from the table. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the image addition setting command “ESC I n1, n2, n3.・ ・ 」Is generated. The configuration of the image addition setting command will be described later.

  Then, with the above configuration, the PC 40 extracts a predetermined character string from the payment process print data generated by the payment process print data generation unit 202 according to the definition table set by the definition table setting unit 201, The image addition setting command generation unit 203 generates an image addition setting command based on the line number specified by the predetermined character string and the image designation data associated with the predetermined character string. Then, the generated payment processing print data and the image addition setting command are transmitted to the printing apparatus 50 by the data transmission unit 205.

  Next, the control configuration of the printing apparatus 50 will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG. The printing apparatus 50 includes a data acquisition unit 231 that acquires payment processing print data and an image addition setting command from the PC 40 via the interface 51, and a data storage unit that stores the acquired data and a plurality of image data files (see FIG. 13). 232, a command analysis unit 233 for image addition setting- * transmitted from the PC 40, a receipt print data generation unit 234 for generating receipt print data for printing on the receipt 61, and printing based on the receipt print data And a printing unit 235.

  The data acquisition unit 231 includes a settlement process print data acquisition unit 241 and an image addition setting command acquisition unit 242, and sends data to the settlement process print data storage unit 245 and the image addition setting command storage unit 246, respectively. Actually, the settlement processing print data and the image addition setting command are transmitted simultaneously, and the image addition setting command is extracted from the settlement processing print data and analyzed. Here, for ease of explanation, the payment processing print data and the image addition setting command are illustrated as being acquired and stored separately. Accordingly, it is assumed that the settlement processing print data is constituted by data commands for printing product data excluding the image addition setting command.

  The data storage unit 232 includes an image data storage unit 244, a settlement process print data storage unit 245, and an image addition setting command storage unit 246. The image data storage unit 244 stores a plurality of image data files in advance. Has been. The plurality of image data files are registered in the setting screen 300 or the setting screen 400 in which data read by the scanner or the like by the PC 40 or data created by the drawing software is executed by the image data setting program 108. (See FIG. 6 “Image Data Registration” Tab), what is transmitted to the printing apparatus 50 is stored in the image data storage unit 244, and can be appropriately rewritten according to user needs. Yes.

  The command analysis unit 233 analyzes the image addition setting command transmitted from the PC 40 and acquires a line number by analyzing the image addition setting command. Similarly, the command analysis unit 233 receives image designation data (file name, image designation number, etc.) from the image addition setting command. ) And a color information acquisition unit 250 that acquires color information indicating the print color of the image data from the image addition setting command. The acquired information is stored in the RAM 144 described later. Stored.

  With the above configuration, the printing apparatus 50 acquires the payment processing print data and the image addition setting command by the data acquisition unit 231, and analyzes the image addition setting command by the command analysis unit 233, whereby the line number and the image designation data are And get color information. Further, based on these pieces of information, the receipt print data generation unit 234 adds image data to the settlement processing print data to generate receipt print data.

  FIG. 5 shows a control block diagram of the printing apparatus 50. As shown in FIG. 5, the printing apparatus 50 has an interface 51, and receives an image addition setting command and payment processing print data from the PC 40. A data input unit 110 for input and six inkjet heads 55, each having a printing unit 120 for performing color printing by ejecting ink of different colors, and a head driver 131, and driving for driving the inkjet head 55 And a control unit 140 that controls the entire printing apparatus 50.

  The control unit 140 includes a CPU 141, a ROM 142, a CG-ROM 143, and a RAM 144, which are connected to each other via an internal bus 145. The ROM 142 has a control data block 142b for storing control data including various tables in addition to a control program block 142a for storing a control program to be processed by the CPU 141. The CG-ROM 143 stores font data of characters to be printed, and outputs corresponding font data when a code for specifying the characters is given.

  The RAM 144 includes various work area blocks 151 used as flags and the like, an image data block 152 that stores a plurality of image data files, a settlement processing print data block 153 that stores settlement processing print data transmitted from the PC 40, An image addition setting command block 154 that stores information relating to the analysis result of the image addition setting command, and a receipt print data block 155 that stores receipt print data generated by adding image data to the settlement processing print data. Used as a work area for control processing. The RAM 144 is always backed up so as to retain the stored data even when the power is turned off.

  The image addition setting command block 154 includes a line number block 157, an image designation data block 158, and a color information block 159 for storing a line number, image designation data, and color information obtained as a result of the analysis of the image addition setting command, respectively. Information acquired by each unit of the command analysis unit 233 (see FIG. 4) is stored.

  The internal bus 145 is also connected to the data input unit 110 and the drive unit 130, and takes in input data (image addition setting command, payment processing print data, etc.) from the interface 51 (see FIG. 4) and is output from the CPU 151 or the like. The output data (receipt print data and the like) and control signals are output to the drive unit 130 (head driver 131).

  The CPU 141 receives various signals and data from each unit in the printing apparatus 50 based on the control program in the ROM 142 and processes various data in the RAM 144 and various signals in each unit.・ Analyze image addition setting command by outputting data, etc., generate receipt print data by adding image data to payment processing print data according to the analysis result, and print based on this The entire printing apparatus 50 is controlled.

  The interface 47 and the interface 47 provided in the PC 40 are serial data transfer such as RS-232 standard, parallel data transfer such as Centronics standard, network connection such as 10Base-T of Ethernet (registered trademark), or USB. The one corresponding to the data transfer standard can be adopted.

  Next, image data setting processing will be described with reference to FIG. The image data is set by executing the image data setting program 108 (see FIG. 1) in the PC 40. Specifically, when the image data setting program 108 is activated, a setting screen as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the operator-side display 42a, and setting is performed by the operator inputting various information.

  As shown in the figure, on the setting screen 300, various information for setting image data can be divided into a plurality of screens, and an operator (user) opens a desired setting screen to make settings. Go. When the setting screen of the first tab “Basic” is opened, the width size of the receipt 61, the print density of the image data, the print quality, and the like can be set, and the contents are almost the same as the normal print setting utility. The description is omitted here. Further, when the setting screen of the third tab “image data registration” is opened, image data as shown in FIG. 13 can be registered, and a normal registration method can be used for this as well. Is omitted. Therefore, only the setting screen of the tab “definition table” will be described here.

  As shown in FIG. 6, on the “definition table” setting screen 300, first, a predetermined character string is set. The predetermined character string includes, for example, a start character string and an end character string. The former indicates a position where image data addition is started, and the latter indicates a position where image data addition ends. The operator may select the start character string and the end character string from among the character strings already registered by the upper and lower icons of the start character string setting field 301 and the end character string setting field 302. A character string may be directly input in 301 and 302. Here, it is assumed that “receipt” is set as the start character string and “purchase” is set as the end character string.

  In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which an image is overlaid on an area designated by a start character string and an end character string. However, only the start character string is designated, and the end of the image is made to coincide with the print information end position. It is also possible.

  Subsequently, the image designation data is set. The setting of the image designation data is designated by the operator by selecting one file from the registered file list 303 and is input to the file setting column 304. The operator can also specify a file by selecting a registered ID in the ID column 305. Here, as “image data”, as shown in FIG. 13, three image files are registered, and one of these image data can be selected. It is assumed that “pattern (ID: U2)” is selected.

  Subsequently, the line number is set. Here, as the line number for specifying the print area, either the line number of the start character string or the line number one line lower than the start character string is obtained, and the line number of the end character string or the end character string It is possible to set which line number on one line is to be acquired. That is, it is possible to set whether the print area is specified at a position including the target character string or at a position not including the target character string. Here, it is assumed that the print area is specified from the position (line) including the start character string to the position (line) including the end character string.

  Subsequently, color setting is performed. Here, first, whether or not to specify color is set. If the color setting is checked by the operator, the color setting field 306 sets a print color for printing the image data.

  Here, since the payment processing print data is set in advance to be printed in the primary color “K (black)”, the image data has a print color (sub color) other than “K (black)”. ) Can be set. Therefore, for example, in a printing apparatus that performs two-color printing of only “K (black) and“ R (red) ”, image data is inevitable when the print data is printed in the primary color“ K (black) ”. In this way, the print data is printed in the primary color, and the image data is printed in the secondary color, so that the print data is printed in the secondary color “R (red)”. It is possible to add image data without impairing the visibility of the characters to be displayed, etc. In this setting operation, it is assumed that the print color “Red (red)” is selected.

  When the color setting is not checked, the image data is printed with a preset print color (for example, a store theme color). However, when the image data is registered in color, the image data may be printed in the registered color. When the setting of the above contents is completed, an “OK” button 307 is clicked by the operator, and information set for the “definition table” is stored in a memory such as a RAM in the PC 40.

  FIG. 17 shows another embodiment of the setting screen. In the image arrangement format setting field 401, the print format of the image can be set. When the insertion is selected, the designated image is inserted and printed immediately after the designated character string. In the character string setting column 40, for example, by inputting a part or all of the character string of the product name, when this character string is printed on the product name part, immediately after that line or in a predetermined area The image designated in the input field 404 is inserted into the field. For example, when a character string “cola” is detected as shown in the figure, Qpon. A file named jpg is selected and inserted immediately after the character string “cola”, and print data is formed so that the subsequent settlement information is printed after this image. Here, the insertion position of the coupon image file is the character string “cola”, but the insertion position may be inserted in the vicinity of the last line of the receipt such as “Thank you for your purchase”.

  When a background image is selected, the specified character string is used as a start character string.When the end character string is not specified, the image is moved to the final line of the receipt or the position determined by the size of the image data. It is printed as an image on the print data of payment information.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 14, the definition table by the above setting and the print result will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, in the definition table, item No. is added to the information set by the above series of operations. Here, only one item (item No. 1) is set. Further, “receipt” is set as the start character string, “purchase” is set as the end character string, and each line number setting is “1”. This indicates that the print area is specified by the position (line) that includes the target character string, and the position that does not include the target character string (the target character string is “start character string”). ”Is the line one line below, and when the target character string is“ end character string ”, the line above that line is the line number to be acquired)) "

  Further, “U2 / C: fire.jpg” is set as the image designation data, but it may be stored with the file name “fire” on the table. Further, instead of the file name, a serial number assigned to each image data file or a numerical value assigned based on a predetermined rule may be stored. Here, based on the ID “U2”, the image designation No. It is assumed that “02” is stored.

  In addition, “Red” is set as the color designation, but the color designation No. assigned to each color is displayed on the table instead of the color name. Alternatively, it may be stored as a numerical value attached based on a predetermined law. Here, the color designation No. assigned to each color is shown. (Red is “2”).

  Subsequently, the data acquisition result in the case where the above information is stored in the definition table, and the payment processing print data includes the start character string “receipt” and the end character string “purchase” Is shown in FIG. That is, in this case, the image data of “Image designation No. 02 is transferred to the print area of line numbers“ x1 ”to“ x2 ”. The data indicating “print with 2” is acquired. The line numbers “x1” and “x2” are line numbers indicating lines including the start character string “receipt” and the end character string “purchase”, respectively. is there.

  And as a result of acquiring the above data, the printing result obtained is <printing example 1> shown in FIG. As shown here, image data “U2 / C: fire.jpg” (flame pattern; see FIG. 13) is added to the payment processing print data (see FIG. 17) on the receipt 61, and the print color Becomes “Red”. The print area is from the line number “x1” including the start character string “receipt” to the line number “x2” including the end character string “purchase”. Further, as shown here, the image data is repeatedly printed according to the length from the line including the start character string to the line including the end character string.

  Note that if the payment processing print data contains only either the start character string or the end character string, that is, if both the start character string and the end character string are not included, the print area cannot be specified and the image No data is added. However, if either the start character string or the end character string is extracted due to a design change, image data is added from the start character string to x lines downward, or from the start character string to the receipt end line, or the end character string It is also possible to add image data from the end character string to the receipt start line from the end character string up to y lines upward.

  As described above, in the present invention, the print area of the image data is specified by the line number that is one of the parameters included in the image addition setting command. Therefore, the printing apparatus 50 can easily determine the print area and Data addition processing can be performed. In particular, a receipt in which image data is printed at an appropriate position according to the receipt length by making the predetermined character string a character string that is always printed on the receipt (for example, “receipt”, “total amount”, etc.) 61 can be issued.

  Next, an image addition setting command generated based on the data acquisition result shown in FIG. 9 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11A shows the configuration of an image addition setting command. Among these, “ESC I” indicates an image addition setting command code, and “n1, n2, n3, n4” following this is a parameter. (A command generally called an ESC sequence is used). Each parameter is composed of 1 byte (8 bits), and n1 is an image designation number. In the case of <printing example 1>, “02” is represented. N2 and n3 indicate a start line number and an end line number, and in the case of <printing example 1>, they represent “x1” and “x2”. N4 indicates color information (color designation number), and in the case of <printing example 1>, “2” is represented (see FIG. 9).

  Also, as shown in FIG. 9, the parameter “n2” indicating the start line number represents the line number setting in the first 1 bit out of 8 bits (see FIG. 9), and “1” if the line number is included. When not included, it is represented by “0”. The remaining 7 bits represent the start line number (1st to 128th lines). The parameter “n3” indicating the end line number has the same configuration. The number of bits constituting each parameter and the order of the parameters can be changed as appropriate.

  Here, when the start line number n2 is 0, it is possible to define that the image is inserted at a predetermined position instead of being printed over the payment information. In this case, if the end line number n3 indicates the insertion start position, the insertion start position can be arbitrarily specified by providing an end character string setting field on the setting screen 400, for example.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a dedicated command for adding image data can be set as the image addition setting command, and various information can be transmitted simultaneously as parameters together with the payment processing print data. Thus, the received printing apparatus 50 can easily perform image data addition processing (receipt print data generation processing) without causing any trouble in printing processing or the like.

  Next, payment processing print data / image addition setting command transmission processing in the PC 40 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The PC 40 obtains input information related to the product by inputting with the keyboard 43 or reading the barcode with the barcode reader 44, and generates payment processing print data based on this (S11). Then, by searching the settlement processing print data, a predetermined character string (start character string and end character string) included therein is extracted (S12).

  At this time, the predetermined character string is preset and stored as a definition table as described above. When a predetermined character string (in the case of <print example 1>), a start character string “receipt” and an end character string “purchase” are extracted (S13: Yes), the line specified by the predetermined character string The number, image designation data and color information stored in association with the predetermined character string are acquired (S14; see FIG. 9). Then, an image addition setting command is generated from the obtained result (S15; see FIG. 11), and is transmitted to the printing apparatus 50 together with the settlement process print data (S16), and the process is terminated (S18). On the other hand, when the predetermined character string is not extracted (S13: No), only the settlement processing print data is transmitted to the printing apparatus 50 without generating the image addition setting command (S17). The character string is preferably a meaningful term or word, but may be a single character as long as it is a special character that makes sense even if it is a single character.

  Next, a receipt print data generation process in the printing apparatus 50 subsequent to the payment process print data / image addition setting command transmission process in the PC 40 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the payment processing print data is acquired from the PC 40 (S21: Yes), the printing apparatus 50 determines whether an image addition setting command is transmitted together with the payment processing print data (S23). If the acquired data is not settlement processing print data (S21: No), processing according to the instruction is performed (S22). If the image addition setting command has not been transmitted (S23: No), the payment processing print data is directly used as the receipt print data without performing the image data addition processing (S24) (S27).

  On the other hand, when the image addition setting command is transmitted together with the settlement processing print data (S23: Yes), the image addition setting command is analyzed (S25), the line number (start line number and end line number), and image designation data ( Image designation No.) and color information (color designation No.) are acquired (S26; see FIG. 11). Then, based on the acquired information, image data is added to the settlement process print data (super pause) to generate receipt print data (S27), and the process ends (S28).

  Thus, in the present invention, by searching the settlement processing print data generated by the PC 40, a predetermined character string for specifying the print position of the image data, that is, the print position on the substantial receipt is extracted, An image addition setting command is generated based on the line number specified by the predetermined character string. Then, the PC 40 transmits the payment processing print data to the printing apparatus 50 together with the payment processing print data. On the other hand, the printing device 50 adds image data to the settlement processing print data based on the image addition setting command, and generates receipt print data for printing on the receipt. That is, with this configuration, even when a low-speed interface is used as an interface between the PC 40 and the printing apparatus 50, image data can be printed quickly. Further, since an addition setting command for adding image data is generated on the PC 40 side, image data can be set by the PC 40 without directly operating the printing apparatus 50.

  Here, some examples of printing other image data will be described. FIGS. 10A, 12A, and 15 show a definition table, a data acquisition result, an image addition setting command, and a print result in <Print Example 2>. As shown in FIG. 10A, the definition table stores two items specifying the same image data “U0 / C: hana.jpg” (flower pattern). In this case, as shown in the figure, the data acquisition result is a format in which two sets are associated with a set of start line number, end line number, and color designation for one image designation data. The same image data is printed in the area. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 12A, the image addition setting command also includes parameters (“n2, n3, n4” indicating start line number, end line number, and color information after the parameter “n1” indicating image designation data. And “n5, n6, n7”) are added as a set.

  However, in <Print Example 2>, since the line number setting for the end character string “receipt” is “0” (see FIG. 10A), the first bit representing the line number setting of the parameter “n3” is displayed. Becomes “0” (see FIG. 11B)). Therefore, the line including the end character string “receipt” does not form a print area, and the line up to the line one line above the line including the end character string “receipt” is the print area.

  Therefore, FIG. 15 shows a printing result when the image addition setting command shown in FIG. As shown here, image data (flower pattern) is printed in two print areas, and in the first print area (print area specified by the start line number “x1” and the end line number “x2”), The image data is printed from the line number “x1” to the line number “x2-1”, and in the second print area (the print area specified by the start line number “x3” and the end line number “x4”), the image data Data is printed from line number “x3” to line number “x4”.

  Thus, as shown in <Printing example 2>, when a plurality of predetermined character strings are extracted for the same image designation data, addition setting of image data is performed with an image addition setting command having a simpler configuration. be able to.

  Next, FIG. 10B, FIG. 12B, and FIG. 16 show a definition table, a data acquisition result, an image addition setting command, and a print result in <Print Example 3>. As shown in FIG. 10B, the definition table contains different image data (“U3 / C: syoku.jpg”, “U4 / C: nichi.jpg”, “U5 / C: iyaku.jpg”). On the other hand, three items, each associated with a start character string and an end character string, are stored. In this case, the data acquisition result has a format in which the start line number, end line number, and color designation are associated with each image designation data, as shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12 (b), the image addition setting command also includes image designation data, start line number, end line number, and parameters indicating color information (“n1, n2, n3, n4” and “n5, n6”). n7, n8 "...) are added as a set.

  However, in <Print Example 3>, three items are stored in the definition table, but these are the same character string “category total”, although the end character strings are all the same, although the start character strings are different. In this case, the character string existing below the start character string and existing in the uppermost line is used as the end character string for the start character string. For this reason, even if the same end character string is stored in different items, if the end character string exists in the plurality of settlement processing print data, the plurality of image data are not printed in an overlapping manner.

  FIG. 16 shows the print result when the image addition setting command shown in FIG. 12B is transmitted. As shown here, the image data "U3 / C: syoku.jpg", "U4 / C: nichi.jpg" and "U5 / C: iyaku.jpg" Printed in the specified print area. Further, even if the end character string is the same character string, since the end character string exists in the plurality of settlement processing print data, the three image data are not overprinted.

  In this way, as shown in <Print Example 3>, even when a plurality of image designation data is printed in different print areas, it is possible to perform addition setting of image data with one image addition setting command.

  As described above, the present invention retrieves a predetermined character string from the settlement processing print data, acquires information that substantially identifies the position on the receipt when the data is printed, identifies the character string position, Using the character string position information, the starting point or the ending point on the receipt of the image data is determined, the image data is combined with the settlement processing print data to generate receipt print data, and the generated receipt print data is A printing apparatus and a printing method for printing.

  According to a preferred embodiment, image designation data, start character strings and end character strings are associated with each other and stored as a plurality of definition tables, so that various kinds of data can be obtained depending on the character strings included in the settlement processing print data. Image data can be printed in a desired print area.

  In particular, when the printing apparatus 50 of the present invention is used in the POS system 10 as in this embodiment, the store logo is printed in a specific area by storing the store logo or the like as image data. A receipt 61 can be issued. That is, a printing device 50 used as a receipt printer can be provided with a high-visibility receipt only by providing a small memory for storing image data (logo), and strongly enhance the store image to the customer. Impress and enhance advertising effectiveness.

  In the above embodiment, the generation of the image addition setting command is realized by the printer driver 109 incorporated in the control unit 140 in the PC 40. However, this is stored in a recording medium and stored in another PC or You may comprise so that a production | generation program can be utilized with a printing apparatus. As the storage medium, a hard disk, flash ROM, memory card (compact flash (registered trademark), smart media, memory stick, etc.), compact disk, magneto-optical disk, digital versatile disk, flexible disk, and the like can be used.

  As described above, according to the printing apparatus control method, receipt print data generation method, program, printer driver, printing apparatus, merchandise sales data processing apparatus, and POS system of the present invention, image data is transmitted from the PC 40 to the printing apparatus 50. Instead of storing image data in the printing apparatus 50 and transmitting an image addition setting command for adding image data from the PC 40, even when a low-speed interface is used as an interface between the PC 40 and the printing apparatus. The transmission time is not a problem and the processing efficiency is not lowered.

  In addition, the printing apparatus 50 can easily specify the printing position by acquiring the line number from the parameter included in the image addition setting command, and thus can create a receipt that looks good. There is an effect.

  Further, by generating an image addition setting command for adding image data by the printer driver 109, the image data can be set from the PC 40 without directly operating the printing apparatus 50. Further, even if the PC 40 is a monochrome / text-based application, a color / graphics-based receipt can be issued by the printing apparatus 50 without changing the application.

  In the above example, the payment processing print data is set in advance to be performed in the primary color “K (black)”, and the image data has a print color (sub color) other than “K (black)”. However, it may be configured such that “K (black)” can be set as image data. However, in this case (when the settlement processing print data and the image data are set to be printed in the same color), it is preferable that the image data is set to be automatically printed with a lower print density. According to this configuration, image data can be added without impairing the visibility of the settlement processing print data.

  Further, not only the image data but also the print color of the settlement processing print data may be settable. However, in this case as well, image data is configured so that only print colors other than the set color of payment processing print data can be set, or payment processing print data and image data are set to be printed in the same color The image data is preferably set so that it is automatically printed at a lower print density.

  In the above example, both the start character string and the end character string are set. If neither of these settings is set, the print area of the image data may be specified according to the default value. good. For example, when there is no start character string setting, printing of image data is started from a line having a predetermined length X from the front end of the receipt 61, and when no end character string is specified, a predetermined length Y is started from the rear end of the receipt 61. The printing of the image data may be finished up to the line. If no start character string is specified, printing of image data is started from a line on which a predetermined character string (for example, “TEL:”) included in the settlement processing print data is printed, and no end character string is specified. In this case, the printing of the image data may be completed up to a line where another predetermined character string (for example, “Thank you for your purchase”) included in the print data is printed. According to these configurations, setting work can be saved when the user is not concerned with the print area.

  The setting of the image data (definition table) is not limited to the setting contents shown in FIG. 6, but the image data is enlarged / reduced, the rotation angle is set, two or more image data are specified, and the print color is set. You may comprise so that it can perform. According to this configuration, more various image data can be added.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the receipt is created by superimposing the image data on the print data of the settlement process and adding a so-called background image, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, It can also be said that a message for campaign is inserted as image data into the printing of accounting information. In this case, this can be easily realized by adding a predetermined parameter for selecting one of “insertion” or “superimposition” print processing to the image addition setting command.

  In the above example, an ink jet type printer is used as the printing apparatus 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a thermal head type or wire dot type printing apparatus may be used.

  In addition, the system configuration and the device configuration, such as a stand-alone type ECR that is not connected to a server and a cash register, can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention, regardless of the above-described POS system example. .

  As described above, according to the printing apparatus control method, receipt print data generation method, program, printer driver, printing apparatus, merchandise sales data processing apparatus, and POS system of the present invention, image data is stored in the host computer. Instead of transmitting image data from the host computer, the image data is stored in the printing apparatus, and the host computer and the printing apparatus are used to transmit an image addition setting command for adding image data from the host computer. Even when a low-speed interface is used as an interface between them, it is possible to quickly print image data.

  Further, the system configuration, the device configuration, and the like can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention, for example, without depending on the above-described embodiment.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the POS system of this invention. It is an external appearance perspective view of the POS terminal which comprises the POS system of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of PC of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the printing apparatus of the present invention. It is a control block diagram of the printing apparatus of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting screen for setting the image data of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the payment process print data / image addition setting command transmission process of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the receipt print data generation process of this invention. It is a figure which shows the data acquisition result obtained from the definition table of this invention, and payment processing print data. It is a figure which shows the data acquisition result obtained from the definition table of this invention, and payment processing print data. It is a figure which shows an example of the image addition setting command code of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the image addition setting command code of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of image data. It is a figure which shows <print example 1> which is an example of the receipt produced by this invention. It is a figure which shows <print example 2> which is an example of the receipt produced by this invention. It is a figure which shows <printing example 3> which is an example of the receipt produced by this invention. It is a figure which shows the other Example of the setting screen for setting the image data of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of preparation of the receipt in the prior art example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 POS system 20 POS terminal 30 POS server 40 PC
41a POS application execution unit 41b Control object 41c Service object 41d OS
47 interface 50 printing device 51 interface 61 receipt 108 image data setting program 109 printer driver 110 data input / output unit 120 printing unit 130 drive unit 140 control unit 141 CPU
142 ROM
143 CG-ROM
144 RAM
145 Internal bus 201 Definition table setting unit 202 Payment processing print data generation unit 203 Image addition setting command generation unit 204 Data storage unit (PC)
205 Data transmission unit 231 Data acquisition unit 232 Data storage unit (printing apparatus)
233 Command analysis unit 234 Receipt print data generation unit 235 Printing unit 300 Setting screen

Claims (17)

A method for controlling a printing apparatus that prints by adding predetermined image data to payment processing print data generated based on input information related to product sales,
A payment processing print data acquisition step for acquiring the payment processing print data;
A character string extraction step of searching a predetermined character string indicating a printing position of the image data from the payment processing print data,
A position information acquisition step of acquiring print position information specified by the extracted predetermined character string;
Obtaining information for specifying whether the print format of the previous image data is an insert format or a background format;
Based on the acquired position information, the image data is added to the settlement processing print data so that the image data is printed with reference to the position specified by the position information, and a combined print result is obtained. A control method for a printing apparatus. The control method further includes an image addition setting command generation step for generating an image addition setting command based on the acquired position information;
A transmission step of transmitting the settlement processing print data and the image addition setting command to the printing apparatus;
The method according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus adds the image data to the settlement processing print data based on an analysis result of the image addition setting command. The predetermined character string is a start character string indicating a position where the addition of the image data is started,
The method for controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein in the position information acquisition step, a print line number specified by the start character string is acquired. The predetermined character string includes a start character string indicating a position where the addition of the image data is started and an end character string indicating a position where the addition of the image data is ended,
The method for controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein in the position information acquisition step, a plurality of pieces of position information specified by the start character string and end character string are acquired. The printing apparatus stores a plurality of image data files that are files of the image data,
Definition table for storing a definition table in which the start character string and the end character string are associated with image designation data for designating one image data file among a plurality of image data files stored in the printing apparatus. Memory process;
An image designation data acquisition step of acquiring image designation data related to the start character string and the end character string extracted by the character string extraction step from the definition table;
The method for controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, in the image addition setting command generation step, the image addition setting command is generated based on the acquired position information and the image designation data.   The method for controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a character string setting step for setting the start character string and / or the end character string.   7. The image designation data setting step for setting the image designation data in association with the start character string and / or the end character string set by the character string setting step. Method for controlling the printing apparatus.   In the position information acquisition step, which of the position information of the start character string or the position information of one line below the start character string is acquired, and the position information of the end character string or the end character string is one line above 5. The method for controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a position information setting step for setting which position information is to be acquired.   When the printing apparatus is capable of color printing, the printing apparatus further includes a printing color setting step for setting a printing color of the image data, and the image addition setting command includes a parameter indicating the printing color. Item 3. A method for controlling a printing apparatus according to Item 2. A receipt print data generation method for generating receipt print data by adding already stored image data to payment processing print data generated by a host computer based on input information relating to product sales,
An image data storage step for storing the image data;
A payment processing print data acquisition step of acquiring the payment processing print data from the host computer;
An image addition setting command acquisition step for acquiring an image addition setting command for adding and printing the image data from the host computer;
A command analysis step of analyzing the image addition setting command and acquiring position information indicating a print position of the image data;
A receipt print data generation step of generating the receipt print data by adding the image data to the settlement processing print data based on the position information;
A receipt print data generation method comprising:   The program for performing each process in the control method of the printing apparatus of Claim 1, or each process in the receipt print data generation method of Claim 10.   A printer driver for causing a computer to execute each step in the method for controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 1. In a printing apparatus that generates receipt print data by adding already stored image data to payment processing print data generated by a host computer based on input information related to product sales,
Image data storage means for storing the image data;
Payment processing print data acquisition means for acquiring the payment processing print data from the host computer;
Image addition setting command acquisition means for acquiring an image addition setting command for adding and printing the image data from the host computer;
Command analysis means for analyzing the image addition setting command and obtaining position information indicating a print position of the image data;
Receipt print data generation means for generating the receipt print data by adding the image data to the settlement processing print data based on the position information;
A printing apparatus comprising: Color printing means for performing color printing with a primary color and at least one sub-color other than the primary color;
The printing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the color printing unit prints the settlement processing print data with the primary color and prints the image data with the at least one sub-color. A printing apparatus according to claim 13;
In a merchandise sales data processing apparatus comprising: a host computer that controls the printing apparatus by transmitting the settlement processing print data and the image addition setting command to the printing apparatus;
The host computer, a payment processing print data generating means for generating the payment processing print data;
A character string extracting means for retrieving a predetermined character string indicating a print position of the image data from the payment processing print data and extracting the predetermined character string;
Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information specified by the extracted predetermined character string;
An image addition setting command generating means for generating the image addition setting command based on the acquired position information;
Transmitting means for transmitting the settlement processing print data and the image addition setting command to the printing apparatus;
A product sales data processing apparatus characterized by comprising: The merchandise sales data processing device according to claim 15;
A POS system comprising: a POS server connected to the merchandise sales data processing apparatus via a network and managing the merchandise sales data processing apparatus. In a printing apparatus that adds image data to payment processing print data generated by a host computer based on input information related to product sales, generates receipt print data, and prints the print data,
A character string position specifying means for searching for a predetermined character string from the payment processing print data and acquiring information for substantially specifying the position on the receipt;
Using the character string position information, a start point or an end point on the receipt of the image data is determined, and a receipt print data generating unit that generates the receipt print data by combining the image data with the settlement processing print data;
A printing apparatus comprising: a printing unit that prints the generated receipt print data.

Images