JP2006272789A - Printer, printing method to medium, program and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing method which enables label printing whereby contents written into a medium can be grasped to be performed suitably. <P>SOLUTION: The printing method comprises a first step (S100) of writing image files into the medium, and a second step (S110-S230) of acquiring one or more image files written in the first step from the medium and printing an image based on the acquired image files to a label face. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus capable of printing on a label surface of a medium, a printing method on a medium, a program, and a storage medium.

(Built-in drive)
Conventionally, various printers (printing apparatuses) capable of directly printing on media such as CD-R and DVD-R have been developed. In this type of printer, the tray on which the media is placed is set in the printer, and the label surface of the media is printed by appropriately adjusting the position and size of the characters and images to be printed on the media. Arbitrary characters and images can be printed (hereinafter referred to as label printing).

  Usually, many of such label printings are used for the purpose of printing the written contents on the label surface in order to grasp the contents written on the medium. In particular, when a large number of image files are backed up on a medium having a large storage capacity such as a DVD, it is often possible that the type of the backed up image file will not be known later. In order to avoid such a situation, in label printing, for example, the date and time of backup to media, the file name of an image file, and the like are conventionally printed on the label surface.

  However, conventionally, when printing the content written on the medium on the label surface, the user has to manually create the data to be printed on the label surface for the written content, which is time consuming and laborious. It was troublesome.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional circumstances, and the object thereof is a printing apparatus capable of suitably performing label printing capable of grasping the contents written on the medium, a printing method on the medium, a program, and the like. It is to provide a storage medium.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus capable of printing on a label surface of a medium, the writing unit writing an image file on the medium, and the writing unit writing the image file. And a label printing unit for obtaining one or more image files and printing an image based on the obtained image file on the label surface.

  According to this configuration, one or more images of the image file written on the medium are printed on the label surface. Thus, after the image file is written, the user manually obtains data to be printed on the label surface regarding the written contents. It is not necessary to create it by work. Thereby, the label printing which can grasp | ascertain the content written in the medium can be performed suitably.

  In the printing apparatus configured as described above, the image file is classified into directories and written to the medium, and the label printing unit acquires and prints the image file written at the head of the directory. A configuration can be employed.

According to this configuration, after the image file is written, an image based on the image file written at the head of the directory is automatically printed on the label surface.
In the printing apparatus having the above-described configuration, the image file is classified into directories and written to the medium, and the label printing unit selects an image file designated by the user from among the image files written to the directory. A configuration of acquiring and printing can be employed.

According to this configuration, after the image file is written, an image based on the image file designated in advance by the user at the time of writing is automatically printed on the label surface.
In the printing apparatus having the above-described configuration, the label printing unit divides the label surface into predetermined regions and sets the entire area of the label surface as a print region and performs printing. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which printing is performed by selecting one of the second printing modes in which printing is performed by sequentially changing the printing area on the label surface every time the image file is written to .

  According to this configuration, in the first print mode, it is possible to print an image related to the written content using the entire surface of the label surface. Further, in the second print mode, images corresponding respectively to a plurality of contents written on the same medium can be printed in different areas on the label surface.

  The printing apparatus having the above-described configuration includes a printing tray for setting the medium, and the label printing unit sets a positioning mark for positioning the setting position of the medium with respect to the printing tray in the second printing mode. A configuration in which printing is performed on the label surface at the time of initial printing can be employed.

  According to this configuration, at the time of the second and subsequent printing in the second printing mode, it is possible to perform label printing by positioning the media setting position with respect to the printing tray based on the positioning mark.

  In the printing apparatus having the above configuration, in the second printing mode, the label printing unit divides the label surface into two or more regions in the circumferential direction, and the print regions are mutually connected each time the image file is written. A configuration in which printing is performed by setting different areas can be employed.

According to this configuration, each time an image file is written, the corresponding image can be printed on the label surface in different circumferential print areas.
In the printing apparatus having the above configuration, in the second printing mode, the label printing unit sets an area obtained by dividing the label surface according to a ratio of a writing area to a storage area of the medium as the printing area. A configuration in which printing is performed can be employed.

According to this configuration, the ratio of the write area to the storage area of the medium can be known from the print area on the label surface.
In the printing apparatus configured as described above, the label printing unit further adopts a configuration in which the date and time of creation of the image file and / or the date and time of writing the image file to the medium are further printed on the label surface. be able to.

  According to this configuration, the image file creation date and / or the image file write date and time are printed on the label surface together with the image file image written on the medium. It becomes possible to grasp.

  The printing apparatus having the above-described configuration includes display means capable of displaying text, and the label printing means indicates whether or not to continue printing on the label surface after completion of the writing operation by the writing means. A configuration in which the user is inquired through can be adopted.

According to this configuration, it is possible to prompt the user to continue label printing after the writing is completed.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing method on a medium for printing the content stored in the medium on a label surface, the first step of writing an image file on the medium, and the writing in the first step. And a second step of acquiring one or more image files from the medium and printing an image based on the acquired image file on the label surface. According to this method, the same effects as those of the first aspect described above can be achieved.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for printing on a label surface the content stored in a medium that is executed by a printing apparatus, wherein the printing apparatus writes an image file on the medium. And a second step of acquiring at least one image file written in the first step from the medium and printing an image based on the acquired image file on the label surface. This is the gist. According to this program, the same effects as those of the first aspect described above can be achieved.

  The gist of a fourth aspect of the present invention is a storage medium storing the program according to the third aspect. According to the program provided by this storage medium, the same operational effects as those of the first aspect described above can be obtained.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. One printing apparatus 1 is an ink jet type composite color printer having three functions of a scanner, a printer, and a copy. The printing apparatus 1 includes a scanner unit 2 that reads an image of a document and inputs it as image data, a printer unit 3 that prints an image based on the print data on a predetermined medium, and an operation panel unit 4. The copy function is realized by converting image data read by the scanner unit 2 into print data by the printer unit 3 and printing an image based on the print data by the printer unit 3.

  The scanner unit 2 is disposed on the printer unit 3, and on the scanner unit 2, a document table glass 5 for placing a document and a document table cover 6 that covers the document table glass 5 are provided. Yes. The document table cover 6 is provided in the scanner unit 2 so as to be openable and closable.

  A paper feeding unit 7 for feeding paper P (medium) to the printer unit 3 is provided at the upper back of the printing apparatus 1. A paper discharge unit 8 for discharging the paper P printed by the printer unit 3 is provided at the lower front portion of the printing apparatus 1. The operation panel unit 4 is provided above the paper discharge unit 8.

  The operation panel unit 4 includes an operation unit 11 for a user to operate, and a display unit 12 for performing various displays as display means. The display unit 12 is provided with a display 13 (for example, a liquid crystal display). The display 13 displays menu screens, setting states in various modes, operating states, and the like in characters (text). An image can also be displayed on the display 13.

  The operation unit 11 is provided with operation buttons for the user to perform various operations. For example, as the operation buttons, there are provided a power button 14 for turning on / off the power, a start button 15 for starting print processing and copy processing, and buttons for selecting various menus. ing.

  A card slot 21 is provided on the front side of the printing apparatus 1 on the right side of the paper discharge unit 8. The card slot 21 conforms to, for example, the PCMCIA standard, and a memory card 22 conforming to the standard is set in the card slot 21 so that it can be inserted and removed. The memory card 22 has a built-in rewritable non-volatile memory, in which image files taken by, for example, a digital camera (not shown) are stored.

  In addition, USB ports 23 and 24 are provided above the card slot 21 on the front surface of the printing apparatus 1. An external device 25 (FIG. 2) such as a digital camera or an external storage device is connected to the USB port 23 via a USB cable (not shown). The printing apparatus 1 can also directly read image data from the external apparatus 25 and perform printing. For example, a personal computer 26 (shown as a PC in FIG. 2) as a host device is connected to the USB port 24 via a USB cable (not shown). The printing apparatus 1 can also perform printing based on the print data created by the PC 26.

  The printing apparatus 1 can also perform printing (hereinafter referred to as label printing) by laying out an arbitrary image or character on a label surface Ma (FIG. 4) that is the front surface of the medium M. Specifically, a printing tray 27 that is a separate component from the printing apparatus 1 is prepared, and the medium M is placed in the hole 27 a of the printing tray 27. Then, the printing tray 27 is set in the printing apparatus 1 and the label printing mode is selected by the menu button, and the printing is executed on the label surface Ma of the medium M by pressing the start button 15 to start printing. .

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the printing apparatus 1. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as FIG.
The printing apparatus 1 includes a central control unit 31, ROM 32, RAM 33, print engine 34, scanner processing unit 35, drive device 36, USB device control unit 37, card interface 38, operation panel control unit 39, USB host control unit 40, power supply Circuits 42 are connected to each other via a bus 43.

  The power circuit 42 is a circuit that supplies power to the printing apparatus 1. The central control unit 31 comprehensively controls the operation of the printing apparatus 1 by controlling various processes while using the RAM 33 as a work memory based on programs and data stored in the ROM 32. For example, the central control unit 31 executes various programs such as copy, printer, and scanner by the printing apparatus 1 by executing a program corresponding to the operation according to the operation of the operation button performed by the user through the operation unit 11. Realize.

  In this embodiment, a program for causing the printing apparatus 1 to function as writing means, driving the drive device 36 by the central control unit 31 to write an image file or the like on the medium M, and labeling the printing apparatus 1 as a label. The ROM 32 stores a program that functions as a printing unit and performs a label printing process (to be described later) in association with the image file writing process, and data necessary for executing each program. These programs and data are provided by a storage medium (including a medium recording a program and data uploaded or downloaded via a communication medium).

  The print engine 34 executes a printing process on a predetermined medium by driving a print head (not shown) based on the print data. The scanner processing unit 35 performs a scanning process by performing known line-to-line correction processing, resolution conversion processing, and the like on the image data of the document optically read by the scanner unit 2.

  The drive device 36 is a drive device for driving an optical disk medium such as a CD-R or a DVD-R, and writes / reads data such as an image file to / from a medium M inserted in a drive tray (not shown). Do. Note that the above-described program or the like can be installed in the printing apparatus 1 through the drive device 36.

  The USB device control unit 37 controls data communication processing according to the USB interface standard with the PC 26 connected to the USB port 24. The card interface 38 controls data communication processing according to the PCMCIA interface standard with the memory card 22 set in the card slot 21.

  The operation panel control unit 39 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation of the operation button made by the user through the operation unit 11 (operation panel unit 4) to the central control unit 31. The central control unit 31 receives this operation signal and performs processing corresponding thereto. Further, the operation panel control unit 39 causes the display unit 12 (operation panel unit 4) to display a screen corresponding to the control signal output from the central control unit 31.

  When the external device 25 is connected to the USB port 23, the USB host control unit 40 recognizes the connected external device 25 as a USB device, and recognizes itself (printing device 1) as a USB host. And data communication communication according to the USB interface standard.

Next, label printing processing by the printing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the label printing process according to the present embodiment, an image file designated by the user is written on the medium M by the printing apparatus 1 and then the written content (stored content) is printed on the label surface Ma of the medium M.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 3, first, in step S <b> 100, the printing apparatus 1 writes the image file designated by the user onto the medium M set in the drive device 36. As the writing process here, for example, a process of backing up an image file stored in the memory card 22 to the medium M is applicable.

  The writing process will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 4, the printing apparatus 1 classifies and writes image files to be written to the medium M for each directory. For example, the printing apparatus 1 creates a first directory 51 and a second directory 52 in the medium M, the image files 51 a, 51 b, 51 c in the first directory 51, and the image files 52 a, 52 b, in the second directory 52. 52c is written respectively. The image files 51a, 51b, 51c, 52a, 52b, and 52c stored in the directories 51 and 52 each have information such as file creation date and time (image shooting date and time) as date information (for example, The image file 51a is a file created on April 10, 2005).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the printing apparatus 1 creates a metafile 53 in the medium M when the image files 51a, 51b, 51c, 52a, 52b, and 52c are written. The metafile 53 is a file described in a text format having a directory name 54 and directory information 55.

  The directory information 55 is information that characterizes each directory, and has representative file information 56. The directory information 55 is set for each of the directories 51 and 52, and is described in the metafile 53 corresponding to the names 54a and 54b of the directories 51 and 52. That is, the directory information 55a and 55b are associated with the directories 51 and 52 by the metafile 53.

  The representative file information 56 is information for specifying (representing) the image file stored in each directory. The representative file information 56 is set for each of the directories 51 and 52 and is described by the name of the image file. For example, the representative file information 56 a corresponding to the first directory 51 describes the name of the image file 51 a stored in the first directory 51. The representative file information 56b corresponding to the second directory 52 describes the name of the image file 52b stored in the second directory 52. The image files 51a and 52b shown as the representative file information 56a and 56b are representative image files representing the image files stored in the directories 51 and 52, respectively.

  Such a representative image file (representative file information 56a, 56b) is set to a file designated by the user to be a representative image file when the image file is written. In addition, when the file to be the representative image file in each directory is not designated by the user, the file written at the head of each directory is set as the representative image file. That is, in the representative file information 56a and 56b, a file designated by the user or a file written at the head of the directory is set as the representative image file. In the present embodiment, one representative image file is set as the representative file information 56a and 56b. However, a plurality of files may be used. The above process is executed in step S100.

  In step S110, the printing apparatus 1 inquires of the user whether or not to perform label printing following the writing process. Specifically, this is performed by notifying the fact on the display 13 (display unit 12) and prompting the user to operate the button.

  If the user performs a button operation indicating that label printing is not performed (step S110: NO), the printing apparatus 1 ends the process without executing label printing. On the other hand, when a button operation for performing label printing is performed by the user (step S110: YES), the printing apparatus 1 next performs label printing between the representative image printing mode and the full surface printing mode in step S120. The user is inquired about which printing mode to use. Specifically, this is performed by notifying the fact on the display 13 (display unit 12) and prompting the user to operate the button.

  Here, if the user performs a button operation to execute the representative image printing mode, the printing apparatus 1 proceeds to step S130. On the other hand, when the user performs a button operation to execute the full-screen printing mode, the printing apparatus 1 proceeds to step S200. Hereinafter, each of these modes will be described.

[Representative image printing mode]
The representative image printing mode is a mode in which the label surface Ma is divided into predetermined regions, and printing is performed while sequentially changing the print region for printing an image on the label surface Ma every time an image file is written to the medium M. is there.

  When the representative image printing mode is selected in step S120, the printing apparatus 1 first acquires the contents of the image file written in the medium M from the medium M in step S130.

  Specifically, first, a representative image file is acquired in step S130a. This representative image file can be acquired by reading the representative file information 47 from the metafile 53 (FIG. 5). As a result, one or more image files written at the head of the directory and / or image files designated in advance by the user at the time of writing are acquired as representative images for label printing.

  In step S130b, date information is acquired. Here, the creation date and time (file creation date and time) of the representative image file is acquired as date information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the writing date and time (for example, backup date and time) of the image file may be acquired as date information. .

  In step S <b> 140, the printing apparatus 1 prompts the user to move the medium M from the drive device 36 to the printing tray 27. Specifically, this is performed by notifying the fact on the display 13 (display unit 12).

In step S150, the printing apparatus 1 determines whether or not the user has performed a button operation for starting printing (label printing).
If it is determined that the user has performed a button operation to start label printing, the printing apparatus 1 next determines whether or not label printing on the medium M is the first time, that is, corresponds to the first writing operation in step S160. It is determined whether or not label printing is to be performed. This is determined, for example, based on printing conditions preset by the user at the start of label printing.

  If it is determined that printing is the first time (step S160: YES), the printing apparatus 1 next displays an image based on the representative image file together with date information (file creation date and time) on the label surface Ma in step S170. Print in the predetermined print area above. Further, at this time, the printing apparatus 1 prints a positioning mark AM for positioning the setting position of the medium M with respect to the printing tray 27 at a predetermined position on the label surface Ma. The print area setting method and the positioning mark AM will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the printing is not the first printing (that is, the printing after the second time) (step S160: NO), the printing apparatus 1 displays the image based on the representative image file with the date information (file creation) in step S180. (Date and time) and a predetermined print area on the label surface Ma. That is, in this case, the positioning mark AM is not printed.

[Full-page printing mode]
The full print mode is a mode in which printing is performed by setting the entire area of the label surface Ma as a print area.

  When the full print mode is selected in step S120, the printing apparatus 1 first acquires the contents of the image file written in the medium M from the medium M in step S200.

  Specifically, first, in step S200a, image files are acquired from the medium M for the number of printable sheets in the entire area (entire surface) of the label surface Ma. As an image file acquisition method, for example, the number of images to be printed on the label surface Ma in the full-surface printing mode is set in advance, and the representative image file set in each directory sequentially from the first directory is set as the upper limit number. A method of obtaining can be employed. Note that when setting the number of print images, it is possible to arbitrarily set a layout for the label surface Ma by appropriately enlarging, reducing, or rotating the print image.

  Next, in step S200b, date information is acquired. As in the case of the representative image print mode, the date information in this case is not limited to the image file creation date and time (file creation date and time), but may be the image file write date and time (for example, backup date and time).

  In step S <b> 210, the printing apparatus 1 prompts the user to move the medium M from the drive device 36 to the printing tray 27. This is performed by notifying the fact on the display 13 (display unit 12) as in the case of the representative image printing mode.

In step S220, the printing apparatus 1 determines whether or not the user has performed a button operation for starting printing (label printing).
If it is determined that the button operation for starting label printing has been performed by the user, the printing apparatus 1 next displays, in step S230, images based on the representative image files acquired for the printable number of sheets as date information (file creation). The date and time) are printed on the entire surface of the label surface Ma.

  6 and 7 show, for example, the label surface Ma of the medium M is equally divided into six areas (A) to (F) in the circumferential direction in the representative image printing mode, and the divided areas are sequentially set as printing areas. It is a top view which shows the example which implemented label printing.

  In FIG. 6, the area (A) is the first printing, the area (B) is the second printing, the area (C) is the third printing, the area (D) is the fourth printing, and the area (E ) Is set as the printing area at the time of the fifth printing, and the area (F) is set as the printing area at the time of the sixth printing.

  In the first printing, the printing apparatus 1 sets the area (A) on the label surface Ma as a printing area with respect to the setting position of the medium M on the printing tray 27, and writes the medium M at the first writing. Among these image files, the image P1 set as the representative image file and the file creation date D1 are printed in the same area (A). At this time, the printing apparatus 1 prints the positioning mark AM.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the positioning mark AM is printed in a printable area on the label surface Ma. Although the size, shape, and printing position of the positioning mark AM are not particularly limited, it is desirable to print at a position near the outer peripheral edge of the label surface Ma with a size and shape that can be identified by the user. In the printing tray 27, an alignment portion 27b (FIG. 6) for aligning with the positioning mark AM is formed at a peripheral position of the hole portion 27a.

  At the time of the second printing, the user aligns the positions of the positioning marks AM and the alignment unit 27b and sets the medium M on the printing tray 27, thereby setting the setting position of the medium M with respect to the printing tray 27. Can be positioned. As a result, the printing apparatus 1 does not overlap with the first printing area (area (A)) at the time of the second printing, and the label is set with respect to the set position of the medium M positioned with respect to the printing tray 27. The area (B) on the surface Ma is set as a print area, and the image P2 set as the representative image file among the image files written on the medium M at the time of the second writing and the file creation date D2 are set. Printing is performed in the same area (B).

  Similarly, in the subsequent printing, the printing apparatus 1 sets the printing area to the area (C), the area (D), and the area with respect to the set position of the medium M positioned with respect to the printing tray 27. By changing the order of (E) and area (F), label printing is performed while shifting the printing area in the circumferential direction for each writing operation.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an example of label printing in the full-surface printing mode.
As shown in the figure, 10 images (printable number) of images P10 to P19 and backup date and time D11 (date information) are printed on the label surface Ma of the medium M. The images P10 to P19 are obtained by sequentially obtaining and printing representative image files set in each directory from the top directory, and they are all reduced in size and printed. The layout of the images P10 to P19 on the label surface Ma is not limited to this. For example, the images P10 to P19 may be laid out radially on the label surface Ma.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) After writing the image file on the medium M, at least one of the written image files is acquired and the image is printed on the label surface Ma. Accordingly, the user does not need to manually create data to be printed on the label surface Ma for the written content, and can suitably perform label printing that can grasp the written content on the medium M.

  (2) The representative file information 56 described in the metafile 53 is read, and an image based on the representative image file in each directory is printed on the label surface Ma. As the representative image file, an image file designated in advance by the user at the time of writing or an image file written at the head of each directory is set. As a result, it is possible to print an image that allows the user to appropriately grasp the contents written to the medium M.

  (3) Full-screen printing mode for printing an image with the number of printable sheets in the entire area (entire surface) of the label surface Ma, and the label surface Ma are divided into areas, and the printing area is sequentially changed for each writing on the medium M. The representative image printing mode for printing an image corresponding to the occasional writing can be selectively executed. As a result, in the full-surface printing mode, it is possible to print an image relating to the written content by effectively using the entire surface of the label surface Ma. Further, in the representative image print mode, images corresponding respectively to the contents written on the same medium M a plurality of times can be printed in different areas on the label surface Ma.

  (4) At the time of the first printing in the representative image printing mode, the positioning mark AM for positioning the set position of the medium M with respect to the printing tray 27 is printed. Thereby, in the second and subsequent printing in the same printing mode, it is possible to suitably perform label printing with the set position of the medium M being positioned.

  (5) On the label surface Ma, along with the image based on the image file written on the medium M, the creation date and time (image shooting date and time) of the image file and the writing date and time (backup date and time) to the medium M are further printed. I did it. Thereby, it becomes possible to grasp | ascertain the written content more suitably.

In the above-described embodiment, a modified example changed to the following mode may be adopted.
(Modification 1) The image file acquired from the medium M at the time of label printing does not necessarily need to be a representative image file stored (described in the metafile 53) in association with each directory. One or more images may be acquired from the first image file written on the medium M.

(Modification 2) The print mode at the time of label printing may be only the full-surface print mode or only the representative image print mode.
(Modification 3) In the representative image printing mode, it is not necessarily limited to equally dividing the label surface Ma in the circumferential direction. You may divide | segment into an arbitrary area | region of a user. Further, as an aspect of dividing the label surface Ma, for example, the label surface Ma is divided according to the ratio of the writing area in which the image file is written to the storage area of the medium M, and label printing is performed using this area as a printing area. You may make it perform. In this way, the ratio of the writing area to the storage area of the medium M can be known from the area printed on the label surface Ma.

  (Modification 4) The present invention is not limited to printing the positioning mark AM at the first printing in the representative image printing mode. At the time of the second and subsequent printings, the user may position the set position of the medium M with respect to the printing tray 27 based on the printing result of the label surface Ma.

(Modification 5) It is not limited to printing date information. It is sufficient that at least one image is printed.
(Modification 6) Although the drive device 36 for writing to the medium M is provided in the printing device 1, the writing may be performed by an external drive device (external device 25) connected to the printing device 1.

  (Modification 7) The drive device 36 may be automatically moved from a drive tray (not shown) to the printing tray 27. In this way, it is possible to automatically perform label printing after the writing is completed.

  (Modification 8) The process of writing an image file on the medium M is not limited to the backup process. The present invention can also be applied to a case in which image data scanned by the scanner function is written on the medium M, and an image of the written content is printed on the label surface Ma.

  (Modification 9) In the representative image printing mode, as shown in FIG. 7, the numbers (indicated by [1], [2],...) Corresponding to each writing of the image file are indicated on the label surface Ma. The number may be used as a number designated when the user selects a print image when performing so-called order sheet printing. In this way, label printing with higher added value can be performed.

(Modification 10) The printing apparatus 1 is not limited to the composite printer shown in FIG.
(Modification 11) Other design matters in the configuration described in the above embodiment and each of the above modifications can be appropriately changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view showing a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the printing apparatus. The flowchart which shows label printing processing. The conceptual diagram which shows the structural example of a directory. The conceptual diagram which shows the example of a description of a metafile. The top view which shows the area | region division example of the label surface in representative image printing mode. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an example of label printing in a representative image printing mode. FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating an example of label printing in a full-surface printing mode.

Explanation of symbols

  1: printing device, 2: scanner unit, 3: printer unit, 4: operation panel unit, 11: operation unit, 12: display unit, 13: display, 27: printing tray, 27a: hole, 27b: positioning unit 31: Central control unit, 32: ROM, 33: RAM, 34: Print engine, 35: Scanner processing unit, 36: Drive device, 39: Operation panel control unit, 51, 52: Directory, 51a, 51b, 51c, 52a, 52b, 52c: Image file, 53: Meta file, 55: Directory information, 56: Representative file information, AM: Positioning mark, M: Media, Ma: Label surface, P1, P2, P10 to P19: Image, D1 , D2: File creation date and time, D11: Backup date and time.

Claims (12)

A printing device capable of printing on a label side of a medium,
Writing means for writing an image file to the medium;
Label printing means for acquiring one or more image files written by the writing means and printing an image based on the acquired image files on the label surface;
A printing apparatus comprising: The image files are classified into directories and written to the media,
The label printing means obtains and prints an image file written at the head of the directory;
The printing apparatus according to claim 1. The image files are classified into directories and written to the media,
The label printing unit acquires and prints an image file designated in advance by the user among the image files written in the directory.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1. The label printing unit is configured to perform printing by setting the entire area of the label surface as a print area, and to divide the label surface into predetermined areas, each time the image file is written to the same medium. Printing by selecting one of the second printing modes in which printing is performed by sequentially changing the printing area on the label surface,
The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A printing tray for setting the media;
The label printing unit prints a positioning mark for positioning a set position of the medium on the printing tray on the label surface during initial printing in the second printing mode;
The printing apparatus according to claim 4. In the second printing mode, the label printing unit divides the label surface into two or more areas in the circumferential direction, and performs printing by setting the printing areas to different areas each time the image file is written. ,
The printing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5. The label printing unit performs printing by setting an area obtained by dividing the label surface as the printing area according to a ratio of a writing area to a storage area of the medium in the second printing mode.
The printing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5. The label printing means further prints the date and time of creation of the image file and / or the date and time of writing the image file to the medium on the label surface.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1. It has a display means that can display text,
The label printing means inquires of the user through the display means whether or not to continue printing on the label surface after the writing operation by the writing means is completed.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1. A method for printing on a medium that prints the content stored on the medium on the label side,
A first step of writing an image file to the medium;
A second step of acquiring one or more image files written in the first step from the medium, and printing an image based on the acquired image file on the label surface;
A method for printing on a medium, comprising: A program that is executed by a printing device and prints on a label surface the content stored in a medium,
The printing device is
A first step of writing an image file to the medium;
A second step of acquiring one or more image files written in the first step from the medium, and printing an image based on the acquired image file on the label surface;
A program for running.   A storage medium storing the program according to claim 11.

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