JP2008158851A - Printing system and printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing system, capable of reducing an operator's burden in creation of a bill. <P>SOLUTION: The printing system comprises a claim DB storing claim information for each customer; a customer DB storing customer information including name data, address data and bill format data; a layout information creation part 102 creating, based on a content of the customer information, layout information for printing a bill with an address of the bill being matched to a predetermined condition; a bill information creation part 103 creating bill information based on the claim information, the customer information and the created layout information; a printing medium selection part 104 selecting, based on the bill format data contained in the customer information and the bill information, one printing medium from two or more kinds of printing media; and a printing part 105 making the selected printing medium print the bill information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing system and a printing method for creating a bill to be sent to a customer.

  In companies and the like, it is common to create invoices for each customer on a regular basis and send them out collectively. At that time, so-called crimped postcards that can ensure confidentiality and can be mailed at a lower cost than sealed letters are often used.

  In addition, companies that send out large amounts of invoices usually use a printer instead of handwriting to print the invoice information for each customer managed as electronic data on a predetermined print medium. Have created.

  In this type of conventional printing method, the print medium on which the contents of the claim are printed is fixed to a form corresponding to a predetermined invoice form. Then, for example, when the determined invoice format is a crimping postcard, if there is a large amount of information to be printed, it will be printed on a plurality of print media. There was an inconvenience such as mailing.

  Further, in the conventional printing method, the display mode cannot be automatically adjusted when printing a billing address (address). Therefore, if the number of constituent characters of the address is large, printing cannot be performed so as to be within the display allowable range of the address in the invoice, and as a result, it may be necessary to deal with handwriting.

A technique for efficiently sending mail documents such as bills from the viewpoint of reducing mail costs has been proposed in Patent Document 1, but there is no disclosure or suggestion of a measure for solving the above inconvenience.
JP 2004-302497 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and can automatically create a bill to be sent to a customer in a suitable mode, and can greatly reduce the burden on the operator and printing. It aims to provide a method.

  A printing system according to the present invention includes a billing database in which billing information for each customer is stored, a customer database in which customer information including name data, address data, and bill form data is stored, and billing Billing information acquisition means for acquiring billing information corresponding to a customer to whom a document should be sent out from the billing database; customer information acquisition means for acquiring customer information corresponding to a customer to which a bill should be sent out from the customer database; Layout information creating means for creating layout information for printing by matching the address of the invoice to a predetermined condition based on the name data and the address data included in the customer information acquired, and Bill information creation for creating bill information based on the bill information, the acquired customer information, and the created layout information A print medium selection unit that selects one print medium from a plurality of types of print media based on the bill form data included in the acquired customer information; and the bill on the selected print medium Printing means for printing information.

  In addition, the printing method according to the present invention includes a billing information obtaining step for obtaining billing information corresponding to a customer to whom a bill should be sent out from a billing database in which billing information for each customer is stored, name data, and address data. A customer information acquisition step of acquiring customer information corresponding to a customer to whom the invoice is to be sent from a customer database in which customer information including bill form data is stored, and the customer information included in the acquired customer information Based on the name data and the address data, a layout information creating step for creating layout information for printing the invoice address in accordance with a predetermined condition, the acquired billing information, and the acquired billing information Invoice information creating step for creating invoice information based on the customer information and the created layout information, and the bill included in the acquired customer information A printing medium selection step of selecting one printing medium from a plurality of types of printing media based on the format data; and a printing step of printing the bill information on the selected printing medium. To do.

  In the printing system or printing method configured as described above, a print medium corresponding to a customer's desired bill format can be automatically selected, and the bill address can be printed in a suitable manner.

  In the printing system or the printing method having the above-described configuration, the type of the print medium includes at least a first print medium corresponding to sending a bill by postcard, and sending a bill by postcard, A bill that is indicated by the bill form data included in the customer information, and includes a second print medium having a printable area larger than that of the first print medium and a third print medium corresponding to sending the bill by sealed letter. If the form of the letter corresponds to the delivery of the bill by postcard, the most important of the first print medium, the second print medium, or the third print medium based on the bill information. A suitable one is preferably selected.

  In the above case, the most suitable one of the first print medium, the second print medium, and the third print medium may be selected based on the display size of the bill information on printing. Good.

  In addition, if the bill format indicated by the bill format data included in the customer information is different from the bill format corresponding to the print medium selected by the print medium selection means, the customer is notified of the fact. You may make it the structure further provided with the notification means (notification process) to perform.

  As described above, according to the present invention, an invoice to be sent to a customer can be automatically created in a suitable mode, so that the burden on the operator can be greatly reduced.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a printing system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, this printing system includes a printing apparatus 1, a database server 2, and a network 3 such as an intranet connecting them.

  The printing apparatus 1 is installed in a department or the like that issues a bill in a company or the like, and prints a bill to be sent to each customer. The printing apparatus 1 includes a printer 10 that performs printing on a predetermined print medium using an inkjet method, a laser method, or the like, and a print control device 11 that controls the printer 10.

  The printer 10 is provided with a plurality of paper feed trays (not shown), and can automatically switch the type of print medium in accordance with an instruction from the print control device 11. In the present embodiment, normally, three types of print media P1 to P3 are used and set in the corresponding paper feed trays (for example, the paper feed trays 1 to 3).

  The print media P1 and P2 are print media constituting so-called pressure-bonding postcards. The print medium P1 is high-quality paper having a size of A5 size (that is, approximately twice as large as a normal postcard) and thicker than copy paper. As shown in FIG. 2A, the print medium P1 has invoice information (referred to as information consisting of the address of the invoice and the contents of the invoice) on one side (A side and B side). Is printed. A predetermined pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is provided on all or a part of the A surface and / or B surface of the print medium P1. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), when the A surface and the B surface are opposed to each other and folded by a crimping machine (not shown), the A surface and the B surface are bonded. If it does in this way, the compression type postcard comprised with the printing medium P1 can be shape | molded.

  The print medium P2 has the same material as the print medium P1, but as shown in FIG. 3, the print medium P2 has a size such that three normal postcards are arranged in the width direction (short direction). The invoice information is printed on both sides of the print medium P2 (that is, the A side and the B side and the C side and the D side). A pressure-sensitive adhesive layer similar to that of the print medium P1 is formed on the entire area or a partial area of the A surface and / or B surface of the print medium P2, or the entire area or a partial area of the C surface and / or D surface. Is provided. Therefore, if the A surface and the B surface and the C surface and the D surface are opposed to each other and are folded in three and are crimped by a crimping machine (not shown), the A surface and the B surface, and the C surface and the D surface are bonded. If it does in this way, the compression type postcard comprised with the printing medium P2 can be shape | molded.

  The print medium P3 is an A4 size copy sheet as shown in FIG. 4, and the invoice information is printed on one side or both sides. The print medium P3 on which the invoice information is printed (that is, the invoice) is folded in three and placed in a fixed envelope such as a long size 3 and shipped. At that time, a plurality of print media P3 may be put in one envelope as needed.

  In addition to the paper feed trays (paper feed trays 1 to 3) on which the above print media P1 to P3 are set, the printer 10 has a paper feed tray (for example, a paper feed tray for setting print media different from the print media P1 to P3). , A paper feed tray 4). Therefore, even if the print medium corresponding to the bill format desired by the customer is different from the print media P1 to P3, if the print medium is set in the paper feed tray 4 and the bill information is printed, , Can be shipped in the form of bill desired by the customer.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the print control apparatus 11 includes an apparatus main body 20, an input unit 30, and a monitor 40. The apparatus body 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23.

  The control unit 21 includes a microcomputer that is a main body of the control and calculation, a ROM that stores a control program related to print processing, and a RAM that is used for temporary storage of various data (none of which are shown). ) And control the print control apparatus 11 and the printer 10.

  The storage unit 22 includes a storage device such as a hard disk, and stores various data tables used in the printing process. It is also used for temporary storage of data acquired from the database server 2. The communication unit 23 includes a communication device such as a network card, connects the print control apparatus 11 and the network 3, and communicates with the database server 2. Further, it is configured to connect to the Internet (not shown) and to communicate with any external device connected to the Internet.

  The input unit 30 is an input device (for example, a keyboard or a mouse) for an operator to input an operation command or the like. The monitor 40 is an output device that displays an input screen for receiving an operation command or the like from an operator, a processing result, and the like. Note that the monitor 40 may be a touch panel type, and an operation command may be input using an operator's finger, a dedicated input pen, or the like.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the database server 2 includes a customer database (customer DB) 200, a billing database (billing DB) 201, and a style database (style DB) 202, and responds to a data request from the print control apparatus 11. Then, information stored in the customer DB 200, the billing DB 201, and the style DB 202 is searched, and the devised information is provided to the print control apparatus 11. Further, the information in the customer DB 200, the billing DB 201, and the style DB 202 is updated based on information from the outside.

  The customer DB 200 is a database in which information about customers (customer information) is recorded. As shown in FIG. 6, the customer information includes data items including a customer code, a customer name, a customer office name, an address, a mail address, and a form code. In the “customer code”, a code of several digits (consisting of numerical values, alphabets, etc.) allocated to uniquely identify a customer for data management is stored as text data. In the “customer name”, text data indicating the official name of the customer is stored. "Customer office name" is a text that shows details of recipients such as "XX branch", "XX branch office", "XX department" when it is necessary to further specify the recipient of the invoice Data is stored. In addition, text data indicating the name of the transaction related person (customer contact person) in the customer is also stored in the “customer office name” (for example, “XX branch Yamada”).

  In the “address”, text data indicating the address to which the invoice is sent is stored. In the “mail address”, text data indicating an electronic mail address of a personal computer, a portable information terminal, a mobile phone or the like of a customer representative is stored. In the “style code”, a code for uniquely identifying a form of a bill to be sent (for example, a two-digit numerical value) is stored as text data or binary data. Details of the “style code” will be described later.

  The billing DB 201 is a database in which information (billing information) for charging a price such as when a customer purchases a product or provides a maintenance service to the customer is recorded. As shown in FIG. 7, the billing information includes data items including a customer code, a total amount, a payment date, a shipping status, and transaction details information (1 to n). The “total amount” stores data indicating the total amount (for example, in units of yen) of the amount charged to the customer this time (for example, this month). In “Payment due date”, data indicating a payment due date (month / day) for the request requested from the customer is stored. The “shipping status” stores data indicating whether or not the bill related to the billing information has been shipped. In the present embodiment, “00” is stored in the case of non-shipping, and data indicating “01” is stored in the case of shipping. The data storage format of “total amount”, “payment date”, and “shipment status” may be text or binary.

  The transaction details information is information indicating the details of the billing, and is classified for each slip relating to the billing (1-n) and stores data. The transaction details information is a slip number. , Data items including transaction date, product name, quantity, unit price, amount, and consumption tax are provided. “Voucher No.” stores data indicating a unique number assigned to the voucher in the transaction of the product or the like. The “transaction date” stores data indicating the month / day of purchase (including the order; the same applies hereinafter). Stored in the “product name” is text data indicating the name and model number of the purchased product or the like (including provided services; the same applies hereinafter). The “quantity” stores data indicating the quantity of purchased goods and the like. The “unit price” stores data indicating the unit price without tax of products in units of yen. In “Amount”, data indicating a multiplication value of the number indicated by the storage data of “Quantity” and the amount indicated by the storage data of “Unit Price” is stored. In “consumption tax”, data indicating the amount of consumption tax of the amount indicated by the storage data of “amount” is stored. The data storage format of “slip No.”, “transaction date”, “quantity”, “unit price”, “amount”, and “consumption tax” may be text or binary.

  The form DB 202 is a database in which information on the form of the invoice is recorded. As shown in FIG. 8, the format DB 202 is composed of records having data items including format codes and format names. In FIG. 8, “postcard” of the format code “00” means a bill using the printing medium P1 or the printing medium P2 constituting the crimping type postcard. “General-purpose” of the format code “01” means that the bill uses the print medium P3. As described above, the bill using the print medium P3 is put in a predetermined envelope and sent out in a sealed letter.

  After the form code “02”, it means that the bill does not use the print media P1 to P3. For example, “special A” with form code “02” means that the invoice uses B5-size copy paper, and “special B” with form code “03” uses B6-size copy paper. Means that it is a bill.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 21 included in the print control device 11 of the printing apparatus 1 functionally includes a billing information acquisition unit 100, a customer information acquisition unit 101, a layout information creation unit 102, and a bill. An information creation unit 103, a print medium selection unit 104, a printing unit 105, and a notification unit 106 are provided.

  The billing information acquisition unit 100 is started periodically or in response to an operator's instruction (for example, a predetermined date / time of each month), and acquires billing information about a customer to which a bill should be sent from the database server 2. Do.

  The customer information acquisition unit 101 performs processing for acquiring customer information about the customer corresponding to the billing information acquired by the billing information acquisition unit 100 from the database server 2.

  The layout information creation unit 102 performs processing for creating information (layout information) about the display mode (layout) of the address to be printed on the invoice based on the customer information acquired by the customer information acquisition unit 101. In this embodiment, the address of the invoice is composed of an address, a customer name, and a business name (however, the business name is printed only when the acquired customer information includes the corresponding data. ). Note that the address mentioned here does not include a portion displayed on a so-called address side of a postcard or envelope (a surface on which a separate / postpay mark is displayed).

  The layout information creation unit 102 extracts information on the customer name, business office name (only when set) and address from the customer information, and is determined in advance based on the extracted information (text data). According to the layout condition, the layout information of the address to be printed is created.

The layout conditions of this embodiment are shown below.
(1) Two types of character sizes are used, for example, large (for example, 12 points. 1 point is a character height of about 0.35 mm) and small (for example, 9 points).
(2) Display items are in the order of address, customer name, and office name.
(3) If there is a business name, add “sama” after the business name if there is no business name. Further, the number of constituent characters of the item (customer name or establishment name) to which “sama” is added increases by one character.
(4) The number of characters per line is 22 characters or less when the character size is large, and 30 characters or less when the character size is small.
(5) A line feed (line separation) is made between the address and customer name, and between the customer name and establishment name.
(6) The address must be within 3 lines, and the customer name and business name must be within 2 lines each. As for the address, one line is used for displaying only the zip code.
(7) Although the standard character size is large, if the above condition (6) is not satisfied, the item is printed with a small character size.
(8) The character size should be the same for the customer name and business name.
(9) When printing the customer name and business name with a small character size, the address is also printed with the small character size.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the address printed using the layout information created according to the above layout conditions. FIG. 10A shows a case where the address is two lines, the customer name and the business office name are each one line, and each item is printed with a large character size. FIG. 10B shows a case where the address is 3 lines, the customer name is 1 line, and the business establishment name is 2 lines, and each item is printed with a large character size.

  In FIG. 10C, the address is 3 lines, the customer name and the establishment name are each 1 line, the address is small in size (see condition (7) above), and the customer name and the establishment name are characters. The case printed in large size is shown. FIG. 10D shows a case where the address is two lines, the customer name is one line, and the business establishment name is two lines, and each item is printed with a small character size (the above conditions (8), (9 )reference).

  Returning to FIG. 9 again, the description of the function of the control unit 21 will be continued. The invoice information creation unit 103 creates invoice information to be printed on a print medium based on the customer information, the billing information, and the created layout information.

  The print medium selection unit 104 determines a print medium for printing the invoice information based on the customer information acquired by the customer information acquisition unit 101 and the invoice information generated by the invoice information generation unit 103. I do. The processing procedure will be described below. First, the print medium selection unit 104 extracts a form code from customer information. When the extracted form code indicates a postcard (that is, “00”), the print medium selection unit 104 further analyzes the invoice information and determines in advance based on the result. According to the selected selection condition, the most suitable print medium for printing the bill information is selected from the print medium P1, the print medium P2, or the print medium P3.

  In the present embodiment, paying attention to the display size (vertical / horizontal size) of the invoice information, the optimum one is selected from the print medium P1, the print medium P2, and the print medium P3. Specifically, the print medium selection unit 104 is a bill for printing in a predetermined character size (for example, large (12 points)) (however, the address portion follows the character size indicated by the layout information). Obtain the display size of information on printing. If the vertical size is within the first reference size (for example, 14 cm), the print medium P1 is selected, and if it is larger than the second reference size (for example, 28 cm), the print medium is selected. If P2 is selected and larger than that, the print medium P3 is selected. If the horizontal size is not less than the third reference size (for example, 19.5 cm), the print medium P3 is selected regardless of the vertical size.

  In addition, the optimal print medium may be selected using the contents of the invoice information (for example, the number of transaction details information, the size of various amounts, etc.).

  On the other hand, when the extracted form code indicates general purpose (that is, “01”), the print medium selection unit 104 selects the print medium P3 as the print medium.

  When the extracted form code indicates something other than these (that is, after “02”), the print medium selection unit 104 displays the form name corresponding to the form code (for example, “special A” or the like). Alternatively, the name of the corresponding print medium (for example, “B5 size paper”) is displayed on the monitor 40. In this way, the operator is notified that the form of the invoice is special (that is, the invoice information needs to be printed on a print medium other than the print media P1 to P3). Print media other than the print media P1 to P3 are set on the paper feed tray 4 of the printer 10 by an operator who has confirmed such display (notification).

  The printing unit 105 controls the printer 10 to perform processing for outputting (printing) the created bill information to the determined print medium.

  The notification unit 106 performs a process of notifying the customer when the invoice is sent in a format that does not correspond to the format code stored in the customer information. In the present embodiment, when the print medium P3 is selected by the print medium selection unit 104 (that is, when the form code indicates a postcard) (that is, when the form code is sent in a sealed letter), the customer is notified. Is called. Specifically, the notification unit 106 creates an e-mail in which a predetermined content (to be shipped in a sealed letter) is written in the mail body, and sends the created e-mail to the e-mail address included in the customer information. Send through.

  Further, when the invoice is sent in a format that does not correspond to the format code stored in the customer information, the database server 2 causes the request (update request) from the print control device 11 to “ The stored data of “form code” may be changed to a code indicating the form of the bill corresponding to the print medium selected by the print medium selection unit 104 (ie, “01”).

  Next, a billing information acquisition process procedure in the printing system of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The billing information acquisition unit 100 started periodically or in response to an operator instruction first acquires a customer code table stored in the storage unit 22. The customer code table is a data table in which all customer codes having the business relationship (the contents are as described above) are stored, and are stored in the storage unit 22 in advance. The billing information acquisition unit 100 sequentially retrieves customer codes stored in the customer code table from the top (for example, “0001”) (YES in step S1101), and stores billing information corresponding to the retrieved customer codes in the database server 2. Data for requesting (billing information request data) is created (step S1102). Then, the created billing information request data is transmitted to the database server 2 via the communication unit 23 (step S1103). If all customer codes have been extracted and processed (NO in step S1101), this process ends.

  Upon receiving the billing information request data from the print control apparatus 11, the database server 2 searches the billing DB 201 using the customer code included therein as a key, and devise the corresponding billing information (record). Then, the “shipping status” item of the billing information is checked, and when it has not been dispatched (that is, when “00” is set), information indicating that the acquisition is OK and the billing information are A response message including the message is generated and transmitted to the print control apparatus 11. On the other hand, if it has already been shipped (that is, if “01” is set), a response message including information indicating that it is acquisition NG is created and transmitted to the print control apparatus 11.

  When the response message from the database server 2 is received (YES in step S1104), the billing information acquisition unit 100 analyzes the content. As a result, if the acquisition is OK (YES in step S1105), the billing information is extracted from the response message and stored in the storage unit 22 (step S1106). On the other hand, when it is acquisition NG (NO in step S1105), the process returns to step S1101 to repeat the above processing.

  After the processing in step S1106, the billing information acquisition unit 100 checks the printing status. As a result, if the billing information waiting for printing has not reached a predetermined number (for example, 10) (NO in step S1107), the processing from step S1101 is repeated. On the other hand, if the billing information waiting for printing has reached the predetermined number (YES in step S1107), the billing information acquisition unit 100 continues the process until the printing progresses and the number of waiting for printing becomes less than the predetermined number. The operation is interrupted for a predetermined time (step S1108).

  Next, the procedure of customer information acquisition processing in the printing system of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The customer information acquisition unit 101 is activated when a predetermined number (for example, 10) of billing information is acquired by the billing information acquisition unit 100 and performs the following series of processing. First, the customer information obtaining unit 101 obtains a customer code from the billing information stored in the storage unit 22, and data for requesting customer information corresponding to the customer code to the database server 2 (customer information request data). Is created (step S1201). Then, the created customer information request data is transmitted to the database server 2 via the communication unit 23 (step S1202).

  Upon receiving the customer information request data from the print control apparatus 11, the database server 2 searches the customer DB 200 using the customer code included therein as a key, and devises the corresponding customer information (record). Then, a response message including the customer information is created and transmitted to the print control apparatus 11.

  When the customer information acquisition unit 101 receives a response message to the customer information request from the database server 2 (YES in step S1203), the customer information acquisition unit 101 extracts the customer information from the response message and stores it in the storage unit 22 (step S1204). The customer information acquisition unit 101 repeats the above processing until there is no processing target billing information stored in the storage unit 22 (NO in step S1205).

  Next, a printing process procedure in the printing system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. The printing process is started after the customer information acquisition unit 101 acquires customer information. First, the layout information creation unit 102 creates a layout information for the address to be printed (step S1301). The layout information creation unit 102 extracts data on the customer name, the name of the business establishment (only when set) and the address from the customer information stored in the storage unit 22, and based on these extracted data, The layout information for the address to be printed is created according to the layout conditions. The created layout information is provided to the bill information creation unit 103.

  Next, the invoice information creation unit 103 creates invoice information as print contents based on the customer information, the invoice information, and the layout information (step S1302). When the bill information is created, the print medium selection unit 104 performs a process of determining a print medium on which the bill information is printed (step S1303). The print medium selection unit 104 determines a print medium on which the bill information is printed according to the above-described selection conditions based on the form code included in the customer information and the bill information. The determination result is indicated by the number (1 to 4) of the paper feed tray and is provided to the printing unit 105. In addition, when a print medium other than the print media P1 to P3 is selected, the print medium selection unit 104 notifies the fact via the monitor 40 as described above. The print medium in this case is set on the paper feed tray 4 by the operator.

  When the print medium is determined, the printing unit 105 transmits to the printer 10 a print control signal including the created bill information and a signal designating the paper feed tray (step S1304). The printer 10 takes out the print medium from the designated paper feed tray and prints the bill information (step S1305). An example of an invoice printed as described above is shown in FIG. In this example, the billing information is printed on the print medium P1.

  As described above, the printing system according to the present embodiment can automatically select an optimal print medium in order to send out a bill in a preferable manner. In this case, there is no inconvenience of creating a plurality of crimped postcards, and the burden on the operator is reduced.

  In addition, since the display form of the address of the invoice can be adjusted and printed, even when the number of print characters of the address is large, it is possible to print so as to be within the display allowable range of the address. Furthermore, printing is performed in consideration of the display balance of each item such as the address, customer name, and establishment name constituting the address, so that a user-friendly bill with good visibility can be created.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Of course, the various change in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention is possible.

  For example, a special print medium, that is, a print medium other than the print mediums P1 to P3 may be provided in the printer 10 and automatically switched in accordance with an instruction from the print control device 11 to perform printing.

  Further, as the postcard for sending out the invoice, a two-fold or three-fold crimped postcard is exemplified in the above embodiment, but the type of the postcard is not limited, and for example, a postcard with a so-called protective seal is also adopted. be able to.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the printing medium P1. It is a figure for demonstrating the printing medium P2. It is a figure for demonstrating the printing medium P3. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the print control apparatus in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the structure of customer information. It is a figure which shows the structure of billing information. It is a figure which shows the structure of style DB. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the control part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a printing layout of an address. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of acquiring billing information. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of acquiring customer information. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a printing process. It is a figure which shows a mode that billing information was printed on the printing medium P1.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing apparatus 2 Database server 3 Network 10 Printer 11 Print control apparatus 20 Main body 21 Control part 22 Storage part 23 Communication part 30 Input part 40 Monitor 100 Claim information acquisition part 101 Customer information acquisition part 102 Layout information creation part 103 Invoice information Creation unit 104 Print medium selection unit 105 Printing unit 106 Notification unit 200 Customer DB
201 Claim DB
202 Style DB
P1 to P3 print media

Claims (8)

A billing database that stores billing information for each customer;
A customer database in which customer information including name data, address data, and invoice form data is stored;
Billing information acquisition means for acquiring billing information corresponding to a customer to whom a bill should be sent from the billing database;
Customer information acquisition means for acquiring customer information corresponding to a customer to whom an invoice is to be sent from the customer database;
Layout information creating means for creating layout information for printing by matching the address of the invoice to a predetermined condition based on the name data included in the acquired customer information and the address data;
Bill information creating means for creating bill information based on the acquired bill information, the acquired customer information, and the created layout information;
Print medium selecting means for selecting one print medium from a plurality of types of print media based on the bill form data included in the acquired customer information;
Printing means for printing the bill information on the selected print medium;
A printing system comprising: The type of the print medium includes at least a first print medium corresponding to sending a bill by postcard and a second printable area corresponding to sending a bill by postcard and having a printable area larger than that of the first print medium. And a third print medium corresponding to the sending out of the invoice by sealed letter,
When the form of the invoice indicated by the invoice form data included in the customer information corresponds to the delivery of the invoice by a postcard, the print medium selecting means performs the first printing based on the invoice information. Selecting the most suitable medium, the second print medium or the third print medium;
The printing system according to claim 1. The print medium selection unit selects the most suitable one from the first print medium, the second print medium, and the third print medium based on the display size of the bill information on printing. To
The printing system according to claim 2. A notification for notifying the customer when the bill format indicated by the bill format data included in the customer information is different from the bill format corresponding to the print medium selected by the print medium selection means. Further comprising means,
The printing system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein A billing information acquisition step for acquiring billing information corresponding to a customer to which a bill should be sent out from a billing database in which billing information for each customer is stored;
A customer information acquisition step of acquiring customer information corresponding to a customer to whom an invoice is to be sent from a customer database in which customer information including name data, address data, and invoice form data is stored;
A layout information creating step for creating layout information for printing by matching the address of the invoice with a predetermined condition based on the name data included in the acquired customer information and the address data;
A bill information creating step for creating bill information based on the obtained bill information, the obtained customer information, and the created layout information;
A print medium selection step of selecting one print medium from a plurality of types of print media based on the bill form data included in the acquired customer information;
A printing step of printing the bill information on the selected print medium;
A printing method comprising: The type of the print medium includes at least a first print medium corresponding to sending a bill by postcard and a second printable area corresponding to sending a bill by postcard and having a printable area larger than that of the first print medium. And a third print medium corresponding to the sending out of the invoice by sealed letter,
When the form of the invoice indicated by the invoice form data included in the customer information corresponds to the delivery of the invoice by postcard, in the print medium selection step, the first printing is performed based on the invoice information. The most suitable medium is selected from the medium, the second print medium, or the third print medium.
The printing method according to claim 5. In the print medium selection step, the most suitable one is selected from the first print medium, the second print medium, and the third print medium based on the display size of the bill information on printing. To be
The printing method according to claim 6. Notification that notifies the customer when the form of the invoice indicated by the invoice form data included in the customer information is different from the form of the invoice corresponding to the print medium selected in the print medium selection step Further comprising a step,
The printing method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized by the above.

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