JP2010208127A - Label printing method and label - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To print event information intelligibly and conspicuously with commodity information on a label without decreasing the readability of a bar code. <P>SOLUTION: The commodity information 1 on demand linked with a metering machine combined with the event information 2 on demand in a selling area for the commodity are printed by an inkjet system. At least the event information 2 on demand is printed in full color, and on bar code information 3 included in the commodity information 1 on demand, is printed at the grade C or more, a symbol grade being regulated by ANSI X3.182. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a label printing method and a label. More specifically, the present invention relates to a label printing method and a label that display product information such as price, content, and barcode used in a retail store such as a supermarket.

  Products sold at retail stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores, especially fresh food, use labels for displaying product information (hereinafter also referred to as POS (Point of Sale) labels, priced labels, product labels) It is widely used for consumers to check merchandise information, and for retailers to record merchandise sales information and use the results as inventory management and marketing materials.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, labels have been proposed as special sales products (discounted products) and advertising products for sales promotion that have a function that attracts the attention of consumers. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a label for the purpose of attracting consumers' attention by writing character information such as “bargain” at the top of the label. However, this technology appeals POP (Point of purchase advertising) information for appealing that the product with the label is a special sale product, and has added a POP function to the label for sales promotion. Stays on things.

  In addition, as a method for giving an advertisement function to a label, in Patent Document 2, a two-dimensional code obtained by encoding a URL of an advertiser's WEB site is written together with a POS label, and a consumer uses this secondary code with a mobile phone or the like. A technique is disclosed in which an advertisement information of an advertiser can be viewed by accessing the WEB site by reading the URL. However, in this technique, there is a problem that the consumer cannot know what information is provided until the WEB access, and the advertisement information cannot be provided unless the consumer accesses. In addition, there is a problem that a predetermined communication fee is required. Furthermore, since the two-dimensional code printed on the label is formed by pre-printing, the information is fixed, and it is difficult to print on-demand as a plurality of two-dimensional codes as variable information. There is a problem that it is difficult to respond to the on-demand nature of advertisement information.

  On the other hand, the ink jet recording method (ink jet method) is a method for recording and printing images, characters, etc. by ejecting fine liquid droplets of ink to adhere to a recording sheet such as paper. In particular, it is rapidly spreading in various uses as a means of color image information. Also, in applications where the number of copies is small, it is being applied widely to the field of full-color image recording because it is cheaper than conventional printing methods. For example, Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4 describe that an inkjet method can be used as a label application. Patent Documents 5 and 6 disclose techniques relating to ink jet recording paper suitable for barcode reading.

  In this way, various labels using an ink jet method have been proposed, but all of them are for the purpose of promoting the sales of products with a label attached, and the information printed on the label was attached to the label. It is only about goods. That is, a method used like a bulletin board for displaying not only information on a product with a label attached but also information not directly related to the product has not been proposed so far.

  Conventionally, in stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores, bulletin boards etc. have been installed to guide events held in the surrounding area of the store, etc. For example, a method for announcing information about events by posting posters Although this method is used, the announcement effect is insufficient because there are few places for posting posters. Furthermore, the number of posters posted is limited due to space limitations, the number of events that can be announced, the amount of information must be reduced, and various types of event information cannot be provided in a way that has a high announcement effect, We could not improve community-based services.

  In addition, when printing local event information on a label, it is conceivable to perform color printing in order to provide such information in a form that catches the eyes of consumers. However, it is technically difficult to perform full-color printing at the same time while printing barcode information on a label at a specified grade or higher, and there is room for study of the label printing method. It was left.

  Therefore, the present invention can be applied to retailers such as supermarkets by notably degrading the readability of barcodes, and by printing event information that is different from the product information on the label in an easy-to-understand manner. It is an object of the present invention to provide a label printing method and a label that can improve a community-based service and allow consumers to accept information other than products widely and reliably.

  As a result of diligent research to solve the conventional problems as described above, the present inventors have made it possible to make barcode information more than a specific grade if the label is printed by the inkjet method, and the label can be made full color. Because it is easy, we have found that it is possible to provide local event information in a way that is noticeable to consumers without reducing work efficiency at the cash register.

  To achieve this object, the label printing method according to claim 1 combines on-demand product information linked with a weighing machine with on-demand information of an event in a sales area of the product different from the product information. Inkjet printing is used, and at least event on-demand information is printed in full color, and barcode information included in on-demand product information is printed when the symbol grade specified by ANSI X3.182 is grade C or higher. Like to do.

  Further, the label according to claim 2 is printed together with on-demand product information linked with a weighing machine and on-demand information of an event in a sales area of the product different from the product information, and at least The on-demand information of the event is printed in full color, and the barcode information included in the on-demand product information is printed with a symbol grade defined by ANSI X3.182 at grade C or higher.

  Further, the label according to claim 3 is printed by an ink jet method together with on-demand product information linked with a weighing machine and on-demand information of an event in a sales area of the product different from the product information, At least the on-demand information of the event is printed in full color, and the barcode information included in the on-demand product information is printed with the symbol grade defined by ANSI X3.182 being grade C or higher.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently announce local event information to consumers, and as a result, retail stores such as supermarkets improve community-based services, thereby improving the image of retail stores. This can lead to an increase in sales. In addition, since the barcode information printed on the label satisfies the symbol grade defined by ANSI X3.182, which is grade C or higher, the barcode readability is maintained and the operation of the POS system, etc. is hindered. There is nothing to do.

It is a figure which shows an example of the label which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the label which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the label which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the label which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode that the goods with the label which concerns on this invention are displayed. (A) Another example of a label according to the present invention, (b) an example of a label with a low barcode grade.

  Hereinafter, the configuration according to the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

1. Label printing method The label printing method according to the present invention prints on-demand product information linked with a weighing machine and on-demand information of an event in a sales area of the product different from the product information by an inkjet method. And at least event on-demand information is printed in full color, and barcode information included in on-demand product information is printed with a symbol grade defined by ANSI X3.182 at grade C or higher. is there.

  Here, “on-demand product information” means that products (especially foods such as meat, fish, vegetables, side dishes, etc.) are packaged, and the contents and types of packages for each product are different. The quantity is information measured by a weighing machine and converted into data, and linked to the data. That is, the information is unique to each product, and specific contents include information such as product name, content, unit price, price, expiration date, processing date, and production area. These pieces of information are product information that needs to be printed on demand because the information needs to be printed on a label each time a product is packaged. Also, information such as a barcode, a two-dimensional code (QR code, SP code, Vericode, etc.) is also included in the on-demand product information. Hereinafter, the “product” refers to foods such as meat, fish, vegetables, side dishes, etc., but is not limited thereto, for example, pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs sold for sale in the above-described form. Goods, daily necessities, etc.

  In addition, “on-demand event information in the product sales area” (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “local event information” or “event information”) as information different from the information of the product to which the label is attached refers to supermarkets, convenience stores, etc. Information related to various events held in the neighborhood municipality that is assumed to be the sales target area. For example, local summer festivals, autumn festivals, fireworks festivals, sports events, sports events such as relay races, cultural festivals, cultural events such as concerts, public events such as schools, kindergarten sports events, etc. Specific educational institution events, and more specifically, information such as the date and time of these events, the location, and the event name.

  For example, when a plurality of these event information are held at the same time, since the contents are different for each event, on-demand print output is necessary, and it can be said that the on-demand print is necessary. . Event information is not only text information such as the date and place of the event, but also information such as illustrations, designs, and photos that make it easy to recall events. Information on both text information and image information Will be on-demand information.

  The label printing method according to the present invention prints on-demand product information linked with a weighing machine and event information in a sales area of the product different from the product information by an inkjet method, and at least the event information is , By printing in full color, it attracts consumers' attention compared to the case where each piece of information is affixed to a single product as a separate label, thereby increasing the announcement effect of event information Can do.

  Here, when a consumer purchases a product, as a means of obtaining product information, if the product is packaged with a transparent film or the like, the product state can be viewed by directly viewing the product through the film, It is assumed that information such as price and content is obtained from the pasted POS label. Therefore, it is assumed that the consumer's attention to the POS label is high. Therefore, if event information is written together with a POS label with high consumer attention, as compared to the case where event information is posted in another place without being written together with the POS label as in the past, Naturally, the degree of attention to the event information written together is high, and as a result, the announcement effect of the event information to the consumer can be increased.

  Furthermore, when event information is printed together with on-demand product information, full-color printing is difficult in the case of label printing by the conventional thermal recording method, whereas the present invention uses the ink-jet method to perform full-color printing. It is possible to print information on the market, and it is possible to increase the attention of consumers with designs, illustrations, photographs, etc. using colors.

  In addition, when a retail store such as a supermarket considers improvement of community-based services by adding event information to a POS label, it is naturally preferable to handle a lot of event information, and the event information to be added for each POS label changes. More preferably it can. Therefore, the event information printed on the label is different depending on the product, and even for the same and the same type of product, depending on various factors such as sales area, sales time (season), product price, It is preferable that appropriate event information can be selectively printed each time.

  Therefore, in order to cope with this with the conventional printing method, it is necessary to prepare a method that prints multiple event information in advance and prints product information linked to the weighing machine. It is necessary to keep a stock of labels according to. However, by using the inkjet method, it is possible to change the content of the event information for each plain sheet and perform on-demand color printing, thereby eliminating the need for inventory of printed labels. .

  As described above, information such as a barcode and a two-dimensional code (barcode information) is also printed on the label as on-demand product information. Here, information that can function in monochrome printing, such as barcode information, can be printed by the inkjet method (monochrome printing). However, the label printing is changed to the conventional thermal recording method, and the inkjet printing is performed. When printing using this method, there is a problem of deterioration in the legibility of bar code information.

  However, in the label printing method according to the present invention, specifically, the symbol grade defined in the bar code print quality guideline “ANSI X3.182” standard so that the bar code information has a legibility higher than a predetermined grade. Can be printed with a predetermined grade (grade C or higher). Note that it is possible to print a two-dimensional code without degrading the legibility.

  In this way, the readability of the bar code can be maintained in the same manner as a system that prints a bar code using a conventional thermal recording method, and the POS system (settlement using bar codes at the cash register, POS data) Collection), etc., so as not to hinder the operation.

  Here, in order to create a barcode by the inkjet method and ensure that the symbol grade defined by ANSI X3.182 is grade C or higher, there are preferable conditions for each of the receptor, head, and ink related to the printing apparatus, It can be achieved by a combination thereof. For example, in the receptor, the higher the smoothness of the ink receiving surface and the larger the ink absorption, the higher the ANSI symbol grade of the barcode. Moreover, the ANSI symbol grade grade of the bar code becomes higher as the resolution is higher in the head.

  In the present invention, as an ink jet system that can be used, any system such as a serial system, a line system, and a continuous system can be used as the print head type. Further, as the ink type, for example, any type such as water-based dye ink, water-based pigment ink, solvent-based dye ink, solvent-based pigment ink, and UV ink can be used.

  In the present invention, the base material of the label is not particularly limited as long as it can cope with printing by the ink jet method, and a base material such as paper, film, synthetic paper, and cloth can be used. It is.

  Furthermore, it is also possible to provide a functional layer having an ink absorption function on the substrate for the purpose of improving the recording characteristics in the ink jet system. For example, matte paper, glossy paper, photographic paper, proof paper or the like generally known as inkjet paper can be used. Also, a label style with adhesive and release paper on the back side of the print surface, a linerless label style with thermally activated adhesive on the back side of the print surface, a peeling function on the print side, and an adhesive on the back side of the print surface It is also possible to use in a linerless label style with

2. Label Further, the label according to the present invention is printed together with on-demand product information linked with a weighing machine and on-demand information of an event in the sales area of the product different from the product information, and at least the event The on-demand information is printed in full color, and the barcode information included in the on-demand product information is printed with the symbol grade defined by ANSI X3.182 being grade C or higher (FIGS. 1 to 6). (A)). The label is preferably printed by the ink jet method, but may be printed in full color by a printing method other than the ink jet method.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows an example of a label printed by the label printing method described above. The label 10 shown in FIG. 1 is printed in full color by the inkjet method on the upper part of the on-demand information 1 linked to the weighing machine as event information 2 together with summer festival holding information. The summer festival holding information is printed in characters in all characters, illustrations, and backgrounds, and the barcode 3 is printed with a symbol grade defined by ANSI X3.182 at grade C or higher.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 2 shows another example of a label printed by the above-described label printing method. The label 10 shown in FIG. 2 is printed in full color by an ink jet method on the left part of the on-demand information 1 linked to the weighing machine as event information 2 together with fireworks display event information. The fireworks display event information is printed in color for all characters, illustrations, and backgrounds, and the barcode 3 is printed with a symbol grade defined by ANSI X3.182 of grade C or higher.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 3 shows another example of a label printed by the above-described label printing method. The label 10 shown in FIG. 3 is printed in full color by the ink jet method together with athletic meet information as event information 2 below the on-demand information 1 linked to the weighing machine. The athletic meet information is printed in color for all characters, illustrations, and background, and the barcode 3 is printed with a symbol grade defined by ANSI X3.182 at grade C or higher.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 4 shows another example of a label printed by the above-described label printing method. The label 10 shown in FIG. 4 is printed in full color by the inkjet method on the right part of the on-demand information 1 linked to the weighing machine as event information 2 together with information on the cultural festival. Information on the festival is printed in color for all characters, illustrations, and backgrounds, and the barcode 3 is printed with a symbol grade defined by ANSI X3.182 of grade C or higher.

  As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, by printing together the event information 2 of the area in which character information, illustration information, etc. are printed in full color on the POS label 10 on which the on-demand product information 1 is printed, the consumer can When the product information is confirmed with the POS label 10 at the time of purchasing the product, the event information 2 written together stops and the announcement effect of the event information 2 can be greatly increased. In addition, by posting such local event information 2, retailers can simultaneously announce to consumers that they are close to the local community, improving retail store image, and increasing sales. Can be connected.

[Fifth Embodiment]
FIG. 5 shows a state in which products with labels 10 printed by the label printing method described above are displayed. FIG. 5 shows a state in which a label 10 including a plurality of different event information 2 such as a fireworks display and a summer festival is pasted on the same kind of product and the product is displayed on the display shelf 4. As described above, by creating a label using the inkjet method, a plurality of different event information 2 can be easily attached to the label 10 of the same type of product.

[Sixth Embodiment]
As described above, the label printed by the above-described label printing method has a bar code of a predetermined grade (symbol grade defined by ANSI X3.182 is grade C) or higher. FIGS. 6A and 6B show examples of labels having different barcode symbol grades.

  FIG. 6A is an example of a label according to the present invention, and the barcode 3 is grade B. FIG. According to the label 10, the legibility of the bar code can be maintained in the same manner as the system for printing the bar code by the conventional thermal recording method. On the other hand, in FIG. 6B, the barcode 5 is a comparative example of grade F. Since the bar code 5 has wrinkles on the edge of the bar and is difficult to read at the cash register, the work efficiency of the cash register is extremely lowered.

  The above-described embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 On-demand product information 2 Event information 3 Bar code 4 Product display shelf 5 Bar code (Grade F)
10 labels

Japanese Patent No. 2956599 Registered Utility Model No. 3144165 Japanese Patent No. 3078425 JP 2004-322458 A JP 2007-136967 A JP 2007-90709 A

Claims (3)

Print on-demand product information linked to the weighing machine and on-demand information of the event in the sales area of the product different from the product information by inkjet method,
And at least on-demand information of the event is printed in full color,
A label printing method, wherein the barcode information included in the on-demand product information is printed with a symbol grade defined by ANSI X3.182 of grade C or higher. On-demand product information linked to the weighing machine and on-demand information of the event in the sales area of the product different from the product information are printed together,
And at least on-demand information of the event is printed in full color,
The bar code information included in the on-demand merchandise information is printed with a symbol grade defined by ANSI X3.182 at grade C or higher. The on-demand product information linked with the weighing machine and the on-demand information of the event in the sales area of the product different from the product information are printed together by an ink jet method,
And at least on-demand information of the event is printed in full color,
The bar code information included in the on-demand merchandise information is printed with a symbol grade defined by ANSI X3.182 at grade C or higher.