JP2011221780A - Variable print system, variable text data processor and variable text data processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a variable print system capable of printing characters at a variable print part of direct mail or the like using a font size suited to a customer.SOLUTION: The variable print system includes at least: a variable text data processor 10 for acquiring the data value of a field set beforehand from the field included in variable text data which are variable for each customer, and executing the processing of inserting the variable text data of the font size selected according to the data value of the field into a layout file at least; a print image generator 11 for generating a print image from the layout file to which the variable text data are inserted at least; and a printer 12 for outputting the print image.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field of variable printing that prints printed materials having different contents one by one, and more particularly to a technique for changing the size of text used in variable printing.

  In one-to-one marketing that approaches customers' needs and support operations for customers, it is necessary to mail direct mails with different contents for each customer. Variable printing systems that can print content are used.

  In a variable printing system, a layout file for printed materials such as direct mail is generated using an authoring device with DTP (Desktop publishing) software installed, and variable data different for each customer is incorporated into this layout file. Print out different printed materials with variable printing device.

  In this way, if a variable printing system is used, it becomes possible to print direct mails with different contents for each customer. In Patent Document 1, not only the customer's name but also a photograph or the like according to the customer's attributes. A direct mail creation system capable of selecting and printing image data is disclosed.

JP 2004-29900 A

  However, the above-described invention can select and print image data such as photographs according to customer's preference, but cannot change the character size according to the customer.

  According to statistical data, the proportion of people over 65 years old in the total population will increase to 1 in 4 in 2013 and 1 in 3 in 2037, and the aging society will become more serious in the future. With an aging society, it is desirable to be able to print characters on direct mail using a font size tailored to the customers who will be direct mail recipients.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a variable printing system capable of printing characters on a variable print using a font size tailored to a customer who is a destination of the variable print such as direct mail, and variable text data used in variable printing. It is an object to provide an apparatus and method for processing.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-described problem, a data value of the field set in advance is acquired from fields included in variable text data that is variable for each customer, and selected according to the data value of the field. A variable text data processing device that executes processing for inserting at least the variable text data of font size into a layout file, a print image generation device for generating a print image from the layout file into which at least the variable text data is inserted, and the print A variable printing system comprising at least a printing apparatus that outputs an image.

  The variable text data storage device acquires a preset data value of the field from the fields included in the variable text data that is variable for each customer, and the font size selected according to the data value of the field. By executing the process of inserting variable text data into at least the layout file, if a field that is variable for each customer is specified as the field, variable printing is performed using a font size that matches the customer to whom the variable print is sent. It becomes possible to do.

  Further, the second invention is an apparatus for processing variable text data used for variable printing, and the field data set in advance among the fields included in the variable text data that is variable for each customer. It is a variable text data processing device that executes a process of acquiring a value and inserting at least the variable text data of a font size selected according to the data value of the field into a layout file.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for processing variable text data used for variable printing, wherein a preset data value of the field is selected from fields included in variable text data that is variable for each customer. A variable text data processing method characterized in that the step of obtaining and the step of inserting at least the variable text data of the font size selected by the device according to the data value of the field into a layout file are executed.

  The second invention relates to a variable text data processing apparatus which is one apparatus constituting the variable printing system of the first invention, and the third invention relates to a method executed by the variable text data processing apparatus. It is an invention.

  In the first invention, the second invention, and the third invention, a field for storing a data value directly indicating the font size may be provided in the variable text data. If there is a field for storing the age, the font size can be selected according to the customer's age if this field is used for selecting the font size.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a variable printing system capable of printing characters on a variable printed material using a font size tailored to a customer as a transmission destination of the variable printed material such as direct mail, and variable printing are used. An apparatus and method for processing variable text data can be provided.

The figure explaining the structure of a variable printing system. The figure explaining an example of the structure of variable text data. The figure explaining an example of the rule which determines a font size. The flowchart which showed the process sequence of the variable text data processing apparatus. The figure explaining an example of variable printed matter.

  From this, the embodiments of the present invention will be described to the extent that those skilled in the art of the present invention can understand the contents of the present invention and implement the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a variable printing system 1 to which the present invention is applied.

  The variable printing system 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a variable text data storage device 13 that stores variable text data different for each customer, a layout file storage device 14 that stores a common layout file for each customer, Executes the process of acquiring the data value of the specified field from the fields included in the variable text data that is variable for each customer, and inserting at least the variable text data of the font size selected according to the field data value into the layout file A variable text data processing device 10 that performs printing, a print image generation device 11 that generates a print image from a layout file into which at least variable text data is inserted, and a printing device 12 that outputs a print image generated by the print image generation device 11. Al is composed of at least, in the present embodiment, each device is connected via a network.

  The variable text data storage device 13 stores variable text data that is different for each customer who is the target of the variable printed matter for each customer. The variable text data is CSV (Comma Separated Values) format text data. In the variable text data, a record including fields such as customer identification number, customer name and address is stored for each customer in order to identify the customer. The data value of one field included in the variable text data is used to select the font size of the variable text data.

  A field that stores a data value that directly indicates the font size may be provided in the variable text data. However, if there is a field that stores the customer's age in the variable text data, this field is used to select the font size. By doing so, the font size can be selected according to the age of the customer, and the customer who has received the variable print can make it easy to see the variable print.

  If you want to change the font size according to the customer, even if it is a common text for each customer that is the target of variable prints, you can include this text in variable text data instead of including it in the layout file. That's fine.

  The layout file storage device 14 stores a common layout file for each customer who is the target of the variable printed material. A layout file is a file described in a page description language, for example, a PostScript file. In this layout file, in addition to symbols and text fixed in the layout file, field data values included in variable text data are stored. Includes a variable text frame to insert.

  The print image generation device 11 is a device that generates a print image by converting a layout file into which at least variable text data is inserted, such as a RIP (Raster Image Processor), into image data. This is a device that includes a printing unit such as a printing method, an inkjet method, or a toner method, and prints a print image generated by the print image generation device 11 on a paper medium or the like to output a variable printed matter.

  From here, the variable text data processing apparatus 10 which is one of the apparatuses which comprise the variable printing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is demonstrated in detail.

  The variable text data processing apparatus 10 acquires the field data value used for selecting the font size from the fields included in the variable text data that is variable for each customer, and the font size selected according to the data value of this field. A device that executes processing for inserting variable text data into at least a layout file, and a commercially available device that has a function for inserting variable text data that can be changed for each customer into a layout file with a computer program for executing such processing. Alternatively, it can be realized by mounting it on a commercially available apparatus having a function of inserting variable text data and variable image data that are variable for each customer into a layout file.

  From the fields included in the variable text data that is variable for each customer, obtain the data value of the field used to select the font size, and at least the variable text data of the font size selected according to the data value of this field is stored in the layout file. In order to execute the insertion process, the variable text data processing apparatus 10 determines a rule for determining the font size in accordance with the field identification information (for example, the number and name) used for selecting the font size and the data value of this field. It is stored for each item of variable printed matter.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the structure of variable text data, and FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a rule for determining the font size according to the data value of the designated field.

  In the variable text data 3 shown in FIG. 2, a record is stored for each customer to whom the variable printed material is sent, and this record is delimited by a line feed code (for example, CRLF). A record contains multiple fields, each separated by a comma. In Figure 2, the fields are customer identification number, customer name, customer zip code, customer address, customer age, When the sentence data is illustrated and the customer's age is used to select the font size, the variable text data processing apparatus 10 stores “5” as the field number of the field in which the customer's age is described.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a rule when the customer's age is used for selecting the font size. In the rule 4 shown in FIG. 3, if the customer's age is 20 or more and less than 55 years, the font corresponding to the small is used. Select a size (for example, 10 points), and if the customer's age is between 55 and under 65, select the appropriate font size (for example, 12 points), and the customer's age is under 65 If so, it is indicated that the font size corresponding to the size (for example, 14 points) is selected.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the variable text data processing apparatus 10. When printing one variable print, variable text data to be processed is transmitted from the variable text data storage device 13 to the variable text data processing apparatus 10, and a layout file unique to each variable print is stored in the layout file. It is transmitted from the device 14 (S1).

  When the variable text data processing apparatus 10 receives the variable text data and the layout file, the variable text data processing apparatus 10 acquires the data value of the field specified by the preset field number from the fields included in the variable text data (S2). ), Referring to a preset rule, and selecting a font size according to the data value of this field (S3).

  For example, according to the rule shown in FIG. 3, if the customer's age acquired from the variable text data is 20 years old or older and less than 55 years old, the font size corresponding to the small size (for example, 10 points) is selected, and the customer's If the age is between 55 and 65 years old, the corresponding font size (for example, 12 points) is selected, and if the customer's age is less than 65 years old, the corresponding font size (for example, 14 points) is selected.

  Then, the variable text data processing apparatus 10 uses the font size selected in accordance with the preset field data value, and acquires and inserts the field data corresponding to the variable text frame of the layout file from the variable text data (S4). ), Generate a layout file into which at least variable text data is inserted, and end this procedure.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a variable printed material, which is a variable printed material that is printed according to the rules illustrated in FIG. FIG. 5 (a) is a direct postcard 5a sent to a customer whose age is between 20 and 55, and FIG. 5 (b) is that the age is between 25 and 65. FIG. 5A shows a direct postcard 5c transmitted to a customer, and FIG. 5A shows a direct postcard 5c transmitted to a customer whose age belongs to an age group under 65.

  In FIG. 5, “Congratulations on your birthday, we are waiting for your visit” is the text data, and the font size selected according to the rules shown in FIG. 3 is used. The direct postcards can be viewed by increasing the font size of the sentence data according to the age category to which the customer belongs, as in the direct postcards 5a, b, c shown in FIGS. 5 (a), 5 (b) and 5 (c). The customer can immediately understand the contents.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Variable printing system 10 Variable text data processing apparatus 11 Print image generation apparatus 12 Printing apparatus 13 Variable text data storage apparatus 14 Layout file storage apparatus

Claims (5)

  The data value of the field set in advance is acquired from the fields included in the variable text data that is variable for each customer, and the variable text data having the font size selected according to the data value of the field is stored in at least the layout file. A variable text data processing device for executing insertion processing; a print image generation device for generating a print image from the layout file into which the variable text data is inserted at least; and a printing device for outputting the print image. A variable printing system characterized by that.   The data value of the field used for selection of the font size is a customer's age, and the variable text data processing device selects a font size according to a category to which the customer's age belongs. The variable printing system described in 1.   A device for processing variable text data used for variable printing, which obtains a data value of a preset field from the fields included in variable text data that is variable for each customer, and data in the field A variable text data processing apparatus that executes a process of inserting at least the variable text data having a font size selected according to a value into a layout file.   4. The variable text data processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the data value of the field used for selecting the font size is a customer's age, and the font size is selected according to a category to which the customer's age belongs. . A device for processing variable text data used for variable printing, obtaining a preset data value of the field from fields included in variable text data that is variable for each customer; A variable text data processing method, comprising: inserting at least the variable text data having a font size selected according to the data value of the field into a layout file.

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